Thursday, June 30, 2005
About once a month, sometimes less frequently, enchanting and delightful posts arrive in my in-box from John Cutrone in Lake Worth, Florida. Here is the most recent dispatch:
Hello Friends,
John Cutrone here, from Convivio Bookworks in Lake Worth, Florida, where it's been one of the rainiest Junes on record. It may be the rainy season, but we're not used to rain falling day in and day out. The sogginess is beginning to take its toll on folks around here. At the lunch counter at Minnie's early this week, Minnie was looking a little frazzled, like she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time, and once the lunch crowd cleared out, I asked her if all was well. She raised her eyebrows, threw her dishrag over her shoulder, and leaned in towards me, over the counter. "It's this constant rain," she said. "It's making me a nervous wreck."
"Well, the rain's making us all a little punchy," I assured her. "No, no," she said. "I did it. It's all my fault. All this rain..." Her eyes got real wide. "It's me: I'm the one who did it."
Seems Minnie was dead-set on not wanting to take part in the annual Lake Worth Summer Shuffleboard Fling--something that her long time friend Wilma had signed them up for together. She had agreed to do it when Wilma asked her back in March ("It'll be fun," she said), because Wilma can be very persistent and in March the "fling" seemed a long time away. But Minnie was happy to leave all aspects of sportsmanship behind when she graduated from Lake Worth High in 1943--if she never again had to attempt to connect any kind of bat or stick with any kind of ball or puck, it still would have been too soon for her.
Reluctant or not, she had said yes to Wilma back in March, and now here it was the weekend before and Minnie's anxiety was really building. It was too late to back out, of course, and she'd never hear the end of it if she did. She thought long and hard about it for a good many days, and finally decided to seek the assistance of a higher power.
The Botanica Santa Teresa shop had been a source of curiosity for Minnie ever since it had opened west of town a couple years back. She and Wilma would drive past in Wilma's red pickup truck. "What is 'Botanica'?" Minnie would ask. "Is it a plant store?"
"You don't wanna go in there," Wilma had warned her. "They'll put a voodoo spell on you." And that was that. Minnie just peered through the colorful painted windows each time she passed by on her way to the market. Desperate times call for desperate measures, though, and the more Minnie thought about it, the more she thought that the Botanica Santa Teresa shop could be the ticket out of her predicament. So she ignored Wilma's advice, mustered up her nerve, and stopped in on her way home from Publix. She had ice cream in the car, so she didn't stay long, but she stayed long enough to get a seven-day candle and some necessary instructions.
She came home from the shop, performed the ritual cleansing that was prescribed, and lit the candle. The rain began falling the next day, which was the day that Seth and I had to abandon our road trip. It rained the next day and the day after that. The Summer Shuffleboard Fling was cancelled due to rain on Saturday, and that was perfect, that was all Minnie had wanted. But it just kept on raining on Sunday and into the next week, and the week after that, and now here it is, the end of June, and if we've had one day without rain, well, I certainly don't recall it.
The faucet behind the lunch counter dripped. Minnie sighed. "I don't see an end to it," she told me. Have you ever tried to reason with a woman who swears she's unleashed a voodoo spell upon an entire town? It took me a while to respond, but I did the best I could. "Minnie," I said, "it can't rain all the time."
I borrowed the words from a song. All I know is, come St. Swithin's Day on July 15, if it's raining that day, it'll be raining for forty days more. So says the weather lore. And whether you go with weather lore or voodoo, St. Swithin's Day and many other fascinating ones await you at the July page of the ongoing Convivio Book of Days. Here's where you start:
http://www.conviviobookworks.com
From there, go to "About Us," and then find the link for "Book of Days: July" in the usual Book of Days place. We've posted a little early this time around, in case any of you decide to make a four-day weekend out of our Independence Day celebration. I may just do that myself. And if we have three continuous days without rain, Minnie's promised me a Peanut Butter and Bacon sandwich--the house specialty at Minnie's--gratis. So here's to a little sunshine. Seth and I will be in touch soon about our new and improved road tour attempt, but meanwhile, sunny hours to you all.
John
ps. If you'd rather not receive these occasional Dispatches, just let me know.
"Thank you, and write when you can."
Convivio Bookworks
John Cutrone & Seth Thompson, proprietors
Books and broadsides, made by hand in Lake Worth, Florida.
http://www.conviviobookworks.com
(and look out for Works on Paper coming from Convivio in the hopeful near future...)
Hello Friends,
John Cutrone here, from Convivio Bookworks in Lake Worth, Florida, where it's been one of the rainiest Junes on record. It may be the rainy season, but we're not used to rain falling day in and day out. The sogginess is beginning to take its toll on folks around here. At the lunch counter at Minnie's early this week, Minnie was looking a little frazzled, like she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time, and once the lunch crowd cleared out, I asked her if all was well. She raised her eyebrows, threw her dishrag over her shoulder, and leaned in towards me, over the counter. "It's this constant rain," she said. "It's making me a nervous wreck."
"Well, the rain's making us all a little punchy," I assured her. "No, no," she said. "I did it. It's all my fault. All this rain..." Her eyes got real wide. "It's me: I'm the one who did it."
Seems Minnie was dead-set on not wanting to take part in the annual Lake Worth Summer Shuffleboard Fling--something that her long time friend Wilma had signed them up for together. She had agreed to do it when Wilma asked her back in March ("It'll be fun," she said), because Wilma can be very persistent and in March the "fling" seemed a long time away. But Minnie was happy to leave all aspects of sportsmanship behind when she graduated from Lake Worth High in 1943--if she never again had to attempt to connect any kind of bat or stick with any kind of ball or puck, it still would have been too soon for her.
