How much power?

Hello! Welcome to my weekly habit of sharing.

Whether we like it or not, all of our lives are fully enmeshed—economically, politically, socially and yes emotionally— in the webs of the Four Horsemen (Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google). Given that the CEOS of said horsemen will soon testify before the US House Judiciary Antitrust Committee, then, I think I can be most helpful by sharing just one link this week…

…In which the writer explains why the politicians probably won’t ask the tough questions…

…but then (second half is the real gem), he provides the questions (with pictures) that they SHOULD ask.

Galloway provides the very best visuals to illustrate what the numbers these Giants represent really mean. To our country and our own lives.

We humans have a hard time visualizing numbers without pictures, I think.

Fire and Fawning by Scott Galloway—highly recommended!

How much power is monopoly…or something even more destructive to the common economic and social good?

Peace and joy until next week—

Denise

P.S. If you know others who would enjoy this newsletter, please share this email. All are welcome to subscribe.

Reality and silver linings

Hello! Welcome to my weekly habit of sharing.

Five things I want to share with you this week:

1. College this year. It’s not what kids, parents or college administrators want to hear—like for everyone else about the pandemic—but two weeks ago Prof Scott Galloway of NYU called out the lunacy (and economic motivations) for sending college kids back to physical college classes:

My 4th year at UCLA I was Interfraternity Council President… As king of the jarheads, I was privy to the tragedy that unfurled each week from the collision of youth, alcohol, and newfound freedom. In the same year, a Lambda Chi passed out from drinking on the roof of his fraternity, rolled off into the driveway, and was found the next morning in a coma. Our IFC VP (a Phi Kap) got shi**y drunk at a party in Malibu, decided to take a jetski out at 2 am, and washed up 5 days later. Our treasurer (Sigma Chi) hanged himself after his girlfriend rejected his marriage proposal. Yep, but today’s youth will definitely wear masks and keep 6 feet from each other off campus.

This week, titled USS University, his message is more direct.

Think about this. Next month, as currently envisioned, 2,800+ cruise ships retrofitted with white boards and a younger cohort will set sail in the midst of a raging pandemic. The density and socialization on these cruise ships could render college towns across America the next virus hot spots, [their healthcare systems overwhelmed ]“in a matter of days.”

Back in May too many Americans ignored reality and tried to go back to normal—and now the coronavirus is worse than ever in the U.S. Will we look back and say we did it again in September—only worse?

2. Now, let’s look at pandemic silver linings—because really, what else can we do? Saved by the Pandemic? And how about this vision - including actual 3-D virtual reality vision - of New York City without cars! Super cool! Oh, and while we can’t be certain (yet), but it’s interesting to note that there are no known cases of Covid-10 transmission via surfaces.

3. Inequalities close look at home:

With rapid rates of gentrification and some of the highest housing prices and homelessness numbers, San Francisco is home to the most extreme income inequalities in the country. We all have a duty to realize that national reform is needed, but we must start with looking at ourselves and our own communities. Especially those of you who’ve flocked to the Bay Area for six-figure salaries in tech and bussed commutes into Mountain View — now’s also the time to acquaint yourself with how regional gentrification continues to widen the racial disparities faced by BIPOC Bay Area residents.

4. Creativity, Community, Connection, Collaboration. CGood TV just launched a free, online, 4-part series called C the Good. Each short video explores each of these “four pillars of a conscious world”. Truly inspiring and beautiful. Also, talk about a great example of someone doing what it takes in these strange times to make himself - and others - happy!

5. The Great Realisation. I will be forever grateful to CGood above for introducing me to Probably Tomfoolery on YouTube. He is so talented (and so cute!) I’m going to binge watch all his work this weekend. Here’s the short viral video—a true work of art—that they talk about: The Great Realisation .

May it be so.

Peace and joy until next week—

Denise

P.S. If you know others who would enjoy this newsletter, please share this email. All are welcome to subscribe.

