Ian Haight's blog

Bank of America Court Settlement on Overdraft Fees

If you are one of the many people who was socked with Bank of America overdraft fees at the rate of $35 an incident, a court has ordered BOA to refund a portion of the amount (link has info on the settlement and how to get a refund).  This refund is for overdraft fees that occurred from 2001 to May of 2011.  I was with BOA for about 18 months in 2010-2011and incurred several hundred dollars in overdraft fees.  Mostly this was because I lived abroad and the peculiarities of the timezones I lived in were not accommodated by BOA's account posting procedures, already notorious.  I've already switched over to a credit union, which has been a complete shock in terms of service and procedures.  I couldn't understand what the bank manager was telling me about how their debit cards worked when I initially opened an account; they were so customer friendly that I had not in my life encountered these practices before.  Navy Federal, the bank, charges pennies on overdraft fees.  For continuing balances on debit cards, such balances are treated like a credit card, with interest rates in the single digits.  With competition like this, why do these large commercial banks even exist?  One would think superior service from credit unions would drive commercial banks out of the market or force them to drastically change their practices.  Unfortunate this hasn't happened yet.

Occupy Wallstreet: Past Blogs and Individual Action

This week feels like a "grab bag" of information--sort of an amalgamation of issues I have been commenting on for the past few weeks--which feels appropriate given the first quarter of the school year is about to wrap up.

What started all my posts last spring on the problems with disproportionate wealth distribution was the parallels between what is happening now and the excesses of the late 19th century Gilded Age in America.  I blogged about how such disparate distribution leads to a host of societal ills, which eventually--at least according to precedent--will lead to reform.  Otherwise, without change, opportunity is lost for the vast majority of Americans and it begins to become a Constitutional issue.  I haven't heard anyone mention Constitutionality yet, but lo and behold, in the October 9 2011 issue of the NY Times, there's an article glossing over the loss of opportunity resulting from overly concentrated wealth in America.

On that note, I've been wondering what the average person can really *do* as a response to the problems of wealth and the commercialization of human beings in America.  Besides protest, obviously, besides the empty-feeling "write to your congress person," what can we do that will make a difference?  What will let the financial institutions that be know there are consequences to their policies, consequences which are meaningful to them?  I've already closed my bank account with BOA and switched everything over to a credit union, mainly because I was tired of being talked to and treated like a child.  Looks like other people are doing the same thing (applause!!!!!).

 

I've been mentioning the drama committee work I've been involved with and the spoken word pieces generated by students from last year's conference.  Here's a link to one of the performances.  The quality isn't so great but the message and performance is pretty amazing, given where it came from.  The kids come to the conference with basically nothing and after 4 days of intense work/workshopping, arrived at this performance.  Yay poetry track!

A Week in Japan/O'Leary-Hedges "Debate"

I just got back from a week in Japan, helping to plan a dramatic arts festival for schools in the Pacific region.  The planning calls to mind the festival from last year, which was hard work but in the end a real privilege to be a part of.  Supposedly there are videos of the event on Youtube.  I'll try to track down some of the poetry presentations for next week.

In my post last week I mentioned how it would be interesting to have Charlie Rose debate a neo-con pundit.  This week on Facebook there's a video circulating where, for a short time, there is a debate between TV personality Kevin O' Leary and Chris Hedges, a liberal journalist associated with the ongoing Wall Street protests.  It's interesting to note Hedges defines himself as a conservative and the neo-cons as radicals.  In any case the conversation involved ad-hominem attacks from O'Leary--an unfortunate predictability also mentioned in last week's post.  O'Leary and CBC--the network that aired the interview--have received complaints about O'Leary's conduct, so much so that the network apologized to Hedges later off camera.  Are the tides turning in America?  I wonder how long these protests will continue and how far they will spread.  Winter will soon be arriving in NYC and the streets will be pretty cold.

