Plans for Chautauqua 2012

The sign on the garden figure says:

"If thou of fortune be bereft, and in thy store but 2 loaves left,

Sell one and with the dole

Buy hyacinths to feed the soul."

The schedule for the morning lectures in the 4,000 seat amphitheatre are evolving.  As speakers commit to programs they are announced on the Chautauqua website, http://www.ciweb.org/

2012 LECTURE SERIES

Week 1 -- June 24 - 30

Roger Rosenblatt and Friends on the Literary Arts

Norman Lear, Jules Feiffer, Meg Wolitzer, Derek Bok

Week 2 -- July 1 - 7  The Lehrer Report: 
What Informed Voters Need to Know

Week 3 -- July 8 - 14  Inspire. Commit.  Act.

Week 4 -- July 15 - 21  Water Matters.

Week 5 -- July 22 - 28  Pakistan:  Straddling the Boundary Between Asia and the Middle East

Week 6 -- July 29 - Aug 4  Digital Identity

Week 7 -- Aug 5 - 11  The Ethics of Cheating

Week 8 -- Aug 12 - 18  Radicalism

Week 9 -- Aug 19 - 25  The Presidents' Club

 

Battles at Chautauqua

Battlefield strewn with flowers


Chautauqua is a battlefield, where citizens and not soldiers wage a war – a war of ideas. 
May the best idea win.


Let me start at the end.  Friday is the finale of the programs of the week, with a theme for each week.  Here’s a sampling of the nine topics for this season: “Global Health and Development as Foreign Policy,” “Sparking a Culture of Creativity and Innovation,” “The Path to the Civil War,” “A Case for the Arts”-- and the theme for this week, “The U.S. Economy:  Beyond a Quick Fix.”

Pity the speakers who committed a year ago to address the last topic, and who had to tear up draft after draft of their speeches to stay current with turbulent reality.  As you know, on Friday Standard & Poor downgraded the United States credit rating from AAA to AA.  This week NYSE gyrated 11,000 points.  Somehow we had missed the ‘quick fix” to the economy.  So what do we do now?

The guiding light for the programs this week was provided by Fred Bergsten, founding director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.  He was introduced to us this morning as someone USA Today identified as one of the ten most important public figures with influence on your life.  Bergsten said that actually the listing was of ten influential figures you’ve never heard of.

Bergsten connected with the crowd immediately because he came to Chautauqua many years as a boy and teenager, the son of a Methodist minister.  He has worked at a high level as an economist in both Democratic and Republican administrations and has written or edited 40 books.  He helped plan this week at Chautauqua and was the final speaker.

Monday we heard from John Koskinen, chairman of Freddie Mac, speaking about “The Future of Housing, Immigration, and Education in Our Economy.”  In the middle of a bubble, he said, no one is sure whether it’s a bubble or economic progress.  We misinterpreted the steady growth of housing valuations.  Now that we’ve stalled, “an important indicator of recovery will be the renewed willingness of the private sector to re-enter the mortgage market.”

Koskinen observed that the wave of immigration into the U.S. in the 1990’s was greater than in the disruptive period of the early 1900’s.  Our continuing population growth and new household formation of echo baby boomers will eventually lead to housing demand.  That’s the good news.  Our economy will still be in trouble, however, if we neglect our education system.

Paul Solman, business correspondent for PBS NewsHour, was the featured speaker on Tuesday.  His topic was “The Problem of Inequality.”  He joked that there are two kinds of economists: 1) those who don’t know the future; 2) those who don’t know they don’t know.  Changing his tone, Solman noted harshly that in the U.S. our level of inequality is similar to China’s, and we would fit in the worst half of African countries.  The top 20 percent of our population holds 83 percent of the wealth; the bottom 40 percent has just 0.3 percent.  Steps to improve our economy must address our growing inequality, and two measures he favors are eliminating the payroll tax ceiling, and reinstituting a strong estate tax.

Bethany McLean spoke on Wednesday.  Although her current title is editor-at-large at Vanity Fair, she is best known for the whistle-blowing article she wrote for Fortune in 2001 entitled, “Is Enron Overpriced?”  She sees self-delusion and incompetence and moral failing as factors that contributed more to our economic morass than simple greed.  “You can’t over-estimate the incompetence in the world…And if you don’t want something to become public, don’t do it!”

McLean endorsed the saying of Joshua Rosner, who wrote in 2001, “A home without equity is a rental with debt.”  She ended by commenting, “I think that the best thing anybody can do for their financial health is to live within their means.”  In her personal life I think she’d follow the Warren Buffett school of investing:  examine spreadsheets, and before proceeding further assess the character of the top executives.

