Blog No. 223: 42: T.S. Eliot The Hollow Men, Animal Communicator Laïla Del Monte, Kakatsitsi Drummers

March 29, 2025

The powers that be say we have about two months to turn this thing around and it all depends on us showing up in the street en masse…Wherever you go (there will be protests across the country) , please go! So important to show numbers…
And in the words of Robert Hubbell, “If you are feeling anxious and helpless, the single most important thing you can do is to exercise the First Amendment right of every American to “*assemble peaceably and to petition their government.*” The time is now!

T.S. Eliot,
The Hollow Men

THE HOLLOW MEN by T.S. Eliot 



I was introduced to this poem fifty years ago by my first boyfriend, who is the one who turned me onto poetry in the first place.  This poem stuck with me and I came across it recently and thought it particularly apt today...


Here goes...


The Hollow Men


T. S. Eliot (1888 –1965)

I

We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men 
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when 
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass 
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar

Shape without form, shade without colour. 
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom
Remember us—if at all—not as lost 
Violent souls, but only 
As the hollow men

 
                              II

Eyes I dare not meet in dreams 
In death’s dream kingdom 
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are 
Sunlight on a broken column 
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind’s singing
More distant and more solemn 
Than a fading star.

Let me be no nearer 
In death’s dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves 
No nearer—

Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdom


                              III

This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.

Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are 
Trembling with tenderness 
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.


                              IV

The eyes are not here 
There are no eyes here 
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley
This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

In this last of meeting places 
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river

Sightless, unless 
The eyes reappear 
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose 
Of death’s twilight kingdom 
The hope only
Of empty men.


                              V

Here we go round the prickly pear 
Prickly pear prickly pear 
Here we go round the prickly pear 
At five o’clock in the morning.

Between the idea 
And the reality 
Between the motion 
And the act 
Falls the Shadow

     For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception 
And the creation
Between the emotion 
And the response 
Falls the Shadow

     Life is very long

Between the desire 
And the spasm 
Between the potency 
And the existence 
Between the essence
And the descent 
Falls the Shadow

     For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is 
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends 
This is the way the world ends 
Not with a bang but a whimper.


This poem is in the public domain.

Animal Communicator
Laïla Del Monte

Meet Laila Del Monte, animal communicator, better known in France and Spain for her ability to communicate with animals as well as to heal them. She has worked with birds cats, dogs, ferrets, goats, hamsters, horses, parrots, rabbits, rats, and turtles. Although she recognizes that she has a gift, she also believes that everyone is capable of what she does. For that reason, in addition to being the author of six books, she also teaches. To see a full 50 minute documentary about this fascinating woman and the work she does, click here.

Kakatsitsi Drummers

There are certain sounds that I find soothing and energizing at the same time--the beat of these African drums does just that for me. As a little interlude and respite from all the turmoil of our day, listen to the power of this group of traditional drummers, dancers and singers called Kakatsitsi, from the Ga tribe of Southern Ghana. They have their roots in the fishing community of Jamestown, Ghana and combine traditional rhythms and chants from their own Ga tradition while also mixing in a variety of other Western African cultural traditions.

Bulletin Board: You are Invited

A friend of mine, Pessi Margulies, is hosting an initial free zoom session on Tuesday, April 1st at 7:30pm. Entitled PRACTICAL MINDFULNESS WRITING, It promises to be a transformative, simple and yet powerful method that can bring clarity and peace to one's life. To learn more about it, click here to sign up with your email and a link will be sent to you on the day of.
You're Invited! ✨ Come curious, leave inspired!

Painting of the Week

Gert Mathiesen’s self portrait—it would have been his 73rd birthday this week!

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

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 Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.

Source: T-s-eliot-the-hollow-men-kakatsitsi-drumme...

Blog No. 222: 42: Jackie Robinson, Guts, Update on Spirit, the Black Leopard

March 26, 2025

42: Jackie Robinson

So many times I find myself on a plane with good intentions of getting a lot done: cleaning out old emails, getting rid of duplicate photos, writing this blog... but most of the time I find myself doing absolutely nothing but sitting there as if I am in a trance. This last trip, I decided instead of just sitting there, to investigate the movies--something I rarely do. And I came across this film, 42, about Jackie Robinson, which I had heard of, but somehow missed in 2013 when it came out in the theatres. My dad was a big Brooklyn Dodger fan so the story interested me by osmosis.

Of course I had heard of Jackie Robinson and how he broke the color bar in baseball in the 1940s, but I didn't know any of the details. This film fills it all in. Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020) did a brilliant job of portraying Jackie Robinson, as did Harrison Ford as the courageous Branch Rickey, president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who dared to sign the first Afro-American player into major league baseball.

When asked by Robinson why he did decided to go out on a limb to integrate baseball, Rickey explained that he loved the sport but was haunted by something he did many years previous, as a college player at Ohio Wesleyan. He felt he didn't do his part and stand up enough for a black teammate, Charlie Thomas, who was attacked for the color of his skin. From that day on, his love of baseball was tainted by that feeling of shame that he didn't do enough. Fighting for Jackie Robinson and breaking the color barrier allowed him to love baseball again, untainted. I found these letters between Rickey and Robinson that touched my heart, showing the depth of their love and respect for each other.

Can you believe we are really here again? Jackie Robinson’s Army career was just wiped from a military website this week in another of the DEI purges. It has since been reinstated in at least one website, but this attempt at rewriting history will hopefully not work in the end...Each one of us, like Branch Rickey, has a role to play...

