8/26/06
Three Thoughts on a Summer's Eve
Tri-O's oddities, observations, and opinions
by Herb Kandel
Who won?
The question asked was: name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends ? (answer below).
A similar type question can be posed now in regard to the recent conflict in Lebanon and Israel. Although far from being a sport the war’s outcome is yet to be known by the world spectators or the combatant forces.
The Israelis claim to have seriously hobbled the Hezbollah guerrillas and the Hezbollah boast that they have beaten the “invincible” Israel Defense Force. It seems, according to media reports , that the Hezzies have the PR upper hand in that they are dispensing millions of crisp new U.S. bills with Ben Franklin’s likeness to those Lebanese claimants who have lost relatives and property as a result of the fighting. The state within a State is being supplied this cash by Iranian and Syrian oil revenues (another reason to seek alternative fuel sources and increase current U.S. oil drilling). You may remember the history about the times when Tammany Hall politicians in New York City achieved all their long lasting power by vote buying. More recently the FEMA admitted handing out payments to unwarranted Katrina victims. I'm sure the Katrina money recipients will not be influenced when it comes to their vote but the same can not be said of the Lebanese.
(Answer . . . Boxing)
Artist redux
Franz Schubert: died at the age of thirty-one. Schubert wrote more than 600 songs and musical pieces and he was not fully appreciated while he lived. In fact most of his important symphonies were not performed during his lifetime.
Emily Dickinson: wrote nearly 1,800 poems, very few were published during her lifetime, and those were published anonymously. She was considered as an eccentric because she always wore white and never left her home grounds.
Vincent van Gogh: had only a 10-year artistic career but produced more than 800 paintings and 700 drawings, of which he sold only one in his lifetime.
Why, you may ask, do I mention the above three who had a prodigious artistic output yet were not recognized during the times in which they lived? Of late much has been commented about the artist Nall. It seems controversy follows him. Deserved? Perhaps. This is not meant to compare him with the same reverence as the above artists…. yet, ( he is very much alive, productive, and prominent in international circles) but some others, now recognized icons, too were also thought to be out of the “mainstream” at one time. Now I'm just a guy with no formal training in the arts but with an appreciation for what pleases the eye and other senses and which trigger thinking. He is, to me, a visionary with the imagination, talent, and intelligence. It seems that at times a rush to judgment is best abandoned to let the patina of time decide.
(http://www.nall.org/)
The Second Date
My friend Sy got his second date two weeks ago. Those of us now reading this do not have the second date. The first date was the day on which we were born.
This is not meant to sound morose but rather it is a commemoration and remembrance of a special friend’s life. We all have that certain friend who knows us almost better than we do ourselves. Shared life experiences and adventures that no one except the two of you have gone through (and though miles may separate ) that live in the hard wired drive in our memory. From early school days, to coming of age, through adulthood, starting careers and families, maturing , and watching the next generations growth. These events are what we share and are each unique unto themselves.
Sy was a person you could count on to do what he said he was going to do. Loyalty was his middle name. Some confused his pragmatism with cynicism but he had a distinct knack of cutting through pretense and hype, whatever their source, and expressing his take on it. His humor was of the David Letterman sort, i.e., he “put on” a straight face as he toyed with the life’s situations and then the “eureka” moment hit you as the “now I get it” phase dawned. His wife, three sons, family, and friends are all the more richer for having him as part of their lives , we will miss him. Seymour Beck now has his second date - August 10, 2006. Fare well, old friend.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
8/9/06
The Nearness of Them
Tri-O's
oddities, observations, and opinions
by Herb Kandel
She never saw it coming. She was not expecting it and it came as a total surprise. There she was sitting quietly at the impressive round table where to her left and right were other leaders of nations. Then Germany's first female Chancellor, Angela Merkel, started speaking with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi at the G-8 Summit near St. Petersburg a few weeks ago when President George W. Bush approaches Merkel from behind and gives her a squeeze on her shoulders and then a slight flexing massage maneuver. The video of it was widely shown on TV and numerous web sites. It then shows Merkel hunching her shoulders and flinging her arms up in a gesture to stop the impromptu massage. Her expression is one of “Can this really be happening?”
Not seeking the guise of a political pundit there is no need to delve into the worldwide ramifications of this “laying on of hands” incident as to how it played out in other countries but let’s take a look at where boundaries lie both here and elsewhere.
The study of this measureable distances interaction between people is called proxemics and was introduced by anthropologist Edward T, Hall in 1963. These relate to body spacing and posture that are unintentional (the body language). According to Wikipedia
“Hall pointed out that social distance between people is reliably correlated with physical distance, and described four distances:
intimate distance for embracing, touching or whispering ( 6-18 inches)
personal distance for interactions among good friends ( 1.5-4 feet)
social distance for interactions among acquaintances ( 4-12 ft)
public distance used for public speaking (over 12 ft) “
We human beings are territorial animals and like to protect and control our space, as do other animal species. Remember the time you re-entered a class or meeting and found someone sitting in “your” seat? You’re sitting at your desk when a co-worker or boss enters your office without knocking ….how do you feel? And what if you saw your co-worker checking out your desk drawer?
