Senecas from New York:
Apache from Arizona:
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Scenes From the Indian Market
Mary Hayes took these pics last week at the Annual Indian Market at the Heard Museum. What a treat.
Senecas from New York:
Apache from Arizona:
Senecas from New York:
Apache from Arizona:
Friday, March 13, 2009
Chandler couple bringing ''clean'' theater to Southeast Valley
Our friend Stevi Shearer is in this play:
by Srianthi Perera - Mar. 13, 2009 02:36 PM
The Arizona Republic
Kenny and Karen Jezek believe there's room for more theater in the East Valley - especially if it's not racy or risqué.
The Chandler couple has established Command Performers, a family- friendly community theater company, which debuts with "Little Women" on March 21 and 22 at Mesquite High School in Gilbert.
Command Performers aims to produce affordable theater that reflect Judeo-Christian values. They also plan to offer apprenticeships to those who would like to learn about theater.
"We're providing an environment both for the audience and casting members that's really wholesome," Kenny Jezek said.
"We're Christians, but we're not wanting to go out and produce Christian productions like a Bible story. I grew up loving musical theater. I love to do stories like that - clean and entertaining," he said.
"Little Women," considered a relatively easy starter show, features a 13-strong volunteer cast mostly from around the East Valley. The adaptation of the classic by Louisa May Alcott follows the lives of the March girls in Civil War New England as they grow, with the loving guidance of their father and mother, into virtuous young women.
Karen costumes the 22 scenes, with three to five changes for each person. Their daughter Shiloh, 13, plays Amy. Leroy Timblin designed the sets, while Isaac Lundgren wrote some original songs.
The couple decided on community theater after an entertainment career in Hollywood, Calif., where they lived for eight years prior to moving to Chandler in 1988.
Kenny Jezek, 47, played Lars Englund in NBC's "Days of Our Lives" from 1986-87 among other shows, and was a dancer in a touring company prior to that when he starred in "Cats" and "42nd Street."
Karen, an expert in Polynesian dance, has acted in two soap operas - as Brenda Clegg in CBS's "Capitol" and Noel Gallager in "Rituals."
"Hollywood became no fun any more; it became very tiresome," Kenny said.
Going into community theater locally is no chance experiment for the pair.
For Kenny it first meant a stint as a manger for a fast food company to learn the business side and running a martial arts school. His current "day job" is running his own pool service company.
"Coming out of Hollywood, we had to kind of grow up a bit," Kenny said. "Ee needed to learn how to deal with people."
On Tuesday , the couple is to release in local Christian bookstores a DVD of a spiritual film, "Come What May," which was filmed in Richmond, Va. by Advent Film Group and in which they play roles (comewhatmaythemovie.com).
As for Command Performers, they have plans for a full slate of shows in the future and are looking for sponsorships. Meanwhile, they have adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
"It would be a success if people said 'we enjoyed the show and we had a great time,' and we didn't lose our shirts," Kenny said.
"We're having a blast. It's bigger than I anticipated. If we're going to expend energy, why not do something we love to do?" asks Karen, 46. "I feel like it's what we were gifted with."
by Srianthi Perera - Mar. 13, 2009 02:36 PM
The Arizona Republic
Kenny and Karen Jezek believe there's room for more theater in the East Valley - especially if it's not racy or risqué.
The Chandler couple has established Command Performers, a family- friendly community theater company, which debuts with "Little Women" on March 21 and 22 at Mesquite High School in Gilbert.
Command Performers aims to produce affordable theater that reflect Judeo-Christian values. They also plan to offer apprenticeships to those who would like to learn about theater.
"We're providing an environment both for the audience and casting members that's really wholesome," Kenny Jezek said.
"We're Christians, but we're not wanting to go out and produce Christian productions like a Bible story. I grew up loving musical theater. I love to do stories like that - clean and entertaining," he said.
"Little Women," considered a relatively easy starter show, features a 13-strong volunteer cast mostly from around the East Valley. The adaptation of the classic by Louisa May Alcott follows the lives of the March girls in Civil War New England as they grow, with the loving guidance of their father and mother, into virtuous young women.