When will we get the vaccine?

Hello! Welcome to my weekly habit of sharing.

Update on Rufus after his surgery—he is doing great! I have never been through a surgery with an animal and I am amazed how quickly he went from heavy narcotics and barely able to walk (incisions near his front legs) to no meds and leaping back up on to the bed (at 6am) wondering when we’re going to hike again. It’s been one week—but unfortunately his doctor say he has to wait for two.

I have just a few links for you this week—but each one of them is don’t-miss-phenomenal!

Cut through the hearsay and media “reports.” When will we get a vaccine? Anthony Fauci’s Boss on Why Things Could be Much Better Soon. Dr. Francis Collins is the head of the National Institutes of Health. If anyone knows about the (promising) state of vaccines for Covid-19, this man does.

Second, Natalie Wynn, YouTube phenomenon, “video essayist and entertainer.” If you haven’t experienced her Contrapoints videos yet…well, here’s your chance. So smart—and funny (my favorite combo in people). Here’s a good intro: What’s Wrong with Capitalism? Part I and Part II.

I absolutely loved Austin Channing’s book, I’m Still Here — Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. A world made for whiteness…as the author shares her experiences growing up black in white middle class and communities, and then going on to college and into the work world, we understand better... it’s a quick read. Highly recommended.

And speaking of book recommendations. When the world just gets too heavy, there’s nothing better than escaping another time and place—and someone else’s life! I love this series so far as recommended by a friend to me: The Royal Spyness Series by Rhys Bowen, beginning with Book 1. (can’t beat that price either!) It takes place in London, 1932, and the solver of mysteries is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, 34th in line for the English throne—Georgie for short. So much fun!

Peace and joy until next week—

Denise

P.S. If you know others who would enjoy this newsletter, please share this email. All are welcome to subscribe.

Lotta love

Hello! Welcome to my weekly habit of sharing.

I’m writing to you the night before our dog, Rufus, is to have surgery to remove some problematic but benign tumors Barring unforeseen events, he’ll be fine…but I’m still distracted. He’s our baby—even 10 years later!

So in any event, this week I don’t have much more to say except to share so many great links. Enjoy!

Five things I want to share with you this week:

1. Two Americans to celebrate: Graphic artist Milton Glaser, co-founder of New York Magazine, creator of so much iconic art including the psychedelic Bob Dylan Poster and the I Love New York logo, and so much more. He died last week at 91 years old, but his art will live on for centuries. I bet you recognize a lot of it!

   Also, Charles Booker, who might have lost the democratic primary in Kentucky, but wow, read his concession letter. A politician who deeply cares about people.  Imagine that.
   

2. What you might not know about…

   White women’s tears

   The undeniable reality of confederate statues…and “rape-colored” skin
   

3. What we learned from the dudes who wouldn’t wear condoms: The Dudes Who Won’t Wear Masks
   

4. When it comes to food, we already know…

   the best diet for humans

   that global agriculture must be transformed to provide nutritious food to all humans
   

5.  Finally, kudos to…

   Penelope Trunk for calling them out: The College Board is Racist

   Professor Kimberly Rather: for sharing her knowledge and pushing us to look closer at Aerosols

   The Pope: he urged all Catholics to drop investments in fossil fuels

   The Badass 50: Meet the Women Who are Changing the World

Peace and joy until next week—

Denise

P.S. If you know others who would enjoy this newsletter, please share this email. All are welcome to subscribe.

Fill your internal reserves

Hello! Welcome to the next edition of my weekly habit of sharing.

I took off a few weeks from posting on Instagram. I still spent time in my art studio every day, committed as I am to a daily art practice, but I think like everyone else I’ve been overwhelmed by the world and filled with all the emotions that come up when living through a crisis (or three or ten!).

I’ve shared some of that here in my weekly e-newsletter.

Let’s count them…1) Spreading global pandemic…2) Imminent climate catastrophe…3) Intolerable systemic racism, 4) Corruption and deceit at all levels of power, 5) Upcoming U.S. election…...and the list unfortunately does go on.

