"The theorists are always ahead of the empiricists," he said, trying to keep a straight face.
But then he read this little article on "sweeping" new arguments on the evolution of art, and he realized that, in fact, the literary critics have been saying these things for, well, millennia. Aristotle said that imitation was innate; Nietzsche said that art was communal, festive (and any literary critic worth her weight in salt will tell you that the modern "great individual artist" myth is a recent invention); and didn't folks like Melanie Klein and Jacques Lacan have a lot to say about the role of the mother?
Maybe the last point is a bit of a stretch. But give us our brief moment in the sun: it's fun to see the sciences having to play catch-up for once.
A Salon.com blogger has a great little piece defending artistic constraints as a source of creativity. Thing is, he's talking about Facebook. A fine article to use in a class on form.
As some of you probably know, I've had a long standing fascination with Absinthe. The problem? I've never had the real deal. And according to real Absinthe fans, the second-rate is vile. With which I have to concur. But, apparently, after a number of years, the real deal is now commercially available in the US. I might have to see if the Fairy is up for another dance.
Well, Proposition 1, a major transit bill that included light rail and new highways, was defeated. This plan took 5 years to write. The next plan needs to be started from scratch. And, in the meantime, Seattle continues to grow, not building the infrastructure it needs to sustain that growth effectively and responsibly.
Depending on who you talk to, this bill would have cost anywhere from $150-$375 per household per year in sales taxes, and an extra $80 per $10,000 of car value in car tabs annually. Opponents said it was too expensive for too little, that it would take forever to pay off, that it wasn't radical enough to save the environment (Sierra Club and others), that it wouldn't ultimately solve congestion problems.
At the end of the day, I don't know exactly why this bill didn't pass. We'll see. And I am willing to admit that it might not have been the best possible transit plan. But that is exactly what drives me absolutely crazy about Seattle politics: we are simultaneously too idealistic and insufficiently willing to actually sacrifice. "I am only going to vote on a transit plan that solves everyone's problems and doesn't cost me any money." And don't even think about expecting everyone to drive less, regardless of the cost of gas.