FOLLY with Elizabeth Colton
Chair, International Museum of Women
July 2007 issue
When my daughter Ashley was about four years old (early 90s), I wanted to take her to a place where she could
experience her heritage as a female. I wanted her to be surrounded by images of women who are making contributions
and changes. I did not want Ashley and her generation growing up like every other generation of young women thinking
that women before them had never done anything important. Later I have come to understand that it is equally important
for my son – and all our sons – to also learn the value of women. When I looked around for a place to take her, I found
none -- there was no place that recognized global women’s history both in the past, nor paid attention to the history we
are creating today.
YouTube Video Link of IMOW Exhibit
FOLLY with Steve Stockdale
Executive Director, Institute of General Semantics
June 2007 issue
First, I’d say that there is little, if any, benefit to be gained by just ‘knowing’ something about general semantics. The
benefits come from maintaining an awareness of the principles and attitudes that are derived from GS and applying them
as they are needed. You can sort of compare general semantics to yoga in that respect … knowing about yoga is okay,
but to benefit from yoga you have to ‘do’ yoga. The same is true with general semantics. While there may be some
satisfaction in learning and understanding the methods and principles, the real test is in the ‘doing.’ Some of the typical
problems that may be eliminated, or at least diminished, through GS would be things like not treating an inference or
opinion as if it were a fact; not jumping to inappropriate conclusions; avoiding gross generalizations and stereotypes;
enjoying the individuality and uniqueness of every person and situation; delaying your reactions and not making knee-
jerk, emotional reactions, and recognizing that while words have certain accepted definitions, the ‘meanings’ or
significance of those words varies with the individual speaker, listener, and context.
FOLLY with Kavita Ramdas
CEO, Global Fund for Women
May 2007 issue
Being their daughter shaped me a lot and informed my understanding and appreciation of working inside & outside the
system. My father’s role within the military, and his access to influence, gave me a view of what it means to work within
the system. And my mother exhibited such courage with her refusal to accept the status quo. She was always willing to
take on the system from the outside and to challenge it and to hold it accountable. They taught me that it’s always
important to understand that people's contributions to social change can be made from different places, based on their
skills and vantage point. As a result, I am someone who appreciates both those who take to the streets and protest to
make change, and those who work within organizations and systems, whether those are corporations or government
entities. The key issue for me is seeking to maintain one's integrity in the process - there do come points at which it is no
longer possible to work from within a system because it is so compromised - what matters then is having the courage to
step away.
FOLLY with Rene DeGuzman
Director of Visual Arts, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
April 2007 issue
My greatest challenge is to educate the public on the value of contemporary art. As you know, art is not being taught in
the public schools and there is zero coverage of it in the mainstream press. It then falls on curators and other
professionals to work against the tide of neglect to demonstrate the importance of the public finding ways to express
themselves to others. I mean if there were no contemporary art being made, appreciated and supported then what would
generations and generations after us have as representative objects and forms to understand our times.
FOLLY with Leonard Shlain
Writer, Surgeon
March 2007 issue
The reason I felt qualified to write Art and Physics, is that I believe a surgeon must be artist and scientist. I am dismayed
by compartmentalization in fields. We have become so specialized that we don’t and can’t appreciate the
interdependence and influence of varied fields. It is one of my goals to bring together disciplines.
Culturally, as with the hemispheres of the brain, there are two very distinct sets of related attributes and characteristics.
East is right, West is left. I see a coming together of right and left brain, East and West cultures—a globally “mellowing
out” of dominant and non-dominant brain activity and culture. When the New England Journal of Medicine publishes an
article on meditation, which it did 15 years ago, you can believe that we are headed toward that shift.
FOLLY with Mark Kozelek
Musician
February 2007 issue
My dad wrote me a letter recently that said I had a lot of "gumption." A funny word, but he’s right. He was referring to
some setbacks I had, one recently that would send most musicians back to their day jobs permanently. To be in this
business for 10 years plus, it takes a lot more than writing nice songs, having an interesting voice and hopping on a
plane. Making good music that people take an interest in is essential to it all, getting those pats on the back, but there
are ups and downs—unpleasantness and discouragement. Labels come and go, band members, management problems,
you get stiffed, and your personal life suffers if you let people pull the strings for you.
