Friday, February 22, 2019

Isaac Mizrahi: By the Book New York Times

Feb. 21, 2019

The fashion designer and author of the new memoir “I.M.” likes his literature “sort of plain”: “Style is suspicious to me in general. I think that’s true about my taste in everything. Food. Décor. Clothes.”

What books are on your nightstand?

The complete works of Shakespeare.

“The Portrait of a Lady” and all the rest of Henry James, including a ravishing novel about him called “The Master,” by Colm Toibin.

“I, Claudius,” by Robert Graves.

“Dr. Faustus,” by Thomas Mann. (A lot of Thomas Mann on my nightstand. “Buddenbrooks.” “The Magic Mountain.” Short stories.)

“Austerlitz” and “The Rings of Saturn,” by W. G. Sebald.

I have a huge nightstand! Also I’m very possessive about books and I don’t necessarily edit. Things just pile up. I keep a broad selection of Mark Twain. Volumes of Tolstoy and Flaubert. Dawn Powell and Philip Roth. Some Seamus Heaney and Whitman. And I change my mind a lot. I like things and then I remember I like other things better.

What’s the last great book you read?

“In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower” (Vol. 2 of “In Search of Lost Time”), by Marcel Proust. I’m in the midst of reading the entire series and it’s really daunting and inspiring, not to mention time-consuming. So in between volumes I read stuff that collects and I’m a little late. I’m just getting to what everyone was talking about last year. For instance I just read a beautiful novel about Lorena Hickok and Mrs. Roosevelt called “White Houses,” by Amy Bloom. Also “A Little Life,” by Hanya Yanagihara.

What should we read if we want to learn something about fashion?

“D.V.,” by Diana Vreeland.

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

There’s a series of novels by E. F. Benson about Mapp and Lucia, set in the fictional town of Tilling, which comes to mind as being obscure-ish. But then I found out there was a monthly newsletter published by the Tilling Society, which I subscribed to for a while until the society ceased publishing it. But I guess that means masses of people know about these books already!

Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?

Impossible to really narrow this down, but here’s one pass: Colm Toibin. Anne Carson. Haruki Murakami. A. M. Homes. Dave Eggers. Tony Kushner. Andrew Solomon. Pete Wells. Alex Ross. Maira Kalman.

Whose opinion on books do you most trust?

I trust my friends who talk about books they’re reading. My best friend, Mark Morris, who gives me books to read when we collaborate, some of which I have yet to return.

I also listen to my friend the interior designer Robert Couturier, who reads everything printed. He’s another insomniac with very similar tastes in literature to mine. He recommended the beautiful Patrick Melrose novels, which I devoured a few years ago. Also he introduced me to someone called Caroline Weber, whose book about Marie Antoinette, “Queen of Fashion,” I’d enjoyed 10 years ago and who’s recently been a guiding light in my pursuit of Proust. Her book “Proust’s Duchess,” about three women who were models for the Duchesse de Guermantes, is a masterpiece.

Also I listen to my bridge-playing friends Choire Sicha, Dale Peck and Richard Desroche. As bridge players we share a careful skepticism about everything, including literature. Rather than recommendations, those guys tell me which books I don’t have to read.

When do you read?

I read at night when I’m supposed to be asleep. I read in the car on my way to QVC. I know a lot of people get carsick from reading, but I get carsick if I’m not reading.

What moves you most in a work of literature?

For me literature is most effective when it’s sort of plain. I like “unstylish” writers. I think of how much I love the book “Stoner,” by John Williams. And Raymond Carver makes me cry. I make exceptions to this rule about stylish writers: I love Joyce Carol Oates. And Fitzgerald. And Gertrude Stein. Also brevity and simplicity are not the same things. I never adored Hemingway. And often lengthiness can be the absolute soul of wit, as in Proust or Dickens.

I have a difficult time reading poetry (I’m much better when someone reads it to me) but when I do, usually those ideas about unstylish writing apply. I love Mary Oliver. I love Anne Carson. Style is suspicious to me in general. I think that’s true about my taste in everything. Food. Décor. Clothes.

Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

I never thought of myself as someone who reads within genres but since you asked, it occurs to me that I really love diaries. One of the most perfect books ever written is Dawn Powell’s “Diaries.” Noël Coward’s “Diary” is so funny. Samuel Pepys. Leo Lerman’s “The Grand Surprise.” Also I adore reading about food. I love cookbooks. I love compilations of old food writing; A. J. Liebling, Ruth Reichl; one of my “nightstand” books is something called “Life Is Meals,” by James and Kay Salter. I just read a wonderful book called “The Gourmand’s Way,” by Justin Spring. The only upsetting thing about it was how good a case he made to discredit certain aspects of M. F. K. Fisher, whom I revere as a god.

I stay away from popular novels. Many of them seem like premeditated screenplays. Unless three or four people recommend it, it’s best to wait for the streaming series.

How do you organize your books?

