Hasta La Gadget!

Rarely have text and image united to form such cinematic perfection as in Alain Resnais’ 1959 classic Hiroshima Mon Amour. A poetic duet of sight and sound, this remarkably intelligent film remains a heartfelt ode to love and loss and to the triumph of memory over forgetting.

Based on the script by French Nouveau Roman author Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima mon Amour stars the beautiful garçonnet Emmanuelle Riva who plays an actress referred to only as Elle (Her) and an architect named Lui (He) played by the impossibly handsome Eiji Okada. The film alternates between the city of Hiroshima in Japan where Riva is on the last day of a film shoot and flashbacks to the occupied French town of Nevers during World War II. Both cities lie along rivers, Hiroshima on the Ota and Nevers on the right bank of the glorious Loire. Both cities have seen much suffering, although on different scales. In Nevers Riva had taken a German lover who is killed during the war. She suffers from a bout of insanity and is temporarily institutionalized.

The two protagonists of Resnais’ film form a brief, intense relationship that is coming to an end, but the main interest in the film lies in its remarkable sensuality. Duras’ writing is unique in that it is experimental, yet rhythmic and aesthetically pleasing. Repetition, aporia, the use of short, poetic sentences — all combine to produce a uniquely lyrical if modernist style. Even intonation plays a key role. When Riva repeats that Hiroshima is on the river Ota for example, her insistence on accentuating the last syllables of these words works as a kind of aural therapy for the viewer.

Duras juxtaposes two tragic aspects of WWII-destroyed love in one case and the terrible bombing of Hiroshima in the other. Her exquisitely succinct dialogue is a delight in and of itself, as its repetition works to imbed the reality of their respective experiences in the viewer’s very soul: “Lui: Tu n’as rien vu a Hiroshima/Elle: J’ai tout vu (à Hiroshima)” (“He: You saw nothing in Hiroshima / She: I saw everything.”) For how can language ever encompass the horrors that they have both experienced in their respective lands? Few cinematic adaptations render experimental writing in such a haunting, visually lush way. Through the use of repetition the film examines the limits of cinematic language and perhaps of language itself, foregrounding its inability to ever truly represent something as terrible as a nuclear Holocaust. Hiroshima Mon Amour, a tender love story, an ode to remembering but also a haunting admonition that sometimes the only thing the human mind can do is attempt to forget.

Resnais’ clever camera movements works in tandem with the splicing of scenes from Nevers with newsreels of post-cataclysmic Hiroshima. Duras’ insistence that we pay due homage to the past, and Resnais’ exquisite adaptation of the written text also work hand-in-hand to affirm that in the end love, and not just the carnal kind that the stars experience here, but also love of beauty (of Nevers, of the human body and soul, of film itself) can overcome almost anything–even the memory of Hiroshima, once devastated and now rebuilt. Few films are simultaneously able to depict some of man’s most horrific actions and at the same time transcend these by offering a message of beautiful, powerful renewal. Each viewing works like a new spring, a wondrous, rejuvenating new beginning.

Hiroshima Mon Amour was recently re-released in 2014 by Rialto Pictures:

Also watch the amazing 1977 New Wave Ultravox song “Hiroshima mon Amour”

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A New York City business and philanthropic leader will receive the J. Luce Foundation‘s Global Adviser Award on May 19 at a networking event for established professionals supporting children with cancer in the Steelcase offices on Columbus Circle.

Sloane Marcus, Vice President, and Jeff Buffum, founder, at last fall’s Angel Compass Network for Charity event. Photo: Angel Compass Network.

Jeff Buffum, a financial adviser at Northwestern Mutual and founder of Angel Compass Network for Charity, a non-profit organization aiming to provide a social and business network for philanthropic professionals, is being honored for his dedication to bettering humanity.

Last fall, Angel Network raised $15,000 for the Trey Whitfield School of Brooklyn. Photo: Angel Compass Network.

The event, including live music and cocktails, offers established professionals a chance to “Give to Children with Cancer and Expand Your Horizons!” The event will specifically raise money for Sunrise Day Camp, the only summer day camp for kids ages 3 – 16 with cancer and their siblings.

Image courtesy of Sunrise Day Camp.

