Valerie Green/Dance Entropy – Eternal Return
Baruch Performing Arts Center
Baruch College, NYC
22 January 2012
Valerie Green, founder of Long Island City’s Green Space, has been active in the NYC dance community since the late 1990s. After starting her career with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, Ms. Green formed Dance Entropy shortly after Hawkins’s death. While maintaining a visceral bond with the Graham-Hawkins tradition of multi-sourced American dance, Green is distinctively of her own time and place.
One measure of a choreographer must be the ability to attract good dancers and then to build exciting work on them.
Inexplicable Space
Choreography: Valerie Green
Dancers: Kristin Licata, Jen Painter, Julia Sabangan, Yayoi Suzuki, Raleigh Veach, Daniel Zapata
Costumes: Deborah Erenberg
Music: Camille Sain-Saëns, Mychael Danna, Marlon Cherry, Palms Down, Dick Dale, DecOdex, Dafos
Erick Hawkins famously said, “The body is a clear space.” Green mixes that space up, with dancers who thread in and out of each other and props that are goofy but somehow not.
Rise & Fall
Choreography: Valerie Green
Dancers: Amy Adams, Valerie Green, Kristin Licata, Jen Painter, Julia Sabangan
Costumes: Daniel Herskowitz
Music: BP Service, Eno/Wobble, Trent Reznor, DecOdex
A Rite of Spring for the Occupy generation. Green joins four of her dancers to enact an expressionist allegory of Western civilization. Daniel Herskowitz’s costumes aid the differentiation of the characters, who are as clearly delineated as Chaucer’s pilgrims. Midway through this severe work, it is startling to see Julia Sabangan take flight, execute a midair turn and form a deceptively pretty, masterful arc from finger to toe. And we realize, this is our way out, into beauty and clarity of being.
Keith Aoki’s Seed Wars
Seed Wars: Controversies and Cases on Plant Genetic Resources and Intellectual Property
by Keith Aoki
Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2008 [order]
This book is essential to an understanding of the commodification of plant germplasm from Mendel to Monsanto (actually, the historical breadth extends from pre-history to 2007), and a look forward toward possible solutions.
A few quotes:
“Plant genetic diversity has been an invaluable resource to humans in preserving and developing a reliable food supply, and farmers could openly access germplasm for thousands of years in local and decentralized fashion. Today, that has all changed.”
“…plant genetic diversity is being lost as industrialized agriculture replaces traditional crop strains with increasingly uniform varieties.”
“Genetic engineering in terms of commercial crops necessarily entails decreased genetic diversity, which is detrimental. The uniformity of genetically modified seeds makes them less resistant to disease. Because plants bred from similar strands are all vulnerable to the same pests and diseases, a single instance of disease can spread rapidly, practically unchecked, amongst the entire crop. By contrast, traditional genetically diverse landraces developed their own natural defenses against disease.”
“Do we control our institutions and inventions or do they, like Frankenstein’s monster, control us?”
Aoki died in April 2011 at age 55 – http://www.thepublicdomain.org/2011/04/27/rip-keith-aoki/. Read his book now.
Global Magnitude of Mesothelioma
Park EK, Takahashi K, Hoshuyama T, et al.
Global magnitude of reported and unreported mesothelioma.
Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Apr;119(4):514-8.
PubMed PMID: 21463977
Investigators at University of Occupational and Environmental Health (Japan), University of Birmingham (UK), and National Taiwan University estimated the global magnitude of mesothelioma, accounting for reported and unreported cases.
Noting that malignant mesothelioma – a rare form of cancer caused specifically by exposure to asbestos – is a major public health concern because it “is difficult to diagnose, has extremely poor prognosis, and is on the increase, and that “epidemics of mesothelioma have been reported nationally and regionally,” the authors point out that current epidemiological data are “biased toward developed countries and regions with the resources to diagnose asbestos-related diseases and with known historical use of asbestos” and that “mesothelioma is grossly underreported in many developing countries, including some with known extensive use of asbestos.”
From the conclusion:
“We estimated the 15-year cumulative frequency of mesothelioma during 1994–2008 in the 56 countries reporting mesothelioma to be 174,300. Using cumulative asbestos use to predict cumulative mesothelioma frequency at national levels, we predicted the 15-year cumulative frequency of mesothelioma during 1994–2008 in the 33 countries that do not report mesothelioma to be 38,900. Thus, globally, for every four to five reported cases of mesothelioma, one case has been overlooked. These estimates support the need for countermeasures at national, regional, and international levels.”