Reluctant or not, she had said yes to Wilma back in March, and now here it was the weekend before and Minnie's anxiety was really building. It was too late to back out, of course, and she'd never hear the end of it if she did. She thought long and hard about it for a good many days, and finally decided to seek the assistance of a higher power.
The Botanica Santa Teresa shop had been a source of curiosity for Minnie ever since it had opened west of town a couple years back. She and Wilma would drive past in Wilma's red pickup truck. "What is 'Botanica'?" Minnie would ask. "Is it a plant store?"
"You don't wanna go in there," Wilma had warned her. "They'll put a voodoo spell on you." And that was that. Minnie just peered through the colorful painted windows each time she passed by on her way to the market. Desperate times call for desperate measures, though, and the more Minnie thought about it, the more she thought that the Botanica Santa Teresa shop could be the ticket out of her predicament. So she ignored Wilma's advice, mustered up her nerve, and stopped in on her way home from Publix. She had ice cream in the car, so she didn't stay long, but she stayed long enough to get a seven-day candle and some necessary instructions.
She came home from the shop, performed the ritual cleansing that was prescribed, and lit the candle. The rain began falling the next day, which was the day that Seth and I had to abandon our road trip. It rained the next day and the day after that. The Summer Shuffleboard Fling was cancelled due to rain on Saturday, and that was perfect, that was all Minnie had wanted. But it just kept on raining on Sunday and into the next week, and the week after that, and now here it is, the end of June, and if we've had one day without rain, well, I certainly don't recall it.
The faucet behind the lunch counter dripped. Minnie sighed. "I don't see an end to it," she told me. Have you ever tried to reason with a woman who swears she's unleashed a voodoo spell upon an entire town? It took me a while to respond, but I did the best I could. "Minnie," I said, "it can't rain all the time."
I borrowed the words from a song. All I know is, come St. Swithin's Day on July 15, if it's raining that day, it'll be raining for forty days more. So says the weather lore. And whether you go with weather lore or voodoo, St. Swithin's Day and many other fascinating ones await you at the July page of the ongoing Convivio Book of Days. Here's where you start:
http://www.conviviobookworks.com
From there, go to "About Us," and then find the link for "Book of Days: July" in the usual Book of Days place. We've posted a little early this time around, in case any of you decide to make a four-day weekend out of our Independence Day celebration. I may just do that myself. And if we have three continuous days without rain, Minnie's promised me a Peanut Butter and Bacon sandwich--the house specialty at Minnie's--gratis. So here's to a little sunshine. Seth and I will be in touch soon about our new and improved road tour attempt, but meanwhile, sunny hours to you all.
John
ps. If you'd rather not receive these occasional Dispatches, just let me know.
"Thank you, and write when you can."
Convivio Bookworks
John Cutrone & Seth Thompson, proprietors
Books and broadsides, made by hand in Lake Worth, Florida.
http://www.conviviobookworks.com
(and look out for Works on Paper coming from Convivio in the hopeful near future...)
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Why everyone should boycott Starbuck's. I wonder if the Asian Media Watchdog that did such a great job campaigning against the Details piece knows about this. I watched the commercial on the Starbuck's website just now, and the Asian guy who is on screen for all of about 2 seconds is WAY sexier than his chubby white replacement.
This week's Blogoview Q&A: The first poem that I ever remember writing was in the 1st grade in my once a week GATE class taught by Mrs. Sally Larune (nee Brown) at Highgrove Elementary where I was 1 of 2 Asian kids, along with my big brother in a student body of about 800 students. We explored a number of fun and easy forms, limericks and haiku, but the poem I most remember writing was a concrete poem on the delicious taste of watermelon (my favorite fruit), handwritten and shaped of course in the form of a half circle. The roots of a visual poet... the xerox copy of the original poem is sitting in an old army backpack stuffed with yearbooks and a 3rd grade birthday book from Mrs. Livingstone's class on a shelf in my bedroom closet in my parents' house in SoCal.
Tsunami Anthology
Tsunami Anthology
Originally uploaded by shinyu32.
A Gathering of the Tribes & Foot Hills Publishing
Invite you to a Book Release Party for
In the Arms of Words: Poems for Tsunami Relief
Edited by Amy Ouzoonian
Published by Foot Hills Publishing/Sherman Asher Press
Thursday, June 30th 5-7 pm
Featuring contributors…
Steve Dalachinsky * Eve Packer * James Warner * Alan Semerdjian * Irene O’Garden * Nancy Mercado * Ravi Shankar * Valery Oisteanu * Sharon Olinka * Jesus Papoleto Melendez * Thaddeus Rutkowski * Roberta Gould * Donald Lev * Frank Simone * Bob Holman * Kirpal Gordon and Claire Daly * Amy Ouzoonian * Thomas Baier * Andrew Riutta
Also, poems by absent contributors read by special guests
At the Bowery Poetry Club 308 Bowery
take the F train to 2nd Ave or the 4,5, or 6 to Bleecker St.
For more info, call: (212) 674-3778 or (212) 614-0505 or email: tsunamipoet@yahoo.com
Copies of “In the Arms of Words: Poems for Tsunami Relief” will be available for sale. All proceeds of sales and donations will go to International Rescue Committee (www.theirc.org) to aid survivors of the Tsunami. To order your copy or check out the book, go here .
The Buddy System
Originally uploaded by shinyu32.
The line-up for the the Buddy System show...
