Basic History and Facts
Ohio is the 35th largest state by size, but 7th largest by population. In the past several decades, politically is has become an important swing state and has been won by both Democrat and Republican presidential candidates (in the 2004 election Bush won the popular vote by less than 120,000 votes and is accounted for why he won the election). Ohio is traditionally a large commercial state and is the home of large manufacture plants that have been largely driven by a large amount of natural coal deposits and access to copious quantities of iron ore from Minnesota (easily shipped to Ohio via the Great Lakes). With this combination, Ohio has been a leader in steel production and steel-manufactured goods which historically was an important economic driver for the state. However, in the latter part of the 20th century, with consumers wanting more goods that were cheaper and less durable, the steel-based economy in Ohio quickly nosedived and the state faced significant economic issues until the state government helped create pathways for new industries and commercial sectors to emerge in the 80s and 90s. Additional information can be found at the Ohio article from the WorldMark Encyclopedia of the States .
Sylvania, Ohio, where the play is set, is a small city (less than 20,000 residents) outside of Toledo. It is located on the Ohio-Michigan border. The population is overwhelmingly white (92.4% according to the 2010 census) with African Americans making up less than 3% of the city's population. Jim and Heather's lake house is almost certainly on Lake Erie (one of the Great Lakes), which is roughly 10 miles away.
Ohio State and U of Michigan rivalry
College football in most of this country is a way of life, and that's certainly true in Ohio. No matter where people went to college, the majority of Ohio residents will be fans of The Ohio State University (see this interesting map and article on NCAA college football fans from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/03/upshot/ncaa-football-fan-map.html). The rivalry between Ohio State and University of Michigan has been "official" since at least 1897 when the two universities' football teams met for the first time. It is one of the longest continual rivalries as they have played annually since 1918 in a match titled "The Game" (which is almost indicative of how important this is to the fans, as it's literally called THE GAME, as opposed to the other games that are played throughout the season). It has been ranked as the greatest college sports rivalry at different times and by different venues, perhaps most importantly by ESPN.
Streaming Video
The Mayo Clinic provides good and accessible information to better understand In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). The highlights:
Making Grace: A documentary following a lesbian couple who go through the in vitro process (as well as many other issues surrounding pregnancy and the birthing procedure).
60 Minutes: A Surplus of Embryos: A fairly short segment originally broadcast on 60 Minutes that examines the ethics of long-term embryo storage and what happens to them when parents don't or no longer want them.
In Human Error, Madelynn intends on using "tanglen" (which is probably an error on the part of the playwright, and actually intended to be spelled as "tonglen") meditation as part of her birthing plan to avoid/ignore pain. It is a breathing practice that anyone can attempt. It is accomplished by thinking of people you want to help and/or are suffering when you breathe in. This brings the suffering into yourself, but it is quickly internally transformed into healing, relief, and compassion on the exhale.
Where does the supposed pain relief for Madelynn come into play? If done correctly, practitioners believe that they become synchronized with other who are suffering and that by healing the other's pain they will also heal their own similar pain. Additional information can be found at the following sites:
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