“What makes this fall from grace so striking is that when the Garden Bridge plan first entered the public domain it caused a ripple of pleasure. Month by month, it has steadily descended from being perceived as a flagship for a new brighter London to becoming a symbol of the city’s wider problems. So how exactly did the Garden Bridge fall from grace?”
Author: Matthew Westphal
A Unified Theory Of The ‘Rocky’ Movies
“Stallone always gives himself two chances to tell the same story – as if, no matter how big it may have hit, he’s not quite satisfied with his first telling. The series is really a classic trilogy, with each installation in diptych form.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 11.11.15
Fracking and Arts Marketing
Can’t wait to see where I’m going with this, can you? … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2015-11-10
Twombly Blackboard Helps Sotheby’s Chalk Up a Solid Contemporary Sale
Christie’s, the recent market leader in major contemporary art sales, has less to crow about this week: Its uneven sale last night made Sotheby’s contemporary sale tonight look good. … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2015-11-11
How do you solve a problem like Leontes?
The problem with this “problem play” [The Winter’s Tale] is: why does he change so suddenly from adoring his childhood friend, Polixenes, King of Bohemia (whose visit has already lasted nine months) to being uncontrollably jealous, and certain that he is having an affair with his wife, Hermione? … If I were directing, I’d explicate the turnabout by making it evident that … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2015-11-11
Veterans Day 2015
For a couple more hours, it is still Veterans Day here in the western United States. I’ve been thinking that I should post something about this American holiday dedicated to the men and women who … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2015-11-11
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Can We Finally Start Taking ‘Political Correctness’ Excesses Seriously Now?
Jonathan Chait: “The upsurge of political correctness is not just greasy-kid stuff, and it’s not just a bunch of weird, unfortunate events that somehow keep happening over and over. It’s the expression of a political culture with consistent norms, and philosophical premises that happen to be incompatible with liberalism.”
Knowing How You Decide Is As Important As The Decision
“Psychologists have argued there are two types of decision-making styles: There are maximizers, and then there are satisficers. Maximizers are concerned with making the very best decision, hemming and hawing and hemming some more until they’ve considered every possible option. Satisficers, on the other hand, know what they want, and once they find an option that meets their criteria, they pick that and move on with their lives. It’s a ‘nothing but the best’ versus an ‘eh, good enough’ mind-set.” (includes quiz)
Why Are Art Galleries Almost Always White Cubes?
“The answer involves everything from the rise of ascetic Protestantism, Soviet contrarianism, Zen reflection and the ever-unstoppable power of the dollar. The last one – market forces – goes a long way towards explaining the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ attitude that fuels the white cube’s persistence.”
Al Pacino-David Mamet Play’s Broadway Opening Delayed By Two Weeks
China Doll, “bolstered by Mr. Pacino’s star power, has been selling very strongly at the box office, but there has been some skeptical early buzz about Mr. Mamet’s play and Mr. Pacino’s performance, and the delay will both lengthen the amount of time the team has to work on the project before critics weigh in, and reduce the effect of reviews because they will run later in the play’s limited run and after the traditionally lucrative Thanksgiving weekend.”
Why Can’t The World Just Pick One Design For Electric Plugs?
It’s the question asked in frustration by every international traveler with an appliance. The answer, ultimately, goes back to the old rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.
‘I Have 10, Sometimes 11 Costume Changes Per Show’: Diary Of A Moulin Rouge Dancer
“That’s 22 changes each night. You wouldn’t be able to put the feathers on by yourself during a quick change so we have an army of 25 dressers. We don’t dance in the nude: we’re always completely covered with jewels, feathers, bra and pants. It’s very classy, very elegant.”
We’re Starting To Learn The Real Secret Of Stonehenge: How The People Who Built It Lived
“‘The stone monument is iconic,’ said [archaeologist] Wolfgang Neubauer … ‘But it’s only a little part of the whole thing.’ Discoveries in the last decade, some via modern technologies like ground-penetrating radar, have revealed more about the people for whom the giant monuments held great meaning.”