Professional Documents
Culture Documents
World
A dating site for finding a 2nd (or 3rd) wife
Sheikh Abdul Khaleq Buhaisi, an-
GAZA CITY
other official with the Sharia Council,
which has authority over weddings, said
he preferred more traditionally ar-
Digital service in Gaza ranged marriages, often through a khat-
taba a woman who pays home visits
helps the territorys many in the company of the grooms mother to
war widows find a husband search for brides.
The khattaba inspects the prospec-
BY MAJD AL WAHEIDI tive bride: body shape, skin color, teeth,
hair and other physical features. Tradi-
He was looking for a woman with partic- tionally, the polite way for a grooms
ular attributes, hopefully a widow of a family to signal a proposal request is to
man killed in the struggle against Israel, ask to go to the brides familys house for
without children, between 25 and 30, a cup of coffee.
from southern Gaza. Her requirement With the Wesal service, a prospective
was no less important: She was looking groom receives a womans address
for a married man. when the two have exchanged likes
For Majdi and Ghada Abu Mustafa, online. The man then has 48 hours to
their simultaneous search for a spouse propose, something still typically done
turned out well, and the pair are now over the traditional coffee at her home.
married. Kholoud Sobouh, 27, said she got tired
She is beautiful and a widow of a of being shown to men who knocked on
martyr at the same time, Mr. Abu her door with their mothers to propose.
Mustafa said, using the word preferred Through Wesal, she and her fianc met
by Palestinians for a killed fighter, often in less than 24 hours. She requested an
a terrorist to Israelis. She is the second educated man who didnt smoke and
of his two wives. who could secure a home in Gaza. Her
When I get wealthy, I will marry the fianc, Tareq Ms. Sobouh did not want
third wife. to give his surname, for fear of being
The couple met on Wesal it means criticized for meeting her spouse online
communion or reunion in Arabic a said he wanted a tall, light-skinned
first-of-its-kind matchmaking website woman with religious manners. It will
in Gaza. It has been successful, and not be the first marriage for both.
just because Tinder and other dating Wesal service is the best discovery of
apps are banned or severely frowned on my life, Ms. Sobouh said. I am the one
here. who will get married, not my family or
Its founder knows his demographic the society.
well: residents of the religiously conser- Mr. Sheikha, Wesals founder, says he
vative Gaza Strip, with its culture of re- wants the site to challenge longstanding
sistance. Some 1,400 men have been customs surrounding matchmaking in
killed in the three wars with Israel since Gaza, and to give women more agency
2008, leaving many widows who would in the process. Our website encourages
like to remarry. Tradition, however, can them to search for husbands by them-
make it difficult for them to wed. PHOTOGRAPHS BY WISSAM NASSAR FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES selves, to truly choose and say what
Mr. Abu Mustafa, 34, a math teacher, Rami Shatali, with three of his four daughters, found his new wife, who was also divorced and with a son, on the Gazan matchmaking service Wesal. they like in the man, he said. We also
said he had no specific reasons to get fight old traditions that say divorced
married again, but said he did wish to women should not get married.
give dignity to a widow. Ms. Abu But while Mr. Sheikha is in favor of
Mustafas first husband died during the more options for women in the selection
conflict between Hamas and Israel in of a spouse, he is not a strong supporter
2012. of the choice to remain single. In addi-
Islam permits a man to have up to tion to helping widows and the divorced
four wives. find husbands, he said he hoped the site
Our men fight wars and die. Women would also address an increase in the
stay alive, said the sites founder, Ha- number of spinsters in their 20s and 30s.
shem Sheikha. This is why my project The Arabic proverb says living in the
supports polygamy. shadow of a man is better than living in
Mr. Sheikha, 33, a Palestinian born in the shadow of a wall, which means that
Saudi Arabia, said the site has led to 160 having a husband is better than staying
weddings since it started in March, he unmarried.
said, and more than half the marriage Mr. Sheikha said he was looking for a
requests involved men seeking a second second wife himself and that he pre-
or third wife (though not yet a fourth). ferred she be a widow.
We want to spread joy and connec- The site has also found favor among
tions between people and help them divorced men.
with finding love and peace after going Rami Shatali, 38, works in a biscuit
through a lot of suffering, he said. factory, earns less than 1,000 shekels a
Women who lost their men during month, or not quite $300, and has four
the last three wars have difficult lives daughters living with him in the Al Ma-
and few options, said Reham Owda, a Palestinian couples celebrating at a Hamas ceremony. Part of Wesals success appears The Cinderella car in Gaza City is rented out for marriage ceremonies. While mar- ghazi refugee camp from an earlier mar-
Gaza-based writer and analyst of to be how closely it hews to Gazas religious and conservative traditions. riage rates over all have been on the decline in Gaza, the practice of polygamy is rising. riage that ended in divorce.
womens issues. In most cases the hus- His new wife, Majd Shatali, 26, also di-
bands family pressures the woman to vorced and with a son, found him on We-
marry the brother in law to control her Wesal facilitates marriages not only entertainment. This website is disgusting. Women to an increase in peoples religious incli- sal in March.
life and seize any financial aid she re- for widows, but also for the divorced and What Wesal does not have is profile are not a sack of onions, said Lina Zein, nation, especially after Hamas took About 400 hundred people attended
ceives. those who have never married. photos or any online chatting functional- 25, a single woman from Gaza City, ex- power in 2007, Ms. Seyam said, refer- their wedding. The first dance was the
Ms. Owda added that if the widows Part of Wesals immediate success ap- ity, to protect the privacy of women and plaining that Wesal felt too transac- ring to the militant group that rules over couples slow one.
