GNY! @ World AIDS Day

Photos taken by GNY! volunteers as they participated in a memorable World AIDS Day event at the Riverside Church on November 30th.

Molly & Beenita on "Planet of the Arabs"

We travelled to the Jewish Community Center to view a trailer of a film and participate in a discussion that was part of a larger project put on by the JCC entitled The Other Israel. The aim of the film, and the project as a whole, was to examine the role of the Arab Israelis in modern day Israel. This particular film combined many clips from popular movies and television shows to create a faux movie trailer for Planet of the Arabs. The main idea was to show how Arabs, Islam, and the associated culture are portrayed in the media and how the media perpetuates a stereotype of these people:

A line of men, with black bags over their faces and guns slung over their shoulders, walk through the aisle of an airplane. Heads poke out from behind the red seats to peer at the men. An Arab man, in a white suit and white tie with a red button-down shirt and a red handkerchief, stands up from his seat. He takes out two guns and spreads his arms out across the aisle. He screams, "This is a hijack!" Instantly the scene changes to a man dressed in all-black Arabian garb. The man rides through the sand dunes on a dark colored horse. The camera focuses on the man's head tilted to one side and narrows in on the evil look in his eyes. The shot changes again. Planet of the Arabs appears across the screen.

Planet of the Arabs is a montage of different scenes taken from American movies ranging from 1896 to 2000. The nine-minute feature displays an acute dramatization of how Arabs are depicted in American cinema. In addition, the feature demonstrates some of the stereotypes projected to the average American populous; to fear and despise Arabs in the real world. According to Dr. Jack Shaheen the author of the book Reel Bad Arabs, "Out of 1000 films that have Arab and Muslim characters (from the year 1896 to 2000) 12 were positive depictions, 52 were even handed and the rest of the 900 plus were negative."

While viewing this short film we were asked to consider, what are some of the stereotypes that we have heard? What do these clips show? What the clips did not show, was there any sense of culture or family amongst the Arab people? All audience members claimed to witness is a display of violence and religious fundamentalism. With this in mind one begins to wonder, where do these stereotypes come from? Are they true? If the media only ever portrays them this way, how is the general populace likely to act around Arabs?

YOU CAN VIEW "PLANET OF THE ARABS" HERE --> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-600397827976179049

Jacob on "Tonnage and Toxicity"

Tonnage and Toxicity Lecture

Presented By Samantha MacBride

Two Mondays ago I, along with Michelle Dent and a few other students, went to a presentation of Samantha MacBride’s thesis work entitled, “Tonnage and Toxicity.” Her lecture focused on industry’s production of the vast majority of global wastes every day. She discussed the facts that producers enjoy unregulated management of the huge amounts of nontoxic waste, there is a minute presence of scientific research into this waste and its effects, and there is even less movement historically to institute legal regulation of industrial waste. She believes these facts are the effect of America politically and socially blaming the individual consumer in matters of waste and the environment instead of the collective producers.

What I found most interesting was MacBride’s take on the “Green movement.” She believes this movement, now being advocated by all sorts of companies producing “greener” products, is designed to keep society blaming the individual consumer. She even stated that consumers are left with no choice but to waste due to the product designs producers utilize to maximize profits. The designs referred to are ones such as, the concept of “to-go” products to be used once and discarded and planned product obsolescence. She suggests meaningful change should come in the form of consumers demanding an overhaul in product design and most importantly in lobbying for legislated policy concerning industrial waste.

I agree with MacBride that consumer society is in a state of denial if it believes we can significantly reduce overall wastes at the individual level, especially when producers give us the choice between wasteful product A, B, or C. It seems in the conflict between producer and consumer, we, the consumers, should look to our government for aid. I asked MacBride if any international legislation from institutions, such as the UN or WTO, has been passed to regulate industrial wastes. She answered that only the European Union has instituted environmental laws (with a rather high level of success). Overall, I definitely enjoyed this lecture because it enlightened the audience on the one hand about a rather unknown subject, industrial waste, and on the other hand gave an alternative view on a very well know topic, the green movement. The lecture raised many important questions such as: how much power does the consumer really have? And in looking towards government for aid, how much more government security are we willing to establish for the sake of the environment’s security?

Ben on "If You See Something, Say Something"

Most actors want their performance to seem real, but, for many, artistic truth is extremely difficult to convey. Actors train in studios like Lee Strasberg for years just to get close to it. Some even dedicate their lives to the effort and never quite get there. Yet sometimes an anomaly of an actor can come along. Every so often, a guy can be so unabashedly strange, so powerfully intense and so uniquely talented that he doesn’t have to try to be real onstage, he just is real. Realism flows out of them like water out of fountains. Mike Daisey is that anomaly.

At Joe’s Pub—a restaurant/theater where the Global New York stream enjoyed the guilty pleasures of melodrama and cheesecake at the same time, Mike Daisey’s newest show was in full swing: If You See Something, Say Something. It is a fantastic, darkly comical critique of American homeland security and the epic stories that surround the Trinity test site: the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. Mike Daisey, with his eloquence and acute sense of timing, takes you from hearty laughter to reflective silence in a heartbeat. Once engaged in the performance, you wonder how one person can remember and perform ninety minutes worth of lines. The answer: he doesn’t have lines. He just has the story in his mind and a few notes which he never looks at. He sets the stakes high but does not disappoint us. As we walked out, a thought came to someon

If your interested in having an incredible one man show experience, If You See Something, Say Something is playing at Joe’s Pub.

- Ben Russell

Aditi's Reflection on the "Queens Panorama"

Tinges of Realization

We are lost in a maze
a concrete jungle

We jump block to block
street to avenue

we wait in lines hours long
we commute for even longer

so much to do so much to see

too much to do too much to see

center of the world
the biggest apple of everyone's eye

you can complain
complain about the strange smells and sights
complain about the looming buildings and the vast emptiness of the boroughs
complain about the individual boroughs, label them, stereotype them
complain about the crowds and the criminals
complain about the typical, unfriendly New Yorker

But
don't ever say it's not special.

_________

it is understandable

that a miniature of something so colossal, so overwhelming
would be colossal and overwhelming in itself

a college day trip, a train ride to Queens
and a breathtaking view of the monument to one of the world's greatest living wonders.

_________

we have skewed images in our minds.

sometimes,
we just need that extra nudge
that vertical tilt, that staggering impossibility
to push our minds over the edge

and freefall into the
fathomless canyon
of deeper understanding.

Rob on the "Art & Bodies Walking Tour"

The Art and Bodies Walking Tour provides an in-depth look into the various ways people and ideas are represented through sculptures and statues. The people and objects depicted in the statues range in significance from the most notable founding father of our country, George Washington, to the lowliest group of unnamed immigrants, to even personified animals and body parts. Some of the people portrayed in the art are portrayed as heroic and grand (Federal Hall National Memorial and The Four Continents), while others are replicated in their true, natural form (John Erickson and The Immigrants). Still other statues can be perceived as whimsical such as Ape and Cat, while others, like the Trinity Church Cemetery, are more somber.

I learned on the tour that an artist could portray an idea about a person or object by merely controlling the geometric shape and physical details of the statue. For example, the artist can praise a figure like George Washington by exaggerating the size of his features to make him appear dominant and larger than life. In a figure such as The Immigrants, the artist creates exhausted, but hopeful facial expressions on the immigrants in order to convey the struggle of these people. Another statue, Eyes, is composed of a simple geometric form, and is thus ambiguous to the viewer’s perception.


The tour was a very satisfying experience that guided me throughout lower Manhattan to some utterly beautiful areas of the city. I learned a little bit about public artwork, while also exploring new places in the city. I definitely recommend that everyone take this tour while in Manhattan.

-Rob R.

Khia on "Pasifika Styles"

I went to the "Pasifika Styles" presentation a few weeks ago with a small group. The speaker was artist Rosanna Raymond, a New Zealand born Pacific Islander. She spoke to us about a project she was a part of which worked to bring different artists of New Zealand together to make an exhibit. Her work shows the culture and style of the Samoan people. "Pasifika Styles" showcased traditional tools and clothing of the Pacific people while adding in the modern pieces by the artists. Raymond's arms showed her traditional Samoan tattoos, which was part of the way she used her body to show us the art of her culture.


This reminded me of the "Art and the Body" walking tour I went on where I saw many statues of people (historical and symbolic figures) standing for a message being displayed by the artist. Our bodies can be used in so many powerful ways that it is easy to forget how much we can show through them. The statues on the walking tour are frozen in place, immobile, but still portray stirring images. Raymond's tattoos, clothing and poems brought her Pacific culture to life, and the entire presentation was engaging and informative. Her activeness makes her body an important canvas. Just by looking at her and listening to the amount of passion in her voice as she explained her interest in sharing the art of her people, I was able to see an art form non-existent on the walking tour.

Fun & Global, 9/28-10/4

So you may be asking yourself, amidst the stress of school work and club life, "What can Global NYers do this week?" Well, I have a couple ideas for you which could serve as stressbusters or just plain entertainment:

1. Sikh Film Festival (http://www.sikharts.com/film-festival.html) - Saturday, Oct. 4th - An affordable, fun, and cultural experience. Great for those of you interested in discussions of religion, multiculturalism and film. Also great for anyone just looking for something to do!

2. Havana @ Umbrage Gallery (http://umbragegallery.com/) - Thru Oct. 31 - Free exhibit in DUMBO Brooklyn, showcase of some of the most important photographs in the history of Cuba's Revolution. Black and white images remembering and commemorating the Revolution's 50th anniversary.

