“The secret of the country’s infrastructure success lies in a forgotten political history: the demands by millions of Americans over time for fairer and more equitable access to rails, pipes, wires, roads and more. The wondrous US infrastructure achievements happened when citizens participated in infrastructure decisions. One can even propose a rule: the better the democracy, the better the infrastructure.”
Tag: 09.05.16
Canadians Won’t Watch Canadian Shows Just Because They’re Canadian
“Canadian content rules and changes made by the CRTC. A lot of wild talk about supporting Canadian talent has been thrown about, as if patriotism is involved in making and watching Canadian TV.” But. “Nobody will watch TV out of patriotism.”
Glenn Gould Prize Aims To Be “Nobel For The Arts”
One prize in each two-year cycle would be for Artistic Excellence; a second for Creative Innovation in the arts; and a third for Cultural Humanitarianism. Tripling the number of awards would help the Glenn Gould Prize meet its potential — “to become the world’s preeminent arts prize,” Brian Levine, the Gould foundation’s executive director, told the Star.
Brown University President Writes About Universities And Safe Spaces
“Universities are doing something difficult and important. We are grappling with how to create peaceful, just and prosperous societies, even as we live in a society that often feels more divided and rancorous than ever, fractured along lines of race, ethnicity, income and ideology. With the right of academic freedom comes the moral responsibility to think carefully about how that right is exercised in the service of society to confront these divides.”
‘Trigger Warnings’ On Campus And The Psychology Of Trauma
“Given the myths and emotions enveloping the issue of trigger warnings and safe spaces, it’s worth asking what science can tell us about the actual effects of verbal triggers on the body, brain, and psyche. Certain people experience certain words as dangerous. Should they have to listen to those words anyway?” Katy Waldman looks at the physical effects that being triggered can have on trauma survivors, the leading therapeutic approaches for overcoming the trigger effect, and the implications for teaching college students.
Dreams, Visions, Hallucinations, And Neurochemistry
It turns out that the neurochemistry of the human brain during REM sleep (the kind when we have the most vivid dreams) is similar to what happens after taking some hallucinogens. “Dreams, in short, are transient ‘trips’ and, when they forcibly and suddenly break through into waking life, they sometimes become visions or hallucinations.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 09.05.16
Labor Day 2016
In the United States this is Labor Day, since 1894 a national holiday that celebrates working peoples’ contributions to the nation. … From 1962 — when the average price of a gallon of regular gas was 31 cents — here is the unofficial Rifftides Labor Day song. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-09-05
In chains
At some point in my younger days, I got it in my head that a musical composition, like a chain, was only as strong as its weakest link. … More recently, I considered whether a musical composition might only be as strong as its best ideas, weak links be damned. … read more
AJBlog: Infinite Curves Published 2016-09-05
This Week In Audience: Connecting The Dots As Louvre Visits Decline 20%
This Week: Tate goes for an artificial intelligence art project … UK has more amateur orchestras than you can shake a stick at … Does community storytelling take advantage of the storytellers? … Why the Louvre’s attendance is down 20% … When data drives your art experience the art changes. … read more
AJBlog: AJ Arts Audience Published 2016-09-04
This Week’s Notable AJ Stories: An Artist Erased, A Cautionary Tale
This Week: What exactly does cultural equity actually mean? … In our social media world everything is about images … A cautionary tale as an artist is erased from the internet … There’s a difference between culture and art … Why Italy fought to keep Venice off the endangered list. … read more
AJBlog: diacritical/Douglas McLennan Published 2016-09-04
Artists Erased From The Web And Our Growing Problem With Facts
Are we comfortable letting shareholder-driven companies – any private company – have absolute control over infrastructure that is increasingly essential for the functioning of civil society? Deciding who is visible and who is not? … read more
AJBlog: diacritical/Douglas McLennan Published 2016-09-04
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The Secret Life Of David Lynch
“David would only be caught doing mundane things if it’s what he was actually doing. He’d never play up to the camera. It just turned out that it was just morning to night, he’s in the studio and he’s like that since he was a child, working and working on the studio. That’s all he does, he’s a hardcore artist.”
We Love Moomins, But We’re Missing Out On So Much Other Potential Literature
“There is a fair bit of children’s literary traffic around the Anglosphere. … But we resist the rest of the world, as if the 90-something per cent of people who don’t principally speak English have no stories to tell us. Just think what we’re missing!”
If A Show Is Written About Millennials, Will They Come To The Theatre?
“One theme all three shows explore is the dual nature of contemporary identity. With the pervasiveness of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, most young adults have two, if not three, versions of themselves—ranging from the public and curated to the private and sometimes secretly chaotic.”