Art and Time

Maurice Blanchot said that the main core of all writing-and all art for that matter-is "the absence of time." Art has no time: no present, and therefore no past or future either. It is the absence of our personal/human time and not time itself. Only through solitude, mental and/or withdrawal from the world, can it be achieved.

Maria Beatty, The Black Gove (1995)

The Earthquake in Haiti

On January 12, 2010, at 4:53 p.m. local time, Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti was hit by the strongest earthquake in more than 200 years, registering a 7.0 magnitude. The earthquake epicenter was about 15 miles (24 km) away from the center of the city; that is a distance between midtown in New York City and the John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens (an outlying district of the city of New York). The earthquake was also barely 7 miles (11.3 km) deep, making it extremely close to the surface. This was followed by a series of afterschocks, more than 25 in total, with the strongest measuring at 5.9 which is a strong earthquake in itself. This alone is enough to bring much devastation to any city.

Men gathered outside the Justice Palace in Port-au-Prince, where countless victims lay buried.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

 

The Port-au-Prince Cathedral was destroyed in the earthquake.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

I cannot recall a capital city being so badly hit by an earthquake in modern times other than 1985 Mexico City earthquake which was of 8.1 magnitude and where 10,000 people died even though the epicenter was more than 200 miles (322 km) away from the center of Mexico City. In that earthquake, many homes were lost and several small commercial buildings either collapsed or were badly damaged. Despite of the damage that city suffered, all of the major government buildings remained intact and most of its infrastructure was in place. A far worse scenario occurred in Managua, Nicaragua, which was twice affected by earthquakes in the 20th century, in 1931 and 1972, both of 6.2 magnitudes. Both earthquakes displaced about two-thirds of the populations and killing 2,000 people in the first earthquake and about 20,000 people in the second. Making the situation worse was that in both events large fires broke out and huge tracts of the city lay in ruins. Despite of the extent of the damage to the city’s infrastructure and human death toll, some of the most important government structures and landmarks remained intact albeit severely damaged. What happened in Port-au-Prince on January 12th was far worse.

The National Palace in Port-au-Prince: Before and After the Earthquake

(The New York Times)

In this capital city of 1.5 million people, the National Palace (a.k.a. the Presidential Palace), the Justice Palace, the Parliament Building, the National Assembly, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, the U.N. headquarters mission in Haiti, the city’s largest jail, various embassies and hotels, and virtually all the hospitals and schools either collapsed or have been heavily damaged perhaps beyond repair.  When a capital city is hit with such devastation, there is always the fear that the country will collapse along with it. It takes a great effort from its people, its leaders, and that nation’s allies to bring it up from its knees. This effort takes many years.

In our modern history, other capital cities have been heavily destroyed but they have all been man-made as a result of war (Berlin, Warsaw, or more recently Kabul and Baghdad) or by megalomaniac leaders like in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during the regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Few, however, have been destroyed by natural disasters. One historical event that mimics what happened in Haiti is the Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755.  In that earthquake which historians place at a magnitude near 9 was subsequently followed by a tsunami with waves of up to 18 feet (5.5 m) in height. The monstrous earthquake was felt as far away as Germany, England and Morocco. The cataclysmic event brought much destruction to one of the most powerful cities in the western world.  In a time when candles were used to light a room and fire to cook or heat rooms and stoves, fires quickly broke out soon after especially in areas not affected by the tsunamis. It has been estimated that eighty-five percent of the city’s buildings, including the Royal Ribeira Palace (the official residence of the king of Portugal) with its Royal Library which also housed important artworks from Titian, Rubens and Correggio as well as the historical records of Vasco da Gama and other early explorers, were destroyed by the earthquake, tsunami and fires. Also destroyed were the Royal Hospital of All Saints (the largest hospital in Europe at the time), the Royal Opera House, the Carmo Convent, the Cathedral of Santa Maria, the Basilica of São Vicente de Fora and various other palaces and landmarks. It has been estimated that up to 90,000 people out of a population of about 250,000 may have died. Lisbon, which had been one of the largest, and some chroniclers say one of the most beautiful, cities in Europe, now had the largest populations of people who were displaced: even King José I, lived in a complex of tents on a hillside outside the city until his death in 1777.

The earthquake was an ominous sign to Portugal. The country never regained its political and economic stature it once had. It dashed its dreams of expanding its colonial possessions or continuing with scientific explorations. The rebuilding of the city and aiding its people economically nearly bankrupt the state. For the next 220 years, the country continued in its decline until the late 20th century with the death of António Salazar in 1970 and the subsequent Carnation Revolution of 1974.  The granting of independence to its colonies in Africa in 1975, which by this time had become an economic burden and a place of guerrilla warfare, helped Portugal to restructure its local economy and social development. Portugal joined the European Union in 1986.

