Comfort Cell » Culture

Expert Advice in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Juan — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 01:10:00 +0000

If you grew up in a small town in the 20th Century, your ability to ask an expert for advice on any question was extremely limited. For social advice, you might have been able to write Ann Landers or Dear Abby in the local paper, and hope to receive a reply. You might have tried to find your answers at school from teachers (a pretty good source, generally), or from movies and television (a worse one). Your parents might also have been a place to turn, but some questions are embarrassing or, possibly, require specialized knowledge which your folks might not have.

If you want information about astronomy or computers or geography, any number of a dozen topics, the place people turn more often than not, is to the Internet or their social networking sites, largely unavailable in the 20th Century, and, in the case of social networking, only available within the last six years or so; Facebook , for instance, was launched in February 4, 2004, and then it was only designed as a network of internal friendships for students at Harvard University . While Harvard would have been a good place to go in the 20th century to acquire some expert opinions, today, it’s just as easy to write an expert a question and receive a reply within hours or a few days.

Expert Advice in the 20th and 21st Centuries is a post from: Comfort Cell

Get Help Finding Your First Apartment

Tony Nominations and Broadway Musicals in New York

Juan — Sat, 29 May 2010 01:10:00 +0000

Okay, so you’re getting dragged to New York against your will, by say your boyfriend, or girlfriend alternately, though in this fantasy description boyfriend might be more fitting so it’s best to relate to your feminine side at this point, and he desperately wants to take you to one of the city’s finest restaurants followed by attendance at one of the latest Broadway musicals. Okay, so now you might get the boyfriend aspect, though no stereotyping is intended here. But the bottom line is that the whole thing is extremely unlikely. Not because your partner may be uninterested in great food or great theater but because it’s almost impossible that he, or she, would have to drag you there against your will.

So, after we’ve established that you and everyone else would love to go to the Big Apple and stay in a one of the Park Avenue hotels in New York , we basically just need to choose a play. And as always, there are a great number to choose from and they all sound fabulous. So, how do you possibly decide? Well, one of the best things to do at this time of the year is to choose something that’s been nominated for a Tony Award.

Well, even then it’s a difficult choice, though A Little Night Music has always been a favorite of audiences and the current revival is up for four Tony Awards. It stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury , both of whom are up for awards. This is one of Stephen Sondheim’s most loved musicals and features the popular song Send in the Clowns. But then Promises Promises is another musical revival whose stars are up for Tony Awards. Sean Hayes, of Will and Grace fame, and Kristin Chenoweth are the engaging stars of this hit. So, there are still others to chose from, so what’s a person to do? I guess you might as well see them all, after all this is a fantasy, right? Well, that’s up to you. New York is there and a hotel room is waiting.

Tony Nominations and Broadway Musicals in New York is a post from: Comfort Cell

Kosciuszko in New York

Juan — Sun, 23 May 2010 01:10:00 +0000

There are always extraordinary things to see and do in New York City, and moments of unimaginable beauty. Some of the most exceptional moments in the city are when a still exterior starts to give way, revealing its exceptional secrets. Everyone has a thousand stories here, amending the idea that we all have one novel in us. Here, there are volumes, and although it is impossible to hear all of them, it’s important to try. In this regard, Polish tradition starts to dovetail with Jewish tradition in terms of the place that memory holds in the hierarchy of being.

The Kosciuszko Foundation in the city is a remarkable place. There is a feeling of overwhelming austerity here, that serves to underplay the importance of the work they do. It began in the 1920s, with a mission of helping to improve understanding between Polish culture and the cultures in the U.S. There are many different arms to the organization, with a number of events throughout the year. These include some remarkable works of art, which the foundation helps to support, such as Marc P. Smith’s excellent play, ” Karski .” This is a work about a Polish national hero who, while living in exile in London, managed to sneak back into the Warsaw ghetto during the Holocaust, in order to report what was happening to the rest of the world.

It’s a remarkable story about a time that cannot be forgotten, and this is the kind of work that gets the foundation’s attention. Its namesake, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, stood up for the rights of Native Americans, warned the world again Bonaparte, and even tried to buy Jefferson’s slaves their freedom. He’s a remarkable figure, having anticipated how a social conscience would perceive the world over a hundred years before his time, and stands for a remarkable organization. It’s worth a visit, while enjoying New York City and its hotels , and touching Polish culture, of the past and of the absolute present.

