“Books by two journalists, one a Pulitzer prizewinner, the other a Nobel laureate, have made it to the shortlist announced on Monday for the £30,000 Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Yvette Chauviré, Grande Dame Of French Ballet, Dead At 99
“Originally a child prodigy at the Paris Opera Ballet, Ms. Chauviré was acclaimed as a national symbol of French culture by an adoring public and by the French government, which bestowed its highest honors on her. Although she belonged to a generation of gifted ballerinas at the Paris Opera, she was set apart by a mesmerizing elegance that was never confused with chic.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.19.16
The essence of every picture
I’ve offered a few posts recently on the craft and qualities of language in advancing purposeful work. … But to me, the most essential and the most often missing aspect of any productive conversation is the frame. … read more
AJBlog: The Artful Manager Published 2016-10-19
KQED is encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation with an in-house incubatorNieman Lab
This isn’t an article written by me, but it features me. So I thought I’d share it here. … read more
AJBlog: Lies Like Truth Published 2016-10-19
Recent Listening: Cyrille-McHenry, Effenberg
Andrew Cyrille & Bill McHenry, Proximity (Sunnyside)
Cyrille, a dancer on drums, teams with the intrepid tenor saxophonist McHenry in a succession of duets. Their close listening to one another results in empathy that … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-10-19
[ssba_hide]
Consequentialism – The Philosophy That Guarantees You’ll Never Stop Feeling Guilty
“I didn’t do enough,” says Oskar Schindler at the end of Schindler’s List. “Is he right?,” asks Michael Mitchell. “According to consequentialism, it’s true: he didn’t do enough. Consequentialism is the moral theory that we are obligated to do whatever would have the best consequences. If that entails great sacrifice, then great sacrifice is what consequentialism demands we undertake. Since Schindler could have done more, he should have.”
Strange And Entertaining Tales Of Bogus Folk Etymology
“Is it really true that the American idiom ‘say uncle’ emerged from the bullying of a poor parrot – and murder most fowl? Has there been a more beknighted or benighted cut of beef than the ‘sirloin’ – at least when it comes to the word’s origin? … When it comes to the strange history of certain linguistic oddities, Jesus H. Christ (and where did the ‘H’ come from, exactly?), linguists, you got some ‘splainin’ to do!”
Very Brave Choreographer Creates Dance Starring Art Museum Staffers
“When the French choreographer Jérôme Bel unveils MoMA Dance Company next week at the Museum of Modern Art, the 25 performers will have had just three rehearsals as a group. Mr. Bel is the first to acknowledge that the experiment, as he calls it, might not work.”
Should We Just Do Away With The Term ‘Oscar Bait’?
“Biopics! Coming-of-age tales! Socially conscious historical dramas! You might even call them ‘Oscar bait’ – but should you? Below, Vulture editors Mark Harris and Kyle Buchanan debate the utility of the term.”
Why Aren’t More Top Museums Led By Women? Asks New York Times Op-Ed
Sonnet Stanfill, curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum: “In 2015, the world’s top 12 art museums as based on attendance – what I call the ‘directors’ dozen’ – were all led by men. When Frances Morris became the director of the Tate Modern in April, she became the first woman to join the club. This gender gap extends from Europe to North America, where only five of the 33 directors of the most prominent museums (those with operating budgets of more than $20 million) are women.”
How The Miami Tribe Is Bringing Its Language Back From The Dead
“The last native speaker of Myaamia died in the 1960s. The language had been spoken by the Myaamia people, Native Americans who originally lived in what is now Indiana. Also known as the Miami, they were forcibly relocated twice in the 19th century, and ended up scattered throughout the Midwest and beyond … By the 1980s, linguists and tribe members alike thought the language was gone. But then Daryl Baldwin came along.”
Strong Female Roles In TV Are Getting More Common On Both Sides Of The Pond
“The trend is evident in such acclaimed serials as Girls, Unreal, and Transparent in the U.S. Meanwhile in the U.K., period pieces Call the Midwife and Victoria, Blighty’s biggest new drama this fall, have put women to the fore in two different centuries. The fashion for female leads is just as clear in comedy.”