 

 

Charlie Rose Interviews Jeffrey Sachs: Private Wealth vs. Society

A few days ago Facebook was full of posts about the Wall Street protests; social media seemed bent on re-enacting the Arab spring in the United States.  We see now in the mainstream media reports of the protests spreading to other cities across America.  Last spring I wrote a few posts about the roots of class division in America; I mentioned some essays relevant in terms of precedent to where America seems to find itself now in terms of concentration of wealth in a smaller percentile of individuals.  Four days ago Charlie Rose interviewed Jeffrey Sachs on his show, and Sachs spoke at length about the moral underpinnings of the economic morass America finds itself in now--how opprotunity has been lost and what the consequences are for the average American.  The interview is good background conversation for the moments when you're straightening your library, including the mess of stacked paper piles that appear to have accumulated over the past 2 weeks--or maybe that's just my room.  I'd like to see Sachs debate a neocon pundit; assuming such a debate could be conducted without ad hominem attacks.

Jewish-Buddhist Humor

What follows was forwarded to me a week or so ago.  Although I am a serious-minded individual I also enjoy/treasure light heartedness and humor--probably a necessary component to happiness and success in this world.  So here's a little of that for this week's posting....

 

Sayings of the Jewish Buddhist

If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so
complicated?

Drink tea and nourish life; with the first sip, joy;
with the second sip, satisfaction; with the third sip, peace; with the
fourth, a Danish.

Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another
story.

Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect
health, or a life without problems. What would you talk about?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy.

There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you
never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was
that?

Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have? Bupkis.

The Tao does not speak. The Tao does not blame. The Tao
does not take sides. The Tao has no expectations. The
Tao demands nothing of others. The Tao is not Jewish.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget
this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.

Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness
be as a wooded glen. And sit up straight. You'll never meet the Buddha
with such rounded shoulders.

Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers. Each flower
blossoms ten thousand times. Each blossom has ten thousand petals. You
might want to see a specialist.

Be aware of your body. Be aware of your perceptions.
Keep in mind that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a
terminal illness.

The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself. The
Buddha says, There is no self. So, maybe we're off the hook.

:)

In the Future, Everyone will be Famous for 15 minutes--or Longer

There’s an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Lt. La Forge tells Captain Picard he’s writing a book in his spare time.  Somehow this fits the inertia of the 80’s which was at/or near an end, and was about when the episode aired on TV: the idea that time, resources, and standard of living have risen to the point where one can write a book and share it with readers across the galaxy in an off-hand manner.  A number of things struck me about the Lt.’s words and they still stick.

For one thing is the idea of writing not for the sake of money--as if writing were a profession--but simply for the love of writing.  La Forge isn’t writing for money because money and economic incentive (so far as I understand the world of Star Trek) don’t exist in his world.  La Forge is writing because he likes to do it. 

Second is the value placed on the writing by readers.  It also isn’t economic in La Forge’s future.  La Forge’s readers read and have access to his writing because, first, they are willing to read his books and second, it costs them nothing economically.  Imagine this world of writers and readers.  What does it say about literature as art and its value to human beings?  Is this the ideal?  How nice would it be for the human race to allow each person to simply do what each person enjoys without fear of poverty, homelessness, painful death due to disease, starvation, etc.?  It would be a great world for artists and poets.

Echoing in the back of my mind are the words of Warhol: “In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.”

The past few years I’ve been pondering this issue because I have little faith in the continuance of the written word as the centuries pass and the possibilities of technology continue to grow.  And low and behold, I've found an article on the topic--a story in the Guardian on the issues.

Korean Literature...the next Hallyu?

This past summer I met a Japanese entertainer of some reputation and fame back in his home country.  Our families spent a couple weeks hanging out frequently doing things together.  He was telling me with a hint of regret about how Korean entertainers—specifically actors and singers—were a significant influence in Japan.  From the sound of things the Korean wave, or “hallyu" as it’s better known in Korea, is taking significant market share from Japanese entertainers in Japan.  The hallyu wave is something Koreans are proud of; the wave is all over Asia. 

