Forty-four years ago Arkansas' own Senator J. William Fulbright published The Arrogance of Power which reflected his deep concern over the growing imperial attitude of the United States fueled by our military power as it was specifically applied to the ever expanding Vietnam War. He called it the "fatal impact of the rich and strong on the poor and the weak". Since that time there have been numerous other tomes written on this subject up to and including those dealing with the similarity between the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq. More recently a different slant on the arrogance of power was written by a Dr. Robert R. Owens just this past March over his belief that "Americans face a naked power grab by those who seek to turn America into a regimented collectivist society", about which you can read more at http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/21252 . Since it is a theme that lives on with many variations, I would like to apply it to some more contemporary examples of "arrogance of power" involving public officials whether elected, appointed or hired.
On the national scene, how many times have we witnessed a fall from grace by members of our congress, as well as their lobbyist cronies, as a result of a blatant abuse of power driven by pure arrogance and, often times, money? Some have even been sent to jail for their misdeeds. Most recently, we have watched a long term veteran of the House of Representatives with a fifty year distinguished career in military and public service to this country, including chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, be convicted and censored by his own peers for his self-inflected mistakes. How sad to witness the picture of a dejected and beaten man, a victim of his own form of arrogance. Ironically, it was our own Wilbur Mills who, as chairman of that same committee, suffered a similar fate many years ago.
Then, we have state-wide examples of that same arrogance in state employees who game the retirement system by entering into brief periods of retirement to, essentially, double dip into the state treasury; state lottery officials who award themselves comp time, pay unsubstantiated and excessive travel expenses, fail to file proper financial reports, enter into unauthorized contracts and hire people without proper background checks (per an article by John Lyon of the Arkansas News Bureau at http://arkansasnews.com/2010/11/21/problem-filled-audit-report-may-lead-to-closer-scrutiny-of-lottery/ ); and then there is the mother of all examples of arrogance of power the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission which wants to write its own set of laws. Thankfully, in every one of these cases it has been that ever present and pesky press which has exposed these practices and, thereby, brought about some correction and needed reform to them.
And, finally, there is the local situation surrounding our Little Rock National Airport's recent experience with inappropriate spending of public funds by its Executive Director. This is an example of what could be best described as "Cookie Jar Arrogance" where responsible parties treat their access to the public treasury as if it were their own private account and spend it accordingly. In this case, thanks to one particularly vigilant Airport Commissioner and, once again, the press, this misdeed was exposed, appropriate contrition expressed by the offender and full restitution made by the recipient of these errant funds.
But the obvious danger in all of this type of misbehavior is that it completely destroys public trust in our political institutions, the people running them and those in oversight positions whose job it is to play watchdog over their activities. Along with that mistrust is the nagging feeling of what other indiscretions these people might be engaged in that we know nothing about. Or, just as disgraceful, will they resume practicing that same exposed "arrogance of power" once the dust settles? The key is to make sure that people of the highest character, ethics and judgment are placed in those positions to begin with and that they are made abundantly aware of what is and is not acceptable conduct.
On a more positive note, as we go into the holiday season, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
Barry Thomas at http://barrythomasart.com
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Meet the New Alexander Pushkin
As the old saying goes, "Life is full of surprises", and I was richly treated to an extraordinary one this past weekend while visiting my son and his family in California and being his guest at a most unusual and unique event (thus the reason for no new post on Sunday). The occasion was the unveiling of an amazing creation by one of the many brilliant Silicon Valley innovators who, out of respect for his desire to remain nameless shall be referred to as Mr. X, collaborated with Francois Junod, considered one of the world's foremost builders of automates. As defined by Ron Decourte in February 2005, "an automate is a combination of art, sculpture and mechanics used to create articulated, moving models resembling life and fantasy in all its forms". To learn more about Monsieur Junod and his dazzling art form, please go to http://www.francoisjunod.com/index.php?id=539.
