The Arts

Memoir of a Happy, Chaotic Life of a Pet Owner

This memoir more appropriately might have been titled “The Life of Riley,” except for the fact that title was immortalized in the 1940s and 1950s by radio and television actor William Bendix, who portrayed aircraft worker Chester A. Riley on both media.  “Riley” in the instance of this book, is a black Flat-Coated Retriever, who remained very much a puppy even well into adulthood.  The Beckerman family–which included the author’s husband Joel, son Josh, and daughter Emily — also owned various goldfish, many of whom they collectively named “Larry” (even those who occupied the fish bowl at the same time);  a chinchilla; and a bearded dragon (lizard), but Riley was the star and most beloved of all these pets. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, The World We Share, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Novel Relates Tangled Lives of Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivor, Neo-Nazi

“Games We Played” is about people, specifically the two main characters, who have psychological and sexual hangups and issues which complicate their lives, as well as those of the people around them. The chapters are written from the viewpoints of the two main characters, Rachel, now an actress in the New York area, and Stephen, a rather mixed-up young man and military drop-out, living in California. As children Rachel and Stephen lived near one another and played together, though their games sometimes involved some kind of sexual element. In addition, Stephen had been indoctrinated with neo-Nazi ideology by his grandfather, with whom Stephen and his mother lived, and this penetrated their childhood games. Rachel had what was seemingly a normal family, with a psychiatrist father and home-maker mother. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson

Michael Kesler, Holocaust Survivor and Author

Michael Kesler, Ph.D, died August 23, 2021 from advanced Parkinsons disease at the age of 97, surrounded by family at his home in East Brunswick, NJ. Born in Dubno, Poland (now Ukraine), Michael and his sister Luba fled their family home to escape the Nazis. They wandered through 3,000 miles to Uzbekistan. During four years, they suffered yet persevered in their quest to survive. [Kesler Family]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

‘Rosie the Riveter’ Theme of National Park

Shortly after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, the United States went into full war mobilization mode. While many men were drafted into the U.S. Armed Forces, others were needed to staff the shipyards, aircraft factories, and munition plants on the home front. It soon became apparent that there were more positions to be filled than available male workers and so the U.S. began to recruit women to work in these war industries at jobs for which they never before had been eligible. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

HAIR Raises the Spirit of Optimism

By Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO — It takes a true optimist to rebel against society. First, you must really believe that you’re right and the world around you is wrong. Then you convince yourself and others that change is possible, that marches, chants, signs and sit-ins will actually make a difference. The alignment of

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Eric George Tauber, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Talented Celebrity and Statesman Made Paso Robles His Second Home

The Paso Robles Historical Society currently is housed in a building that had been donated for a library many years before by the philanthropist and industrialist Andrew Carnegie – one of 3,000 libraries he donated throughout the world.  Outside the building there is a statue, but it is not of Carnegie nor of Drury James, the man who recognized that the city’s hot springs and mud baths could be made into a tourist attraction and who built the grand Hotel de El Paso de Robles. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

STEM, STEAM, and Now STREAM Children’s Books

Educators long have worked with STEM curricula — emphasizing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  When artists declared such curricula were too limiting, the notion of STEAM was introduced.  Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Now, here comes STREAM — Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Math… [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori

‘Artists for Good’ Donate Works to Aid Non-Profits

What if immersing yourself in art could create ripples that would beautify someone else’s world?  Imagine simply indulging your inner aesthete and at the same time providing aid and support to a worthy charity. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of local artist, Tanya Abel, you can do just that. [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Following Grandma’s WWII Path Leads Author to Self-Discovery

The bulk of the book is about Rachael’s grandmother Hana, who as a young teenager during the Nazi era was sent by her parents from Czechoslovakia to safety in Denmark, where for a while at least she could live unmolested as a farm girl.  When Denmark’s German Nazi conquerors decided to round up the Jews, she was among the thousands who were helped by the Danes to escape to neutral Sweden. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

‘Riding the Edge’ Is a Memoir of Self-Discovery

In the context of the Middle East, to which they traveled by way of a tortuous, yet exhilarating bike safari through Europe, the Jewish Michael Tobin and his Lebanese-Christian girlfriend Deborah were problematic candidates for a lasting romance.  Religion, nationalism, and past romantic attachments seemed to militate against their permanence as a couple  However, these two American psychologists were open to new experiences and to each other, and their time on the road meeting people for intensive discussions about life, love, and loss, impacted each of them differently and profoundly.   [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Travel and Food

‘Word Up’ Brings People Together

Let those who are hungry for live performance come and dine at the table of Word Up! These events are part improvised performance, part workshop and part conversation. They are held periodically at the Copley Plaza at the Old Globe in Balboa Park. Feeling homesick and needing to tie up some loose ends, I made aliyah back to my favorite city from Cincinnati and was fortunate enough to catch one performance last Friday. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Neurotypical and neurodiverse performers team in ‘Stellaluna’

In 1993, Janell Cannon published a children’s book, Stellaluna, about a baby fruit bat who was inadvertently separated from her mother, and subsequently raised by birds. Stellaluna adapted to her new environs, but through happenstance, found herself back with her natal family,  and was overjoyed to learn that her ineptitude as a bird isn’t cause for disappointment or frustration. The young fruit bat gains an understanding that she is unique and can adapt to new situations while retaining her own true identity. It is with this in mind that two brilliant and compassionate teachers created a neurodiverse theater group at New Village Arts.  [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast