How Come?

How come white people’s art is called “Art” not European Art while Asian people’s art is called Asian Art, and African people’s art is called African Art or Black Art or African American Art and Native American Art is Called Native American Art?

How come "Taste" is closing in two weeks? The food is great. Nice atmosphere. Not a bad location. Maybe the economy slow down is hitting them hard. It is sad to lose a good restaurant.

Linda is back and all is right with the world.

l love this image it was in the Sun Paper and on Freak Magnet's blog, (thank you cham).

Speaking of the fence and the Park. Much of the blame for his fiasco belongs to the MICA faculty and the City. I know I might not be invited to the next alumni weekend and they may pull my Alumni card but the truth is the light. MICA Faculty should have slowed this young "artist" down and asked such questiones as, Have you talk to the residents? Are you speaking a language the user of the park will understand? Where did you get the idea that residents do not appreciate the parks? Did you conduct a survey? Do you get the community's approval or feed back? Etc. They should have asked these questions and many more before anyone went to the city for permission. The City fell down as well. The city should have asked the same questioned and then held a public meeting to hear the community’s responses. So both the City and MICA could have prevented the hard feelings on all sides and the young would be “artist" would have learned a important lesson.

Woodberry Kitchen, Alone and Gold Fence

Woodberry Kitchen looks great. Has anyone listening been there? Was it good? I love the menu. I will try to go next week after Linda gets back from Gee’s Bend.
That’s right I am without my snuggle partner. Boy am I lonely. The family and friends has been great trying hard to fill up my days and evenings. Of course I check in with my therapist daily. She is just great. I am so lucky to have her. Dr. Sarah
Hubert is one effective professional therapist. Linda will be back Monday. She has been gone since the 19th

Today the Baltimore part of the family gathers for an Easter dinner. My buddy Keith is also coming.

I read the interview, in the today’s Sun, with the artist that put up the fence around the Mount Vernon parks. It is just I thought. He is completely self centered and arrogant and intellectual blind to any thing but his on concepts. As an artist one must understand the culture you create in. He his case he ignored the Mount Vernon culture and only considered his own concerns. He said he wanted a dialogue. However, he started the dialogue with a fence that shut all hope of discussion. It was like slapping some one in the face and saying, now let’s talk while you continue to slap their face. That is not the behavior of a great Artist.

Prostitution?

What’s with this prostitution thing? Questions constantly besiege me. Why do men who have everything, power, money and loving family, use them? Why does any man use them? Why do women become prostitutes? Why is it illegal? Why is it public business if some one uses a prostitute? Why is it that some people think it is immoral to use a prostitute? I wonder if the public knows that there are millions of customers and prostitutes? If any one has answers please tell me.

More Darker Than Blue Cafe

I talked to Chef Casey Chefand part owner of Darker Than Blue Café. He told quite a different story of what happen when skyline 252 and party came to his café. Casey said, When skyline 252 called for reservation for 6 She was told that the café could not accommodate a party of six on Sunday brunch. But when the party showed up he did all he could to accommodate them. He regrets her ill feelings, however he feels he did all he could to assist and satisfy her.

Anger and Fences

My Grandfather was a slave. My father, because he was black suffered indignities you can’t image. I also was spit on, struck, and compared to offal. I was not permitted to enjoy such everyday activities as movie houses, symphony halls, apartment stores, hotels, public toilets, (we don’t have a Negro bathroom), etc. Even after the so call Civil Rights movement I was told I could not have this or that job because a Black man could not possibly accomplish a task as complicated as that. I was told this in the 1970’s. So am I still angry? Of course I am. Wouldn’t you be still be angry? I try not to let that angry show and I work hard to eliminate it. So please forgive me if, at times, flashes of it show through. I am sure some white men and women are also angry. Angry that they must bear the blunt of our black anger for something they did not do. They are not their parents or grandparents. They have a hard time apologizing for the miss deeds of their ancestors. They are also angry that they must now share resources with 10% more people than their parents did. That hard to get job is even harder to get now that all citizens can apply not just white. That hard to get seat in a prestige university is now harder to secure since all minorities can also apply. Whites have enjoyed privileges that they were not aware of. Now it is painfully obvious.

