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March 31, 2005
Have you Seen This Man?
Here's another look at your tax dollars at work. I'm sure there was a time when Republican leadership cared about democracy and the welfare of Americans. And not all Republicans are bad. I know this.
It just seems like the children are running the candy store and all Americans are getting is bad teeth and morbid obesity.
Posted by mermu at 01:56 PM | Comments (1)
March 30, 2005
A Gated Community
After hearing about the Gates by Christo and Jeanne Claude last spring from my visiting Auntie from Kansas, I eagerly anticipated this mammoth project coming to fruition in Central Park this February 2005. Finally after 21 million dollars of fundraising by selling drawings,February arrives and Central Park is decked out with 7500 environmentally unobtusive gates of tangerine drapery. All in all, I think this project was an unequivocal success. The project made millions for the Central Park Conservancy and for New York tourism though many New Yorkers scratched their head in wonder at the ado of it all. Some were offended that The Gates would mar Central Park's natural beauty for even those few weeks. I thought it was beautiful.
Part of The Gates' allure was in it's enormity. Big numbers both in dollars and in gates; in cloth needed and in manpower to manage it. I know how difficult it is to produce a $20K project with 15-20 people involved. To manage fundraising, staffing, manufacturing and planning for this mammoth feat was a work of art in itself. I also appreciated the passion of the artists'. They raised all of the money and paid for everything themselves. The project was 100% safe for the park; once The Gates are gone there will be no scars from the event. This project was something that couldn't be done until it was done; proof that you could tilt at windmills and win. Decades in the making, no's at every turn, and still these Gates managed to see the light of a Central Park day.
Aside from the enormity of it all, I found the art itself fascinating and almost magical. These orange-colored curtains seemed to make Central Park an other-worldly place. Medieval and magic winding around a park in a city as if hinting at unseen doors and forgotten portals. It was as if we were granted a glimpse of the other side of the wardrobe, straight through to Aslan's Narnia. I was fascinated by the play of nature the Gates managed to highlight. Wind, trees, sunlight; they all seemed more vivid against an orange-gated background. I could see the play of the elements as if they were soulful beings telling me a secret that was mine alone. Then, as if I'd seen it all, there was snow and a whole new world to explore and listen to. Now that I've seen the park this way, I wonder if I've been given the secret pass. I hope that I will still find these secrets parts of wind, and light and tree in The Park even when The Gates are long since a memory. One thing I know, I'll definitely be listening.
To see some of my adventures at The Gates, check out my Gates Album.
Posted by mermu at 02:52 PM | Comments (1)
Welcome to Bushingrad!
Here's an article about what Republicans are doing about the dissenting opinion. So Bush is basically spending taxpayer dollars to hold Republican rallies. How about putting my taxes in stem cell research instead? I'm certainly not interested in funding more propoganda. We don't need more propoganda anyway. Fox News is more than enough.
Why don't we add a line on our taxes where we can check where our "discretionary" taxes could go. I can check art, safe sex programs and stem cell research. You can check whatever you want. Once stem cell research produces some effective cures for the myriad of diseases that plague us, you don't have to take advantage of them if you didn't check that box either.
Posted by mermu at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2005
So much for "erring on the side of life"
In a recent policy shift, George Bush is selling F16s to Pakistan. So much for "erring on the side of life." It reminds of a big arms sale in days of old. In the summer of '79, the US began selling what would eventually become $3 billion in arms and aid to a little faction in Afghanistan called the Mujahideen. One of the more conservative tribes of the Mujahideen were known as the Taliban.
Posted by mermu at 01:04 PM | Comments (1)
March 23, 2005
Schiavo's Dilemma
While I vigourously support Terri Schiavo's husband's right to make this very sad and difficult choice, I also sympathize with her parents. It's hard to let go of someone you love, when you see them living and moving. It's easy to turn a grunt into a "Hello, how was your day?" when it's your daughter/mother/father/son lying in that bed. Not that Terri's husband has it easy; and of course he loves her as well. It's painful and hard for everyone in that family these days.
I really feel for Terri's parents, even though I think they are prolonging everyone's misery including Terri's. I actually relate to their dilemma in a way that terrifies me. My parents have both chosen other spouses. They aren't necessarily people I would choose for them. They have my limited respect in so much as the place they occupy in my parent's lives. And sadly, I fear that should either of my parents be in the predicament Terri is in, their respective spouses would not be acting on my parents' behalf but on their own desires or needs or emotional frailties. So I would, in effect assume the role of Terri's parents; helpless to act on behalf of my mother/father without a fierce legal struggle and while watching someone I love slowly struggle with life and death. This is a thought that terrifies me. And I'm not sure that I would react differently from Terri's parents if I were dealing with my parents' spouses.
