A Contrarian Perspective - Freeman Dyson and Environmentalism

NYtimes.com

Freeman Dyson is a world renowned scientist who questions the catastrophic predictions of the current environmental movement. While he does not disagree with some of the premises behind some of the current science be used, he does question the effectiveness of the modeling that has led to a doomsday scenario. He is thoughtful and nuanced, and this profile is worth a read.

New York Times Launches International Edition

I am not sure if I just noticed this, but at NYTimes.com, you can now enter at the top of the page into a global edition. It is right under the masthead.

I wonder who they are trying to compete with - economist? FT? Regardless, less challenge finding the global focus.

New Amnesty International Ad

Very interesting, disturbing and artful all at the same time.

See It Again: The Year Of Living Dangerously

Lions and Tigers and Dinosaurs Oh My: The Museum Of Natural History

My aunt's friend Barbara is an archivist at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. She gave us a private tour of the back rooms where all the secrets are kept (she is also married to a Rolling Stone journalist for 25 years - awesome!). Getting to see the back archives of photos and films and other totally random stuff was one of those once in a lifetime NYC treats.
This is a butterfly from the butterfly exhibit - you can't tell from the photo, but it was the size of my hand. And notice the colors, those are for camouflage.

The museum has the most outrageous photo collection in their library. You, as the public can make special appointments to take a look. It is well worth it - imagine photos of Native Americans from the 1800's and hunting expeditions in Africa.


We also got to learn something new - in the past before cameras were readily available, they used something called lantern slides. It was the old version of a projector - and around since the 1600's. These were projections on glass plates and were the precursor to photography. It was called the Magic Lantern, and indeed many were magical......

Art in NYC - From Graffiti to Dali In One Step

I finally got to download my photos from NYC. This was such a great trip and a lot of it came from unexpected places - literally.
Graffiti art for the modern age - it is made as stickers. Yes, stickers. They are so graphic and impermanent, which is the new version of statements made on walls in urban areas. You have to see it while it is there and then move on to something new.
This was this huge mural on the side of an apartment building. I just love the sad eyes and american indian feeling to it.
This is one small small representation of an accidental encounter we had with an artist that I thought I did not like very much - Dali. We were wondering around Soho, which has very few galleries anymore and stumbled across a collection at the William Bennett Gallery of Dali like I had never seen before - watercolors with such whimsy I was moved. Themes of Alice and Wonderland and greek mythology. I got to rediscover an artist in a new way..... Which is always such a surprise.

Give Them A Listen: Solid Gold and Handsome Furs

I have had a chance to see two awesome shows lately.


The first is Solid Gold. I have always loved synthpop, and I was a bit of Euro Trash when I was younger (think Depeche Mode, Erasure, Alphaville, Communards, New Order). If that music was updated, made a lot more dark with updated rythm, you would end up with Solid Gold. Check em out live, and buy the album Bodies of Water. My favorite song so far is Get Over It - an anthem to let go of something, anything that is not your doing.....




Also Handsome Furs. I have a lot of friends who went to SXSW, who said they were an unmissable show. So I went out super late on school night this past week, and it was fantastic. These guys also use synthesizer, but with a lot more hard rock and roll guitar. It is a couple who play together, and they totally fed off of each other and had a great time - very cool to watch such a tight unit. Check out their album Face Control (their sophomore release to Plague Park) on SubPop records.

Again, you won't regret it!

Heart : Women Who Know How To Rock - HARD

Heart is playing at some casino this weekend and I am thinking of going. Just as Jefferson Airplane still rocks even if Jefferson Starship was the 80's incarnation, I still love Heart of the 70's.

Not only did they open the door for women to be in rock and roll in a serious way, they just ROCK - HARD. That voice and those riffs. And while they may not be the same pretty package - Ann's voice remains just as good today (check out you tube for heart), which was always the important part. Barracuda is one of the best songs ever recorded.

Also, not sure if you know that Nancy Wilson is married to Cameron Crowe and wrote all the songs for Almost Famous, a great darn movie!

Here are some prime clips.....

I Always Loved Menswear

So, while it would be hard to tell, I actually prefer menswear to womenswear. I adore these little videos by two of the editors for men's style.com. They are straight (yes they are), well dressed, and entertaining. If you want some inspiration about how men should look at fashion, give these guys a looksy.....

The Second Pass: Need A Book Recommendation?

If you need a book recommendation, look no further than The Second Pass. The site was designed by my friend Strath and the content is all about books. Old and new.

There are recommendations and links to all things books - reviews, publishing, design, magazines about books, and newspaper reviews....

Enjoy!

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

Back home from NYC, and I know I have a lot to post - later in the week.

