Kerry James Marshall Exhibit at MOCA

This is a must see exhibit featuring 80 of the artists works, many of them wall sized.  As a black artist Marshall confronts race relations, but in an unusual way.  Apologies in advance for forgetting my camera, and relying on my phone.

He avoids stereotypes, showing everyday black life.

How subversive this can be is shown by the next picture that was discussed on NPR.

This is part of Marshall's series of paintings of housing projects, mainly in Chicago, but one in Los Angeles.  Whites viewing this pictures see the man as having dead eyes, reflecting their view of the projects.  But the artist, and most Blacks, see the man as relaxed, chilling.  Note the tunes from his radio in the corner, his pop and the green grass.

The following picture argues for a black definition of beauty that need not parrot the white concept.  Note that racism may be replaced by a bit of sexism.

Some pictures are more direct, such as the depiction of two dead children with the date of their deaths.

When you go please see and read about the three pictures of medallions with a photo of a white woman in each.  You will be moved.

The glass door Marshall sought to break was the one keeping black artists out of major museums.  One of his reasons for large paintings was to break a pattern of only white painters  going big.  Similarly he toyed with traditional styles, showing his mastery of such forms.  Below is symbolism of death, using the Byzantine style.

I have only touched the surface.  Please see for yourself, and let me know your thoughts.

Populist Fraud

Actions shout, words only whimper.  Trump has preached from the populist hymnal, but has seated big business and big money in the front pew.  TrumpCare cut taxes for the rich, and cut benefits and increased premiums for everyone else.   The repeal of broad band privacy rules allows big business to profit from your private information, without your consent.  Cut back of clear air and clean water regulations, choke the poor, but not the wealthy, who can afford  pristine vacation homes.

Trump's tax reform will be the next big test.  Who will get the biggest tax cuts?  If the cuts are across the board, who will pay for the "free lunch."  For instance the proposed border tax, is a hidden tax on consumers.  You will pay higher prices.  Such a "tax" hits the middle class hard.

Don't put money in the collection plate if big business and big money are taking it out.

Selling Your Commercial Soul

Our petty populist, is actually a big business buffoon.  We little guys that Trump swore to protect, value our privacy.  Obama era FCC rules had my back.  My information could not be shared, without my consent.

Trump is ready to sign legislation selling us out.  Now our commercial souls can be freely bought and sold.  If you like spam, you are going to be eating buckets of it every time you go online.

Pole Vaulting

The Gallup poll is galvanizing media attention.   Trump has failed to clear 40 on successive attempts. A 36 approval rating is an unheralded flop.  But the real bad news is the Rasmussen poll.  Missing Rasmussen is understandable.  Nate Silver at 538, only gives the poll a C+.  That means they could barely predict the weather in a snow storm.

Moreover, Rasmussen has a heavy Republican bias.  As recently as March 6 he was an extreme outlier, showing Trump with a 52% approval rating.  But even with that net positive, Trump narrowly trailed among those with strongly held opinions.

Now, Rasmussen has Trump down 45 to 55.  More telling, Trump is strongly disapproved by 44% and only strongly approved by 27%.   His core support is down to slightly over a quarter,  and his most strident opposition is nearing one half of likely voters.  The man of gold is barely competing for the bronze.

Kushner Craps on Staff

Whether in a campaign, or in governance, political staffers work unfathomable hours.   Commitment, the adrenaline rush of being at the nexus of power, and the hope of advancement compensate for 18 hour days.

This was the most challenging week for the new administration.  The House Intelligence Committee held open hearings, their Supreme Court nominee testified before the Senate Judicial Committee, and their first major piece of legislation was coming up for a difficult house vote.  Staffers were living on coffee, jolt, and cold pizza.

Jared and Ivanka were skiing.  Kushner has a cushy office in the West Wing, and Ivanka's office is being decorated as you read this.  Jared's White House connection is about to garner a 400 million dollar profit in a real estate deal with a Chinese company.

When the rubber met the road, their skis were gliding down the snow.  Staff morale was descending even faster.  The only thing cold and white for them, was the mozzarella on last nights pizza.

Art of the Spueal

Candidate Trump was going to repeal and replace Obamacare on day one with something awesome.  President Trump said, "No one understands how complicated healthcare is."  Actually Trump was the only simpleton in the room.  Everyone knows the sector that makes up 1/6th of the economy, and accounts for the mental and physical well being of 300 million Americans, is complex.

Going into final negotiations AHCA proponents giddily promised that Trump was the closer.  He would seal the deal.  Afterwards, Spicer and others explained that this was not a  one on one negotiation.  Many people and factions were in play.  In other words Trump is a master at checkers, but not the three dimensional chess, that is politics.

Always quick to accept credit, Trump is even quicker at deflecting blame.  The Democrats were at fault.  Not a single Democrat backed the bill.  Trump neglected to mention that no one asked Democrats for their input or their votes.  In the mad rush to a vote there were no witnesses called, no committee hearings, no meetings with medical groups, and no outreach to Democrats.

This stands in stark contrast to Obamacare.  The ACA passed without GOP votes, but not for want of trying.  Obama started with a super majority in the Senate and could have easily passed the bill on a straight party vote.  Instead he spent months, and made unilateral concessions, to garner support from moderate GOP senators.

The squealer in chief has no one to blame but himself.  Something he will never do.

