tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post115281891231169468..comments2023-10-30T06:05:06.407-05:00Comments on Keep On Keepin' On....: Help the HotHouseCarl Davidsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00215874972566616424noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-84028050629690366632008-08-04T14:05:00.000-05:002008-08-04T14:05:00.000-05:00My name is Tyehimba Jess. I am a poet who was luc...My name is Tyehimba Jess. I am a poet who was lucky enough to find a place like the Hothouse back in the early 90's, I was lucky enough to find my way to the poetry there, the music, their incredible collaborations with the Guild Complex and the AACM. It was only later that I recognized that these institutions, particularly Guild and Hothouse, were critical learning institutions for me as a developing writer. <BR/> <BR/>I was also in Chicago when Marguerite had to close down the Hothouse from its Wicker Park location and do the most incredible non-profit feat that I think I may have ever witnessed, by reestablishing the Hothouse 2 years later in a bigger and better, and riskier spot - and she made it a roaring success.<BR/><BR/>From what I have read about Marguerite, I think it is clear that she had a lot of rough edges on her. I am sure that her money was funny sometimes, and I feel sorry for those who got stiffed on their paychecks for whatever reason. <BR/><BR/>I am not clear on everything that happened with the Hothouse. I am sure that she stiffed some folks and was brutal in her negotiations with others. But, along the way, she was able to provide Chicago with a very precious space - one where folks from all over the city could come and enjoy a multicultural, artistic, electric, progressive dialog with the artistic community - this in a city that is so severely stratified along the lines of race and class. EVERYONE was welcome there, and, because of the high quality of programming and innovative events, damn near everyone came to the joint - at least those who were trying to get hip. <BR/><BR/>I went away or a few years and came back. During that time, this - what shall I call it - coup? By the recent board of directors served to derail the mission of the Hothouse by eliminating the very person that founded the organization. Yes, I know that the Hothouse is the collective result of more than one person - but let's face it. Without the rough edged, willing-to-piss-you-off, creative-fiscal-management of Marguerite, there would have not been ANY Hothouse for the board to be on. <BR/><BR/>What a shame. I have heard people talk about Marguerite's Hubris. Well, I really can't imagine being asked to serve on a board, and then having the gigantic nerve necessary to then fire the person that kept the organization breathing for 20 years - someone who had put their entire life into the place. Sorry, I just ain't got that kind of nerve on me. I mean, damn. <BR/><BR/>You know what the board of directors could have done, instead of helping to dismantle one of the best venues in the country? THEY COULD HAVE RESIGNED. That's right. It's not like they were actually getting paid to be on the board, right? It's not like they actually had a TWENTY + YEAR STAKE in the organization, like Marguerite. But no, they decided that this organization which had been piloted by an extremely successful manager for the last 20 years was going to do much better under their leadership. Well, I have just taken a look at the Hothouse calendar for this month: EMPTY. I think that says a lot for the lack of profile that the new leadership has given Hothouse. <BR/><BR/>You know what else they could have dome if they wanted to kick her out on her ass? They could have had the decency to leave her the Hothouse name. That's right - it is called branding. Horberg spent YEARS building up the Hothouse name. If the board of directors is so f-in much better than her, then they should at least be able to start a similar club without stealing the name that she helped build for so long. Also, shouldn't they want to distance themselves from the legacy of a director/founder whose management style was so corrupt that they had to fire her from her own organization?<BR/><BR/>I really lament the loss of Hothouse. I know that you can't go home again, but it seemed to me that Hothouse was one place that made Chicago so much more valuable to me. And now when I think of the Hothouse, I think of betrayal and pettiness. I don't know if I have it in me to go inside the place where the music would be soured by the tinge of betrayal.<BR/><BR/>Best wishes to Chicago. <BR/><BR/>Tyehimba Jess<BR/>7/3/08Tyehimba Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02774184224726490399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155955027798991282006-08-18T21:37:00.000-05:002006-08-18T21:37:00.000-05:00Tasha,Are we all invited (blog writers) to the big...Tasha,<BR/>Are we all invited (blog writers) to the big event? Congrats!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155878240771335962006-08-18T00:17:00.000-05:002006-08-18T00:17:00.000-05:00I think the board of directors did the right thing...I think the board of directors did the right thing. That being said, there is no reason for anyone to lack civility and no need to fling insults. The problem with this blog is that it really did not focus on being objective. Over and over, some of the folks who have posted comments have engaged in truly ugly behavior on this blog. I suppose it is the nature of the thing. <BR/><BR/>Now, I use to work at the HotHouse also. While I do not agree with Tim Bisig's comments posted here, I think it wrong and counter productive to insult him just because I strongly disagree with his views. <BR/><BR/>For anyone else wants to comment and who is tempted, based on their emotions, to fling insults, please, think again - state your opinion but take the high road. Insults, profanity, and other disagreeable behavior is not approriate, even if you think it deserved.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155834787961833382006-08-17T12:13:00.000-05:002006-08-17T12:13:00.000-05:00Its so obvious that there are people who support M...Its so obvious that there are people who support Marguerite. It is also very obvious that there are a whole lot of folks who do not support her. They offered her a job. She refused it. Thats her problem. Why did she refuse it. Because she does not want anyone else having a say. Especially about money. We should start a website on all the people that she has ripped off or owes money too can write and tell their stories, as well as her good long time friends that will support her even though they know she is a major rip off when it comes to money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155834332834857412006-08-17T12:05:00.000-05:002006-08-17T12:05:00.000-05:00Timo Its too bad that you still do not recognize w...Timo <BR/><BR/>Its too bad that you still do not recognize when you are being used! She saw in you what she saw in a lot of good natured people. She saw she could get you to work and sweat and actually feel like she "saw " something in you. She did. Chump!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155513738353991932006-08-13T19:02:00.000-05:002006-08-13T19:02:00.000-05:00Tasha your points are right on target! Timo, sinc...Tasha your points are right on target! <BR/><BR/>Timo, since you were so instrumental in the development of the HotHouse and believed in its Mission, why are you not still there?<BR/><BR/>Easy to talk about your accolades when you are not around during the storm. I applaud the staff that is making Hothouse work during this difficult time. Kudos!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155435751041109422006-08-12T21:22:00.000-05:002006-08-12T21:22:00.000-05:00Wussup all?For anyone who doesn't know me, my name...Wussup all?<BR/><BR/>For anyone who doesn't know me, my name is Timothy Bisig (Timo) and I was the Program Director at the HotHouse in 2003-2005.<BR/><BR/>I've been trying to stay as faaar away from this mess as possible, while secretly reading this blog and getting updates from people. I lived and breathed the HotHouse for the majority of the past 6 years, working 80 hour weeks, every day, every night, donating my time, my blood, my money, and my once-dark hair to this great organization. If there is anyone in the world who can speak about what goes on behind the scenes, what the finances are like, how Marguerite treats people---all of the questions and comments that people bring up on there---it is me.<BR/><BR/>I've always been a mediating voice, a compromiser, a dealmaker, and thus played a very important role at the HotHouse. As many here have stated in not-so-kind words, Marguerite Horberg is, well, one tough cookie (some might say a bitch). HotHouse was her baby and she handled it like that, and didn't take shit from anyone. It actually surprised me and many others how over the years she actually gave up a lot of her power, let others (particularly me) make decisions. I actually always felt bad for her, it was like she had learned how to make this thing work, she knew every job, but then she had to time and again become a teacher for all us kids who started there and knew nothing about what we were getting into. A true mentor who never wanted to be one, there are countless former employees who will cite HotHouse and Marguerite as helping them guide their lives and leading them to bigger and better things. <BR/><BR/>I started out there working at the frickin door for chrissakes. And slowly she saw something in me that helped me move from taking tickets to filing papers to being her assistant to planning almost everything that happened there. And I’ll address here a bit of my reaction to what I’ve been reading on this blog: what’s up employees?? Why all the negativity? It’s disgusting. I personally felt if from many of my colleagues there, who knew me as the kid-door-guy, and then couldn’t really take me as their superior. I never acted like anyone’s superior, I think I was very humble in my work, but there were always those there who didn’t like taking orders from anyone, especially a 27 year old kid. In general, there were always people there who liked to complain about everything, who liked to not work and then bitch about it. I’ve worked in many different settings, in different countries, with different people, and I can truly say that some of the staff at times—well, just really perplexed me. Maybe it isn’t a problem unique to HotHouse, more of a USA thing, but… something I saw there. Something that I never really let out, but was burned a lot inside when staff there would question my work or Marguerite’s work, when they had absolutely no idea the hours and hours put into making these things happen. They would then complain about “only” making X amount of dollars in a night, when that small amount would be way more than I made. For some, everything seemed about dollars and cents. And maybe it was Marguerite and mine’s lack of respect for the almighty dollar and its importance that is making all this happen … (damn commies!) And it seemed to only infuriate people