In the past few years I’ve been thinking Korean literature might be another wave for Korea.  Translations of Korean literature are getting better all the time, and the stories are unlike much of anything in the west.  Foreign rights for Korean books are being sold to major publishing houses in America, and lately Korean literature in translation is selling better than it has in the past. 

Low and behold, what follows below is an article on the very subject from the Korea Times.  Also happy to see Your Republic is Calling You mentioned in the article, a book I did final review work for to help out the Daesan Foundation.  

 

09-09-2011 15:33

Can literature be next 'hallyu' hit?

Korean books shine in overseas publication market By Chung Ah-young After prominent novelist Shin Kyung-sook rose to international fame with her landmark book “Please Look After Mom,” global interest in Korean literature began to grow. Shin said that Korean literature seems fresh to readers in other countries and its status is bigger than Koreans think. “They seem to be looking for an alternative in humanity and community spirit, which is richly expressed in Korean literature,” she said in a recent press conference. True to its growing presence, veteran writer Yi Mun-yol’s short fictional piece “An Anonymous Island” is to be published in the Sept. 12 issue of the New Yorker, the U.S.-based weekly magazine. The New Yorker is world-famous, selling more than 1.4 million copies a week. After such writers as Oe Kenzaburo, Orhan Pamuk and Murakami Haruki saw their works in the magazine, they have been in the international spotlights. In 2006, poet Ko Un’s “Four Poems” appeared in the New Yorker but it is the first time for it to introduce Korean fiction. According to Minumsa, the local publisher, Yi is expected to gain more attention in English-speaking countries. The magazine features one foreign author a year on average. “Publishing his fiction on the magazine proves his literary value internationally and at the same time lays the foundation for Korean literature to leap forward on the world literature scene,” the publisher said. Yi was born in 1948 in Seoul and made his debut in 1979. He won numerous literary awards and his works have been translated into15 languages in 20 countries such as the United States, Germany and Italy and France. “An Anonymous Island” was first published in 1982 in the spring issue of local magazine “World Literature.” The story revolves around a teacher assigned to an elementary school in a remote village. The English translation of “An Anonymous Island” is by Heinz Insu Fenkl. The New Yorker introduced Yi through an interview with Fenkl as one of South Korea’s most prominent contemporary writers. Some of his works are available in English, most notably his novels “Our Twisted Hero” and “The Poet” but many have not yet been translated into English, the magazine said. “What made me want to translate Yi’s work was an unexpected resonance. ‘Meeting with My Brother’ affected me greatly, and then I rediscovered his older historical works — the ones Korean critics label as especially erudite. He was writing in a kind of neoclassical Korean style with many allusions to Tang Dynasty Chinese culture and arcane Shamanic and Taoist culture,” Fenkl said in the magazine. Born in Korea in 1960, Fenkl is a novelist, translator and editor of “Azalea,” an English publication which introduces Korean literature at Harvard University. Fenkl’s autobiographical novel, “Memories of My Ghost Brother,” was named a Barnes and Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection in 1996 and a PEN/Hemingway Award finalist in 1997. The translator has also published short fiction in a variety of journals and magazines, as well as numerous articles on folklore and myth. Another Korean author conspicuous in the overseas literary scene is Han Kang whose novel “The Vegetarian” is receiving a good response in Japan and the publisher will release the second print edition. The Japanese publication of the book is part of the Korea Literature Translation Institute’s project for the overseas publication of Korean literature. It was first published in Japan in June by Kim Seung-bok, the Korean-Japanese CEO of Kuon Publishing, who developed an interest in Korean literature while majoring in poetry writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. To promote Korean literary works in Japan, he established the publisher in 2009. Right after the release of her novel, major Japanese newspapers featured her story. The institute will introduce more Korean books such as Kim Jung-hyuk’s “The Library of the Musical Instruments” and Ha Sung-ran’s “A” to Japanese readers in coming years. “For the last two years, publications of Korean literary works by young writers in the Japanese market have shown a shift from first-generation translators who led the introduction of Korean literature in Japan to the new generation,” the institute said. The first-generation translators have presented works from Yoon Dong-joo, Yi Sang and Chae Man-shik from the colonial period (1910-45) to the 1980s-90s authors such as Kim Ji-ha and Cho Jung-rae. However, the new generation translators who are mostly the third-generation Korean-Japanese or open-minded Japanese scholars interested in Korean literature have sprung up in the 2000s. They represent the new trend of Korean literature led by young writers. According to the institute, Eun Hee-kyung’s “Beauty Despises Me,” Kim Yeon-soo’s “The World’s End, Girl Friend,” Kim Ae-ran’s “Mouthwatering” and Park Min-gyu’s “Sponge Cake” are being translated by Japanese with the support of the institute. “It is encouraging that recently various countries such as the United States, Germany and France are increasingly showing an interest in Korean literature. As literature ‘hallyu’ (Korean wave) is emerging, the growing attention to Korean literature is very welcoming,” the institute said. The trend is seen as a milestone for Korean literature in Japan as some 900 Japanese literary works appear in the Korean publishing market every year but only less than 10 Korean literary works are introduced in Japan. Representing a fresh, young voice emerging here and regularly publishing works abroad, Kim Young-ha released an English translation of his first novel “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” in 2007, which was originally published in Korea in 1996. Before it reached American, British and Canadian readers, the book had already been translated into German and French. The book was a big hit with French readers in 2002. “I Have the Right to Destroy Myself” is often compared as “the emotional tension of Milan Kundera and the existential anguish of Bret Easton Ellis” by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt or “the sparse but beautiful prose of Haruki Murakami” by Time Out Chicago and referenced to Kafka, Camus, and Sartre by the Los Angeles Times. His other books including “Black Flower,” “The Quiz Show” and “Arang, Why?” were translated in 13 countries, demonstrating his international reputation. Jo Kyung-ran is also a familiar name among international readers as her book “Tongue” has been translated and published in eight countries and “In Search of an Elephant” was published in Spanish. chungay@koreatimes.co.kr

