The Mark Of A Great World City

“The idea that major cities of the world, rather than the nations they belong to, will be the rising powers of the 21st century is a fashionable one these days. These wealthy cities set the world agenda in finance and fashion and just about everything in between.” So where does Los Angeles and its telegenic mayor fit?

The Truth About Educational Consequences

“Obsession with standardized testing has reduced primary and secondary education to little more than rote learning that continues to leave far too many children behind. Corporate titans have dumbed down the press and transformed TV news coverage into platforms for right-wing blowhards. Meanwhile, regardless of political viewpoint, most can agree that study after study reveals American students to be woefully ignorant of geography, history and science compared with their overseas counterparts.”

Disney Hall Sues Claes Oldenburg Over Sculpture

“Collar and Bow, a 65-foot-tall sculpture of men’s formalwear accessories, was supposed to go up in 2004 to provide a jaunty greeting outside Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Los Angeles Music Center, which hired Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, is suing the married couple, along with fabricators and engineers who tried to assemble their work, in Los Angeles County Superior Court.”