Laptops

I need a new laptop. Any thoughts out there? Please advise. XXOO, Ann

dogs and cats

Subject: What Pets Write in Their Diary




What Pets Write in Their Diary
Excerpt from a Dog's Diary.....8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!Excerpt from a Cat's Diary...Day 983 of my captivity...My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously intellectually challenged.The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now …

Advice Column II

If you go to a future celeb wedding, what will you wear on the plane? Want to hear about some celeb airport outfits? Keanu Reeves: navy blue T-shirt, blazer, jeans, and black carry-on. Halle Berry: navy blue velours track suit, baseball cap, dark glasses, LV carry-on. Brad Pitt: navy blue parachute cloth track suit, navy blue ski cap, black carry-on toted on shoulder. Tote designer unidentifiable. Do you get the idea that navy blue's the airport color? All above celebs flew commercial, by the way, though, of course, first class. Call them unusual. Most celebs, including the aforementioned J. Lo and Ben fly Marquis Jet, an elite airplane charter service complete with concierge. Expensive, true, but don't worry. Bicycle riding is just as in style these days as charter flights. * * * Do you love your bike but want a higher salary? Guess who's making the big money this year? Business types and selected professionals, as usual. Next in line: personal stylists and some hairdressers and make-up artists, luxury hotel managers, cargo plane pilots - people who fly Fed Ex, for example. * * * Simple living: In "A.L.T.," Andre Talley's new memoir, he tells us that the day after Diana Vreeland had Diana Ross to dinner, Diana R. sent Diana V. a thank-you gift: a Faberge egg cup, purchased from a Fifth Avenue seller of precious Russian things. "Mrs. Vreeland promptly brought the cup into her bathroom, where she proudly used it as a Q-tip holder," writes Talley. * * * Maybe you'd better pencil this in your calendar rather than using indelible ink, but Liz Hurley, queen of the Chessex girls, is shopping, preening, and blissful over her planned February weddings (in both Bombay and London) to Arun Nayar, who reportedly divorced his wife for her, though some wags on the subcontinent of India joke that any number of other women _ models, showgirls, you know, fun types _ could claim credit for the split. Or at least a share in it. Que sabe? * * * The Franklin Mint created a series of princess Diana dolls that dehumanize her, freezing her in the overly hair sprayed and made up look of the time, a look she had abandoned after the split with Chuck. The embarrassing (to me) Franklin Mint people won the right to make the dolls by defeating the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund in court. The poor fund trustees had to pay heavy legal fees and court costs. This past November, the Franklin Mint filed a suit of its own, claiming it was the victim of a malicious legal campaign by the charity to force it to stop making Princess Diana plates and dolls. Now the mint is seeking about $25 million and an unspecified amount in punitive damages from the foundation. So gentlemanly, Franklin people. The Princess Diana fund has pledged $82 million to more than 120 different organizations in the past five years, including the Council for Disabled Children, a group promoting disability rights, and the Children of the Andes, a London-based project that aids Colombian children. * * * The best selling nonfiction book in the UK these days is Diana, Secrets and Lies by Nicholas Davies, who had the courage to take on the House of Windsor and the English secret service. He makes the most definitive case yet that Diana's death was orchestrated by those that wanted her out of the picture, particularly her former in-laws. His facts, sources, and details will convince even the most skeptical. A must-read. * * * Want to hear a few good quotes? How about these? "Being a woman is of special interest only to aspiring transsexuals. To actual women it is merely a good excuse not to play football." Fran Lebowitz. "I think the biggest misconception about me is that I'm this spoiled brat. But I'm not. I'm, like, the total opposite." - New York party animal/girl toy Paris Hilton in Maxim magazine. "Britney wears too much makeup, JLo is boring and works out too much and Christina Aguilera cheapens herself to make everybody look at her" - Charlotte Church, angelic songbird, in the Mirror of London. "I could find a cure for cancer, but I will always be the guy who got his head stuffed in a bowling bag." - Joe Pantoliano * * * Here's some late breaking must-haves to add to your shopping bags: Lenscrafters' featherWates SPF are the only prescription sunglasses approved by the American Skin Cancer Foundation. Better get a pair, you sun lovers, because those warm rays can also cause cataracts and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness. You'll also want seaweed wrap to slim and firm cellulite, since the seaweed's amino acids that penetrate and rejuvenate the skin. For sweet-smelling breath, ditch the Bianca and Altoids and find some toothpaste with zinc. A recent French study claims zinc acts against bad-breath causing sulpher compounds. Suspicious, I checked to see if La Belle France is a leading producer of zinc, but apparently not.

