Ï

I postpone death by living, by suffering
by error, by risking, by giving, by losing.

Anaïs Nin

© Denise Blasor 

BUY EVERYTHING DAYS


It's 35 days till Christmas
and the insanity is well
underway.                                                  

Vintage Thansgiving Greeting
from thegraphicsfairy.com

The insanity being the orgy
of buying that retailers in
general seek to ignite at this
time of year through a tsunami of ads
unleashed media wide: print,
tv, radio, the internet.

Every year the barrage of
ads seems to kick off earlier
and earlier, and the siren
call has but a single theme:
buy, Buy, BUY!
It's as if people had not
bought anything over the
previous 11 months,
and they needed to be
persuaded to experience
this great, incredible,
fantastic, unique,
marvelous opportunity to fill up their homes with all manner of merchandise, because this is after all Christmas and Christmas
is all about buying, isn't it?

The annual buying frenzy used to officially begin on the Friday
following Thanksgiving but this year retailers have decided
to jumpstart things a bit earlier by opening for business on
Thanksgiving itself.

Is nothing to be held sacred anymore? Must commerce trump
the very few remaining occasions to reunite with families and
friends in celebration of the communal bonds that help to hold
our stressful and fractured lives together?

These all too brief occasions are the few times in the year when
we can take a meaningful pause in our frenetic, hectic lives
and momentarily forget the rampant consumerism that seems to
define our lives.

These are times to treasure and enjoy the presence of family
members: talk to them, share stories, listen, partake, but also
notice our surroundings, take pleasure in the traditional
foods that complement the season, perhaps even shut down
Facebook and Twitter and unnecessary distractions that keep
us from concentrating on the people around us, the people we
love.

In the end, do we really need to go to a mall on Thanksgiving
Day to buy Christmas presents?

Photography by Denise Blasor

"The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence."

Marianne Moore 

BUY NOTHING DAY at La Chiwinha

© La Chiwinha

As thousands of consumers hit the malls on Nov. 29,
Black Friday, consider participating in the counterrevolution:
Buy Nothing Day.

This international protest against unfettered consumerism kicked
off in Canada in 1992 and has spread to more than 65 countries.
The idea behind it, according to its supporters, is "not to change
habits for one day but to make a lasting lifestyle commitment to
consume less and produce less waste."

In response to this call for responsible consumerism, La Chiwinha
invites consumers to participate in a barter event to be held at the
store on Nov. 29. The activity begins at 2 p.m. and runs through
5 p.m.

"Bring food, toys, wisdom, clothing, accessories, services and
art to barter or exchange freely with other participants," reads
the store's invitation. Other objects that you might consider
bringing are books, tools, jewelry, and homemade goods.

La Chiwinha is a popular store that sells a wide range of
goods at fair trade prices, including organic foodstuffs,
accessories, beauty and home products. It also runs a small
café that serves delicious lunches and desserts made by some
of San Juan's top chefs.

In keeping with the spirit of the day, the store will not be
selling anything on Nov. 29; instead, it will barter 6 oz and
12 oz mugs for new and different mugs that you might
bring along.

Consumers who plan to attend should keep some of these
rules in mind: bring things that you no longer use but that are
still in good condition; no money will be exchanged; you can
barter as many items as you want.

Last but not least the owners of the store offered this advice:
"Take this opportunity to meet new people and of course….
have a good time."

LA CHIWINHA
1054 Calle González, Rio Piedras
787.925.0707

Photography by Denise Blasor

If you ask me what I came to do in this world,
I, an artist, will answer you:
I am here to live out loud.

Emile Zola

Copyright © 2013 by Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved ☀

CAVEAT EMPTOR 

(or watch out for some virgins)   

Is your extra virgin olive oil the real thing?

    If trust is the basic underpinning of interpersonal relationships, it is also fundamental in the world of commerce. As consumers, we purchase products from companies that we have grown to trust over  the years or believe in because of experience, advertising, or word of mouth. We make these purchases daily, confident that these products are genuine. Yet trust is easily tampered with and in the heady pursuit of financial success and profitability, some companies are all too willing to sell inferior products under the false claim of excellence. Maybe it's a case of saving money by cutting corners or lack of due diligence in failing to properly check suppliers and their raw material sources. Whatever the reason, these companies are failing the American consumer. Not only are consumers shortchanged, but consumer trust in companies is eroding.