husband is affiliated with a political pears to be how closely it hews to Gazan because both would be considered tional in its approach to arranging wed- Gaza. The grooms daughters, along with
party, it might intervene and pressure tradition, despite the digital medium. haram, or forbidden under Islamic law, dings. It limits my ambitions in mar- Marriage rates over all have been on the son of the bride, danced happily.
the woman to marry a man from the When completing an application, people Mr. Sheikha said. riage to someones income. the decline in Gaza, and divorce is on the From time to time, relatives of the
same group, and she will often agree be- must address several questions impor- We are the halal version of American Amal Seyam, the head of the rise because of high poverty and unem- groom sprayed glitter and wedding
cause she is struggling financially and tant to those looking for a spouse here: dating websites, he said, using the word nongovernmental Gazas Women Af- ployment rates, said the head of the Su- snow in the air.
the group will pay her a salary. place of residence, occupation, salary, that connotes what is acceptable under fairs Association, said the service ap- preme Sharia Judicial Council in Gaza, I felt like I was the happiest man in
This matchmaking service is pos- marital status, number of children. And Islamic tradition. peared to have come at an opportune Sheikh Hassan al-Jojo. Hamas itself has the world on my wedding day, Mr.
itive because it encourages these wom- there are some traditional terms that us- Though popular, with some 100,000 time to take advantage of changes in been trying to encourage marriage by Shatali said, because I found a woman
en to choose the potential husband with- ers must accept: I swear by Allah the visitors in a population of two million Gazan society. paying the equivalent of $1,500 to any who madly fell in love with me, the one
out fear and pressure in this religious Great that all my information is accu- people in Gaza, the website is not uni- Polygamy has hit high rates in Gaza male who memorizes the Quran, a bit of who could make me forget all about my
and patriarchal society, Ms. Owda said. rate, and that I wont use this website for versally liked. over the few past years, seemingly due cash to help finance the next step in life. pain.
world
U.S. offers
Killings dredge up a legacy of racist laws help on Arab
PORTLAND, ORE.
states rift
For decades, Oregon
was a volatile place where
with Qatar
extremists found a home SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
BY KIRK JOHNSON
world
But for many artists, the more popu- though the audience included hundreds American Marines raising the flag in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. A Pentagon
lar they become, the more their music is of paying fans. proposal to deploy up to 5,000 additional American troops has run into resistance.
stolen. Bootlegged Nigerian music is The local comedians onstage were the
stacked alongside the thousands of big draw, and the musicians agreed to
other counterfeit CDs at the Alaba Inter- perform for free, hoping to be exposed to
national Market in Lagos. Sam Seyi, right, and Robin Emmanuel, left, his manager and producer, en route to a a new market.
There isnt exactly a proper struc- recording studio on Snake Island in Lagos. Im paying my dues, Mr. Seyi said. Upstairs in a hotel room, a makeup The 34th Oxford Analytica Conference 20-22 September 2017
ture for us to make money, said Falz, a artist was layering foundation on Ms. Global Horizons 2017 Christ Church, Oxford UK
Nigerian rapper and songwriter. Shay, the room a mess of glittery blue
Apple Music offers streaming in Ni- laptop at Computer Village as fabric of Lagos. What has changed is the eye shadow, shimmery lotion, fake eye-
geria, but the service has been plagued customers lined up behind him for songs ability to monetize it, said Richard lashes and a pair of Oscar de la Renta
with problems because of the nations
currency crisis. Even concerts, prof-
from local artists like Tiwa Savage,
DBanj and Ms. Shay. Then people
Iweanoge, general manager of con-
sumer marketing at MTN, considered
flowery high-heeled shoes carefully po-
sitioned on a shelf. She sneezed inside a
Who needs experts anyway?
itable for artists anywhere, are being come to me and give me money for the largest distributor of online music in tiny cloud of powdered makeup.
pared back here as corporate sponsors them. Nigeria. Its a privilege for us as a Ni- Even Ms. Shay has paid to be heard, Businesses and governments face greater
feel the pinch of the souring economy. Henry Onunary, another vendor of il- gerian company to support local forking over cash to various music
In Nigeria, musicians have rarely legally downloaded music, explained artists. blogs. She once allowed one of her songs exposure to geopolitical and macroeconomic
sought royalty payments. Artists com- how the musicians might benefit, if at But the copyright society has accused to be used for free as the soundtrack for risks than ever.
plain that even the nations film indus- all. What they get from us, he said, is MTN of not giving artists a fair cut from a popular video game.
try, known as Nollywood, routinely uses popularity. the sales. MTN officials acknowledged But now fans fawn over Ms. Shay
songs in movies without permission or The Copyright Society of Nigeria has that the company recently renegotiated when she walks into a nightclub, taking Join decision-makers
payment. filed lawsuits, staged protests, hosted ringback deals to better favor the selfies and cooing over her. She lives in for three days of
When you create your content and conferences and handed out fliers to artists. an apartment in a gated community, and
put it out, its scattered, said Har- businesses explaining copyright law. Its Things change, Mr. Iweanoge said. a driver ferries her around town. intensive sessions with
rysong, a Nigerian singer known for his leader, Mr. Chukwuji, said the group was Its always in our interest to make sure Her entourage includes a personal as- our experts and get to
hit Mandela. currently battling the nations major the artist gets a fair share. sistant who calls himself a body
Many musicians pay to have their mu- mobile phone company, MTN, which Plenty of musicians in Lagos are still man and a wig stylist. She recently the heart of the risks
sic heard. Popular music blogs like pays artists to use snippets of their willing to sacrifice money to get noticed. flew to South Africa for performances that matter to you.
