Sunday April 30, 2006

April 30, 2006
Easter Island: The Dream at the End of the World
By EDWARD ALBEE
IS it possible to get to Easter Island without traveling a very long distance? No; it is not. If you live in New York City you will fly to Santiago, Chile — 11½ hours — rest a day, and then take another jet plane 5 hours into the Pacific to reach your goal. (And the planes go from Santiago only a couple of times a week.) The trip may be an hour shorter if you live in New Zealand, but don't count on it.
This tiny speck of South Pacific lava can be reached by boat, of course. That's how the Polynesians got there around A.D. 700, but it's a long, long trip by water. It's a long, long trip from anywhere by any means, but is it worth it? As they say in certain parts of our Middle West — "You bet!"
It took me 50 years to get there from the time I first heard of it. I'm not certain there was any semi-sensible way to get there (from anywhere) back then, but it was on my list, along with Egypt, the Aztec and Mayan cultures, Ayutthaya (the old capital of Siam, sacked by the Burmese in the 18th century), the Roman cities of Sabratha and Leptis Magna on the Libyan coast and other essential destinations. Now that Libya is open to us and has made available the prehistoric painted and carved art of the Fezzan Cliffs, I'll get there, having accomplished the others.
Way before the movie "Planet of the Apes" showed us the Statue of Liberty half buried in the sand, I have felt the need to experience cultures which grew, fell into decadence and vanished. These are probably cautionary tales even beyond their aesthetic marvel.
Why did Easter Island take so long to accomplish even after it was feasible? Well, people looked at me as if I was crazy: "You're going where!?" "You're kidding!" "For a couple of statues!?" I got busier and busier as the years went on, and so I put Easter Island on my "someday" list, along with the Gobi Desert and Antarctica (I know, that last one has gotten easy).
As my 78th birthday approached (three months after my 77th, it seemed), it occurred to me that unless I was planning to ask St. Peter to be my travel agent I'd better get cracking. I found an architect friend who wanted to go with me, and it was arranged, and we went. Was it worth it? As I wrote a couple of paragraphs back, "You bet!"
My five days on Easter Island have been one of the high points of my traveling life. I recommend it to anyone who's willing to spend the time on the island required for a full experience. A quick trip in and out (even if it could be arranged) would be such a waste. Cruise ships do drop by on rare occasions. One — a round-the-world tour of Japanese travelers — stayed two days while I was in residence, letting passengers off in small groups for a six-hour visit. It was barely enough time for them to photograph each other photographing the wonders.
EASTER Island (10 miles by 15 miles) was formed eons ago by three massive volcanoes rising from the sea. These — and lesser eruptions — formed the island, which, except for a minor area fit for farming and living, is lava with a thin layer of infertile soil. Most of the island is strewn with stone, with jagged cliffs for a coastline. The island is also strewn with over 800 gigantic and breathtaking statues averaging over 20 feet high. Only a relative few of these are upright and in original placement, but many of the rest can be seen and visited, half buried or prone. The experience is very much like visiting a fiction we have not imagined.
The island was settled — probably about A.D. 700; at least these are the newest estimates — by Polynesians exploring eastward. One group went northeast and found the Hawaiian Islands (uninhabited, of course) and another group went southeast and ended up on an island bare of people but covered with huge palm trees, naming it Rapa Nui (it was later renamed Easter Island by the captain of a Dutch ship that arrived there on Easter Sunday in 1722). These two groups traveled in large canoe-like vessels — double-hulled, perhaps — along with their small animals and fowl, and grain and root vegetables. The landing at Easter Island was difficult as there are only two small congenial beach areas on the entire island. But it was accomplished, and while further journeys may have brought new settlers, no one ever left Easter Island. There was no way home.
Shawn McLaughlin's essential book, "The Complete Guide to Easter Island" (Easter Island Foundation, 2004), deals in great detail with the settlement, growth and eventual, almost complete depopulation of the island. As well, it tells of the shameful treatment of the natives by European explorers in the 18th and 19th centuries and the self-destruction of their culture by the natives before the European invasions. It is a sad history, and you should know it before you go. The book describes in clear and specific terms the construction and moving and placement of the statues (moai) to the vast ceremonial stands (ahu) around the island. It is the one guide book you will need.
Five days are the minimum you should stay on the island to even begin to experience its extraordinary treasures (not to mention the wild and beautiful landscape — moonscape, sometimes.) While there are tours of various kinds available, I recommend that you go about on your own — having done your homework, of course. You should rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle and explore the island as you see fit, except I would strongly recommend that you not visit the huge volcanic quarry where the great figures were carved until first you've seen them on site. See the quarry on your fourth day, perhaps.
On your first day you really should visit the small but instructive anthropological museum, just a bit outside the town of Hanga Roa where you will be staying. Near it is the first set of statues you should visit, the Tahai complex. It's an easy introduction to the wonders ahead. Take your time. Absorb. Don't be rushed. And anything you see should be seen at least twice, preferably at different times of the day, for the statues become different experiences in different lights. And be sure to see them from all sides — for the hulking backs of these stone creatures are as moving as their fronts.
The three essential assemblages of statues are Ahu Akivi — to my mind the most beautiful on the island — seven giant figures staring out over the landscape with power and serenity; Ahu Tongariki, with 15 giant figures staring toward the quarry where they were formed, and Ahu Nau Nau, located at the pleasant beach called Anakena. These three must be visited, but there are so many other sites that two weeks could be profitably spent.
The island's being so small we managed to spend lunchtime each day at Anakena, where good food (grilled tuna and chicken with root vegetables) is available, and still be able to visit a site in the morning, and another late afternoon. One paved road reaches from the town of Hanga Roa to Anakena Beach and tributary dirt roads to wherever else you want to go. There are several hundred free-roaming horses on the island, families mostly, and they often share the roads with you but are thoughtful in moving aside. We saw a few cows and some birds, but there was no sign of the 70,000 sheep which once crowded the island. In the town of Hanga Roa there are many stray dogs; they are very friendly.
It is said that there are scorpions and black widow spiders about — the latter in the tall grasses. I saw none, my eyes being elsewhere, but long trousers and boots are a wise dress code.
The quarry itself is on one of the two volcanoes you must visit. They are called Rano Raraku and Rano Kau. The view (both inward and outward from the rims of these volcanoes) is spectacular. Each is filled with a lake of great dimension. The quarry at Rano Raraku faces south toward the sea, and the extension hillside is studded with topsy-turvy figures abandoned on their way down the hillside; as well (higher up) with half completed sculptures not yet loosened from the rock. There are more inside the crater, where the black widow spiders are supposed to live. The view from the rim of this quarry is spectacular.
Equally spectacular is the view from the top of Rano Kau — the other volcano I mentioned. The interior lake is very large, and the view from the rim (where the petroglyphs are) straight down to the ocean is thrilling. Watch out for the wind, though. It can be fierce up there. It occurred to me that if I wasn't careful I was in danger of plunging down the craggy cliffs into the ocean, but I was, and so I didn't. Aside from the petroglyphs you'll also find the ancient town of Orongo — round stone houses from a millennium ago.
A few practical matters: the town — Hanga Roa — is not large and can be easily traversed by foot. There are 10 or 12 hotels (including a couple of relatively expensive ones a little way out which did not impress me), the most desirable one being the Hotel O'TAI, with lovely gardens, comfortable rooms, a pool, good breakfast, a friendly staff and reasonable rates. It is also a five-minute walk from what I found to be the best restaurant on the island, La Taverne du Pêcheur (reservations required). It is closed on Sundays, but you might be able to persuade Raul, who seems to run the Hotel Orongo (in town) to cook for you then. The people who live on Easter Island are friendly and often very beautiful.
The best months to visit Easter Island are from October to mid-March when the daily temperatures hover at 75 to 85 degrees. An early morning rain shower is common.
Since you'll be spending a day in Santiago both before and after your visit to Easter Island, there are a few things you should experience there. There is the extraordinary Pre-Colombian Museum in the center of town with quite amazing pieces from the various cultures from Central Mexico right down to Patagonia. And not far from this museum is the wonderful Central Market, a great wrought-iron structure having in it huge fish markets as well as seafood restaurants. If you have never experienced the tiny nail-size baby eels sautéed in olive oil and garlic (which I first enjoyed in Madrid) just forget you're eating eel and have a wonderful meal. Santiago itself is a little grubby but what else would you expect after nearly 20 years of military dictatorship, fortunately now ended. The Santiago Crown Plaza Hotel is central and quite comfortable.
But don't dawdle! You're there for Easter Island.
I was shocked, shortly after I returned, to learn of a proposal for a gambling casino on the island. We all know that gambling casinos bring crime, and we also know that they benefit absentee owners infinitely more than they do the populace where they are located, and those of us who have been there know that any benefits a casino might accrue to the populace would be devalued by the corruption of such an enterprise. Those of you who treasure Easter Island as I do would do well to write the Chilean government to protest this ill-advised venture. However, you might want to get to Easter Island rather soon. As I said, don't dawdle.
Let me quote from Mr. McLaughlin's essential book on Easter Island, for he describes the experience you will have as well as anyone could.
"What really makes Easter Island unique among the ancient places of the world is its preservation of the lifecycle of Neolithic ritual. Most realms of antiquity, like Pompeii or Machu Picchu, are frozen in time or represent the final manifestation of a culture, its zenith. But on Easter Island you can see the birth, life, and death of the ancient culture — the womb of the moai in the statue quarry, the stately triumph of the moai on their platforms, and the solemn (some might say pitiful) decadence of their fall from grace ... the moai lying deaf, dumb, and blind in the volcanic dust whence they came."
For many Easter Island will be a once in a lifetime experience — literally and figuratively. But I plan to go back, and more than once. I want to bring special friends with me, people who will appreciate the experience. I want to see the rapture in their eyes as they live with the wonders.
Edward Albee is the three time Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist whose plays include "Three Tall Woman," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "The Goat, or, Who Is Sylvia?"
Posted 4/30/2006 at 11:15 AM

