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POPSKaren Hess on Food, Faith, and that "Dithering Idiot" Julia Child ...(Orgasm) I have a soft spot for cantankerous Americans with borderline personalities. Probably because I am one myself. In this regards, Karen Hess is a true blue, red-blooded American original. She called Julia Child a dithering idiot! But I think it is interesting, the characteristics of the classic American crank: Surly iconoclasm A hate for anyone up on top of the hill A pastoral nostalgia for the past A mania for the rustic and natural And a certain "messianic fervor." It is interesting that what is true of Hess' thoughts on food is also true of many other Americans on many other subjects.
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POPSHistory of Coffee Austin's clipping brought to you by: COFFEE! It is my firm belief that coffee is at the root of all modern western scholarship.
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POPSMarvelous Mysteries of Cartography As a huge fan of Martin Waldseemuller, I'm glad to see his work in the news. Cartography used to be a really cool job, requiering research and interviews, and a healthy dose of speculation. The great thing is that history is so much more complex than the writing of it, and this map is a perfect example of that. Maps were very cloak and dagger stuff back in their day. Although the story comes down that Columbus discovered America and Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean. But a clever sleuth could have figured out that there must have been something dividing the eastern coast of China from the eastern coast of the new continent. Also, there is the very sexy possibility that other unknown explorers had already made forays into the Pacific before Balboa got the credit. I think its great when history starts to sound like an Arturo Perez Reverte novel!
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POPSA Literary Perspective on the Subjective Nature of Memory I am consistently impressed with Hungarian literature, and the language is moving up my "Must Learn" list. Nadas Peter seems like a particularly relevant novelist today, in an era where facts, and even recent history are extraordinarily maliable. The most amazing part is the way in which the "free" press has been not only complacent but complicit in these revisions. More than any time in the recent passed, these days we need to be reminded that human beings are not inheriently empirical creatures. Emotions and perceptions; desires and frustarations; these are the key architects of our collective memories.
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POPSArchitectual Interface between Modernity and Antiquity I think that the narative aspect of architecture is often overlooked. Here it is brought inescapably yet eloquently to life. There is a narrative in the reflection of the Parthenon in the glass of the new museum, the interplay between the ancient past and the approaching future. In both ancient cities and modern museums, we navigate history and culture, spatially arranged and physically enclosing us, and it is the architect who controls the course of this narrative.
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POPSA History of Dissidence: Wiretapping Studs Terkel This column offers a sweeping history of dissidence in America by Studs Terkel merely examining the history of conservatives who have wiretapped and blacklisted him. It's fascinating to see someone who's life spans so much history, and who is still mad as hell.
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POPSIf Bush is lying, we are lying too. Is not accepting a lie and allowing it to become truth just as bad as telling the lie? Isn't it criminal negligence when we overlook uncomfortable truths? Why are the lies Bush tells so effective, even after they are exposed? Because they are convenient, because they are what we would like to believe. I've always guided my politics by one principle: I see the Germans on the History Channel, awkwardly trying to explain why they served the Third Reich. They always say things like "How could we have known?" or "If you'd have been there, you would have too." or "We thought we were doing something good!" My goal is never to have to explain myself on the History Channel. Never to be blinded by political charisma or naive devotion to powerful institutions. I'd rather be skeptical than be an accomplice. I have no sympathy for someone who pleads ignorance.
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POPSApparently, India Rules, while the rest of us drool Check this out, you bunch of nomadic forest dwellers! You think you're all high and mighty just because you all invented toilet paper? Not only did India invent math, food and breathing, they also invented Snakes & Ladders! Take that, British Empire! And they never invaded a country in 10,000 years. It almost makes sense, if you can force yourself to think of India as a single nation with a single people.
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POPSA Melancholy Bush Legacy Although opinions may very, I personally don't think Bush will have any significant legacy at all. Most of his best ideas were either glib comments in State of the Union addresses (Hydrogen Cars, Mars etc.) or things he talked about but never followed through on (the promised funding for AIDS research and even some assistance to 9/11 victims has yet to actually be allocated.) Empty promises may be impressive now, but they won't be in a hundred years when the rhetoric has faded. So what will people say of Bush once he has passed out of living memory? Conservatives seem to cling to him as a symbol of the strength of their ideas, because he won't compromise and doesn't blink when he continues to push the conservative agenda against mounting popular opposition. But he won't be a conservative rallying cry forever. What actual achievements will last in the record of history?
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POPSThe Ruined City of Jiaohe, and the exquisite art of Wu Guanzhong In the works of Wu Guanzhong there is boldness, delicacy, and a certain base simplicity that becomes intricate by virtue of permutation and condensation. It feels like it can somehow capture the simoltaneous banality, simplicty, subtleness and complexity of the way man forms civilization around him. Thus the sprawling ruins of Jiaohe, a fortified city lost in the desert canyons of the Taklamakan, seems like a fitting subject. This painting just sold in Beijing for over US$4,000,000
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