Museums document individual and community experience. I had never heard of a place called Gee's Bend in Alabama, not until I toured the Missouri History Museum. On exhibit, were quilts artistically hand crafted by the women of Gee's Bend along with a documentary about their lives.
Nor did I know much about the fashion industry when I went to the New York Metropolitan Museum until I visited the exhibit, "The Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion." The show captured the impetus for the growth of the fashion industry, the models, photographers, and designers. Many visitors could identify a particular dress that was de rigueur in the exhibit.
And in the Phillips Gallery in Washington, D.C. artists explored the emotional, sensual and tragic aspects of human experience since the 50s, some of which were new for me.
Whether a museum displays objects, paintings or sculpture, one's view of the community and the world at large is expanded.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
WHAT MAKES OUR COUNTRY SAFE?
I watched the Town Hall Meeting held in Retson, Virginia recently. The roar of the crowd, the hooting and whistling reminded me of the accounts of how the Romans roared when Christians were fed to the lions; or the roar of American citizens at lynchings; or the strident "Sieg Heil" as murder of Jews took place in Europe.
Our security, our safety depends on two things: respect for communal law and behavior, and trust in the honesty of each other and our institutions. Both are missing at these Town Hall Meetings. It is not just blogs, mocking radio show hosts, TV pundits, or the news media that is creating this environment.
We have a role in all this. Do we listen to other points of view? Do we question words of hate? Do we belittle differences? Do we reason out of fear? We need to recognize that our safety, the Country's spirit depends on the respect and trust we accord each other.
Our security, our safety depends on two things: respect for communal law and behavior, and trust in the honesty of each other and our institutions. Both are missing at these Town Hall Meetings. It is not just blogs, mocking radio show hosts, TV pundits, or the news media that is creating this environment.
We have a role in all this. Do we listen to other points of view? Do we question words of hate? Do we belittle differences? Do we reason out of fear? We need to recognize that our safety, the Country's spirit depends on the respect and trust we accord each other.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
GOLF AND TEN YEAR OLD ADRIEN
I could never understand the allure of golf. Why chase a little white ball and hope to sink it in a hole in the ground? Why not simply walk, hike, or sprint across the green?
On a hot, humid day in Florida, my great nephew Adrien played in an 18-hole Competition for ten-year olds. Before he began to play, a wheel came off his tripoid. It was unusable. It meant that he would have to carry his 14 pound golf bag with 12 clubs. Without complaint, he hoisted the bag onto his butt and carried it, walking the 18-hole distance.
He played with serious intensity. Sometimes pacing. Sometimes squatting to measure distance. No notice was given to a stray bird or animal nor to his mother and I as we watched. He used a lot of adult judgement to win the competition, clearly a challenge he relished. None the less, like anyone his age, he teased and spritzed his sister when they were in the pool together.
I was proud of him, but I'll stick to the golf cart or walk the green rather than chase a little ball.
On a hot, humid day in Florida, my great nephew Adrien played in an 18-hole Competition for ten-year olds. Before he began to play, a wheel came off his tripoid. It was unusable. It meant that he would have to carry his 14 pound golf bag with 12 clubs. Without complaint, he hoisted the bag onto his butt and carried it, walking the 18-hole distance.
He played with serious intensity. Sometimes pacing. Sometimes squatting to measure distance. No notice was given to a stray bird or animal nor to his mother and I as we watched. He used a lot of adult judgement to win the competition, clearly a challenge he relished. None the less, like anyone his age, he teased and spritzed his sister when they were in the pool together.
I was proud of him, but I'll stick to the golf cart or walk the green rather than chase a little ball.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL!
My grandparents crossed an ocean to reach this country more than a century ago. They came under duress and had an arduous journey. Now, third, fourth, and fifth generations of their descendants travel with ease across this country and world wide.
The difference in travelers was profoundly witnessed in New York's Times Square where streets have been blocked off from traffic to create a great plaza. Small tables and chairs invite visitors to sit and look at the people and the mega signs, both of which adorn the plaza. As we sat at our table, a man with his son who was in a wheel chair approached us and asked to share our table.
Conversation ensued. The man and his son were animated and excited about their first-time visit to New York. Hundreds of people, some immigrants, were at the Square. I asked the people sharing our table where they were from? Out of all the people from all over the world, they replied, St. Louis. Yep, unlike my grandparent's time it has become a small world after all!
The difference in travelers was profoundly witnessed in New York's Times Square where streets have been blocked off from traffic to create a great plaza. Small tables and chairs invite visitors to sit and look at the people and the mega signs, both of which adorn the plaza. As we sat at our table, a man with his son who was in a wheel chair approached us and asked to share our table.
Conversation ensued. The man and his son were animated and excited about their first-time visit to New York. Hundreds of people, some immigrants, were at the Square. I asked the people sharing our table where they were from? Out of all the people from all over the world, they replied, St. Louis. Yep, unlike my grandparent's time it has become a small world after all!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
LOCAL RADIO AND C-SPAN
This morning on KMOX Radio's "Total Information" broadcast, I listened to one of the best interviews I've heard on the controversy about Canadian Vs. USA Health Care. Doug McElvin and Debbie Monterrey interviewed Dr. Robert Evans, professor of economics, the Center of Health Policy, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The interviewers asked pertinent questions and stood aside as Dr. Evans responded with straight forward answers.
Which brings me to the tour I took of C-SPAN, while I was in Washington, D.C. The network was established in 1979. It offers cable viewers three different channels dedicated to coverage of the US House of Representatives, The Senate and the third is used for its own programming - book reviews, phone-ins and interviews with various news makers.