Friday April 28, 2006
from http://www.ew.com/ about one of the tribeca film fest movies:
Eric Steel’s controversial documentary The Bridge made me feel conflicted. Steel trained cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge for a year and caught more than 20 people committing suicide. In addition to interviews with victim’s families and friends, several of the suicides are shown. It’s a unique movie and it’ll get you thinking about the morality of filming death, not to mention your own death.
Posted 4/28/2006 at 4:29 PM
Friday April 28, 2006
not that i have ANYTHING to do with ANY kind of investments (all i know are Checking accounts. I don't even know what it means to save! ), this is pretty scary!
Posted 4/28/2006 at 3:35 PM

Wednesday April 26, 2006
Woke up early to go to this Wednesday morning bible study that meets at Harvard Club at 7:30 AM. Saw that I got a txt message from my brother that my SIL went into labor at 4 AM. I'm finally going to be an AUNTIE! I'm very excited. I can't wait to meet Liam. He sure took his time!
Bible study at 7:30 AM was on Romans 5. This passage of course is the pinnacle of what we strive towards:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
So..."right" yet so hard to really put into work in my life. I love that God is working things in my life I have no control of yet I constantly complain that I want it this and that way. In any case, wonderful thing to study at 7:30 AM before the day starts. Beautiful setting and interesting people (mostly married men in their...50's? 60's?). I love this associate pastor at the church! He's so energetic and insightful. Good stuff.
Then onto Rock Center for dentist for more x-rays and probing and slapping on the back of "you're looking great!" and of course he means, my gum, not me per se.
It was a busy morning but good to start with Good News of all kind.
Posted 4/26/2006 at 10:26 AM

"Star Trek" franchise set for 2008 revival: report
April 20, 2006 02:13:34
Actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than three years after the last "Star Trek" movie crashed at the box office, the venerable sci-fi franchise is being revived by the director of the upcoming "Mission: Impossible" sequel, Daily Variety reported in its Friday edition.
The as-yet-untitled "Star Trek" feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release through Paramount Pictures, the Viacom Inc. unit looking to restore its box-office luster under new management, the trade paper said.
The project will be directed by J.J. Abrams, whose Tom Cruise vehicle "Mission: Impossible III" will be released by Paramount on May 5. Abrams, famed for producing the TV shows "Alias" and "Lost," will also help write and produce.
Daily Variety said the action would center on the early days of "Star Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission.
The paper described "Star Trek" as Hollywood's most durable performer after James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series.
The 10th film, "Star Trek: Nemesis," bombed at the box office on its December 2002 release, earning just $43 million in North America. Last year, Viacom-owned broadcast network UPN pulled the plug on the low-rated series "Star Trek: Enterprise" following a four-season run.
Posted 4/21/2006 at 9:49 AM

Wednesday April 19, 2006
i don't get why they had to wait til this open-cage/lift worked to get people out, which took all night. couldn't they just get a helicopter and bust people out? i bet they would've done that if the prez was in there or somethin'. it's just not right.
Posted 4/19/2006 at 11:11 AM

Tuesday April 18, 2006
he is so cute!
Posted 4/18/2006 at 1:5 PM

Monday April 17, 2006
i had a very full 3-day weekend. i caught up with many things but still didn't get to:
attack my "shred pile"
pull out more items to set aside for ebaying later
but otherwise, i got to do some work, watch some dvds (crying over steel magnolias again), went to a bible study(!), heard a very moving concert at cloisters for easter and of course, attended church for easter and had communion. i'm pretty sure i found THE church!
overall, it's been a good weekend.
Posted 4/17/2006 at 8:31 AM

Wednesday April 12, 2006
HAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Posted 4/12/2006 at 10:42 PM

Tuesday April 11, 2006
AMEN! church & state are completely separate!

April 9, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
Christ Among the Partisans
By GARRY WILLS
Chicago
THERE is no such thing as a "Christian politics." If it is a politics, it cannot be Christian. Jesus told Pilate: "My reign is not of this present order. If my reign were of this present order, my supporters would have fought against my being turned over to the Jews. But my reign is not here" (John 18:36). Jesus brought no political message or program.
This is a truth that needs emphasis at a time when some Democrats, fearing that the Republicans have advanced over them by the use of religion, want to respond with a claim that Jesus is really on their side. He is not. He avoided those who would trap him into taking sides for or against the Roman occupation of Judea. He paid his taxes to the occupying power but said only, "Let Caesar have what belongs to him, and God have what belongs to him" (Matthew 22:21). He was the original proponent of a separation of church and state.
Those who want the state to engage in public worship, or even to have prayer in schools, are defying his injunction: "When you pray, be not like the pretenders, who prefer to pray in the synagogues and in the public square, in the sight of others. In truth I tell you, that is all the profit they will have. But you, when you pray, go into your inner chamber and, locking the door, pray there in hiding to your Father, and your Father who sees you in hiding will reward you" (Matthew 6:5-6). He shocked people by his repeated violation of the external holiness code of his time, emphasizing that his religion was an internal matter of the heart.
But doesn't Jesus say to care for the poor? Repeatedly and insistently, but what he says goes far beyond politics and is of a different order. He declares that only one test will determine who will come into his reign: whether one has treated the poor, the hungry, the homeless and the imprisoned as one would Jesus himself. "Whenever you did these things to the lowliest of my brothers, you were doing it to me" (Matthew 25:40). No government can propose that as its program. Theocracy itself never went so far, nor could it.
The state cannot indulge in self-sacrifice. If it is to treat the poor well, it must do so on grounds of justice, appealing to arguments that will convince people who are not followers of Jesus or of any other religion. The norms of justice will fall short of the demands of love that Jesus imposes. A Christian may adopt just political measures from his or her own motive of love, but that is not the argument that will define justice for state purposes.
To claim that the state's burden of justice, which falls short of the supreme test Jesus imposes, is actually what he wills — that would be to substitute some lesser and false religion for what Jesus brought from the Father. Of course, Christians who do not meet the lower standard of state justice to the poor will, a fortiori, fail to pass the higher test.
The Romans did not believe Jesus when he said he had no political ambitions. That is why the soldiers mocked him as a failed king, giving him a robe and scepter and bowing in fake obedience (John 19:1-3). Those who today say that they are creating or following a "Christian politics" continue the work of those soldiers, disregarding the words of Jesus that his reign is not of this order.
Some people want to display and honor the Ten Commandments as a political commitment enjoined by the religion of Jesus. That very act is a violation of the First and Second Commandments. By erecting a false religion — imposing a reign of Jesus in this order — they are worshiping a false god. They commit idolatry. They also take the Lord's name in vain.
Some may think that removing Jesus from politics would mean removing morality from politics. They think we would all be better off if we took up the slogan "What would Jesus do?"
That is not a question his disciples ask in the Gospels. They never knew what Jesus was going to do next. He could round on Peter and call him "Satan." He could refuse to receive his mother when she asked to see him. He might tell his followers that they are unworthy of him if they do not hate their mother and their father. He might kill pigs by the hundreds. He might whip people out of church precincts.
The Jesus of the Gospels is not a great ethical teacher like Socrates, our leading humanitarian. He is an apocalyptic figure who steps outside the boundaries of normal morality to signal that the Father's judgment is breaking into history. His miracles were not acts of charity but eschatological signs — accepting the unclean, promising heavenly rewards, making last things first.
He is more a higher Nietzsche, beyond good and evil, than a higher Socrates. No politician is going to tell the lustful that they must pluck out their right eye. We cannot do what Jesus would do because we are not divine.
It was blasphemous to say, as the deputy under secretary of defense, Lt. Gen. William Boykin, repeatedly did, that God made George Bush president in 2000, when a majority of Americans did not vote for him. It would not remove the blasphemy for Democrats to imply that God wants Bush not to be president. Jesus should not be recruited as a campaign aide. To trivialize the mystery of Jesus is not to serve the Gospels.
The Gospels are scary, dark and demanding. It is not surprising that people want to tame them, dilute them, make them into generic encouragements to be loving and peaceful and fair. If that is all they are, then we may as well make Socrates our redeemer.
It is true that the tamed Gospels can be put to humanitarian purposes, and religious institutions have long done this, in defiance of what Jesus said in the Gospels.
Jesus was the victim of every institutional authority in his life and death. He said: "Do not be called Rabbi, since you have only one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, the one in heaven. And do not be called leaders, since you have only one leader, the Messiah" (Matthew 23:8-10).
If Democrats want to fight Republicans for the support of an institutional Jesus, they will have to give up the person who said those words. They will have to turn away from what Flannery O'Connor described as "the bleeding stinking mad shadow of Jesus" and "a wild ragged figure" who flits "from tree to tree in the back" of the mind.
He was never that thing that all politicians wish to be esteemed — respectable. At various times in the Gospels, Jesus is called a devil, the devil's agent, irreligious, unclean, a mocker of Jewish law, a drunkard, a glutton, a promoter of immorality.
The institutional Jesus of the Republicans has no similarity to the Gospel figure. Neither will any institutional Jesus of the Democrats.
Garry Wills is professor emeritus of history at Northwestern University and the author, most recently, of "What Jesus Meant."
Posted 4/11/2006 at 1:10 PM

Monday April 10, 2006
full!
Posted 4/10/2006 at 4:28 PM

Sunday April 9, 2006
i really love this show. it freaks me out!
made string beans dish tonight: get a bunch of string (or green) beans, snap off the ends, drop them in a pot of boiling water with salt for about 2 minutes, drain, then sautee it with chopped garlic & olive oil for like 2 min, then let it sit. VOILA!
Posted 4/9/2006 at 9:57 PM

Saturday April 8, 2006

this past couple of weeks, for some reason, i've had strangers come up to me (literally, seeking me out from wherever they were standing, etc.) to ask for directions. didn't matter that it was in the subway, getting out of a cab, waiting for the sidewalk lights, etc. it was pretty weird. usually when i'm listening to music, nobody dares to approach, not even when i'm NOT listening to music! but in all these instances, i WAS listening to music and yet people still approached.
now that this COOL HEADPHONE is a part of my life and it's suppose to "cut out all excessive noise" while listening to music, i do wonder if this will make the difference. i don't MIND people approaching me but just thought that was an interesting thing in my otherwise pretty routine days.
Posted 4/8/2006 at 10:8 AM

Thursday April 6, 2006
Read below: I've been getting more of these lately:
I stick out my arms for shaking
then we shake, but either me or the other person starts to pullllllll for a cheek kiss, while still holding the "shaking" hands.
must be a trend of some sort.