Back and Happenings: Korean Literature Translation Awards/Grand Prix Prize

Summer vacation officially came to an end 3 weeks ago and as I enter my 4th week of the semester and the dust is more or less settling I can see it's time to provide updates and enter the school year routines; time to update my blog.  :)

It was a great summer in so many ways.  Taeyoung and I were shortlisted for a major translation award in Korea.  We didn't get it but it was nice to be shortlisted.  And anyway, I respect the fact that the prize went to a French translation.  Something about the translation teams being international adds comfort to the process, regardless of the outcome. 

‘Translators hold great responsibility in today’s world’

2011-07-03 20:56

Prof. Choi Mi-kyung wins Grand Prix at 10th Korean Literature Translation Awards


Ewha Womans University professor Choi Mi-kyung and former French diplomat-turned-translator Jean Noel Juttet together received the Grand Prix Prize at the 10th Korean Literature Translation Awards, a biennial competition organized by the Korea Literature Translation Institute, for their co-translation work at Korea Press Center in Seoul, Thursday.

Choi and Juttet, who have been translating together as a team since 1995, received the prize for their 2009 work, “Shim Chong, fille vendue,” a French-translated edition of Korea’s renowned author Hwang Sok-yong’s novel “Sim-cheong.”

Inspired by one of the most well-known folktales of Korea, Hwang’s novel tells the tragic life story of a young Korean woman in the 19th century who gets sold to China.

“As a translator I find it most fulfilling when my work is regarded as a work of literature, instead of a work of translation,” Choi told reporters at a press conference held prior to the award ceremony.

Choi, who is also a veteran Korean-French interpreter for international conferences and seminars, said her interpreting experience helps when she translates Korea’s literary works into French.

“Working as an interpreter requires immediacy,” Choi told reporters. “So the interpreting experience made me work faster when I translate. It also has helped me to find more natural expressions.”

