I've a long-standing fascination with the relationship bw sports and colonialism. South African Rugby is perhaps the most multi-dimensional example. I wrote several papers (and almost a thesis) examining the interplay bw apartheid, Afrikaaner nationalism, and rugby.
A colleague was kind enough to invite me to the England-South Africa Rugby International at Twickenham on a rainy Saturday.
My favorite part of the experience preceded the opening kick. An opera singer performed "Jerusalem"- the William Blake poem. The text is below along with a youtube link of the same singer at Twickenham last year.
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountain green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKVJRmBVEsc
The South African national anthem was interesting. Nkosi Sikelele Afrika (a wrenchingly beautiful anti-apartheid song) and Die Stam (the old Afrikaaner anthem) are merged with some English and Zulu added on. A marked change in enthusiasm occurred amongst the (almost exclusively white) South African fans ~halfway through the anthem... My favorite image of the match was the South African captain (a practicing doctor!) with his head thrown back and tears rolling down his face ecstatically singing the entire song.
and hearing 80,000 English overwhelm the singer during "God Save the Queen" moved me in a different way. I'd never felt a national anthem at a sporting event so deeply.
Post-national anthems I had switched allegiance and was rooting for England.
The game didn't do much for me. Open play is brilliant but everything important happened in the scrums (giant human inverted tug of war). 8 of the 9 scores came from penalty kicks (field goals) called in the scrums and indecipherable to even a knowledgeable spectator. They actually sell "ref links" so fans can hear what the ref is saying in order to follow the game.
It was telling that the only try (touchdown) was scored off a crazy (lucky) deflection. After the match a rugby coach in the pub commented "all the scores nowadays are the result of mistakes." the players are too big and too fast for that size field. Not a good situation for any sport longer-term.
Much more so than an Arsenal game- it felt a "proper English" experience.
Friday 30 November 2012
Monday 19 November 2012
Japan and China
While in London I'm enjoying a wonderful book by Gao Xingjian called "Soul Mountain." It's a semi-autobiographical work trading his physical and metaphorical journey to Sichuan Province after receiving a false diagnosis of lung cancer. Gao left China in the late 80's, and is not welcome back.
I always always pack a book on long work trips so put Soul Mountain in my bag. Only when walking out the door did the obvious thought cross my mind. Probably not a good idea to bring a book banned in China when the guest of a state owned enterprise...
Every few years I really hanker to visit Japan. In my work environment there is tremendous condescension towards the country given the economy's decades-long doldrums. The great fear in the market is that the US will "do a Japan."
I think we could do a lot worse.
incredibly efficient infrastructure
Very few homeless people (and they look quite comfortable)
full employment
Fascinating array of sub-cultures
absolutely amazing food. After eating Japanese sushi I can't eat any other for at least 6 months.
Yeah the stock market sucks, the economy doesn't grow, the demographics are terrible, everyone drinks too much, but in terms of social ills you could do much worse.
As an American it's hard to relate to Japanese economic prioritizations but it is the most advanced country on earth- maybe an endpoint, but still amazing to experience. It feels like hyperspace in Star Wars, hyper-trendy, hyper-efficient, hyper-sophisticated, like the world is spinning around you faster than anywhere else.
I also had one of the wildest, funniest nights of my life in Osaka (descriptions only available in person).
I don't have many pictures from Osaka (reminds me of Chicago) but here are a few.
Osaka Castle
A giant Seamonster in the maritime museum (rented out for a conference event)!
beautiful autumnal food
and the obligatory weird cartoon dancing machine at the conference...
My flight from Japan to China was empty (I assume the hostilities over the Islands)
China just finished its once a decade power transition. Only the second peaceful transition (and i suspect less so than the press portrays) since 1949. it was an amazing privilege to be in Beijing for the opening of the party congress- I drove past Tian'amen Sq and the Great Hall of the People every day, the City was dressed to the nines with decorations and lights, and contrary to stereotype, there were 3 perfect fall days that made a New Englander feel right at home.
I then took the high speed train to Shanghai for a day of meetings and ate dinner in a 12th floor Pudong restaurant overlooking the Bund.
I'll close with a hilarious picture from the Shanghai Rail Station. Apparently the UBC is a big coffee brand in China! great marketing ploy Brent!