Advice Blog

Dear Ann,My lover is the most attentive, affectionate woman on earth; she can hardly stand to be separated from me, in fact she will call in tears just from missing me if we're apart a couple of days. However, when I proposed marriage to her, she acted shocked and basically refused. Should I ask her why or wait and propose again later?- StumpedDear Stumped,Dostoyevskian torment over separations aside, in what manner does she show her love? I'm wondering if she's only deeply moved by the sight of a departing train. Does she discuss the future at all? Does she pick up on your likes and dislikes? She may be enjoying every magical moment with you as a stop gap until Mr. Right comes along, or she may just have been startled by your proposal and feeling the timing was off. When translated into the Zeirgeist, or collective unconscious, one would wonder if she's a feminist who regards marriage as too twentieth century. Talk to her about her reasons rather than waiting and trying again.* * * Dear Ann,I'm rather interested in a man I'll call Toby, but there's something odd about him: he scours everything with his nose like a pig digging for truffles, often commenting on the "marvelous aroma," "magnificent scents," etc. It's a bit over the top. Is sniffing some kind of fetish?.WonderingDear Wondering:The lines between enthusiasm, obsession, and fetishism sometimes blur; in fact most abnormal behavior is an exaggeration of the normal. As you are writing me, you are annoyed by this sniffer, and you will soon be driven crazy. In time irritating habits are magnified in the mind of the beholder rather than diminished. I am a widower trying to advise my daughter, a beautiful young woman. She became involved with a Frenchman, and the relationship soon fizzled. That is, he left. She blames the fact that he had an affair with his mother's best friend when he was eighteen. Would this warp him permanently? Is there any point in her trying to get him back? She still cares.Thanks for help,DadDear Dad:The affair with mama's friend isn't the reason, unless he's like Colette's Cherie. The affair with the older woman is a rite de passage for a French adolescent, and what are Maman's friends for? He is making excuses. If the lover were l'oncle, I might be more impressed. To answer your question: no, this man is not a keeper.* * *Dear Ann,I read an earlier column of yours where you described aphrodisiac foods and cooked my lover the ideal meal. Now all he talks about is what a great chef I am and when are we going to eat more?Yours,LouiseDear Louise,Uh-oh, maybe you inadvertently tapped into his addiction. If he talks more about food than he does about you, be cautious. I'm not coming down hard against him, just curious about his priorities and passions.* * *Dear Ann,I am twenty-two, and this Christmas there will be some good parties where I might meet someone. My grandmother always said, "You never know when a door will open and your fate will walk in." My question for you: what make-up do you recommend?Sincerely,ErinDear Erin,Men like a natural look, and to us at Fashionlines this translates to carefully applied makeup. It takes longer and requires more skill to look natural than it does to look like Bette Davis. A girl your age doesn't need a coat of makeup on her face. If your skin is a pasty color, you can add a little color tint like Agnes B. apricot or tinted Neutrogena. Use a concealer for serious flaws; make sure it's a good match and blend it carefully. Avoid thickener mascaras and go for one that separates the lashes and just adds color. Better, dye your lashes. Shape your brows intelligently. The brow line is important to the look of your face. Check magazines and see how the brows are shaped, especially on faces that resemble yours. Lip-gloss should add shine but not look greasy or sticky. This is not easy, and it has to do largely with amount. Apply the blush, smile, blot off excess; you want to avoid globs or streaks. Blush is dangerous to those who would look natural and should be applied with a minimalist hand if at all. Smile when applying to find the apples in your cheeks where the blush belongs. Remove excess with a clean, dry tissue instead of fingers.The oil on fingers may cause blotchiness.* * *Dear AnnI'm a man, and I want to marry once only, for life. I've seen good marriages, bad, and divorces. I asked my father how you know if you're happily married, and he looked bemused, said he didn't know. Ann, what do you think?Signed,BarnabyDear Barnaby,Somebody once asked writer Dawn Powell about her 42 year long marriage, and she replied that her husband "is the only person in the world I find it always a kick to run into on the street." * * *Dear Ann,I am considering Lasik surgery. Is it safe?JustinDear Justin,You may or may not have asked the right person. My husband is a neurosurgeon, and like most surgery families, we go under the knife only in extremis. All surgery is risky, and that includes laser. Substituting a laser beam for a knife doesn't mean you're not cutting flesh. Lasik correction is touted as a fast, painless and permanent way for nearsighted and farsighted people to restore their vision. A doctor cuts a flap in the cornea and then reshapes the exposed area with a laser. It costs over $2000 per eye. Since 1996, over two million people including Cindy Crawford and Courtney Cox have had this procedure, and in five percent of the cases complications develop: infection, blurred vision, or halos of light marring the sight. No pregnant woman or person on cumaden should try it. Be wary of doctors who advertise a lot or give a hard sell. We would speak of board certification, and we do as a first step, but it's not a panacea. "People" magazine just ran a scary article about people who died from liposuction and other procedures done by board certified plastic surgeons. Another consideration: glasses are cool and trendy now. So why not check out some of the great frames Armani and others are making and pop in some prescription lenses? You'll probably go ahead with your Lasik surgery; most people do, even though they ask. Good luck.* * *Dear Ann,I think I may be falling in love, and I wonder if it's reciprocated. I met a man, we spent some magical time together; he's beautiful, sensitive, talented, deep. Maybe I'm just wacko, but a couple of little things bother me. Could you give me perspective? You will probably say I'm a ridiculous baby, and I wouldn't blame you, but here are my issues: 1. He kept staring at photos of Cindy Crawford in a magazine in front of me. Couldn't he have tactfully waited and stared in private? 2. We had lunch with an older friend of mine, a woman who is like a sister to me and nice looking for her age, but - well, you know what I'm saying. He said she looks just like "XX", a movie star. I am writing under an alias and don't want anything to give away who I am, therefore I'll just call the star "XX." Ann, why didn't he say I remind him of a movie star? It's not that I am conceited, but if she reminds him of a star, I would think I would, too.Sign me,Silly girlDear Silly,You know what? "Smart girl" is the better name for you. Yes, these are extremely worrisome signs. In the beginning stage of a romantic relationship, a lover should show emotional tact, have eyes only for you, and compliments as well. So where does that leave us? As too sadly often in this column and life there is more than one possible answer: 1. He could be slightly sadistic, manipulative, and a poseur, a man more interested in games than real connection. 2. He may be an OK guy who just wants to communicate that your liaison is not to be taken seriously. I don't know. Keep me posted. The situation, it must be said, looks murky at best.* * *Dear Ann,Charles and I have started dating; he is a promoter who books concerts for a number of classical musicians. We both love music, and I do what I can to help him. He said, "I often become friendly with people who share my ideals." What does this mean?DelphineDear Delphine,He could be another Spinoza, or he could be telling you he sleeps around a lot and you need to know.* * *Dear Ann,Do you know anything about modern art? I am a faithful reader of Fashionlines, LOVE IT, and notice you often write about art. I am considering buying an abstract painting, though I don't really understand it. How do I know if it's good or not? The gallery owner says the artist is one of the top in Europe.X0,Wish I could afford Van GoghDear Wish,Don't we all. OK, dealers hang onto their artists by selling their work. Period. Well, selling and generating publicity. Any successful dealer is good at persuading buyers and manipulating the press. They are believable and charming in one way or another; they have to be. Some have the patronizing-expert sort of charm, others the warm-enthusiastic. It's a difference in style, not substance. To answer your question, call the curatorial departments of three major modern museums and ask if anyone has heard of your artist. Call the major auction houses and see if they accept his work on consignment. Ask around about the gallery's standing. New York dominates the modern art world with London running a distant second. There's strength in Barcelona and Milan. If you are buying from one of the most powerful dealers in New York, you're fine. They know how to make it all happen whether the artist deserves it or not.* * *Dear Ann,My lover told me his wife was always mad at him, so I thought he was in splitsville. Now he has ended our relationship saying he loves his wife. What do you make of this?Thank you,BergittaDear Bergitta,A married man ending an affair always hides behind his wife, just as one beginning an affair says his wife doesn't understand him. Why did he really bail? Here I am saying I'm not sure again. It's embarrassing, but I'm not. Maybe he met someone else, a teenager, a boy - who knows? Maybe his wife found out about the affair and gave him a good beating. Maybe he is just a serial hitter with an established repertoire. If he seems sincere and caring to you, it may well be his M.O. Anyway, forget him.* * *Dear Ann,I produce Indie films, love it, but am exhausted. Should I quit and become a script writer of something else easy? If not, why not?Best,MonaDear Mona,It's cool and glamorous to be a producer. Not cool and glamorous to be a scriptwriter. Let me, for the sake of other readers, give a list of what is cool and glamorous and what is not: Cool and glamorous: being a publisher, a famous chef, a rock star, supermodel, photographer, NFL player, pilot (plane must be your own), a so-famous person you need to be escorted through cities in black limos with sirens screaming and headlights glaring, a novelist, a confidante of the US President (usually), a friend of Jim Clark or Bill Gates, a reader of e-magazines, the only reporter on Everest, a racer of Lamborghinis, creator of art videos, pilgrim (rich) who visits Burmese monks who are personal friends.Not cool and glamorous: being a staff writer, wielding a mean bar-b-que poker, criticizing countries you might be visiting, being a lingerie model, a lounge lizard, a member of United's frequent flyer program, a jay walker, a confidante of a Congressman in your district, a friend of a friend of a cast member of "Friends" (the show isn't delivering this fall)); a reader of print magazines only, reporter whose beat is tea parties, driver of an RV without needing the room for your soccer team (if you do, it's OK), fan of prepackaged "vacations in paradise."* * *Dear Ann,Maurice is in his early thirties, I in my forties, and he has taken me on as a confident. He is tall, handsome, charming, well-situated in life. His problem is that the girls his own age don't appreciate him. He suffers so many rejections. For the life of me, I can't comprehend why; is it because he is an old world gentleman and the girls today become so decadent they don't appreciate good manners? Can you help me help him?Caringly,ConnieDear Connie,Exactly how many times has he struck out? Have there been any successes, or is he still a virgin? Trust me, girls always adore good manners and flattering attention; the new generation is no exception. He either secretly wants you and is trying to do a tea and sympathy number on you, or he unconsciously wants you or someone like you and therefore sends insincere signals to the girls his own age. Or maybe he's just whining over a couple of rejections; after all, none of us can attract EVERY target, desirable as that would be. The other possibility is he has a sexual orientation confusion which is obvious to the babes. Give them credit; like their elders, they have antenna.* * *Dear Ann,I am 15, Justin is 17, and we're hooked up. He wants to do the whole number, but I am a virgin and not ready. I am getting the idea he will break up with me if I go on saying no. What are your thoughts?Lovingly,MarileeDear Marilee,The guy who will break up with you for not doing it is the one who will talk if you do. trust me on this.* * *Dear Ann,I bought a good outfit because it was on sale, but it doesn't look good on me. Nobody even compliments it much. Should I go on wearing it?Signed,CecileDear Cecile,There is no such thing as a good outfit that doesn't look good on you. It's a bad outfit if it doesn't work for you. Don't go there again. Meanwhile, find a talented seamstress and plead with her to do a redesign. Changing shoulders, neckline, waistline (lowering or raising) can help. Good luck.* * *Dear Ann,Every time I pop a pimple my mother the meddler tells me to stop. What is it with her? I'm sick of it, sick of her.So sincerely,SusieDear Susie,She's afraid you'll be known as scarface some day. Meanwhile you don't want these snow-capped Mt. Everest eruptions on your face. Treat them as surgeon would a delicate operation. Cleanse face, hands, apply alcohol (rubbing, not tequila), dip a sharp needle you haven't used before in alcohol. Pop and remove ugly stuff, but do not squeeze too hard or you'll end up looking worse than you did before. Finish with more alcohol, medicinal peroxide. The peroxide is the most potent drying agent. We're talking pimples here. A person with severe acne should go to a dermatologist for treatment. There are powerful meds today that can deal with even the most severe cases. * * *Dear Ann,A handsome European has captured my heart, and just thinking about him brings a smile to my lips. One tiny thing: he often says my comments are "so American" with a bored sneer. Should I ignore them?Your friend,CindiDear Cindi,He has no manners. A person of breeding never slights another's race, religion, or country of origin. Usually these insults are derived from a warranted feeling of insecurity. For example, in "The Robber Bride" Margaret Atwood wrote, re moving from Canada to California, "(it was) a lapse of taste...Why go to California where the bread is even arier, the accent ever flatter, the grammar even more spurious than it is here?" That's funny. In the Bay Area alone we have Pulitzer Prize fiction writers, Booker Prize finalists, and a Nobel Laureate poet. All Atwood has won is little known Canadian prizes like the Trillium Award. See what we mean? under an alias and don't want anything to give away who I am, therefore I'll just call the star "XX." Ann, why didn't he say I remind him of a movie star? It's not that I am conceited, but if she reminds him of a star, I would think I would, too.Sign me,Silly girlDear Silly,You know what? "Smart girl" is the better name for you. Yes, these are extremely worrisome signs. In the beginning stage of a romantic relationship, a lover should show emotional tact, have eyes only for you, and compliments as well. So where does that leave us? As too sadly often in this column and life there is more than one possible answer: 1. He could be slightly sadistic, manipulative, and a poseur, a man more interested in games than real connection. 2. He may be an OK guy who just wants to communicate that your liaison is not to be taken seriously. I don't know. Keep me posted. The situation, it must be said, looks murky at best.* * *Dear Ann,Charles and I have started dating; he is a promoter who books concerts for a number of classical musicians. We both love music, and I do what I can to help him. He said, "I often become friendly with people who share my ideals." What does this mean?DelphineDear Delphine,He could be another Spinoza, or he could be telling you he sleeps around a lot and you need to know.
Dear Ann,My lover is the most attentive, affectionate woman on earth; she can hardly stand to be separated from me, in fact she will call in tears just from missing me if we're apart a couple of days. However, when I proposed marriage to her, she acted shocked and basically refused. Should I ask her why or wait and propose again later?- StumpedDear Stumped,Dostoyevskian torment over separations aside, in what manner does she show her love? I'm wondering if she's only deeply moved by the sight of a departing train. Does she discuss the future at all? Does she pick up on your likes and dislikes? She may be enjoying every magical moment with you as a stop gap until Mr. Right comes along, or she may just have been startled by your proposal and feeling the timing was off. When translated into the Zeirgeist, or collective unconscious, one would wonder if she's a feminist who regards marriage as too twentieth century. Talk to her about her reasons rather than waiting and trying again.* * * Dear Ann,I'm rather interested in a man I'll call Toby, but there's something odd about him: he scours everything with his nose like a pig digging for truffles, often commenting on the "marvelous aroma," "magnificent scents," etc. It's a bit over the top. Is sniffing some kind of fetish?.WonderingDear Wondering:The lines between enthusiasm, obsession, and fetishism sometimes blur; in fact most abnormal behavior is an exaggeration of the normal. As you are writing me, you are annoyed by this sniffer, and you will soon be driven crazy. In time irritating habits are magnified in the mind of the beholder rather than diminished.* * *Dear Ann,In the past month I lost my job and my boyfriend; I will soon lose my apartment, as he paid half the rent. I am frantic and feel totally confused. Help!Sincerely,DesperateDear Desperate:The Chinese character for "crisis" combines "danger" and "opportunity." You've lost the major elements of your present life. Instead of immediately trying to replace them, why not consider new options? Think about your work first and the rest (guys) will follow. You can find many career counseling websites and job opportunities on the Internet, as well as part time work to tide you over. Talk to your landlord; tell him you're having problems and ask for a period of grace with the promise of reimbursement later. Worst case, you may be able to camp out with friends for a while.* * *Dear Ann:I am a widower trying to advise my daughter, a beautiful young woman. She became involved with a Frenchman, and the relationship soon fizzled. That is, he left. She blames the fact that he had an affair with his mother's best friend when he was eighteen. Would this warp him permanently? Is there any point in her trying to get him back? She still cares.Thanks for help,DadDear Dad:The affair with mama's friend isn't the reason, unless he's like Colette's Cherie. The affair with the older woman is a rite de passage for a French adolescent, and what are Maman's friends for? He is making excuses. If the lover were l'oncle, I might be more impressed. To answer your question: no, this man is not a keeper.* * *Dear Ann,I read an earlier column of yours where you described aphrodisiac foods and cooked my lover the ideal meal. Now all he talks about is what a great chef I am and when are we going to eat more?Yours,LouiseDear Louise,Uh-oh, maybe you inadvertently tapped into his addiction. If he talks more about food than he does about you, be cautious. I'm not coming down hard against him, just curious about his priorities and passions.* * *Dear Ann,I am twenty-two, and this Christmas there will be some good parties where I might meet someone. My grandmother always said, "You never know when a door will open and your fate will walk in." My question for you: what make-up do you recommend?Sincerely,ErinDear Erin,Men like a natural look, and to us at Fashionlines this translates to carefully applied makeup. It takes longer and requires more skill to look natural than it does to look like Bette Davis. A girl your age doesn't need a coat of makeup on her face. If your skin is a pasty color, you can add a little color tint like Agnes B. apricot or tinted Neutrogena. Use a concealer for serious flaws; make sure it's a good match and blend it carefully. Avoid thickener mascaras and go for one that separates the lashes and just adds color. Better, dye your lashes. Shape your brows intelligently. The brow line is important to the look of your face. Check magazines and see how the brows are shaped, especially on faces that resemble yours. Lip-gloss should add shine but not look greasy or sticky. This is not easy, and it has to do largely with amount. Apply the blush, smile, blot off excess; you want to avoid globs or streaks. Blush is dangerous to those who would look natural and should be applied with a minimalist hand if at all. Smile when applying to find the apples in your cheeks where the blush belongs. Remove excess with a clean, dry tissue instead of fingers.The oil on fingers may cause blotchiness.* * *Dear AnnI'm a man, and I want to marry once only, for life. I've seen good marriages, bad, and divorces. I asked my father how you know if you're happily married, and he looked bemused, said he didn't know. Ann, what do you think?Signed,BarnabyDear Barnaby,Somebody once asked writer Dawn Powell about her 42 year long marriage, and she replied that her husband "is the only person in the world I find it always a kick to run into on the street." * * *Dear Ann,I am considering Lasik surgery. Is it safe?JustinDear Justin,You may or may not have asked the right person. My husband is a neurosurgeon, and like most surgery families, we go under the knife only in extremis. All surgery is risky, and that includes laser. Substituting a laser beam for a knife doesn't mean you're not cutting flesh. Lasik correction is touted as a fast, painless and permanent way for nearsighted and farsighted people to restore their vision. A doctor cuts a flap in the cornea and then reshapes the exposed area with a laser. It costs over $2000 per eye. Since 1996, over two million people including Cindy Crawford and Courtney Cox have had this procedure, and in five percent of the cases complications develop: infection, blurred vision, or halos of light marring the sight. No pregnant woman or person on cumaden should try it. Be wary of doctors who advertise a lot or give a hard sell. We would speak of board certification, and we do as a first step, but it's not a panacea. "People" magazine just ran a scary article about people who died from liposuction and other procedures done by board certified plastic surgeons. Another consideration: glasses are cool and trendy now. So why not check out some of the great frames Armani and others are making and pop in some prescription lenses? You'll probably go ahead with your Lasik surgery; most people do, even though they ask. Good luck.* * *Dear Ann,I think I may be falling in love, and I wonder if it's reciprocated. I met a man, we spent some magical time together; he's beautiful, sensitive, talented, deep. Maybe I'm just wacko, but a couple of little things bother me. Could you give me perspective? You will probably say I'm a ridiculous baby, and I wouldn't blame you, but here are my issues: 1. He kept staring at photos of Cindy Crawford in a magazine in front of me. Couldn't he have tactfully waited and stared in private? 2. We had lunch with an older friend of mine, a woman who is like a sister to me and nice looking for her age, but - well, you know what I'm saying. He said she looks just like "XX", a movie star. I am writing under an alias and don't want anything to give away who I am, therefore I'll just call the star "XX." Ann, why didn't he say I remind him of a movie star? It's not that I am conceited, but if she reminds him of a star, I would think I would, too.Sign me,Silly girlDear Silly,You know what? "Smart girl" is the better name for you. Yes, these are extremely worrisome signs. In the beginning stage of a romantic relationship, a lover should show emotional tact, have eyes only for you, and compliments as well. So where does that leave us? As too sadly often in this column and life there is more than one possible answer: 1. He could be slightly sadistic, manipulative, and a poseur, a man more interested in games than real connection. 2. He may be an OK guy who just wants to communicate that your liaison is not to be taken seriously. I don't know. Keep me posted. The situation, it must be said, looks murky at best.* * *Dear Ann,Charles and I have started dating; he is a promoter who books concerts for a number of classical musicians. We both love music, and I do what I can to help him. He said, "I often become friendly with people who share my ideals." What does this mean?DelphineDear Delphine,He could be another Spinoza, or he could be telling you he sleeps around a lot and you need to know.* * *Dear Ann,Do you know anything about modern art? I am a faithful reader of Fashionlines, LOVE IT, and notice you often write about art. I am considering buying an abstract painting, though I don't really understand it. How do I know if it's good or not? The gallery owner says the artist is one of the top in Europe.X0,Wish I could afford Van GoghDear Wish,Don't we all. OK, dealers hang onto their artists by selling their work. Period. Well, selling and generating publicity. Any successful dealer is good at persuading buyers and manipulating the press. They are believable and charming in one way or another; they have to be. Some have the patronizing-expert sort of charm, others the warm-enthusiastic. It's a difference in style, not substance. To answer your question, call the curatorial departments of three major modern museums and ask if anyone has heard of your artist. Call the major auction houses and see if they accept his work on consignment. Ask around about the gallery's standing. New York dominates the modern art world with London running a distant second. There's strength in Barcelona and Milan. If you are buying from one of the most powerful dealers in New York, you're fine. They know how to make it all happen whether the artist deserves it or not.* * *Dear Ann,My lover told me his wife was always mad at him, so I thought he was in splitsville. Now he has ended our relationship saying he loves his wife. What do you make of this?Thank you,BergittaDear Bergitta,A married man ending an affair always hides behind his wife, just as one beginning an affair says his wife doesn't understand him. Why did he really bail? Here I am saying I'm not sure again. It's embarrassing, but I'm not. Maybe he met someone else, a teenager, a boy - who knows? Maybe his wife found out about the affair and gave him a good beating. Maybe he is just a serial hitter with an established repertoire. If he seems sincere and caring to you, it may well be his M.O. Anyway, forget him.