April 6, 2006
Better Not Miss the Buss
By ELIZABETH OLSON
IT can happen to anyone. You want to give more than a businesslike handshake as a greeting, and a hug seems disconcertingly personal. You lean in to bestow the compromise — a peck on the cheek — and the person turns her head, and suddenly you're bumping noses or even brushing lips and teeth.
That's what happened to Margery Colloff, a Manhattan lawyer, when she was introduced to a more senior lawyer at a dinner party.
"I went for a peck on the right cheek, but he was zooming in from the left," she recalled. "And I literally crashed into his teeth."
The social kiss is unpredictable, agreed R. Couri Hay, the society editor at Hamptons magazine.
"I never kiss on the first meeting," he said, "but if someone offers a kiss, I feel I have to be polite and take it. Generally I really don't want to be covered in lipstick." The kiss "has been dumbed down," Mr. Hay said. "It is supposed to be a sign of affection, but I've seen people recoil when they see someone they don't even know coming in to lick their cheek."
Despite the awkwardness, the cheek, or social, kiss is displacing the handshake, once the customary greeting in American social and business circles. It may be a growing Latin influence, an aping of European manners, the influx of women in the workplace or just a breakdown of formality: no one seems to know. It's not just celebrities smacking the air or diplomats puckering up with the European style double kiss or Soprano family wannabees mimicking a sign of forced fealty.
Smooching one or both cheeks can be discombobulating in a society where the impersonal handshake or even the more distant nod is the most familiar greeting. Kiss protocol is so routinely bungled that it was parodied in a short video that the fashion designer Kenneth Cole used in February to unveil his autumn collection. The video shows how a young woman's efforts to bestow the affectation end in repeated disaster.
The awkwardness — and inevitability — of the social kiss has led to strategies to deal with it. "I position my face just slightly to the side," said Jeff Elsass, a Pilates instructor at the BioFitness Center in Manhattan, who is frequently greeted with kisses during his workday, "then I wait and see what the other person is going to do. That slight turn of the head can take you past the lip and the cheek."
If being bussed on the cheek is way too intimate, some advise that sticking your hand out firmly — keeping a straight elbow — is the best way to show yourself willing to shake hands and nothing more.
That's what Mr. Hay did at a nightclub opening in February, then added his own follow-through.
"A woman was coming in for the kiss, so I took a step back and then put my hand out in front of me," he said. "I turned left and kept going in one continuous movement, like a dance step, to escape."
While the handshake still holds sway in big corporations, said Barbara Pachter, who heads an etiquette-training firm in New Jersey, the kiss has migrated into areas like sales, where it can denote a warm relationship that encourages buying. Still, figuring out where the limits are can present problems, she noted.
"I had one pharmaceutical saleswoman client — young and attractive — who would kiss and hug her clients," Ms. Pachter said. "Then she saw one doctor at dinner and gave him a kiss and hug. His wife didn't appreciate that, and it was not appropriate."
The kiss is "happening more and more," agreed Peggy Post, a spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute founded by the doyenne of etiquette. "We're much more informal in everything from the clothes we wear to how we greet people."
Ms. Post advocates the handshake and agrees that it's better "to steer clear of kissing people of the opposite sex, which can be misconstrued in some cases." This is especially true on first meetings. Later, kissing as a greeting depends on the relationship, she and others said.
At one time the handshake had to be initiated by a woman before the man would extend his hand, Ms. Post noted. That's long past since most women in the work force don't hesitate to extend their hand in greeting.
But the social kiss is often initiated by men who are higher ranking. For example, at a ceremony in January, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg planted a double kiss on Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye of New York State.
"The more powerful person is the one who determines the amount of physical space," said Ann E. Fuehrer, a professor of psychology and women's studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. "They are taking the initiative to determine the degree of proximity."
Sarah Felix, 27, a features editor at Good Housekeeping, remembered a cheek-and-lip collision with a former boss, which she found unsettling because, she said, "there is always a certain amount of tension in that gesture between an older man and a younger woman."
P. M. Forni, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, who wrote "Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct" (St. Martin's, 2002), said, "You can use the kiss to overpower a person." But, Professor Forni said, "in an age when there are all these prohibitions on physical contact, such as putting an arm around someone's shoulder, we are looking for a way of physical contact that is beyond reproach."
He added: "The social kiss is a gentle reminder that we are physical beings. It is face-to-face encounters that make us human."
In Mediterranean countries, he said, "there is less of a stigma when it comes to touching," but American men are still tentative. While President Bush bestowed kisses on Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings when they were appointed to his cabinet, his public goodbye last week to Andrew H. Card Jr., his longtime chief of staff, consisted of very brief backslapping.
"Social kisses can be a nonverbal signal that you are embraced and respected," observed Pamela S. Eyring, the director of the Protocol School of Washington. "Still, they should be reserved for friends."
Some believe that cheek kissing simply codifies welcoming behavior. "Cheek kisses are customs of politeness, not more," said Polly Platt, the director of Cultural Crossings in Paris, a training service for corporate managers.
The double kiss is frequently used in the diplomatic world, which has adopted the two-cheek European version as a compromise between the kissier (three or four times) approach used by some Continentals and the tepid one-kiss welcome.
Donald B. Ensenat, the United States chief of protocol, said he greets women with the double kiss but men with a handshake, a pat on the back or an embrace, depending on their relationship.
"I'm from New Orleans," Mr. Ensenat said. "I was used to one kiss. It's a Southern thing to give a cheek peck, so it wasn't hard to get used to two kisses."
The social kiss may have roots going back to Roman times, some academics believe. Its popularity has waxed and waned. In the early decades of the 20th century, it was mostly seen among the aristocracy and spread gradually after World War II, gathering speed as the traditional handshake was deemed stodgy.
Even so, confusion often reigns because there is no set formula for social kissing. The French, for example, kiss on both cheeks — one kiss each — although in a few regions it is the double-double kiss with two on each cheek. The Belgians, the Dutch and even the dour Swiss go for the triple kiss. If you can't keep that straight and need a refresher, the lip balm company Blistex has a rundown of kissing customs on its website, http://www.blistex.com/, under the heading Global Lip Customs.
In most countries the social kiss begins with the right cheek, probably because most people are right-handed and, according to a German study in 2003, most people tilt their heads to the right when heading for a lip kiss. So it follows that they would lean right for a cheek kiss.
National customs are reflected in the diplomatic world, but that does not mean it is easy to learn them, Madeleine K. Albright, the former secretary of state, wrote in her 2003 memoir, "Madam Secretary." While she typically got a single peck on the cheek from foreign ministers, she wrote, "in Latin America the maneuver was complicated by the fact that in some countries they kiss on the left and in some on the right."
She added, "I could never remember which, so there were a lot of bumped noses."
She took it in stride, but others who accidentally encounter noses, lips and cheeks less often find it more unsettling.
Ms. Colloff, for example, said that after knocking into the other lawyer, "I was so embarrassed that I pretended throughout dinner that it had not happened.
"And he, a perfect gentleman, did the same."
Posted 4/6/2006 at 8:58 AM

