Gathering of the Moons
Posted by michellemoquin on August 8th, 2008
Good Morning….
I’ve got China on my mind again. Nothing political…well only a little. And after all, today is the opening day of the Olympics so why not celebrate something we can all appreciate?
Let’s talk Art!
I love art especially abstract and modern art….grew up with it all over our house. My father is an artist and I suppose I was so used to being around interesting art and artists my entire life, that I never really appreciated how lucky I was to be surrounded by such creativity.
I love art especially abstract and modern art….grew up with it all over our house. My father is an artist and I suppose I was so used to being around interesting art and artists my entire life, that I never really appreciated how lucky I was to be surrounded by such creativity.
However, I do remember our first family visit to Europe when I was twelve and visiting all of the museums day after day got really old when there was so much more to see such as….fashion! Obviously the love of art showed up in a different medium that resonated with me to my core. Fashion as an art form was my passion and all of the art that I was so blessed to view as I grew up influenced me year after year in my business.
So when I was flipping through the paper the other day, an abstract sculpture caught my eye. The article was featuring 20 sculptors who were commissioned to do artwork for the Beijing Olympics and one of the artists was from Oakland: Bruce Beasley. It was him and his sculpture that graced the front page.
Sculpture by Bruce Beasley, Photo by Michael Macor / The Chronicle
Beasley’s sculpture, “Gathering of the Moons’ are beautiful slicing steel discs that fit together in an abstract form. And although he has shown several pieces of work in China, they always come back to the US…this one however will be a permanent installation.
Beasley says, ‘I like to take shapes that alone don’t carry any emotional feeling, but by their intersecting of each other, start to talk to us emotionally.’ He relates it to how musical notes that stand alone have very little meaning…but put them together…‘….it’s their relationship with each other that makes the difference between something that’s noise and banal and something that is profound and moving.’
I like his analogy…right on. I see the musical movement in his ‘Gathering of the Moons’. And being the tactile person that I am, I wish I was in Beijing to not only feast my eyes, but delight my hands to their touch…I can only imagine how smooth the moons must feel and how their reflective surface shimmers in the sunlight.
Hey….has anyone there seen this beauty live?
************
Hello Eng: I am saddened by your email. I could never imagine what it is like to walk in your shoes. I was blessed to born a woman in America.
I feel it is my duty to write about worldly issues; to get them out there as I learn, so that I can share and spread what needs to be heard. I’m sure that goes for anyone who writes on my blog. I too learn from those that share their knowledge.
Hi Merkid: My only hope is that your surprise will be one that brings no harm but enlightens, teaches, or sends a message that many will listen to. I look forward to seeing it.
Hi Sheikh: How are you? Thanks for responding. Unfortunately, I had guessed as much. I bet the Mongol women that you brought up are so excited to finally have freedom.
Thanks for allowing some Mongols to get in so that we can hear their thoughts.
In regards to the rest of your comment….Ironies are popular these days….it seems to go hand in hand with greed.
Hey Muhuli: Unfortunately and sadly you are so right. I wish I could say differently. ‘Exterminated’: The meaning is so different from being ‘assimilated’ but the intention is the same. Why not call it what it is? Do persecutors feel? If they did, if they could step into your shoes and feel what being exterminated feels like, then they would not do what they do.
Hi Eji: As much as all of the girls are looking forward to meeting me, it is I who will be delighted to have such amazing girls from all over the world in my presence. You are all ‘up there’ working hard, learning and preparing. I too am preparing in my own way ‘down here’.
Love your new attitude! And you are so right…there is room on earth for all of the cultures to inhibit it.
ZL: I have a serious hankering too…Doug: do something! :)
It is early and I have a job to go to – yes…this woman is back to work, part time helping out a friend. I’ll be posting way early every Friday morning for awhile…which means I’ll be getting up even earlier. Oh…How I love my sleep :)
Have a good one.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle ?
aka: BABE….your Bad Ass Bitch Editor….I just love that.:)
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August 8th, 2008 at 7:42 am
The Healing Power of Forgiveness
Ellis Cose
ecent studies about forgiveness have proven what major religions advocate — showing your antagonists compassion and letting go of the desire for revenge can improve your psychological and physical health.
Example: In a study of 71 people conducted at Hope College in Michigan, researchers found that forgiveness lowered risk of heart problems. Participants were asked to recall hurtful memories about friends, lovers, parents and siblings. Their heart rates and blood pressure tested significantly lower after they had forgiven the people who had hurt them.
Even once we know the benefits, many of us find it hard to forgive. It’s easier and seems more satisfying to strike back — or to fantasize about it — than to turn the other cheek. Can forgiveness really improve our lives? How can we learn to forgive?
Bottom Line/Personal spoke to renowned journalist and commentator Ellis Cose. During his distinguished career, he has interviewed victims of some of the worst atrocities of our time — survivors of the Holocaust and African genocides… adults molested by priests in childhood… parents of children murdered by people now on death row… and families of those killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Cose was amazed at how many of these ordinary human beings found the capacity and willingness to forgive — and were better off for it.
How do I forgive when it seems impossible?
There are basically three steps…
Step 1: Get some perspective on your pain and anger. People who were able to get on with their lives refused to see themselves as victims. If your spouse cheats on you and leaves, you aren’t an unlovable dupe — you’re a devoted person who was stronger than your spouse.
Step 2: Attempt to empathize with the person who hurt you. Think about what he/she was feeling at the time of the transgression, and understand the pressures and factors that made him commit harmful acts. This doesn’t mean that the acts were justified. It means that you have put yourself in the transgressor’s shoes. This is the crux of forgiving and perhaps the hardest part.
Step 3: Stop thinking of forgiveness in absolute terms. Many people fantasize that their compassion will inspire gratitude from the person who hurt them, followed by a reconciliation and a state of peace and comfort. What you often get is partial relief — a release of your most intense anger — that allows you to move on.
Doesn’t forgiving let people off the hook when they should be held accountable for their actions?
Finding a genuine way to respond with compassion may seem like letting abusers get away with their actions, but it actually benefits you more than the person you forgive. Victims told me that forgiveness was a psychological tool to heal their own wounds so that they could lead happier, more positive lives.
Think about how much energy it costs you to hold on to past incidents, feeling resentful over actions and remarks made years ago. By admitting that you can’t change the past and renouncing the hold your anger has on you, you become stronger and more effective.
For example, Nelson Mandela spent 26 years in prison in South Africa, confined to a small cell with a bucket for a toilet and daily hard labor in a limestone quarry. When he was freed at age 72, he felt bitter toward his captors but was determined to not let it ruin the rest of his life. Resentment, he said, is like drinking poison and waiting for it to kill your enemy.
To forgive, don’t I need an apology from the person who hurt me?
It’s easier to feel compassion if the perpetrator acknowledges what he/she has done and expresses regret — but victims told me that making forgiveness contingent upon an apology gives control of your emotions to someone who wasn’t worthy in the first place. The result is that you cling to your anger and perpetuate your victimization.
Is revenge ever helpful?
For superficial injustices, a small revenge can help healing. For instance, a coworker purposely embarrassed me. Later that day, I said I was driving home. The coworker said he was going that way, but I didn’t offer him a ride. He knew that he was being snubbed and it was a warning to treat me respectfully.
However, the greater the injustice you suffer, the more vital a role forgiveness plays in your future well-being. I interviewed many parents whose children had been murdered. They often became obsessed with the killer’s trial, hounded the district attorney’s office for a capital murder charge and witnessed the execution years later — but vengeance offered only short-term relief. It was swallowed up by grief and rage at the realization that their loved one still wasn’t coming back. Only forgiving let them move on with their lives.
Are certain injustices so horrifying that they cannot be forgiven?
Each person must answer that for himself, but let me address it this way. The Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal told the story of being imprisoned in a German concentration camp during World War II. He listened to the deathbed confession of a 22-year-old German soldier who had asked to confess to a Jewish prisoner. The Nazi said that he had herded Jews in the Ukraine into a building, tossed grenades into it and shot those who tried to run. The soldier wanted a Jew to forgive him. Wiesenthal opted not to respond, silently rejecting the plea for absolution.
When the war was over, Wiesenthal paid a visit to the mother of the Nazi soldier. Tempted as he was to tell the mother about the murders, he could not shatter her illusions about her dead son. He merely told her that he had been asked to convey greetings from her son and sat silently as she called her son a good boy.
What if I just can’t forgive? Is there something positive I can do to feel better?
People who struggle with forgiveness sometimes engage in constructive revenge. They take aggressive action aimed not directly at their abuser but at a larger goal that fights the kind of thing the person has done. This transforms their suffering into something nobler.
Example: I spent some time with Azim Khamisa, an investment consultant in La Jolla, California. A decade ago, his son Tariq, a 20-year-old student at San Diego State University, was jumped by a gang while delivering pizzas. A 14-year-old named Tony Hicks shot Tariq in the heart. Hicks pled guilty to first-degree murder. He was sentenced as an adult to 25 years to life.
The sentence brought Azim Khamisa no relief. What did save him was starting a foundation in his son’s name that holds forums at schools to teach kids about the consequences of violence. His perspective on his son’s death began to change, and that mitigated his rage.
Khamisa was able to develop a relationship with Hicks’s grandfather, who also had been devastated by the murder. The two men forged an alliance and now make appearances together promoting nonviolence.
August 8th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Anonz
The book by Ron Suskind “The Way Of The World” is going to get Bush put on the impeachment channel. The CIA violated the law by practicing DISINFORMATION against the american people. They were ordered to do this by the White House.
Everybody is running scared except you. Do you have a brain? We have a shuttle. You need to come aboard or take the option we gave you to live out your life on earth.
Bush is guilty of murdering at least 4,400 of his own citizens and millions of others by way of “collateral damage. If the democrats had the balls they would be putting all your old friends and under oath.
They are all running for their lives. You are writing in to the blog. Run! Do not stop for a face job. RUN!
The bush boys have allowed Russia to amass huge tanks along the Georgia border. They did not make any diplomatic efforts to alleviate the situation between the two countries. This even though Georgia is the one of the biggest contributors troop wise to Iraq. The US even has a small training contingency of troops in Georgia. Bush needs a war so that it can get the scared american women to vote for McCain.
The bush boys know that their will be no investigation if the republicans hold the White House. A few thousand more deaths will not matter to these criminals. They are about the betray their ally Georgia even though it was about to become a member of NATO. This will send a signal to the rest of the world that Russia is again a big Nuclear player in the world. It will give Iran the nerve to defy the UN concerning nuclear testing. That will play into the plans of the bush scheme to initiate a military confrontation with Iran. The bush boys will do anything to get McCain elected.
Michelle
Sir
America needs to do more nationally because the women from america is so far behind the rest of the worlds girls that they are telling me they are embarrassed.
Sir
Madaline.
August 8th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Anonz, I was wondering if you had a death wish, but asking if you have a brain works also. Listen up, babe, get out of dodge aboard a shuttle or live on earth in exile…if that’s the other option. You may not get to live at all otherwise. Please do not be stupid, stoic or thinking your heroic by staying and fighting this fight, you won’t win…be safe. – Zen
Love that sculpture…
Madaline, thanks for watching Anonz’s back for as long as you have.
- ZL
August 8th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Yeah today I wrote an entry called ‘Mammoth errors in judgment (mine)’ which are totally nominal and actually fun compared to some errors in judgment Anonz may be making…I’m going to try to stop and think first even though mine are not life threatening, hope he does also from now on bc his ARE life threatening. Boo hoo…
http://www.lilliandevin.com/
August 8th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Michelle
Please do an article on the Republic of Georgia.
Our country is under attack by the barbarians of Russia. We are democratic country that supports the United States of America. We are trying to become a member of NATO. About 1% of the world’s oil travels through out country to Europe via a pipeline to Turkey. This pipe line avoids Russia and Iran.
Russian tanks are in our streets as I speak. Who will help us?
Valerian
August 8th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Zen Lill
Thanks for thinking of me. I am not trying to be heroic. I just don’t think that the danger to me is any greater than the danger is to my country. The price of oil has gone down immediately because most of the oil speculators have been scared off. The Bush administration is putting the misinformation that it is due to a strong dollar. Wrong, just plain lies.
The speculators are running scared of jail. Plus the big oil is afraid that if the prices stay high longer, the people will start to look seriously at energy alternatives. If that happens, it may be discovered that big oil has been buying up the technology in that area and shelving it.
