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Spectator
6 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Is a keffiyeh really an appropriate outfit for a Cambridge University ceremony?
Cambridge University's decision to honour the rap artist Stormzy with an honorary doctorate seemed odd. New universities, rather than our ancient ones, like to parade icons of popular culture. When the decision was announced a few months ago, I was asked by a national newspaper to write a piece questioning his nomination. I demurred, because Stormzy was being rewarded for generous benefactions that aimed to bring disadvantaged black schoolchildren to Cambridge University – despite my doubts about reserving scholarships for particular ethnic groups. Stormzy's honorary doctorate dominated the headlines – and so, none of us really noticed who else was on the list. Looking back, it is almost as if a smokescreen was being created to let through someone far more controversial than the two-times winner of the Best Grime Act. An official photo of the awardees, enrobed in doctoral scarlet, has just been released. Vice-Chancellor Deborah 'call me Debbie' Prentice is seated next to Stormzy. Behind her, adorned with a keffiyeh, stands the American radical Angela Davis. One can pass over Ms, or should one say Dr, Davis's predictable loyalties in the Middle East, while still asking whether it is appropriate for her or anyone else to wear a political badge in an official photo of this sort, and, more importantly, whether Cambridge acted responsibly in releasing it across the globe. More to the point is the simple question why Angela Davis is thought to be a suitable recipient of such an honour in the first place. It cannot be because she is descended from the Cambridge graduate William Brewster, who centuries ago sailed to North America on the Mayflower. If there is an answer, it may lie in the encomium written by the University Orator. It is a toe-curling document, particularly in the translation from Latin, which is all most people will be able to read. Understandably it lays stress on the appalling treatment of black people that she witnessed as a child in America; but it then turns to the occasions when she has suffered persecution because of her staunch adherence to communist beliefs. If we believe in freedom of speech we do have to tolerate those who express such beliefs. But to hold her up as a model of free speech taunts the rest of us: she was long a stalwart of a party that failed to speak out against the often violent repression of political opponents in the Soviet Union (from which she obtained the so-called Lenin Peace Prize); and she received a degree in the (so-called) German Democratic Republic. Davis studied there during the years when its government was second within eastern Europe only to Albania in the strictness of its repression. Indeed, the Lenin Peace Prize is even mentioned in her Cambridge citation – a slap in the face to all my colleagues who have experienced the regime in the Soviet Union and its satellites. Some years ago, King's College, Cambridge showed great insensitivity by hanging a painting of the Soviet flag in its bar. Davis's citation puts that painting in the shade. So here are some excerpts from a document that quite simply brings shame on Cambridge University: 'IT IS WITH joy and reverence that your Orator presents to you this woman of erudition and eloquence, whose very name is synonymous with the long and bitter struggle for all people to enjoy without fear equality of rights and freedoms, regardless of class, of colour and of gender… How worthy they are, who defend freedom of speech only as long as they agree with what is said!… Taught, then, by her own experience, on behalf of those the world over who lack their own voice and defence, she resolutely defends justice, she tirelessly opposes slavery, with almost divine strength she fights on behalf of liberty… In this present age, when we see civic virtues and the very foundations of civil society faltering under the attacks of billionaires, when the foul stench of fascism rises again across the globe, who could blame even the staunchest lover of liberty for feeling despondent?… She shows us that it is possible to be an academic, an activist, a scholar and a revolutionary.' Davis may, nonetheless, be offended. She is described as 'eloquent'. I have been warned by the equally radical Professor Priyamvada Gopal (the one with views about Winston Churchill) that I was wrong to praise David Olusoga on one occasion as 'eloquent', as the word is apparently seen by ethnic minorities as condescending. That apart, we have to ask whether she has ever criticised the appalling abuse of human rights and the suppression of free speech in the Soviet Union. One of her critics who attended school in the Soviet Union has described her as a 'Soviet propaganda icon' in those days. And although she studied Kant under the philosophers Herbert Marcuse and Theodor Adorno she is clearly not being awarded her honorary degree on the grounds of scholarly attainment comparable to those figures. I have served on the Honorary Degree Committee in the past and have been impressed by the care and thoughtfulness given to each nomination, and by the sheer amount of detail about the nominees. Alas, the online page listing current members of this committee has been taken down for 'maintenance', but it is hard to escape the conclusion that places on the committee have been hi-jacked by those who prefer activists to real academics. As for the Orator, he really should know that his task is to address the whole University and the world beyond, and not just like-minded folk. Perhaps, though, he was acting under orders and does not believe anything that he said. He is the author of a learned article entitled 'Bulls' testicles and Mycenaean onomastics', and conceivably his encomium is, if not bull's testicles, deliberate bullsh*t.
Time Out
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
These are the best museums in Massachusetts, including two Boston-based stunners
Few places in the United States have as strong a claim to the country's history than Massachusetts, home to witches, Harvard and Wahlbergs. WorldAtlas recently took stock of its excellent culture, releasing a list of what they consider the Bay State's 12 best museums. Shockingly, only two of Boston's dozens and dozens of museums (three, if you include Cambridge, which I strongly advise against) made the list. The round-up might be immediately controversial at the local clam chowder haunt for what it leaves out, but no one can say it doesn't cover an impressive amount of ground, from historical homeplaces to industrial icons and world-class fine art galleries. So MFA, Boston and Paul Revere House-heads, start reaching for that stiff drink. The rest of you, grab your Dunkin' and let's hit the road. For the sake of a clean and clockwise itinerary, we'll lay these out in a circuit starting and ending in the capital. These are the best museums in Boston, according to WorldAtlas: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston) One of those remarkable museums whose architecture almost surpasses its collection, the Gardner opened in 1903 in the style of a 15th-century Venetian palazzo, with what later became one of the country's most Instagrammed interior courtyards. Centuries later, in 2012, another Italian influence came via Renzo Piano's adjacent modernist wing. Its impressive collection boasts works by masters like Matisse, Titian, Botticelli and Sargent alongside letters and books by Dante, Sarah Bernhardt and T.S. Eliot. For the true crime-inclined, the museum's 1990 heist is still unsolved. Plimoth Patuxet Museums (Plymouth) Through painstakingly accurate recreations of 17th-century life, this living history museum provides a glimpse into the original Plymouth Colony. (As for its name: well, Plimoth was the old-timey spelling, and the 'Patuxet' was added in 2020 to accurately honor the area's original Indigenous name.) This open-air town shows how the Mayflower descendents lived after their historic split from the Church of England, with a well-appointed complex of houses. There's also an on-site market, cafe, cinema and event space, bridging the gap from our time to theirs. Whydah Pirate Museum (Yarmouth) No, its name is not part of a New England accent jokebook. Rather, it's titled after the Whyday Gally pirate ship, which sank near Cape Cod in 1717 and is the only shipwreck to be ever absolutely authenticated post-mortem. The museum highlights that history with artifacts recovered from the ship, which wrecked right in the middle of piracy's golden age, as well as other representatives of the era. New Bedford Whaling Museum (New Bedford) What would a New England coastline be without some seafaring? After taking in one of Boston's famed whale watching boat tours, learn about the region's historic industry at this gabled museum which charts the highs and lows of whaling, and tries to inspire a future for nature preservation. Lizzie Borden House (Fall River) One of the first and most iconic American true crime stories was born here, when 32-year-old Lizzie Borden allegedly axed her parents. She was found innocent but ostracized by the community, and now her childhood home stands as a monument to the incident. Offering gallery exhibitions, rooms to stay overnight, myriad ghost hunting opportunities and even murder mystery dinners, it's one of the spookiest homes in the country. Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History (Springfield) Though it operates mostly as a research center, this Springfield institution boasts impressive collections ready-made for dad, including the world's largest of Indian Motorcycles, which were originally produced in town from the company's 1901 founding through 1953. Its well-stocked firearm (world's largest Smith & Wesson!) and automobile collections make it an international hit. Norman Rockwell Museum (Stockbridge) The country's hopeful image of itself would not be what it is today without the contributions of Norman Rockwell, whose Rosie the Riveter stands as one of the most recognizable and historically important symbols of feminism and industry. Though born in New York City, the painter and illustrator died in rural Stockbridge in 1978. This purpose-built museum explores his life and career via paintings, magazine covers and other works. Worcester Art Museum (Worcester) Stocked with works by John Singer Sargent, an array of Japanese prints and art ranging from Modern to Roman, the Worcester Art Museum also features a Medieval meeting room lifted from a 12th-century French monastery, a theatre and an ecological science museum. Located only about an hour from Boston, it makes a case for the city's incredible culture. Concord Museum (Concord) The city that birthed the Revolutionary War (along with nearby Lexington) and Henry David Thoreau (he of Walden Pond fame) deserves a proper home, and the Concord Museum hosts artifacts and wisdom from both of those American stalwarts, as well as those belonging to the area's Indigenous heritage. Peabody Essex Museum (Salem) One of the oldest operational museums in the country began as a place to store exotic goods collected by the area's far-traveling seafarers in 1799. Today, it holds one of the United States' major collections of Asian art, and a significant African contingent as well. The museum also owns 24 historic structures and gardens throughout town, preserving local architecture and histories beyond its main walls and upping its total tally of items to around 1.3 million. Harvard Museum of Natural History (Cambridge) One of the venerable learning institution's six museums (not counting their specific subdivisions), its most-visited one will wow any nature lover with its collection of fossils, gemstones and famous glass flowers – exquisite, highly realistic glass botanical models. Look up! The massive skeleton of a right whale hangs from the second floor ceiling. Metropolitan Waterworks Museum (Boston) Originally the Chestnut Hill Pumping Station, this building became a beacon of Boston's modernization when it began pumping water to the area in 1887. It's now a fascinating museum that honors the innovation of running water and public life, with tours of the engine rooms and several historical exhibitions.