Guts

Representatives Keith Self and Sarah McBride

Once and a while I am going to feature someone that stands out like a beacon of light during these incredibly troubled times--someone who has the guts to stand up and fight for human decency, respect and kindness.

In this case, it is a small act but in light of what is going on in congress, it stands out. I am celebrating Congressman Bill Keating of Massachusetts, who had the courage to stand up to Texas representative Keith Self, punk that he is, who refused to recognize his fellow congressperson, the first transgender member of the house of representatives, Sarah McBride, by the correct gender title. Watch here to see how acts of resistance, no matter how small, can make a difference, serving as an example for us all...

Update on Spirit, the Black Leopard

Photo courtesy of Larry Linton and Happy Tails Magazine

I often wondered what became of Spirit, the black leopard Anna Breytenbach made famous many years ago when she connected with him at the Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. Jukani is a rare animal park that is truly ethical, providing lifetime care for animals on their own terms. This is where Spirit lived out her 20+ years, happily living life on his own terms as explained in this short youtube video

Painting of the Week

Flashback from the past, Pam Smilow/Gert Mathiesen Collaboration, Vessels, mixed media on canvas, approx. 72” x 130”

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

Source: jackie-robinson-guts-spirit-black-leopard-...

Blog No. 221: Hope Sandoval Music, Laser Painting, Coming for Social Security

March 15, 2025

Hope Sandoval

Hope Sandoval and Colm Ó Ciosóig of Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions

Hope Sandoval has one of the most hypnotic, mesmerizing, and beautiful voices you might never have heard of in the music world. Originally lead singer of the LA group along with the late David Roback called Mazzy Star, Sandoval went on to play with a variety of bands including her own band Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions along with Colm Ó Cíosóig . Here is a selection of some of my favorite songs beginning with perhaps the most famous from Mazzy Star: the ethereal
Fade Into You

Quiet the Winter Harbor

Flowers in December

Blue Flower

The Peasant

"The Jesus and Mary Chain

"Wild Horses (cover)

If you want to hear more from Sandoval herself, here is an interview that goes back to 2017 on New York's WFUV Fordham University radio program

Laser Painting Program

I had the privilege of meeting Deborah Dawson at Rancho La Puerta a week ago and hear about her amazing work with children and young adults with multiple disabilities and the laser painting program she facilitates with them.  Through a laser that they wear on a headband or somewhere on their body, those with limited physical mobility are able to give direction to Deborah, the facilitator, and complete large scale abstract paintings using the red laser dot as an indicator of how to apply the paint.  The choices are theirs and she is just the conduit for their expression.  Here is a video that shows the process, bringing joy and a sense of accomplishment to all those involved in creating these large scale paintings. 

Georgios. We use a hand rig for Georgios, play Greek music and he chooses the largest of brushes.

Chelsea. Delightful disposition. Also non verbal with multiple disabilities. We get loud and messy. She also wears a head laser.

Hazel is in a wheelchair with limited hand use. Her sessions are exploratory and therapeutic.

Vicky. age 21. She is non-verbal has multiple disabilities. She wears a head laser and is very clear about her color choices, brush sizes and when she's done with a painting.

Coming for Social Security

I have tried to stay away from politics in this newsletter, instead publishing upbeat inspirational entries to keep our spirits up during these incredibly hard and perilous times. But avoiding the subject is increasingly hard these days when the outrage keeps coming, assaulting the very heart of democracy and our country to the core.

But here is a story where pushback seems to be working, at least for the moment. Listen to representative John Larson delivering an outcry and appeal to his fellow committee members in Congress as it relates to social security. And the subsequent effect it seems to have had...Public outcry does work. Keep it coming!

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow, Childhood’s End Series, mixed media on paper, 22” x 30”

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

Source: hope-sandoval-the-warm-inventions-mazzy-st...

Blog No. 220: Luis Barragán, Women Politicians Take the Lead, Turmeric Morning Health Shot,

March 7, 2025

Architect Luis Barragán

Luis Barragán, Pritzker Prize in 1980, is known as Mexico's most influential architect of the 20th Century for his mastery of Mexican Modernism.

Interior of Barragán’s own home, courtesy Jennifer De Witt, Jenny in Transit

Ortega Garden House, courtesy Arch Daily

Photo: Courtesy of Armando Salas Portugal / 2016 Barragan Foundation

Luis Barragán, click for wikipedia entry

People used to make fun of me when I went on a trip and came back with only pictures of walls--they would say, where have you been?  we don't see the places you visited, the landscape...all I had were photos of facades and maybe a few doorways mixed in...

Walls were one of the inspirations of Luis Barragán as well...Greatly influenced by they way people painted their houses in the countryside, Barragan was attracted to the color of these modest dwellings and the combinations...

Color, light and water were the guiding characteristics of Luis Barragán's architecture as well as the simplicity of his designs. His geometric buildings and his exquisite use of bold color both on the facade and interior plaster walls gets me in the gut...Deep pinks, reds, yellows, blues combine into beautiful, unusual juxtapositions...

In addition to what goes on in the interior, there is a seamless transition from inside to outside in his work.  Barragán perceived the gardens as outside rooms and he paid serious attention to them, including carefully placing trees and plants to complement the colors of the walls.  He was attracted to water and his fountains, anything but typical, seem more like troughs for the horses he loved and spent a lot of time with.  "In the gardens and homes I have designed, I have allowed for the gentle murmur of silence and in my fountains, silence sings." 

