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Denise Perrier stars with the Tammy Hall Trio in An Autumn Serenade

Denise Perrier, 2017
Denise Perrier, 2017

Denise Perrier
and The Tammy Hall Trio
An Autumn Serenade
At Piedmont Piano Company
October, 1st

Come celebrate the leaves turning to vibrant colors of red and gold and rejoice in the cool evenings ahead with songs of the season. The night will start with a solo piano set from pianist Tammy Hall, later joined by vocalist Denise Perrier, bassist Marcus Shelby, and drummer Jack Dorsey. They will serenade you with sultry ballads, Bossa Nova, the blues, and unlimited Swing!

Sunday, October 1, 2017 at 4pm
at Piedmont Piano Company
1728 San Pablo Ave. (at 18th), Oakland, CA

$20 – To reserve tickets with your credit card,
please call (510) 547-8188  tel:(510) 547-8188)

Learn more about Denise Perrier by visiting  www.deniseperrier.com

Now Laura Ashley is brilliantly marketed…

Rosie on Fire, business attire
Rosie on Fire, business attire

Laura Ashley is brilliantly marketed.  It reminds Baby Boomer ladies of the days, back when they were young, confident and beautiful, during the late 1980s.  It meets their current wish to tend to their wonderful gardens with stylish garden clothing, hats, and garden tools.  Lovely.

In 1925 baby Laura Ashley was born in Dowley, Wales.  She was an enterprising woman and started designing home furnishings. Later on in life, in the 1960s she also expanded her business into clothing.

Laura Ashley RIP September 17, 1985
Laura Ashley RIP September 17, 1985

She was inspired by the Roman Holiday.  Audrey Hepburn looked so pretty and her clothes were feminine and romantic, unlike the psychedelic fashion that took over the UK at that time. Think the Mike Myers movie “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”

The fashion brand was a huge success and in the 1980s it expanded into the US.  After Laura Ashley’s death in September 1985 the company had been taken public.

Today the company is owned by Malayan United Industries Berhad (MUI) which is listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad. The corporate philosophy of the Group  for over 50 years is guided by three key attributes – strength, efficiency and trustworthiness.   In their advertisements here in the US, in which older ladies are sold gardening tools and chic outfits by one of the top retailers in the US, Orchard Hardware Supplies, this sentiment certainly comes across.  But few people realize that the company merely sells to the US consumer, than transports the earnings to Malaysia, where undoubted lot of very young people are employed.

One of their important non-executive directors has been educated in the US. Tan Sri Dato’ Paduka Dr. bin Ahmad attended Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School, Executive Development Program at Philippines Executive Academy and holds Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History from University of Malaya, Master of Public Administration from University of Pittsburgh and PhD in Public Administration from University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.

The trading company, one of the most successful company’s in Malaysia, is managed by Khoo Kay Peng.  In his personal life Mr. Khoo Kay Peng does not espouse the values he sells to the women in the US.  He is divorced from the former Ms. Malaysia Pauline Chai who now lives in the UK.  Their daughter Angeline Francis Khoo revealed in  2014  that domestic violence was the cause of their parents divorce.  Bravo to Ms. Pauline Chai for no longer putting up with maltreatment.  The UK courts awarded her $112 Million in their divorce settlement, clearly a very tiny fraction of the overall personal value their 40 years marriage has produced.  However, the price for freedom of maltreatment is worth it. It is always a very brave step to leave your abuser.

Khoo Kay Peng’s daughter, also a Ms. Malaysia, met a young Caribbean Scientist at Oxford and in order to be permitted to marry him, she chose to be disowned by her imperialistic father. She was slated to run the Laura Ashley empire and had spent every University Holiday learning about the business. After the split with her father, she decided that she could not be stopped by his controlling behavior and she started “Rosie on Fire.” Lovely fashion indeed.

Malaysia has joined the United Nations, which is disconcerting since their influence on the world seems to be quite horrible.  Here are some details of recent human rights offenses within Malaysia.

Now back to Orchard Hardware Supplies.   Orchard Hardware Supplies initially benefitted greatly from the real estate boom in Northern California.  Despite the fact that their loyal customers left the individual retail outlets with solid sales, the debt piled on by Sears turned out to be unbearable. Sears spun out the company as an empty shell and unloaded it to Lowe’s after it had filed for Chapter 11 for $205 Million dollars.  More

Now Laura Ashley is brilliantly marketed.  It reminds Baby Boomer ladies of the days, back when they were young, confident and beautiful.  It meets their current wish to tend to their wonderful gardens with stylish garden clothing, hats, and garden tools.  Lovely.

It is marketed truly in line with the corporate manifesto of their Malaysian owners.  It is undoubtedly very profitable, which will please the owners of Lowe’s primarily illustrious institutional investors.  76% of all shares are held by Vanguard Group, BlackRock, State Street, Wellington Management Group, and Price T. Rowe Associates, according to the Nasdaq.

Personally I genuinely believe that we influence the way the world works each and every day.  You can spend your hard earned money on lovely phantasies created by brilliant marketers.  Enjoyable and practical.  Or, you can buy from small business owners, thereby actually changing and improving women’s lives.   www.fikuros.com is now available on Etsy.   Amazing Bespoke Accessories created one at a time by Niina Karlsson in Finland. Or the many fabulous designers well-known and brand new, available on www.dreslyn.com a company recently started by three millennials, a couple and the lady founder’s brother and her husband’s best friend.  They are genuinely lovely and very smart.  Or, you can check out up and coming designers on Nineteenth Amendment

Fortunately, since we live in a genuine democracy the choice is genuinely yours.  We each get to choose everyday where and with whom we will spend our money.

PS:  If you feel that you or someone you know may be abused, know that there are a lot of people who care.  You can get legal assistance.  You can get physical protection. There is a lot of help. Accepting help from good people is the first step out of domestic violence misery. Elderly who are abused by “care takers” also can get help through the same links.

 

A spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. Thank you, Colbert.

Just in case …

On Oct. 24, 1945, the United Nations  was ratified by five permanent members of the Security Council which consisted – right after WWII – of the United States, Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the Republic of China and was able to secure  46 other members.   It was originally conceived in San Francisco and the charter was created in April and signed into being by the people who conceived it on June 26, 1945.

The United Nations charter back then was described as being created  to maintain international peace and security and to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems that are derived  from economic, social, cultural, issued or are the result of problems with  humanitarian character – namely it’s lack.  Hitler, and Mussolini to a lesser extent, had shown clearly how devastating the lack of humanity and a humanitarian culture that cared about social and economic issues of the mass population could be on the entire world.

The goals were noble and as always when dealing with large groups of people problems started immediately.  For instance:  May 14, 1948, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed as British rule in Palestine came to an end.  The next day NYT reported: “The declaration of the new state by David Ben-Gurion, chairman of the National Council and the first Premier of reborn Israel, was delivered during a simple and solemn ceremony at 4 p.m., and new life was instilled into his people, but from without there was the rumbling of guns, a flashback to other declarations of independence that had not been easily achieved.”  The goal was to give a sense of permanency to the many Jews who were transported to  or had fled to Palestine, while it was under British rule.  The  United Nations  partitioned Palestine into Arab and Jewish sections. in November 1947.  Naturally we all know about the many humanitarian issues that evolved from this decision and especially how it was implemented.  Arab Nations are still today upset about it and they often use it as an explanation for their own inhumane behavior.  Naturally Israelis now live in a nation that legitimately needs defend itself.  When they are ruled by someone who doesn’t really care about economic, social and humanitarian issues in the West Bank or Palestine ever more problems are created.

The original purpose of the United Nations was good.  The way it has been run since Kofi Annan tried to get fairness and attention for African Nations has been pretty awful.  He wanted justice for the African Nations since they often were used and abused by business interests who didn’t care about the population at large.  Unfortunately, a lot of the African leaders are incredibly corrupt and self serving, often killing entire villages to allow international business to “license” the right to excavate property stolen from these villages. Are there problems? Yes.

Does the current US administration help solve any of the issues?   According to the recent US speeches it seems they want to become one of the top problems in the world.  Declaring Nuclear War as an option is hardly in line with the UN Charter.  Perhaps it is a good thing.  Maybe now leaders will finally realize they are equal. Now we live in an equal opportunity world. The world needs leaders who want to create peace and social and economic justice for all in a democratic and humanitarian way.  Maybe now countries from all around the world will create their own versions of world peace.  Clearly at this moment in history, the US has lost its way as a peace loving nation.  Trump’s speech is undeniably and very clearly proof that there is no US commitment nor interest in world peace.  The truth is out.  It is time for new peace loving leaders. no matter where they come from.

It is most  heartening that more and more Americans who are listening to the current chosen American leaders like Pence,  Sessions,  Cruz, McConnell, McConnell,  who clearly want Americans to die in the street, and their chosen “education leader” DuBois – ever more people are wondering whether it is time to improve education in the US.  It is finally becoming clear to more and more people , that after 40 years of hoping the various States will educate kids on their own volition has left a country where there is much room for improvement. 

Are Facebook and Twitter becoming a bit more conscious and aware? Maybe!

Facebook in their media relations page claimed this:

“Over the past few months, we have taken action against fake accounts in France, Germany, and other countries, and we recently stated that we will no longer allow Pages that repeatedly share false news to advertise on Facebook.”

I rejoice since I think at last the manipulations of nefarious activities manipulating the public, whether it is Russians getting conservatives hyped up into a mob mentality against the LGBT community, or having an unqualified real estate maven,  who seemed surprised  that he was chosen to be president, or providing a platform for hate speech for German Nazi’s, which happened to be against the law.

I followed the development of the extreme right groups who are often sponsored and supported by Russia – take hold in Western Europe and I was surprised since it used to be against the law to even whisper the word “Nazi”  in Germany.   The punishment in the 1980s was severe – over $1000 in fines or 2 weeks in prison.