The current UTD/South Side artists-in-residence have each invited an artist/friend to exhibit their work in the Janette Kennedy Gallery from July 1 through July 7. Please join us for a fun summer reception with DJ G (Jonathan Graham) on Friday, July 1 from 7 until 9 pm at South Side on Lamar, 1409 S. Lamar. For more information 214-421-3394.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Another interest bites the dust or get over it, it's all practice... so tonight Kort and I helped on a letterpress job for the press in our building. We inked up the C&P, measured and set the diecut and pulled about 30 announcements (our goal was 80). That is, Kort pulled 30 announcements. I made half-assed measurements, wiped off extra ink from the die and practiced the movements of placing the paper in the press in between hits. Picture Daniel-san in Karate Kid waxing the hood of Mr. Miyagi's car or painting his wooden fence - hand-eye coordination is not one of my strong suits, though I have all the patience in the world to cut and bind paper into books. There were a lot of moving, noisy parts and the parts that came out of the machine were too heavy for me to lift on my own. How am I EVER going to be a letterpress printer unless I build up enough muscle to lift a vertical piece of 30 lb metal? Learning a new practice is always an exercise in getting to know myself and my process better - I learn in very specific ways (expedient means), and unless that process is honored, nothing gets integrated. The old trial and error does not really cut it for me. The similarities to photography are strong - lots of changing variables - temperature, ink, rollers, paper height, etc. etc. Oh that I actually had skills...
Kort and I went to see "Saving Face" last Friday which stars the wonderful Joan Chen, and 2 emerging young female talents, Michelle Krusiec and Lynn Chen. Joan Chen is terrific in this movie, portraying a widowed 40 something mom to Wil(hemina), her lesbian daughter who is a practicing surgeon. Chen shows up on Wil's doorstep in New York, pregnant and disowned by her parents. What ensues is a complex look at Chinese family and cultural dynamics. Chen's initial rejection of her daughter's sexuality is heart-breaking, mirroring the abuse that she takes from her own parents for shaming the family by becoming pregnant without a husband. Favorite scenes in the movie were the image of Chen browsing the Chinese movie section in a video store with the camera panning past Joy Luck Club (which Chen had a prominent role in) to an Asian porn video which Chen's character rents, takes home and watches. Also hilarious was Wil shoving her mother in a wedding dress back into the taxi cab before running to try and salvage relations with her lover. Alice Wu has penned a great script and put together a great cast for her directorial debut. Interestingly enough, the Fresh Prince Will Smith produced.
While I could definitely relate to the complex family dynamics in the movie, I can't say that I had the urban experience of growing up around a local Chinatown and going to Friday night dances to meet Chinese boys - though my parents did send me on the 1998 DPP tour, not unlike the KMT's love boat. Watching the soap scenes, I remembered sitting on the couch with my own mother, trying to follow Chinese telenovelas (contemporary and historical varieties), identifying the bad guy, and trying to find a way to connect to some perceived notion of Chinese-ness.
While I could definitely relate to the complex family dynamics in the movie, I can't say that I had the urban experience of growing up around a local Chinatown and going to Friday night dances to meet Chinese boys - though my parents did send me on the 1998 DPP tour, not unlike the KMT's love boat. Watching the soap scenes, I remembered sitting on the couch with my own mother, trying to follow Chinese telenovelas (contemporary and historical varieties), identifying the bad guy, and trying to find a way to connect to some perceived notion of Chinese-ness.
There is a 5 alarm fire burning out of control several buildings away from my office. The fire has hit the roof and the smoke billowing out has changed from a grey brown to a thick toxic black.
The new vision statement in brief active July-August:
Starting July 5, get up every morning at 6:30 a.m. and swim laps on the roof. Rely on cars as little as possible. Take train and walk everywhere. Work out 3-5 nights a week on cardio, circuit training, or do yoga. Continue learning letterpress at Bell'invito. Plan that UTD class by August 1 and investigate Costa Rica and Taiwan for upcoming trips. Read a book a week, get the love hotels work shipped off to Chicago, and work towards getting Nutritional Feed fully funded and production ready. Help Kort build his practice. Talk to my parents twice a week and/or write them letters. Write letters to those who I owe correspondence to. Proceed with wedding planning and lose my attachment to money. Cultivate a sense of well-being minus the fear.
Starting July 5, get up every morning at 6:30 a.m. and swim laps on the roof. Rely on cars as little as possible. Take train and walk everywhere. Work out 3-5 nights a week on cardio, circuit training, or do yoga. Continue learning letterpress at Bell'invito. Plan that UTD class by August 1 and investigate Costa Rica and Taiwan for upcoming trips. Read a book a week, get the love hotels work shipped off to Chicago, and work towards getting Nutritional Feed fully funded and production ready. Help Kort build his practice. Talk to my parents twice a week and/or write them letters. Write letters to those who I owe correspondence to. Proceed with wedding planning and lose my attachment to money. Cultivate a sense of well-being minus the fear.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
The MAC show
Originally uploaded by shinyu32.
Installation shot of work by David Sequeira, Unnecessary Roughness pieces on the far wall.
Love Hotels
Originally uploaded by shinyu32.
Love hotel photos by Misty Keasler, bracketed by my wall texts.
Unnecessary Roughness
Originally uploaded by shinyu32.
Four works from Unnecessary Roughness with Ferenc Suto.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Opening tomorrow of Conspicuous Production at The MAC. I've been feeling a weird and distinct lack of excitement around this exhibition. Dropped off the work on Tuesday night and caught a sneak preview of the catalog. Seeing the layout, If I could go back and do again, I would give the graphic designer just 1 image/text sample, which is apparently what some of my program mates did at the risk of being "difficult".
