Blogcritics Author: Diana Hartman

When Art Meets the Heart of a Child

Diana Hartman — Wed, 7 Jan 2009 08:53:22 EST

By the time I was 10 years old I was well aware of what constituted art and the arts - and what didn�t.
Having grown up in a house dominated by an artistic mother, I learned fast the difference (my mother saw) between art and craft. My mother sketched, painted, and practiced calligraphy. When she lost the use of her right hand to lymphedema after breast cancer treatment, she continued to sketch and later took up sculpture and pottery. At the time she...

Facebook Bans the Breast on Behalf of Mankind

Diana Hartman — Sat, 3 Jan 2009 09:16:33 EST

Because of the power it wields, the breast has a unique responsibility and obligation toward its most loyal onlooker.
Who can blame the staff of Facebook for removing any photo of a breastfeeding breast wherein the least bit of nipple and/or areola shows? After all, it’s right there in the U.S. Constitution: neither nipple nor involuntary areola, except as a product of pornography whereof the party shall have been duly aroused, shall exist within view of the...

A Nervous Breakdown Of My Holiday

Diana Hartman — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:22:05 EST

The distance between my children and me has left me with a chronic feeling of unrest I�m not sure I will ever shake.
As my adult children wing their way back 'round the world, I sit in a somewhat idle silence trying desperately to quiet my inner turmoil. While most of my friends enjoy the privilege of complaining about their children's presence, I revel in the few opportunities I have to see my kids. We've been able to spend at least seven days together twice a...

News of the Accused, Confused, and Bemused

Diana Hartman — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:11:34 EST

Crime doesn�t pay no matter how much you do it, David Paterson chides late night satire, and irony paves the way.
Urine Big Trouble NowAlachua County, Florida authorities haven’t found a refrigerator stolen from a probation office by a guy whose urine sample popped positive for drug use. As if doing drugs on probation weren’t enough, the guy is also charged with arson, destroying evidence, burglary, and larceny in connection with the theft....

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - After Graduating Boot Camp

Diana Hartman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:33:03 EST

Germany trains him, England thins him, and a drill instructor yells at him.
You better watch out. You better not cry. Better not pout, I'm tellin' you why. Santa Claus is comin' to town... after he gets out of boot camp. Frohe Weihnachten, vielleicht (Merry Christmas, maybe)From Germany's The Local, reporter Kerstin von Glowacki tells us how the fun and frolic of holiday jolliness is serious business. That is to say,...

Using Barack Obama to Redefine the Color Wheel

Diana Hartman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:04:44 EST

For some, racial barriers are walls of comfort and familiarity.
When walking into her first day of high school Black History class, a friend of mine, the product of a black and white home, was greeted by her black teacher with, “You’re a light one, aren’t you?” I shudder still to think how my white mother and black godmother would’ve double-teamed the man with stern backhands had...

Simon Cowell for the Prosecution, Please

Diana Hartman — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:08:08 EST

To hear their family and friends tell it, two young criminals should be up for scholarships, not up on charges.
Thank goodness for American Idol. Pop culture needed someone -- in this case Simon Cowell -- to tear it away from the ridiculous notion that everyone deserves the same amount of success no matter how much or how little talent they have. Every person is not special. Every person is not a winner. There are those who don’t deserve a second...

Putting the "Guide" Back in Gift Giving

Diana Hartman — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 11:48:11 EST

Think about what's most important to your loved one, even -- and especially -- if it's not important to you.
The best way to approach gift buying is to take a cue from The Five Love Languages as spelled out by Dr. Gary Chapman. Determining the language your loved one "speaks" can be tricky, but once you've done that, it takes all the guesswork out of it.To help you determine their language, think about how they've responded to deeds and...

The Atheist's Guide to Christmas

Diana Hartman — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:21:02 EST

It came without credit. It came without banks. It came without financing, savings, or angst.
As I understand it, the crux of Christmas is giving and sharing. Isn’t that nice? It is -- and a lot of people would do well to remember these sentimental verbs as they traverse the financially frightening hustle and bustle of this holiday season. Festivals of old celebrated the return of longer days and shorter nights with community meals...

Terrorist Calls Colin Powell a "House Negro"? Suck on a Cotton Burr, Al-Qaeda

Diana Hartman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:16:02 EST

If Powell becomes Barack Obama�s Education Secretary, I hope he teaches Al-Qaeda their last lesson.
It’s no secret to anyone who knows this Marine Corps wife of over 20 years that I harbored an underlying desire to fall in love with and have children by Colin Powell -- even though he was Army -- because of his military performance and diplomacy, dedication to children and youth, academic diversity (he has a bachelor’s degree in the...