Dear Ann,My lover is the most attentive, affectionate woman on earth; she can hardly stand to be separated from me, in fact she will call in tears just from missing me if we're apart a couple of days. However, when I proposed marriage to her, she acted shocked and basically refused. Should I ask her why or wait and propose again later?- StumpedDear Stumped,Dostoyevskian torment over separations aside, in what manner does she show her love? I'm wondering if she's only deeply moved by the sight of a departing train. Does she discuss the future at all? Does she pick up on your likes and dislikes? She may be enjoying every magical moment with you as a stop gap until Mr. Right comes along, or she may just have been startled by your proposal and feeling the timing was off. When translated into the Zeirgeist, or collective unconscious, one would wonder if she's a feminist who regards marriage as too twentieth century. Talk to her about her reasons rather than waiting and trying again.* * * Dear Ann,I'm rather interested in a man I'll call Toby, but there's something odd about him: he scours everything with his nose like a pig digging for truffles, often commenting on the "marvelous aroma," "magnificent scents," etc. It's a bit over the top. Is sniffing some kind of fetish?.WonderingDear Wondering:The lines between enthusiasm, obsession, and fetishism sometimes blur; in fact most abnormal behavior is an exaggeration of the normal. As you are writing me, you are annoyed by this sniffer, and you will soon be driven crazy. In time irritating habits are magnified in the mind of the beholder rather than diminished.* * *Dear Ann,In the past month I lost my job and my boyfriend; I will soon lose my apartment, as he paid half the rent. I am frantic and feel totally confused. Help!Sincerely,DesperateDear Desperate:The Chinese character for "crisis" combines "danger" and "opportunity." You've lost the major elements of your present life. Instead of immediately trying to replace them, why not consider new options? Think about your work first and the rest (guys) will follow. You can find many career counseling websites and job opportunities on the Internet, as well as part time work to tide you over. Talk to your landlord; tell him you're having problems and ask for a period of grace with the promise of reimbursement later. Worst case, you may be able to camp out with friends for a while.* * *Dear Ann:I am a widower trying to advise my daughter, a beautiful young woman. She became involved with a Frenchman, and the relationship soon fizzled. That is, he left. She blames the fact that he had an affair with his mother's best friend when he was eighteen. Would this warp him permanently? Is there any point in her trying to get him back? She still cares.Thanks for help,DadDear Dad:The affair with mama's friend isn't the reason, unless he's like Colette's Cherie. The affair with the older woman is a rite de passage for a French adolescent, and what are Maman's friends for? He is making excuses. If the lover were l'oncle, I might be more impressed. To answer your question: no, this man is not a keeper.* * *Dear Ann,I read an earlier column of yours where you described aphrodisiac foods and cooked my lover the ideal meal. Now all he talks about is what a great chef I am and when are we going to eat more?Yours,LouiseDear Louise,Uh-oh, maybe you inadvertently tapped into his addiction. If he talks more about food than he does about you, be cautious. I'm not coming down hard against him, just curious about his priorities and passions.* * *Dear Ann,I am twenty-two, and this Christmas there will be some good parties where I might meet someone. My grandmother always said, "You never know when a door will open and your fate will walk in." My question for you: what make-up do you recommend?Sincerely,ErinDear Erin,Men like a natural look, and to us at Fashionlines this translates to carefully applied makeup. It takes longer and requires more skill to look natural than it does to look like Bette Davis. A girl your age doesn't need a coat of makeup on her face. If your skin is a pasty color, you can add a little color tint like Agnes B. apricot or tinted Neutrogena. Use a concealer for serious flaws; make sure it's a good match and blend it carefully. Avoid thickener mascaras and go for one that separates the lashes and just adds color. Better, dye your lashes. Shape your brows intelligently. The brow line is important to the look of your face. Check magazines and see how the brows are shaped, especially on faces that resemble yours. Lip-gloss should add shine but not look greasy or sticky. This is not easy, and it has to do largely with amount. Apply the blush, smile, blot off excess; you want to avoid globs or streaks. Blush is dangerous to those who would look natural and should be applied with a minimalist hand if at all. Smile when applying to find the apples in your cheeks where the blush belongs. Remove excess with a clean, dry tissue instead of fingers.The oil on fingers may cause blotchiness.* * *Dear AnnI'm a man, and I want to marry once only, for life. I've seen good marriages, bad, and divorces. I asked my father how you know if you're happily married, and he looked bemused, said he didn't know. Ann, what do you think?Signed,BarnabyDear Barnaby,Somebody once asked writer Dawn Powell about her 42 year long marriage, and she replied that her husband "is the only person in the world I find it always a kick to run into on the street." * * *Dear Ann,I am considering Lasik surgery. Is it safe?JustinDear Justin,You may or may not have asked the right person. My husband is a neurosurgeon, and like most surgery families, we go under the knife only in extremis. All surgery is risky, and that includes laser. Substituting a laser beam for a knife doesn't mean you're not cutting flesh. Lasik correction is touted as a fast, painless and permanent way for nearsighted and farsighted people to restore their vision. A doctor cuts a flap in the cornea and then reshapes the exposed area with a laser. It costs over $2000 per eye. Since 1996, over two million people including Cindy Crawford and Courtney Cox have had this procedure, and in five percent of the cases complications develop: infection, blurred vision, or halos of light marring the sight. No pregnant woman or person on cumaden should try it. Be wary of doctors who advertise a lot or give a hard sell. We would speak of board certification, and we do as a first step, but it's not a panacea. "People" magazine just ran a scary article about people who died from liposuction and other procedures done by board certified plastic surgeons. Another consideration: glasses are cool and trendy now. So why not check out some of the great frames Armani and others are making and pop in some prescription lenses? You'll probably go ahead with your Lasik surgery; most people do, even though they ask. Good luck.* * *Dear Ann,I think I may be falling in love, and I wonder if it's reciprocated. I met a man, we spent some magical time together; he's beautiful, sensitive, talented, deep. Maybe I'm just wacko, but a couple of little things bother me. Could you give me perspective? You will probably say I'm a ridiculous baby, and I wouldn't blame you, but here are my issues: 1. He kept staring at photos of Cindy Crawford in a magazine in front of me. Couldn't he have tactfully waited and stared in private? 2. We had lunch with an older friend of mine, a woman who is like a sister to me and nice looking for her age, but - well, you know what I'm saying. He said she looks just like "XX", a movie star. I am writing under an alias and don't want anything to give away who I am, therefore I'll just call the star "XX." Ann, why didn't he say I remind him of a movie star? It's not that I am conceited, but if she reminds him of a star, I would think I would, too.Sign me,Silly girlDear Silly,You know what? "Smart girl" is the better name for you. Yes, these are extremely worrisome signs. In the beginning stage of a romantic relationship, a lover should show emotional tact, have eyes only for you, and compliments as well. So where does that leave us? As too sadly often in this column and life there is more than one possible answer: 1. He could be slightly sadistic, manipulative, and a poseur, a man more interested in games than real connection. 2. He may be an OK guy who just wants to communicate that your liaison is not to be taken seriously. I don't know. Keep me posted. The situation, it must be said, looks murky at best.* * *Dear Ann,Charles and I have started dating; he is a promoter who books concerts for a number of classical musicians. We both love music, and I do what I can to help him. He said, "I often become friendly with people who share my ideals." What does this mean?DelphineDear Delphine,He could be another Spinoza, or he could be telling you he sleeps around a lot and you need to know.* * *Dear Ann,Do you know anything about modern art? I am a faithful reader of Fashionlines, LOVE IT, and notice you often write about art. I am considering buying an abstract painting, though I don't really understand it. How do I know if it's good or not? The gallery owner says the artist is one of the top in Europe.X0,Wish I could afford Van GoghDear Wish,Don't we all. OK, dealers hang onto their artists by selling their work. Period. Well, selling and generating publicity. Any successful dealer is good at persuading buyers and manipulating the press. They are believable and charming in one way or another; they have to be. Some have the patronizing-expert sort of charm, others the warm-enthusiastic. It's a difference in style, not substance. To answer your question, call the curatorial departments of three major modern museums and ask if anyone has heard of your artist. Call the major auction houses and see if they accept his work on consignment. Ask around about the gallery's standing. New York dominates the modern art world with London running a distant second. There's strength in Barcelona and Milan. If you are buying from one of the most powerful dealers in New York, you're fine. They know how to make it all happen whether the artist deserves it or not.* * *Dear Ann,My lover told me his wife was always mad at him, so I thought he was in splitsville. Now he has ended our relationship saying he loves his wife. What do you make of this?Thank you,BergittaDear Bergitta,A married man ending an affair always hides behind his wife, just as one beginning an affair says his wife doesn't understand him. Why did he really bail? Here I am saying I'm not sure again. It's embarrassing, but I'm not. Maybe he met someone else, a teenager, a boy - who knows? Maybe his wife found out about the affair and gave him a good beating. Maybe he is just a serial hitter with an established repertoire. If he seems sincere and caring to you, it may well be his M.O. Anyway, forget him.* * *Dear Ann,I produce Indie films, love it, but am exhausted. Should I quit and become a script writer of something else easy? If not, why not?Best,MonaDear Mona,It's cool and glamorous to be a producer. Not cool and glamorous to be a scriptwriter. Let me, for the sake of other readers, give a list of what is cool and glamorous and what is not: Cool and glamorous: being a publisher, a famous chef, a rock star, supermodel, photographer, NFL player, pilot (plane must be your own), a so-famous person you need to be escorted through cities in black limos with sirens screaming and headlights glaring, a novelist, a confidante of the US President (usually), a friend of Jim Clark or Bill Gates, a reader of e-magazines, the only reporter on Everest, a racer of Lamborghinis, creator of art videos, pilgrim (rich) who visits Burmese monks who are personal friends.Not cool and glamorous: being a staff writer, wielding a mean bar-b-que poker, criticizing countries you might be visiting, being a lingerie model, a lounge lizard, a member of United's frequent flyer program, a jay walker, a confidante of a Congressman in your district, a friend of a friend of a cast member of "Friends" (the show isn't delivering this fall)); a reader of print magazines only, reporter whose beat is tea parties, driver of an RV without needing the room for your soccer team (if you do, it's OK), fan of prepackaged "vacations in paradise."* * *Dear Ann,Maurice is in his early thirties, I in my forties, and he has taken me on as a confident. He is tall, handsome, charming, well-situated in life. His problem is that the girls his own age don't appreciate him. He suffers so many rejections. For the life of me, I can't comprehend why; is it because he is an old world gentleman and the girls today become so decadent they don't appreciate good manners? Can you help me help him?Caringly,ConnieDear Connie,Exactly how many times has he struck out? Have there been any successes, or is he still a virgin? Trust me, girls always adore good manners and flattering attention; the new generation is no exception. He either secretly wants you and is trying to do a tea and sympathy number on you, or he unconsciously wants you or someone like you and therefore sends insincere signals to the girls his own age. Or maybe he's just whining over a couple of rejections; after all, none of us can attract EVERY target, desirable as that would be. The other possibility is he has a sexual orientation confusion which is obvious to the babes. Give them credit; like their elders, they have antenna.* * *
met a man in another city, and the chemistry between us was immediate and very intense. Soon we became close - you know what I mean - and since then I can't figure him out. He makes plans and dates, breaks them (always with plausible excuses), he communicates, withdraws, back and forth, and yet when I'm with him, the chemistry is huge for both of us. Ann, what shall I do? Sign,Looking for answers
Dear Looking,You've come to the right place, because the answer to this one is simple: buy yourself a see-saw. That way you can accustom yourself to the up and down rhythms that are sure to persist in this relationship. You are probably hoping I am wrong and at some distant point an epiphany of communication will occur between the two of you that will elevate the relationship to a higher plane of serenity, a state where you will be able to look back on the ups and downs and laugh. No, Honey. It won't happen. Guys put their best foot forward for the openers; trust me on that. Training and conditioning are helpful in any given situation. To find a see-saw that works with your interior decor or your lovely garden, use your Internet search engines: playground equipment is one possible keyword. There are others. And you know what? There are other guys as well.