My sweet tender, I love reading the way you spice up your commentary with hot verbs and sexy adjectives. OOOH and those teasing adverbs send me to a quiet place for some personal solace.
Let me add that we super rich control the corn market. We paid off the crooked politicians to support corn for ethanol. The amount of ethanol it takes to fill one car’s tank would feed a person for a year. The US produces 70% of the world’s corn. Corn is the world’s most important crop. I am embarrassed with how much me and my friends control.
Perhaps Michelle and my Sweetness should look into corn and explain to your readers its importance to the world. A shortage could cause wars to break out all over the world. It will most certainly produce a reduction of the world population.
The city of Eagle Pass in Texas is being forced to accept a fence that will separate the people of Eagle Pass and Mexico. The Secure Fence Act is just done to make money for some of my friends. It is needed in some places but not every place. Actually half of all illegal aliens come to the US legally and then overstay their visas. Money is what it is all about. The stupid can be manipulated to believe anything. So they are told that this will stop illegal immigration to the tune of 40 billion dollars. Who do you think is going to benefit from all that money?
I’m rolling in dough and getting richer whether I want to or not. The crooked politicians are delighted to accept a little enrichment while making us super rich a ton of money.
Under the Bush administration there is money, money everywhere but none for the people. They are slandering the mayor of Eagle Pass. It has had only one murder in 10 years. Twenty-two plus thousand people there live peacefully with their sister Mexican city. Yet Americans have been convinced that spending 49 billion dollars to build and maintain 700 miles of fence is worth the 2 to 3 minutes of slow down in illegal immigration that the Department of Homeland Security admits is all it will do.
Rich and getting richer against my will
Anonz
Zen Babi, you give new meaning to hard copy.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Zen Lill
In my rush to answer you I forgot to add that I have been wanting to leave a comment or two on your site but—–My Sweetness, I can’t leave a comment on your site unless I leave an email address. Not Cool, Sweetness.
Your far too distant admirer.
Anonz
August 8th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Anonz, so glad you’re ok, I probably shouldn’t but I go into high alert when Maddie says such strongly worded things like RUN. If you think you’ll be fine, I will believe you…for now…but if you die again, I will kill you, hahaha. I shouldn’t make fun, it’s actually not funny at all to me, since I don’t know who you are I would never know what happened to you and would have to assume you gone forever, that’s too F’ed up for me to want to think about. Besides, I’ve been there already, it was very unpleasant to say the least…
Coincidentally, last week with a total stranger I had a lengthy convo about world food supply re: corn and rice, I would’ve been very pleased if he’d have ended the convo with ‘psst Zen it’s me babe,’ but alas, anonz my sweet pea, that did not occur : ( I will do further research and blog about it next week, it’s definitely worth informing the masses about. Thanks for the blog fodder : ) Mischa can also, she’s got a farther reaching audience than I do at this point.
I have missed you commenting on my site but why would you have to leave e-mail address on mine but not here on Mischa’s? You don’t have to do that as far as I know. I have private e-mailers who have a ‘donotreply’ address, so I don’t know their identity that’s why I answer on my blog (or not).
Anyway, hearing fr you here is fine and relieves me from being concerned about you being in danger. Why would Maddie be so adamant about the need to RUN though? Are you laying low until after the elections as she suggested? So much more to say, but I’m light on time today, heading back to lalaland…
From: your admirer that has no idea who you are, what you look like, or act like in person, could care less if you gave away your bills for a different kind of life, and yet I do still dig you regardless…hahaha…Zen Lill
Glad you like my sexy/hot adjectives and that it makes you feel good in some way, didn’t notice it myself in today’s entry but maybe I’ll reread it : ) I do blog on Sat’s usually but never on Sundays : ) thought I’d upload some pics from mammoth manana…
My theory on the oil thing is that crooks cranked up the price to almost 5 a gallon to gauge just where people would stop buying and seek alternative energy sources, they found the threshold and now they are backing down and soon everyone will be happy to pay $3.50 a gal and not be so eager to sort out alternatives, easily forgotten…how very short-sighted.
