“The Appointment” is a novel written by Herta Müller, Nobel laureate, about life under the oppressive regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania. Are you stuck at home? Add this book to your quarantine reading list. BACKGROUND: In the year 1953, Herta Müller was born in Romania. In the year 1955, […]
Arts & Literature
The stars were certainly aligned just right on July 21, 1899, because this was the day when one of the world’s greatest authors Ernest Miller Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois. He introduced us to many different characters and subjects in his novels such as “The Old Man and […]
This artist was born with an amazing talent his name was Andy Warhol and he went on to become one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Born as Andrew Warhola to Czechoslovakian immigrants in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania he later dropped the “a” from his last name. He became […]
How do you make money with murder? Well before reading, if you would be thinking of hitmen, then you would be wrong. No, I am not writing about someone murdering another person. I am referring to a fantastic author who wrote about murder and did an outstanding job too. After […]
Even though I grew up loving rock and roll I also favored other kinds of music and I fell in love with Old Hollywood movies. I would absolutely love to watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing and romancing. They just made you have that really all-around good feeling and […]
When I read about famous author F. Scott Fitzgerald having has his first novel “This Side of Paradise” published on March 26, 1920, when he was just 23 years old I have to sigh. I know myself at that age and even though I was already writing up a storm […]
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917 – 2000) published her first poem at age 14 and today she is recognized as a noted African-American Poet Laureate. In the USA, February is Black History Month; March is Women’s History Month, and April is National Poetry Month. Gwendolyn Brooks gets the spotlight for all […]
People say that hard copy or paperback books will eventually be replaced by the ever-popular books in digital format. There was actually a statistic reported in 2017, that over 50% of the adults in China read content on their mobile phones. People say that public libraries will eventually disappear. No […]
I am not a real Western movie fan but now and then there are Westerns that I don’t mind watching because I enjoy seeing all those horses everywhere. I just love horses and as long as the horses survive I will keep watching. This article isn’t about horses though but […]
Director Roman Polanski was born as Rajmund Roman Liebling on August 18, 1933, in Paris, France. Yes, I know you’re probably wondering who in the world he is. Well, I am sure that most of us don’t pay much attention to who directed a certain movie unless the director is […]
Memorable movies are movies that leave a lasting impression on a person’s mind. There were 5 movies from my childhood that made a lasting impression on me and created indelible childhood memories. They were not only entertaining but educational. They contributed to positive character development and showed me that the […]
One of the world’s largest natural amphitheaters the Hollywood Bowl first opened on July 11, 1922, featuring a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then a great variety of performers have appeared there including Judy Garland, Luciano Pavarotti, and The Beatles. It has become a famous Los Angeles […]
A Hollywood star who is recognized for his roles in classic Westerns such as “High Noon” was Gary Cooper. He came into this world as Frank James Cooper on May 7, 1901. He was raised in Helena, Montana so his childhood was spent in the west. His parents were British […]
Houdini and Doyle. When those two names are mentioned together, there is an expectation of something spectacular! The first episode of a television series titled “Houdini and Doyle” aired May 2, 2016, on the Fox broadcasting network at 8 pm CST. I had hoped it would not only be entertaining but chocked […]
English words are fun! Don’t you think so? Even if English is not your native tongue. When I was in elementary school as a method of enriching our vocabulary and improving our word skills, the teacher would send us home with a list of about 10 words. The homework assignment […]
It was toward the end of the 14th century that the early Renaissance period began in Florence, Italy. During this period even though the subject matter of art remained mostly Christian there were different symbols and themes introduced which took ideas from modern philosophy and classical mythology. At this time […]
Romanesque art came about sometime in the year 1000 and it stayed around until around 1150 in France, Italy, Great Britain, and the German fiefdoms. This art form simply means “in the style of the Roman.” This was the first time in history that people began making pilgrimages across great […]
If you are walking along Hollywood Boulevard and your head is spinning from all the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame take a break and head for Grauman’s Chinese Theater along the same boulevard. Here you can meet some well-known characters like SpongeBob and see all the hand and […]