Chair, International Museum of Women
July 2007 issue
When my daughter Ashley was about four years old (early 90s), I wanted to take her to a place where she could
experience her heritage as a female. I wanted her to be surrounded by images of women who are making contributions
and changes. I did not want Ashley and her generation growing up like every other generation of young women thinking
that women before them had never done anything important. Later I have come to understand that it is equally important
for my son – and all our sons – to also learn the value of women. When I looked around for a place to take her, I found
none -- there was no place that recognized global women’s history both in the past, nor paid attention to the history we
are creating today.
YouTube Video Link of IMOW Exhibit
FOLLY with Steve Stockdale
Executive Director, Institute of General Semantics
June 2007 issue
First, I’d say that there is little, if any, benefit to be gained by just ‘knowing’ something about general semantics. The
benefits come from maintaining an awareness of the principles and attitudes that are derived from GS and applying them
as they are needed. You can sort of compare general semantics to yoga in that respect … knowing about yoga is okay,
but to benefit from yoga you have to ‘do’ yoga. The same is true with general semantics. While there may be some
satisfaction in learning and understanding the methods and principles, the real test is in the ‘doing.’ Some of the typical
problems that may be eliminated, or at least diminished, through GS would be things like not treating an inference or
opinion as if it were a fact; not jumping to inappropriate conclusions; avoiding gross generalizations and stereotypes;
enjoying the individuality and uniqueness of every person and situation; delaying your reactions and not making knee-
jerk, emotional reactions, and recognizing that while words have certain accepted definitions, the ‘meanings’ or
significance of those words varies with the individual speaker, listener, and context.
FOLLY with Kavita Ramdas
CEO, Global Fund for Women
May 2007 issue
Being their daughter shaped me a lot and informed my understanding and appreciation of working inside & outside the
system. My father’s role within the military, and his access to influence, gave me a view of what it means to work within
the system. And my mother exhibited such courage with her refusal to accept the status quo. She was always willing to
take on the system from the outside and to challenge it and to hold it accountable. They taught me that it’s always
important to understand that people's contributions to social change can be made from different places, based on their
skills and vantage point. As a result, I am someone who appreciates both those who take to the streets and protest to
make change, and those who work within organizations and systems, whether those are corporations or government
entities. The key issue for me is seeking to maintain one's integrity in the process - there do come points at which it is no
longer possible to work from within a system because it is so compromised - what matters then is having the courage to
step away.
FOLLY with Rene DeGuzman
Director of Visual Arts, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
April 2007 issue
My greatest challenge is to educate the public on the value of contemporary art. As you know, art is not being taught in
the public schools and there is zero coverage of it in the mainstream press. It then falls on curators and other
professionals to work against the tide of neglect to demonstrate the importance of the public finding ways to express
themselves to others. I mean if there were no contemporary art being made, appreciated and supported then what would
generations and generations after us have as representative objects and forms to understand our times.
FOLLY with Leonard Shlain
Writer, Surgeon
March 2007 issue
The reason I felt qualified to write Art and Physics, is that I believe a surgeon must be artist and scientist. I am dismayed
by compartmentalization in fields. We have become so specialized that we don’t and can’t appreciate the
interdependence and influence of varied fields. It is one of my goals to bring together disciplines.
Culturally, as with the hemispheres of the brain, there are two very distinct sets of related attributes and characteristics.
East is right, West is left. I see a coming together of right and left brain, East and West cultures—a globally “mellowing
out” of dominant and non-dominant brain activity and culture. When the New England Journal of Medicine publishes an
article on meditation, which it did 15 years ago, you can believe that we are headed toward that shift.
FOLLY with Mark Kozelek
Musician
February 2007 issue
My dad wrote me a letter recently that said I had a lot of "gumption." A funny word, but he’s right. He was referring to
some setbacks I had, one recently that would send most musicians back to their day jobs permanently. To be in this
business for 10 years plus, it takes a lot more than writing nice songs, having an interesting voice and hopping on a
plane. Making good music that people take an interest in is essential to it all, getting those pats on the back, but there
are ups and downs—unpleasantness and discouragement. Labels come and go, band members, management problems,
you get stiffed, and your personal life suffers if you let people pull the strings for you.
Mark Kozelek
Leonard Shlain
Rene DeGuzman
Kavita Ramdas
Steve Stockdale
Elizabeth Colton
FOLLY with Harlan Mandel
Deputy Managing Director, Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF)
June 2008 issue
How can social venture funds like MDLF access the private capital markets? We see that as a very important
question that we need to figure out because it represents a much larger potential resource for the sector than
traditional philanthropy. There are a number of other social venture intermediaries out there -- like our partners
at responsAbility and the Calvert Foundation, and also Good Capital -- trying to figure this out as well.
