U-23 Worlds coverage straight from the horse's mouth.
USRowing.
Comprehensive coverage on World Rowing.
Result list on World Rowing.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships Day 4
The U.S. Under-23 crew received three silver medals today at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic. Our hero, Pete Orlando, and his crew in the lightweight quadruple sculls placed third in the B-level finals, or 9th overall.
In a race that saw many lead-changes, the U.S. quad was notably consistent. Never more than two seconds behind the lead boat, they pulled near even splits: 1:30, 1:30, 1:32, 1:30. That last split especially helped them pull ahead of Spain in the last 500 meters as Spain pulled roughly a 1:32 for fourth. Denmark finished first in a 6:00.76. Sweden was just 0.14 seconds behind in a 6:00.90. U.S.A. finished third with a 6:02.72.
It's been a long journey for Pete and his buddies. I'm sure they will be updating their blog soon. Congratulations on racing with the world's finest young rowers!
Othere U.S. News
After sitting third through the first half of the race, the defending champion U.S. women's eight charged ahead in the second 1,000 meters to beat out Poland and challenge Great Britain. Their sprint was not quite enough, though, and they finished 1.09 behind Great Britain, which posted a 6:20.71. Poland came in third.
The lightweight women's quadruple sculls was consistent throughout, with Germany winning, USA coming in second and Australia pulling in third.
After being down for the first 1,500 meters, the U.S. men's four charged through their sprint to improve from fourth place to second. New Zealand finished first and Germany third.
After a close first 500, the field separated in the women's four, seeing team USA struggle for position but ultimately fall to sixth. Belarus came in first, Italy second and New Zealand third.
B-level finals:
The lightweight men's four came in fourth in the B-level final, or 10th overall.
The lightweight women's double sculls finished sixth in the B-level final, or 12th overall
The women's single sculls came in second in the B-level final, or eighth overall.
In other news...
The men's eight final was remarkable in that the field was more condensed at the 1,000 meter mark than they were at the 500! (1.75 second spread from 1st to 6th vs. 3.99 seconds). The incredibly close field saw Poland jump to the lead for its only first-place finish. Poland turned a .64 deficit on Great Britain at 1,000 meters into a .70 second lead by 1,500. Poland and Germany then executed blistering sprints to edge out Britain, which finished third in 5:35.25. Germany finished second in 5:34.11 and Poland first with a 5:32.77.
World Rowing Web site here.
Full results from World Rowing here [.pdf].
USRowing will most likely update results Monday.
In a race that saw many lead-changes, the U.S. quad was notably consistent. Never more than two seconds behind the lead boat, they pulled near even splits: 1:30, 1:30, 1:32, 1:30. That last split especially helped them pull ahead of Spain in the last 500 meters as Spain pulled roughly a 1:32 for fourth. Denmark finished first in a 6:00.76. Sweden was just 0.14 seconds behind in a 6:00.90. U.S.A. finished third with a 6:02.72.
It's been a long journey for Pete and his buddies. I'm sure they will be updating their blog soon. Congratulations on racing with the world's finest young rowers!
Othere U.S. News
After sitting third through the first half of the race, the defending champion U.S. women's eight charged ahead in the second 1,000 meters to beat out Poland and challenge Great Britain. Their sprint was not quite enough, though, and they finished 1.09 behind Great Britain, which posted a 6:20.71. Poland came in third.
The lightweight women's quadruple sculls was consistent throughout, with Germany winning, USA coming in second and Australia pulling in third.
After being down for the first 1,500 meters, the U.S. men's four charged through their sprint to improve from fourth place to second. New Zealand finished first and Germany third.
After a close first 500, the field separated in the women's four, seeing team USA struggle for position but ultimately fall to sixth. Belarus came in first, Italy second and New Zealand third.
B-level finals:
The lightweight men's four came in fourth in the B-level final, or 10th overall.
The lightweight women's double sculls finished sixth in the B-level final, or 12th overall
The women's single sculls came in second in the B-level final, or eighth overall.
In other news...
The men's eight final was remarkable in that the field was more condensed at the 1,000 meter mark than they were at the 500! (1.75 second spread from 1st to 6th vs. 3.99 seconds). The incredibly close field saw Poland jump to the lead for its only first-place finish. Poland turned a .64 deficit on Great Britain at 1,000 meters into a .70 second lead by 1,500. Poland and Germany then executed blistering sprints to edge out Britain, which finished third in 5:35.25. Germany finished second in 5:34.11 and Poland first with a 5:32.77.
World Rowing Web site here.
Full results from World Rowing here [.pdf].
USRowing will most likely update results Monday.
Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships Day 3 (cont'd)
Complete Results from Saturday:
The U.S. men’s four came in third in its semifinal to advance to the A-level finals Sunday. It joins the women's pair, lightweight women's quadruple sculls, women's four, men's four with coxswain and women's eight in medal position.
Finishers:
LW1x 4th of six in C-level finals
LM1x 5th of 6 in D-level finals
M1x 3rd of six in C-level finals
LM2- 2nd of three in B-level finals
W2x 4th of four in B-level finals
LM2x 6th of sic in C-level finals
M2x 2nd of four in C-level finals
W4x 3rd of three in B-level finals
M4x 5th of five in C-level finals
M8+ 1st of three in B-level finals
Level Finals:
W1x [B]
LW2x [B]
LM4- [B]
M4- [A]
LM4x [B]
Crews in Medal Position:
W2-
LW4x
W4-
M4+
W8+
The U.S. men’s four came in third in its semifinal to advance to the A-level finals Sunday. It joins the women's pair, lightweight women's quadruple sculls, women's four, men's four with coxswain and women's eight in medal position.
Finishers:
LW1x 4th of six in C-level finals
LM1x 5th of 6 in D-level finals
M1x 3rd of six in C-level finals
LM2- 2nd of three in B-level finals
W2x 4th of four in B-level finals
LM2x 6th of sic in C-level finals
M2x 2nd of four in C-level finals
W4x 3rd of three in B-level finals
M4x 5th of five in C-level finals
M8+ 1st of three in B-level finals
Level Finals:
W1x [B]
LW2x [B]
LM4- [B]
M4- [A]
LM4x [B]
Crews in Medal Position:
W2-
LW4x
W4-
M4+
W8+
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships Day 3
Just a quick update now with full results later.
In today's second semifinal, the U.S. lightweight men's quad today off in last place but by the halfway mark had moved all the way to fourth. At the end, they were just 1.72 seconds away from making the A-level finals. The boat will compete in the B-level finals tomorrow.
Team USA made up an amazing deficit in the second 500, pulling a 1:27.32, more than 2 seconds better than their previous split, and the second-best overall split for the second 500, behind Germany. By the third 500 the U.S. was within .57 seconds of third-place France, but could not respond to France's sprint. France ended up posting a 1:28.77 split for the fourth 500, the fastest of that quarter.
The U.S. crew will face Denmark, Turkey, Czech Republic, Spain and Sweden in the B-level finals. From the times posted, it looks like the U.S. boat has a good shot at first in the B-level finals, or 7th place overall. Break an oar, guys!
The A-level finals will consist of Italy, Hungary, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and France.
Here are the results from World Rowing:
Semifinal 1:
Semifinal 2:
In today's second semifinal, the U.S. lightweight men's quad today off in last place but by the halfway mark had moved all the way to fourth. At the end, they were just 1.72 seconds away from making the A-level finals. The boat will compete in the B-level finals tomorrow.
Team USA made up an amazing deficit in the second 500, pulling a 1:27.32, more than 2 seconds better than their previous split, and the second-best overall split for the second 500, behind Germany. By the third 500 the U.S. was within .57 seconds of third-place France, but could not respond to France's sprint. France ended up posting a 1:28.77 split for the fourth 500, the fastest of that quarter.
The U.S. crew will face Denmark, Turkey, Czech Republic, Spain and Sweden in the B-level finals. From the times posted, it looks like the U.S. boat has a good shot at first in the B-level finals, or 7th place overall. Break an oar, guys!
The A-level finals will consist of Italy, Hungary, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and France.