Briefly, as I understood from the presentation, Mr. X's idea was to utilize the well-known, old world watch-making skills of the Swiss to construct a mechanical replica of a known poet from history which would be able to compose and illustrate randomly generated short poems. In addition this particular creation would be able to actually hand write multiple variations of these poems in the exact font of the original person, while previous automatons of this type have always been limited to writing just one repetitive sentence over and over in some standard font. To accomplish this feat this automaton would rely totally on a series of intricate gears that would be energized solely by winding mechanisms much like antique wall clocks which would be able, in the exact words of the invitation, "....to implement through purely mechanical means a grammar, a random number generator, a motion memory bank, and a memory address offset calculator". As such, no electrical sources, batteries or microchips of any kind would be used. While seemingly simple in concept, I cannot begin to relay the enormity of the many difficult challenges that were encountered in this project, not the least of which was a communication problem in the beginning between Mr. X and Monsieur Junod. In fact this obstacle was eventually solved by Mr. X writing a complex computer program to generate a rotating three dimensional model of exactly what he wanted. Then there were the added difficulties with physics, mass, size, weight, friction, etc., as well as just the practical aspects of hand crafting every one of the almost 3,500 mainly movable parts. And, finally, the exact physical features and period dress of the chosen poet had to be duplicated. Remarkably, all of this highly technical and complex development was driven strictly out of intellectual curiosity, as no commercial purpose is intended.
The end result of all this effort was the birth of the new Alexander Pushkin who you will meet in a moment. As a point of reference, the original Alexander Pushkin, born in Moscow in 1799, was Russia's premier poet and the first to use everyday speech in his poems. Also, he was one of the founders of modern Russian literature, and died in 1837 (learn more at http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/puskin.htm). The new Mr. Pushkin, conceived in a factory in Switzerland in 2003 but actually born only just this year, is approximately 45% of his namesake's size, has no heart, no brain, no sight, no hearing or other bodily functions whatsoever but can create poetry just the same. I was privileged to watch him do it firsthand, but now thanks to the wonderful world of technology you can also enjoy his marvelous creativity, as well as observe his internal mechanizations, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivIHcHwR6b0. You will be richly rewarded, too, so enjoy!
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com
NOTE: Regular weekly postings will resume on Sunday, November 21st, with the exception of December 26th following Christmas Day.
Briefly, as I understood from the presentation, Mr. X's idea was to utilize the well-known, old world watch-making skills of the Swiss to construct a mechanical replica of a known poet from history which would be able to compose and illustrate randomly generated short poems. In addition this particular creation would be able to actually hand write multiple variations of these poems in the exact font of the original person, while previous automatons of this type have always been limited to writing just one repetitive sentence over and over in some standard font. To accomplish this feat this automaton would rely totally on a series of intricate gears that would be energized solely by winding mechanisms much like antique wall clocks which would be able, in the exact words of the invitation, "....to implement through purely mechanical means a grammar, a random number generator, a motion memory bank, and a memory address offset calculator". As such, no electrical sources, batteries or microchips of any kind would be used. While seemingly simple in concept, I cannot begin to relay the enormity of the many difficult challenges that were encountered in this project, not the least of which was a communication problem in the beginning between Mr. X and Monsieur Junod. In fact this obstacle was eventually solved by Mr. X writing a complex computer program to generate a rotating three dimensional model of exactly what he wanted. Then there were the added difficulties with physics, mass, size, weight, friction, etc., as well as just the practical aspects of hand crafting every one of the almost 3,500 mainly movable parts. And, finally, the exact physical features and period dress of the chosen poet had to be duplicated. Remarkably, all of this highly technical and complex development was driven strictly out of intellectual curiosity, as no commercial purpose is intended.
The end result of all this effort was the birth of the new Alexander Pushkin who you will meet in a moment. As a point of reference, the original Alexander Pushkin, born in Moscow in 1799, was Russia's premier poet and the first to use everyday speech in his poems. Also, he was one of the founders of modern Russian literature, and died in 1837 (learn more at http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/puskin.htm). The new Mr. Pushkin, conceived in a factory in Switzerland in 2003 but actually born only just this year, is approximately 45% of his namesake's size, has no heart, no brain, no sight, no hearing or other bodily functions whatsoever but can create poetry just the same. I was privileged to watch him do it firsthand, but now thanks to the wonderful world of technology you can also enjoy his marvelous creativity, as well as observe his internal mechanizations, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivIHcHwR6b0. You will be richly rewarded, too, so enjoy!