Choi Mi-kyung (left) and Jean-Noel Juttet, the co-Grand-Prix winners of the 10th Korean Literature Translation Awards, after receiving the prize at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Thursday.  (Yonhap News)

Choi said translators “hold great responsibility” in today’s world and she is not particularly pleased with the current criticism on Korea’s translated works from earlier years. “It’s hard to find countries like Korea where people rely so heavily on translations for foreign contents,” Choi told reporters. “Translators in the earlier years worked hard in spite of the hardships of the time period and lack of recourses.”

Juttet, on the other hand, stressed their way of co-translating is very effective in many ways. “So far, I think there are a very few people who can understand and write in both French and Korean flawlessly,” he told reporters.

“Translation is all about breaking down a language into pieces and putting them back together in a completely new form. So two people ― one with Korean background and the other of French ― can produce a translated text that practically reads like a French novel while not losing the initial intention of the Korean author.”

According to Juttet, some 8,000 copies of “Shim Chong, fille vendue” have been sold in France since its publication in 2009. “Considering it’s a foreign novel translated into French, the book has been doing quite well,” he said.

Scholar Yang Han-ju and German translator Heiner Feldhoff were selected as runner-up for their Korean-German co-translation of Korean author Kim Young-ha’s “Black Flower.” Their German edition, “Schwarze Blaume” was published in Germany in 2010.

Yang said while she tries make the translated text as “German” as possible, she still wants to leave Korean sentiments for her readers to enjoy. “I want my text to feel foreign to a certain extent,” she told reporters. “As much as I want it to sound natural for the German readers, I still want to make it clear that the book was written from somewhere else, that it is a product of a foreign world.”

Yang also said she’s been noticing some Korean authors writing in sentences that are easier for translations. “I think they take it into their mind that the book might be translated into another language one day,” she said. “Yet I personally think writers should not give up the original qualities of their mother tongue.”

American scholar John Holstein, who currently teaches at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, also received the runner-up prize for his Korean-English translation of “A Moment’s Grace,” a collection of short stories written by Korea’s highly acclaimed authors.

Holstein said among many others, Korean humor is the most difficult to translate. “One needs to be aware of the social and cultural context of humor in order to understand it. It’s hard to deliver that into a foreign language,” he said.

While the Grand Prix prize winners received $20,000, runner-ups were given prizes of $10,000. On the same day, a total of eight winners of the 10th Korean Literature Translation Contest for New Translators were also each awarded with $500 prize money.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldm.com)

Nansorhon Paintings

Before I officially start my summer hiatus for the sake of devotion to writing (we'll see how that goes), I wanted to post some paintings related to Nansorhon.  Why?  Well, finishing her manuscript is the goal for this summer.  Who is Nansorhon?  I've blogged about her a few times, and her name is listed in my archive titles once or twice I believe.  If you google her you'll find more.  But here are some pictures.  First picture is a combination: on the left is her calligraphy, on the right is a painting she did.  Yes it's sentimental, no I don't think it's mawkish. Rather than enter a defense of Korean aesthetics--traditional or otherwise--I think I'll just stick with I like the painting, and acknowledge that the painting is in character with some of the themes in her poetry.

Following are some portrayals of Nansorhon.  First is a shrine where the painting is located, then the paintings in series.

Notice the nail polish?  Traditional, which figures in some of her poems. 

I may come back here occasionally if something especially noteworthy comes up.  In the meantime, besides writing, I will be updating my website, ianhaight.com--sorely in need of revision.  The website will be worth checking out for more current info about me and my activities, once completed.  Should be up to date by the end of July if not sooner.

Until then, thanks for tuning in and I will see you again around August-September.