I always always pack a book on long work trips so put Soul Mountain in my bag. Only when walking out the door did the obvious thought cross my mind. Probably not a good idea to bring a book banned in China when the guest of a state owned enterprise...
Every few years I really hanker to visit Japan. In my work environment there is tremendous condescension towards the country given the economy's decades-long doldrums. The great fear in the market is that the US will "do a Japan."
I think we could do a lot worse.
incredibly efficient infrastructure
Very few homeless people (and they look quite comfortable)
full employment
Fascinating array of sub-cultures
absolutely amazing food. After eating Japanese sushi I can't eat any other for at least 6 months.
Yeah the stock market sucks, the economy doesn't grow, the demographics are terrible, everyone drinks too much, but in terms of social ills you could do much worse.
As an American it's hard to relate to Japanese economic prioritizations but it is the most advanced country on earth- maybe an endpoint, but still amazing to experience. It feels like hyperspace in Star Wars, hyper-trendy, hyper-efficient, hyper-sophisticated, like the world is spinning around you faster than anywhere else.
I also had one of the wildest, funniest nights of my life in Osaka (descriptions only available in person).
I don't have many pictures from Osaka (reminds me of Chicago) but here are a few.
Osaka Castle
A giant Seamonster in the maritime museum (rented out for a conference event)!
beautiful autumnal food
and the obligatory weird cartoon dancing machine at the conference...
My flight from Japan to China was empty (I assume the hostilities over the Islands)
China just finished its once a decade power transition. Only the second peaceful transition (and i suspect less so than the press portrays) since 1949. it was an amazing privilege to be in Beijing for the opening of the party congress- I drove past Tian'amen Sq and the Great Hall of the People every day, the City was dressed to the nines with decorations and lights, and contrary to stereotype, there were 3 perfect fall days that made a New Englander feel right at home.
I then took the high speed train to Shanghai for a day of meetings and ate dinner in a 12th floor Pudong restaurant overlooking the Bund.
I'll close with a hilarious picture from the Shanghai Rail Station. Apparently the UBC is a big coffee brand in China! great marketing ploy Brent!
Sunday 18 November 2012
Kyoto
This one is longer than any other post but Kyoto is an exceptional place so cut me some slack.
The hardest thing for me to do is to let my mind go- not think, analyze, and consider but sense and feel. That's one reason I love hiking so much- it allows me that escape. I felt that untetheredness for hours on end in Kyoto- the beauty and aesthetics of my surroundings left me lost in a timeless and peaceful state.
I walked from my traditional "Ryokan" hotel and encountered the striking Heian shrine.
Before entering the shrine most Japanese lave their hands with water- dipping the water from a fieldstone trough with beautiful raw wood dippers. I love this ritual- and performed it (multiple times).
The shrines are hung with votive tablets, wooden slats inscribed with personal hopes and prayers. Considering what to write has a wonderfully cleansing effect- thinking about what is most important makes life seem a lot simpler. My first one was easy.
I could have spent weeks in the garden surrounding the shrine. I rested in the pagoda and watched tadpoles learning to swim and carp mouthing the surface of the water.
This bridge was one of the loveliest things I've ever seen- I stood spellbound at the lakeside watching a heron stalk across the shore and turtles paddle along the bottom.
I love the culture of wood in Japan- I kept stopping to smell the beautiful cedar beams. A sidepath into the woods led me to this tiny shrine that smelled of fresh cedar and recent sanding.
I walked out of the shrine towards the old imperial palace and ran into the Kumano shrine- a Shinto shrine devoted to marriage and childbirth. My votive tablet was easy for that one too.
I then wandered through the imperial park- acres of beautiful trees, fields, and the imperial palace. One tree looked particularly inviting so I stopped and went through some work emails. Several locals stopped thinking I was a "statue" busking for money and one took this picture.
I woke up early the next day and walked up the street to Nanzenji Temple- home of another beautiful "hujo" garden.
I returned to a 14-item breakfast that included a personal grill for 2 small fish. It was one of the more interesting meals I have ever eaten
My host loaned me a bicycle and off I went.
Kiyomizu-dera was next- it was crowded and this picture came from the internet.
