Violoncello

I am a fan of the artist Marc Chagall. He is dead now but that does not matter - his paintings live on. Mozart is dead too but his music is still here. So is Hemingway. And Leonardo Da Vinci. And Shakespeare. This painting was inspired by Celia Benfer Benfer - a lovely and very accomplished poet from Paraguay. She is gifted - born to write poetry. The painting is dedicated to Ms Benfer too. I tried to execute it in the style of Marc Chagall. Of course, the original is 300 times this size. Enjoy.

Hypocrisy

From a news story on the internet: “NEW YORK – Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has pushed an ambitious green agenda and cast himself as a national environmental leader, routinely runs afoul of his own anti-pollution policy by letting his official SUVs idle, sometimes for more than an hour. Bloomberg recently admitted he had done little to reduce energy use at his Upper East Side mansion, other than turning off unnecessary lights and opening windows in warm weather. He only recently had his roof painted white, an idea he has advocated. Other environmental leaders have been criticized for not doing what they ask of citizens. In 2007, Al Gore retrofitted his Nashville home to reduce an average $1,200 monthly electric bill. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, credited with popularizing gas-guzzling Hummers before entering politics, has made over the two that he owns into more fuel-efficient models.” This is not at all surprising. The Electocracy behaves as badly as the Aristocracy. I think she said “Let them eat cake,” no? However, this topless woman is just an innocent bystander.

Benfer

This is a painting inspired by and dedicated to Celia Benfer Benfer, a beautiful poet who lives in Paraguay. I cannot yet post it on my art blog because it is too recent (July 17, 2009) Its title is Jug With Purple Stripe. If you cannot see the jug, keep staring at it until it finds you.

I believe the objective for an artist is to always create something sincere and, at the same time, something that will appreciate in value. Like a poem, it must ring true. Like a violin, the creation should not be something that will depreciate with time. Just the opposite - like a Stradivarius violin. Some violins are not only tools of the trade for a violinist, but are great works of art as well. I truly hope this one appreciates. Wish me luck.

Only a distant memory

It used to be that history taught us to speak softly and carry a big stick. I think Theo Roosevelt encouraged that philosophy. It seemed to work well. Now, the theory is that one should speak loudly with forceful rhetoric but carry a little stick. You wouldn't really want to hurt anybody, even if they hurt you first. Something changed. What was it? I signed on to tweeter and naively asked permission to follow Sarah Palin not knowing that she puts out about a million tweets a day. Now I shall have to politely disengage after a respectful time has elapsed. That's not Sarah on the left - I have no idea who that is but she does not make me nervous.

Coffee, ice cream, and wine

From a Yahoo! News story: "NEW YORK – Starbucks Corp. said Thursday it is wiping its name from one of its Seattle-area stores and adding alcohol to the menu. The Seattle-based gourmet coffee chain said it is changing the name of one of its existing stores in its hometown to a name that reflects the neighborhood location. The store will be called 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. It will open next week and will serve coffee and tea as well as wine and beer." If it's not terribly expensive, I'll stop in regularly. I will let them know Canadian beer is my favorite. They should also hire waitresses like this wholesome young woman, no?

Not possible

From a news story on the internet: “CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Thunderstorms once again forced NASA to call off the launch of space shuttle Endeavour on Monday, the fifth delay for the space station construction mission. NASA said it would try again Wednesday, after taking a one-day break. In a scene nearly identical to Sunday, launch managers halted the countdown just minutes before Endeavour and seven astronauts were supposed to blast off in the early evening. This time, storms packed with lightning popped up on opposite sides of the launching site, one after the other, close enough to violate NASA's safety rules. Endeavour has been grounded for an entire month now, first by leaks, then stormy weather. This was the third day in a row that thunderstorms prevented Endeavour from blasting off with the final piece of Japan's space station lab.”
Ok, now…. If mankind is to go into outer space some day, he must solve little problems like inconvenient thunderstorms. Even Ann Coulter would agree with me. Please.

CIA business

From a Yahoo! News story: “WASHINGTON – The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says the Bush administration may have broken the law if it ordered the CIA to conceal the existence of a counterterrorism program. Sen. Diane Feinstein says that CIA Director Leon Panetta told senators last month that Dick Cheney as vice president had ordered the program not be disclosed to Congress. Feinstein says that Congress was kept in the dark and that, in her words, "that's something that should never, ever happen again." The New York Times reported that the CIA withheld information for eight years about a secret counter-terrorism program on direct orders from Cheney.” I see nothing unusual here. This is political gossip. It’s the CIA’s job to gather secrets and keep them. If they share them with anyone – especially the Senate Electocracy – the secrets will leak out, no? By the way, that's not Diane Feinstein on the left. That's no secret. Please.