The authors observe that the world has “nearly doubled cumulative use of asbestos from 65 million metric tons up until 1970, to 124 million metric tons since then,” and that in particular, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Japan, the United States, Brazil, Germany, India, and Thailand “should anticipate the need to deal with a very high burden of mesothelioma in the immediate decades ahead.”
They urge that “developed countries share experience and technology to enable developing countries to promote accurate diagnosis, reporting, and management of [asbestos-related diseases]” and that “political will is essential to ensure that asbestos use ceases globally.”
Free full text is available via PubMed.
The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.
Meta-Analysis: Coffee Consumption and Cancer Risk
Yu X, Bao Z, Zou J, Dong J.
Coffee consumption and risk of cancers: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.
BMC Cancer. 2011 Mar 15;11:96.
PubMed PMID: 21406107
Investigators at Fudan University, Shanghai, undertook a meta-analysis of 59 studies of relative risk of various cancers among coffee drinkers. Cohorts included in the meta-analysis were from Europe (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Finland, and Netherlands), North America (Canada and the United States), and Asia (Japan and Singapore).
Noting that coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and that roasted coffee is a complex mixture of more than a thousand chemicals, the authors limited their meta-analysis to studies of coffee instead of all sources of caffeine.
From the conclusion:
“All in all, our meta-analysis including 40 prospective cohort studies confirmed that coffee drinking have no harmful effect. Instead, coffee consumption is inversely associated with the risk of bladder, breast, buccal cavity and pharynx, colorectum, endometrium, esophagus, hepatocellular, leukemia, pancreas, and prostate cancers.”
Full free text is available via PubMed.
The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.
A Primer on Ayurvedic Pharmaceutics
Savrikar SS, Ravishankar B.
Bhaishajya Kalpanaa – the Ayurvedic pharmaceutics – an overview.
Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2010 Apr 3;7(3):174-84. Review.
PubMed PMID: 21461144
The authors, from Gujarat Ayurved University, present an overview of Bhaishajya Kalpanaa, the sub-discipline of Ayurvedic medicine devoted to drug formulations. They cover the historical background, basic principles, methods of preparation, and major influences on the activity of the compounds.
Drawing from the Ayurvedic Formulary of India (current version available online via the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India), the authors detail 21 drug formulations, 16 are mainly plant-based and the rest mineral- and metal-based.
Free full text is available via PubMed. Clinical trials related to Ayurvedic medicine can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov.
The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.
A Review of Curcumin in Head and Neck Cancer
Wilken R, Veena MS, Wang MB, Srivatsan ES.
Curcumin: A review of anti-cancer properties and therapeutic activity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Cancer. 2011 Feb 7;10:12. Review.
PubMed PMID: 21299897.
The authors, from the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, present an overview of data on therapeutic activity of curcumin (diferuloylmethane, derived from Curcuma longa), commonly known as turmeric, in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, the sixth most common cancer worldwide.
From the abstract:
Curcumin has been used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, as it is nontoxic and has a variety of therapeutic properties including anti-oxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic activity. More recently curcumin has been found to possess anti-cancer activities via its effect on a variety of biological pathways involved in mutagenesis, oncogene expression, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, tumorigenesis and metastasis.
After an overview of head and neck cancer and the current therapeutic options, the authors describe curcumin in detail and the current preclinical and clinical data on its anti-cancer effects. the conclude that “curcumin is both nontoxic as well as diversified in its inhibitory effects on a multitude of pathways involved in carcinogenesis and tumor formation.”
Free full text is available via PubMed. A list of open clinical trials of curcumin in cancer can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov.
The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.
Tales from the Gimli Hospital: Reframed
Tales from the Gimli Hospital: Reframed
Director: Guy Maddin, 1988, 2011
Country: Canada
Cast includes: Kyle McCulloch (Einar the Lonely / Minstrel); Michael Gottli (Gunnar); Angela Heck (Snjófridur); Margaret Anne MacLeod (Amma); Heather Neale (Granddaughter); David Neale (Grandson); Don Hewak (John Ramsay); Ron Eyolfson (Pastor Osbaldison / Patient [as Ronald Eyolfson]); Chris Johnson (Lord Dufferin); Donna Szöke (Fish Princess)
Score composed by: William Satake Blauvelt, Borgar Magnason, Dean Moore, Matthew Patton, Naho Shioya, Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, Gyða Valtýsdóttir, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir
Performed by: Borgar Magnason, Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, Gyða Valtýsdóttir, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, Aono Jikken Ensemble featuring William Satake Blauvelt, Dean Moore, and Naho Shioya
Narrated by: Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir
Live electronics: Paul Corley
A love triangle with smallpox
According to Wikipedia, Gimli, Manitoba is a rural municipality located on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. The area, known as New Iceland, is home to the largest concentration of people of Icelandic ancestry outside Iceland.
