“Here is the truth: Chastity belts, made of metal and used to ensure female fidelity, never really existed. … Or, as the British Museum puts it: ‘It is probable that the great majority of examples now existing were made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as curiosities for the prurient, or as jokes for the tasteless.'”
Tag: 08.17.15
A Grammy-Nominated Tenor On Raising An Autistic Child While Traveling Nine Months A Year
Lawrence Brownlee: “I talk to my agent to schedule as much time as I can at home without hurting my career. But if you’re in this business, you have to be out and about so people will see you. I do hate leaving my wife and kids. I’ve missed so many milestones, especially my son with his special needs. I’ll come home and I’m amazed at some of the things he can do.”
Bestselling New Adaptation Of ‘Don Quixote’ Called ‘Crime Against Literature’ By (Some) Spanish Academics
“Spanish writer Andres Trapiello spent nearly 14 years adapting Cervantes’s masterpiece for contemporary readers. According to Trapiello, it is impossible to understand Don Quixote without reading the footnotes. The new edition includes a comprehensive set of changes to make it more comprehensible.”
Artist Lets Tiger Loose In Detroit’s Old Packard Plant
“British photographer David Yarrow booked a two-day photo shoot at [the famously ruined venue]. Only problem was, he apparently didn’t tell anyone at the plant that he was bringing a tiger, two wolves and a bobcat with him. … The animals, trainers and photographers were given the boot about an hour later. But not before the tiger got loose and holed itself up on a fourth-story staircase.” (includes video)
Choice Of LACMA Architect Has Critics Wondering About The Place Of Quality Architecture In LA
“Many have challenged the logic of a Swiss building in Los Angeles, asking whether his revered precision will translate given the economics of American construction. Others ask whether his monastic aesthetic will make sense in the image-driven landscape of Los Angeles and, more specifically, whether his architectural language of sublime asceticism will respond to the city’s very diverse urban context. Even more inflammatory critics have suggested that he lacks adequate experience in buildings of this scale. In a sense, all of the criticisms can be boiled down to a single accusation: quality architecture does not belong in Los Angeles.”
Memphis Symphony CEO Steps Down As Orchestra Has Stabilized
“Memphis Symphony Orchestra CEO and President Roland Valliere – a ‘turnaround specialist’ who reversed the symphony’s serious financial crisis by orchestrating a deal that required the musicians to take deep pay cuts – is stepping down from the job Nov. 9.”
How The Buckley-Vidal Debate Changed The Media (And Maybe Paved The Way For Fox News)
“Where a debate between two urbane intellectuals ought to have ushered in a golden age of elevated, rational discussion, it instead – due to the personal enmity to which the combatants gave voice – sparked the worst aspects of modern media, a debased version of political talk, the gladiatorial mudslinging that prevails in broadcasting today.”
The Whistled Language Of Northern Turkey – And What It Can Tell Us About The Brain
“The small town of Kuşköy, which is tucked into an isolated valley on the rainy, mountainous Black Sea coast, … is remarkable not for how it looks but for how it sounds: here, the roar of the water and the daily calls to prayer are often accompanied by loud, lilting whistles – the distinctive tones of the local language.” (includes sound samples)
Luminato Loses Its Artistic Director
The announcement is brisk and matter of fact. But to me it brings on a rich array of unmentioned questions about timing, possible consequences and future changes in Luminato’s survival strategy.
Women Artists Are Demanding Space In Country Music Lineup
“While country music radio has historically been male-dominated, the issue about the lack of women getting air time picked up steam this spring when radio consultant Keith Hill said country stations that want better ratings should play fewer female artists.”