I've gone from having almost no routine in the past 9 months to now having a very regimented life in the last month - I am a commuter again, riding public transportation to and from my job at the agency while Kort spends the day building his acupuncture practice. Every day I pass the grassy knoll where JFK was gunned down. Yesterday, the train that I was riding went out of service but I missed the announcement on the intercom so I rode around thru several stops in a darkened car until mustering enough pluck to page the conductor and ask to be dropped off, and luckily it coincided with my home station. On the walk from Walnut Hill to my office, I pass a man made reservoir around an apartment complex where I see dads and sons fishing and pass by goose poo and ducks every day. Last week I saw an egret. I recognized it from the U.S. postage stamp and from reading Tom's Volunteer Geraniums. It is said that birds reflect the health of the ecosystem - pigeons, geese, ducks, mallards, crows and egrets cross my path every day. I may not have noticed them until I got out of the car. Driving is a luxury that I'm glad that I won't indulge in. Think Marky Mark in Huckabees - petrol is evil. Happy hour in a few hours here at work. Beer and wine in the lounge. A happy hour like a happy meal, thinking of Mark's cheeseburgers.
Because our marriage officiant is of the Karma Kagyu lineage (Trungpa's lineage), Kort's started going to the local branch - Karma Thegsum Choling. Last night we went over to the meeting house to practice, Thursday night is the chanting of Chenrezig sutra, in Tibetan. We got there late because of my train detour and were totally lost until one of the senior students (who read the sutra in Tibetan vs. English) kindly pointed out where we were. The teacher at KTC is Lama La, aka the Laughing Lama. I like that. I could use a little more laughter in my life. My sutra book was an embarrassing and misfolded yellow fabric mess. I watched as Kort patiently rewrapped the slips of paper into a perfect package. Flashback to Omar and me at the dharma center in Boulder. Tomorrow Kort goes with me to see gura Michelle Andrie at Priya Yoga. Before I started going back to yoga, my thoughts had been that I should practice towards becoming a yoga teacher. If you're going to study, you might as well work towards something. I have to say that this mentality has very quickly melted away. It feels much more sane to cultivate awareness and enjoy this process of growth and awakening, vs. striving for externals - which has gotta be the lesson that I'm destined to master in this lifetime.
I've gone from having almost no routine in the past 9 months to now having a very regimented life in the last month - I am a commuter again, riding public transportation to and from my job at the agency while Kort spends the day building his acupuncture practice. Every day I pass the grassy knoll where JFK was gunned down. Yesterday, the train that I was riding went out of service but I missed the announcement on the intercom so I rode around thru several stops in a darkened car until mustering enough pluck to page the conductor and ask to be dropped off, and luckily it coincided with my home station. On the walk from Walnut Hill to my office, I pass a man made reservoir around an apartment complex where I see dads and sons fishing and pass by goose poo and ducks every day. Last week I saw an egret. I recognized it from the U.S. postage stamp and from reading Tom's Volunteer Geraniums. It is said that birds reflect the health of the ecosystem - pigeons, geese, ducks, mallards, crows and egrets cross my path every day. I may not have noticed them until I got out of the car. Driving is a luxury that I'm glad that I won't indulge in. Think Marky Mark in Huckabees - petrol is evil. Happy hour in a few hours here at work. Beer and wine in the lounge. A happy hour like a happy meal, thinking of Mark's cheeseburgers.
Because our marriage officiant is of the Karma Kagyu lineage (Trungpa's lineage), Kort's started going to the local branch - Karma Thegsum Choling. Last night we went over to the meeting house to practice, Thursday night is the chanting of Chenrezig sutra, in Tibetan. We got there late because of my train detour and were totally lost until one of the senior students (who read the sutra in Tibetan vs. English) kindly pointed out where we were. The teacher at KTC is Lama La, aka the Laughing Lama. I like that. I could use a little more laughter in my life. My sutra book was an embarrassing and misfolded yellow fabric mess. I watched as Kort patiently rewrapped the slips of paper into a perfect package. Flashback to Omar and me at the dharma center in Boulder. Tomorrow Kort goes with me to see gura Michelle Andrie at Priya Yoga. Before I started going back to yoga, my thoughts had been that I should practice towards becoming a yoga teacher. If you're going to study, you might as well work towards something. I have to say that this mentality has very quickly melted away. It feels much more sane to cultivate awareness and enjoy this process of growth and awakening, vs. striving for externals - which has gotta be the lesson that I'm destined to master in this lifetime.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Ron has an interesting post on the Real Poetik list serve which I very quickly unsubscribed from after receiving a slew of annoying "unsubscribe me" emails. It was about as obnoxious as people sending to the Buffalo or WOMPO lists unsubscribe me messages. It is true that many people who subscribe to these lists are luddites but you would think that they would figure it out and think twice before compounding a problem. That is what the delete button is for.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
And now a public service announcement:
Announcing Longevity Acupuncture, a new acupuncture practice devoted to serving the complementary and alternative health care needs of North Texas.
Dallas, TX –– Acupuncturist Markus K. Bergman, MAOM; Dipl. Ac.; Dipl. CH; Lic. Ac. announces the opening of Longevity Acupuncture, a complementary and alternative health care practice devoted to the healthcare needs of adults.
Acupuncture is a safe and effective holistic medicine backed by more than 2,000 years of practice and research. It is practiced worldwide both as a primary and adjunctive treatment for a wide range of conditions. While there are somewhat standard treatment protocols for many conditions, the clinical success of acupuncture is related to the wide range of diagnostic signs and symptoms that are taken into account when looking at an imbalance. For a condition such as arthritis affecting the knees, an acupuncturist may look at your tongue, check your pulse, ask about your diet and lifestyle, etc. This range of diagnostic information allows acupuncture practitioners to develop a treatment strategy that is unique to you and your experience of a particular condition.