Most of our clients are not in a position to be accessing private capital markets directly, but we think that
through MDLF we can get them that access. The security that was issued by Vontobel was called Voncert
responsAbility Media Development, which is listed on the Zurich stock exchange. Voncert responsAbility Media
Development was a new idea for how social ventures can approach the capital market. For us, it was an
important milestone in a number of ways. Just successfully going through the due diligence process that an
institution like Vontobel would require was a milestone for us and, in a sense, gave us a very different kind of
seal of approval. Also, the experience gave us a better understanding of what it means to try to access that
marketplace and how very different it is from traditional fundraising. responsAbility is a great outfit, and they
did an excellent job taking us through that process. We’re now looking for new ways to do something similar
again.
Deputy Managing Director, Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF)
June 2008 issue
How can social venture funds like MDLF access the private capital markets? We see that as a very important
question that we need to figure out because it represents a much larger potential resource for the sector than
traditional philanthropy. There are a number of other social venture intermediaries out there -- like our partners
at responsAbility and the Calvert Foundation, and also Good Capital -- trying to figure this out as well.
Most of our clients are not in a position to be accessing private capital markets directly, but we think that
through MDLF we can get them that access. The security that was issued by Vontobel was called Voncert
responsAbility Media Development, which is listed on the Zurich stock exchange. Voncert responsAbility Media
Development was a new idea for how social ventures can approach the capital market. For us, it was an
important milestone in a number of ways. Just successfully going through the due diligence process that an
institution like Vontobel would require was a milestone for us and, in a sense, gave us a very different kind of
seal of approval. Also, the experience gave us a better understanding of what it means to try to access that
marketplace and how very different it is from traditional fundraising. responsAbility is a great outfit, and they
did an excellent job taking us through that process. We’re now looking for new ways to do something similar
again.
Harlan Mandel
Photo (c) 2008 MDLF
Photo (c) 2008 MDLF
FOLLY with Marcus Shelby
Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra
July 2008 issue
My earliest musical influences came out of the black Baptist church that I attended as a child. I
played bass for the men’s choir. Every song was a blues in G. This is where I first experienced the
effect of the blues on the human soul. The power of this music in all of its guttural earthy-ness
and syncopated rhythms -- seemingly arranged simultaneously in each rendition remains the
musical aesthetic I have carried with me throughout my entire life. When I was introduced to jazz
music in high school I was immediately drawn to the music of Charles Mingus, partly because he
played bass and I liked the idea of a bass player leading a group, but mostly because his music
contained the spirit of the church music that I had experienced growing up. His music also had a
“sound” that inspired me to compose my own music.
Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra
July 2008 issue
My earliest musical influences came out of the black Baptist church that I attended as a child. I
played bass for the men’s choir. Every song was a blues in G. This is where I first experienced the
effect of the blues on the human soul. The power of this music in all of its guttural earthy-ness
and syncopated rhythms -- seemingly arranged simultaneously in each rendition remains the
musical aesthetic I have carried with me throughout my entire life. When I was introduced to jazz
music in high school I was immediately drawn to the music of Charles Mingus, partly because he
played bass and I liked the idea of a bass player leading a group, but mostly because his music
contained the spirit of the church music that I had experienced growing up. His music also had a
“sound” that inspired me to compose my own music.
Marcus Shelby. Photograph courtesy of MSJO.
Printed with permission.. © baytaper.com 2008
Printed with permission.. © baytaper.com 2008
People
FOLLY
FOLLY with Dr. Mario Livio
Astrophysicist and Author
January 2009 issue
The question of whether mathematics is an invention or a discovery has been debated since the time of
Plato, and continues to be debated today. I argue in the book that the question has been ill-posed, since the
question seems to imply that the answer has to be one or the other, but that it cannot be both. In fact,
mathematics is partly an invention and partly a discovery. Mathematicians invent the CONCEPTS (such as a
right triangle), and then they discover the RELATIONS among these different concepts (such as various
theorems).
Astrophysicist and Author
January 2009 issue
The question of whether mathematics is an invention or a discovery has been debated since the time of
Plato, and continues to be debated today. I argue in the book that the question has been ill-posed, since the
question seems to imply that the answer has to be one or the other, but that it cannot be both. In fact,
mathematics is partly an invention and partly a discovery. Mathematicians invent the CONCEPTS (such as a
right triangle), and then they discover the RELATIONS among these different concepts (such as various
theorems).