According to the renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, someone else in the field I greatly admire, the importance of Barragán's work today is "the creation of beauty in daily life, making the inhabitants realize their own pursuit of beauty and happiness."

There is a Luis Barragán Museum in Mexico City that I hope to visit one day...

Women Politicians Take the Lead

Ursula von der Leyen, German politician, serving as the ***13th president of the European Commission***.

Those who know me know that I am a big fan of the Danes. Here Danish PM Mette Frederiksen speaks out and tells it like it is regarding the European community and Ukraine. Yay Mette Fredericksen for leading the way!

It is exciting to see women in power. Ursula von der Leyen, German politician, serving as the 13th president of the European Commission also speaks out on current events and European unity.

And Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada also has something to say in a loud and clear voice on the state of the world and Canadian American relations.

All worth a listen to these forthright women leaders.

Morning Turmeric Healthy Shot Recipe

This is one of the things I look forward to most when I go to present and teach at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico:  starting the day with this shot glass of healthy deliciousness.  Here is the recipe which I plan on making and drinking at home as well...

INGREDIENTS:
2 inches fresh ginger
1-inch unpeeled fresh turmeric or 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 large lemon, peeled
1 green apple, cut in quarters and seeded

METHOD
1. Place the ingredients in a cold press juicer or regular juicer and process.
2. If you don’t have a juicer, you can use a blender, and strain with a cheese cloth.
3. If using ground turmeric*, be sure to add it after juicing the other ingredients.
4. Serve in a shot glass and enjoy with a pinch of pepper or cayenne.
5. During winter, you can drink it with ½ cup warm water and a teaspoon of honey.
* Turmeric can stain surfaces and clothing, so handle it with care, especially when using fresh turmeric.

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow, Tulip, linocut, 44” z 30 approx.

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

Source: luis-barragan-architect-women-politicians-...

Blog No. 219: Noah Verrier, Animal Whisperer Anna Breytenbach, Song: Fix Yo

February 28, 2025

Artist Noah Verrier

Noah Verrier's art could not be more different than mine--tight, detailed, precise, representational...His work jumped out at me, especially his still lives, from his posts on Instagram: exquisite realistic painting like some of the old masters, but unique in their subject matter of contemporary everyday objects, and sometimes even junk food.
From his artist statement: "What I enjoy most is working from life. Through the act of quietly observing, my aim is to accurately yet personally discern color and light. My subjects have included still life, portrait, and landscape. Not unlike the great painterly realists of the late 19th century, my work emerges through painting directly, while striving to retain gesture and emotion...“For me every painting is like a prayer to God, I can be still, look closely, and interpret the colors, shapes, and emotion before me”

Noah Verrier in his studio in Tallahassee, Florida

Animal Communicator Anna Breytenbach

This is a repeat of an entry on a previous blog--the story is one of my favorites involving an angry black leopard named Diablo living in an animal sanctuary in South Africa and his transformation due to the insight of animal whisperer Anna Breytenbach. This short video tells the incredible story: watch Breytenbach "talk" to a rare beautiful black leopard and get answers back.

I always thought if we humans are so smart, how come we don't know what the birds are saying? I have been very interested in the subject of animal intelligence and animal communication ever since I was a kid and I read my first book on the subject called "How Smart Are Animals." From then on, I knew that common knowledge that humans were the only ones with superior intelligence, self reflection and the ability to use tools was not true. I think discoveries in the field of interspecies communication will lead us to the next big frontier--something that the ancients and indigenous peoples across the globe knew very well intuitively but which most of us have totally lost touch with today.

If you are interested in learning more and you don't think I am totally crazy (I'm not), here is an hour long, fascinating interview with Anna where she explores this subject matter. It is well worth a listen.

For those of you with kids and grandkids, Anna has even written a children's book about this black leopard entitled How Diablo Became Spirit (in collaboration with Andrew Newman).

Click image to read an article in Vie Magazine on Anna Breytenbach

Song: Fix You

Here are two versions of one of my most favorite songs: Fix You written by Christopher Anthony, John Martin, Guy Rupert Berryman, William Champion and Jonathan Mark Buckland.

Just click on the videos above to first hear Cold Play's version and then a very touching rendition by Fred Kittle and the chorus of 70+ years olds out of Northampton, Massachusetts, The Young at Heart Chorus.

Lyrics
When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try, you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face, and I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face, and I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Christopher Anthony John Martin / Guy Rupert Berryman / William Champion / Jonathan Mark Buckland
Fix You lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd.

There is a full length documentary about Young at Heart Chorus--click to watch it below

Painting of the Week

Hummingbird, mixed media on canvas, 50” x 80”

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

Source: Noah-verrier-animal-whisperer-anna-breyten...

Blog No. 218: Elizabeth Strout's book Amy and Isabelle, Songs for Our Times, Things To Do

February 21, 2025

Author Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout, courtesy of photographer Greta Rybus and The Guardian

I don’t claim to be a book reviewer but occasionally I’ll read something that I find so extraordinary that I want to tell about it on this blog. I just finished Amy and Isabelle, the first novel of Elizabeth Strout and this is a gem of a book! It explores the deep, complex relationship between mother and daughter in small town America. Although Strout's characters inhabit rural Maine, I think all of us mothers and daughters will find something familiar, touching, poignant and human in this universal story. She tells it with such grace and sensitivity. Strout is a master at human relationships and she has the uncanny ability of acute observation--noticing the smallest simple gestures of every day life and turning the mundane into such a profound picture of human emotion.

