Archive for January 2009
Like so many of us, as a child I was taught to mind my manners. We called them P’s and Q’s, and to this day I still use them. I cover my mouth when I sneeze or yawn, try not to interrupt others when they are talking, hold the door open for the people, and say thank you. But I have to admit it: I have a problem being nice.
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I’m no art critic, but Bruce Herman’s work speaks volumes to me about the condition of humanity, and about the tension between terror and wondering joy. What I find so compelling in Herman’s work is his use of color and texture to communicate both the vibrant perfection to be found in the ordinary people whose stories make up history, and their flaws and imperfections.
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It’s interesting to note how, during the holiday season, when retailers are bending backwards to catch every potential shopper with any technique possible, the gallery district in Chelsea had only a smattering of open galleries on the weekend after New Years’. While they did swing back in full force over the next two weeks, if you didn’t know better, you probably wouldn’t think much had changed. Perhaps it hasn’t. Maybe art galleries are just a different kind of retailer.
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John UpdikeMarch 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009 I can’t claim to be John Updike’s biggest fan. I’ve only read a couple of his books. But I was perturbed to learn of his death this past Tuesday. For this California boy, he represented the leather-patch-on-the-tweed-jacket kind of writer – a WASPy New Englander who snapped [...]
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In all of these films there is a looming presence of places: real streets, cafés, and bits of geographical lore that persist beyond the imagination of these storied tours. They are films intent on celebrating their chosen landscapes rather than using them to concoct the kind of infectious screenscapes Baudrillard discovered all over Hollywood. And though only one of these films actually takes place in an American city, they inform us nonetheless. We step out of theaters after films like this into St. Louis, Boston, Austin, or any other hazardously American city armed with ways to look at our neighborhoods and daily routines in similarly thoughtful ways.
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Where is the Cinema?Some Cities and Films in 2008 By M. Leary A look at cities in the films of 2008, and how they arm us with ways to look at our neighborhoods and daily routines in thoughtful ways. So Much to Read:Updike, Angstrom and Procrastination By Matt Beck John Updike, RIP: the legacy and [...]
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I can think of only a few other fields where confusion ensues upon statement of profession: philosopher, geneticist, human rights advocate. Fortunately for those highly educated individuals who are also asked to explain their day-to-day dealings, they have either mental superiority or moral uprightness on their side. Classical saxophonists lose on both counts.
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I’ll tell you candidly – I love dark, cynical, yes, even nihilistic films. The macabre side of human experience is fascinating, and there has been a strong run of artistic, bleak films lately. I propose, however, that it’s equally important to examine another side of life: experiences of virtue.
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Does a lack of belonging breed materialism which leads to neuroticism which leads to paranoia which leads to believing that this downward spiral of material obsession will continue and Steve Jobs will eventually create a troop of iPod robots so sleek and desirable that they will seduce us into being their slaves?
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Notes from a Budget Truck By Brian Watkins Does a lack of belonging breed materialism which leads to neuroticism which leads to paranoia which leads to believing that this downward spiral of material obsession will continue and Steve Jobs will eventually create a troop of iPod robots so sleek and desirable that they will seduce [...]
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