Belgium – A Flawed Concept That Really Isn’t A Country

“Language is the fundamental flaw at the core of Belgium’s existential crisis, taking on the role that race, religion, or ethnicity play in other conflict-riven societies. The country operates on the basis of linguistic apartheid, which infects everything from public libraries to local and regional government, the education system, the political parties, national television, the newspapers, even football teams.”

How English Has Become The Global Language

At the dawn of a new millennium the phenomenon of English seems more vivid and universal than ever before. Like a Jackson Pollock of language, countless new variants are adding to the amazing Technicolor texture of the overall picture: urban patois like “Jafaikan”; or local Asian hybrids like Konglish (English in South Korea) and Manglish (Malay and English); or contemporary slang like “cheddar”, “phat” and “noob”, for “money”, “wonderful/great” and ‘somebody new/ignorant”.

A Revolution In The Way We Get Movies

“Sales of DVDs dropped 13% from 2008 to 2009 while digital alternatives, such as video streaming and on-demand movie sites, grew significantly. In a bid to arrest the decline, the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), has been set by a US consortium of entertainment firms, wants to transform how consumers buy, access and play digital content.”

New York’s Opera Companies Navigate Difficult Seasons

“Although the Met’s current annual operating budget of roughly $300 million is about 10 times that of the City Opera, Mr. Steel and Mr. Gelb face similar concerns. They are also, understandably, facing critical scrutiny. Whatever may be going on in their board rooms and budget meetings, what matters to opera buffs is what happens on their stages.”