"With a plain voice and a bountiful spirit, Strout paints a full array of emotion from despair to delight on a small canvas...Strout makes these souls real. They are our townspeople, and we are theirs." --O: The Oprah Magazine

...
"Strout crawls so far into her characters you feel you inhabit them..."
USA Today

Amy and Isabelle won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in England.

2 Songs for Our Times

Good Old Leonard Cohen telling it like it is
Everybody Knows

THe Makepeace Brothers
Hero
"This is the kind of hero we need: noble, wise, human, kind"

Things To Do

One of our most useful tools right now is boycotting. Boycott all advertisers on Fox--as long as they exist spreading lies we don't have a chance. Boycott companies who donated to the current administration.

A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict some economic loss on the target, or to indicate a moral outrage, usually to try to compel the target to alter an objectionable behavior. The word is named after Captain Charles Boycott, agent of an absentee landlord in Ireland, against whom the tactic was successfully employed after a suggestion by Irish nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell and his Irish Land League in 1880.

The NAACP wants Americans to steer their buying power toward companies that haven’t pulled back from diversity, equity and inclusion programs under conservative pressure, and the nation’s oldest civil rights organization is listing which brands have stood by — or reversed — past commitments to DEI. Here is more information on their spending guide. The advisory praises Costco for standing by previous commitments, as well as Apple, Ben & Jerry’s, Delta Airlines, e.l.f. Cosmetics and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Painting of the Week

Music is Life 82” x 56” mixed media on canvas

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

Source: Elizabeth-strout-amy-and-isabelle-boycott-...

Blog No. 217: February 28 Black Out, Bill Martin Poet, Choir Choir Choir People Have the Power

February 14, 2025

February 28th Black Out

February 28th The 24 Hour Economic Black Out Begins.
 
As our first initial act, we turn it off.

WHEN: From midnight, Thursday February 27th through Midnight Friday the 28th

WHAT NOT TO DO:

* Do not make any purchases

* Do not shop online, or in-store

* No Amazon

* No Walmart

* No Best Buy 

* Nowhere!

* Do not spend money on: Fast Food, Gas, Major Retailers

* Do not use Credit or Debit Cards for non-essential spending

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* Only buy essentials if absolutely necessary(Food, Medicine, Emergency Supplies)

* If you must spend, ONLY support small, local businesses.

Please do not stock up on Feb. 27 but plan ahead to get what you need.

SPREAD THE MESSAGE:

Talk about it, post about it, and document your actions that day!

WHY THIS MATTERS!

* Corporations and banks only care about their bottom line.

* If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message.

*  If they don't listen (they wont) we make the next blackout longer (We will)

This is our first action.

This is how we make history.

Poem by William Martin

Photo courtesy Adam Kinzinger and Hudson Institute

Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.

Bill Martin is the author of several books on Taoist and Zen thought, including: The Parent's Tao Te Ching, The Couple's Tao Te Ching, The Sage's Tao Te Ching ... 

Choir Choir Choir: People Have the Power

I think it is high time for another round of Patti Smith's Choir Choir Choir. Let us turn this up as loud as possible and sing along with it at the top of our lungs. May these words motivate us and propel us into action before it is too late...

Painting of the Week

Lunar Landscape, mixed media on canvas, 50” x 80”

Charity of the Week: World Central Kitchen

World Central Kitchen and Jose Andres are as usual on the front lines—in this case, helping and feeding victims of the California fires…

Source: February-28-Black-Out-Bill-Martin-poet-Cho...

Blog No. 216: The Telepathy Tapes, Yuka Healthy Food App, The Power of Good: Sir Nicholas Winton

February 8, 2025

The Telepathy Tapes

Click image to hear an interview with Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell

I've struggled to write this entry, mainly because I don't even know how to start talking about this amazing podcast The Telepathy Tapes. Suffice it to say that this is the most mind boggling and exciting thing I have come across--and it is BLOWING MY MIND.

The Telepathy Tapes Podcast, produced by documentary filmmaker Ky Dickens, covers a very wide range of subject matter in the world of the paranormal, but begins with the newly brought to light and seemingly indisputable telepathic abilties of nonverbal autistic children. The podcast is based on the work of Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell, author, public speaker, researcher and practicing psychiatist, who through her study of autistic savants (and using, from what I can determine, are meticulously designed experiments) is proving the psychic abilities of many of her autistic subjects.

But the podcast doesn't stop here--in addition to first hand conversations with mothers, teachers and the autistic subjects themselves, the podcast also investigates unbelievable startling anecdotes regarding animal whispering intelligence, reincarnation, near death experiences and communication with spirits. What if I told you about a herd of elephants who somehow knew and showed up at the death of the human who provided them with sanctuary even through they were many miles away? Or about an African Gray Parrot who outloud spoke words describing the dream content of its owner in real time? And what if you heard that many autistic children meet and visit with each other telepathically in a nonphysical place called "The Hill." Sounds unbelievable! Even if you're skeptical, I have a feeling you might find this podcast mind opening like I did. To understand this possibility one must view the world around us through a new lens that transcends the current one of scientific materialism, one that proposes that everything around us is imbued with consciousness.

Powell believes that herein just might be the key to understanding human consciousness as it survives independent of our bodies as energy that, by its nature, never dissipates. To say that she defies the current prevailing materialist scientific model is an understatement and for that reason she is controversial. But to her, "the data was so compelling and accurate that I had to follow it even though I thought I was risking my scientific reputation, a risk a scientist takes when they challenge the current paradigm."

