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PEOPLE ARCHIVES -- FEBRUARY 2010
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FEBRUARY 15, 2010 -- FEBRUARY 21, 2010 DESIGN MOURNS ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, "BAD BOY OF BRITISH FASHION"
He had a presence that no one could place their finger on. He made fashion an experience to remember and something to enjoy. His shows were spectacular and he put his life and soul into his work. His imagination and creativity were inspirational. Not only was he a self-made man and a genius but also he created a name in the fashion world that will echo through it for decades to come. A national treasure and a role model this man will always be remember for his creations, he will be deeply missed. Read the article BBC/HAVE YOUR SAY/What is Alexander McQueen's legacy to fashion? <> McQueen's talent went beyond trends and the actual garment...he was a storyteller and I will miss his fairy tales.. Read the article WWD-FASHION/Alexander McQueen has commited suicide <> McQueen’s originality and zeal will be sorely missed in an industry where “knock-offs” are a dime a dozen. I can’t help but to think as I look at McQueen’s pictures that there was a deep sadness about him. It just goes to show that all the money and prestige doesn’t amount to anything unless you truly are happy. As a former fashion designer for Ralph Lauren I know first hand how SOULLESS and SUPERFICIAL the industry can truly be.
Read the article BBC/HAVE YOUR SAY/What is Alexander McQueen's legacy to fashion? <> I, like so many others am so desperately shocked and saddened to hear of the untimely death of Lee (Alexander) McQueen. I am just a woman, not model like, not in the fashion business, who adored his work and would save my wages to buy some of his pieces like his iconic "skull Scarves" , as I could never afford a dress or a pair of his shoes! Everytime you would look at any magazine you could easily spot "the McQueen" without even checking the label as it was (and still is) so beautiful. His clothes were "Art" and spoke to everyone from any walk of life and I feel so desperate for his friends and family. His work will live on and he will always be remebered as a truly great and inspirational british artist. I hope he is at peace....... GOD BLESS McQueen! Read the article U.K. DAILY MAIL/Alexander McQueen commits suicide
FEBRUARY 8, 2010 -- FEBRUARY 14, 2010 PHILOSOPHER BERNARD-HENRI LEVY FALLS VICTIM TO RARE STRAIN OF "BOTULISM"
What am I not getting here? BHL used an argument. He hilariously credited a wrong source, which is sloppy work perhaps, but it does not make the argument wrong. Who cares who wrote it, or if no one did at all? If you would find out that Immanuel Kant never existed, and that his philosophy was an elaborate joke perpetrated by Fritz Joseph-Mcdonald of Sweinstaadt in Bavaria, would that affect your assessment of his philosophy? Did no one note the “death of the author” lately? Butol is as legitimate as any biological philosopher—in fact, probably superior to some (bravo Pagés). Read the article NEW STATESMAN/Botulism in the philosophical sense
I find this little story amusing in the extreme. Read the article U.K. TIMES/Bernard-Henri Levy a laughing-stock for quoting fictional philospoher <> His defense when caught red handed in the act of bogus scholarship and faux-philosophy? Read the article U.K. TIMES/Bernard-Henri Levy a laughing-stock for quoting fictional philospoher <> Without reading the original, it's hard to say if this is risible or not. After all, in philosophy the point isn't whether or not some-one exists (outside of certain branches of metaphysics) but whether or not an argument is correct. Read the article GAWKER/Magniloquentn French sage Bernard-Henri Levy stumped by dastardly totalitarian Wikipedia
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S CHILDREN -- JACOB ZUMA'S LOVE CHILD ROCKS THE CRADLE
This article really brings to attention how we Africans - well, all peoples really - relate to our respective cultures. The question always is: which parts of our cultures have outlived their validity, and which do we need to maintain? Is it just a question of the evolution of culture; an evolution ...that should not be fought against? Aren't our ideas of right and wrong formed by our own cultures and coloured by our knowledge of other cultures? I won't go as far as to condemn Mr. Zuma and his [consenting] wives, but I would most certainly not want to be part of such a "tradition". Please note - if there is no consent among any of the parties, it is simply WRONG. Otherwise, it's a matter of perspective. I am not obliged to agree with such a practice, and neither is anyone obliged to agree with me. Read the article HUFFINGTON POST/The first polygamist and his first, second and third ladies <> What sets back respect for women in SA is not the message President Zuma sends through his legitimate marriages, it is the message he sends by his lack of respect for the sanctity of marriage. His reckless adultery is reprehensible and poisonous to the public discourse, and it would be no less so if he were monogamous. In the US, we have anti-polygamy laws which were enacted for the sole purpose of persecuting religious minorities (initially Mormons, now Muslims as well), and all that they accomplish is to break up immigrant families and force American families living by their cultural religious convictions to go underground (where all forms of abuse and exploitation are less likely to be noticed). There is no problem with President Zuma having multiple wives; there is only a problem with the way he treats women, whether he's married to them or not. Read the article HUFFINGTON POST/The first polygamist and his first, second and third ladies
FEBRUARY 1 , 2010 -- FEBRUARY 7, 2010 INTO THE SILENCE: J.D. SALINGER, AUTHOR OF CATCHER IN THE RYE
It seems to me that Salinger always wanted to have his work frozen in time like the Eskimos in the museum that Holden so admired. He left us with his best work so that his memory wouldn't be tainted by a less than perfect set of novels failing to match up to, "The Catcher in the Rye." I really hope though, that should we now see a flurry of his unpublished works being released that whoever is left in charge of editing the boxes full of text, is a passionate fan and not someone out to make a buck on the bloke's death! Really rather sad, was very shocked when I saw the headline. For some reason you never expect people like Salinger to die, even though it's obvious they will! Read the article U.K. GUARDIAN/J.D.Salinger: America's greatest literary hermit <> He was undoubtedly a talented author and I enjoyed his style of writing. However, when I read Catcher in my sophomore English class, I remember hating Holden Caulfield and not really understanding his allure or why so many people claim him as their favorite character or Catcher as their favorite book. I do have to credit Salinger with creating a character I could detest so much, though; that in itself is a testament to how real and believable he was. Am I the only one who felt this way about the book? Maybe I should reread it now (13 years later) and see if my tastes have changed. Read the article SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/Catcher in the Rye author, J.D. Salinger, dies <> I haven't read Salinger since high school, but while I do remember considerable cynicism about "Catcher" as required reading, there was also a great reverence among the thoughtful readers for "Franny and Zooey" and some of the "Nine Stories," especially "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." Salinger captured something essentially American on the midcentury/postwar cusp of social upheaval. Despite the lauds of the Beats for Zen and Taoist philosophy, Salinger's uncertain introspective quality touched upon that sort of perspective in a quieter manner, less of an acquisition than a poem from the heart. Read the article SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE/Catcher in the Rye author, J.D. Salinger, dies
HOWARD ZINN, PEOPLE'S HISTORIAN OF THE UNITED STATES
"History, looked at under the surface, in the streets and on the farms, in GI barracks and trailer camps, in factories and offices, tells a different story. Whenever injustices have been remedied, wars halted, women and blacks and Native Americans given their due, it has been because 'unimportant' people spoke up, organized, protested, and brought democracy alive." Read the article DAILY BEAST/Howard Zinn dead at 87 <> There was never a better read than Zinn's books. He took American history out of the realm of myth and into the factual realism. His influence on generations of us who benefited from Zinn's books as required reading in university history classes. After reading just one of Zinn's works, the reader/student was instilled with a hunger for more. Read the article DAILY BEAST/Howard Zinn dead at 87
To me, Zinn represents an early point of my life where I started to question what I was taught in a formal U.S. educational system. His work helped to bring about a desire to learn more about history - U.S. history specifically. Do I agree with all of his arguments and framings of U.S. history? No. Am I mourning his loss because he helped to push me to question the standard pro-U.S. historical rhetoric? Yes. Read the article NPR/Historian Howard Zinn is dead
CHEF FERRAN ADRIÀ SHUTTERS WORLD'S BEST RESTAURANT FOR TWO YEARS, SEEKS NEW "EXPERIENCES"
Is this a gourmet version of a "Concorde Moment"? Few of us mere mortals entertained realistic hopes of ever eating there, despite regularly submitting a begging email to get a reservation and putting a kidney on eBay to settle my potential bill! Traditionalists have long argued that molecular gastronomy goes against the very essence of cooking, replacing art with science, but whether Ferran Adria is an artist or a scientist he is undoubtedly a genius. We can not expand our culinary horizons unless someone is pushing the culinary envelope. As to who replaces him? How do you replace genius? He is as important a culinary figure as August Escoffier or Bartolomeo Scappi. The real question for me is now where to send my begging emails? Homaro Cantu at Moto prepare to be besieged! Read the article U.K. GUARDIAN/El-Bulli to close for two years <> If I were to go somewhere like El Bulli or the Fat Duck, I would be going for the very different experience these places afford. But equally, I'd love to go somewhere where they have devoted as much time and attention to perfecting steak and chips as they have to broccoli-stuffed helium balloons, miniature caraway seed golf balls that taste like a question mark, or eggs that burst open to reveal nanobots that paint the inside of your mouth with marzipan. Read the article U.K. GUARDIAN/El-Bulli to close for two years <> My wife and I managed to dine there.
One needs that memory to feel one has had a 'good meal'. Read the article U.K. TIMES/Owner of El-Bulli, world's most exclusive restaurant, shuts up shop for two years
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