Sometimes I wonder what I’m doing, drawing pictures.

But here’s what I know better:

“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its a malevolence…” Toni Morrison

*****

As citizens and humans we are called to attend to both our external and internal worlds. One is not exclusive of the other. We can and should use our gifts and our voices to work for a better world. Even when we’re 99 years old (you’ll love this one!)

But none of us can do that if we don’t also attend to our internal selves. I created this piece with that thought in mind:

In these times especially, anxiety and fear can quickly take over. They trick us into believing we are in survival mode—that personal crisis is upon us, when actually in that moment no such event is happening.

Without internal reserves, something to hold onto internally, we can get swept away into believing otherwise.

Your oxygen mask is left dangling and you can’t help yourself or the person next to you either.

*****

There are so many reasons why I am committed to a daily art practice, but maybe the first is to drop into the present moment. Here I tumble and toss ideas around (one of my favorite activities) and I learn and grow. It’s where I come alive.

This is no trivial matter.

 Whatever it is that you do that makes you come alive—do that. It’s what fills your internal reserves for when you need it in the world.

 *****

Another thing.

Each time I set out to create something new, I have to put my Self into the unknown. Which if you think about it is exactly where we find ourselves in Life. It’s all unknown.

In front of the blank page uncertainty can gobble me up (What if I’m going the wrong way? What if there’s nothing here? What if...I. Can’t. Do. It. ?). But I do it anyway. Day after day.

My art practice is a practice mostly of facing fear, to be honest. I have to learn and re-learn how to disarm. To lower my defenses (because I forget).

Put down fear and self judgement.

Pick up curiosity.

Trust that I’ll create something pleasing—or learn something.

And I do learn all kinds of things about artmaking. I’m growing my skills, improving what I know about drawing and what I can do. I love that.

But also? I’m learning how to face the unknown.

And if there’s anything we can all learn right now living with so much that is unknown, it’s that.

So. What is your commitment to yourself? What can you do in your life that makes you regularly happy and fulfilled, that fills your inner reserves, even as you face the unknown?

One thing I can report is that the more you do for your Self, the more you’ll have for others and the world.

*****

And now here are some excellent links this week:

How and when can the coronavirus vaccine become a reality? This report from interviewing scientists examines how close they actually are (even though it will take much more time).

Why e-mobility must be at the heart of the green recovery Why can’t governments worldwide just DO this? How can we make it so?

The secular sacred This is such a beautiful way of explaining our deep connection with nature.

The danger of single stories - racism lies in our stories

40% of black owned businesses not expected to survive - indirect (or direct?) consequences of the pandemic

It’s time for specific and local change:

Redlining was banned 50 years ago. It’s still hurting minorities today.

17 Resources to learn about gentrification, racial injustice in the bay area

Peace and joy until next week—

Denise

P.S. If you know others who would enjoy this newsletter, please share this email. All are welcome to subscribe.

Heart Opening

Hello! Welcome to the next edition of my weekly habit of sharing.

Hmmm. It seems to me as I read and listen to black writers and speakers, I haven’t had nearly enough empathy. I think that’s my big takeaway this week. I felt sympathy. I recognized injustice (to some extent), but I simply did not feel the pain of fellow human beings and citizens enough.

Now I think that when people ask, “What can we do?”—and the good news is a whole lot of us white people are asking that question in this moment of history—I know it begins with empathy. Really understanding and feeling the pain of what happens to fellow human beings—which then becomes our pain too.

For the record, empathy is just where we begin. My mind continues to absorb ideas and let them tumble into concrete things we can do to make change. To take real action. But for now?

I have three must listen-to podcast episodes for you. And then, a couple of other things I think are worth checking out.

I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much. If you want to get educated on the topic of racism and social justice, oh my gosh, there is so much available to us.

