New Museum Exhibits & Our Local Film Society

We are fortunate, in Fort Worth, to have quality parks and outdoor exercise areas, a top-ten zoo, good music venues, and of course museums (pl: musea?). I would rank them as some of the best for cities our size and larger. A lot of volunteer effort goes into these places and a lot of donated money, something for which I am most grateful.

This February, the Amon Carter Museum opens two attractive exhibitions. Admission is always free.

Here they are:

Intimate Modernism: Fort Worth Circle Artists in the 1940s
February 16 – May 11
Discover the fascinating story of visual art and American modernism that is embedded in the history of 1940s Fort Worth. See nearly 100 works created by a group of artists who together formed the first modern art colony in Texas. Drawn together by a shared interest in art, dance, music, theater, and myth, they sought new avenues of artistic expression to counter the prevailing preference for more conservative artistic styles. This unique cultural moment in the city's history developed into what is now a thriving arts community in Fort Worth.

The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888 – 1978
February 16 – April 27
Experience the range and creativity of amateur photography in the United States in this first-ever exhibition to examine the evolution of snapshot imagery in America. With the advent of George Eastman’s Kodak camera and roll film in 1888, photography became an everyday aspect of modern life. Learn about this phenomenon and its profound impact on American life, memory, and fine art photography. Organized by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

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On a similar note, we are fortunate to have a new addition to the arts community:

The Lone Star Film Society is a Fort Worth based, non-profit organization whose mission is the "supporting of the art of independent films." They hosted a well attended Film Festival last year and are planning a new one for 2008. The Film Festival website is: www.lsiff.com. Also, the organization has started a new blog. If you are interested in films and independent films, the weblog address is: http://lonestarfilmsociety.blogspot.com

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Unrelated word origin thought: The word "museum" I assumed to be of Latin origin. I was wrong. Without looking it up, as I did, on Wikipedia, can you guess the country of origin and what proper noun it derives its meaning from?

How to Make Old-Fashioned, Oil-Popped Popcorn Properly

After four children and a dozen grandchildren I can honestly say that I have watched every Disney, Pixar, Anne of Green Gables movie ever made . . . many times. Most of them with popcorn. The truth is I volunteered to make the popcorn so that the movie could start and run a while without me. The third viewing of Love Bug in as many weeks is killer.

There's more science to making popcorn than you might think, the kernels need to explode quickly to get that airy and crackly center. After 30 years I consider myself a master.

First, start with a decent quality popcorn. It doesn't have to be a gourmet brand but a good Tom Thumb or Target brand is better than the dollar a bag brand. Next, get a good thick-bottomed pot with a handle. I use normal cooking oil but special popcorn oil supposedly works better. Good idea, I just never do it.

Get the pot warm first and add a 1/4 inch of oil to cover the bottom of the pot. When the oil is hot carefully pour in a layer of kernels to very loosely cover the bottom. Here's the hard part. To get the popcorn done just right you need the kernels hot enough to pop quickly, but not too hot so that they get a kind of of charred taste. I wish I could tell you how to do this but I can't. You just have to do it. One thing you don't want to do is put the kernels in cold oil and slow cook them. They lose too much moisture that way and pop small and dry.

Another tricky part. I use a pot with a lid and as the kernels start to pop I hold the lid just about an 1/8 of an inch off the edge to allow some of the steam to escape. If you don't that steam will soften the popped corn. This is tricky because a little hot oil escapes with the steam. I should say that this is black-belt level popcorning, amateurs should not attempt.

Final tip. After you get a good pop, shake the pot while it is still on the fire. You don't want the kernels to char and you want the unpopped kernels to fall back to the bottom. When the pot is almost filled pull it off the fire, lid on, and let the final kernels pop.

Here is where I try to guess when the last kernel has popped. It gives me something to think about while I wait and it kills a little more time. After the last kernel pops --

Pour into big bowl. Butter, then salt. Fall asleep watching movie.

The Gold Rush.

The price of gold is rising. In the midst of my campaign fever, the news show I watch had a segment on the trend and its causes.

Civilizations have had a close relation to this shiny, malleable commodity for thousands of years. Its value, like diamonds has to do with rarity and to some degree its beauty as an adornment. But it has little "practical" use, say, like soy beans. I'm no economist or even fake economist but I know enough to know that this latest run up in dollar value has to do with the fear of declining dollar value, the reality of declining dollar value, and the decline of the value of real estate as an investment.

When things are bad money gravitates to stability, and then gold as a commodity rises in price because there are more buyers than sellers. Just like a toaster on eBay.

I'm not suggesting you buy, sell or hold. I don't know what will happen, but I do know that a sharply rising gold price is a bad sign. And I am suggesting that broad national monetary policy has an effect on the economy making the elections in 2008 more important. The economy will be a big issue, it seems.

If you are interested in this sort of thing, a friend of mine writes a very comprehensive financial newsletter, emailed to subscribers free once a week. Lots of numbers, stats, and charts. And as you know, guys like charts.

http://www.frontlinethoughts.com/gateway.asp