“Intense loyalty to one’s group needn’t produce hatred for outsiders. The key is getting the most zealous patriots and hard-core believers among us to think seriously about themselves as moral beings.”
Tag: 06.13.13
Police Begin Investigation Into Embezzlement During Bolshoi Renovation
“Russia’s Interior Ministry has launched a criminal probe on allegations that some 90 million rubles ($3 million) was embezzled during the six-year reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater that ended in 2011.”
The Ambivalence Manifesto
“We are the Ambivalents, unable not to see both sides of the argument, frozen in the no-man’s land between armies of true believers. We cannot speak our name, because there is no respectable way to confess that you believe two opposing propositions, no ballot that allows you to vote for competing candidates, no questionnaire in which you can tick the box, ‘I agree with both of these conflicting views’.”
Detroit Attorney General Says DIACan’t Sell Its Art
“The art collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts is held by the City of Detroit in charitable trust for the people of Michigan, and no piece in the collection may thus be sold, conveyed, or transferred to satisfy city debts or obligations.”
Why Superman Isn’t What He Used To Be – And Why Americans Need Him Back
“The awe and the wonder that powered the Superman mythos slowly bled away, and he became just another guy with his underwear on the outside, just like all the others.”
Poor Apple Only Wanted E-Books Deal Because Steve Jobs Was Dying
“Apple’s lead negotiator with the publishers said he was determined to close deals that would allow them to sell their e-books on Apple’s iBookstore in time for the introduction of the iPad in early 2010.”
Swashbuckling Defenders Of Peru’s Artistic Treasures Stake Out The Post Office
“Gladiz Collatupa, an archaeologist, once stashed six mummies at her parents’ house for safe keeping. That was when she dug for artifacts in the dirt of Peru, rich with the leavings of past cultures like the Inca and the Moche. Now she digs through packages at the post office instead, searching for ancient treasure being smuggled out of the country.”
What’s Up With Our Obsession With Science Fiction And Fantasy?
“Western societies perceive the world as knowably rational and systematic, leading to a widespread loss of a sense of wonder and magic.” Hence The Hobbit, etc.
What’s Next (And What’s Past) For The Guthrie Theatre At 50?
“It is a long way from Broadway and the people have a sort of Scandinavian freshness.”
German Art Forgery Ring Busted
“The forgers are believed to have sold more than 400 pieces of counterfeit art painted in the style of artists such as Kandinsky and Malevich. The suspects are alleged to also have forged authenticity certificates to give the impression the paintings were previously unknown works.”