Once again it’s Christmas Eve and time for our perennial Christmas post which seems to gain more relevance and urgency with each year……2025 has been no exception. Merry Christmas to you all!
It seems that every where you turn these days, it is becoming incorrect to celebrate the Christmas holidays in “the manner in which you have become accustomed”- at least in the manner in which I have become accustomed.
To truly celebrate the Christmas season, and that’s what it is, no matter what anyone says, I have become open-minded and willing to accept EVERYONE’S ideas for the holiday season. If you disagree, please refrain from attending any “holiday” parties or dinners, taking the day off on December 25th or 26th (should you work for a company that still acknowledges these days as holidays) and carry on as usual. Should you happen to work for the government you are safe (for now) as they would never legislate against their own days off, although when it comes to politicians, I don’t believe never is in their vocabulary (particularly when it comes to matters involving taxes).
The true “spirit” of the holiday season (oops, I meant to say Christmas) is for people to pause and give thanks. According to the man-made calendar of months and years, we are getting ready to start a New Year.
We give thanks for the things we have received in the past (not to be confused with Thanksgiving, another man-made tradition) and offer gifts to the people that have blessed us over the past year.
Being the humble (not humbug, Mr. Scrooge) creatures that we are, we also accept gifts from others (although for most it is not OUR birthday), all the while muttering that we aren’t worthy. Once these gifts are exchanged, a significant amount of “Why would she buy me this?” and “I don’t NEED another scarf” or “Does he think I’m that big?” are voiced in private, to be repeated over the next month or so. In the days immediately following Christmas, our thankful spirit has usually been diminished significantly.
The greatest reason for pausing at the end of the year (and any time, for that matter) is to be grateful for what you have.
Being grateful does not mean that you have to thank every one in your life personally, and you DON’T have to buy them a gift. If you are expecting a gift from someone you are probably going to be disappointed, and if you don’t reciprocate in kind you are going to be REALLY disappointed. If you have chosen to be open-minded I want to thank you for getting this far. I hope that you will also be open to a spiritual suggestion that will make you feel happy inside even though you may have received nothing outside.
Whether it is Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, the Chinese New Year, Hanukkah or Guy Lombardo’s Rocking New Year’s Eve, let those people who enjoy these festivals enjoy them. When someone acknowledges you with a holiday greeting that you are unfamiliar with, don’t believe in or if it makes you blow a gasket, pause for a moment and reply with a hearty “That’s The Spirit!”. Unless they have an aversion to ghosts, that reply should be fairly safe no matter what the season.
Let others grumble and complain that Christmas is too commercialized, the spirit of giving has been lost (or is too expensive), kids are spoiled today, no one appreciates anything and the holidays are just too much of a hassle anymore. Bellowing “That’s The Spirit!” right back at them is a great stress reliever, and at the very least will allow them to walk away from you (quickly, perhaps) in much the same way Lucy was bowled over by Charlie Brown’s enthusiastic “That’s It!” in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
At the risk of revealing my upbringing, I wish everyone a “Merry Christmas”, “Happy New Year” and a “God bless us, everyone”. By the way, for me it truly IS a wonderful life… For the Silo, Rick Fess.
Chef Shelley Alexander is a big fan of “start your day off with a green smoothie” even if that day is Christmas morning.
For many people, the holidays involve indulging in buffet tables loaded with lots of fattening, processed foods and sugary sweets.
For those of us who strive the rest of the year to eat a healthy diet while leading busy lives, it can be a challenging time. Not only are we busier than ever, we know that all those foods we usually try to avoid are going to give us indigestion, sap our energy, and pile on the pounds.
“It really isn’t hard to give yourself, your family and friends the gift of delicious, nutrient-rich meals over the holidays,” says holistic chef and certified healing foods specialist Shelley Alexander, author of “Deliciously Holistic,” (www.aharmonyhealing.com), a new, full-color cookbook featuring more than 154 of her favorite healing foods recipes and 50 pages of holistic lifestyle tips to increase energy and immunity.
“Instead of heading to the local supermarket, visit a farmers’ market, where you can buy fresh, local, seasonal and organic produce, along with other nutritious foods created by farmers and local food artisans,” she says. “You’ll have a much more enjoyable experience in addition to stocking up on all the ingredients you need to have handy. You can also find excellent choices at natural and health food stores.”
Nutrient-rich, whole foods that don’t have unnatural fillers and other additives, including seasonal, organic vegetables and fruits, wild-caught
seafood, and pasture-raised, organic chicken and meats that come from well-fed, unadulterated, healthy animals, will completely nourish your body, make you feel better and ramp up your energy, she says. And you’ll find you won’t overeat, so it’s much easier to maintain your weight without counting calories.
Unbelievable calorie count!
Alexander offers six tips for quick and convenient healthy eating during the holidays.
1• When shopping, check labels and avoid foods with a long list of ingredients. The best whole foods have one or just a few unprocessed or minimally processed, easily recognized ingredients, Alexander says. Among ingredients to avoid: chemicals, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, nitrates, MSG, genetically modified ingredients and preservatives (indicated by the initials BHT, BHA, EDTA and
THBQ.)
2• Set aside a few hours each week to prep foods to eat in the days ahead. Cut up produce and store it in airtight containers. Lightly wash produce before using with natural vegetable wash or use one part white vinegar to three parts water. Make several homemade vinaigrettes or dressings to last all week so you can make leafy greens and vegetable salads in minutes. Clean and marinate enough meat or poultry for dinners over the next few days.
3• Start your day with a green smoothie. Cut and freeze organic fresh fruit to use in green smoothies. You can also buy frozen fruit that’s already cut up. Add organic kale or spinach, coconut water or nut and seed milks plus natural sweeteners such as dates or stevia for an energy-boosting beverage.
4• For your holiday dinners, plan on making at least three to four dishes that are both delicious and nutritious. Good examples are pasture-raised, wild turkey with sage and garlic, baked wild salmon with lemon and herbs, steamed greens, roasted heirloom root vegetables drizzled with balsamic glaze, pureed winter squash soups, and desserts made with seasonal fruits, spices, and healthy sweeteners like coconut sugar or raw honey.
5• Invest in a dehydrator. Dehydrate fruits and vegetables and raw nuts or seeds that have been soaked in unrefined sea salt water (which removes anti-nutrients, kick-starts the germination process, and increases key vitamins), and you’ll have plenty of on-the-go snacks with a long shelf life. Dehydrators are convenient and easy to use; Alexander recommends Excalibur branded products.
6• Make batches of fermented vegetables twice a month. Alexander recommends eating fermented vegetables every day to keep your digestive system healthy. They’re loaded with probiotics – the good bacteria your intestines need. Mix a variety of organic vegetables such as carrots and celery into brine with warm filtered water, unrefined sea salt, and cultured vegetable starter or liquid whey, and mix with shredded cabbage heads. Pack the mixture into sterilized glass jars and allow the vegetables to ferment for five to seven days. Once done fermenting, store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
“Stick to whole, healthy foods this holiday season, and you’ll feel so good, you won’t want to go near the buffet table at your office party,” Alexander says.
Shelley Alexander, CHFS: Shelley Alexander has enjoyed a lifelong love of delicious, locally grown, seasonal foods. She received her formal chef’s training at The Los Angeles Culinary Institute. Alexander is a holistic chef, certified healing foods specialist, cookbook author, and owner of the holistic health company, A Harmony Healing, in Los Angeles.
Whether you’re hosting a family Christmas dinner or are planning the office holiday party, your goal is the same: to make it a gathering your guests will always remember. Fun, unexpected surprises are an easy way to delight your co-workers, friends and loved ones. From keepsakes to party themes to the menu, there are plenty of opportunities to get creative and serve up something your guests haven’t experienced at a Christmas party before. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Keepsakes that Keep on Giving
Hosts of a holiday party aren’t usually expected to give their guests gifts, which is one way to surprise partygoers. Ideally, a gift the recipient can use over and over again will remind them of the good times they had at your party. Custom-printed hoodies, sweaters or long-sleeve shirts definitely fit that bill. Once you find a company that offers screen printing in Ottawa for small and large orders alike, you can think up a funny saying, exercise your drawing skills, use digital images or simply commemorate the event with your family or company name. Your guests will have unique, comfy hoodies or sweaters to wear at the party and something to remember you by whenever it gets chilly for years to come.
Keep in mind, however, that regardless of what you gift your guests, it’s all in the presentation. A fun way to gift custom sweaters, or any other gift this holiday season, is in a personalized DIY gift bag. Making them can be a fun and creative activity for you and the kids to experience that involves them in the gifting-giving and helps them practice their crafting skills.
Fun Christmas Dinner/Party Themes & Activities
Here are a few non-traditional Holiday party themes and activities that you can use to add a little variety to your annual dinner or get-together.
Outdoor Christmas Party Activities
Yes, Ottawa winters can get painfully cold outside in the wind. But there are also plenty of sunny winter days that are perfect for ice skating, tobogganing, a bonfire or building snow castles using sand & snow castle-building kits. Just be sure to have backup activities planned in case the weather doesn’t cooperate on the day of your party.
If frozen toes, fingers and noses would interfere with the joy of an outdoor Christmas party, or your brood is just not the outdoorsy type, you can combine your Christmas party with one of your favorite nights of the week (or month) – karaoke, game or movie night.
Unlike the impromptu sing-alongs, games of charades or traditional gatherings around the TV for a classic Christmas film, plan your holiday party as a night of full-on:
Board games. If your family and friends are board gamers, you already know that they’ve come a long way since the days of Scrabble, Monopoly, Snakes & Ladders, etc. They’re better than ever at teaching players of all ages critical thinking skills like logic, strategy and planning. Many newer games also incorporate teamwork, with players working together to beat the game itself. There are also numerous games based on popular movie franchises and stream-able series, which can make a board game an exciting pastime that ties into a Movie/TV-themed party.
Movie or Binge-TV Night Christmas Party. Films and TV shows provide an infinite number of themes to help you plan an outside-of-the-box Christmas dinner party. You can base your party on a tried-and-true family favorite, the latest global smash hit or a movie or TV show that fits a pre-determined theme.
Karaoke Competition Christmas. If you have a family filled with aspiring pop stars or better-than-average shower soloists, you can plan a karaoke party of Christmas/holiday songs or curate a playlist based on the theme of your party. You can really spice things up by making it a competition with plenty of prizes for all the participants.
Christmas Pageant Dinner and a Show
If your party will have a significant number of kids (of any age) who like to put on a show, consider sending out scripts, holding rehearsals, and turning your home or party room into a dinner theatre. Costumes can be readily thrifted or thrown together, and if you really want to go all out, backgrounds and curtain frames can be assembled easily enough by enthusiastic DIYers. Don’t forget to have a proper video camera set up on a tripod so you’ll always have the recording to enjoy with (and at the expense of) the cast.
Alternate Holiday Dinner Menu Items
Your holiday dinner menu can be influenced by your party theme, it can be based on modern takes of classic Christmas dishes, or you can simply add random non-traditional dishes like the ones below.
Holiday Taco Night
Taco night is generally a fan favorite, so why not give the people what they want? You might have to use burrito shells depending on your meat of choice, but don’t be afraid to get creative and consider the following options:
Fish. Fish tacos are a popular choice taco choice, but when was the last time you had fish tacos at a Christmas party? Also, you can use fish sticks if you’re looking for a convenient, easy-to-prepare meat filling.
Steak or ribs. Try braising or marinating them in pomegranate juice with a hint of cinnamon and/or chile pepper to spice things up a little. As an added bonus, both pomegranate and cinnamon are recommended to strengthen your immune system and help you fight off colds and flus.
Turkey. The line between a taco and a wrap can get a little blurry here, but whatever you call them, using traditional turkey accompaniments, corn, cranberries, potatoes, gravy, mac & cheese, etc., make delicious toppings.
Christmas Jambalaya
Not much can hit the spot as well as a hearty helping of jambalaya can on a cold holiday dinner night. Really, the only rules to a jambalaya are that your ingredients taste good with Cajun spices and that it’s all cooked together. Whether you go with Christmas dinner ingredients, New Orleans-inspired flavors or some type of fusion, a big pot can satisfy a lot of people.
Homemade Holiday Donuts
Puddings, pies, cakes and cupcakes are understandable go-to choices for Christmas dinner desserts, but homemade donuts with a holiday twist can ignite some excited chatter when they make their way to the dessert table. Feeling overly patriotic? Try maple glazed donuts topped with candied bacon crumble for a taste that’s both distinctly holiday and Canadian.
For the Silo, Jeg Duaso. Featured image: by Nicole Michalou via Pexels
There is no denying that Christmas is an expensive holiday. In the past, or perhaps right now, you may have found yourself spending a substantial amount of money on things like food, decorations and travelling.
