Meet Ivan Franko

Source: http://www.franko.lviv.ua/ifranko/franko_eng.html

The Ukraine has been in the news lately, but not necessarily for the best of reasons. It might be time to take a look behind the wall of political barbarity; to cross the politically pointed barbed wire of local and international perceptions and interpretations and focus on aspects of Ukrainian culture that we are unfamiliar with. In an earlier post, I wrote about the famous Ukrainian poet Taras Schevchenko. Now it is time to become acquainted with Ivan Franko (1856-1916). Below is his poem
"Semper Tiro." Enjoy!



                             SEMPER TIRO

Man's life is brief, but what art infinite
It takes to live it as creative task!
At first it seems as though 'twere but to flit
In magic dreams, in fantasies to bask.
But soon it grows to bounds unknown before,
Demands thy hopes, begins thy soul to ask,
Takes all thy powers, and still cries out for more.

Then, with the fruitage of thy mind and heart,
Thou standest as before some deity.
To honor her thou dost thy blood impart,
Thy nervous force, thy brain's capacity,
As to a goddess that must be adored,
And feelest like a slave, no longer free,
While in thy heart thou say'st: "I will be lord!"

Believe it not! Deceptive is the Muse.
The goddess will suck out thine "I" to use
It as a vessel for her sportive play;
She'll drain thy soul and then cast it away.
Heed not the strains thou hearest from her lyre:
"As master, thou upon men's hearts shalt play,
And millions move with thy poetic fire."

Believe it not! If thou indeed must sing,
If poesy within thee is supreme,
Serve thou the goddess without wavering,
But to rule over her thou must not dream.
Let thy song at the feast of life ring free
And unconstrained. Know thou but this one thing:
The poet always must a learner be. 

To learn more about Ivan Franko visit this website:  http://www.franko.lviv.ua/ifranko/life_of_ivan_franko.htm

A New Jerzy Pontification

In today's The New York Times I read an article titled "A Plea to Deny Gunmen Their Quest for Infamy." It touched on the efforts by families of mass shootings (New Town, Columbine, Arapahoe, etc.) to prevent the mention of the killers' identities to deny them the "recognition" they sought. Their efforts are timely-we need to deny the spread of the killers' cyberfame and notoriety via the media. It is inevitable that one killer will look on the shooting spree of another and extract "inspiration" from the rampage. You can never reason with killers; all we can do, since they take the cowardly way out by committing suicide, is deny them more media attention.

I am reminded of a memorable passage from a short story written by Jerzy Kosinski (from his book Steps). He wrote, "Almost all of us on the jury were able to discuss and imagine how he had committed the crime and what had impelled him to it. To clarify certain aspects of his case, some of the jurors acted out the role of the accused in an attempt to make the rest of us understand his motives. After the trial, however, I realized that there was very little speculation in the jury room about the victim of the murder. Many of us could easily visualize ourselves in the act of killing, but few of us could project ourselves into the act of being killed in any manner. We did our best to understand the murder: the murderer was a part of our lives; not so the victim."

Kosinksi wrote those hauntingly prescient words in 1968. Why, then, has it taken us so long to "get it?" Claire Davis is in our collective short-term memory for the moment, but for how much longer? We need to ensure that the memories of the victims, who they were, what they did, etc. are not buried beneath the avalanche of attention that is directed toward the perpetrator of a school shooting, etc.

Once Upon A Time Alan Dershowitz Wrote a Book......

Alan Dershowitz has a new book out titled Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law. I perused it not to find any tidbit of useful information or memorable anecdotes. Instead, I looked for mention of Dershowitz's academic nemesis, Norman Finkelstein. Anyone familiar with Dershowitz's legal work, teaching at Harvard University, or his public performances will remember the classic exchange between Dershowitz and Finkelstein on Democracy Now! in which Finkelstein meticulously pointed out factual inaccuracies in Dershowitz's 2003 book "The Case for Israel."

To capture the essence of the dispute and understand the dislike these men  have for each other, check out the excellent DVD American Radical: Trials of Norman Finkelstein. It is memorable, if nothing else because Dershowitz, well known for his oratorical skills, has a few "Well, I., uh......." moments.

However, in the end, Dershowitz "won." He contacted DePaul University, Finkelstein's place of employment, and made a strong case to deny him tenure if not outright fire him. Sadly, the university listened.

It saddens me that something like this happens (much too frequently) in the world of academia. Finkelstein still makes a living, but it is a shame that more people are denied access to his intellect and powers of perception.

All this went through my mind as I flipped through the pages of Dershowitz's new book. I immediately went to the index to see if there was any mention of Norman Finkelstein. Sure enough, there was. The index read "Norman Finkelstein...............................p. 18."  I immediately turned to page 18 to look for the mention of Finkelstein. I was curious to see what Dershowitz had to say. I read the whole page and found no mention of Finkelstein. Some things never change! It makes you wonder about the existence of the other items listed in the index, doesn't it?

Baseball's Shame

Baseball claims that it has made some tough decisions over the last six weeks in an effort to restore integrity to the sport. By "tough decisions" Bud Selig and company direct our attention to the suspensions handed out to Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun and a number of baseball players who used performance enhancing drugs. Fancy talk, but all this really is is a distraction. Think of it as smoke and mirrors.

Major League Baseball claims it is cleaning up the game and trying to remove the black mark/tarnish on it by suspending cheaters. However, the reall tarnish on the game remains: Buck O'Neill still has not been admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is an insult and a travesty far more damaging that the abuse of drugs by some players. Until Buck O'Neill is given his rightful place in Cooperstown, baseball will always have a black mark on it and no number of player suspensions will change that.

Wake up, Bud Selig.

Complacent Complaining

Complaining is so ingrained into our 21st-century mindset that oftentimes we are not even aware when we are griping about something. It has become so quotidian, which is so ironic. Don't we usually relegate complaining to things/people that are different or who see things differently than we do?

Do men complain more than women?  Perhaps not, but we certainly complain for different reasons. Alina Tugend writes in "Complaining is Hard to Avoid, but Try to Do It With a Purpose," that women, "...are more likely to complain rather than request an action. Men, on the other hand, tend to complain more to bolster their egos."

There is a new website devoted to encouraging  us to complain less every day. Check it out. It is http://www.AComplaintFreeWorld.org.

When Racism Masquerades as Being "Brusque"

I was at the gym last doing my workout when suddenly I found myself in a position where I had to say something to an agitator. I had begun my workout when a woman from South Africa began to loudly broadcast her disdain for white males. "White people are stupid," she yelled. This was followed by,"White men don't do anything; they never earn anything; everything is given to them. They feel entitled to everything." No one is disputing that, sadly, racism still afflicts our society and the 'good ol' boys' network is firmly entrenched in our social fabric. However, this woman crossed a line. She was spewing bile that I found despicable and completely inappropriate. There are many white males and females out there who are immensely talented, but have no work or have had their homes foreclosed. Obviously, this didn't matter to the agitator who was busily issuing a blanket generalization of an entire race. What surprised me was that no one in the gym said anything to her. So I decided to say something. I said, "That's racist." Her husband said to me, "What was that?" I reiterated, "That's racist." I told her she could not condemn all people with her blanket diatribe. She came up to me and said "As a white man you have benefited from this sense of entitlement." I told her I was Hispanic. She walked away and I said, "You have a chip on your shoulder." She replied, "I have never noticed." I then told her, "That's because you don't look."

Later, she tried to provoke me by saying that she is "hegemonic" (I am not sure she knows what the word means, because there was no context for her to use it in the gym). I replied, "And I am a Libra." She was surprised and didn't know what to say. I moved on to continue my workout.

While I had my back turned I heard someone say, "She is brusque." Have we been so conditioned in this era of political correctness to not recognize a racist discourse when we hear one? "Brusque" and "racist" are two different words, yet perhaps in acquiescing to an inherent sense of collective guilt in the post-civil rights era, we are allowing some very hateful statements to propagate.

I am no conservative nativist, but this woman should have used better judgement. Because of her political views, she was asked to leave South Africa. She found a home in the US and a college graciously offered her a position for many years. It would be nice if she were a bit more respectful to her fellow citizens, especially following the revelations that the Boston Marathon bombers were Chechens who emigrated to the US. At least she could keep quite while we try to have a workout in the gym.

The Use of Gung Ho

It is funny how over time the meaning of a word or phrase can change. We are all familiar with "gung ho" which we use to mean overly zealous or enthusiastic.

As I was reading The Language of World War II by A. Marjorie Taylor I learned that its origin is Chinese and that it means "work together." It was also a nickname for Lieutenant Colonel Evans F. Carlson.

Another word is "Grumlin." It was coined as  "a name given to 'saboteurs of the spirit' on the home front," by Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House.

"The Grumlin," Rayburn declared, "does the same job of sabotage on the home front that the Gremlin (q.v.) does to the airplanes of our pilots fighting the Axis."

The bombings of Monday reveal that we may have to retrieve this word from the literary graveyard.

Supporting Our Military Heroes Through the Years

In 1942 the US Office of Civilian Defense provided "V-Home Certificates" to American families that were proactive in supporting the war. The certificates read:

We in this home are fighting...we solemnly pledge all our energies and all our resources to fight for freedom and against fascism. We serve notice to all that we are personally carrying the fight to the enemy, in these ways:

I.  This home follows the instructions of its air-raid warden...

II. This home conserves food, clothing, transportation, and health, in order to hasten an unceasing flow of war materials to our men at the front.

III. This home salvages essential material, in order that they may be converted to immediate war uses.

IV. This home refuses to spread rumors designed to divide our Nation.

V. This home buys War Savings Stamps and Bonds regularly.

     We are doing these things because we know we must Win This War.

Contrast this to the current "I've Got Your Six"  campaign, which we see advertised on television, in which celebrities like Tom Hanks hold a lapel pin and say to the camera, "I've Got Your Six." This latest campaign is meant to create a better understanding between the military and civilians, but unlike the "V-Home Certificates" it is not asking for any sacrifice on the part of Americans not participating in military operations, war, etc., divesting people, in many ways, from any connection to what our soldiers are doing abroad. How sad. It is commendable that the I've Got Your Six campaign aims to educate civilians about the military, but it still relegates them to a passive status. You will find no one salvaging essential materials for the war effort or buying War Savings Stamps and Bonds, etc.

It is a different era with different interpretations of supporting military efforts. I think I much prefer the certificate to the lapel pin.

Meet Kent Carter

Last week I was driving the car listening to the radio when an incredible song came on. My Shazam app on my iPhone couldn't identify it so I had to wait until the song ended to hear the broadcaster name it. It was Suite Pour Orchestre À Cordes Et 2 Soloistes En 4 Mouvements, by the American jazz bassist Kent Carter. All I could think was "Wow!!!" What a piece of musical genius. Jazz music for string instruments. It sounds so simple, but the melody tugged at my imagination, evincing an era from long ago. Amazing tune. The record, It Will Come, was produced in 1979 in France and is not available on Amazon.com or Spotify. It is a musical relic from a bygone era, but it has the pizazz and creativity that I find so enjoyable in great pieces of music.

See if you can track this album down. In the meantime here is a YouTube clip of another great song from this jazz virtuoso. In it he is performing with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Enjoy!

                         

Lindsay Lohan and David Letterman

A few days ago the troubled actress Lindsay Lohan appeared on the David Letterman show. It was an opportunity that both individuals hoped would benefit each other: Lohan, about to enter rehabilitation therapy sought to salvage her image and demonstrate her remorse and understanding of her predicament, while Letterman saw this as opportunity to remain relevant in the late-night talk show battle field.

I was not a fan of Lindsay Lohan, but it was clear that Letterman had invited her to the show to speak about her new movie "Scary Movie 5" (no, Kevin Costner did not make another movie, thankfully!), but turned the tables on her by aggressively harping on her troubles and her therapy. It was surprising how he would not let up, but Lohan impressed me with her demeanor and sense of humor, trying to remain positive despite Letterman's attempts to antagonize her with insinuations and barbs. She was classy and I saw a vulnerable young lady in trouble trying to get her life in order. I was touched when toward the end of the segment Letterman complimented her for "having a spine, having a good sense of yourself and having poise to come here and talk to me." She was clearly affected by the compliment and fought back tears. It is amazing how a few nice words can affect someone. We need to do it more often.

If you missed the show, here is a clip below.

 

Elizabeth Gores her Argument

In today's (March 30, 2013) blog post for the Huffington Post, Elizabeth Gore, Resident Entrepreneur, United Nations Foundation, writes about the social and cultural landscape that awaits her 18-month old daughter in the United States. Returning to the US with a heightened sense of Americanism following a UN-sponsored trek around the world, Ms. Gore talks about violence and women's rights, etc., openly saying how much better we have it in our country than elsewhere. Her ethnocentric statements aside, I was particularly drawn to her statements about women's rights.

 "How about women's rights? We are ranked 92nd in the world for women elected in our lower legislative body, with currently only 18 percent in Congress overall. There were four men, and no women, testifying last year at one hearing on Capitol Hill regarding women's reproductive health. Really?! Unless one of the men has used a maxi pad or given birth in his life -- they shouldn't have been there." How sad that someone who claims to be open-minded has such a narrow view. I agree that more women should have leadership roles, but why insult the men who are trying to help? Her logic is similar to that of teenagers who wear "It's-a-Black-thing-you-wouldn't-understand"  t-shirts. In-group thinking is not always the best answer. After that last statement of hers, I cannot take Ms. Gore seriously.

Why I I Didn't Post a Pink Equal Sign on Facebook

By now the phenomenon of the pink equal sign started by George Takei is in full swing and everyone who considers themselves in the know has put it on their profile on Facebook and in other social media platforms. Good for them, but I will not be doing that. Don't get me wrong, I completely support equal rights for all couples, but I do not believe in following the doctrine of "social proof," where the actions of other individuals influence/convince others to do the same even if they are not necessarily hard core advocates of the cause in question. Christopher Hitchens would have had a field day with this vicarious form of distant advocacy.

Rather than post a pink equal sign, I posted a black and white equal-to-or-greater-than symbol. I haven't used this since my high school days (say nothing of the incongruity symbol!), but I do like what it represents, at least for me. Truth be told, not everyone is equal, certain segments of the population have more than others. Even groups that have constructed their identities on victimhood have splintered into factions engaging in games of one-upmanship with other groups in the same "category." When will it all end? Not for a long time.

Where as the pink Rothko-esque equal sign is tied to the cause of equal rights for homosexual couples, the equal-to-or-greater-than symbol can refer to any movement/cause/ethnic group/class, etc. The list can go on and on. I like this as it allows conversation and engagement of so many different themes.

I don't expect others to replicate what I have done, but I hope they will at least take the time to review other issues of repressed rights, inequality, etc. Now more than ever we need to have this conversation.

The pink equal sign is a good symbol and it stands for a noble cause indeed, but the ubiquitous posting of it can be a tad overwhelming. I thought a change in color would be good. Besides if a casual observer is bombarded with the pink equal sign, they might end up only seeing red.

Solitary Companionship

I rode the train from New York City to Syracuse this past Saturday (March 23). The train was sold out and I sat next to a homeless drunk man. At first the malodorous air about him bothered me and glancing quickly at him I noticed a gash on the bridge of his nose between his eyes. He was an Asian man (I heard him mutter something in another language during his sleep) who was in his late 40s or early 50s.

In his back pack he had about 6-8 cans of beer (Pabst, of all things). He opened can and spilled it, somehow missing me. He nervously apologized then I went back to looking out the window and he went back to sleep.

Soon after I got used to his proximity and air and I was just wondering about his journey. I looked at his suitcase and I thought, "Is everything he owns in that suitcase? Where is going? Does he have family there or is just trying to stay one step ahead of the Grim Reaper? What is he leaving behind? Does he have any hope? I felt sorry for him and when I glanced out at island on the Hudson River I saw a dilapidated structure that at one time must have been a beautiful building. Its solitude and abandonment made me think of my erstwhile traveling. I think Raymond Carver could have written a powerful story, that powerfully penetrates the human soul, about this man.

We will never meet again. That is the nature of travel, of course. But I couldn't help wondering what he was looking for. Suddenly, in my head, I heard the song "Maria" from "West Side Story." I don't know why. Perhaps it was the lyrical message of the song that got me thinking...."I just met a girl named Maria/And suddenly that name will never be the same to me/Maria!"

Who was this man's "Maria"? Will he ever find someone or something that can inspire the same passion that the heroine from the classic play/film sparked in her lover? Or will he be condemned to live the life of Jean-Paul Sartre's character in "Nausea"? Who knows? We all have a Maria in our life. I am still looking for mine. I hope that gentleman I sat next to on the train will find his. Life is so much more pleasant when you have a "Maria" in it.

If you feel like listening to "Maria" here is a clip for you:

Salman Rushdie vs John le Carré

These days it is easy to see primordial, classless, guttural commentary or exchanges between people (mostly politicians and television stars like Snooky or Jennifer Lawrence). So it is nice to see disagreements take the form of intellectual swaps (lyrical and verbose cheap shots, really).

I recently finished reading Salman Rushdie's incredible Joseph Anton,  his memoir about his years in hiding following the fatwa issued against him on Valentine's Day 1989 by the Ayatollah Khomeini. I enjoyed many parts of the book, but the section I enjoyed most involved an exchange that took place between Rushdie and John le Carré on the pages of The Guardian newspaper in England. le Carré had been one of the first critics of Rushdie for publishing "The Satanic Verses,"  and when he himself complained about accusations of anti-Semitism following the publication of his latest book, Rushdie jumped in. I include a part of their memorable exchange (all on the pages of The Guardian) here:

Rushdie (Joseph Anton): "It would be easier to sympathize with him, had he not been so ready to join in an earlier campaign of vilification against a fellow writer. In 1989, during the worst days of the Islamic attack on The Satanic Verses, le Carré rather pompously joined forces with my assailants. It would be gracious if he were to admit that he understands the nature of the Thought Police a little better now that, at least in his own opinion, he's the one in the line of fire."

John le Carré: Rushdie's way with the truth is as self-serving as ever. I never joined his assailants. Nor did I take the easy path of proclaiming him to be a shining innocent. My position was that there is no law in life or nature that says great religions may be insulted with impunity. I wrote that there is no absolute standard of free speech in any society...I wrote, and would write again in paperback for, I was more concerned about the girl at Penguin Books who might get her hands blown off in the mail room than I was about Rushdie's royalties. Anyone who had wished to read the book by then had ample access to it. My purpose was not to justify the persecut8ion of Rushdie, which, like any decent person, I deplore, but to sound a less arrogant, less colonialist, and less self-righteous note than we were hearing from the safety of his admirers'  camp." 

Rushdie: "'Ignorant' and 'semilieterate' are dunces' caps he has skillfully fitted on this own head...le Carré's habit of giving himself good reviews was no doubt developed because, well, somebody has to write them...I have no intention of repeating yet again my many explications of The Satanic Verses, a novel of which I remain extremely proud. A novel, Mr. le Carré, not a give. You know what a novel is, don't you, John?" 

There is more to this exchange and luminaries such as Christopher Hitchens and William Shawcross chime in as well. You will not be sorry you read this book!

International Women's Day

Today, March 8, is International Women's Day. Sadly, many Americans will nod their head to indicate "cool" and then move onto their next batch of donuts or a cup of coffee, while trying to impress others by discussing the literary merits of "Fifty Shades of Grey."

There are many different events planned to celebrate this day, but I would like to direct your attention to a new film titled "Girl Rising," which "tells the stories of 9 extraordinary girls from 9 countries, written by 9 celebrated writers and narrated by 9 renowned actresses. Girl Rising showcases the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world" Learn more by going to: www.girlrising.com. Spread the word.

Also check out the latest post by Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, available here.

You are also welcome to sign the petition to recognize the valor of Malala Yousafazi, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban for advocating for women's right to an education. Sign here. 

 

 

Adele-otry Run Amok

The half-life of a pop star these days seems to diminish faster than a Kardashian sister's modesty. While not a big fan of Adele, I enjoyed some of her songs, but now I think I have reached my saturation point. I just can't stomach listening to her anymore.

The breaking point for me was when the James Bond film "Skyfall"  won the Oscar for Best Song, beating out a much better song from "Chasing Ice." The public's chanteuse scrambled up with the writers and producers of the song to accept the award. This was fine, but I was disappointed that "Before My Time" (featuring the vocals of Scarlett Johansson and arrangements by the inimitable J. Ralph) didn't win. Her contrived and overwrought gesticulating during her performance of "Skyfall"  was annoying, but then again so was much of the Oscar "entertainment."

The clip they showed from "Chasing Ice" caught my attention and the New Age, ephemeral tone of the music really attracted me. When I listened to the "Chasing Ice" soundtrack on Spotify, I found that I liked every track. Below is a sample for you to listen to.

Incidentally, when I walked out onto the street, Ben Curtis came up to me and said, "Dude, you got Adele!" 

I stumbled upon this lovely poem by William Blake (1757-1827). What beautiful words! 

To the Evening Star

 

THOU fair-haired Angel of the Evening,

Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light

Thy bright torch of love--thy radiant crown

Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!

Smile on our loves; and, while thou drawest the

Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew

On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes

In timely sleep. Let thy West Wind sleep on

The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,

And wash the dusk with silver.--Soon, full soon,

Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,

And the lion glares through the dun forest:

The fleeces of our flocks are covered with

Thy sacred dew; protect them with thine influence! 

 



Source: Wikipedia

 

Remembering Van Cliburn

I was deeply saddened by the death of the pianist and cultural ambassador for the United States, Van Cliburn this past Wednesday, February 27th. He was 78 years ago.

I remember first hearing a recording of his performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 years ago and how enthralled I was it. It remains one of my favorite performances and I wonder if we will ever have another pianist of his caliber.

In addition to his prodigious virtuosity, he became a wonderful cultural ambassador for the United States to the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. With the popularity of the Internet, I don't think cultural ambassadorships have the clout or effectiveness they once did. This is all the more reason to truly appreciate what this artist did. I will miss him.

Here is a performance from Moscow in 1962. Van Cliburn is performing with Kirill Kondrashin.

Adonis, a Syrian Poet

 

As I was reading Joseph Anton, I learned that in 1992 the Syrian poet Adonis submitted a poem to a book published to show solidarity with Salman Rushdie in defense of freedom of speech. One line in particular grabbed my attention: Truth is not the sword / Nor the hand that holds it. I loved it and so I decided to learn more about this poet and his work. I visited the website http://www.oocities.org/kavitayan/adonis.html and selected this poem to share.

Peace

to faces ambling in the loneliness of the desert,
to the East draped in grass and fire peace to the Earth
washed by the sea peace to its passion...
Your thunderbolt of nakedness grants me its rains thunder grips me in my breast Time has fermented O, advance this is my blood the glow of the East scoop me and vanish lose me the thunderclap is for your legs the lightning scoop me take my body as lining for your body  my fire is the orientation and the planet my wound is guidance I spell...

I spell a star which I paint,
running away from my homeland in my homeland.
I spell a star which he paints
in the footsteps of his vanquished days.
O, ashes of the Word.
Does my history have a child in your night?

Presentism and the President of Emory University

By now the rollicking storm instigated by perceptions gleaned from an article written by the president of Emory University has hit full stride. James W. Wagner is accused of writing an article for the university's magazine in which he praised the ability and willingness of the signatories to find common ground to agree to the 1787 three-fifths compromise. The three-fifths compromise established that slaves could be counted as three-fifths of a person to determine how much Congressional power Southern states would have.

Naturally, the president's intent was completely missed and detractors, students and other unhappy people attacked him accusing him of racism. Others with cooler heads have criticized him for decisions that the university has made regarding the cutting of budgets for programs that were popular with minority students. This may very well be true, so I won't comment on that. But what I am disappointed at is the lack of a critical view of the president's article itself. Many of the students who are complaining against the president ascribe, unbeknownst to them probably, to Presentism, the theory that holds that only events and entities that occur in the present truly exist. For a very good paper on Presentism, read Ned Markosian's "A Defense of Presentism."

In the mind of many, Dr. Wagner's crime was to mention the three-fifths compromise. Looking at it, I can see what he was trying to say and at the very least he was trying to direct attention to this document and the relevance of the EFFORT to reach a compromise, not THE legality that it promulgated. Anger obfuscates the vision of many, and here we see a good example of that. Perhaps Dr. Wagner could have used a more politically (and some would say, historically) correct example, but would his intent/point been more accurately received? Probably not and this goes again to the point that we are struggling with these days: people make judgements of the past using the standards and mores of today. This leads to misunderstanding, misplaced anger and a dismissal of history itself.

Dr. Wagner has much work to do and it is too bad that his article has generated such a firestorm (I am reading Salman Rushdie's excellent memoir Joseph Anton and his situation, for me, is eerily similar to the text produced by Dr. Wagner, although on a completely different scale with horrendous consequences). I just hope that the pertinent issues are resolved in a timely and safe manner. But more importantly, I wish people would regain the ability to respond, not to react.

Our (Re)Inclination to Travel

As someone who is 6 ft. 3" (191 cm) I find it increasingly challenging to travel by plane. It seems like the plans planes and the seats become smaller as the dimensions of travelers become higher and wider. I really enjoyed an article by Dan Klois in Slate titled "The Rise and Recline of Western Civilization."  If you are a frequent traveler, I think you will relate to what he is saying!

AMEN to Jessica Hilltout

By now everyone is familiar with the misadventure of the luxury cruise liner the Triumph which was stranded as sea without electricity or running water for five days. It recently returned to the US and the passengers disembarked in Alabama. Hopefully, they can put this sad experience behind them and move on.

As I was reading the news today I came upon an item that didn't really shock me: one of the passengers is suing Carnival Corp. In her lawsuit, she claims that she "suffered physical and emotional harm, including anxiety, nervousness and the loss of the enjoyment of life." Since litigation is America's number one hobby, I wasn't surprised by this one bit. I was, however, disappointed in the expression, "loss of the enjoyment of life"  statement. This implied that the passenger forfeited her responsibility to make her own life enjoyable, to be accountable to make every minute count. In this day and age we outsource everything (except the Kardashians, unfortunately. Where could we outsource them to?), but to completely divest oneself of any effort to enjoy life is sad. Take a minute to enjoy the sunset, drink a nice wine, ballroom dance, learn another language. You don't need a cruise ship to enjoy life. I perfectly understand the passenger's frustration. Her experience, like that of everyone else on the boat was a harrowing one, but the cruise line only provided her with some options...she should have taken ownership for her own enjoyment. 

It is funny and yet sad. In other areas of the world where there are power outages and no running water, people tend to complain less and yet find a way to make the best of their situation. Check out this wonderful website by Jessica Hilltout, a Belgian photographer, who has done amazing work in Africa. It is www.jessicahilltout.com.  

She created AMEN, a project that focuses on grassroots football. She has pictures of children using trash and other materials to create soccer balls. The perspective is illuminating. Check it out. 

On her website she writes, "AMEN remains true to finding beauty and joy where others may only see deprivation. AMEN, above all else, captures the strength of the human spirit." Wouldn't it be great if the passenger suing Carnival Corp had this attitude?

Social "Media" During World War II

Source: shortsnorter.org

"It is said," writes John Steinbeck in his collection of World War II dispatches titled Once There Was a War, "and with some truth, that while the Germans fight for world domination and the English for the defense of England, the Americans fight for souvenirs." Yes, some American soldiers collected some odds and ends, but a number of them took part in something that could be considered the Facebook of the time. In 1943 many soldiers became "short snorters," that is, they would gather with other soldiers and each of them would sign a dollar bill (or $10, $20 or $100) and keep the bills in their wallets. If they were caught without the signed bill, they would pay each soldier who signed it a dollar or buy them a drink An interesting tradition! 

Steinbeck describes this tradition and how currencies from other countries were used as well. Some people had significant "streamers" made up of paper currencies with signatures. What an interesting way to socialize and interact with others....years ahead of the Facebook phenomenon. To learn more about the short-snorter phenomenon, check out this website:  http://shortsnorter.org/.

Scattered by Ben Taylor

Every once in a while I stop by www.poetry.com to check out some poetry. I really love this one by Ben Taylor. It is called "Scattered"

                                        Scattered 

Trials of magnitude come to order
On this branch of life's dim misery
Standing tribulations to mute judgement
A harbinger of evil to thrust upon thee

Bitter refrains are slowly anchored
To the bowels of an innermost thought
Stand beside themselves with terror
For this horror that mankind has wrought

The boughs of the tree weep with remembrance
Of times that have withered to ash
Men who knew no love in their hearts
Before their eyes, life ceased to flash

Wails of torment ride a dark breeze
Through ponderings of lost innocence
Throw up barriers of protected wrath
Provide ignorance with charges of offense

Celestial lights lose eternal glimmer
With the blinking of immortal eyes
Casting them into a sea of darkness
'Til mortals entrust them to arise

Doors close with opportunities lost
Those dreams that ceased to exist
With elation they greet the falling dusk
That shelters them in a black mist

The tree sheds the last earthly leaves
Of those lives that it chose to ponder
With the shedding of tearless seeds
It allows captured souls to wander 

Lest We Forget

"History," wrote the literary critic Kenneth Burke, "is an endless conversation." Unfortunately, these days beyond university history departments not many people are interested in it. The movie "Lincoln" has reinvigorated the public interest in history, but with the Super Bowl just one day away, people's attention was diverted from the passing of an important, but not well-known figure.

Ceija Stojka, a Romani survivor of the Holocaust who became a writer and artist to describe the horrific experience of the Gypsies in concentration camps, passed away on January 28th. Thanks to her efforts, a voice was given to the 1.5 million Gypsies who met their deaths in concentration campus.  The Holocaust was awful not only to Jewish people, but to many others. This fact, unfortunately, becomes lost in the usually one-sided victimization retelling of that horrible event.

With AIPAC and other very powerful pro-Israel lobbyists around, there is no chance that the Holocaust will ever leave our collective awareness. Sadly, there is no such party or speaker to advocate for the Romani.

When Reading Becomes a Caricature of Itself

I was disturbed to read this morning of the announcement that Barnes and Noble will be closing up to a third of its stores over the next decade (approximately 20 a year). Although I was a big fan of Borders, with the demise of that book store I diverted my hopeful glance to Barnes and Noble.

I suppose with the surge in popularity of Kindle, iPads and other platforms for digital reading, we shouldn't be surprised. But no matter how you phrase it, the experience just isn't the same. As Joyce Carol Oates so eloquently put it, "Ebooks are to actual books as pictures of cats are to actual cats curled and purring in your lap as you read."

George Mallory and Mount Everest

Mount Everest

Today I finished reading Wade Davis's masterful monograph Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest. This magnificent work (I apologize for the alliteration...it apparently is an "M" day!) provides perhaps the most detailed look at the 1922-1924 expeditions of the regal Mount Everest. We all know how it ends: Mallory meets his demise there in June 1924, but this book reveals the insipid, cavalier and ethnocentric attitude of the patrician Everest Committee which overshadowed the military accomplishments and pedigree of most of the expeditions' participants. Davis reveals the pettiness and classless behavior of several of the committee's members while directing an exacting focus on the expeditions, each with their own personality conflicts and problems. Juxtapose with the politics involved in trying to get to Mount Everest, the treatment of local Sherpas, some disdain to Tibetan culture on the part of some of the expedition, and you have the workings of a very compelling novel....only this is not fiction!

I had only a very basic knowledge of the expeditions to Mount Everest and this book really opened my eyes to the politics involved and what those men suffered through to come close to, but not reaching the summit of this most formidable of foes. I am still in awe at what Mallory and his team were able to accomplish given the fact that they did not have the equipment or technology so readily available today.

Check out the National Geographic interview with Wade Davis available here.

Author Wade Davis

I doubt that Mount Everest will ever lose its fascination. Recently China and Nepal resuscitated the debate about the true height of the mountain (measurement of rock vs. measurement of snow. Check out "Mount Everest to be Re-measured."

A Tale of Two Secessions

The word "secession" evinces different reactions from different people. From people whose states in the US formed part of the Confederacy, the Civil War is known to them as "The War of Secession," while to northerners it is remembered as the "Civil War." Oftentimes "secession" is confused, comingled or conflated with "cessation," meaning an end to something.

Recently, a couple of secessionist movements have made the news. Catalonia, Spain's northeastern autonomous region, has sought independence for some time, while Texas has sought to secede from the US every time a Democrat becomes president or if the Cowboys don't make the Superbowl. Both regions have different reasons for attempting secession, but by far, Catalonia makes the better case.

