TianGong:

From the page: "Located on a side-street in a hipper part of Tokyo sits this 914 sq-ft (85 sq-m) glass house. It is named the NA House and was designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects. The various levels are linked by an assortment of stairs and ladders in addition to short runs of fixed and movable wooden steps, which is unique, but let窶s be honest the main draw of the house is that it is almost completely made of glass."

TianGong:

"It is now almost impossible to distinguish the counterculture from the power elite. If the power elite now looks like the counterculture, it's important to remember that it is not. In fact, in many ways those who we could say are 'condemned to subordinate positions and second-class lives,' the very people who countercultures attempt to benefit the most, have it much more difficult today than they did in the fifties. Unions have been broken, pay has not kept up with inflation, the flourishing of temp work means less benefits, and longer hours are common for young professionals no matter if they dress like freaks or not. Counterculture exchanges real power for symbolic power and hence gains only symbolic victories."

TianGong:

From the page: In childhood we learn our lessons with the aid of both body and mind, with all the senses active and eager. When we are sent to school, the doors of natural information are closed to us; our eyes see the letters, our ears the abstract lessons, but our mind misses the perpetual stream of ideas from nature, because the teachers, in their wisdom, think these bring distraction, and have no purpose behind them. "[N]ature, the greatest or all teachers, is thwarted at every step by the human teacher who believes in machine-made lessons rather than life lessons, so the growth of the child's mind is not only injured, but forcibly spoiled. Children should be surrounded with the things of nature which have their own educational value. Their minds should be allowed to stumble upon and be surprised at everything that happens in today's life."

TianGong:

Theo Angelopoulos (1935-2012), R.I.P.

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong:

THE CONTRARINESS OF THE MAD FARMER

I am done with apologies. If contrariness is my
inheritance and destiny, so be it. If it is my mission
to go in at exits and come out at entrances, so be it.
I have planted by the stars in defiance of the experts,
and tilled somewhat by incantation and by singing,
and reaped, as I knew, by luck and Heaven's favor,
in spite of the best advice. If I have been caught
so often laughing at funerals, that was because
I knew the dead were already slipping away,
preparing a comeback, and can I help it?
And if at weddings I have gritted and gnashed
my teeth, it was because I knew where the bridegroom
had sunk his manhood, and knew it would not
be resurrected by a piece of cake. "Dance" they told me,
and I stood still, and while they stood
quiet in line at the gate of the Kingdom, I danced.
"Pray" they said, and I laughed, covering myself
in the earth's brightnesses, and then stole off gray
into the midst of a revel, and prayed like an orphan.
When they said "I know that my Redeemer liveth,"
I told them "He's dead." And when they told me
"God is dead," I answered "He goes fishing every day
in the Kentucky River. I see Him often."
When they asked me would I like to contribute
I said no, and when they had collected
more than they needed, I gave them as much as I had.
When they asked me to join them I wouldn't,
and then went off by myself and did more
than they would have asked. "Well, then" they said
"go and organize the International Brotherhood
of Contraries," and I said "Did you finish killing
everybody who was against peace?" So be it.
Going against men, I have heard at times a deep harmony
thrumming in the mixture, and when they ask me what
I say I don't know. It is not the only or the easiest
way to come to the truth. It is one way.

-- Wendell Berry

TianGong:

TianGong:

"At eight-and-a-half by fourteen feet, Christ's Entry into Brussels is an enormous and brilliant indictment of humanity. The scene is a street in contemporary Brussels at the height of a Mardi Gras parade. The monumental canvas is densely packed with row on row of marching figures that swell toward the viewer like a wave. At the head of this sea of sneering faces, a parade master marches with his baton. A cast of thousands agitates in the background: figures playing musical instruments and carrying political banners, a well-fed judge, a decorated general and a bishop alongside courtesans, church ladies and a scattering of demons. Even Death makes an appearance, but only a peasant who stops in the middle of the frenzy to gawk, bug-eyed and open-mouthed, notices his presence."

TianGong:

Jan WRONG! To quote another, "Comparing Mao's Cultural Revolution to gardening lessons in Canadian schools is almost a crime in itself. As others have already argued: there is not a shred of evidence of any correlation between the gardening and the test results. It is a common pitfall to think that results will improve if children spend more time in the school working on their subject matter. The evidence is, that less is often more. Children need to learn in many ways: physical activities, outdoor activities and arts not only have a value of their own, they support the development of a healthy, well functioning mind. International data show, that a 14 year Finnish child has spent 2000 hours less in school than a 14 year old Dutch child. Yet the Finnish children outperform the Dutch on the international Pisa ranking on reading. The main reason: Dutch children don't enjoy reading (50% of the Dutch children never read anything for enjoyment, not even comics). Forcing children to work hard all day long on their subject matter in reading, math and science, in order to pass state tests will not only prove to be counterproductive, it also resembles more of the mindset behind Mao's Cultural Revolution, than school gardening programs.
-- Jan Tishauser, The Netherlands."

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong:

TianGong: