16.1.12
14.1.12
Marginalia and Beckett
Like the source, Brainpicking, I am fond of other people's marginalia. One of the biggest exhibits of notated diaries, journals and sketchbooks I had the pleasure to see was at the American Folk Arts Museum in late 2001, when they featured Henry Darger. (Now part of their permanent collection.)
It always amazes me to discover where a collection resides, and Harry Ransom at the University of Texas at Austin, appears to be a storehouse of a wide ranging number of paper collections. It is the Ransom that also featured Shay's Greenwich Village Bookstore Door which I wrote about here.
Now it appears they have some fascinating notebooks penned by Samuel Beckett. Beckett, nearly a household name in some literary families, not an easy read, but perhaps something will be gleaned from his marginalia about waiting.
Information about this collection's acquisition appears on line. Having been on the Aquistion Committee of a small museum myself, I know it is often a museum or collector's good fortune in more ways than one that they are able to bring together the work of the lost, famous and retired writings and art works of brand names like Samuel Beckett.
Marginalia is in some small part of the altered book genre. I remember when I was first introduced to the concept of "altering a book." It was during my wide ranging research on book arts. Even my exposure to Darger came from those explorations through a book exhibit.
Now that I have nearly organized the upstairs spare bedroom to an almost "studio" I see the makings of many projects as I have plethoric inventories of acrylic, mediums and paper, the makings for an entire exhibit of my own. I am also a minor league writer of margin notes.
 |
| Rare Henry Darger photograph, via Wikipedia |
It always amazes me to discover where a collection resides, and Harry Ransom at the University of Texas at Austin, appears to be a storehouse of a wide ranging number of paper collections. It is the Ransom that also featured Shay's Greenwich Village Bookstore Door which I wrote about here.
Now it appears they have some fascinating notebooks penned by Samuel Beckett. Beckett, nearly a household name in some literary families, not an easy read, but perhaps something will be gleaned from his marginalia about waiting.
Information about this collection's acquisition appears on line. Having been on the Aquistion Committee of a small museum myself, I know it is often a museum or collector's good fortune in more ways than one that they are able to bring together the work of the lost, famous and retired writings and art works of brand names like Samuel Beckett.
Marginalia is in some small part of the altered book genre. I remember when I was first introduced to the concept of "altering a book." It was during my wide ranging research on book arts. Even my exposure to Darger came from those explorations through a book exhibit.
Now that I have nearly organized the upstairs spare bedroom to an almost "studio" I see the makings of many projects as I have plethoric inventories of acrylic, mediums and paper, the makings for an entire exhibit of my own. I am also a minor league writer of margin notes.
13.1.12
Above the horizon
I was graced on Wednesday with two amazing sights, the first a beautiful adult bald eagle and the second an as yet unidentified owl, a rather large one. Both were perched on telephone polls along route 191N on a very clear day. I don't generally look up, but rather straight ahead so perhaps these two feathered friends are in their home territory and I just hadn't been paying sufficient attention.
11.1.12
A belated holiday gift: Ebony not Ivory
I wanted one of these hardbound sketchbooks to try for ages, and now I have one. The Daler Rowney Ebony, A5, is what I received and it looks very promising. At 150 g/m2 (101lbs) it feels heavy enough for wet media, and certainly those British and Australian sketchers I follow make good hay of this book.
I hope to do her justice later today.
And boy do I owe a debt of gratitude and a huge thanks my Scottish friend, Claire, for this wonderful gift.
And boy do I owe a debt of gratitude and a huge thanks my Scottish friend, Claire, for this wonderful gift.
31.12.11
Out with the old, in with less is more
All over the internet folks are talking about what they coveted, liked, disliked, and even perhaps what they hope to achieve, gain or add to their flock of goodies, albeit, fountain pens, art supplies or decor.
On this last day of 2011, as I wish everyone a happy New Year and hopes for a brighter tomorrow, I have been streamlining, downsizing, evaluating what is important and where it will end up in 5 or 10 years if I hang on to it.
I have sorted through handbags, clothes closets, cellar clutter, paper, fountain pens, art supplies (ongoing), inks, journals and books.
In January 2012 it is my express desire to have all these extras in the homes of other collectors, at the thrift shop or in the hands of a neighbour or friend.
So I end this year with these words of Eduardo Galeano:
Wishes for 2012
By Eduardo Galeano
‐ May we have the dignity of desperate hope.
‐ May we have the courage to be alone and the bravery to risk being together, because it serves nothing to have a tooth outside its mouth, nor a finger away from its hand.
