Author Archives: Laura

Poetry Wednesday 09/24/08: I Feel Like Saying A Beatnik Poem

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Introduction: A tough kid comes to a new high school and begins muscling his way into the drug scene. As he moves his way up the ladder, a schoolteacher tries to reform him, his aunt tries to seduce him, and the “weedheads” are eager to use his newly found enterprise, but he has his own agenda. After an altercation involving fast cars, hidden drugs, and police, he’s accepted by the drug kingpin and is off into the big leagues. A typical morality play of the … Continue reading →

The Simplest Way to be Happy by Hellen Keller

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Today, I am honoring all people who have overcome serious obstacles in this world. We should all stop and listen to their stories, so that we may appreciate this life and learn from them. They are the real gurus and teachers in this world. -Laurita  The Simplest Way to be Happy by Helen Keller, as published in Home Magazine, (February, 1933) Transcription “The Simplest Way to be Happy” “My theme is that happiness is not the work of magic. Happiness is the final and perfect … Continue reading →

Late-Talking Children

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I put this blog together after one of my Yahoo/Multiply friends, Papa, reminded me that Albert Einstein was a really late-talker. So it got my wheels turning… Introduction from WebMD: Ifems to be a late talker, when is the time to seek help? What’s normal? By Richard Trubo WebMD Feature Brunilda Nazario, MD “Mama. Dada.” Those are often the first words spoken by a baby, and they can turn an ordinary day into a memorable one for parents. But if children seem to lag behind … Continue reading →

Living Well Emotionally by Montel Williams

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I love reading books about people with major challenges in their lives because it makes me feel like I don’t have any worries in the world compared to them. For example, Montel Williams has had a very successful life as a talk show host for many years, and has even had a few movie roles. You would think, “What problems could he possibly have?” Well, about ten years ago, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a major debilitating and painful disease of the central nervous … Continue reading →

Heritage, Civilization & the Jews

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Heritage is “the story of a small people with a large place in the destiny of mankind…There is virtually no civilization that does not have a Jewish component, just as there is no Jewish civilization that does not bear the mark of another culture.” Thus states Abba Eban in this magnificently illustrated and superbly written book, the companion volume to the PBS television series, “Heritage.” With the characteristic eloquence that has made him an international spokesman for his country and his people, Mr. Eban charts … Continue reading →

Night by Elie Wiesel

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Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. Night, is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel’s memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: A Town Without Pity (1961)

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This movie was the most controversial and intense courtroom drama in the history of cinematography. This movie was originally a story written by Manfred Gregor, and it was made into a film in 1961. It was filmed in black and white. The story takes place in postwar Germany in the village of Neustadt. The story goes like this: A group of four drunken American soldiers that are stationed in this town come upon a teenage girl, Karin Steinhof in the woods outside of town. She … Continue reading →

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

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A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) is a subversive, steamy film classic that was adapted from Tennessee Williams’ 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play (his first) of the same name. [Early working titles for the play included The Moth, Blanche’s Chair on the Moon, and The Poker Night.] Playwright Williams adapted his own play for the screen version. This film masterpiece was directed by independent director Elia Kazan (his first piece of work with Williams), a socially-conscious director who insisted that the film be true to the play … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: My Cousin Vinny (1992)

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If you need to laugh over the holiday, get this movie. It’s a silly movie, but It will make you laugh if you’ve been taking life too seriously lately. Here’s the synopsis: Bill Gambini and Stanley Rothenstein are 2 friends from New York University that just received scholarships to UCLA. They decide to drive through the south. Once they arrive in Alabama, they stop at a local convenience store to pick up a few snacks. But, no sooner that they left the store, they were … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: To Kill a Mockingbird

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As far as I am concerned, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most intense courtroom dramas in motion picture history. It was made in 1962, and was directed by Robert Mulligan.. It was based on the novel by Harper Lee. It is a coming-of-age story of a young girl, Scout Finch and her brother, Jem, in 1930′s Alabama. Through their neighborhood meanderings and the example of their father, they grow to understand that the world isn’t always fair and that prejudice is a … Continue reading →