The Indian Grief

Young nettle growing from the mulch.

Yesterday we went to Felicita Park, which is one of the county parks in Escondido. It's a very nice park with plenty of trees and some unique plant species. We also found there oodles of nettle and as you might know nettle is an edible plant.

So we harvested nettle and curly dock there a couple of times before. I want to point out that we harvest plants "the Indian way" that is to say we just take a little and leave plenty more. We don't touch species that are scarce and we prefer the methods that do not damage the plant.

So we went to our usual nettle meadow and were horrified to see that it was demolished by tractor or some other machine. Literally nothing was left of the nettle. A few luxurious species of curly dock were mercilessly hacked and what used to be a glorious and fragrant patch of sweet alyssum was reduced to a few sparse blotches mingled with short grass. Mushrooms were gone too.

Now for the first time probably we knew how Indians felt when white man destroyed the buffalo and other resources. And the Indians really depended on them. White man promptly destroyed Indians too.

motor vehicles

A Nice Day at the Beach, 2009. (Tomasito cartoon, 2009)


1969: "It CAN'T get any worse..."
1979: "It CAN'T get any worse..."
1989 "It CAN'T get any worse..."
1999: "It CAN'T get any worse..."
2009: ...


...

Recycle Artwork

(photo by Tomasito--click on picture for detail.)


Recycle Artwork


Papier mache vases and trays, drawings and collage by Bea, Al, and Helen

Today is Earth Day so I thought I would show the work of a little class I teach at an old people's home across the street from our apartment.

We are working mainly with recycled materials--plastic, cardboard and paper-- and using commercial acrylic paint and wheat flour for paste.

I have four artists in the class--three old timers and one nine-year-old. They all like the class and we all are learning something.

Every day is earth day.

Tomasito, 2009


...

Lemon Drop Cookies

Today we made lemon drop cookies and they were soooo good that we decided to share the recipe with you. They melt in your mouth.

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cups sugar (a little less)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup dairy sour cream (milk) (optional)
zest of 1 lemon (or 1/2 tsp. lemon extract)


Mix together flour, baking powder, salt; set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in milk and lemon zest (or lemon extract).

Gradually stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture, blending well. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls, about 3 inches apart, on greased baking sheets

Bake in 350 F. oven about 15 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from baking sheets; cool on racks.

You can make other flavours with the same dough. For example, you can add 1 tsp. vanilla extract or nutmeg, almonds, pecans or other nuts. Raisins are good too.

Liars and Lying

Tomasito Dumboozled. (Tanya Photo, 2009)

2

Spin

Political lies are now called spin—which makes them not lies but politically correct instruments of information. (Politically correct is another new phrase which means a lie which is substituted for a somewhat awkward truth.)

The prevalence of spin in political announcements in these United States has reached epic proportions—as they say—with the effect that nobody except a real fool believes what the government says anymore.

This is a bit like it was a few years ago when I was living in Ecuador—a much simpler and more direct land. I was slowly puzzling out a Quito newspaper with my limited Spanish in a cafe one morning when a native stopped to sip a coffee next to me. I remarked to him that, according to the newspaper things were certainly looking up in Ecuador. He laughed and said that nothing in the newspaper was true—it was all propaganda designed to keep the population dumboozled.

Tomasito, 2009

...

Deer Park Monastery

We went to the Deer Park Monastery. That was my first “real” live encounter with Buddhism religion. Now the monks there belong to what can be described as Vietnamese Zen Buddhism. In actuality it looked and felt more like a small expatriate community spiced with religion.

The good thing is that they welcome visitors on Thursdays and Sundays. So we went on Thursday. Early in the morning they gave a dharma talk and then went for a stroll (walking meditation). Unfortunately (or fortunately) we missed that. We did, however joined in “dharma discussion” which is very close to a therapy sessions like alcoholics anonymous. It went okay for a while until some guys started loosening up and talking too much. The worst was yet to come.

We had some tea on arrival. Then we joined that discussion. One of the main ideas of Buddhism is to be present in the moment and they have reminders like bell ringing every half an hour or so. You are supposed to stop whatever you are doing and think of yourself at the present moment. By the way the idea is sound but there is still too much theatre involved so sometimes it feels really funny.

Anyway, the main “attraction” of the day was a “free” meal. Why in parentheses? Because I found out that there are no really free meals. You always pay, especially in religious institutions. Not necessarily with money. In this case it was a very long waiting. You serve yourself from a buffet-style table. But then instead of sitting at the table in the same dining hall we walked to their meditation hall and had to sit crossed-legs on the mat while waiting for everyone else. Than you wait through all the ceremonial speeches. Finally you eat. As you can guess by now even if you are finished you have to wait while everyone else is finished. More talk, asking the newbies how they happened to be in the place. It is finally over. And get this: they recycle chopsticks. I know it’s not really relevant to the story but I wanted to let you know anyway. And the moral of the story? It does not pay to be the first.

The best part for me was just walking on the grounds and looking at the plants. The surroundings are beautiful and they have magnificent view on the valley.

So if you are in the area and are curisous about different tradition, stop by. It’s not as bad as I described. You’ll get to see real monks and their lifestyle.

Liars and Lying

Tomasito photo 2009
(Click on the photograph to enlarge it.)

Lying: It's a Way of Life

Lying is endemic. It is more or less expected and not a social disgrace as it may have been in a gentler age.

In advertising—it's a total free-for-all of prevarication. Everything is “The Best” (Even if it's about the worst!), “Reasonable” (Unreasonable by any standard!), “New and Improved” (Even if it is more expensive, less in quantity and poorer in quality!)

Part of the general dumbing down of America is the fluidity of truth. And if the liars are caught with their pants down, they are not in the least ashamed. They never expected you to believe them anyway!

I suppose television is a major culprit. People who sit in front of the tube for hours every day are exposed to so many smooth lies, presented by such glib people, that they literally do not know what truth is any more.

Tomasito, 2009


...

End the Recession Suggestions

Tomasito photo, 2009

Here are a couple of End the Recession suggestions--they may seem extreme, but adopting something like them might help end the deteriorating state of the American economy: President Obama could declare a “National Wartime Emergency” and take the following steps “for the duration of the recession—or the duration of the two currently fought wars” (probably two to four years or more):

ONE

Nationalize Oil production and sales of all oil products. Cap all oil prices. Remove oil from all stock market “futures” or other manipulation. Remove all oil company corporate executives.

TWO

Nationalize Walmart. Remove all corporate officers down to the individual store manager level. Establish a temporary directorship for the overall direction of the company. Raise Walmart employee's wages to a level with teachers and give them contracts with guarantees of employment. Mandate that the stores sell only goods manufactured in the United states. Allow no Chinese manufactured goods to be sold in the stores. Use locally produced goods for sale whenever possible.

Tomasito, 2009


...

Wall of Shame

Folk-art Calavera, Tanya Photo 2008

US/Mexico's Wall of Shame

Remember John Kennedy's “Good Neighbor Policy”?

If you travel to some little villages in Colombia, for example, you will still find in the dusty town square a statue of good old John Fitzgerald.

He is still well-liked and remembered there for what was called his “Good Neighbor Policy”-- which was mainly propaganda, of course, (that's politics) but also had a germ of the profound idea that neighbors—even neighboring countries—could also be friends.

Fast forward to today:

Our own United States is presently building a wall—a very high, very big, very expensive wall-- between our neighboring country, Mexico and us.

Now as the poet said: “Good fences make good neighbors”, but he didn't say anything about walls.

Walls never work.

The Great Wall of China never kept out the enemies and neither did the Wall of Hadrian or the infamous Berlin Wall and the spite fences between neighboring churches in the little towns of old the Midwest also came a-tumblin' down.

Because the “enemies”, whoever THEY are, are ALWAYS on both sides of the wall!

I wonder if old Ronald Reagan were still alive (Remember him in Berlin: “Mr. Khrushchev, TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!”) what he would say about the crack-pot wall between “us” and “them”?

Our wall—our very own Wall of Shame—will certainly also come a-tumblin down and it will probably be sooner than later.

Tomasito, 2009

...

Queen Califia's Garden

Tomasito photo

The other day I was raving about a most unusual piece of walk-in art here in Escondido--Queen Califia's Magical Garden.

We went back yesterday--on a dark, gloomy morning to see what the different light would bring to the amazing sculpture--and it was just as beautiful as before.

The blazing points of reflected sunlight from the mirrors and shining tiles were subdued but more color seemed to be emitted from the deep red tiles in the mouths of the guardian serpents--and it was much more comfortable as the day was much cooler.

Tomasito, 2009


...

Eliminate Medical Insurance

(Tanya photo, 2009)

Abolish Medical Insurance

When you walk into any doctor's office the first question the receptionist asks you is: “What kind of Insurance do you have?”