I have a beloved boy friend who is handsome, cultured, sensitive, perfect in every way except for one fault: if I say something that hurts his feelings, he will be silent for days. Is this a sign of depth and profundity?Maisie
Dear Maisie,It is a sign he is spoiled. It's a big mistake to confuse passive-aggressive behavior with sensitivity. The silent treatment is the most devastating (to the recipient) form of this type of hostile power manipulation. Why don't you try giving him the silent treatment and see how he reacts?

Dear Ann,Some years ago I had an affair with a man in my office and fell madly in love with him. I was always doing my work and his, too, extending endless favors. Sometimes I stayed up all night doing projects that were essentially his job. We split painfully and did not see one another for years. Then circumstances brought us together again as friends. We both had other romantic involvements and were delighted to rekindle the intellectual and professional aspects of our former relationship. However, I soon discovered he was once again expecting me to do endless favors for him (give him information, sources, etc.) but when I asked one favor of him, he waffled around, making it clear he may or may not deliver. Ann, what do you think about this? Maria
Dear Maria,I think you should bail. The man cannot tell the difference between a friend and an esclave d'amour. He probably thinks you are an ever-flowing fountain of generosity whose joy in reconnecting will quite naturally take the form of endlessly helping him. He does not appear to grasp the quid pro quo of friendship, at least not with you.