Unlike the constant stream of shrill, noisy TV pundits and talk show hosts, C-SPAN turns its cameras on events and speakers and let's the viewer draw conclusions from what is seen and heard. Something achieved also today by local KMOX whose interviewers stood aside and let me digest the answers to questions.
By way of full disclosure: the complete interview with Dr. Evans can be viewed on KMOX.com;
C-SPAN'S Managing News Editor is Richard Weinstein, my nephew.
Which brings me to the tour I took of C-SPAN, while I was in Washington, D.C. The network was established in 1979. It offers cable viewers three different channels dedicated to coverage of the US House of Representatives, The Senate and the third is used for its own programming - book reviews, phone-ins and interviews with various news makers.
Unlike the constant stream of shrill, noisy TV pundits and talk show hosts, C-SPAN turns its cameras on events and speakers and let's the viewer draw conclusions from what is seen and heard. Something achieved also today by local KMOX whose interviewers stood aside and let me digest the answers to questions.
By way of full disclosure: the complete interview with Dr. Evans can be viewed on KMOX.com;
C-SPAN'S Managing News Editor is Richard Weinstein, my nephew.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
FOOD ALONG THE EAST COAST
How food tastes, where and how it is served, and by whom, reflects a culture and often is an important part of a traveler's itinerary. On my trip to the East coast, I experienced exotic new foods as well as familiar ones.
Familiar dishes were served in private homes in Palm Beach,FL and Bethesda,MD. Greek and Italian foods were served in a quiet, upstairs restaurant and in a small, street level one in Manhattan. Seafood was eaten in a bay side restaurant overlooking the Tappan Zee Bridge. Barbecue was served on a private, screened-in porch on Fire Island. Bagels, and coffee cakes were served in a small card room of a large suburban apartment complex. Chocolate mouse completed lunch at The Water Works below Philadelphia's Art Museum. Ale was tried in a Public House in Alexandria,VA. Potage bon fam eaten on a private,outside terrace in the shadow of The Capital in Washington, D.C. concluded my trip.
But for me, what feed my soul was not the food but the company I shared it with.
Familiar dishes were served in private homes in Palm Beach,FL and Bethesda,MD. Greek and Italian foods were served in a quiet, upstairs restaurant and in a small, street level one in Manhattan. Seafood was eaten in a bay side restaurant overlooking the Tappan Zee Bridge. Barbecue was served on a private, screened-in porch on Fire Island. Bagels, and coffee cakes were served in a small card room of a large suburban apartment complex. Chocolate mouse completed lunch at The Water Works below Philadelphia's Art Museum. Ale was tried in a Public House in Alexandria,VA. Potage bon fam eaten on a private,outside terrace in the shadow of The Capital in Washington, D.C. concluded my trip.
But for me, what feed my soul was not the food but the company I shared it with.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
WEATHER, VEHICLES, AND ANIMALS
Like the Jules Verne novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, my thirty-day trip put me on many different modes of travel. Taxis, planes, golf carts, cars, buses, subways, trains and ferries got me from one point to the other.
On my trip, I experienced all sorts of weather. From lovely,crisp days to horrendous lighting, thunder and pouring rain storms that forced a quick ending to a stay in a cottage in the Hudson Valley.
Dogs were everywhere I went. On the plane, a cute little black dog popped his head out of a bag under the seat next to me. On the streets of New York, professional dog walkers were handling 12 dogs at a time. In the home where I stayed, a small dog with a large personality entertained me by hiding things that belonged to me.
But it was a deer who really startled me early one morning as I was coming from the beach on Fire Island. It saw me but still strolled along casually as if to say, I belong here, not you.
On my trip, I experienced all sorts of weather. From lovely,crisp days to horrendous lighting, thunder and pouring rain storms that forced a quick ending to a stay in a cottage in the Hudson Valley.
Dogs were everywhere I went. On the plane, a cute little black dog popped his head out of a bag under the seat next to me. On the streets of New York, professional dog walkers were handling 12 dogs at a time. In the home where I stayed, a small dog with a large personality entertained me by hiding things that belonged to me.
But it was a deer who really startled me early one morning as I was coming from the beach on Fire Island. It saw me but still strolled along casually as if to say, I belong here, not you.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
IN ANOTHER ORBIT
I entered another orbit when I left St. Louis on July 17 for a trip to the East Coast. I went to visit friends, colleagues, family, and to see new places.
My friends are many and my family large. I was able to see a host of friends, my oldest son, my siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews as well as great nieces and nephews over a five state area.
Even though born and raised in the East, I visited places I had not seen before. Rather than encounter great cultural differences between the East and mid West where I live now, I was struck with the similarity of issues and way of life, discounting population numbers.
I touched down in St. Louis on August 12 where I was greeted by my youngest son, his wife and their two children. It was then I realized my trip provided me with a rich tapestry of experiences and placed me in a different orbit from my accustomed one of ordinary tasks, responsibilities, and the news of the world.
My friends are many and my family large. I was able to see a host of friends, my oldest son, my siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews as well as great nieces and nephews over a five state area.
Even though born and raised in the East, I visited places I had not seen before. Rather than encounter great cultural differences between the East and mid West where I live now, I was struck with the similarity of issues and way of life, discounting population numbers.
I touched down in St. Louis on August 12 where I was greeted by my youngest son, his wife and their two children. It was then I realized my trip provided me with a rich tapestry of experiences and placed me in a different orbit from my accustomed one of ordinary tasks, responsibilities, and the news of the world.
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