Karen costumes the 22 scenes, with three to five changes for each person. Their daughter Shiloh, 13, plays Amy. Leroy Timblin designed the sets, while Isaac Lundgren wrote some original songs.
The couple decided on community theater after an entertainment career in Hollywood, Calif., where they lived for eight years prior to moving to Chandler in 1988.
Kenny Jezek, 47, played Lars Englund in NBC's "Days of Our Lives" from 1986-87 among other shows, and was a dancer in a touring company prior to that when he starred in "Cats" and "42nd Street."
Karen, an expert in Polynesian dance, has acted in two soap operas - as Brenda Clegg in CBS's "Capitol" and Noel Gallager in "Rituals."
"Hollywood became no fun any more; it became very tiresome," Kenny said.
Going into community theater locally is no chance experiment for the pair.
For Kenny it first meant a stint as a manger for a fast food company to learn the business side and running a martial arts school. His current "day job" is running his own pool service company.
"Coming out of Hollywood, we had to kind of grow up a bit," Kenny said. "Ee needed to learn how to deal with people."
On Tuesday , the couple is to release in local Christian bookstores a DVD of a spiritual film, "Come What May," which was filmed in Richmond, Va. by Advent Film Group and in which they play roles (comewhatmaythemovie.com).
As for Command Performers, they have plans for a full slate of shows in the future and are looking for sponsorships. Meanwhile, they have adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
"It would be a success if people said 'we enjoyed the show and we had a great time,' and we didn't lose our shirts," Kenny said.
"We're having a blast. It's bigger than I anticipated. If we're going to expend energy, why not do something we love to do?" asks Karen, 46. "I feel like it's what we were gifted with."
Monday, March 9, 2009
Functional Pet Idea
My friend Karen Longo came up with this great idea:
Dog or Pet Passports
www.baciedolcetta.com
Original K9 Kredentials™
$ 24.95
plus S & H
* Passport size booklet
* Navy blue vinyl with gold foil embossed logo
* Customized with a photo of your dog
* Long lasting
* Built for durability
* Handy for vet, pet resort or pet sitter, with everything they need to know inside
Friday, March 6, 2009
I BELIEVE THIS IS SOMETHING EVERYONE SHOULD READ OR LISTEN TO
This I Believe is a feature on National Public Radio, All Things Considered. You can go on NPR.org This I Believe and get the podcast for March 5, 2009 and hear what I heard while driving home that day.
As someone who deals with criminals and victims on a regular basis this caught my ear but as a human being I realize we have much to learn about vengeance and anger. It is becoming more and more clear to me that we are responsible only for ourselves and we make our own place in the universe. We cannot be directed or affected by others unless we let them. This story shows how easy it is to fool ourselves that what we do is the result of someone else. It never is.
Finding Freedom In Forgiveness
by Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson-Cannino
Scott Witter:
In 1984, Jennifer Thompson-Cannino testified that Ronald Cotton was the man who raped her. Eleven years later, DNA evidence cleared him of the crime. The two are now frequent speakers on judicial reform. They live in North Carolina with their families.
All Things Considered, March 5, 2009 ·
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino: I believe in forgiveness — the kind that has the power to release a person from a place of anger and hate, to a place of peace.
Ronald Cotton: I also believe in the healing power of forgiveness. I had gone to prison an angry man and gotten real comfortable with it. But that kind of emotion was keeping me a prisoner in my own private jail. I had to let the hate go, and learn to live and forgive.
Jennifer: I picked Ronald out as the man who had raped me, only to learn 11 years later that I had made a mistake. That was unbearable. In my mind Ronald had been a monster. For 365 days for 11 years, I prayed for him to die. Discovering the truth filled me with overwhelming guilt and shame for mistakenly putting an innocent man in prison. Meanwhile, the guilty person was left to commit further crimes on women. I found it almost impossible to forgive myself.
