tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16941165987754745672024-03-05T05:53:11.536-03:00NY notionsSandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-36940809335065604482009-03-24T15:58:00.007-03:002009-03-24T17:18:54.248-03:00Rashid Khalidi on Obama at Columbia's Global Center in Amman<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcN_CVFE72YDKASg64vefdcwu3ghx7lN3f07vzWMZkGIarFLzWwsfEWFcMbPXyw_ySdFUTwXQHSS3Tf1DXxHaRLlmdoZZAUp4e5HUa7zlIWYrNK4tGBqgESs0UgTRWGubTdYQGtb_SiV79/s1600-h/DSC01240.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316845044743423250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcN_CVFE72YDKASg64vefdcwu3ghx7lN3f07vzWMZkGIarFLzWwsfEWFcMbPXyw_ySdFUTwXQHSS3Tf1DXxHaRLlmdoZZAUp4e5HUa7zlIWYrNK4tGBqgESs0UgTRWGubTdYQGtb_SiV79/s320/DSC01240.JPG" border="0" /></a>Hadn't it been for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, I wouldn't have heard about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashid_Khalidi">Rashid Khalidi</a>. Sad or not that an Arab had to hear about a political Palestinian activist through the American elections isn't the issue here. It's about the stories that have been weaved to attack Obama via this academic Columbia figure (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/nyregion/31khalil.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=RASHID%20KHALIDI&st=cse">NYT</a>, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obamamideast10apr10,0,1780231,full.story">LAT</a>).<br /><p>Well today, right here in Amman, this New Yorker spoke about his relationship with Obama, at the inaugural speech for Columbia's Global Center in Amman. See for yourself:</p><br /><p></p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzG-HSwlHZLX8Vr9PScEMO5kK_piVkNvIqMHas8tVsvqvgrEjy9MpUrhLcRXYeYXGiI4HLkUW6nJ47tChbD' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-59277162914993107412009-03-22T17:38:00.002-03:002009-03-22T17:44:44.795-03:00Like Music to My EarsColumbia University, the New-York City positioned Ivy League opens it's Middle East research center in Amman.<br /><a href="http://news.columbia.edu/global/1464">As of today. </a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashid_Khalidi">Rashid Khalidi</a>, used as a token of fight by the Clinton campaign against Obama, is to roll an event in the next days, about his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sowing-Crisis-American-Dominance-Middle/dp/0807003107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237754630&sr=1-1">Sowing Crisis</a>.<br />What a start.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-42460172352987948892009-02-16T19:02:00.009-03:002009-02-16T19:14:47.762-03:00A New Yorker's Take on Sustainability, Future of Cities, & GazaInterview with Michael Sorkin by yours truly. Full version to be presented here once magazine is sold out.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>JO Magazine, February 2009</strong></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnp_WBm49Fw7oZyRf280kT5vrHI32097_Sn7UbBCVXhXL-QrnRlMSPxsDBa-yXZM8o45HIm8mn4g-ZhPtw6aMiE_VtqJ1in7ku_PGDPMTYJOkEYTQPZAj6eihYvek-OtEzGiHNMmz2WT8/s1600-h/THE_CITY-STATE+l+February+2009_Page_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303521434881102786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 313px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnp_WBm49Fw7oZyRf280kT5vrHI32097_Sn7UbBCVXhXL-QrnRlMSPxsDBa-yXZM8o45HIm8mn4g-ZhPtw6aMiE_VtqJ1in7ku_PGDPMTYJOkEYTQPZAj6eihYvek-OtEzGiHNMmz2WT8/s400/THE_CITY-STATE+l+February+2009_Page_1.jpg" border="0" /></a>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-72280139148310841552009-01-11T15:58:00.004-02:002009-01-11T16:05:03.936-02:00When Bigger Isn't Necessarily Better<blockquote><em>"Although compared variously to Las Vegas, Manhattan, Orlando, Monaco and Singapore, the sheikhdom is more like their collective summation and mythologization: a hallucinatory pastiche of the big, the bad and the ugly."</em> The Mike Davis take on Dubai. </blockquote>Dubai: a city which presents itself in part as a Manhattan replicator & competitor. Manhattan: a borough which presents itself as itself.