Was Philip Kennicott’s review of Thieves of Baghdad really an “unprovoked hatchet job”? He does allow that there is “a good narrative and a lot of fascinating detail in this book.” But then, he also accuses author Matthew Bogdanos of subscribing to “an interpretation of military culture that goes beyond mere duty and includes a disturbing degree of entitlement — to bend rules, disdain criticism and place oneself above the people one serves.” Read the full review here…
Tag: 01.22.06
Poet Irving Layton, 92
The Canadian firebrand “was nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature in 1982 and again in 1983, and won Italy’s Petrarch Prize for Poetry in 1993. A gifted lyricist, he considered himself a “romantic with a sense of irony” in both words and actions, and his confidence was matched by his talent, which he used to fight uniformity and puritanism.”
Iowa Historical Museum Fires Director
The director of Iowa’s State Historical has been fired after performance of the museum failed to live up to expectations. “His work gained little public attention, and attendance by school groups in 2005 fell to its lowest mark in seven years, according to a department report.”
McCoy Tyner On Top
“At 67, pianist McCoy Tyner plays solos that can be as intense as they were when he was part of the fiery music the Coltrane quartet conjured on a nightly basis. But he has also grown more subtle and more reflective over the decades. No matter his stylistic approach to the keyboard at any given moment, Tyner remains downright magisterial. Sometimes spiritual, sometimes whimsical and often both, he makes powerful jazz.”
On The Edge Of A TV Revolution
Google’s deal last week to acquire dMarc Broadcasting for up to $1.24 billion is a good signal about where the TV industry model may be headed. In one scenario, viewers ought to be able to get any programming they like whenever they want, however they want it…
A Plan To Fix Hollywood: Make Fewer Movies
So movie theatre attendence is down. Hollywood’s financiers have noticed, and have a plan to do something about it. “The major media companies are significantly reducing their financial commitment to the motion picture sector. Substantially fewer films will be produced over the next year or two. And a significant portion of the production costs of the reduced slate will be borne by hedge funds and other investment groups.”
Does Science Need A Private I. Corps?
Recently, several scientific papers have been exposed for fraud. “In the wake of these and other science scandals in the past several years-ranging from fabricated findings to misleadingly incomplete data-some editors of science publications are rethinking their roles and asking themselves whether they should act more like muckraking investigators than purveyors of scientific discovery…”
Rock On – The Dance Puzzle
“Modern dance would seem suited to rock: ordinary people, everyday clothes, ordinary families, movements that embrace myriad social dances that the music spawned. Yet curiously, it was ballet that provided the first major forum for rock…”
The Finest American Ballerina?
“Now 38 years old, in her 20th year at the New York City Ballet, Wendy Whelan has attained that rare high plane of soul-and-body synchrony where command of technique serves the spirit of a performer with something to say. Often in ballet the soul begins to wax only as the body starts to wane, and many dancers ready to converse with God find they are physically unable to keep from mumbling. But Whelan has mastered the archetypal ballet themes of Beauty, Time and Death while still in her prime.”
Birth Of The Flamenco
“Flamenco is born more in the singing, and in the playing of guitar. The dancing comes later. There are the basic palos – alegrÃas, tangos, siguerillas and so on – and from there you can have a very wide map, like a river.”