“Hardly any restoration work was carried out on L’Aquila’s ravaged centre for three years and it remained a ghost town, while 13 controversially expensive ‘new towns’ were built on the outskirts for the 73,000 homeless residents. … Some restoration projects are [now finally] under way.”
Tag: 04.01.13
Ten Terms To Describe The Anatomy Of A Book
Mental_Floss fills us in.
Rough-And-Tumble Marseilles Gets An Architectural Makeover
“Everywhere you look, the city is being polished and scrubbed, renovated and repainted. Roads are being resurfaced, trees are being planted, and vast new museums are rising from the ground in preparation for the European Capital of Culture 2013 – which began three months ago.”
Russia Begins Selectively Blocking Internet Content
“The Russian government in recent weeks has been making use of a new law that gives it the power to block Internet content that it deems illegal or harmful to children. … So far at least, the Russians have been mostly singling out not political content but genuinely distressing material posted by Russian-speaking users.”
Nashville Symphony Will Be Negotiating With Lenders And Musicians At The Same Time
“In addition to negotiating with bank lenders concerning $102 million in debt, the Nashville Symphony is facing upcoming negotiations with the Nashville Musicians Association. The symphony’s collective-bargaining agreement with the association expires at the end of July, and the window for negotiation begins in March.”
Hayden Griffin, 70, Noted Set Designer
“[He] was regarded by many as the finest stage designer of his generation … The reason for this lies in what Hayden himself said in an interview in 1983: ‘Theatre is about a man or a woman saying the line. The designer’s job is to decide what the audience should see when that line is said’.”
Finnegans Wake Is A Hit In China
Translator Dai Congrong spent eight years struggling to render in Chinese sentences like “Rot a peck of pa’s malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory end to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface.” Amazingly, “her translation of the first part of the book has become a modest but clear hit here in China.”
Homophobic Egyptian Protest Mural Transformed With a Pro-Gay Message
A mural on Mohamed Mahmoud Street in Cairo tried to insult the city’s police (widely criticized for using excessive force on demonstrators) by showing two officers kissing and the words “Cops are Gays” in English above their heads. Well, the text on the painting has changed …
There’s A Difference Between Camp and Campiness
With the help of Rosalind Russell as Auntie Mame, J. Bryan Lowder tries to clear up the confusion, which he traces to Susan Sontag.
No, The Gates Of Hell Are In Philadelphia
“One thing you can do in Philadelphia is stand before the Gates of Hell. I am not talking about the Badlands of North Philly. I am talking about the Rodin Museum.”