Higashi-hoganji claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world- it and Nishi-Hoganji were impressive.
This small gate was my favorite.
I then biked several miles through the heart of kyoto- whizzing along the wide sidewalks. I chanced upon another half dozen shrines before reaching my destination in the northwestern part of the city.
My touring finished at Kinkakuji- the most spectacular building I visited all day.
What I loved most in Kyoto was the gardens- nature gently sculptured to create a peaceful and serene escape.
It was one of the best 36 hours of my life- I can't wait to go back.
The hardest thing for me to do is to let my mind go- not think, analyze, and consider but sense and feel. That's one reason I love hiking so much- it allows me that escape. I felt that untetheredness for hours on end in Kyoto- the beauty and aesthetics of my surroundings left me lost in a timeless and peaceful state.
I walked from my traditional "Ryokan" hotel and encountered the striking Heian shrine.
Before entering the shrine most Japanese lave their hands with water- dipping the water from a fieldstone trough with beautiful raw wood dippers. I love this ritual- and performed it (multiple times).
The shrines are hung with votive tablets, wooden slats inscribed with personal hopes and prayers. Considering what to write has a wonderfully cleansing effect- thinking about what is most important makes life seem a lot simpler. My first one was easy.
I could have spent weeks in the garden surrounding the shrine. I rested in the pagoda and watched tadpoles learning to swim and carp mouthing the surface of the water.
This bridge was one of the loveliest things I've ever seen- I stood spellbound at the lakeside watching a heron stalk across the shore and turtles paddle along the bottom.
I love the culture of wood in Japan- I kept stopping to smell the beautiful cedar beams. A sidepath into the woods led me to this tiny shrine that smelled of fresh cedar and recent sanding.
I walked out of the shrine towards the old imperial palace and ran into the Kumano shrine- a Shinto shrine devoted to marriage and childbirth. My votive tablet was easy for that one too.
I then wandered through the imperial park- acres of beautiful trees, fields, and the imperial palace. One tree looked particularly inviting so I stopped and went through some work emails. Several locals stopped thinking I was a "statue" busking for money and one took this picture.
I woke up early the next day and walked up the street to Nanzenji Temple- home of another beautiful "hujo" garden.
I returned to a 14-item breakfast that included a personal grill for 2 small fish. It was one of the more interesting meals I have ever eaten
My host loaned me a bicycle and off I went.
Kiyomizu-dera was next- it was crowded and this picture came from the internet.
Higashi-hoganji claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world- it and Nishi-Hoganji were impressive.
This small gate was my favorite.
I then biked several miles through the heart of kyoto- whizzing along the wide sidewalks. I chanced upon another half dozen shrines before reaching my destination in the northwestern part of the city.
My touring finished at Kinkakuji- the most spectacular building I visited all day.
What I loved most in Kyoto was the gardens- nature gently sculptured to create a peaceful and serene escape.
It was one of the best 36 hours of my life- I can't wait to go back.
Londontowne
I live next to a school and every day I stop and watch the kids playing soccer before class starts. No matter how early I leave for work they are always playing.
I love walking around on weekend mornings and seeing the "walk of shame" outfits (men and women). Everyone gets so glammed up when they go out- the results the next morning can be memorable.
I was walking to a breakfast in Mayfair and took this picture of sunrise over Big Ben. I was in front of Buckingham Palace- I like to think of the Queen out on her balcony at the only time of day when tourists don't swarm- taking in the same view.
I found a wonderful book in my local pharmacy...
The toughest thing in London is doing laundry. I'm extraordinarily lucky to have a combo washer dryer (dryers are unusual) but I still have to dry each load 3 times. I've also had to (re-)learn how to iron.
I saw this hilarious old Guinness ad in a pub bathroom. The original Gatorade...
My diet is surprisingly healthy here. Fruits and Vegetables (Veg in British) are higher quality and cheaper so I can enjoy fruit and yogurt for breakfast. lunch is typically sandwiches or takeout sushi. There's less food around the office which means I don't eat leftover greasy sandwiches.
British marketing is sensationally catchy, clever, and layered. some of the ads on the Tube are really really good.
I haven't found a rhythm yet but my travel schedule lightens up now.I'm really looking forward to experiencing Christmas season in London.
Surprising... most things I buy in London are cheaper or similarly priced as in Boston
I love walking around on weekend mornings and seeing the "walk of shame" outfits (men and women). Everyone gets so glammed up when they go out- the results the next morning can be memorable.
I was walking to a breakfast in Mayfair and took this picture of sunrise over Big Ben. I was in front of Buckingham Palace- I like to think of the Queen out on her balcony at the only time of day when tourists don't swarm- taking in the same view.
I found a wonderful book in my local pharmacy...
The toughest thing in London is doing laundry. I'm extraordinarily lucky to have a combo washer dryer (dryers are unusual) but I still have to dry each load 3 times. I've also had to (re-)learn how to iron.
I saw this hilarious old Guinness ad in a pub bathroom. The original Gatorade...
My diet is surprisingly healthy here. Fruits and Vegetables (Veg in British) are higher quality and cheaper so I can enjoy fruit and yogurt for breakfast. lunch is typically sandwiches or takeout sushi. There's less food around the office which means I don't eat leftover greasy sandwiches.
British marketing is sensationally catchy, clever, and layered. some of the ads on the Tube are really really good.
I haven't found a rhythm yet but my travel schedule lightens up now.I'm really looking forward to experiencing Christmas season in London.
Surprising... most things I buy in London are cheaper or similarly priced as in Boston
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Good News
On October 27th I received news I knew would come but dreaded. My beautiful, goofy, affectionate, snugglemonster of a hound had suffered another bout of her recurring illness.
Watching Jerz get sick leaves me stricken- her head and tail droop, she starts at any noise, forgets everything, loses her housetraining, falls on the stairs, and sometimes goes blind. She paces constantly, can't get comfortable, and strikes her paws at imagined phantoms circling her head. She eats pens, cardboard boxes, and sometimes nibbles a misplaced hand. She is lost in a dark, unfamiliar, twisted place
The first sign that she has turned the corner is when she first wags her tail.
This morning in beijing I got a text from her wonderful caregiver Wendy.
"Brought her (Jersey) over to my friend's house this evening for dinner. They have a 7 year old daughter and a 3 year old son. Jerz loved the kids! Wagged her tail, gave them her paw and smiled her doggie smile. I haven't seen her that happy in a month! I'm hoping she has turned the corner and doesn't look back!"
Its fitting that children brought Jerz back from her dark place. She has always had the pit bull love of babies. I was alarmed initially when she tried to drag me over to anything under 4 and a half feet tall but quickly learned that she just adores being mauled by kids. She was ogling a baby in a stroller once when the child took a piece of muffin in her fingers and shoved her whole hand in Jerz's mouth. Her horrified mother shrieked but Jerz just sat there with her mouth open as the toddler explored the inside of Jerz's maw with a hand full of food.
This is the 4th incident and while I know eventually she won't come back from that dark confused place I'm glad its not this time...
Watching Jerz get sick leaves me stricken- her head and tail droop, she starts at any noise, forgets everything, loses her housetraining, falls on the stairs, and sometimes goes blind. She paces constantly, can't get comfortable, and strikes her paws at imagined phantoms circling her head. She eats pens, cardboard boxes, and sometimes nibbles a misplaced hand. She is lost in a dark, unfamiliar, twisted place
The first sign that she has turned the corner is when she first wags her tail.
This morning in beijing I got a text from her wonderful caregiver Wendy.
"Brought her (Jersey) over to my friend's house this evening for dinner. They have a 7 year old daughter and a 3 year old son. Jerz loved the kids! Wagged her tail, gave them her paw and smiled her doggie smile. I haven't seen her that happy in a month! I'm hoping she has turned the corner and doesn't look back!"
Its fitting that children brought Jerz back from her dark place. She has always had the pit bull love of babies. I was alarmed initially when she tried to drag me over to anything under 4 and a half feet tall but quickly learned that she just adores being mauled by kids. She was ogling a baby in a stroller once when the child took a piece of muffin in her fingers and shoved her whole hand in Jerz's mouth. Her horrified mother shrieked but Jerz just sat there with her mouth open as the toddler explored the inside of Jerz's maw with a hand full of food.
