Venezuelans Celebrate In Doral

According to 2021 U.S. Census data analyzed by the Pew Research Center, about 640,000 people of Venezuelan origin lived in the U.S., including both foreign-born immigrants and U.S.-born people of Venezuelan ancestry. More recent analyses suggest the total Venezuelan diaspora in the U.S. (including everyone who identifies with Venezuelan origin) may be between 800,000 and 900,000, with Florida being the largest center.

Doral, a suburb of Miami, has such a high concentration of Venezuelan immigrants that it has often been called “Doralzuela.” Census estimates indicate the total population of Doral is around 76,000–80,000, and more than a third of its residents (27,000) are Venezuelan immigrants, making them a major demographic group in the city.

When Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a U.S. military raid in Caracas this past weekend, the people of Doral came out to celebrate. Photographer Gary Firstenberg also came out to capture their colorful jubilation.

* * * * * 

It's apparent from these photos that the initial response in Doral was a colorful wave of elation, but the people of Venezuela are facing many challenges. According to author/journalist Robert Bryce, an expert in how energy systems function in the real world, "When US military forces swept into Caracas early Saturday morning to capture Nicolás Maduro, among the first targets hit were, predictably, electricity targets. The fastest way to sow confusion in a society is to shut down or destroy its electric grid," a tactic the US military has been using "in nearly every conflict since the Korean War." 

EdNote: In 1950, Venezuela’s economy was ranked as the fourth-richest in the world by GDP per capita, ahead of most nations except the United States, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

Pray for the people of Venezuela. 

Woman Killed in Rare Flying Eggplant Incident Off Florida Coast

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A woman was fatally struck by a flying eggplant while boating off the coast of West Palm Beach on Friday, marking the first known death caused by an eggplant in Florida, authorities said. The incident has intensified debates over the rising number of eggplant-related assaults in the state.

Allison Nichols, 34, was traveling at approximately 50 mph in a boat when she was hit in the head by the airborne vegetable, causing fatal head trauma, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dr. Eldon Hoffman, an environmental advocate, called the incident a tragic accident, emphasizing that eggplants are typically non-aggressive. “It was a case of wrong place, wrong time,” Hoffman said. “Eggplants are gentle by nature, and these incidents are rare.”
Reports of eggplant attacks have surged in recent years. In Dade County, annual assaults averaged 1.4 from 1990 to 2000, but in 2007, 47 incidents were reported in Dade and over 60 in the Tampa Bay area, according to local records. The cause of the increase remains unclear, prompting calls for further research.
Hoffman, who grows eggplants on his hobby farm near Orlando, is urging state lawmakers to fund studies to investigate the phenomenon. He criticized media outlets for downplaying the issue to protect Florida’s tourism industry. “Greater awareness could secure the resources needed to understand why this is happening,” he said.Critics, however, argue Hoffman’s defense of the vegetable is excessive. Local residents have often dismissed him as eccentric, citing his farm’s unusual mix of eggplants, couch potatoes, and small rodents.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reviewing the incident but has not announced specific measures to address the growing eggplant concerns.
There were reports of a protest Tuesday night a protest regarding the rapidly growing eggplant population in Tampa Bay. Authorities used drones and other forms of high tech surveillance to keep violence to a minimum. There were only four arrests and one injured officer. Nevertheless, many who were present complained about the lack of coverage from mainstream media. Carson Collins, a retired plumber from Ohio, said, "This is a pretty big story. Why isn't it being picked up on CNN or Fox? It makes you wonder whatever threats that we're unaware of."
In light of the increased anxiety regarding the safety of both the eggplant population and community residents, Governor Walz has declared Minnesota a sanctuary state for eggplants that feel at risk, wherever they come from. "We spread our arms and open our wallets for you," he announced in a press statement.

Photo Caption: An eggplant rests on the roof of a home near Sun City, Florida, amid growing reports of eggplant-related assaults in the state.

