“This is a surprisingly ancient question. It was Aristotle who first introduced a clear distinction to help make sense of it. He distinguished between two varieties of infinity” – potential infinity and actual inifinities. He argued (maddeningly) that the potential kind does exist while the actual do not and cannot exist. Since then, the mathematicians, physicists, cosmologists and theologians have been weighing in …
Tag: 07.02.12
Barnes Foundation’s Ex-CEO Claims Organization Was Never ‘Bankrupt’ (Strictly Speaking)
Kimberly Camp, who is writing a book on the museum’s controversial move, posted on her blog, “Bankruptcy was not the reason we filed the petition to move the Foundation to the city. At the time the petition was filed, the Barnes Foundation had a cash surplus and we had no debt – none. But, saying so made the rescue so much more gallant.”
Meet One Of The Great Veterans Of Modern Iranian Fiction
“After being arrested in 1974 by the Savak, the shah’s secret police, the Iranian writer Mahmoud Dowlatabadi asked his interrogators just what crime he had committed. ‘None,’ he recalled them responding, ‘but everyone we arrest seems to have copies of your novels, so that makes you provocative to revolutionaries.'”
Artists Have A Go At England’s Classic Red Telephone Booth
The instantly recognizable design, dating back to 1935, “has been reimagined in whimsical full-size replicas that are scattered about London through July 18. Peter Blake, Zaha Hadid, Philip Treacy, Nina Campbell, and some 70 others artists and designers were up to the task of creating ‘ArtBoxes’ for the project.”
On The Israeli ‘Miss Holocaust Survivor’ Pageant (Yes, It Really Happened)
“I thought, at first, this had to be a satire … You cull a minyan’s worth of good-looking old Jewish ladies from a big pool of less desirable specimens; you put them on show wearing blue numbers; and the prize for the best story of their ordeal is a weekend at a fancy hotel? It’s like ‘Springtime for Hitler.'”
Museums Across UK Close Or Reduce Hours After Funding Cuts
“Of the 114 institutions questioned by the Museums Association, 22% have closed all or part of their sites in the last 12 months. Services to schools have also been dramatically reduced.”
LA MoCA Board Says Chief Curator Wasn’t Fired, But Resigned
“The leaders of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s board of trustees said Friday that chief curator Paul Schimmel resigned and was not fired, as The Times and other news outlets had reported.”
Stefan Sanderling Walks Away From Florida Orchestra Podium Two Years Early
“The orchestra announced late Sunday that Sanderling is stepping down as music director” effective immediately – that is, ” two years sooner than he said he was a year ago, when the conductor announced he would not renew his contract after it expired at the end of the 2013-14 season.”
What’s The Problem With The Shard? It’s Too Short
James S. Russell: “The surface modeling … [of] facets to catch the varying light, and carved deep vertical seams … gives the tower presence on the skyline, but its proportions, seen full height, are ruinous. It’s too thick at the bottom and looks as if it crushes its brick and stone surroundings – among the most ancient in London – rather than soars out of them.”
Soprano Evelyn Lear, 86
“Like a lot of American singers, [she] first made her name in Europe, where she triumphed especially as Marie in Berg’s Wozzeck and in the title role of his Lulu … Throughout her career, she enjoyed successes in the standard repertoire as well, especially works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Puccini and Strauss.”