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Boswell Mourot Fine Art at http://boswellmourot.com
NOTE: Regular weekly postings will resume on Sunday, November 21st, with the exception of December 26th following Christmas Day.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
POLITICAL SMACK-DOWN
Thankfully, in approximately 48 hours this crazy and wacky mid-term election cycle will come to an end and not any too soon. It has been a true sight to behold as various campaigns devolve into the political equivalent of a WWE SmackDown or, even worse, extreme cage fighting, to wit:
1. Political operative stomps on the head of a subdued female protester in Kentucky.
2. Private, para-military "security guards" arrest and handcuff a reporter in Alaska.
3. A candidate in New York threatens another reporter to "take you out".
4. A candidate in Nevada recommends a "second amendment solution" to the current political situation.
5. Unauthorized uniformed thugs with batons man a polling precinct in Philadelphia.
6. A candidate in Ohio participates in Nazi war re-enactments, and is endorsed by the potential new Speaker of the House.
7. A candidate in Rhode Island tells the President of the United States to "take his endorsement and shove it".
8. A candidate in Delaware who proudly dabbled in witchcraft in her youthful years, and seems to know very little about the very Constitution she constantly wants to invoke.
And then there is the avalanche of campaign money that is expected to top $3 billion, $250 million of which has been provided by just three candidates to their own respective campaigns, as if personal wealth is all that is required to run for office. By the 2012 cycle it is estimated that the total may exceed $10 billion!
When you have the volatile mixture of anger and endless money, I guess this is what you get. But the truly sad thing is that while candidates beat up on each other in what Tom Friedman terms a "dysfunctional political system", the rest of the industrialized world proceeds to pass us by in education and technological development, as summarized in his column in the New York Times on October 27th. Specifically, he references last month's updated version of a 2005 report from the National Academies that recommended 10 actions our federal government could take to "enhance science and technology so America could successfully compete in the 21st century". Entitled "Rising Above the Gathering Storm Revisited: Rapidly approaching Category 5", this latest report concludes that despite all of the efforts of government and the private sector, America's ability to compete has "further deteriorated over the past five years" ( go to http://www.ucar.edu/oga/pdf/Revisited%20Hearing.pdf and learn more). Here are just some of the rankings to ponder:
1. 6th in global innovation-based competitiveness, but 40th in the rate of change over the past 40 years.
2. 11th in the fraction of 25-34-year-olds who have graduated from high school.
3. 16th in college completion rates.
4. 22nd in broadband Internet access.
5. 27th in the proportion of college graduates with degrees in science or engineering.
6. 48th in the quality of K-12 education in math and science.
Finally, we learn that China has built the world's fastest computer which has enormous implications for our defense, energy, finance, science and mainstream businesses (i.e. our total economy). This is just the latest achievement in China's quest to become a technological superpower, so it comes as no real surprise. When are we going to wake up to the fact that while our politicians engage in all of this outrageous and unacceptable conduct we are slipping from being number one in practically all of these categories? It's almost as if we are watching a combination of the TV reality program SURVIVOR, the movie JACKASS and a national Halloween Party. But the truly scary thing is that next Tuesday's election results will just be a pit stop on the way to 2012!
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
1. Political operative stomps on the head of a subdued female protester in Kentucky.
2. Private, para-military "security guards" arrest and handcuff a reporter in Alaska.
3. A candidate in New York threatens another reporter to "take you out".
4. A candidate in Nevada recommends a "second amendment solution" to the current political situation.
5. Unauthorized uniformed thugs with batons man a polling precinct in Philadelphia.
6. A candidate in Ohio participates in Nazi war re-enactments, and is endorsed by the potential new Speaker of the House.
7. A candidate in Rhode Island tells the President of the United States to "take his endorsement and shove it".
8. A candidate in Delaware who proudly dabbled in witchcraft in her youthful years, and seems to know very little about the very Constitution she constantly wants to invoke.
And then there is the avalanche of campaign money that is expected to top $3 billion, $250 million of which has been provided by just three candidates to their own respective campaigns, as if personal wealth is all that is required to run for office. By the 2012 cycle it is estimated that the total may exceed $10 billion!
When you have the volatile mixture of anger and endless money, I guess this is what you get. But the truly sad thing is that while candidates beat up on each other in what Tom Friedman terms a "dysfunctional political system", the rest of the industrialized world proceeds to pass us by in education and technological development, as summarized in his column in the New York Times on October 27th. Specifically, he references last month's updated version of a 2005 report from the National Academies that recommended 10 actions our federal government could take to "enhance science and technology so America could successfully compete in the 21st century". Entitled "Rising Above the Gathering Storm Revisited: Rapidly approaching Category 5", this latest report concludes that despite all of the efforts of government and the private sector, America's ability to compete has "further deteriorated over the past five years" ( go to http://www.ucar.edu/oga/pdf/Revisited%20Hearing.pdf and learn more). Here are just some of the rankings to ponder:
1. 6th in global innovation-based competitiveness, but 40th in the rate of change over the past 40 years.