‐ May we be able to be disobedient every time we receive orders that humiliate our conscience or violate our common sense.
‐ May we be so persistent as to continue believing, against all evidence, that the human condition is worth it, because we have been poorly made, but we are not finished.
‐ May we be capable of continuing to walk the paths of the wind, despite falls and betrayals and defeats, because history continues, beyond us, and when it says goodbye, it is saying: until later.
‐ May we be able to maintain the certainty that it is possible to be a compatriot and contemporary of all those who live animated by the will for justice and the will for beauty, wherever it arises, whenever it lives, because the maps of the soul and of time have no frontiers.
On this last day of 2011, as I wish everyone a happy New Year and hopes for a brighter tomorrow, I have been streamlining, downsizing, evaluating what is important and where it will end up in 5 or 10 years if I hang on to it.
I have sorted through handbags, clothes closets, cellar clutter, paper, fountain pens, art supplies (ongoing), inks, journals and books.
In January 2012 it is my express desire to have all these extras in the homes of other collectors, at the thrift shop or in the hands of a neighbour or friend.
So I end this year with these words of Eduardo Galeano:
Wishes for 2012
By Eduardo Galeano
‐ May we have the dignity of desperate hope.
‐ May we have the courage to be alone and the bravery to risk being together, because it serves nothing to have a tooth outside its mouth, nor a finger away from its hand.
‐ May we be able to be disobedient every time we receive orders that humiliate our conscience or violate our common sense.
‐ May we be so persistent as to continue believing, against all evidence, that the human condition is worth it, because we have been poorly made, but we are not finished.
‐ May we be capable of continuing to walk the paths of the wind, despite falls and betrayals and defeats, because history continues, beyond us, and when it says goodbye, it is saying: until later.
‐ May we be able to maintain the certainty that it is possible to be a compatriot and contemporary of all those who live animated by the will for justice and the will for beauty, wherever it arises, whenever it lives, because the maps of the soul and of time have no frontiers.
28.12.11
So, you want to serve your country
Written two years ago, but as relevant today as it was in July 2010.
What qualities should an elected official possess and what qualifies them to run?
Should a senator be an attorney?
Should a congress member be proficient in science, math, business or the arts?
Is age a factor? Or is it experience? At what age or what form of experience should a candidate be judged or taken seriously?
Should a candidate's success be determined by how much money they raise, whether they have an intact family or are photogenic and/or telegenic?
Is there a purity test for Democrats that match the aspirant test for Republicans?
What about temperament, religion or education?
Looking back on Presidents, it appears FDR was a State Senator, a cabinet member, a Governor, with family money and connections. When he died in office, his Vice President, Harry Truman took up the baton, with 10 year's of Senatorial service under his belt and many years as a business man. He was also a farmer and served in the military.
Ike, as he was most affectionately called, was a general, led battalions and governed a major university before he was elected.
It was probably fitting in American voters' eyes to elect a man who fought in WW2 after having two presidents that navigated the US into war.
A change of guard by temperament, and party, Ike a Republican, held office for two terms.
I was ten years ago when Eisenhower came to office, and all I can remember is he played golf, had a wife named Mamie, and won the race against a man considered an intellectual. But the divorced Adlai Stevenson, a former Illinois Governor and Ambassador, did not pass the then purity test.
When JFK, a former US Senator and Congressman won the 1960 election against Richard Nixon, I was ineligible to vote, but old enough to remember the ins and outs of the campaigns.
When Kennedy was assassinated, like most Americans I wept.
LBJ quickly filled the void, and was elected in his own right in 1964, the first Presidential election where I was able to vote.
Johnson was a seasoned official having served in the Congress, Senate and White House as Vice President.
I've heard Johnson's taped recordings with his advisers (via Bill Moyers Journal) and know now what I didn't know then: LBJ was a reluctant war President, but an active participant. He did not run for re-election in 1968, although he could, and left a legacy of "social reform" or what is called, "the great society" that nearly eclipsed his role in one of our country's most divided issues: The Vietnam war.
Two Vice Presidents took each other on in 1968, Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon. Nixon won. Richard Nixon had good credentials; he had served in the Senate, the Congress, had been Ike's Vice President and served in the US Navy.
But the very things that drove President Nixon also undid him, and he left office in disgrace, succeeded by his Vice President, Gerald Ford.
President Ford had a long career in politics, was the Minority Whip in Congress and served in the House for more than two decades.
However, the wind did not favour President Ford when he run for election. Instead Jimmy Carter won the Presidency in 1976.
Carter came to Washington after having been both a Governor and State Senator of Georgia. He was also a farmer and served in the US Navy.
