“It gives the home ballast. It lends the basement the appropriate air of mystery, history, and parental dreams deferred that all basements should have. The longer the book, the better. Epic works of over 400 pages, like mine, really serve to anchor a house. That’s why the proliferation of self-publishing makes me uneasy.”
Tag: 04.08.09
Philadelphia Orchestra Sharply Contracts Summer Season
“The Mann Center, built in 1976 as a summer venue for the Philadelphia Orchestra, has received notice that the orchestra will perform a mere five concerts there this season – the smallest number as far back as the orchestra can trace. … The impetus for the reduction – from last season’s nine – is the financial condition of the orchestra, said executive director and chief executive officer Frank P. Slattery Jr.”
Thanks To Downloads, Audiobooks On The Rise In Britain
“The digital generation has sparked a revivial in Britain’s love of audiobooks as figures from the BBC show there have been one million downloads of spoken word titles. … The US remains the biggest consumer of BBC audio books,” but the trend is picking up here.
Proms Go Populist? Bollywood Gets A Starring Role.
“The 2009 Proms programme was unveiled today, with organisers promising an eclectic programme blending the traditional with Bollywood, drum and bass, and ukuleles. The 115th Proms will include the annual event’s first ever Bollywood concert, as movie ‘playback’ singer and Indian TV star Shaan brings a blast of colour and energy to the Royal Albert Hall with his band and a troupe of dancers. His performance comes at the climax to an ‘Indian Voices’ day….”
Bronze Duckling Swiftly Found
“The web-foot youngster reappeared before dawn yesterday on a Beacon Hill street corner, found leaning wearily against a tree like a lost boy looking for his mother. The bottom of his bronze heels offered the only evidence from the crime: a small slice on a right foot and a rough break in the two steel rods that once affixed him to cobblestones in an eternal march across the Public Garden.”
In File-Sharing Suit, Lawyer’s Tactics Are ‘Off The Charts’
Methods of the Harvard Law professor “defending a Boston University graduate student accused of illegally downloading music in a closely watched federal lawsuit … have drawn criticism,” and no wonder: He tape-recorded the judge on the case, posted the recording on his blog, and included it in an exam for his students. He argues that his approach reflects “the transparency that is the hallmark of [the student’s] battle – indeed the transparency that [the lawyer] says is the essence of the Internet.”
Untangling The Mess At L.A.’s Gorgeous New Arts School
“Unfortunately, the new high school of the arts is caught in one of those peculiar Los Angeles time warps — a gap created by the disparity between old grievances and the uncertain but hopeful future. Whether or not it was a good idea to build such a lavish arts education facility, we now have one. It, like our children, deserves a chance to succeed….”
Amid Gloom, Bodice Rippers Fly Off Shelves
“At a time when booksellers are struggling to lure readers, sales of romance novels are outstripping most other categories of books and giving some buoyancy to an otherwise sluggish market. … Like the Depression-era readers who fueled blockbuster sales of Margaret Mitchell’s ‘Gone With the Wind,’ today’s readers are looking for an escape from the grim realities of layoffs, foreclosures and shrinking 401(k) balances.”
Budget Casualty At Juilliard: Program For Poor Children
“The Juilliard School’s music-training program for poor minority schoolchildren — a rigorous curriculum that the conservatory holds up as a national model — has been slashed, disappointing dozens of children preparing to audition. The Music Advancement Program will take back about 50 children in the fall to finish the second year of their two-year course. But it has canceled auditions next month for the incoming class….”
Listening To The Music Of The Sphere
“[It’s] probably the most ambitious seismological project ever conducted. Its name is USArray and its aim is to run what amounts to an ultrasound scan over the 48 contiguous states of the US. Through the seismic shudders and murmurs that rack Earth’s innards, it will build up an unprecedented 3D picture of what lies beneath North America.”