Classic

For anyone that doesn't know us...or, for anyone that does even, this picture epitomizes the relationship I have with my close friend Kristen Lee. This was too funny not to post. More later about a fun weekend...

-ZMG

John Updike

In light of the passing of this esteemed author:

A great article about the life and writing of John Updike

I've never read any of his work, but after reading this article, I plan on doing so. 

-ZMG

Some Food (or...Words...) for Thought

I was reading excerpts from Charles Baudelaire's The Painter of Modern Life for my Literature and Visual Culture class last night, and I came across the following quote:

"But genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will - a childhood now equipped for self-expression with manhood's capacities and a power of analysis which enables it to order the mass of raw material which it has involuntarily accumulated."

For Baudelaire, curiosity is the key - that curiosity that only a child has - the wonderment of everything new around you, no matter what it is.

-ZMG

Capa and Rothko

Today my flatmate Tom and I (www.teekae.co.uk) got a 10 a.m. train to London under partly cloudy skies, at my offer, to go to the Tate Modern to see the Mark Rothko exhibit which I believe opened  November 2008 and closes February 1. We both brought our cameras and took photographs the whole day--the long walk from the Chancery Lane Tube stop past St. Paul's Cathedral, across the Millennium Bridge to a pub on the Thames where we ate lunch, and then to the Tate Modern. It wasn't quite 2 p.m. at that point, but the next admission to the Rothko exhibit wasn't until 4. Tom had heard about a photography exhibit at the Barbican Centre of photographs of the Spanish Civil War by Robert Capa, so we bought our tickets to the Rothko exhibit and walked back across the Thames (taking a minor detour since we weren't quite sure where we were going and got slightly lost) to the exhibit. 

There were photographs by other photographers as well whose names I don't recall, but Capas photographs were extraordinary. There was a quote on the wall from Capa: "If you're pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." This was clearly the mantra by which Capa performed his profession. Many of his photos were right up in the faces of the soldiers as they were fighting, including his famous shot entitled "Loyalist Militiaman at the Moment of Death" of a soldier falling to the ground nearly the moment he was shot. There has been some controversy surrounding the photo as people have wondered if the shot was actually staged, but from seeing many of the rest of his photographs of the war, I can't say I'd be surprised if he did manage to capture the moment of death of a soldier. It is a haunting photograph, and it is truly incredible how close he was to the battles, the wounds, the death. 

Unfortunately, as we had to be back at the Tate Modern by 4:30 p.m. at the latest, we had to rush slightly through the Capa exhibit and didn't quite get to see all his photographs. But when we emerged from the gallery, the clouds of earlier had cleared giving way to a clear blue sky accentuated by the gentle light of a setting sun. We walked back past St. Paul's and across the Millennium Bridge again, taking photographs all the while. The light hitting the Cathedral was absolutely stunning, which did nothing to cure me of my captivation by that immense building.

The Rothko exhibit was, to say the last, packed. I don't believe I had ever seen any Rothko paintings in person before, but I had studied Rothko second semester of freshman year in an Art History class. Our Professor, the much adored Professor Dorrill, had told us about the Houston Chapel in Houston, TX where eight of Rothko's paintings grace the interior of the octagonal chapel. Professor Dorrill told us that people would visit the chapel and sit amongst Rothko's paintings and weep inexplicably. I was hoping to experience the power of Rothko's work in the Tate Modern but, to be honest, it was difficult to feel anything with the noise and bustle of the crowds visiting the exhibit. I had trouble looking at the paintings one at a time due to their simplicity. I didn't know what to do with them. I felt they were much more powerful as an ensemble, but because of the crowds I couldn't sit and feel myself surrounded by them. I did enjoy the exhibit, it was quite beautiful and a privilege to get to see some of this prolific painter's work, but I found myself getting frustrated with all the people and the constant bustle. Frankly, I was disappointed. Not by the exhibit but by the limited experience I felt I had. I suppose I could have tried harder to feel enveloped by the work, but it was difficult and distracting to constantly have viewers walking in front of me and to be worrying about whether I was blocking anyone else's view. 

There was, however, one painting which I liked the most: "Red on Maroon", painted in 1959. The colors played slight tricks on my eyes with the lighting and it appeared that they changed or faded from a lighter maroon to a darker shade at certain places.  This effect wasn't all tricks, there are places on the painting where the maroon fades gently to a darker shade of the color. I found it very pleasing. It also may have been that there weren't that many people standing around it. Regardless, it was my favorite. Tom said some of the paintings reminded him of the gates of hell. They kind of reminded me of electricity sockets. 

On the whole, it was a successful day. I was very happy to get to see both exhibits, despite my reservations about the Rothko exhibit. It was a good experience nonetheless. Tom and I took many pictures and it was, of course, good to get out of Norwich for a little while. And London never ceases to amaze me. Every fiber in me craves a city life that Norwich simply cannot supply. 

Tomorrow, I must finish a project proposal for a big project due at the end of April for my Dickinson class, Humanities 310. Details about that when it gets underway, but I'm looking forward to putting it together. 

Ah, I almost forgot! I saw the movie Milk last night (starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk) with Emma. It's a fantastic film. It gave me a brief look at the fight for gay rights in San Francisco in the late 1970s. Sean Penn is a phenomenal actor. I recommend it.

That's all for now! Love to all those at home and abroad! Hope all is well in the many reaches of my small world...

-ZMG

A Step in the Right Direction

The New York Times reported that President Obama signed an order today to have use of all "secret prisons and detention camps," including the camp at Guantánamo Bay, terminated by this time next year. The article, by Scott Shane, reports however that the president has not made decisions about certain sticky details, such as where to send dangerous prisoners, whether or not to keep some interrogation methods secret so that future prisoners cannot be trained on how to resist them and where to send prisoners that cannot be kept in the US so that they are not tortured. 

This is the second time thus far that I've heard of Obama keeping his mouth closed about difficult issues. The first was his lack of comment about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My first instinct was to worry that critics would see this as indecisiveness, and I even caught myself - I'm not sure what to call it - not worrying, but almost being skeptical of...something. I couldn't pinpoint it. I think it's that I want Obama to succeed so badly that I'm afraid his critics and skeptics are going to pounce at even the smallest, most insignificant sign of weakness or indecisiveness. 

Then I remembered: an era of responsibility and patience. These are not small issues, nor are they issues with clear or easy solutions. The decision to close the prisons and detention camps in and of itself is a big deal after eight years of immoral interrogation methods, and a year is not a long time. In fact, it almost seems somewhat ambitious when I give it some thought. 

I've proved to myself tonight that I do need to make sure I remain patient. It's been 54 hours or so since Obama was sworn into office, and I believe he's already begun turning the US back in the direction its founders intended it to travel.

-ZMG

Read the full New York Times article here.

Well, my flatmate Tom got my ridiculous mug some publicity, so I thought I should do the same for him. He just got his own website up and running. He's quite the up-and-coming photographer, and on his site you can view some of his photographs. The site is still under construction, but it's looking pretty good so far, I think!

http://www.teekae.co.uk

-ZMG

Interesting...

It's incredible how clean my room gets when I have a lot of work to do. Observe...

Before

After

I love that accomplishing a little cleaning can briefly substitute for the feeling of accomplishing some work I actually need to do. Short lived, but satisfying. But now, off to the real stuff...

-ZMG

P.S. I managed to catch the inauguration. It was fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next few years. What. A. Speech.

January 20, 2009 - Pre-Inauguration: An Era of Responsibility and Patience

On this most historic of days for the United States of America, there are a few points I think need to be made before our new president is sworn into office. The first is, of course, that this is a momentous occasion. I am so proud of the citizens of this country to have come out in such impressive numbers to elect Mr. Obama. I do believe he has the potential to help our country through the most difficult of times. However, I also believe it is imperative to remember that Mr. Obama is, in fact, not Superman. He cannot change this country by himself. Change can only occur with the assistance of the citizens of the United States of America. Obama cannot solve climate change by himself. It will take the responsibility of each and every one of us to be conscious of what we use and what we waste. We must be responsible enough to know what we can do to damper the effects of climate change. It is unfair and unrealistic to believe that our government, no matter who it is led by, can stop climate change and restore our environment to what it once was - if that is even possible at this stage. We must be responsible and mature enough to accept that our government alone cannot bring about the end of the current financial crisis. While the government can try to bail out banks, to boost the auto industry, to "jump-start" the economy, we have just as much of a responsibility - if not more - as the government to be mindful of how we manage our money. 

A reporter on CNN said this morning that Obama has called this an "era of responsibility and patience," and I don't believe anyone could have said it better. There will be no immediate results. There is no issue facing us right now that can be solved instantaneously. Slowing climate change and strengthening the economy will take years, perhaps even more than a presidential term or two. Responsibility and patience.

The beauty of the United States of America is that we can come together when it it most essential to do so. Now is one of those times. Now is when John F. Kennedy's speech holds the most truth: it is not what this country or this government can do for us as a population or as individuals, it is what we can do for our country, both as a population and as individuals.

That being said, let's celebrate the end of an era, and the start of a new one that has all the potential in the world to be great.

-ZMG

A Brief London Visit...

I have returned from a fascinating 24 hours in London. Yesterday, 22 of the 25 of our group departed for an optional trip to London to meet with three members of the US Embassy and talk about the "Special Relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom, and then proceeded to an exclusive speech at the Chatham House, Royal Institute for International Affairs to given by US ambassador to the UK Robert Tuttle entitled, "Reflections on the US-UK Relationship." Today, Friday, we met with Martin Williamson of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for a conversation titled "Britain's Place in the World," and finally to Barclay's Wealth, a division of Barclay's bank to meet with the CEO of Barclays Wealth and a few of his staff members for a conversation entitled "The British Finance Industry, Global Markets, and the Credit Crunch." 

I found the conversation at the US Embassy with Mr. Philip Breeden to be incredibly gripping. We discussed how the US is portrayed to the UK through the media and through American students (like myself) studying here in the UK. One of the staff members we spoke to stressed how useful time in the Peace Corps is as he joined after college. He said the Peace Corps, and traveling, as well, is really the way to be the true ambassadors to other countries. Only through real people can people in other countries get a true feel for what Americans are like. The media gives people in other countries a very skewed view of who we are. For example, after seeing a documentary about Philadelphia, all of Dwight's flatmates (Dwight is from Philly) thought that all Philadelphians were gun-toting maniacs. Dwight had to assure them that this was not true. 

We also discussed the relationship between the US and UK governments and the fact that both countries have been allies for a long time. While there are disagreements on certain issues - the war in Iraq, Guantánamo Bay, climate change and how to deal with it - since both countries' values and interests have always been similar, they have been willing to work together often. 

Mr. Tuttle spent most of his time defending President Bush and attempting to draw focus to the more positive things Bush accomplished throughout his two terms in office. Of cures, this is his job - to support the president. It was simply a privilege to be able to sit at the Chatham House and listen to the ambassador speak, and I believe that was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm so grateful that Professor Rudalevige was able to beg (as he put it) to get it set up.

Mr. Williamson at the FCO spoke about the UK's foreign policy and more about its values and interests and about their relationship with the EU. 

At Barclays Wealth, the two young employees did a wonderful job explaining what led to the current financial crisis, the cycle that keeps the recession going, and what can be done (and what is being done) to slow the recession and help the world's economy recover. For someone like myself who has trouble wrapping his mind around economics, they broke it down into terms and ideas I could understand, so that I now feel like I have a better understanding of what's currently happening with our economy.

Apologies for the brevity of this entry, but I'm a little tired and delirious. For more information about any of this entry, feel free to contact me!

-ZMG

Edinburgh, Reading and the Beginning of a New Semester

[Post published 1/14/09]

After returning from a five day trip to Scotland with Emma, I have been thrown - no, gently shovel-passed - back into the world of English academics. Monday was our first day of classes, but the one class that I had was canceled so that we could pick up necessary books and begin reading. I'm taking three classes this semester at UEA, as opposed to two last semester. More on that later.

Edinburgh is a gorgeous city. It's ancient castle sits atop a hill in the middle of the city, overlooking the surrounding expanse of developed land. The city is made up of two main sections, the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town is mostly medieval (I believe) and the New Town, interestingly, was mostly constructed in the 1700s, thus by American standards...there is nothing new in Edinburgh. The New Town is laid out much like modern cities today are - with streets that create grids when looked at from a birds-eye view. The Old Town has the small, winding cobblestone streets that I have become so fond of here in both the United Kingdom and the European continent. 

Our first day there, Emma and I took a three-hour walking tour of the city. It was a good tour, providing us with a brief history of the city of Edinburgh. We saw St. Gile's Cathedral (which isn't actually a cathedral as it doesn't have a bishop), the Writer's Museum, the school that inspired Hogwarts in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, and also the small café where she began writing the books that made her wealthier than the Queen and many other small gems the city had to offer. Our tour guide also told us several stories related to the different sights we saw to accompany their histories. After the tour we visited the Writer's Museum, which highlights the lives and careers of Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. We climbed Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano that provides a gorgeous view of the entire city. We spent five hours exploring Edinburgh Castle and the exhibitions within its walls, most of which pertained to Edinburgh's military history. We visited Hollyrood Palace, where the Queen stays when she visits Scotland in the summer. We spent a tremendous amount of time walking up and down what's known as the Royal Mile, a mile-long street with the castle at one end and Hollyrood Palace and Scottish Parliament at the other. 