Ronald: Forgiving Jennifer for picking me out of that lineup as her rapist took less time than people think. I knew she was a victim and was hurting real bad. But I was hurting, too. I missed my family, my girlfriend and my freedom. But I knew who I was, and I was not that monster. I knew who did this to Jennifer, and he would have gone to his grave leaving me to rot in prison without ever confessing to what he had done. Letting go of my anger toward him was hard, but staying free in my heart was a choice only I could make.
Jennifer: I asked Ron if he could ever forgive me. And with all the mercy in the world he took my hands and with tears in his eyes, he told me he had forgiven me a long time ago. At that moment I began to heal. Ronald taught me how to let go of all that pain; his forgiveness set me free that night. Without Ronald, I would still be shackled to that moment in time, and it would own me forever. I soon discovered that I could even forgive the man who had raped me — not because he asked me to, nor because he deserved it — but because I did not want to be a prisoner of my own hatred.
Ronald: Jennifer and I are friends. And some people don't really understand it. But we were the victims of the same injustice by the same man, and this gave us a common ground to stand on. Together we were able to help each other heal through a shared experience. I could choose to be bitter; I could hate the prison guards and the system. But I choose to forgive them all, so that I stay free and not be a prisoner for the rest of my life.
“We were the victims of the same injustice by the same man, and this gave us a common ground to stand on. Together we were able to help each other heal.”
Ronald Cotton
'Picking Cotton'
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton have written a memoir about their experiences.
Independently produced for All Things Considered by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman with John Gregory and Viki Merrick. NPR Editor: Ellen Silva. With help from Greg Dixon
As someone who deals with criminals and victims on a regular basis this caught my ear but as a human being I realize we have much to learn about vengeance and anger. It is becoming more and more clear to me that we are responsible only for ourselves and we make our own place in the universe. We cannot be directed or affected by others unless we let them. This story shows how easy it is to fool ourselves that what we do is the result of someone else. It never is.
Finding Freedom In Forgiveness
by Ronald Cotton and Jennifer Thompson-Cannino
Scott Witter:
In 1984, Jennifer Thompson-Cannino testified that Ronald Cotton was the man who raped her. Eleven years later, DNA evidence cleared him of the crime. The two are now frequent speakers on judicial reform. They live in North Carolina with their families.
All Things Considered, March 5, 2009 ·
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino: I believe in forgiveness — the kind that has the power to release a person from a place of anger and hate, to a place of peace.
Ronald Cotton: I also believe in the healing power of forgiveness. I had gone to prison an angry man and gotten real comfortable with it. But that kind of emotion was keeping me a prisoner in my own private jail. I had to let the hate go, and learn to live and forgive.
Jennifer: I picked Ronald out as the man who had raped me, only to learn 11 years later that I had made a mistake. That was unbearable. In my mind Ronald had been a monster. For 365 days for 11 years, I prayed for him to die. Discovering the truth filled me with overwhelming guilt and shame for mistakenly putting an innocent man in prison. Meanwhile, the guilty person was left to commit further crimes on women. I found it almost impossible to forgive myself.
Ronald: Forgiving Jennifer for picking me out of that lineup as her rapist took less time than people think. I knew she was a victim and was hurting real bad. But I was hurting, too. I missed my family, my girlfriend and my freedom. But I knew who I was, and I was not that monster. I knew who did this to Jennifer, and he would have gone to his grave leaving me to rot in prison without ever confessing to what he had done. Letting go of my anger toward him was hard, but staying free in my heart was a choice only I could make.
Jennifer: I asked Ron if he could ever forgive me. And with all the mercy in the world he took my hands and with tears in his eyes, he told me he had forgiven me a long time ago. At that moment I began to heal. Ronald taught me how to let go of all that pain; his forgiveness set me free that night. Without Ronald, I would still be shackled to that moment in time, and it would own me forever. I soon discovered that I could even forgive the man who had raped me — not because he asked me to, nor because he deserved it — but because I did not want to be a prisoner of my own hatred.
