Tag: Google+

French incursion may be saving Mali’s cultural heritage

The presence of French troops in Mali may help to protect a priceless cultural legacy which has been under siege by Islamist fighters. The BBC reports on the fate of the ancient city of Timbuktu:

The historic city is a World Heritage site, renowned for its architecture, manuscript libraries and centuries-old shrines to Islamic saints – revered by Sufi Muslims but which the Salafi militants consider idolatrous.

Many of these shrines, mausoleums, and other treasures have been destroyed just as the Taliban waged war against Afghanistan’s Buddhist monuments.

Mali crisis: ‘Timbuktu joy after life of fear’
Following France’s intervention in Mali last week, a Timbuktu resident, who asked to remain anonymous, tells the BBC about reaction in the city to the Islamist fighters’ apparent withdrawal.

Sadly, in other areas they control, Islamists continue to silence Mali’s vibrant musical culture.

————-

Update:

Sounds like a lot more damage has already been done: Timbuktu mayor says Islamists burned texts (AP)

Ghosts of Detroit

Some ghosts of Detroit – a more humane form of ruin fixation that actually features some human beings who once filled these spaces with life.

Beautifully Mashed-Up Photos Show The Glory And Wreckage Of Detroit
Several years after the original Cass Tech High School in downtown Detroit was abandoned, a local photographer sifting through the ruins found decades of the school’s storied history…

 

There will be no return to normal

Goodbye to “normal” — Excellent insight from Stowe Boyd on our economic leaders’ “comforting myth of ‘returning to normal’” – I think it exists in many conversations outside the business world too.

The Biggest If Of All
I continue to see the comforting myth of ‘returning to normal’ show up in all sorts of discussions. Today, in a NY Times piece on where investment fund managers are finding good opportunities to invest the central point was that fund managers can’t find good investment opportunities, because high uncertainty. But — don’t worry! — everything will be fine as soon as we get back to normal. 

…What I am interested in is the deep story, never examined or questioned: we are in a downturn like other downturns, and we will return to postmodern growth patterns: the typical boom/bust cycle that defined the past few hundred years of the modern and post modern economies. 

[Please read on]

 

Jazz writer Ted Gioia on the late Dave Brubeck

RIP Dave Brubeck… An exceedingly cool cat, as Dana Gioia writes:

How many celebrities have a marriage that lasts 70 years? I think Dave is the only one. He was a very caring family man, a good dad and husband – never a given in the entertainment industry. He was a pioneer on civil rights, threatening to cancel concerts when faced with complaints about his integrated band. He served his country as a soldier (at the Battle of the Bulge) and as both an official and unofficial ambassador.

In memoriam: Dave Brubeck | OUPblog
By Ted Gioia I first met Dave Brubeck when I was in my twenties, and writing my book on West Coast jazz. Dave deeply impressed me…

Pulling for Tyler Waldman

A huge number of people are pulling for Tyler Waldman right now. I’m praying that we can soon enjoy another coffee-and-media discussion in Towson…

Outpouring of Support for Essex Editor Tyler Waldman

Tyler Jonathan Waldman, a Towson resident, was critically injured after a Monday morning car crash at the intersection of Goucher Boulevard and E. Joppa Road.

Baltimore diplomatic mission to Philadelphia’s tech scene

A storify of insights and photos from a Baltimore delegation to Philadelphia’s tech scene…

Geeks on a Train to Philadelphia
On Nov. 16, 2012, a group of Baltimore entrepreneurs, coders, designers, innovators, and other tech community enthusiasts got a first-hand look at Philadelphia’s tech scene. These are their stories……

A note from Edcamp Baltimore

I’ve spent the morning at a remarkable event: Edcamp Baltimore – a gathering of (mostly) teachers sharing knowledge, tips, and strategies in an unconference format. Coming from a family of teachers, I know how deadly “professional development” can be. This is an refreshing, hyper-productive alternative. I’m listening to teachers working out best practices gleaned from classrooms from Boston to Baltimore. Great work by our local organizers, particularly Jessica Gartner.