“In 1870 Icelanders fled volcanic eruptions and created New Iceland in Canada, north of Winnepeg, the coldest city in North America. They got smallpox and started dying, wiping out the aboriginals, too. This was both ludicrous and tragic.” – Guy Maddin
A live cinematic and musical event commissioned for this year’s PERFORMA 11, Tales from the Gimli Hospital: Reframed pairs Guy Maddin’s first feature film with a live performance of a new score created by Matthew Patton, a superstar group of Icelandic musicians, the Seattle-based musical collective Aono Jikken Ensemble, and live electronics engineer Paul Corley. Former múm frontwoman Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir (aka Kría Brekkan) expertly performed a narration newly written by Maddin, accompanied by string and vocals by Gyða Valtýsdóttir (cello), Borgar Magnason (double bass), and Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir (violin). Additional music and phenomenal Foley effects were created by Seattle’s Aono Jikken Ensemble (Willliam Satake Blauvelt, Dean Moore, and Naho Shioya).
A night unlike any other.
Ethnobotanical study of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plant use by traditional healers in Oshikoto region, Namibia
Cheikhyoussef A, Shapi M, Matengu K, Ashekele HM.
Ethnobotanical study of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plant use by traditional healers in Oshikoto region, Namibia.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2011 Mar 9;7:10.
PubMed PMID: 21388534.
Investigators from the University of Namibia did an ethnobotanical survey in 2008 to collect information from traditional healers in the Oshikoto region. A total of 47 respondents were interviewed with most of them aged 66 and above.
They found that traditional healers in Oshikoto region possess rich ethno-pharmacological knowledge on the use of medicinal plant species for the treatment of various diseases and disorders, with the highest number of species being used for mental diseases followed by skin infection and external injuries. This study allows for identifying many high value medicinal plant species, indicating high potential for economic development through sustainable collection.
Free full text is available via PubMed.
The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.
Bir zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia) – New York Film Festival 2011
Bir zamanlar Anadolu’da
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2011
Country: Turkey | Turkish with English subtitles | Running time: 157m
Cast includes: Muhammet Uzuner (Doctor Cemal); Yilmaz Erdogan (Commissar Naci); Taner Birsel (Prosecutor Nusret); Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan (Driver Arab Ali); Firat Tanis (Suspect Kenan); Ercan Kesal (Mukhtar); Cansu Demirci (Mukhtar’s Daughter)
A storm is always approaching in Anatolia
We look into smeary window of a basement room onto three men eating, drinking raki and coca cola. A thunderstorm approaches.
A caravan of vehicles traverses the Anatolian countryside. A doctor, police chief, prosecutor, driver, and murder suspect ride together in search of a burial site. The night is not going well for any of them, until they meet an angel.
The stink of yogurt, lamb, corpses. There’s a reason for everything.
Anton Chekov – women can be ruthless. Melancholia – you’ve lost something but don’t know what you’ve lost.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d’Or. It has also played at the Toronto International and Sarajevo Film Festivals.
Schlafkrankheit (Sleeping Sickness) – New York Film Festival 2011
Schlafkrankheit (Sleeping Sickness)
Ulrich Köhler, 2011
NYFF Main Slate
Country: Germany/France/Netherlands | French, German, Dutch and Bassa with English subtitles | Running time: 91m
Pierre Bokma (Ebbo Velten)
Jean-Christophe Folly (Alex Nzila)
Jenny Schily (Vera Velten)
Hippolyte Girardot (Gaspard Signac)
Maria Elise Miller (Helen Velten)
Sava Lolov (Elia Todorov)
Francis Noukiatchom (Dr. Monese)
Ali Mvondo Roland (Ruhemba)
Isacar Yinkou (Joseph)
“If you can’t bear Germany, welcome back here.”
A Berlin School director in the groove of Joseph Conrad and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. An exploration of modern day colonialism, in the guise of medical humanitarian aid.
Ebbo Velten and his wife Vera have spent two decades combating an epidemic of sleeping sickness in the villages of Cameroon. After a visit from their teenage daughter, Vera returns to Europe while Ebbo remains behind. A young Parisian doctor—a Frenchman born to Congolese parents—travels to Africa to evaluate the efficiency of Ebbo’s program for a report to the funders.
Ulrich Köhler’s first feature film Bungalow debuted in the Panorama section of the Berlinale in 2002. His next feature, Montag kommen die Fenster premiered at Berlinale Forum in 2006. Schlafkrankheit premiered in competition at Berlinale 2011, where Köhler won the Silver Bear for Best Director.