Many people would consider the comparison between the Lisbon and Port-au-Prince earthquake preposterous or laughable at best. It is obvious that at the time of the earthquake, Portugal and Haiti were two very distinct countries. The former was a wealthy country able to recover mostly by itself while Haiti is not and cannot. Another major difference is that most of the buildings in Port-au-Prince were constructed below accepted standards of the time and geographic reality. The city sits almost 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 km) from a fault line. But the point here is that the destruction of a capital city, especially the crumbling of its landmarks and seats of power, due to a natural disaster bring a psychological trauma not only to the local population but also to those far beyond its borders.

After the Lisbon earthquake, Voltaire questioned the philosophy of theodicy of Leibniz and Pope, which championed the belief that good things happen in this world because there exist a benevolent God. He questioned the optimism of Rousseau that all men are born good, and that all men are equal and have sympathy for one another. Voltaire tried to rationalize how it was possible that the innocent and the guilty all suffer equally. His most famous book, Candide, was in part written as a reaction to this catastrophic event.  In “Poème sur le desastre de Lisbonne” (tran. Poem on the Lisbon Disaster) Voltaire writes, “Did Lisbon, which is no more, have more vices / Than London and Paris immersed in their pleasures? / Lisbon is destroyed, and they dance in Paris!” Like Voltaire, other leading intellectuals and scientists of the time struggled in their search for rational and scientific explanations. On the other hand, theologians and the religious believed it was a Divine message to Portugal for all the ills committed during the inquisitions, slavery, treatment of the Indians, and lavish lifestyles of the court. Similar questions are now being raised with the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

An engraving of the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which Voltaire depicted as morally blind.

(Bettmann Archive / Corbis)

Many people are now asking why did such a tragic event happened to an already poor nation that has been devastated by a mudslide in 2007 and three hurricanes in 2008, and in each killing dozens or even hundreds of people and displacing thousands. Unfortunately there are some people like Pat Robertson who believe that what befell upon the Haitians was a result of their pact with the devil during their struggle for independence from French. In his television program, the 700 Club, he said that all the misery that Haitians have experienced throughout their history is a result from this sinful event. But the question becomes, why would God choose Haiti and not, say, Sudan, Iran, North Korea, or even Europe with its ardent believe in secularism. Why not their former imperial masters, France? Why not England or the United States for enslaving millions of Africans? Pat Robertson and people who think like him have no shame.

In both cities, the massive earthquakes left virtually a void in government with chaos appearing to be the rule of law. However, Portugal quickly returned to normalcy because it had a history of stable government. For Haiti, unfortunately, its future looks dire at best because of its history of political turmoil. The fear is that the destruction of the National Palace—the one building that Haitians feared for it housed brutal rulers, admired for its beauty and respected for it was a symbol of the nation— will bring a return to the old days and worse.

Haiti was just beginning to show political and social stability for the first time in decades after the United Nation Mission assumed its function in full in 1995 and the transition of an elected democratic leader to the next, the current president René Preval. The one thing that we do not want to see, especially for countries in this hemisphere, is to see Haiti fall into the likes of Somalia where hope and peace is a distant dream and where the rule of the strongmen is accepted as the norm. It is up to all of us, especially those in the Americas, to help Haiti not only with disaster relief efforts and foreign aid but with long-term projects, that will help this country develop its economic and social infrastructure. In the meantime, let us hope for the best.

 

Cindy Terasme screams after seeing the feet of her dead 14-year-old brother Jean Gaelle Dersmorne

in the rubble of the collapsed St Gerard School.

(Gerald Herbert / AP)

Samuel P. Huntington: A Year after his Death (Part I)

The prominent American political scientist, historian and Harvard professor, Samuel P. Huntington, best known as the author of The Clash of Civilizations died on December 24, 2008 on his residence in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. He was 81 years old. His passing was noted in virtually all newspapers of this nation and with it brought a renewed interest in his writing, bringing a modest increase in sales of his books in Amazon shortly thereafter. The works of Huntington are still quoted, especially by a few conservative critics and thinkers, but few of us remember what the aforementioned title and his political ideology were about.

The Clash of Civilizations, was instrumental in shaping the political ideology of the conservative right during the Bush's years with the belief that there are groups of people or governments that do not adhere to the principles of the United States and Western Europe, or as Bush said, "the civilized world," and these ideological and cultural conflict would become our new war front and as a result, we are now suffering the consequences. His subsequent book, Who Are We? The Challenges to America's Identity, published in May 2004, subscribes to the nativist position that foreigners and having a multicultural identity are detrimental to the Anglo-protestant fabric of the American nation. In essence, the question for him was what makes the American identity. His resolve consisted of three factors: the "American Creed" (the belief in democracy, power of the government, individual rights, and to uphold of the constitution), "the Protestant work ethic," and "the importance of religion in our lives" (as opposed to most Europeans). For him, the Latino population, mainly Mexican in his view, due to history, culture and tradition, are incompatible with the Anglo-Protestant values. The central premise of this book appeared in a form of an article a month prior to its publication in the Mar/Apr edition of Foreign Policy. The article titled "Jose, Can You See" states that immigrants from Latin America are unlike those of the 19th century in that they fail to learn English and acquire the values of their new nation, choose to live in segregated communities, and hold allegiance to their country of origin instead of the United States.

When I read this article, I remember that I was so upset because I knew that what he wrote was not true based on my experience which I believed are universal truths of many Latinos like me. Unfortunately, too many Americans still hold this belief and will likely not go away any time soon, one just has to listen to the daily news reports coming from Texas and California or from the protesters against illegal immigration. What follows is a reprint of personal essay I wrote in 2004, a week after I read the article.

(Continues in Part Two)

Samuel P. Huntington: A Year after His Death (Part II)

* Please read Part One of this article first.

Professor, You Have Not Looked At Us Carefully!

Not too long ago, I was in the newsstand section of Barnes & Noble at Union Square waiting for my friend and his wife to go to Chelsea and see some art exhibitions when among the many magazines, one stood out because of its cover story. The magazine was Foreign Policy and the article, "The Hispanic Challenge: How Hispanics Immigrants Threaten America's Identity, Values, and Way of Life," which incidentally is only a synopsis of a forthcoming book titled, Who Are We? The Challenges to America's National Identity, by the renowned Harvard professor, Samuel P. Huntington.

The article shocked me to say the least. It seemed like a personal attack and led to all sorts of images and questions pertaining to my self. Am I unwanted even though I am an  American citizen by birth? Have I not realized that my non-Hispanic/Latino neighbors looked at me cautiously because I do not like or practice certain American customs like going out drinking during the superbowl? Is it because sometimes I think better in Spanish when expressing deep and personal emotions, such as love or grief? Or, is it because we like to have crucifixes and pictures of the Pope, Jesus and the Virgin Mary hanging on our walls, we like to have candles honoring saints, and we like to have kitschy statues of saints and angels? My family is one of them. What other reason could there be? Regardless of our differences, I am shocked that such an antiquated and xenophobic thinking is still in the minds of some Americans today. Have we forgotten that each immigrant group, with its customs and traditions, have contributed to the general American culture of today? So how are we a "threat"?

I picked up this magazine with caution. I knew that I was going to encounter passages that would bother me, but I also knew that I needed to clear my mind from passing judgment to quickly. So I slowly began reading Huntington's article, pausing along the way to think and make sense of his argument. The "we" as used by Huntington is as exclusive as the "we" used by our founding fathers when writing the Declaration of Independence. "We" in the book title and in the article refers to Americans, principally White Americans, claiming a superiority of Protestant culture and values inherited by the founding fathers. "We" does not include me.

Let us be clear that I am not claiming to be an expert in politics, immigration or economics. I am not a scholar, but I do have an interest in issues pertaining to race, ethnicity, and social class. I am sure that my own personal experiences are shared by other Hispanics and Latinos in this country.

Hamilton argues that the large immigration from Latin America, particularly from Mexico, differs from past immigrations because of two important aspects. First, the proximity of Mexico and Latin America to the United States. This proximity, he argues, enables immigrants from Latin America to go back and forth to their homelands: Mexicans need only to cross the border, for Cubans it is only a "short boat ride away" while for South Americans it is only a short flight away.  The other is the size of the immigrant population, especially from Mexico, which does not seem to subside. It is our sheer numbers and the proximity to our original homelands have caused us to group together in states closer to our original port of entry (Florida, the southwest and northeast) and in segregated "Spanish neighborhoods" within the cities in those states. This prevents us from meeting other groups of people and taking part in the American economic system which in turn prevent us from reaping the benefits that it will bring. He further his argument by stating that second and even third generation American-born are not learning English. He says, "they all speak Spanish."

