Tinted to the left

 I see my sister drifting peacefully in the water

It's strange because she was never a swimmer

I remember those hot summer days

I remember the cool water's embrace

My sister wanted to learn how to swim in that water

Dad would hold her steady, try to teach her

Oh boy, did she ever kick and scream with joy

She would bring a crowd with her voice

This one time she broke free from my father's grasp

She kicked and screamed as the pool filled her lungs

Within seconds we could not hear her voice

As she became one with that cool water

Heroic dad, dove and pulled her up

She coughed up a lung but her exuberance returned

I imagine she kicked and scream just the same

On that summer night when five guys surrounded her

I imagine she reached out for my father's hand

Begging for him to dive for her one more time

She must have drown for hours in that alley

Before someone found her unconscious body 

She was so peaceful when I saw her

In the embrace of something I did not understand

Sedated by the diluted morphine in her IV drips

But her body, her body carried the story

Bruises of the transient

Battering of the errant

Fracturing of  the fickle

I could not see her like this

Give me justice I screamed where my sister could not

Give my sister justice I screamed at the officer

He looked to the left through the tinted car

"we will catch who did this, go be with your sister"

My sister would not speak

Something unknown filled her lungs

Three days after she stood atop a bridge on Yamuna River

I wanted to scream "please don't leave me"

I wanted to tell her how much she means to me

I wanted to show her that she is still loved

I wanted to hold her in that bear hug

I wanted to give her my her voice

I wanted to kick and scream for her

But how can I ask her to live when she cannot breath

How can I ask her to live if I cannot hear her

How can I ask her to live if I cannot understand her

Yes she took that step forward

Yes she drifts down the river

But NO! She did not take her life

I stood in grief as the politician said through their tinted glasses

"We will protect our daughters and mothers and sisters"

"Elect me"

I stood in grief as the news stations said through the tinted monitor

"We will keep you updated with the latest news"

"Watch us"

I stood in grief as the priest said holding the tinted rosary 

"May her soul find salvation, may she rest in gods arms"

"Pray with me"

I stood in grief as the friends said in their tinted words

"She is in a better place now, it is very unfortunate"

"Come be with us"

And I stood in grief as they all drifted apart

I understand now that women are born falling in this country

I understand now that we do little to stop them from sinking

So what will you say as I stand here grieving 

What will you do to stop your sister from drowning

    _r.d.

Mind To Heart

I don't know who you are... Am I the patron strolling through your exhibition?

As I start reflecting on my stories... Every thing is perfect. The perfect romance, the perfect comedy, the perfect tragedy, the perfect life. There is no one perfect, they are all perfect. If not at the moment, at the very end when you know you have no more time left, you reflect back and you realize it was you no matter the story. So why not accept it while you have the time to appreciate it.

I do not know who you are. I do not know what I should do. I do not even see the choices any more. I am lost in the exhibition...just appreciating every pulse I am allowed spend in this exhibition 

-r.d.

Comments:

In the moment I am the artist. Making decisions to the best of my knowledge. Concurrently, I am the patron, judging myself, reliving those decisions. "The thinking self looking at the acting self". "The mind reasoning the heart". A quote from French philosopher Blaise Pascal "The heart has reasons of which reason knows nothing". It's important that we don't get stuck thinking about how to perfect the future or the past. But that we keep trying. Perfect is made from effort. It's about trusting yourself, and letting your mind be the patron that is lost and just experiencing in faith, enjoying every moment.

We tend to think of perfect as "being happy and successful". It's so easy to start living in your head trying to think of the perfect way to get to that "ideal" vision and never really moving. Or moving and then halting because things didn't go as you envisioned. It's important to keep leaning into the experience. It's about learning that there is no one perfect.

And the proof is all around us, we just listen more to the one that says perfect is being successful and happy. But that's not the case, perfect has nothing to do with success or happy. If you run a story long enough there will be ups and downs. Every story is perfect if you run it long enough. Romeo and Juliet, Titanic, Charlie Chaplin, Mona Lisa, The Sistine Chapel, Dante's inferno... Hundreds of other things where the ending isn't what you would label as happy or successful. But their stories were for sure perfect. "the perfect romance, the perfect comedy, the perfect tragedy". Our challenge is to find happiness in all of these perfect experiences.

