“In recent weeks, serious political books have flooded the best-seller lists, replacing the rants from left and right — the Michael Moores or Bill O’Reilly’s — with reasoned and supported arguments. During that shift, the television book tour has been more crucial than ever in generating news from these works.”
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The Cannes Of Fantasy
“Twelve days of moviegoing on the French Riviera in springtime can be only so miserable. But this year you will hear no whining from this quarter. At least not yet. The 57th Cannes festival has, in its first few days, showed signs of fulfilling the fantasy of what it could and should be (though it will never, to some old-timers, be what it once was). It has been full of drama, spectacle and (literal) fireworks. There have also been some good movies. And to think that it almost didn’t happen at all.”
A Raucous Opening At Cannes
“The 57th Cannes Film Festival has opened on a raucous note with a public culture clash between Quentin Tarantino and the British actress Tilda Swinton, who argued that his brand of Hollywood blockbuster was drowning out equally valid voices in the movie industry.”
Congress Asks Nielsen To Delay Electronic People Meters
The US Congress says it wants Nielsen Research to delay full implementation of its new electronic TV ratings meters. “Nielsen, which has a monopoly on counting TV viewers, is switching to an electronic system for measuring local habits that it contends will be far more accurate. Currently, 500 households in a city are asked to record their TV viewing in a diary kept during four “sweeps” months. Nielsen is increasing its sample to 800 homes per city and measuring viewing every day through a “people meter” device attached to televisions. Some critics say dry runs of the new system have shown sharply lower ratings for some programs popular in black and Latino homes.”
Nielsen Says Minorities Ratings Up
Nielsen Research released results of a test of its new people meters that show “increased viewership for many programs popular with blacks and Hispanics. The release of the results was intended to counter complaints that by adopting the electronic system, known as local people meters, Nielsen will undercount the viewership for programs watched by blacks and Hispanics.”
So Birds Are People Too?
“Many philosophers believe humans are the only species which understands that others have their own personal thoughts. That understanding is known in the trade as having a “theory of mind”, and it is considered the gateway to such cherished human qualities as empathy and deception. Biologists have learned to treat such assertions with caution. In particular, they have found evidence of theories of mind in a range of mammals, from gorillas to goats. But two recent studies suggest that even mammalian studies may be looking at the question too narrowly. Birds, it seems, can have theories of mind, too.”
US Congress Revising Copyright Act?
A US Congressional sub-committee is working on a bill to amend and declaw the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. “Called the Digital Media Consumers’ Rights Act, the amendments are backed by librarians, liberal consumer groups and some technology firms. But they’re bitterly opposed by the entertainment industry, including Hollywood, major record labels and the Business Software Alliance.”
Explaining The Science Around Us
These days, laptop computers employ technology scarcely dreamed of during the Apollo moon missions. Physicians prescribe gene-triggering drugs that were fantasy elixirs a decade ago. And microchips have become so small that they’re measured in billionths of a meter. But more than 80% of U.S. adults still are not knowledgeable enough to digest a science story in a major newspaper.” So how do scientists learn to explain without dumbing down?
Nova Scotia Arts Chief Quits: Council A Sham
“The chair of Nova Scotia’s Arts and Culture Partnership Council has resigned, claiming that the purpose behind the newly established group was simply to placate the arts sector and to allow the government to make major arts-funding decisions without any consultation. In March 2002, the Nova Scotia government shut down the provincial arts council, which was responsible for distributing up to $1.2 million in grant money to the arts community annually. At the end of the year, the province announced it was creating a similar agency but one that would be more financially accountable.”
Is Communication The Key In Pittsburgh?
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s new CEO, Lawrence Tamburri, has spent his first several months on the job attempting to improve the orchestra’s climate of communication. From brown bag lunches with PSO musicians to private gladhanding sessions with the city’s cultural and financial elite, Tamburri has reportedly done much in a short time to raise the PSO’s profile and improve its image in the eyes of the community. But there could be a downside to the good word of mouth: a perception is beginning to develop that the PSO’s financial problems are in the past, which could not be further from the truth.