Ian

 

 

 

 

 

Florida Division of Habitat and Species Conservation/Summer Hiatus Imminent

The weekend of June 17th will be the last post before my annual summer writing hiatus begins.  There is a lot on tap for this summer: need to do a minor revision on the Hyesim manuscript's introduction and go through a final proofing of the translated poems.  The way things are going/have gone, I think it will be reviewed for publication this fall, and with any luck that manuscript will be out 2012.  Have to finish final drafts of the 2 longer Nansorhon poems: "The Life of Immortals" (87 stanzas) and "White Jade Pavilion" I think it's called.  "White Jade" will be a longish kind of prose poem which will serve I believe as a good introductory poem to the Nansorhon manuscript.  Assuming I'm able to bring these translations to final draft (hey, anything is possible!) the project will be peer edited next fall and with any luck professionally edited next spring.  Probably will try to send work out for publication too.  I think the last time I sent anything out was November 2009.  I don't feel bad about it though.  Since that time I and my family have moved from Pusan, South Korea to San Antonio, TX, and then to Guam--our current place of residence.  Reflecting on everything that has happened in between those series of moves as well as the moves themselves, well, I certainly can't deny that a vacation is in order!  

I've been meaning to post this little gem of an article on the work of my uncle, Randy Havens.  Part of my background is shaped by an enduring family interest in the outdoors and a respect for nature.  My uncle works for the State of Florida's Division of Habitat and Species Conservation.  I thought it nice to mention how a community can work well at the local level, despite coming from different places. The formatting below is a little off, but you can find the original article with pictures, instructions on how to build a kestrel nest-box, and some background info on my uncle in a .pdf file here.  The article begins on pg. 3 of the newsletter.

 

 

HSC teams with Boy Scouts and utility company to provide kestrel nesting boxes in Big
Bend WMA, Tide Swamp Unit

 

When Perry, Florida Boy Scouts approached the FWC Big Bend WMA staff seeking projects that would credit toward Eagle Scout classification, HSC biologist Randy Havens had the perfect project waiting. 

"We needed to construct and erect nest boxes for the Southeastern American kestrel, a state threatened species whose principal limiting factor has been identified as a shortage of nesting habitat and snags."

Randy explained that the WMA knows it hosts migrating kestrels, and he wants to determine if we have the non-migratory falcons. 

“We don’t have documentation that this subspecies nests here, but I have been curious, because it looks like we have ideal habitat for them,” Randy said. “So, we needed to put up some nest boxes, monitor them and find out if we have Southeastern American kestrels.”

The Boy Scouts agreed to the project of constructing the boxes according to plans available on the MyFWC Web site. FWC purchased the untreated cedar boards and the necessary hardware to construct
the nest boxes.

“There are a host of problems associated with mounting boxes to live trees,” Randy said. “So our first
avenue of June 2011investigation was to call the Tri-County Electric Cooperative in Madison to ask permission to mount the nest boxes on existing power poles that run along the beach road between Keaton Beach and Steinhatchee.”

After a series of conversations with their manager of engineering, it was decided that a better approach would be for the utility company to donate surplus power poles and install them at designated locations on
the Tide Swamp Unit. 

Tri-County Electric donated the poles, equipment and labor necessary to set the poles at 10 different locations.  The company met Randy on site and installed the poles on March 2.

The local Boy Scout troop was asked to return to Tide Swamp to add predator guards to the nest poles and mount the nest boxes.  The kestrel nest boxes and the Eagle Scout qualifying project were completed on March 26.

The project was completed with all 10 nest boxes up and each pole wrapped with a 3’ strip of aluminum
flashing to prevent snakes and a variety of meso-predators from reaching the nest box and preying upon
the eggs or young inhabitants.

The boxes were completed after this year’s nesting cycle. Monitoring will begin next spring. Randy hopes to acquire a peeper scope by that time.

Perhaps, next year, we will find Southeastern American kestrel chicks in one of the nesting boxes.

In the meantime, Randy is keeping an eye on the boxes and finds that we have a squatter.

A great crested fly catcher (pictured here with the nest box) has taken up residence.

“It’s first-come, first served.  We’re not kicking out anyone,” Randy said.