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-13641515810869474292008-12-09T12:20:00.004-02:002008-12-09T13:07:37.690-02:00I Am Not A Paper CupIn New York City the paper cup is a hallmark of a particular case of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">urbanism</span>: the dwellers & commuters are constantly drinking while on the go. Each block generates almost as many paper cups per day as the numbers of the people living on it (<em>according to my crude reasoning</em>). But then paper cups go a long way. The trash can is just the first journey along many for this paper cup to sustainably reincarnate itself in another form.<br /><br /><br />The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">metro-governance</span> of the City of New York is busy untying big development knots like those going on at Ground Zero or at the yards of Hell's Kitchen. And it's busy selling porcelain cups that look exactly like their paper counterparts but that are more friendly to the waste management system. <a href="http://a856-citystore.nyc.gov/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductName=%22+I+am+not+a+paper+cup...%22">"I Am Not A Paper Cup"</a> is officially brought to you by the Official Store of the City of New York. I say buy it and spare some more trees from your <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Caffeine</span> rush. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277806437658737282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 333px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_3h0horb-gCsUN7quaBAWa-1Srewsml5qjd1ePSZzn2pC_YVm38pbCcOtKlW5xwEEHDXyQYl_dSsIMwLNWvc4-wFhyphenhyphenez-gagF9x9vv78zo8fKkGraV9IJuYf5MN9iZpJadJnUe56g07P/s400/NY+Paper+cup.jpg" border="0" />Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-86212142409855877322008-11-10T15:21:00.004-02:002008-11-10T15:39:45.067-02:00A Katz Effect5th Avenue. Spring. 365. Wednesdays with Katz. A write-up on Amman.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJnMb8-LIZbM-tafaCbPQ9VIMZCPsUylc1v058vcJIgNCJhkMKFv2sOlnbtDSNBEfD3sAUOja3isQZvbyq0rGGJSKetMH12KWBevTgO7Pk3aRwcdHHuMMZ1jPj7SY-p4OOvfR8_DTHN-O/s1600-h/The+Woman,+The+Mosque+and+The+Mall_Page_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267084431552078498" style="WIDTH: 313px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJnMb8-LIZbM-tafaCbPQ9VIMZCPsUylc1v058vcJIgNCJhkMKFv2sOlnbtDSNBEfD3sAUOja3isQZvbyq0rGGJSKetMH12KWBevTgO7Pk3aRwcdHHuMMZ1jPj7SY-p4OOvfR8_DTHN-O/s400/The+Woman,+The+Mosque+and+The+Mall_Page_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKzxiYgQmBzKxuoF6GjlBrKlC4xs3bQtgpXdNt6T3QzTQLNbmhrkLzYKQ6-h6iaHGsEPHY2h4FBgLWQaKaNLPFiGuQjXtY-7HxpB-9f6Ychq8tFfOc2D__aavhCKE5j1emMUqarZQnpiI/s1600-h/The+Woman,+The+Mosque+and+The+Mall_Page_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267084441160464786" style="WIDTH: 313px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKzxiYgQmBzKxuoF6GjlBrKlC4xs3bQtgpXdNt6T3QzTQLNbmhrkLzYKQ6-h6iaHGsEPHY2h4FBgLWQaKaNLPFiGuQjXtY-7HxpB-9f6Ychq8tFfOc2D__aavhCKE5j1emMUqarZQnpiI/s400/The+Woman,+The+Mosque+and+The+Mall_Page_2.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>JO Magazine. October 2008. Published by Al-Farida. </div></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-70104467525937318922008-09-11T03:27:00.001-03:002008-09-11T03:30:02.541-03:00The Bay Ridge View of Manhattan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9oX5fqDcxuqGQitgaYyYHoUadXpcDIAprCvPjPAJ9qj0qORsnTFIagQwQUWIH9PlaguZoNnZYzlhiRrLaygAfgTgAmFs9zxfdTy9hoC2FPVbA-kwpEqPkESJ5Q9sh6mQ4qHhlKXYuIHL/s1600-h/11views02_650+Bay+Ridge+View+of+Manhattan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244647174366401058" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9oX5fqDcxuqGQitgaYyYHoUadXpcDIAprCvPjPAJ9qj0qORsnTFIagQwQUWIH9PlaguZoNnZYzlhiRrLaygAfgTgAmFs9zxfdTy9hoC2FPVbA-kwpEqPkESJ5Q9sh6mQ4qHhlKXYuIHL/s400/11views02_650+Bay+Ridge+View+of+Manhattan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Courtesy of Andrew Henderson</span></em></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-86641479793665632592008-09-08T16:38:00.003-03:002008-09-08T16:43:04.909-03:00Even Google Can't Resist NYSo the other day I was saving an event on Google Calender. It was first thing on my schedule for the morning. Look what I got:<br /><br />Mon, September 8, 9am – 10am What: <span style="color:#ff0000;">e.g.,</span> <span style="color:#cc33cc;">Breakfast at Tiffany's</span><br /><br /><em>(With a paper cup and a Danish wouldn't I want too?) </em>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-75204047130567601832008-08-27T14:35:00.005-03:002008-08-27T14:51:29.692-03:00A New York Moment<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/nyregion/27arrival.html?ref=nyregion">They claim that there is always a moment when you move into the city and realize that you have become a true New Yorker. </a><br /><br />Mine was during one afternoon when I had grabbed a cab with a fresh newcomer to the city. Our trip started from Grand Central, heading towards Union Square (yep we grabbed a cab although a 4 or 5 train would have took us in less time, not to mention money), but I was out ruled for a treat. So, we entered and I asked the driver to take us to our destination. He asked "Shall I go through Broadway", and I answered "Yes". A few blocks and many conversations later, the driver mumbles something that sounds English but makes no sense. I looked out the window and there we were on 14th street, but Union Square was nowhere to be seen. I asked him where we were but he couldn't tell, then I shrieked: "Please don't tell me we are near the blue line." He was clueless but I went on in a high-toned frustrated voice "The A, C, E lines, there isn't a subway station at the upcoming corner on the right, is there?" Then I saw it, we were in Chelsea! "How can you do that, we are on the wrong side of the island, Union Square is on the East, we're on the West, why didn't you stay on Broadway?" I went on, then I turned to the newcomer, who was witnessing a rant hopeless to help, and explained that the square is on the intersection of Broadway and 14th, and that it's outraging how a cab driver wouldn't know it. We turned back and headed East, with the meter off, and back on when we hit Broadway, the only sign of proper interaction from the driver. I leaned back thinking that my moment had come.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">*If you can't see the interest in such a topic, then most probably you haven't lived NY at all.</span></em>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-22106969129838407892008-07-31T09:30:00.000-03:002008-07-31T09:31:53.934-03:00Discrimination by Planning LawConsulting the Zoning Glossary of the City of New York (which to remind you consists of the five boroughs of Kings “aka: Brooklyn”, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and The Bronx) only one borough was tied to a definition: Manhattan<a name="manhattan_core"></a>, not in its entirety too. Read and go figure;<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>"<strong>Manhattan Core*</strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>The Manhattan Core extends from the southern tip of Manhattan at Battery Park to West 110th Street on the West Side and East 96th Street on the East Side. It is the area covered by Manhattan Community Districts 1 through 8."</em></span>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-10878919971070858802008-07-31T05:31:00.006-03:002008-12-09T09:28:06.892-02:00Laid-back Boston, Hectic New York<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbk0sHjPAm_GSC2UO7SCAjkyGMzff3vOwvtYoaHEB0VOByI0o3nGsi3odRX6HtG4kyXgdjdRYjfKqIVGX6hG97hfGEz9tkP3VledF_KLRCDoDucHvpKW0JaBpjcSOjdy10o1mjOCqd7qXJ/s1600-h/Boston-turnstile.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229094524221290306" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbk0sHjPAm_GSC2UO7SCAjkyGMzff3vOwvtYoaHEB0VOByI0o3nGsi3odRX6HtG4kyXgdjdRYjfKqIVGX6hG97hfGEz9tkP3VledF_KLRCDoDucHvpKW0JaBpjcSOjdy10o1mjOCqd7qXJ/s400/Boston-turnstile.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>The Boston Turnstile</strong></span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eTiYqqDaEBXZeAj-O97Pt85D8XZRTm6ZZ0xpL62Dva7ltNCsiTO7lh79I7rWCdscWitvGXi8IrYTQMBjUNqfzqq-6PjxPCl8rZy48HPGY6IIOgLfUeisBtAmmC_VZzEZvCpgu79xUiKY/s1600-h/ny_subway_turnstile.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229093597546901698" style="WIDTH: 356px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px" height="262" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-eTiYqqDaEBXZeAj-O97Pt85D8XZRTm6ZZ0xpL62Dva7ltNCsiTO7lh79I7rWCdscWitvGXi8IrYTQMBjUNqfzqq-6PjxPCl8rZy48HPGY6IIOgLfUeisBtAmmC_VZzEZvCpgu79xUiKY/s400/ny_subway_turnstile.jpg" width="367" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">The New York Turnstile</span></strong><br /><br /><div>The tale of the differences of these two cities in a nutshell can be told through the turnstiles at subway stations. Urban life is conveyed in the detail. Yes, turnstiles: just look at them and you will tell the difference. Boston’s are made of two pieces of glass that open automatically once you scan your card (Yes New Yorkers GLASS). I found this as such a horrifying idea since New York turnstiles are meant to handle the large volumes of people successively passing through them at the fastest speed and most aggressive way a commuter could get too. Not to mention other subjects that hit these turnstiles such as small luggage bags, laundry trolleys, guitars, and kids crawling in the clearance between the lowest bar and the (dirty) floor. 10 minutes: that’s what I’d give one of the Boston turnstiles to survive at 42nd Street-Bryant Park station during rush hour. </div><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">(Images snatched from Google Images)</span></em></div></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-28278685172968720802008-07-16T03:34:00.000-03:002008-12-09T09:28:07.032-02:00The New Yorker Strikes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG-HjCAJqsw_RBlMYu7bSp0ISrHEZmuIKTgKbt8Qb9pGrdxi0IO6B2VY2S3lNuNBQmwXPERg7MtDwFUNyx5LSVyRahv_A7aJR5PfDaO0RS3fE9s42qCYlp-n1h8-huHbQci9d-u7QksD6/s1600-h/cover_newyorker_190.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223496734029090578" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG-HjCAJqsw_RBlMYu7bSp0ISrHEZmuIKTgKbt8Qb9pGrdxi0IO6B2VY2S3lNuNBQmwXPERg7MtDwFUNyx5LSVyRahv_A7aJR5PfDaO0RS3fE9s42qCYlp-n1h8-huHbQci9d-u7QksD6/s400/cover_newyorker_190.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In a true judgmental, stereotypical, uninformed mentality, and un-NY fashion, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/">New Yorker</a> published a satirical cartoon on its front cover of the Obama couple running the White House in a radical militant islamist (the small caps "i" is intended) manner. While they were at it, why didn't they veil Michelle, put a few Quranic verses on the wall in recognizable Arabic calligraphy, and put a gun beside a Clinton cigar on the desk? Screwed as it is, it wasn't visually Arab-related. Actually, the ethnic and religious dilemma of linking Islam to Arabs is dropped here. At least they got something right.<br /><br />Ironical enough, this cartoon is titled "The Politics of Fear". Well at least let's give them credit; there is one thing about this piece that triggers laughter.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-88066515670243497902008-03-19T12:51:00.006-03:002008-10-19T18:16:43.717-02:00Melting PotsThe heightened identity issues in NY in my everyday examination of it through academia and walking down those sidewalks forces me to rethink my own identity in the city I grew up for the largest share of my life, Amman. They make me think how Amman, this young city, is emerging....and blending identities; Bedouins, Palestinians, Jordanian non-Ammanites, Iraqis, Circassians, Armenians, Egyptians, and Syrians. Moreover, micro minority groups also exist; Greeks, Romanians, and Russians. A lot is inscribed on and perceived of these identities, many types being stereotypical such as the construction worker, the prostitute, and the good house cook (you can play the game of matching whom to which, it's not fun so I am not playing it). The way in which these identities were formed, most of whom fled from war, makes this city a place of immigrants with a history and many stories to tell. The presence of these identities is political, whether we choose to deny it or not. The setting of this city correlates to NY more than they claim Dubai does. Let's think deep, not posh. Think social networks rather than gleaming skyscrapers.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">(In response to </span></strong><a href="http://reflectupon.blogspot.com/2008/03/amman-and-me.html"><strong><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Amman</em><em> and me</em></span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">)</span></strong>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-27347656548322570642008-03-13T23:42:00.002-03:002008-03-13T23:47:58.355-03:00From Sex in the City to the State<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/12/spitzer.investigation/index.html#cnnSTCText">Here. No, I mean there.</a>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-76862387769256793922008-02-23T14:48:00.001-03:002008-02-23T14:49:56.593-03:00America's 4th Most Miserable City<a href="http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Article_forbes.aspx?cp-documentid=6171960&GT1=10932">New York.</a> Also worst for commute and income taxes.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-83181564176639621822008-02-22T22:50:00.000-03:002008-12-09T09:28:07.238-02:00White Harlem<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5MeAaQLsBj7OR6y48gTdiiQfL9N9hqfSH_EK7lPWtQx4jHMOnwguC2zMoFfP2BqYfQTTxb4b2Og5b29qYEb1iYOa5wKbEChRulomLygOMu7zNPVBJzS30gKd5GMBL9TQH9u_nqhUlJfD/s1600-h/DSCN2402.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169987547441386962" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5MeAaQLsBj7OR6y48gTdiiQfL9N9hqfSH_EK7lPWtQx4jHMOnwguC2zMoFfP2BqYfQTTxb4b2Og5b29qYEb1iYOa5wKbEChRulomLygOMu7zNPVBJzS30gKd5GMBL9TQH9u_nqhUlJfD/s400/DSCN2402.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-4546053579743359432008-02-02T16:24:00.000-02:002008-02-02T18:51:22.741-02:00From Behind Your Camera Lens, Do I Know Who You Are?Every time I see a fabulous picture that one of my friends would have taken, I think of this question (bear in mind when reading this that they are not professional photographers, nor is the discussion about the pros). Building on a personal belief that a photograph is a two-way production between the photographer and the object/place/subject/person/feeling etc. being captured, it makes me wonder how much does this 2D depiction tell me about that person? What roads does it take me through in their intimate mental area that I never would have traveled down unless in very rare relationships?<br /><br />Sometimes, I have to admit it may be tricky and the grounds of the depiction are murky because of its dual nature mentioned above. Add to that the technological aspect of how sophisticated the camera is and then the nature becomes tripartite. For instance, a wonderful photo may turn out to be a matter of using the right camera in a rich setting at an appropriate time of the day/night. A bummer, huh?<br /><br />Once that is put aside, and you think of the crude eye and mind that were taking the picture, a lot of amazing aspects about a person emerge. After all, what they focus on tells you about their interests, how they focus on it tells you the way they think about their interests. A fabulous photo at the end is one which tells you that much about them in a way you can interestingly and deeply identify with. And maybe, just maybe, a result of such a realization is to move together along a widened understanding of each other, traveling down your newly discovered "mutual" intimate areas.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-29051594167103190702008-01-19T12:33:00.000-02:002008-12-09T09:28:08.424-02:00The Nest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddZxUvFnQaNMAzOML5jyfhTrBNjbTghQ1jOeAoRuvq7PTeGWDwnf6pnTPLtSQEisyH435PShBHvj1UHYRX1DYTD4RL1sDccxCUOEAWkFkYUXsknTPeAUSJNRiJE9xX4p4SyTNaHTS12Tn/s1600-h/DSCN4517.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157207250893580082" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddZxUvFnQaNMAzOML5jyfhTrBNjbTghQ1jOeAoRuvq7PTeGWDwnf6pnTPLtSQEisyH435PShBHvj1UHYRX1DYTD4RL1sDccxCUOEAWkFkYUXsknTPeAUSJNRiJE9xX4p4SyTNaHTS12Tn/s400/DSCN4517.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>Beijing being the host of the Olympics this year has pulled an architectural stunt to take our breaths away. Well at least it worked on me (<a href="http://www.herzogdemeuron-film.com/">and on some movie makers</a>). The stunt is none other than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzog_&_de_Meuron">Herzog and De Meuron's</a> National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics (more commonly known as "the nest" since it looks like one). Having visited the site, I couldn't help but notice how some humble construction practices where working in line with the progressive; like in the straw filled blankets, and the messy corrugated sheets that circle the building at close proximity to its outer facade. Nonetheless to say, the landscape pattern on the floor wasn't as presented in the renderings, wherein it continued the pattern of skewed lines on its surfaces. Wonder what went wrong there.