You will never know if you picked the right person/path. There is no complete math for it and your gut isn't reliable. You don't ever get to know if you picked right. You just get the results. You get your life. In life, you have to take the plunge without knowing.

I am the subject and I am the patron. Learning how to paint into existence what I envision. But know now even if it doesn't come out how I envisioned, it is still perfect. Because there isn't just one type of perfect.

Meaning to Life

I wonder what is the meaning of life? Sometimes I am scared to let go, sometimes I am scared to hold on. 

The heart quivers. 
The body shivers. 
The mind wonders. 

That is not you.
That is fear. 
But who are you? 

There is no beginning or end. 
There is no good or bad. 
There is no permission or restriction. 

There is just you and a universe of connections. 

Tugging on one takes you away from another. 
In that superfluid suspension you exist. 

You are here. 
You are now. 

Learn how to dance, 
Learn how flow, 
Learn how to be the center of gravity for your connections. 

You give meaning to life... 

-r.d.

Harvest Moon

 I will break through to guide you.

Reach for my hand, as the night falls.

Reach for my hand, when the terror makes you crawl.

Reach for my hand, when the darkness surrounds you.

Reach for my hand, and I will pull you through.

I will break through to light you.

-r.d.

When She Is On The Pole

 When she is on the pole... 
She is the morning fog that fills the world with surprises. 
She slowly brightens the world like the sun breaking the clouds. 
She moves unhindered like the wind. 
She bursts with the fury of a Strom. 
She paints the world in color. 
With every motion she defines presence...

When she is on the pole... 
she is not bound by laws. 
She is not restricted by any border. 
She doesn't not conform to some social construct. 
There is no limiting her possibilities. 
There is no taming her sprite. 
With every motion she defines freedom... 

When she is on the pole... 
She glides between the fabric of the universe. 
Gravity cannot hold her. 
She cannot be bound to some orbit. 
She becomes the embodiment of the unknown. 
She exists and does not exist all at the same time...

When she is on the pole... 
She commends your attention. 
She makes you believe in something greater than yourself. 
She extrudes divine radiance. Her moves dictate a prophecy, "hate and war to be overcome by love and peace". 
She is your religion. 
She demands your faith... 

When she is on the pole... 
She is one with the pole yet she falls.
She moves effortlessly yet she struggles. 
She is invincible yet she bruises.  
She must have done this a thousand times yet she is learning. 
She is innocence and experience. 
She is existence...

When she is on the pole... 
She bends, she twists, she turns, she flips, she twirls, she hangs, she swings. 
She conveys a rainbow of emotions. 
She is determined. Nothing else exists but her. 
She is alive. 
She is life...

-r.d

To My Friend

Take me to your darkest dark. your lowest low. Your greatest apprehension. 

The feelings that keep you on the precipice, just one push away. The challenges that give you the decision every morning to wake up or sleep for eternity. 

Because that is life. A constant battle to overcome obstacles. If the world is not giving us obstacles we create them for ourselves. We see power in overcoming obstacles. 

Take me to the place of your true power.

-r.d.

Inspired by: The casual sharing on social media taking life out of frame by framing moments. This is for my friends. I welcome your darkness and your light. Let's frame life instead of moments together.

Untitled

a canvas filled. a book completed. a symphony composed. at the precipice. the culmination of all that there was. 

Do not close yourself from to them to chase more current things. For they have more to give than anyone else. They are the greatest master pieces created. All they ask for in return is your time.

Inspired by:

To The Passionate Amateur

 

Writers tell you that you cannot write 

Painters tell you that you cannot paint 

Singers tell you that you cannot sing 

Dancers tell you that you cannot dance 

I am telling you that you that they fear what you will do if you keep writing, keep painting, keeping singing, and keep dancing 

I know this because I feel your emotions in your creation 

I know this because I know you do it from your heart 

I know this because I know you do it all only for yourself 

You truly let beauty be in the eye of the beholder 

You do not try to appease the beholder

And that is something to be feared by people who have labelled themselves.

For Fickle

 

I like the word Fickle...

My fickle heart. My fickle mind. 

