"My life would have been different if only... I'D GONE TO ART SCHOOL".

(#2 in the present series) But I didn't, and now realise that -- at least in terms of gaining access to galleries and exhibitions, I face an ever-upending struggle and ultimately unresolvable battle to be accepted by the art world as a 'real' artist.

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Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on September 6, 2014 at 5:19am

v) (cont) In the UK military veterans get priority treatment -- but there isn't enough of it available for psychological/trauma counselling.

viii) cannabis is widely available in the Netherlands through licensed shop. My son has a 'local', and I go there with him sometimes when he buys a joint (or five). It's just like going into what I remember of a licensed  Canadian liquor store --read the product descriptions, fill in an order form, pay your money, and after a minute or two, here comes your weed of choice. It's harder, and nominally illegal, to get hold of the stuff here in France, but if you know your way around.... Most drugs in this part of France are 'soft', but if you go to a big(ger) city, then the whole world of narcotics is at your finger-tips (so I am told). My drugs are alcohol and, currently, cycling.

ix) I don't know the ice hockey stars you mention. I only spent one year in Canada and had very limited exposure to ice hockey (but I did learn to ice skate). Ice hockey is a very, very minority sport in all of Europe, except for the Scaninavian countries. There are few indoor rinks, and they are mostly used for ice skating. There's a rink at Narbonne about 20 miles away: I don't know if they play ice hockey there, and have never read anything about it in the local paper. Bobbies Hull and Orr are the only ice hockey stars I remember. Sad to hear about Mr Hull falling from grace. I like the sculptures -- they do seem to capture the movement of the players.

v) CORRECTION in earlier message: "first $$$$$$$$(00/year for opticians and dentist fees)". This should be $500/year for opticians and dentist fees.

ii) ADDITION:

APOLOGY: I pressed the end button before I re-read the first message -- apologies if it's all mixed up.

QUESTION: I sent you a 'Friends request'. did you get it? Did you decline it?

Have a Good Weekend! Regards de Val

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on September 6, 2014 at 5:06am

Bonjour!

For some reason this wasn't delivered to me yesterday, so a delayed response. here goes:

i) two observations: a) nothing seems to get banned on the Internet...look hard enough and you can find anything & everything (so I am told): b) there seems to be some really offensive lyrics in rap 'songs' -- not that that is a genre(sic) that I know anything about or listen to if I can possibly help it.

ii) I have adopted a new policy for my new non-Smart phone when a person is barraging me with sms messages, then I reply, "If you want to communicate with me, please phone and then we can talk, but I'm not replying to any more smss;"They rarely call -- surprising how the cost of a phone call (if there is a cost, which isn't too often if they have a subscription) will put people off having not even face-to-face communication, but also voice-to-vice commeunication.

I mostly keep my phone turned off.

On knitting, I do French knitting, and am currently making a series of mobiles using audio cassettes. Here is the latest one:

The cats spent hours yesterday trying to get the feathers. The dog sweaters are very nice indeed: I almost wish i was a dog!

I can't knit. I wish i could crochet squares, but I can't, and haven't found anyone to teach me.

v) the French medicare system is very good (so was the Dutch one I was previously enrolled in). I pay about $120/month and get extensive health care for that, with 90%+ of my medical bills met (plus the first $$$$$$$$(00/year for opticians and dentist fees). As I've had 4 (toe) operations plus all the assorted follow up treatment  of x-rays, blood tests, examinations, etc (and spent almost 2 weeks in hospital), this is very good value for money. Most European medicare systems are the same -- the Scandinavian ones even better, the Uk one slightly worse. My friend Doug in the UK had to wait so long for a proper diagnosis of cancer in his toe and then the necessary treatment that by the time he finally knew what was wrong, his toe could not be saved and it had to be amputated. Vets bills here are high. I get a slight discount from my local vet as he is also a friend. The cats are (fingers crossed) in good health.

Comment by Shellie Lewis | moved 2020! on September 4, 2014 at 8:58pm

I had work yesterday for a new job and have today off. ☺

 

i) I know more about banned books than songs, especially if they were banned in my lifetime. Books for children or young adults are the most contentious. There is little banned for music but there is what is called a "radio edit" where the version played has less cursing or vulgar content. Radio stations can usually play whatever they want but may have to pay fines for certain curse words.

ii) I'm not a brain surgeon or similar, so no one needs to reach me with any urgency. My phone is old and gets basic texts but no internet. I turn it off in the evening. Many people check their email and online sources a lot but maybe not that much. My boyfriend checks online about three or four times a day, organizing a game and who is coming to play, students with questions and the like. I also control television because we have a DVR. I don't care if I see some new show right away. I record everything and skip the commercials, and that saves half the time to watch the show. I love knitting! I design sweaters for my friends' small dogs.

Small dogs may be humilated or proud of the new sweater based on temperament... :D

v) Urban poverty perpetuates when groups of people get trapped into ghettos. I feel like all their time and energy gets spent trying to survive every day.  

The European and Canadian social systems are much better. I envy the Canadian medical care system. There is very little care for the poor in the USA. If you cannot afford to pay cash and/or afford to pay for health insurance, you go without care. The meager government system here is terrible. I owe $1200 for a tooth that needed surgery and a crown so I am trying to pay an amount every month. I remember a story of a carpenter who was out of work and he died of a toothache, since he got blood poisoning waiting to get a job again so he could pay a dentist. If you have a major injury or illness without adequate insurance, the medical debts will bankrupt you and maybe your whole family. Vision care and dental care is treated like a luxury here as far as the structure is: if you have no money, then you get no care. All forms of care -medical, dental, vision- cost a great deal of money. Veterinary care is the lowest cost. My dog had a fever, and that ran me $300 because the veterinarian wanted a blood test done. Doctors and surgeons pay a lot in insurance and still expect incomes that generate wealth, usually wanting much higher than middle class incomes. There is a controversy now because the true wait times for military veterans has been made public showing where many go weeks or months without being able to see a doctor, even if they are very ill.

Comment by Shellie Lewis | moved 2020! on September 4, 2014 at 8:54pm

viii) The drug lords want their wares to be illegal! People in Denver, Colorado had a celebration in a park when their state made marijuana illegal (which is still illegal in Federal law, so the state is defying the high court.) Gangs came and fired guns to hurt and kill people in the park celebration making weed legal. The gangs were trying to stop the legalization. Crime and terrorism needs drugs to be illegal so they can make all the money. Illegal drugs give crime a monopoly in trade. Marijuana, which is as easy to grow as marigolds, would take a lot of money from crime if it were legal. Probably no worse than alcohol being legal. It's just a plant and no one needs a chemistry degree to figure out how to use it. In the USA, stoners have what they call "ditch weed". They walk along railroad tracks and other places that are not any one person's property; they throw seeds and come back months later to harvest any plants that popped up on their own. My parents were drug dealers and there is too much money involved. The drug dealers are very inventive and have no morals on what they will not do, their only god is money, and they will do anything to get drugs and money. The USA prison system is huge and keeps getting more privatized and wants more people to lock up to earn more profit. Politicians who point out the money spent on the drug war is far greater than the cost of treatment look like fools who do not care about public safety. It seems the average American thinks that whole social order is going to collapse and we will have anarchy in the streets if there is drug legalization. The truth is we already have anarchy in the streets and huge amounts of murder right now, and this current system is working fine for criminals. It's called "price control".

ix) Bobby Hull is way ahead of my time. He is a Hall of Fame player who is still near Chicago. Mostly an affable, old drunk. I hear he is friendly and nice to fans. Some people I know hate him, there was an ugly time long ago where he beat his wife and it became public. He is a "team ambassador" and still works for the Blackhawks in a limited way to promote the team. I prefer Stan Mikita, the less famous linesman, is also still around Chicago. Remembered as tough, hardworking, and he has done many good things for other people, notably doing a lot to start a summer camp for young deaf and hard of hearing players to learn the sport. I've met Pierre Pilote a few times and Tony Espositio. Pilote can be very charming, Espositio is energetic and warm. The players of their time worked very hard and were paid very little. Team owners were often cruel or tyrannical before the players union. Anyway, the current team owner had large bronze statues of Hull and Mikita made. I'm not fond of the colour on the bronze but they are well sculpted.

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on September 3, 2014 at 4:44am

Bonjour, again!

Your narrative about thieves, guns, break-ins and so on is a true horror story. I have almost nothing to compare with this -- but then for the last 35odd years, I have lived in small villages (on the outskirts of medium-sized towns). In Holland my house was broken into once (we caught the lad who did it -- a class-mate of my daughter), and the wheels were stolen from my car (a company car, so they were instantly replaced). In France, the only incident in the last 11 years was when some bastard stole the rear light covers of my car about a month ago -- they are hard to replace. And that's it. This area is (& I suppose I tempt the gods by saying this) almost crime-free, especially free of major crimes. The local police do not carry guns, but the gendarmes (the state police) do. Visiting Brits say that living in rural France today is like living in the UK 30 years ago -- quiet, calm, almost crime free, people know ech other, respect for neighbours, looking after other people's children, etc. Mind you, life in the big cities is, I am told, almost as bad as some of your descriptions of Chicago.

