Evolution of a statue

Posted on February 6, 2020 by babbityjean

It was a December night in 1989 when the Italian sculptor Arturo Di Modica, equipped with cranes and trucks, placed a 3.2-ton sculpture in front of the New York Stock Exchange.  He had worked tirelessly and at his own expense for three years to create Charging Bull. The Sicilian artist, along with the complicity of some friends, took just four minutes to place the work, under the distracted gaze of the police in the Big Apple.

The sculpture was conceived in the wake of the 1987 Black Monday stock market crash.  Having arrived penniless in the United States in 1970, Di Modica felt indebted to America for welcoming him and enabling his career as a successful sculptor.  He wanted to encourage Americans to recover by relying on feelings such as determination, resilience, strength and courage, which the bull symbolized for him.  It stands 11 feet tall and 16 feet long; the bull’s head is lowered, its nostrils flare, and its sharp horns are ready to gore.

The day after installation, hundreds of onlookers stopped to see Charging Bull as Di Modica handed out copies of a flier about his artwork.  But later that day New York Stock Exchange officials called the police, who seized the sculpture and placed it into an impound lot.  The ensuing public outcry led to its placement two blocks south of the Exchange, in Bowling Green, with a ceremony on December 21.

The sculpture became an instant tourist attraction.  Along with the Statue of Liberty, it has become perhaps the most loved, recognized and photographed statues in New York.  In addition to selfies taken at the front end of the bull, tourists from all over the world pose at the back of the bull near the symbols for virility.  For good luck and good financial fortune, passers-by have rubbed to a bright gleam the bull’s nose, horns, and the part of the anatomy, to be delicate, that “separates the bull from the steer.”

In its 30 years, Charging Bull has undergone some hardships and transformations in its symbolism.  It survived the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York and has survived some incidents of vandalism.  In 2006, Di Modica (who owns artistic copyright) sued Wal-Mart for selling replicas of the bull to use in advertising campaigns; and in 2009 he sued Random House for using a photo of the bull on the cover of a book about the collapse of a financial services firm.  In 2011 “Occupy Wall Street” protesters used the bull as a symbolic figure around which to direct their critiques of corporate greed.  And in 2017 in anticipation of International Women’s Day, a bronze sculpture, Fearless Girl, was installed facing and challenging Charging Bull.  It was commissioned to advertise an index fund that comprises companies that have a high percentage of women in senior management.  According to Mayor de Blasio of New York, “she is a powerful symbol of the need for change in corporate America.”

Di Modica, who divides his time between New York and Vittoria near Ragusa in Sicily, did not foresee the evolution in the imagery of his bronze statue: “I placed it illegally one December night, I didn’t imagine it would become an icon of this city.”  What would he do today?  “Some have used my sculptures politically but I don’t do politics.  For me the message is that of a better future, of being united, not just in America.  In this historical moment, the sculpture that would come to mind, to dedicate to the United States, is that of a hug, something that recalls the idea of union, or two hands that unite.  The message is to be united.”

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La spada di Damocle

Posted on January 30, 2020 by babbityjean

La Repubblica ha recentemente definito la minaccia dei dazi dell’amministrazione Trump per i produttori di vino europei “una spada di Damocle”. Secondo la leggenda, Damocle era un cortese ossequioso nel regno di Dionigi II di Siracusa, un tiranno della Sicilia del IV secolo a.C. Dopo le molte lusinghe che Damocle rivolse a Dionigi, come uomo fortunato di grande potere, Dionigi gli propose di prendere il proprio posto per un giorno. Damocle accettò avidamente e si sedette sul trono del re circondato dal lusso. Ma Dionisio aveva fatto molti nemici durante il suo regno; per dimostrare a Damocle cosa significasse gestire una situazione simile, fece apprendere un’enorme spada sopra il trono tenuto, appesa al muro solo grazie ad un esile ciuffo di crine di cavallo. Damocle allora, visto il pericolo decise prontamente di abbandonare il posto, capendo che da un grande potere derivano anche grandi pericoli.

Nel corso del tempo questo racconto ha assunto in generale un senso di infausto presagio causato da una situazione precaria. Ed è proprio così che governa il presidente Trump. Minaccia gravi ripercussioni in politica estera e interna, e poi altrettanto improvvisamente si ritira o cambia direzione. Ma la semplice minaccia ha molteplici implicazioni per tante persone.

Prendiamo in considerazione la minaccia dei dazi sui vini europei (e altri prodotti) ad un tasso del 100%.  Tutto ciò ha avuto inizio da una disputa fra compagnie aeree e tecnologiche. Trump vorrebbe vendicarsi contro i sussidi dell’Unione Europea alla compagnia aerospaziale europea Airbus, e per una nuova tassa europea che, a suo dire, si rivolge ingiustamente alle società tecnologiche americane. Le ripercussioni di tutto ciò- indipendentemente dal fatto che i dazi vengano applicati – si ripercuoterebbero su entrambe le sponde dell’Oceano Atlantico.

