Word: cults
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
William James said, "Evil is a disease." But it can be an atrocious liberation, like the cap flying off a volcano. The mind bursts forth to explore the black possibilities. Vietnam taught many Americans about evil. Hasan i Sabbah, founder of a warrior cult of Ismailis in the 11th century in Persia, gave this instruction: "Nothing is true, everything is permitted." It is a modern thought that both charmed and horrified William Burroughs, the novelist and drug addict who like many in the 20th century somehow could not keep away from horror. During a drunken party in Mexico...
...frame in which to put his work. Such was the fate of the reflective, mildly conservative artist -- which Bearden certainly was -- in a culture dedicated to the proposition that only "radical" change matters. The complete institutional sweep made by Abstract Expressionism, by hostility to narrative and by the cult of the huge-object-as-spectacle rudely elbowed Bearden to the side. But this also happened to a lot of fine artists who happened to be white: try finding references to Fairfield Porter's work in the books of the time...
This was the year of the secretive search. There were secretive searches for president and dean of FAS, of course. And the cult of secrecy even trickled down to the lowest of the high-level appointments: house masters...
What may be the end of the line for the Nehrus and Gandhis may also rid India of the cult of personality and the stranglehold of centralized power. When Indira was elevated to the Congress presidency in 1959, Nehru was the first to abhor the prospect of a dynasty. He later told an American interviewer, "I am not capable of ruling from the grave. How terrible it would be if I, after all I have said about the processes of democratic government, were to attempt to handpick a successor. The best I can do for India is to help...
Colvin has made the transition to TIME with ease and elan, overseeing the Business section during an especially busy period. Two cover stories -- on the nuclear-power industry and on the Scientology cult -- appeared on his watch. He edited two major stories on shady dealings at the Bank of Credit & Commerce International as well as perceptive articles on the rebounding housing industry and on Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer...