Category: issues

“As confused as the early analysis of the WikiLeaks cables has been, it is in the long term that their effect will be most negative for political scientists and diplomatic historians.”

“The state has promised generous tax incentives to a group of entrepreneurs who plan to construct a full-size replica of Noah’s ark, load it with animals and actors, and make it the centerpiece of a Bible-based tourist attraction called Ark Encounter.”

“While the middle class continues to shrink, at least some of that shrinkage might be accounted for by portions of the middle class morphing into a new “creative class” rather than tumbling into poverty.”

“By 2050, 10 percent of the world population will be speaking Spanish, spurred mostly by its growth in the United States. The Spanish language will go from 450 million speakers at present – or 6.5 percent of the world’s 6.9 billion population – to 10 percent of an UN-estimated global population of 9 billion by mid-century.”

“If copyright is to have winners and losers, then let’s start talking about who we want to see winning, and what victory should be.”

“I never thought I’d live to see the day when stuttering would be the subject of a serious mainstream movie. The condition, after all, has been coded as a joke in popular culture, one of the few disabilities considered fair game for laughs.”

“Regions such as northern Asturias and Navarre have cut spending by one-third over two years. The Basque government has sliced 3% off its culture budget next year and even the mighty Guggenheim Museum in nearby Bilbao is cutting the number of exhibitions. Spain’s more ancient heritage is also suffering.”

Mainstream interest in zombies has steadily risen over the past 40 years. Zombies are a commodity that has advanced slowly and without major evolution, much like the staggering creatures George Romero popularized in the 1968 film “Night of the Living Dead.”

“[L]ike it or lump it, the critic is not detached from the theatre but a living part of it. Fair enough for critics to strive to express their opinions honestly and without favour, but it is surely fanciful to imagine they can remove themselves from the equation altogether.”