Here are the results from World Rowing:
Semifinal 1:
| Nation 1 ITA | 500m 1:25.54 (1) | 1,000m 2:52.77 (1) | 1,500m 4:21.12 (1) | Finish 5:49.69 | Lane 4 |
| 2 HUN | 1:26.01 (2) | 2:54.26 (2) | 4:24.51 (2) | 5:53.70 | 5 |
| 3 GBR | 1:26.30 (3) | 2:55.67 (3) | 4:25.25 (3) | 5:54.73 | 3 |
| 4 CZE | 1:26.75 (4) | 2:57.44 (4) | 4:29.64 (4) | 6:02.60 | 6 |
| 5 ESP | 1:28.00 (5) | 2:58.88 (5) | 4:31.40 (5) | 6:04.85 | 1 |
| 6 SWE | 1:28.46 (6) | 3:00.47 (6) | 4:34.64 (6) | 6:06.79 | 2 |
Semifinal 2:
| Nation 1 GER | 500m 1:25.96 (1) | 1,000m 2:53.02 (1) | 1,500m 4:22.26 (1) | 2,000m 5:51.37 | Lane 3 |
| 2 RUS | 1:27.89 (3) | 2:56.18 (2) | 4:25.19 (2) | 5:54.59 | 4 |
| 3 FRA | 1:26.97 (2) | 2:56.37 (3) | 4:26.27 (3) | 5:55.04 | 2 |
| 4 USA | 1:29.91 (6) | 2:57.23 (4) | 4:26.84 (4) | 5:56.76 | 5 |
| 5 DEN | 1:28.65 (4) | 2:59.05 (5) | 4:30.86 (5) | 6:00.98 | 1 |
| 6 TUR | 1:29.32 (5) | 3:00.49 (6) | 4:36.65 (6) | 6:11.63 | 6 |
Friday, July 24, 2009
"Political Shenanigans": New Jersey is a Caricature of Itself
"Massive N.J. Corruption Sting Targets Mayors, Legislators, Rabbis." So reads the headline from New Jersey's Star Ledger.
It's the biggest news that isn't. Really, I am surprised that "Corruption in N.J." isn't a tag on Fark Florida gets one, why not the Garden State? I'll admit, I meant that as a joke until I read the story on NJ.com, the Star Ledger's Web site. At the bottom of the story was a a Corruption in NJ tag. Let me repeat that. NJ.com has a state-corruption section on its site. Seriously.
Wall Street Journal writers Amir Efrati, Suzanne Sataline and Dionne Searcey latched onto Jersey stereotypes for the Journal's front-page coverage, which was somewhat deserved (this being corruption in New Jersey) and sometimes not.
Examples of taking the Jersey stereotype too far include the two references to "The Sopranos" in the first five paragraphs and these gems:
However, I did enjoy the reference to kidney trafficking as being "a lucrative, illegal industry and not one that's typically showcased alongside political shenanigans."
It's the biggest news that isn't. Really, I am surprised that "Corruption in N.J." isn't a tag on Fark Florida gets one, why not the Garden State? I'll admit, I meant that as a joke until I read the story on NJ.com, the Star Ledger's Web site. At the bottom of the story was a a Corruption in NJ tag. Let me repeat that. NJ.com has a state-corruption section on its site. Seriously.
Wall Street Journal writers Amir Efrati, Suzanne Sataline and Dionne Searcey latched onto Jersey stereotypes for the Journal's front-page coverage, which was somewhat deserved (this being corruption in New Jersey) and sometimes not.
Examples of taking the Jersey stereotype too far include the two references to "The Sopranos" in the first five paragraphs and these gems:
Court documents read like a pulp crime novel. At one point, Mr. Dwek (described as a "cooperating witness" in criminal complaints) is quoted saying to an alleged money-launderer: "I have at least $100,000 a month coming from money I 'schnookied' from banks for bad loans."Then there is the use of dialect in a sidebar that you only got reading the print version. Next to a picture of Acting U.S. Attorney General Ralph J. Marra Jr. doing his best at mobster-style hand motioning is the following:
Another time, Mr. Dwek gave one of the alleged co-conspirators a box of Apple Jacks cereal stuffed with $97,000 cash, the documents say.
-and-
"Business is very good. Prada, Gucci, boom, boom, boom," Mr. Dwek boasted at one point, according to court papers.
Solomon Dwek: 'I wanna do, eh, I need a zone change, I need something, I wanna make sure that I, you know, you, you're my man.'All of a sudden I want some pizza. Or maybe some diner grub.
Peter Cammarano: 'I promise you...you're gonna be, you're gonna be treated like a friend.'
However, I did enjoy the reference to kidney trafficking as being "a lucrative, illegal industry and not one that's typically showcased alongside political shenanigans."
I don't know. Though by definition shenanigans could mean any surreptitious or mischievous behavior, I generally put it more on par with making out in the backseat of a car or lighting fireworks in a parking lot, not money laundering and cash bribes. However, when you're giving someone $97,000 in a cereal box, the whole thing might actually qualify as shenanigans.
I like that word so much I might re-name this blog.
The kicker quote just about summed it all up for me:Some residents there said they weren't so surprised. "It happens everywhere in New Jersey," said James Goggin, a Hoboken resident. "I'll tell you one thing -- it never gets boring here. But sometimes I wish it would."But then how could anyone possibly make this story interesting without relying on stereotypes?
Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships Day 2
First day of racing on the official U23 LM4x blog here.
After a hot day of racing, a storm rolled through Racice last night, with winds at a blistering 30 m/s (67 miles per hour). Luckily, racing had been advanced two hours, so there were not any problems with rowers. The boats are a different story.
According to World Rowing:
One of the quirks of the World Rowing system is that everyone gets to race in a final to receive a ranking. Therefore there are six "final" races for the lightweight men's single sculls, and four for four other events.
Today the women's four and women's single sculls both finished second in their repechage races. The four will compete in the finals Sunday, while Helen Tompkins in the single will duke it out in the A-level semifinals tomorrow.
The lightweight women’s double sculls, lightweight men’s four, men’s four and lightweight men’s quadruple sculls did not race today, having advanced yesterday straight to Saturday's semifinals. The women's pair, men's four with coxswain, lightweight women's quadruple sculls and women's eight advanced directly to Sunday's final.
The above ten crews (W1x, W2-, LW2x, W4-, LM4-, M4-, M4+, LW4x and LM4x, W8+) are all in medal position.
In other USA news:
The M1x had a tight finish as Argentina's Brian Rosso beat Belgium's Bram Dubois to the finish line by .7 seconds, posting a 7:04.07. Over six seconds behind heading into the final 500 meters, USA's Stephen Lambers made a huge sprint, coming to within one second of Dubois and posting a 7:05.71, just short of making the A/B-level seminfinals.
The M2- missed qualifying for the A-level final in its repechage, losing by 20 seconds to second-place France. It was an incredible battle for first, though, as Germany beat France by .08 seconds, with a time of 6:39.87.
The LW1x is heading to the C-level final.
The LM1x is heading to the C/D-level semifinal.
The M2- is heading to the C-level finals after losing to Georgia by a second and a half.
The W2x is heading to the B-level finals after finishing sixth in their repechage.
The LM2x is heading to the C/D-level semifinals.
The M2x is heading to the C-level finals.
The W4x is heading to the B-level finals.
The M4x is heading to the C/D-level semifinals.
The M8+ is heading to the B-level finals.
Rowing resumes tomorrow, bright and early.
Day 2 results here [.pdf].
Previous results, entries, start lists here.
World Rowing coverage here.
USRowing coverage here.
U.S. boats underweight? here.
After a hot day of racing, a storm rolled through Racice last night, with winds at a blistering 30 m/s (67 miles per hour). Luckily, racing had been advanced two hours, so there were not any problems with rowers. The boats are a different story.
According to World Rowing:
The terrible news is that a rack of men’s coxed four boats was picked up by the wind, embroiled like a tumble weed until it was stopped by a nearby truck. The coxed fours were from Great Britain, Germany, Ukraine, Italy, New Zealand, France, and USA. A Croatian boat was also involved, but it might be able to be repaired, according to Rainer Empacher of the German Empacher boatbuilders. Italian boatbuilder, Filippi has already organised special transport to be made tomorrow for two coxed fours from Italy. The German team has kindly offered their spare coxed four for use. The Czech Rowing Federation and the German Rowing Federation will be looking for other coxed fours for the remaining teams.The wonderful thing about rowing is that boat builders do come to regattas and do care about the teams that use their boats. Also, teams will offer boats and oars to teams whose equipment has been damaged (or who don't want to ship the shells and blades overseas).
On top of this, the fours rack rolled over the Polish women’s eight and the boat was deemed not repairable at the regatta. The Polish will bring another eight from Poland on Friday. The German women’s eight was also damaged but can be repaired in time for their next race. A few other boats were damaged and more will be known about the damage on Friday.
- - -
One of the quirks of the World Rowing system is that everyone gets to race in a final to receive a ranking. Therefore there are six "final" races for the lightweight men's single sculls, and four for four other events.
Today the women's four and women's single sculls both finished second in their repechage races. The four will compete in the finals Sunday, while Helen Tompkins in the single will duke it out in the A-level semifinals tomorrow.
The lightweight women’s double sculls, lightweight men’s four, men’s four and lightweight men’s quadruple sculls did not race today, having advanced yesterday straight to Saturday's semifinals. The women's pair, men's four with coxswain, lightweight women's quadruple sculls and women's eight advanced directly to Sunday's final.
The above ten crews (W1x, W2-, LW2x, W4-, LM4-, M4-, M4+, LW4x and LM4x, W8+) are all in medal position.