John Stropki, chairman and CEO of Lincoln Electric, was the speaker on Thursday.  His company has received a lot of attention over the years for its employee profit-sharing program and no-layoff policy for those with three or more continuous years of employment (the work week varies from 32 – 47 hours depending on circumstances).  Under Stropki’s leadership since 2004, the company has tripled revenues from $1 billion to $3 billion through overseas expansion.  Stropki made a cogent case for trade policies and tax policies that would encourage American export growth.

Fred Bergsten of the Peterson Institute for International Economics ended the week.  “The American economy is $1 trillion a year richer because of our exports.  But manufacturing is only 10 percent of the U.S. economy, and services are 80 percent.  Business services can be exported and are, yet there is great opportunity for expansion in this area.  Free trade does result in some job loss, however the benefit-to-cost ratio is 20 to 1.  From the benefits we do need to ameliorate the human costs, which relate to structural unemployment.

Bergsten would like us to have the following goal:  “From 10 percent of GDP in 2010, increase exports to 20 percent in 2020.”  He feels that China should be called to account for manipulating its currency, in violation of the Bretton-Woods Agreement, and we should be stronger in defending intellectual property rights, since intellectual property is one of our strengths.  But the ability of the United States to influence international policies is waning, along with our economic status.  Time is running out.

Bergsten is sure that the Congressional budget committee is not going to raise tax rates; however he thinks that once the knife-wielders see the pain of cuts, they will look for new revenue.  With tax reform comes possibility for new taxes on consumption, and taxes that aid environmental issues.

In addition to what I’ve outlined here, the five speakers told us exactly what will happen in the stock market and matters of international finance over the next six months.  I wish I could pass that on to you.  But what happens in Chautauqua stays in Chautauqua.

Chautauquans

Visitor at the fountain in  Bestor Square




Chautauqua isn’t a place; it’s people.


Actually, Chautauqua is perhaps best described as a community – a place and also the people who are there.  Today I’m going to write about people.

Each week there is headline entertainment and newsworthy speakers.  Tomorrow I’ll write about the speakers here this week.  I’m going to write now about the people who hear the speakers, people known as Chautauquans.

Most of us live within a day’s drive of Chautauqua, although a few people in other parts of the country figure out how to get here after flying to Jamestown, NY or Erie, PA.  Those who come once tend to come again and again.  There are friendships formed that get refreshed year to year.

About 8500 people are here on any given week in the summer.  Some stay all season; others come for just one week or one day.  There are very few hardy souls who are year-round residents, putting up with 250 – 300 inches of snow in the winter.  The rest of us simply enjoy the warm summer sun.

There’s probably a story to be told about every person here.  I’ll just tell one that I know fairly well.  It’s about a woman named Susan, who got me to take up the hobby of knitting.  Five years ago Susan decided that instead of knitting for herself or for family or friends, she would knit  prayer shawls for women caught in conflict areas.  She thought she could find others in Chautauqua who would do the same, and so she formed an organization, Women4Women-Knitting4Peace.  I would never take on an ambitious project such as knitting a prayer shawl, but I was entranced by little Peace Pal dolls I saw a woman knitting a few years ago.  Knit, purl, knit, purl, row after row.  I could do that!  Well, I have.  And on Monday I brought Susan the 14 Peace Pal dolls I’ve made over the past year.  From the network of women who have come to Chautauqua and gone home to encourage friends to participate, Susan has collected Peace Shawls, Peace Pals, and Peace Blankets that have gone to more than 35 countries – carried by volunteer medical workers, missionaries, and others.  Susan announced that over 13,000 items have been collected.  With the 14 that I gave her, she now has more than 13,014.

Camp Chautauqua

The definition of the day for Chautauqua is “a summer camp for adults.”  
 It happens to be a summer camp for kids as well, but I’m going to ignore that part for lack of personal experience.

At Chautauqua there’s always something going on, and there’s likely to be more than one thing happening at any moment.  A report on Chautauqua experiences therefore depends on the idiosyncrasies of the reporter.  If my husband were writing this, you’d hear in detail about a fascinating talk sponsored by the Science Circle.  It was entitled “From Nanotechnology to Cosmology.”  It was, I think, a long talk.

Another person might report on the “bat chat.”  I’m not sure if bats were chatting, or if people were chatting about bats.  Maybe they sat around eating insects.  I don’t know.

One thing I love about Chautauqua is the food.  It so happens that our food comes from a community kitchen – that’s not the case for everyone.  We stay at the Ecumenical Community of Chautauqua, a complex of three houses with community kitchens.  There are about 24 people in ours, and although we prepare our own meals and have assigned tables and refrigerator space, there’s sharing of information, ideas, and even food.  Our meals are simple, yet special because of the sharing.