All of which makes being a consumer terribly difficult these days as one tries to keep abreast of news regarding products and prevailing scams in the marketplace. Take the case of olive oil, a common kitchen staple favored by homemakers everywhere. There are many grades of olive oil available but the best, the healthiest (thanks to a higher content of nutrients and antioxidants) and, more expensive, is extra-virgin. Unfortunately, more than half of the extra-virgin oil found on the shelves of American supermarkets is not what it purports to be. In fact, what passes for extra-virgin is actually oil adulterated with cheaper refined oils or damaged olives not fit for human consumption. Some people might not consider this a "big deal" but oil adulterated with peanut oil, for example, could pose a health threat to people allergic to nuts. Adulterated oil also will not provide the health benefits associated with real extra virgin oil and in fact could prove unhealthy. As pointed out by the charlespoliquin.com website, "If the oil has cheaper olive oil added to it, quality and taste will again be compromised, but it may have gone through an oxidation process meaning it will contain a greater content of free radicals, which can damage tissues in the body."

A 2010 study by the University of California at Davis found that 69 percent of  imported extra virgin oil did not meet the standards for extra virgin oil of the International Olive Council(IOC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The study identified the following brands as meeting those standards: Corto Olive; California Olive Ranch; Kirkland Organic; Lucero (Ascolano); McEvoy Ranch Organic. Those that didn't make the grade included: Bertolli, Filippo Berio, Mazola, Safeway, Newman's Own and Rachel Ray.

Since then, USDA has enacted a new set of standards for different oil grades which are strictly on a voluntary basis but are considered by some to be a positive step in tackling the problem of adulterated oil. According to The Olive Oil Times,"There is ... a possible market advantage to having the USDA grade shield on your product. If consumers learn to look for that certification as their guarantee of quality in olive oil, then it could confer an edge in the marketplace."

What is the consumer to do about fraudulent products? Clearly, the power of the purse is a mighty one and consumers should learn to wield it smartly and assertively. Companies that repeatedly take advantage of consumers should not be allowed to prosper and products that are not what they claim to be should not be patronized. In these difficult economic times, consumers would be foolhardy to throw away their money on products that are not the genuine thing. The unspoken contract between consumer and seller demands honesty at all times but since this is not the rule, consumers are advised to be on their guard and keep well informed. Writing company

 officials to question their products is a good tactic in keeping companies on their toes.

As for olive oil, the experts advise staying away from "light" olive oils which are the lowest quality olive oil on the market. "Choose either California-based olive oils, the vast majority of which are legitimate, or imported olive oils certified by IOC,"writes one expert. Oil certified as organic is also a good choice.

"I want to bite into life, and to be torn by it."
Anaïs Inn

A SIMPLE TIP: Flowers brighten any house with their delicacy and buoyant colors but can be expensive to buy. Consider then the simple beauty and elegance of plain, green plant leaves in a tall, glass vase, especially if they are leafy and abundant. Even a palm can grow in water, at least until you decide it is time to plant it in a pot, or the garden.

"Listen to the silence of the stage. Imagine all the mental
energy, all the feelings, the laughter and rage and
passion. It is still there, shut in, living

 its secret, continuous life. "

Ingmar Bergman

AN EVENING AT THE THEATER:

Los Angeles' theater scene may not compare with New York's Broadway.

 Still, it is every bit as colorful and lively, with productions in both English and Spanish (after all, close to 50 percent of the city's population is of Latino origin). One of L.A.'s most active Spanish theater

groups is the Fundación Bilingüe de las Artes (Bilingual Foundation of the Arts) currently readying its next production, which is sure to appeal to anyone familiar with Pedro Infante. While Mexico's famous crooner is not really the main character, he plays a very special part in this comedy that revolves around a woman who longs to retire in her native Mexico after raising a family in the states. "Pedro Infante And the Triumphant Mother-in-Law" kicks off April 20 and runs through May 6. Director Denise Blasor also doubled as production designer. 

"PEDRO INFANTE Y LA SUEGRA TRIUNFANTE"

 A new play by Toby Campion

BFA, 421 N. Avenue 18, Los Angeles, CA 90031(323) 225-4044

Performances Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinée at 3 p.m.

Tickets: between $15 and $35