How the world has changed since the Reagan era when we become “one world.”  Germans seem to have forgotten their history and now Neo Nazis are running around demonstrating and promoting their hate freely in public, protected by the free speech laws.  Erdogan’s dictator supporting Turkish soldiers are running around Germany turning in ex-soldiers, if they practice German free speech, and Erdogan tried to shut up a, perhaps a bit tasteless, German comedian.  He launched lawsuits in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerlands.  Only in Germany he received an audience by politicians who pushed for silencing their own citizens in support of the dictator.

Facebook and Twitter helped these trends, there is no doubt about it.  No matter how much they wanted to deny it or ignore it initially.  They forbade pictures of classic Greek statues and paintings from the Renaissance if they offended some religious desire – but hate speech,  even illegal hate speech was entirely ok to them.  We now know that it was because they made good money with it.  The bot factories paid precious advertising dollars.  Art lovers who shared a beautiful Botticelli painting could not compete with the foreign dictators’ budgets. People who portrayed rape scenes were okay, women’s nipples were not.  When questioned in Germany, they arrogantly proclaimed that the Facebook police were run out of India, thus not subject to German law. Only when Merkel got so frustrated by the public furor that she promised to shut the site down altogether,  was she able to get Zuckerberg’s attention.

Now in Germany they are working on a “Facebook-Gesetz” – a law that is targeting social media companies. the law is meant to stop social media companies from spreading illegal hate speech.  The German press is concerned that while there is an attempt to create such a law, it is far from certain that there will be such a law. Political infighting points that in Germany freedom of speech and the fight against hate speech vs. mob rule attitudes are literally at odds.

While politicians are discussing the pros and cons of the formulation it is up to Facebook to keep order “voluntarily.”  In German fashion, they don’t seem to care if they tacitly allow hate speech free reign while they fight about the way the law is worded.

Thankfully, there definitely have been some improvements as the top management of Facebook finally is starting to become aware that they may be destroying Western Civilization by allowing “free speech” to extremists, while being responsive to complaints by extremists whose goal is quite literally to abolish the Freedoms of  Western Culture as we know it.

Facebook informs us:  “We are also experimenting with changes to help us more efficiently detect and stop inauthentic accounts at the time they are being created.”  

Hopefully this is a priority and completed before the next elections.  Trump fans are right that Western Civilization is under attack, mostly by ourselves.  Business leaders will ultimately decide whether democracy will survive. Business leaders are pro democracy and those who are against democracy will decide our future as they deploy artificial intelligence who write programs which determine how we will be able perceive our world now and in the future.

Joyce Gordon Gallery presents Art by Chukes and music by Miguel Y Los Buenos Ensemble

Join art and music lovers on Friday, September 29th 6-9pm for the Closing Reception of “Identity Theft” featuring live music by Miguel Y Los Buenos Ensemble.

“IDENTITY THEFT” 
featuring new works by Chukes
August 4 – September 30, 2017
Closing Reception: Friday, September 29th 
6-9pm

Joyce Gordon Gallery is a commercial fine art gallery located in the downtown district of Oakland, California. It exhibits art that reflects the social and cultural diversity of the Bay Area and international artists. The aim of the gallery is to respect the creative pursuits of the individual and seeks to make such work accessible to a broad audience.


 Gallery Hours:
Wed – Fri: 11-6pm | Sat:  1-5pm Sun: by appointment

Artist Highlight – Uriel Dana

Birds of a Feather Oil on Canvas, 18? x 14?, 2015, by Uriél Dana. © 2015 Uriél Dana. Featured painting at the Carousel de Louvre Exhibition, Paris, November 2015.
Birds of a Feather
Oil on Canvas, 18? x 14?, 2015, by Uriél Dana. © 2015 Uriél Dana.
Featured painting at the Carousel de Louvre Exhibition, Paris, November 2015.

She is a member of the Portrait Painters of America and her current work is inspired by San Francisco’s nouveau cirque culture.


The Chinese have a saying that we are a house with four rooms (Mental, Spiritual, Physical and Creative) but most people spend their time in only one. I spend time every day in each of those rooms. I learn something new every day, I meditate every day, I paint or write every day, and I exercise every day.
——————————————————————– Uriel Dana


She was married to the world renowned painter Gage Taylor under whom she initially studied.  They collaborated for 17 years until Mr. Taylor’s untimely passing.    She is a painter, an art restorer, public speaker, and a USA Ambassador for the Arts.

Her oil paintings and drawings are part of dozens of private, corporate, and celebrity art collections. Her oils, gouache, and lost wax bronze work have been shown in 12 countries on 4 continents. On her journey she has visited 44 countries and even lived on 3 continents.  She writes articles, edits books, and has been published as a poet. She also directed a film or two.  

In October 2015, two of her paintings were selected for the Carousel de Louvre exhibition in Paris.  Uriel Dana’s artist profile was  presented in the catalogue Modern Art Masters in Complex Musée du Louvre.   

She is an avid supporter of amazing artists from all around the world.   Follow her on LinkedIn and Facebook.  Your life will be enriched. For more about Uriel Dana and how to buy her paintings or prints, visit: