“A literary mystery appeared to be solved this year when a long-lost manuscript of Pearl S. Buck’s novel ‘The Good Earth’ surfaced in a sale tied to a former secretary’s family. … But at least two foundations with links to the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner, who died in 1973, now hope to share in the discovery. And a legal brawl could be on tap….”
Tag: 08.07.07
Want Your Infant To Talk? Turn Off “Baby Einstein.”
“Parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos are actually creating baby Homer Simpsons, according to a new study released today. For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as ‘Brainy Baby’ or ‘Baby Einstein,’ they knew six to eight fewer words than other children, the study found.”
Music Publishers Join YouTube Copyright Fight
“A group of music publishing companies said yesterday it would join a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google’s video-sharing site YouTube. The group, the National Music Publishers’ Association, said it was joining the lawsuit out of concern that many songwriters were not receiving proper compensation when their music appeared on YouTube videos.”
Masekela: South African Govt. Silencing Musicians
“One of South Africa’s greatest musicians — a hero of the struggle against apartheid — believes that he is no longer welcome as a performer in his own country. The virtuoso trumpeter Hugh Masekela claims that many of the talented musicians whose voices became symbols of protest against white domination are finding it hard to get bookings in South Africa because the ruling ANC is ‘terrified’ of music as an agent of change.”
Up For Banning In NYC: It Rhymes With “Rich”
“The New York City Council, which drew national headlines when it passed a symbolic citywide ban earlier this year on the use of the so-called n-word, has turned its linguistic (and legislative) lance toward a different slur: bitch. The term is hateful and deeply sexist, said Councilwoman Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn, who has introduced a measure against the word … prompted in part by the frequent use of the word in hip-hop music.” But that’s not the only place “bitch” is popular, making passage tricky….
Through Ancient Manuscripts, New Hope For Timbuktu
“A surge of interest in ancient books, hidden for centuries in houses along Timbuktu’s dusty streets and in leather trunks in nomad camps, is raising hopes that Timbuktu — a city whose name has become a staccato synonym for nowhere — may once again claim a place at the intellectual heart of Africa.”