CONDITIONS TREATED
According to The World Health Organization, there are over 70 specific diseases or conditions that acupuncture is recognized for based on research from controlled trials. Below is a sampling of generally recognized categories:
- Pain
- Infections
- Neurological disorders
- Respiratory disorders
- Digestive disorders
- Blood disorders
- Urogenital disorders
- Gynecological and obstetric disorders
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Psychiatric disorders and mental disturbances
- Substance addiction
- Pediatric disorders
- Disorders of the sense organs
- Skin diseases/disorders
MARKUS K. BERGMAN, MAOM; Dipl. Ac; Dipl. CH; Lic. Ac.
Markus holds a Master of Oriental Medicine, the terminal degree in the field of Oriental Medicine recognizing the completion of both Chinese and Japanese styles of acupuncture, as well as Chinese herbal medicine tracks, from The New England School of Acupuncture in Watertown, Massachusetts. The MAOM track requires three years of year round study resulting in over 900 clinical hours and over 2,000 didactic hours of study. Established in 1975 by Dr. James Tin Yao So, NESA is the oldest and one of the most prestigious schools of Oriental Medicine in the United States. He is also a certified Diplomate of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs having passed the required exams administered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and is currently licensed to practice acupuncture in the state of Texas. A native Texan, Markus attended Richardson Public schools and Stephen F. Austin, before earning his Bachelors degree in Contemplative Psychology from Naropa University.
Please visit www.longevity.gotdns.org for more information, or call 214-485-2232 to make an appointment.
So what are you waiting for? Call and make an appointment today and tell your friends! Congrats Kort on your new practice.
Announcing Longevity Acupuncture, a new acupuncture practice devoted to serving the complementary and alternative health care needs of North Texas.
Dallas, TX –– Acupuncturist Markus K. Bergman, MAOM; Dipl. Ac.; Dipl. CH; Lic. Ac. announces the opening of Longevity Acupuncture, a complementary and alternative health care practice devoted to the healthcare needs of adults.
Acupuncture is a safe and effective holistic medicine backed by more than 2,000 years of practice and research. It is practiced worldwide both as a primary and adjunctive treatment for a wide range of conditions. While there are somewhat standard treatment protocols for many conditions, the clinical success of acupuncture is related to the wide range of diagnostic signs and symptoms that are taken into account when looking at an imbalance. For a condition such as arthritis affecting the knees, an acupuncturist may look at your tongue, check your pulse, ask about your diet and lifestyle, etc. This range of diagnostic information allows acupuncture practitioners to develop a treatment strategy that is unique to you and your experience of a particular condition.
CONDITIONS TREATED
According to The World Health Organization, there are over 70 specific diseases or conditions that acupuncture is recognized for based on research from controlled trials. Below is a sampling of generally recognized categories:
- Pain
- Infections
- Neurological disorders
- Respiratory disorders
- Digestive disorders
- Blood disorders
- Urogenital disorders
- Gynecological and obstetric disorders
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Psychiatric disorders and mental disturbances
- Substance addiction
- Pediatric disorders
- Disorders of the sense organs
- Skin diseases/disorders
MARKUS K. BERGMAN, MAOM; Dipl. Ac; Dipl. CH; Lic. Ac.
Markus holds a Master of Oriental Medicine, the terminal degree in the field of Oriental Medicine recognizing the completion of both Chinese and Japanese styles of acupuncture, as well as Chinese herbal medicine tracks, from The New England School of Acupuncture in Watertown, Massachusetts. The MAOM track requires three years of year round study resulting in over 900 clinical hours and over 2,000 didactic hours of study. Established in 1975 by Dr. James Tin Yao So, NESA is the oldest and one of the most prestigious schools of Oriental Medicine in the United States. He is also a certified Diplomate of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs having passed the required exams administered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and is currently licensed to practice acupuncture in the state of Texas. A native Texan, Markus attended Richardson Public schools and Stephen F. Austin, before earning his Bachelors degree in Contemplative Psychology from Naropa University.
Please visit www.longevity.gotdns.org for more information, or call 214-485-2232 to make an appointment.
So what are you waiting for? Call and make an appointment today and tell your friends! Congrats Kort on your new practice.
Today I picked up the Observer for the first time in about a month. The news I missed: George Michaels's lover Kenneth Goss opened his gallery in Dallas last month with a show by David LaChappelle. I had to do a doubletake on that one - not Dave Chappelle the comedian, but David LaChappelle, the fashion photographer. George Michaels was apparently spotted at the opening (and mentioned prominently in the gallery's press materials). Wham! was one of the bands that I remember growing up listening to in the 80s - them, Tears For Fears, Simple Minds, Howard Jones, Roxy Music and David Bowie. All the girls had crushes on George Michaels or John or Simon from Duran Duran (mine was on Bowie) and the big hits were "Careless Whispers" and "I'm Your Man." Ah, memories. I seem to be filtering through a lot of them lately...