In other USA news:
The M1x had a tight finish as Argentina's Brian Rosso beat Belgium's Bram Dubois to the finish line by .7 seconds, posting a 7:04.07. Over six seconds behind heading into the final 500 meters, USA's Stephen Lambers made a huge sprint, coming to within one second of Dubois and posting a 7:05.71, just short of making the A/B-level seminfinals.
The M2- missed qualifying for the A-level final in its repechage, losing by 20 seconds to second-place France. It was an incredible battle for first, though, as Germany beat France by .08 seconds, with a time of 6:39.87.
The LW1x is heading to the C-level final.
The LM1x is heading to the C/D-level semifinal.
The M2- is heading to the C-level finals after losing to Georgia by a second and a half.
The W2x is heading to the B-level finals after finishing sixth in their repechage.
The LM2x is heading to the C/D-level semifinals.
The M2x is heading to the C-level finals.
The W4x is heading to the B-level finals.
The M4x is heading to the C/D-level semifinals.
The M8+ is heading to the B-level finals.
Rowing resumes tomorrow, bright and early.
Day 2 results here [.pdf].
Previous results, entries, start lists here.
World Rowing coverage here.
USRowing coverage here.
U.S. boats underweight? here.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Blogging the U23 World Rowing Championships
Today marked the first day of rowing at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.
The USA lightweight men's quadruple sculls placed third in their heat to advance to the semifinals. Falling behind Germany's 6:08.83 and Hungary's 6:14.40, USA posted a 6:17.15, nearly 30 seconds ahead of Venezuela. Because USA was not pushed for placement, it's unknown what they are capable of facing tougher competition.
The fastest time of the morning was a 6:04.41, posted by Italy.
Repechages* and quarterfinals will be raced Friday, semifinals Saturday and Finals Sunday. Our boys (men?) get a day of rest.
If you're interested in checking out other races, the start list can be found in .pdf format here. Or you could get up early in the morning to check out the live race viewer.
Full Results:
The defending U.S. women's eight won their heat, along with the women's pair and lightweight men's four.
Teams advancing:
LM1x [Quarters]
W2- [Finals]
LW2x [Semis]
M4- [Semis]
LW4x [Finals]
LM4x [Semis]
LM4- [Semis]
M4+ [Finals]
W8+ [Finals]
Teams racing in repechages* tomorrow:
LW1x
W1x
M1x
LM2-
M2-
LM2x
W2x
M2x
W4-
W4x
M4x
M8+
*Repechage: French for "re-fishing," this is a consolation race for lower-placing teams that allows the winner(s) to get back into the medal bracket.
Complete results here [.pdf].
World Rowing coverage here.
USRowing coverage here.
The USA lightweight men's quadruple sculls placed third in their heat to advance to the semifinals. Falling behind Germany's 6:08.83 and Hungary's 6:14.40, USA posted a 6:17.15, nearly 30 seconds ahead of Venezuela. Because USA was not pushed for placement, it's unknown what they are capable of facing tougher competition.
The fastest time of the morning was a 6:04.41, posted by Italy.
Repechages* and quarterfinals will be raced Friday, semifinals Saturday and Finals Sunday. Our boys (men?) get a day of rest.
If you're interested in checking out other races, the start list can be found in .pdf format here. Or you could get up early in the morning to check out the live race viewer.
Full Results:
The defending U.S. women's eight won their heat, along with the women's pair and lightweight men's four.
Teams advancing:
LM1x [Quarters]
W2- [Finals]
LW2x [Semis]
M4- [Semis]
LW4x [Finals]
LM4x [Semis]
LM4- [Semis]
M4+ [Finals]
W8+ [Finals]
Teams racing in repechages* tomorrow:
LW1x
W1x
M1x
LM2-
M2-
LM2x
W2x
M2x
W4-
W4x
M4x
M8+
*Repechage: French for "re-fishing," this is a consolation race for lower-placing teams that allows the winner(s) to get back into the medal bracket.
Complete results here [.pdf].
World Rowing coverage here.
USRowing coverage here.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Something in the Water
One of the Ithaca Times editors today walked into my "office" (an open space next to the managing editor's/A&E editor's office) and asked me whether I'd written the cover story for the issue that hit newsstands today. I told him I hadn't, and he said, good, because Cornell could make you disappear for that sort of thing.
"Calling yourself Mark Twain, or even better, Hemingway, is a good idea for an article like this," he said. "And leave no forwarding address."
The story is good at explaining the scientific aspects, but if I had written it, there are a few things I would have changed:Cay
"Calling yourself Mark Twain, or even better, Hemingway, is a good idea for an article like this," he said. "And leave no forwarding address."
The story is good at explaining the scientific aspects, but if I had written it, there are a few things I would have changed:Cay
- Include more than two sources, especially for a front-page story.
- Talked to someone from Cornell, because the article in a large way concerns the school.
- Pit the two sources against each other. Let each know what the other is saying so they can respond.
- Do not have Hang defending himself in the third paragraph. Save that for later. Because Hang apologizes before attacking Cornell, he appears as a very weak character.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Keeping Busy
Work done for the GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance:
Preview Article - Old Becomes New
Preview Article - May We Have This Dance?
Blog Post - Learning to Dance
Preview Article - Old Becomes New
Preview Article - May We Have This Dance?
Blog Post - Learning to Dance
Monday, July 20, 2009
Experiment in Different Media
My mom instilled in me a love of comics from an early age. Now that I don't get a paper with comics, anymore, I have turned to the web to get my fix.
I love webcomics. My current list of daily visits includes XKCD, Pictures for Sad Children, Doonesbury, Questionable Content, Penny Arcade, Garfield Minus Garfield, Bunny, Exploding Dog and Dog Hates Me.
Some are serious, some are political, some are silly, some are funny. I could be doing something more worthwhile like reading the news, but the comics gives me a good start to my day of avoiding Michael Jackson coverage.
Today I had the idea of drawing comics for this blog. Nothing fancy - and it'll probably be considered a cheap imitation of XKCD, but I think I've actually been doing stick figure cartoons for longer than XKCD has been around. My "Storming of the Met" series was created in December, 2004:
In eighth grade I remember doing a series of political cartoons that I can't find at the moment, and I've been drawing ever since. Maybe this will just be a failed experiment, but it will be an experiment nonetheless. Of course, now that I've actually committed myself to this project, I'm not sure whether my creativity will continue to flow.
"It was, of course, a joint effort."
I love webcomics. My current list of daily visits includes XKCD, Pictures for Sad Children, Doonesbury, Questionable Content, Penny Arcade, Garfield Minus Garfield, Bunny, Exploding Dog and Dog Hates Me.
Some are serious, some are political, some are silly, some are funny. I could be doing something more worthwhile like reading the news, but the comics gives me a good start to my day of avoiding Michael Jackson coverage.
Today I had the idea of drawing comics for this blog. Nothing fancy - and it'll probably be considered a cheap imitation of XKCD, but I think I've actually been doing stick figure cartoons for longer than XKCD has been around. My "Storming of the Met" series was created in December, 2004:
In eighth grade I remember doing a series of political cartoons that I can't find at the moment, and I've been drawing ever since. Maybe this will just be a failed experiment, but it will be an experiment nonetheless. Of course, now that I've actually committed myself to this project, I'm not sure whether my creativity will continue to flow.
"It was, of course, a joint effort."
Sunday, July 19, 2009
There's coverage of Walter Cronkite's death...
...And then there's Glenn Greenwald's coverage of Walter Cronkite's death:
Also to consider: this essay.
[Consensus reality] can be a glorious expression of democracy, or it can lead, as it did Saturday morning, to the most e-mailed story on Yahoo! News being the one about the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile crashing into a house in Wisconsin. Democracy has a way of being quite democratic.
It seems that neither method really is entirely effective.
Cronkite's version of the news covered specific items with accuracy, insight and fearlessness, but lacked range (as opposed to today) because of the medium he was working in.
Today's version of the news covers nearly everything, but is too often from a partisan point of view or is misleading or incorrect. Because of the democratization of media, more people (people not even on network television!) like Glenn Greenwald and Amy Goodman can get to the bottom of things. The problem is picking their truth from a field of lies.
So which do you prefer?
All of that was ignored when he died, with establishment media figures exploiting his death to suggest that his greatness reflected well on what they do, as though what he did was the same thing as what they do (much the same way that Martin Luther King's vehement criticisms of the United States generally and its imperialism and aggression specifically have been entirely whitewashed from his hagiography).Greenwald has this way of making me feel like I have to go to confession - forgive me father, for I have not fought for Truth recently. But he does make a good point. Some journalists are exploiting his death, in a way, by saying they are like him. Others, though, merely describe his greatness. The problem is that Cronkite embodies what every journalist should be (which includes me, of course, so I'm not a true journalist).