<br /><br />Visually yours,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3DsGt-oRK1veH2L9sotUMeSL6cFLQTRvw4HZ8yWx8ZBjETR1JTdAkPwFWJKh1d25mN7X3LAOc1VCkPVlCyS6Xe883YeJj1TeoX8k6aZYS5EJpMOiVUvXb2ObbH00f0ui7BdI18-l3XT7/s1600-h/DSCN4481.JPG"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-kEBFVaXUHgyqoyJ4wGbVb01x8Nyd8xIrO0xDYs_lOUf47qzG29C6LXm3ByLcrvm6flT3cahp-5iI7g6RWdjGX4nN1-B3oW8i4zg_2BkCQj9R87mDMO9y_qhy8G0mfGmLeQYMokZUbKj/s1600-h/DSCN4481.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157203050415564514" style="WIDTH: 625px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 332px" height="332" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-kEBFVaXUHgyqoyJ4wGbVb01x8Nyd8xIrO0xDYs_lOUf47qzG29C6LXm3ByLcrvm6flT3cahp-5iI7g6RWdjGX4nN1-B3oW8i4zg_2BkCQj9R87mDMO9y_qhy8G0mfGmLeQYMokZUbKj/s400/DSCN4481.JPG" width="447" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEin-aRd2mEItTwKM0vkhfFf8zqNwAoFDCqkfbfGa2m15MaZieiwhcWL7VWoDsW6YGGuHhYl7nYfKW1uOus6QyW3JXumCFEQjtwjmsFfvgMr8gjM6NV525wz8eMaJ9WTD8B56owm_2RzB/s1600-h/DSCN4490.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157206520749139746" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEin-aRd2mEItTwKM0vkhfFf8zqNwAoFDCqkfbfGa2m15MaZieiwhcWL7VWoDsW6YGGuHhYl7nYfKW1uOus6QyW3JXumCFEQjtwjmsFfvgMr8gjM6NV525wz8eMaJ9WTD8B56owm_2RzB/s400/DSCN4490.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UUWQGtD9DE46PMey7IPoWkOhZ0ubh1RKyCYJmuYqu-QL-dY0_tA9tS8Udp5c9rg5zeHahuCGCje2slgGN9OKuSXDp7e-Ua3AhhJh4KEzMZzPO9aBPK87NufAo5a-SnYldEJQsOSJClKv/s1600-h/DSCN4519.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157206516454172434" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UUWQGtD9DE46PMey7IPoWkOhZ0ubh1RKyCYJmuYqu-QL-dY0_tA9tS8Udp5c9rg5zeHahuCGCje2slgGN9OKuSXDp7e-Ua3AhhJh4KEzMZzPO9aBPK87NufAo5a-SnYldEJQsOSJClKv/s400/DSCN4519.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN6lnHK8r0HvcSiSxqlq3M-88x2lQ4Vj5ZyE60tDESqe_tqrcN1M6JYzxuHEnwRpQYR1jaT8DXNxlFCMlejGvCQFk1Ss-RKT5K2gFf6BxPeeGt3Ev8hoyuIw0nQigcM1L3qXocS5gS7Du/s1600-h/DSCN4505.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6J6cLcb2KNfrhgN-yG9FZApxozJt74DPOBPFeW-yloKgcOTi_z85ZE-4E6C3LY3ZtDhHa8nGAr-_1gRQVJljeEoYvE1t22vGq0GpZx57t4r9wGemCyh-oz4tvivVrLAL2c16b-rguwEL/s1600-h/DSCN4497.JPG"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4VnqjO6YUzvEdogzvuACFL20dNWmXCmRA7xfO6otR_biovFyiyRssk6GIBNOHzR4IsxCUcKxi-d_RhyphenhyphenE6l4po0O9eE7oSe5m9ponKh0K2gSh41eCbKBKfc8qOm85QkOgszwR-vbGxcmO/s1600-h/DSCN4490.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtKARV2dQBdS5aWL6S6qmDc0yULlkGWNbh07szo-M-sEr1V9w3TubFL-FjqLKNFp5AU344VlKEiU15POgugJWApn_zdb3R549kb4zinzLTP5qQCEN4k36u-n-PdkE1kiC6-VgYM8f13UW/s1600-h/DSCN4501.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157207255188547394" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtKARV2dQBdS5aWL6S6qmDc0yULlkGWNbh07szo-M-sEr1V9w3TubFL-FjqLKNFp5AU344VlKEiU15POgugJWApn_zdb3R549kb4zinzLTP5qQCEN4k36u-n-PdkE1kiC6-VgYM8f13UW/s400/DSCN4501.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgnNLqorXM7qne-9sAprQePrH1qOEHh-5jSrMc9zJWZIkSLSN3RDMFpuTm4WSSJjMjYQDfcbdBsq0pklG52IwL8uE8dTOGm70ewRwkp89voY3oRw36C20EFs0NyWP7JWz17kUvOJq0tSB/s1600-h/DSCN4504.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157207770584622930" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgnNLqorXM7qne-9sAprQePrH1qOEHh-5jSrMc9zJWZIkSLSN3RDMFpuTm4WSSJjMjYQDfcbdBsq0pklG52IwL8uE8dTOGm70ewRwkp89voY3oRw36C20EFs0NyWP7JWz17kUvOJq0tSB/s400/DSCN4504.