WTC Memorial Could Take A Lesson From Dublin Spire

The Spire of Dublin “gains its power from its engineering, rather than from symbolism. Perhaps that’s what’s wrong with the design for the World Trade Center Memorial–it is relentlessly literal; the two tower footprints, the names of the victims, the inevitable visitor center. (It must be said that this is chiefly the fault of the committee that created the original program.) Wouldn’t it have been better if the memorial had been … uplifting and inspiring, but also mute?”

In Battle Vs. Terrorism, Prisoners Lose Religious Texts

“Behind the walls of federal prisons nationwide, chaplains have been quietly carrying out a systematic purge of religious books and materials that were once available to prisoners in chapel libraries.” While titles by C.S. Lewis, for example, make the list of government-approved religious works, it is not a very long list. Some who minister to prisoners “say that an administration that put stock in religion-based approaches to social problems has effectively blocked prisoners’ access to religious and spiritual materials — all in the name of preventing terrorism.”

Is Theatre Worth The Drive?

“One thing critics share with all theatregoers is the essential fact that they need to get to the venue, since one perk the profession doesn’t stretch to is a chartered limo to ease the journey. As I made my lengthy, elaborate way last week to two destinations, one of which remained out of reach, I had to ask myself how many shows justify the efforts involved these days in getting there, especially for audiences who then have to fork out copious amounts of dosh upon arrival?”

TransAtlantic Ballet

Christopher Wheeldon is “doing something no one else has done: he’s starting the first transatlantic ballet company. With bases in London and New York, it will allow him to divide his time between his home and his adopted home. Having his cake and eating it is how he describes it.”