Top 5 things to do in Costa Rica:
- volcano climbing
- rainforest hiking
- catching some rays
- Pura Vida
- The White Colony
Top 5 things to do in Costa Rica:
- volcano climbing
- rainforest hiking
- catching some rays
- Pura Vida
- The White Colony
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Amy Ouzoonian
tsunamipoet@yahoo.com
(845) 532-0551
A Gathering of the Tribes
Tompkins Square Station
PO Box 20693
New York, NY 10009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 14, 2005
Reading and Book Signing for the Release of Poetry Anthology for Tsunami Relief
NEW YORK, NY-- FootHills Publishing and Sherman Asher Press are proud to announce the release of the long awaited anthology In the Arms of Words: Poems for Tsunami Relief. This anthology of poetry includes the work of over 80 poets (many world renowned) from around the world and is edited by Amy Ouzoonian, who is also the editor of A Gathering of the Tribes magazine and author of a collection of poetry Your Pill (FootHills Publishing 2005). Contributors such as Diane di Prima, Nick Carbo, Marge Piercy, Sparrow, Thaddeus Rutkowski, Shin Yu Pai, Bob Holman and Diane Ackerman have made this collection exceptional in both content and cause. Proceeds from sales of “In the Arms of Words: Poems for Tsunami Relief” will be donated to OXFAM and will help in aiding the survivors of the tsunami of December 2004, that destroyed many villages and communities in Asia, killing millions and leaving many more in devastation.
To celebrate the release of this anthology and to raise funds for the survivors, A Gathering of the Tribes and Bowery Poetry Club, on 308 Bowery (between Bleecker St. and Houston), are organizing a book signing and poetry reading at the Bowery Poetry Club on June 30, 2005 from 5-7 p.m. Contributors Thaddeus Rutkowski, Sharon Olinka, Frank Simone, Jesus Papoleto Melendez, Donald Lev, Kirpal Gordon, Steve Dalachinsky, James Warner, Jennifer Hill-Kaucher, Irene O’Garden, Nancy Mercado Roberta Gould, Eve Packer, Sparrow, and Ravi Shankar will read their poems from the book.
Copies of In the Arms of Words: Poems for Tsunami Relief are available for sale. For more information on this event or to book a fundraising event and reading for this publication and its authors, please contact Amy Ouzoonian at tsunamipoet@yahoo.com or contact A Gathering of the Tribes: info@tribes.org
Contact: Amy Ouzoonian
tsunamipoet@yahoo.com
(845) 532-0551
A Gathering of the Tribes
Tompkins Square Station
PO Box 20693
New York, NY 10009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 14, 2005
Reading and Book Signing for the Release of Poetry Anthology for Tsunami Relief
NEW YORK, NY-- FootHills Publishing and Sherman Asher Press are proud to announce the release of the long awaited anthology In the Arms of Words: Poems for Tsunami Relief. This anthology of poetry includes the work of over 80 poets (many world renowned) from around the world and is edited by Amy Ouzoonian, who is also the editor of A Gathering of the Tribes magazine and author of a collection of poetry Your Pill (FootHills Publishing 2005). Contributors such as Diane di Prima, Nick Carbo, Marge Piercy, Sparrow, Thaddeus Rutkowski, Shin Yu Pai, Bob Holman and Diane Ackerman have made this collection exceptional in both content and cause. Proceeds from sales of “In the Arms of Words: Poems for Tsunami Relief” will be donated to OXFAM and will help in aiding the survivors of the tsunami of December 2004, that destroyed many villages and communities in Asia, killing millions and leaving many more in devastation.
To celebrate the release of this anthology and to raise funds for the survivors, A Gathering of the Tribes and Bowery Poetry Club, on 308 Bowery (between Bleecker St. and Houston), are organizing a book signing and poetry reading at the Bowery Poetry Club on June 30, 2005 from 5-7 p.m. Contributors Thaddeus Rutkowski, Sharon Olinka, Frank Simone, Jesus Papoleto Melendez, Donald Lev, Kirpal Gordon, Steve Dalachinsky, James Warner, Jennifer Hill-Kaucher, Irene O’Garden, Nancy Mercado Roberta Gould, Eve Packer, Sparrow, and Ravi Shankar will read their poems from the book.
Copies of In the Arms of Words: Poems for Tsunami Relief are available for sale. For more information on this event or to book a fundraising event and reading for this publication and its authors, please contact Amy Ouzoonian at tsunamipoet@yahoo.com or contact A Gathering of the Tribes: info@tribes.org
Surely, an interesting art project would be taking the U.S. Army First Aid Manual for Soldiers which has been recently declassified and making some sort of illustrated political commentary about the war in Iraq....
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
With rejection comes acceptance....
1-1 in today's mail. Won't mention the Foundation proposal...but I can say that I will be exhibiting my black and white photographs in a show at the Paterson Museum in New Jersey that will take place in April-May 2006. The exhibition is a group show of writers who are also visual artists and will include work by Allen Ginsberg, Diane DiPrima, and yours truly, curated by Jane Haw in conjunction with the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community. Hopefully there will be a catalog...speaking of which our MAC show will be offering a perfect bound catalog of the first 2 years of artists in the Southside program with an introduction by Dr. Richard Bretell. Cover price for the volume has not been set but if you're interested in reserving a copy, back channel me and I'll see what I can do. Catalogs go on sale the day the show opens on June 25.
It's been a ho hum kind of year in terms of poetry so far and a disproportionate amount of activity in the visual realm. Go with the flow I suppose....
1-1 in today's mail. Won't mention the Foundation proposal...but I can say that I will be exhibiting my black and white photographs in a show at the Paterson Museum in New Jersey that will take place in April-May 2006. The exhibition is a group show of writers who are also visual artists and will include work by Allen Ginsberg, Diane DiPrima, and yours truly, curated by Jane Haw in conjunction with the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community. Hopefully there will be a catalog...speaking of which our MAC show will be offering a perfect bound catalog of the first 2 years of artists in the Southside program with an introduction by Dr. Richard Bretell. Cover price for the volume has not been set but if you're interested in reserving a copy, back channel me and I'll see what I can do. Catalogs go on sale the day the show opens on June 25.