See, so much more to talk about, but gotta go NOW : ) – Zen Lill
August 8th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
How to Haggle Like a Pro… Even if You Hate Haggling
Max Edison
Haggling is the secret to paying less for goods and services. Haggling isn’t just unseemly horse trading, it’s a form of negotiation — and it’s perfectly respectable. What you need to know to haggle successfully…
PREPARATION PAYS
There is room for negotiation in virtually every purchase, even at large department stores where you can get a discount if you can point out a defect in a product.
Important: Good hagglers always carefully inspect items that they’re interested in.
Biggest mistake made by hagglers: Lack of preparation. A seller who is aware that you are guessing or bluffing will be unlikely to give an inch.
The most important thing you need to know: What constitutes a fair price for what you want to buy. When making a major purchase, it’s a good idea to go to several places first to make price comparisons…
For items such as appliances, electronics and jewelry, visit several stores. Also, since prices are lower on the Internet, check on-line to see what comparable merchandise sells for — that’s the price you want to beat.
If you are house hunting, learn the prices paid recently for comparable houses in similar neighborhoods. To get this information, ask a real estate agent or visit your county tax office and look at sales records.
For automobiles, find out how much the dealer paid for the vehicle, including how true market value (TMV) is calculated.
Second-biggest mistake made by hagglers: Not knowing the tricks used by salespeople. Since you can’t avoid a salesperson’s negotiating ploys, your best defense is to recognize what he/she is doing. You then have the chance to use some of those tactics yourself. Examples…
A car salesman says, “I’d love to make this deal with you, but my manager says no way.” Counter that with, “Let me speak with the manager.”
When offering you a loan, a banker says, “You’ve got to take this insurance policy for death or disability for us to approve the loan.” Counter that with, “I know that I don’t have to have insurance for you to make the loan.”
HOW TO HAGGLE
Haggling can be courteous and even friendly, but it’s essentially psychological warfare. Helpful…
Play hard to get. If a seller can tell that you’re in love with an item, he knows that he will be able to get top price. Pretend to be only mildly interested and don’t go back too many times to look at the item.
If you make an offer, let it stand. If you make an offer and it’s accepted, the deal is done. If a counteroffer is made, you can then make another offer. This is how the game is played. If the seller accepts your offer and you say that you’ll be back next week, you may not have a deal the next week.
If you and the seller can’t agree on the price of an item, ask the seller if he’s got anything that he can throw in on the deal.
Examples: Ask automobile dealers to throw in floor mats, a bicycle rack or free service for six months… with computer and stereo equipment, ask the seller for free cables and free installation… with VCR or DVD players, ask for free movies.
Never tip your hand. If you are willing to pay $100 for an item, offer $80 or even $60. You never know — the other guy might take it. Even if he passes or counteroffers, he’ll feel like some progress is being made.
Nail down early whether or not sales tax is included. Why go through 20 minutes of haggling only to start over when it comes to sales tax?
Ask for the cash price, if you are able to pay cash for an item.
Background: Merchants lose about 2% when a credit card is used, so they may be willing to take a 2% bite if you pay cash.
Take advantage of a seller’s weaknesses. Examples…
Politely point out any flaws in the merchandise. If the item is outdated in any way, let him know that. This works best with digital cameras, flat-screen televisions and computers where new models are introduced seemingly every day.
Be aware that people will be more or less willing to haggle under different circumstances. The two main factors are time and attachment to the object. A home owner who is having a two-day garage sale knows that whatever doesn’t sell is going back to the attic or to the dumpster. On the other hand, there may be an emotional attachment (this was Grandma’s dresser!). If someone won’t part with his stuff for a reasonable price, look elsewhere. Seasonal merchandise, such as patio furniture and fur coats, can be bought at huge savings for buyers who can think (and haggle) months ahead.
WHO BEST TO HAGGLE WITH
You can haggle with just about every seller, but you may find the greatest success with…
Small-town merchants or stores that are independently owned. Their owners are much more likely to dicker than a large outlet like Best Buy or Home Depot. Make sure that you talk to a decision-maker, such as the owner or at least the store manager. Many times, a mom-and-pop store will try to match its larger competitor’s sale prices.
Jewelry stores. These retailers have markups that are usually 300% to 400% above wholesale, so they have lots of room to haggle.
