Last Sunday I went to see a film from Greenland, Heart of Light (Lysets Hjerte). By the time I got to the place where it was being shown (Natural History museum in DC), it was already 2/3 done.
It was pretty good, at least the part that I saw. There were flashbacks and scenes of magic realism… references to Danish colonialism and cultural imperialism… And while there were moments that seemed confusing or scenes that seemed weakly resolved, they didn’t pose insurmountable frustrations to my following the film’s momentum.
I liked the awesome scenery and deft cinematography. There were gaps in the translation from Inuit and Danish (and sometimes it wasn’t clear to what extent Danish was in use), but that added to the exotic authenticity.
I wasn’t sure quite what to expect before I went. So why go see this 1998 film? ...‘cause I’m interested in other countries and cultures. On one of my trips across the Atlantic, my plane had passed by Greenland. Looking out the window, one couldn’t tell whether it was a land mass or a collection of icebergs.
So now I have some exposure to Greenland’s culture, after seeing part of this first feature film to be shot there. Not sure if I’ll ever visit (I tend to favor warmer climes).
That reminds me that many years ago, I saw the first feature film from Luxembourg. That’s an experience that is usually worth sharing, only if you meet someone who’s been there or from there… which I did several years afterward. (I surprised a Luxembourg postal official at an international stamp expo.)
That’s the great thing about a blog. I don’t have to wait a bunch of years to run into a Greenlander to discuss a film about Greenland.
I didn’t go to the APA heritage month commemoration at work, today.
I looked at the flyer and decided that it didn’t appeal to me.
The speaker was a Korean American chaplain and the theme was “Liberty and freedom for all.” Also on the agenda were cultural presentations of martial arts and a wellness center. Plus food for sampling by attendees..
Not a bad program, as these things go, but the main motivators for my attendance would be to meet folks (particularly other APIs) and to learn something from the speaker.
Unfortunately, I’ve found that most speeches at these events have been rather predictable as have been the programs (usually traditional dance, martial arts, maybe traditional music, and food).
Nothing wrong with this kind of content, but after a while, I tend to find this material to be repetitive and somewhat exoticising. And to the extent that this becomes a recurring tone, over the years, it borders on feeling kitschy and corny to me.
What I would like to see at future events would be displays and discussion of American heritage (and current API issues), as opposed to homeland heritage.
Meanwhile, I figure I get my quota of API mingling and learning about phenomena from attending the Asian American studies conference, each year. (I was in L.A., last month, for that.)
heard a funny story on C-Span last night...
Josh Bolten, head of OMB, told of a birthday video that his staff made...
They'd placed pictures of him, John Bolton (the UN ambassador nominee), and Michael Bolton (the MOR singer/songwriter) on a placard and showed it to passersby on the Mall. They were asked to identify Josh Bolten, the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Bolten, in his dry, numorless voice, said some of the answers were pretty funny...
Whether they actually were or not, the premise sounded pretty good. Bolten seems to be as low-key as they come, so I imagine few (perhaps, no one) had any idea of what he looked like... (unless you used the process of elimination).
At first, I was excited to find this mention of my birthplace:
Published on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 by the Rutland Herald
Sanders' Forums Take Aim at Poverty
by Kim Smith Dedam, Southern Vermont Bureau
SPRINGFIELD -- Rep. Bernie Sanders walked through the crowded cafeteria at Springfield High School Monday night and stopped every few feet to greet people.
They had come to the first of four congressional town meetings organized by the Independent lawmaker to talk about poverty.
And they came in droves. There were easily 250 people in the room.
"We didn't expect half as many people," a stunned Sanders said.
"This is an incredible turnout. This shows you poverty is a real issue that doesn't get the discussion people want," he said. .....
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Apparently, things are still pretty tough in that part of Vermont, since I last visited in Oct., 03.
I think the biggest employer to come there in the past decade was a prison. (Probably more jobs than the Howard Dean vocational center?)
What would I be doing now, if I had remained there, instead of moving away as a baby?
Hard to say... I'd probably would've died from the cold.
Yesterday, I found myself talking on and on in the dentist's chair. (No, it wasn't sodium pentothal, nor any threat of drilling that forced my tongue.)
I didn't realize my loquaciousness until much later.
I blame it on my lack of sleep. Often, don't realize the lack of control that results from my lack of sleep.
I've a tendency to push the envelope when it comes to staying up past my bedtime and trying to keep awake.
Need more self-discipline.
Maybe I should copy Bush and go to bed by 9 pm.
Part of the problem is that my mind is like a wild carnivore that seeks to devour more knowledge than I can possibly absorb.