(P1) PoeticalQuetzalcoatl by Ed Coletti
(watercolor and archival ink - February 2009)
by Ed Coletti
You used to read your poems to the river.
You’d written her name as Flower
but pronounced it Flō-er
as though her naming assertively moved her.
Not the diminutive Flo of a woman named
nor il Fiume Arno running through
font of so much art, home of Dante
who I like to think often spent
his moments reading to the river.
And you did so frequently beginning,
“My dear Flo always flowing,
reminding me, as Al Young writes,
that all of time is fake at least
where the river flowing is concerned,
and Amy urged we pound the piano
like it’s our last song or our first.
“Fleeting river fleeing me
No one stops the river
ever leaving — only leaping into
being river
or more simply
reading to the river
ever merges lover into loving
words into water
moving.”
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(P2) Political
Michael Phelps In Amazing Company
by Keith Thompson, reporter and author at Huffington Post 2-5-09
Packaged goods giant Kellogg announced today that it would not renew its sponsorship contract with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps as consequence of his being photographed smoking marijuana. It's a strong statement by the company, particularly in historical context: According to an October 2002 Time/CNN poll, 47% of Americans have smoked marijuana. And users and advocates of the plant reportedly* have included the following, several of whom are admired by Kellogg's customers:
Louisa May Alcott
Jennifer Aniston
Bing Crosby
Laura Bush
The Beatles
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Johnny Carson
President Bill Clinton
Johnny Depp
Harrison Ford
Bill Gates
President Andrew Jackson
President Thomas Jefferson**
Steve Jobs
President John Kennedy
Stephen King
Ann Landers
President James Madison
Madonna
John Stuart Mill
President James Monroe
Mozart
Friedrich Nietzsche
Peggy Noonan
President Barack Obama
Sarah Palin
Governor George Pataki
Pablo Picasso
President Franklin Pierce
Brad Pitt
Oliver Sacks
Arnold Schwarzenegger
William Shakespeare
Barbra Streisand
George Soros
President Zachary Taylor
Queen Victoria
President George Washington
John Wayne
...and, according to an anonymous source, at least one other star athlete.
*sources/citations in hyperlinks; **As the links note, there is debate as to the precise nature of the early presidents' usage
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Flying Spaghetti Monster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is an invented deity designed as a satirical protest to the decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to require the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biological evolution. The FSM is the deity of the parody religion[1][2] The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster,[3]
In an open letter sent to the education board, Henderson parodies the concept of intelligent design by professing belief in a supernatural creator, which closely resembles spaghetti and meatballs.[4] He furthermore calls for the "Pastafarian" theory of creation to be taught in science classrooms.[5]
Due to its recent popularity and media exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is often used by atheists, agnostics (known by Pastafarians as "spagnostics"), and others as a modern version of Russell's teapot[6] and the Invisible Pink Unicorn.
Origins
The first public exposure of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (CoFSM) can be dated to January 2005, when Bobby Henderson, describing himself as a concerned citizen, sent an open letter regarding the FSM to the Kansas State Board of Education. The letter was sent prior to the Kansas evolution hearings as an argument against the teaching of intelligent design in biology classes. Intelligent design was thought of as a way to teach creationism in the public school system without mentioning the word "God". Henderson stated that both his theory and intelligent design had equal validity; saying
- "I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence."[4]
Henderson explained, "I don't have a problem with religion. What I have a problem with is religion posing as science. If there is a god and he's intelligent, then I would guess he has a sense of humor."[7]
The Board only responded after Henderson posted the letter on his website, gaining significant public interest.[8] Henderson subsequently published the responses[9] he received from Board members.
The central belief is that there is an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster, who created the entire universe "after drinking heavily."[14] The Monster's intoxication was supposedly the cause for a flawed Earth. All "evidence" for evolution was planted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster, in an effort to test Pastafarians' faith — a form of the Omphalos hypothesis. When scientific measurements, such as radiocarbon dating, are made, the Flying Spaghetti Monster "is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage."[4]
2 comments:
Hi Ed,
Thanks for your thoughtful depiction of Phelps drama...also, I loved your painting!
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