Andrew Hazlett // This page is a notepad for ideas, links, and things of interest to me and probably few others. My Internet home-base is at http://www.TheOccasional.org.
I am establishing a cultural commentary and curation website called The New Modern. Visit http://www.TheNewModern.net for more information.
Cutting Save America’s Treasures and Preserve America grant programs at the National Park Service. Save America’s Treasures program was started to mark the millennium and was supposed to last for two years. Both programs lack rigorous performance metrics and evaluation efforts so the benefits are unclear.
Update: The National Trust for Historic Preservation responds to the budget announcement:
Not since the 1980’s has there been such an assault on the programs that protect America’s heritage. Since 2000, SAT has been the federal government’s most successful tool to preserve the important places that tell our nation’s story. Due to the broad, bi-partisan Congressional support it has on the Hill, the program has saved over 700 of America’s most significant places in all 50 states, supporting jobs and economic development in every single project it covers.
Read more at the National Trust website.
Bannerman’s Castle was already an enigmatic ruin in the middle of the Hudson River, a dreamy landmark for passing train travelers and a passionate cause for preservationists.
But then in the silence of last Saturday night, a large chunk of history suddenly disappeared when the castle’s stone, brick and cement sighed under a century’s weight of weather. Overnight, two-thirds of the eastern tower was gone, as well as one-third of the adjacent southern wall, leaving a gaping hole and concern over how to stop the crumbling.
Read more: nytimes.com
[via @marklamster]
Imagine inheriting the majority of the planet:
"In 1689, Kangxi, the emperor of China, embarked on a tour to inspect his southern provinces, undertaking a two-thousand-mile journey from Beijing to the cities and towns of the Yangzi Delta and back..."
Paul Fussell's The Great War and Modern Memory: The Illustrated Edition is a rare sort of book -- a product of intellectual rigor imbued with deep emotion. First published in 1975, this work of history and literature has helped readers come to terms with the legacy of the First World War. After garnering a National Book Award and other honors, the book has been a fixture on college reading lists and "best of" lists. Now, there is a vividly illustrated edition that should spark fresh interest in Paul Fussell's nonfiction masterpiece.
My latest review for The Book Studio.
Photographer Preston Merchant has been traveling the world documenting the global diaspora of people from India. Indo-Carribean "Chutney Soca" music, South African "bunny chow," Manhattan Bhangra nights, and more.
The resulting book (forthcoming) should be fascinating.
Look for "bright young things" and fresh memories of the Great War.
(via Crooked Timber)
The New York Times reports on two new documentaries featuring remarkable, recently rediscovered footage from World War II. A surprising amount of stunning film in these cable television documentaries was shot originally in color. The Smithsonian Channel will feature "Apocalypse" and History will run "WWII in HD."
Oddly, in a desperate-sounding attempt to capture the attention of "younger audiences," the Smithsonian Institution's cable channel "colorized" more than 2/3 of the footage in its program.
I find it interesting that the commercial History program is adhering to higher documentary standards than the public/non-profit Smithsonian "brand."
On "The Sound of Young America" the inimitable Jesse Thorn interviews the director of Philadelphia's fascinating Mutter Museum - a treasure trove of medical history and strangeness.