In the meantime, when I was in NYC I met a friend of my cousin who works for this cool organization called TED. They are known for organizing a series of 15 minute lectures with thought leaders in Technology, Entertainment, Design and many other topics. All the talks are available for viewing, and I highly recommend checking them out.

Here is an example by Stephen Hawking to start off - he is talking about where we come from, jokes about UFOs, and the human instinct for aggression and selfishness. His wit and candor are astounding......

Sugar Is Not Better For You Just Because Some Marketer Tells You So

My first job at Cargill was in the Corn Milling group, working on the sweeteners product line - ie selling High Fructose Corn Syrup.

My dad is a dentist, so prior to that, I had maybe 10 full "sugar sodas" in my whole life. That is what we called these things in my house - "sugar soda" and "sugar cereal". Did you know, I have 0 cavities? I may need to do a post on why everyone should have a Sonicare - I digress......

From that time, I have thought that people should be educated about the facts on the reality of HFCS vs Sugar. Please see this very fair article in the NYTimes which tells you where the science is on sweeteners.

All sucrose is sucrose, no matter where is comes from, and do not let marketers tell you otherwise. In fact, all versions of sweeteners are bad for you - whether they be sugar or high fructose corn syrup, or the non-caloric versions. So partake of them responsibly.

Eating too much causes obesity, not anything else - too many calories in, too few out. Everything in moderation. And in my case in NYC this weekend - I will need to go to the gym for a week for the out part because there ain't no moderation!

NYC Day 2: Note to Self - Must Stop Eating

Day 2 of NYC visit - my calorie intake has been close to that of a small family, but I just can't stop. If you are like my family, visits revolve around the next meal and in NYC, there are so many amazing and reasonably priced options. The food in the Tundra is getting better, but I deeply miss all the culinary delights, and my will power breaks down completely. So far, we have eaten at the following places, which you MUST try if you ever get to NYC. Please click on restaurant name for location and reviews.


Fiore - In the Southside of Williamsburg in Brooklyn is this little gem.
The food is all handmade, and the prices are amazing. Appetizers are between 5-7$ and the mains are 9-17$. What we had:
Baby Octopus - It was so tender and sweet - scrumtious
Artichoke Salad - Fresh juliened artichoke with amazing lemon dressing and pecorino shavings
Pasta with Artichoke, Olives and Clams - Tiny clams and fresh artichoke with lacy pasta
Lamb Shank with Mash Potatoes - Falling off the bone - heaven.


The Great Burrito - Upper West Side - Manhattan. This tiny place serves up fresh cooked Mexican at it's best. It is very close to the Museum of Natural History (more on that when I can download photos) and is very reasonable 5-13$. The portions are huge! What we had:
Black Bean Soup - Good hearty soup
Chicken Vegetable Soup - Delicately salty broth with salsa and chicken thigh served in an enormous bowl with tender vegetables
Huarches - This is what I had - known as the "cactus leaf" for the shape of the plate size corn meal tortilla (filled with a little bit of meat) and smothered with zesty pulled pork and green sauce. Pure heaven - salty, sweet, savory all at the same time. I ate the whole darn thing!


Sevilla - In the Village in Manhattan. I have been going to this resaurant for literally 15 years, and it is as good today as the first time. This is very traditional spanish food - with a heavy seafood focus, but there are lots of other things as well. If you do not like garlic in insane amounts, this is not the place for you. Make sure you eat with your smootching partner or you will be warding away the vampires. The portions are big enough for two, so definately incur the sharing fee if you don't want to overeat. Prices between 18-30 (but you can share). What we had:
Gazpacho - Good standard chunky soup, served nice and cold
Scallops in spicy garlic sauce - Delicous sauce that you can eat with bread for days
Marsicada with mixed seafood in green sauce - Heaping amounts of clams, scallops, shrimp and clams in the most delicious herby garlic sauce that you could literally eat as a soup.

Rocco's - West Village - Manhattan. You can't forget to dessert and in this Manhatten institution, you never will want to. They serve up fresh American Italian Pastry like no one else. I hade the lobster tail - folds of crunchy pastry smothered with powdered sugar and filled with bavarian cream. Yes, I thought about getting a canolli, but I will have one of those later....

Who knows what we will be eating tolday.......

Legalize It Already

photo from economist.com





There is more and more of a movement to legalize marijuana.

Check out this article from California about the federal government no longer going after medical marijuana suppliers.

And the Economist going even further to saying all drugs should be legalized globally, let's focus on less expensive treatment of potential addictions (which is always a steady proportion of the population regardless of legalization) instead of spending 44 billion dollars per year it takes in the global drug wars. Please also check out the copious comments after the article, it is a very interesting debate and at times not so "nice". People are passionate either way for sure.....