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoZ4RZUWyniCoQvK56g0-jM_Cm62KgYk41h-AeGi3DtQM2Vmm9z5l0VoMZNTpFHGrAogeZG81pdeCulnT9yNp7Nxbplqkj-dNJgFXGhUe_0cCnQoCXxRAObo0DMRSrgI87SwZtCNKp22j/s1600-h/DSCN4505.JPG"></a></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-58560775279894346672007-12-24T20:22:00.000-02:002007-12-24T20:44:51.025-02:00The Amman - NY Air LinkI can't help it. Call it a bias and I don't care, but I just love to draw on links between both cities. In this year's news (before its almost over): <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.rj.com">Royal Jordanian</a> celebrates <a href="http://www.rj.com/FlightTools/PressReleases/tabid/59/Default.aspx?itemID=84">30 years of nonstop flights between Amman and NY</a>, establishing that intimate link with the dear Middle East.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ok</span></span>, so I was one of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">RJ's</span></span> victims of the recent flights that got messed up... I had my flight change three times, I barely made it to JFK, but, such a mess was worth it at the end; like meeting someone you think highly of.<br />A whole page ad in today's paper presented an apology and detailed explanation for the mess, quite an interesting way to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">communicate</span> to the passengers...which brings up a random thought; I wonder if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">RJ</span></span> will be hit by the wave of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">neo</span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">liberalism</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">consecutively</span> undergoes privatisation. Come on, why should it be, it's royal <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">after all!</span>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-31842147337351981062007-12-21T08:04:00.000-02:002008-01-19T13:23:21.575-02:00The Ivy Dilemma<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/nyregion/21expansion.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin">So they got the City Council's approval. </a><br /><br />Dear Columbia:<br />This is New York City, just why can't that urban context get punched in to the numbers of space per student ratio of yours?Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-43657011963462237742007-12-16T14:20:00.000-02:002008-12-09T09:28:08.544-02:00Brooklyn: Home of Unconventional FriendshipsBetween Jews and Muslims, or so the mainstream notion views the friendship as so (unconventional), before <a href="http://www.arrangedthemovie.com/">ARRANGED</a> comes to attack it gently, accepting that they both have lives to lead and not wars to live. And the streets and homes of Brooklyn are so. From Williamsburg to Bay Ridge, the city presents spots where world peace can actually happen.<br /><br />ARRANGED is a story of marriages in a city where the conventional of so is secular. Where the religious narrative actually is a story of success. You just have to love low budgets (especially those shot in 17 days!)<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbfRN98gfjBtS5Bi0l8OGTUUFJx8gmn8AyiatvHtBq3uY-iW5LyfkCC3agso0heoVgF7VRJg7yahQ2tsl-_O6JyjtCsHAoBl0QFibTTM5rubPle0Ee_hopFd6eIW_UWV29EcgY5Rwvj9k/s1600-h/Untitled-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144612933607925362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbfRN98gfjBtS5Bi0l8OGTUUFJx8gmn8AyiatvHtBq3uY-iW5LyfkCC3agso0heoVgF7VRJg7yahQ2tsl-_O6JyjtCsHAoBl0QFibTTM5rubPle0Ee_hopFd6eIW_UWV29EcgY5Rwvj9k/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-22387502388775744112007-12-16T13:44:00.000-02:002008-12-09T09:28:08.676-02:00The Weather Channel & The Idea of "Light Rain"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEN5jZ7BRe4Fl2y86pIp8TsK3FEf035r7oyJ5jOBG7RbbsRwhKbomrDS41GliPYcgk_OIW1OVi-sM_sekGOwT81cB_m1U2VW2nwfPFvpCl4v6TLE1jQqaUXeHsyCxsgMH8PpxEgVO3_P6/s1600-h/DSCN1508.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144600572692047426" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="246" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEN5jZ7BRe4Fl2y86pIp8TsK3FEf035r7oyJ5jOBG7RbbsRwhKbomrDS41GliPYcgk_OIW1OVi-sM_sekGOwT81cB_m1U2VW2nwfPFvpCl4v6TLE1jQqaUXeHsyCxsgMH8PpxEgVO3_P6/s400/DSCN1508.JPG" width="326" border="0" /></a><strong>3:00 A.M.<br /></strong>Outside the snow a few inches think, maybe 5?<br />The Channel reported rain.<br /><br /><strong>12:00 P.M.</strong><br />Rain showers and Windy<br /><br />And the white on my window sill is?