MORE when in the last few years when she actually decided to get serious about money, to start charging promoters and clients the actual costs of putting on events at HH, to requite people to submit budgets, do projections, and actually run the place like an organization. Hello all staff from 2003-2005!!! Remember how it was us—NOT HER—that didn’t want to become more financially responsible. She beat it into us again and again, and as far as I’m concerned it was a lot of our lack of responsibility and over-spending that hurt the organization. How many times can your Exec. Director ask you for budgets and reports and you not turn them in? In the real world we would have all been fired. But not at HotHouse, not with Marguerite’s patience (YES patience), because in the end we were all after the same goal, we all knew it, and we all worked together to make it happen…<BR/><BR/><BR/>That was the game, that was the HotHouse, that was her life. Whatever it took, it was done, by her or by me or by one of her friends donating their time. We got shit done that nobody could have ever imagined. We went against all the odds, against all the projections, and made great events that people still talk about, life-changing moments for artists, patrons, fans, press, and staff. I'm very proud of my years there. <BR/><BR/>I look at all this fighting as such a horrible thing to happen to the place. Like we didn't have enough to struggle for already. <BR/><BR/>Now...<BR/><BR/>To the board members, all of whom I know on a very personal level, if you are reading this, all I can say is: bad move. I think you handled the situation extremely poorly. I know negotiating and working with Marguerite might not be the easiest thing, but I'm sure all of you now realize, even if it is hard to admit it to yourselves, that you fucked up. Perhaps the goal was not wrong, and I'm not arguing that one way or the other, but the method and the execution were horrible. As well, now that I've said that and now that it's been done, I do hope that you can find some solutions to keep HH going strong, with or without Marguerite. We all make mistakes. Its just the reeeallllyy biiiiiggg mistakes that get printed in the newspapers, get blogged about, get picketed and protested, and may eventually end up ruining an organization. Bad move. But again, now you have my support moving forward.<BR/><BR/>To the former staff members who have written nasty things here, to all the naysayers who post anonymous blogs, and of course to George Bush: GO TO HELL. Really, I can't fuckin believe some of the comments written on this blog. Talk about childish. People are really really really evil. Really. I found it hard to continue reading some of the stuff. People talking out of their asses about things they know nothing about. It was quite sickening. Again--and I hate to try to sound important, I'm not trying to do that at all--but NO ONE knows better than me what has happened at HH for the last 5 years, financially, staffing-wise, etc. So any comments that are left on here that are blatant lies, trust me, at least someone knows that and reads your shit and smells it for what it is. I've been there, in the trenches, making the organization run. Don't tell me who's stealing money, who's badmouthing people, who's running the place into a hole (or saving it). I know. You don't. And I’m the first to say that things were neeever perfect, and that I at times contemplated a cout d’etat as well—who doesn’t at their work? And so yes while I agree with some of the negative things written here, as I have to as I was privy to them, a lot of it is just plain lies and shit. Sorry to say it like that, but that’s the truth. If you have a problem with me saying it or a problem with me, write me at timochile@gmail.com <BR/><BR/>To Gabriel, Julian, Peggy, and other current staff members bold enough to write on here, make their feelings known, and well just keep working under yet another crazy HotHouse situation and drama: kudos. Keep up the good work. If you all have been asked which side you fall on 100 times, trust me, I've been asked a million times, by everyone. And it’s not an easy call. I find it hard to believe that people "fear for their jobs", that the board will fire people if they openly take sides with Marguerite. How fuckin fascist has the organization become? I feel like its all "don't ask, don't tell", and many people’s reaction is "support the troops" because they are just hired workers. Well, anyone there for more than a few months knows this isn't every other job, you aren't just a hired worker, you are part of a family, that supports each other. And regardless of if Marguerite continues with the organization in some capacity or not, we should all support her in whatever way we can, just as she has with other former employees (myself included). Keep up the good work soldiers!<BR/><BR/><BR/>Damn… there went an hour of my life. I told myself I wasn’t going to get involved in this!<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I wish this had all never happened, and I hope that it can all be settled soon. There are many thoughts and feelings that I have about this that I didn’t say here, I don’t know why I’m even writing or saying the things I did. Gabe, I think your post actually inspired me to write a bit, gracias… and Julian’s and the other positives things. It’s also really interesting, after working with people, emailing them and stuff, that even when someone posts anonymous, its pretty easy to tell who it is, you know their writing style and everything… so to all you MFs who posted bad things (and who will surely rip me to shreds) I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!