Today's Feature
Housing
Issue Complex.
The current debate concerning
the adoption of updated building maintenance
codes by the City was expanded last Tuesday
afternoon during the Public Works Committee
meeting to include exploring the City’s
overall role in the pursuit of adequate housing
within the community.
The need for housing of all
types was highlighted in the recent visioning
forum and was, in the opinion of a majority of
the attendees, one of the most important concerns
that the community should address.
While many look at only the
lack of new housing, maintaining the core
inventory of existing housing is also a critical
factor. This point was emphasized by former
Council member Trisha Brewer-Burgi during
Tuesday’s meeting. Burgi stated that she was
uncomfortable with the fact that the City voted
to endorse a new single family housing
development which may receive State assistance.
With such funding, the development could offer
new homes with rent below market. Burgi felt that
at the same time, the City was making it more
difficult for existing landlords to survive by
enforcing the current building maintenance codes.
"For example," said
Burgi, "if I buy a $25,000 house and
I’m going to rent it out, my payments are
going to be about $250, plus taxes, plus
insurance, plus repairs. I’m going to have
to rent that house for at least $400 every month,
just to break even. That’s without making
any money. It doesn’t make sense for me to
even be in the business if we have an outfit out
of Springfield who’s getting these big tax
incentives, credits, to come into this City and
build these $80,000 houses and rent them out for
$350.
"What incentive is there
for me to be in this business? It looks to me
like you are going to drive what housing that is
available out of the City because landlords such
as us are going to get out of the business
because you’re squeezing us down from a
profitability standpoint."
"You’re not helping
us by encouraging outside companies that take
advantage of false government programs and
policies that have no real profitability, its
false profit, and none of us are taking advantage
of those. If you want to help us, by any means,
you would encourage us instead of clamping down
on us."
The Public Works Committee
oversees the Engineering Department which is
responsible for the inspection and enforcement of
City Building Codes.
Chinese
Art Uses Harmony.
by Annie Wu
To study Chinese Art, it will
be necessary to study the Chinese themselves and
their way of life. Everybody says he or she like
Chinese food, but how many people have eaten
trepang (sea cucumber), Shark fin, white/black
jelly fungus, octopus, squid, skin egg, raw
shrimp, and black mushroom? These are the feasts
on a Chinese menu.
Several times when I have
visited American families, I would turn the
Chinese painting or calligraphy they hang upside
down or vertically instead of horizontally. It is
difficult to explain to a person who lives under
a very different social system that Chinese Art
is a completely different philosophy.
Chinese Art emphasizes the
infinity and harmony of the spirit and ignorance
of anatomy. It is not a human vision. In China,
man is not dominant in mature and society. Man is
an integral part of nature and man is a husband,
a son, a father, or a brother in the generations
of family.
Chinese culture began with the
Hsia Dynasty, just slightly later than Indus
valley civilization, 2205-1706 BC. Tao is a
Chinese philosophy concept: "The way of the
universe." Tao means in the heart of the
universe and activated natural phenomena. Nature
is composed of five elements: metal, wood, water,
fire, and earth to represent the balance.Two
thousand years later, the Greek philosopher
Aristotle, 384-322 BC. established the natural
state of order as earth, air, fire, and water.
Quite interesting.
Chinese written history began
with the Shang Dynasty, 1766-1122 BC. Chinese Art
cannot be separated from calligraphy—a
beautiful form-I would say that this is a
universal principle of all ART. There is no
alphabet, but rather, thousands of separate
characters, each stand for a picture word.
Chinese painting is the Art of
brush. Brush power is the basis for the
painting’s structure. We usually do the
brush strokes for a few months before we paint.
To hold a brush with concentration and meditation
on "chi" (the ability, to use
one’s inner strength).
I have studied Chinese painting
for several years, it was not easy, and early in
the morning I have to read and write. We have to
read the historical development and Chinese
classic literature. You won’t paint with an
empty mind.
One of my favorite brush
techniques is Promo-ink splashing, dense black
ink are enriched with slightly color touches.
These paintings are quick and simple but require
immense knowledge and experience, most important
is the emptiness, bare suggestion, subtle
sparing, and throbbing intensity, unlike western
art, emphasize the lights, perceptive, and three
dimensional space. You never see any shadow in
ancient Chinese paintings.
To the Chinese, the simple
brush stroke is the origin of existence, the
roots of phenomena, and established harmony with
nature. A great moving meditation motion united
the artist and his work of art. The Nelson-Atkins
Art Museum in Kansas City has a large collection
of Chinese Art-visit the Nelson Museum over the
holiday.
You will not understand great
Chinese Art unless you experience it. Art becomes
a lifelong adventure once you see it.
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