Church Street Editorial

May 15, 2009

Science Friday: Patterns Written By Sound

The Patterns Written by Sound. I can’t even really describe this one; suffice to say, it’s very cool.

More Science Friday.

Commencement: “Your Body of Work is Never Done”

President Barack Obama’s Arizona State University commencement address to 9,000 graduates on May 13: The Class of 2009.

Be inspired: This is a good one. Methinks he wrote it himself. Videos after the fold.

In three parts:

1.

2.

3.

May 14, 2009

NOW: “On Thin Ice”

NOW on PBS is consistently one of the best shows on television. Here the team takes an up-close look at global warming by traveling to the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayan Mountains.

Watch the program here and float around on the site to watch some great television journalism. I’ll be posting items on must-see NOW programs regularly so stay tuned.

As always, support independent public journalism — it makes our democracy thrive. /soapbox.

May 13, 2009

The Arts: NEA Nominee Announced

I was wondering when this was going to happen: A new chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts has been nominated. According to the White House, it’s Rocco Landesman: 

[P]resident of Jujamcyn Theaters, a company that owns and operates five Broadway theaters and produces Broadway shows[,] including the landmark productions “Angels in America,” “Proof,” “Smokey Joe’s Café,” “The Grapes of Wrath[,]” and “Caroline, Or Change.”

At first glance, the 61-year-old producer appears up to the  job, but it likely didn’t hurt that he held a big fundraiser in 2007 for then-presidential candidate Obama.

If confirmed by the Senate, Landesman’s main task will be to advocate for congressional approval of the 2010 NEA budget, chair and appoint members to the National Council on the Arts, and generally try to create interest in and drum up support for NEA’s arts programs – not an easy task when his budget will be but a drop in the federal funding bucket. It will be interesting to see how Landesman makes the transition from big man on Broadway to head of a tiny, somewhat obscure, federal office, and if he can raise the profile of performers and artists during this time of severe economic anxiety. 

[Pictured: Esperanza Spalding, performing at last night’s poetry, spoken word, and music event at the White House.]

Event: Poetry and Music at the White House

The White House hosts an event May 12 dedicated to poetry, spoken word, and music.

Here is a short list of performers.