Sunrise Day Camp is designed to meet the emotional, social, recreational and physical needs of these children while allowing them to enjoy the comforts and safety of their own homes at night. Located on a 300-acre wooded site that borders Nassau and Suffolk counties, services are offered free of charge to all children being treated for cancer on a non-sectarian basis.

Sloane Marcus, Vice President of Angel Compass Network, has been supporting and
raising money for Sunrise Day Camp for ten years. May 19th will be the anniversary
of Sloane’s diagnosis of a rare form of cancer at the age of thirteen. Today, as a
cancer survivor, she is an extremely strong person – and passionate about the work
she does for the camp.

Supporters of Angel Compass come together to coordinate large business events that raise money for different charitable causes. Photo: Angel Compass Network.

According to Jeff, “We see angels, whether secular or otherwise, as figures who always want to help others in need. We chose the name ‘Angel Compass’ because we provide direction for those who want to give back.” The organization’s Board of Directors democratically vote for which charities will benefit at each event.

For over three decades, the Trey Whitfield School in Brooklyn has offered a nurturing yet vigorous educational environment. Photo: Angel Compass Network.

Ultimately, the goal of the Angel Compass Network is to build a massive online social and business platform that connects its supporters through online profiles and empowers non-profit organizations to host their events on the platform, creating a shared community of philanthropists. Our foundation salutes this important endeavor.

Global Advisers to the J. Luce Foundation are chosen – as are Luce Leaders and Luce Scholars – for their work to better humanity who embody the characteristics of honor, intelligence, benevolence, and integrity.

“We see angels, whether secular or otherwise, as figures who always want to help others in need.” – Jeff Boffum. Photo: Angel Compass Network.

The Foundation has benefited from four estate bequests so far, which has helped the organization and our efforts tremendously.

Jeff assists the J. Luce Foundation with building planned giving opportunities and strategies for our supporters. He offers pro bono estate planning for charitable and outright bequests, as well as charitable gift annuities, gifts of life insurance, and charitable remainder trusts. More information on planned giving may be found here.

The Angel Compass Network is made up of established professional with a passion for people. Photo: Angel Compass Network.

The Angel Compass Network combines the joy of giving back with the opportunity to establish quality business relationships with the other guests. Most of its attendees are established professionals or business owners in the real estate, technology, finance, and legal fields.

The May 19 event, to include live music and cocktails, will offer busy
professionals a chance to “Give to Children with Cancer and Expand
Their Horizons!” Photo: Angel Compass Network.

The Angel Compass Network website states:

By attending one of our charity fundraising events, you are immediately welcomed into the Angel Compass Network. Business professionals can find contacts at our events to build their network, generate more business, sponsor events, advertise and blog using a tiered membership structure. The more you give to the network, the more you have the opportunity to build your business, creating a mutually beneficial system. All membership dues and event admission fees will be funneled to charity so we can collectively make a bigger difference.

Last fall, Angel Network raised $15,000 for the Trey Whitfield School at the Voce Di studio in Soho. For over three decades, the Trey Whitfield School in Brooklyn has offered a nurturing yet vigorous educational environment. Despite being in one of the highest crime areas of the city in East New York, this school was recently ranked as one of the top twenty private and charter schools in the nation.

Steelcase, on Columbus Circle, has been a tremendous supporter the Angel Network.
Photo: Angel Compass Network.

Last spring, the Angel Network kickoff raised over $3,000 for the Winthrop University Cancer Center for Kids (CCFK), the largest outpatient facility for treating children with cancer and blood disorders.

Board members of the Angel Compass Network include Jeff Buffum, Sloane Marcus, Paul Becht, Paul Gruber, Reale Rose, Kevin McQuade, Greg Knight, Roger Schlegel, Becky Flig, Jared Rubin, James Milleew, Dilip Pidikiti, Michael Nolan, Jonathan Luce, and Rachelle Motter.

The events merge fun with philanthropy for established professionals.
Photo: Angel Compass Network.

According to Jeff, “We’re expecting a great turnout. With a rooftop venue, 100-150 people, quality contacts, live entertainment, an art showing, raffle prizes, silent auction vacation packages, food, wine, beer – it should be lots of fun!”

Registration for the upcoming event may be done online here.

Whether focused on financial advise with Northwestern Mutual or pushing his Angel Compass Network, Jeff Buffum is a true global citizen and networking star who cares deeply for children. I look forward to being at the upcoming event and presenting Jeff with our foundation’s Global Adviser Award. If you are an established professional with a passion for people, join us!