2. 11th in the fraction of 25-34-year-olds who have graduated from high school.
3. 16th in college completion rates.
4. 22nd in broadband Internet access.
5. 27th in the proportion of college graduates with degrees in science or engineering.
6. 48th in the quality of K-12 education in math and science.
Finally, we learn that China has built the world's fastest computer which has enormous implications for our defense, energy, finance, science and mainstream businesses (i.e. our total economy). This is just the latest achievement in China's quest to become a technological superpower, so it comes as no real surprise. When are we going to wake up to the fact that while our politicians engage in all of this outrageous and unacceptable conduct we are slipping from being number one in practically all of these categories? It's almost as if we are watching a combination of the TV reality program SURVIVOR, the movie JACKASS and a national Halloween Party. But the truly scary thing is that next Tuesday's election results will just be a pit stop on the way to 2012!
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Potpourri III
Once again the in-box is brimming full and needs to be emptied to make room for more directed posts in the future. Included under old business will be the first two which were triggered by last week's FEEDBACK post on health care and taxes.
American Health Care: Thanks to one of my good doctor friends with whom I have an on-going exchange on a variety of subjects, he has provided me with the following statistics compiled by the United Nations International Health Organization which makes one once again ponder the question of whether our health care system is "the finest in the world".
1. Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis: U.S. - 65%, England - 46% and Canada - 42%.
2. Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months: U.S. - 93%, England - 15% and Canada 43%.
3. Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months: U.S. - 90%, England - 15% and Canada 43%.
4. Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month: U.S. - 77%, England - 40% and Canada - 43%.
5. Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people: U.S. 71%, England - 14% and Canada - 18%.
6. Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health": U.S. - 12%, England - 2% and Canada - 6%.
When compared with only two other countries on these six criteria, we obviously rate very high, but what about the rest of the world and the many other factors which need to be considered in making this evaluation?
Taxes and Wealth: I am not sure how many went to the link provided by another good friend who posted his comment, but it has a wealth (no pun intended) of information that I found very interesting, but too lengthy to summarize here. Instead, go read the full report "Who Rules America" at http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html.
Elitism: With all of the anger against what some activists on the right call the "elite" of our society only because of their broad intellect and excellent educations at some of our finest universities, I wonder if they have any problem with a small group of conservatives who come from that wealthiest segment of our society, capsulated in the above referenced report, who supposedly will be meeting in California to decide on the destiny of our country as seen through their gilded prism. How elite is that?
Process: One of the interesting facts about watching Sunday morning news shows is that if you wait long enough someone on one network will eventually say something with which you agree that totally contradicts an earlier comment by someone else on another network with which you disagree. Call it balance. Today's subject was "process" in the context of government operations. One talking head on ABC surmised that "No one cares about process", while another talking head on NBC had a "firm belief in process". With almost fifteen years in public service I can say with a high degree of certitude that "process" does matter. Often times it is the only thing that matters, because if the electorate are part of a well established, open and transparent process to determine public policy, they will more often than not buy into the final decision whether it succeeds or fails. I learned the hard way that those public entities which choose to conduct their affairs in secret among a select few will bear the price of such arrogance. The recent revelations about the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are a case in point.
What Are You?: Thanks again to my good doctor friend mentioned above, I received a link to a really interesting and fun link at http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz where you can take a quick test termed the World's Smallest Political Quiz that helps you determine your political identity if you do not already know it. You might be truly surprised. I was.
Will, I Hardly Knew Ye: Last week while in New York I had the unexpected pleasure of being invited to a screening of a documentary film on Will Barnet, a famous American painter who in 1992 gave 75 pieces of work to the Arkansas Arts Center. The invitation came from my old friend, Tinka, with whom I reconnected in August (re: my post RECONNECTIONS of 08-29-2010), and who was central to its production. While there, I had the added pleasure of meeting Will, who is up in years but still very active, and his lovely and gracious wife, Elena. As a result I have added the following link to his marvelous work at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501 to the list of featured artists below. Please go there and enjoy!
