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Beyond Stupid, Slow and Expensive: Reintegrating Work to Improve Productivity
Division of labor soon will be supplanted by a new paradigm — the reintegration of work.
(originally published by Booz & Company)Once upon a time, a C.E.O. sent his three top business-unit general managers on a quest for productivity, saying, "We must accelerate productivity improvements, or the velocity of this new age will surely overtake us." After many days of searching, they came upon a strange house.
There they saw all the world's knowledge: methodologies piled in stacks, fabulous tools flung here and there, experts chatting in the corner. Awestruck, they started sorting through things recognized and things unknown.
The first manager, seeing little he would acknowledge as new, set out for home, muttering, "My people are talented and knowledgeable. We can improve productivity on our own. We need objectives, disciplines for driving value to the bottom line and hard work."
The second manager, spying some pricing algorithms and production-scheduling tools far superior to those used in his business, hastily stuffed them into his briefcase and rushed back to headquarters to begin implementation.
The third manager wandered, talking with experts, exploring books and tools. "Ah, this is a symptom of the complexity of our times," he thought.
"So much knowledge, spawned by technology, education, globalization and communications. How can I use these treasures in my business?" He noticed a strange diagram that described principles for structuring work that were new, yet strangely familiar. Suddenly, he understood.
Three years later, the C.E.O. reviewed the results of the managers and announced that he had selected the third manager to be his successor. The C.E.O. asked his heir, "How is it that you were able to exceed all expectations, while also improving morale in your business - making your colleagues' results, once acceptable by any standard, look slow, stupid and expensive?"
The third manager replied, "I have come to understand work in a new way and learned to apply the best in all things."
The division of labor is dead. Once the most important idea for organizing work, Adam Smith's principle found its power in automation and specialization. But automation has already replaced people in the most task-intensive processes, and specialization undermines productivity in an increasingly knowledge-intensive world.
Companies' efforts to drive productivity today are hampered by the division of labor's unintended legacy: compartmentalized work manifested in functional silos of deep expertise and jobs shaped by process; multiple hand-offs, and the lack of alignment between workers and customers.
Successful managers are embracing a new set of fundamental principles for driving productivity: moving beyond the old divisions to reintegrate work, equipping workers with the best knowledge in the world, enabling them to function as experts across a broader range of activities and delivering value directly to the customer. Smart. Fast. Low-cost.
With the knowledge-based tools available today, there is no excuse for being stupid, slow or expensive. Imagine a manufacturer of a complex engineered product like switchgear. Dispensing with yesteryear's silos of engineering, marketing, sales and service, this company creates a new job: a "customer service engineer" (C.S.E.). Customers deal directly and exclusively with the same C.S.E. for about 90 percent of the volume - all but the most complex orders. Using a variety of knowledge-based tools, the C.S.E. helps customers understand their requirements, make trade-offs and select the best options - together they make better decisions and get the order right the first time. The C.S.E. also provides an immediate price quote, checks the customer's credit, enters the order, loads the order into a plant's production schedule and promises an accurate delivery date. Profit increases because headcount and costly modifications decline while consistent pricing algorithms and premiums for speedy service improve price realization. Smart. Fast. Low-cost.
Some managers are already experimenting with reintegration work:
- In manufacturing: Workers who once managed only a single stage in the manufacturing process are now part of a team in the multi-machine cells of lean manufacturing, using methodologies to enhance quality and improve maintenance while sharing responsibility for output.
- In delivery: The traditional worker, once responsible only for delivery and stocking shelves at convenience stores and small grocers, now functions as an account manager equipped with a sales methodology, the right inventory in his truck and tools for logistics, pricing, ordering and inventory tracking.
- In applications engineering: The product specialist, once supplemented by a costly salesperson, now manages her own accounts, equipped with basic sales methodologies, guidelines for evaluating issues outside her expertise and access to colleagues when required. Reintegrated work overcomes the old divisions, delivering:
- Lower costs, faster decisions and improved service by eliminating hand-offs, reducing the need for expensive specialists and insuring the use of the best knowledge.
- Superior decision quality, risk management and control by putting proven algorithms in the hands of the people closest to the customer.
- Enhanced customer focus because broader jobs enable use of simple, powerful measures (quality, customer satisfaction, profit) aligned to customer needs.
- Motivated employees who exercise their judgment on behalf of customers and escape the drudgery of compartmentalized work - finding the motivation of meaning to work.
The customer's role can even be broadened. Equipped with the same knowledge-based tools a worker might use, customers can make informed decisions as an intimate part of the value chain. For example, the Dell Computer Corporation's premier customers have access to many of the company's internal support tools, enabling them to troubleshoot, price and purchase.
Inviting customers to step into the value chain and use the company's knowledge not only reduces cost and increases customer satisfaction - it also enhances customer loyalty and facilitates differentiated service (different customers access different levels of knowledge) and differentiated pricing.
Opportunities to reintegrate work are being created by the growing availability of knowledge-based tools, advanced communications and an increasingly educated work force (and marketplace). To capture productivity benefits, however, companies need a new set of principles for structuring undivided labor.
To update the old Chinese proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; but equip him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. From the fishing rod to the assembly line to the spreadsheet, work has always been defined by the relationship between a person's expertise and the tools he uses to do his work. We can equip a man to fish by developing his expertise, by providing tools so powerful that anyone can use them, or by some combination of the two.
Exhibit I depicts the possible combinations of individual expertise and company-provided tools for doing work (like fishing). On each axis, the greater the distance from the origin, the greater the knowledge. Individual expertise ranges from novice (at this activity, although possibly a world-class expert elsewhere), to qualified (capable of successfully doing the work under most circumstances), to master (world-class expert). Company-provided tools range from processes to insure referral to an expert, to a methodology, to formulas describing exactly what to do (e.g., a computer-based algorithm).
Now, the simple principle: To structure work efficiently, match the tools to the expertise. If a methodology is available that enables a qualified fisherman to succeed, why pay more for the "master" fisherman? The highlighted combinations in Exhibit I yield roughly equivalent expertise, forming an efficient frontier for structuring work: more powerful than the combinations below and to the left, equally powerful and less costly than those above and to the right. Because the three models on work's efficient frontier have always defined well-structured work - the novice knowing What, the qualified person knowing How, those-who-need-to knowing Who - we call them the "natural knowledge models."
Who relies upon high variable cost specialists: The expertise is in the fisherman. To effectively use Who, the company's processes must deliver the right world-class experts to each situation where they are needed (not only when workers admit they do not have the best knowledge but also when they don't admit it). Whos "masters" gain expertise by facing the most demanding challenges and discussing solutions with other experts. Whos power is in the match between problems and people: The more problems faced, the more capable the "master," the better the decisions, the more benefit for the company.
What - equipping low-cost, low- skilled workers with knowledge- intensive tools and formulas - has always provided the foundation for industrialization (both services and manufacturing). Today's Whats invoke a much broader variety of powerful tools that enable novices to perform as well as "masters." Contemporary tools range from capital equipment to computer-based algorithms (e.g., to detect fraud or manage the trade spending of consumer product companies) to the entire layout and management system of a new fabrication plant (e.g., Intel's "copy exactly"). Like their predecessors, modern Whats scale easily, have low variable costs and facilitate consistency and control.
How links powerful methodologies that go beyond simple process with educated, qualified personnel. How models have proliferated in the past 30 years - think of total quality management, Andersen Consulting's Method 1 or demand flow manufacturing. Hows economics sit between those of What and Who: moderate fixed cost (usually training), moderate variable cost and more scalability than Who but less than What.
Which model to use? Where possible, use the lower variable cost, more scalable What or How over the higher cost, less scalable Who. Companies with virtually identical facilities - such as Genuine Parts' warehouses, Exxon's refineries or Intel's fabrication plants - can use powerful Whats to create advantage over competitors with greater diversity. Some companies have begun to segment problems by complexity, using What or How on the 20 percent of situations that represent 80 percent of volume and restricting Who to the most complex and unusual situations that demand experts. For example, professional service companies drive productivity by deploying How for well-understood problems, and reserving the more expensive experts for the most difficult and unique problems. Similarly, the best manufacturers supplement externally developed Hows and Whats with small internal teams of world-class experts deployed to improve operations at selected plants.
Leveraging the knowledge models for improved productivity and organizational effectiveness requires three new disciplines:
1. Use the best knowledge to serve customers. Using the best knowledge improves performance. For instance, fraud detection algorithms reduce losses more than the best experts could. The reliability-centered maintenance methodology increases uptime of key equipment more than conventional preventive maintenance does. Analytical pricing algorithms used to supplement "pricing gurus" improve price realization beyond what the most knowledgeable team can do on its own.
Where can powerful new knowledge be found? Though few of us like to admit it, most of the best knowledge lives outside our own heads. Even large and successful corporations reach beyond their own borders for the best knowledge. For example, the General Electric Company has driven tremendous productivity gains by deploying powerful, externally developed Hows across its diverse business portfolio - e.g., demand flow manufacturing, quick service/quick response and total quality management.
Surprisingly, using the best knowledge - instead of trying to create it - generates a learning windfall for workers. The investment banker equipped with the best bond-structuring algorithms, the best methodologies for interacting with local authorities and the best templates for structuring deals can direct her creativity toward serving the client - engaging in dialogues with colleagues about how to apply knowledge and learning-in-doing along the way.
Instead of undisciplined sharing of current practices, the investment banker's learning begins with the best knowledge available and continues through her dialogues with other practitioners about how to apply the understandings. It takes discipline to start with the best Who, apply the best How or use the best What. Few of us readily admit where our expertise is not the best.
2. Introduce new best knowledge in waves. Using best knowledge requires a lot of change. Each time we introduce new knowledge, we ask workers to adopt a new mind-set about everything they do at work: analytics (how they think), processes (how they work and relate within and outside the company), organization (where they sit versus customers, other functions, suppliers, etc.), systems (tools they use) and measures (what they optimize, how they are evaluated).
To help workers adapt, introduce best knowledge in waves by deploying one integrated model at a time - e.g., a What to improve pricing, then a How to manage accounts, and then possibly an improved What for pricing - rather than in a continual process. Waves enable the focus, effort and leadership required for dramatic change, as illustrated by G.E.'s success with the introduction of Hows across its businesses.
3. Create better jobs. To really drive performance improvements, frame the opportunity around job definitions, not simply the use of knowledge. Ask not, "What's the task?" or "What needs to get done?" but instead, "How can we structure work into broader jobs that take full advantage of the best knowledge to create customer value?" The result will be the creation of completely new, previously unimagined jobs, and the elimination of many existing ones. Creative elimination.
With this mind-set, no job is safe from change. For example, although the brand manager job has served consumer product companies well for 40 years, executives should ask, "How should sales and marketing jobs be defined to take full advantage of analytically based marketing tools to serve today's large, sophisticated customers?" With the emergence of genomics tools, combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening, pharmaceutical industry executives should ask, "How should traditional jobs in R&D be redefined?"
Internet business models. Intensifying competition. Rapidly changing value chains. All companies vulnerable. The survivors will employ the knowledge disciplines - best knowledge, introduced in waves, through new jobs - to satisfy customer needs more effectively than competitors.
These disciplined survivors need a new organizational vision: the best-knowledge-using company. Successful best-knowledge-using companies increase productivity more rapidly than competitors do, delivering superior value propositions to customers, owners and employees. They systematically scan for the best knowledge in the world, introducing each wave of new knowledge through one of the three natural models. They restructure jobs to focus workers on using knowledge to improve the value that customers receive. Where customers and suppliers can help the company use better knowledge more effectively, they will either outsource or - like B.P. Amoco P.L.C. with Schlumberger - invite their best-knowledge-using customers or suppliers to partner in the development of new knowledge.1 Although these companies may also create some of the best knowledge in the world, they will understand that knowledge created but not used has no value. They will focus the broader organization on "use" while targeted teams drive knowledge creation. The relentless drive to use the best knowledge in the world to benefit customers may even gain a best- knowledge-using company recognition as a strategic innovator that changed the rules of the game in its industry, as did Wal-Mart Stores Inc. under Sam Walton or the Nucor Corporation under Ken Iverson.
The best-knowledge-using companies will also be the best employers. Workers will find the motivation of meaning in their work, born of the opportunity to tangibly help customers and to improve the world. They will also learn, but few people outside the walls of academe find their own learning more motivating than the chance to contribute. These best-knowledge-using com- panies will also generate the superior growth and profitability that provide attractive rewards to employees today and opportunities for careers of increasing responsibility tomorrow.
1 Steven E. Prokesch, "Unleashing the Power of Learning: An Interview with British Petroleum's John Browne," Harvard Business Review, September-October 1997, p. 147.
Reprint No. 99402
Charles E. Lucier, email@example.com Chuck Lucier is a senior vice president and the chief growth officer of Booz Allen Hamilton. His client work focuses on strategy and knowledge issues for consumer products and health companies. |


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15 Holiday Gift Ideas for Headbangers
And just like that, the holidays are upon us once again. We know what a pain holiday shopping can be. Even if you're shopping for another metalhead, it's hard sometimes because we're inherent collectors who already own every vinyl, book and limited edition merch imaginable.
Don't fret, we have a guide that offers a range of collectors' items, guaranteeing a little something for every headbanger in your life this season. In fact, you'll probably click through this guide with a few new ideas for your own holiday wishlist this year. Check out our list and spare yourself the embarrassment of being a Grinch this season.

subset: commoncrawl


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Irvine Locksmith Service 24 7 Locksmith Irvine, CA
No matter when it strikes, an emergency is always a terrible situation. But you will all agree that it is easier to deal with an emergency that occurs during the daytime than the one that occurs after dark. Take a lockout for example. Imagine reaching home on a chilly night and realizing that you have dropped the keys on the way. How will you manage to get hold of a locksmith at 1 am? The situation is exponentially worse only because it occurred during an odd hour. However, if you are a resident of Irvine, CA, a capable 24 7 locksmith is never out of reach.
Call a 24x7 locksmith for any need
Irvine Locksmith Service is a professional locksmith company that serves beyond standard business hours and offers its complete range of lock and locksmith services regardless of the location or time. Got a dysfunctional digital lock? Unable to open jammed locks? Keys broke inside the padlock? Call us for anything and our competent 24 7 locksmiths will deliver resolutions at super quick speed.
' Night service would cost me more, wouldn't it? '
It's a common misconception that calling a 24 7 locksmith firm will cost you more than engaging a local locksmith operating near your house. It is true that it takes special efforts to offer round-the-clock doorstep service and maintain a fleet of mobile locksmith workshops throughout the region, but that does not mean we let you bear the brunt of it. In fact, you can avail our overnight service at the same affordable rate as our day service.
Wide range of locksmith solutions
We are the region's most eclectic service provider with an extensive range of solutions for all your lock or key related needs. Here's what we offer:
- 24x7 lockout assistance
- Lock replacement and repair
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- Jammed locks opening
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And more
We never make you wait
Lock or key related needs are immediate in nature and can bring all your activities to a halt until they are resolved. We understand this completely and offer timely and quick 24 hour locksmith resolutions anywhere in and around Irvine. We also maintain an accurate response time ranging between just 15-20 minutes from the time of receiving your call.
Need an affordable and reliable 24 7 locksmith near you? Hundreds of residents have been trusting us over the last decade. Call us now on 949-610-0802 to avail our excellent services.


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Social Fire > Social Mindset, Psychology, and ROI
Module 1: Social Media Mindset
This is the first step before doing any kind of social media marketing. Get this right and you'll be okay.
Module 2: Social Media ROI
Want to know how to measure ROI? Do this.
Module 3: Facebook User Psychology
Why social media psychology and why it's important.
Module 4: Instagram User Psychology
How Instagram users think.
Module 5: LinkedIn User Psychology
LinkedIn is the best business networking platform.
Module 6: Pinterest User Psychology
Pinterest is a quiet giant.


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Lumbar Radiofrequency Neurotomy - Pain Management
The lumbar area of your spine is located in your lower back and forms the curve below your waist. Five large bones (vertebrae) make up the lumbar spine. A pair of stabilizing facet joints connects the bones in the lumbar spine. The opening in the center of each bone forms the spinal canal.
Your spinal cord is located within the protective spinal canal. The spinal cord extends from the brain and is a major part of your nervous system. Spinal nerves extend from the spinal cord and travel out of the spine to exchange nerve signals with your brain about specific parts of your body. In particular, medial nerves carry nerve signals about facet joint pain.
Facet joint syndrome in the lumbar spine can cause pain in the lower back, buttocks, and the backs of the thighs. Pain and stiffness may make it difficult for you to stand up or move. For example, it may be challenging to rise from a chair.
Lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy uses heat to create a lesion (damaged area) on the medial nerve. The lesion impairs the medial nerve's ability to transmit signals about facet joint pain. Because the nerve is "turned off," pain is not felt.A lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy is an outpatient procedure. You will wear a gown for the procedure and be positioned lying face down on a table. You will receive relaxation medicine before your procedure begins. Your lower back area will be sterilized and numbed with an anesthetic medication.
Your doctor will use a live X-ray image (fluoroscopy) to carefully insert and guide a needle-like tube (cannula) to the affected medial nerve. A small needle-like electrode (radiofrequency electrode) is inserted through the cannula. To ensure the cannula is in the correct position, a very mild electrical current is delivered through the electrode to the nerve. The nerve will briefly conduct pain signals and cause a muscle twitch, confirming that the correct nerve is targeted. Next, numbing medication is delivered to the nerve in preparation for the treatment. Heat is delivered through the electrode to the nerve. The heat creates a lesion in the nerve. The heat disrupts the nerve's ability to send signals about pain. At the end of the procedure, the tube and probe are removed. The process can be repeated for additional nerves that require treatment.
You will be monitored for several minutes before you can return home. You should have another person drive you home because you received sedation. You should use care while resuming your regular activities over the next several days because your back will feel sore. Your doctor may prescribe pain medication, rest, and instruct you to use heat or ice packs to ease the pain.
It usually takes three to four weeks for the treated nerves to completely turn off. During this period, your back may feel weak or odd. You may experience pain until the nerves are dead.
Lumbar radiofrequency neurotomy typically provides symptom relief for about a year or longer. Physical therapy can help you regain strength and flexibility so that you can resume your favorite activities. If you experience pain, the procedure may be repeated.
Copyright © - iHealthSpot Interactive - www.iHealthSpot.com
This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional and should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment.
The iHealthSpot patient education library was written collaboratively by the iHealthSpot editorial team which includes Senior Medical Authors Dr. Mary Car-Blanchard, OTD/OTR/L and Valerie K. Clark, and the following editorial advisors: Steve Meadows, MD, Ernie F. Soto, DDS, Ronald J. Glatzer, MD, Jonathan Rosenberg, MD, Christopher M. Nolte, MD, David Applebaum, MD, Jonathan M. Tarrash, MD, and Paula Soto, RN/BSN. This content complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. The library commenced development on September 1, 2005 with the latest update/addition on February 16, 2022. For information on iHealthSpot's other services including medical website design, visit www.iHealthSpot.com.


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WASHINGTON – Large, profitable U.S. corporations paid an average effective federal tax rate of just 12.6% in 2010, far less than the U.S. statutory rate, according to a Government Accountability Office report released today by two senior senators.
The report, requested by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., adds to the growing evidence that large, profitable corporations bear a dwindling share of the tax burden and that the Treasury collects far less revenue from large, profitable corporations than might be expected under the U.S. statutory corporate income tax rate of up to 35%.
"Today's GAO report provides more stark evidence, if any is needed, that large, profitable U.S. corporations as a whole are not paying their fair share in taxes," said Levin. "When some U.S. corporations use unjustifiable loopholes and offshore gimmicks to avoid paying Uncle Sam, their tax burden is shifted onto hardworking American families and small business. Today's GAO report quantifies just how much of the corporate tax burden has been shifted onto other taxpayers: America's large, profitable corporations are now paying a lower tax rate than our teachers and firefighters."
"This report underscores the need for comprehensive tax reform," said Coburn. "Creating giveaways and loopholes for corporations is both anti-competitive and unfair to working families. Every tax earmark for a corporation is effectively a tax rate increase for middle and lower income Americans. An individual's or corporation's tax rate shouldn't be dependent on their ability to hire a tax lobbyist. It's especially wrong to ask families who are struggling to make ends meet to subsidize special breaks for corporations. We would be better off with a code that eliminated these loopholes so we can lower rates for both corporations and individuals."