When our space is “invaded” by people who are not aware of these zones and the meanings attached to them the result is tension and suspicion. You’re in an elevator, bus, or movie theater when the stranger at your side inadvertently touches you. Wham! Your own bubble of space has been invaded and you begin to feel uncomfortable, possibly resentful, perhaps belligerent, maybe even challenged. But if you were in a another part of the world personal zones are viewed differently. Different cultures = different distance zones. Whereas we in the U.S., Northern Europeans, and Asians favor the Social Zone (about 4 feet) and little physical contact, Arab, Latin, and Mediterranean cultures are more the “in your face” Intimate and Personal Zone people. Recall when President Bush and Crown Prince Abdullah held hands walking into their meeting in Texas after their greeting with cheek kisses? These actions prompted questions and raised eyebrows about two men showing that kind of physical intimacy but White House sources quickly explained “hand-holding is an Arab expression of ‘friendship, respect and trust.’” These were also political gestures, to perhaps become more ingratiating to the visitor and allow the oil to continue to flow. On the other hand there have been many “ugly American” stereotypes as we were considered “aloof” and “stand-offish” as we backed away from those with whom we were conversing as they attempted to decrease the distance between.
So maybe the president was merely attempting to show more camaraderie, playfulness, and commonality in a more “touching” manner, but almost any thinking male today knows he may be inviting a sexual harassment suit by giving an uninvited massage to any female in our culture. And it has been noted by others that the president should keep in mind that the G-8 Summit is not to be mistaken for Yale’s Delta Kappa Epsilon.
The Nearness of Them
Tri-O's
oddities, observations, and opinions
by Herb Kandel
She never saw it coming. She was not expecting it and it came as a total surprise. There she was sitting quietly at the impressive round table where to her left and right were other leaders of nations. Then Germany's first female Chancellor, Angela Merkel, started speaking with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi at the G-8 Summit near St. Petersburg a few weeks ago when President George W. Bush approaches Merkel from behind and gives her a squeeze on her shoulders and then a slight flexing massage maneuver. The video of it was widely shown on TV and numerous web sites. It then shows Merkel hunching her shoulders and flinging her arms up in a gesture to stop the impromptu massage. Her expression is one of “Can this really be happening?”
Not seeking the guise of a political pundit there is no need to delve into the worldwide ramifications of this “laying on of hands” incident as to how it played out in other countries but let’s take a look at where boundaries lie both here and elsewhere.
The study of this measureable distances interaction between people is called proxemics and was introduced by anthropologist Edward T, Hall in 1963. These relate to body spacing and posture that are unintentional (the body language). According to Wikipedia
“Hall pointed out that social distance between people is reliably correlated with physical distance, and described four distances:
intimate distance for embracing, touching or whispering ( 6-18 inches)
personal distance for interactions among good friends ( 1.5-4 feet)
social distance for interactions among acquaintances ( 4-12 ft)
public distance used for public speaking (over 12 ft) “
We human beings are territorial animals and like to protect and control our space, as do other animal species. Remember the time you re-entered a class or meeting and found someone sitting in “your” seat? You’re sitting at your desk when a co-worker or boss enters your office without knocking ….how do you feel? And what if you saw your co-worker checking out your desk drawer?
When our space is “invaded” by people who are not aware of these zones and the meanings attached to them the result is tension and suspicion. You’re in an elevator, bus, or movie theater when the stranger at your side inadvertently touches you. Wham! Your own bubble of space has been invaded and you begin to feel uncomfortable, possibly resentful, perhaps belligerent, maybe even challenged. But if you were in a another part of the world personal zones are viewed differently. Different cultures = different distance zones. Whereas we in the U.S., Northern Europeans, and Asians favor the Social Zone (about 4 feet) and little physical contact, Arab, Latin, and Mediterranean cultures are more the “in your face” Intimate and Personal Zone people. Recall when President Bush and Crown Prince Abdullah held hands walking into their meeting in Texas after their greeting with cheek kisses? These actions prompted questions and raised eyebrows about two men showing that kind of physical intimacy but White House sources quickly explained “hand-holding is an Arab expression of ‘friendship, respect and trust.’” These were also political gestures, to perhaps become more ingratiating to the visitor and allow the oil to continue to flow. On the other hand there have been many “ugly American” stereotypes as we were considered “aloof” and “stand-offish” as we backed away from those with whom we were conversing as they attempted to decrease the distance between.
So maybe the president was merely attempting to show more camaraderie, playfulness, and commonality in a more “touching” manner, but almost any thinking male today knows he may be inviting a sexual harassment suit by giving an uninvited massage to any female in our culture. And it has been noted by others that the president should keep in mind that the G-8 Summit is not to be mistaken for Yale’s Delta Kappa Epsilon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