Car dealers. Haggling with car dealers works best when bad weather keeps other customers away, near the end of the month (when their sales quotas are due) and from August to September (when the new models are coming out).
Banks. They will argue over percentage points on loans, services such as free checking and even fees from bounced checks. Always ask to have fees waived. Go up the chain of command until you find someone who has the power to say yes.
Chains and discount stores will cut prices under the right circumstances, such as buying a display model, an item with very slight damage or an air conditioner in October.
Individuals who place ads in the paper using the words “best offer” or “OBO” (or best offer). These people expect a counteroffer to the price they’re asking — and they’re doing you the favor of saying so!
August 8th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Sweetness:
I sometimes wait patiently for your response. Glad it paid off today. Just love to see those words and imagine the lovely fingers that cause such a rise in my heart, see I can turn a double entendre too. Though, not as sweetly demure as you do.
Would I lie to my gorgeous babe? When i tried to reply it said “email address required.” So I had to return here to comment. Of course, I wouldn’t feel so free to be so free with my personal adjectives about you there, but hey I would still love to comment to my Zenzational Honey Cup. Was that over the top? Forgive your “swea pea.”
I’m sure Madaline is calling the shots correctly. I just am not built to turn tail and run. It’s not macho, far from it. I just feel that I can give as good as i get.
Isn’t it WONDERFUL when two minds are of the same vein. You are most correct about the oil situation.
Have a safe trip home. I couldn’t bare it if something happened to you either. And thanks for making Saturdays a happy day of the week for also. I can now look forward to reading you on that day too.
I will tell you who I am soon. Not so that you will miss me but so that when we meet you will have made an informed decision as to if you would like to. I have been somewhat of an incorrigible rogue or so says the reputation.
Anonz
August 9th, 2008 at 2:57 am
VIDEO GAMES AND YOUR VISION
Video games are often considered a kind of modern-day scourge, especially by parents whose children are glued to the screen. How interesting then that playing them is turning out to have various benefits in different corners of the medical world. For example, research shows that doctors-in-training who developed video-game expertise during childhood are now excelling in robotic and arthroscopic surgeries. Furthermore, researchers are finding uses for video games as a rehab tool for certain medical conditions, including stroke. And now a new study shows that some video games may be valuable for some vision problems.
ABOUT THE STUDY
This study was done at the University of Rochester and involved video-game practice for young healthy adults who had little or no previous experience playing with them. According to the study authors, Shawn Green, the graduate student who led this work, and Daphne Bavelier, PhD, in 30 hours of training, the study subjects who already had normal vision showed a substantial increase in the spatial resolution of their vision — which is to say they could see small, closely packed letters better. Dr. Bavelier, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University’s Center for Visual Sciences, cautions that the only games that lead to this kind of improvement are personal action ones, such as shooting games (“Unreal Tournament” being one). These fast-paced games are effective because they change pathways within the brain that are responsible for visual processing, says Dr. Bavelier.
I contacted Dr. Bavelier to learn more about what specific types of visual problems would benefit from playing this kind of video game. Amblyopia, she said, is an ideal condition for video-game therapy. Colloquially called lazy-eye, amblyopia is a neurological condition in which one eye is weaker than the other and fails to track correctly with the other, stronger eye. It affects about 2% of all children. Usually treated in childhood, this condition is believed to be untreatable in adulthood. By retraining the deficient visual pathways in the adult brain, video games should enable the weaker eye to regain its full status.
CAN OLD EYES LEARN NEW TRICKS?
Of course I had hoped that age-related far-sightedness (presbyopia) might also be a condition that would respond to video games, but no such luck. Dr. Bavelier explains that many visual problems, including presbyopia, are optically caused — that is by the eye’s physical characteristics, including size, shape and thickness of the cornea and lens and the like, all affected by age. Video games are unlikely to replace your glasses prescription any time soon. However, by helping neural functioning, video games may be somewhat helpful for older eyes. “That is, the visual system of older adults may actually benefit from playing games by allowing the older brain to make better use of the visual information it receives from the eye,” says Dr. Bavelier.
Source(s): ??Daphne Bavelier, PhD, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the Center for Visual Sciences, University of Rochester, New York.