“Shunned as a crank and menace in one northern European country after another, Reich embarked in 1939 for America … Reich’s appeal was emotional, not rational – the appeal of a born loser who never stopped believing that he was a winner. As such he was a perfect complement to American intellectuals – born winners who never stop thinking they’re losers.”
Tag: 06.11.11
David Mamet Says All Britons – Especially Writers – Are Anti-Semitic
“There is a profound and ineradicable taint of antisemitisim in the British. … And the authors of today ,,, I’m not going to mention names because of your horrendous libel laws, but there are famous dramatists and novelists over there whose works are full of antisemitic filth.”
Art Dealer Authenticates Three Paintings As Van Dycks
“A leading old masters specialist has surprised the art world by identifying three previously overlooked paintings by the 17th-century artist Anthony van Dyck.”
Montreal Symphony Musicians Still Have No Contract After Ten Months
While the musicians have continued performing, their labor agreement expired on August 30, 2010. The sticking point is pay: base salary for an MSO player is currently C$72,128, less than for their counterparts in Toronto and Ottawa, who play shorter seasons.
Medieval Reliquaries: Magnificent Containers For Yucky Pieces Of Corpse
“There is – at least for a modern sensibility – a stark disconnection between the splendid appearance of a reliquary and what it contains: a gnarled piece of bone such as the arm of St George … For the culture that made them, however, those values were reversed: the gold, jewels and workmanship were a way of making visible the – infinitely greater – spiritual treasure within.”
How The Hot Dog Became An Echt-American Food
From an 1894 news article: “More numerous than the lunch wagon is the strolling salesman of ‘red hots.’ … [The immigrant vendor] carries a tank in which are swimming and sizzling hundreds of Frankforters or Wieners. These mysterious denizens of the steaming deep are sold for five cents, which modest charge includes an allowance of horseradish or some other tear-producing substance.”
Bellevue, Washington, Philharmonic Orchestra Closes Down
The professional ensemble based in the Seattle exurb where Microsoft is headquartered will give its final concert on July 4. In announcing the shutdown, the board president wrote, “”The organization is simply not sustainable due to lack of support by larger donors to create an endowment, as well as a shrinking subscriber base.”