...
Cronkite's best moment was when he did exactly that which the modern journalist today insists they must not ever do -- directly contradict claims from government and military officials and suggest that such claims should not be believed. These days, our leading media outlets won't even use words that are disapproved of by the Government.
Also to consider: this essay.
[Consensus reality] can be a glorious expression of democracy, or it can lead, as it did Saturday morning, to the most e-mailed story on Yahoo! News being the one about the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile crashing into a house in Wisconsin. Democracy has a way of being quite democratic.
It seems that neither method really is entirely effective.
Cronkite's version of the news covered specific items with accuracy, insight and fearlessness, but lacked range (as opposed to today) because of the medium he was working in.
Today's version of the news covers nearly everything, but is too often from a partisan point of view or is misleading or incorrect. Because of the democratization of media, more people (people not even on network television!) like Glenn Greenwald and Amy Goodman can get to the bottom of things. The problem is picking their truth from a field of lies.
So which do you prefer?
Sex, Lies, Videotape/Sex, Truth, HD-DVD
Interesting find on Graph Jam:
see more Funny Graphs
Entitled "What I Learned in Journalism School," the venn diagram shows the overlap of Truth and Fiction as Marketing.
Ah, but what is "truth," you ask.
You didn't? Oh. Well... Uh, let's move on then.
I found this exchange in the comments pretty interesting:
see more Funny Graphs
Entitled "What I Learned in Journalism School," the venn diagram shows the overlap of Truth and Fiction as Marketing.
Ah, but what is "truth," you ask.
You didn't? Oh. Well... Uh, let's move on then.
I found this exchange in the comments pretty interesting:
Everyone’s a journalist now with their blogs and social networking.
Re: darn those teenagers and their social networking…
Re: Re: Yeah, it cheapens real journalism.
Re: Re: Re: That’s a bit like saying “Girls Gone Wild” cheapens the local prostitutes…
There are plenty of bloggers that create better works of journalism than the MSM. More on that in the next post.
And while the last comment infers that you will always visit your favorite trusted sources even though there are a bunch of people creating amateur content, there are still plenty of independent places out there producing high-quality content.
I'll let that image sink in for a while. Just try not to think of your favorite blogger, you know, producing high-quality content [both are SFW] (ok, technically the second is high-definition, but I think the idea is pretty funny).
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Midas Update
I received an e-mail at 4:08 p.m. July 14 regarding the e-mail I sent off to the Midas corporation - pretty prompt, considering I sent the e-mail around 3:00. Even more impressive was the call I received at 5:21 from (315) 458-6968, based in Syracuse, the regional headquarters for Midas. I informed the man on the line I was busy and asked if he could call back later. "Sure," he said, but he never did.
In any case, I am not unsatisfied that they claim to be looking into the matter, even if I am not offering any other assistance. Here is the text of the e-mail message I received:
In any case, I am not unsatisfied that they claim to be looking into the matter, even if I am not offering any other assistance. Here is the text of the e-mail message I received:
Case #:92384
Dear Mr. _____,
Thank you for taking the time out to contact our office regarding your experience with the Midas program. We are truly sorry for having disappointed you.
Midas appreciates being informed of your situation. We have also referred this matter directly to the franchisee for further explanation and handling. You may expect to hear directly from their office within the next three business days. As a business person with ties to the community, they have a strong interest in resolving any difficulties their customers encounter. Your feedback will be acted upon to improve our service.
If you have any additional questions or comments, you may reach us directly at 1-800-621-8380, Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:00pm CST.
Sincerely,
Midas International Corporation
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Fool Me Once...
Below is an e-mail I sent to Midas headquarters today. I had to do good on my promise.
To whom it may concern,
I came into the Ithaca Midas today (7/14) and told the man behind the desk my car needed an oil change and that my service engine light was on. I sat and waited, never having signed a contract, until a man name Dave emerged to tell me what was wrong with my car.
Dave said in addition to the oil change I needed to replace my front sway bar ($437.77), new oxygen sensors ($571.98), a smoke leak detection service ($39.99), and a fuel system cleaning ($69.99). I told him I’d like to consider it and called my mechanic at home (in New Jersey – I am a student at Ithaca College). The mechanic said he could replace the sway bar for $250, well below Dave’s price. He would like to look personally at the other things.
I came back in, but Dave was running an errand. When he returned, I told him I did not want any service done on my car – that a mechanic back home would do it for cheaper. He made a snide comment that I “didn’t have to wait,” and I told him I though he should know I can get it done for cheaper elsewhere. Dave told the mechanics in the shop to “ship it” and as I stepped in my car I was informed that I still needed to pay for the oil change. Having not signed for the oil change, I was surprised, but I figured my car needed it anyway.
Upon re-entering the store, I was informed I would have to pay $97.18 for the “service” done to my vehicle. Dave said the oil change came to $27.99 and that diagnostics (on the bill as “Diagnose Engine with Scan Tool”) came to $69.99. I told Dave I would not be paying, as I had not signed a work authorization contract and was never informed of the expense of the work done on my car. After a bit of discussion, Dave agreed to only have me pay for the oil change (which I also did not sign for). I almost did not pay, but Dave threatened to report me to the police, so I paid $22 in cash, using a $6 discount coupon, and told Dave to keep the change. On the way out Dave made snide remarks toward me and my mechanic at home, informed me of the “40 satisfied customers” he currently had, and otherwise acted in a very unprofessional manner.
I have poured nearly $1,000 into the Ithaca Midas, and feel I have been used. Perhaps I am being used because I am an out-of-state college student. Perhaps their shop overcharges on everything. In any case, I got my tires replaced for nearly half of the Ithaca Midas’s estimated price at another shop. I feel that Ithaca Midas, and Dave in particular, has taken advantage of me. I have no idea how much money I have wasted using that location’s services, but any amount is too much.
Dave must be reprimanded for his actions – his rudeness, his shady dealing, his blatant disregard for obligatory contracts and work authorizations. While I understand that compensation might not be possible for me, I want to ensure that others are not taken advantage of in the same manner. You have lost a customer for life, and this is a story that I will share with my friends and family so that they too will be protected. I will try my hardest to ensure they and I will never enter and therefore never be taken advantage of at any Midas shop ever again.
Sincerely,
_____
[/flame]
Haha, I was originally planning on posting a discussion on this yesterday, but the real-life situation just makes for a much better story and will raise, I think, better responses.
To whom it may concern,
I came into the Ithaca Midas today (7/14) and told the man behind the desk my car needed an oil change and that my service engine light was on. I sat and waited, never having signed a contract, until a man name Dave emerged to tell me what was wrong with my car.
Dave said in addition to the oil change I needed to replace my front sway bar ($437.77), new oxygen sensors ($571.98), a smoke leak detection service ($39.99), and a fuel system cleaning ($69.99). I told him I’d like to consider it and called my mechanic at home (in New Jersey – I am a student at Ithaca College). The mechanic said he could replace the sway bar for $250, well below Dave’s price. He would like to look personally at the other things.
I came back in, but Dave was running an errand. When he returned, I told him I did not want any service done on my car – that a mechanic back home would do it for cheaper. He made a snide comment that I “didn’t have to wait,” and I told him I though he should know I can get it done for cheaper elsewhere. Dave told the mechanics in the shop to “ship it” and as I stepped in my car I was informed that I still needed to pay for the oil change. Having not signed for the oil change, I was surprised, but I figured my car needed it anyway.
Upon re-entering the store, I was informed I would have to pay $97.18 for the “service” done to my vehicle. Dave said the oil change came to $27.99 and that diagnostics (on the bill as “Diagnose Engine with Scan Tool”) came to $69.99. I told Dave I would not be paying, as I had not signed a work authorization contract and was never informed of the expense of the work done on my car. After a bit of discussion, Dave agreed to only have me pay for the oil change (which I also did not sign for). I almost did not pay, but Dave threatened to report me to the police, so I paid $22 in cash, using a $6 discount coupon, and told Dave to keep the change. On the way out Dave made snide remarks toward me and my mechanic at home, informed me of the “40 satisfied customers” he currently had, and otherwise acted in a very unprofessional manner.
I have poured nearly $1,000 into the Ithaca Midas, and feel I have been used. Perhaps I am being used because I am an out-of-state college student. Perhaps their shop overcharges on everything. In any case, I got my tires replaced for nearly half of the Ithaca Midas’s estimated price at another shop. I feel that Ithaca Midas, and Dave in particular, has taken advantage of me. I have no idea how much money I have wasted using that location’s services, but any amount is too much.
Dave must be reprimanded for his actions – his rudeness, his shady dealing, his blatant disregard for obligatory contracts and work authorizations. While I understand that compensation might not be possible for me, I want to ensure that others are not taken advantage of in the same manner. You have lost a customer for life, and this is a story that I will share with my friends and family so that they too will be protected. I will try my hardest to ensure they and I will never enter and therefore never be taken advantage of at any Midas shop ever again.
Sincerely,
_____
[/flame]
Haha, I was originally planning on posting a discussion on this yesterday, but the real-life situation just makes for a much better story and will raise, I think, better responses.
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Economoy as Kryptonite?
Interesting commentary in last Friday's Wall Street Journal. Jonathon V. Last's "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...Obama" details the president's depiction in comic books without making any snide comments about Obama's celebrity (which I rather expected, reading the "Taste" section of the WSJ). Mr. Last instead takes aims at the corporations that have cashed in on Obama's image.
There is definitely a college course somewhere in here. As I envision it, it would be a combination of English, history, politics, business and marketing. It would really be a "liberal arts" course (Oh man, I am almost as clever as Philadelphia Inquirer writer Peter Mucha!).
Oh, and my favorite part of the article has to be the last graf, something that I would not expect in the MSM but which could be printed because the Journal sees itself as tough on Obama:
There is definitely a college course somewhere in here. As I envision it, it would be a combination of English, history, politics, business and marketing. It would really be a "liberal arts" course (Oh man, I am almost as clever as Philadelphia Inquirer writer Peter Mucha!).
Oh, and my favorite part of the article has to be the last graf, something that I would not expect in the MSM but which could be printed because the Journal sees itself as tough on Obama:
The alternative is that the comic-book [sic] establishment finally feels liberated to let loose its political fantasies. Let's hope it's just commercialism. The last thing we need is comic books descending to the level of respectable mainstream journalism.
Is Google cashing in on Geico's success?
I'm sure most people have seen Geico's creepy/awesome "Money You Can Be Saving" Character:
But has anyone seen this guy?
It's apparently the new mascot for AdWords. Weird. While I am sure no one holds a patent on googly-eyed characters, it seems like such a blatant rip-off.
But has anyone seen this guy?
It's apparently the new mascot for AdWords. Weird. While I am sure no one holds a patent on googly-eyed characters, it seems like such a blatant rip-off.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Send Rowers Places
Reposted from the Facebook group, Send the Men's U23 Lightweight Quad to Worlds!:
The four of us just qualified to go to the Under 23 World Championships. This is an extremely costly endeavor for all of us and we need everyones help to do it. Worlds is in Prague, Czech Republic which makes it that much more expensive.Read Pete's story here. Feel free to join me in making some dreams come true.
We are in the Lightweight 4x...
4 - Bob Duff
3 - Mike Nucci
2 - Pete Orlando
1 - Will Kelly
Unfortunately, the US doesn't pay for us, so we need everyone's help even if it's a couple bucks.
We are flying out to Prague on July 18th to kick some European ass.
You can help us by going to this website...
http://www.firstgiving.com/guenterbeutter1
THANKS
Epiphany Projects
Recently I had a piece published in the Ithaca Times on Epiphany Project, who played Cornell's Schwartz Center June 30. I asked my editor about publishing the entire interview, but she has not gotten around to it, so it's printed below the rest of this post (I'll tell you when).
Ephiphany Project's most recent album, Hin Dagh, was recorded in Armenia while Bet Williams and John Hodian, who form the band, travelled there. It is a collection of ancient texts sung by Williams and accompanied by Hodian on piano as well as a number of Armenian musicians. The music is haunting, uplifting, and spiritual in ways that have nothing and everything to do with religion.
The show featured but three musicians: Williams, Hodian and drummer Mal Stein. Hearing live renditions of album cuts is exciting, even more so when the arrangement is mixed up. Live, Epiphany Project was able to maintain the intensity of the album with an entirely different arrangement. They played with such a full sound that at times I was amazed that but three performers were on stage.
It's like when you hear an acoustic version of your favorite rock cut and you think, "Wow. This is even better than the original."
But to describe their music would be to do it a disservice. I will let you go and discover that yourself. I will tell you one thing though: Williams teased the audience with a brief bit of Tuvan throat singing at the end of Tubwahun and one other song that escapes me at the moment and...wow. What a talented vocalist.
Working with these musicians really gives me a sense of the unclassifiability of a lot of independent (not "indie rock," but independent of a mainstream record label) bands. I think I'll start calling them hyphen- bands, because it's always something like bluegrass-jazz-zydeco-rock-oldtimecountry or world-jazz-rock-classical. Especially writing articles for the upcoming GrassRoots Festival. The more you define about a band, the less you describe what they actually sound like. It's like anti-journalism: to understand it, you must be descriptive; by describing it with these broad terms like "rock" or "bluegrass" you actually move away from what you are seeking to describe. Very Tao.
So much so, that I am reminded of The Tao of Physics, one of my favorite reads ever. It seeks to bridge quantum physics and Eastern religion, and even if you know little about either, the book will help you to understand both, as well as the relationship between the two.
Sure enough, that book was criticized by physicists who said that author Fritjof Capra didn't really understand the work that goes into physics. It simplified things a bit, which all literature does simply by the inadequacies of language. The Tao Te Ching describes it this way:
[As reached via cell phone at their Woodstock recording studio]
Chris:
How do you pronounce the name of Hin Dagh, your most recent album?
John:
Heen-Dah.
Chris:
And what does that mean?
John:
It means “ancient ode” or ancient text.”
Chris:
Which makes sense, given the composition of the CD. What language is that?
John:
Armenian. We recorded that album in Armenia
Chris:
You have a personal connection to Armenia. What is it that drew you there?
John:
Well, I’m Armenian. I’d never been there before. My parents were born here as well, but my grandmother lived there, a survivor of the Armenia Genocide.
Somebody who does a lot of work over there, who has an organization called the Naregatsi Art Institute, a wonderful, philanthropic arts organization, he had heard of my work somehow. [He] arranged to get together with me and basically talked me into going over there, which I never thought I’d do necessarily, especially at the time, because Bet and I had just had a son who was about nine months old.
We went over there and we completely fell in love with the country, with the people, with the work this guy was doing at the Naregatsi Art Institute. And I started working a lot with composers over there. It’s a fascinating country. I think I’d be fascinated by it even if I wasn’t Armenian. It’s got so many things going against it and so many things going for it. It’s the only Christian country in the middle of all these Muslim countries. It’s got a lot of problems with its neighbors, both with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Its only friendly neighbor is Iran.
All the people – not all of them – but a lot of artists, a lot of poets, a lot of composers, a lot of painters – all the streets are named after composers and painters and architects – it’s just a fascinating place, it really is. Especially if you have any interest in history. We’re so used to kind of an American version of history or even a European one, and it’s “oh, wow, this goes back to 1700-something.” A lot of people over there are really more in touch with truly ancient history.
Chris:
I didn’t know there was so much history around there.
John:
Well it’s truly the cradle of civilization.
Chris:
So you were finding these ancient texts there. How did you choose which ones to include in your work?
John:
Oh, it just had to be something that was inspiring. you might want to talk to Bet about that one. She tends to be more on the text part of things. I tend to be more on the music part of things. But as we discovered texts and decided we wanted to sing them, that kind of set us off purposely looking for more texts and meeting scholars or in some cases people who were practicing these texts.
Chris:
What were your influences, then, going into the project?
John:
My influences are pretty wide. I grew up in a house where all they listened to was Armenian music. But I also grew up outside of Philadelphia, so as a kid growing up there was no getting around popular music, which is everything from conventional popular music: the Beatles, Motown, that sort of stuff. But then most of my training was in classical music. I spent a lot of years studying classical composition and piano and what not. Bet, on the other hand, has almost the exact opposite situation. All the things that we missing in me, she sort of has. She’s more of a singer-songwriter, which I never was. She was very involved in musical theater. Her father directed musicals, she’s been in a lot of musicals. And she had classical voice training, making her more of a singer-songwriter. At first glance we wouldn’t have that much to do with each other, at least on paper. But as a composer, I was really interested in finding a voice to write for. As a singer-songwriter, Bet was doing more conventional songs, but she was also experimenting: doing things with backwards vocals and strange tunings. And it’s in that kind of in-between netherworld – between classical music and world music and experimental stuff, and folk music – that we met, and that gave birth to Epiphany Project. So our influences are all that stuff, but we never sit down and consciously try to doing things, even with this. We didn’t say “Hey, let’s write a world music record that deals with ancient texts.” It just is what it is. We just did it because we happened to be in Armenia at that time, traveling around a lot in the rural parts of the country. And it was time for a new Epiphany Record. And that’s what came out. By recording over there we were able to work with a lot of phenomenal Armenian musicians. It presented a lot of challenges, but also a lot of great opportunities.
Chris:
How does recording in Armenia compare to recording in Armenia?
