Martin Amis Backs Away From (Some) Inflammatory Remarks

Speaking at the Dubai Book Fair, the all-too-outspoken author claimed that his recent suggestion that the elderly be euthanized was “satirical,” directed at his own (baby-boomer) generation, and that, notwithstanding his harsh comments about Islamist terrorism, he admires Islam and that the religion could have saved his now-deceased alcoholic sister.

Photographers In Valencia Close Down Exhibit Over Censorship By Politicians

“The Union of Valencian Journalists decided to cancel an exhibition of photographs in the ‘Illustration Museum’ [MUVIM] in Valencia after all the pictures having to do with anything political were removed by the Diputacion of Valencia.” The images in question concern a corruption scandal currently roiling the local government.

Marika Rivera, 90, Actor And Daughter Of Diego

“[She] shared with her father … an imposing physique and determined character. However, it was to her mother, Marie Vorobieff Stebelska – better known as Marevna and generally regarded as the world’s first female cubist painter – to whom she displayed unfailing loyalty after Rivera abandoned them both to return to his native Mexico when his first daughter was less than two years old.”

Why Does Obama’s Budget Cut Important Cultural Preservation Program?

“Advocates of historic preservation have shifted into survival mode. They argue that the program, with its relatively meager federal funding of $30 million annually, has created more than 16,000 jobs across the country at a cost of about $14,000 each. They point out that the White House’s federal stimulus package is creating jobs at a cost of $248,000 each.”

Will E-Reading Change How We Read?

It’s a kind of schizophrenic world right now for reading. More and more, we are being faced with the prospect of abandoning the traditional ink-and-paper form in favor of the digital conduit of content, accompanied by the cries that “the age of print is over” and surveys that argue that fewer and fewer adults are reading “literature” — novels, poems and plays.