They make a very compelling argument that legalization is indeed the "least bad" solution.

Think Before You Get Angry

Everyone is up in arms about these bonuses for AIG and wants the government to get them back!!!! Or even better, that AIG paid for their global operations and counter parties!!!! Yes, we are angry because a GLOBAL insurance carrier paid out to the people they actually do business with! Perhaps all this is misguided? Or at least not very helpful.

How do we feel about a country that reneges on established contracts because we don't like them? (At least these contracts were written, this was not the case for the 18 BILLION of bonuses for the I-banks). Or that many people are so USA focused to realize that AIG is a global company and that is exactly why we bailed them out. If the government only wanted to pay for the USA parts of the business it should have been a condition of the money. Yes, lenders can put conditions on money, and borrowers can actually decide if they don't like the conditions.

This does not mean that I think AIG is some wonderful company, or excuse greed in any way, but getting angry at the symptom and not the disease, is like wondering why you are moving so much but going nowhere on a rocking chair.

This article sums up the ridiculousness of anger well and how populist sentiment is the road to hell. Populism has it's moments, but please everyone, think for a moment about what the root cause is of an issue and spur to action on that.

Art Hopping and Borscht

NYC Day 1: I arrived today to NYC to see my aunt and cousin and to soak up the energy here. As many of you know, I am more a New Yorker than much else, and I love to come back and get my "fix".

The day is a little damp, so my jew fro came out in full force, but no biggie (well, actually more like huge), because borscht with meat dumplings are on the menu at a tiny place in Williamsburg. Williamsburg has become the hipster hangout with an odd mix of bars, boutiques, vintage shops and galleries.

We hit the Pierogi Gallery at their "Boiler" location and meandered the streets. The space was this old huge warehouse with an enormous boiler. Very different from the traditional "white box" of your average gallery, with three story ceilings and kind of a dark, creepy vibe. Everything I could imagine for an NYC, or should I say brooklyn-y day. Off to eat some thai...

Learn Something New: Take An Improv Class

My friend just completed an improv class and I went to his final show at the end to support him. While I have never taken a class like this, it seemed to me like a great skill set to have.

You learn to be a better listener, more present, less shy, able to react quickly - all things that are very valuable in many situations no matter what you do in life..

He takes his classes here. So check it out, it is nation wide, and even go one weekend to see a show.

People Finally Realize That Women Do Most Of The Shopping

Check out this article in the Economist about how marketers are finally focusing on women. It took a near depression for them to finally understand real behavior, which is the key to economics. And behavior, might I add, is not at all rational.

Take Another Listen: Bloc Party - Signs

This song is haunting me. I literally can not stop listening to it.

Divine Irony: Why Prop 8 Supporters Should Stay Out Of Everyone's Bedroom

Apparently, Prop 8 may spark for all marriage to become illegal in California. Hehe.......

Heterosexuals do enough to undermine marriage, why drag nice gay people into it????

State Well Being: What does being Foreign, Gay, Creative Have To Do With It

Apparently a lot. See this very interesting article with correlations for state well being with:
a. Housing
b, Human Capiral
c. Gays
e. Foreigners

Begging the question - for happy states, what is the chicken and the egg for creating societal happiness?

Take A Listen: The Budos Band

My friend turned me on to The Budos Band.

It is a mix of funk, soul, and has a deep 60's vibe with a some heavy afrobeat. This is some funky, cool music that when you listen to it make you think:

"I am listening to some damn awesome beats, what the heck are you doing, fool?"

It is the soundtrack of a darn good day.

Check it out here.

PS: I am so bummed this is not next week when I am in the big apple

Au Revior Mon Amour: Paris is over

Miu Miu



























Elie Saab



























Hermes

My 70's Fantasy

This is a Mercedes 450 SL. I have a fantasy of owning this car. They were made 1971-1980.















And in my dream, I look like this, but with a tinge less blush, about 15 lbs heavier and bigger boobs (as in more like me, but super foxy)

Thanks to Chloe for keeping the dream alive!!!!

I am Jewish - But Hard to Tell From My Tundra Life

Encore Paris

This collection from Dries Van Noten nailed the use of color.

One Word: Plastics - The Graduate and Simon and Garfunkel

Today I actually heard Mrs. Robinson twice on the radio, so I am listening to god's sign to spread the word....

The Graduate was the definitive movie about young adult malaise and decision making. It is a must see and a classic.