YUKA Healthy Food App

Here's a useful tool for when you go grocery shopping: YUKA, an app that lets you know what are the healthy choices you run across in a grocery story.

Originally launched in France in 2017, the app began as a tool for French shoppers to better understand the health impact of packaged food products while browsing the aisles of a grocery store. repertoire. In addition to food, they now also include cosmetics as part of their repertoire.

This is how it works--you scan a product’s barcode and immediately a score pops up from 1 to 100--the low numbers being a bad choice and 100 being the best healthy options. A score of 75 or higher is deemed excellent and more than 50 is good. The app is free, but you can get advanced services by paying from $10 to $20. Yuka takes no money from sponsors and no one can pay for a score to be altered.

The Power of Good: Sir Nicholas Winton

In light of today's current events, here is a story you won't want to miss. It answers the question of "what can we do? and shows the power of one determined individual who decided to do something.

This individual's name was Nicholas Winton (1909-2015) and this is his powerful story. In 1938 he was just a normal citizen, a young privileged stockbroker who, having heard of the suffering of the Czechoslovakian Jews and others in that country, decided to try and figure out a way to help them. He launched a scheme in which he organized and orchestrated the transport of 660+ children (on seven trains over a period of months) out of Czechoslovakia to safety, to be placed in families in England. In 2013, the full documentary Nicky's Family was released. You can watch it here.

None of these 660+ people (and their children and grandchildren) will ever doubt the power of one individual. Let Sir Nicholas Winton be an inspiration to us all in these extremely turbulent times...

Painting of the Week

A client just sent me this photo of a piece they bought many years ago from Gert Mathiesen. A beautiful piece that I had forgotten all about…

Charity of the Week: World Central Kitchen

Charity of the Week: Pasadena Humane Society

Anyone who has a pet can see the terror in the eyes of this dog and my heart breaks for all the animals affected by the LA fires. Please consider giving to the Pasadena Humane Society. They have taken in over 400 animals from the Eaton Fire Emergency and are desperately in need of monetary donations to help purchase medical supplies and other resources as they start to see a significant increase in the number of burned and injured animals coming to our shelter.

Source: The-telepathy-tapes-yuka-grocery-app-Sir-n...

Blog No. 215: Queer Eye: Billy the Librarian, Former Republicans Speak Up, Bob Dylan A Complete Unknown

January 31, 2025

Queer Eye: Billy the Librarian

Click image above to see trailer of the Queer Eye episode

Click image to see Billy Allen’s instagram: 3KingVisions

In the next life I would like to be a librarian. I love everything about these places: the books of course: the smell of them, the stories and knowledge hidden behind those exciting covers we are not supposed to judge. The idea of just having so much knowledge at our fingertips, as if all these beautiful words just jump out of the pages into our brains and hearts. A library is definitely my kind of temple...

I also love the netflix series Queer Eye--it is a tv show that teaches empathy, compassion, and brings us closer to the diversity, joy and pathos of human existence. These fab five have love in their hearts and they go out and attempt to share it...

The episode "Are You There Fab 5? It's me, Billy combines both of my loves in an inspiring episode--the Fab Five help out a man who had some wild partying years in his past but turned it around by going back to school and finding his calling.

Billy Allen is known in his Las Vegas Whitney Library Clark County community as a hip hop head librarian, who not only hosts a very popular animated hip hop story hour and inspires children to love books but also has an expanded view of what a library can do for a community. He realizes that a library is a tremendous place to hook up people with essential resources in the community and has made his library into that kind of hub. For that reason, he was awarded in 2024 a Compassionate City Awards by the city of Las Vegas.

To quote Billy in his acceptance speech: "To me, compassion embodies the essence of empathy and sympathy towards others. It's about understanding and acknowledging the struggles and joys of those around us, and actively seeking ways to support and uplift them. In the context of libraries, compassion is fundamental to our mission of serving our community. It's about creating welcoming spaces where everyone feels valued and respected, and where their needs and aspirations are met with understanding and care. Libraries are beacons of compassion, offering solace, support, and opportunities for growth to all who walk through their doors."

Former Republicans Speak Up

Substack is quickly becoming the place I go for real information on a variety of subjects, especially political ones. And one of the people I rely heavily on these days is Steve Schmidt, founder of the Lincoln Project, who had the courage to stand up as a Republican, a sorely lone voice in his party, to reject MAGA and fascism.

Another voice that I respect on substack and who has been very outspoken along with Liz Cheney is Adam Kinzinger, another former Republican. Here he laments indignantly "where are the democrats.." I would like to help their voices spread and be heard by more people.

Please consider subscribing as a paid or unpaid subscriber to their substack newsletters:

steveschmidt.substack.com
adamkinzinger.substack.com

Bob Dylan Movie
A Complete Unknown

The iconic Milton Glaser poster of Dylan ca. 1967

I spent many of my coming of age years with Bob Dylan--my first boyfriend was a huge fan and then I married a Dane who was also in awe of the musical legend. (Sometimes I think one of the main reasons Gert married me was so that I could translate and fill him in on Dylan's lyrics that he so wanted to understand.) My daughter will attest to the fact that Dylan's music was the soundtrack to her childhood in our studio in northern Westchester.

The movie A Complete Unknown is fabulous. Don't miss it. It documents Dylan's early days of his career from 1961 to 1965 and really captures that epoch to a tee. Timothée Chalamet does a superb job of playing Dylan and capturing his essence. I hope he wins the Oscar. I didn't realize ahead of time that he plays his own guitar and does all the singing, something which he worked on for many years before making the movie. Zane Lowe's interview with Chalamet is fascinating and a real behind the scenes look at the making of the film and Timothée's background.

The supporting cast also did a great job--Monica Barbaro was awesome as Joan Baez and she too plays her own guitar and it is her voice, not Joan's, that sings. It was wonderful to see Ed Norton doing wonders with the Pete Seeger character.

Quote of the Week

Paintings of the Week

Charity of the Week: World Central Kitchen

Charity of the Week: Pasadena Humane Society

Source: queer-eye-billy-allen-library-las-vegas-ad...

Blog No. 214: Classic Danish Designs, Lessons from Survivors of Auschwitz, Elevator 11

January 17, 2025

Classic Danish Designs

When it comes to design, nobody beats the Danes.  Here are a few of my favorite Danish classics...
  

Royal Copenhagen Model Number 1/525 Blue Fluted Half Lace Teacup with Saucer

Bang & Olufsen was founded in 1925 when Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen started making radios in the attic of the Olufsen family home.

Created in 2007 by H.C. Gjedde for Royal Copenhagen

Hans Wegner’s “The Chair” was designed in 1949 by Hans Wegner and its iconic status was established further when it was selected as seating to John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in the first ever televised election debate in 1960.

Lessons from Survivors of Auschwitz

27 January was chosen to commemorate the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army in 1945. The day remembers the killing of six million Jews, two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population, and millions of others by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.

The Claims Conference put together these short videos from 80 Auschwitz survivors that are still alive, asking each of them to answer the question: What would you like the world to remember?

Scottish Elevator Voice Recognition

This made me laugh: Scottish Elevator 11. I hope it has the same effect on you. God knows we need it these days...

Quote of the Week

**I am about to leave facebook and instagram and join blue sky.**

Paintings of the Week

Charity of the Week: World Central Kitchen

Charity of the Week: Pasadena Humane Society

Source: classic-danish-designs-elevator-11-auschwi...

Blog No. 213: The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds, Creative Growth, Amanda Gorman on the Fires (Copy)

January 12, 2025

The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds

So much for me these days is trying to find some distraction from what is going on in politics and the world...and it is a struggle because I know that looking the other way is what enables the status quo to exist--I suppose there must be some kind of balance between burying my head in the sand and seeking joy in other things.

This entry is in the category of seeking joy: The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds is a heartwarming and often humorous, sometimes distressing, British television show that gives us amazing insight into the emotional and social development of children.

A specially designed playroom is the setting of the show where we can observe, through hidden cameras, a group of children in the midst of their free play. As viewers, we have the opportunity of watching them make friends, communicate with each other, juggle leadership roles and behave and navigate life in a group setting... The show's expert psychologists offer commentary on the children's behaviour, providing insights into how they are developing and offering advice for parents and educators. This is one of many episodes of The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds which can be found on youtube.

This is a good follow up to my recent post on Chasing Childhood, the documentary I recently wrote about in a previous blog post (scroll down) that accentuates the importance of free play in childhood.

Creative Growth on Sunday Morning

Photo courtesy New York Times and Pete Buttigieg

So happy to see this piece on Creative Growth featured on CBS Sunday Morning, the Oakland, California organization I have been raving about for years now. Wonderful that they are getting the national attention...

I remember the first time I stumbled upon this place...I was walking by and looked in to this enormous studio space with people hard at work, totally engrossed in all kinds of art making activities: printmaking, embroidery, sculpture, painting, ceramics. And there was a gallery attached full of wonderful, raw, inspiring work. I stopped dead in my tracks and thought, "What is this?!" Tears came to my eyes. I realized that the place was full of artists. Not people with disabilities making art but artists who just so happen to have disabilities...people who normally the society might consider throwaways and everyone in there was engaged in creating and producing amazing work!

Founded in 1974 by psychologist Elias Katz and his wife Florence (an artist herself) in their garage, Creative Growth is a pioneer model that should be adapted in every town. The philosophy of the founders "is that each person has the right to the richest and fullest development of which he is capable. Only then can society reach its fullest potential … Creativity is a vital living force within each individual.” — Florence Ludins-Katz and Elias Katz, founders of Creative Growth

Click here to learn more.

Art by Dan Miller is in many museum collections around the world.

Creative Growth at the Oakland Museum, courtesy Leopoldo Macaya, Oakland Museum of California

Art by Scott Martin, courtesy of tghe artist, Jeff Minton and The New York Times

Amanda Gorman on the Fires

Photograph by Abbie Trayler-Smith / Panos Pictures / Redux

Born in California in 1998, American activist, poet, and model Amanda Gorman has emerged as one of the leading voices of the next generation. Here she reads her new poem Smoldering Dawn, a tribute to her home town of Pacific Palisades, California, in the light of the catastrophic fires of January 2025. Gorman first rose to fame when she performed her poem The Hill We Climb at the inauguration of Joe Biden in 2020.

For more information, watch her on The View.

And here is a list of some of her favorite things.

Paintings of the Week

Charity of the Week: World Central Kitchen

Charity of the Week: Pasadena Humane Society

Source: creative-growth-secret-life-of-4-5-6-year-...

