The challenge of designing a new building for Sandy Hook Elementary School fell to Svigals + Partners; the result seems almost cheery.
Tag: 08.23.16
Ancient Egyptian Texts Collected And Published In English For First Time
Other than The Book of the Dead, few of the texts that have survived from the age of the pharaohs have been accessible to the general reader. “Tales of shipwreck and wonder, first-hand descriptions of battles and natural disasters, songs and satires make up [a new] anthology, titled Writings from Ancient Egypt.”
After A Decade Of Fluff: How The UK Fell In Love With Brainy Quiz Shows
“The appeal of tough TV quizzes is that sometimes, we want to be taxed. The lowest common denominator doesn’t always have to win. Difficult things can be fun. That competitive element, a touch of showing off on the sofa, doesn’t hurt either.”
Kung Fu Is Fading Away In Hong Kong
“The kung fu culture that [Bruce] Lee helped popularize – and that gave the city a gritty, exotic image in the eyes of foreigners – is in decline. Hong Kong’s streets are safer, with fewer murders by the fierce crime organizations known as triads that figured in so many kung fu films. And its real estate is among the world’s most expensive, making it difficult for training studios to afford soaring rents.”
Julian Fellowes On Writing ‘Downton Abbey’ Singlehandedly And What Happens To The Crawleys After The Finale
“Far more of those houses survived than people realize, and often with the families that were in them. It’s often down to luck, and the cleverness of the people in charge. … My own belief is that Mary, whether you like her or dislike her, is a hard worker, and she’s practical.”
Is There Anywhere In The US Where People Speak With A ‘Generic’ American Accent?
Well, there are places where people think they do. Linguists may beg to differ.
Italy To Give Every 18-Year-Old €500 To Spend On Culture
“In a scheme that gets underway on September 15th, every Italian resident [born in] 1998 will be given a ‘culture bonus’, which they can use to buy books, concerts tickets, theatre tickets, cinema tickets, museum visits and even trips to the country’s national parks.”
Report: Consumers Are Mostly Not Buying Or Renting Digital TV Shows
“46 percent of consumers have ever bought or rented a digital movie or TV show, according to GfK’s recent Home Technology Monitor. In contrast, 86 percent of consumers have rented or bought a DVD or Blu-ray in the past, and 78 percent have done so with a VHS tape.”
Let’s Have A Frank Word About Book Reviews
“The nightmare reviewer is the reviewer who has some sort of agenda that precludes him or her responding sincerely to the book. Often that agenda is seeming clever and/or taking someone who has received more than her fair share of attention down a notch. But again, there are people who are just on a different wavelength from you, and it’s not that they misunderstand your book — it’s that they really in their heart of hearts don’t like it. That’s actually fair.”
What Should We Do With Art Whose Message Hasn’t Endured (Or Is Now Offensive)?
“People who denounce the cultural cleansing of ISIS and the Taliban are often just as likely to demand the removal of old-fashioned artwork from their own public spaces. Our Western reasons are far more sensible: We want the removal of murals and paintings that perpetuate dangerous racial or gender stereotypes (noble “natives” leading European explorers, contented cotton pickers in the U.S. South, socialist-realist mothers clasping babies behind their warrior men…). These are no longer valuable; indeed, they are offensive and may cause harm.”