Growing national debt still at http://usdebtclock.org.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
American Health Care: Thanks to one of my good doctor friends with whom I have an on-going exchange on a variety of subjects, he has provided me with the following statistics compiled by the United Nations International Health Organization which makes one once again ponder the question of whether our health care system is "the finest in the world".
1. Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis: U.S. - 65%, England - 46% and Canada - 42%.
2. Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months: U.S. - 93%, England - 15% and Canada 43%.
3. Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months: U.S. - 90%, England - 15% and Canada 43%.
4. Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month: U.S. - 77%, England - 40% and Canada - 43%.
5. Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people: U.S. 71%, England - 14% and Canada - 18%.
6. Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health": U.S. - 12%, England - 2% and Canada - 6%.
When compared with only two other countries on these six criteria, we obviously rate very high, but what about the rest of the world and the many other factors which need to be considered in making this evaluation?
Taxes and Wealth: I am not sure how many went to the link provided by another good friend who posted his comment, but it has a wealth (no pun intended) of information that I found very interesting, but too lengthy to summarize here. Instead, go read the full report "Who Rules America" at http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html.
Elitism: With all of the anger against what some activists on the right call the "elite" of our society only because of their broad intellect and excellent educations at some of our finest universities, I wonder if they have any problem with a small group of conservatives who come from that wealthiest segment of our society, capsulated in the above referenced report, who supposedly will be meeting in California to decide on the destiny of our country as seen through their gilded prism. How elite is that?
Process: One of the interesting facts about watching Sunday morning news shows is that if you wait long enough someone on one network will eventually say something with which you agree that totally contradicts an earlier comment by someone else on another network with which you disagree. Call it balance. Today's subject was "process" in the context of government operations. One talking head on ABC surmised that "No one cares about process", while another talking head on NBC had a "firm belief in process". With almost fifteen years in public service I can say with a high degree of certitude that "process" does matter. Often times it is the only thing that matters, because if the electorate are part of a well established, open and transparent process to determine public policy, they will more often than not buy into the final decision whether it succeeds or fails. I learned the hard way that those public entities which choose to conduct their affairs in secret among a select few will bear the price of such arrogance. The recent revelations about the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are a case in point.
What Are You?: Thanks again to my good doctor friend mentioned above, I received a link to a really interesting and fun link at http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz where you can take a quick test termed the World's Smallest Political Quiz that helps you determine your political identity if you do not already know it. You might be truly surprised. I was.
Will, I Hardly Knew Ye: Last week while in New York I had the unexpected pleasure of being invited to a screening of a documentary film on Will Barnet, a famous American painter who in 1992 gave 75 pieces of work to the Arkansas Arts Center. The invitation came from my old friend, Tinka, with whom I reconnected in August (re: my post RECONNECTIONS of 08-29-2010), and who was central to its production. While there, I had the added pleasure of meeting Will, who is up in years but still very active, and his lovely and gracious wife, Elena. As a result I have added the following link to his marvelous work at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501 to the list of featured artists below. Please go there and enjoy!
Growing national debt still at http://usdebtclock.org.
ARTISTS
Laura Raborn at http://paintingsofhome.com and http://claygifts.com
Jim Johnson at http://yessy.com/jimjohnson/gallery.html
Russ Powell at http://powellphotos.com
Linda Flake at http://lindaflake.com
Tom Herrin at http://tommysart.blogspot.com
Matt McLeod at http://matt@mattmcleod.com
Artists Registry at http://www.arkansasarts.org/programs/registry/default.aspx
Sandy Hubler Fine Art at http://sandyhublerfineart.com
George Wittenberg at http://postcard-art-gallery.com
Will Barnet at http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&expIds=17259,17315,23628,23670,24472,25834,26095,26328,26562,26637,26761,26790,26849,26992,27095,27126,27139,27147,27178&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=will+barnet&cp=9&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xpfETMT1O4L6lwf66ugE&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CEkQsAQwAQ&biw=1350&bih=501
GALLERIES
Local Colour Gallery at http://localcolourgallery.com
Chroma Gallery at http://chromagallery.com
Cantrell Gallery at http://cantrellgallery.com
Greg Thompson Fine Art at http://gregthompsonfineart.com
Red Door Gallery at http://reddoorgalleryonline.com
M2 Gallery at http://m2lr.com
UALR Gallery Program at http://ualr.edu/art
Gallery 26 at http://gallery26.com
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