A friend asked what site to see in New York City if she could only see one. Without hesitation I said Central Park. Thinking about it later, I thought if an alien asked what site to see on Earth if he, she, or it could only see one. I might still say Central Park. I’ve seen beautiful days, but none more so than Sunday, when Central Park exploded with autumn[…] Keep reading →

Usually I keep the stories about art on the art page, but a two-minute news story on NY1 on Union Square in Motion gets special mention. The reporters did their research and spent time understanding the piece. Plus with the designers Coco && Breezy passing by and being interviewed, the exchange was amazing. Below is the news story and here is the link to the NY1 story online. The video[…] Keep reading →

The scene: Friday 10am at Union Square in Motion. NY1 is interviewing Jeanne Kelly, Josefina Santos, and me. After the interviews, the NY1 crew record us watching the display. The action: While recording us, as often happens, a group of maybe ten or so riders stops to watch the display too. Among the people who stop are there particularly stylish people who show more enthusiasm and interest in the art[…] Keep reading →

Continuing from yesterday… If you’re American or in a developed country, you’re probably overweight, though your grandparents and all earlier ancestors probably didn’t even know anyone overweight. You probably watch television nearly as much as you work, though your grandparents and all earlier ancestors didn’t have televisions. You may have little to no physical activity in your life, though your grandparents and all earlier ancestors were physically active every day.[…] Keep reading →

Continuing from yesterday… When I communicate the ideas from yesterday’s post to others, they tend to respond by pointing out the differences between their systems and ours, for example that we can choose what products we buy but they can’t choose their government, along with many other differences. Of course I know those differences. That’s why I began that post pointing out my theme that anyone can see differences, but[…] Keep reading →

In yesterday’s post on North Korean propaganda I wondered if they realized the pervasiveness of their propaganda. They seemed not to pay attention to it. Could they not notice it, like fish in water? Now I will explore two of the major themes of my writing on North Korea, based on major ways the visited affected me Seeing others reveals things about yourself and your culture — and the more[…] Keep reading →

Most of us rank its propaganda high on what we identify with North Korea. We saw and heard plenty while we were there, to the exclusion of nearly all other forms of public expression. For background, see the Wikipedia page or this essay. They give more background and pictures than I could, so I’ll stick with my observations. Today I want to comment at a high level on North Korea[…] Keep reading →