However, the heftiest expense is usually the presents — approximately 34% of North American parents spend $500 on gifts (per child) during the holiday season. If you have a large family, this adds up quickly.
Instead of frantically emptying your wallet, consider using these money-saving tips over the holidays because by doing so you’ll be able to get more bang for your buck and potentially save hundreds or thousands of dollars on gifts.
1 — Use an Online Shopping Directory
Shopping local is always the best idea but let’s face it, not everything on your list can be sourced locally and including online shopping options is a no brainer. In fact, it’s fair to say that no holiday shopping trip is complete without an online shopping directory. If you’ve never used one, an online shopping directory is an innovative tool that offers a wide variety of features.
One of the primary benefits of using one of these directories is that you can use them to access digital coupons and flyers. You can use these coupons to save a significant amount of money on your purchases.
Additionally, you may need to shop in a larger outlet and if so, you can use these directories to find a shopping centre near you and important pieces of information like store hours. This way, you won’t waste your time by showing up after the Kingsway Mall or your chosen shopping mall closes.
2 — Ship Directly to the Recipient
Shopping online makes the gift-giving experience quick and convenient. With a few clicks, you can have a gift hand-delivered to your door. Although, if you won’t be seeing the recipient over the holidays, you will have to ship the item yourself. This process can get expensive!
Although it may seem unconventional, you can make your Christmas shopping easier by shipping your gifts straight to the recipients.
Even though this may take some of the fun out of it, direct shipping is a practical and cost-effective way to give gifts to people. This is especially true if the recipient lives far away.
If you want to save even more money, you should go to sites that offer free shipping.
3 — Look for Ways to Buy in Bulk
If you’re planning on hosting a holiday event, you’re probably looking for ways to save money on food. An easy way to cut back costs is by purchasing items in bulk. Although you may not want to purchase turkey or eggnog in bulk, it is practical for staples like water bottles, cookies or festive treats.
You should avoid purchasing perishable items in bulk. Some things to avoid purchasing include:
Produce (Fruits, Vegetables)
Dairy (Milk, Cheese)
Baked Goods That Are Difficult to Store
It is worth noting that you can store some of these items by freezing them.
4 – Make Your Gifts
Are you good with your hands? Do you love to create things? Have you been told that you have a knack for building stuff?
Instead of going to the Dixie Outlet Mall, you should consider making some of your Christmas gifts yourself. This is a thoughtful gesture that goes a long way with friends and family members.
To save even more money, try making your own Christmas cards. This will add a personal touch to any gift that you give.
I was travelling a local highway a few years ago when my friend pointed out the license plate on the rear of the car ahead of us. It read, somewhat cryptically to me at first, XLDBLDBL.
Then I looked again and realized this automobile owner had created a move-able billboard, and perhaps loving tribute, to the most popular and recognizable coffee brand in Canada- Tim Hortons.
The “Canadian” coffee giant is owned by American corporation Burger King and has had a presence in the U.S.A. since 2012. It made the move of super-sizing its retail coffee format over half a decade ago. The small was now called an extra-small, and was the same price as the old small. The old medium was now a small, the large was a medium and so on. You paid the same price for the same amount of Joe, you just call it by a different name. And for 20 cents or so extra, that XL double-double now got you 24 oz of coffee. That’s 3 full cups of strong coffee y’all.
Now, I love coffee as much as the next person.
Maybe more. I enjoy sampling the near infinite combinations of blends and roasts from the various growing regions of the world, much like wine. But, as with alcohol, I have found that moderation in my coffee intake is key to my mental, emotional—even physical—health.
Is anyone reading this old enough to remember when a cup of coffee used to literally be a cup of coffee: around 8 ounces (the amount in the Tim Horton’s extra-small)? But as our conception of “large” becomes ever larger, it’s like food where like so many things, excess becomes easier.
This trend is actually an American-style sizing format that’s been in place south of the border for years. Remember when Starbucks came north? Remember when you thought the Venti was an outrageous amount of coffee? That’s 20 oz., just so we’re clear. What will come to us next? The $3.99 All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet? Just how many sausages can you eat in an hour? How many do you want to eat? And for the record, Starbucks has the 31oz. size for its iced drinks called the Trenta.
That’s a lot of beverage. Trenta, in Italian, means 30.
Excess coffee consumption, according to Health Canada, can have results from irritability and sleep disturbances to muscle tremors, nausea and mood swings, according to this CBC News article from February 2010. In more extreme cases: irregular heartbeat, vomiting, diarrhea—even convulsions.
There’s positives though.
Coffee’s high antioxidant content may also be responsible for a host of health benefits: decreased susceptibility to some cancers and type-2 diabetes, and increased cardiovascular health and memory function in older adults. But Health Canada also suggests that 400mg of caffeine should be the maximum daily adult dose—the amount contained in about 3 cups, or 24oz, of coffee.
Frankly, I think there is enough rage, anxiety and insomnia in our culture without people regularly downing two or three 24oz javas every day. It’s not that everyone is going to do that. It wouldn’t even be bad for everyone. Just for most of us. So I believe a note of caution is in order: as with anything, think before you drink. – For the Silo,Alan Gibson.
DECEMBER, 2024– Scottsdale, Ariz.Diné Artist, Dealer, Curator and Antiques Roadshow Appraiser Tony Abeyta to Curate Special Exhibition, “Desert Modernism,” at Scottsdale Ferrari Art WeekExhibition to Showcase Rare Works by Fritz Scholder, Charles Loloma, Lloyd Kiva New, Frank Lloyd Wright, Phillip Curtis and Paolo Soleri.
Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week Fair is pleased to announce that Diné artist, dealer, curator and Antiques Roadshow Appraiser, Tony Abeyta, will curate a special exhibition, “Desert Modernism,” which will show the convergence and progression of Phoenix artists of Native, Anglo and Hispanic descent, from approximately 1930-1980. The exhibition will feature rare and hard-to-find works by artists, architects and designers such as Fritz Scholder, Charles Loloma, Lloyd Kiva New, Frank Lloyd Wright, Phillip Curtis and Paolo Soleri.
Abeyta is also serving as an Advisory Committee member for the Fair. The Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week Fair is a unique event at the historical and cultural crossroads of the American Southwest. Set in one of the country’s fastest-growing cities with an ascendent contemporary Indigenous culture, the fair will showcase over a hundred leading international galleries at Westworld, March 20-23, 2025.”We are absolutely thrilled to have Tony participate in Scottsdale Art Week,” says Trey Brennen, co-owner of the inaugural Fair.
“We are set to become the leading art fair in the West and that requires a strong Indigenous representation among our dealers and curators. Tony approaches art and art history with a deep understanding of the region and the contemporary work being produced at this moment. He has worked at many of the major museums in the area and has a wonderful reputation across the Southwest.”About his curation of a special for sale exhibition at the inaugural Fair, Abeyta says, “This has given me a chance to do a deep dive into one of my favorite subjects, the evolution of Modernism through the disparate art communities that converged in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area in the middle portions of the twentieth century. I’ve long been fascinated by the work Native artists were doing in the area and I want to show how they worked, showed and created alongside great artists such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Phillip Curtis and Paolo Soleri.”
Preston Singletary, “A Canoe Entered a Dream” – courtesy of Blue Rain Gallery
As a curator, Abeyta co-organized the exhibition New Terrains: Contemporary Native Art which was held at Phillips Auctions January 5-23, 2024. The watershed selling exhibition explored the influences of modernism, post-war and pop influences on work by 50 contemporary Indigenous artists including Fritz Scholder, Preston Singletary, TC Cannon, Cara Romero, Diego Romero, Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, Virgil Ortiz, Jamie Okuma, Kent Monkman, Michael Kabotie, Oscar Howe, Allan Houser, Cannupa Hanska Luger and others.
The recently closed show, Abeyta\ To’Hajiilee K’e’, at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, featured the paintings of Tony and his father, Narciso Abeyta (Ha-So-De), and the ceramic works of his sisters, Pablita and Elizabeth. Abeyta is represented by Owings Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For more information, please visit www.scottsdaleartweek.com. For the Silo, Jennifer Parks-Sturgeon.
About Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week Scottsdale Art Week (SAW) is situated at the historical and cultural crossroads of the American Southwest. It is a reflection of today’s more dynamic and contemporary community, but is rooted in our unique landscape and history. Visionary art figures from Georgia O’Keeffe to Max Ernst and James Turrell were so inspired by the local landscape that they either settled here or created monumental land art. Today the art of the Indigenous Navajo, Apache and Hopi tribes who first occupied this land to Spanish colonialism and centuries of settlement is recognized alongside them. SAW is an exciting combination of historical American Art, contemporary art and design, with a special focus on contemporary art from Indigenous and Latinx, who often blur the lines between what constitutes art and design.
About ASU, SAW Gala Benefit Partner ASU Art Museum centers art and artists in the service of community well-being and social good. The Museum is a learning-centered teaching institution, providing interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students from across the university ranging from the sciences, humanities, journalism, sociology and schools of arts and design. A teaching museum, much like a teaching hospital, is responsible for training the next generation of arts professionals and are the frontrunners in research in art history and museum studies while delivering the highest possible level of artistic standards through collection teaching, exhibition making, research and audience engagement. The museum is different from other non-profit art museums in the region because of its unique ability to leverage the resources of the largest public research university in the country for community good. ASUAM fulfills ASU’s Design Principles by serving as a bridge connecting the breadth and scope of scholarly research and learning to the experience, knowledge and needs of our local communities, thereby co-creating and creating arts and culture opportunities available for all.
Article featured image- Horseworld, 1989 by Snellen Johnson (gift of Howard E. Kleim). This bronze sculpture, signaling the entrance to Westworld, shows a group of three horses which represent an Arabian, Thoroughbred, and a Quarter Horse each representing a different behavior: the Quarter Horse is cutting, the Thoroughbred is racing, and the Arabian is showing. Snell Johnson, a self-taught artist and his sculptures are known world-wide including the MGM Lion in Las Vegas and Caesar in Johannesburg, South Africa.
With over 100 galleries displaying a curated selection of fine art and design, guests will also enjoy cultural performances, fashion shows, pop-up displays and immersive experience throughout each day.
Fashion
Daily fashion shows will be produced by Phoenix Fashion Week. All clothing is provided by select Phoenix Fashion Week designers and boutiques.
“Our ultimate mission is to garner global exposure to Arizona’s fashion industry, and this event is the perfect way to do so,” said Brian Hill, Executive Director of Phoenix Fashion Week. “It’s a great, innovative way to find emerging models while showcasing top brands and fashion in Arizona.”
From utility to showpiece, cars are a unique art form. Guests can celebrate clean lines and smooth curves while enjoying our extensive display of luxury and collector automobiles. Enjoy a special Ferrari showcase onsite at the event. Check out their entire inventory here >
Performances
Set in one of the country’s fastest growing cities with an ascendant contemporary Indigenous art culture, the fair will showcase over a hundred leading galleries at the scenic Westworld alongside cultural performances, sculptural installations, and innovative programming including collaborations with institutions, galleries, artists, and prominent collectors.
Special Events
Guests looking to explore the best the city has to offer can attend their choice of multiple off-site events during the week. From guided tours to VIP invite-only receptions. There is something for everyone at the event and throughout this great city.
The recent Netflix series, Senna, got our friends at Hagerty thinking about movie cars that—often for practical reasons—aren’t exactly what they seem. This story originally ran on their site in 2013, and we’ve freshened it up a bit to provide some helpful and entertaining context for today’s movie-car choices.
Hollywood loves to incorporate hot classic cars into movies and television shows. Producers and insurers are also notoriously risk-averse, preferring to use replicas rather than the hyper-valuable real deal whenever possible. Here are some of our favorite big- and small-screen fakes.
Nash Bridges
1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda: The ’90s San Francisco cop show revived Don Johnson’s career, pairing him with Cheech Marin (half of the stoner comedy team of Cheech and Chong). The yellow car that appeared to be an ultra-rare Hemi ‘Cuda convertible was actually what is known as a “clone,” or a car that started out as a lesser model but was restored to appear as a top shelf ‘Cuda. The difference in price is staggering—around $180,000 usd/ $259,000 cad for a convertible with the 383, more than $3M usd/ $4.25M cad for the real deal (both prices reflect #2 condition).
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1985)
1960 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder: The Ferris Bueller Ferrari is probably the best-known big screen fake and that’s why we choose it for this article’s feature image. From a distance, it appears reasonably accurate, but Ferrari aficionados can spot the differences in their sleep, from the Triumph-sourced gauges to the MGB taillights. And don’t get them talking about the bogus Italian Borrani wire wheels. A real California Spyder in #2, or Excellent, condition is nearly $20 million usd/ $28.3 million cad today.