Music is a big part of life here.  The day begins with a carillon of bells down by the lake.  During morning devotions there’s choral singing from people who are in choirs back home, and at Chautauqua they just have to get together and sing. They are supported by choirmaster and organist Jared Jacobsen, whose love of music is conveyed every time he sits at the console of the 5,640-pipe organ.

The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra has a tradition of inviting members of the community to join the professionals for one performance, and last night 50 extra chairs were crowded onto the stage.   With scant time for rehearsal, amateur musicians had to practice at home.  I think that weak players were intimidated by the sheet music and didn’t show up – everyone on stage did a super job.

There’s more to say about music here, but I’m going off to another program.  As a final thought to convey the breadth of activities at Chautauqua, I scanned the list of Special Studies offered this week.  There are 97 programs, most with daily events.  I didn’t sign up for any of them because there’s so much else to do.  But I did consider the workshop on humor writing.  And another on plotting a murder mystery.  If I took both I might be able to write a humorous murder mystery…

Chautauqua Spirit

Episcopal Cottage at Chautauqua



The definition of the day for Chautauqua is "Norman Rockwell with wi-fi."

The second part of that definition is fairly obvious -- without Internet this blog could not be written.  Yet "wi-fi" also conveys metaphorically certain modernities.  For instance, there are people here who cannot live without Starbucks, and so there is a kiosk meeting their need.

Outside a few touches of the 21^st Century, the general atmosphere of Chautauqua harkens back to the early 1900’s, stretching just to the Norman Rockwell era.  As Rev. John Walton said Monday, “You can close your eyes and imagine Teddy Roosevelt being president, and Mark Twain writing in a garret.”

Transportation is by foot, unless you have a bicycle.  Victorian-era cottages with front porches line the brick walkway, each cottage distinctive with gingerbread trim and front yards filled with flowers, ferns, and hostas.
Where we stay there is no television or radio.  The Chautauqua Daily contains news only of what’s happening here – the tumult of the outside world doesn’t penetrate unless you’re foolish enough to seek it (The bookstore carries the New York Times, and Internet connections can take you anywhere). 

Speaking of the Chautauqua Daily, the newspaper is sold by paper boys hawking their wares with cries such as this:  “75 cents is all you pay; get your paper here today!”  The paper person who sold me one today (it was a young girl) won me with this cry: “The Chautauqua Daily is full of knowledge; buy one now and send me to college!”

Many writers have found it difficult to describe Chautauqua.  David McCullough tried, and mostly described what it is not.  “There’s no place like it,” he said once.  “No resort.  No spa.  Not anywhere else in the country, or anywhere in the world…”  Oh.  He tried again.  “…it is at once a summer encampment and a small town, a college campus, an arts colony, a music festival, a religious retreat and the village square – and there’s no place – no place – with anything like its history.”  That’s a historian speaking.  I wonder if he’d agree with me that it’s “Norman Rockwell with wi-fi…”

Lake Chautauqua

This is the ninth year that Slava and I have come to Chautauqua, NY in the summer, and it is the first time I have attempted to blog about the experience.  One thing I will do each day is give a different definition of Chautauqua.  Today's expression is courtesy of Biblical scholar John Dominic Crossan: "Chautauqua seems like a place where God would spend most of Her summer vacation."

Crossan's credentials to speak about God come from 19 years as a Roman Catholic monk, and from 12 years as a Catholic priest.  Although he's a man with a sense of humor, he's best known from his Biblical scholarship, having written 20 books to date. He's in Chautauqua this week as a lecturer in the Hall of Philosophy.

There's a lot going on at Chautauqua, and much of it centers on meditation, devotion, and religious thought. Other aspects of Chautauqua Institution will be covered later, but the religious aspects are a good place to start, because that's why Chautauqua was founded.  It was established in the late 1800's to be a place where Methodist Sunday school teachers could go in the summer for a few weeks of study and relaxation in a nature setting,   It quickly became ecumenical in scope, and today has representation from all the Abrahamic faiths.

The day begins with religious observances of various traditions, and with an ecumenical service led by the guest pastor for the week.  This week it is Rev. John Walton, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church in New York City.  He spoke engagingly this morning about "Wells We Did Not Dig."  He quoted  a passage in Deuteronomy about the people of Israel moving into a land where everything was provided for them.  Very quickly, he said, they developed "the amnesia of affluence."  They forgot to be grateful.  They had an illusion of self-sufficiency.  Rev. Walton had no trouble drawing analogies to the present, and he spoke about debts of ours that have to be honored, not by paying back, but by paying forward.

"There are two ways to be rich," Rev. Walton reminded us.  "One way is to have a lot of money.  The other is to have few needs."