Keep It Simple
In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the middle class of the USA blossomed. But in small towns the flush of success eventually proved to be temporary, as their economies were … Continue reading
Share this:
Brave Old World
Imagine you were among the first humans to see the North American continent, not yet knowing that it was, in fact, a continent. In sci-fi movies, you see forests … Continue reading
Share this:
No Independent Thought
When my husband and I were novice horse owners, we were taught that the only way to train a horse is to teach it “No Independent Thought.” A good … Continue reading
Share this:
What Lies Beneath: SURPRISE!
Long before the film TITANIC left viewers sobbing, we had all been schooled to know that what you see isn’t necessarily what you get. Quicksand, Rodents Of Unusual Size, … Continue reading
Share this:
Are Bees Clever?
When the original film of PLANET OF THE APES was distributed, people smirked at the idea that primates could evolve to be as clever as we are. Those humans who … Continue reading
Share this:
Is Everyone in the Picture?
Everybody squeeze in! Smile! Do we have every face in the photo? A new cell phone (the iPhone 17) is being advertised as able to automatically include all individuals … Continue reading
Share this:
Daring to Tolerate
In spite of dreadful reviews, the 2020 film PROXIMITY available on Amazon Prime still charmed me. Instead of horror and dread, it was one of few sci-fi’s about alien … Continue reading
Share this:
How Do I Love Thee?
“How do I love thee?” wrote Elizabeth Barrett Browning. What she didn’t write was how many ways we’re called upon to love throughout a long-term relationship such as … Continue reading
Share this:
We’re All Old Now
Today the world is forcing an untold population to feel old. What does that mean? It means the country around us dived into a dimension we weren’t prepared to understand. … Continue reading
Share this:
The Cure Big Pharma Didn’t Want You to See!
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, gullible people were charmed and conned by snake oil salesmen. With shameless showmanship, the swindler rolled into town and performed feats of … Continue reading
Share this:
Love Doesn’t Need Bodies
The idea that we, as humans and maybe all life on Earth, aren’t really solid material isn’t new. Echoes of the same conclusion are threaded through many new and … Continue reading
Share this:
When Did the Page Flip to the Future?
Have you seen the then-humorous social satire film SLEEPER released in 1973 starring Woody Allen (who helped write it) and Diane Keaton? (According to AI, the film can still … Continue reading
Share this:
Believing is Seeing according to Dr. Wayne Dyer
When quantum mechanics scientists discovered that observing could change a wave into a particle, they felt dumbfounded. How could simply seeing something change it? It didn’t make sense. Maybe … Continue reading
Share this:
Discovering What Our Ancestors Knew
We’ve all seen pictures of pre-historic images either carved or painted on rock, even if we’ve never witnessed them in person. Interpretations aside, they act as solid proof that … Continue reading
Share this:
What Could We Lose?
I live in a country grieving and vulnerable, falling under the influence of users. These are painful times. The country I loved is morphing. Once we were heroes who … Continue reading
Share this:
New Curriculum?
What must a young person learn in school to prepare for success in the supposed future of the U.S.? Ideally, you need to be male, white, able-bodied, and within age … Continue reading
Share this:
How to Find Your Purpose
When I was in college, a favorite debate for late nights was whether life is determined by forces out of our control or subject to free will. The answer is … Continue reading
Share this:
Gift of Being There
Think of the happiest moment you remember experiencing in your life—feeling not merely satisfied or delighted but joyful from your heart outward. That exquisite joy is what I wish … Continue reading
Share this:
Holiday Tugs
As I gather texts and emails and even snail mail from friends and family, as I share my bounty with underpaid people who make my life easier, I feel an … Continue reading
Share this:
A Dead End Job
Imagine what an other worldly welcome for Rob Reiner would look like. Here was a person who seized opportunities to brighten his world, primarily with the films he created. … Continue reading
Share this:
You’ll Never Make a Living…
Young people of any age don’t naturally hesitate to make art in clay, paint, colored pencils, even mud, according to what’s available. They may act in impromptu plays, sing … Continue reading
Share this:
Tasty Books Available
Francis Bacon wrote, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Novels that follow patterns of plot that can … Continue reading
Share this:
Thank You for All That’s Precious
Although portrayals of the original American Thanksgiving vary widely in accuracy and intent, wise people take the hint this time of year to celebrate their good fortune. Okay, lots of … Continue reading
Share this:
Being Neighborly
In the early days of this country when it wasn’t yet a country, travelers often looked for nearby private homes when night approached because there were no inns available. They … Continue reading
Share this:
Emotional Walls
Witnessing decent, hard-working people be unaffected by cruelty makes me cry. And cruelty doesn’t stop with physical harm. Cruelty is any time someone attempts to crush the humanity out of … Continue reading
Share this:
Rise and Shine!