A one term president, Carter was succeeded by Ronald Reagan. Reagan served in the military, was elected Governor of California and had a career as an actor. He served two terms in office.
George H. W. Bush, Reagan's Vice President won one term in 1988. Bush had a long career in politics, ranging from CIA Director, UN Ambassador, Liaison to China, and a seat in Congress.
After 12 years of Republican representation in the White House, Bill Clinton took the Oval Office in 1992. Clinton had been a Governor and an Attorney General in his home State of Arkansas.
After serving two terms in office Clinton was succeeded by George W. Bush, who was the Governor of Texas, the son of the 41st President and a business man.
In 2009, Barack Obama took office and is our 44th President. President Obama served in Illinois' Senate, and in the United States Senate. He had been a community organiser and a constitutional attorney.
What have I learned from this civics's review?
Two of these Presidents, FDR and LBJ, made essential changes in the legislature, remarkable for their backgrounds--one privileged, the other fiscally conservative--and altered the landscape of social change.
Two Presidents, Carter & Bush, Sr. were not re-elected for a second term.
One President, George W. Bush was essentially favoured by a Supreme Court Per Curiam decision that curtailed a recount of delegates from Florida, and disqualified former Vice President Gore's popular majority vote. Bush went on to win a second term in 2004.
In the sixty years I looked at it appears we vote as if we were on a see-saw, alternately between Republicans and Democrats. We rarely permit continuity of leadership but rather favour, or hope, for rapid national changes.
Blame or honour is bestowed on Presidents rather than the three branch system of government and how they play out in any given 4-year term.
The 4th Estate--the press--is rarely blamed or extolled, and it is the rare Pulitzer that reveals government workings at their lowest or highest level.
Take headlines. Jon Stewart did a story on headlines of his show, and made some good points. Huffington Post often has some headers that in no way describe the content accurately using words like: mock, eviscerate et al.
In the same two years I've researched back stories, old stories and historical documents to learn why or how our country has reached this monumental impasse, a bifurcation in the political road that could take this country into spiralling destruction--economically and socially.
Neither the Right or the Left, elected or self appointed appear able to resolve some fundamental issues that could promote government efficacy.
What is blocking the road to health care reform, the closure and cessation of the hell we call Guantanamo Bay Prison.
What is driving the Media to bark out slogans, misinformation and gossip faster than a speeding bullet?
What propels the debate on abortion or homosexuality to the point of murder?
Is Christmas a thing of the past as Fox proclaims when, in fact, 90% of the population celebrate it today as it did 20 years ago?
Are pundits replacing journalists for monetary gain?
Are corporate lobbyists more powerful than elected officials? Or are they one and the same?
And where do our elected officials stand on both small and large issues facing the country?
Paul Krugman outlines some of the problem by emphasising the stalemates in how the Senate votes or doesn't in his New York Times article here.
But how did we go from affable, camaraderie across party lines to intractable obstructionism?
Who leads and who follows?
It is difficult to impossible to answer with any certainty why our government is now inert.
Are there some simplistic answers like Obama is lead by his Chicago advisers, or that the Republicans are behaving like a 5 year old (or it is a 2 year old) and blocking anything and everything in an effort to reclaim their majority?
Is Reaganomics to blame? Deregulation? Outsourcing? Globalisation? Racism? Capitalism? Overpopulation? Poverty? Greed?
Again, I have no simple answer or a series of answers. I come up short, leaving myself frustrated by the probing questions that only reveal more fertile ground for blame and finger pointing. Take a look at Colorado Springs here.
But I don't want to blame or finger point, I'd like to see a clear path to resolution. I would like to see health care reform enacted, an end to two wars, a reclamation of civility in public and private lives, growth in the economy, a hunger free worldwide population, acceptance of our human responsibility for climate change, and a peace treaty that works in the Middle East.
What qualities should an elected official possess and what qualifies them to run?
Should a senator be an attorney?
Should a congress member be proficient in science, math, business or the arts?
Is age a factor? Or is it experience? At what age or what form of experience should a candidate be judged or taken seriously?
Should a candidate's success be determined by how much money they raise, whether they have an intact family or are photogenic and/or telegenic?
Is there a purity test for Democrats that match the aspirant test for Republicans?
What about temperament, religion or education?
Looking back on Presidents, it appears FDR was a State Senator, a cabinet member, a Governor, with family money and connections. When he died in office, his Vice President, Harry Truman took up the baton, with 10 year's of Senatorial service under his belt and many years as a business man. He was also a farmer and served in the military.
