The art of a successful marriage

Will Compertz|, 15 April 2011

I understand William and Kate - aka Catherine - are getting married. Why? I mean why such a beautiful girl is marrying a balding bloke with a plumy accent and a dodgy educational record. To be honest − and I don't want to be disrespectful − I suspect it's for the money.

Photo by Mario Testino, one of the official portraits for the engagement of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton

That's an example of the sort of speculation and tittle-tattle I had to put up with from observers when I got married nearly 18 years ago to Kate (Catherine) Anderson. Well, I lost the money but not the missus, so her motives must have lain elsewhere, although, to be frank, I too have never been able to fathom what they were.

But it's worked out (I’m away a lot); we have an understanding: I choose the music in the car; she chooses the destination. I say the house looks a bit tired; she redecorates it. She has style; I don’t. There are a billion similar marriages (aren't there?).

Just imagine though, if you were called William and Kate, and were marrying at the end of this month in front of billions of people. And that every single comment, choice, idiosyncrasy and opinion you proffered was publicly scrutinised. It would be a strain, wouldn’t it? But what might make the pressure almost unbearable for Prince William and Catherine Middleton, his bride-to-be, is the knowledge that many of those choices and opinions have global ramifications.

Kate's wedding dress will make its designer's career, regardless of what he/she conjures up. Even a take on Gaga’s meat dress would work (caveat: key elements would have to be organic to placate Charles). Already Kate is proving to be just as potent a clotheshorse as Michelle Obama - whose sartorial selections have provided a big boast for her chosen brands.

The Issa dress Kate wore for her engagement to sell out, as did Primark's cheaper version. The white Reiss dress she wore for the Mario Testino's official engagement photograph was, for a while, selling at one-per-minute. Commentators say that she has yet to find her fashion mojo, but once she moves from off-the-peg (she'll have to apparently) to bespoke; her true colors will be revealed.

And the British fashion industry − currently worth nearly £21bn according to the British Fashion Council (BFC) − will be keeping an eye on her choices. According to Harold Tillman, Chair of the BFC, her commercial impact on the sector will be huge − as long as she buys British...

She will set trends, the royals always have. Was it irony or ignorance that led to Malcolm McLaren dressing the Sex Pistols up in tartan, a fabric made famous by the Royal Family? Even Prince Charles's dogged commitment to double-breasted suits appears to be catching on, a bit.

But the influence of the newly-weds will go beyond fashion. Their voices and choices across the arts will be heard and felt. Kate for example is keen on photography. What I wonder would she have made of this week's shortlist for the BP Portrait Award? Perhaps she’ll commission the £25K prize-winner to produce the first portrait of the happy couple?

I’m fairly certain the creators of the TV film William and Kate The Movie; won't win the contract to make their wedding video. The film depicts their St Andrews dating days, and has been described as “the best royal film ever made”. Channel 5 will be screening it in the run-up to the wedding.

And what would their view be on the new David Copperfield designed Turner Contemporary in Margate: a modern masterpiece or colossal carbuncle? We know where his dad stood on modern architecture, but what about William?

Actually, what about William? If you look at his list of interest on the Prince of Wales’s official website you'll discover he only has one: sport. Isn’t that a bit narrow for a future King and current President of Bafta?

But right now, their thoughts will be turning to their honeymoon and what to read on holiday. Perhaps they can take their pick from the shortlists of two literary prizes announced this week. Maybe Kate could sample the Orange Prize’s shortlist and William could go for the one provided by the Wodehouse Prize..

I'm off on holiday, and by the time I return William and Kate will be married. Their life will be exciting, weird, frustrating and challenging, as I hope, will their impact on the arts. Bonne chance.

 

Реферат

The article “The art of a successful marriage” is taken from BBC news of the April 15. The author Will Gompertz tells us about the royal marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. He considers impact of the royal marriage on arts. He doesn’t approve the choice of Kate but concludes that the marriage of celebrities impacts on arts and wishes the royal couple bonne chance.

Аннотация

The article “The art of a successful marriage” is taken from BBC news of the April 15. The author Will Gompertz tells us about the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. He considers impact of the royal marriage on arts.

 

 

Gameboy generation

One study in Japan concludes that computer and video games are creating a generation of children who are far more likely to use violence than their parents' generation. But the tendency to lose the control is not due to the violence and aggression in the games themselves, but to the fact that playing the games prevents the proper development of the brain.

Professor Ryuta Kawashima of Tohoku University measured the brain activity in hundreds of teenagers playing a computer game and compared it with the brain activity of other students doing a simple arithmetical exercise. Before starting his investigation Professor Kawashima expected to find that playing computer and video games stimulated brain activity, and that this would encourage the manufacturers and reassure parents.

However, he was startled by what he discovered. He found that playing the computer game only stimulated the parts of the brain associated with vision and movement. The arithmetical exercise, on the other hand, stimulated brain activity in both the left and right hemispheres of the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe, which continues to develop in humans until the age of about 20, is the part of the brain that exercises self-control and stops anti-social and violent behavior.

This is a very important discovery. Kawashima told reporters: “The implications are very serious for an increasingly violent society. These students won't develop proper self-control and good behavior if they continue playing games, instead of learning arithmetic. It's also important for children to play outside with other children, and interact and communicate with others.”

However, another study in Britain has concluded that children who become addicted to computer and video games could actually be more intelligent than average. In some cases, they could be more certain to go to university and get higher-ranking jobs. The research looked at game addicts five years on. Many of the children had become highly intelligent, motivated, and successful people.

The government researcher, Jessica Harris, said that there was no evidence to show that the ‘Gameboy generation’ had suffered from lasting damage. Although it is true that many of the games have high levels of aggression, this is also true for many sports, such as racing, karate, and wrestling, which all focus on the player's level of aggression. In fact, one part of the survey found that regular game use had a calming effect on the children because it provided “an outlet for aggression and the open expression of competition”.

There is at least one thing that both sides agree on − more research is needed before any definite conclusions can be made about whether playing computer and video games are good or bad for child development.

 

Реферат

The article “The Gameboy generation” is taken from student’s book International Express. It’s focused on the effect computer games have on children development. The author considers two new scientific studies which have reached opposing conclusions. One study in Japan concludes that playing computer and video games stimulated the parts of the brain associated with vision and movement comparing with arithmetical exercise which developed the frontal lobe preventing anti-social and violent behavior. Hover, another study in Britain concluded that children who become addicted to computer and video games could actually be more intelligent than average. The government researcher Jessica Harris discovered that regular game use had a calming effect on the children because it provided an outlet for aggression and the open expression of competition. The author concludes that more research is needed before any definite conclusions can be made about whether playing computer and video games are good or bad for child development.

Аннотация

The article “The Gameboy generation” is taken from student’s book International press. It’s focused on the effect computer games have on children development. The author considers two new scientific studies which have reached opposing conclusions. The author concludes that more research is needed before any definite conclusions can be made about whether playing computer and video games are good or bad for child development.