“Jeffrey Gundlach said Thursday that an estimated $10 million in 20th century art that was burglarized from his Santa Monica home has now been safely returned, and that police told him they have arrested two suspects. … [He] had posted a $1.7-million reward for the return of works by Piet Mondrian, Jasper Johns, Richard Diebenkorn, Joseph Cornell and others.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Holland, Where Philosophy Actually Draws Crowds
“Dutch philosophers write bestsellers, the ‘philosophical cafes’ are full, and the Month of Philosophy is flourishing. Does it have something to do with the national character of the Dutch? And does this say anything about the quest for meaning in the Netherlands?”
Warfare And Altruism: Flip Sides Of The Same Human Instinct?
“Other animals fight over limited resources and desirable mates, but humans fight for both biological and cultural reasons. We alone will go to war to defend our honour and values. … What’s more, conflict seems to be an integral part of our social organisation. … Paradoxically, these antagonistic tendencies may be intimately linked with another, much more noble side of human nature: our unparalleled capacity for large-scale cooperation and altruistic self-sacrifice.”
In Deepest Russia, Ballet In A Car Factory
“A Russian theatre has put on an experimental ballet in a local factory involving both professional dancers and factory employees. The one-act ballet, called ‘H2O’ was performed at a local car factory, as part of the second Ural Industrial Biennale of Contemporary Art” in Yekaterinburg.
Reality TV Stars! Ballet West’s Series Renewed For Second Season
“After months of negotiations, The CW has ordered a second season of Breaking Pointe, the docu-drama set inside Salt Lake City’s Ballet West dance company. The show was not exactly a hit in Season 1. It averaged fewer than a million viewers during its six-episode run from May 31 to July 5, which is a weak showing even for The CW network. But Breaking Pointe did have a large online audience, and that was enough for the network to bring it back.”
Pop Culture Has Turned Against The Liberal Arts
Time was, an archaeology professor (Indiana Jones) could be the hero of an entire action movie franchise. “If those films were released today, I wonder if some Hollywood producer would insist that the Jones boys be changed from professors to executives at a private treasure-salvaging company. The idea that liberal-arts lovers can be heroes seems even more antiquated than the artifacts the Jones’ [sic] are after.”
India’s Favorite Satire, Seen In Cartoon Ads For Butter
“For nearly half a century, ads for Amul brand butter have stuck the knife into Indian politicians for all manner of blunders, scams and gaffes.”
Watching India’s Favorite Satirical Ads Get Made
“The team that produces up to six of these cartoons per week comprises just three people: Rahul daCunha, creative head of ad-agency daCunha Communications, copy writer Manish Jhaveri and Jayant Rane, the artist who has been sketching Amul cartoons for a quarter-century. Recently, The Wall Street Journal got a peek inside their operation.”
Naxos Chief Klaus Heymann On The Future Of Music Consumption
“I think in the long run, that will be the way people consume music – classical music and other music. And if I look at my crystal ball, I would say that in five years, 50% of our business will be in all kinds of streaming.”
Why Patti LuPone Went Into The Theater
“I fell in love with the audience tap dancing downstage right [at age 4]. … I said in my head, ‘I can’t get in trouble up here. I can do whatever I want, and the audience will still smile at me.'”