loving art, science and creative kids
4/23/2016 11:08:44 AM
Spring Has Sprung
When I was a kid I remember reading a poem that went like this:
Spring has spring
the grass is riz
I wonder where
my jacket is.
Every spring those words pop into my mind when with the first flower that peeks through the ground. I tried to discover who wrote the verse and came up with a big zero. Though often attributed to Ogden Nash or ee cummings, the poem has roots that go back further in time to an anonymous author.
Spring is sprung, the grass is riz,
I wonders where the birdies is.
They say the birds is on the wing.
Ain't that absurd?
I always thought the wing was on the bird.
There is my favorite adaptation in Arnold Silcock's Verse and Worse.
The Budding Bronx
Der spring is sprung
Der grass is riz
I wonder where dem boidies is?
Der little boids is on der wing,
Ain't dat absoid?
Der little wings is on de boid!
And then - attributed to Ogden Nash though I can't find proof.
Spring has newly sprung
the hills are full of grass
and along comes a billy-goat
sliding on his overcoat down the summer pass.
Whatever the words, they carry the joy, laughter and beauty of springtime and with it a reminder of the earth's rebirth and the possibility of starting anew and having a second chance.
So often I dwell on problems confronting society that I forget that the universe is in a constant state of transition. I have to remind myself that political movements are cyclical, that family crises peak and somehow get resolved, and that those who help others are honored in return. Since time does not stand still and the earth will be here long after I am gone, I can only hope there are wise land stewards who will enable my great, great grandchildren to enjoy the boidies and see that the grass is riz. Or perhaps we can't wait for others to do the job but all must look inward and ask ourselves if we are doing our part to care for the environment.
http://www.answers.com/Q/Who_wrote_'Spring_has_sprung_grass_has_ris_I_wonder_where_the_birdies_is' - sources for spring has sprung.
Your thoughts? please respond on my blog at eichingerfineart.com/blog
Art is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected]
____________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON. What is it like to live on the streets? How do we help so many young people escape a life of hopelessness?
4/16/2016 1:41:25 PM
Beginnings
Acrylic, 30” by 40” / $ 499
Cave dwellers developed communal mores and ways of communicating that enabled the entire group to thrive.
Just Say Please
I was at a party recently when I observed a father jump out of his chair and grab his daughter’s cell phone. She was texting a friend when he explained that it was a rude thing to do in the midst of company. After giving her several warnings, all of which were ignored, he took action. I wish he was there remove the phone from the woman sitting next to me at a luncheon and lecture I attended this week. She never looked up from her device to even say hello.
I applaud this father. How many parents do you know teach their kids common courtesies and follow through when they aren’t practiced? How often have you heard children talk back to their parents in loud angry voices or pout until they get their way? Slouching, mumbling responses and dressing in a way that says,” I don’t care what you think!” is the norm in may households. Teachers, school principals and parents have lost their authority and acquiesce when confronting their children’s demands. These same parents defend their offspring against reprimand and punishment from authority even when their child is at fault. Do you wonder, as I do, what this does to youth raised in this manner? Do they learn to respect others and develop boundaries for themselves?
A Nigerian friend told me that in his country if a child visited a friend’s house, the friend’s parents were more strict than their own. It was ingrained in the culture that you pay close attention to the behavior of visiting children. Attention to a young visitor's conduct is viewed as a sign of caring.
Watching the interaction of adults in our own country is often a lesson in how to ignore the needs of others. The likelihood that a traveler will get out of his or her seat on a crowded bus or train to give pregnant woman or elderly person is miniscule. Speeding, weaving in and out of traffic and road rage is practiced on our highways with regularity. And cursing is common, not only in the movies, on YouTube and TV, but among politicians and within many American households. Fuck you brings a laugh to comedians and rappers that is copied by the young but inflicts great harm to the comment’s recipient. When a child, my mother washed my mouth out with soap if I uttered a curse word. As far as I can tell the concept of “do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” is gone from many American families. What mores do Americans cherish?
When asked if the main values held by society are pleasure and instant gratification, according to debate.org, 85% of people responded yes to this query. When questioned further they said that most Americans think it is OK to do whatever you want, whether it is pushing people aside when in a line, closing a door in someone’s face rather than holding open for the next person, engaging in non-committal sex, or sitting alone doing nothing for hours a day. It is not unusual to find students arriving late to class unconcerned about the lack of respect they are showing their instructor. Respondents add that social media is a place that encourages narcissism where it is easy to post endless selfies that receive accolades from thousands of friends who are basically unknown to you.
The remaining 15 percent responded to the question by answering no, that values are simply evolving and that we are in a period of transition. They believe it is only the older generation who think they are deteriorating because they’re not what they used to be when they were young. What do you think about this issue?
Following is a quote by an unknown person. “In school they call it bullying but at work they call it upper level management. This statement to be true for many people I know and am continuously surprised that businesses believe they can maintain a committed workforce by treating their employees poorly. Taking into account the whole person is not only humane but it tends to increase an individual’s willingness to put forth effort. There are many conditions affecting those engaged in work.
According to Small Business Chronicle at the University of San Francisco, courtesy falls by the wayside when people have personal problems at home. Managers are advised to demonstrate courtesy by paying attention to their employee’s state of mind. Worksites are encouraged to institutionalize ways of celebrating good happenings more often (everything from birthdays to dedication and hard work). Managers are taught to say thank you and to sprinkle verbal acknowledgments liberally as a sign for respect for co-workers. These small courtesies should be practiced within the home as well.
Technology usage demonstrating insensitivity to others appears to be an escalating problem within the workplace. The University’s business school stresses proper use of English in emails, avoidance of slang and emotional statements, turning off personal cellphones during work hours, and wearing headphones when listening to the radio. Again, this is good advice to observe at home, especially during mealtimes and while having a conversation. Patience is a learned virtue. Responses to texts and phone messages can easily be postponed. What’s the big hurry anyway?
I could hardly believe my eyes when I read that State of New Jersey, Civil Service Commission charges $159 for a six hour class in respect and professionalism. The class includes teaching students small things like learning to say “please” and “thank you” and larger issues such as how to communicate decisions. Does it surprise you that people need to enroll in this type of course?
Why are so many children discourteous? Who is to blame? Parents? Teachers? Actors? Religious leaders? Politicians certainly set a bad example to the nation by their bickering uncourteous behavior in congress. The media enjoys fanning the flame. With this type of leadership in our nation’s capital it is not surprising that throughout the U.S. bullying and fighting take the place of conversation, compromise, and respect for differing opinions. Leadership does matter.
Resources:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/demonstrating-courtesy-respect-workplace-34529.html - courtesy and respect in the workplace.
http://www.state.nj.us/csc/employees/training/classroom/respect_and_professionalism.html - Course on respect and professionalism.
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected].
Please respond on my blog at eichingerfineart.com/blog.
___________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. G0to AMAZON. What is it like to live on the streets? How do we help so many young people escape a life of hopelessness?
4/9/2016 1:27:26 PM
Twin Stars
16” by 20”/ acrylic on canvas, $ 299
Explosions are commonplace in the heavens as it now seems to be on earth.
The Explosion- population that is!
Is traffic horrendous in your neighborhood? Over the last three years thousands of vehicles invaded Portland. No longer do out-of-towners listen to the words of Tom McCall who said, “Come visit us again and again. This is a state of excitement. But for heaven's sake, don't come here to live.” Lured to our state because of its livability, water, and mild climate people from all over the country, yes, even the world are resettling here. The freeways are bumper to bumper at all times of the day. Impatient drivers weave in and out of lanes, ignoring the speed limit and forgetting that Portland is a city known for its civility. Newcomers do not understand how to respond to a four way stop sign and they don’t wait for pedestrians in a cross walk. Bikers raise their middle fingers in anger at drivers. As a result of negligence and impatience fatalities are up.
These out of state invaders come holding money from the sale of their expensive houses and raise the price of local real estate. Some purchase investment property, never planing to live here, and increase the cost of doing business in Portland. Others arrive with nothing and join the ranks of the street population. According to Portland’s region growth plans what we are experiencing is only the beginning.
