Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Important Writers On Islam

Important Writers on Islam


-Angelo Codevilla

-Oriana Fallaci

-Sam Harris

-Christopher Hitchens

-Samuel Huntington

-Amr Khaled

-Bernard Lewis

-V.S. Naipaul

-Daniel Pipes

-Robert Redeker

-Salmon Rushdie

-Wafa Sultan

-Mahmoud Muhammad Taha

-Ibn Warraq

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Intel's Breakthrough

Intel's Breakthrough

Yesterday was an important day for the computer industry and thus the U.S. economy. The Intel Corporation announced that it had overcome an obstacle in manufacturing microprocessor chips that had made the chips more energy draining the smaller they got. Chips house transistors, the ones and zeroes switches that are the neural basis for all computing. The more transistors you can fit onto a chip the more powerful the computing. For decades the American computer industry had obeyed the so-called Moore's law which held that technology would double the transistor-holding capacity of the chips every two years. Moore's law seemed to be threatened by the inability of the standard silicon dioxide insulator to prevent electrical leakage as chip size shrunk. Intel's breakthrough was to use the superior insulating capability of hafnium. Moore's law still holds thanks to Intel physicist Mark Bohr. Today's front-page article in The New York Times was the basis for this post. This is Public Occurrences.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Miami City Ballet


Miami City Ballet

This wonderful company is hardly unknown nationally and internationally but all the publicity it gets is deserved. Under the direction of Edward Villella the Miami, like the city itself, has become renown for its cutting edge creativity. Its move from the Jackie Gleason theater to the Carnival Center is a fitting showcase for this gem of a company. A gem performing in a gem.

There were four performances on Saturday night starting with Agon by Balanchine, for whom of course Mr. Villella danced. That was followed by Afternoon of a Faun which was written expressly by Jerome Robbins for Mr. Villella, so taken was the former by seeing Villella, then a 16 year old prodigy, simply limbering up at the New York City Ballet one day. Mr. Villella's virility was clearly intended as the focus of this pas de deux.

The third performance was another pas de deux, the erotic Liturgy by Christopher Wheeldon. The male-female interplay was sensually performed by coquettish Haiyan Wu and desirous Daymel Sanchez.

There were two intermissions in the evening and after the second was the concluding performance, Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room. It has become a signature of the Miami to end the evening with a "fun" piece. What Ms. Tharp's composition lacked in classical character it made up for in fun. The performance was almost as much modern dance as ballet and invigoratingly fast-paced. The dancers were clearly having fun. One ballerina performed most of the piece with a smile on her face. This viewer wore a smile on his face during the entire performance.

Two of the things that make the Miami stand out are its stage design and its costume design. With the Carnival Center's dramatic stage and the company's new wealth the stage design is almost opera-like in its grandeur. The lighting is as good. But besides Mr. Villella the other genius at the Miami is Costume Designer and Director of Wardrobe Haydee Morales. Every night, every performance, Ms. Morales' brilliant, cutting-edge, and inspired eye are evident.

In a city that has escaped its fun and sun tackiness only recently the Miami City Ballet stands out, above Art Basel, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the New World Symphony and every other component of Miami's exciting cultural present. I am Benjamin Harris.

Monday, January 01, 2007

The Next Great Coach In College Tackle Football Will Be Brian Kelly

The next great coach in college tackle football will be Brian Kelly recently hired by the University of Cincinnati. I am Benjamin Harris.