Miami Vice (1984)
1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona: Don Johnson appears to be a bit of a magnet for fake cars. His black Daytona Spyder was actually a fake built on a Corvette chassis, and few Ferrari fans shed tears when the car was blown up in sight of Johnson’s character, Sonny Crockett, and his pet alligator, Elvis. Afterward, Crockett took to driving a white Ferrari Testarossa—a real one, this time.
Top Gun (1986)
1958 Porsche Speedster: Kelly McGillis’ character drove this one around San Diego in the classic ’80s movie. Porsche Speedsters are among the most replicated cars ever—most are convincing fiberglass bodies slapped on top of a VW Beetle platform.
The replica featured in Top Gun appears to have been one of the good ones, built by longtime Speedster replica-maker Intermeccanica. They’re still in business in British Columbia, Canada, turning out extremely high-quality vintage Porsche replicas.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
1935 Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster: Indy’s sidekick Short Round still holds the record for the best automotive chase involving a pre-teen driver. With blocks tied to the pedals, Short Round takes Jones and a lounge singer Willie Scott on a wild ride through prewar Shanghai. The car was, of course, a complete fake, and not a particularly convincing one at that. For the Silo, Rob Sass/Hagerty.
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below.
Decorating with a mix of new and found/retrieved objects image: shelterpop.com
Nearly fifty years ago, a couple of Canadian kids with no money stood in front of a minister and said, “I do.” We needed household furnishings to set up for our first apartment together. We only had one part-time job, no credit card, no line of credit, and no Mommy and Daddy bank. This forced us to be very resourceful. Think…..curbside shopping for example.
My wife and I came from accounting backgrounds.
The mind and the ways of the accountants are very different from that of our friends’ parents. Going to the store to purchase a Popsicle at the age of seven was different than other families. When I got home from the store, my Dad would ask “Where’s the receipt?” This was my conditioning; my way of life. Money was not to be wasted. When added to our poor economic conditions, we had to become very resourceful. Being in debt when we got married was not an option. Luckily the woman I married was also schooled in the same mantra of no debt.
As a city dweller, I had advantages.
Every garbage day homeowners could put out furniture, boxes of used dishes, and other unwanted items they didn’t use or need. I thought it was wasteful and unnecessary that these items went to the dump; a nicer term for landfill site. Our engagement turned out to be a year and a half long, so this gave us plenty of time to collect items for our first apartment. I called this CURBSIDE SHOPPING. My fiancée and I at the time did not have a car so we walked, rode our bicycles or took the bus. As we walked up and down the streets, my then fiancée and I discussed our future together, buying house wares, and setting up a home together. On the occasion that we were lucky to have a ride, I always had my eyes peeled for “free bargains.”
I recall on one occasion when we would be traveling around town with our friends that had a car, I suddenly yelled out, “STOP!” There at the curbside was a solid side chair with a bag of garbage on the seat. “Back up,” I demanded. “What for?” said the driver. “I saw a chair,” I quickly replied.
“I’m not stopping for a dirty old chair.” was the reply.
“Then let me out,” I demanded. The driver backed up about three or four houses away. I got out and examined my new find. The chair looked much neglected and had a small slanted back with right and left arms that curved around to the front. The horizontal spindle of the right arm had broken off. The upholstery on the seat was ripped and of the dark brown type of material that feels like a hairbrush if you sit on it. I saw potential. I loaded it into our friend’s car and we sped off. My future in-laws basement had became our storage area #1 for our new found treasures.
Another time my fiancée and I were out on garbage night browsing, when I spotted a large wooden spool. This was the kind of spool that the hydro company had left behind when they were replacing overhead wiring. It was made of rough, hardwood, loaded with knots, but very solid. After using some of my father’s left over stain, and then a liquid varathane, the spool was transformed into a spectacular coffee table. Soon, the curbside treasures brought back to our #1 storage area, was starting to fill up. This prompted us to expand to storage area #2 in my parent’s basement.
Curbside finds bring many unlikely but useful items into your household.
I found a box of material that had upholstery weight and light textile weight fabrics as well as sewing notions. I had acquired an old bundle buggy for a carrier to transport my finds.
(You guessed it; it was free at the curb) When I got home and went through the box of materials, on the bottom were several women’s long evening gowns from many years gone by. In our first apartment, my wife and I used this flowing gown material as drapes. We had stylish and elegant green taffeta window coverings for one set of windows. Another long gown, we used the material to reupholster four dining room chairs in gold velvet. The last gown material of blue velvet was used for the chair which I had taken both arms off and reconditioned as a beautiful, armless side chair. The cost was zero.
If you can wrap a gift, then you can upholster a chair!
You get all kinds of “great stuff” at the curbside. I found out that what people throw out can be very unique and sometimes bizarre. On one of my free shopping trips, I found a box of new, sealed, unopened jars of poultry seasoning. 144 jars to exact. I scooped these jars up so that they could be used as “traders” in the future. My traders brought me a new blender. As the storage areas #1 and #2 filled up, my fiancées parents wanted us to start our new life with a “new couch” for our first apartment. They gave us $200 cash which at the time was a lot of money and could purchase a very plush stylish piece of furniture.
We walked downtown with money in hand to pick up our first piece of new furniture together. We thought we were rich! Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for the parents, we passed a second-hand shop at the first intersection. I spied two blocks before we went in the store an old chair that had been put outside the store on the curb. Inside the store window was a very old loveseat (Queen Anne style I was told) with all 35 of the springs almost touching the floor. The store wanted $25.00 for the item. It was a real hardship for me to part with the money that we had in our hands, but we knew the loveseat could be transformed. We bought the loveseat, and also took the old chair at the curb. From the $200.00 cash, we had $175.00 left which we used to buy a new bed and box spring. The rest of the items in our apartment including lamps, tables, carpets, pots and pans, kitchen accessories, pictures, bedroom furniture, kitchen table and chairs, were all found free at the curbside.
Hats off to my wonderful father-in-law who many a time was called to bring his car to transport a second-hand loveseat and chair, or other curbside shopping items to our storage areas in our parent’s homes. This “father” never asked me for a receipt. For the Silo, Blair R. Yager.
Poetry, an art form rooted in tradition and centuries of human expression, is experiencing a renaissance in the digital age. Thanks to innovative platforms like Mecella, poetry is no longer confined to printed anthologies or academic journals. Mecella is bridging the gap between technology and tradition, creating a dynamic space where poets and readers connect, share, and celebrate the transformative power of words.
Founded by poet and U.S. Army veteran Brandon Mecella Carey Walker, Mecella was born from a desire to make poetry accessible to everyone. Walker’s journey as a writer and his experiences with traditional publishing inspired him to create a platform that embraced inclusivity and innovation. He envisioned a space where poetry could thrive in the modern world, unburdened by the constraints of outdated systems.
At its core, Mecella is a digital anthology with a groundbreaking mission: to publish one million poems. This ambitious goal reflects the platform’s dedication to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. Every poem added to Mecella enriches a living archive of human expression, showcasing the breadth of emotions, cultures, and perspectives from across the globe.
What sets Mecella apart is its seamless integration of technology into the poetry experience. The platform offers features like multimedia enhancements, allowing poets to pair their work with visuals, music, or voice recordings.
These tools provide new dimensions to traditional poetry, making it more engaging and accessible to contemporary audiences. Readers, in turn, can explore poems interactively, deepening their appreciation for the art form.
Mecella’s commitment to accessibility extends beyond its technological features. The platform’s open submission process ensures that poets of all levels, from novices to professionals, can share their work without fear of rejection or gatekeeping. By removing financial and logistical barriers, Mecella empowers creators to focus on what truly matters: their words.
As poetry becomes more accessible through digital platforms, Mecella is fostering a global community of poets and readers. It’s a space where individuals can connect over shared experiences, discover new voices, and engage in meaningful dialogue. This emphasis on connection reflects Mecella’s belief that poetry has the power to unite people, transcending borders, languages, and cultural differences.
Mecella also serves as a hub for innovation within the poetry world. By embracing experimental forms, hybrid styles, and nontraditional themes, the platform challenges conventional notions of poetry. This openness encourages poets to push boundaries and explore new ways of storytelling, ensuring that the art form remains vibrant and relevant.
Education and outreach are integral to Mecella’s mission. Through workshops, partnerships with schools, and community initiatives, the platform introduces poetry to new audiences, inspiring a love for language and creativity. By reaching younger generations, Mecella ensures that poetry continues to thrive as a vital part of human expression.
Looking ahead, Mecella’s journey is one of continuous growth and transformation. Its goal to publish one million poems is not just a milestone but a movement—an ongoing effort to make poetry a central part of everyday life. As the platform evolves, it remains steadfast in its commitment to accessibility, diversity, and innovation.
In a world where technology often accelerates communication at the expense of depth, Mecella reminds us of the enduring power of poetry to slow us down, make us reflect, and connect us with our shared humanity. By blending the timeless art of poetry with the possibilities of modern technology, Mecella is not only preserving tradition but also redefining it for future generations.
Mecella is proof that poetry is far from a dying art—it is alive, evolving, and more accessible than ever. Whether you’re a poet, a reader, or someone discovering the magic of poetry for the first time, Mecella invites you to join its mission. Together, we can celebrate the beauty of words and create a world where every voice is heard, one poem at a time. For the Silo, Kat Fleischman.
“Turducken” – defined by the Urban Dictionary as: 1. (n) An American Thanksgiving holiday culinary grotesque: Consists of a chicken, stuffed into a duck, progressively stuffed into a turkey and baked.
Provides hours of entertainment in the form of waiting for the sucker to finish cooking and enough sandwich meat to last through The Apocalypse.
So who in their right mind would eat such a thing? Surprisingly… many. Believe it or not, this rather savage dish dates back to 18th century in which the wealthy English would make their traditional Yorkshire pies consisting of various meats baked in a crust. However, a Yorkshire pie seems meager in comparison to the barbaric turducken.
So how did the turducken come about? Well the answer to that remains a mystery.
Many have proclaimed that they are the inventors of the infamous dish yet little is found in the way of concrete evidence. During the 1800’s chef Grimond de La Reniere created the “roti sans pareil” (“roast without equal”) in which he stuffed 17 birds each within the other. Fast forward to the 1980’s, chef Paul Prudhomme claimed that he was the creator of what we know now as the turducken.
NFL’s Hohn Madden popularized the Turducken as an American Thanksgiving “eating grotesque”. Sometimes turkey just ‘ain’t enough’
Regardless, the idea of stuffing as many animals inside the other as possible has been around for quite some time. Now the question becomes why? I have never been acquainted with the turducken myself but I have come in to contact with those who have taken on the task of both making and devouring this triple decker bird. The consensus appears to be that despite the overwhelming thought of consuming three birds in one sitting, the savory taste is something like no other.
Now, let us step back for a moment and ponder this: why does a creation like the turduken receive praise while something like KFC’s Double Decker is criticized and made out to be the accomplice to the grim reaper? NFL commentator John Madden even endorsed the turducken and Herbert’s Specialty Meats located in New Orleans, has built a business on them! Thanksgiving and Christmas alone can have them shipping out thousands of turduckens to stores and homes all over the US.
Listen folks, whether you’re enjoying a juicy turkey, duck, hen, quail, pheasant, partridge or garden warbler – it doesn’t matter. After all, it’s the holidays! Relax, enjoy (or painfully endure, remember a few glasses of wine goes a long way) the time with family and enjoy some good home cookin’! Merry Christmas! For the Silo, Holly LaRue.
The Gibbes Museum of Art, a beacon in the American South since its establishment in 1858, announces the gift of $500,000 usd/ $700,550 cad from Christina Brinkmanand Robert Brinkman in honor of one of the Museum’s headline exhibition spaces.
The Christina and Robert Brinkman Gallery encompasses 1,600 square feet, and hosts a variety of exhibitions presented throughout the year ‒ including the national traveling shows the Museum brings to Charleston, and the award-winning original exhibitions created by the Gibbes’ curatorial team. This gift will help fund ongoing renovations, future enhancements, and improvements to the Museum.
Pictured above: Christina & Robert Brinkman with Angela Mack (the President & CEO of the Gibbes Museum)
“The Gibbes Museum of Art is honored by this generous gift from Christina and Robert Brinkman,” says Angela Mack, the Museum’s President and CEO. “The Brinkmans have adopted Charleston as their home, and demonstrated their incredible passion for the visual arts by choosing to celebrate the work of our Museum. Their generosity reflects a personal commitment to impacting the arts in our community,” adds Mack.
“From the moment we moved to Charleston, we were immediately drawn to the Gibbes Museum,” says Robert Brinkman. “The visual arts are always a special priority for us, and the Gibbes Museum engages with art lovers in a meaningful way that makes a difference.”
“We hope that others will join our family in championing the Gibbes Museum,” says Christina Brinkman. “We love the work this museum team is doing, which allows so many people to make personal connections with art.”