I have massive piles of books, things people send me or that I come across in bookstores, like everyone’s favorite place Three Lives. These books collect either in my bedroom in N.Y.C or on the coffee table in Bridgehampton. I rifle through those piles till I’m sufficiently intrigued to start reading. For every three books in that pile, one gets read.

Do any writers bring an especially strong sense of fashion or style to their literature?

Proust refers a lot to clothes and décor and food. But especially color, which I think a lot about when I read. Whether it’s a color specifically described as in the color of Odette’s lingerie, or a color suggested by the subtext of any book, it’s something inexplicable, like music that suggests colors which come to define a work. I see color a lot when I listen to music and when I read.

What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?

I have an enormous number of books about the game of bridge (which might surprise some people who think I’m a lousy bridge player!).

Who is your favorite fictional hero or heroine? Your favorite antihero or villain?

I love “ Memoirs of Hadrian,” by Marguerite Yourcenar. In that book the emperor Hadrian talks about being an insomniac, sitting up nights writing while everyone else is asleep. Years ago when I read that I stopped hating being awake at night. I also remember being very inspired by Becky Sharp when I read “Vanity Fair” a long time ago. She’s my opposite in that she never worries. Also she’s very three-dimensional as a character. Neither good nor villainous.

As for antiheroes. I love Lady Macbeth. I love Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes novels, elusive as he is. Dracula is one of the great characters of all times. Just a fun guy. I love “The Master and Margarita.” In that book, which on the surface is about good and evil, there seem to be no bad or good characters, just images.

What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?

I don’t remember reading as a child. When I was 3½ I was hospitalized with spinal meningitis and there was one book (ironically I can’t remember which one) that was read to me so many times that I memorized it. I even memorized where the pages were turned. I fooled the adults, who were astonished because they thought I could read.

I remember the “Madeline” series by Ludwig Bemelmans because my mother read it to us when we were really young. Also the Dr. Seuss books which I consider masterpieces. Also the wonderful books about Eloise. But they were read to me. I do remember not liking Maurice Sendak as much as everyone else. I read Roald Dahl late in the game as a young adult to see what I missed and I adored it. When I was in grade school my mother started giving me grown-up books to read. I remember she gave me “The Godfather” when I was 11, which I loved, and a book called “Earthly Paradise,” by Colette, when I was 12, around the time of my bar mitzvah.

If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?

Are we sure he can read?

You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

Humor is really important to me, especially at dinner, so I would invite Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde. And David Sedaris. I think he cooks too.

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

I never quite grasped Kurt Vonnegut. I tried a few books and couldn’t do it. I think you have to be heterosexual. Recently I tried “The End of Eddy,” which was gripping, but there was a lot of graphic violence so I abandoned it.

Whom would you want to write your life story?

Maira Kalman. Paintings and writing.

What do you plan to read next?

Before I embark on “The Guermantes Way” (Volume 3 of “In Search of Lost Time”), which will preclude me from reading anything else for four or five months, I have these books lined up: “The Charterhouse of Parma,” by Stendhal; “Upstream,” by Mary Oliver; “The Mighty Franks,” by Michael Frank; “South and West,” by Joan Didion. Also, I’ve had “The Origins of Totalitarianism,” by Hannah Arendt, on my pile for years. I might save that till after Proust entirely. The New York Times

An expanded version of this interview is available at nytimes.com/books.

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A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 24, 2019, on Page 7 of the Sunday Book Review with the headline: Isaac Mizrahi. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Copa Libertadores 2019 - A Win Today for Peru

The CONMEBOL Libertadores, named as Copa Libertadores de América (Portuguese: Copa Libertadores da América or Taça Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in South American football. The tournament is named in honor of the Libertadores (Spanish and Portuguese for liberators), the main leaders of the South American wars of independence. Wikipedia

2019 Copa Libertadores group stage

The 2019 Copa Libertadores group stage will be played from 5 March to 9 May 2019. A total of 32 teams compete in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the final stages of the 2019 Copa Libertadores. Wikipedia


Juan Martín del Potro

Juan Martín del Potro (born 23 September 1988), nicknamed Delpo, is an Argentine professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 4 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). His biggest achievement has been winning the 2009 US Open, defeating Rafael Nadal in the semifinal and 5-time defending champion Roger Federer in the final.

After reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 French Open, he again matched his career high of No. 4. Finally, in August, he achieved the World No. 3 ranking for the very first time. At the 2018 US Open, he reached his second Grand Slam final.

Early life

Juan Martín del Potro was born in Tandil, Argentina. His father, Daniel del Potro, played semi-professional rugby union in Argentina and is a veterinarian. His mother, Patricia Lucas, is a teacher and he has a younger sister named Julieta. He also had an elder sister who died when she was 8 years old in a car accident. Del Potro speaks Spanish, English and some Italian. Wikipedia

Students discover how solar power empowers

February 17, 2019

ASU trio study socioeconomic and health effects of introducing solar technology to rural communities in Belize

Tucked away somewhere, in the annals of many a university’s research archives, are the theses of the students of yesteryear. Grand ideas, curious inquiries and profound realizations — true products of blood, sweat and tears — collecting dust. Not so at ASU. The honors thesis being developed by a group of interdisciplinary Barrett, The Honors College students, detailing the socioeconomic effects of the introduction of solar technology to rural communities in Belize, is already having real-world impact.