Global Governance

From a recent news update: “Former Vice President Al Gore declared that the Congressional climate bill will help bring about global governance. “I bring you good news from the U.S.,” Gore said on July 7, 2009 in Oxford at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment, sponsored by UK Times. “Just two weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey climate bill,” Gore said, noting it was “very much a step in the right direction.” President Obama has pushed for the passage of the bill in the Senate and attended a G8 summit this week where he agreed to attempt to keep the earth’s temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius. Gore touted the Congressional climate bill, claiming it “will dramatically increase the prospects for success” in combating what he sees as the “crisis” of man-made global warming.”
I believe this is a classic “Tiger by the Tail” story. Gore has now got this beast by the tail - when it turns around, it will scare him to death, for sure. Global Governance – what is that about?? Ask Katie Couric. Maybe she knows. Please.

Electocracy

As you know, G8 leaders are meeting in Italy this week. From Reuters: “L'AQUILA, Italy (Reuters) – G8 leaders believe the world economy still faces "significant risks" and may need further help, according to summit draft documents that also suggest failure to agree climate change goals for 2050. The Group of Eight -- United States, Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia -- kicked off with debate on the economic crisis, after what one analyst called a "reality check" in recent weeks on the prospects for rapid recovery. But few big initiatives were expected as the G20, a broader forum that also includes the main emerging economies, is tasked with formulating a regulatory response to the crisis and meets in September in Pittsburgh after an April summit in London. Not mentioning China's push for a sensitive debate about a long-term alternative to the dollar as global reserve currency, the draft talked only of global imbalances. China complains that dollar domination has exacerbated the global crisis and worries that the bill for U.S. recovery poses an inflation risk for China's dollar assets, an estimated 70 percent of its official currency reserves.” I don’t think these people have a clue – they only state the obvious. I can do the same from my lawn chair. These G8 people are the Electocracy – they behave like royalty, junketing from place to place, enjoying the scenery and camaraderie of the Club but solving not a single problem. They are very much like a doctor who prescribes antibiotics for an illness your body would get rid of on its own. It’s childish. We can do better than this. The woman on the left is also quite tired of this little game. Please.

Do as I say, not as I do

From a story on the internet: “Al Gore’s house burns carbon like you wouldn't believe. Nashville Electric Service records show that Gore Hall consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year. To be specific: the Department of Energy says the average American consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours per year. In 2006, Gore consumed some 221,000 kilowatts hours. That's more than 20 times the national average. Of course, in his Academy Award-winning film, Mr. Global Warming told Americans to cut down on their consumption of electricity. So when some folks found him in that enormous house, they thought they detected hypocrisy.” This should not surprise anybody – he is a politician after all. He will NEVER lead by example. What does the young woman on the left have to do with any of this? Absolutely nothing.

Dead - at last

From a Yahoo! News story: “WASHINGTON – Robert S. McNamara, the cerebral secretary of defense who was vilified for carrying out the Vietnam War, then devoted himself to helping the world's poorest nations, died Monday. He was 93. For all his healing efforts, McNamara was fundamentally associated with the Vietnam War, "McNamara's war," the country's most disastrous foreign venture, the only American war to end in abject withdrawal rather than victory. In that period, the number of U.S. casualties — dead, missing and wounded — went from 7,466 to over 100,000.”

So, what happens now? This man was so smart he thought he was incapable of making a bad judgment. He wanted to dive into the pool without even checking to see if it was filled with water. Please.

Pick on the little man

A quote from commentator Pat Buchanan: “Last Saturday, Honduran soldiers marched into the presidential palace, bundled up President Manuel Zelaya and put him on a plane for Costa Rica. The ouster had been ordered by the Supreme Court and approved by the Congress, as Zelaya was attempting an illegal referendum to change the Honduran constitution so he could run for another term. Will someone please explain why this bloodless transfer of power to the civilian legislator first in line for the presidency, in a sovereign nation, is any business of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers or Barack Obama? For all have denounced the "coup" and demanded Zelaya's immediate return. The hypocrisy here is astounding.” Indeed! Very well said. There is s saying in Spanish (translated): “Nobody picks on whom they want but only on whom they can.” In Spanish that would go something like: “Nadie se desquita con quien quiere sino con quien puede.” In other words, you only bully those weaker than you. Is that fair? Should we blame the beautiful woman on the left? No!!! She wasn't even there. She was on Facebook.

Clothing optional

From a recent news report: “WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand's national airline has adopted a cheeky way to encourage passengers to watch its in-flight safety video: The cabin crew's uniforms are nothing but body paint. The "Bare Essentials of Safety," screening in the cabins of planes flying Air New Zealand's main domestic routes, has gone viral online. It had 1.2 million YouTube views by Friday, four days after it was launched. In the video, three cabin staff and a pilot, all in full body paint applied to look like their uniforms, talk viewers through the aircraft's safety procedures.” Perhaps the difference between clothing and body paint is simply psychological? I wouldn’t know – my eyesight is not the best. By the way, the woman at left is dressed in body paint. Can you tell?