Private space, like the telephone booth, has become extinct. People now carry on their private lives as if they were on a public stage. And, most interestingly, they don't care who hears their phone conversations. This was the genesis of The Theatre of the Barely Socially Acceptable. You might enjoy past acts of drama, culled from Washington, DC's Metro and other street level amphitheaters. A hard day at the office, I had a half hour ride home on the Metro before I began my hard night at home (two teenagers, need I say more?). As the train went above ground,...
Uncategorized / 21.04.2013
Money Speaks Louder Than People
The last two weeks have been filled with enough "shock and awe" to last me for a while: the bombing in Boston and the chase for its perpetrators, the explosion in West, Texas, and, finally, the Senate vote on gun background checks. Despite my horror, I haven't commented much on the first two. They've been covered in great detail by the media. In fact, the television "talking heads," having to fill hours with endless chit chat during lulls in the action, became a major distraction. However, I felt compelled to say something about the Senate vote. Most polls indicate at...
Fairly Odd Parents-Present / 24.03.2013
That Nurture Thing
As I walked home from work the other day I listened to NPR's All Things Considered. This is my "me" time. Gay marriage is a trending topic these days and that day the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) had just endorsed same-sex marriage. The data, over sixty studies, showed no difference in the well-being of children raised by gay and lesbian couples than of children of heterosexual couples. You would think the studies, covering a wide breath of childhood metrics from emotional well-being to academic achievement, would prove the point nicely. But, of course, not to everyone....
The woman in the next aisle had eaten her hamentashen before she got to the cashier! I live in both a very Jewish and a very Latino suburb of DC. It's an interesting mix: wonderful ethnic restaurants and a multicultural place for my multicultural family. Last night I paid an inaugural visit to our new kosher supermarket. It recently opened in a space previously inhabited by one of the grocery chains. I've been a bit outta sorts of late (nothing major) but suddenly I felt right at home. Now, I'm not a religious Jew. Not even close (okay, except for my obligatory...
The Chamomile Tea Party's First Ad in Washington, DC's Metro (click image for larger view) It's been a while since I've posted anything on Life Outtacontext. But I've been busy. With the upcoming election, there is more food for fodder than ever for my Chamomile Tea Party posters (and I have some new ones, so take a look). While I have my personal political beliefs, it's interesting to step back and dissect this year's political process. If you're disgusted or scratching your head, you might want to take a look at an article in today's Washington Post which sheds some light...
Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 05.02.2012
Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?
The latest poster from the Chamomile Tea Party. Click on image for larger view. (Not only is this a remix of a World War II-era poster this is a remix of my first Chamomile Tea Party poster. And aside from the text, I've made some subtle changes in this new one. Can you see them?)
Pulling this country out of the Wall Street-induced recession has been glacial. To a great extent it's because the Republicans aren't that interested in solving America's problems as much as making sure that Barack Obama is a one-term president. This is Republican Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell's stated goal.
He's not alone. Recently, GOP Senator, Mike Lee, of Utah said he would obstruct all of President Obama's judicial and government agency nominees in the Senate, even though these nominees have bipartisan support.
This behavior is unconscionable. We must move forward to help Americans in need and to compete in the global economy. We need to elect people from both parties who will work together towards these ends. Extreme ideology and obstruction have no place in American government now. Vote out the obstructionists!
Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 29.01.2012
New Posters from the Chamomile Tea Party: Polarization is Destroying America
Don't pigeonhole the American public. We've got a lot of opinions that aren't so easy to categorize. Click on images for a larger view. Polarization of Congress, the electorate, and, most importantly, the issues that are important to Americans is destroying this country. Believing America can be so easily categorized into liberals and conservatives, blue and red, is hampering our progress. Solving our problems are more complicated than that. We should acknowledge shades of gray when debating the election of our President and Congresspeople. The issues are not simple and to make them so in debates and political ads is disingenuous....
A new poster from the Chamomile Tea Party. In today's Washington Post, Jonathan Turley, Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University, discusses 10 reasons why the U.S. is no longer the land of the free. It's a sobering account of the slow and sometimes transparent erosion of American's rights after 9/11. In addition, to our political rights, our economic wellbeing sits on a precipice. The disparity between the rich and the poor is one of the widest in the history of our country. Why aren't people protesting? Well, they are. Occupy Wall Street and others are pointing their...
I used to say by the time one sees an artist's work the creative process has long ended. What the viewer sees are the vestiges of that process—the skeletal remains. Yes, there is beauty, horror, and all sorts of emotions that can be reflected in the work. But the joy of creating or of telling a story has passed and the artist is on to his next idea. Yet, as I've gotten older I've realized that sometimes the story continues. And, if an artist is lucky years later he is reunited with the piece on a completely different level. The...
It wasn't this bad but it felt like it was. Last Sunday at 11 a.m. I was attacked by a swarm of wasps. More on that in a minute. But first, what good is a trauma like this if you can't come out of it with a good story. A good story is the souvenir of traumas --providing you recover. Two decades ago I was visiting my friends Bob and Ellen in San Francisco when we decided to go camping in Yosemite. I'm a California native but had never been to this national park. Bob and Ellen found this odd, but...