Over the last few months and at different junctures I have implored my parents to have wills. Before Terri, I had only thought of the difficulty of handling my parents' estates should they pass on without detailed information as to how they would want their affairs handled. Having to deal with their spouses to ensure that I got Grandma's Cedar Chest as my mother would have wanted, or the porcelain candle sticks my Dad let me pick out from my Abuelita's house after she died would be troublesome, difficult, and painful. It's not so much money, or things, or property as it is wanting to honor the wishes of someone I loved in this world. I've seen what happens in loving families when it comes time to divide a person's belongings and it's chilling. Everyone seems starved for every piece as if the estate were a last meal. I can only imaging the horrors of dealing with this matter in a situation where the love is absent. To have to settle their affairs while they are living or to watch someone else acting upon them but not on their behalf as I perceive it would be a slow living death in itself.
I suppose what Terri's Dilemma has awakened in me is a fierce spirit towards protecting the liberty of a person's right to make choices. A person has a right to choose for themselves; a collective right or wrong has no place in such a personal and painful dilemma and I will fight in every instance for freedom and choice. She's also insured that I will redouble my efforts in compelling my parents to not only have a Last Will but also to have a Living Will. Perhaps her dilemma will inspire my parents to act in anticipation of the worst and that would be such a great gift that Terri would bestow.
One thing I know, the government has no place in this. Time will show that the Republicans' gross attempt to politically capitalize on this dilemma will hurt them in the end.
Posted by mermu at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
Schiavo's Congress
Think about this: While Congress and Bush are busy pontificating on the news about "erring on the side of life" and demolishing the separation of powers and checks and balances, what else are they doing?
High on their agendas are:
1) Drilling in the Arctic Refuge. This is something that Republicans have tried to pass and failed on numerous occasions. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge will take at the least 10 years to realize any product and will not effectively reduce US dependence on foreign oil. We use 25% percent of the world's oil. There is no way that drilling in Alaska will alleviate that. The only way for Americans to reduce their need for foreign oil is to either reduce waste of energy or to assimilate or invade an oil rich country. We're already doing the latter though the former seems like a much more intelligent if less bloody way to achieve our goal. For more info on this issue, check out this
(2) Social Security. Bush has proposed a Social Security plan that that even Republicans can't get behind. And yet it might pass because we are all in a tizzy over Bush and the Republican's flagrant disregard for our Constitution by pushing their weight around in a very personal very sorrowful situation. They couldn't be more offensive if they were pissing on the graves of our founding fathers.
So it looks like in this instance, the judicial system is actually behaving judiciously and fighting not only for Schiavo and her husband's right to make a difficult choice but also fighting for what's right...at least according to American laws and concepts of Liberty and Freedom. So I say to you, don't let these shifty Senators and Congresspeople pull the fast one. We should keep our eye on the ball, even though they seem to think they have enough time to get involved in a family dispute.
Posted by mermu at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2005
I have a pool!
On Wednesday night I went swimming in one of my two pools. (I have a large one and a small one.) I only did 10 laps (20 lengths) and man, it nearly killed me. When I got in I thought, "I'll start out with 20 laps just to take it easy." After lap 2 it was more like, "Hmm, maybe I'll just do 10." During the back stretch of #3, 5 laps was looking really doable and more than enough to get my feet wet. Then I remembered the back stroke, and some how made it to 10 by "cross training".
I also now have a sauna (which I love) and a steam room. How you say? I joined the Y. The large swimming pool is pretty cool and, when not used for classes, is a lap pool exclusively. I haven't seen the small pool yet, but I understand it's more for frolicking. The price is right especially for the NYC area and by joining in February (on the 28th-nothing like waiting until the last minute) I was not required to pay the initiation fee.
I'm looking forward to one day using more than the pool; perhaps by taking advantage of some of their yoga classes, dance classes and whatnot. For now, I am just pleased to be getting some good low impact excercise and splashing around.
Triathlons, here I come!
Posted by mermu at 12:26 PM | Comments (3)
March 16, 2005
New Career
My friend Jim has asked me to manage his theatrical properties on a part-time basis. There's not much in the way of pay, but the upside is, if I'm successful, I'll get approximately 15% of what he makes when those properties are produced. I'm intrigued and interested to see where this leads. I'm already sort of doing this work anyway. I submitted one of his pieces to the New York City Summer Play Festival in January. We should find out in April sometime if we were selected. Keep thinking good thoughts!
Jim seems to think I'm a born producer. I'm not so sure. I do like the work but in the end, I think it would become like any other job unless I'm artistically invested in the project. I don't want to spend too much time schlepping for other artists when I should be schlepping for myself. We'll see how this goes though. It could be great, while also leading to opened doors for my other projects. That's what I'm hoping for.
Posted by mermu at 11:28 AM | Comments (4)