On the NYTimes.com “Room for Debate” page, four observers consider the questions: “What does the care devoted to the visual details in a packed lunch suggest about the culture? Why is such value placed on aesthetics in everyday life in Japan?”
Tag: 10.19.09
José Saramago Says We’d Be Better Off Without The Bible
Speaking at the launch of his new novel, Cain (which retells the story of Adam and Eve’s ne’er-do-well son), the Nobel laureate called the Good Book “a manual of bad morals” with “a cruel, jealous and unbearable God.” (Fortunately, he observed, “Catholics do not read the Bible.”)
Oakland Ballet Makes Steps Toward Recovery
“The prognosis for the Oakland Ballet Company looked grim in April when founding Artistic Director Ronn Guidi suddenly resigned (for the second time in a decade).” But this weekend, “the company gave its first concert since Guidi’s retirement. The short, mixed program left ballet fans, if not connoisseurs of choreography, in a hopeful mood.”
Another Beloved Indie Bookstore On The Brink: Seattle’s Elliot Bay Book Co.
“Owner Peter Aaron said the store’s lease at the Globe Building expires in late January, when a maxed-out line of credit he had been using to run the business also comes due. … Sales plummeted after the meltdown on Wall Street last fall, he said, breaking the store’s already-tenuous hold on profitability.”
Successor To Amato Opera Company Gets Its Blessing
After he closed the Amato Opera Company last spring, “Anthony Amato sold the Bowery brownstone that housed his company, but he did not sell his productions; he has given some 30 of them – sets, costumes, props and all — to Amore Opera,” which has just announced its inaugural season.
Iowa Lured Hollywood With $$$, Then It All Turned Sour
“Des Moines, population 200,000, is dealing with a nasty hangover. A lavish tax-incentive program that brought Hollywood to its doorstep has come to a halt amid allegations of faulty oversight, poor record-keeping and potentially criminal abuse.”
France Holds Firm Against U.S. Digital-Book Incursion
“French publishers and news providers are cooking up original ways to fight the perceived threat of cultural domination by U.S. technology giants like Google and Amazon.”
Let Your Mind Wander. It Might Be Good For You.
“[W]hat if we’re wrong about daydreaming? What if it’s crucial to solving problems in our personal lives and at work? Brain scientists are beginning to suspect that it is. And if they’re right, we might need to rethink the way we work — perhaps even develop tools that actually encourage mental drift.”
FTC To Book Bloggers: Relax. We’re Not After You.
“The Federal Trade Commission, which set the blogging world aflame two weeks ago with new guidelines governing truth-in-cyberspace-advertising, ‘never intended to patrol the blogosphere,’ said Mary Engle, an FTC lawyer who addressed KidlitCon 09, a conference of kids’ book bloggers….”
History, Ruined, Caroline Among Jeff Award Winners
“Nick Bowling’s TimeLine Theatre production of ‘The History Boys’ passed the examinations of the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee and emerged triumphant at Monday night’s ceremony at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. It won five Jeffs, including for best midsized play.”