America is a little healthier today, the day after election returns. This first election wasn’t important for being political. It was essentially a dose of personal tonic. Democracy loving Americans … Continue reading
Share this:
Age and Health: Spooky Equalizers
Living over a hundred years isn’t rare these days, but it isn’t normal, either. Here in the United States where we believe we have the finest foods, healthcare, and … Continue reading
Share this:
I LOVE Freedom
Finding darkness is never difficult. It’s become a habit. We generate it, venerate it, luxuriate in it. Our films offer an array of conflicts—the bases of our plots. We … Continue reading
Share this:
A Contrast of Kindness
As I write, the NO KINGS march is imminent. Thousands of Americans, who miss the optimistic, progressive, inclusive country we once aspired to be, will risk facing violence to … Continue reading
Share this:
Assigned Roles
The powers want to believe that we’re happier as a people if we’re assigned roles to fulfill, the people they don’t like being assigned to disappear. Women understand this … Continue reading
Share this:
Unconditional Family-ness
Many people think they love unconditionally, but they don’t. How can you tell the difference? Conditional love can be exhausting, because you’re constantly trying to gauge how people around … Continue reading
Share this:
Incredible Love
Perhaps up to 67% of the songs of the past decade have been about love, or so AI informs me. If we could examine all the songs and poems … Continue reading
Share this:
Unrepentant Kindness
In a world that has dimmed to spotlight selfish designs, even tiny candles of compassion seem extraordinarily bright. Warriors of kindness lend helping hands or funds or respect that … Continue reading
Share this:
If You See What I See
Many action films include a pulse-pounding scene in which the hero rides a motorcycle at top speed toward an abyss. Only at the last possible nano-second does the rider swerve … Continue reading
Share this:
Ugly and the Beasts
You’re sitting in an airport and time before your flight seems to have slowed or perhaps slipped backward. Some engage with their cell phones, never looking up. Some sleep. … Continue reading
Share this:
Whatever You Want, Dear
What if a particular political point of view could get its way about EVERYTHING? I seem to recall a STAR TREK episode in which the space travelers encountered a … Continue reading
Share this:
When Protesters Were in Flower
The mob of protesters washed by me on the campus green like a wave of random rumbling bodies with vacant eyes. I barely understood what was at stake. … Continue reading
Share this:
Your Pants Are On Fire!
Long ago, my husband’s elderly uncle came to us beaming with pride. He handed us an envelope with the words, “It’s a million dollars! I want you to have … Continue reading
Share this:
A Mile in My Moccasins
Few people from industrialized countries are closely connected with their countries—not in a nationalistic way, but with the land and water, wildlife and air. We assume the notion is outdated. … Continue reading
Share this:
What Makes You Worthy of Being Alive?
The 2001 film MY LOUISIANA SKY is partly a coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old girl (Tiger) in the 1950’s, at first feeling burdened by her family’s low economic status … Continue reading
Share this:
Beauty to Make You Cry
When are humans so beautiful that they make you cry? At Red Carpet appearances? No. At Fashion Week in New York? Probably not. Showing off their conspicuous consumption or a … Continue reading
Share this:
Consciousness Revealed?
Traditionally, consciousness was regarded as inappropriate for scientific study because it couldn’t be handily measured. In fact, it couldn’t be defined any better than we could precisely define life and … Continue reading