Ronald: Jennifer and I are friends. And some people don't really understand it. But we were the victims of the same injustice by the same man, and this gave us a common ground to stand on. Together we were able to help each other heal through a shared experience. I could choose to be bitter; I could hate the prison guards and the system. But I choose to forgive them all, so that I stay free and not be a prisoner for the rest of my life.
“We were the victims of the same injustice by the same man, and this gave us a common ground to stand on. Together we were able to help each other heal.”
Ronald Cotton
'Picking Cotton'
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton have written a memoir about their experiences.
Independently produced for All Things Considered by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman with John Gregory and Viki Merrick. NPR Editor: Ellen Silva. With help from Greg Dixon
Saturday, February 28, 2009
I'll Drink to That
I got one of those roaming emails right after reading a couple of other things about Atlas Shrugged. I thought, as a service to my loyal readers who don't really want to invest the time it takes to read a 1,000 page novel this is really what Ayn Rand was saying in a nutshell. So enjoy and then have a toast to the 70 year old Cleveland woman who I just read chased 4 would-be robbers out of her home with her 5 quart Emeril Lagasse sauce pan after dodging the bottle of Jack Daniels one of them lobbed at her! Who knew food news could be so criminal!
Tax System Explained
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (The poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20."
Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!" "That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax
system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
Tax System Explained
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (The poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20."
Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!" "That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax
system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Will We Never Learn?
Given that it is the 50th anniversary of the famous Ayn Rand novel Atlas Shrugged, I decided to read it, having somehow missed this iconic American experience in my youth. (I cannot attribute this failing to my penchant for reading only works of non-fiction for I only developed that tic in the relatively recent past. And I must admit that I do make exceptions such as this one and the last being another 1,000+ pager by Ken Follett Pillars of the Earth that also offered some historical significance, although in retrospect I am not sure it was all that valuable.)
My friend and I agreed to read it simultaneously and meet intermittently to discuss it. Ah, the best laid plans. I finished the book before we have had a single meeting. I had to.
The book was driving me crazy! Very often I found entire passages that were amenable to being ripped from the headlines, so to speak. My husband was being tortured with my constant interjections of "Listen to this...!" My other regularly articulated reaction was "how can people be so stupid?"
Do we learn nothing over time? As I repeat that question to various friends and acquaintances I am most troubled by the nearly universal reaction "[t]hat's people for you!" But isn't the ability to reason supposed to separate us from the birds and the beasts? We can't have it both ways!
Even as I finished the book, longing for my own map to that hidden spot in Colorado where logical people hide from the rest of the world, I was being hit with the harsh reality of human nature.
After spending a mind bending week at the Legislature trying to sell an environmentally sound project to a bunch of environmentalists who were practically begging us take the most environmentally offensive option (all for political reasons, I might add) you can probably understand my initial reaction to the documentary I went to see at the Phoenix Art Museum on Sunday.
The film, about the 1000 Journal Project, describes how this fellow who calls himself Some Guy, over a period of 2 years, set loose out into the human network 1000blank journals for people to make entries and pass along to someone else. The idea is that once filled the journal would make its way back to Some Guy.
Wow! What a concept. A project that is only basically defined and is tabula rasa for random creativity. The first thought to jump to my mind was that people would see that by taking individual responsibility for things we could lead happy productive lives with little or no need for an overarching set of rules to inhibit us, hamper our pursuit of happiness and convince us that we need things we really don't.
Needless to say, by the end of the film, my audacious hope was obliterated under the weight of human tendencies once again. Although less than 20 journals have made it back to Some Guy in the 8+ years they have been floating around, the film maker was able to document that they have indeed traveled the planet (mostly in the first and second world countries and for the most part in the northern hemisphere.) Interestingly, along the way there are various instances where the participants try and force their own personal moral code on the conduct of the transfer and/or the content. Some people set up queues for particular volumes and tried to impose time limits. People transposed emotions to the content. Some were appalled at the revisions made to the work of others.