So here are two angry people trying to have a dialogue. Will it work? Will we ever reconcile our differences? Obama thinks we will. I hope he is right.

I do not like that stupid gold fence around the Mt Vernon parks. It is result of intellectual masturbation. Some artist or group of artist, some from the school I graduated from, MICA, gave rise to the idea without a thought to the audience they hope to impress. It was a stupid idea spawned by person or persons thinking inside themselves.

"Darker Than Blue Cafe"

Below is a comment posted on my blog yesterday. "Darker Than Blue Cafe" cannot afford comments like this. I like this cafe so I hope they take action to eliminate future incidents and secure the return of this customer.

skyline252 has left a new comment on your post "Darker than Blue":

The food was okay, but the service was quite poor. Our reservation was taken as a 5 instead of a 6 even though I called to confirm the night before. When we arrived, we were told that we would be seated in 5 minutes even though the restaurant was empty, because the buffet was not ready (instead of seating us and taking our drink order and letting us wait in our seats.) Then, we we told rudely by the chef and owner that our party was going to be split up on a 4 top table and a 2 top table because he did not have our reservation. The owner, Casey asked if we had a problem with that, and we said yes, b/c everyone in the party doesn't know each other, and we would like to sit together, he said "oh well". When I asked to have the tables pushed together, we were told we would have to wait and see who else comes in ... even though we had a reservation. So, we waited about 15 minutes to be moved.

Once we were moved things were better, the food was pretty good ... but the young waiter sucked his teeth when we asked him to clear some of our plates ... and when we told him that we were not all paying together.

We are all young black professionals. I will never go to this restaurant again, and I will advise my friends and co-workers not to do so either. It's unfortunate when we can not support black business. To get more for your money, better selection of food (they have seafood and steak) great service, and a liquor license, try Miss Shirley's (also black owned) on Coldspring Lane.(missshirleys.com)



Posted by skyline252 to Carl Clark's Blog at 10:01 PM

All is Well

I am home after a slight hospital stay. I will be on antibiotics for another 12 days but I am well. I am just a little tired. I know if I rest some more my full strength will be back. I hope to go the gym for my regular appointment on this Wednesday. That may be a little ambitious.

we have a family Easter dinner on this Easter Sunday. Maybe my wonderful new Grandchild will make a a appearance. If not I will understand. He is not yet a month old and a little fragile. He is as cute as he can be. His parents, Chris and Karen, are doing a great job. 

Had some heart difficulties yesterday. The TRIAGE Nurse instructed me to call 911 and go to the Emergency room. I called Linda instead.
This morning the Nurse from Johns Hopkins Wyman Park called. She asked how I was doing. I told her I still had a weight in my chest. She said I should go to the Emergency Room. So I am leaving now with Linda to for the emergency Room Johns Hopkins Bay View. Wish me luck.

In a Letter to today's Baltimore Sun a citizen wrote, "As long as the street are safe for him. He does not care if even 2 million people are in jail. Just build more Jails,” he said. He also wants to close all Law Schools for years in order to get rid of lawyers and Liberal Judges. Which he says is the real cause of criminals still on the streets.

I read a SCIFI story about entire cities converted to hold criminals. Soon most of the population was in jail and only about 10 % of the country enjoyed un-unbelievable wealth and privilege. Crime was defined as anyone who did not have job or did not make a certain income level as well as normal criminals. Maybe that is what the writer seeks.

It has 30 days since I posted. Much has happen. My daughter Lara became engaged. My Son and his wife became parents. I got pneumonia and spent a few days in the hospital. Today is the first day since the onset of my sickness that I felt like posting and moving about. I goal is go out tomorrow. If I do, it will be the first time in a very long time.

Obama is going strong. Is it really going to happen? Will he be the Democratic nomination President? Either way Hillary or Barack it will make history.

I am worried. The price of food and fuel has skyrocket. Wages are not keeping up. It looks like a disaster in the making.

We have more people in jails than any country in the World. Yes more than the almost 2 Billion Chinese. I in 100 Americans are in jail. Wow! What that say about our society?