Pictured above and below: the Christina and Robert Brinkman Gallery at the Gibbes Museum of Art
The Brinkmans are collectors of contemporary art, and are originally from Rochester, New York. They made Charleston their home three years ago. Christina serves on the Gibbes Museum’s Collections Committee. Prior to his retirement, Robert Brinkman was the Chairman of Brinkman International Group, which specializes in precision machining and machine tool building.
Waterline, finger lakes- Porcelain. C. Brinkman
Christina Brinkman is a celebrated artist currently known for her ceramics, porcelain and metal work. She has worked as an artist all her life, and has artist studios in Charleston and Rochester. Her art is featured in museum collections, and in private and corporate collections. View Christina Brinkman’s works at christinabrinkman.com and on her artist page on Instagram.
About the Gibbes Museum of Art
The Gibbes Museum of Art, a beacon in the American South for arts and culture since 1858 when the Museum’s art collection was founded as the Carolina Art Association, is heralded as one of the earliest and most longstanding arts institutions in the United States. The Museum’s collection spans 350 years, and features some of the country’s most celebrated artists ‒ including contemporary, modern and historical works. With world-class rotating exhibitions and a dynamic visiting artist residency program, the Gibbes is a southern museum with a global perspective. The Museum’s mission is to enhance lives through art by engaging people of every background and experience with art and artists of enduring quality, providing opportunities to learn and discover, to enjoy and be inspired by the creative process.
Another fab article from our friends at Kommandostore. Rugmaking has been such a long-standing tradition that historians typically say, “thousands of years”. In other words, it predates the British Monarchy, Roman Empire, and hell, even the Persian Empire’s conquest of Afghanistan. Unfortunately for just as long, the surprising beauty of her landscapes has been blood-stained. For example, many have attempted to invade Afghanistan, and many have died trying.
From ancient Alexander the Great’s conquests to the United States “Operation Enduring Freedom” there sure have been a lot of wars, and a lot of rugs. But what began during Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the USSR’s twilight years was quite odd indeed. Propaganda rugs with anti-soviet figures like Ahmad Massoud* begun to circulate, and with the soviet occupiers taking great interest in these rugs as bring-back mementos, they got a taste of capitalism.*This guy’s story is a great subject for an email or video on it’s own, let us know if you’d like to see something like that.
Massoud seen wearing his iconic combo of a Pakol cap, white checkered “shemagh” scarf and military-style jacket. On the right is one of the war rugs that depicts him — definitely one of our favorite designs we’ve been able to source.
In response to the newfound demand, artisans begun to introduce common sights of the battlefield onto their rugs: Kalashnikovs, Helicopters, BTRs & BRDM-2s, and of course plenty of tanks. The soviet soldiers, naturally as young lads, couldn’t get enough of it. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want a beautifully made rug with a tank on it? And so even through Russia’s Irish exit from Afghanistan, patterns were passed down and a whole new style was born: The War Rug.
A common misconception about the rugs that we’ve seen is that there’s any form of malice whatsoever from the rug-makers in making these. This is obviously & completely false. And we say that because once the American occupation began, rugs depicting the World Trade Center being hit by the highjacked airplanes began to circulate despite most Afghan people not even knowing what the event or it’s ramifications meant. You guys have certainly spoken the loud part quietly because the 9/11 rugs are our best sellers. We’re just listening to demand, don’t blame us. Skillfully as they do, the rugmakers themselves often have no idea what they’re weaving, they just follow the popular patterns circulating bazaars and embellish with whatever colors, extra elements, and often hilarious mis-woven English words they want.
Other common (and less controversial) sights include the Opium poppy, American operations like the battle of Tora Bora, and now even the war in Ukraine. What began as a memento and accidentally controversial form of art has truly blossomed into a celebrated slice of Afghanistan’s culture since the 80s. And luckily, even with increasing popularity, all the rugs are still handmade the way they should be. It’s probably hard to shake a tradition that predates your Grandma’s Grandma’s Grandma’s Grandma’s Grandma’s history book entries after all.
Our friends at BonusFinder Canada decided to find out which Canadian province has the highest chance of spotting a UFO. To do this, experts analyzed data from the National UFO Reporting Centre State Report Index to determine the volume and duration of sightings across the country. Data gathered for this study dates back to 1998.
BonusFinder Canada also spoke to Nick Pope, who investigated UFOs for the British government, for his thoughts on the data and recent sightings.
Top Canadian Provinces for October UFO sightings
Rank
Province
Count of UFO sightings in Octobers since 1998
1
Ontario
199
2
Saskatchewan
150
3
British Columbia
93
4
Alberta
57
5
Quebec
32
6
Manitoba
21
7
New Brunswick
20
8
Nova Scotia
19
9
Prince Edward Island
3
=10
Newfoundland and Labrador
2
=10
North West Territories
2
=10
Yukon
2
11
Nunavut
1
Ontario was the province with the best chance of spotting a UFO this past Halloween month,with 199recorded sightings across October since 1998. In fact, the month of October has seen 89% more sightings than the month of October in neighboring Manitoba since 1998. A recent sighting on October 29, 2022, right before Halloween, featured a circular UFO documented in Orangeville. The report claims an abundance of visual evidence, including hundreds of standard photos and high-definition HDR images captured with astro cams.
In second position is Saskatchewan,with 150 recorded sightings in October since 1998. The month of October has seen 87% more sightings than the month of October in Nova Scotia since 1998. On October 11, 2016, three sightings were documented. The first, lasting five minutes in La Ronge, featured seven moving lights across the northern sky. The second and third occurred in Saskatoon, both cylindrical in shape and lasting two minutes each.
Securing a spot in the top three, British Columbia boasts 93 UFO sightings in the month of October. B.C also has 39% more sightings in October than fourth place and neighboring province, Alberta. The most recent sighting took place in Surrey on October 30, 2021, featuring a circular object observed for a duration of 5 minutes.
In fourth place is Alberta with 57 sightings across the month of October, followed by Quebec with 32 sightings across the month of October.
Canadian provinces with the most UFO sightings
According to BonusFinder Canada, Ontario has had the highest number of total alleged UFO sightings in Canada at 2,416, each of which lasting an average of 14.42 minutes. Most of these sightings consisted of seeing bright or flashing lights in the sky. In one particular sighting, a Scarborough resident spotted two objects flying together at high speed on the 6th July last year. Other sightings included an orange-red circle flying North to South over Toronto in 2021.
Following on is British Columbia (1,163 UFO sightings), Alberta (665 UFO sightings), Quebec (305 UFO sightings)and Manitoba (241 UFO sightings).
Former government investigator shares his thoughts
Nick Pope, who investigated UFOs for the British Government, said “This comprehensive new information paints a fascinating picture of the modern UFO mystery, at a time when the subject is making the news all around the world. The new data will be of interest to anyone intrigued about UFOs, and might even assist NASA, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. intelligence community, who are all working on UFO studies where identifying possible hotspots could be useful.
“These league tables of states and nations are really interesting, and while one has to control for population size – more people, more potential witnesses if there’s something strange in the sky – the information is exactly the sort of data that can help identify UFO hotspots. This, in turn, could give us some useful clues about the true nature of the phenomenon. A scientific, data-led approach to the UFO mystery is essential if we’re to get to the bottom of what’s going on in our airspace.
“One of the big surprises was the average duration of sightings. People have this idea that UFOs are here one minute, gone the next, with sightings lasting only a few seconds, and with witnesses getting only a brief glimpse.
The new data shows that people are seeing UFOs for much longer periods of time than is commonly realized, which is why we’re getting more and more photos and videos, as people have time to take out their smartphones.
The location of all 5,447 sightings, the duration of the sightings and descriptions of each were matched to each region they were seen in, to find an average number of sightings per region. Each province in Canada was ranked according to the number of UFO sightings.
Superhero movies used to dominate the box office but these days we are seeing a slip of sorts. But whatever genre is at the top, recent advancements in technology are allowing studios to produce high quality special effects that captivate viewers in ways that other films just can’t. Perhaps this is because we all secretly hope we too have a special power. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Flight? Invisibility? Time travel?
Our friends at Ranker, the #1 destination for crowdsourced rankings of everything, has released the results of its public poll asking voters to rank the superpowers they most wish they had. Healing Ability won the majority of the votes. It may not be as sexy as the ability to fly, but can you imagine not having to worry about healthcare? For the Silo, Jillian Nannery.
The international poll (now closed) was based on 193,000 votes on 141 superpowers. The results are as follows:
1. Healing Ability (eg- The Wolverine) 2. Teleportation 3. Time Manipulation (eg- Dr. Who) 4. Shapeshifting (eg- Plasticman) 5. Invincibility (eg- Sue Richards) 6. Flight (eg- Supergirl) 7. Super Speed (eg- The Flash) 8. Mind Control (eg- Jean Grey) 9. Super Intelligence (eg- Howard the Duck.. okay this one might be a stretch) 10. Super Strength (eg- She Hulk)
In addition, the poll results revealed:
-Millennials voted time manipulation as #1
-Women voted Teleportation as #1
What super power would you want to add?
About Ranker:
Ranker is a data-driven media company, the #1 online destination for opinion-based, crowdsourced rankings of everything. The company’s technology is centered on user engagement, turning its lists into the “best possible rankings” via the wisdom of crowds. Supplemental- Wikia’s Superpower listing
Installation view of Torkwase Dyson, Errantry, 2024, at Art Basel Unlimited. Image courtesy Gary Yeh / ArtDrunk.
Chicago Gallery
GRAY is pleased to present Torkwase Dyson: Of Line and Memory, the artist’s first solo exhibition in GRAY’s Chicago gallery. Installed over three distinct spaces, the exhibition debuts a monumental sculpture in steel and painted wood, an immersive installation of new paintings, and new cast glass and wood constructions. Of Line and Memory opens at GRAY Chicago with a public reception for the artist on November 8 and remains on view through January 25, 2025.
Dyson works across the disciplines of painting, drawing, installation, and sculpture, distilling the spatial and affective residues of diasporic histories to envision new modes of environmental liberation. Through an improvisational process of mindful abstraction, which she calls “Black Compositional Thought,” Dyson seeks to create work that is fluid, abstract, poetic, and open to possibility. “If there is systemic oppression, there must be systemic liberation,” says the artist, “and I am in that zone… trying to condition myself in this relationship of a transhistorical liberation practice.”1
Of Line and Memory draws from years of research and Dyson’s own spatial memory of navigating the waterways and urban architecture of Chicago. Using the South Shore Cultural Center, a lakeshore landmark with rich historical and architectural significance, as a point of departure, Dyson extracts, reduces, and refines architectural and visual cues into geometric shapes and painterly abstractions. According to the artist, “Of Line and Memory asks, as we move through dramatic and ever-changing geographies, what memories are stored in these new and improvisational choreographies?”
Down-down, 2018 Exhibited inTorkwase Dyson, 2021-22 Hall Art Foundation Schloss Derneberg Museum, Holle, Germany
An immersive, dynamic interplay of materials emerges throughout the exhibition. The Clearing, a cantilevered steel, wood, and graphite sculpture in two parts, balances monumental, curved shapes upon the weight of rectangular steel bases. Dyson’s new paintings unlock a sense of “state change” between thinly poured layers of deep blues and reds, opaque blacks, and the shapes and lines of geometric abstraction. Likewise, her Hypershape constructions in glass and graphite-coated wood balance the solidity of wood and graphite with the translucence of cast glass.
Of Line and Memory underscores Torkwase Dyson’s deep commitment to transforming complex histories of diasporic and urban landscapes into powerful abstractions. The artist states: “the topography echoes familiar and enigmatic ecologies in my consciousness without the promise of stability. Embracing this indeterminacy, I think through how the transhistorical ethos of infrastructure space, both visible and invisible, resonates in liberation and world-building.”
ABOUT TORKWASE DYSON
American interdisciplinary artist Torkwase Dyson (b. 1973 Chicago) combines expressive mark-making and geometric abstraction to explore the continuity between ecology, infrastructure, and architecture. Working across the disciplines of painting, sculpture and architecture, Dyson deconstructs, distills, and interrogates the built environment, exploring how individuals, particularly black and brown people, negotiate, negate, and transform systems and spatial order. Throughout her work and research, Dyson confronts issues of environmental liberation and envisions a path toward a more equitable future.
One of today’s most innovative artists, Dyson’s work has been the focus of solo exhibitions at ‘T’ Space Rhinebeck, New York; Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri; New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana; Colby College Museum of Art, Maine; Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Chicago, Illinois; Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Suzanne Lemberg Usdan Gallery, Bennington, Vermont; Hall Art Foundation, Derneburg, Germany; and Serpentine Galleries, London, UK.
Group exhibitions and biennials include the Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool, UK; Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil; Desert X, California; California African American Museum, Los Angeles; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Drawing Center, New York; Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, Washington DC; Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC; and Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, among others. Her architectural sculpture Liquid Shadows, Solid Dreams (A Monastic Playground), commissioned for the 2024 Whitney Biennial, is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s fifth floor terrace through February 9, 2025. Torkwase Dyson will create the conceptual design for The Costume Institute’s Spring 2025 exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Public collections include the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; Hall Art Foundation, Reading, Vermont; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; The Long Museum, Shanghai, China; Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Massachusetts; Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts; Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Washington, DC; Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; and Williams College Museum of Art, Massachusetts. Dyson studied sociology and social work at Tougaloo College, Mississippi, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Yale School of Art. Dyson lives and works in Beacon, New York.
PUBLICATION The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, to be published in 2025.
ABOUT GRAY
GRAY is a globally recognized team of art professionals devoted to fostering the development of historically important artists’ careers and to building outstanding art collections. Founded in 1963, GRAY has established its reputation as a resource for Modern, Postwar, and Contemporary art with prominent private and institutional clients worldwide. Known for producing critically acclaimed exhibitions and programming from its galleries in Chicago and New York, GRAY represents a roster of internationally recognized artists such as McArthur Binion, Torkwase Dyson, Theaster Gates, David Hockney, Rashid Johnson, Alex Katz, Ellen Lanyon, Jaume Plensa, Leon Polk Smith, and Evelyn Statsinger.
1 Torkwase Dyson, lecture, SAIC Visiting Artists Program, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, March 7, 2023.
Featured image- Tuning (Hypershape, 311-520), 2018, exhibited in Torkwase Dyson 2022 Hall Art Foundation, Schloss Derneberg Museum, Holle, Germany
TED talks, YouTube rants and Mr. Peanut, the mascot for Planters Peanuts, are all signs of just how highly valued the art of oratory is today.
“Yep, even Mr. Peanut (voiced by Robert Downey Jr.) has been seen in Planters ads over the past couple of years giving TED-style presentations; people are spending top dollar to attend a well-presented speech with useful information from an inspired perspective, and the best speakers may be regarded fairly as today’s rock stars,” says expert speaker coach Jane Atkinson, author of “The Wealthy Speaker 2.0”.
“The ability to command a fee is a sign that you’ve made it as a speaker. However, as with rock stars, it’s a long way to the top if you’re just starting. But if you have something to offer then you can reach that fee status, and there’s a reliable path to follow.”
The three phases to becoming a paid speaker.
•Ready. “Picking a lane” in your topic is the first step to becoming not only a paid speaker, but a wealthy one, too. Ask yourself the questions, “What topic do I want to be known for five years from now?” and “Will someone pay me for that information?” When looking to hire a speaker to deliver a keynote speech for a conference, who will be picked from a pool of experts – a jack of all trades or someone who hits the center of the bull’s-eye on a topic? When picking a lane, consider delving into topics including leadership, engagement, corporate culture or communication. This is the phase in which you’ll want to really develop your bona fides, including your material and establishing the goal of how you’d like to help your audience.
• Aim. Here is the marketing phase that cannot be underappreciated. It includes aspects like your website and what you do to drive traffic there, which may include a well-written blog with relevant content, and media exposure. However, the most important way to market yourself is to do a truly excellent job with your actual speech. A good speech for a speaker is like a great pastry for a baker – a quality product speaks volumes itself. There is no better form of marketing than a great speech. Therefore, if you think your speech could use help, take care of it right away. No amount of marketing dollars, no fancy Facebook page and no ultra-cool website can overcome a mediocre presentation. However, when you market yourself, you’ll want to include a number of materials, including your brand, promise statement, photos, a bio illustrating credibility, testimonials and more.
• Fire. Now, you need to identify your target market and determine the best method to reach them. You need to roll out your product and continue to build momentum. Be ready to fire your message to your target market via a public relations campaign strategy. There are multiple ways of effectively getting good attention from the media, but don’t believe all attention is good attention. Carefully consider your press releases. Atkinson says the mistake most speakers make is sending out a press release that does not answer the question: “So what?” They don’t tie it to anything relevant into which the press can sink their teeth. Another way to “fire” is to identify your ideal customer, also called the The Attraction Method, as detailed in the book, “Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity” by Stacy Hall and Jan Brogniez.
“If you feel as though you have something to offer audiences via oral presentations, then you probably do,” Atkinson says. “These days, so much content can be had for free online, but that doesn’t take the place of a live experiential presentation. A presentation that is ‘epic’ will remain in your memory for years. The ability to present your content live, and make the presentation worthwhile and relevant, means you can earn a reliable stream of revenue based on what you’re good at.” For the Silo, Jane Atkinson.
Props and good lighting can add dramatic effects like this lecture at Hogwarts.
President Biden awards National Medal of Arts to Alex Katz
Alex Katz has been awarded the 2023 National Medal of Arts. Katz received the award from President Joseph Biden in a private ceremony at the White House.
For a good Canadian analogy- The National Medal of Arts is to art what the President’s Trophy is to NHL hockey teams- it is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the American federal government. It is awarded by the President of the United States to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts in the United States.
Red Hat (Renee), 2013
Oil on linen
84 x 60 inches
213.4 x 152.4 cm
Past recipients of the National Medal of Arts include Mark Bradford, Ken Burns, Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Carrie Mae Weems, and Ruth Asawa.
Alex Katz (American, b.1927) is one of the most recognized and widely-exhibited artists of his generation.
Coming of age between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, Katz began exhibiting his work in 1954, and since that time he has produced a celebrated body of work that includes paintings, drawings, sculpture, and prints. His earliest work took inspiration from various aspects of mid-century American culture and society, including television, film, and advertising, and over the past five and a half decades he has established himself as a preeminent painter of modern life, whose distinctive portraits and lyrical landscapes bear a flattened surface and consistent economy of line. Utilizing characteristically wide brushstrokes, large swathes of color, and refined compositions, Katz created what art historian Robert Storr called “a new and distinctive type of realism in American art which combines aspects of both abstraction and representation.”
Tracy, 2008 Oil on linen 48 x 66 inches 121.92 x 167.6 cm
Since the 1950s, Alex Katz’s work has been the subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions and nearly 500 group exhibitions around the world.
Katz early student work included a series of drawings made on his subway commute from Queen’s to his downtown art classes. These drawings were later painted and have been acclaimed as being proto proto pop art.
His work can be found in nearly 100 public collections worldwide, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; The Tate Gallery, London; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, among many others. This story courtesy of friends at the Richard Gray Gallery.
Vogue- Madonna. Girls Aint Nothing But Trouble- DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Garage Palace- Gorillaz & Little Simz. Pump Up The Jam- Technotronic. Take Me Home 2016 Remaster- Phil Collins. Hunter- Bjork. Revolution 909- Daft Punk. Purple Hearts- Kendrick Lamar w Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah. What do all of these hit songs (and many more) have in common?
“The Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer is an iconic drum machine powerhouse that’s defined genres and ignited dance floors since its debut. Known for its instantly recognizable punchy classic drum sounds, the TR-909 delivers that quintessential rhythm that has shaped techno, house, acid, and beyond.” Tone Tweakers.
To say that the 909 is a versatile instrument is an understatement.
Creatively transformed into distinct and unique sonic identities by adding interesting studio effects to its sound samples and through different methods of programming tracks, the differences between rhythm styles and drum sounds between hit songs is amazing .
The drums in Phil Collins’s “Take Me Home” are characterized by a powerful and distinctive gated reverb effect on the snare, creating a dense, atmospheric rhythm that drives the song.
“The laid-back vibe of “Purple Hearts” compliments the snappiness of the vintage TR-909 sound. The drums help carry the smooth groove throughout the song, and the cymbals add some sparkle and shimmer to an otherwise tight percussion sound.” Native Instruments.
909 sighting. Fat Boy Slim’s “You’ve Come A Long Way Baby” liner notes.
The TR-909 drum machine was created in 1984 by the Roland Corporation. Forty years later, it is still a highly sought after drum machine commanding a serious amount of purchase money. For perspective, the cost for the 909 in 1985 was $1,095 usd ($3,502 usd allowing for inflation) but has appreciated substantially in value since then- the 909 regularly sells for double this amount or more, not surprising since it is renowned for its iconic analog drum sounds which have become staples in electronic music genres such as techno, house, and acid. The TR-909’s distinctive sound and easy-to-use interface have made it a classic piece of equipment, shaping the sound of countless tracks and influencing generations of musicians and producers.
Attack of the 500$ Clone
“Great care has been taken in designing the RD-9 to achieve new possibilities in beat creation by reviving a timeless design from one of the most classic drum machines of yesteryear. By taking a fresh and modern approach on a classic drum machine, the RD-9 gives you the power to harness the phenomenal sound of the venerable TR-909 and tap into some new features as well. Colossal bass drums through sizzling hi-hats can be manipulated to take your rhythm performance to the next level. This is an analog beat-making monster.” Behringer
Boston, MA. JEANNIE MOTHERWELL Profoundly FunExistential Crisis, acrylic on cradeled panel, 40″ x 30″ x 2″
M Fine Arts Galerie presents PROFOUNDLY FUN, a solo show of new abstract paintings by artist Jeannie Motherwell. The artist, who trained at Bard College and the Art Students League in NYC, finds inspiration in landscapes—earthly or otherwise. A New York City native, Motherwell spent countless seasons on Cape Cod, a place that continues to maintain a special place in her heart and oeuvre. Just as relevant to her work as the waves, the light, and the bay, are stars, galaxies, and nebulae. Indeed, the act of looking at a Motherwell is to be transported out of the room—in this case, a window-lined gallery in Boston’s SoWa Art & Design district. Where you end up is anyone’s guess. Windward, acrylic on cradeled panel, 20″ x 60″ x 2″
“In exploring space, I try to make space. I am intrigued with complex and expansive space on a flat surface. The painting process I use creates the unexpected for me. By pouring and pushing paint, I can engage in the element of surprise, often using a bright and intense palette, or through my continued passion for black and white. In process, while editing, I employ undulating, bleeding, and layering, as my paintings are often inspired by the mysteries of outer space and what astronauts often refer to as “inner space” (the skies and the sea).” -Jeannie Motherwell PROFOUNDLY FUN features new works in acrylic and oil on clay boards, a fine porcelain surface upon which saturated hues spill, swirl, and seep, with rich contours feathering out into delicious white space. Be Known, acrylic on cradeled panel, 48″ x 36″ x 2″
For the Silo, Madison Maushart. PROFOUNDLY FUN runs until October 31 M Fine Arts Galerie 460 Harrison Ave C24 Boston, MA 02118
Beverly Hills Artist, Energy Guru & Landscape Designer Also Does Dreamy Homes!
Beverly Hills-based architect Brian Tichenor is a man of many talents, widely recognized for original, artful building designs that integrate large-scale residences and their surrounding landscapes. A graduate of UCLA, Tichenor is a member of the architecture faculty at rival school University of Southern California. Some of his most notable projects include the new LA Times Headquarters and Nantworks, a campus of DNA sequencing and R&D labs on reclaimed oil fields in the north Baldwin Hills that use methane capture, solar infrastructure, and co-generation to achieve energy self-sufficiency.
The Artist
In the art world, Tichenor’s colorful watercolors are found in the homes of many art collectors. And Brian has completed more than 100 gardens throughout the world. With his wife, fellow architect Raun Thorp, he is the author of Outside In: The Houses and Gardens of Tichenor & Thorp, published by Vendome Press in 2017.
A ten-acre estate in Alamo, thoughtfully designed by Tichenor, has been listed for sale at $17.75 million usd/ $24.4 million cad.
Known as Lark Ridge Estate, the property includes Tichenor’s trademark landscaping featuring Mediterranean-style gardens, a lion’s-head fountain with Emperador dark marble surround, a dark plaster pool, and an octagon-shaped spa, complemented by the property’s stunning views of Mt. Diablo and the surrounding valley.
Three houses sit on the grounds, protected by private gates. The 9,812-square-foot main house includes six bedrooms and nine bathrooms. The two-story mansion is the classic Mediterranean with a red-tile roof. Exquisitely designed for indoor-outdoor living, the floor plan offers grand-scale entertaining spaces, casual living areas, sitting rooms, private bedroom retreats, enormous walk-in closets, spa-like bathrooms, dual-executive-office spaces, a gym, and a media room.
French doors, extensive use of Venetian gold from Italian artisans, antique fireplaces, rock crystal chandeliers, and custom onyx-and-marble countertops impart an air of decadent luxury. Each room is unique, with truly stunning wall coverings, including parchment and gold-leafed wallpaper in the executive office, pearlized Venetian plaster walls in the master suite, custom hand-painted grass-cloth walls in the family room, and a fireplace from New York’s Plaza Hotel. Miele appliances, state-of-the-art AV & security systems, motorized shades, and a computerized lighting system offer the ultimate in high-tech living.