John:
Well, it’s hard. Armenia’s a very poor country. It’s almost – you cannot find a good piano to record on. There’s one decent piano in the opera house, and if you lobby them for months and months they might let you record on it, but then you still have to slip the guard $100 at the last minute. I say all this because it’s something that we did at one point. So just in terms of resources like that, it’s really, really hard. In terms of resources like musicians and talent, it’s fantastic. We used a lot of instruments like kamancha and duduk and things we wouldn’t have access to here. I mean you can find people who play those instruments, but maybe not as genuinely, as wonderfully as people over there.
Chris:
You do a lot of touring in Europe, in Germany in particular. What draws you there?
John:
They want us there? [chuckles] We tend to go where we’re wanted, where we have more of a following. For us, we happen to have more of a following there. Plus our agent is in Germany and most of our support is there.
Chris:
What brings you to Cornell?
John:
I’m not really sure how they heard us or heard of us. But we’re really looking forward to playing there. I haven’t been in the hall, but I’ve looked at it and I’ve heard it’s really wonderful, and the piano plays wonderful, which is something I’m looking forward to. A lot of times you don’t know what you’re gonna get from an instrument. I’m really looking forward to coming up there and playing this show. We’re playing with, Bet and I, with a phenomenal drummer from the Lower East Side who plays a lot of hand percussion. He’s great whether it’s a jazz thing or a world thing or a Middle Eastern thing. He’s great at odd time signatures. When it’s just the three of us, like this concert will be, it leaves things very wide open and becomes a kind of energetic, improvisatory…I find the trio concerts are especially exciting.
Chris:
How do you keep your improvisation fresh in show after show?
John:
The songs are the songs, and they are what they are. But between them there’s a lot of room to do anything. In fact, we almost approach it like jazz music, in that there is what’s called a “head, ” but then how you treat that, and what you do underneath that, and where you go from there is fairly wide open. I wouldn’t be very interested in playing the same thing night after night. I don’t think I’d be able to play the same thing night after night. So my main interest is in trying to start from scratch every night and trying to invent it as much on the spot as possible. And the interaction between the drummer and I, and the way Bet feeds off of that, is I think what makes the live shows so exciting.
Chris:
How about the crowd energy?
John:
That’s really important. That’s almost everything. You can’t do it without that.
Chris:
This might sound silly, but do that American crowds differ from the European crowds in any way?
John:
Sort of. Sometimes the American crowds can seem more boisterous and energetic and enthusiastic. In parts of some countries the crowd is very quiet and sedate. I think, “Gosh, maybe they’re just not getting this or they’re just not liking it. And then you find out at the end, they’ve kind of saved their applause. Then they’re extremely enthusiastic and they’ve been really profoundly moved. They just show it in a different way, which makes sense. American’s just kind of a louder, slightly more boisterous country. The audiences do tend to differ. I also find there’s less age-ism over there. A venue will have young people, old people, middle-aged people, all sorts of people in it. Whereas in America, this place is a rock club, that place is a classical music venue. Those kind of distinctions are not as prevalent over there. Which is helpful to us because it’s kind of hard to figure out what we are, whether it’s a world music thing or folk-rock thing or jazz, and it really comes out in between all that stuff.
Chris:
Is there anything else you would like to add?
John:
Sometimes people, based on whatever they happen to have read, might think, “Oh, it’s very serious thing they’re doing. They’re doing ancient sacred music; we’ll have to be quiet.” like they’re going to church or something. It’s not like that at all. It’s a really energetic, earthy, rhythmic and intense event. Especially seeing Bet, Bet’s a very dynamic, charismatic performer.
[Cell phone changes hands]
Chris:
I read in your e-mail that you’re in the studio right now. Where is that?
Bet:
We’re in Woodstock. We have a studio in an old farmhouse up in Woodstock where we work. We were in the city for many years, but we’re holing up in Woodstock for a while before we go back to Europe – actually to Armenia.
Chris:
Oh, cool, are you touring out there?
Bet:
We’re going to be doing some film stuff. And back to Europe for a tour in August and September.
Chris:
Might I ask what the film’s about?
Bet:
Sure. We’re doing a couple different things. John’s working on some footage form Armenia to do music-driven images of Armenia through the years – found footage, that sort of thing. An artsy project. Then I think we’re going to shoot some video to some of our songs, but we’re not really VH1-ing. But we’re gonna do film to music, that sort of thing.
Chris:
There’s always YouTube or your Web site.
Bet:
Exactly. Which has made this whole new world for people, with YouTube. It’s fascinating.
Chris:
I found some of your work on Youtube, actually. Really cool stuff.
Bet:
Thanks, that’s cool. You know, I kind of overheard what John was saying. It’s tough to say what [the music] is. And I also heard him say that it is successful. It is, and we do a lot of songs in English, too, but this past album happened to be more – actually, there are some English songs on it – but more of it is from the ancient texts or from some poetry.
Chris:
What prompted you to sing the ancient texts on this album?
Bet:
Being in that part of the world, it’s really fascinating. You really feel like, wow, the petroglyphs have been here for thousands of years. I’ve always been fascinated by dead and dying languages. To be able to speak or to try to speak words that people have spoken for thousands of years, to me that’s fascinating. And what people were saying through time, human beings. I’m not a religious person, but I am fascinated by the human experience and human spirituality, what people have been thinking since the dawn of time when they look at the stars, what they think what is the way to be in the world as a human being.
I guess I got drawn into the Aramaic writings because on our first album we had had a song called Tubwahun, which is the beatitudes. A friend of ours from Syria actually gave us a version of Avvon d’Bishmaiya, which is the Lord’s Prayer in the way it is spoken. And translated directly it’s more interesting to me than how it’s come through the King James version or whatever. Then people got wind of the fact that I was looking for ancient texts – I wasn’t trying to do anything specific, but I was just gathering writings form different religions, from different poets and finding, “what’s the link here?” The things I was drawn to seemed to have something in common. John and I started improvising with some of these words and that’s what became the album, some of the improvisations and some of the poetry. One of the songs is from the Zoroastrians, and it’s from one of their ancient prayers, and it basically is about making yourself better for the refreshment of the universe. And I love that. I love that piece of that. I don’t have to agree with anything that any religion says, but if there’s a piece there that’s so beautiful… Or there’s another song, Nainam, on the record, in Sanskrit. It’s basically: weapons cannot destroy the soul, fire cannot destroy the soul, air, water; nothing can destroy the imperishable soul. For this album I took some of the texts and the ancient poetry and I really just put together what was moving for me. Then John and I would go over it and see, “well, how does this work with this music?” And we improvised with some really great musicians in Armenia too, some of the masters. That was a fantastic experience, playing with some of the greatest musicians in Armenia.
Chris:
It seems like the way you describe the way you put together the album, it’s like a piece of this, a piece of that, improvisation. That, for me at least, seems to define your style.
Bet:
[laughs] Yeah, you’re probably right. It does draw from a lot. I guess that’s just how I am with what I’m interested in, even musically: just this and that.
It’s also fun to sing in languages not your own. I think when you speak a different language, whether it’s ancient or French or German or whatever, it moves your mind in a different way. For me, I like that. It’s like poetry; poetry moves your mind in a different way when you speak it. With the concerts I feel a lot of times when I’m connecting to an audience, you can see people moving with you and they add to it too. I love doing this music because, like John was saying, it can reach across – it doesn’t have to be just one thing. I think a lot of people can relate to that, I hope.
Chris:
Have you noticed your music is received differently in different places, like say, America versus Germany?
Bet:
Sure. We’ve been mostly touring in Europe and I think we’ve been touring mostly in Europe because we’re very well accepted there. It is kind of an artsier thing. It’s not pop music, but it’s not inaccessible. Do I think Americans only want pop music? No! But I think as far as audiences, maybe people are willing to try something new and different in Europe. And if they like it, great. Maybe in America people like to categorize things more.
Chris:
It’s not pop, but it still has energy.
Bet:
I think so too. For me, it’s certainly not sedate, and especially with __ Singh, our percussionist, he’s just great. He brings so much to it and he moves right with us, so it’s an evolving thing on stage that can happen, especially with an audience that’s willing. I’m looking forward to coming to Ithaca. I used to come there in college because my college roommate lived there. So I’d go to the Haunt, or whatever. I remember in Ithaca people were definitely into music. So I’m really looking forward to connecting with the people in Ithaca. We have some friends up there who are very into music and it seems like a very musical town.
Chris:
You’re in the studio right now, does that mean you’re recording another album?
Bet:
We are. We’re recording, actually resurrecting, some stuff we worked on years and years ago. There were some old songs and we stumbled across some old pages and said, “Oh, what’s this?” So we’re seeing what’s there and we’re working on some new pieces. We just had the piano tuned and I’m just getting ready to sing some vocals. It’s good, it’s a moist day so that’s good for the voice.
Chris:
Any chance we’ll hear some of that at the upcoming Cornell show?