<br />Product of a natural slush-generative window designed to function as so through the idea of creating a local microclimate.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-79306962208520685442007-12-08T02:55:00.000-02:002007-12-08T03:11:26.052-02:00Slowing Down on Cortlandt St.Using the local to go to Manhattan from Brooklyn (& vice versa) is definitely not habitual. In the very few times I did so, I noticed something worth mentioning. As the R line passes through the Cortlandt street station, it slows down. If your not familiar, this station is the one that used to serve the WTC towers and adjacent areas. When the train passes by, you get to see the interior of destruction (or construction, but realistically rather than pessimistically, I see it as the former). It's a sad moment. I find it remarkable that the train slows down, it's a strong statement for NYC to make: as quick as the trains have to go, they slow down in respect and reflection of what had happened at that site. I prefer to think of it as that, though maybe the reason is to not affect the construction on ground zero (a less likely possibility since the trains speed up as soon as they are away from the edge of the station).<br /><br />Apparently, <a href="http://www.mta.info/capconstr/fstc/documents/061211_tc_cb1.pdf">the MTA was planning to reopen the station this year</a>, but delays happened.Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-47597910692831347202007-11-29T01:48:00.000-02:002008-12-09T09:28:08.820-02:00Broadway meets 5th Avein a rather abstract manner...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWWmJsR5OVgLkQUYWC-BoTpttdbTJyIsrbCGskqY-lSstxv-8LjYvvdhO3EoOjsGaowTeOHSWo2dDenbnp3KHWWzgcq_EmMwLKeC3pejQXqijx1xqQZfft4ltPHlFPHBcl1NI9_JhQFQa/s1600-h/DSCN1380.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138105936481506898" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWWmJsR5OVgLkQUYWC-BoTpttdbTJyIsrbCGskqY-lSstxv-8LjYvvdhO3EoOjsGaowTeOHSWo2dDenbnp3KHWWzgcq_EmMwLKeC3pejQXqijx1xqQZfft4ltPHlFPHBcl1NI9_JhQFQa/s400/DSCN1380.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em><a href="http://www.brookfieldpropertieshudsonyards.com/#/HOME"><span style="font-size:85%;">Brookfield Properties</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> model for the Hudson </span></em><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Yards </span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Development...modeling outside of the </span></em><em><span style="font-size:85%;">box of the </span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Yards...</span></em><br /><em></em>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694116598775474567.post-52217456361520467142007-11-28T20:33:00.000-02:002008-12-09T09:28:09.595-02:00The NYC cab dresses flowers for the fall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2J2qof7_vss15m3Rj0byC3mf3qyR_JU1JxktI4WBv1YoLYBSaParItKMh3mXwRXd7Ev8PH88wefmobr1QjK8NEfy9Yl4q-eE9F8FtHDXod_XYzQwXKaIkqKQaUBQNkVj0FPNLfwTxtzu/s1600-h/DSCN1446.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138023700742690370" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2J2qof7_vss15m3Rj0byC3mf3qyR_JU1JxktI4WBv1YoLYBSaParItKMh3mXwRXd7Ev8PH88wefmobr1QjK8NEfy9Yl4q-eE9F8FtHDXod_XYzQwXKaIkqKQaUBQNkVj0FPNLfwTxtzu/s400/DSCN1446.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Public art challenges the bland yellow surfaces of the city's cabs in what I personally think is a bold attempt to use a symbol that operates on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">rapport</span> of juvenile and feminine representation. Standing on the curb and observing it pass by, it's not really the way I think of it then and there.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error">NYC's</span> initiative of <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/gardenintransit/home.html">Garden in Transit</a> is promoted as a<br /><a href="http://www.portraitsofhope.org/git/about_git.php">community-based</a> project.<br /><br />two-extra notions:<br />- the colors are bold and beautiful<br />- the male-cab drivers, and the suit-jacketed business men: do they have some sort of sexual (as in gender) consciousness to this?Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14849439077182985633noreply@blogger.com1