It's been a ho hum kind of year in terms of poetry so far and a disproportionate amount of activity in the visual realm. Go with the flow I suppose....
Monday, June 13, 2005
Originally uploaded by shinyu32
Artist as Curator: The res program is opening "The Buddy System" a show in the Janette Kennedy Gallery (see photo) over the 4th of July weekend that will be guest curated by the residents of the Southside program. My friend and ex-collaborator from Chicago, Larry Lee has graciously accepted the invitation to present work. Larry and I did a video installation project called Concave is the Opposite of Convex years ago which showed at Gallery 2. Some of my favorite of Larry's works include his minimalist zip paintings referencing Chicago's Chinatown (think BBQed pork and roast duck) and his master's thesis project - the commissioning of portraits of the artist. Check out Lar's website for poems and other brilliant works.
In other residency news - I've finally gotten the Unnecessary Roughness poems framed to hang with Ferenc's images and the love hotels texts are at Fast Signs being made into vinyl wall decals. This will mark the first time I have framed text or applied it to a wall as a finished presentation. It will be interesting to collect feedback... Quin Matthews came by last weekend and interviewed me for about 25 minutes and filmed for 5. I had a headache that morning and didn't feel particularly articulate about the work and felt more guarded than usual when asked about the question of "community." In certain contexts when that terms is thrown around it just feels like a crock of shit and a far cry from asking what you really think. Next up, the UTD gallery show that Greg Metz's students are organizing.
Less blogging recently with too many things to do and a tough week of round the clock meds to clear up a bad infection had me waking up twice a night. I've been able to put closure to most of my projects - wrote the foreword for a friend's book that will be out with Ugly Duckling Presse sometime in the future and withdrew from a couple of things that I just couldn't invest the time or heart in with the wedding coming up. A couple of years ago it would have felt like quitting, now a days it feels like protecting my time, energy and sanity and the right thing to do.
We have found a wedding officiant from the Karma Kagyu lineage who will do a traditional fire ceremony, and we will drive out to meet him in New Mexico over the 4th of July weekend. I bought my wedding shoes, rhinestone bejeweled pumps with a beautiful floral jacquard fabric from Steve Madden - a total princess shoe if I ever saw one. And the bridesmaids have sorted out what they are wearing - a lovely silk shantung sheath in green, blush, and almond - a different color for each. Enlisted my folks in helping with an ultra special wedding gift for Kort that will be handcrafted and one of a kind.
From the Free Press:
The partisan attack on public broadcasting continues. First, they targeted PBS and NPR news programs for signs of "liberal bias." Now they're sharpening their knives for Big Bird.
A congressional subcommittee has voted to slash more than $200 million in funding for public broadcasting, including $23.4 million earmarked for "Ready to Learn" children's educational programming -- the money that keeps shows like "Sesame Street," "Arthur," and "Clifford the Big Red Dog" on the air.
Thousands of phone calls are needed today to save public broadcasting. Call your member of Congress now.
The subcommittee slashed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget by $100 million and voted to "zero out" all federal money for CPB within two years. Small television and radio stations that serve rural communities and minority audiences will be devastated by these cuts.
The CPB is already embroiled in controversy over Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson's attempts to withhold funding from PBS programs that don't follow his conservative political line. Apparently dissatisfied with this effort to make public broadcasting more "fair and balanced," the Republican majority is now trying to bankrupt the entire system.
We must stop these cuts from passing in the House of Representatives. Here's what you can do:
1. Call your U.S.representative and ask him or her to restore full funding for public broadcasting. Tell your representative: "Like millions and millions of other Americans, I rely on public broadcasting's superb children's programming and trustworthy news and information. Please protect public broadcasting and restore full federal funding for PBS, NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."
2. Send a letter to Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), the chairman and vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, letting them know that the American public opposes these cuts and doesn't want partisan interference in public broadcasting.
Congress needs to hear from the tens of millions of Americans who tune in every day -- whether it's for Big Bird or Bill Moyers, "Reading Rainbow" or "Morning Edition." Despite overwhelming popular support for public broadcasting, the Republican leadership and partisan board members at the CPB are attempting to gag and starve public media in America.
Don't let them. Call your representatives right away -- and forward this message to everyone you know.
Onward,
Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
www.freepress.net
The partisan attack on public broadcasting continues. First, they targeted PBS and NPR news programs for signs of "liberal bias." Now they're sharpening their knives for Big Bird.
A congressional subcommittee has voted to slash more than $200 million in funding for public broadcasting, including $23.4 million earmarked for "Ready to Learn" children's educational programming -- the money that keeps shows like "Sesame Street," "Arthur," and "Clifford the Big Red Dog" on the air.
Thousands of phone calls are needed today to save public broadcasting. Call your member of Congress now.
The subcommittee slashed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget by $100 million and voted to "zero out" all federal money for CPB within two years. Small television and radio stations that serve rural communities and minority audiences will be devastated by these cuts.
The CPB is already embroiled in controversy over Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson's attempts to withhold funding from PBS programs that don't follow his conservative political line. Apparently dissatisfied with this effort to make public broadcasting more "fair and balanced," the Republican majority is now trying to bankrupt the entire system.
We must stop these cuts from passing in the House of Representatives. Here's what you can do:
1. Call your U.S.representative and ask him or her to restore full funding for public broadcasting. Tell your representative: "Like millions and millions of other Americans, I rely on public broadcasting's superb children's programming and trustworthy news and information. Please protect public broadcasting and restore full federal funding for PBS, NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."