This beautiful region makes up 20 percent of Spain's GDP and one-third of the total industrial production and exports. This is significant and Spain realizes the danger of losing this vital component of its very identity. Culturally, it has its own language and culture. The Usatges Laws are said to pre-date the Magna Carta and, more recently, its team, FC Barcelona are a world power. If the Uruguayan Eduardo Galeano's claim that 'soccer is the Esperanto of the ball' than FC Barcelona is quite fluent. The recent 60 Minutes special on FC Barcelona is testament to growing interest and recognition of Catalonia and what it is trying to do.

Texas does not offer anything as legitimate as the case made by Catalonia. It has no language other than Texas slang and its very existence can be attributed to illegal incursions into Mexico and a dubious 19th century war, long rangers. It would be ironic if the people pushing for secession decreed Spanish or even Spanglish the official language! Yes, Texas has its sports, mostly college football teams, but they do not even come close to matching what FC Barcelona has done.

For  an excellent and prescient analysis of Catalonia's attempt at secession read Europe's Stateless Nations in the Era of Globalization: The Case for Catalonia's Secession from Spain by Josep Desquens. It was written in 2003, but makes many relevant points.

Catalonia can make many legitimate arguments for independence whereas the case presented by Texas smacks of pettiness and mean-spiritedness.

I have good friends who are Spaniards and those who are Catalans. If Catalonia secedes from Spain, what do I say?

Class versus Crass and Our Obsession with Attractive Women

Like many people I watched a significant football game on Sunday, January 6. The FA Cup between Premier League powerhouse Liverpool FC and Conference League team Mansfield Town FC, exemplifies the beauty and spirit of the FA Cup where teams from the lower leagues (Mansfield is 93 places behind Liverpool) challenge the powerhouses (imagine a team from Class A playing the New York Yankees) in pursuit of the FA Cup trophy. In this realm, draws are highly sought after and victories over the big times are rare, but when they happen, they are to be cherished.

Unfortunately, Mansfield lost to Liverpool 2-1, the second goal coming after a hand ball by striker Luis Suárez. Somehow, the referees allowed it and Mansfield lost their moment in the sun. However, one thing struck me while watching the game and I will return to it in a moment.

Another significant game took place this past Monday between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In this BCS championship the Crimson Tide walloped the Fighting Irish, but like in the other game, there was something that caught my attention here.

Despite winning by nearly 30 points toward the end of the game, the Crimson Tide coach, Nick Saban, berated and yelled at officials, throwing a tantrum that for a neutral fan was embarrassing. Why the melodrama? Why not win with class? Paul Cox, who had every reason to feel aggrieved by the hand ball-no call, was classy and dignified, even defending Suárez! Even better Mansfield remained positive after the horrific call and really pushed Liverpool back on defense. They say teams embody the philosophy and spirit of their coaches. When A.J. McCarron visibly and strongly expressed his displeasure toward one of his teammates, I could see that he really did reflect Saban's ethos. When Mansfield fought back against Liverpool with class and quiet dignity, this was an extension of Paul Cox. I think Nick Saban can learn a thing or two from him.

Another similarity between both games is that the television camera men focused on two attractive women, albeit for different reasons: Katherine Webb, the girlfriend of McCarron, and Carolyn Radford, of Mansfield Town. One is a former Ms. Alabama while the other is the current chief executive of Mansfield Town FC. The difference being, that one commentator, Brent Musburger gushed about Ms. Webb while the cameras at Mansfield Town focused on Ms. Radford to catch her reaction to the efforts of her team. While Mr. Musburger is catching flack for his comments, the folks in Mansfield Town are celebrating the fact that they have the youngest chief executive in the league.
It seems no matter what we do, we are always drawn to the attractiveness of a woman. But if they bring more attention to the programs they support and root for, all the better.

Old Reliable

Tommy Henrich, the right fielder for the New York Yankees from ( 1937-1942, 1946-1950), earned the nickname of "Old Reliable" for his timely hits. I was born well after he played, but I remember my father always telling me stories of "Old Reliable." I loved the nickname...as it embodies loyalty and dependability. No one these days has that nickname, but after seeing the play of Danny Graham, the striker for Swansea City, I think we now have someone worthy of that moniker.

A good striker has the innate ability to change the complexion of a game simply by stepping on to the field and in the space of a few days, Graham has done this twice for Swansea: first, scoring the game tying goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time (second half) against Aston Villa on January 1st; then he scored the game tying goal with three minutes to go in the game against Arsenal on January 6. Incredible!

Swansea City is a fun club to watch play and I think somewhere up there Tommy Henrich is saluting Danny Graham, a worthy successor to the title of "Old Reliable."

An International Family Vacation

Among the more popular New Year's resolutions that people make is to travel more often. Have you ever thought of just dropping everything and taking your family on a year-long trip around the world? What a wonderful idea! Noah Van Loen and his family have embarked on a 13-month jaunt across the globe with stops in Peru, Chile and Australia. Check them out via their blog at: http://www.anvl.org.

If you are thinking of doing something similar with your family, I highly recommend you read The New Global Student by Maya Frost for some innovative suggestions to prepare your children (and you!) or wonderful international experiences.

Le Tre Orfei

In the United States these days, it almost prohibited to talk about anything related to Iran. Yes, we have the Ben Affleck movie, Argo, but beyond that it is very seldom and difficult to start a conversation about Iran without having someone scream at you. Last year when the American snowboarder Hannah Teeter agreed to participate in a "Boarders without Borders" feature in Iran with host country peers, she was the object of "under the rug" criticism and hostile ad hominems from the "virtually" virtuous denizens of the Internet (Internauts or perhaps "Inter-naughts" would be more accurate?). "Under the rug criticism" manifests itself through individuals posting anonymous and usually vituperative comments on a websites comment board critical of someone or something. These criticisms are "under the rug" because they almost never reach the ears, the eyes, computer screen or cell phone of their intended targets, preferring to lie low in the depths of obscurity and cyber shadow. These "criticisms"are marked by allegations that the target is a communist or a whore, etc. It really becomes ridiculous.

