“Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has launched plans for an independent funding platform that will allow people to give money to arts organisations using their mobile phones. … The aim of the initiative is to help the cultural sector raise new funds through mass casual giving.”
Tag: 07.03.12
Touring Socrates Around The Stages Of Crisis-Plagued Greece
“Convinced of Socrates’s particular relevance to contemporary Greece, the creators of a one-man theatrical performance of The Apology, Plato’s account of his teacher’s doomed but powerful trial defence, have brought the show to Athens.”
Is Patriotism – From A Philosophical Viewpoint – Moral?
Gary Gutting: “Amid the frequent confusion, frustration and anger of our political disagreements, patriotism – a deep-seated love of our country – remains something that has the potential to bring us together, particularly at times of national crisis or triumph. But within my own particular intellectual tribe of philosophers, patriotism is often regarded as a ‘problem,’ an emotion that many find hard to defend as morally appropriate.”
Why Do Americans Celebrate July 4 With Fireworks?
“Because John Adams wanted us to. Before the Declaration of Independence was even signed, he envisioned fireworks as a part of the festivities.”
Prostheses And The Limits Of Onstage Realism
In Joe Penhall’s new play, Birthday, in which a man carries and gives birth to a baby, the audience was happily entertained by the lead actor’s prosthetic hairy breasts and swollen belly. But that body suit also included a fake penis, and – given the situation – viewers were so discomfited that the producers had to excise the member.
Some Things Are Simply More Important Than The Hemingway Look-Alike Contest
In preparation for this year’s event in Key West, “one Frank Louderback, an attorney and regular entrant, made all manner of plans for the Papa-off. When he learned that they would clash with work commitments, he requested that the case he was working on be postponed. The judge’s response is totally badass.”
Extremists Destroy More Ancient Timbuktu Shrines
“Muslim extremists continued destroying the heritage of the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu on Monday, razing tombs and attacking the gate of a 600-year-old mosque, despite growing international outcry.”
UK Album Sales Down 14 Percent As Digital Sales Rise
“Record industry body the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said 43.6 million albums were sold, down from 50.5m during early 2011. Digital sales have increased by 17.3% but have failed to close the gap.”
Academia Begins Taking Mormonism Seriously
“For a century and a half, Mormonism has been something of a paradox in the history of the American West: passionately argued about by the church’s adherents and detractors, but largely ignored by professional scholars … [Now] a growing cadre of young scholars of Mormonism are enjoying their own turn in the sun, and not just on the nation’s op-ed pages.”