Tag: 09.23.03

Foul Language On TV is Up

The use of “foul language” on American TV is up dramatically in the past five years, says a new study by the Parents Television Council. “During the so-called ‘family hour,’ from 8-9 p.m., foul language increased by 94.8 percent between 1998 and 2002, the study found. It rose by 109 percent during the 9 p.m. hour in the same period.”

Old Time TV Characters Get New Lives

Vintage children’s characters are showing up on British TV in increasing numbers. “Given that nostalgia means nothing to children, the main targets for these programmes are mothers at home. In children’s television, particularly pre-school, the shows that kids watch are generally chosen by their parents. For us, it’s valuable to have programmes that parents recognise from their own childhood.”

Gambling On The Performing Arts

Civic leaders in Las Vegas are trying to diversify the city. They want to build a new performing arts center. “With the billions of dollars in revenue the industry takes in every year, you would think it would be easy for gaming to foot the bill for the $125 million project. But that isn’t happening. The Performing Arts Center Foundation got the city of Las Vegas to donate five acres of prime downtown real estate to the project. But rather than assuming responsibility for bankrolling the project, the casino industry has found a way to pass it off to the car rental agencies which, unlike gaming, already are heavily taxed and naturally opposed to the hike.”

The New (Old) Philosophy

“The new practical philosophers are bringing critical thinking directly to the people. They are translating the dense, ancient writings of Socrates, Plato, Lao Tzu and Confucius into modern lingo and accessible wisdom. They are writing self-help books based on philosophical principles — books sometimes mocked by academicians for their dumbed-down approach but bought by the same hordes who seek answers from meditation, Oprah, psychologists, Dr. Laura and Dr. Phil. Philosophy, its proponents say, is an alternative to all that. It’s a way to think for yourself and to find satisfying guidelines for living. It’s a way to analyze complex issues through the prism of values, ethics and character. Philosophy (which means love of wisdom) is a search for answers that have made sense through the ages.”

The Anne-Of-Green-Gables Copyright Act

There is a proposal in the Canadian parliament to extend copyrights for previously unpublished works for 14 to 34 years for authors who died between Jan. 1, 1930 and Jan. 1, 1949. Why? “It’s called the ‘Lucy Maud Montgomery provision’ because the creator of the popular (and lucrative) Anne of Green Gables novels died in 1942, and it is her heirs who wish to retain control over her unpublished writings.”

Ou Est Jean-Paul Sartre?

Jean-Paul Sartre is getting a fresh look in France these days. But which Satre? “More than two decades after his death, French intellectuals are trying to reconcile the two Sartres. In the cafes of Paris, the question ‘Êtes-vous Sartrien?’ is once again being heard. Recently, a new biography of Sartre and several homages to his career have become best sellers in France. One of them, Bernard-Henri Lévy’s Sartre: The Philosopher of the Twentieth Century, has just been brought out here in English. What is taking place is a rehabilitation of sorts, and it isn’t hard to see what’s behind it.”

Dewey Sues Hotel… Who Knew?

Many people were surprised this week that a library-themed hotel in New York was being sued for using the Dewey Decimal System as a theme. Who knew someone actually “owned” Dewey? “The Online Computer Library Center is seeking damages of three times the profits the hotel has made since it opened. Dewey, a librarian, invented the Dewey Decimal Classification in 1874 and devoted his life to spreading it. Over time, it became the most widely employed cataloging system in the world, used today in 95 percent of public libraries in the United States.”