You will never accomplish anything as you do not focus. 

You are the dog chasing its tail never to catch it.

You are wild like the stallions of the Alberta plains.

As much as I try you cannot be tamed like the western winds from The Rockies.

You have lead me to many mishaps and many heartbreaks.

You have given me vision and wisdom far beyond my peers.

My fickle heart. My fickle mind. 

You are me as I am.

Fighting After the Moment

I am sorry, 

I am not over you 

And I know you are not over me too

I was ready to go all in

Tell you how much I missed you

Throw it all on the line 

Fight to get you back 

But fear got the best of me 

Now you have yours 

And I have mine.

But this love, isn't right. 

You still have my heart 

And I still feel your soul. 

So please love, 

Don't let us go.

Amazon & Health Care: As at April 2018

“The cost of healthcare is a tapeworm on the American economy” - Warren Buffet

On Tuesday January 30, 2018 Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase announced a partnership to cut health-care costs and improve service for their employees. Jointly these company employ 1.1 million people (LaVito, 2018). Their access to the frightening amount of capital sent health-care middle man stocks tumbling even though no actions had been announced. This venture is not a new initiative as there have been several ventures seeking to reduce costs. Most notably the Healthcare Transformation Alliance initiative, which is a group of 46 companies that banded together to lower health care costs (Wingfield, 2018). However, Amazon’s blunt pursuance of technological innovation to transform industries could effectively reduce costs for consumers.

Given Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan specializes in capital acquisition and investment, it is my assumption Amazon is the initiator of this venture. As effectively a logistics firm, Amazon would not see much growth without additional ventures. As shown in Chart 1, Amazon’s profits were relatively low until the introduction of it’s web-computing service. The Amazon Web Service (AWS) is used by companies such as Netflix and Spotify. Since the lunch of AWS, Amazon has enjoyed significant rise in corporate profits. However, with growing competition from the likes of Microsoft, Google, and IBM the space is becoming saturated. To continue growth, Amazon has been diversifying into additional industries such produces and now health-care. Thus, the market rightfully fears that the initiative will seek to disrupt the current healthcare market, even though the announcement was for 1.1 million people out of the 160 million that currently have employer-based care (Humer, 2018).

Chart 1: Amazon’s profit/loss graph from q1 2013 to q1 2017. Amazon, once a big spender, is now a profit machine.  Graph from https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/28/12313526/amazon-q2-2016-earnings-report-aws-cloud-profit

Amazon has already sold over-the-counter medicines on its website and unknown to most Amazon has partners with Dublin-based medicine manufacturer Perrigo (Luhby, 2018). Amazon has priced these medicines cheaper than its brick and mortar competitors. Thus, Amazon has positioned to build on it’s core competencies as the middle man, using savings from brick and mortar saving to attract clients. As part of this venture, Amazon is gaining access to employee data from its venture partners allowing it to study the money spent on waste, administration, fraud and misuse of specialty medicines/pharmaceuticals (Humer, 2018). With the data, the venture hopes to use better technology, customer engagement and consumer choice to address the current healthcare issues. One technological solution proposed is a telemedicine kiosk like the one in west palm beach which allows for an offsite doctor to see and treat patients (Bomey, 2018). Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, also sees automation of health care tests, lab work and food preparations as possible outcome of this venture. Amazon by itself would take years to accomplish such initiative, however, with Berkshire Hathaway’s track record as an multinational conglomerate, meaningful accusations are highly likely.

The sheer amount of capital gives this venture market power. However, success of the venture and consequently the success of Amazon’s diversification attempt is still uncertain at best. A venture in pharmaceutical is capital intensive because of the scientific method involved in development. Any innovation in pharmaceutical is subject to years of rigorous testing; thus, Amazon cannot obtain a high level of leverage with pharmaceutical producers who need to recover years of expenses. Supplier loyalty should be an area of significant concern as doctors and hospitals build relationship with suppliers and don’t change suppliers frequently if the service has been well (Luhby, 2018). Prescription medication selling is subject to bureaucracy as the selling of prescription medication require licencing and control. Amazon has not suggested any method of insuring control and have clarified the current applications at state level are not more prescription drugs. So far, the announcement has resulted in Amazon as an alternative for over-the-counter drugs at a cost of additional attention from policy makers. Pharmaceutical companies are known to have seasoned lobbyists and lawyers who undoubtedly have influenced the president’s recent obsession over Amazon. This attention can decrease profit and potentially threaten the venture partnership. All considered, cost to reward suggests a failed diversification to this point, though it is possible the result of employee finding can lead to significant gains. This means the true outcome of this venture is several years out at best.