notjustok.com and naijaloaded.com songs. Across a polluted channel from the La- and has scored an endorsement deal
collect as much as $120 from unknown Mobile phone use in Nigeria has ex- gos mainland, past a sugar refinery with a Chinese telecom company. Her
musicians to promote a single song. ploded in recent years, and ringback belching smoke, is Snake Island, a ser- face has been on Pepsi billboards along
Budding musicians also pay to have tunes the few bars of music paid for pent-shaped piece of land dotted by tilt- main roads in Lagos. Not long ago, she
Request an invitation for
their songs featured on latest mix CDs by customers that play while a call is be- ing tin huts. was signed to the British-American la- Global Horizons 2017:
hawked on the streets. ing connected are hugely popular. As Inside one of them, Sam Seyi, 24, was bel Island Records.
A collection called Mega Mix con- a result, MTN, with its skyscraper head- dreaming of stardom, sitting on a bed Trying to relax at a Tex-Mex restau- oxan.to/globalhorizons
tained new pirated songs from well- quarters in Lagos, has become one of with Winnie the Pooh sheets as he sang rant in Lagos after a recent show, Ms.
known musicians such as Davido and the biggest sources of revenue for Ni- into a microphone. Friends filed into his Shay was sipping a margarita when a
Wizkid, along with songs from 43 less- gerian artists. In fact, Nigerian ringback generator-powered bedroom studio as bartender interrupted repeatedly to ask
known singers. tunes like Harrysongs Mandela are babies screamed and chickens clucked how his music could get noticed. She
The sellers of pirated music know the more popular than songs by Snoop just outside the open window. told him to email her a demo.
artists receive nothing. Dogg or other American artists, accord- Youve got to believe in yourself, he You have to put in the work, Ms.
To get the songs off the internet, its ing to MTN. sang, eyes closed and arms pumping. Shay advised. Nobody is going to do it
free, said Ola Mide, who stared into his Music has always been part of the This is my time to make it. for you.
..
6 | TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2017 THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION
world
An Iraqi special forces soldier firing on Islamic State militants in western Mosul. The jihadists seldom seem to pass up the chance to use storms or other heavy weather, when coalition aircraft cannot target them, to press the fight.
Iraqi special forces soldiers treating a girl who was injured when her house was hit by Islamic State fighters reportedly killed in a coalition airstrike in Mosul. Airstrikes are Iraqi soldiers moved through houses in the recently retaken area of Al Saha. Iraqi
an airstrike. The civilian toll from the fighting has been immense. still being called in frequently in the middle of densely populated neighborhoods. forces have had a high rate of attrition over the last few years of fighting.
..
THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2017 | 7
Business
Building a comeback
on virtual border wall
erties are registered to more than a half-
After leaving Facebook dozen companies that can be traced to
Mr. Luckey through public business
amid political criticism, records. Many of their names, like
tech exile has new start-up Fiendlords Keep, Black Omen and
Wings of Time, relate to a video game
BY NICK WINGFIELD called Chrono Trigger.
Mr. Luckey, 24, lives in a 78-year-old
Palmer Freeman Luckey was the kind of mansion in affluent Woodside, Calif.,
wunderkind Silicon Valley venerates. with a group of friends, according to
When he was just 21, he made an public records and Facebook posts by
overnight fortune selling his start-up, a his roommates. One of his roommates is
company called Oculus VR that made his girlfriend, Nicole Edelmann, who
virtual-reality gear, to Facebook for $2 has received attention for her support of
billion in 2014. GamerGate, a loose online movement
But the success story took a sideways that has sought to push back against so-
turn this year when Mr. Luckey was cial progressivism in video games.
pressured to leave Facebook months af- Mr. Luckey and Ms. Edelmann are
ter news spread that he had secretly do- devotees of cosplay short for costume
nated to an organization dedicated to play in which people dress as charac-
spreading anti-Hillary Clinton internet ters from games and comic books. In
memes. May, they posed for photos at a cosplay
While Mr. Luckey slammed inaccura- conference in Japan dressed as a char-
cies in the articles, the reports proved acter from the game Metal Gear Solid,
toxic in Silicon Valley, where hostility to complete with identical bikini tops,
President Trump is as pervasive as ripped black tights and ammunition
overpriced coffee. belts.
The spokesman for a new medium A person who knows him described
virtual reality briefly became an ex- Mr. Luckey as a casual prepper, some-
ile. one who prepares for societal collapse,
Now Mr. Luckey is back. Unburdened though another person said he was sim-
by a big companys culture, hes more ply a military buff.
freely sharing his politics on social me- Among his assets is about 85 acres of
dia. He also contributed $100,000 to Mr. property in upstate New York, including
Trumps inauguration, through one of a luxury home built atop a decommis-
his companies, according to Federal sioned Atlas missile silo. Tax rolls for
Election Commission records. Clinton County, N.Y., list Oculus VR and
And he has a new start-up in the Black Omen which Mr. Luckey owns,
works, a company that is developing according to California records
SIMON DAWSON/BLOOMBERG
surveillance technology that could be among the owners of the properties.