The 917-square-foot carriage house provides a one-bedroom/one-bathroom guest home with a full kitchen and laundry room over an impressive nine-car secondary garage. The 718-square-foot tennis house offers a similar one-bedroom/one-bathroom layout with a kitchenette. Perfect for entertaining, the tennis house opens onto the full-sized lighted tennis court with a basketball hoop and the entertainment deck with a two-way fireplace. An outdoor kitchen and bar, ample poolside lounging areas, and resort-inspired amenities are sure to charm even the most discerning guests.
Located 28 miles south of San Francisco, Alamo is a suburban community known for its bucolic feel and relaxed atmosphere, close enough to San Francisco and Silicon Valley for a comfortable commute but secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city. Lark Ridge Estate sits just above the Iron Horse Regional trail, beloved by walkers, runners and cyclists. Numerous parks and wilderness areas surround the community, which has not yet been heavily developed. Celebrities who call Alamo home include Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, MLB record-setter Mark McGwire, and Oakland Raiders owner Marc Davis.
The listing is held by Dana Green of Dana Green Team of Compass, Lafayette, California.
These 5 Hot-Rodders Forged the Legacy of the Flathead
The impact of Ford’s flathead V-8 on the hot rod scene is undeniable. But the individuals that immortalized this engine—and, along the way, laid the foundation for the hot-rod scene—are the real heroes.
photo- Brandan Gillogly
n the early 1900s, horsepower was almost exclusively for the Gatsbys of the world. Ford’s flathead V-8, introduced in the depths of the depths of the Great Depression, changed all that. But it needed some help from car obsessives, who went on to invent what we now know as hot-rodding. Learn about them below, then check out Preston Lerner’s deep dive on the Flathead and its impact here.—Ed.
While it’s not without its flaws, the Ford flathead V-8 marked a significant milestone in the history of American performance. Ford’s mass production of the flathead opened up racing to a whole new audience and helped an industry flourish. Ford wasn’t alone, however, as the factory-built flathead was just a building block. Several individuals, through their own innovation and business acumen, were able to build flathead V-8s to horsepower levels that pushed boundaries of speed, developed a massive segment of our hobby, and forged long-lasting businesses, many of which are still with us today. Here are five pioneers of the aftermarket that used the flathead V-8 to cement themselves and their companies in American culture.
Ed Winfield
Magnifico
1901-1982
Known as “The Father of Hot-Rodding,” Winfield got his first job in a blacksmith shop when he was just eight. By the time he was 11, he was stripping down the neighbor’s Model T to shed weight and make it faster. Two years later, he was working on carburetors in Harry A. Miller’s Los Angeles shop where Barney Oldfield’s groundbreaking Golden Submarine race car was being built. With a knack for machinery and an intimate knowledge of engines, Winfield started his own carburetor company in 1919 and began grinding cams the following year. His carburetors were used on eight of the ten Indy 500 winners from 1933-1946, the only exception was Wilbur Shaw, who had won with a Winfield-fed Shaw/Offenhauser engine in 1937 and switched to Maserati power for his wins in 1939 and 1940.
Winfield did it all, from serving as a riding mechanic and racing at Ascot Speedway to working with major automakers in developing engines. Winfield also helped a young Ed Iskendarian with cylinder head work. He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2011.
Vic Edelbrock Sr.
Magnifico
1913-1962
Already an established mechanic, Vic Edelbrock Sr. designed the Slingshot intake manifold for flathead Ford V-8s in 1938 and tested it on his own 1932 Ford roadster on Southern California’s dry lakes. After WWII, Vic moved into a new shop in Holywood and designed his first cast aluminum cylinder head for flathead V-8s. Also in 1946, Edelbrock created its first catalog of speed parts, and soon its products were found on cars competing in virtually every form of racing, whether it was on the 1/4-mile, on circle tracks, or America’s dry lakes. His son, Vic Jr., took over the business after his passing and expanded the business to include fuel injection and superchargers. Vic Jr. passed away in 2017, but the company continues to make performance parts. To this day, the company makes Victor and Victor Jr. cylinder heads and intake manifolds that keep their legacy alive.
Stu Hilborn
Magnifico
1917-2013
Born in Canada, Hilborn came to southern California in time to graduate high school and attend junior college in Los Angeles before enlisting in the Army Air Corps (you’re going to notice a trend here). While working on aircraft, Hilborn began scheming up a new way to feed fuel to engines, and once he was back in Southern California, he built a dry lakes racer that would prove his constant-flow fuel injection could compete and win against carburetors. The sleek racer was the first to eclipse 150 mph on the dry lakes and graced the fourth cover of Hot Rod magazine in April, 1948.
Hilborn continued to modify and improve his fuel injection design, and in 1952 Bill Vukovich drove the Fuel Injection Special in the Indy 500, where he led 150 laps and was just nine laps from the finish when a steering issue sidelined the car. That was tough luck for Vukovich, but 22-year-old Troy Ruttman passed him and took the win. Rutman, like Vukovich, was running Hilborn fuel injection, as were the remaining drivers on the podium. You can think of Hilborn’s mechanical fuel injection taking over for Winfield’s carburetors, as the individual throttle body system became the induction of choice for America’s top racers, dominating the Indy 500 for decades, claiming 34 victories along the way. Hilborn stacks appeared on road racers of all kinds, and the company’s two-port units could be found atop supercharged drag cars as well, but it all started with the dry lakes flathead.
Alex Xydias
Magnifico
1922-2024
Alex Xydias passed away earlier this year at the age of 102, leaving behind an impressive legacy of business achievement and generosity. His name is synonymous with the So-Cal Speed Shop, the Burbank speed equipment emporium he founded after leaving the Army Air Corps in 1946. The most famous product of that enterprise is the iconic belly tank lakester that graced the January 1949 cover of Hot Rod magazine after it ran using Ford V-8-60 power. The So-Cal Speed Shop followed on the success of the lakester with a sleek streamliner that would go on to be powered by a Mercury flathead that would push the car to 210.8962mph, the fastest time of Speed Week 1950, earning Xydias back-to-back spots on the coveted Hot Rod trophy, and the first in excess of 200mph.
Xydias forged relationships with speed parts manufacturers and helped get race-winning parts into the hands of southern California hot-rodders through his shop, but So-Cal Speed Shop also sold parts across the country through its mail-order catalog, using the fame of his racing success to get more enthusiasts involved by proving what the flathead was capable of.
Ed Iskenderian
Magnifico
1921-
Ever a hot-rodder, Ed Iskenderian’s T roadster was and continues to be an influential build, but there’s a reason he’s known as the Camfather. Shortly after returning from United States Army Air Corps service during WWII, Iskendarian was eager to return to building engines, particularly flatheads, but the booming demand vastly exceeded supply. He didn’t waste time waiting for other cam grinders to catch up. Instead, Isky, already experienced with tool and die work, purchased a machine and converted it to grind cams. Not only were his camshafts effective, but Isky was a talented marketer, coining the term “5-Cycle Cam” to describe his camshafts that used valve overlap and the escaping exhaust gases to scavenge the incoming intake charge. In addition to his many pioneering valvetrain advancements, Isky is also credited with selling logo t-shirts before anyone else.
Iskendarian cams are still used by some of the quickest and fastest racers today.
Featured image via –Historic Vehicle Association For the Silo, Fabian Hoberg / Hagerty.
If your old enough to remember big ass tube tv’s or roof antennas dangling on the roofs of the neighborhood houses then consider this- theme songs from those TV shows can immediately bring back memories and nostalgia from your childhood or teenage life. That is pretty powerful stuff right? One of the reasons why many theme songs continue to be so memorable is because they’re truly unique, written and performed by top-notch musical talent.
But which iconic tune has had the most influence over the years?
By exploring IMDb’s 100 greatest TV theme songs, our friends at Spin Genie have revealed the composers and musicians who have accumulated the most success for their contribution to iconic TV series. Using this data we will analyze the total streams, monthly listeners, and estimated earnings in CAD dollars for the appropriate TV show theme tune.
We will also judge the TV series by reviewing IMDb ratings and Rotten Tomatoes scores, as well as the annual searches for each theme song. Sound fair? Let’s dig in.
PS If you have some spare time in between binging on your favorite TV shows, check out the latest online slots available on Spin Genie.
The most successful TV theme songs:
The Sopranos
Woke Up This Morning – Alabama 3
Royalty score: 8.43 out of 10
In first place is “Woke Up This Morning”, a song by British band Alabama 3 from their 1997 album Exile on Coldharbour Lane. Best known as the opening theme song for the American television series The Sopranos. “Woke Up This Morning” has over 37.9 million streams on Spotify, with estimated earnings of $231,206, and the band has 320,321 monthly listeners. The Sopranos is one of the most influential TV dramas, smashing IMDb ratings with a score of 9.2 out of 10. On Rotten Tomatoes, the drama received a 96% audience rating and recorded 24,600 annual worldwide searches for its theme song as of July 2024.
Get a Life
Stand – R.E.M.
Royalty score: 7.57 out of 10
Following up in second place is “Stand”, a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from the album Green in 1989. It was used as the theme for the 1990-1992 Fox sitcom Get a Life, starring Chris Elliott. The theme song has amounted to 46.6 million Spotify streams with earnings of almost $284,100.
Get a Life is one of the top-rated TV series on our list, recording a perfect 100% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The show also performed well on IMDb, with ratings of 8.1 out of 10.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Royalty score: 7.07 out of 10
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” rounds out the top three, heard in 1990 as the theme song for the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The lyrics were composed by rapper and sitcom star Will Smith, performing under his stage name, the Fresh Prince, with Jeffrey Townes producing the song under his stage name DJ Jazzy Jeff. Originally, composer and producer Quincy Jones pitched the song, but Smith wrote the lyrics after reading up on an episode script. Jones immediately loved it and accepted it as the theme song.
Further findings:
The song “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” from the sitcom of the same name is the most streamed theme song on Spotify, with a total of 123.2 million streams.
The Sopranos achieved the best IMDb rating of 9.2 out of 10, making it the highest-reviewed TV show.
M*A*S*H, an American war comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from 1972 to 1983, has the most-searched-for theme song with almost 200,000 people searching for it. It’s a song that was written specifically for the show by Johnny Mande and Michael Altman and is called “Suicide Is Painless”.
Kirsty Harris depicts the most iconic man-made event that might take place in a landscape: the detonation of the atom bomb.
Often working at scale, Harris confronts her audience with a vision of awe and beauty. Mushroom clouds hang over desolate expanses of the Nevada desert, provoking contemplation at the intersection of humanity, brutality, technology and nature.
Harris’s practice is steadfast; her paintings are informed by deep research, and this arduous process is echoed in depictions of a split-second event painted over a period of several months.
– Zavier Ellis for the Saatchi exhibition 2023
Buster Jangle, Easy, 50 x 60 inches, 2016
CBP: Your paintings reconstruct photographic documents of the atomic bomb tests, often in the Nevada desert, in a range of exhibition display formats. Can you introduce the core themes of your work?
KH: I am interested in the way these events from history disrupt and scar those barren landscapes. These swirling, bubbling apparitions are like curses or spells that we’ve cast on ourselves, so violent.
My work might feel confrontational, maybe abrupt at first, then hopefully unravelling into something more. I am also drawn in by the stories and myths that run alongside the scientific nature of the subject. We all know that beauty doesn’t have a moral duty to be inherently good. It’s something I think about, the push and pull of awe. The tests made in the desert are so fascinating, the photographs are very rich, colourful, and vivid, due to the way the light refracts and the type of film used. These practice runs at annihilation are so beautiful – it’s unreal. It’s dark.
Georg, oil on un-stretched linen, 59 x 79 inches, 2023
CBP: You talk about early memories and family history in attending CND rallies as a child. Can you discuss this influence on the subject of your painting today?
KH: As I was becoming more and more interested in landscape painting I noticed they all have something occurring, could be farmers, the sun setting, a stormy sky, a battle, a tiny stream. Alone at Tate Modern I was looking at a painting of a single cloud by Richter and then suddenly something clicked in my head. I was walking around, eyes wide with a slack jaw, thinking “oh wow this is what I must do. Paint mushroom clouds.”
The anticipation of piling onto a coach and ending up somewhere waving my homemade banner and singing and chanting at CND protests are evocative memories from my childhood. In our doorway at home, visitors were welcomed by a massive poster of Thatcher & Reagan parodied in a Gone With The Wind movie-style poster, complete with a billowing mushroom cloud in the background. We collected protest badges and leaflets and the atmosphere was potent and thrilling, but I didn’t catch on to what we were shouting about until later. So it was always there in me. A weird relationship with the subject matter.