Wednesday April 5, 2006
i went to a redeemer sg last night, just to try it out. we went over chapter 5 of book of mark with the outline from redeemer's own study guide book. i don't want to say it was interesting because that just doesn't really describe much. i'll say this: there are lots of different people out there, trying to grow, trying to support, trying ______etc. it's very encouraging. and you realize how you're such the ONLY fish in your ONLY pond! as much as it was enjoyable and the discussions though, i think i'll try out a couple others. since i can't seem to find a church for my growth, i'll try the reverse way: find a SG to grow, then apply church to my growth, instead of the other way around.
on a completely different note, the other day, a fellow "artistic officer" (that's my nice way of saying "i'm-an-artist-but-work-for-artists-in-artistic-environment") from salzburg came to the office for a meeting. i talked to him a bit and since then i've been wanting to go visit salzburg! now, now, it's not because i want to chase after this man: it's that he works for the salzburg festival and i realized, if i were to visit salzburg this summer, i could get free tickets...those awesome tickets...for free! and enjoy mozart 360-degrees, smothered with mozart, etc. i wish! I WISH! but i can't. even though i have enough frequent flier miles, i'll need lodging and i don't want to just go there, eat at my place and then that's it. i want to do all things, go visit vienna, the capital of composers, attend operas & concerts, do all things mozart mozart mozart and that means lots of money spending, which i don't have!
envy really is a terrible thing. but as i've mentioned to some of you, i'll have to forego anything that i can obtain later: a grand piano, a trip to austria and germany (i need to go to lubeck & dresden & leipzig to experience bach & schumann!!!!), etc...it's not like it'll kill me if i don't go this year i guess...
Posted 4/5/2006 at 8:50 AM

Tuesday April 4, 2006

Mozart Wasn't Poor, Just a Big Spender
By William J. Kole
Associated PressApril 4, 2006
VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- For centuries, historians have portrayed Mozart as poor, but new documents suggest the composer was not nearly as hard-up for cash as many have believed.Scholars who combed through Austrian archives for an exhibition opening Tuesday on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's later years in Vienna found evidence that he was solidly upper-crust and lived the good life.Letters show that Mozart repeatedly borrowed money from friends to pay for his travels and his social obligations, and that his family was forced to move at least 11 times. The new documents, on display at Vienna's Musikverein, reveal that he earned about 10,000 florins a year -- at least $42,000, in today's terms.That would have placed him in the top 5 percent of wage-earners in late 18th-century Vienna, say experts, who were unable to prove lingering suspicions that gambling debts took a big bite out of Mozart's earnings.''Mozart made a lot of money,'' said Otto Biba, director of Vienna's vast musical archives.To put his earnings in perspective: Successful professionals lived comfortably on 450 florins a year, according to Biba, who said Mozart's main occupation in Vienna was teaching piano to aristocrats -- a lucrative job that helped support his extravagant lifestyle.Yet Mozart earned a reputation for money-grubbing, and evidence abounds that he squandered much of his cash. Among the items on display at the Musikverein are handwritten letters in which Mozart begged his patrons, publishers and acquaintances for huge sums to settle his debts.One penned in June 1788 requesting a loan from arts patron Michael Puchberg reads: ''If you will do me this kindness ... I shall be able to work with an easier mind and a lighter heart.''The exhibition, which runs through June 30, is part of a year of special events in Austria celebrating the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth in Salzburg on Jan. 27, 1756.Mozart lived in Vienna from 1784-87, at the height of his brief but prolific music career. Among the works he composed in the Austrian capital was ''The Marriage of Figaro.''Mozart, who died in 1791 at age 35, was buried in a pauper's grave at Vienna's St. Marx Cemetery, perpetuating the notion that he spent most of his life barely scraping by in dire financial straits.A simple column and a sad-looking angel mark the spot where scholars believe he was laid to rest.No one disputes that Mozart's wealth was long gone by the time he lay on his deathbed.Researchers at Salzburg's International Mozarteum Foundation say records of Mozart's estate indicate that his widow barely had enough cash to bury him, and that he owed thousands, including debts to his tailor, cobbler and pharmacist.American composer and music historian Allen Krantz is among those who think that Mozart may simply have been a victim of his own generosity, impulsiveness and largesse.''Mozart grew up to be undisciplined, unworldly and a soft touch. Money went through his hands like water,'' Krantz wrote in a recent biography. ''Even Mozart's mother, a gentle soul, complained: 'When Wolfgang makes new acquaintances, he immediately wants to give his life and property to them.'''www.mozart2006.net/eng/index.htmlhttp://www.mozarteum.at
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press