Angel Compass Network for Charity – a 501(c)3 organization
245 Park Avenue, Suite 1800, New York, N.Y. 10167 | Facebook

Sunrise Day Camp

See Stories by Jim Luce on:

Children | Health | New York | Philanthropy

The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation (www.lucefoundation.org) supporting young global leadership is affiliated with Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), raising global citizens. If supporting youth is important to you, subscribe to J. Luce Foundation updates here.

Follow Jim Luce on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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Earlier this week, we heard reports that we’re on the verge of running out of internet, specifically, out of IPv4 addresses. Now, it seems, we may be hitting another, more serious internet wall: The cables.

Read more…

Once upon a time, the world was divided into neat little boxes. Work was work. Home was home. Being with your children at a their little league game meant you were cheering on the team.

But then — almost overnight — our lives changed. The walls came down. We were all connected, and those connections are engaging and important. We have in the palm of our hands the power to be in constant contact with our friends, our loved ones, our pursuits and our passions.

It is by any measure a magical moment in the history of the word.

And yet — this abundance of connectivity has created a conundrum. It’s what author and psychologist Barry Schwartz calls the paradox of choice. Simply put — when we have too many options, too much input — we find ourselves overwhelmed with abundance. Young people called it FOMO, fear of missing out. And that fear leaves us often frozen in a blizzard of choice, unable to manage the volume of unfiltered input.

We’re all there. And the flow of raw data and connections only going to increase.

So, how can we take control of this new normal?

The answer is adopting a new paradigm, a curated life.

So here’s some tools to dive deep into a human-first philosophy that makes us more centered, more connected, more evolved — and more in control.

When I am constantly running there is no time for being. When there is no time for being there is no time for listening. I will never understand the silent dying of the green pie-apple tree if I do not slow down and listen to what the Spirit is telling me, telling me of the death of trees, the death of planets, of people, and what all these deaths mean in the light of love of the Creator, who brought them all into being, who brought them all into being, who brought me into being, and you. — Madeline L’Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art

The decision to live a curated life isn’t a decision to be made lightly. In fact, the tradeoffs have the potential to make you antisocial, out of touch, and operating outside the day to day norms that are make you a social creature. The decision to be tuned-out, digitally quite, or simply off the grid won’t come without some complicated tradeoffs.

Here’s a five-point plan to embrace your curated life, and shift from being controlled by the speed of social connectedness to being in control.

1. Take a personal ‘rhythm’ inventory.
2. Right size your tools to your life
3. Filter your friends
4. Get offline and explore real world experiences
5. You are what you Tweet and eat

1. Take a personal ‘rhythm’ inventory.

As yourself the following questions (answer 1 – 5)

Are you a morning person (1) or a night owl? (5)
Are you a multi-tasker (1) or a ‘fierce focus’ person? (5)
Are you an extrovert (1) introvert (5)
Would you rather talk face to face (1) or text (5)
Do you like small groups (1) or large gatherings (5)
Are you a numbers person (1) or a words person (5)
Do you like fitting in (1) or standing out (5)

There’s no good score, or bad score. The idea is to get an honest appraisal of how you want to set your rhythm in the world, and not let devices or content drive how you live your life.

2. Right size your tools to your life

The truth is, we’re all trying the ever evolving tools that are being shared with us in a dazzling array of often ‘free’ choices. But if we’re going to curate our life, the first place to start is with our devices. Open your phone, look at each and every app you have — and delete 2/3’s of them. You can do it. The truth is, most of them aren’t being used. Be harsh and honest. You can always add it back later if you miss it (hint: you won’t). Then do the same thing with your tablet, your desktop computer, your television OTT box, and any other piece of software that is causing you distraction, aggravation or angst.

3. Filter your friends

Ok, that sounds harsh — but take a moment. On Facebook, the mother of all un-curated experiences, you have friends who overshare. Don’t unfriend them, you still want to keep them in your world. Just dial down the noise. Here’s link to how to do that I wrote a while back. The tools have changed a bit – but the basic effort is the same. It’s the little down arrow to the right of every post. Try it.