Levin and Coburn requested the report in 2012, when they were chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In response, GAO conducted a year-long study examining how effective tax rates are typically calculated, and developed a new methodology using corporate tax returns. The GAO compiled the tax return data from these large corporations for tax years 2008 through 2010, and compared it with the income reported on financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Average corporate effective tax rates are generally computed as the ratio of taxes paid or tax liabilities accrued in a given tax year over the net income declared by the corporation during that same year.
GAO found that, on average, large, profitable U.S. corporations paid U.S. federal income tax amounting to just 12.6% of their worldwide income, a tax rate which is only about one-third of the U.S. statutory rate. GAO also found that the relatively low effective tax rate paid by U.S. corporations did not substantially increase when other taxes paid by those corporations were taken into account. GAO found that, in 2010, adding foreign, state, and local taxes to federal income taxes increased the average effective tax rate of large, profitable U.S. corporations by about 4 percentage points to 16.9% of their worldwide income. That composite tax rate is still less than half the U.S. statutory rate.
In calculating these rates, GAO used tax data taken from M-3 tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by corporations with at least $10 million in assets. Using actual tax return data enabled GAO to develop more accurate figures for the taxes paid by large U.S. corporations than studies using tax information provided in their financial statements. GAO noted that the amounts reported in the corporate tax returns were, on the whole, lower than the tax liabilities reported in the corporate financial statements.
GAO also noted that some studies calculating effective tax rates included unprofitable corporations in their analysis, but explained that "[t]he inclusion of unprofitable firms, which pay little if any actual tax, can result in relatively high estimates because the losses of unprofitable corporations greatly reduce the denominator of the effective rate" and "do not accurately represent the tax rate on the profitable corporations that actually pay the tax." GAO calculated that when unprofitable corporations were included in its data, the average effective federal tax rate rose from 12.6% to 16.6%, because those corporations had lost $315 billion and thereby reduced the overall net income against which the corporate tax payments were compared. The resulting tax rate, however, overstated the effective tax rate actually paid by large, profitable U.S. corporations.
GAO's finding that corporations pay far below the U.S. statutory rate is consistent with other work performed by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Over the past ten years, the Subcommittee has examined a number of the tax loopholes and gimmicks used by some profitable U.S. corporations to avoid paying U.S. taxes. Last year, for example, a Subcommittee hearing showed how Microsoft used tax gimmicks to shift 47 cents of every dollar in U.S. sales revenue offshore and, over a three year period from 2009 to 2011, avoided paying taxes on income exceeding $20 billion. Earlier this year, a Subcommittee hearing showed how Apple Inc. created three offshore corporations that supposedly had no tax residence anywhere in the world, funneled over $74 billion in profits through them over a four year period from 2009 to 2012, and paid no U.S. tax on any of those profits.
The GAO report is also consistent with other studies demonstrating that large, profitable corporations are often able to minimize, if not entirely avoid, paying U.S. income taxes. For example, a 2012 study by Citizens for Tax Justice found that, over a recent three year period, 30 of the largest U.S. multinationals, with more than $160 billion in profits, paid no federal income taxes at all.
Data show that corporate income tax revenue has accounted for a smaller and smaller share of federal tax receipts over the years. According to the Congressional Research Service, the share of corporate income taxes has fallen from 32% to just 9% of federal tax revenue, a decline charted in the GAO report. At the same time their portion of tax receipts has fallen, U.S. corporate profits have reached an all-time high, reflecting the highest percentage of all U.S. income since World War II. Despite corporations' growing share of income, GAO reported that in 2012, corporate income taxes contributed only about $242 billion to federal tax receipts, while individual income taxes contributed nearly five times more at $1.1 trillion.
Multinational corporate tax avoidance has become so widespread and damaging that it has attracted international condemnation. At a G8 summit in June, global leaders, including President Obama, criticized corporate tax dodging and committed to making multinational corporations disclose the taxes they pay on a country by country basis, and to stop allowing companies to shift profits across borders to avoid taxes.
"Some U.S. multinational corporations like to complain about the U.S. 35% statutory tax rate, but what they don't like to admit is that hardly any of them pay anything close to it," said Levin. "GAO has calculated that the average corporate effective tax rate of large, profitable U.S. corporations is less than 13%, about a third of the statutory rate. The big gap between the U.S. statutory tax rate and what large, profitable U.S. corporations actually pay is due in large part to the unjustified loopholes and gimmicks that riddle our tax code. When Congressional leaders talk about tax reform, closing egregious corporate loopholes, particularly those that enable corporations to shift income and intellectual property to offshore tax havens, ought to be at the top of the list. Congress also needs to jettison the idea of revenue neutral corporate tax reform which would just bake into the tax code all the revenues lost to multinational corporation's current tax avoidance. Any tax reform worth doing has to ensure that profitable multinational corporations pay the same or a larger tax rate than middle class American families."
The GAO report is entitled, "Corporate Income Tax: Effective Tax Rates Can Differ Significantly from the Statutory Rate," No.GAO-13-520 [PDF].


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Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Maybe Steve Heimoff was right (I might have lost my mind...)
I started to ponder the phrase "Golden Age." Golden Age is colloquially thought of as a time of peace and prosperity and when great tasks were accomplished. The term originated in writings by Greek philosopher Hesiod and Roman poet Ovid to describe the evolution of civilization. In both Hesiod's and Ovid's lists of Ages, the Golden Age was the first. To further investigate Steve's assertion that we are no longer in the Golden Age, I'm using Ovid's Four Ages of the Metamorphoses because both Steve and I are a fan of Ovid Napa Valley. Ovid, the winery and vineyard, sits atop Pritchard Hill and produces delicious, but expensive, red blends and varietal wines from cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot, and syrah. I wish I could continue to afford Ovid's Experiment wines, but with the Experiments going to $125/btl, the Syrah at $150/btl and the flagship Ovid now at $225/btl I am afraid I'm stuck with the few delicious bottles I have already accumulated in my cellar (previously discussed here and here). Completely coincidentally, today is the release day for the 2010 Ovid Proprietary Red and the Ovid Farms Jam 3-Pack of Pluot Cherry, Stone Fruit Medley, White Peach-Raspberry jams (the email popped into my inbox as I was proofing the post).
But I digress...
Ovid, the old, dead dude, described the Golden Age as a time when Man was at peace and without the knowledge of navigation and agriculture. And happy mortals, unconcern'd for more, Confin'd their wishes to their native shore (1:126-127). Man was comfortable without exploring the vast unknown world around, content with what nature provided and did not bicker. Now, that doesn't sound like the world of wine writing that currently exists. Countless writers enjoy exploring the vast world of wine. When Steve started getting paid to write about wine there were no writers focusing on the wines of Argentina or Bulgaria, let alone Colorado and Virginia. Some writers are content with the status quo, but many more are trying to change the profession for the better. There might have been some bickering in Steve's Golden Age, but not like there is today. Steve and Robert Parker and known for the unsympathetic attitudes toward bloggers (ironically as Steve is one of the most popular bloggers and Parker once said he was the original blogger..), and vice versa. No, I would argue that we are no longer in the Golden Age of Wine Writing as Ovid described it.
So where do we stand? Are we at the dawn of the next Age? Following the Golden Age was the Silver Age. In Ovid's Silver Age, seasons appear and Man learned to plow the Earth and take shelter in buildings. Man was still peaceful, but started to differentiate itself from Nature. This doesn't sound like where the current world of wine writing resides.
Subsequently, in the Bronze Age, Man was prone to war, but not yet impiety. Finally, in the Iron Age, Man separated itself into bounded nations, battled amongst itself and impious. Loyalty was nowhere to be found, The son-in-law pursues the father's life (1:187). Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, James Suckling, Pancho Campo, Antonio Galloni and who could forget the devilish bloggers. The 100-pt system might be the most revolutionary and impious development for the wine world. Yes, it sounds like we are in the Iron Age of Wine Writing. Or maybe at the beginning of the Giants' War; Nor were the Gods themselves more safe above (1:193).
But that is not to say we are in the worst Age for wine writing. As a reader, would you be content to have a few exalted writers only write about Burgundy and Bordeaux? Would you rather writers not work to come up with new ideas and explore new wines? Sure, we could do without some of the impiety and bickering. I still side with David White in the idea that we are in the most exciting time for wine writing. Consumers have the best access to some of the most interesting stories about wine ever. The Age of Digital Information has made this (impiety and bickering included) possible. Without it we'd all still be happy mortals, unconcern'd for more (1:126).
So today is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness, it is the epoch of belief, it is the epoch of incredulity, it is the season of Light, it is the season of Darkness, it is the spring of hope, it is the winter of despair, we have everything before us, we have nothing before us, we are all going direct to vinous Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. Some of our noisiest authorities insist on its being received like when they began, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only are we lucky to live in the current Age of Wine Writing. Maybe Steve Heimoff was right, but he was also dead wrong.
10 comments:
Having jousted with Steve (and Charlie O) on several occasions on the SH blog, I don't think he or Charlie are adverse to blogging per se. Rather they consider the democratization of opinion to be mostly ill informed and open to abuse a la yelp. These guys just don't seem to think that the huge expansion of consumer or amateur commentary can rival the more informed commentary of the pros, i.e., those who make a living off their observations.
We're now in an age where this extreme interactivity can drown out the voices of the 'experts' And this happens among critics viz. Rotten Tomatoes, which also compiles and arrives at a score for movie goers. The day of the individual luminary is over as David White has argued persuasively. Now buyers get their guidance from friends and peers on sites like Amazon.Tom, I don't think I would say Charlie falls into that category. Steve isn't against blogging as long as he's the only one doing it. Yes, the mere fact that people are reading and are interested in articles written by a guy in Colorado who writes about Colorado wine is great evidence for the age of democratization of opinion. Steve's, and other experts', opinion is still important, but its importance is on the decline....
ReplyDeleteI think Steve was thinking less of Ovid, and more along the lines of 1950s decade "Golden Age of Television (Dramas)" as his paradigm when he composed his blog entry titled "Saying Goodbye to the Golden Age of Wine Writing."
