“There is a genuine debate to be had about whether the BBC should shrink, with strong arguments to be made that it should. Yet that debate has not even started, because the BBC – with its internal, infernal, interminable Strategy Review – has no incentive to raise the issue.”
Tag: 07.05.10
Is It True That Literature No Longer Matters?
“Newspaper coverage of books no longer sets the cultural agenda in the way it did as recently as 15 years ago. As a corollary, second, literary publishers are feeling the pinch. Ignored by the mainstream media, and squeezed commercially by the innovations of the IT revolution, traditional book publishers are beginning to show signs of losing confidence in their vocation.”
BP Re-ups On The Arts
BP says it will continue to sponsor and support the arts, despite its recent problems.
Ontario’s Oldest Summer Theatre Folds
“The Red Barn would go on to become Ontario’s longest-running summer theatre and launch the careers of some of Canada’s biggest stage actors and directors. Now, more than 60 years after it was founded and a little over a year after a devastating fire razed much of the theatre, the Red Barn has folded.”
Nigeria’s Native Languages Disappearing
“It is no longer a new thing in Nigeria of today to see a Nigerian child who cannot speak his native language or the native language of his immediate environment. It is bad to an extent that some cannot even decipher the meaning of words in their local dialect if the language is spoken to them.”
Publisher Withdraws Martin Amis Bio After Amis Complains
The book “was being described as an authorised biography of the celebrated novelist. A stickler for precise use of language, Amis argued that he had not actually authorised the book, even though he agreed to give five face-to-face interviews to Bradford in return for having an “editorial say” over the contents of the biography.”
Study: Excessive Video Game Use Retards Attention Spans
“A study by psychologists at Iowa State University found that kids who exceeded the recommended two hours per day of screen time were 1½ to two times more likely to have attention problems in the classroom.”
A Small Town Revival Of Movie Theatres
“If we were in Los Angeles or Phoenix, the only reason to go to a movie would be to see it. But in a small town, the theater is like a neighborhood. It’s the see-and-be-seen, bring everyone and sit together kind of place.”
Nora Ephron Channels Stieg Larsson
“Salander opened the door a crack and spent several paragraphs trying to decide whether to let Blomkvist in. Many italic thoughts flew through her mind. Go away. Perhaps. So what. Etc. ‘Please,’ he said. ‘I must see you. The umlaut on my computer isn’t working.’ He was cradling an iBook in his arms.”