As for Simon and Garfunkel, they wrote Mrs. Robinson for the film, and indeed all of their music is amazing, I recommend buying them all - they define studio albums at their best. You can listen to some of the tracks here.

Here are their albums in order:

1964: Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
1966: Sounds of Silence
1966: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
1968: Bookends
1970: Bridge over Troubled Water

Financial Crisis For Dummies And We Are All Dummies

A fantastic 11 minute summary of exactly what the heck happened.


The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Paris: Nobody Does It Quite As Good As You - Baby You're The Best

Balmain

Loewe

Io Ipse Idem
Haider Ackerman


Isabel Marant
Lanvin

This Is Spinal Tap: 25 Years of Smelling The Glove

This is Spinal Tap came out 25 years ago this month. Besides setting the standard for mock-umentaries, this film also had a hand in actually defining musical culture over the years. Everyone should see it, and turn it up to 11*.

* You have to see it to know what I am talking about

Watch It: The Best Show On TV Is Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights is the best show on television. Period.

This show is about a small town in Texas, where the only way out is football. The main characters are the coach, his wife (now the principal of the shool), and many of the players. The focus is on the interactions amongst the community where they live. Some are rich, but most are poor and trying to create a decent life.

Besides having phenomenal acting, and extraordinarily realistic portrayals of real relationships as they actually are in life, there are recurrent and well realized themes of:
a. Friendships
b. Hardships/challenges
c. Teamwork
e. Integrity
f. Resilience

Now anyone who knows me for even a second knows I do not watch football, but I watch this show online every week. And every week, I am moved out of myself and left wanting to try to be a better person because of it. That is a lot to say about a TV show.

Please enjoy it here. And start at the beginning of season one, all the episodes are there.....

MoMA New Website - Are You Artsy Fartsy?

Do you like modern art and design? If so, MoMA in NYC is the place to be see the best of the best ( at least the most famous). They have redesigned their website to be more, well, modern. Check out the explore tab at the bottom, there are some good things to discover there.

Also, on the bottom left there is a link to PS1 - The offshoot of MoMA that supports newer artists, and has amazing dance parties in the summer.

See It (Again?) - Milk

I saw Milk last night. If you have not already done so, I implore you to see it.

I am a bit of a sucker for "one man can change things" movies. But, there are several things that stood out about this movie:
a. Harvey Milk did not become an activist until he was in his 40's. I like the message that it is never too late to find your passion
b. Harvey Milk demonstrated what I see as "Level Five" leadership - ie humility. He has people who adored him, but he had a way with people that was both self-deprecating and strong.
c. They showed a very tender love story between two men. This is very rare, and I really appreciated the kindness and compassion that Milk and his partner Scott shared.
d. Harvey showed extreme resilience in the face of failure - over and over, but he did not see the failures, he saw the incremental learning and popularity as a success in it's own right.
e. I am still shocked at how many people either are ignorant to gay people, or are still bigoted. What a travesty in this world.

I Love Paris - Women Outside The Tents

On the left - boyfriend jeans with YSL "talons" in cobalt - amazing!


The woman above is both icy and hot - I love the python and fur. There I said it.

































Above - the perfect coat!





To the left - The woman on the right is amazing. I actually have the legs to carry that off (kind of), or I can just keep dreaming of fringed boots from heaven (I believe those are Jimmy Choos).

I Prefer A World With Multi Lateral Organizations Better Than Going It Alone

I like the idea of a world with a World Bank, IMF, WTO and United Nations. In fact, the idea of a world without them makes me kind of sick.

I know at times they have made mistakes, but each time they have stepped in, it was with the thoughtful consideration of a lot of some of the smartest people out there working on incredibly complex issues. Here is a suggestion about how the IMF can be a force for cooperative solutions to this global crisis. Hopefully the world does not shut down and begin full scale and comprehensive protectionism - one of the most insidious possible outcomes of today's challenges.

A Better Alternative To Solving The Housing Crisis

This makes sense to me. It is time for us to find solutions that get at the problem, not so called solutions that make the problem worse and create poor intensives for poor behavior . Writing down the loss in value on house potential home equity makes more sense and keeps people in their homes.

Take Another Listen:I Fall To Pieces - Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline died today in 1963 and we miss her dearly. That voice, those lyrics about heartbreak - wow!!!! Still just as relevant today as back then

Enjoy Walking After Midnight, Crazy, and I Fall To Pieces

Think Big By Looking at Big Think

I just discovered Big Think by accident. What a gold mine! This is a site with some amazing experts giving thoughts on a wide range of topics from ideas to economics to comedy to religion. Anything that features Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Krugman, Ricky Gervais, George Soros, Robert Stern (Dean of School of Architecture at Yale), and many others can't be bad!

Enjoy!

Italy: Round Three And Hello Clare!!!!!!

Wrapping up Italy is not an easy thing to do.

On the left is Pringle of Scotland - a line done by my very close friend Clare Waight Keller. She and I know each other from Calvin Klein days, and I so thrilled she is doing so well! Her collection is fantastic, and I love all the knits, which is what she is known for. She did stints at Ralph Lauren and Gucci before becoming the creative director at Pringle. I love her dearly and she has the two most beautiful twins I have ever seen! And the most exquisite taste of anyone I have ever met.

On the right is Prada. Not usually a favorite, but I loved the 30's undertone - the suits were right on target and the feel was luxurious, but not opulent. The colors were also great with a fantastic mix of mosses and burgundies and reds.

Now we are off to Paris - Oh la la.......

Please don't turn my blue eyes red, Mr Obama

When I was a sophomore in college, I came home to my dad and I said - "Dad, I think I am a liberal republican". And his response was - "we have no republicans in this house - be as conservative of a democrat as you care to be". I have always listed to that with all my heart. I know that I will have to "pay" more for this choice and I am willing to do that because the benefits outweigh the costs.

I consider myself a very socially liberal and fiscally centrist - maybe even a little conservative. I voted for Obama, and I think that we need change. However, I agree with every word of the following op-ed. From what I saw at Obama's speech a week or so ago - he is clearly a very smart man, but he is also leading a party that seems to be a little overly zealous at their new found strength and power. And dare I say, a little drunk on that power. I believe they are not wearing the win well by gloating and throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Please don't make me sorry I consider myself a democrat. There is a reason why the USA is an economic engine, and certainly an engine in deep need of repair, but please don't throw the wrench in the middle without knowing what will happen by using it.

These are my thoughts only - so please take them as such.

The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend

The interaction between the USA and Russia right now is very interesting - especially Obama's new tactics to engage on mutually "beneficial" topics. Obama is trying to get Russia to help us halt Iran's nuclear weapon development by using the missile defense shield as the carrot, or should I say not developing the missile defense shield as the carrot. Touche!

Check out the NYTimes article on this topic. What I find so interesting about this administration is that they are fundementally changing foreign policy from the predesesor. That is actually very rare over history, despite campaign rheotoric. I have my bucket of popcorn as I watch!

I've Got A Magic Eight Ball - When Will the Recession Be Over?

The NYTimes asked a bunch of thought leaders to look into their crystal balls to see when people will want to spend money again. Add to your perspective by reading theirs.....

Take A Listen: Kennedy - Karate

I was at a spin class when I first heard this song with really infectious lyrics and a beat that makes you want to boogie. Every time I hear it, I smile - still. So enjoy.....

Karate

I know Karate, I know jujitsu, and I drive like a gangster when I am coming to see you......

Take Another Listen: English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom and RocknRolla Too!

Yesterday, I watched RocknRolla - the newish movie by Guy Richie. There was a great scene with an old classic in the background - Mirror In the Bathroom by English Beat. What a straight up catchy song that is still relevant today.

The movie was a good time too - very Richie in the use of lots of "lads" who are doing minor criminal activity linked to much bigger criminals who parade around as legitimate. Definitely a good rental.... And Thandie Newton is so beautiful - she is literally one of the most beautiful woman. Period.

Italy: Too Much To Eat and Too Much To See (A Little Bit Beautiful and a Little Bit Rock and Roll)

All photos from style.com

Last night, I went to a dinner party at my friend Leonardo's. He is new to Minneapolis straight from Lake Cuomo and he had a hankering for doing a dinner party. Who were we to stop him?

We were delighted with the tastes of buffalo mozzarella, gnocchi with Gorgonzola, and mushroom risotto. As I rolled out of his house (we declined to have a meat course), I must have been infected with the Italian bug, because the very auspicious timing with the Italian shows was fortuitous!

In order of photos
Luisa Beccaria: Check out this collection - there was something I really loved about it. It is the first time I have seen the work of this team, but the dresses were all pretty and feminine, and I loved the styling with the saloon-like feeling.

Emilio Pucci: This collection was a whole lot rock & roll (and had a lot of fur - sorry), but if I was ever to be backstage with my rock star boyfriend, I would want to be wearing what this collection offered up. Especially this outfit with the eagle on it - she is a super fox!!!!

Bottega Venetta: I have been enjoying the clothes of this collection more and more over the last few collections. This season, his choice of colors with all the dusty rose and bronzes was spectacular. The shapes are easy and the non-logoed luxery are something that I really appreciate. When you buy it, you know it is special and you don't have to tell anyone.