Joe at 1 Wine Dude got it right in his blog entry titled "Are We In The Golden Age Of Wine Writing? (Hint: Not Even Close!)"
[Link: http://www.1winedude.com/are-we-in-the-golden-age-of-wine-writing-hint-not-even-close/]
Wine writers back in the 1970s were better educated than today's successors in print and online. Better credentialed -- coming largely from the ranks of seasoned newspaper and magazine staff writers who had already established their "writing chops" on various reporting "beats." More graceful stylists and more compelling storytellers. More careful fact-checkers.
And less opinionated and more humble than today's successors.
Not guilty of the narcissism displayed by too many "stream of consciousness" wine writers today who feel the need to express every little observation and opinion that pops into their head. Bereft of restraint and self-censorship.
Self-styled "citizen journalists" who mistakenly believe they are protected against defamation and libel.
See this article for their wake-up call . . .
Excerpts from The Wall Street Journal "Personal Journal" Section
(May 21, 2009, Page D1ff):
"Bloggers, Beware: What You Write Can Get You Sued"
[Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124287328648142113.html]
By M.P. McQueen
Staff Reporter
Be careful what you post online. You could get sued.
In March 2008, Shellee Hale of Bellevue, Wash., posted in several online forums about a hacker attack on a company that makes software used to track sales for adult-entertainment Web sites. She claimed that the personal information of the sites' customers was compromised.
About three months later, the software company -- which contends that no consumer data were compromised -- sued Ms. Hale in state court in New Jersey, accusing her of embarking "on a campaign to defame and malign the plaintiffs" in chat-room posts.
In her legal response, Ms. Hale, 46 years old, claims she is covered by so-called shield laws that protect reporters from suits, because she was acting as a journalist and was investigating the hacker attack while researching a story on adult-oriented spam.
Bloggers are increasingly getting sued or threatened with legal action for everything from defamation to invasion of privacy to copyright infringement. . . . . There have been about $17.4 million in trial awards against bloggers to date, according to the Media Law Resource Center in New York, a nonprofit clearinghouse that tracks free-speech cases.
Many lawsuits are thrown out of court or settled before trial, but not before causing headaches for the accused. Though the likelihood of a plaintiff winning a lawsuit is not high, "you could go bankrupt" just from defending against them, says Miriam Wugmeister, a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP and a privacy and data-security law expert.
. . .
Civic gadflies and self-styled watchdogs who accuse local politicians and companies are getting slapped with lawsuits. People who post messages in chat rooms, online forums and blogs can be held liable for invasion of privacy or for making defamatory statements, which are damaging, false statements of fact.
Excerpts from Slate
(posted July 21, 2011):
"The Greatest Wine Retailer in America;
How Chambers Street Wines eschewed critic ratings and built a loyal following."
By Mike Steinberger
"Drink: Wine, Beer and Other Potent Potables" Column
Depending on your circumstances, visiting a great wine shop can be an exhilarating experience or it can leave you feeling like a eunuch at an orgy. I'm on an austerity plan these days, and while I can walk into most wine stores content merely to browse, there is one shop that I actively avoid in the interest of financial rectitude and domestic tranquility. That would be New York's Chambers Street Wines. IF THERE'S A BETTER WINE PURVEYOR ANYWHERE, I HAVEN'T ENCOUNTERED IT; at Chambers Street, temptation lurks in literally every rack and bin, and even just writing about the place makes me want to whip out a credit card. . . . BUT IT IS ALSO THAT RAREST OF THINGS IN AMERICAN WINE RETAILING: A STORE WITH A DISTINCTIVE VOICE. [Capitalization added for emphasis. – Bob]
. . .
THERE IS ANOTHER THING THAT SETS CHAMBERS STREET APART FROM MOST OF ITS COMPETITORS: LILLIE AND WOLFF HAVE NEVER USED RATINGS FROM CRITICS TO HELP SELL THEIR WINES. WHEN CHAMBERS STREET OPENED, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND AN UPSCALE WINE STORE THAT WASN'T COVERED IN SHELF TALKERS TOUTING SCORES FROM ROBERT PARKER AND THE WINE SPECTATOR. MANY MERCHANTS HAD SIMPLY STOPPED SELLING WINE AND WERE INSTEAD FLOGGING POINTS. BUT LILLIE AND WOLFF WERE INTENT ON ESTABLISHING A RAPPORT WITH CUSTOMERS THAT WASN'T MEDIATED BY THIRD-PARTY OPINIONS. "We wanted the shop to be completely personal -- to get know people's taste, and to recommend wines we liked and that we thought they would enjoy," Lillie told me. He's quick to note that, back in 2001, the kind of wines that he and Wolff were interested in didn't get much attention from critics, which made it easier to eschew scores. Fair enough, but I still think it took some guts make Chambers Street a points-free zone.
A DECADE ON, THEIR DECISION LOOKS PRESCIENT. THAT'S BECAUSE RATING SEEM TO BE DIMINISHING IN IMPORTANCE. A VERY SELF-CONFIDENT WINE CULTURE HAS TAKEN ROOT IN THE UNITED STATES: PEOPLE ARE USING DISCUSSION BOARDS AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO FIND THEIR WAY TO GOOD BOTTLES, AND THE INFLUENCE OF CRITICS IS WANING, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNG DRINKERS. ... RAMPANT GRADE INFLATION COULD BE HASTENING THAT DECLINE. High ratings help merchants sell wines, and being cited on shelf talkers and in email offers is free publicity for critics, who thus have an incentive to bump up their scores. But big numbers have now become so prevalent that they've turned the 100-point scale into a farce. I THINK RETAILERS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN TO SELL WINE AGAIN, and in that sense, Chambers Street has a big jump on a lot of other stores.
. . .


text:
Vom Leid der Erde, from its premiere by Marie-Pierre Lamglamet, Berlin Philharmonie, November 2019.
Composer Nathan Currier has had his works performed at prestigious venues, from the Philharmonie in Berlin, to David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York, to IRCAM in Paris. He has won prizes such as the Rome Prize, Guggenheim, and American Academy of Arts & Letters' Academy Award. Other grants and awards he has received include the International Sackler Prize, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and the Fulbright program, Fromm Foundation, Charles Ives, Barlow, and ASCAP Prize.
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Hugh Woolf, conducting
Chants and Dances
(excerpt) Mvts. 1, 2, 3, 6
Mvt. 1 Chant
Mvt. 2 Dance
Mvt. 3 Chant
Mvt. 6 Dance
Currier studied at Juilliard and Peabody and was the Leonard Bernstein Fellow in composition at Tanglewood. He also received a Diploma with First Prize from the Royal Conservatory of Belgium. The diversity of his teachers - Joseph Schwantner, Frederic Rzweski, David Diamond, Bernard Rands and Steven Albert - reflects the encompassing palette of his music.
His first commissioned work - Adagio and Variations, a large set of variations for violin, clarinet and piano - was called 'a piece of genius' by the critic at its premiere by the Verdehr Trio.
Other early works include chamber pieces such as A Musical Banquet. The work was a winner of the International Barlow Prize.
Also, Tanz Nachtanz, a clarinet quintet commissioned by the Chelsea Ensemble, and The Quartet Book, commissioned by The Shanghai Quartet.
Soon afterward Currier composed A Kafka Cantata, a one act monodrama for tenor Paul Sperry. After its premiere in Pittsburgh the music critic ranked it as the #1 classical music event of the year in the city.
Around this time he also began a long collaboration with harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harpist of the Berlin Philharmonic. This led to his writing a wide variety of works with harp, such as the chamber works A Sambuca Sonata, recorded on the Chandos label, Possum Wakes from Playing Dead, commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic, A Nursery Sleep, commissioned by Concert Artists Guild, and his quintet Thirty Little Pictures of Time Passing, premiered as part of the Berlin Philharmonic's chamber music series.
A Sambuca Sonata, Mvt. 1, opening
Possum Wakes from Playing Dead, opening
Thirty Little Pictures of Time Passing, #1
Thirty Little Pictures of Time Passing, Part 3, opening
A Nursery Sleep, Mvt. 4, ending
Hildegard's Symphony 2012 premiere video
Currier is an accomplished pianist, having won the Silver Medal in the International Piano Recording Competition in his early twenties, for a performance of Bach's 'Goldberg Variations'. A recording of Currier performing his piano sonata From the Grotto on New World Records was praised for its "over the top virtuosity" in Fanfare.
An important work of Currier's is the oratorio Gaian Variations, his largest. As Currier was in the middle of working on his score, more than 1,000 scientists from over 100 countries came together under the auspices of the United Nations to sign a Declaration which states at the outset,"The Earth System behaves as a single, self-regulating system." The primary assertion of James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis in what they had initially called the Gaia hypothesis - now Gaia theory - had gradually become accepted wisdom, despite the relentless criticism of figures like neo-Darwinist Richard Dawkins. Gaian Variations is a work that celebrates and helps to communicate Gaia theory.
At its premiere, the orchestra stopped playing mid-concert. The orchestra claimed it was heading into overtime. The interrupted premiere gave rise to litigation, only fully resolved in 2017, more than a decade after the event.
Another outgrowth of Gaian Variations is that Currier soon afterward became directly involved with science itself, also becoming active in a wide variety of climate-related initiatives around the same time.
When NASA celebrated the 50th Anniversary of its exobiology program, the keynote speakers were Gaia theory founders James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis, and Margulis cited a passage from Paul Lowman's Life's Tectonics (MIT Press, 2011), of which Currier was the co-author.
VOM LEID DER ERDE for harp solo with prerecorded materials (harp, Aeolian wind-harp, great horned owl, red-winged blackbird, and American toad). Commissioned by the Jungekammerphilharmonie Berlin, for Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp. Premiere at the Berlin Philharmonie, October 9, 2019. 18 minutes. 2019.
COSMIC TRICKSTER for bassoon and string quartet. For the Dover String Quartet with William Short, Principal Bassoon of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. 9 minutes. 2017.
SERIOUS BUT NOT DESPERATE WALTZ for fl, hrp, vln, vla, vc, cb, pno. Written for a group of Berlin Philharmonic principals. Premiered at the DiMenna Center, New York, NY, November 8, 2016. 5 minutes. 2016.