4. Get offline and explore real world experiences

When Scott Heiferman founded Meetup it was with a simple message, “get offline.” Meetup was founded in the days after 9/11, and Scott was taken with just how different New York was when neighbors and friends came out of their apartments and spent time together. Today meetup is the largest ‘in-person’ social network in the world. Meetup has almost 20 million members, and half a million events per month.

Amanda Palmer, the musician and former lead singer of The Dresden Dolls, gave a world changing talk at TED a few years back. She told the audience that musicians and artists need to ask their fans to support them, and she said that fans love connecting with artist and becoming part of their world. The talk was amazing. Watch it here. And then, think about all the ways you can connect in a non-digital way with artists, creators, innovators, dreamers.

So here’s a simple ask to engage in a Curated Life. Go to a concert. Don’t watch it online, buy a ticket and go be in the audience. Go to Meetup.com, type in something you’re passionate about — a hobby, an interest, a game you like to play, a dog breed you love. Don’t make it a work thing, you can always do that. This is about connecting — in a real world way — with people. Find a meetup. Attend. Rinse, repeat. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t like your first one — meet-ups aren’t always a perfect fit. But if it’s an hour of your life, exploring your world — how can you go wrong?

5. You are what you Tweet and eat

There’s a growing buzz around the word “mindfulness” As described by Psychology Today

Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.

Arianna Huffington wrote a book about the emerging mindfulness movement and her emerging understanding of focusing your attention to real world experiences. Her book is called Thrive..

Most of your life you’ll spend engaged — consuming information, ideas, food, art. Make those decisions actively. Don’t just watch what’s on. Watch what you love. And ask friends whose taste and styles you like what they LOVE. People love sharing — and if someone shares a recommendation with you that you enjoyed, tell them. That kind of person to person connection is powerful, meaningful, and emotionally satisfying. At the same time — share carefully. Don’t just click the ‘like’ button, and carelessly retweet. Instead comment, share, and engage. Mindful creation and consumption of social media makes you a better friend, helps de-clutter the world, and will lead the way for your friends and followers to do the same.

We’re living in a time of digital abundance, which is wonderful. It promises to give us a new way to explore, connect, share, and learn. But it needs to be harnessed to make your life better, otherwise it threatens to turn is into hamsters in a wheel of information. So, embrace The Curated Life, and share with me the tools and techniques you’ve found that give you the ability to engage meaningfully in the world around you. I’d like to hear what works for you.

Steven Rosenbaum is serial entrepreneur, author, and filmmaker. His latest book, Curate This! is in print and ebook on Amazon.com. He is the CEO of Waywire.com (enterprise.waywire.com)

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We’ve all heard stories about people retiring and moving to some far-flung place in a tropical paradise for pennies. But are there really places where people can live the good life for less than half of what it would cost in the US? Is it really possible? And, even if it was cheap, what would the trade-offs be? What would it really be like to move to another country when you retire? Intriguing but a little scary too.

On our retirement planning site, GangsAway!, we provide information to help people figure out the where they might live and what they might do for their next act. Recently, we’ve started investigating more international locations and one place kept popping up. Cuenca, Ecuador.

While there are a lot of places around the world where one’s money could go further, Cuenca also has the infrastructure and amenities that many of us, here in the States, are used to. And, Ecuador uses the US dollar as their currency so you don’t even need to figure out exchange rates or get used to new coins. Easy-Peasy. So, I decided I was going to go to Cuenca and see for myself and put Cuenca through its paces.

For those who are scratching their heads wondering exactly where Ecuador is, Ecuador is a small country in the north western part of South America. Though its on the Equator, the bustling city of Cuenca is situated up in the mountains so the average temperature ranges from 50-72 degrees year round. (Not great temps if you want to lay in the sun all day but for the rest of us, pretty darned nice.) Cuenca is a charming city with over 500,000 people and has an expat community of about 8,000. (Check out Cuenca High Life for all the latest expat news and happenings.) The architecture in the old part of town is Spanish influenced with European style churches and cathedrals and cobblestone streets. There is a lively and vibrant restaurant scene and loads of cafes, galleries, and bars. At its heart, Cuenca is a college town with 6 universities including the beautiful University of Cuenca campus in the center of town. And, bonus…. a lot of people in Cuenca speak English.

