Dancers

What do you note in the image below?

Do you see it? Left versus right? 

All the women are in static, still poses. All the men are in dynamic poses. Why is this? 

I am assuming each dancer selected his and her pose and photo. Are women thinking they must look graceful (and, essentially, passive) and men that they must look active? Why do they think that? IMHO the men's photos are more impressive; I go to the ballet to see movement and their photos make me excited for what is about to come. Creating a balance of strength and grace is difficult and is one of the things I like about ballet, so the men's photos embody that for me (pun intended). 

Or, let me get creative here, do men feel more need to prove themselves in ballet, a world which the lay person more naturally associates with women? 

Carrying this to its logical conclusion - at least if you are in my head - brings me back to a previous post about how men are raised to have to prove themselves continuously, society does not tell them they have a choice. 

To note: this is from the playbill of the Atlanta ballet, the dancer bios. 

Shout Out

To my friend, sister and partner in crime.
Good luck Simona!

Buon viaggio e buon divertimento. Raccontaci tutto!! 

La Grande Bellezza

I finally saw this film.

One consequence is some nostalgia: I miss being surrounded by beauty. Sorry America, you know I'm a fan but a strip mall is ugly any way you cut it. And they are every where.

The scenery and aesthetics were, I found, striking and I liked the music and how it was used.

For the rest, I found it highly derivative. And I'm amazed at all the adulation poured on it from abroad. The Daily Telegraph mentions Rossellini and Fellini as influences, and how Sorrentino does the same for the Berlusconi era.

I disagree. The first two brought us a whole new genre or twist on a genre. La Grande Bellezza clearly wants to recall what came before, but it adds nothing new to the broader oeuvre. When compared to the best of Fellini it is almost pure imitation (La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, Amarcord). I'm afraid I'm more inclined to side with the FTs Antonia Quirke on this one: social clichés, destination porn, "Fellini in Vegas" (= Baz Luhrmann).

Golf

Easter Sunday was spent at TPC Sugarloaf golf course, watching the last day of the PGA Tour Greater Gwinnett tournament. (the order of those words may be incorrect).

Just that morning I had been talking about how whenever I am at the opera the first thing I do is read through all the singer bios and imagine that were my life: traveling the world to sing, beautifully, in the greatest music venues one can find.

On a similar note: golfers. As work-places go, they have it pretty good.

I have never played golf, nor did I grow up in a golf-friendly area ( find enough flat ground in Switzerland for a golf course). So I have limited understanding of the skill involved. I did, however, study the rules before the event, and looked up a few players.

Seeing this live has, in any case, given me a new appreciation for the skill involved. That tiny little ball travels great distance and lands within a tiny plot of land in between lakes, sand pits and grassy slopes.

And, in any case, how can one not enjoy a day out amongst this:

Income Inequality Institute Irony

Alliterations always win.

It is not often I will post a link back to Gawker, but that is where I first heard this bit of news so it is the correct action.

Let’s be honest: it must be hard to work for the Income Inequality Institute. Justifying any form of remuneration surely requires a creative application of words and thoughts. Bearing that in mind I’d love to hear the conversation which decided the payment of $25,000 per month to one man for playing “a modest role” and “[contributing] to the build-up” of… something.

The official announcement states:

“Professor Krugman’s contributions to economic theory are as foundational as his regular critiques of current affairs are trenchant. The Graduate Center is internationally known for its culture of interdisciplinary and collaborative research and Ph.D. training, and nowhere are the quantitative and cultural markers of inequality more systematically addressed than by our social scientists. We are delighted that he will be joining our economics program and the Luxembourg Income Study Center, where we are assembling a remarkable community of scholars and students. Our students will benefit enormously from his teaching, which will cover diverse topics.”

See here for the offer letter and response.

from Bringing Sexy Back to Economics http://ift.tt/1ttrxZv

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Pasquetta

In the Gebhardt-Brizi household

Update: these are being followed up by my home made chocolate truffles. Happy Pasquetta! 

Emily Dickinson