CELLO SONATA for cello with piano. 20 minutes. 2016.
HERALDING THE ANTHROPOCENE for solo trumpet with 16 recorded trumpets. For a collaborative art installation with Suzan Woodruff. recorded and performed by Gareth Flowers, 2015. 11 min. 2015.
TOMORROW, AGAMEMNON? for baritone, 2 male actors, piano (or ensemble). Written for a Symphony Space event called November 21, 1963: The Day Before. premiered 11/8/2013, Symphony Space, New York, NY. 5 min. 2013.
LOOMING ATMOSPHERES A collaboration with painter Suzan Woodruff, a painting-film that has been "choreographed," edited, and scored by Nathan Currier. Exhibited at the Katherine Cone Gallery, October, 2013, Los Angeles, CA. 2013.
SYMPHONY, 'HILDEGARD'S SYMPHONY', for orchestra with harp solo. Commissioned by Marie-Pierre Langlamet with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts. In five movements. Scoring: 3333/4331/percussion (2), timpani, piano, strings, harp solo. Premiered June 1, 2012, by the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Caracas, Venezuela, with Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp, Cesar Ivan Lara, conductor. About 38 minutes. 2012.
FROG AND TOAD CHACONNE for solo violin, Bufo Americanus (the American toad), as well as other toads and frogs, prerecorded. Commissioned by Cornelius Dufallo. Duration: 15 minutes. 2012.
AT THE RIVERS for baritone and piano. Based on the Robert Lowry gospel, and meant to be paired with the earlier settings by Charles Ives and Aaron Copland. Commissioned by the Music on the Hill Summer Music Festival, Providence, Rhode Island. Premiered June 18th, 2011, Rene de la Garza, baritone, Nathan Currier, piano. Duration: circa 7 minutes. 2011.
FALLING STARS for baritone, flute (doubling on piccolo and alto flute), viola, cello and piano. Text by Suzanne Cleary. Commissioned by the Monadnock Music Festival, and first performed July 22nd and July 23rd, 2010, Monadnock Music Festival, Peterborough, New Hampshire. Duration: circa 7 minutes. 2010.
PIANO CONCERTO International Sackler Prize Commission. Scored for piano soloist with 3 fl. (3. doubles on picc., 2. doubles on alto fl., picc.), 3 ob. (3. doubles on E.H.), 2 cl. (2. doubles on B. cl.), 2 bsn. (2. doubles on Cbsn.)/4 hrn. (2 offstage/2 onstage), 4 tpt in C (1. and 2. double on picc. tpt. in Bb), 2 tenor trb., 2 bass trb./ 1 percussion player/ timpani/celli (2 players), bassi (2 players). Premiered March 21/22, 2010, Stamford/Storrs, Connecticut. 27 minutes. 2009.
DOROTHY'S DINNER for string quartet with four actors. Written for Ethel. 34 minutes. 2009.
THE LAWS FOREVER HIDDEN for soprano with piano (the work also includes a male spoken part, performable by the pianist: when performed with a woman pianist, a separate male speaker should be used). Composed on texts by the composer. Premiered April 22nd, 2007, Philadelphia. c. 35 minutes. 2007.
POSSUM WAKES FROM PLAYING DEAD for harp and cello, commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic for Marie-Pierre Langlamet, principal harp. Premiered September 30th, 2008, Philharmonie, Kammersaale, Berlin. c. 12 minutes. 2006.
WAR MUSIC a large theatrical work using texts of Christopher Logue. Libretto by Nathan Currier and Christopher Logue. Winner, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Grant. Also funded by the Rhode Island Foundation. The work calls for actors and baritone soloist, as well as an ensemble of flute (doubles on picc./alto flute), chromatic harmonica (C,D, Eb), trumpet in C (doubles on picc. tpt. in Bb), trombone, keyboards (piano/synthesizer), percussion, violin, viola, bass. September 2005 premiere in Providence was cancelled – premier upcoming. 2 hours and 20 minutes. 2005.
GAIAN VARIATIONS oratorio on texts of James Lovelock, Loren Eiseley, and Lewis Thomas. An evening-lengthed work for vocal soloists - soprano, alto, tenor, bass, - and piano soloist, along with chamber choir and full chorus, and large orchestra made up of 5 fl. (4.,5. on picc.), 4 ob. (3.,4. on E.H.), 4 cl. (2. on Eb cl., 4. on B. cl.), 4 bsn. (4. on Cbsn.)/4 hrn., 4 tpt in C (1. on tpt in D and picc. tpt. in Bb), 4 trb.,tba/ 3 percussion, timpani/ piano (piano 2.), harpsichord, synthesizer, organ/ banjo, harmonica, electric guitar (can be performed on synthesizer if necessary)/ strings. Premiered on April 21st, 2004, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York. 2 hours and five minutes. 2003.
A SIMPLE SONATA for piano solo. For Laura-Gray Street. In two movements. Rather easy to play. c. 6 minutes. 2002.
CITY LIFE; A Symphony in Eleven Parts for orchestra. scored for 3 fl., 2 ob., 3 cl., bass cl., alto sax., 2 bsn., 4 hrn., 3 trpt., 2 trb., 1 tba., perc. (1), timp., hrp., celeste, pno., strings. A reworking of Symphony in Eleven Chapters, 1985. c. 25 minutes. 2002.
LOOKING OUT a collaborative song cycle, with texts composed by poet Laura-Gray Street. Commissioned by the New York Festival of Song, for a millenium celebration concert, March 23rd, 2000. For mezzo-soprano, tenor, clarinet, french horn, cello and piano. 14 minutes. 1999.
THIRTY LITTLE PICTURES OF TIME PASSING for flute, harp, violin, viola and cello. Commissioned for the Berlin Philharmonic String Trio [Romano Tommasini, Wolfgang Talirz, and David Reiniker] along with principal flutist Emmanuel Pahud and principal harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet. Premiere, Philharmonie, Berlin, March, 2004. 20 minutes. 1998.
THE LAST THOUGHTS OF GREGOR SAMSA for string orchestra. Commissioned by the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. Premiered at Jordan Hall, Boston. c. 12 minutes. 1997.
BECKMESSER'S REVENGE for full orchestra: 3 fl.,3 ob., 3 cl.,3 bsn., 4 hrn.,3 trpt.,3 trb., 1 tba., perc. (3), timp., piano, strings. c. 8 minutes. Winner, American Composers Orchestra Reading series. 1997.
ÉTUDE CHACONNE for piano solo. Commissioned by Diane Walsh. Premiered at Miller Theater, New York City. c. 13 minutes. 1996.
IN A BURNING FOREST for violin, clarinet and piano. Commissioned by the
Verdehr Trio. Premiered in Yugoslavia. c. 22 minutes. 1996
for piano solo. Recorded CRI Records; re-issued, New World records. Composed with the support of the American Academy in Rome. Premiered in Rome, 1996. c. 30 minutes. 1995.
SONATA FOR FLUTE AND PIANO in two movements. Composed with the support of the Guggenheim foundation. Premiered in Rome, 1996. c. 9 minutes. 1995.
HUSH CRIES THE LAMB for violin and piano. Composed with the support of the Guggenheim foundation. Premiered in Rome, 1996. c. 12 minutes. 1993.
SONG FROM THE DEAD SEA for mixed chorus with orchestra. Text from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Minimum duration c. 6 1/2 minutes (meant to be repeated; thus, it could be 13 minutes, etc.). Commissioned by the Juilliard Preparatory Division Chorus & Orchestra. Premiered at the Juilliard Theater, Lincoln Center, New York City. 1993.
SARAH'S LAUGH for solo guitar. Commissioned by William Matthews. Repertory piece for International Guitar Competition, Templin, Germany. c. 10 minutes. 1993.
A SAMBUCA SONATA for flute, viola and harp. Recorded on Chandos records. c. 15 minutes. Premiered in Paris, 1996. Also performed at the Berlin Philharmonic, at Lincoln Center's A Great Day In New York Festival, and in Norway, Sweden, etc. 1993.
A QUILT CANZONA for piano, left hand. Written for pianist Leon Fleisher. c. 7 minutes. 1993.
TWO PIECES FOR HARP for harp solo. Commissioned by the Barlow Foundation for Marie-Pierre Langlamet. Premiered at Merkin Hall, New York City. c. 19 minutes. 1992.
A KAFKA CANTATA for tenor with ensemble. Commissioned by Paul Sperry. Scored for fl., cl., vln., vla., vc., piano, perc. Uses texts of Franz Kafka, in a dramatic setting, based on J.S. Bach's "Coffee Cantata". Premiered in Pittsburgh, February, 1993. c. 35 minutes. 1992.
HYMN TO ROSA VALADO'S DYING EARTH for string orchestra. Commissioned by artist Rosa Valado for an installation/exhibit. minimum duration c. 6
minutes (meant to be repeated or looped indefinitely).1992.
A NURSERY SLEEP for harp, flute and cello. Commissioned by Concert Artists Guild. c. 22 minutes. 1991.
THE QUARTET BOOK for string quartet. Commissioned by the Shanghai Quartet, funded by Chamber Music America. Premiered in Richmond, VA. c. 24 minutes. 1990.
TANZ-NACHTANZ for clarinet and string quartet. Commissioned by the Chelsea Ensemble, funded by the Jerome Foundation. Premiered Carnegie Recital Hall, New York City. c. 20 minutes. 1990.
ENTROPIC DEVELOPMENTS for violin, clarinet and piano. Commissioned by the Verdehr Trio. Premiered Buffalo, New York. c. 12 minutes. 1989.
CHANTS AND DANCES for orchestra. scored for 1 fl., 2 ob., 2 cl., 1 hrn., 1 trpt., perc.(one player), accordion, piano, strings. Winner of the 1989 ASCAP Awards, and the 1989 Juilliard Orchestral Composition Prize. Premiered at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. Broadcast Nationally on NPR in a performance by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, 2000. c. 19 minutes. 1989.
OVERLAPPINGS for fl.,cl., alto sax., trb., perc., piano 4 hands, vln., vc. Premiered at the Juilliard School, New York City, 1989. c. 9 minutes. 1988.