Blog No. 212: Bonnie Raitt Interview, Pete Buttigieg, Mary Oliver Poem (Copy)

January 11, 2025

Bonnie Raitt

It is ironic that I chose this comprehensive in-depth two year old interview with the revered Bonnie Raitt, conducted by New Zealand's Zane Lowe to include in this week's newsletter, just as we are experiencing the apocalyptic fires in Southern California. In the interview, she talks and reminisces about the Los Angeles where she grew up, the LA she knows and loves...in addition to her musical inspirations and influences.

She is about to embark on an extensive world tour beginning in February in San Francisco. Quoting from her website: "More than just a best-selling artist, respected guitarist, expressive singer, and accomplished songwriter, Bonnie Raitt has become an institution in American music. Born to a musical family, the ten-time Grammy winner, who Rolling Stone named as both one of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” and one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” is the daughter of celebrated Broadway singer John Raitt (Carousel, Oklahoma!, The Pajama Game) and accomplished pianist/singer Marge Goddard. She was raised in Los Angeles in a climate of respect for the arts, Quaker traditions, and a commitment to social activism. A Stella guitar given to her as a Christmas present launched Bonnie on her creative journey at the age of eight. While growing up, though passionate about music from the start, she never considered that it would play a greater role than as one of her many growing interests."

Here are some of my favorite Bonnie Raitt songs:
Just Like That
I Can't Make You Love Me
Love Has No Pride
Dimming of the Day

Pete Buttigieg

As we enter the dark ages in American history, I am trying to look ahead to the possibility that we will emerge from this time somewhat intact. So I look ahead to some politicians and leaders whose leadership abilities might be able to guide us out of this. One of the voices of sanity for me is Pete Buttigieg. I recently did a deep dive into Pete-Buttigieg's bio which I share with you here...along with the speech he gave at the Democratic Convention a few months ago.

"I know I will make myself useful again."

Poem by Mary Oliver

Poet Mary Oliver. Photo courtesy Lannan Foundation

STARLINGS IN WINTER
by Mary Oliver
from Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays

Chunky and noisy,
 but with stars in their black feathers,
 they spring from the telephone wire
 and instantly
they are acrobats
 in the freezing wind.
 And now, in the theater of air,
 they swing over buildings,
dipping and rising;
 they float like one stippled star
 that opens,
 becomes for a moment fragmented,
then closes again;
 and you watch
 and you try
 but you simply can't imagine
how they do it
 with no articulated instruction, no pause,
 only the silent confirmation
 that they are this notable thing,
this wheel of many parts, that can rise and spin
 over and over again,
 full of gorgeous life.
Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,
 even in the leafless winter,
 even in the ashy city.
 I am thinking now
 of grief, and of getting past it;
I feel my boots
 trying to leave the ground,
 I feel my heart
 pumping hard. I want
to think again of dangerous and noble things.
 I want to be light and frolicsome.
 I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
 as though I had wings.
Copyright ©: Mary Oliver

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow, mixed media on canvas, 50” x 80” approx.

Charity of the Week: World Central Kitchen

Charity of the Week: Pasadena Humane Society

Source: bonnie-raitt--pete-buttigieg-mary-olilver-...

Blog No. 211: Jimmy Carter, Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening, Poem by Ellen Bass

January 4, 2025

Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President

Back on March 20th of 2021, I wrote the following piece on Jimmy Carter on the occasion of a documentary that had just come out. I repeat that entry here as we say rest in peace to an incredible humanitarian who was an example to us all...

From Blog No. 12:
If you have any doubt that Jimmy Carter was one of the coolest presidents the United States has ever had, think no more. The recent CNN documentary Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President confirms it. Aside from his political accomplishments in the field of conservation, the Salt II Agreement, and the Camp David Accords (establishing peace between Israel and Egypt), Carter's other deep love and passion was for music. He was friends with a myriad of rock and roll and jazz musicians and they were frequent visitors to the White House. (Willie Nelson was even purported to have smoked pot with Carter's son inside those walls...). Bob Dylan spoke of Carter as "A man you don’t meet every day and you are lucky if you do…." and the Allman Brothers helped propel him into the presidency with their fundraising concerts...

I always thought Jimmy Carter got a bad rap as being a weak president, mostly because of the Iran Hostage crisis. But in my mind, he was a gentle man, a true humanitarian and to this day at 96, still at it, building homes for his beloved Habitat for Humanity and speaking out on issues that matter...I absolutely loved this documentary and if you want to read a good review and synopsis of it, go to Mary Lucia's (aka Looch) Minnesota Public Radio podcast The Current.

Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening

The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo is a great spiritual guidebook divided into entries for each of the 365 days of the year. Nepo faced death in his thirties and for him that was "the opening through which I stared into Eternity, and the fire I built was The Book of Awakening." The book contains life lessons he discovered for himself and found important to share. Originally written in the year 2000, it is in its 20th Edition and has not grown old. I refer to it on a daily basis first thing in the morning and always find something new to take in and ponder. Today January 5th is no exception. Thanks Dyan for turning me on to it...

JANUARY 5
Show Your Hair

My grandmother told me,
Never hide your green hair--
They can see it anyway."
--Angeles Arrien

From the agonies of kindergarten, when we first were teased or made fun of in the midst of all our innocence, we have all struggled in one way or another with hiding what is obvious about us.