I am a first generation American-born living in a city, New York, and in a neighborhood with a large Latino population. Huntington would probably assume that my friends are most likely Hispanic and I use Spanish more often than English. He would also think that I only enjoy Latino food, Latin music, Spanish TV, etc. It becomes clear to me that he has not looked at us, our history--American history--and our neighborhoods carefully.

My neighborhood did not always have a large Latino population. Belmont was traditionally an Italian neighborhood and in fact, it is still referred to as "Little Italy." But Italians became a minority group long ago after we moved from other neighborhoods that had become "Hispanic." Today, buenos dias, gracias, and hasta luego has replaced buongiorno, grazie, and ci vediamo, their Italian equivalent. Despite of this, the English language has been and will always be the binding element of the community, regardless of which ethnic group make up the majority. Without some knowledge of English, I would not be able to talk to the shoe-repair owner who is Korean; likewise if he did not use English, he would not be able to conduct business. Without English I would not be able to defend myself against unscrupulous shop keepers or talk to the beautiful Albanian clerk at the bank. Because of our presence, tacos, burritos, empanadas and coronas are as visible as pizza, calzone, canolis, and chiantis. My neighborhood has now a Mexican soccer league in addition to the original Italian one, and the local public library which has the largest collection of Italian language materials in the city now carries a Spanish collection, albeit not as large. We have enriched the neighborhood and in the future other ethnic groups will do the same.

Today "Spanish neighborhoods" like East Harlem, West Farms, Corona, and Washington Heights were once something else. East Harlem was once African-American and Italian. West Farms was once Jewish, and Corona was once Italian. Washington Heights was once Jewish and before that, German/Central European. Despite of our growing numbers, some "Spanish neighborhoods" have ceased to exist or are on their way to the  moratorium. Morningside Heights and the West Side are now "gentrified." The Lower East Side is not "trendy" and parts of Williamsburg have now been replaced by the Poles and other Eastern Europeans, artists, and yuppies. This is the history of all neighborhoods in New York City and of every other city in this country. People move from one place to another for a variety of reasons. So there is no neighborhood that is permanently settled by one group of people--all neighborhoods are in a permanent state of transition. My brother was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx; moved to Rego Park when he was a college student; then to Forest Hills after graduating; later spent some time in Colorado, then he moved to Hawaii and found out that he did not liked it, so he moved to Pasadena a year later; and now he makes his residence in San Francisco. While my brother's constant moving may be an extreme, many of us are constantly moving sometimes far from our barrios in an areas populated by non-Latinos.

It is true that we retain some of our values and traditions of our homelands. But is it not true that White Americans also have done the same? I have Italian-American friends of second and even third generation who still have habits and customs not common with other Americans. Then there are many Americans who are now red-discovering their roots and are looking back for a connection to Europe, Africa or elsewhere in the world. We have ethnic parades, ethnic restaurants, and such. So why does he expect us to be any different? Many Americans say they are Italians, Irish, German or Polish even though most are of mixed ancestry, often of several generations American, and may never have traveled to the country they claim origin in. Can I say that they are being unpatriotic or non-assimilated?

I like to eat Spanish food. I like my rice and beans with fried pork chop. Nothing beats it! I like plantains, bacalao, papaya, and batidos. But I also like pumpkin pie, New England clam chowder soup, collard greens, etc. If I go out to eat, a Latino restaurant is the last thing that I think about. I prefer Indian or Thai. I do watch some Spanish TV and listen to old boleros, but how one can not enjoy American pop music or Hollywood productions when they set the standard for everyone else. Besides, "Latino" music is now being enjoyed by white-Americans and some Latin pop stars are now crossing over to an anglo audience by singing in English. My taste in music has been influenced in some respects by the people I have met, and they are usually non-Latinos. The same is true of most Latinos. We work and interact in places where there are people of all ethnic background and nationalities. When we use our native language, it is usually with our closest friends and relatives because it will be wrong or strange not to do so. Furthermore, if there is any proof that Latinos are becoming assimilated is that many of us have a poor fluency of our native language or not know it at all. My younger brother is one of them. Believe me, I know. I live in a neighborhood where the majority are Latinos but few have full fluency of the language. If Huntington believes that we are not assimilated, send some of us back home and he or she will stick out like a sore thumb because everything about them will cry "American," from the fashion she wears to the attitudes that he displays. He also mentions that bilingualism is divides more than unites and the citizens of bilingual countries are hardly bilingual at all. He cites Canada, Belgium and Switzerland as examples. I, on the other hand, see bilingualism as a plus because it enables us to expand our thinking and see the world a little bit different. If the people from said countries do not speak each other languages is due to politics or forced supremacy of one language over another.