VARIATIONS for violin, clarinet and piano. Commissioned by the Verdehr Trio. Recorded on Crystal Records. Premiered in India, 1988. c. 33 minutes. 1987.
NOTHING ABIDES for soprano with fl., eng. hrn., cl., vc., hrp., pno., perc. Song cycle on texts of Lucretius. Winner of the International Olympia Competition in Athens. Premiered at the Juilliard School, New York City. c.18 minutes. 1987.
A MUSICAL BANQUET for violin, cello and piano. Winner, International Barlow Prize. Premiered at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, 1987. c. 26 minutes. 1987.
ADAGIO for violin, clarinet and piano. This later became part of the ADAGIO AND VARIATIONS listed above. Premiered at the Juilliard School. c. 5 minutes. 1986.
FROM THE MOON'S ORCHESTRA for mezzo soprano with piano. A song cycle on texts of John Gould Fletcher. Premiered at the Juilliard School, New York City. c. 16 minutes. 1986.
THREE AMERICAN SONGS for baritone with piano. Premiered at the Juilliard School, New York City. c. 6 minutes. 1985.
COMMENTARY MASS for chorus & str. quart., hrp., celeste, guit., glock.
Premiered at the Juilliard School, New York City. 14 minutes. 1985.
STRING QUARTET in three movements. Premiered at Merkin Hall, New York City. c. 23 minutes. 1985.
PIANO SONATA in seven movements. Premiered at CAMI Hall, New York City. c. 20 minutes. 1984.
THE CICADA for baritone solo with orchestra. scored for 2 fl., 2 ob., 2 cl., 2 bsn., 2 hrn., 2 trpt., 2 trb., 1 tba., perc., timp., hrp., strings. Text of Ou -yang Hsiu.
Readings by Juilliard Orchestra and Symphony. c. 35 minutes. 1984.
SALTIMBANQUES; FOUR PIECES FOR ORCHESTRA scored for 2 fl., 2 ob., 2 cl., 2 bsn., 2 hrn., 2 trpt., 2 trb., timp., gong, strings. c. 16 minutes. 1982.
THIRTY THREE PIANO PIECES for solo piano. Premiered at the Peabody Institute. c. 30 minutes. 1980.
PRESTO FUGACIOUS for solo piano. c. 4 minutes. 1973.
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text:
About the Administration on Aging (AoA)
The Administration on Aging (AOA) is the principal agency of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services designated to carry out the provisions of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (OAA), as amended (42 U.S.C.A. § 3001 et seq.). The OAA promotes the well-being of older individuals by providing services and programs designed to help them live independently in their homes and communities. The Act also empowers the federal government to distribute funds to the states for supportive services for individuals over the age of 60.
Office of Supportive and Caregiver Services
For more than 35 years, the AoA has provided home and community-based services to millions of older persons through the programs funded under the OAA. Services provided using AoA funds include, but are not limited to transportation, adult day care, caregiver supports, and health promotion programs.
Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs
The Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs (ONHPP) administers a range of OAA-funded programs, managing numerous grants, providing technical assistance to grantees, and supporting the aging services network carrying out the work of the OAA across the country. ONHPP is also dedicated to fostering partnerships within and outside of the network and government, collaborating to innovate and enhance supports for older Americans. The office's evidence-based programs focus on nutrition services, falls prevention, behavioral health, chronic disease self-management education; HIV/AIDS education; oral health education, and general disease prevention and health promotion.
Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services
The Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services manages the operation, administration, and assessment of the elder abuse prevention, legal assistance development, and pension counseling programs funded through the Older Americans Act and leads the development and implementation of comprehensive Adult Protective Services systems in order to provide a coordinated and seamless response for helping adult victims of abuse and to prevent abuse before it happens. Also implements and coordinates innovation and demonstration activities, and develops standards to improve delivery and effectiveness of such services, and provides support for the Elder Justice Coordinating Council.
Office for American Indian, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian Programs
In 1978, the OAA was amended to include Title VI which established programs for the provision of nutrition and supportive services for Native Americans (American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians) the program has since expanded to include caregiver support services. Eligible Tribal organizations receive grants in support of the delivery of home and community- based supportive services for their elders, including nutrition services and support for family and informal caregivers.
Office of Long-term Care Ombudsman Programs
The AoA Long Term Care Ombudsman Program began, as a demonstration program, in 1972. With funding from Titles II and VII of the OAA and other resources, Ombudsman programs operate in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Each state has an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, headed by a full-time state ombudsman. As part of statewide ombudsman programs, thousands of local ombudsman staff and volunteers, assist residents and their families by providing a voice for those unable to speak for themselves.
Older Americans Act and Aging Network
To meet the diverse needs of the growing numbers of older persons in the United States President Lyndon Johnson on July 14, 1965, signed into law the Older Americans Act (OAA). The OAA set out specific objectives for maintaining the dignity and welfare of older individuals and created the primary vehicle for organizing, coordinating and providing community-based services and opportunities for older Americans and their families. Visit the links below for more information about the network and community-based organizations working to support older adults:
- Aging and Disability Resource Centers
- Area Agencies on Aging
- Senior Centers and Supportive Services for Older Adults
- State Units on Aging
AoA Programs
- Aging and Disability Evidence-Based Programs and Practices - The purpose of the Aging and Disability Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (ADEPP) is to help the public learn more about available evidence-based programs and practices in the areas of aging and disability and determine which of these may best meet their needs.
- Aging and Disability Resource Centers Program/No Wrong Door - These systems provide information and assistance around planning for long-term care needs.
- Behavioral Health - Through aging, behavioral health, and disability network partnerships, ACL offers programs and resources to help older adults, people with disabilities, and their family caregivers to maintain their health and well-being.
- Brain Health - ACL's Brain Health Resource offers resources on a range of brain health topics.
- Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Programs (CDSME) - Provide older adults and adults with disabilities with education and tools to help them better manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, HIV/AIDS, and depression.
- Elder Abuse Prevention - ACL commits resources to several important projects designed to meet the goals of coordinating federal elder justice efforts, exploring new prevention and intervention models, and providing up-to-date research and information to professionals and the public.
- Falls Prevention - Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for people 65 years of age and older.
- HIV/AIDS - Useful resources for aging professionals and others interested in designing programs for older adults about the prevention, treatment, and care of HIV/AIDS.
- Legal Assistance - Legal assistance and elder rights programs, along with other AoA programs and services, help to promote the independence, autonomy, and well-being of older persons.
- Lifespan Respite Care Program - Lifespan Respite Care programs are coordinated systems of accessible, community-based respite care services for family caregivers of children and adults of all ages with special needs.
- Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program - States' Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman programs work to resolve problems related to the health, safety, welfare and rights of individuals who live in LTC facilities (i.e. nursing homes, board and care, assisted living, and other residential care communities).
- Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers (MIPPA) - Provides grants to states and tribes to help older adults, individuals with disabilities, and their caregivers apply for special assistance through Medicare.
- National Family Caregiver Support Program - The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) provides grants to states and territories to fund various supports that help family and informal caregivers care for older adults in their homes for as long as possible.
- Nutrition Services - Provides grants to states to help support nutrition services for older people throughout the country.
- Oral Health - Resources for enhancing oral health of older adults across the country.
- Person Centered Planning - Allows individuals to be engaged in the decision making process about their options, preferences, values, and financial resources.
- Retirement Planning and Pension Support - AoA works to support older adults with two programs.
- Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) - Since 1997, AoA has funded Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) projects that recruit and train retired professionals and other older adults to recognize and report instances or patterns of health care fraud.
- Services for Native Americans - ACL funds programs that support American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Americans in the areas of nutrition, supportive services for older adults, and caregiver services.
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November 20, 2015 10:52 am
Early Soviet photography at the Jewish Museum, New York
Ariella Budick
A powerful exhibition shows how fine photography distorted the harsh realities of the Soviet regime — but still made some brilliant art
Arkady Shaikhet: 'Express'. 1939, gelatin silver print. Estate of Arkady Shaikhet©Courtesy of Nailya Alexander GalleryArkady Shaikhet: 'Assembling the Globe at Moscow Telegraph Central Station', 1928, gelatin silver print. Estate of Arkady Shaikhet©Courtesy of Nailya Alexander GalleryAlexander Rodchenko: 'Pioneer Playing a Trumpet', 1930, gelatin silver print. Estate of Alexander Rodchenko/Vaga©Centre Pompidou, ParisGeorgy Zelma: 'Three Generations in Yakutsk', 1929, gelatin silver print©Museum Ludwig, CologneArkady Shaikhet: 'Red Army Marching in the Snow', 1927–28, gelatin silver print. Estate of Arkady Shaikhet©Courtesy of Nailya Alexander GalleryGeorgy Petrusov: 'Caricature of Alexander Rodchenko', 1933–34, gelatin silver print©Courtesy of Alex Lachmann CollectionGeorgy Zelma: 'Voice of Moscow', 1925, gelatin silver print.©Courtesy of Alex Lachmann CollectionGeorgy Zelma: 'Military Parade on Red Square', 1933, gelatin silver print©Sepherot Foundation, Vaduz
When the Russian Revolution broke out in 1917, young artists exulted. They thronged to the vanguard and championed art's capacity to stun. Just as political leaders had toppled the establishment, creative revolutionaries aimed to knock the visual world off balance. Nearly a century later, the art establishment is still riding that first wave of exhilaration, still charmed by photographers who achieved a bright new way of looking.There's something simultaneously poignant and terrifying about The Power of Pictures, a beguiling round-up of propaganda designed to bolster the Soviet Union in its early years. The talent on display is tremendous, and the vision duly uplifting. We see orderly cities, impressive parades, majestic factories and awesome lightbulbs. We do not see emaciated peasants, executed dissidents or enslaved prisoners. These old-fashioned downers found no place in the photographer's formalist experiments, or in society's speeding thrust toward utopia.
It's odd that a show ostensibly about political art is so narrowly focused on aesthetic innovation. In an introductory wall text, curators Susan Tumarkin Goodman and Jens Hoffmann write that the first Soviet photography still has a bracing effect today, reminding us "that to maintain a connection between art and politics is a matter of urgency". The curators find it less urgent to point out that those revelations depended on stunningly wilful blindness. The first Soviet photographers thought they were teaching the world to see; instead they were teaching it not to.