Plowshare, oil on linen, 80cm x 60cm, 2024
CBP: Many years ago I visited a small museum in the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, Albuquerque, New Mexico near the atomic bomb test sites. The original photographs of the test bombs were shown alongside reportage photographs of the real bombs and their impact (I think). Also displayed was a fascinating comic book type narrative depicting the daily life of the factory workers who built the bomb and their families. I recall being quietly absorbed by the experience, though I questioned what it was I was looking at, in terms of archive material, as a museum display, and how it made me feel.
When you research and paint your subject, how do you negotiate what you feel about the source material and its transition into you what you are painting? Has it changed over time?
KH: It feels like science fiction.
Through the extensive documentation of nuclear detonations, I can view how these expansive entities change millisecond to millisecond, from the fireball to the pure white cloud left hanging at the end. In my publication, Completely er, unfolding itself (2019), I transcribed the first live official television broadcast of an atomic explosion – given the code name ‘Charlie’ – in 1942. The reporters struggle, grasping for the language to describe the mushroom cloud in front of them – and I get where they were coming from.
We are in such close proximity right now to digital versions of war. Scrolling through instagram you have temu trying to sell you some shitty plastic drawers and then 1 second later a mother holding her tiny dead child wrapped in tarpaulin, and worse. It’s so brutal.
I keep thinking how can we be doing that to ourselves, can they never see themselves in the faces of the people they kill and torture. Nothing is worth this brutality.
I guess my brain is always negotiating how much to watch in order to feel informed but not go reeling into despair, like all of us.
Blue Danube, Oil paint on lightbox tondo, 80cm x 80cm x 11cm, 2023
CBP: In 2007 Mark Wallinger created ‘State Britain’, for the Tate, a meticulous recreation of real-life antiwar demonstrator Brian Haw’s banned protest camp outside the Houses of Parliament. Rather than importing elements of the real camp as a readymade, Wallinger chose to painstakingly recreate it as a painted facsimile. This solitary studio activity would have given him time to reflect on its impact, the life sacrifice Brian Haw made, and what he as an artist was recreating.
How does time and the meticulous process of painting your subject impact on the meaning of the work for you?
KH: Like the women at Greenham Common, Brian Haw was the artwork, the awesome spectacle. Inconvenient clutter. The resilience is truly remarkable. Wallinger’s piece pays tribute to this but, a little like the fake Lascaux caves. Good if you can never see the real thing, but there’s no point looking up close. I found the political implications of it very interesting.
Large paintings take me such a long time, it’s ridiculous.
I have to continually change my vantage point. If it’s possible I turn the painting upside down, take photos of it and desaturate it. Stand up painting, sit down painting. Up the ladder, sat on the floor. I always imagine the next one will be more straightforward but in 25 years, that has never happened, so why would it now? But while there is much anxiety balled up in the action of painting, it is also a hypnotic and calming process. Studying a millisecond of time for so long. I don’t know if it matters to anyone else how long I’ve looked at the painting or the source material, but the act of looking is so important to me. Displaying a painting on your wall at home, you might not realise it but with so much flashing and moving imagery invading our lives (with invitation) a semi-permanent, static, image has a big impact. I love it when there are different layers of meaning to dive into, even if they are not explicit your subconscious will identify them. Looking at an artwork every day builds up a special relationship and enriches the way my mind moves.
Buster Dog,oil on glass, 25cm x 20cm x 4cm, 2021
CBP: Scale feels important both in terms of the impact of your subject for the viewer and your immersion into it when painting it. Can you talk about this aspect of the work?
KH: When you start a painting, there are near unlimited decisions to make. One I used to have trouble with was how big it should be. So I started to use data to construct systems that help me decide. In my paintings, often each square inch (or centimetre) of linen represents a certain number of tons of TNT. This in turn is the unit of measurement chosen, by the military, to denote the yield of the detonation.
These hidden codes might reward an inquisitive viewer.
Really, what I want to do is make paintings so vast that that’s all they see and think about for a moment.
Investigating ideas of scale in a different way: Since 2013 I have been adding to and updating an audio composition entitled How I Learned to Stop Worrying (1945-2024). It is a musical account of every officially recorded nuclear explosion detonated between 1945 and the present day: each different instrument represents a country that partook; each month in history lasts a second on the recording; each note played depicts a single bomb. Eight musicians contributed to the piece and it was quite an epic translation of data to plot out the notes.
Grapple, oil paint on glass, table, 75cm x 50cm x 60cm, 2023
CBP: Can you reveal some of the mark making techniques and tools you use in your painting.
KH: On my larger paintings I staple the linen flat to the wall and then prime it with clear primer. This enables me to really push on the canvas without worrying if I will hit the crossbar. I would love to be laying down decisive, thick, final brush marks, but what comes out is me dabbing layers and layers of thin oil paint, leaving it to evaporate and then repeating the process. My paintings are usually very matt which somehow feels right given that I’m painting dust clouds and sand half the time.
I painted a lot of small paintings on glass during lockdown.
There was something comforting about the contained nature of those pieces. It is quite a different process but still I am basically dabbing on paint until it gets thick enough to create some depth. In a development from these smaller pieces I created a much larger light box piece, Blue Danube, 2023. It plays with the notions of nuclear tourism, emitting its own light in a kind of perverse advert.
Nevada, oil on board, 30cm x 40cm, 2024
CBP: Your titles are short but ranging from factual to enigmatic, how do title your work?
KH: Hard to explain how some titles come to me. A lot of the detonations use people’s names for code names, a bit like cyclones.
Some of my favourites:
“The instrument is not the Music” is the title of a tapestry where the image is a female scientist inspecting and testing a metal instrument. A still from a British documentary it shows the intricate process in a factory where workers unknowingly fabricate the components that will eventually be assembled to create an atomic bomb. tbf my boyfriend came up with that one. He is great at titles if I get stuck.
“Blue Danube” I liked because it is a river (starting in the Black Forest and ending in the Black Sea) a piece of classical music and a bomb. All the Bs, the Beautiful Blue Danube.
Always noting potential titles down in my phone notes, I also dedicate time to skim reading when I need quite a few titles at once. They always come!
Installation shot at Saatchi Gallery 2023, Charlie, oil on un-stretched linen, 112 x 69 inches, 2017
CBP: Can you talk about your studio practice routine when carrying out archival research?
KH: There is the National Archives (UK) and Internet archives (USA) which I find very useful. I trawl through images via the normal channels and in addition watch out for vintage postcards on ebay, old photographs that people have sent me from their Uncle or Grandad’s collection. Declassified documents made into pdfs. We have a decent projector at home now so it’s great to watch documentaries on a large screen. Sometimes I take screenshots from military footage so the freeze-frame I choose may not have been studied widely. It’s interesting how in some images, due to the way the camera has responded, the sky looks black and the clouds are bright white. I have some exciting opportunities coming up, some top secret documents that someone is going to let me look through. And I’d like to work out ways to access small archives. There is one in particular in Germany that looks amazing.
At the moment I’m looking for glow.
Teapot HA, oil on un-stretched linen, 64cm x 51cm, 2019
CBP: What projects are you working on at the moment?
KH: I have time to settle into the studio right now and test out some things I have been thinking through. Last year was a busy one with a solo show at Studio KIND and a big group show at Saatchi Gallery. I am looking forward to a group show in London with some top painters (heroes) next year. Plus a possible group show in New York, just waiting to find out. I also have a soft focus vision of a show in the UK in a massive derelict space. It will be nice to hibernate like a little bear in my studio this winter and come back with new energies.
Sanctuary II, oil on un-stretched linen, 302cm x 217cm, 2018
Kirsty Harris b. 1978 Raised in Yorkshire, artist and curator based in east London.
Co-founder of Come Quick Disaster and on the steering committee for Mental Health Arts organisation – Broken Grey Wires.
Recent solo and 2 person shows include; 2023 THAT LETHAL CLOUD, StudioKIND, Braunton, Devon, UK., HEAVY WEATHER, Splice, Perseverance Works, London, UK. 2022 INTERVENTION, DIY performances during the 59th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy.
Recent group exhibitions include; 2024 LATRINE’S HAUS OF ART, Vane Gallery, Gateshead, UK. SEX SELLS – BEYOND THE HISTORICAL MATRIX, Semjon Contemporary, Berlin, Germany, HOW LONG IS FOREVER, Galerie 37, Schöneberg, Berlin, Germany. BEYOND THE GAZE – RECLAIMING THE LANDSCAPE, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK. Curated by Zavier Ellis. 2023 A GENEROUS SPACE 3, Huddersfield Art Gallery, Yorkshire, UK. Invited by Karl Bielik, TWO PLUS TWO MAKES FOUR, Auxiliary Warehouse, Middlesbrough, UK. Curated by Broken Grey Wires, THE SUBVERSIVE LANDSCAPE, Tremenheere Gallery, Cornwall, UK. Curated by Hugh Mendes. X – Contemporary British Painting, Newcastle Contemporary Art, UK. Curated by Narbi Price. 2022 ROYAL ACADEMY SUMMER EXHIBITION, Royal Academy, London, UK.
OPP officers stand near the scene of a shooting where one Ontario Provincial Police officer was killed and two others were injured in the town of Bourget, Ont. on May 11, 2023. The Canadian Press/Patrick Doyle
Violent crime is surging in some of Canada’s major cities, with sexual assault rates showing the largest increase over the short and long term, according to a new report.
Sexual assault cases climbed in eight of nine major cities over the past seven years, with Ottawa being the exception to the trend, according to a study [read the full report at the end of this post] by the Macdonald Laurier Institute (MLI). The incidence of sexual assault has risen since 2016 in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, Peel, Ont., and York, Ont., with the last nearly doubling from 2016 to 2023.
“In recent years there has been a surge in violent crime across Canada as a whole,” says the report authored by Dave Snow and Rickard Audas, senior fellows at MLI. “We found that violent crime was increasing in many cities in the short-term, most notably for sexual assaults and robberies.”
Winnipeg and Edmonton recorded the highest number of sexual assault cases during the seven-year period. In 2023, Edmonton had a sexual assault rate of 108.64 cases per 100,000 people, while Winnipeg saw a rate of 107.76. Toronto followed at 97.8 cases.
The rate in Peel, on the other hand, was 52.15 cases last year, the lowest among all major cities.
The study’s goal was to analyze crime trends at a local level. To do so, the authors looked at 10 years of police-reported violent crime records from nine major cities, which they say account for one-third of the Canadian population.
They considered four crime categories: homicide, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and robbery. They did not include Vancouver data on sexual assault because of differences in how it reports the crime, they noted.
Winnipeg: Highest Robbery Rates
The robbery rate in Manitoba’s capital last year was nearly triple that of every other major city, at 305.82 cases per 100,000 population, according to the report. The rate has increased by more than 50 percent since 2016, decreasing slightly from 2019 to 2021, and reaching a peak in 2023.
The authors noted the rate decline coincides with the years of pandemic lockdowns.
The second highest robbery rate last year was in Edmonton, which had less than half that of Winnipeg, at 106.01 cases per 100,000 population. Alberta’s capital city had the second highest rate for the entire period, while Montreal and Toronto have followed closely in recent years.
By contrast, York reported the lowest robbery rates since 2016 among all major cities, with 31.66 cases last year. Ottawa and Peel also reported lower rates than other cities.
Edmonton: Highest Rates of Aggravated Assault
Edmonton’s aggravated assault rate in 2023 was more than four times that of any other major Canadian city except Winnipeg, said the report, at 38.72 incidents per 100,000 population compared to Winnipeg’s 22.81.
Aggravated assault refers to injuring, maiming, disfiguring, or endangering someone’s life, according to the Criminal Code of Canada.
The aggravated assault rate from 2016 to 2023 was highest in Edmonton, where it’s been rising steadily over the last decade, according to the study. Winnipeg had the second highest rates in the study period.
The authors said that despite being Canada’s largest city, Toronto has experienced “a considerable decline” in its aggravated assault rate over the last decade, with 8.29 cases in 2023.
York had the lowest rates since 2016, followed by Peel and Montreal. For The Silo, Carolina Avendano/The Epoch Times.
Those who are in the Armed Forces and the general population of Anime fanatics seem to overlap too often to be coincidence. What one armed forces deployment in Okinawa, Japan does to you…
Remember who you’re fighting for. For us, It’s always been Ankou team. Yukari is best girl.
To take a few educated guesses: there’s some of you who are still in denial about liking anime, some of you who are seething with rage that anime even exists in the first place, and probably a few older fellows who are about to be extremely confused. (we’re sorry)
BUT For those of you who already know what’s up: here’s the skinny- basically this post is just a heads up on a sale of all things anime at the kommandostore. Yep that store. Impressive surplus and new military style clothing and ephemera. That shit looks good and holds up. It is tough.
So what about the anime sale?
