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Posted on May 10th, 2007 by Gerrit.
Categories: Travel & Leisure, Philanthropy & Environment, Arts & Literature, Coming Events.
Sparkling Fresh’s Exhibition and Silent Auction IV is tonight! I went to the last one and had a blast — those in attendance included artists (both emerging and established), models, critics and an extraordinarily interesting and diverse set of New Yorkers and Non-New Yorkers alike with rewarding, spirited and welcoming interests in art. With a much bigger venue showing more work by over 15 emerging artists, this event will likely eclipse the last. And it kicks off relatively early; so, even if you already have plans, drop by: it’s free admission (and open bar).
Sparkling Fresh Exhibition & Silent Auction IV
This Thursday (today!)
May 10, 2007
The Grant Gallery
7 Mercer Street (Between Grand and Canal)
6:30-9pm (Bidding ends at 8:50)
Free Admission & Open Bar
See the Invitation
See a Preview of the Art
There will be tons of original art by exciting, emerging New York artists with starting bids between $150-$3000, with over half the work under $500.
Sparkling Fresh is sponsored by Fazenda Mae de Ouro — Cachaca, so think caipirinha — as well as Singha Beer.
Posted on April 1st, 2007 by Gerrit.
Categories: Food & Wine, Sports & Health.
If you’re still pondering what to have for Sunday brunch, I would like to suggest that you eat a banana. Really, it’s all you need. I’ve been living off of them for a good three months now and with the exception of some newly exhibited pongid behavior, such as throwing feces at women who dis me at bars, it’s been for the best.
Vitruvian Man on Bananas
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND (UK’s National Association for Mental Health) amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel better (Ukrainian Observer). And eating them is often an excellent alternative to hurling shit at people. For this and many more helpful facts, check out the complete article.
Finally, bananas, as well as cucumbers, which only become more compelling in the bedroom or in certain comedy routines as they contain the hard “c” sound, also contain all of the essential amino acids our body does not produce for itself. I believe there were eight of them at last count, but I’ve found it difficult to do that as of late. So you’ll have to verify that one on your own.
Posted on March 16th, 2007 by Gerrit.
Categories: Philosophy & Spirituality, History & Politics, Philanthropy & Environment, Business & Finance, Science & Technology, Arts & Literature.
I’m somewhat of a Michael Crichton junky; and I finally (it’s been out since November) got to read his latest: “Next.” This time he explores the power and consequences of our growing capacity to modify organisms directly at the genetic level. The possibilities span disease and anti-aging therapies, human-animal hybridization (smarter parrots and chimps), modified bacterial swarms that self-organize into clouds that look like any other but can form complex images. E.g., little kids at the beach will no longer look up at the sky and see rabbits or dragons, but rather reminders to put on sunscreen (and, more likely, the corporate logo for Coppertone or Banana Boat). This would put a lot of small prop pilots out of business.
If you’re interested, read the book or, alternatively, grab today’s copy of Science or Nature magazine, because it’s happening. Crichton seems to rib Science quite a bit in “Next,” though; I may switch my subscription over to the latter. Anyway, if you pick up a recent issue of Nature, you can read about lab-grown meat (also mentioned in “Next”): it’s pure muscle tissue. From what I understand, it’s not fatty, but by the same token, it has never been exercised so it’s kind of “gushy,” to use Nature’s technical jargon. They’re working on giving it a synthetic work-out. Apparently 6 out of 12 tasters spit the meat out in a recent test – but 6 did not, as the article aptly points out.
My point is, Crichton’s last two novels actually cover very up to date empirical (as opposed to theoretical) research as well as their very near-term (perhaps already happening?) consequences. And the social commentary is a lot less thinly veiled than in, say, Jurassic Park. I, personally, don’t mind. Crichton can be a bit harsh; and I think some fans are a little taken aback; but right or wrong I do not think he is abusing his podium, rather, he is making a brave stand. If you’re interested in getting a good, little summary from the horse’s mouth of his thoughts on genetic engineering or global warming, which he covers in “State of Fear,” or Jasper Johns or the direction of western civilization, I recommend checking out his recent Charlie Rose interview.
The brunt of “Next” actually revolves around ownership of genes, by the way. Imagine corporate sponsorship of endangered animals – a jaguar’s protection at the price of having his spots modified to advertise a car company. Corporations already own diseases (yes, the disease, not just the cure). Imagine the affects on research, on medicine, on society. What if you did not own your own genes? Guess what, someone else might already – they can essentially be bought up like so many domain names on the web. That’s not fiction.
Posted on February 24th, 2007 by Gerrit.
Categories: Business & Finance, Arts & Literature, Coming Events.
I’ve had the fortune of knowing a lot of real live artists. Their hearts won’t let them do anything else; the iron in their veins is polarized towards the ascetic life of aesthetics. While I don’t always know how to make them happy, me being left to listen and to look and to learn, I can help feed them. So, with that in mind, I want to let you know about a great event put on by a new, amazing, very entrepreneurial and free-thinking friend of mine.
This Thursday (3/1/07) in NYC at Chashama @ 217 (217 E. 42nd St.) there will be an art auction hosted by Sparkling Fresh.
Here’s the invitation.
Here’s a sampling from a previous auction.
It’s free admission (and there’s an open bar).
Support the good stuff!
Posted on February 21st, 2007 by Gerrit.
Categories: Philosophy & Spirituality, Arts & Literature.
I am a big fan of Neruda, so I borrowed one of his titles, “Ode to laziness.” Read it in the original Spanish. Of what I could find online, I liked best the translation on this site (look about a third of the way down the scroll area for it). But I recommend Stephen Mitchell’s translation. I noticed Myk carrying around the mini-copy of Mitchell’s translation of the Tao Te Ching one day. You know, this man translates Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Hebrew and Spanish among a few others (Stephen Mitchell, that is – not Myk, at least as far as I know).
As a brief aside, we don’t really know for sure what the words in ancient Greek texts really mean. All we can say is that our lexicon of the language is self-consistent, in that everything translated using what we think are the definitions makes sense, but isn’t necessarily what they meant. Your typical unabridged dictionary of ancient Greek will list under each entry every place that that particular word appears in all the literature we possess from these ancients. Arguably modern language works the same way, anyway – so it’s always true that, “you just had to be there.” I guess it’s why the Buddhists say, “the moment you open your mouth, you’ve missed the mark.”
Anyway, coming back to my ode . . . so, this week I decided to start getting more involved with online social networks and somewhere along the way I was asked a question about simple pleasures. I am actually very easily amused. I can and have stared at the ocean for about 6 hours straight. Basil and olive oil will make my day, any day, days in a row. Guitar always centers me. There is something about all these things that wraps me up on every level – physical, emotional, rational. Playing the guitar requires such digital agility, and a calculated sense of what’s to come in the phrasing of the music. Finally I have to feel what the composer was feeling and to that add whatever I might bring on a given day. And the greatest thing is it makes me forget whatever was tying me down to a moment that’s already passed. It helps me enjoy the here and now. It’s a very centering equation being brought back to reality, being reminded who I am. Sometimes I need that. I like to step way outside my comfort zone. It’s how I learn – it’s how we all learn. So these simple pleasures, while they are our anchors, I think they may also be what allow us to extend ourselves further. They help us find that self-consistency when a new entry is added to the lexicon that is us.
