“The strange emotional power of swearing–as well as the presence of linguistic taboos in all cultures– suggests that taboo words tap into deep and ancient parts of the brain. In general, words have not just a denotation but a connotation: an emotional coloring distinct from what the word literally refers to, as in principled versus stubborn and slender versus scrawny.”
Tag: 10.09.07
Don’t Sell Canadian Lit Short
“Though I can’t help but bristle when I come across people being dismissive of Canadian writing – I was disheartened when I worked in publishing to find that “Canadian” is an adjective often used to justify not publishing a book in the UK – I can’t really blame those who overlook CanLit. I was once equally uninformed.”
Classical Music As Forward-Thinking
In some ways, Alex Ross says, “classical music is the new underground. That may sound ridiculous, but there’s a grain of truth to it. People are talking about the power that comes with being apart from mainstream pop culture. You can make a living and get stuff performed.”
NY Theatre Sues Seattle Theatre Over Name Acronym
“Since 2006, attorneys representing Women’s Expressive Theater, Inc. have sent Seattle’s Washington Ensemble Theatre four cease and desist letters, demanding it abandon its acronym. With last week’s letter, the attorneys included a copy of the 16-page legal complaint Women’s Expressive Theater will file with the U.S. District court, should Washington Ensemble Theatre not want to change its initials.”
Erratic Behavior Caused By Unrelated Brain Fluctuations
“From the mid-1990s onwards, brain-scanning techniques have revealed variable brain activity that appears unrelated to external stimuli and occurs even when a person is asleep or anaesthetized.” Now scientists say they have “the first direct evidence that internal instabilities – so-called ‘spontaneous brain activity’ – may play an important role in the variability of human behaviour.”
Why Are Opera Companies Hiring Directors With No Opera Experience?
“There’s no denying that cross-fertilisation and new audiences are vital to keep the genre on its toes. But it seems difficult to disagree that it’s a good idea to learn your craft before taking on an entirely new artistic discipline on the largest stages in the Western world.”
UK Arts Funding To Stay Flat (A Victory?)
For weeks, British arts leaders have been fretting about possible government funding cuts in advance of the London Olympics. But it appears now there will be no cuts, but no increases either. “The devil in the details will only become visible in the next few weeks, and the biggest horns, as ever, are on the imp labelled ‘2012 Olympics’. But standing still, with the promise of increases matching inflation, as opposed to sliding back down a slope of solid gains in the last decade, looks like a small, but real, victory.”
Inside The Jury That Fined The File-Sharer
“We wanted to send a message that you don’t do this, that you have been warned. At least two jurors, one of them a funeral home owner, wanted to award the Recording Industry Association of America the maximum $150,000 for each of the 24 copyright violations, while one juror held out hours for the $750 minimum for each violation of the Copyright Act.”
Giant Frankfurt Book Fair Opens
“Juergen Boos, the fair’s director, said some 770 million people worldwide are illiterate. An important element of this year’s book fair is a Literacy Campaign that hopes to help combat the problem.”
NBC Buys Oxygen
NBC will buy the Oxygen channel for $925 million. “The acquisition is in line with previous deals by NBC Universal to build female audiences. Last year, it bought the iVillage group of women-oriented Internet sites for $600 million.”