“Metro (using their Metroscope model) forecasts total households in the three-county region in 2035 will be between 1.3 and 1.5 million, an increase of between 56 and 74 percent. The model projects total households in the City of Portland will be between 345,000 and 376,000, an increase of 44 to 57 percent from the 2005 baseline of 240,000 households.”
My guess (and you can confirm this by responding to this blog), is that there are similar difficulties throughout the country and internationally. I just received the latest newsletter from the Population Institute. Chair and CEO, William N. Ryerson claims that the migrant crisis is record-setting with in excess of 60 million people leaving their homes last year seeking safety or refuge. News reports focus on the one-third driven by war but the other 40,000 are fleeing their homes because of drought, flooding, hunger, or severe poverty.
Wonder what the world’s projection is for the year 2050, just 35 years from now? Demographers project the population increase to equal the current populations of China and India combined, a total of more than 2.5 billion people. Much of the growth will occur in developing nations where pressures from widespread famine will only get worse. These countries are the ones that become hotbeds for terrorist activities and crime and their problems spill over to the rest of the world.
With statistics like these I question why population control is such a taboo subject? Isn’t it time to talk more openly about everything from family planning to care of the poor, elderly and migrating masses. Should people be kept alive if their quality of life had diminished? Can we afford to bring people into the world if there is not one there to care for them? Should we limit the size of our cities? Is growth inevitable and we just have to get used to it or is there a mechanism for planning sustainable, livable communities? I hate to think that we will be like the Chinese and build gated communities for 500,000 or one million people. But it could come to that if we don’t plan now.
references:
http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/former-governor-tom-mccall-message-visitors/ - Tom McCall’s message to visitors.
https://www.populationinstitute.org/demovulnerability/ - Population Institute report
http://www.portlandonline.com/portlandplan/index.cfm?a=288097&c=52256- Portland Population Projections.
Your thoughts? please respond on my blog at eichingerfineart.com/blog
Art is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected]
____________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON. What is it like to live on the streets? How do we help so many young people escape a life of hopelessness?
4/2/2016 3:43:29 PM
Clarity
Find the facts, follow the money, discover who benefits
Acrylic painting / 36” by 48” / silver frame / $ 699
Fear Itself
In his first inaugural address Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Over the years his statement made me wonder what gives rise to fear itself. As a child I was afraid to put my hand over the side of my bed at night in fear that it would be grabbed by a monster living underneath. I huddled under the covers and stayed there until my father came to the rescue to quiet my tears. When I was in my early twenties I was once more drawn into far fetched fears, only this time they were caused by the cold war. I was convinced that a nuclear bomb was about to land on my young family. Cambridge seemed like the perfect target. When friends talked about building bomb shelters I joined their conversations thinking that we needed one too. How crazy was that? Thank goodness my husband was a more rational person since I was a victim of fear itself.
During World War II the Nazis did a good job of churning up hatred for Jews, Gypsies and Homosexuals. Previously compassionate people acted like animals do when afraid. They believed it was necessary to protect themselves from these perceived demons. And, while they were at it, they plundered Jewish art, damaged shops, took over their apartments, and appropriated their money. In the United States fear helped promote our own scapegoats. Japanese citizens became our feared villains, giving us an excuse to grab their lands and livelihoods. Incarcerating American citizens in concentration camps was one of the most unconscionable moments in our history. And now, not learning from mistakes of the past, many Americans have bought into an irrational fear and are ready to repeat history, only this time with innocent Muslim targets.
Fear is a powerful motivator that can serve good as well as bad masters. When there is a real threat it can illicit a rational reaction. But when fear is manipulated by politicians and media executives it produces irrational reactions that are not based in fact. For instance, if you are in an Alaskan wilderness area and come across a grizzly bear, you will certainly become frightened. You have good reason to be fearful and your body will react with an adrenalin rush that propels you to rise to the occasion. In this situation you benefit by being afraid. Your ability to react quickly may be your ticket to survival.
