Author Archives: Laura

Theater 09/04/08: The Paper Chase

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Does anyone remember this movie ? It was one of my favorites because John Houseman reminded me of so many of the arrogant teachers I had going to school. The Paper Chase is a 1973 film starring Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, and John Houseman and directed by James Bridges. Based on John Jay Osborn, Jr.’s 1970 novel, The Paper Chase, the film tells the story of Hart, a first-year law student at Harvard Law School, and his experiences with Professor Charles Kingsfield (played by John … Continue reading →

Art Sunday 10/05/08: A Celebration of Judaism in Art

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Self-portrait of Solomon Alexander Hart Solomon Alexander Hart 1806-1881 was a British painter. He was born in Plymouth, England, the son of Samuel Hart, a Jewish engraver and teacher of Hebrew. He remained an observant Jew all his life. He served as an engraver’s apprentice in where he studied at the Royal Academy, and excelled in miniature painting. Hart became celebrated as a painter of historical scenes and characters, and in 1854 was appointed professor of painting in the Royal Academy.   The Feast of … Continue reading →

Cadillac Records

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Cadillac Records is an upcoming biographical film and a musical drama written and directed by film directorDarnell Martin. Exploring the 1950s musical era, the film chronicles the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and the singers who recorded for Chess Records. The film stars American actors Adrien Brody as Chess, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Columbus Short as Little Walter, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, and Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James. The film has been rated … Continue reading →

Little Mister gets a Christmas hat and scarf

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What do you give a rabbit for Christmas ?  We thought maybe an extra large bushel of Timothy hay or an entire bag of Romaine lettuce. Then we found the perfect gift. A warm hand-made crocheted hat that even comes with a matching scarf and mittens, but he mostly loved the hat. They matched his eyes so beautifully ! We asked him if he could model them for us !        15 CommentsChronological   Reverse   Threaded deletereply sugarpiehuny wrote on Dec 9, ’08 I know he … Continue reading →

Green Tea and Me

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By now, we know that drinking green tea is undoubtedly good for our bodies. The antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties of green tea have made it a must-have for the health conscious and numerous studies highlight the potential benefits of green tea including cancer prevention and weight loss. But green tea isn’t just a delicious and healthful drink; it can also be used as an at-home health and beauty remedy. 1. It’s great for teeth: Green tea has fluoride in it, making it a superstar … Continue reading →

Echoes of the Sixties

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Whatever became of your favorite pop music stars of the 1960s? As the 1960s draw ever more distant in our recollective rear-view mirror, the overwhelming influence of those watershed years in redefining American culture becomes ever more apparent. Today, 54 million Americans who call themselves children of the ’60s, people who lived their formative years during that decade, find a common bond in the events, sights, and sounds of that remarkable era of change.  Echoes of the Sixties by Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March … Continue reading →

The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan Salute

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The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan Salute by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom We come now to the most famous Jewish influence on Vulcan culture, the “live long and prosper” hand gesture. This “Vulcan salute, ” as it has come to be called, was invented on the set by Leonard Nimoy during the filming of the second-season opener, “Amok Time.” In this episode, Spock goes into something like a male estrus cycle, called pon farr in the Vulcan language. Comparing himself to a salmon swimming upstream to … Continue reading →

Poetry Wednesday 08/19/09: Simple Man

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Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash Simple Man by Graham Nash (for Joni Mitchell) I am a simple man So I sing a simple song Never been so much in love And never hurt so bad at the same time. I am a simple man And I play a simple tune I wish that I could see you once again Across the room like the first time. I just want to hold you I don’t want to hold you down I hear what you’re saying and … Continue reading →

The Little Rascals

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One of my favorite shows growing up was The Little Rascals, although it was sometimes called, “Our Gang”. It was a series of American comedy short films about a bunch of neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. It was created by Hal Roach. It actually started out as a silent series in 1927. Roach changed distributors from Pathe to Metro Goldwyn Mayer and went to sound in 1929, and continued production until 1938, when he sold the series to MGM. MGM continued producing … Continue reading →

Poetry Wednesday 08/27/08: Poetry Man

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I thought this would be a cool song to post for Poetry Wednesday this week, especially when nothing’s really going on. Renowned for her elastic contralto and jazz-scat vocal gymnastics, singer Phoebe Snow was born Phoebe Laub on July 17, 1952 in New York City. During her childhood in Teaneck, New Jersey, she initially studied piano, but switched to the guitar in her teens, writing poetry which gradually mutated into her first songs. Overcoming her stage fright, Snow began playing Greenwich Village clubs in the … Continue reading →