Dr. Mario Livio. Photograph
courtesy of John Coyle, Jr., 2009
courtesy of John Coyle, Jr., 2009
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FOLLY with Lowry Burgess
Space Artist, Educator
August 2009 issue
The poetry and the piece are about where darkness and light are one eternal
presence, a profound sense of connection, the fusion of opposites, a deep
inward and outward truth or inspiration linked.
I chose to do the space art for political reasons. I think it is a positive work,
coming out of a time (my work started in the 1960s) when socially and
politically, things were desperate. I don’t know if you know I studied
Southeast Asian anthropology. I knew the culture and history of Vietnam. The
question of what we were doing in Vietnam was very problematic for me. I
wondered what my role was and what I was doing on Earth. I didn't know
where I was in the world or in society. This prompted my movement into
space, and art and space.
Space Artist, Educator
August 2009 issue
The poetry and the piece are about where darkness and light are one eternal
presence, a profound sense of connection, the fusion of opposites, a deep
inward and outward truth or inspiration linked.
I chose to do the space art for political reasons. I think it is a positive work,
coming out of a time (my work started in the 1960s) when socially and
politically, things were desperate. I don’t know if you know I studied
Southeast Asian anthropology. I knew the culture and history of Vietnam. The
question of what we were doing in Vietnam was very problematic for me. I
wondered what my role was and what I was doing on Earth. I didn't know
where I was in the world or in society. This prompted my movement into
space, and art and space.
"Boundless Cubic Lunar
Aperture" courtesy of
Janet Burgess
Aperture" courtesy of
Janet Burgess
Bassam Mansour with Ghani Alani
Calligrapher
April 2010 issue
“My teacher was called Hachem Mohamed, better known as Baghdadi. He was a pupil of one of the
greatest masters of calligraphy, whose lineage goes right back to the Abbasid tradition, twelve
centuries ago. I was thirteen when I first met him. For three years I submerged myself in the study
of writing. Once I had finished the first phase of study, the second seemed easier. Forming one
letter leads to making two, and these two letters go on to make a word, and then a sentence.”
But this Master of calligraphy was not happy just teaching him how to form the letters with his pen;
he also encouraged him to see the link between man and letter. “Calligraphy has something to do
with the soul,” he feels. The calligrapher’s pen is an extension of his arm, of his whole being. “My
master never told me how to trace my letters. Instead, he drew my attention to the link between the
body and the letter. ‘Our hands,’ he said, ‘are different, and their size affects the letters, so the
letter is a reflection of the man.’”
Calligrapher
April 2010 issue
“My teacher was called Hachem Mohamed, better known as Baghdadi. He was a pupil of one of the
greatest masters of calligraphy, whose lineage goes right back to the Abbasid tradition, twelve
centuries ago. I was thirteen when I first met him. For three years I submerged myself in the study
of writing. Once I had finished the first phase of study, the second seemed easier. Forming one
letter leads to making two, and these two letters go on to make a word, and then a sentence.”
But this Master of calligraphy was not happy just teaching him how to form the letters with his pen;
he also encouraged him to see the link between man and letter. “Calligraphy has something to do
with the soul,” he feels. The calligrapher’s pen is an extension of his arm, of his whole being. “My
master never told me how to trace my letters. Instead, he drew my attention to the link between the
body and the letter. ‘Our hands,’ he said, ‘are different, and their size affects the letters, so the
letter is a reflection of the man.’”
Ghani Alani
FOLLY with Donald Hess
Swiss Art Collector
May 2010 issue
I did not become a collector until I finished “decorating” the walls of
my house about 3 years after I had started buying art. I also realised
that the most difficult part in buying art is to differentiate between a
pleasing piece of art and a piece of art which deeply touches you. I
learned not to purchase a piece of art right away but to sleep for
several nights prior to purchasing an artwork. I realised that art which
really touched me would wake me up in the middle of the night and I
would clearly see the piece of art in front of my eyes.
Curiosity about special artists and their work drew me in collecting.
Swiss Art Collector
May 2010 issue
I did not become a collector until I finished “decorating” the walls of
my house about 3 years after I had started buying art. I also realised
that the most difficult part in buying art is to differentiate between a
pleasing piece of art and a piece of art which deeply touches you. I
learned not to purchase a piece of art right away but to sleep for
several nights prior to purchasing an artwork. I realised that art which
really touched me would wake me up in the middle of the night and I
would clearly see the piece of art in front of my eyes.
Curiosity about special artists and their work drew me in collecting.
Donald Hess