When powerful figures use oratory skills to hypnotize a nation into doing something it is time to consider who benefits. I start by following the money and checking the facts. TV stations get more advertisers by promoting an entertainer-in-chief for president than a commander-in-chief. We often hear that we should build a wall to protect us against illegal immigration from Mexico but how much coverage is there to Pew Research Center’s report that in 2012 net migration fell to Zero. We read about child kidnappings and don’t want our children walking to school or talking to strangers but how often do you discover that only 1 in 10,000 children recorded missing are not recovered, that those abducted are usually taken by family members. Abductions by strangers are very rare and fears aroused by the media are out of proportion to reality.
In 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower discussed what he saw as a great threat to democracy. He warned that a military-industrial complex that unites defense contractors with armed forces will produce ruinous results. “The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist,” he said. And then added, “we must learn how to compose differences not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.” As a nation we are stuck with the results of not heeding his concerns. Wars and terrorism have escalated making us fearful once more. So who benefits? Defense contractors, for they make huge profits. As long as wars continue they remain winners eager to fill lucrative contracts for drones, planes and bombs.
Huffington Post mentions 25 companies who benefited from the war in Iraq. We jumped in without evidence because we were led by fearful emotions. Though some call the war a strategic blunder and a monstrous injustice. Others bought into the idea that it was a patriotic mission. But the real beneficiaries were businesses for which war was a lucrative cash-cow. Remember Halliburton? Dick Cheney’s old company received $17.2 billion in war related revenue between 2003-2006 alone. The average taxpayer pays for wars while the war industries make the profits. Follow the money.
Why to people to go along with a money making machines rather than act in their own best interest? The answer is easy. Insight fear and create scapegoats. Acknowledge hot heads and puff up egos. Claim you are keeping people safe while you use their cash, deplete their resources, and avoid discussions about basic rights.
Ammunition and unmanned aircraft makers are the American’s beneficiaries of the war on ISIS. But you might wonder how ISIS leaders benefit by creating a culture of fear. Why are they killing their own people, demolishing their cities, and sending 19 million refugees from their homeland? According to David Cohen, U.S . Department of the Treasury’s Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, ISIS has amassed an unprecedented amount of wealth, most of which come form local criminal and terrorist activities. They employ middlemen to smuggle cash in carried in suitcases and on trucks and out of the country. This is similar to the way the Rothchild’s were employed by the German court to move funds in the 1760s.
Newsweek reports, “at its heart, the ISIS money machine runs on the fear-and greed- of the millions of people it controls. It manifests itself in a diverse range of financial activities, many of them outsourced via middlemen and driven by hordes of self-interested parties.” Most of the leaders come from criminal, not religious leaders in their society. According to Cohen it is the best-funded terrorist organization” the U.S. has “ever confronted.” Though it calls for 100 percent adherents to Sharia law, behind the rhetoric it acts like the Mafia while it rakes in money. More than 8 billion Muslim believers are horrified by how Islam has been reinterpreted. Leila Hudson, associate professor at the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona calls ISIS, “deviant and pathological.” It is a far cry from the teachings of the Quran.
What does all of this mean? It is time to be level headed, resist a fear that leads nowhere, take time to follow the money trail and don’t allow it to work for the betterment of a few rather than society as a whole.
http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/23/net-migration-from-mexico-falls-to-zero-and-perhaps-less/ - Net migration statistics from Pew research Center.
http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/stranger-child-abductions-actually-very-rare-130514.htm - about child abductions.
http://www.npr.org/2011/01/17/132942244/ikes-warning-of-military-expansion-50-years-later - Eisenhower’s warning of Military Expansion.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/25/iraq-war-profiteers-25-co_n_115004.html - Huffington Post article about who benefits from war.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/02/09/europes-jewish-population/ - Pew research - population of Jews in Europe.
http://www.newsweek.com/2014/11/14/how-does-isis-fund-its-reign-terror-282607.html- Newsweek article about how ISIS amasses money.
http://fortune.com/2014/09/13/defense-industry-winner-against-isis/ - Fortune magazine article about who wins from the war on ISIS.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/deviant-pathological-what-do-isis-extremists-really-want-n194136 - NBC News story about what ISIS Extremists really want.
Art is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected].
I look forward to your comments below.
____________________
For sale on Amazon by Marilynne Eichinger: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. Go to AMAZON.
