Category Archives: Politics and Culture

The Opera I Have No Interest in Seeing

Idiots at the Opera, Politics and Culture

Like many ordinary people I have a blog. Per google analytics most of the people who come here on any given day come to find out how to get cheap tickets for the Met, and/or to read my take on some opera I’ve seen – even though I am a musical ignoramus. So maybe some of my subscribers might be wondering why I haven’t said anything about the brouhaha regarding the The Death of Klinghoffer at the Metropolitan Opera. I haven’t said much because too much was being said, and my own feelings were so muddled, I didn’t know where to start.

I just read a thoughtful piece up on the Guardian website. I strongly recommend you go there now. They took four regular New Yorkers to the premiere of The Death of Klinghoffer and each one wrote his or her response. They each did a wonderful job of representing. It got me thinking. I was not there last night, although God knows I could have been. There were more than usual number of unsold tickets – even for the cheap seats. I have never seen any production of the piece. I have not heard it either, but I’ve read a lot about it. Reading the Guardian, immediately got my juices going and I wrote a comment. You can read my comment there, as well.

Reading their panel’s views, helped me put mine in perspective. If you don’t read through all the comments to find mine, here it is in a nutshell:

I look at a picture of Leon Klinghoffer, and I see my father, who like him was a smart, New York Jew, a son of immigrants and someone who worked his way to a certain point. I hear their story — a final voyage with his terminally ill wife who would die months later from the illness that killed my father, and it makes me terribly sad. Aside from every thing else, the Klinghoffer daughters object to this opera. They don’t want their father remembered as a symbol of something — just what isn’t entirely clear. One of the Guardian viewers said the opera was about the competing narratives in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If that’s the case, it’s offensive to both Palestinians — represented by terrorists who would execute a disabled, old man and throw his body off a boat (and then say his wife did it) AND also to American Jews. Whatever the Klinghoffers’ may or may not have felt about Israel, they weren’t Israelis. They weren’t the Holocaust victims rising to form the modern Israel depicted in the opera’s chorus. They were New Yorkers and they became victims of a terrorist attack.  I don’t want to see them victimized again for “art.”

Here’s what it comes down to: “[T]he juxtaposition of the plight of the Palestinian people with the coldblooded murder of an innocent disabled American Jew is both historically naive and appalling,” — from the initial statement by the Klinghoffer daughters on seeing the piece.

Happy Birthday Persephone!

Politics and Culture, ,

Just a  brief shout out. Persephone Magazine is sort of like an artsier Jezebel I think. I’m not sure. It’s for younger women, so I probably don’t get the nuances. Anyways, they are having a birthday! What’s great about that is they’re giving away all sorts of swag — books, mugs, etc, and so I’m just putting this out — get over there, crash their party and get your free stuff because it sure beats taking responsibility for your lives. (Also there was a hidden lessen about homonyms in the previous sentence, and if you find it, you win — my respect.)

And no, they just won’t give the things to everybody! The things cost money, but you can enter a raffle and win them and maybe tell all your friends or something. Here is a small sample of the swag:

A unicorn pin (because the ladies womyns like the unicorns)

A mug that will help you UFYH (Look it up. This is could be the best new life hack eveh.)

A scarf just perfect for fall, which is happening whether you want it to or not.

A sexy, vampire novel for people who love La Traviata. And who doesn’t love La Traviata?

What Is a Book?

book reviews, Politics and Culture, writing/blogging/publishing related, , ,

With everyone now doing at least some of their reading on devices, it may be a little late in the day to go back to the early arguments against e-books, yet Amazon itself has recently begun to point out some of the limitations of the format.

Seven years ago when the Kindle was introduced, there was a lot of talk about whether e-books and e-reading devices would even catch on at all. Kindle launched with a video of Toni Morrison – writer, editor and literary grande dame – speaking about her love for the new tschotke. She hit several important talking points that would be repeated mantra-like through the years – you could travel with a lot of books, you could read trash without other people’s knowing, you could set the print large enough so that you wouldn’t need glasses. There was other stuff too. Continue reading What Is a Book? →

I Can Haz Kittehs? — How I Live with My Cats and My Allergies

Politics and Culture, true story, , , , ,

Why would anyone who suffers from allergies want to live with a cat? Only because they are the fluffiest bestest coolest little vermin-killers in the world. Because every cute kitty is a lion at heart. Because you don’t need to get a “hybrid” — no cat is truly “tame.”

There are more pragmatic reasons. You got a cat for your kid and then you developed an allergy. You don’t want your kid to hate you forever. He or she definitely will, but it probably has nothing to do with the cat. Maybe you’ve met your soulmate, only she’s known the cat longer than she’s known you. Don’t make her choose. Perhaps a bundle of yapping cuteness followed you home and even though he makes you sneeze, you are in love. Some are born with both the cat-loving gene and the cat-allergy gene.

I am one of them. That’s me. I live with both cats and allergies. I am not recruiting for this lifestyle. I am not advising anybody with allergy symptoms to try this at home. If you are an allergic person and you live with a cat and you die of asthma – which can really happen, don’t blame me. I am not a medical professional. I am not telling you what you should do. I am telling you what I do. These are also useful tips if you are nonallergic cat person who might have allergic friends visiting.

Here are some basics. Products I use are mentioned. These are not “paid” endorsements.

