Jim Dine
Hearts might be cliché but I love them anyway and nobody does hearts like Jim Dine. Of all the abstract expressionists, he is one of the artists I admire most. He paints what he knows with seemingly little pretense, mostly things from his every day life, including his wife Nancy's robe, tools reminiscent of his grandfather's hardware store in Ohio, as well as his own face in self-portrait. He has been at it for over six decades, not just as a painter but as a printmaker, sculptor and also a writer of poetry.
Jim Dine’s version of the Venus de Milo. These scultptures are on Sixth Avenue in New York City.
Click to hear a conversation Jim Dine had with Ruth Fine
Valentine Love Songs
Love makes the world go round in all its glorious forms. Here are a few love songs in celebration of Valentine's Day.
Nick Cave Into My Arms
Cat Stevens How Can I Tell You
Bonnie Raitt Dimming of the Day
Tom Waitts Martha
Lady Gaga Remember Us This Way
Bad News About Chocolate
Mast Organic Dark Chocolate is one of the healthier chocolate bars.
This is bad news for chocolate lovers and I am sorry to bring it to you around a holiday that is so chocolate centered. It appears that most dark chocolate has seriously toxic levels of cadmium and lead including some of the most popular brands. Researchers found that cadmium in cocoa beans naturally comes from the soil and is directly transported to the beans by the cocoa tree. Lead contamination occurs after harvesting, when the wet cocoa beans are exposed to soil and dust during the drying, fermenting and transport phases.
These are the chocolate bars you want to look for the next time you get a craving--they have the lowest levels of heavy metals:
1.
MAST ORGANIC DARK CHOCOLATE
In the Consumer Reports study, their chocolate fared better than any other brand, registering the lowest lead level of all the bars tested. Its cadmium content was also under half the maximum allowable level. Made with just three listed ingredients—cocoa beans, cane sugar and vanilla beans—Mast's simple 80% Cacao bar is available from Whole Foods, Wegmans, and other retailers.
2. TAZA ORGANIC DELICIOUSLY DARK CHGOCOLATE
Taza's stone-ground Deliciously Dark variety contained the second lowest amount of lead in the entire Consumer Reports study. The level of cadmium also fell within the safer range. Can be found at Whole Foods, The Fresh Market and other specialty stores.
3. GHIRADELLI INTENSE DARK CHOCOLATE
Commonly found in supermarkets and drug stores nationwide. Its Intense Dark 86% Cacao bar ranked third lowest in lead, according to the study, and also boasted the lowest cadmium level in the whole "safer choices" category. Pretty easy to find in many places.
4. GHIRADELLI INTENSE DARK CHOCOLATE TWILIGHT DELIGHT
Ghirardelli's Twilight Delight bar also fell within the safer range for both heavy metals, although its cadmium content was the highest among this group. Described as "intensely delicious" on the company's website, the 72% Cacao bar contains five ingredients, with vanilla extract and soy lecithin rounding out the combination of unsweetened chocolate, sugar and cocoa butter. Available at Walmart, Rite Aid and many other stores.
5. VALRHONA ABINAO DARK CHOCOLATE
Valrhona, made of 85% Cacao, had the highest levels of lead among all the "safer choices" in the study, though it fared better than several others on the cadmium scale. Look for it at specialty chocolate shops and upscale supermarkets.
And these below are the ones to avoid:
TOP 5 HIGHEST IN LEAD
Hershey’s Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate (265%)
Chocolove Extremely Dark Chocolate 88% Cocoa (240%)
Hu Organic Simple Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (210%)
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao (192%)
Endangered Species Bold and Silky Dark Chocolate 72% Cocoa (181%)
TOP 5 HIGHEST LEVELS OF CADMIUM
Pascha Organic Very Dark Dark Chocolate 85% Cacao (253%)
Alter Eco Organic Dark Chocolate Classic Blackout 85% Cacao (204%)
Beyond Good Organic Pure Dark Chocolate 80% Cocoa (138%)
Scharffen Berger Extra Dark Chocolate 82% Cacao (136%)
Equal Exchange Organic Extra Dark Chocolate 80% Cacao (120%)
>TOP 5 HIGHEST IN LEAD AND CADMIUM
Trader Joe’s the Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate 85% Cacao (127% lead, 229% cadmium)
Theo Organic Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa (140% lead, 189% cadmium)
Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao (143% lead, 181% cadmium)
Theo Organic Pure Dark 70% Cocoa (120% lead, 142% cadmium)
Lily’s Extremely Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa (143% lead, 101% cadmium)
Painting of the Week
Part of my Yellow Spruce Series—one of my favorites from that series…
Charity of the Week:
Earthquake Victims
Please click on image to find out ways to help.
New York, NY 2022
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.