Me in front of Hollyrood Palace

Edinburgh Castle

This was not Emma's first time in Edinburgh. The first time she had gone with another friend of ours who is studying in Norwich with us named Julieta. Julieta knew of a program called Couch Surfers which is a community of people who allow travelers to stay in their apartments or houses for free. Emma and I stayed with the man, a forty-something year old part-time tour guide named George who she and Julieta had stayed with the first time they were there. George was an incredibly nice guy, and very willing to suggest places to go and things to see while we were there. He even made dinner for us one night (we did the dishes)! 

I'm very happy to have been able to spend a few days in Scotland, and we lucked out with the weather, as the first two full days we were there it was relatively mild and sunny. We got some rain and cold our second two days there, but overall I was pleased that I wasn't freezing and soaked the whole time. 

Here are my pictures from the week:

Edinburgh 1

Edinburgh 2

Edinburgh 3

As Emma had a paper to work on while we were in Scotland, I brought a book that I started reading at home, The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem, which I highly recommend. Unfortunately, I finished that book the night we arrived in Scotland, so the next day I bought The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Human Stain by Philip Roth. I had read The Great Gatsby in 10th grade, but didn't remember much of it, so I decided to reread it. Like his short stories, I loved it and gobbled it up. Then I started The Human Stain. This novel was not as slow and difficult to get through as Roth's American Pastoral was, but it was just as captivating and just as tragic. Again I experienced the same feeling I had while reading American Pastoral. I felt so strongly for the characters involved that it felt as if they were close friends of mine, and again it was because of Roth's incredible ability to delve into the depths of the histories and personalities of his characters. 

My contemporary writing professor last semester, Dr. Stephen Benson, called to my attention the fact that Roth didn't gain much recognition until later in life (he was 65 when he received the Pulitzer Prize for American Pastoral in 1998). Reading his novels, I can't help but feel - for better or for worse - that it is not Roth's narrators that are telling the stories, but Roth himself. Paragraph after paragraph is filled with what appear to me to be Roth's thoughts on humans, love, life, death and anything else you can imagine. It seems to me that his novels are outpourings of meticulous and relentless meditations on issues that humans deal with throughout their lives. They say, "This is what I think. I've had 60 years to experience everything I write about and think about it until I go numb, and now I know how I feel about it. And I want you to know what I think." There's no arrogance about it, only honesty - honesty that at times can be quite brutal. I highly suggest - no, I demand that anyone with an interest in literature and a good book read either The Human Stain or American Pastoral. 

I finished The Human Stain today (Wednesday, January 14th), and I think it is safe to say that I have not read this much this consistently for my own enjoyment since I was eight- or nine-years-old and reading the Hardy Boys series (of which I probably read about 50 books). 

On another note, I've had one class thus far, and it was yesterday. My schedule this semester is as follows:

Monday: Literature and Visual Culture at the Fin de Siecle; 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Tuesday: Poetry in Dark Times: Holderlin, Rilke, Celan; 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Thursday: The Holocaust; Lecture, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.; Seminar, 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Extra lecture (to view movies, or other course-related activities) 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

As I mentioned earlier, my class on Monday was canceled, but I had Poetry in Dark Times yesterday, and it was a fantastic class. As the poets in the title of the class all wrote in German, we will be dealing with the issues that arise because of differing translations. We close read (analyzed text using only the text, and not going outside of it to do research or thinking too much about context) several translations of a poem by Holderlin, and it was fascinating and sparked my excitement for the course. 

Tomorrow, the Dickinson Humanities group will take a trip to London and stay the night to hear the US Ambassador to the UK give a talk called "Reflections on the US-UK Relationship," hear a talk called "Britain's Place in the World" by Martin Williamson at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and CEO of Barclays Bank Thomas Kalaris give a talk at the Barclays Headquarters called "The British Finance Industry, Global Markets, and the Credit Crunch." While I do have to miss class to attend this trip, I think it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (maybe...) to hear these three men speak on important issues facing the UK and the US today. We will return to Norwich Friday evening. 

I have a paper due for my Dickinson class, Humanities 310, next Wednesday, and a proposal for a final project due the following Monday, which I will reveal to the virtual world when my plan becomes solidified. As I said, we've been gently shovel-passed back into the academic world. I'm looking into doing some traveling in the next few weeks, and will keep everyone updated on that as well.