During Marissa Mayers five-year run at Yahoo, internet users shifted attention to Google, Facebook and other rivals. The company will be absorbed by Verizon in the coming week. deployed on borders between countries Tenants live in the home.
and around military bases, according to He owns a second property in Chico,
three people familiar with the plan who Calif., with decommissioned Titan 1 mis-
ingly complicated. It is rooted partly in tor. 122 million shares in the offering. Those views on such deals, forcing the com- Palmer Luckey, a founder of Oculus VR, demonstrated a virtual reality headset and
the never-lose structure of modern ex- As Yahoo shareholders profited, so extra shares are now worth $15 billion. pany to start over. controllers during a media event in 2015. He sold the start-up to Facebook in 2014.
ecutive compensation packages, but did Ms. Mayer. By the time the deal Ms. Mayer, meanwhile, focused on Given those missteps, was Ms. Mayer
also in two farsighted investments made closes, she will have made about $239 turning around Yahoos internet busi- overpaid?
long ago by one of Yahoos founders, million, based on Fridays share price, ness. It had missed the mobile revolu- For the existing amount of compen-
Jerry Yang. according to calculations by Equilar, a tion and was experiencing steady de- sation, could Yahoo shareholders have
By Wall Streets most basic yardstick provider of executive compensation clines in its display and search advertis- done better? Mr. Wieser of Pivotal Re-
Yahoos stock price Ms. Mayer data. ing. There, her record is decidedly search said. Or for the same outcome,
earned every penny she got. Yahoos Such stock-heavy compensation mixed. could they have paid less? Ultimately
share price more than tripled during her structures are the norm in corporate Yahoo had no real strategy for reach- its a hard question to answer.
tenure. After the $4.5 billion sale to Veri- America, where boards of directors seek ing customers on mobile devices when Peter Monaco, who was a vice presi-
zon, shareholders will still own an in- to align an executives financial incen- she arrived a sure route to obsoles- dent for engineering at Yahoo for three
vestment company with $57 billion of tives with gains for shareholders. cence as smartphones became the prin- years before leaving for Facebook last
stock in two Asian internet companies, To lure Ms. Mayer from Google and cipal internet device for most people. September, said Ms. Mayer does not get
Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan. compensate her for options she forfeited Through a combination of acquisi- enough credit for transforming Yahoos
Ms. Mayers pay was mostly in stock there, Yahoos board offered her a lucra- tions and hiring, she vastly expanded culture.
and stock options, and she reaped the tive employment agreement. She ini- Yahoos mobile team, which initially She eliminated the dead wood, drove
rewards alongside the other tially received restricted stock worth produced some buzzy hits like the Yahoo out the politics, put in place compensa-
stockholders. $35 million and stock options worth $21 Weather app and Yahoo News Digest, tion policies that rewarded high achiev-
The only sign you can point to when million, based on 2012 stock prices for along with more prosaic updates of core ers and energized people to create great
evaluating a company over a long peri- Yahoo, along with a cash salary and bo- Yahoo features like fantasy sports and products again, he said.
od of time is how shareholders have nus. Although she gave up a portion of email. Yet Ms. Mayer largely failed in Arguably, Yahoo was unfixable. The
done in the exchange, said David Wise, those stock grants after failing to meet her quest to make Yahoo a daily habit companys DNA and technology were
who heads North American sales at performance targets, the rise in Yahoos for more users in online video, search built around its original identity as a
Korn Ferry Hay Group, a firm that ad- share price more than offset the losses. and messaging. web portal a powerful position in the
vises companies on executive pay pack- She received further stock grants in lat- Ms. Mayer also made a bold bet on so- early 2000s but increasingly outmoded
ages. Over the last five years, Yahoo er years, adding to her overall compen- cial media, buying the money-losing in the mobile era, as apps and phone
shareholders couldnt have done a lot sation. blogging site Tumblr for $1.1 billion in platforms like iOS and Android became
better than this. Yet most of Ms. Mayers paycheck ul- 2013. But she did little with the acquisi- the gateways to the internet.
More than most chief executives, Ms. timately came from the gains in Yahoos tion and was eventually forced to write Given the hand she was dealt, I
Mayer was working for those Alibaba and Yahoo Japan investments, down much of the purchase price. doubt anyone could have done a better
shareholders. over which she had little control. Thanks One of her biggest mistakes was hir- job transforming the culture and
She was essentially hired by one to an investment made in 2005, Yahoo ing a former colleague from Google, making Yahoo healthy again, Mr. Mon-
hedge-fund manager, Daniel S. Loeb, had a 24 percent stake in Alibaba, which Henrique de Castro, to be chief operat- aco said.
who got her predecessor fired and won today is Chinas leading e-commerce ing officer and oversee Yahoos advertis- Ms. Mayer, who once made the trek to
three seats on Yahoos board in 2012. Mr. company. ing efforts. But Ms. Mayer fired him just the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africas
Loeb was particularly interested in find- When Alibaba first sold shares to the 14 months later, resulting in a $58 million highest peak, said last year that fixing
ing a way to unlock the value of Yahoos public in 2014, Yahoo sold 140 million severance payout. All told, he received Yahoo was like climbing a mountain. InterContinental London Park Lane
stake in Alibaba, which was already shares in the offering. It hung on to 384 about $108 million, according to court Its a tall mountain to climb and we
shaping up to be one of Chinas leading million shares, which are now worth documents. Two lawsuits have sought to started, obviously, very low on the October 1719, 2017
internet companies. He pushed the about $48 billion. recover some of that money, arguing mountain, she told Charlie Rose. oilandmoney.com
board to recruit a star like Ms. Mayer to Yahoo also owns about 36 percent of that Ms. Mayer and the board overpaid Unlike Kilimanjaro, though, the Ya-
get people excited about a company that Yahoo Japan, now worth about $9 bil- him and failed to protect shareholders hoo challenge proved insurmountable.
..
10 | TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2017 THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION
opinion
opinion
To be great, be good
them was not just what they received
but also what others got.
Monkeys arent the only primates
instinctively offended by inequality. For
example, two
ment, putting us at odds with virtually aggressive action in the South China Inequality scholars exam-
Susan E. Rice the entire world. Europe and China Sea, threatening our Asian allies as drives all ined data from
stand together on the Paris accord, well as our own freedom of navigation, millions of
primates nuts.
while the United States is isolated. will our Western allies risk the eco- flights to identify
This last, disastrous decision is the nomic repercussions of confronting what factors
WASHINGTON Four and a half months is coup de grce for Americas postwar China to stand beside an America resulted in air
not long, but President Trump has global leadership for the foreseeable First president who refuses to affirm rage incidents. One huge factor: a
accomplished an extraordinary future. It was not taken from us by any our NATO commitments? first-class cabin.
amount in a short time. With shocking adversary, nor lost as a result of eco- Our friends profound disappoint- An incident in a coach section was
speed, he has wreaked havoc: hobbling nomic crisis or collapse of empire. ment with the United States is a meas- four times as likely if the plane also had
CHRIS GASH
our core alliances, jettisoning Ameri- America voluntarily gave up that ure of the damage already done to a first-class cabin; a first-class section
can values and abdicating United leadership because we quit the field. Americas global standing by this increased the risk of a disturbance as pay players much more disparately predictable fashion again and again,
States leadership of the world. Thats a How consequential is this choice? administration. Most Americans surely much as a nine-hour delay did. than others do, and one might think that Payne says. Inequality divides us,
whole lot of winning for Russia and The network of alliances that distin- still see the benefits of the United When there is a first-class section, it is pay inequality creates incentives for cleaving us into camps not only of in-
China. guishes America from other powers States being the strongest, most at the front of the plane and economy better performance and more wins. come but also of ideology and race,
This work began promptly on Jan. and has kept our nation safe and trusted and respected country in the passengers typically walk through it to In fact, economists have crunched the eroding our trust in one another. It
23, when the United States withdrew strong for decades is now in jeopardy. world. So, we must take steps now to reach their seats, but in some flights the data and found the opposite is true. generates stress and makes us all less
from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, We will see the cost when next we recover and regroup. boarding is in the middle of the plane. Teams with greater equality did much healthy and less happy.
need the world to rally to our side. Congress must insist, on a bipartisan The researchers found that an air-rage better, perhaps because they were more Think of those words in the context of
leaving key allies empty-handed, fear-
Contrary to the view of this White basis, that the United States continue incident in coach was three times as cohesive. politics today: Doesnt that diagnosis of
ful of the strategic benefit that will
House, we do not live in a zero-sum to play its traditional leadership role, likely when economy passengers had to Whats more, it turned out that even stress, division and unhappiness strike
inevitably accrue to China. Then the
world. We live in a world where our by fully funding both defense and our walk through first class compared with the stars did better when they were on a familiar chord?
secretary of state made plain that
security and foreign assistance programs. Congress when they bypassed it. teams with flatter pay. Higher inequal- So much of the national conversation
American values now take a back seat
prosperity are should ensure the United States meets Keith Payne, a professor of psychol- ity seemed to undercut the superstar now is focused on President Trump, for
to security interests, even though The president maximized when its obligations to the United Nations. It ogy at the University of North Carolina players it was meant to incentivize, understandable reasons. But I suspect
those interests are enhanced by our has given up others enjoy the must also scrutinize foreign military at Chapel Hill, tells of this research in a which is what you would expect if you that he is a symptom as well as a cause,
partnerships with democracies that
respect human rights and undermined
the United same. Todays sales to align our policies with our brilliant new book, The Broken Lad- believed that the chief effect of pay and that to uncover the root of our na-
States world threats terror- values. der, about how inequality destabilizes inequality was to reduce cooperation tional dysfunctions we must go deeper
by regimes that repress their citizens. societies. Its an important, fascinating and team cohesion, Payne notes. than politics, deeper than poverty,
leadership. We ism, nuclear Congressional delegations, gover-
Witness the brutal crackdown on oppo- read arguing that inequality creates a Something similar emerges in na- deeper than demagoguery, and confront
must rebuild it proliferation, nors and mayors can reassure our key
sition elements in Egypt and Bahrain public health crisis in America. tional statistics. Countries with the the inequality that is America today.
disease, climate allies that the American people still
after President Trump told their lead- and fast. change, violent value them and that we do not intend
ers that the United States no longer cartels are not to cede our global leadership. We must
cares how they treat their people. amenable to make clear to our foreign partners that
The presidents budget would slash simple military solutions, nor can they this present policy is an aberration, not
funding for the United States Agency be tackled by any one country acting the new normal.
for International Development and the alone. They require effective collective American corporations and civil
State Department by nearly 30 per- action, and thus, willing partners. society groups can assist by demon-
cent, rendering our embassies vulnera- When the United States called after strating that the United States remains
ble to attack and shuttering vital pro- the Sept. 11 attacks, NATO answered, committed to its integration into the
grams that advance our interests. The and for nearly 16 years the alliance has global economy and to our democratic
budget would also starve the United fought alongside us to defeat Al Qaeda principles. In the absence of White
Nations and its peacekeeping opera- and strengthen the Afghan govern- House leadership, the American people
tions of essential support. This will ment. Over 65 countries joined the should act as informal ambassadors,
condemn the United States to pariah fight against the Islamic State, and we via contacts through tourism, study-
status at this important, if flawed, rely on their enduring commitment to abroad programs and cultural ex-
institution, where our leadership has roll back terrorist havens. And when changes.