<BR/><BR/>OK!<BR/>Besos,<BR/>TimoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155419815297005312006-08-12T16:56:00.000-05:002006-08-12T16:56:00.000-05:00K. Blaine Smith got it 99.99% right on! The commne...K. Blaine Smith got it 99.99% right on! The commnet posted before Smith has to be either Horberg or one of her friends. I am just a former employee - and no, I dont feel safe using my name - cause I am afraid of being harassed at work, at home, etc by the bully tactics going on.<BR/><BR/>Reality check time! Horberg is a legend in her own mind and only those who have not seen the reality behind the scenes buy her phoney politically correct sound bites as if they were spoken from the mouth of the arts culture Messiah. Since cliches seem to be the language best understood by some writers here: You can only ride coat tails and pull the wool over the eyes for so long. Time is up. <BR/><BR/>Hopefully, the mom will not want to destroy her baby just because baby grew up and moved on - lets face it - sometimes the mom/kid relationship is powerful dysfunctional. <BR/><BR/>Actions and behavior will be the measure of the characters in this drama.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155399893573474632006-08-12T11:24:00.000-05:002006-08-12T11:24:00.000-05:00Why should Mario walk out? You are very rude and ...Why should Mario walk out? You are very rude and emotionally, probably too close to the whole operation. Things change and I am sure the board had their reasons for what they done. The board members are not compensative and have no financial motive that would benefit them, there goal seems to me was to help the management and financial structure of the hothouse, which seems have been totally mismanaged over the years. Marguerite has had so many problems with the city and with paying bills; evidently she doesn't know how to manage finances which is why a business person is needed for the Hothouse. It seems the board made a good decision which should have been made a long time. Also, it seems she doesn't want to do what she does best which is the creative and philanthropic side. If she is so committed to the mission, why is she so against someone running the organization like a business instead of a running it financially in trouble every once in a while? She should be happy to do what she loves. I would.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155397820926655732006-08-12T10:50:00.000-05:002006-08-12T10:50:00.000-05:00that's some lameass shit - if the tables were turn...that's some lameass shit - if the tables were turned marguerite would have been the first one coming to your defense or anyones aid and you know that because that is the facts/jack. now that she has been banned which she has -the locks are changed -my man...what does that say if not banned and her name dragged through the fuckin mud - and for what- what is the point - why is hothouse even put through this/ dont you even wonder who is behind this? and why? you all just go along with this bs for a paycheck -what a bunch of sellouts working for the man -Mario you are the first to talk all that radical shit but when it's time to really take a stand all like the Hothouse staff you have blinders on and have bought into the plan -wake up and walk outAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155354468989340852006-08-11T22:47:00.000-05:002006-08-11T22:47:00.000-05:00Okay, enough is enough. I currently work at HotHou...Okay, enough is enough. I currently work at HotHouse and I consider myself a longtime friend of Marguerite Horberg. <BR/><BR/>I have to say that a lot of what her "support" has been told is so very untrue. <BR/><BR/>She isn't banned - on the contrary she is welcome ANYTIME. Out of respect for the rest of the employees at HotHouse I would rather keep any personal matters between Marguerite and the staff personal but she has done things that require one to rethink how "not-for-profits" are run and how dealing with peoples lives are carried out.<BR/><BR/>It is a bloody shame that many of you who have posted on this blog have NEVER been to HotHouse because if you had you would know without any doubt that there is NO CRISIS.<BR/><BR/> We are determined to honor the mission statement (which none of you "supporters" know) and be certain that we the staff of HotHouse will not let anything happen to Ms. Horberg's concept. Please stop playing games with "your friend" and BE her friend, don't turn her into a martyr. <BR/><BR/>There are many of you who hope that HotHouse/CIPEX falls flat on its face - it ain't gonna happen. There are some of you who work for HotHouse/CIPEX who hope that we the staff screws it up so badly that we'll have to close - it ain't gonna happen. At the end of the day the organization that Marguerite Horberg designed for the people has to return to the people. Marguerite is no dummy, she will continue to be a vital part of what goes on in this city and around the country - but not at HotHouse. Seasons change and so it goes...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155244034023567712006-08-10T16:07:00.000-05:002006-08-10T16:07:00.000-05:00Has there been any updates if Marguerite will take...Has there been any updates if Marguerite will take on the redesigned job description?