Until his career was quashed by Stalin in the 1930s, Alexander Rodchenko waged by far the most sophisticated battle to uncork the worker's potential. Trained as a painter, he hitched his pioneering vision to the Bolshevik programme, and by 1921 had denounced painting altogether as a relic of bourgeois decadence. He styled himself as a sort of visual engineer, furnishing the post-revolutionary society with uncomfortable chairs, techno-teapots and, best of all, unsettling photography.
His Leica pitched buildings and people into disorienting angles and baffling close-ups, jolting his audience into what he hoped was a revolutionary perspective. His camera transformed a woman standing on a flight of stairs into a diagonal stroke across parallel lines, and turned a view of a Moscow courtyard into a cacophony of giddy geometries and abrupt changes in scale.
He treated his own mother's face as terrain ripe for exploration, homing in on a clash between flesh and fabricated materials. The doughy mounds of her cheeks, nose and chin rub against the glass and metal of her spectacles, which in turn cast confusing shadows on her skin. Only a few years later, the Dadaist Raoul Hausmann wrote: "After all, the smoothness, the glow or the limpness and wrinkles of a face are formal expressions of what that face has become. These forms alone represent something."
Rodchenko's grotesque "Pioneer With a Bugle" (1930) captures the teenage instrumentalist from below, his cheeks like two enormous puffed-up hemispheres below a jutting cliff of forehead. The perspective demands viewers' active participation; they must labour to read the abstract arrangement of curved surfaces and brass tubing as a human face making sound. Rodchenko's public misread his intentions, seeing "Pioneer with a Bugle" and a companion photo, "Pioneer Girl" (1930), as insultingly perverse distortions. A letter published in the journal Proletarskoe Foto ("Proletarian Photography") criticised Rodchenko for "disfiguring the young, healthy face of the pioneer" and transforming it "into the face of a freak".
That sort of commentary was ominous. Before long, he stood accused of "bourgeois formalism", the all-purpose sin that suggested he was out of step with the masses (or with the bureaucrats, at any rate). By 1934, the government decreed that only socialist realism was fit for proletarian consumption, and Rodchenko complied. His pictures of the White Sea Canal, a 140-mile waterway constructed in 500 days, celebrated the miraculous feat of human engineering, but elided the human cost. Tens of thousands of political prisoners died digging the ditch with shovels but no heavy machinery. Never mind: that took place outside the frame.
Rodchenko wasn't the only photographer to veil the regime's nefariousness with a scrim of progressive aesthetics. That same year, Georgy Petrusov "documented" collective farms, where peasants and landowners died by the millions. "Lunch in the Field" (1934) depicts happy agricultural workers feasting in a meadow idyll. The image, taken from a godlike vantage point, draws attention to its formal daring. Petrusov also shot marmoreal peasant women from below, outlining their heroic heads against the sky. Elizaveta Ignatovich (married to Boris, also prominent in the show) depicts an artisanal bakery where a white-clad worker is dwarfed by dozens of ripe loaves. The message of purity and abundance trumps the reality of mass starvation.
Some of the photographers buckled down and had long careers; others buckled under and became victims of the regime they served. The same story could be told about writers, scholars and composers. Their work glamorised a vicious political system, and the glamour endures long after the system withered away. The curators acknowledge this falsity, especially in a section called "Staging Happiness", but they seem seduced by it nevertheless.
As the show moves into the mid-1930s, it's hard to miss the parallels between Soviet photo virtuosi and their Nazi counterparts. Rodchenko's "A Jump Into Water" (1934), capturing a diver magically splayed in mid-air, bears a remarkable resemblance to Leni Riefenstahl's treatments of the same feat. Her picture of the gorgeously sinewed javelin thrower at the 1936 Olympics could practically be an homage to Max Penson's earlier version from 1928. And Georgy Zelma's "Military Parade in Red Square" (1933) could be mistaken for a still from Riefenstahl's film The Triumph of the Will, which documented the 1935 Nazi rally in Nuremberg.
The formal similarities point up how differently we treat German and Soviet art from that period. Three years ago, when the Museum of Modern Art mounted an exhibition of sports photography from the 1930s, it scrupulously underlined the point that Riefenstahl's career "is marred by her role as part of the propaganda machine of the Nazi party . . . One cannot consider [her] innovations without acknowledging the violent political apparatus that supported them." At the Jewish Museum, the disclaimers are more perfunctory, by-the-way remarks in the context of a show about photographers who made mass murder and misery look formally interesting and rather grand.
'The Power of Pictures: Early Soviet Photography, Early Soviet Film', Jewish Museum, New York, to February 7.
Two Soviet books from the 1939 New York World's Fair
The other booklets in this series might be tempting to pick up if found for under $5.00 but for purposes of the photography, they are skimpy and would probably be uninteresting for the average photobook enthusiast. I paid $15 for this copy and I see many others listed online starting around $20. If anyone has the complete set and could recommend another title that is equally as enjoyable as this parachute booklet, please let me know via the comments section
This past weekend was the Greenwich Village Antiquarian Book Fair at PS 3 in NYC. I do not usually find much in the way of bargains at these events since they are full of book dealers who mostly price according to ABE listings but a friend of mine did find a shrink-wrapped copy of Robert Adams Our Lives and Our Children published by Aperture in 1984 for a mere $25.00. Seems there are some very good prices still to be found even through the dealers.
My only find was a small booklet that appealed to my love of design. It is called Parachute-Jumping and Gliding: Popular Soviet Sports. Upon seeing the cover, I was hoping that this 32 page booklet would be like a mini-version of the now famous USSR in Construction parachute issue (SSSR na stroike, 1935 Issue #12) but it is nothing in comparison.
Parachute-Jumping and Gliding: Popular Soviet Sports was a part of a 30 booklet series aimed at revealing the great achievements of the Soviet Union . Published in English these booklets were distributed at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The topics cover everything from collective farming to youth sports, livestock to leisure activities in the Soviet Union . Each is approximately 5 by 4 inches and mostly comprised of text interspersed with a few illustrations.
This one in particular drew my attention because it contains two illustrations that combine photography and design into graphs meant to show records held in both gliding and parachuting by Soviets. (Since there are so few illustrations in this booklet I have shown all of them in my composite above). The other enticing features are the two color cover graphic and the letterpress interior.
The other booklets in this series might be tempting to pick up if found for under $5.00 but for purposes of the photography, they are skimpy and would probably be uninteresting for the average photobook enthusiast. I paid $15 for this copy and I see many others listed online starting around $20. If anyone has the complete set and could recommend another title that is equally as enjoyable as this parachute booklet, please let me know via the comments section
Staying within the topic of Russian photobooks, I found an interesting title several months back in a junk warehouse here in Brooklyn called Soviet Photography 1939. I do not know much about this book as with extensive research I have only found one other reference online through a dealer of Russian books.
Soviet Photography 1939 contains 66 photographs and has beautiful burgundy hard covers with gold colored, debossed titles and a decorative-edged spine. The cover is very reminiscent of high school yearbook designs common from the 1930's here in the United States . The printing was accomplished through letterpress so the reproductions have a nice presence on the crème-colored paper. It was published by the State Publishing House for Cinematographical Literature in Moscow .
After a three page introduction touting the greatness of Soviet photography (and ideology) the book proceeds with photos typical of the Soviet State image controlling machine. A photo of Lenin from 1919 starts off the book and of course is followed by one of Stalin looking calm and confident while casually lighting a pipe; the sequence keeps with Stalin's desire to creating the impression that he and Lenin were the only notable characters in the creation of the Soviet Union . Most of what follows are examples of photographs that have been so extensively retouched that they tend to look more like paintings than anything meant to represent reality. That being said, there is something to the infectious idealism portrayed with all Soviet propaganda that makes this another enjoyable fantasyland of harmonious relationships between Soviet peoples, their great accomplishments, and their clean stewardship of the land.
There are a few clues with this book that would indicate that is was published as a souvenir from the New York World's Fair like the small booklet on parachuting I described above. The first being the publication date of 1939 but also the introduction is in English instead of Russian. The last and most tenuous being that I found it in Brooklyn within 7 miles fromCorona Park where the fair took place. As for the issue of scarcity, this is not a precious book by any stretch, so I could imagine that most copies wound up either being thrown out or sold off in yard sales for spare change.
Accounting for inflation of the cost of living over the past 70 years, I am not complaining that these gems set me back $20.00 in total.
Book Review: The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941
The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941.
Edited by Manfred Heiting and Mikhail Karasik.
Steidl, 2015.
The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941
Reviewed by Colin Pantall
Edited by Manfred Heiting and Mikhail Karasik
Steidl, Gottingen, Germany, 2016. In English. 636 pp., 10½x11¼".
The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941 is a comprehensive heavyweight affair that gives a history of the greatest period of photobook production ever undertaken. It's a serious book with serious texts on a serious subject. And it's astonishingly illustrated with spreads taken from publications few of us ever knew even existed.
The book is divided into 17 chapters that run more or less chronologically from 1921 to 1941. Right from the first chapter (Photography and the New Religion), we're into revolutionary design, images constructed in the name of the revolution.
We rattle through the chapters with Rodchenko putting in an early appearance in chapter two,The Word and the Photograph. But as well as seeing the cover of Mayakovsky's famous About This: To Her and to Me, we see the 8 photomontages inside, with dinosaurs, peanuts and parakeets, all fair game for Rodchenko's scissors.
The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941. Edited by Manfred Heiting and Mikhail Karasik. Steidl, 2015.
There's the propaganda of The Lessons of Constructivism chapter and then we're ontoIndustrialization and the epic layouts of El Lissitzky's first propaganda album, The USSR is Building Socialism, a photobook where double-page montages are "printed in two colors, black and red. The introduction of short slogan-like texts into the photomontages make these pages look like posters."
The army, the navy, trains, dams, steel mills, farming; it's a trawl through an idealized and thoroughly happy Communist past. But it never gets repetitive or boring. Take the book New Rail Transport Technology; this was the first book about Soviet rail transport and it's relatively restrained, its mix of sober shots of bridges, tracks and signals are cut with a full-bleed picture of a live platform, station clock in the foreground, life going on in the most relaxed and casual manner imaginable.