Source: http://www.letreorfei.com/gallery/index.php

Sorry, I rambled there. Now, back to my point. In this day and age where it seems to be du jour to criticize and pillory Iran, it is nice to have something positive to consider. Take Le Tre Orfei, the Three Sopranos. These three young ladies from Iran are opera singers of the utmost quality and have been quite popular for some time. Check them out at: Le Tre Orfei. Their music will affect you (in a good way!). I wish more people would put back their negative stereotypes of Iran for a moment and consider this beautiful group of singers. It is well worth it. Please spread the word.

Another Side of Dr. Seuss

One of the reasons I enjoy going to the library to browse books is that I never know what I will find. The other day I came across a book whose title made me do a double take. It read "Dr. Seuss Goes to War" and features cartoons by the world-renowned author pushing for war with Germany (World War II). Given his reputation for creating some of the most famous figures in children's literature, it is hard to reconcile him with images of Hitler. While reading this book I learned, interestingly enough, that Theodor Seuss Geisel started going by the name Seuss after a run with college officials over bootleg liquor.

This book by Richard Minear features editorial cartoons that Dr. Seuss produced during World War II. They are poignant and powerful and make it very clear what the author felt about isolationism and labor dissent at the time. It is worth reading, if nothing else to see another side of this almost mythical man.

Owning Property in Space

Photo taken from The New Atlantis

We never really think about it, but the day will soon come when people own property in space and take real estate development to the final frontier. For years we have entertained as mere fantasy the idea of driving cars through the air and living in floating high-rise buildings. The day when all that futuristic building and transportation takes place may arrive sooner than you think.

Beyond the news of the Mars Rover exploration, little mention is made in the media about the politics and economics of harvesting the many resources that space offers us. In an excellent piece in The New Atlantis titled "Property Rights in Space" Rand Simberg reviews the history of space law and some of the potential scenarios that will come up as governments take a very hard look at finding ways to benefit from space.

I must admit I know next to nothing about space property law and I found this article enlightening. As an international educator I find myself troubled by something however. Since the next logical step after after development in space is travel and study abroad, what term could we use to replace "study abroad" since by then it will be inaccurate and antiquated?

Poem by Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa

This is a lovely poem by the Portuguese Poet Fernando António Nogueira Pesso (1888-1935). His style is a thing of beauty and I wish more Americans would become acquainted with his work. Check out this poem by him (in Spanish):

Nunca Por Más que Viaje

Nunca, por más que viaje, por más que conozca
el salir de un lugar, el llegar a un lugar, conocido o desconocido,
pierdo, al partir, al llegar, y en la móvil línea que los une,
la sensación de crispación, el miedo a lo nuevo, la náusea
–Aquella náusea que es el sentimiento que sabe que el cuerpo tiene el alma–,
Treinta días de viaje, tres días de viaje, tres horas de viaje
–Siempre la opresión se infiltra en el fondo de mi corazón— 

....in Portuguese...

Nunca, por mais que viaje, por mais que conheça O sair de um lugar, o chegar a um lugar, conhecido ou desconhecido, Perco, ao partir, ao chegar, e na linha móbil que os une, A sensação de arrepio, o medo do novo, a náusea — Aquela náusea que é o sentimento que sabe que o corpo tem a alma, Trinta dias de viagem, três dias de viagem, três horas de viagem — Sempre a opressão se infiltra no fundo do meu coração.

Thank you to Carlos Ciro for posting this on his blog at http://networkedblogs.com/GyPyy.

The Return of the Argo-nauts

It was no accident that I chose to allude to Jason and the Argonauts in this post because the producers of the hit movie  Argo certainly fleeced us. In their quest to capitalize on the timeliness of a move about a significant event in Iranian-American relations, the producers glossed over (or perhaps I should write, "pulled the wool over the eyes"  of moviegoers) a very important fact.


John Sheardown, the Canadian Immigration Officer based in Tehran who provided shelter to six American diplomats who escaped capture during the assault on the US Embassy, passed away on Monday, December 31. He played a vital role in providing safety to the Americans leading to their safe return to the US with the use of Canadian passports. Unfortunately, the movie downplays his role to that of a mere bystander. In fact, I don't recall that Ken Taylor, the Canadian Ambassador to Iran, made an appearance in the film, even though he also provided a safe haven for the Americans.

It is disappointing and dispiriting that Hollywood continues to revise history to suit its production needs. At the very least the producers should have done much more to honor the role played by John Sheardown.

The Immortality of the Little Things

With the New Year we create new expectations, new resolutions and renewed visions for a high successful and meaningful year. We hope to remember big things, often discarding "minor" moments to the dustbin of disdain. How sad.  Sometimes that half-second glimpse or spontaneous moment of reflection can resound with an imperturbable resonance whose echo emanates through our being and our soul for a long time.

I recently read a passage from the Thomas Wolfe book, Of Time and the River that captures this sentiment perfectly:

A thousand times thereafter the tone of that rich voice would return to him and reverberate in his memory with the haunting, strange and wonderful recurrence with which the "little" things of life--a face seen one time at a window, a voice that passed in darkness and was gone, the twisting of a leaf upon a bough--come back to us out of all the violence and savage chaos of the days--the "little" things that persist so strangely, vividly, and inexplicably when the more sensational and "important" events of life have been forgotten or obscured.

Enjoy a successful 2013, but take a moment to take in all the 'little' things. You would be amazed by all the wonderful things around you.