Not : “How may we help you?” or any other politeness.

Because getting the money is the only consideration most doctors have—and they train their minions to be brutally frank.

If everyone had NO medical insurance—doctors would have to deal with the reality of most of our actual financial conditions.

Doctor's fees would drop immediately—or they would be out of business.

I can remember a time in the not-so-remote past when no one had medical insurance but MDs were somehow able to survive.

But now the collusion between doctors and insurance companies—quite a symbiotic relationship for rampant greed—is complete.

In fact propaganda anathematizing people for NOT having medical insurance makes those of us who manage to stay healthy without doctors feel guilty.

Even the US government is proposing ways to pay for medical insurance for everybody—from our taxes, of course.

Never mind that “socialized medicine” never works. (Ask any UK citizen.)

Tomasito, 2009

...

Open Letter to Governor Scwartzenegger 2.

Tanya photo, 2009

March 7, 2009


Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

There is another "Right" which should be a part of every good, modern government, a part of the democratic social contract which makes civilization civilization.

This Right should be in the US Constitution---as another one of the Bill of Rights guarantees:

That is: The Right to Work.

There should be paid work--and not just meaningless busywork--guaranteed to every citizen of this country--and the pay for this work should be enough to live on with comfort and dignity.

I believe this model could be realized right now if the incredible "compensation packages" given to corporate heads, some doctors, lawyers and so forth were equalized with normal workingman's salaries--and by this I don't mean a "socialist state", since I have been around enough to know that they never work--I just mean that enough is plenty for anyone--the rest is just plain greed.

There would be a tremendous outcry by the rich that this could not be done--but I believe that it nevertheless must and will be done fairly soon right here in our America.

Thank you for considering this proposal.

I wish you continued success in every part of your life.

Sincerely,

Thomas F. Wold

...

Open Letter to Governor Scwartzenegger 1.

Tanya photo, 2009

March 3, 2009


Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,


We hope you had a very good trip to Germany—a very interesting and vivid land—and of course the neighbor of your birth country.

Now that you have returned, there are some actions which I suggest you should undertake immediately—since the economic disaster is growing more ugly every hour in California and the entire world.

Some of my suggestions will take considerable use of extraordinary powers, but as the situation grows daily worse, perhaps the majority of the public—your constituents--will will support the changes.

You should cap the rate of rent charged by landlords immediately.

The working classes to which most of us belong and now the ex-working classes—most of us without income—and the rest of us living in fear that their next paycheck will be their last—as it probably will be, and that they will be evicted.

I also suggest you cut the monthly rents owed to landlords by half.

Most of us are truly being gauged by the owners of the apartments or houses we rent—few of us are owners—and the rent now charged has grown higher and higher during the economic bubble and now that the bubble has burst the rents have remained high—though the money to PAY the rents has in many cases vanished.

Most of us depend on at least two full incomes to pay rent on basic habitations and other necessities—and these incomes simply do not exist any more.

If you do not take action that is creative and drastic—it is probable that California will experience very difficult times indeed.

I voted for you and am a “member of your team”.

Do not let us down.

Sincerely,

Thomas F. Wold

Bush's Rules

"First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully," Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo wrote, adding later: "The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically."

Department of "Justice" document (October 23, 2001) from Bush era revealed today by President Obama (March 2, 2009).

OUCH!

Tomasito, 2009


...

Queen Califa's Magical Garden

Kids Examine Fantastic Egg in Garden. (Tomasito photo, 2009)

There is a breathtaking piece of walk-in sculpture here in Escondido, California: "Queen Califa's Magical Garden", realized by an international sculptress, Niki de Saint Phalle.

It is absolutely unique--a new kind of art for the new world, for sure.

The entire sculpture covers on area of perhaps half an acre--and the whole thing is a vivid melange of mirrors, tiles and gaudy wonderful mosaics--and not just your usual mosaics--but polished stones and glass of all sorts and colors.

Then there are huge undulating snakes and weird "totem poles" of the most outlandish and impossible creatures.

It takes the mosaics of the Spaniard Gaudi and the Watts Towers of Los Angeles and the children s fountain in the Turtle Bay Arboretum in Redding--and just moves off from them into a whole new and elaborate artistic concept.

Visiting it is a fantastic experience.

By golly, I don't often get this enthusiastic about a work of art, but this one is absolutely splendid in my book!

Tomasito, 2009


...