* * *
I fell madly in love with a man practically at first sight. Now I'm trying to get over him, and when I do, it will be a devastating blow to him because he will feel it like poisonous fish in a cold arctic sea. I vacillate, but each time I swing against him, I swing a little further away, and the catch up towards adoration gets harder. Why does falling out of love take so much longer than falling into it? Ms. RomanceDear Romance,It's exactly like gaining and losing weight. A weekend with friends in the country can pack on five pounds. It takes months to get them off. Maybe years.
I fell madly in love with a man practically at first sight. Now I'm trying to get over him, and when I do, it will be a devastating blow to him because he will feel it like poisonous fish in a cold arctic sea. I vacillate, but each time I swing against him, I swing a little further away, and the catch up towards adoration gets harder. Why does falling out of love take so much longer than falling into it? Ms. RomanceDear Romance,It's exactly like gaining and losing weight. A weekend with friends in the country can pack on five pounds. It takes months to get them off. Maybe years.* * *Dear Ann,I am 16 and doing well in school, but one thing is really stressing me out: guys keep telling me my girl friend is making out with my best friend behind my back. I don't know if it's true, but what do say when I'm told these things? Jerked AroundDear Around,Say sex is nobody's business except the three people involved.* * *Dear Ann,I just read about Prince Charles's illegitimate son in Canada, and a columnist, Rob Morse, described the British royal family as "the scum of the earth." I agree except for Wills and Harry. Only Wills could save the royals, but why should he? What should he do? Fan of WillsDear Fan,I would crown Wills King of the United States, thereby avoiding another Florida and providing myself with someone handsome to watch on TV newscasts.* * *Dear Ann,What do you think are the three most common mistakes people make? Friends and I were trying to decide for a list we're doing for the school paper. Thanks. X0,CuriousDear Curious,1. Overwatering potted plants; 2. Overfeeding goldfish; 3. Overwriting.* * *Dear Ann,I am married to a wonderful man, but his mother constantly criticizes and belittles me. I complain to him about her, but he just looks depressed and does nothing. Ann, I have about had it with this situation. What remedies would you suggest?FuriousDear Furious,How many times we have received the exact same letter! There are a lot of women out there who feel a man may have many wives but only one mother. If the first doesn't suit, why not make it clear so sonny can move along? No point staying trapped in a situation not to Mama's satisfaction. To avoid this, industrialist Andrew Carnegie declined to wed as long as his mother lived. After she died, he finally wed at age 52. Leave your husband out of the fray; you will only estrange him by criticizing her. He can't discipline her as if she were an unruly toddler anyway, so what's the point?We always urge people to deal with mothers-in-law on a one-to-one basis, and we're talking mano a mano combat. If you were raised to be courteous and respectful of elders, you must wrap your punches in a snug blanket of respectful courtesies. For example, Mother-in-law, "I saw you talking to another man at church this morning, obviously two-timing your husband." Ethyl, "Most estimable mother-in-law, I fear you project, as you were listening to the pastor's sermon a bit a bit too closely for my comfort. I speak only with the most respectful concern." But do give it back, never let anything go. Mama will get the idea and tone herself down. Most bullies do when confronted. * * *Dear Ann,I was living in a beautiful, sophisticated city but near an ex-husband who treated his second wife much better than he ever treated me. After years of this, a man from another town visited and we fell in love. Now I'm married and living in his town, which is a color-me-gray place filled with tedious, narrow-minded people. I wonder if I should stay here and be bored to death or go home and be lonely and resentful. No, my new husband will not move to my old city. What should I do? Appreciating your column, I sign myselfUndecidedDear Undecided,That used to be a tougher question than it is today, thanks to the Internet. Get yourself a laptop, girl, and see the world. You can keep in touch with your old city through its website and newspapers, which will almost certainly be on the web, plus make new friends through chat rooms. Who knows? One of them may live right next door. The Web aside, mutual activities or concerns will draw people out and make them seem more interesting. Join some clubs built around your hobbies and enthusiasms. Do some volunteer work. And remember: a good man is hard to find; be kind to your new husband. This was not your question, but let us ask it: is there any possibility you were masochistically involved with seeing your ex and number two? Some people are more excited by pain and unrequited longing than by security and devotion. * * * Dear Ann,You won't believe this, but my hairdresser and I have fallen in love. He is so empathetic and caring; in ten minutes with him I feel better about myself than I did during 25 years with my late husband. My lover is very old-fashioned: believes love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. Ann, he is 15 years younger than me. Does this make it impossible?Starry-eyedDear Starry-eyed,Nothing is impossible with the human heart; believe me, I've seen some strange attachments. But two questions: how much money do you have? How much money does he have? I was involved with a man who is a wine connoisseur; for example he's a member of les Chevaliers do Tastevin, an organization based in Burgundy and Paris. Also, he's a gourmet cook. I cannot tell you how many restaurant owners have pleaded with him to go professional; I can only say that his pasta with vegetables would make you weep. By profession he's an art dealer, so talented, and he has dark wavy hair which is a work of art in itself. Now we've split and all my friends are saying they didn't like him in the first place. One even calls his a truffle-sniffing hog and ices it by saying she knows truffle pig is the proper term but she likes the hog imagery. I realize my friend is very loyal to me, but I would like her to stop calling him a truffle-sniffing hog, just on principle. I am not vindictive toward him, as I believe to know all is to forgive all. How can I deal with this friend? ForgivingDear Forgiving,Try christening your ex with a new nickname that satisfies you both, like "vegetable-chopper, " "wine sniffer," or "picture hanger."

MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito's Gold

When General Douglas arrived in Japan to become "shogun" after ww2, the Emperor told him how much booty he had from conquered countries.MacArthur's grasp of project Golden Lily enabled him to develop a favorable attitude toward Hirohito and to work well with the new premier, a Yamato named Prince Higashi-Kuni. Although Japan dodged reparation payments by claiming to be devastated and bankrupt after the war, Sterling and Peggy Seagrave, in The Yamato Dynasty, call that assertion a sham. In a few years, Japan's "miraculous recovery" ensued, financed in secret by the Golden Lily bounty. In their assessment of the postwar situation, the Seagraves write, "Documents show that one of the big gold-bullion accounts set up . . . was in the name of General Douglas MacArthur . . . a man deeply involved in rescuing Emperor Hirohito, and suborning witnesses at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal. What does this suggest?" In 1945, the U. S. Congress and the Allied nations unanimously favored a war criminal trial for Emperor Hirohito; however, MacArthur quickly convinced the politicians that communism was now the threat, especially in China. Japan needed to be an ally. If the U. S. dethroned the emperor, the Japanese would restore him as soon as possible. He merely "followed the military's orders" during World War II" MacArthur said, creating a false impression that persists today. Like Hitler, Hirohito lacked the capacity to respect the space of other nations, and though people were led to believe he was weak and ineffectual, he ordered his commanders to continue fighting for two years after they began suggesting surrender. The emperor did not participate in a war crimes trial, nor did he receive any punishment whatsoever, although many see his escape from justice as a terrible wrong. Those who might have been able to inform on the emperor died by various means. One, however, survived - Prince Konoe, Hirohito's brother, who called him "the major war criminal." MacArthur, however, aided in silencing the prince. The military officers agreed that to protect the emperor, they would claim that all decisions came from them, not the government. As a result, dozens of men admitted to crimes when they were only carrying out orders, or in some cases, were innocent of any knowledge or participation. In May 1946, the Tokyo War Crimes Trials convened. The trials initially included three hundred war criminals, but MacArthur shortened the list to twenty-eight. Not one Yamato and no one involved in Golden Lily was tried or even accused. On MacArthur's orders, not a single piece of evidence about the biological warfare section, unit 731, was revealed to the tribunal. Liberated American POWs were forced to sign confidentiality documents drawn up by the army stating that they would not discuss what happened in the Japanese biological warfare and slave labor prisons. If they did, they faced a court martial. MacArthur finished his stint in Japan and returned to the U. S., where he lived in a style few Americans could match. William Manchester described his seventy-foot living room in his Connecticut house and his Manhattan hotel-suite as having "the vast splendor of palaces," filled with "gifts from Japan." Though a self-described "simple soldier," he left behind an Asian art collection worth millions when he died. The source of this wealth can be easily misunderstood, as can his gifts of gold bullion and jewels running into millions; after all, they might simply have been Hirohito's method of handling a connection necessary to the furtherance of his career, or, one could say, his continued existence.