  1. I have an allergist – This isn’t a DIY project. You need a doctor if you choose to do this. If you don’t have decent insurance, forget it. If you have an HMO or a lousy plan whichdoesn’t cover shots, you might need to find a new job with a better plan. If you can’t afford your copay, don’t get a cat. Allergists, like most doctors, used to tell you to give away your cats. This is because your allergies, even if minor, might get worse over time. Then they realized no one would bother with immunotherapy (injections) if they didn’t love their pets, so now they will only tell you not to get more pets, and to keep coming back for treatment. Shots are a big commitment because they won’t even start working for several months, and first you’ll have to come every week. Then it’s every two weeks, and then every month. After a few years, you can stop. But then you might have to come back. (I recently came back.) An allergist can also work with you on finding medications – both OTC and prescription that can control your symptoms. I take a generic form of Singular which just about eliminates my main, and most dangerous symptom – wheezing. I have an “emergency” inhaler. I take OTC antihistimines on occasion. There are lots of “non-drowsy” choices.
  2. I’m careful about “alternative” treatments. I have used accupuncture and Chinese herbs in the past. These seemed helpful at the time, and are harmless in any case. But some of what is labelled alternative is just plain dangerous. Ephedra, for example, is touted as a “natural” asthma treatment, but it can have dangerous side effects and using it without treating the underlying cause of the asthma – your cat allergies – won’t “cure” you and is not a long-term solution. While Western medicine may not have all the answers, in this case, at this time, the treatments are pretty good and pretty safe.
  3. The bedroom – Allergists will tell you to keep the cat(s) out of the room where you sleep. That’s good advice, but it sort of defeats the point of having a cat and it might not work if , like me, you live in small space. I make sure to change the sheets at least once a week, and follow other housekeeping rules (See below.)
  4. Housekeeping – Cats lick themselves. The saliva has the protein to which you are allergic. It gets in the air and crystalizes. Therefore – linens should be changed at least once a week. I have a Miele vacuum (that has a micro-filter and doesn’t blowback the air. Rugs and carpets? I got rid of them! They are dander traps! Just the worst. I clean my floors (vinegar and water combo works great on almost everything) at least once a week. There are also products one can find (google) that may be helpful. And those sticky rolly things to clean lint from your clothes? Very useful to have around.
  5. Air purifiers and filters – In theory these are helpful. I like mine, but I rarely use it. The problem is it doesn’t work so well if windows or doors open, so they are mostly useful in a closed room with closed windows. We have room (not central) air conditioning and it’s important to change the filters at the start of every air-conditioning season. The AC filter helps enormously especially as I also have hayfever. What doesn’t help? Anything that claims to “clean” the air by charging ions alone and doesn’t have a filter. Do not waste your money. They are debunked.
  6. Cat litter – It must be lovely if you can get a loved one to deal with that! It’s also smart to go with something relatively low-tracking and dust free. I’ve recently switched to paper pellets, which serves the purpose.
  7. Cat Baths – Allergists recommend bathing your cat twice a week. Cat baths, how to, are a whole other post that I haven’t yet written. I can tell you from experience that two out of three cats won’t believe you are trying to murder them, but none of them will enjoy the experience. You will be forgiven quickly however, especially if treats follow. Do not immerse your cat in water. Better to pour water on them, but they still won’t like it. Make sure the shampoos is safe for kitties and doesn’t contain chemicals. The problem with bathing the cats, is that they groom themselves a lot after, getting the saliva back on them which kind of defeats the purpose.
  8. Cat Wipes If bathing the cat seems daunting and/or there’s simply no way you are doing it as frequently as recommended, cat wipes can work. Look for ones that don’t seem too toxic and look for bargains. (I just got a year’s supply to save on shipping). Cats tolerate it more easily than bathing. At this point, I rarely bath them, but do the wipes at least twice a week.
  9. Brushy – My oldest cat loves “brushy.” The others, not so much. Brushing or combing before the wipe down to catch loose hair helps the allergic and helps prevent hairballs.

Yes, this does sound like a lot of work. The reality is it’s mostly basic stuff we should all do allergies or not. The shots are a pain, but after a while, it’s only once a month. It’s not that much work and the result is I get to have cats.

Again, I am not recommended anyone do anything. Also this was written for consenting adults with allergies. Not kids. If your kid is allergic, I got nothing. I know parting a child from his pets – even for his own safety – will break his heart, and parting a child from his pets because of the allergies of another child in the household may cause lifelong resentment, but kids die from asthma and may keep symptoms a secret, so if your kid is the one with the allergies, it might be better to re-home the pet. Lifelong resentment is better than no life at all. Talk to a doctor.

(My fiction has nothing to do with my cats, but if you found this post helpful, please check out my books.)

Idiots at the Opera — Madama Butterfly, Now with Puppets

Idiots at the Opera, Politics and Culture, ,

We didn’t know much about Madama Butterfly beyond the basics – it’s about east meets west resulting in a cultural misunderstanding, there’s kick ass aria – Un bel di, and like most operas named for their heroines, the title character dies at the end.

There’s a 1930s film version which is not an opera or even a musical, starring nice Jewish girl Sylvia Sydney as the geisha-wife, and Cary Grant as the American, Pinkerton. I never saw the whole thing, but I did catch the last few minutes, in which Cio-Cio San explains to her child that he’s going to be white and American now, and that’s for the best. Then she offs herself, so that he will grow up never knowing the awful truth of his mixed heritage.

Fortunately, there’s none of that in Puccini’s version. Pinkerton is a bumbling American, a callow young man who confides in the Counsel in the first act that he is not taking his temporary marriage seriously. He’s warned that his bride might, and he ignores the warning. It’s clear he’s going to leave her and he’s going to take an American wife. Everyone – including all the other Japanese – understands this, except for Butterfly herself. She is after all only Continue reading Idiots at the Opera — Madama Butterfly, Now with Puppets →