This is the 4th incident and while I know eventually she won't come back from that dark confused place I'm glad its not this time...
Over and over and over again...
I have two inexplicable passions in life, my dog and the English football club, Arsenal.The logic behind both gets stretched quite quickly.
Arsenal's biggest game of the year is the north London derby against local rival Tottenham Hotspur. After 15 years of dominance by Arsenal the recent matches have been much more balanced.
Last March I arrived in England at a nadir in Arsenal's season. They trailed Spurs by 10 points and 30 minutes into the match Spurs led 2-0. The fans were baying for the manager's head and chaos ruled the stadium as hope for Arsenal's season (and business model) expired.
Arsenal then scored 5 goals in 30 minutes for a season-transforming 5-2 win. Spurs collapsed and Arsenal powered to a 3rd place finish.
Just listen to the crowd noise in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcj_00LQzBI
The player Arsenal fans hate the most is Emanuel Adebayor. Nurtured in the Arsenal youth system, made a star in the Arsenal team, he left for Manchester City's lucre but didn't make the grade (he did pick up a 3 game suspension for taunting Arsenal fans and another 3 game suspension for raking his cleats across a former teammate's face). Adebayor ultimately moved to Spurs and scored the second goal in last year's 5-2 trouncing. The last half hour of the game was dominated by chants of "Adebayor... What's the score..., Adebayor... What's the score." I'm not a vindictive personality (in contrast to most English football fans) but I frankly enjoyed this one.
Arsenal got off to a horrific start in this year's derby as Spurs dominated possession. In the 10th minute Adebayor swept home and celebrated wildly. Spurs looked fully in control and a seismic power shift in North London looked on hand.
Imagine the glee of 60,000 when he then flew in uncontrolled and studs up...
earning himself a red card and a walk of shame in the 17th minute.
From there Arsenal dominated (mostly)- our big f------- German headed home 5 minutes later and more goals followed until last year's 5-2 score line was matched.
Every Arsenal fan's favorite sight- the away section clears out long before the final whistle...
You couldn't write a more perfect script from an Arsenal fans perspective. Our problems remain but for today at least there's only one team in London. One team In London... One team in Looooondon.... There's only one team in Londoooooon....
Arsenal's biggest game of the year is the north London derby against local rival Tottenham Hotspur. After 15 years of dominance by Arsenal the recent matches have been much more balanced.
Last March I arrived in England at a nadir in Arsenal's season. They trailed Spurs by 10 points and 30 minutes into the match Spurs led 2-0. The fans were baying for the manager's head and chaos ruled the stadium as hope for Arsenal's season (and business model) expired.
Arsenal then scored 5 goals in 30 minutes for a season-transforming 5-2 win. Spurs collapsed and Arsenal powered to a 3rd place finish.
Just listen to the crowd noise in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcj_00LQzBI
The player Arsenal fans hate the most is Emanuel Adebayor. Nurtured in the Arsenal youth system, made a star in the Arsenal team, he left for Manchester City's lucre but didn't make the grade (he did pick up a 3 game suspension for taunting Arsenal fans and another 3 game suspension for raking his cleats across a former teammate's face). Adebayor ultimately moved to Spurs and scored the second goal in last year's 5-2 trouncing. The last half hour of the game was dominated by chants of "Adebayor... What's the score..., Adebayor... What's the score." I'm not a vindictive personality (in contrast to most English football fans) but I frankly enjoyed this one.
Arsenal got off to a horrific start in this year's derby as Spurs dominated possession. In the 10th minute Adebayor swept home and celebrated wildly. Spurs looked fully in control and a seismic power shift in North London looked on hand.
Imagine the glee of 60,000 when he then flew in uncontrolled and studs up...
earning himself a red card and a walk of shame in the 17th minute.
From there Arsenal dominated (mostly)- our big f------- German headed home 5 minutes later and more goals followed until last year's 5-2 score line was matched.
Every Arsenal fan's favorite sight- the away section clears out long before the final whistle...
You couldn't write a more perfect script from an Arsenal fans perspective. Our problems remain but for today at least there's only one team in London. One team In London... One team in Looooondon.... There's only one team in Londoooooon....
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