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155177720188741122006-08-09T21:42:00.000-05:002006-08-09T21:42:00.000-05:00As I said previously, I have attended some recent ...As I said previously, I have attended some recent performances at the HotHouse and all the employees seem much happier and not in any fear of losing their jobs. <BR/><BR/>Just because Marguerite is not there will not prevent me from attending the performances. What if Marguerite got very sick, moved away, married, etc? She would be gone and HotHouse should continue. It is owned by the community, not one person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155175737970249832006-08-09T21:08:00.000-05:002006-08-09T21:08:00.000-05:00Regarding the "comment" posted by someone posing a...Regarding the "comment" posted by someone posing as a HotHouse employee: <BR/><BR/>I too post a comment anonymously. I am an employee of the HotHouse and can say catagorically that no one here wants a return to the way it was. Sorry Marguerite but its true. Its really sad that your so called friends have encouraged your fight instead of helping you to get past that goddess sized ego of yours. It could have all been good. Too bad you misunderstood the intent of another braver than myself employee's comment posted here. <BR/><BR/>No one who works here has any misgivings about the intent and goodwill of the board. To them - I now make a toast and say thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155088713418507252006-08-08T20:58:00.001-05:002006-08-08T20:58:00.001-05:00To Whom It May Concern, I am a regular member at t...To Whom It May Concern,<BR/><BR/> I am a regular member at the Hothouse who has been going there for a long time. As an artist brought up with mental disabilities, I appreciated Marguarite Horberg’s help in broadening my experiences with culture in a club with a diverse crowd. A lot of my disabled friends have learned from the unique atmosphere that she has created. The fact that the artists enjoy a not for profit place that’s not based entirely on money and has performers interacting with the audience helps bring on a comfort in the other club/performance situations in Chicago. If she is no longer allowed to remain the Executive Director assisted by a business director I will need to cancel my membership. Then I will stop bringing friends and the majority of people that fought in the past to keep the Hothouse open will not want to continue supporting it unless Marguarite is leading the mission.<BR/><BR/>Sincerely,<BR/><BR/>Louise RothenbergAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155088704945425682006-08-08T20:58:00.000-05:002006-08-08T20:58:00.000-05:00To Whom It May Concern, I am a regular member at t...To Whom It May Concern,<BR/><BR/> I am a regular member at the Hothouse who has been going there for a long time. As an artist brought up with mental disabilities, I appreciated Marguarite Horberg’s help in broadening my experiences with culture in a club with a diverse crowd. A lot of my disabled friends have learned from the unique atmosphere that she has created. The fact that the artists enjoy a not for profit place that’s not based entirely on money and has performers interacting with the audience helps bring on a comfort in the other club/performance situations in Chicago. If she is no longer allowed to remain the Executive Director assisted by a business director I will need to cancel my membership. Then I will stop bringing friends and the majority of people that fought in the past to keep the Hothouse open will not want to continue supporting it unless Marguarite is leading the mission.<BR/><BR/>Sincerely,<BR/><BR/>Louise RothenbergAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155012839845056062006-08-07T23:53:00.000-05:002006-08-07T23:53:00.000-05:00I think Gabe has a lot of courage to say something...I think Gabe has a lot of courage to say something publicly and he speaks well for a lot of us who work at HH. I don't think we are happier without Margarite on the contrary. She was respected here and the way she has been treated is wrong. We can't say much because we are afraid for our jobs but we are working very hard to keep the p;ace open because we believe in what hothouse stands for - this situation has put a lot of stress on us -when gabe says he is working on sunday that goes for all of us - we hope you don'y boycott us becuase then everything that was built up will be lost. more staff would stand up for Margarite if there was a way to express it without losing our jobs. we miss her a lot and if she is reading this we are sending her a group hugAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1155004092097003262006-08-07T21:28:00.000-05:002006-08-07T21:28:00.000-05:00how do you know what their relationships are like ...how do you know what their relationships are like -this is more of the same nonsense that means nothing except to hurl further hurt and innuendo - if you care about Hothouse use some discipline to be positive and helpful and not hatefulAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1154996283740964332006-08-07T19:18:00.000-05:002006-08-07T19:18:00.000-05:00Hot house has a great staff, without the presence ...Hot house has a great staff, without the presence of Marguerite Horberg. I have attended some events since her departure and haven't noticed any changes. The staff seem happy. Hopefully, once the new manager is on board Hothouse can become the thriving enterprise that it should be and fulfill its mission. I look forward to attending the events there now and in the years to come. I think they did the right thing. The staff needs leadership that will respect them and foster positive growth, not the negative atmosphere that they had been subjected to.