Flamingo Life: A Visit With Artist Rachel Michelle

Is creativity an innate part of being human? I believe so, though it doesn't emerge the same way in every person. Nor does the flower of a creative spirit always bloom at the same stage of life for each of us. Some take to music, art or literature when quite young. I have seen many others for whom taking up a new arts interest--acting or painting or learning to play a mandolin--becomes a new adventure much later in their years. Rachel Michelle is one of these.

I became aware of Rachel Michelle's art via photographer Gary Firstenberg, who in 2021 introduced me to the artist Wyland. This past month I was informally put in contact with Rachel Michelle, a friend of Wyland's who shows and sells some of her paintings in Wyland's Florida galleries. 

Now I introduce her to you.

EN: What inspired you to take up painting later in life? 
Rachel Michelle: I had been doing some graphic design on the computer for my brand, Flamingo Life, when I met Wyland, the famous Marine Life Artist. He suggested I try painting them. I told him I wasn't an artist and he said to give a shot, so I did. Much to my surprise, it wasn't horrible. It wasn't great either, but I really enjoyed it and kept at it. Within just a few months, I had improved greatly. So much that Wyland asked me if I wanted to display my art at his gallery for an art show. 

EN: 

What were some of the challenges you faced when you first started painting and how did you overcome them? 

RM: I am a perfectionist, so I want every painting to be perfect, but it's nearly impossible. I also had to learn to loosen up and paint more with feeling instead of technique. 

EN: What are some of the things you enjoy most about painting? 

RM: Painting is the best therapy. I am so happy when I'm painting. I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me. I see everything in a whole different light now. Like, when I look at the sky, I look at the clouds and think how I'd paint them. 

EN: What are some of the things you find challenging about painting? 

RM: Deciding when the painting is finished. I can forever add detail. I'm always thinking about the next painting, too. I can't wait to get started on a new one. 

EN: What motivated you to paint flamingos as a theme in your work? 

RM: I own the trademark, Flamingo Life, and have loved flamingos for as long as I can remember. Which is why I created the brand. I am hoping to make the Flamingo the official state bird of Florida. I'm actually working on a campaign with a group of people in hopes we can get the lawmakers to submit a bill to make it happen. Our state bird has always been the Northern Mockingbird, in case you are wondering. In making the state bird the Flamingo, we are also hoping to bring attention to the conservation of their habitat, the Everglades. Stay tuned! 

EN: What advice would you give to other people who are thinking about starting to paint later in life? 

Rachel also like parrots.

RM: Definitely GO FOR IT! And don't stop after the first painting if it's not great. I still learn from each and every painting I do. Watch other artists and connect with them as well. Ask them questions and get tips from them. I have met so many great artists since I started and have gotten different tips from each of them. 

EN: What were you doing before you started painting? 

RM: I was a Nurse Informaticist and RN. I worked with Hospital Computer Systems.

EN: Do you sell your work? Where can people see more of your work? 

RM: Yes! Here is my website: https://rachelmichelle.art/

(Not .com) I am also on all the social media. Links are on my website. I have an Etsy page, too: http://www.etsy.com/shop/RachelMichelleArtist

Rachel Michelle with Nevada Bob Gordon

Florida Condo Collapse Has Lessons for Us All: Don't Ignore the Signs

When the 136-unit  Champlain Towers South collapses on June 24, the news media announced the incident as a death with an unknown, but large, number of people unaccounted for. A few days later the Washington Post and other media reported that there were now 4 dead and 159 unaccounted for. Today that confirmed death toll is 12 with 149 missing, and most people are already fearing the worst.

A major part of this unfolding story has revolved around the question, "How did this happen?" along with the corollary, "How many other seaside properties are at risk?"

Many news outlets have been noting that there were all kinds of warning signals being flashed these past few years. The condo owners, when informed, were not made to feel endangered. As we often do, we put things off and distract ourselves with "more urgent" concerns.

Today's Wall Street Journal has a story titled, "Miami-Area Condo Failure: Years of Warnings, but Mixed Signals." It notes how that an engineer's report states that "the building's design was flawed from the start." This is probably something not readily observable from a layperson's perspective.

The title of the piece notes that the signals were there but unclear. When leads me to the thought I had after reading about this tragic event during the past week. 

My first thought had to do with a publisher who suddenly found himself in the hospital for nine days and recovering for weeks from a health issue. I saw him at a writer's workshop shortly after he was recovered and asked what he learned from his experience. He said, "Don't ignore the signs."

Those words have rattled through my head for two years now. The applications are many. In my case, I think of my health. And most interestingly, the WSJ article compared this building collapse exactly to that. Or rather, someone they interviewed did. 

Jiann-Wen Ju, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles who specializes in construction defects, likened it to someone who has a slow-moving, underlying chronic condition, that then suddenly manifests as something serious, such as a heart attack.

“That person at some point just collapses,” he said.*

I believe the event has still broader applications. Marriages, cars, businesses and even nations flash signals for years before the singular moment that makes the doom permanent. Collapse doesn't happen overnight.

How's your health? Have you been ignoring signs that you might need to look into? 

How about the health of our nation? Solzhenitsyn's massive multi-volume series The Red Wheel details the decline and fall of the Russian empire from which the Soviet Union emerged. The two decades preceding WWI revealed a foundation with plenty of cracks. 

Events in recent years have been flashing warning signs about the health of our own nation today. How alarmed ought we to be? 

Such were my thoughts this past week. And so it goes. 

* Miami-Area Condo Failure: Years of Warnings, but Mixed Signals, Jon Kamp, Scott Calvert and Deborah Acosta, Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2021.

Wordless Wednesday, December 21

More Eggplant Mysteries

Q: Why did the eggplant cross the road?

A: Nobody knows. That's why it's so scary. When, or if, anyone finds out, please let me know so I can post it here. There are a lot of people losing sleep about this problem.

PHOTO CAPTION: Nesting eggplant on forest floor in Central Florida. The eggplant is especially fond of Spanish moss. Please do not disturb. And if you come across nesting eggplants while hiking in Florida, please do not be disturbed. Most eggplants are generally harmless.

Floridians Alarmed By Growing Eggplant Violence

A battle has been raging in recent years between environmentalists and government leaders here in Florida regarding the rapidly increasing number of eggplant assaults. Yesterday’s death of a woman boater has officials under pressure to take action regarding the matter. The woman was killed by a head trauma after colliding with a flying eggplant off the coast of West Palm Beach.

Dr. Eldon Hoffman, an environmental advocate who has taken up the cause, insists the incident was accidental and that the flying eggplant struck the woman without malice. “It was simply a matter of wrong place, wrong time,” Hoffman stated. “The eggplant is an extremely gentle vegetable. Up until the past few years there have been very few instances where an eggplant will assault a human.”

Allison Nichols was riding in a boat at approximately 50 miles per hour when the flying eggplant struck her on the side of the head. The force of the impact killed her instantly.

Although media reports of such encounters appear to be rare, numerous phone calls to Florida news rooms indicate that eggplant attacks on humans have been rising significantly. Statistics reveal that in the ten years preceding 2000, there were approximately 1.4 eggplant assaults reported per year in Dade County. In 2007 there were 47 assaults reported in Dade and more than sixty in the communities surrounding Tampa Bay. This was the first known death caused by an eggplant.

Hoffman insists that more research should be undertaken to determine why Florida eggplants are going bad. Hoffman is currently lobbying the legislature for funding to determine the cause of this outbreak of violence in recent years. “The media is as much to blame as anyone,” said Hoffman. “They downplay the problem because they do not want to adversely affect tourism. If there were more stories on the situation, we could raise awareness and help fund the necessary research.”

Critics say Hoffman is going too far in his defense of the purple vegetable.

Hoffman, whose hobby farm outside Orlando includes eggplants, couch potatoes and a menagerie of small rodents, has long been considered a kook by his neighbors.

PHOTO CAPTION: Eggplant nesting on roof of a home near Sun City.