been unrivaled. Russia illegally annexed Crimea and We can all contribute to showing
At NATO, the presidents reckless invaded Ukraine, the United States led other nations that we hold dear Ameri-
refusal to reaffirm our commitment to the effort to impose sanctions on Rus- cas place at the forefront of moral and
the defense of our allies under Article sia. political leadership in the world. And
5, while hectoring them publicly about It wont be long before a fresh crisis we must remain steadfast until, once
their military spending, made our arises. In 2014, I saw President Barack again, we have a president willing to
allies conclude they must go it alone. Obama successfully coax our allies to lead in accordance with American
Nothing could have thrilled President help contain and eradicate the Ebola interests, traditions and values.
Vladimir V. Putin of Russia more, or outbreak in West Africa. If there is a
done more damage to the strength and flu pandemic that requires a similar SUSAN E. RICEwas the national security
unity of the Western world. And now coordinated international response, adviser from 2013 to 2017 and the
the president has pulled the United will our European friends heed Presi- United States ambassador to the
States out of the Paris climate agree- dent Trumps call? Or if China takes United Nations from 2009 to 2013.
tech
Drone, at $499,
good for beginners
automated motion sequences for shoot-
Tech Fix ing some neat drone videos. You select
a subject (like a human or a dog) to
record, choose a QuickShot mode and
tap a button to commence the se-
BY BRIAN X. CHEN quence.
One QuickShot mode called Circle
If you thought those drones buzzing makes the drone automatically circle a
around on the beach were annoying, subject while recording video of it. My
just wait and see what happens when favorite QuickShot mode was Rocket,
they become cheaper than iPhones. which caused the drone to lift dozens
Whether you like it or not, con- of meters into the air while continuing
sumer-market drones miniature to shoot video of me and a friend from
remotely controlled aircraft may be overhead. The recording was a delight
on the cusp of going mainstream as to watch and share on Instagram.
they plummet in price. DJI, the worlds Typically, you would need a lot of
largest consumer drone maker, based skill flying drones to shoot these types
in Shenzhen, China, will soon release of videos adequately. By including
Spark, its first $499 drone. Thats these automated video-recording
roughly half the price of the most sequences in its app, DJI has made
popular drones on the market, or Spark very accessible as an aerial
three-quarters the cost of an iPhone, photography tool.
which starts at about $650. There are downsides, of course. One
I tested Spark over several days this of the QuickShot modes, called Helix,
week and found it surprisingly capable did not work properly in my tests.
for a low-cost drone. Unlike most ex- Helix is supposed to cause the drone to
pensive drones, which operate with a fly upward and spiral around the sub-
physical remote control, this machine ject.
was designed to work primarily with a But in three different test locations,
smartphone app; you can also make activating Helix caused the drone to fly
hand gestures to move Spark or make upward and so far away that it lost its
it take your selfie. It shoots superb Wi-Fi connection with the smartphone.
high-definition video, weighs about a (This may have been related to inter-
quarter of a pound and is so compact ference caused by nearby Wi-Fi
you could stuff it in a tote bag. routers.) The drone is programmed to
MICHAEL HESSION / THE WIRECUTTER I was able to confidently fly Spark, return home, or land where it took off,
Clockwise from top left: Qualcomm Quick Charge USB-C; Anker PowerPort 4; Anker PowerDrive 2; and the iClever Dual USB Travel Wall Charger. the first drone I had ever used, after whenever it loses connection with a
several sessions, a testament to its smartphone but nobody would
overall ease of use. blame you if you chased after it out of
Participants were picked from multi- being developed by vehicle One thing the carmaker does not envi- its brand DNA even when it is fully au- Michael Perry, an executive at DJI, the Chinese company that makes Spark, at a prod-
ple disciplines, including product de- manufacturers and suppliers, who must sion: swiveling, rear-facing seats. tonomous. uct introduction event for the relatively low-cost drone in New York last month.
..
14 | TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2017 THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Culture
Sgt. Pepper turns 50
time to think and tinker. Yet they still
A new deluxe version worked amazingly fast, harnessing the
eras primitive technology to pack wild
of the Beatles album is ideas onto four-track tape. Each Sgt.
still full of joy and whimsy Pepper song creates its own sonic
realm, far removed from the live Beat-
BY JON PARELES les two guitars, bass and drums.
They gave themselves a usefully
A half-century after its release, the loose concept. They would become Sgt.
Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band,
Club Band is a relic of a vanished era. setting aside all outside expectations of
Like a Faberg egg or a Persian minia- the Beatles and treating the album as a
ture, it speaks of an irretrievable past, performance complete with canned
when time moved differently, crafts- audience reaction: a theatrical, dis-
manship involved bygone tools and art tancing device.
was experienced more rarely and with While the Beatles had traveled the
fewer distractions. world, only Within You Without You
Its an analog heirloom thats still flaunted the exotic. Mostly, Sgt. Pep-
resisting oblivion perhaps because, pers band was almost provincially
even in its moment, it was already British: wandering London in A Day
contemplating a broader sweep of in the Life, telescoping an entire mid-
time. The music on Sgt. Pepper dle-class English life (complete with
reached back far before rock as well as prospective grandchildren) above a
out into an unmapped cosmos, while music-hall bounce in When Im 64.
its words seesawing between Paul Stalwart British brass answered the
McCartneys affability and John rowdy distorted guitar in Sgt. Pep-
Lennons tartness offered compas- pers Lonely Hearts Club Band;
sion for multiple generations. Shes Leaving Home is a stately
We simply cant hear Sgt. Pepper waltz set to a harp and parlor orches-
now the way it affected listeners on tra that might have accompanied high
arrival in 1967. Its innovations and tea. One of the Beatles paths forward
quirks have been too widely emulated, led through an expanded embrace of
its oddities long since absorbed. the past.
