2010 Most Impressed By

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

... people who have done really outstanding work in the arts/sciences/society etc. ...




the most impressive book i read this year, and one i will certainly have to re-read ... but that is not to fault this clear, informative reshaping of of how we might see ourselves ... good science and like all such it may not stand the test of time, meanwhile Thomas Metzinger has changed the nature of the race not just raised the height of the hurdles ...

The Royal Society of Arts 21st Century Enlightenment Programme is an excellent campaign to refresh thinking, brilliant web site [WATCH THE ANIMATIONS!!!] ...
http://www.thersa.org/


Deirdre McCloskey's work on the great transformation of our lives since 1800 poses the issue with a convincing freshness and directness, and argue or not she makes her case trenchantly and cogently [again she may be wrong but any one will have to work well and hard to get round her evidence and arguments] - catch her on youtube if you can

http://www.deirdremccloskey.com/

this talk by David Harvey and his lecture ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0



[for sticking with a close reading of Marx, high scholarship and eloquent expositions ... it doesn't matter what your view on Marx is, he will show you what you may fail to appreciate]

and Maria Joao Pires's Prom 7 transcendent and sublime

[Simon]

It's always been a good site for thinking, Calum! I must recommend it more to my own associates and friends. Though sadly, a lot of it, especially the blog responses, are tainted with what I see as blinkered and ingrained left-liberal thinking which is unrealistic and unchallenging. I'd love to listen to the January economics talk - from the brief synopsis I rather think she's right! - but alas it's not close enough to me.

bws Simon

[amateur51]

...

and Maria Joao Pires's Prom 7 transcendent and sublime

It's being re-broadcast tonight at 22:00 Calum

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00szr8c

[amateur51]

It's always been a good site for thinking, Calum! I must recommend it more to my own associates and friends. Though sadly, a lot of it, especially the blog responses, are tainted with what I see as blinkered and ingrained left-liberal thinking which is unrealistic and unchallenging. I'd love to listen to the January economics talk - from the brief synopsis I rather think she's right! - but alas it's not close enough to me.

bws Simon

It's not often you see working examples of a knee-jerk reaction (emphasis on the 'jerk' perhaps? ) AND solipsism in one short post.

Reminds me of the old headline: 'Fog In Channel: Continent Cut Off!'

[eighthobstruction]

Good ol' Simon we're proud to sing your name....or issue #

[Chris Newman]

Bringing the thread back on to the subject that aka Calum Da Jazbo intended my best experiences this year have been operatic. Covent Garden's Simon Boccanegra at the Garden, in Trafalgar Square and at the Proms were life enhancing performances with Domingo proving that he is one of the world's greatest actors (his Rigoletto was brilliant too on TV). The WNO Die Meistersinger at the Proms and Glyndebourne Hansel and Gretel were superb. To hear Margaret MacDonald sing Elgar's Music Makers at Salisbury with a voice like Janet Baker's was amazing. My greatest memory was of Sir Charles Mackerras conducting the composer whom he and Vilem Tausky exported from Czecho(Slovakia) a few weeks before he died. Janacek's Cunning Little Vixen at Covent Garden was a deightful memory to the conductor who has probably given me more enjoyment in my life than any other.

[Simon]

Good ol' Simon were proud tio sing your name....

Ignoring the hilarious idea that Am51 - whose friends seem to have taught him some bigger words recently - would even understand the website referred to, I was interested to read the above post from another of the ragbag from the old boards ( which I've toned down from its schoolboy level of silly pictures and big red writing in (naturally) comic sans. :doh: )

I suppose that it's about par for the intellect behind it, and of course one wouldn't expect punctuation items such as apostrophes to be correct from the brainwashed in our midst, but surely correcting typos via the "edit" feature isn't beyond them?

[eighthobstruction]

please do it for me Simon....I'm writing off a handicap of 10 at least....and the greens are playing fast....a par would do me fine....

[Uncle Monty]

I fear my views are invalid, as I now realise I must have blinkered left-wing thinking ingrained in me, evidenced by my failure to vote National Front a few times, but nothing daunted, I should like to mention the Mahler 3 under Runnicles at the Proms, which had me spellbound, seeming to take a very long journey in no time at all.

I had the tv broadcast on my BT Vision box, but some idiot (almost certainly me) has contrived to wipe the ***** thing. So memories are all I have to cling to (Bobby Darin, 1960)

[StephenO]

The two things that impressed me most in 2010 - the Terfel/WNO Meistersinger at Birmingham (much better than the subsequent Proms performance) and the patience of my piano teacher.

One thing that impressed me least - our unfair electoral system, something with which I fear we'll have to live for the forseeeable future.