The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941. Edited by Manfred Heiting and Mikhail Karasik. Steidl, 2015. |
The chapter on Photography and Pictographs is a revelation in how "Dry statistics and tedious topography were converted… into a work of art; they are treated as geometrical abstract pictures." The writer, Mikhail Karasik, is talking about Moscow is Being Reconstructed here but the same also applies to The USSR's Five-Year Plan, which glories in a series of pictographs because "Pictorial statistics provided the simplest and most readily available means of presenting information in a country whose citizens were mastering the basics of economics at the same time as they were learning to read and write."
There are the glorious books celebrating 10 years of the Soviet Union (including the Parr and Badger featured Uzbekistan volume with its Stalin shaped window) and then it's the Red Army where the full cult of the militarized individual finds fettered reign in a whole series of staged portraits, panoramas and battle scenes. The final chapters look at Soviet Cinema, the books of the Soviet Pavillion at The World's Fair in New York 1939-1940, and the masters of Soviet photography.
The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941. Edited by Manfred Heiting and Mikhail Karasik. Steidl, 2015. |
The most tender chapters are Soviet Women Soviet Youngsters and The Land of Happiness; in the former there's Protection of Mother and Child in the Land of Soviet, a book that ends with "a bronze Lenin apparently waggling his hand at a laughing child." In the latter we get to go to Transcaucasia and enjoy The Soviet Subtropics, a region where "creative work was already in full swing aimed at producing the wonderful multi-coloured vegetable carpet of the Soviet Florida."
The book spreads are accompanied by detailed and informative text that provides the background context for the photographers, designers and publishing houses behind this wealth of printed material. Connections are briefly (sometimes very briefly — it's a book written with a 'Motherland' perspective) made to broader social movements and the main political events that were taking place in the Soviet Union between 1920 and 1941. There is also the narrative of how design and photobooks developed between these years, with montage and constructivism passing to photojournalism and reportage before ending up at the end game of fully fledged social realism complete with its heavy handed retouching of both faces and facts.
The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941. Edited by Manfred Heiting and Mikhail Karasik. Steidl, 2015. |
Informative though this is, the density of the information is sometimes hard to digest for readers (like me) who are unversed in how the intricacies of Marxist, Stalinist, and Leninist thought played out in publishing. At times assumptions are made about the background knowledge the reader has both of book publishing and political history, and it becomes difficult to see the big picture due to the mass of detail. The Soviet Photobook is also a history book, and this idea is compounded by the list of photographers, artists, and writers to be found at the back. But it would have been good to add a simplified timeline of key political and publishing events. Though it's made for easy viewing, it's not made for easy reading.
An additional frustration (and the major irony of a book that has propaganda and the easy dissemination of information as its major theme) is that the text is laid out in great un-paragraphed and untitled blocks that make it difficult to navigate. And in this sense the book is under-designed and could have taken some lessons from the chapters on infographics in how to make information as accessible as possible.
The Soviet Photobook 1920-1941. Edited by Manfred Heiting and Mikhail Karasik. Steidl, 2015. |
That is a minor quibble though, because dig deep and focus hard and you will find whatever it is you are looking for, both in the text and in the images. And it's the images that matter here. They are stunning, and well balanced with no over-emphasis on a particular era or theme. This is a book you can return to again and again (both to the words and the pictures) and you will always find something new. It doesn't quite have the easy page-by-page referencing style of The Photobook: A History, but it more than makes up for that in the generosity of the spreads. It is simply gorgeous to look at with an authority to match.—COLIN PANTALL
/ Thomas Wiegand
Ein Fotobuchkontinent wird neu entdeckt
The Soviet Photobook 1920 - 1941
Dass es in der Sowjetunion in den zwanziger und dreißiger Jahren eine außerordentlich reiche avantgardistische Fotobuchkultur gegeben haben muss, war nicht zuletzt durch die Fotobuch-Bücher zu erahnen, in denen immer wieder einzelne sowjetische Fotobücher vorkamen.Und es gibt dazu schon eine Arbeit des Buchkünstlers und -forschers Mikhail Karasik, aber dies nur in Russisch, was den Leserkreis einschränkt.* Nun wird dieses Standardwerk von einer völlig überarbeiteten und erweiterten Fassung in Englisch abgelöst. Damit sind die Voraussetzungen gegeben, dass man den bislang nur schemenhaft erkennbaren Fotobuchkontinent in aller Deutlichkeit vor sich liegen sieht. Gefördert von Stalin durften/mussten die russischen Avantgardisten an illustrierten Büchern mitwirken, was heute deren besondere Qualität und Relevanz ausmacht. Kein Aufwand wurde gescheut, um diese Werke zu gestalten: Montagen, Farben, Prägungen, Faltungen, Metalleinlagen… Die Bücher waren Meisterleitungen und dienten der Propaganda vor allem im Inland, zuweilen aber auch für das Ausland, so ein größeres Konvolut von in Englisch getexteten Publikationen der UdSSR zur Weltausstellung in New York 1939. Zudem gab es mit dem Magazin USSR in Construction ein kontinuierlich die Ideen des Kommunismus und mit ihnen die Ästhetik der russischen Avantgarde in englischen, deutschen, französischen und spanischen Auslandsausgaben verbreitendes Medium.
Das dicke und schwere, von Manfred Heiting herausgegeben und gestaltete Buch gibt einen in 17 Kapitel (Industrialisierung, Staatsjubiläen, Rote Armee etc.) geordneten Überblick mit 165 einzelnen Werken. Diese mögen seinerzeit große Auflagen gehabt haben, doch heute sind sie sehr selten und im westlichen Ausland praktisch nicht erreichbar. Von daher ist das üppig ausgebreitete Material an Reproduktionen von unschätzbarem Wert, denn die vorgestellten Bücher wird man normalerweise entweder gar nicht oder nur unter großen Schwierigkeiten (Recherche, Zeit, Genehmigungen, finanzieller Aufwand) zu Gesicht bekommen. Autor Karasik lebt in St. Petersburg, hat sich jahrelang mit dem Thema beschäftigt und kennt die Materie aus dem Effeff. Neben einer zusammenfassenden Einleitung hat er für jedes Buch eine kurze Würdigung und selbstverständlich die bibliographischen Daten (in englischen Übersetzungen) beigesteuert. Marina Orlova hat für den Anhang ein kurzes, aber hinsichtlich der Menge der Namen und Begriffe gehaltvolles Glossar der beteiligten Fotografen, Designer, Textautoren und Politiker erarbeitet. Von Heiting stammt nicht nur das Vorwort, sondern auch und vor allem das Layout. Für den Einleitungsteil und die Kapiteltrennungen hat er den Stil der stalinistischen Fotobücher aufgenommen, sonst aber für eine sachlich-dienende, aber immer kraftvolle Gestaltung gesorgt, die die Möglichkeiten zur Präsentation von Fotobüchern (nach Deutschland im Fotobuch und Autopsie) erneut erweitert. Wie schon in Autopsiewerden die Bücher ohne Gebrauchsspuren in einer dem Neuzustand angenäherten Form abgebildet.
Propaganda als Mittel der Politik führte vor allem in totalitären Regimes zu aufwändigen Druckwerken: die faschistischen Regierungen in Deutschland, Italien, Spanien und Portugal nahmen sich nur ausnahmsweise die Ästhetik der Russen zum Vorbild. Zu einer versachlichten Bildsprache und deutlich vereinfachten Produktionen kam es nach 1945 in der Sowjetunion selbst und in Anlehnung daran in anderen sozialistischen Staaten wie der DDR, Polen und der CSSR. Wie sich die Propaganda in chinesischen Fotobüchern manifestiert hat, zeigtThe Chinese Photobook von Martin Parr und WassinkLundgren. Auf Basis der Themen und Ästhetik der Stalinzeit hatte sich ein Standard herausgebildet, der in unterschiedlichen Ländern immer wieder neu durchdekliniert wurde und der lange wirksam blieb (was das Feld für weitergehende Untersuchungen öffnet).
Die stalinistische Politik war nicht menschenfreundlich. Die Bücher, die während dieser Zeit zur Darstellung ihrer Ziele und Erfolge erschienen, zeigen in jeder Beziehung und auf allerhöchstem Niveau ein anderes Bild. Karasik und Heiting gebührt das Verdienst, das Material für eine eingehende Diskussion dieser besonderen Spielart der Propaganda aufbereitet und in Form dieses fulminanten Standardwerks bereit gestellt zu haben. Auch wer sich für Fotobücher und politikgesteuerte Publizistik nicht interessiert, wird lange brauchen, die unglaubliche Fülle avantgardistischer Fotografie und kongenialen Designs verarbeiten zu können!
Parachute Jumping And Gliding Popular Soviet Sports
Moshkovsky, Major V.
Publication Date: 1939
1st edition, near fine condition, stiff pictorial wraps, published by The Foreign languages publishing House, Moscow, 32 pages. A brief history of Parachute Jumping, and Glider Soaring sport clubs in the Soviet Union prior to World War II. With a list of International Parachute Jump records held by Soviet Parachutist, and a list of International Long distance records held by Soviet Glider Pilots. Illustrated with photographs, and drawings.
Soviet Photography 1939
Borodin, M. ; Harvey, N. ; Mikulin, V. ; Rogozhansky, M. (editors)
Published by State Publishing House for Cinematograpical Literature, Moscow, 1939
Pre-Second World War propaganda publication with photographs by Rodchenko, Novitsky, Alpert, Markov, Kislov, Petrov, Strunnikov, Shagin, Loskutov, Kudoyarov, Kuleshov, Khalip, Bernstein, Granovsky, Diament, Ignatovich, Alperin, Friedland, Prekhner, Oshurkov, Nappelbaum, Skurikhin, Garanin, Shaikhet, Shimansky, Petrusov, Prekhner, Andreyev, Petrusov, Tuvin, Prekhner, Kuleshov, Shterenberg, Fishman, Zelma, Debabov, Shtertser, and Langman. Text in English. Printed in the Soviet Union, by Gosnak, Moscow. Includes 31 leaves of plates with approximately 60 images. One page loose, staples in binding rusty, bumps to one corner and tail of spine (not effecting photographs), some pencil marks to margins. Original burgundy leatherette boards.