Sounds that were initially startling They rejected any generation gap.
the Indian instruments and phrasing of The album cover set the 1967 Beatles,
George Harrisons Within You With- with their mustaches and shiny mock
out You, the tape-spliced steam-organ band uniforms, alongside their suited,
collage of Being for the Benefit of Mr. mop-topped pop-star wax statues so
Kite, the orchestral vastnesses of A recent, yet so distant and cultural
Day in the Life have taken on a figures like Karlheinz Stockhausen,
patina of nostalgia. Sgt. Pepper and Sonny Liston and W. C. Fields, a right-
its many musical progeny have blurred ful claim to adult significance. But the
into a broader memory of psychede- LP was also packaged with cardboard
lia, a sonic vocabulary (available to cutouts a mustache, military stripes
current music-makers via sampling) like something for children. While
that provides instant, predigested the Summer of Love nurtured hippie
allusions to the 1960s. Meanwhile, the dreams of creating a new world, the
grand lesson of Sgt. Pepper that Beatles reminded listeners of how
anything goes in the studio has long entrenched the old one was, and how
since been taken for granted. comforting.
Sgt. Pepper has been analyzed, But at the same time, Sgt. Pepper
researched, oral-historied and dis- gazed forward in sound and sense. The
sected down to the minute differences Beatles and their producer, George
between pressings, and because the JOHN PRATT/KEYSTONE, VIA GETTY IMAGES Martin, concocted eerie, unforgettable
Beatles industry never misses an Above, the Beatles (clockwise from top left, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney) promoting Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. Below, sounds from hand-played instruments
anniversary, it has been repeatedly from left, a recording session for the album at Abbey Road studios in London and the LPs cover. and analog tape tricks; Strawberry
reissued. The 50th-anniversary deluxe Fields, which miraculously inter-
version is exhaustive. It has been weaves two arrangements of the song
remastered once again to give the in two keys, remains a marvel of inter-
album a broader soundstage and nal disorientation. And despite all the
crisper detail, giving more separation vintage references, Sgt. Pepper
to individual voices and instruments. situated its songs in the present: some-
(For the older blend, it also includes times a rushed, workaday world and
the mono mix from 1967.) The new box sometimes a mind-altered escape. The
rightfully incorporates Strawberry albums magnificent, sobering finale,
Fields and Penny Lane, the master- A Day in the Life, understood and
pieces recorded alongside Sgt. Pep- anticipated the ethical and emo-
per but released before the album. It tional ambiguities of a world perceived
also has outtakes, comprehensive through mass media, even back when
reading material, video clips from 1967 the news media was just newspapers,
and a documentary about making the radio and television.
album. (The anecdotes are now famil- Sgt. Pepper had an immediate,
iar because the film was done for the short-lived bandwagon effect, as some
albums 25th anniversary.) late-1960s bands sought to figure out
Sgt. Pepper was not universally APPLE CORPS LTD how to make those strange Beatles
adored when it appeared. The New sounds, and others got more studio
York Times panned it, not entirely Yet for the Beatles, that instant of time and backup musicians than they
incorrectly, as busy, hip and clut- cultural innocence was a strategic needed. Artistic pretensions also
tered. As pop tastes have swung artistic opening. By 1967, the Beatles notched up. And the pendulum started
between elaborate musical edifices and were by no means ingenuous. They its long-term swings: progressive rock
back-to-basics reactions, Sgt. Pepper had already been through exponen- and corporate rock would be swatted
has been by turns embraced, reviled tially expanding pop stardom, endless back by punk and disco, hair metal
and simply ignored. screaming crowds and the fierce would be blasted by grunge and hip-
But now that rock itself is being American backlash against Lennons hop. The studio artifice that Sgt.
shunted toward the fringes of pop, its flippant 1966 remark that the Beatles Pepper daringly flaunted has long
a good time to free Sgt. Pepper from were more popular than Jesus now. since become commonplace.
the burden of either forecasting rocks After three years of hectic touring Yet while Sgt. Pepper has been
eclectic future or pointing toward a and recording, and of jaw-droppingly both praised and blamed for raising
fussy dead end. It doesnt have to be rapid development as songwriters the technical and conceptual ante on
the most important rock & roll album APPLE CORPS LTD amid the tempest, the Beatles decided rock, its best aspect was much harder
ever made, as Rolling Stone declared to get off the road, where they couldnt to propagate. That was its impulsive-
in 2012, or some wrongheaded counter- Lovely Rita and Good Morning album brand-new in 1967, Sgt. Pep- pop and rock provided a short-lived hear themselves play, and to focus on ness, its lighthearted daring, its will-
revolutionary coup against real rock Good Morning. Two of its most re- per remains inseparable from its era. but euphoric diversion from conflicts making studio albums. They took five ingness to try the odd sound and the
n roll. Its somewhere in between, markable songs, Strawberry Fields It was released on June 1, the begin- that would almost immediately resur- months an eternity at the time, now unexpected idea. Listening to Sgt.