Notes on the Art World

A portrait of supermodel Kate Moss painted by artist Lucien Freud fetched more than $6.65 million at auction. Freud shot from the top tier to superstardom when he painted the official Jubilee portrait of QE II. Freud is a British subject but not a sycophant. Witness the dark, complex, rather threatening portrait he painted of his sovereign. She looked like someone you would not want to meet in a dark alley -- or tunnel. Moss, who learned that Freud wanted to paint her by reading it in a magazine, sat for the work in 2002 while she was pregnant with Lila Grace, her first child. A friend and I were discussing this over a lunch of grilled prawns and saffron rice, and she asked, "How do contemporary artists make it into the big money? And are the prices worth it?" Good questions. She then mentioned three other heavy-hitting artists who pull in the megabucks: Cy Twombly, Brice Marden, and Richard Serra.

Lucien Freud is the son of Sigmund, the father of psychoanalysis, which, as much as anything else, defined the twentieth century. He put new words like subconscious and superego into our vocabulary, and was a recognizable world figure. Naturally, Lucien had all the connections, but also the talent. He inherited his father's fascination with the human psyche, but rather than talking to prone patients on couches, he paints portraits. Once he labored six months to get his wife's eyes right in a sketch. You meet one of his portraits and you don't forget it.

What about aspiring artists whose fathers, unlike Sigmund Freud, were butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers? If these artists keep working, will someone discover them sipping a soda like the movie star Lana Turner? Not likely. Today one has an art career played like a game of chess. The kingmakers, of course, are the dealers and the museum directors, but it doesn't hurt to have a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant or a Guggenheim to join the faculty of a prominent art school or university with an exceptional department. Having a curator at a significant museum or art center like Detroit's DIA (www.dia.org) give you a show helps, too.

Not to say that breakaways don't exist. Jean-Michel Basquiat, the spectacularly talented African American who became famous through his lyrical and powerful graffiti, literally turned into an art star by roaming around Harlem with cans of spray paint, to say nothing of talent. Robert Rauschenberg, probably the dean of American artists, lived on the streets of New York for awhile, creating montages of found objects. One of Rauschenberg's first and most famous works, "Monogram" (1959), consisted of a stuffed angora goat, a tire, a police barrier, the heel of a shoe, a tennis ball, and paint. I remember talking to the abstract expressionist pioneer Clyfford Still, an admirer of Rauschenberg, who said, "He does it, he makes art, even with that bottle of Jack Daniels by his side, but most artists today are careerists and whores who chew the shoestrings of the downtown dealers. Money is their God, and that goes double for (the late) Mark Rothko. Great art ultimately comes from who you are. The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection."

Picasso Needed Supervision Around Women

When Pablo Picasso's Garçon à la pipe sold at Sothebys for $105 million, I was reminded of a not shy and blushing author, whose conclusion about the artist in her poorly researched biography: he was misogynistic, and, as a bad man, he is ergo a bad artist. The book was basically a clip and paste job by a woman who, to put it mildly, lacked expertise in art criticism. Once she finished the less than original biography, she decided to put her personal stamp on it by calling him a jerk and a second-rate artist, so I assume she was not among the bidders at the auction. How she found the bravado to attack the twentieth century's greatest is a mystery to many, but I think maybe she simply took her clue from a quote of his, "Everything you can imagine is real."Although I never met Picasso, I did know two people quite well who were close to him. The first, museum director Gerald Nordland, who recently curated a Picasso show in Houston, Texas, spent a good deal of time with the artist and was the first person to exhibit his erotic etchings in the United States. I also knew Francoise Gilot, mother of Paloma Picasso, and the only woman who ever left him. I met her as Mrs. Jonas Salk and spent several summers enjoying her company in La Jolla, and that of her husband, the Nobel laureate inventor of the polio vaccine.
Gerry Nordland believed Picasso loved women, but obsessively so, a condition which does not imply longevity. Obsessions cool, and once Picasso developed a new one, his existing partner stood in his way, and he quite simply wanted to remove the obstacle. He could not control his passionate nature any more than he could control his talent. "Falling in love inspires my art," he once said. Gerry was fond of quoting the artist, his favorite being, "When I was a child my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up as the pope. Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."
"You can't imagine a talent like Picasso being modest," Gerry said, and added, "he took what he wanted because he could. However, he gave his art one hundred percent. He once said, 'give me a museum, and I'll fill it.' He always tried to push forward. 'Success in dangerous,' he once said. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility' "
This dread of repetition and lassitude, loss of creative power haunted him and made it impossible for him to stay with one woman indefinitely, as his erotic inspiration and his artistic output were so interconnected. Picasso is not the only man who got rid of one woman because he fell for another. Guess what? Sometimes girls do it too. Let's face it: the reactions are always the same with serial lovers: initial euphoria and idolization followed by an insidious disillusionment, a feeling of claustrophobia, a perception of loving gestures from the partner as assaults.
strong>Francoise Gilot wrote a fascinating book, "My Life with Picasso," which is still in print and a marvelous read, although it was originally published in 1964. A brilliant woman and excellent artist herself, she had to free herself from his influence to find her own creative center.
Picasso found her book insulting, in fact was deeply pained by it, as he felt she portrayed him as a man who seduced a young girl and then manipulated and betrayed her. Apart from his belief that she portrayed him as a sadist, the artist was outraged by her revelation that she left him for an artist her own age.
At the age of 23, she was a beautiful, self-possessed art student living in Paris. One night she met Picasso, and he invited her to his studio, after which she became, for ten years, his love and his muse. Associating with the creative giant brought passion and excitement, but anguish and frustration soon began to emerge, though she does not entirely blame him for these feelings. For ten years, she struggled to survive as an individual while at the same time dealing with a man she loved but found demanding, domineering, mercurial, and unfaithful, though, like British princes, he did not expect her to take lovers.
Francoise was actually the artist's fifth major mistress. The first important one, historians agree, was Fernande Olivier. His mistress throughout his early, impoverished years during the Rose Period and early Cubism, he called her "the first of my muses”. In her memoir, "Loving Picasso: The Private Journal of Fernande Olivier," she describes him as a workaholic, an impulsive buyer, and a "jealous lover who often kept me locked up when he went out."
But she wrote all this after he ditched her for Eva Gouel, a woman he adored, though sadly she died of tuberculosis.
While designing the set and costumes for the ballet "Parade" in 1914, Picasso first met dancer Olga Koklova. He fell madly, truly, and deeply in love, married her, and abandoned his former bohemian friends to join the bourgeois mainstream with his wife. He produced many dedication pieces to her and their son, Paul, but after a while, Picasso's attentions began to wander. As the marriage slowly disintegrated, he began to paint tormented images whose color and configurations screamed anxiety. For instance, "Three Dancers," 1925, expresses a sense of Crucifixion and the dancers, presumably Olga, reflect his despair over his marriage.
Though I for one do not blame Picasso, Olga began showing "signs of madness," and divorce became inevitable. She had a complete mental breakdown after the divorce, and continuously stalked him and his mistresses in a manner reminiscent of the movie "Fatal Attraction."
Next came Marie-Therese Walther, who presumably lured him away from Olga, though scholars agree that Olga's disturbed nature had driven him away from her. A great deal of speculation surrounds this relationship, as Marie-Therese was as reticent as his other women were verbose. She never said a word against him, and often quoted his words, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
Thought quiet, she must have been a woman of deep feelings. Eventually, in fact decades after her relationship with Picasso ended, she hanged herself later in the garage of her home.
Picasso agreed with Freud that there are no accidents. "Accidents -- try to change them," the artist said; "it's impossible. The accidental reveals the man." One day, quite by accident, or not, depending on how you choose to view it, he saw photographer Dora Maar walking down the street, introduced himself, and told her they would have an adventure. Indeed, she became his mistress and his muse for seven years, all the while photographing him at work or relaxing, alone or with friends. In 1937, she captured the agonizing process of painting "Guernica," his powerful protest against the Spanish Civil War. Dora's own features appear in the painting, as well as in many others of Picasso's during those years.
However, he eventually tired of her and said, "I still think she's beautiful, but her little habits are driving me crazy."
She outlived him by a quarter of a century, spending much of her life as a religious recluse, painting, writing poetry, and guarding her privacy. She owned dozens of Picasso paintings and drawings, sometimes realistic portraits, others, cubist works. She's often seen weeping, which brings to mind one of the artist's most unendearing quotes, "Women are suffering machines."
I think it was that quote that set off The “expert”. The truth probably lies in the fact that he was drawn to passionate, vulnerable women. Intensity has its down side, both in women and in men. Dora and Picasso split, and she spent a couple of years in an institution that dealt with depression. Then she went on with her life, though she gave creative types a wide berth.
Jacqueline Roque was his last mistress, living with him until he died in 1973. She dominated his last 20 years of work, and also devoted herself to every aspect of his life, cooking his favorite meals, keeping his finances straight, driving, and finally nursing him. She turned her creative self over to him.
Considering that he lived to be over ninety, Picasso had a fairly reasonable number of women in his life. He wasn't a Lothario who whirled from bed to bed with dozens of women every year. He and Jacqueline isolated themselves in the south of France, and he obsessively painted images of women, which reflected his artist-muse relationship with her.
Picasso was everything to Jacqueline, and after he died, she shot herself.
Picasso: genius, artist, angel, devil. How could an ordinary man paint the masterpieces he did? And women? Perhaps if he were attracted to jolly little cheerleaders, he wouldn't be considered so misogynistic by some people. The little cheerleaders would have put in their time, and after the inevitable split, sold his paintings and gone shopping.