Bomey, N. (2018, Feb 25). How Amazon, JPMorgan, Berkshire could transform American health care. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/02/25/amazon-jpmorgan-berkshire-health-care/350625002/

Humer, C., & Henry, D., (2018, April 5). JPM, Amazon, Berkshire will use data to improve healthcare. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jpmorgan-dimon-letter-healthcare/jpm-amazon-berkshire-will-use-data-to-improve-healthcare-idUSKCN1HC2C7

LaVito, A., & Cox, J. (2018, January 30). Amazon, Berkshire and JPMorgan Chase to team in landmark new health care company. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/amazon-berkshire-hathaway-and-jpmorgan-chase-to-partner-on-us-employee-health-care.html

Luhby, T. (2018, March 2). Amazon is already trying to disrupt health care. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/27/news/companies/amazon-health-care/index.html

Statt, N. (2016, Jul 28). Amazon, once a big spender, is now a profit machine. Retrieved July 28, 2016 from https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/28/12313526/amazon-q2-2016-earnings-report-aws-cloud-profit

Wingfield, N., Thomas, K., & Abelson, R. (2018, January 30). Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Team Up to Try to Disrupt Health Care. Retrieved April 07, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/30/technology/amazon-berkshire-hathaway-jpmorgan-health-care.html

Consumerism! Welcome to the Amazon

What is brand value? Take two pieces of A4 paper size paper and distribute between yourself and a friend. Following which approach any willing candidate and make it your goal to get them to take your paper over your friend’s identical paper. During which your friend will be doing the same of course. The fact that one is selected, and the other is not selected is the difference in brand value. At this point maybe consider if that friend is the right friend for you given the outcome of the “sale”. If the need is there people will buy. Now you can go and create the need or/and you can fill the need  but that’s a different topic. Reverting to brand value, how to you create brand value it if both products are identical. If there is no benefit when you compare one to the other how can a person’s opinion be influenced. Because human psyche, that’s how. We are in a chase of equality (equilibrium) however internally we are at a constant state of inequality. Information is filtered out as our mind sees fit, judgement are made quicker than blinks, and with all of that we make decisions to the best of our KNOWLEDGE. Thus, do not get filtered out, make it something interesting and you are in that final selection.

If you have agreed with me to this point you, lets press on. What was the first thing you bought from amazon? For me it was a book. Terry goodkind “The Sword of Truth”. Man, I was so ecstatic. I was finally able to find the full set! And the price was less than what I saw at the store. And I was finally able to find the full set! This is important because unlike an apple, each book is a piece of art. Thus, unlike apples it is literally impossible for every book to be available at one location. Personally, going into a library or a bookstore is overwhelming. How is one supposed to filter through the vast number of authors and works? Welcome Amazon, the place that carries a billion books, but you can find the one that you are looking for with a click of a button. Yes, your thirst of knowledge can be finally quenched. Do you want a first edition book? Well they have one 5000 miles away and it will can be here in a week. If it’s out of stock, well maybe I will wish for it and if I wish hard enough… look it’s back in stock. Welcome to Just in time inventory. Why print thousands of copies if you know only a few hundred want it. Produce in batches of efficiency and restock when you see/except the proper demand. If you can do it with books why not other things. And thus, a small retailer can take their business global without worrying about distribution. Like any good returns business, the intermediary (amazon) connects the supplier, to the distributor, and to the consumer and just takes a small cut for creating the link. And like any intermediary over time this provides leverage, ie. Banks.

So here is the chart that inspired this series, there will be more to come. 

Chart sourced from (https://www.ft.com/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/http%3A%2F%2Fcom.ft.imagepublish.prod-us.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc35bc4e0-cf14-11e7-b781-794ce08b24dc?source=next&quality=highest&width=700)