juxtaposing the profound and the and Penny Lane, arent even on the ning of the Summer of Love. It was a face: the Vietnam War and Americas barely a pause for a new wardrobe and Pepper now, what comes through
merely clever. album. But with 50 years of hindsight, time of prosperity, nave optimism and racial tension. Sgt. Pepper remains sponsorship deal to record the Sgt. most immediately is not the pressure
Although the album as a whole is Sgt. Pepper remains a joyful, whim- giddy discovery, when the first baby tied to that brief moment of what many Pepper album, Strawberry Fields the Beatles put on themselves or the
synergistic, song by song its a mix of sical and revelatory experiment. Even boomers were just reaching their 20s boomers remember as innocence and and Penny Lane. With Revolver, musicianly challenges they sur-
milestones, like A Day in the Life and the albums slightest songs are full of and mind-expanding drugs had their possibility the feeling captured they had embraced studio surrealism mounted. Its the sheer improbability
Within You Without You, with me- musical and verbal twists. most benign reputation. perfectly in Getting Better, even as and partly jettisoned love songs, and of the whole enterprise, still guaran-
ticulously wrought baubles like For people who, like me, heard the In 1967, candy-colored psychedelic Lennon taunts, It cant get no worse. for its successor they would have more teed to raise a smile 50 years on.
travel
IDEAS COLLIDE
outstanding. slightest. From the days catch, I se-
Situated a stones throw from the Stua
canal, a zigzagging 10-minute walk from
the Rialto bridge in the San Polo neigh-
lected a grilled whole San Pietro, or
John Dory fish possibly the most un-
sightly flatfish the Adriatic has to offer,
WHERE
borhood, Antiche Carampane is now run but light and submissive in the mouth,
by Pieras son Francesco Agopyan. requiring only a little parsley and lemon
While there is no such thing as an un- to bring out its gentle brininess. The ac-
discovered Venetian restaurant, this companying roasted potatoes and as-
always-full, 16-table place attracts an paragus could not have been more basic,
equal proportion of residents and dis- or appropriate.
cerning tourists who have been prop- Service at Slauko is, to put it charita-
erly admonished by the No Pizza, No Above, a seafood medley at Antiche bly, leisurely. Or so Ive been told by
Lasagne, No Menu Turistico sign be- Carampane in Venice. Top, ravioli at other diners. From my perspective,
side the front door. Tavernetta Al Molo in Grignano. staring out into the yawning azure gulf
Meals invariably commence with a with razor clams and a glass of Malvasia
complimentary butcher-paper cone is an experience not to be rushed, or
filled with schie, gently fried. After this producers of local white grapes like Vi- even ended.
come agonizing decisions. From the tovska and Malvasia Istriana that pair Ristorante Slauko, 453 Contovello, 39-40-
well-curated wine list, I chose the ele- brilliantly with fish. The misto marinato 225393. Dinner for two without wine,
gant white blend Arbis Blanc made by antipasto included a carpaccio of about $90.
the famed Friulan brother-sister winery branzino that was so fresh it might have
Borgo San Daniele. The antipasti here leapt directly out of the sea and onto my TRATTORIA ALLA LAGUNA VEDOVA
are a must: During my most recent plate. For this reason, I elected for my RADDI
lunch, I forewent the tempting array of main course to stay with branzino Everything about this lagoon-side
crudi for a delicious plate of grilled octo- grilled whole and then filleted and restaurant is a revelation, beginning
pus and artichoke. But its the seafood- was not the least disappointed. with its locale, in the remote and relent-
based pastas at Antiche Carampane As with Antiche Carampane, howev- lessly picturesque town of Marano La-
that have no peer in Venice. Deviating er, the star was the pasta course. gunare. Before even walking into the
from my standard choice, the tagliolini Though the bristling February evening trattoria one early Sunday afternoon, I
in spider crab sauce, I opted for one of called out for Al Molos well-regarded eyed the handsome Roman architecture
the restaurants justly famed dishes: Zuppa della Tavernetta (made with along the town square and the fleet of
spaghetti in cassopipa, a rich shellfish clams, mussels, scampi and monkfish), I fishing boats docked in the lagoon and
sauce laced with anise, cardamom and gravitated instead to the ravioli stuffed determined that I would be back for an
other spices. with spigola (a cousin to branzino) be- extended stay. Then I stepped inside,
Objectively speaking, this was a meal, neath a ragout of scampi, tomato and and the question became, How soon?
back page of the handwritten menu of- restaurants tend not to take advantage shelled bivalve, fasolari, I had never en-
fers a few items for those who dont of the citys window onto the sea that of- countered. It appeared as well among
love fish, just as the wine list concludes fers their most crucial ingredients. For the pasta dishes, along with tiny shrimp
with some reds. The bias here is plain: such a vista, drive a couple of miles from the Gulf of Trieste and the tiny
You do not come to the Adriatic for beef- above the city limits to the village of Adriatic clam known as peverasse. But I
steak and cabernet. Contovello, where this honest trattoria elected to go with the linguine and
Tavernetta Al Molo is a casual and un- commands an unsurpassed view of the canocchie, which I love for its chewy
hurried respite from city dining, one Gulf of Trieste. richness but tend to avoid when its not
where the seafood offerings are Slauko presents the Adriatic culinary already extracted from its tenacious
straightforward but also precise. Its experience at its most stripped-down. In shell. This was the way to eat it, peeled
wine list includes many nearby contrast to the heavenly expanse of and cut into small bites with homemade