3. Multimedia NYC @ MCNY (http://www.mcny.org/exhibitions/current/timescapes-a-multimedia-portrait-of-new-york.html) - Visit the Museum of the City of NY for several AWESOME exhibits, including a 25-minute multimedia experience tracing NYC's historical growth. It's a $5 suggested entrance fee, but if you say you're "a neighbor", they waive the suggested fee. I may go on Thursday or Friday.

If you explore any of these options If you write about your experience, pass it to me, and I'll post it on the blog. Or, if you take part in any other cultural/global experience here in the City, let me know. I'd love to include it in the blog.

HEAR YE! HEAR YE!!

NYC MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL!

This Sunday, Sept. 28th, join your GNY! stream leader Jarett as he leads a group up to beautiful Ft. Tryon Park, in the most northeasternly corner of Manhattan, to enjoy a day of jesters, minstrels, jugglers, medieval music, and general Middle Age enjoyment!!

We'll hopefully head up there rain or shine. Check out the forecast here. If the rain is too bad, though, we'll cancel the trip.

The event is completely free (you bring your metrocard) and takes place from 1130am-6pm. We'll head up there as a group, meeting in the Goddard Lobby @ 2pm. You can leave the event whenever you want...but you may want to stay for the day's finale - A JOUST!!

Everyone is invited - all floors, all streamers, all Goddardites. Bring your friends!

Check out the official website here for more information: http://www.whidc.org/home.html

Dr. Dent's Update

Global NY hits the ground running in search of Monuments, Landmarks, and Memorials

By Goddard Writing Faculty member Dr. Michelle Dent

The Global NY stream at Goddard Residential College recently finished its first series of site visits to a host of New York landmarks. Some of our destinations were to iconic monuments of the American Dream. At the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island we quoted favorite scenes from our earlier screening of The Godfather: Part II, and as we waited on long lines and crowded ferry boats, we felt ourselves transported back to a time when New York Harbor was packed with anxious and hopeful newcomers. Yet, through our time-traveling, we were also made more aware of the contemporary rituals of security checkpoints that have become a part of our current travel landscape. With helicopter surveillance in the harbor and hi-tech screeners at Lady Liberty’s threshold, we wondered amongst ourselves about the ways in which this iconic “gateway” has changed in our lifetime. Later in the week, on a unique a podcast walking tour sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, we visited historic landmarks of heroism and grief such as the East Coast Memorial for WWII servicemen, the Merchant Marines Memorial, and the Irish Hunger Memorial. By the time we arrived at Ground Zero, the poignancy of these lesser known memorials created a compelling frame of reference. We contemplated the seven-year anniversary of the September 11^th attacks while overlooking the site from within the marble opulence of the World Financial Center. The complexity of this hallowed ground, which continually is blurred with commercial and political interests cannot be underestimated.

Some of our other site visits were to monuments that are so off the beaten path that a large part of the experience was taken up in simply finding our destination. Did you know, for example, that there is a section of the Berlin Wall on display in Battery Park City? It not, then welcome to the club – you are not alone! But Global NY takes great pride in the fact that its stream members persevered, so if you’d like directions, or photos contact our blog or our Facebook group for the inside scoop. We rounded out this calendar of events with a trip on the 7 train to the Queens Museum of Art in the Flushing Meadows Park, the site of not one, but two former World’s Fairs (1939/1964). At the Queens Museum, we toured the Panorama of the City of New York, with NYU Writing Professor Blagovesta Momchedjikova, who wrote her doctoral thesis on the massive scale model. We are currently arranging a Panorama talk-back with Dr.Momchedjikova where we will also discuss her essay “My heart’s in the small lands: Touring the miniature city in the museum.” Our trip to the Panorama was arranged in collaboration with Goddard Writing Faculty Marion Wrenn, and the Writing New York Stream. Global NY is especially grateful to Dr. Wrenn for organizing our post-Panorama nosh at the scrumptious Delhi Palace Indian Restaurant in Jackson Heights.

Thanks to the awesome energy of my Global NY partners, our fabulous Grad RA Jarett Gilbert and our gracious and all-knowing CDE Ty Crisman. And remember, Global NY is nothing without YOU, its Residential College members, so a big shout out to the entire stream for such great spirit and intellectual curiosity. Here’s to more traipsing around the city in the weeks and months to come!

Queens Panorama

Saturday morning at 10:30am, Goddard's Global NY!ers will be departing from the Lobby to check out Queens, Brooklyn's neighbor to the north. It is the largest of the 5 NYC boroughs (see if you can name them all by now!) and the 2nd-most populous. Noteworthy areas in Queens include:

Shea Stadium, home of the NY Mets

The Queens Panorama, a model of NYC
Jackson Heights,
Home to large Subcontinental and Hispanic communities

Astoria,
Land of the Greeks

There is so much to see, touch, taste, smell (and feel??) in Queens. All you need to do is explore. I recommend one day taking the train to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave (E-F-G-R-V) or to Steinway (R) or to Astoria-Ditmars Blvd (N-W) and exploring.