Some people obviously have just kept the journal with no intention of returning it. Others have no doubt forgotten about possessing it as it likely made its way to the pile of stuff being stored in the garage. Some used it as a metaphor for understanding unrelated life changing experiences or political realities. In other words, every human interaction one could imagine has taken place in the context of the movement of the journal. It really clarifies the point that all people are interesting and we are likely to disagree with most of them.
So what does that have to do with Ayn Rand? It brings us back to the apt conclusions of my inner circle: it truly is the way people are. We don't learn; we keep repeating the same mistakes as groups because the groups consist of the random collection of all the possible personality iterations and the same traits are dominant and bubble to the top every time.
So as we sit here in the midst of the great recession asking ourselves how this could happen, we should look ourselves square in the eye and ask ourselves if we contributed by accepting fate, following the crowd and being apathetic. And then we should ask what is life for anyway? Is it really about whose name is on one's jeans or is it about improving the human experience and honing the skills of reason to continue our progress as a species toward spiritual perfection?
In recent conversations, at least three people have articulated the ultimate problem facing the world today as overpopulation. As with most who are keenly aware of major problems, none seemed prepared to suggest a solution. But I have a simple solution that tracks Ayn Rand's concept of respecting the people with brains and letting them lead us to Nirvana. Overpopulation is a function of poverty. People in poverty, driven by the innate human motivation to perpetuate the species have many more babies than people living in comfort. The chances of their progeny carrying on are so much smaller that they are inclined to have lots of kids to create the possibility that at least one or two of them will survive. Once we realize that by adequately taking care of one's own needs first we are then freed up to help other people become just like us, then we can easily rationalize the pursuit of wealth and stop demonizing it.
The world is experiencing a paradigm shift of epic proportions right under our noses. Now is our chance to seize opportunity and work within the change as opposed to seeing the negative and throwing up our hands. So what if I can't afford to fill my house with junk from Walgreen's any longer; the jobs created by that consumption are not the kind that were going to break the poverty cycle. Let's stop shrugging, get creative and leave behind a journal of great things for future generations.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Beautiful Boobs
Here are my faves from the:
THE ARTFULL BRAS PROJECT
Members of Quilters of South Carolina have created one-of-a-kind bras for Breast Cancer Awareness. The exhibit consists of forty-nine original works of art which are unique, entertaining, humorous, and beautiful to make the public aware of breast cancer, to memorialize those lost to the disease, and to honor survivors.
This exhibit will tour SC until Oct '09 at which time individual Artfull Bras will be auctioned and the proceeds donated to the Best Chance Network, a program to provide care and treatment of uninsured women across the state who are diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer.
The bras come prepared for display on their own hangers and are available for exhibit across the state of South Carolina. The exhibit is available until October of 2009. If you are interested in delighting and inspiring your organization membership, contact Sandra Baker, president of QSC at Sandra25@bellsouth.net
Pastel Party - Judy Twitty
Nursing Bra - Anne Duncan
Support Your Favorite Boob - Kathy Hauser
Sports Bra - Angela Faulkenberry
For more go to http://www.quiltersofsc.org/artfullbras/artfullbras.htm
THE ARTFULL BRAS PROJECT
Members of Quilters of South Carolina have created one-of-a-kind bras for Breast Cancer Awareness. The exhibit consists of forty-nine original works of art which are unique, entertaining, humorous, and beautiful to make the public aware of breast cancer, to memorialize those lost to the disease, and to honor survivors.
This exhibit will tour SC until Oct '09 at which time individual Artfull Bras will be auctioned and the proceeds donated to the Best Chance Network, a program to provide care and treatment of uninsured women across the state who are diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer.
The bras come prepared for display on their own hangers and are available for exhibit across the state of South Carolina. The exhibit is available until October of 2009. If you are interested in delighting and inspiring your organization membership, contact Sandra Baker, president of QSC at Sandra25@bellsouth.net
Pastel Party - Judy Twitty
Nursing Bra - Anne Duncan
Support Your Favorite Boob - Kathy Hauser
Sports Bra - Angela Faulkenberry
For more go to http://www.quiltersofsc.org/artfullbras/artfullbras.htm
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