A thoughtful look at the old Icelandic sagas shows that the Vikings practiced a low-tech but serious form of oceanography, carefully mapping the movement of currents and the riches they carried – from fish and whales to seaweed and usable driftwood.
Tag: 03.24.09
Court Orders Return To Germany Of 16th-Century Book Looted In WWII
“A New York court ordered a book collector to return a 16th-century volume valued at $600,000 to a museum in Stuttgart, more than six decades after it was stolen by a U.S. army captain at the end of World War II.”
A Possible Explanation For The Financial Crisis (And Lots Of Other Foolishness)
“Our brains raise few objections when presented with seemingly expert guidance, new research suggests. ‘Most average people have this tendency to turn off their own capacity for making judgments when an expert comes into the picture,’ says Gregory Berns, a neuroeconomist at Emory University in Atlanta.”
Why The Christian Book Expo Was An Attendance Flop
In an essay that begins by noting that he didn’t go to the last day of the Christian Book Expo, publisher Michael Hyatt, who organized the event, analyzes why attendance was abysmal. “If consumers had come, this would have been an incredible show. The ‘product’ itself was superb. Programming, production, logistics, displays–everything was first class. … So then, why didn’t it work? We built it. But they didn’t come. Why?”
Love The Novel — But Our Famous Author Wants That Title
“Joanna Smith Rakoff had just turned in a major set of rewrites on her novel, Brooklyn, when her editor at Scribner broke the news to her over dinner that she would have to change its title. It seemed that Irish novelist Colm TóibÃn, a Scribner author since 2000 who has been twice short-listed for the Booker Prize, wanted to use it for his forthcoming book, which was scheduled to come out this spring, just a month after Ms. Rakoff’s. Would the young debut novelist mind terribly getting out of the way?”
No Cuts Planned For Montreal Symphony
“Madeleine Careau, the orchestra’s chief executive, said the total number of concerts in 2009-2010, including those of a tour not yet announced, would be only two to four fewer than the tally this season. Musicians remain contracted for 46 weeks and no administration staffers have been laid off.”
How Badly Does Sydney Opera House Need Renovating?
“The Sydney Opera House is in such disrepair it could be forced to close shows if it does not receive the renovation funds announced by the Premier last week but dismissed by the Prime Minister. ‘If it takes us to a point where the theatre is shut, so be it,’ the chief executive, Richard Evans, said yesterday. ‘The theatre will either be shut in a planned way or an unplanned way’.”
Tiny Dancers: Alberta Ballet To Present New Elton John Work
“The Alberta Ballet, which created a well-regarded dance to the music of Joni Mitchell in 2007, has announced it will produce a new work based on the music of Elton John. ELTON will be a contemporary work, choreographed by artistic director Jean Grand-Maître and his design team.”
Orwell Letters Fetch £84,000 At Auction
“A cache of letters from the author George Orwell has sold at auction for £84,000. They document the time in the early 1930s when Orwell was staying with his parents in Southwold, Suffolk, after he returned from Burma. The letters are to his friends in the town … and one subject he discusses is the writing of his first two books.”
Wis. Chamber Orchestra Gives Musicians ‘Last, Best’ Offer
“Following more than a year of negotiations and a strike that’s lasted nearly six months, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra has issued musicians a ‘last, best and final offer.'” The contract includes fewer guaranteed performances, and the union “argues that musicians should not have to agree to fewer services without full knowledge of the orchestra’s finances.”