“For nearly half a century, ads for Amul brand butter have stuck the knife into Indian politicians for all manner of blunders, scams and gaffes.”
Tag: 09.08.12
Our Ambivalence Toward Work
“We applaud people for their work ethic, judge our economy by its productivity and even honor work with a national holiday. But there’s an underlying ambivalence: we celebrate Labor Day by not working, the Book of Genesis says work is punishment for Adam’s sin, and many of us count the days to the next vacation and see a contented retirement as the only reason for working.”
Could A Fungus Make A Cheap Fiddle Sound Like A Strad?
A wood researcher in Switzerland “has succeeded in modifying the wood for a violin through treatment with special fungi. This treatment alters the acoustic properties of the instrument, making it sound indistinguishably similar to a Stradivarius.”
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Makes New, Somewhat Less Draconian Offer To Musicians
The latest proposal includes a 36-week annual contract and a base salary reduction of 15% from the expired contract. Management’s previous offer, made public last week, guaranteed a season of only 15 to 20 weeks, with a total salary redction of close to 50% from current levels.
Finland Plans To Cut Theatre And Opera Funding In Favor Of Art And Sports
Minister of Culture and Sport Paavo Arhinmäki has announced plans to redirect a portion of the national lottery proceeds that fund the Finnish National Opera and National Theatre (currently the largest recipients) to art museums and to sports clubs for children and youth.
When Penny Marshall Faced Down The Ninja Robbers
The director of Big and A League of Their Own (and, way back when, Shirley’s pal Laverne) recounts one of the stranger break-ins we’ve heard of.
The President’s Speech: Code-Switching’s How And Why
“While Mr. Obama’s linguistic flexibility is a political asset, his style-shifting is not without its critics. There are some who read his ‘chameleon-like’ speaking skills as not quite authentic, or as slightly patronizing — a sort of linguistic pandering.”
When The Puppet Is A 120-Pound Horse, Who’s Controlling Whom?
In the stage version of War Horse, Joey “is a very intricately hand-crafted puppet that takes three puppeteers to operate at all times.” And sometimes he doesn’t want to be operated exactly right.
Just What Does Orchestral Excellence Cost?
As orchestras all over the country face management proposals with steep pay cuts, musicians wonder what they’re actually worth.
Attached – Psychologically – To The Gadget
“The new e-reader is not like the old one. It doesn’t have the scars of the old one – the coffee stain on the corner, the crack in the casing where I fell off my bike – and I have yet to rim it with gaffer tape to cover the logo of the Large Corporation.”