No one plans this. It is not a conspiracy, but rather an inevitable and hurtful passage from knowing only ourselves to knowing the world. The tragedy is that many of us never talk about it, or never get told that our "green hair" is beautiful, or that we don't need to hide, no matter what anyone says on the way to lunch. And so, we often conclude that to know the world we must hide ourselves.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is an ancient unspoken fact of being that blackmail is only possible if we believe that we have something to hide. The inner corollary of this is that worthless feelings arise when we believe, however briefly, that who we are is not enough."

THE THING IS
Poem by Ellen Bass

THE THING IS
By Ellen Bass

SHARE
to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you’ve held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you
down like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.

Painting of the Week

Pam Smilow/Gert Mathiesen Collaboration, Rowboat, giclee print, framed original is mixed media on Mexican bark paper, 8” x 10” $150 (available in larger sizes as well).

Charity of the Week: Habitat for Humanity

Source: jimmy-carter-ellen-bass-marc-nepo-the-book...

Blog No. 210: Jesse Krimes, Ray Masterson: Art from Prison, Bob Dylan Interview, Stretch Pizz

December 28, 2024

Jesse Krimes, Ray Masterson: Art from Prison

Coincidentally two exhibitions caught my eye recently and both have something in common: not only do they involve works of art that were done in prison but they also reflect the ingenuity of an artist working without access to traditional materials.

I just came from seeing Jesse Krimes' amazing work at the Metropolitan Museum in a small show entitled Corrections. Krimes spent six years in a Pennsylvania prison on drug charges and during that time, his art is the only thing that kept him sane. "The one thing they could not take away or control was my ability to create." His work is made from prison issued materials: small bars of soap, bed sheets, hair gel, toothpaste, playing cards and newspaper clipping of mug shots. He innovatively found a way to transfer the mug shot images onto the small soap bars and bed sheets, expressing his feelings about mass incarceration and individuality.

One of the most compelling pieces in the show is a huge wall covered with ten thousand thread wrapped hanging pebbles, sent to him from prisoners across the country. His intent is to serve as a reflection on individuals caught up in the criminal justice system and how dangerous it is to reduce individuals to statistics...

In 2022, Krimes founded the nonprofit Center for Art and Advocacy. The mission is to highlight the talent and creative potential among incarcerated inviduals and to support and improve outcomes for formerly incarcerated artists.

At the Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York City, Ray Masterson created very small embroidered works using threads obtained by unraveling his socks. His work is very small, illustrative and very intricate (the gallery gives out magnifying glasses so you can appreciate the detail).

Produced during the seven years he spent in prison for a crime he committed in the throes of addiction, Masterson began to sew in order to add a personal touch to the uniformity of prison garb. He then branched out to embroider his favorite sports team logos, and subsequently caught the attention of fellow prisoners who commissioned him to make gifts that they could send home to loved ones. In the end, he realized he had his own stories to tell based on his own life experiences...

Bob Dylan: 60 Minutes Interview 2021

Bob Dylan in 1963. courtesy William C. Eckenberg/The New York Times

Bob Dylan was a constant in my life throughout the years--I think his music was a thread that ran through the lives of so many of my generation. Just as the new movie A Complete Unknown is released, I thought I would include this Ed Bradley 60 Minute Interview with Dylan from 2021.

My late husband, Gert Mathiesen, was a big Dylan fan. I'll also include a few of his favorite tunes here, although it is hard to choose...

Forever Young

Not Dark Yet

Is your Love In Vain

Tangled Up In Blue

Knockin On Heaven's Door

All Along The Watchtower

Wylie Dufresne Stretch Pizza

Photo courtesy Stretch Pizza and The Infatuation

Gadi Peleg and Wylie Dufresne, photo courtesy Buck Ennis

Got together with some old friends from Usonia the other day and ended up at Stretch Pizza, one of their local haunts on Park Avenue around 24th Street. It was a great find for me. I knew about Wylie Dufresne from WD50 Restaurant days when he was a pioneer in molecular gastronomy but I hadn't realized he was back at it again after a long hiatus.

Stretch Pizza is Wylie Dufresne's venture into the world of pizza, along with his fellow collaborator, Gadi Peleg (of Breads Bakery fame). Wylie's interest in pizza began for him during the pandemic when he found a brand new pizza oven in the basement of the Connecticut house he was renting and decided to try it out.

This is not your ordinary pizzeria-- in true Wylie Dufresne style, the pizzas are unusual and delicious and his approach is always similiar: like a scientist, he is systematic and innovative as he experiments with many types of unexpected ingredients in very creative ways. You won't find your normal choices here--although they do make a great simple Marguerita one. Many of the pizzas are take offs on sandwiches from local restaurants. The Old Town pizza, named after a sandwich in a local bar, is made up of mushrooms, muenster cheese, garlic cream, and pumpernickel. The one I had, a little more ordinary but no less delicious was called the Stranger, consisting of sweet fennel sausage, roasted peppers and tomato sauce. One that sounds crazy, which I haven't tried yet, is called A-Maize-ing: consisting of corn, cilantro, lime, and cotija. And I should also mention that they have perfected one of the most important ingredients: the crust! which even contains some soy sauce...

Pizza is not the only thing on the menu. The salads are awesome--one of the best caesar salads I have had and one of the other salads has potato chips crunched up inside it. The meatballs are made with ritz crackers. And my friend goes there just for their garlic bread, also a slightly different take on normal fare. Go try it if you are in New York.

Paintings of the Week

Pam Smilow, Tree Series: Spring is Not So Far Off, mixed media on paper, 60” x 22” each

Charity of the Week: American Civil Liberties Union

Source: jesse-krimes-ray-masterson-incarcerated-ar...