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1154972726663916422006-08-07T12:45:00.000-05:002006-08-07T12:45:00.000-05:00Hello again and again, thanks for the interest.I j...Hello again and again, thanks for the interest.<BR/><BR/>I just need to clarify something. I work at HotHouse doing the press and promo. I had been doing that for over 10 years while at the same time going to school, making videos, working as studio assistant to one of the most important artists in the city, writing for music magazines, doing radio shows and programming cultural events and concerts. <BR/><BR/>Thanks again.<BR/><BR/>Mil gracias,<BR/><BR/>Gabriel FeijooAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1154970012851842712006-08-07T12:00:00.000-05:002006-08-07T12:00:00.000-05:00I concur completely. Some of this stuff on here is...I concur completely. Some of this stuff on here is really painful and makes me sick to read- It's really sad when you compare it with all the positive things HotHouse means to me- it's being completely destroyed through this kind of disgusting tearing down of Margarite. I agree with John, we should boycott - also to John, I think the by-laws, the minutes and the financials are public record -maybe we should ask to see themAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1154969617074617832006-08-07T11:53:00.000-05:002006-08-07T11:53:00.000-05:00the level of utter hatred and poison spewed at Hor...the level of utter hatred and poison spewed at Horberg is very disturbing. it reminds me of looking at the pictures of lynched victims and the crowds finding sport and entertainment in the spectacle or the witch at the stake with the mobs chanting, burn! the misinformation, the armchair psychoanalysis written at 4am, the anonymous ficticious ex staff postings, the heaping on of venomous comments are shameful to witness. does this group have any human decency left? or will these anonymous hate filled lurkers continue to make baseless charges of the most fantastic sort without anything to back it up, resort to whispered innuendos and ficticious personalities to make humiliating,degrading and disgusting comments - cowardly and spineless sitting in the shadows - without name- without proof- without shame- without humanity- tearing down a perosns carreer who never made any money - gave her entire life so that others could learn and prosper to the best that was possible at the time - to give opportunity to young kids like Gabriel who never had any experience in a job as important as the one he has now- and for that you people enjoy, as vultures and with smirks the pecking of a person - shame on you !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1154923188368817582006-08-06T22:59:00.000-05:002006-08-06T22:59:00.000-05:00Actually, I have heard there are many. In fact, I ...Actually, I have heard there are many. In fact, I went to see an art opening Thursday. I believe some of them were there. I imagine there will soon be an anouncement of sorts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1154918644311421202006-08-06T21:44:00.000-05:002006-08-06T21:44:00.000-05:00I would hate to see a boycott of the hothouse and ...I would hate to see a boycott of the hothouse and its programs, they are too important for our community. What is wrong with hothouse hiring a business manage to better manage the finances? From what I have read under Ms. Horberg's controls many people were not paid and licenses were not kept up etc. Hothouse could benefit from someone that can manage the finances so that it will not be once again out of business due to mismanagement. It's sad because of all thats going on there, their is probably not a viable candidate interested in working at Hothouse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271382.post-1154907846631469522006-08-06T18:44:00.000-05:002006-08-06T18:44:00.000-05:00First of all, thank you all for the interest in Ho...First of all, thank you all for the interest in HotHouse. I am currently a member of HH's senior staff. Altough we've been working really hard to block all of this in order to continue HotHouse's mission, I think it's important to speak up from within the organization and address the situation that we're going thru.<BR/><BR/>To me, HotHouse is not one person. To me, HotHouse is a multicultural gang of misfits...a multitude of visions, on a constant state of revolution, working together and sharing the same goal: to build a tower of Babel that will enlighten and empower everyone and anyone that so desires.<BR/><BR/>A rare collection of art-freak expatriates, sound artists, dj's and musicians, film makers, cultural promoters and progressive kids that share the same vision: to share with the arts-loving communities international culture while deep in the heart of this entity called the USA.<BR/><BR/>Am I against the idea of having a business manager? Absolutely not. That would leave more room to play, make friends and influence people. Life is too short to micro-manage. Absolute control is boring. I'm simply against the idea of innecessary conflict...specially when the world is so deep into it. If the "parental" forces within the organization are butting heads and want to fight, that's fine. Keep it outside, take care of things, kiss and make up, then come back to the dinner table. The show must go on. We have a mission to accomplish.<BR/><BR/>As always, the best seat at HotHouse is reserved for Marguerite.<BR/><BR/>Now I gotta go back to work (yes, on a Sunday)<BR/><BR/>Mil gracias,<BR/>Gabriel FeijooAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com