National Geographic
18-07-2025
- National Geographic
See 100 years of New York City—through the lens of Nat Geo photographers
As New York City celebrates the 400th anniversary of its founding, National Geographic looks back on more than a century of covering the spirited metropolis. NOVEMBER 1957 A replica of the Mayflower sails into New York Harbor in July 1957 amid fanfare, escorted by planes, boats, and even a blimp. The vessel had crossed the Atlantic, following the route of the original ship to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where 17th-century English Puritan separatists started a colony. B. ANTHONY STEWART, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION In the summer of 1957, a replica of the Mayflower sailed into New York Harbor. Dubbed the Mayflower II, it had just finished retracing the Pilgrims' 1620 journey across the Atlantic to establish a colony in America. New York City celebrated its arrival with a ticker-tape parade. That November, National Geographic published an article written by the ship's captain about the Mayflower II's voyage, full of photos of its ocean journey and a victorious arrival in New York City (which was not a stop on the original ship's route to Plymouth, Massachusetts). As the city this year celebrates the 400th anniversary of its founding as the Dutch outpost New Amsterdam, National Geographic looked back on its coverage of the city over the last century. An early article highlighted its draws. 'It has more Irish and their sons and daughters than Dublin, more Italians and their children than Rome,' the author wrote. 'But New York's appeal is as much to the people of the United States as to those of the outer world ... New York is indeed the Niagara of American life ... so through this city passes the vast river of humanity that seeks the sea of opportunity in the world beyond.' (How to explore New York City's immigrant past through its food.) JULY 1918 Throngs fill the streets at an area then known as Newspaper Row, near a station that deposited commuters in Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge. EDWIN LEVICK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION National Geographic often has showed readers parts of the world they might never visit—and in the magazine's early days that included not just distant lands but the vibrant metropolis of New York City. 'Most people didn't get the opportunity to travel a lot or to travel really far,' says Cathy Hunter, senior archivist at the National Geographic Society. In a sense, Hunter says, the magazine did 'the legwork for you and showing you the most famous sites.' Many of the magazine's first stories about the city focused on architecture, people, and culture—elements that lent the armchair travel experience. AUGUST 1998 Symbolizing prosperity and driving away evil, lion figures dance in the Lunar New Year parade. A 1998 article chronicled the growth of New York's Chinese community, which was 3 percent of the city's population at the time. CHIEN-CHI CHANG, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION SEPTEMBER 1990 Underneath Broadway Street, off-duty Santas wait at the subway station. JODI COBB, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION 'Go up on any high hotel roof after sunset and watch the city come to life,' wrote the author of the 1930 article 'This Giant That Is New York.' 'By electric moons, rainbows, and fixed comets you see Manhattan blaze from dusk into gorgeous theatrical illumination.' The editorial focus shifted over time as the magazine began to cover more relevant angles: environmental issues like water pollution and landfills, and later, how the September 11 terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the city. Yet one of the constants in National Geographic coverage, which spans over a century, is change. In a 2015 article called 'New New York,' writer Pete Hamill reflected on the 80 years he'd lived in the city and the transformation of its skyline. 'We New Yorkers know that we live in a dynamic city,' he wrote, 'always changing, evolving, building.' AUGUST 2020 From a helicopter, photographer Stephen Wilkes peered at his hometown in the early days of the pandemic, including Central Park with its new field hospital (lower left). 'New York is like a river, always running with energy and motion,' he said. 'When you see New York empty, it doesn't make any sense.' STEPHEN WILKES, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION National Geographic published its first major article about New York City in the July 1918 issue. Called 'New York—The Metropolis of Mankind,' it gave readers a broad overview of the city just as it was rising to global prominence in the final months of World War I. 'A city which the Great War has made the Earth's international trading center and civilization's crowning metropolis,' the article proclaimed, 'Gotham now commands a new interest, arouses a new pride in its achievements, excites a new feeling of wonder, and stirs in every American breast a realization that it is a city of all the people, national in all its aspects.' (Explore New York City through the 700 languages spoken on its streets.) 'The Metropolis of Mankind' came out at a time when National Geographic was becoming synonymous for publishing photos that held appeal for those armchair travelers, Hunter says. Readers could gaze in awe at the size of a crowd in front of the New York Stock Exchange, wonder at the length of a traffic jam of cars (and at least one horse) on 42nd Street, and take in a full view of the Woolworth Building—which, at nearly 242 meters, was then the tallest building in the world. A view of the intersection at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street—a traffic jam of cars, pedestrians, and horses all attempting to share the road. This issue came out at a time when National Geographic was becoming synonymous for photos that appealed to armchair travelers, KADEL & HERBERT, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION New York City streets looked quite a bit different a hundred years later in this aerial view of the Hudson River Greenway. The most heavily used bike path in the country, it stretches from Battery Park in the south to Dyckman Street in the north. George Steinmetz, National Geographic Image Collection And the buildings kept getting taller. The 1930 feature 'This Giant That Is New York' showed readers the new tallest building in the world, the 319-meter Chrysler Building, which had opened earlier that year. It also offered a glimpse of the ongoing construction of the Empire State Building, which promised to be even bigger. 'Tourist Manhattan' As National Geographic's popularity grew, it continued to serve as inspiration but also began to support real-life travelers in navigating the Big Apple. When New York City hosted its first World's Fair, in April 1939, that month's issue of the magazine came with a supplemental map called 'The Reaches of New York City.' The next time the World's Fair rolled around, in 1964, National Geographic sent subscribers a two-part map of 'Greater New York' and 'Tourist Manhattan.' (What was Manhattan like in the Roaring Twenties? See for yourself.) The magazine began to explore areas of New York City around this time. In 1959, the magazine ran a piece on the Staten Island Ferry, dubbing it New York's Seagoing Bus and highlighting its essential role for commuters from that borough. In 1977, it published a story about Harlem by Frank Hercules, a Trinidad-born writer who moved to the neighborhood in the 1940s. 'To live in Harlem,' he wrote, 'is sometimes to hear the siren song of success, often to be denied by heaven and disdained by hell, yet always to hope anew each morning, whatever yesterday's despair.' DECEMBER 1960 The casts of A Raisin in the Sun and My Fair Lady face off during a Broadway Show League softball game in Central Park during a 12-game season. BATES LITTLEHALES, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION MAY 1993 A lunch-hour napper rests in Central Park in the opening photo from an article about the sprawling 341-hectare oasis in the city. JOSÉ AZEL, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION In both 1960 and 1993, the magazine featured stories on Central Park that countered the iconic park's reputation at the time as a crime haven—a myth that often turned tourists away from visiting the park. The '93 story blamed the media for its role in perpetuating this myth and instead described the park as an 'oasis in the city.' Modern coverage Starting around the 1970s, another trend emerged: amid an awakening environmental movement, the magazine began to cover more of the issues for which it's known today. Hunter says this reflected a changing editorial outlook. 'In the early days…the magazine did not do stories that were not pretty,' she says. SEPTEMBER 2002 New York City resident Lisa Adams holds photos she took from her terrace on September 11, 2001, near the former World Trade Center buildings. IRA BLOCK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION In 1978 the article 'Hudson: 'That River's Alive'' focused on the high pollution levels from the 1960s that had led to state and federal efforts to clean the Hudson River and other U.S. waterways. By 1978, the Hudson River had rebounded and saw a proliferation of aquatic life, prompting fishermen interviewed for the article to comment, 'That river's alive.' A 1991 story about landfills addressed the growing problems posed by sites such as Staten Island's Fresh Kills. (Decades later, the city is redeveloping it into Freshkills Park, which promises to be three times the size of Central Park.) Other articles focused on a city whose residents were in crisis. A year after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, National Geographic ran a piece featuring first-person stories from two people who lived in zip code 10013, right next to the World Trade Center. Two decades later, in August 2020, the magazine published photos of a markedly less bustling New York City amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as both residents and tourists stayed home. In more than a century of coverage, National Geographic depicted a New York City that is not only a thrilling place to visit but a real place with real people who call it home. In Pete Hamill's 2015 reflection on his decades as a New Yorker, he described his first time visiting the interior of One World Trade Center—built on the former site of the Twin Towers, whose destruction he had witnessed in person. 'I moved closer to the windows and looked down,' he wrote. 'There it was, the Woolworth Building. My favorite. Still here. Changing color in the fading sun.' JULY 1918 A view of the Woolworth Building in New York City. At the time, it was the tallest building in the world, standing at nearly 242 meters—but would within decades be eclipsed by the rise of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. PAUL THOMPSON, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION
The Age
15-07-2025
- The Age
Port guide: Boston, US
The seafaring capital of Massachusetts is one of America's most attractive cities, notable for excellent museums, great shopping and dining, and a vibrant cultural scene. Follow the Freedom Trail for an insight into the key role Boston played in American independence. Neighbourhoods worth exploring include North End, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Chinatown, the Literary Cultural District and Cambridge, home to Harvard University. If you have young kids in tow, the Boston Children's Museum and very interactive Museum of Science are both excellent. Art-loving adults will prefer the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Museum of Fine Arts, the best among the city's many interesting museums. Don't miss Boston is one of the world's great sports cities, so you should check if an event is on during your time in port and enjoy an all-American sports experience – and pop-culture one too, complete with cheerleaders, razzmatazz and hotdogs. Major League baseball, basketball, American football, soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey and marathons are among the options. The city is home to top teams in their field such as the Red Sox (at Fenway Park stadium), Boston Celtics (TD Garden) and New England Patriots (Gillette Stadium). Get active Boston is easily one of car-obsessed America's most walkable cities. You can run or walk the five-kilometre Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red line, or follow the Esplanade along the Charles River – there's fitness equipment along the way. Boston has many dedicated cycle lanes, some of which run long distances. Various Boston parks – particularly wonderful in autumn – have a schedule of free daily exercises such as Zumba and yoga. Best bites Loading Lots of company headquarters, universities and big hospitals mean plenty of well-paid people, and Boston is packed with excellent restaurants. Seafood and oysters are the traditional specialties, but meat lovers won't be short of steakhouses. Try Mooncusser Fish House for seafood, Comfort Kitchen for soul food and Krasi for Greek food. For contemporary American cuisine tuck in at Field & Vine or Pammy's. Faneuil Hall Marketplace will bag you a picnic. Cocktail bar Equal Measure has been voted one of the best bars in North America. Further afield Notorious witch-trial town Salem (which also has a rich maritime history) and Plymouth Rock where the Mayflower pilgrims arrived (which has a replica of the ship) are among options. History buffs will want to take an American Revolution tour inland to Concord and Lexington, site of two significant independence battlefields.
Sydney Morning Herald
15-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Port guide: Boston, US
The seafaring capital of Massachusetts is one of America's most attractive cities, notable for excellent museums, great shopping and dining, and a vibrant cultural scene. Follow the Freedom Trail for an insight into the key role Boston played in American independence. Neighbourhoods worth exploring include North End, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Chinatown, the Literary Cultural District and Cambridge, home to Harvard University. If you have young kids in tow, the Boston Children's Museum and very interactive Museum of Science are both excellent. Art-loving adults will prefer the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Museum of Fine Arts, the best among the city's many interesting museums. Don't miss Boston is one of the world's great sports cities, so you should check if an event is on during your time in port and enjoy an all-American sports experience – and pop-culture one too, complete with cheerleaders, razzmatazz and hotdogs. Major League baseball, basketball, American football, soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey and marathons are among the options. The city is home to top teams in their field such as the Red Sox (at Fenway Park stadium), Boston Celtics (TD Garden) and New England Patriots (Gillette Stadium). Get active Boston is easily one of car-obsessed America's most walkable cities. You can run or walk the five-kilometre Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red line, or follow the Esplanade along the Charles River – there's fitness equipment along the way. Boston has many dedicated cycle lanes, some of which run long distances. Various Boston parks – particularly wonderful in autumn – have a schedule of free daily exercises such as Zumba and yoga. Best bites Loading Lots of company headquarters, universities and big hospitals mean plenty of well-paid people, and Boston is packed with excellent restaurants. Seafood and oysters are the traditional specialties, but meat lovers won't be short of steakhouses. Try Mooncusser Fish House for seafood, Comfort Kitchen for soul food and Krasi for Greek food. For contemporary American cuisine tuck in at Field & Vine or Pammy's. Faneuil Hall Marketplace will bag you a picnic. Cocktail bar Equal Measure has been voted one of the best bars in North America. Further afield Notorious witch-trial town Salem (which also has a rich maritime history) and Plymouth Rock where the Mayflower pilgrims arrived (which has a replica of the ship) are among options. History buffs will want to take an American Revolution tour inland to Concord and Lexington, site of two significant independence battlefields.