Ike, as he was most affectionately called, was a general, led battalions and governed a major university before he was elected.
It was probably fitting in American voters' eyes to elect a man who fought in WW2 after having two presidents that navigated the US into war.
A change of guard by temperament, and party, Ike a Republican, held office for two terms.
I was ten years ago when Eisenhower came to office, and all I can remember is he played golf, had a wife named Mamie, and won the race against a man considered an intellectual. But the divorced Adlai Stevenson, a former Illinois Governor and Ambassador, did not pass the then purity test.
When JFK, a former US Senator and Congressman won the 1960 election against Richard Nixon, I was ineligible to vote, but old enough to remember the ins and outs of the campaigns.
When Kennedy was assassinated, like most Americans I wept.
LBJ quickly filled the void, and was elected in his own right in 1964, the first Presidential election where I was able to vote.
Johnson was a seasoned official having served in the Congress, Senate and White House as Vice President.
I've heard Johnson's taped recordings with his advisers (via Bill Moyers Journal) and know now what I didn't know then: LBJ was a reluctant war President, but an active participant. He did not run for re-election in 1968, although he could, and left a legacy of "social reform" or what is called, "the great society" that nearly eclipsed his role in one of our country's most divided issues: The Vietnam war.
Two Vice Presidents took each other on in 1968, Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon. Nixon won. Richard Nixon had good credentials; he had served in the Senate, the Congress, had been Ike's Vice President and served in the US Navy.
But the very things that drove President Nixon also undid him, and he left office in disgrace, succeeded by his Vice President, Gerald Ford.
President Ford had a long career in politics, was the Minority Whip in Congress and served in the House for more than two decades.
However, the wind did not favour President Ford when he run for election. Instead Jimmy Carter won the Presidency in 1976.
Carter came to Washington after having been both a Governor and State Senator of Georgia. He was also a farmer and served in the US Navy.
A one term president, Carter was succeeded by Ronald Reagan. Reagan served in the military, was elected Governor of California and had a career as an actor. He served two terms in office.
George H. W. Bush, Reagan's Vice President won one term in 1988. Bush had a long career in politics, ranging from CIA Director, UN Ambassador, Liaison to China, and a seat in Congress.
After 12 years of Republican representation in the White House, Bill Clinton took the Oval Office in 1992. Clinton had been a Governor and an Attorney General in his home State of Arkansas.
After serving two terms in office Clinton was succeeded by George W. Bush, who was the Governor of Texas, the son of the 41st President and a business man.
In 2009, Barack Obama took office and is our 44th President. President Obama served in Illinois' Senate, and in the United States Senate. He had been a community organiser and a constitutional attorney.
What have I learned from this civics's review?
Two of these Presidents, FDR and LBJ, made essential changes in the legislature, remarkable for their backgrounds--one privileged, the other fiscally conservative--and altered the landscape of social change.
Two Presidents, Carter & Bush, Sr. were not re-elected for a second term.
One President, George W. Bush was essentially favoured by a Supreme Court Per Curiam decision that curtailed a recount of delegates from Florida, and disqualified former Vice President Gore's popular majority vote. Bush went on to win a second term in 2004.
In the sixty years I looked at it appears we vote as if we were on a see-saw, alternately between Republicans and Democrats. We rarely permit continuity of leadership but rather favour, or hope, for rapid national changes.
Blame or honour is bestowed on Presidents rather than the three branch system of government and how they play out in any given 4-year term.
The 4th Estate--the press--is rarely blamed or extolled, and it is the rare Pulitzer that reveals government workings at their lowest or highest level.
Take headlines. Jon Stewart did a story on headlines of his show, and made some good points. Huffington Post often has some headers that in no way describe the content accurately using words like: mock, eviscerate et al.
In the same two years I've researched back stories, old stories and historical documents to learn why or how our country has reached this monumental impasse, a bifurcation in the political road that could take this country into spiralling destruction--economically and socially.
Neither the Right or the Left, elected or self appointed appear able to resolve some fundamental issues that could promote government efficacy.
What is blocking the road to health care reform, the closure and cessation of the hell we call Guantanamo Bay Prison.
What is driving the Media to bark out slogans, misinformation and gossip faster than a speeding bullet?
What propels the debate on abortion or homosexuality to the point of murder?
Is Christmas a thing of the past as Fox proclaims when, in fact, 90% of the population celebrate it today as it did 20 years ago?
Are pundits replacing journalists for monetary gain?
Are corporate lobbyists more powerful than elected officials? Or are they one and the same?
And where do our elected officials stand on both small and large issues facing the country?
Paul Krugman outlines some of the problem by emphasising the stalemates in how the Senate votes or doesn't in his New York Times article here.
But how did we go from affable, camaraderie across party lines to intractable obstructionism?
Who leads and who follows?
It is difficult to impossible to answer with any certainty why our government is now inert.
Are there some simplistic answers like Obama is lead by his Chicago advisers, or that the Republicans are behaving like a 5 year old (or it is a 2 year old) and blocking anything and everything in an effort to reclaim their majority?
Is Reaganomics to blame? Deregulation? Outsourcing? Globalisation? Racism? Capitalism? Overpopulation? Poverty? Greed?
Again, I have no simple answer or a series of answers. I come up short, leaving myself frustrated by the probing questions that only reveal more fertile ground for blame and finger pointing. Take a look at Colorado Springs here.
But I don't want to blame or finger point, I'd like to see a clear path to resolution. I would like to see health care reform enacted, an end to two wars, a reclamation of civility in public and private lives, growth in the economy, a hunger free worldwide population, acceptance of our human responsibility for climate change, and a peace treaty that works in the Middle East.
It's in Brooklyn's water: Bagels and Songs
Neil Diamond was honoured last night at the Kennedy Center, a Brooklyn boy who attended Lincoln. Here he is with another Brooklyn girl:
Diamond lyrics here.
Diamond lyrics here.
27.12.11
An anthropomorphic city: Jerusalem
Reviewed in the New York Review of Books by Colin Thubron, Simon Sebag Montefiore 's book, "Jerusalem: A Biography" may be a must read for 2012.
Only three cities have ever left me nearly speechless, the Vatican, Florence and Jerusalem.
My first view of Jerusalem was when I approached the City by taxi from Tel Aviv on a remarkably sunny day in December, just days before Christmas and following about ten days with friends exploring Israel and reminiscing about our time together in the Netherlands and the loss of a beloved friend. It was the anniversary of her death and I was compelled to participate in the family's commemoration of her life. I had flown in from Amsterdam on KLM and had agreed to meet up with two Dutch friends for Christmas Eve at Bethlehem.
During my days in the City, I followed the route Jesus Christ may have taken to his crucifixion, while on another day I stood at the Wailing Wall. Blending all three of Abraham's children's beliefs, customs and sacred places wasn't easy, but it was part of my goal and by the time I headed back to Tel Aviv, I had accomplished much of what brought me to Israel.
I've never returned.
Only three cities have ever left me nearly speechless, the Vatican, Florence and Jerusalem.
My first view of Jerusalem was when I approached the City by taxi from Tel Aviv on a remarkably sunny day in December, just days before Christmas and following about ten days with friends exploring Israel and reminiscing about our time together in the Netherlands and the loss of a beloved friend. It was the anniversary of her death and I was compelled to participate in the family's commemoration of her life. I had flown in from Amsterdam on KLM and had agreed to meet up with two Dutch friends for Christmas Eve at Bethlehem.
Just as I was unprepared for the glistening wonder of the Vatican, under the Roman skies, I found myself riveted to the skyline of this Holy City. Speechless then, speechless now as to the way the City gleamed, and seemed to be calling me into its bosom.
That first day, I wandered around the Old City, alone, fascinated by the old, the new, the garish, the markets filled with Bedouin clothes (several of which I bought and have still), the cafes, the people, the history. By mid-day I was at the Damascus Gate in the Muslim Quarter drinking very strong coffee with several English speakers and arguing or was it discussing politics.
Before darkness descended on the glow within and outside my view, I made my way to the Jewish Quarter. It was here that one of my friends who had lived in Amsterdam had found her home. She and her family had a remarkable flat overlooking the City. From the roof-top we could gaze at the entire expanse of Jerusalem just above the Western Wall. (See the map, courtesy Ajax for locations.)
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| Atlas Tours Map |
It is never long enough, but with Christmas upon us, and promises to Christian, Jewish and Muslim friends in some conflict as to what, where and how, I managed to see most if not all the religious sites and many of the historical ones. Christmas Eve I did meet my Dutch friends and we spent our evening in Bethlehem with thousands of visitors from all over the world--it was both exciting and frightening. Exciting because of the biblical implications; frightening because security forces were high.
During my days in the City, I followed the route Jesus Christ may have taken to his crucifixion, while on another day I stood at the Wailing Wall. Blending all three of Abraham's children's beliefs, customs and sacred places wasn't easy, but it was part of my goal and by the time I headed back to Tel Aviv, I had accomplished much of what brought me to Israel.
I've never returned.
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