Meniscus #13: Edita's note

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Edita’s Note

By Yuan-Kwan Chan

Another year, another Meniscus. So far the decision to switch from a print to an online entity has worked out well, as our reach and readership have increased considerably. If you are visiting our publication for the first time, we hope that you will enjoy what you find here.

Speaking of new years, it may be another number according to the calendar, but to residents of New York and Washington, D.C., the horrific aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks continue to be felt in both tangible and subtle ways. In D.C., streets near political headquarters continue to be closed off and denizens are advised to become informants, at times in ways that invade others’ privacy. In New York, you’ll continue to run into tourists on the subway, wondering aloud how to get to "Ground Zero," while tribute art exhibits continue to be showcased throughout the city, their adverts dispersed in local literature and plastered on building walls. On one hand, it’s easy to glorify and rehash the tragedy. As Jon Stewart put it in a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival in May, do people need to constantly be reminded via media osmosis, such as the local nightly news reporting why their brethren still can’t sleep due to post-trauma anxiety? "Thanks for telling me – now I really can’t sleep!"

On the other hand, it is important to remember that the aftermath is still very real, not just for New Yorkers, but society as a whole. The ensuing incidents in Bali, Israel and a Moscow theatre are just a few examples challenging what has become a constant redefinition of the security of our daily lives. I hope you will read through our Sept. 11 section, in particular a letter by Lauren Michele Fardig in response to a Newsweek article and Wade-Hahn Chan’s paper on diplomacy.

Meniscus has always stood for varied content and enabling contributors to contribute what they please as they please whenever they please. To lift some of the heavy tone from this note, a very venerable institution just so happened to celebrate another year of its own. The Miss Hong Kong Pageant marked its 30^th anniversary under the organization of Hong Kong television network TVB. Of this year’s 20 finalists, an astonishing 11 grew up outside of Hong Kong and/or attended non-Asian universities. This is not a coincidence or accident, however: it’s part of the network’s push to target overseas contestants and presumably raise the standard of the competition, which, to this day, remains an atypical one by international standards. You’ll not only want to check out our overview of the pageant, but also a couple of exclusive interviews with two of this year’s finalists, Amanda Boll and Victoria Jolly.

We also have much, much more to offer in words, photographs and art, so be sure to read through issue #13 thoroughly and let us know what you think.

Have a great 2003.

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