The Hidden Hoards of Emperor Hirohito

From "I've Always Loved You," a true story of ww2 in the Pacific by Ann Seymour: EmperorHirohito stood near a golden screen painted with a field of iris and summoned one of his most trusted kuramakus. He preferred kuramakus to ministers and commanders, because they could think. Today’s visitor recommended the emperor organize an asset-stripping plan for occupied countries, rather than letting the commanders continue to randomly loot and pocket the spoils. The Japanese had financial needs _ didn’t all conquerors?The emperor smiled for the first time in too long. At last a superior concept. He would call his glamorous brother, Chichibu. The emperor trusted his Chichibu-san, unlike his other brothers. This particular Yamato already realized the vanquished countries teemed with gold and treasure, so he delighted in taking charge of an operation codenamed Golden Lily. He pretended to need medical leave from the army owing to tuberculosis, and claimed he’d gone to a sanitarium near Mt. Fuji. His people prayed for his recovery, bowing before flickering candles and bowls of billowing incense.Instead, in the dust of ancient roads, he walked through occupied China and Southeast Asia, his piglet hands clutching at goodies. His men took a dozen solid gold Buddhas, each weighing over a ton. He collected fine Asian art and appreciated jewelry, though not as much as his brother the emperor.Once Chichibu gathered up a country’s bounty, he sent it off on fake hospital ships to various locations. With his cultivated taste and love of souvenirs, he did save some pretty jewels for his wife and daughters, not to mention a few objects to freshen up his palace.His belief in the sacred also motivated him to collect religious artifacts for the emperor. Hirohito responded to esthetics, especially objects fabricated from gold or jade and encrusted with precious gems. He favored Shakyamunis, (Buddha, the lion of the Shakya tribe), Padmapanis, (queens of heaven), Tao-tieh (tiger-god) masks, and dragons. In time Chichibu seized so much treasure, it became physically impossible to move it to Japan, so he conscientiously stashed it in the Philippines, hiding it in over two hundred church vaults, bunkers, and underground tunnels. The hills came to life with the sound of coins clinking. In Ipoh, Malaysia, he melted gold and created bars of bullion bearing the stamp of the Golden Lily logo he helped design.The bounty still lurks in caves, and every so often, someone discovers a bit of it. A recently unearthed solid gold Philippine Buddha weighing close to a ton reportedly resides in a Zurich vault.

Good Quotes from ww2

Courage is rightly esteemed as the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others. - Winston Churchill
Hey, GI Joe, what are you doing here? You should be home having a good dinner with your happy family - Tokyo Rose
Sonno Foi - drive out the barbarians. Asia for Asians. The twentieth century will be known as "The Age of Hirohito." - Emperor Horohito of Japan gefore ww2
Pearl Harbor: How many times will you remember a certain afternoon, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? - Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky

I've Always Loved You

I didn’t understand. I was only four.
Unaware that my life was reversing, like the tide before me, I played on the beach. The sun brightened the cloudless sky, turning it a silvered winter blue, perfect for Sunday, Daddy’s day off. As he and Mom raced to the sea, the foam slapped against the shore. One strap of her bathing suit slipped. In the water, she wrapped her arms around him, her neck pliant, her back limber. Despite the water’s chill, they rode the waves together.
Dripping and sleek, Daddy waded out of the water. His black hair shone with a blue iridescence. He dropped a few steps behind Mom, and watched her hips sway as she walked. Slowly they crossed across the sand, their white stucco house perched on the succulent-covered bluff ahead of them.
Relaxing on our picnic blanket, Mom examined her red fingernails for chips in the polish, and then turned over, the seawater glistening on her shoulders. With combs and hairpins, she tried in vain to tame her wild auburn hair. Untamed, her hair excited Daddy; it reminded him of women dancing in Old West cafes while patrons drank their whiskey. Her eyes were gray, pure gray - no little leopard spots of brown or hazel.
I sat next to the blanket and began digging. Deliberate as a fern unfurling, Daddy smoothed oil on Mom’s slim back and khaki-freckled shoulders.
“More on the right,” she said in her indolent voice. “That’s it . . . Up a little. To the left . . . Yes. I’ve got you pretty well trained.”
“That’s because you reward me.” The tones of a warm youth flowed through his voice, and, moving his hand to the small of her back, he began to sing, “Mary—Helen, Mary—Helen, my own Mary—Helen,” to the tune of the UC Berkeley fight song.
Daddy kneaded Mom’s shoulders, and then rolled over on his back. He winked at me. I knew what that wink meant: he loved me best.
“Nap time,” Mom said, so I ran away from her, heading toward the sea.
“Ann, come here this minute.” She caught up with me and grabbed my wrist. I had almost made it to the water. As we turned, an army officer appeared on the bluff. To me then that bluff rose immensely high, and the uniformed man seemed to tower up to the sky, looking down like a god in the corner of an old map, one who determined destinies at his pleasure. Actually, the bluff was quite small, but I had the perspective of the very young.
“Captain Ribbel, the Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor. Report for duty immediately!”