Andrea Wolk “Rager defines Kinkade’s appeal as ‘the aesthetics of nostalgia.’ She notes that sociologists consider nostalgic longing a response to feeling uprooted or unmoored, while some psychologists link it to an unconscious desire to return to the womb. She contends that Kinkade’s images, with their soft light, rain-slicked streets, and general aura of gentle reassurance, speak to both of those primal pulls.”
Month: April 2012
Boys Choirs Suffer, Thanks To Early (And Ever Earlier) Puberty
“An unrelenting march of puberty sweeps voices into rebellion. Over recent decades, the already-short careers of their sopranos have started to end between six months and a year earlier, challenging them at times such as Easter, for which choral music such as J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion was written with difficult lines for boys free of hormonal woes.”
Mike Wallace, 93, Fearless Journalist And Face Of ’60 Minutes’
“A reporter with the presence of a performer, Mr. Wallace went head to head with chiefs of state, celebrities and con artists for more than 50 years, living for the moment when ‘you forget the lights, the cameras, everything else, and you’re really talking to each other.'”
Why James Baldwin Could Beat William F. Buckley, Or, The Art of Persuasion
How does persuasion work? For one example, look at the way James Baldwin took on William F. Buckley in front of an audience of conservative white men – and beat him in a debate, 540-160.
What’s Killing Indie Bookstores? The Publishers
If it weren’t for digital rights management – and the Big Six publishers’ desperate need to cling to it – we might have a viable independent bookstore online e-book seller by now.
3D Goes Bollywood
Don’t think it’s all James Cameron (or Wim Wenders) – 3D is the medium of choice for many Bollywood filmmakers. Or at least, the medium of choice is converting 2D films with famous actors to 3D (and that’s not so different from Hollywood).
The Internet Is For Killing Your Sense Of Obscure Music Knowledge
“Obscure knowledge was once a kind of currency. To get it, you had to be in the loop. You had to know the right people to learn about the right bands. You had to know the right record stores to hear those bands. The right record stores, like the right comic and book and video stores, were manned by knowledge guardians who scared the bejeezus out of us, so the act of going in to these stores felt kind of intrepid.”
Amazon: Cuddly Indie Sponsor Or Snake In The Grass?
“Amid the public and private rancor, the massive e-retailer is very quietly trying to make friends in the book world. Its strategy is simple and employs a weapon Amazon has in overwhelming supply: Money.”
Artist Steps Down From Troubled Project In L.A.
“The Watts House Project announced Saturday that Edgar Arceneaux ‘has graciously stepped aside’ from his role as executive director. … Arceneaux, an artist who founded the community redevelopment project in 2009, had served as its leader and most visible spokesperson.”
Mobile Library Cuts Mean Far Less Access To Books In The Rural UK
Massive cuts to mobile library services in the U.K. mean that the population least likely to have access to Amazon and other online booksellers also are now the least likely to have library service. “The cuts are having a disproportionate effect on the elderly and people in remote communities, who rely on the library vans for their reading material.”