GOP Owns Heath Care

Adverse selection has limited competition in many markets.  Those at high risk, and with preexisting conditions have heard the siren call of ObamaCare.  Younger, healthier individuals pushed the mute button. So in some markets insurance companies are losing money, and withdrawing from exchanges, lessening competition, and exacerbating the problem.   Now that the GOP has failed to enact a replacement, they should join with Democrats to make some simple changes in the law to enhance competition.

Additionally, our media savvy president, sho has successfully sold fake diplomas,  could easily entice the young to buy insurance.  But instead, he cut the advertising budget.  His golden touch hides a heart of coal.  Trump has extolled the political virtue of letting the ACA fail.  Human suffering is a small price to pay for a political victory.

The GOP controls the levers of government.  If Social Security fails on their watch, they cannot blame FDR.  Such is also the case with the ACA.   Democrats must publicly propose changes to improve Obamacare.  Republicans fail to act at their own peril.

Short Ride on a Long Tail

Every city  with canals is called the Venice of, fill in the blank.  Bangkok is the Venice of Thailand.  Dazzled by city lights it is easy to miss the khlongs (canals).  The Chaophraya vitally provides north/south transportation for locals and tourists.   No visit to Bangkok is complete without a ride on the orange flagged express boats.  But for east/west transportation, locals still rely on the khlongs.

For tourists the khlongs slice through local life.  If you are nimble, most certainly join locals jumping on a canal boat for a mere 10 baht.  A more leisurely, and expensive, alternative is hire a long tail boat.

Our Boat

With some bargaining, you can hire a boat for 1000 baht per hour.  

                                                Roslyn, and our friends Justin and Sharon

With 4 that is about 15 dollars per person for two hours.  You can find boats for hire at Tha Chang Pier, near the Grand Palace, River City Shopping Pier, and Sathern Central Pier.  The latter has the most boats, and is conveniently located a few steps from the Saphan Taksin stop on the Silom line of the Sky Train.

Before heading to the Khlongs, we stopped at Wat Arun.  Some restoration was on going.  Having taken many pictures on prior trips, I only took a few this time.

The khlongs feature a wide variety of houses, most with canal access.

 Saw the children too late to get a well focused shot, but they were so cute, that I kept it anyway.

Wats accessed by the water are also part of daily life.

While exploring the waterways, you can get a drink, snack or even a hat.

Before reentering the river, we stopped at the Royal Barges Museum.

One of the pleasures of the museum, is that it is among the least visited of Bangkok's museums.  The museum is tricky to find by land, but has an easy dock for boats.  On special ceremonial occasions the boats carry the royal entourage in a procession of over 50 boats.

The King's boat is the one with the nagas (serpents).

The museum usually houses 5 or more yachts.

The boats, although not wide,  are quite long.

The guardians on the bow have motifs you will have seen at the Grand Palace complex.

As you head back,

you might even get a cooperative driver to stop for coffee

But the far better option, is to wait until you return.  The Bangrak section of Bangkok, is a prime area for street food and small local restaurants.

Sharp Difference Between UK and US

We all fear the mega terrorist attack.  We cannot forget 9/11, or the Paris massacre.  Fortunately, the greater the need for coordination and movement of people and material, the greater the chance of detection.

The home grown, self-radicalized terrorist is the dangerous needle in a haystack.  His only resources are his unbalanced mind, his focused hatred, and the weapons he can buy or assemble.   In today's attack in England, the weapons were a car and a knife.  Do we have any doubt, that in America, an assault rifle would have multiplied the carnage?

European gun control laws partially defang lone wolves.

History Made Easy

Many history buffs design itineraries around Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, or Sukhothai in Central Thailand.  But Ayutthaya is an easy add on to a visit to Bangkok.   The 2nd capitol of Thailand, after Sukhothai,  and before Bangkok, is about an hour and one half from Bangkok.  Multiple tour groups offer packages that usually include travel one way by boat. Low cost independent travel is available by minivan or bus from Mo Chit Bus Station, and by train.

We hired our own guide and driver.  Even that convenient method only cost a bit over 200 dollars with hotel pickup and drop off, all admission tickets, and a great lunch.  As noted in my prior posts, the trip also included the Summer Palace and a local, it touristy, floating market.  But the heart of the day was the temples of Ayutthaya.

Wat Phanan Choeng just outside of the historic park actually was built in 1324, predating the establishment of the Ayutthaya kingdom in 1351.  Unlike the vast ruins, this temple has been preserved and renovated, remaining in near constant use.  Do not miss the robe ceremony.

Think of the Blue Man Group, but with orange silk replacing the endless stream of toilet paper.

If you look carefully you can see Rosyln in the lower left corner.

Viewing the giant Buddha is a heady experience.

Along one wall are hundreds of tiny Buddhas including the ones below.  Can you find the empty square?

Rubbing the wheel until it makes a sound brings good luck.  My smiling wife made it hum.

Ayutthaya contains an endless parade of Stupas and Buddhas, dating from the 14th Century.

 A well perched, bird.

Ayutthaya has its own reclining Buddha, presently sans gold.

An obvious highlight is the buddha enveloped by a tree.

Our guide, Nook, was always there to answer any question.  An official Thai guide is extensively trained, passing a test to get her license.

But the most important questions for Nook, were where, and what, to eat.  She took us to a local favorite,  a large, and blessedly air conditioned, restaurant.  She ordered a wonderful Tom Yam soup made with peanuts instead of the typical coconut milk, and a standout noodle dish.  But my favorites were two dishes I never had in Thailand, fried mushrooms, and a semi-dried beef.