Vive la France!

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on September 2, 2014 at 9:06pm

v**) I am typing this with my a $10,000 Rolex watch on my left wrist. My ex bought it for me in China for about $50. My other watch cost about $75, and I've had it for years. I'm good at bluffing, and pulling off tricks like you described. The secret is to be confident, and not put yourself in a position where people challenge your credentials. You don't necessarily have to go up matrket to do this. For example, my car is very, very much down market -- so down that you can't get much lower -- but it's a classic, and people are fond of it, so I can bluff my way into all sorts of car shows, parades, etc. I bluffed my way through government offices, parlialents, IGOs, civil services, universities, think tanks, etc for many, many years.

Go with the fake diamonds! Use an old Army bag instead of a flash hand-bag, etc. Shoes? A pair of either newish and clean, or old and classic, addidas or Nikes, should do.

viii) there was a report out this week (UN? EU?) that said that ecigarrettes should be considered the same as ordinary cigarettes for advertising, packaging, marketing, health etc purposes. Of course, the big tobacco companies -- which have invested heavily in ecigarettes -- are lobbying against this. There is a seperate issue in the UK concerning the medical prescription of cannabis-based drugs for MS sufferers. Medical opinion says it helps them, and is not addictive given the doses concerned, but this (and previous) government takes a very hard line on soft drugs

ix) I remember another Bobby of the same era -- Bobby Hull. Does your boyfriend rate him too?

x) I was poor and living like you when I was a student and when I'd just started working. then over the years I got quite rich. then I got divorced and became poor again. Now I/we have enough to live on providing that we keep things simple -- well, I do, but my partner, well she has some expensive tastes. I don't travel anymore; I don't want to, and can't afford to. I went to Holland in June to see my new (and first) grandson, and that's all my travel for 2014.

That, I'm afraid is all for now.

More tomorrow morning.

Take care, Val

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on September 2, 2014 at 8:59pm

Bonsoir!

I haven't time to reply to all of these tonight, but let's see how i get on.

i) Somewhere I have a book about banned songs. But I can't seem to find it. My daughter has probably 'borrowed' it, ie it will never be seen by me again. Was 'the Universal Soldier' banned in the US? One that the censors missed in the UK, and one of my favourite songs, is the Shirelles 'Will you still love me tomorrow?' Now I don't think anything gets banned music-wise.

ii) Bureaucracy makes the world go round, especially in the so-called 'liberal professions'. What do not very good lawyers and doctors and architects etc become? Bureaucrats for their profession.

iii) I read yesterday that a UStudy revealed that people check their emails 74 times a day (and night). It's a drug, an addiction. I might be addicted to somethings, but not to any electronic device. generally, if I don't know about something I'm perfectly happy to remain ignorant (eg drought in Africa is not of interest to me, I'm sorry to say), or I'll drag myself along to the library and look it up. Only when I'm desperate will I ask Mr Google or Mr Wicked D Pedia for help. By avoiding screens, I have lots of time for reading, doing art, walking & cycling, knitting, and other things. So, no TV, no movies, very little mobile phones, and as little internet as possible. And I'm happy.

My water company recently asked me to take a photo of my water meter and email it to them. i told them that I have neither a computer nor a digital camera -- so could I either tell them what the reading was, or would they prefer to send someone round? Either way, it is not my job to read the meter.  We'll get back to you, they said. Two weeks later I have not heard from them. Typical.

v) in the same way that I can avoid electronic media, I avoid advertising. I never read adverts, promotional mail gets binned, etc. Abject poverty like you describe is not present on such a scale in rural France (or England, or Holland), but it does exist in big cities; I think that the European social democracy model provides more of a safety net for the extreme poor than the American capitalist one. That said, there are poor people, especially migrants and immigrants who live on the margins of society. As to the 'super rich', well as far as I'm concerned, they're living on another planet, and I don't even read about them. A soccer play got transferred from a French club (where he earned about $600,000 a week, tax free) to an English club, and took a salary cut so now he only earns $500,000 a week; 'Only' is the key word there. Poor guy -- I feel really sorry for him.

Comment by Shellie Lewis | moved 2020! on September 2, 2014 at 5:51pm

I rule out food with tentacles. It does not taste good and are too chewy. :p Calamari are safe from my dinner plate.

Painting has a slow learning curve. My favorite art professor told me many people get a career going at age 40 or later because if they started around age 20 that gives them at least two decades to develop their skills. He had a strong opinion that time was an important factor in a painting career. I have seen a lot of work of painters in retrospective shows where you walk through their entire lifetime. The Regenstein Hall in the Museum of the Art Institute is huge and currently has the life work of Rene Magritte (who largely worked in advertising). The radical increase in skills in his later works is amazing to see; he went from good to great over time.

A lot of people are artists but are terrible teachers. I had a lot of professors and even primary school instructors who were terrible teachers, unable to convey what they knew and understood. A number of them earned teaching jobs through having had successful art careers - all of which were short. It strikes me that factor does not necessarily mean any of them were qualified to teach. The teachers that explain things well have a variety of ways to communicate concepts, care deeply about art and like people. They are not in a class primarily for the paycheck or to lord power over students. The worst professor I had knew the sun set on her art career decades ago and she was bitter. She spoke of her former fame and ripped apart student work in class. She expected students to worship her or cower in front of her, and I refused to do either. We hated each other and I openly clashed with her in classes. She was not used to insubordination or arguing. I never learned anything from her, unless the lesson was about abuse of power because she told my grades to her pet student who seemed in love with her. That girl stalked me and harassed me in another class the following semester. I filed a complaint with the head of the art department since my privacy was violated, a fact I knew when the girl repeated my personal information to my face, but the head of the art department was close friends with the tyrant professor and protected her from any punishment for breaking the privacy laws.

Also, that school gets sued a lot for things like privacy violations, racism and union contract violations. College and universities are a comedy of petty tyrants in their little kingdoms. One professor got his student pregnant and she was barely 18 years old with some kind of obvious mental impairment which added to the list of humiliations for my former college. There is footage on YouTube of the college president yelling at a student who is angry because he was homeless. (Also, this president and the school was in the process of being sued for racism a second time by someone who won a prior multi-million dollar case against them.) The college tried to hold a meeting when it was made public the president was the 3rd highest paid private college president in the USA and lived in a mansion (with servants!) owned and paid for by the school. The students and the homeless student are furious and refused to I had higher education on a sacred pedestal and that toppled after attending my school.

I hope your art show ambitions find success. I thought of something in the context of part v) which may help.** If you have other spaces like a local library, book shop or cafe then maybe see if you can use a room for an art show on your own if your proposals are not accepted. Doing your own thing is easier than begging permission. This nice woman in London called for art here on this website and is showing the works she has received in borrowed a cafe and she is doing this on her own which I think is wonderful.

Comment by Shellie Lewis | moved 2020! on September 2, 2014 at 5:51pm

i) True fact: The Edwin Starr "War" song is banned from USA radio along with "Killing Me Softly" and a few other tunes when we are at war. I don't know if that is Federal Communications Commission enforceable these days, but it has been the case most of my life.

ii) Bureaucracy was what really brought down the Roman Empire. I have no idea why people love bureaucracy. We create complex system where none need to exist. Maybe it obfuscates hierarchal power structures, makes the peasants feel like participants. 

Comment by Shellie Lewis | moved 2020! on September 2, 2014 at 5:51pm

iii) - iv) Technology can take a lot of time only in exchange for distraction. I totally understand that. I skipped television for 8 years and got through a lot of books. I can semi-speed read and type really fast, so I slam through messages fast. If people are not rapid data processors, they are going to suffer with multi-tech in today's world. In the USA screens are in the lines at the grocery store, on the gasoline pump and everywhere. I know a lot of people in their 20s and since they grew up with the internet and digital media, they seem different to me. They are rapid processors, used to instant assessment of content, used to multi-tasking and integrated / invasive media. It seems they both can and cannot pay attention to things, in that they are used to having an array of attention grabbing elements competing for their attention, and they are not used to just paying attention to one single thing at a time. My boyfriend teaches web design at a college and a university and has seen the change over time. He has lost the battle of making them concentrate in classes. They cell phone text, online message, stream feeds, listen to music, eat, play games and attend class at the same time. He can't make them stay off Facebook or Minecraft and just listen to a lecture and take notes. Even if you unplug their classroom computer, they take out their smartphone, iPod, iPad, etc.

I feel your should not discard all electronic media because there are many good things. I like TED video lectures online because I learn a lot and they carry an overall message of hope for the future. You have people all over the world sharing their expertise and experience, people who are trying to bring positive change into the world, people who are working with major challenges. If someone wants to explain how they have offset drought in Africa, I want to learn. 

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