I dazi sui vini, di qualsiasi dimensione fossero, danneggerebbero tutti lungo la catena del settore delle bevande e dell’ospitalità, per non parlare degli utenti finali. In Europea, produttori sia grandi che piccoli che commerciano con gli Stati Uniti sono già stati colpiti. Alcuni importatori americani hanno rinviato gli ordini temendo che le spedizioni in transito richiedessero un enorme pagamento in contanti all’arrivo e che quindi non potessero essere in grado di vendere le merci a prezzi gonfiati. I produttori europei non solo dovranno trovare altri mercati, ma dovranno anche decidere cosa fare degli ordini annullati. Questi cambiamenti minacciano il lavoro di molte persone, dai viticultori ai lavoratori portuali.

Allo stesso modo, negli Stati Uniti, coloro che sono specializzati in vini europei sono minacciati, dagli importatori ai distributori, dai negozi specializzati ai ristoranti e ai sommelier. Inoltre, le tariffe elevate per i vini europei non saranno un vantaggio per l’industria vinicola americana. I vigneti della California, grandi e piccoli, si affidano alle stesse reti di distribuzione, che verranno quindi consumate con la ricerca di nuovi produttori per sostituire i vini che non saranno più in grado di vendere. Saranno distratti mentre cercano nuovi mercati e ci sarà un sacco di fatturato tra i venditori che sono quasi tutti pagati su commissione.

Nostro cugino Frank Vollero è un brand manager nazionale per l’azienda Lombardo Marsala in Sicilia. Lavora con importatori e distributori statunitensi, i cui affari e dipendenti potrebbero essere gravemente colpiti dai forti dazi. Dagli anni ’80, Lombardo è cresciuto fino a diventare il secondo o il terzo marchio Marsala più grande negli Stati Uniti; e gli Stati Uniti sono il principale mercato di Lombardo. Come dice Frank, “stiamo lavorando a piani di emergenza. Inoltre, ricordiamo che l’Europa metterebbe in atto ritorsioni se l’amministrazione Trump – ora o in futuro – attuasse queste tariffe minacciose. E questo causerebbe ancora più caos. ”

Possa la spada di Damocle, come originariamente intesa, pendere sopra la testa del potente.

Posted in Abitudini, California, Cucina italiana, Foto, Italia, Italiano, Politica, Sicilia, Vino | Leave a comment

The Sword of Damocles

Posted on January 30, 2020 by babbityjean

La Repubblica recently called the Trump administration’s threat of tariffs on European wine producers “the sword of Damocles.”  According to the leggend, Damocles was an obsequious courtier to Dionysius II of Syracuse, a 4th-century BC tyrant of Sicily.  After Damocles repeatedly flattered Dionysius as a fortunate man of great power and authority, Dionysius offered to change places for a day.  Damocles eagerly accepted and sat on the king’s throne surrounded by luxury.  But Dionysius had made many enemies during his reign; to show Damocles what it’s like to be king under these circumstances, he arranged to hang a huge sword above the throne held by the single hair of a horse’s tail. Damocles begged to depart understanding that with great power also comes great danger.

Over time this tale has come to mean more generally a sense of foreboding caused by a precarious situation.  And this is precisely how President Trump governs.  He threatens serious repercussions in both his foreign and domestic policy, and then just as suddenly retreats or changes direction.  But the mere threat has serious implications to so many people along the way.

Take the threat of 100% tariffs on European wines (and other products).  First of all, this all started with a dispute over airlines and technology.  Trump wants to retaliate against the European Union’s subsidies to the European aerospace company Airbus, and for a new European tax that he says unfairly targets American technology companies.  The fallout – whether the tariffs are realized or not – is happening on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Wine tariffs of any size affect everyone along the chain in the beverage and hospitality industry, not to mention the end users.  On the European side, large and small producers who market to the United States have already been affected.  Some American importers have postponed orders fearing that shipments in transit will require a huge lump payment on arrival, and then they may not be able to sell the goods at inflated prices.  European producers not only will have to find other markets, but will also have to decide what to do with cancelled orders.  These changes threaten jobs from the vineyards to the dockworkers.

Likewise, on the American side, those in the industry who specialize in European wines are threatened, from the importers to the distributors, from the specialty stores to the restaurants and the sommeliers.  Moreover, high tariffs on European wines will not be a boon to the American wine industry.  California vineyards, large and small, rely on the same distribution networks, which will then be consumed with finding new producers to replace the wines they will no longer be able to sell.  They will be distracted as they search for new markets, and there will be a lot of turnover among the salespeople who are almost all paid on commission.

Our cousin Frank Vollero is a national brand manager for Lombardo marsala from Sicily.  He works with importers and distributors in the United States, whose business and employees will be severely affected by high tariffs.  Since the 1980s, Lombardo grew to become the second or third largest marsala brand in the United States; and the United States is Lombardo’s major market.  As Frank says, “we are working on contingency plans.  Plus, let’s remember that Europe may retaliate if the Trump administration – now or in the future – enacts these threatened tariffs.  And that will cause even more chaos.”

May the sword of Damocles, as originally intended, hang over the head of the powerful.

Posted in Abitudini, California, English, Foto, Italia, Politica, Sicilia, Vino | 1 Comment