Later this month, Ivan Bascon, Olivia Gonzalez and Grant Laufer will present their initial findings at the Human Development Conference in Indiana, and they’ve also invited a representative from the organization that supplied the solar technology to sit in when they defend their thesis this spring. It’s the difference between research for the sake of knowledge and research for the public good. “Now there's a possibility of them actually implementing positive changes based on the research that we did as opposed to just letting it sit in the Barrett repository forever,” said Gonzalez, a global health senior.

Video by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
The idea for their thesis came about after participating in The Global Intensive Experience, a unique study abroad program sponsored by the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership designed to expose students to liberal democracy in different contexts around the world. Currently, GIE offers programs in north India, Israel and the West Bank, with another in development in South Africa.

Bascon, a molecular biosciences and biotechnology senior; Laufer, an economics and business senior; and Gonzalez participated in the spring 2018 program in India, where they witnessed the work being done at Barefoot College, a volunteer organization founded in 1986 that trains poor, rural women — called Solar Mamas — from all over the world to become entrepreneurs and produce solar-energy technology to take back to their communities. What they saw blew them away. “It almost just seemed too amazing to be true,” Laufer said. “Just all these foreign people coming together, different languages, different backgrounds, and they're all learning to be solar engineers. You can't walk away from that without wanting to know more.” As individuals who share an interest in international development, they were also impressed with the nonprofit’s focus on sustainable empowerment.

So the trio hatched a plan to travel to one of the rural communities in Belize where Solar Mamas had brought solar technology and see for themselves how it affected the community.
For 17 days over winter break, they observed and interviewed the residents of Santa Elena, where solar technology had recently been introduced, and Jalacte, another rural village that did not have electricity.

Despite a couple of hiccups at the beginning of the trip (trouble finding their contact upon arrival and a brief bout of illness), the students found they were able to ease into a good workflow, thanks in large part to the warmth and hospitality of the communities. For the most part, they spent nights at a hostel in Punta Gorda, a fishing town on the Caribbean coast of southern Belize, and took a bus each day to the rural villages. But one night, the councilman of Santa Elena — whose wife is a Solar Mama — invited them to stay overnight at his home. “We got to — in a brief little way — live a little Mayan life,” Bascon said. That night, they ate a traditional meal and slept in a hammock. “Everyone was so accommodating and excited to talk to us,” Laufer added.

Susan Carrese, the group’s thesis director and GIE facilitator, said the program is not only a great way for students to learn what “leadership” and “service” mean in another culture, but a great way to stimulate future research. “As part of our first GIE cohort in March 2018, Olivia, Grant and Ivan were forced to assess their own skill sets, seek help from others, reflect on failures and dig deep into who they are and who they want to be on the GIE,” she said. “When they came back to Barrett Honors College, they were primed for an ambitious project.”

Since returning from Belize, the group has been analyzing mountains of notes and hours of interviews. It’ll be some time before they have anything conclusive to report, but they have been able to make some preliminary assessments of the data and have found both health and economic benefits to having solar energy.

Health-wise, solar technology eliminates the need for kerosene lamps and the harmful fumes that accompany them. Economically, the more efficient lighting allows women to stay up later making crafts and jewelry, a major source of income for the village.

While the group is eager to see the immediate impact of their research on the communities involved, they’re also cognizant of the lasting effects it will have on each of them personally. “Having a nonprofit come in and just making the change themselves is the easy way, but the harder way is empowering others so they have the tools and the resources to make the changes they want to. That nuance is so important,” Bascon said. “As a future doctor, there's nothing more fulfilling than empowering others so they can live their full lives.”

The ASU Study Abroad Office offers 250-plus programs in more than 65 different countries. Learn more at the Study Abroad website.

Top photo: (From left) Grant Laufer, Olivia Gonzalez and Glenn "Ivan" Bascon (photographed Feb. 1 on the Tempe campus) traveled to Belize to conduct research on the effects of solar power panel use in rural communities. Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now Arizona State University

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Notes

Susi Homemaker up at 5:30am enjoying the morning quietude, sipping espresso coffee with milk, sparkling water, catching the weather on tv, and baking homemade blueberry muffins. A beautiful Sunday morning. Will be 9°C/48°F today. A perfect day to walk the pup. Been very busy with housekeeping and offering charity, including volunteering. Lawn has almost melted. We are getting our bearings from the cold of Winter. We are not yet done with remodeling but just about. A mini-project in Summer will complete our work for now. And following a wonderful 17 years with our car, we decided on a new one. Such memories of our journeys and with our son Francis who would have been 20 on Thursday. We wait patiently for Brexit to be over and see what will transpire for England's future. A bummer for our British friends who live in Germany. Red tape and bureaucracy, uff.