The editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, observing that the word information is “exhibiting significant linguistic productivity,” have completely revamped the entry for the word. “Information, n., now runs 9,400 words, the length of a novella. It is a sort of masterpiece – an adventure in cultural history.”
Tag: 12.08.10
Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah as Cinematic Craftsmanship
The 9½-hour Holocaust documentary “has come to serve as a solemn metaphor for remembrance, as well as for butt-numbing endurance. … But to talk of Shoah only in terms of moral compulsion or epic length is to miss the multitude of Lanzmann’s decisions, his shot-by-shot brilliance – from revelatory tracks and pans to dramatically self-contained long takes.”
Movie-Making Gets A Boost In The Persian Gulf
“For filmmakers in the Gulf region, these are promising times. In recent years, the region’s governments have actively funded the development of a fledgling cinema industry.”
Scientist Interviewed in The Cove Sues Filmmakers
“A Japanese scientist is suing distributors of Oscar-winning documentary The Cove and demanding that footage of his interview be removed from the film. University of Hokkaido toxicologist Tetsuya Endo appears in the documentary about Japan’s dolphin slaughter talking about research into levels of mercury in dolphin flesh.”
Who Does, and Doesn’t, Get Chills in Response to Music
“Most people feel chills and shivers in response to music that thrills them, but some people feel these chills often and others feel them hardly at all. People who are particularly open to new experiences are most likely to have chills in response to music, according to a [new] study.”
Kung Fu – It’s Not Combat, It’s More Like Zen
The discipline “embodies much more than fighting. In fact any ability resulting from practice and cultivation could accurately be said to embody kung fu. There is a kung fu of dancing, painting, cooking, writing, acting, making good judgments, dealing with people, even governing.”
Flush With Success: UK’s ‘Loo of the Year’ Awards
“At the annual event more than 1,400 venues – including restaurants, shopping malls, hotels and government buildings – compete to snatch the crown for having the nation’s best throne. The prize: recognition from colleagues and a trophy bearing a mounted golden toilet seat.”
Why Is Nutcracker So Appealing To Americans?
“As “Nutcracker” tourism this has all been gorgeous. But why does this ballet proliferate across the States more than anywhere else on the planet? What’s American here?”
Climate Change Threatens Archaeological Sites
“Mummies decaying in Siberia, pyramids vanishing under the sand in Sudan, Maya temples collapsing: Climate change risks destroying countless treasures from our shared past, archaeologists warn.”
British Government Plans Incentives To Spur Private Philanthropy To The Arts
“The 10-point plan includes an £80 million match-funding scheme to be set up to encourage private donors. The government will also promote “planned giving” to encourage more people to leave 10% of their legacy to the arts and culture.”