Bet:
I think we will bring out a couple new pieces, for sure. Yeah…
Ephiphany Project's most recent album, Hin Dagh, was recorded in Armenia while Bet Williams and John Hodian, who form the band, travelled there. It is a collection of ancient texts sung by Williams and accompanied by Hodian on piano as well as a number of Armenian musicians. The music is haunting, uplifting, and spiritual in ways that have nothing and everything to do with religion.
The show featured but three musicians: Williams, Hodian and drummer Mal Stein. Hearing live renditions of album cuts is exciting, even more so when the arrangement is mixed up. Live, Epiphany Project was able to maintain the intensity of the album with an entirely different arrangement. They played with such a full sound that at times I was amazed that but three performers were on stage.
It's like when you hear an acoustic version of your favorite rock cut and you think, "Wow. This is even better than the original."
But to describe their music would be to do it a disservice. I will let you go and discover that yourself. I will tell you one thing though: Williams teased the audience with a brief bit of Tuvan throat singing at the end of Tubwahun and one other song that escapes me at the moment and...wow. What a talented vocalist.
Working with these musicians really gives me a sense of the unclassifiability of a lot of independent (not "indie rock," but independent of a mainstream record label) bands. I think I'll start calling them hyphen- bands, because it's always something like bluegrass-jazz-zydeco-rock-oldtimecountry or world-jazz-rock-classical. Especially writing articles for the upcoming GrassRoots Festival. The more you define about a band, the less you describe what they actually sound like. It's like anti-journalism: to understand it, you must be descriptive; by describing it with these broad terms like "rock" or "bluegrass" you actually move away from what you are seeking to describe. Very Tao.
So much so, that I am reminded of The Tao of Physics, one of my favorite reads ever. It seeks to bridge quantum physics and Eastern religion, and even if you know little about either, the book will help you to understand both, as well as the relationship between the two.
Sure enough, that book was criticized by physicists who said that author Fritjof Capra didn't really understand the work that goes into physics. It simplified things a bit, which all literature does simply by the inadequacies of language. The Tao Te Ching describes it this way:
The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao; The name that can be defined is not the unchanging name.And with that ancient text out of the way, I give you the full interview with Epiphany Project:
[As reached via cell phone at their Woodstock recording studio]
Chris:
How do you pronounce the name of Hin Dagh, your most recent album?
John:
Heen-Dah.
Chris:
And what does that mean?
John:
It means “ancient ode” or ancient text.”
Chris:
Which makes sense, given the composition of the CD. What language is that?
John:
Armenian. We recorded that album in Armenia
Chris:
You have a personal connection to Armenia. What is it that drew you there?
John:
Well, I’m Armenian. I’d never been there before. My parents were born here as well, but my grandmother lived there, a survivor of the Armenia Genocide.
Somebody who does a lot of work over there, who has an organization called the Naregatsi Art Institute, a wonderful, philanthropic arts organization, he had heard of my work somehow. [He] arranged to get together with me and basically talked me into going over there, which I never thought I’d do necessarily, especially at the time, because Bet and I had just had a son who was about nine months old.
We went over there and we completely fell in love with the country, with the people, with the work this guy was doing at the Naregatsi Art Institute. And I started working a lot with composers over there. It’s a fascinating country. I think I’d be fascinated by it even if I wasn’t Armenian. It’s got so many things going against it and so many things going for it. It’s the only Christian country in the middle of all these Muslim countries. It’s got a lot of problems with its neighbors, both with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Its only friendly neighbor is Iran.
All the people – not all of them – but a lot of artists, a lot of poets, a lot of composers, a lot of painters – all the streets are named after composers and painters and architects – it’s just a fascinating place, it really is. Especially if you have any interest in history. We’re so used to kind of an American version of history or even a European one, and it’s “oh, wow, this goes back to 1700-something.” A lot of people over there are really more in touch with truly ancient history.
Chris:
I didn’t know there was so much history around there.
John:
Well it’s truly the cradle of civilization.
Chris:
So you were finding these ancient texts there. How did you choose which ones to include in your work?
John:
Oh, it just had to be something that was inspiring. you might want to talk to Bet about that one. She tends to be more on the text part of things. I tend to be more on the music part of things. But as we discovered texts and decided we wanted to sing them, that kind of set us off purposely looking for more texts and meeting scholars or in some cases people who were practicing these texts.
Chris:
What were your influences, then, going into the project?
John:
My influences are pretty wide. I grew up in a house where all they listened to was Armenian music. But I also grew up outside of Philadelphia, so as a kid growing up there was no getting around popular music, which is everything from conventional popular music: the Beatles, Motown, that sort of stuff. But then most of my training was in classical music. I spent a lot of years studying classical composition and piano and what not. Bet, on the other hand, has almost the exact opposite situation. All the things that we missing in me, she sort of has. She’s more of a singer-songwriter, which I never was. She was very involved in musical theater. Her father directed musicals, she’s been in a lot of musicals. And she had classical voice training, making her more of a singer-songwriter. At first glance we wouldn’t have that much to do with each other, at least on paper. But as a composer, I was really interested in finding a voice to write for. As a singer-songwriter, Bet was doing more conventional songs, but she was also experimenting: doing things with backwards vocals and strange tunings. And it’s in that kind of in-between netherworld – between classical music and world music and experimental stuff, and folk music – that we met, and that gave birth to Epiphany Project. So our influences are all that stuff, but we never sit down and consciously try to doing things, even with this. We didn’t say “Hey, let’s write a world music record that deals with ancient texts.” It just is what it is. We just did it because we happened to be in Armenia at that time, traveling around a lot in the rural parts of the country. And it was time for a new Epiphany Record. And that’s what came out. By recording over there we were able to work with a lot of phenomenal Armenian musicians. It presented a lot of challenges, but also a lot of great opportunities.
Chris:
How does recording in Armenia compare to recording in Armenia?
John:
Well, it’s hard. Armenia’s a very poor country. It’s almost – you cannot find a good piano to record on. There’s one decent piano in the opera house, and if you lobby them for months and months they might let you record on it, but then you still have to slip the guard $100 at the last minute. I say all this because it’s something that we did at one point. So just in terms of resources like that, it’s really, really hard. In terms of resources like musicians and talent, it’s fantastic. We used a lot of instruments like kamancha and duduk and things we wouldn’t have access to here. I mean you can find people who play those instruments, but maybe not as genuinely, as wonderfully as people over there.
Chris:
You do a lot of touring in Europe, in Germany in particular. What draws you there?
John:
They want us there? [chuckles] We tend to go where we’re wanted, where we have more of a following. For us, we happen to have more of a following there. Plus our agent is in Germany and most of our support is there.
Chris:
What brings you to Cornell?
John:
I’m not really sure how they heard us or heard of us. But we’re really looking forward to playing there. I haven’t been in the hall, but I’ve looked at it and I’ve heard it’s really wonderful, and the piano plays wonderful, which is something I’m looking forward to. A lot of times you don’t know what you’re gonna get from an instrument. I’m really looking forward to coming up there and playing this show. We’re playing with, Bet and I, with a phenomenal drummer from the Lower East Side who plays a lot of hand percussion. He’s great whether it’s a jazz thing or a world thing or a Middle Eastern thing. He’s great at odd time signatures. When it’s just the three of us, like this concert will be, it leaves things very wide open and becomes a kind of energetic, improvisatory…I find the trio concerts are especially exciting.
Chris:
How do you keep your improvisation fresh in show after show?
John:
The songs are the songs, and they are what they are. But between them there’s a lot of room to do anything. In fact, we almost approach it like jazz music, in that there is what’s called a “head, ” but then how you treat that, and what you do underneath that, and where you go from there is fairly wide open. I wouldn’t be very interested in playing the same thing night after night. I don’t think I’d be able to play the same thing night after night. So my main interest is in trying to start from scratch every night and trying to invent it as much on the spot as possible. And the interaction between the drummer and I, and the way Bet feeds off of that, is I think what makes the live shows so exciting.
Chris:
How about the crowd energy?
John:
That’s really important. That’s almost everything. You can’t do it without that.
Chris:
This might sound silly, but do that American crowds differ from the European crowds in any way?
John:
Sort of. Sometimes the American crowds can seem more boisterous and energetic and enthusiastic. In parts of some countries the crowd is very quiet and sedate. I think, “Gosh, maybe they’re just not getting this or they’re just not liking it. And then you find out at the end, they’ve kind of saved their applause. Then they’re extremely enthusiastic and they’ve been really profoundly moved. They just show it in a different way, which makes sense. American’s just kind of a louder, slightly more boisterous country. The audiences do tend to differ. I also find there’s less age-ism over there. A venue will have young people, old people, middle-aged people, all sorts of people in it. Whereas in America, this place is a rock club, that place is a classical music venue. Those kind of distinctions are not as prevalent over there. Which is helpful to us because it’s kind of hard to figure out what we are, whether it’s a world music thing or folk-rock thing or jazz, and it really comes out in between all that stuff.