I met up with local expat real estate broker, David Morrill, with Cuenca Real Estate. David is originally from Tallahassee FL but has been living in Cuenca for the past 11 years and still loving it. He originally came to Ecuador on a birdwatching trip and fell in love with the people and the country. Over the years, David has seen the expat community in Cuenca flourish and grow as the city continues to improve it’s infrastructure with new roads, sidewalks and a light rail system that is opening next year that will significantly impact the traffic congestion in a good way.

And here’s a little nugget of happiness… healthcare. There is apparently a pretty great healthcare system in Ecuador. Many Americans elect to go to Ecuador for expensive hip or knee replacement surgery for a fraction of what it would cost at home. More importantly, if you are a resident, your healthcare is free. And if you rent, you can buy into their healthcare system for less than $100 a year. Try doing that in the old USA. You can’t even get a filling and your teeth cleaned for $100. The Ecuador healthcare factor alone is huge when you are on a fixed income.

Next David showed me around the housing market. I took a look at both rentals and condos. You can find new good sized 2 bedroom/2 bath condos for $110-150K that can easily be rented if you only want to live there part time. Many of the buildings that the expats live in have amenities that we like. Take a look at this beautiful kitchen.

If you really want to splurge, we saw a spectacular large brand new condo in a new building, walking distance to downtown with breathtaking city and mountain views from an Olympic sized terrace for about $240K. Get a load of this view!

What about property tax you ask? Property taxes range between $100-$200 per year and condo associations are about the same! If you aren’t ready to buy, then there are loads of rental options in Cuenca. There are a couple of large buildings that attract a lot of expats because they come with a pool, tennis court, gym and an on premise rental agent. I looked at a furnished 2 bedroom/2 bath rental unit with sensational views, walkable to downtown and it was about $900 per month which….wait for it….included linens, electricity, cable and wifi. Pretty sweet.

Let’s talk transportation. Getting a car would be expensive. With so much of Cuenca being walkable it doesn’t make sense to get a car, especially if you are on a budget. In Cuenca, buses and taxis are very inexpensive. You can get from one end of the city to the other for a couple of dollars and buses cost next to nothing.

Did I mention the food? We went to quite a few cafes and restaurants and the food was excellent and inexpensive. For example, we stopped at a café for lunch right in the heart of the older downtown. It was charming on the inside and there was a set menu for lunch. Basically you ate what they were serving. They brought us delicious lentil soup, a fish and vegetable main course, juice and dessert and it was about $5. And it was a really nice lunch.

So far Cuenca is looking good to me. Charming, check. Comfortable year-round weather, check. Good quality inexpensive healthcare, check. Great housing options at affordable prices, check. Inexpensive transportation, check. Good and cheap food, check.

OK, so in theory it looks great. And I was actually there and it felt good being there. But I was just visiting. What would it be like to actually live there. What kind of people move from their country to another country. Would they be my kind of people? I asked David about this. He said there are a few different types of people who move to Cuenca. A lot of people are looking for adventure. I get that, you’re not going to have a great adventure living in a gated community in Fort Lauderdale, as nice as it might be. Other people move to Cuenca because their money can go so much further and they can live a nicer lifestyle than back in the US. And then there are others who are disenchanted with the way things are going at home. So it appears there are a lot of different reasons why one would become an expat. Me, I’m looking for the adventure and would love to improve my Spanish (which by the way is something a lot of people want to do when they move to Cuenca and there are a ton of language schools.)

In terms of people visiting you and you getting back to the US, here’s what I found out. According to David Morrill, not as many people come visit you in Ecuador as you think will. So you have to be prepared for that. But in terms of getting home, depending on where you are from in the US, it might not be so bad. You can hop a cheap flight from Cuenca to Quito that takes less than a hour and catch a connecting flight to Fort Lauderdale that will get you there in about four hours. You can easily get home in a day.

So is Cuenca Shangri-la? Maybe if you are looking for an inexpensive adventure, with nice weather, culture and nice living conditions and if you want to maybe learn a language and meet a lot of other like minded expats, Cuenca could be cool. Maybe you don’t live there forever, maybe for just a few years or a few months (you can get a six month tourist visa. I know I’m thinking about going for a few years and using Cuenca as my base as I explore different parts of Central and South America and other places like Corozal, Belize, San Jose, Costa Rica, Granada, Nicaragua and Panama City, Panama. Maybe I’ll see you there. Hasta Manana!

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