Posted 4/4/2006 at 10:35 AM
Tuesday April 4, 2006
On Wednesday this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 a.m., the time and date will be:
01:02:03 04/05/06.
The consecutive time & date numbers beginning with 01 will never happen again in our lifetime maybe anyone's ever.
Posted 4/4/2006 at 10:13 AM

Monday April 3, 2006

Moviegoers get taste of 'Simpsons' film
Movie starring Homer & Co. due in summer 2007
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- America's favorite animated Average Joe is on the big screen, if only for a moment.
A 25-second teaser clip of the upcoming "The Simpsons Movie" is being shown to audiences for 20th Century Fox's "Ice Age: The Meltdown," which opened Friday. (The film topped the weekend box office.)
The clip features a deep-voiced announcer booming "Leaping his way onto the silver screen, the greatest hero in American history!" as a large S appears on the screen. It then cuts to Homer Simpson sitting on his couch in his underwear.
When Homer hears the narrator say the movie will open July 27, 2007, he says, "Uh, uh, we better get started."
The same clip was expected to have aired during "The Simpsons" television show Sunday night, the Hollywood Reporter said.
The long-running Fox animated series announced last week that it will unveil a live-action opening sequence Sunday. Lookalike actors will play the roles of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, Al Jean, the show's executive producer, said in a statement.
"The Simpsons" was recently renewed for two more seasons, its 18th and 19th.
Posted 4/3/2006 at 1:6 PM

Sunday April 2, 2006

April 2, 2006
Directions
What's the Korean Word for 'Yo'?
By ROBERT SIMONSON
How do you say "surprizzle" in Korean?
That was just one of the questions facing the librettist Kevin Del Aguila and the translator Chunhwi Park after a South Korean producer decided to bring "Altar Boyz," his Off Broadway musical spoof about a fictitious Christian boy band, to Seoul.
Any time a show ships off to another country, changes must be made to accommodate cultural differences, and "Altar Boyz" was no exception. Some fixes were simple. The concert where the squeaky-clean band tries to rid the audience of sin through "Miracle Funk" will take place in Seoul, not New York.
Other elements needed no translation. Mr. Del Aguila didn't have to tell Mr. Park what a boy band was. Kim Tae-woo, who plays the group's leader in the Seoul production, which opens April 12, was a member of the now-defunct Korean boy band known — by coincidence — as g.o.d. (actually an acronym for Groove OverDose). He has been described as "the Justin Timberlake of Korea."
But some alterations were tricky. Though the band members' message is holy, their vocabulary is rife with hip-hop jargon (or, at least, five white guys' approximations of same). Trying to explain contemporary American lingo, Mr. Del Aguila said, he suddenly realized that "everything I know about Korean culture basically came from watching episodes of 'M*A*S*H.' "
For Mr. Park, the problem was part cultural and part linguistic. Though he's translating "Sweeney Todd" now, Mr. Park said "Altar Boyz" was the most difficult script he had ever tackled. "There were so many hidden double meanings," he said.
In addition to comedy, "I always have the most difficult time doing lyrics," he said. "They are just painful from start to finish, because the structure of the sentence and length of syllables and the accents are different."
Their tale of cultural disconnect can be read in excerpts from e-mail messages Mr. Park shared.
Page 14: "That's what I'm talkin' about, G!" What is G?
Page 14: "Little surprizzle later in the shizzle!" This obviously means surprise in the show, but could you explain a little more?
Page 15: "For real, dawg!" "Dawg" means dog, but why is Abe calling Juan a dog? I don't understand.
Page 26: "Mary on the Q.T." I don't understand this line. I am not that religious. Sorry.
Page 39: "Lemme axe you." Let me ask you? Or axe? Chop you with an axe?
Mr. Del Aguila's response: "Axe" is the way that rappers sometimes incorrectly pronounce the word "ask." Luke is not trying to chop the audience up.')
Posted 4/2/2006 at 9:36 AM

Saturday April 1, 2006

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You gave it your best shot, but things don't always turn out how you expected. This is because you either:
Fell for our April Fool’s joke, in which case ha ha, wasn't that amusing and harmless and mostly in good taste and not all psychologically damaging under various and sundry aspects of contemporary tort law, please don't sue us; or
Are genuinely enjoying, or least momentarily tolerating, our April Fool’s joke and wanted to surf your way into its every last nook and cranny, in which case
...ha ha, wasn't that amusing and harmless and mostly in good taste and not all psychologically damaging under various and sundry aspects of contemporary tort law, please don't sue us.
Posted 4/1/2006 at 11:3 AM