Chris:
Is there anything else you would like to add?
John:
Sometimes people, based on whatever they happen to have read, might think, “Oh, it’s very serious thing they’re doing. They’re doing ancient sacred music; we’ll have to be quiet.” like they’re going to church or something. It’s not like that at all. It’s a really energetic, earthy, rhythmic and intense event. Especially seeing Bet, Bet’s a very dynamic, charismatic performer.
[Cell phone changes hands]
Chris:
I read in your e-mail that you’re in the studio right now. Where is that?
Bet:
We’re in Woodstock. We have a studio in an old farmhouse up in Woodstock where we work. We were in the city for many years, but we’re holing up in Woodstock for a while before we go back to Europe – actually to Armenia.
Chris:
Oh, cool, are you touring out there?
Bet:
We’re going to be doing some film stuff. And back to Europe for a tour in August and September.
Chris:
Might I ask what the film’s about?
Bet:
Sure. We’re doing a couple different things. John’s working on some footage form Armenia to do music-driven images of Armenia through the years – found footage, that sort of thing. An artsy project. Then I think we’re going to shoot some video to some of our songs, but we’re not really VH1-ing. But we’re gonna do film to music, that sort of thing.
Chris:
There’s always YouTube or your Web site.
Bet:
Exactly. Which has made this whole new world for people, with YouTube. It’s fascinating.
Chris:
I found some of your work on Youtube, actually. Really cool stuff.
Bet:
Thanks, that’s cool. You know, I kind of overheard what John was saying. It’s tough to say what [the music] is. And I also heard him say that it is successful. It is, and we do a lot of songs in English, too, but this past album happened to be more – actually, there are some English songs on it – but more of it is from the ancient texts or from some poetry.
Chris:
What prompted you to sing the ancient texts on this album?
Bet:
Being in that part of the world, it’s really fascinating. You really feel like, wow, the petroglyphs have been here for thousands of years. I’ve always been fascinated by dead and dying languages. To be able to speak or to try to speak words that people have spoken for thousands of years, to me that’s fascinating. And what people were saying through time, human beings. I’m not a religious person, but I am fascinated by the human experience and human spirituality, what people have been thinking since the dawn of time when they look at the stars, what they think what is the way to be in the world as a human being.
I guess I got drawn into the Aramaic writings because on our first album we had had a song called Tubwahun, which is the beatitudes. A friend of ours from Syria actually gave us a version of Avvon d’Bishmaiya, which is the Lord’s Prayer in the way it is spoken. And translated directly it’s more interesting to me than how it’s come through the King James version or whatever. Then people got wind of the fact that I was looking for ancient texts – I wasn’t trying to do anything specific, but I was just gathering writings form different religions, from different poets and finding, “what’s the link here?” The things I was drawn to seemed to have something in common. John and I started improvising with some of these words and that’s what became the album, some of the improvisations and some of the poetry. One of the songs is from the Zoroastrians, and it’s from one of their ancient prayers, and it basically is about making yourself better for the refreshment of the universe. And I love that. I love that piece of that. I don’t have to agree with anything that any religion says, but if there’s a piece there that’s so beautiful… Or there’s another song, Nainam, on the record, in Sanskrit. It’s basically: weapons cannot destroy the soul, fire cannot destroy the soul, air, water; nothing can destroy the imperishable soul. For this album I took some of the texts and the ancient poetry and I really just put together what was moving for me. Then John and I would go over it and see, “well, how does this work with this music?” And we improvised with some really great musicians in Armenia too, some of the masters. That was a fantastic experience, playing with some of the greatest musicians in Armenia.
Chris:
It seems like the way you describe the way you put together the album, it’s like a piece of this, a piece of that, improvisation. That, for me at least, seems to define your style.
Bet:
[laughs] Yeah, you’re probably right. It does draw from a lot. I guess that’s just how I am with what I’m interested in, even musically: just this and that.
It’s also fun to sing in languages not your own. I think when you speak a different language, whether it’s ancient or French or German or whatever, it moves your mind in a different way. For me, I like that. It’s like poetry; poetry moves your mind in a different way when you speak it. With the concerts I feel a lot of times when I’m connecting to an audience, you can see people moving with you and they add to it too. I love doing this music because, like John was saying, it can reach across – it doesn’t have to be just one thing. I think a lot of people can relate to that, I hope.
Chris:
Have you noticed your music is received differently in different places, like say, America versus Germany?
Bet:
Sure. We’ve been mostly touring in Europe and I think we’ve been touring mostly in Europe because we’re very well accepted there. It is kind of an artsier thing. It’s not pop music, but it’s not inaccessible. Do I think Americans only want pop music? No! But I think as far as audiences, maybe people are willing to try something new and different in Europe. And if they like it, great. Maybe in America people like to categorize things more.
Chris:
It’s not pop, but it still has energy.
Bet:
I think so too. For me, it’s certainly not sedate, and especially with __ Singh, our percussionist, he’s just great. He brings so much to it and he moves right with us, so it’s an evolving thing on stage that can happen, especially with an audience that’s willing. I’m looking forward to coming to Ithaca. I used to come there in college because my college roommate lived there. So I’d go to the Haunt, or whatever. I remember in Ithaca people were definitely into music. So I’m really looking forward to connecting with the people in Ithaca. We have some friends up there who are very into music and it seems like a very musical town.
Chris:
You’re in the studio right now, does that mean you’re recording another album?
Bet:
We are. We’re recording, actually resurrecting, some stuff we worked on years and years ago. There were some old songs and we stumbled across some old pages and said, “Oh, what’s this?” So we’re seeing what’s there and we’re working on some new pieces. We just had the piano tuned and I’m just getting ready to sing some vocals. It’s good, it’s a moist day so that’s good for the voice.
Chris:
Any chance we’ll hear some of that at the upcoming Cornell show?
Bet:
I think we will bring out a couple new pieces, for sure. Yeah…
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Power of One
Congratulations Pete-O!
Powerhouse Timing results for the 2009 USRowing U23 & Jr World Championship Trials seem to indicate that former IC rower Pete Orlando is heading to the 2009 Under-23 World Rowing Championships!
Indeed, he just lit up my phone via text:
A former commodore for Ithaca College, Pete only became a lightweight within the past year and a half after a lot of hard work and possible starvation. Clearly it was worth it.
Best of luck in this race and all the regattas to come.
Powerhouse Timing results for the 2009 USRowing U23 & Jr World Championship Trials seem to indicate that former IC rower Pete Orlando is heading to the 2009 Under-23 World Rowing Championships!
Indeed, he just lit up my phone via text:
Going to u23 world championships!Pete will be facing some of the best young competition on the planet in Racice, Czech Republic in the lightweight quad (4x).
A former commodore for Ithaca College, Pete only became a lightweight within the past year and a half after a lot of hard work and possible starvation. Clearly it was worth it.
Best of luck in this race and all the regattas to come.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
“This should scare the hell out of you.”
I have been following Katie O’s blog for a while and enjoy the irreverence, humor and insight of a fellow journalism major who is now out in the real world doing things that people do in the real world.
For journalists, this means blogging.
Her most recent entry details the New York Times’ cover-up of David Rohde’s kidnapping. It raises many interesting questions about the powers and responsibilities of the New York Times.
For example, “How many stories have been/are being hidden from public view?”
Besides lazy journalism and corporate influence, how much more are we missing from coverage? And how do you balance freedom of speech with the right to life?
Here is an excerpt, but I strongly recommend checking out the entire post:
The whole episode does bring into question the ability of the Times to perform such an operation. A swift, tactical, complete media blackout is a very scary notion. Even the blogosphere was silenced. Granted, in this case it was for a good cause, and probably met with little resistance. But for bigger, juicier, more consequential stories, should we have any doubt that they couldn’t enact the same purposeful total eclipse of information for less benign reasons? Did the Times inadvertently grant a peak behind the curtain and reveal a glimpse of the type of control (cooperation?) they can exact from the Fourth Estate?
For journalists, this means blogging.
Her most recent entry details the New York Times’ cover-up of David Rohde’s kidnapping. It raises many interesting questions about the powers and responsibilities of the New York Times.
For example, “How many stories have been/are being hidden from public view?”
Besides lazy journalism and corporate influence, how much more are we missing from coverage? And how do you balance freedom of speech with the right to life?
Here is an excerpt, but I strongly recommend checking out the entire post:
The whole episode does bring into question the ability of the Times to perform such an operation. A swift, tactical, complete media blackout is a very scary notion. Even the blogosphere was silenced. Granted, in this case it was for a good cause, and probably met with little resistance. But for bigger, juicier, more consequential stories, should we have any doubt that they couldn’t enact the same purposeful total eclipse of information for less benign reasons? Did the Times inadvertently grant a peak behind the curtain and reveal a glimpse of the type of control (cooperation?) they can exact from the Fourth Estate?
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