2. Send a letter to Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), the chairman and vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, letting them know that the American public opposes these cuts and doesn't want partisan interference in public broadcasting.
Congress needs to hear from the tens of millions of Americans who tune in every day -- whether it's for Big Bird or Bill Moyers, "Reading Rainbow" or "Morning Edition." Despite overwhelming popular support for public broadcasting, the Republican leadership and partisan board members at the CPB are attempting to gag and starve public media in America.
Don't let them. Call your representatives right away -- and forward this message to everyone you know.
Onward,
Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
www.freepress.net
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Costa_Rica
Costa_Rica
Originally uploaded by shinyu32.
Tamarindo, where we will be staying, is on the Northwest coast of Costa Rica - a country that abolished capital punishment in the 1960s and has no military. Closest thing to paradise..
Sunday, June 05, 2005
New from Singing Horse Press
)cliff TIDES((
by Mary Rising Higgins
ISBN 0-935162-31-3 $15 paper 120pp.
Open )cliff TIDES(( -- Mary Rising Higgins' new book of poems -- to risk an off-road journey through talk back poetics. Return to travel differently as words offer up alternate terrain. Each time draws closer to where you might imagine, would question, then wake in details to possible terms that approach new breaths recounting.
"These beautifully patterned poems move shaped poetry into a new dimension as unsatiated meaning merges with tides of reanimating stammer. Until mars reopens the sky . . ." :: Charles Bernstein
"The range of formal paths Mary Rising Higgins follows in these carefully wrought and beautifully expansive poems allows a vast repertoire of responses (hers in the variety of poetic possibilities; ours in the many ways we cannot help but read). . . . Written, rooted in the past few years and all they contain, these poems refuse the simple response and inscribe a multiplex awareness of all the good and bad that surrounds us. How can a writer, today, take on the world and still remain true to her art? Take up )cliff TIDES(( and prepare to see." :: Douglas Barbour
Purchase )cliff TIDES(( directly at www.singinghorsepress.com and receive a free CD of Mary Rising Higgins reading from )cliff TIDES(( and earlier work.
Also new from Singing Horse Press: The New Spirit by Hank Lazer; The Ideation by Phillip Foss; The Epochal Body by Andrew Mossin; Playing Well With Others by Paul Naylor, and Near Or Random Acts by Charles Alexander.
You can also order Singing Horse Press books from Small Press Distribution: (800) 869-7553 or on the web at www.spdbooks.org.
)cliff TIDES((
by Mary Rising Higgins
ISBN 0-935162-31-3 $15 paper 120pp.
Open )cliff TIDES(( -- Mary Rising Higgins' new book of poems -- to risk an off-road journey through talk back poetics. Return to travel differently as words offer up alternate terrain. Each time draws closer to where you might imagine, would question, then wake in details to possible terms that approach new breaths recounting.
"These beautifully patterned poems move shaped poetry into a new dimension as unsatiated meaning merges with tides of reanimating stammer. Until mars reopens the sky . . ." :: Charles Bernstein
"The range of formal paths Mary Rising Higgins follows in these carefully wrought and beautifully expansive poems allows a vast repertoire of responses (hers in the variety of poetic possibilities; ours in the many ways we cannot help but read). . . . Written, rooted in the past few years and all they contain, these poems refuse the simple response and inscribe a multiplex awareness of all the good and bad that surrounds us. How can a writer, today, take on the world and still remain true to her art? Take up )cliff TIDES(( and prepare to see." :: Douglas Barbour
Purchase )cliff TIDES(( directly at www.singinghorsepress.com and receive a free CD of Mary Rising Higgins reading from )cliff TIDES(( and earlier work.
Also new from Singing Horse Press: The New Spirit by Hank Lazer; The Ideation by Phillip Foss; The Epochal Body by Andrew Mossin; Playing Well With Others by Paul Naylor, and Near Or Random Acts by Charles Alexander.
You can also order Singing Horse Press books from Small Press Distribution: (800) 869-7553 or on the web at www.spdbooks.org.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Conspicuous Production: The First Two Years of the UTD SouthSide Artist Residency
June 25-July 30, 2005
Opening: Saturday, June 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary
With performance by TREEWAVE
Panel Discussion: To be announced
Phyllida Barlow
Kelli Connell
Carola Dreidemie
Brian Fridge
Ryan Fitzer
Christopher Jagers
Saskia Jorda
Misty Keasler
Baseera Khan
Stephen Lapthisophon
Audry Liseron-Monfils
Annie Murdock
Titus O'Brien
Shin Yu Pai
Sai Selvarajan
Ludwig Schwarz
Marjorie Schwarz
David Sequiera
Paul Slocum
Kaneem Smith
Reynaldo Thompson
Kyle Wadsworth
Chen Xinpeng
June 25-July 30, 2005
Opening: Saturday, June 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary
With performance by TREEWAVE
Panel Discussion: To be announced
Phyllida Barlow
Kelli Connell
Carola Dreidemie
Brian Fridge
Ryan Fitzer
Christopher Jagers
Saskia Jorda
Misty Keasler
Baseera Khan
Stephen Lapthisophon
Audry Liseron-Monfils
Annie Murdock
Titus O'Brien
Shin Yu Pai
Sai Selvarajan
Ludwig Schwarz
Marjorie Schwarz
David Sequiera
Paul Slocum
Kaneem Smith
Reynaldo Thompson
Kyle Wadsworth
Chen Xinpeng
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