Kosciuszko in New York is a post from: Comfort Cell

Nine Emperor Gods in Singapore

Juan — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:22:49 +0000

Traveling in Singapore always reveals much more than the last time, and with each visit, it seems as though there are obvious things that were somehow overlooked. It is a place of many layers, and they continue to reveal themselves in new and exciting ways the more you travel here. Somehow, when you are in Singapore, it seems like each time, there is something new, and somehow it wasn’t seen the last time, and it’s amazing to see things like this. It’s not only because the new revelations are so unusual, but also because they were spelled out so clearly, and the clues were always there. However, it is not uncommon for even the locals to overlook many things, because there is so much to see, and it’s impossible to see it all.

That’s something that’s certainly the result of the multiple cultures that exist here. Each one has its own signs, traditions, and hidden languages, and when you’re in a place that’s as fantastically baroque as this, it’s impossible for the eye to take in everything, even on a third or fourth look. So it is that most visitors enjoy the vegetarian restaurants without considering them very much beyond the absolutely delicious food. Singapore certainly is a lovely place to be hungry, if you can afford the meals, and there are so many places to choose from. Of course, underneath the scrumptious tastes there are often very sacred beliefs that prohibit the consumption of meat, and this occurs in many of the cultures that are here.

If you can find your way here in October, for the nine days of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, you’ll want to remember that in this Taoist celebration, it’s necessary to be vegetarian to see certain things. Being vegetarian doesn’t guarantee entrance, however, and like any religious ceremony, it’s more important to show reverence than to get any kind of special access. It is nonetheless extremely exciting to be part of it, even as a distant witness, because there is something wonderful happening when the Nine Chairs start to move, possessed by the spirit of the gods who come to earth once a year, and can grant favors for the devout. Try to get some incense smoke in your hands, and be gentle in all things.

Nine Emperor Gods in Singapore is a post from: Comfort Cell

Madrid’s Teatro Real Rekindles Romance

Juan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:14:51 +0000

Kelly and Wayne and been going through a difficult time in their marriage. The had been married for four years and had decided two years ago to sell their little house and buy a bit larger one in which they could begin their family. These were exciting plans for them and they were both responsible and committed to each other. They both had a great outlook and feeling about the future. However, as it is with life, events and circumstances can sometimes plow head first into individual intentions and plans. And so it was with Kelly and Wayne.

Almost immediately after they put their house on the market and began looking at other homes, the realist market took a strong down turn and while they did find some nice homes that would work for them, they simply could not get any offers on their house. In addition they found out that they would have a very difficult time having a child together and the tensions between the two of them began to mount. It didn’t help that Wayne was laid off from work during this time period and had difficulty gaining new employment.

However, these two were never ones to quit and they truly loved each other. Just about the point that things were looking like a possible break up they both decided to fight for what they had. Kelly suggested that they take a break from all their stress and go to Madrid, which is where they spent their honeymoon. They decided they would stay in one of the Madrid best hotels and try and recapture some of the feelings and intentions they had lost. They strolled past the Teatro Real and remembered the Mozart opera they had seen there before. They decided to get tickets to Verdi’s Aida and something happened as they sat there listening to the powerful Triumphal March and tears filled both their eyes as they knew they would get through their difficulties together.

Madrid’s Teatro Real Rekindles Romance is a post from: Comfort Cell

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DC’s Museums are the best

Juan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:23:20 +0000

Our visit to Washington DC was amazing. I had no idea the Smithsonian was so many museums and that there were so many other museums in the downtown DC area and nearly all of them are free. I couldn’t believe they were free!

We stayed in a luxury hotels DC near the National Mall. Making it easy to walk to all the museums and monuments. All we did the entire time we were there was visit the museums and monuments and there was still toms of more stuff to see so we will have to go back again.

One of my favorite museums was the Sackler Collection. The museum houses Asian art when we were there we saw a showing of Korean ceramics from the 15th century. The pieces were amazingly modern in their look and feel. Each piece was made with crisp clean lines and just the subtlest of ornamentation if any at all. All the pieces were a pale celadon green and each one looked soft and translucent. Also in the Sackler were lots of Buddha carvings. Wood and stone wall panels as well as free standing statues. In the back corner of the museum is the infamous Whistler Peacock Room. A beautiful room of dark wood with panels painted to look like peacock tail feathers. From the Sackler we visited the museum of African Art where we saw African art and textiles from all over the continent of Africa and spanning many centuries of age.

The museum experience in DC are as varied as this country itself. There is not enough time in a lifetime to see it all. Our visit also included the National Gallery which houses an enormous collection of art that begins with classical antiquities to modern minimalism and virtually every style, size and flavor of art in between. We will definitely be back to visit more of the art museums and monuments because there is so much more to be seen!

DC’s Museums are the best is a post from: Comfort Cell