No codes, human instrumentality, getting isekai’d by truck-kun, or magical-girl transformations needed to take full advantage this weekend. Whether you’ve deliberately sought it out or stumbled upon it on accident, there’s no running from the appeal of anime merch. It’s fun, colorful, sassy, sexy, suggestive and playful. The perfect sort of addition to a pack or helmet cover or laptop or whatever. You get the idea. Maybe you didn’t even know that the kommandostore, known for high quality new and surplus military clothing and items even did that kind of stuff and are just finding out now? If that’s the case, know that all the merch is done in collaboration with Atamonica and is our magnum opus.
The founder of Anduril loves it so much that it’s officially licensed, but that’s a story for another day…
Anduril- transforming US & Allied military capabilities with advanced technologies.
So regardless of if you’re ready to disappoint and confuse your loved ones, or if you’re in the ironic denial phase of being an Anime-watcher ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US! We hope you enjoy all the deals with us this weekend.
Just throw it all in your cart and we’ll do the hard work while you finish catching up on the seasonal shows/Vtuber VODs/manga… 2D > 3D (´･ω･`) We love the anthropomorphized missiles so much it’s unreal. Go follow Atamonica. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.
There could be a number of reasons why you are looking to sell coins in Toronto. Maybe you inherited a whole bunch and you aren’t quite sure what to do with them – or maybe you are collector and want to sell off a few for a bit of extra money. You could also be someone who found a stash of old coins at home and are wondering if any are rare and can be worth something.
In either case, it’s important that you go to a trusted source that can ensure you are getting the right value for your coins. If you visit Muzeum.ca/pages/coins you will see that they offer free evaluations by experts who can tell you if you have something worthwhile on your hands.
What They Buy
This Toronto storefront of the famous Great Canadian Roadshow will buy Canadian and American coins, but because of their large network of collectors they are able to take any kind of gold or silver coin off your hands.
Gold Coins
Worldwide from any nation (Austrian, Mexican, etc.)
American – Gold Eagle, Liberty Head, Indian Head
Olympic
Centennial
Royal Canadian Mint
Silver Coins
Worldwide from any nation (Austrian, Mexican, etc.)
Canadian dated 1968 and Earlier
American dated 1964 and Earlier
JFK Half Dollars 1969 and Earlier
British Coins dated 1946 and Earlier
They will also buy numismatic, commemorative, proof, and uncirculated coins.
What Makes a Coin Valuable?
There are a number of factors that go into what makes coinage valuable – precious metal content being one of them. If coinage is made of gold or silver it will be worth money purely based on the fact that it is made of precious metals.
Typically, Canadian and American coins from the mid-1960s and earlier were made of silver, making them more valuable than coinage dated later. This is because after the Great Depression it became harder to make coins out of silver, so they began to make them out of bronze, copper, and/or steel.
But even then some coins like the Canadian 1948 silver dollar (dubbed the “King of Canadian Silver Dollars”) can be worth a lot of money simply because so few of them were minted. In fact, though 18,780 coins were minted only a few are said to have survived. Therefore, rarity is another determining factor of coinage value.
Another factor is the design of the coin and whether or not there were any errors in its production. Take, for instance, the 1906 Canada “Small Crown” Quarter where the crown was printed in error with a smaller crown than what it should have. These few misprints can be worth almost $1,000.
Finally, coinage maintains its value when it is well taken care of. A scale of 1 to 70 is used to determine the grade of a coin. Mint condition, uncirculated, or dated coinage is usually rated between 65 and 70.
Only One Way to Be Sure
After all is said and done, the only way you can tell for sure how much your coins might be worth is by taking them in to get evaluated. An expert will be able to check whether your items are authentic based on multiple factors including weight, precious metals, design, and minting.
In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, “We are losing our listening.” In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening — to other people and the world around you.
Julian Treasure studies sound and helps people and businesses to listen, speak and use sound well. This talk was presented at an official TED conference. For the Silo, David J. Hensley.
Transcript
00:03 We are losing our listening. We spend roughly 60 percent of our communication time listening, but we’re not very good at it. We retain just 25 percent of what we hear. Now — not you, not this talk, but that is generally true. 00:18 (Laughter) 00:19 Let’s define listening as making meaning from sound. It’s a mental process, and it’s a process of extraction. 00:27 We use some pretty cool techniques to do this. One of them is pattern recognition. (Crowd noises) So in a cocktail party like this, if I say, “David, Sara, pay attention” — some of you just sat up. We recognize patterns to distinguish noise from signal, and especially our name. Differencing is another technique we use. If I left this pink noise on for more than a couple of minutes, (Pink noise) you would literally cease to hear it. We listen to differences; we discount sounds that remain the same. 00:56 And then there is a whole range of filters. These filters take us from all sound down to what we pay attention to. Most people are entirely unconscious of these filters. But they actually create our reality in a way, because they tell us what we’re paying attention to right now. I’ll give you one example of that. Intention is very important in sound, in listening. When I married my wife, I promised her I would listen to her every day as if for the first time. Now that’s something I fall short of on a daily basis. 01:28 (Laughter) 01:29 But it’s a great intention to have in a relationship. 01:32 (Laughter) 01:34 But that’s not all. Sound places us in space and in time. If you close your eyes right now in this room, you’re aware of the size of the room from the reverberation and the bouncing of the sound off the surfaces; you’re aware of how many people are around you, because of the micro-noises you’re receiving. And sound places us in time as well, because sound always has time embedded in it. In fact, I would suggest that our listening is the main way that we experience the flow of time from past to future. So, “Sonority is time and meaning” — a great quote. 02:08 I said at the beginning, we’re losing our listening. Why did I say that? Well, there are a lot of reasons for this. First of all, we invented ways of recording — first writing, then audio recording and now video recording as well. The premium on accurate and careful listening has simply disappeared. Secondly, the world is now so noisy, (Noise) with this cacophony going on visually and auditorily, it’s just hard to listen; it’s tiring to listen. Many people take refuge in headphones, but they turn big, public spaces like this, shared soundscapes, into millions of tiny, little personal sound bubbles. In this scenario, nobody’s listening to anybody. 02:51 We’re becoming impatient. We don’t want oratory anymore; we want sound bites. And the art of conversation is being replaced — dangerously, I think — by personal broadcasting. I don’t know how much listening there is in this conversation, which is sadly very common, especially in the UK. We’re becoming desensitized. Our media have to scream at us with these kinds of headlines in order to get our attention. And that means it’s harder for us to pay attention to the quiet, the subtle, the understated. 03:23 This is a serious problem that we’re losing our listening. This is not trivial, because listening is our access to understanding. Conscious listening always creates understanding, and only without conscious listening can these things happen. A world where we don’t listen to each other at all is a very scary place indeed. So I’d like to share with you five simple exercises, tools you can take away with you, to improve your own conscious listening. Would you like that? 03:55 Audience: Yes! 03:56 Good. The first one is silence. Just three minutes a day of silence is a wonderful exercise to reset your ears and to recalibrate, so that you can hear the quiet again. If you can’t get absolute silence, go for quiet, that’s absolutely fine. 04:13 Second, I call this “the mixer.” (Noise) So even if you’re in a noisy environment like this — and we all spend a lot of time in places like this — listen in the coffee bar to how many channels of sound can I hear? How many individual channels in that mix am I listening to? You can do it in a beautiful place as well, like in a lake. How many birds am I hearing? Where are they? Where are those ripples? It’s a great exercise for improving the quality of your listening. 04:40 Third, this exercise I call “savoring,” and this is a beautiful exercise. It’s about enjoying mundane sounds. This, for example, is my tumble dryer. 04:49 (Dryer) 04:50 It’s a waltz — one, two, three; one, two, three; one, two, three. I love it! Or just try this one on for size. 04:58 (Coffee grinder) 05:07 Wow! So, mundane sounds can be really interesting — if you pay attention. I call that the “hidden choir” — it’s around us all the time. 05:16 The next exercise is probably the most important of all of these, if you just take one thing away. This is listening positions — the idea that you can move your listening position to what’s appropriate to what you’re listening to. This is playing with those filters. Remember I gave you those filters? It’s starting to play with them as levers, to get conscious about them and to move to different places. These are just some of the listening positions, or scales of listening positions, that you can use. There are many. Have fun with that. It’s very exciting. 05:46 And finally, an acronym. You can use this in listening, in communication. If you’re in any one of those roles — and I think that probably is everybody who’s listening to this talk — the acronym is RASA, which is the Sanskrit word for “juice” or “essence.” And RASA stands for “Receive,” which means pay attention to the person; “Appreciate,” making little noises like “hmm,” “oh,” “OK”; “Summarize” — the word “so” is very important in communication; and “Ask,” ask questions afterwards. 06:18 Now sound is my passion, it’s my life. I wrote a whole book about it. So I live to listen. That’s too much to ask for most people. But I believe that every human being needs to listen consciously in order to live fully — connected in space and in time to the physical world around us, connected in understanding to each other, not to mention spiritually connected, because every spiritual path I know of has listening and contemplation at its heart. 06:46 That’s why we need to teach listening in our schools as a skill. Why is it not taught? It’s crazy. And if we can teach listening in our schools, we can take our listening off that slippery slope to that dangerous, scary world that I talked about, and move it to a place where everybody is consciously listening all the time, or at least capable of doing it. 07:07 Now, I don’t know how to do that, but this is TED, and I think the TED community is capable of anything. So I invite you to connect with me, connect with each other, take this mission out. And let’s get listening taught in schools, and transform the world in one generation to a conscious, listening world — a world of connection, a world of understanding and a world of peace. 07:29 Thank you for listening to me today.
The Bloc Québécois is ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government in exchange for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government’s confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
That support won’t come cheap, the Quebec-based Bloc said, and the sovereigntist party led by Yves-François Blanchet has already drawn up a list of demands.
In an interview ahead of the opening of Monday’s party caucus retreat in the Outaouais region, Bloc House Leader Alain Therrien said his party is happy to regain its balance of power.
Alain Therrien
“Our objectives remain the same, but the means to get there will be much easier,” Therrien said. “We will negotiate and seek gains for Quebec … our balance of power has improved, that’s for sure.”
He called the situation a “window of opportunity” now that the Liberals are truly a minority government after New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh tore up the confidence and supply deal between the two parties last week, leaving the Bloc with an opening.
While Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives have promised multiple confidence votes in the hope of triggering a general election, the Bloc’s strategy is not to rush to the polls and instead use their new-found standing to make what they consider to be gains for Quebec.
A Bloc strategist who was granted anonymity by The Canadian Press because he was not authorized to speak publicly stated bluntly that the NDP had officially handed the balance of power back to the Bloc. The Bloc is taking for granted that when a federal election is held in about a year or less, it will be a majority Conservative government led by Poilievre, whose party has surged in the polls for over a year and has been ahead in the rest of Canada for over a year.
Quebec won’t factor so much in that win, the source added, where the Bloc will be hoping to grab seats from the Liberals and where the Conservatives hope to gain from the Bloc.
“It’s going to happen with or without Quebec,” the source said. “They (the Conservatives) are 20 points ahead everywhere in Canada, with the exception of Quebec, and that won’t change … their (Conservative) vote is firm.”
It is not surprising that the Bloc sees excellent news in the tearing up of the agreement that allowed the Liberals to govern without listening to their demands, said University of Ottawa political scientist Geneviève Tellier.
Geneviève Tellier
“The Bloc only has influence if the government, no matter which one, is a minority,” she explained. “In the case of a majority government, the Bloc’s relevance becomes more difficult to justify because, like the other parties, it can oppose, it can hold the government to account, but it cannot influence the government’s policies.”
On the Bloc’s priority list is gaining royal recommendation for Bill C-319, which aims to bring pensions for seniors aged 65 to 74 to the same level as that paid to those aged 75 and over.
A bill with budgetary implications that comes from a member of Parliament, as is the case here, must necessarily obtain royal recommendation before third reading, failing which the rules provide that the Speaker of the House will end the proceedings and rule it inadmissible.
The Bloc also wants Quebec to obtain more powers in immigration matters, particularly in the area of temporary foreign workers, and recoup money it says is owed to the province.
The demands concerning seniors’ pensions and immigration powers are “easy, feasible and clear,” Therrien said.
“It’s clear that it will be on the table. I can tell you: I’m the one who will negotiate,” he added.
The Bloc also wants to see cuts to money for oil companies, more health-care funds for provinces as demanded by premiers and stemming or eliminating Ottawa’s encroachment of provincial jurisdictions. For The Silo, The Canadian Press.
The true “spirit” of the holiday season (oops, I meant to say Christmas) is for people to pause and give thanks. According to the man-made calendar of months and years, we are getting ready to start a New Year.
Boston, MA. JEANNIE MOTHERWELL Profoundly Fun 
Existential Crisis, acrylic on cradeled panel, 40″ x 30″ x 2″ 
Windward, acrylic on cradeled panel, 20″ x 60″ x 2″ 
