Speed of Life

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release September 28, 2013 Statement by the Press Secretary Today Republicans in the House of Representatives moved to shut down the government.   Congress has two jobs to do: pass budgets and pay the bills it has racked up .  Republicans in Congress had the opportunity to pass a routine, simple continuing resolution that keeps the government running for a few more weeks.  But instead, Republicans decided they would rather make an ideological point by demanding the sabotage of the health care law .  Republicans have tried and failed to defund or delay the health care law more than 40 times, and they know this demand is reckless and irresponsible . The President has shown that he is willing to improve the health care law and meet Republicans more than halfway to deal with our fiscal challenges, but he will not do so under threats of a government shutdown that will hurt our economy....

by Gregg Chadwick Gregg Chadwick Calvino's Elephant 30"x40" oil on linen 2011 Private Collection, Arcata, California "In fact, the elephant recognizes the language of his homeland, obeys orders, remembers what he learns, knows the passion of love and the ambition of glory,  practices  virtues “rare even among men,” such as probity, prudence and equity, and has a religious veneration for the sun, the moon, and the stars." From “Man, the sky and the elephant” pp. 315-330 of The Uses of Literature by Italo Calvino, Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1986. An Open Letter to the Chief Executive Officer of NBCUniversal   Dear Stephen Burke, As Chief Executive Officer of NBCUniversal you oversee the vast and important array of news, sports and entertainment networks that make NBCUniversal a leader in global media. In many ways the world looks to you and NBCUniversal for not just entertainment but inspiration. With this in mind, it comes as ...

A Brazilian wedding proposal during She's the One Sociedade Alternativa by the Father of Brazilian Rock the late Raul Seixas Gregg Chadwick beijo da metade - luz (kiss of the half-light) 48"x72" oil on linen 2005 private collection 

by Gregg Chadwick "As every cell in Chile will tell, the cries of the tortured men. Remember Allende in the days before, before the army came. Please remember  Víctor  Jara, in the Santiago Stadium. Es Verdad, those Washington Bullets again." - from Washington Bullets , The Clash - 1980 "And in the world a heart of darkness, a fire zone. Where poets speak their heart , then bleed for it. Jara sang, his song a weapon, in the hands of love. Though his blood still cries from the ground." - from One Tree Hill , U2 - 1987 Víctor  Jara September 28, 1932 – September 16, 1973 Chilean Poet, Teacher, Theatre Director, Folk Singer, Songwriter, Political Activist photo courtesy Victor Jara Foundation   In Santiago, on the 40th anniversary of the CIA backed coup in Chile, Bruce Springsteen gave homage to Chilean poet and activist  Víctor  Jara  by performing Jara's poignant song Manifiesto . The 1973 Chilean coup ushered the brutal di...