What big event is happening soon in Queens??
THE JACKSON HEIGHTS FILM & FOOD FESTIVAL
It's super CHEAP, too...so check it out!

Here are some resources to find out other programming in Queens:

http://www.qgazette.com/Current/Community_Calendar/
http://queens.about.com/
http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_id=126&section_id=12&branch_id=A

A very global update.

Looking for fun, cultural things to do this month? Well, you're in NYC - so they're everywhere! You just have to know where to look...

Check out these events:

Mexico Now Festival - September 8-15
The Great Irish Festival - September 13
Jackson Heights Film and Food Festival - September 13-21
Mariachi Festival - September 22

Brazilian Films - each Thursday at the BEA
Various Armenian events

Sometimes it's just as easy as seeing what countries are celebrating their independence day. Try going to that kind of ethnic restaurant on that day - there's bound to be a celebration afoot.

Additionally, visit NYU's Center for Multicultural Education and Programs (CMEP) or even some of the cultural studies departments here on campus. They will have event information laying around or on their websites, i.e. free flamenco, a guest speaker, or an art gallery.

Finally, you can always come to Jarett and ask what's going on in NYC. If he doesn't know, he'll help you find out.

PODCAST PARTAY!

The weekend before their walking tour of Ground Zero and the World Financial Center, Global NY!ers took to the streets of Lower Manhattan to do a walking tour on their own...or in soaking wet groups! Listening and following a podcast tour from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, here are some of our Goddard Global NY!ers and great Monuments they visted, from the bronzed roots of the sycamore that protected St. Paul's Chapel from 9/11 shrapnel, to a piece of the Berlin Wall (that was never exposed to West Germany), to the Irish Hunger Memorial.

GREAT JOB!

Welcome Week Review

Tuesday, August 26

East Village Walking Tour

While the East Village Walking Tour was not an official Global NY! event, it was a great opportunity for all Goddard residents, as well as Global NY!ers, to explore the beautiful East Village, most of which is created on reclaimed river. It is an area renowned for its history of immigration and dynamic social movements. We took in - amongst other sites - La Plaza Cultural, Astor Place & Cooper Union, the East River Promenade, Little Tokyo/St. Mark's Place, Little Ukraine and Tompkins Square Park.


Wednesday, August 27
Screening: The Godfather, Part II

To prepare for our trip to Ellis & Liberty Islands, we held a
screening of "The Godfather, Part II", the Oscar-winning sequel about the Corleone mafia family. We enjoyed the images of immigration in Robert DeNiro's portrayal of Vito Corleone, who came to the US from Sicily via Ellis Island. Vito's story provided a great example of the struggles most immigrants faced - in their home country, getting through Ellis Island, and establishing themselves in NYC.


Friday, August 29
Ellis & Liberty Islands

So, when you're in New York City and you want to see monuments to immigration, symbols of America's "Melting Pot", where do you go? THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, of course! And Ellis Island! So that's what we did. It was an enjoyable day trip to experience first-hand the path of immigrants coming in from Europe in the late-1800s, early-1900s. Students were able to draw upon the East Village Walking Tour and "The Godfather, Part II" to more completely understand the importance of monuments in creating, preserving and promoting the timeless GLOBAL character of NYC.

Sept. 7th - Ground Zero Tour

On September 7th, the Global NY! stream will be heading out on their 2nd excursion in New York City, visiting the site of an atrocity which has completely reshaped inter-cultural dynamics in our new millennium. The attack on the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, left a huge gap in the landscape of lower Manhattan and in the hearts of many Americans. However, the collateral damage has proven to be, in fact, global in nature. Not only were the families of those involved in the attacks (both attacker and attacked) greatly effected, but so too was everyone else. The increase in tension between ethnic communities in the United States, superficial discrimination against those of Middle-Eastern descent, and the escalating levels of paranoia dependent upon the US government and global terror attacks all led to a high degree of uncomfortability, even in one of the world's most diverse cities. The bombing's fallout produced several other important items and events which have shaped the post-9/11 world: Patriot Act, Homeland Security, the global War on Terror, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and the War in Iraq. As we tour the void left by the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, let's think about what has filled that space. What were and are the implications for post-9/11 immigrants? How have the relationships between individuals and ethnic communities changed? How has NYC adapted since the attacks and how has that effected the City? Keep in mind your own stories, the stories of others, current events, policy changes, and what we experienced while at Ellis and Liberty Islands.

Some links:
Immigration and Insecurity
Professors Analyze Global Effects of 9/11
Presumed Guilt
Department of Homeland Security