“From Cape Town to Reykjavik, Sydney to São Paulo, an event as momentous in its own way as the Cuban revolution or the invasion of Iraq is steadily under way: the slow death of the university as a center of humane critique. Universities, which in Britain have an 800-year history, have traditionally been derided as ivory towers, and there was always some truth in the accusation. Yet the distance they established between themselves and society at large could prove enabling as well as disabling.
California’s Next Bohemian Hot Spot – In A City You’d Never Expect
James Fallows reports: “‘The Tower District is the bohemia of Fresno, and Fresno is the bohemia of California,’ a Fresnan named Heather Parish told us recently. If she were editing in real time, she probably would have said: Fresno should be the bohemia of our most populous and creative state. Here is what she is talking about and why she could dare say such a thing.”
Pretentious? Sure. Expensive? Absolutely. But Here’s The Value In The Visual Art World
“Art school really is the only game in town for aspiring artists, and “more artists now come through art programs in the United States each year than were produced by the city-states of Florence and Venice during the entire fifteenth century.”
Reality TV Has Become Less Profitable For Networks. Why? The Internet
“The shelf life for Viacom’s reality shows like “Teen Mom” and “Jersey Shore” is shorter than it used to be, because why watch a reality show rerun when you can watch something on YouTube or Twitch, or play around with Vine and Snapchat, or Clash of Clans or whatever. So the company has to knock down the value it had attributed to those shows in its catalog. The same goes for some reruns the company had purchased from other providers.”
Why We Should Let Prisoners Take College Courses
“Education was once an integral part of prison life. In the early 1980s, there were 350 college degree programs for prisoners nationwide. It was part of the “rehabilitative era.” School buildings in prisons were like satellite campuses of colleges, and federal and state grants paid prisoners’ tuitions. But the following years brought unemployment, crack cocaine, the Willie Horton debacle and tough-on-crime rhetoric.”
Two Beds And The Burdens Of Feminist Art
Rebecca Mead considers Tracey Emin’s famous installation My Bed and the mattress that Columbia undergrad Emma Sulkowicz has been carrying with her on campus, an art project (which she is submitting as a thesis) inspired by a rape she alleges happened in her dorm room.
Julie Wilson, 90, Celebrated Cabaret Singer
“Ms. Wilson began her career as a musical theatre actress, both in New York and London. But, beginning in the 1980s, she began to focus on the smaller stages of the cabaret world, finding acclaim for her interpretations of songwriters such as Stephen Sondheim, Kurt Weill, the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart and Cole Porter.”
More Genuinely Useful Advice For Classical Newbies: When To Clap At Concerts
As with advice on what to wear, just telling uncertain newcomers to clap when it feels right and don’t worry about shushers isn’t necessarily helpful. Holly Mulcahy offers “some general guidelines I’ve observed both from the stage and as an audience member.”
The French Are Buying A Lot Of Books About Islam These Days
“Books on Islam are selling out in France after deadly extremist attacks in the capital raised uncomfortable questions about Europe’s fastest-growing religion.”
Study: Did Competition Shorten Lives Of The Great Composers?
“Their analysis suggests being forced to fight for status and recognition—not to mention commissions, performances, and pupils—took a physical toll on these artists. It provides evidence that the stress of competition—particularly among fellow composers living in the same city—literally took years off their lives.”
How Reviews Of Books, Movies, TV, Music Are Morphing Into A Strange Commodity
“Movie reviewing has been reduced, largely, to data production for Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. Song and album reviews rarely precede the actual release of the music, so they’re treated as broad cultural writing prompts. Five or so years ago TV writing split into reviewing and recapping, which in the last couple years have merged into a strange hybrid, one which talks casually about what has happened, and which signals fandom along the way just enough to let the reader know that he has tastes in common with the writer (and that whatever recommendations might follow are worth hearing).”
Artists Erect Bust Of Edward Snowden In Brooklyn
Speaking to Mashable on the condition of anonymity, the artists said they chose the spot because it is “loaded with significance and meaning and reverence of others.” It positions Snowden, they said, “as a continuation of a story that began at the beginning of this country” — one represented in the plight of the captured Americans.
Toronto Symphony Cancels Valentina Lisitsa’s Concerto Gig Over Tweets About Ukraine
The orchestra’s president said that Lisitsa’s contract was bought out due to “ongoing accusations of deeply offensive language by Ukrainian media outlets.” The Kyiv-born, ethnically Russian pianist’s “tweets about the Ukrainian regime have included some harsh comparisons with Nazi Germany, sometimes laced with morbid comedy.” Lisitsa’s outraged fans are fighting back.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 04.06.15
“Cash Cow” Collections: Two More Maier Museum Works Sold, by Hicks & Hennings
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-04-06
Monday Recommendation: Rudresh Mahanthappa
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-04-06
Gerry Mulligan At Brecon
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-04-06
“How the 1 Percent Always Wins”: Interview
AJBlog: CultureCrash Published 2015-04-06
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The Woman Who’s Changing The Face Of Comedy
“By the time Jones finishes reading a script, she already has ideas about which actors might be right for the roles—and who can handle the pressure of constantly improvising during the eighty-hour workweek that shooting a television comedy often requires. But she also likes the surprise of the unknown.”
Electrified: Adventures In Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (tDCS)
“A number of studies suggest that it may improve learning, vigilance, intelligence, and working memory, as well as relieve chronic pain and the symptoms of depression, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s, and schizophrenia. However, the studies have been so small and heterogeneous that meta-analyses have failed to prove any conclusive effects.” Elif Batuman investigates – and tries on the electrodes.