But I think my links this week cut through the clutter. They’re a good start, and they’re pretty easily digestible. If you haven’t listened to podcasts much, you may discover that you can get a lot in in a little time—WHILE YOUR’E DOING SOMETHING ELSE. Cook, clean, drive, work on your art… And meanwhile? I think you’ll find your heart opening with these episodes.

Three Must Listen-To podcast Episodes:

(To listen to these episodes, you can click on these links and listen via your browser—or you can also find them on your podcast platform of choice such as Stichr, Spotify or my favorite, Overcast (some available for free in the App store).

Brene Brown podcast, Unlocking Us, with Austin Channing Brown, author of I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

Oprah”s SuperSoul Conversations Part 1 and Part 2. ( believe you can view these on YouTube, too).

This is a two part panel discussion with politician Stacey Abrams, journalist Charles M. Blow, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms,  filmmaker Ava DuVernay,  author Jennifer Eberhardt, journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning founder of the 1619 Project Nikole Hannah-Jones, historian and author Ibram X. Kendi, actor David Oyelowo, Color of Change president Rashad Robinson, and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign  Bishop Dr. William J. Barber II. 

More recommendations:

I have to share this: Protesters in Boston are setting off fireworks - so lovely…and who knew about the fireworks?

I am STILL loving How to Be an Anti-Racist with Ibram X. Kendi (on the panel above)—historical perspective mixed with lived memoir. It’s also available by audiobook…

I just ordered I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. After listening to her interview above, how could I not?

Peace and joy until next week—

Denise

P.S. If you know others who would enjoy this newsletter, please share this email. All are welcome to subscribe.

Unmasking the moment

Hello! Welcome to the next edition of my weekly habit of sharing.

If you know me you know that I am not a follower of any Religion. But I am spiritual. I believe that, like you, I am ”a spiritual being having a human experience” and I’m endlessly curious about this experience we call Life.

So it is with a spiritual lens that I see that humanity is having a moment right now.

We all feel it—we are steeped in it right now—on the internet and if you’re like me, in every single conversation with friends, family and strangers these days. I sit with it within myself: a huge swell of emotions, an uprising of anger, fear, outrage, guilt, grief…

I want solutions. Right now. Make the virus go away. End racism. Stop injustices. Stop destroying the planet. Fix all that is wrong with our country and our world. DO something. Right now. How can I fix this? How can we fix this? More emotions uprising.

Yet the answers aren’t simple—and solutions won’t happen in a short timeframe. Also, maybe in the grand scheme of things unknown, maybe this is the Moment to see more clearly. To understand more deeply. Maybe this is our work.

Rob Bell says on his podcast this week that we as a human society—like other ancient societies before us—seem to be experiencing what he calls The Great Unmasking. And in fact this seeing and naming what IS is a necessary first step to creating what comes next:

“You cannot have the new world until you have fully named and unmasked all that’s wrong with the present world. You cannot have a new, higher, better order until you have been brutally honest about with everything that is corrupt and destructive about this order.”

—and then out of deep understanding, a moral revolution.

May it be so.

Privilege Is

The Damage that White Onlookers Inflict

21 Racial Micro-Aggressions You Hear on a Daily Basis

We are Not the Virus. We are the Kamikazes.

The Power of 2020 and America’s Promise

“Have a look at the New York City Budget for the fiscal year 2020 and you will very quickly note the priorities (policing) for public expenditures and for cuts (social services of health, education and youth services). A quick back of the envelope public expenditure review reveals and illustrates the fiscal story for the fault-lines nourishing and giving free rein to the virility of both viruses of anti blackness and of the pandemic. And this is the story of masked interventions for maintaining inequity and cruelty…”

Finally, I’m reading How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi—I highly recommend it. First new idea: The opposite of racist is NOT not racist. It’s antiracist.

Peace and joy until next week—

Denise

P.S. If you know others who would enjoy this newsletter, please share this email. All are welcome to subscribe.