I hope all is well with everyone at home, in Africa, Canada, Mexico, wherever! Until next time!

-ZMG

And We're Back!

My Delta Airlines flight touched down this morning right on schedule, 9:25 a.m. at London Heathrow Airport. I gathered my four bags (yes, four), and boarded a free shuttle from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 to meet Emma. We took the Tube from the airport to the Liverpool Street train station in London where we had a 1:30 p.m. train to Norwich. We arrived back on the UEA campus around 4 p.m. GMT, which meant I had been traveling for a grand total of roughly 18 hours. I've now been awake for well over 24 hours and feel like a bit of a zombie. Emma and I cooked dinner for ourselves, what we call our leftover special because it usually tastes better left over than it does when we first prepare it. The leftover special is penne pasta with tomato sauce, chicken and mozzarella cheese. It's simple, delicious and filling. 

Since then I've been poking about my room. None of my flatmates have returned yet. I unpacked my clothes and other belongings and reorganized my shelves. I've read a little bit and Skyped with my father and with Cassidy, and will be talking to my mother soon! 

It feels quite bizarre to be back. Emma hit the nail on the head earlier: it feels like break was a dream. It was an unbelievably quick three weeks, but three weeks packed with exactly what I needed. I saw a lot of theater, a couple movies, saw my family, had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated my cousin Lindsay's engagement to her fianceé Will! I also spent a lot of time with Cassidy and managed to see Ali right before I left again. 

My father and I saw the fantastic play Black Watch, about the Scottish army in Iraq. What made the production extraordinary (besides a fantastic performance from all involved), was the use of the space. The stage was long and thin, flanked by audience on each long side of the rectangle. This is a tricky stage to work with for it needs some creative blocking. The show was directed beautifully, and I left the theater without any complaints. A day or two later, my parents and I went to see a show called Taking Over, a one-man show by Danny Hoch about gentrification in New York City. Hoch was born and raised in Queens, so he has seen drastic transitions occur in the city for the past couple decades. He played several different characters, from a black woman seated on her stoop keeping an eye on the neighborhood, to a French real estate mogul. The show was dominated mostly by anger and, not surprisingly, did not offer any solution to the "problem" of gentrification. This can be given to the fact that no, indeed there is no solution to the problem of gentrification, if it can even be called a problem at all. The city has turned a corner with its new buildings of glass and metal and high-end restaurants in historically immigrant and impoverished neighborhoods. There is no going back, there is no stopping what has already been set in motion. So, to me, Hoch's piece, while entertaining and seemingly reflective of many of my mixed emotions towards the new people in my neighborhood and in Williamsburg, may very well have been in vain. It was just ranting. But ranting that gave everyone who would listen insight into what happens to people who are slowly being displaced, and the kinds of people that, for better or for worse, are doing the displacing. 

Phew, ok. I got a little carried away. I also partook in the Hicks/Garlitos/Blount/Swerdlow tradition of going to see A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theater in Princeton. It was great to spend some time with a few cousins and my grandparents. It's a tradition that I love. A Christmas Carol is a joy to watch, and is incredibly moving at times. It's a fantastic family tradition. 

When Cassidy came to New York City, we saw In the Heights, the show that one the 2008 Tony for Best Musical last year. This was my second time seeing it. Cassidy and I did the ticket lottery before the show. We both put our names in a bucket and circled "2 Tickets." There must have been 70 people there. I'm not sure how many tickets they give away, but it's not a lot. However, Cassidy's name was the 4th called, and we got two front row tickets to see a fantastic show for just $25. What more can you ask for?

It was the best winter break I could have asked for, filled with reunions and stories. I saw Amanda for the first time since May, she's been in Freetown, Sierra Leone and is back there again. I saw Barry for the first time since August; he's been in Mexico and will be returning in February to begin his second semester of classes in Xalapa. It was great to see Joanie and Pop-Pop and to catch up with them a bit, and, of course, my parents. I couldn't ask for a better pair of whackos to have raised me. 

Tomorrow Emma and I have a 10:30 a.m. train to Edinburgh. We'll be in Scotland until the 11th of January, when we will return for our second semester of classes which begins on the 12th. It's weird being back in England after such a brief hiatus, but I think it will be a good semester. I'm looking forward to my classes, and have ambitious plans to visit 13 different European cities in the next 5 months or so. 

That's all for now! Happy New Year to everyone, and good luck to anyone about to embark on a new adventure or a new semester! All the best!

-ZMG