The internet has revolutionized education. But it’s not all positive. “Since the Internet became readily accessible to students in the 1990s, it has become in some ways the educator’s worst enemy. In secondary schools and universities alike, students are taking advantage of the fact that ready-made papers are only a few clicks away. An entire industry has sprung up to provide free homework or – at a price – papers purported to be custom-made. But now teachers are fighting back.”
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Warner Music To Lay Off 1000
The recording company Warner says it will cut 20 percent of its 5000 worldwide workforce. “These significant steps to streamline Warner Music Group’s operations are essential to the future success of the company and to the expanding, ongoing opportunities for its people.”
French Won’t Distribute Gibson’s “Passion”
“French cinema chains are refusing to distribute or screen Mel Gibson’s controversial film “The Passion of the Christ” because of fears it will spark a new outbreak of anti-Semitism.”
A Creative Class That Underperforms?
Is Richard Florida’s “creative class” idea really a strategy that can help cities prosper? “According to one recent independent study of entrepreneurship in America, Florida’s most creative cities are no more likely to be powerful incubators of fast-growing businesses than those at the bottom of his rankings.”
Ananiashvili: Dancing Is Easier After 35
Bolshoi star ballerina Nina Ananiashvili is 40. “The ballerina Tatiana Terekhova told me once, `Nina, after 35 years old you will be dancing much more easily, you will really enjoy your dancing.’ And I thought, `Ah no, it’s impossible, after 35 I will be really tired.’ Now I think she was right, because now I know on stage I can control everything. I am really secure. I enjoy every moment, because time has gone so quickly and I have this feeling that I haven’t danced my best ballet yet. Choreographers haven’t used my possibilities as I still hope. Sometimes when I see young dancers I think, `My God, why don’t they jump?’ It’s amazing – I’m jumping better than them!”
Report: Tightening Copyright Laws Bad For Business
Entertainment companies are fighting hard to get tough laws passed that prohibit copying of music and video. But a new government report says that tightening copyright laws is “bad for business and for the economy.
Should Some Languages Be Allowed To Die?
“Linguists now estimate that half of the more than 6,000 languages currently spoken in the world will become extinct by the end of this century. In reaction, there are numerous efforts to slow the die-off — from graduate students heading into the field to compile dictionaries; to charitable foundations devoted to the cause, like the Endangered Language Fund; to transnational agencies, some with melancholic names appropriate to the task, like the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages. But how does one salvage an ailing language when the economic advantages of, say, Spanish are all around you? And is it possible to step inside a dying language to learn whether it can be saved and, more rudely, whether it should be?”
Why New Zealand’s Film Industry Is On The Rise
New Zealand is a country of only 4 million people. And yet, systematically, New Zealand has built a film industry that culminated in its Lord of the Rings success. “This commitment paid off in increased tourism and business creation. It also brought into existence a substantial filmmaking infrastructure: Mr. Jackson has built his own film processing lab and postproduction facility and is about to build a sound stage to service his next production, a remake of “King Kong,” currently scheduled to shoot in Wellington in August.”
What Minimalism Hath Wrought
Twenty years ago Minimalism was everywhere. It’s not heard so often anymore. But it’s had a major influence on music of the recent past. “Ultimately, the question isn’t whether this kind of music is still viable in the 21st century, but if what we have to say now can be adequately expressed by it. You see parallels in every epoch.”
Lord of the Rings Cleans Up
Lord of the Rings scores 11 Oscar wins – tying Ben Hur and Titanic for most wins ever. Other than that, it was a tame, uneventful Academy Awards broadcast.