Huntington claims that our failure to assimilate is due to our level of education, economic status, income, home ownership, and low intermarriage. If our educational levels are not in par with white Americans or if our professional occupations are usually on the lower end of the labor market is due to past and on-going discrimination and social injustice, which in turn explains why home ownership and economic status are relatively low and not because of lack of ambition as he so wrongly claims. Also, we have to remember that Latinos are a "new" immigrant group and many of us are still coming, and many economic studies fail to note this in their studies. And in regard to low intermarriage, perhaps it is because our men and women are hot and sexy!

Mr. Huntington, you have not looked at us carefully. Despite our growing numbers, we are no different from past immigrants. We are learning the language of Shakespeare. We are contributing in all economic, scientific, and artistic areas of this country. But most importantly, we are constantly on the move in search of the American Dream. In fact, the difference between us, Latinos, and the group that Huntington belongs to (whites) is not that much.


Below is a link to the article:
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=2495

--------------------------------------------------------

I believe that the real threat comes from anti-immigrant groups, conservatives, people in the far right and White Nativists, not us.

Winter Wonderland -- Interpretation by Goldfrapp

Around this time last year, I went to Starbucks and I heard a beautiful rendition of "Winter Wonderland" by Goldfrapp. Most interpretations of Christmas music are either bland or simply stupid. This one, with its crystal sounds, echoes and whistling, and the sultry vocals of Allison Goldfrapp, make this rendition unique. I would even say that it sounds a bit eeire. I'm sure Edward Scissorhands loves it.

It's Christmas time again, and I must admit that I can't stop listening to it. (The same happened last year.)

I feel like a ten-year-old.



Click here to listen to the song.

(top image from last.fm; bottom image from NordicLandscapes.com)

Shopping for Christmas

Today when I went out for Christmas shopping, I overheard a young couple talking while we were standing on line. She said to Him, "Look, cufflinks. Do you think dad will like it? I think so."
"Yeah."
"Okay. I'm all set. He's been taken care of." 
(Short pause)
"I just can't wait till Christmas. I asked my dad to buy me this cool watch for Christmas. You gotta see it. It's $1,500 and he got it for me."
"Wow! What brand is it?"
The bell rings; it was my turn to step up to the cashier.

What is Christmas? What has Christmas become?

Is it obscene? Part One

Dear Blog:

My sister has a subscription of Us Weekly. I don't care about this magazine. But on this particular day, I took the magazine to look at the pictures while I was eating a snack. I needed something light. One of the articles were, "Who's Been Naughty or Nice?" Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California, was one the celebrities mentioned. She was "naughty." That's nice! The caption went on to say that Radaronline.com had reported that Ms. Prejean had made seven more sex tapes in addition to the one that caused the scandal. Seven more tapes!!! What a little whore!

I finished my cereal and I was ready to go back to work. I meant to return the magazine but I forgot, so I placed it on my desk.

Time passed. It was now a little after 12:00 am. I was about to turn off my computer, but then I took a glance to the right. "Seven tapes!" Without hesitation, I googled Carrie Prejean, sexy Prejean, naked Carrie Prejean, Carrie Prejean tapes, Prejean sex tapes… I guess that the more I searched, the hornier I got. Oh God! I wanted to see Carrie Prejean naked. In a video preferably. I wasn't successful. But all the searches led to sites offering "naked celebrities." Clicked on one of them but it was pretty boring. Yeah…it had the beautiful Adriana Lima topless and Madonna naked, but I wanted Carrie Prejean! The site offered links to other sites. Well, I clicked on those. Then, clicked some more. It was 1:00 a.m. By this time, I had become a robot. My body was stiff. I didn't blink. I didn't move, save for my right index finger pushing the button on the mouse. Sites became progressively "darker." After much clicking, it led to a site where users have the opportunity to post videos of any kind, from hardcore (even shocking) porn to outrageous (sometimes funny) accidents or situations. The premise on this site appeared to be, "anything goes" kind of stuff though most appeared to be straight out porn. On the home page of this site which I won't name, it had a video titled something along these lines: "idiot misses water on a dive." I should have known better. The title was already a give away as to what will happen. But I was curious. I clicked on it. It was my first. It was the most shocking and horryfying thing I have ever seen.

I turned off the computer. I couldn't go to sleep. On the following day, the video was haunting me all day. I was thinking about my own soul and what led me there in the first place. I was also thinking about the injured man and the people who downloaded the video on that site.

I think I need to pray.

God, please help me. God, please help us all.

Holger

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