“We have seen much hand-wringing over the fact that dominant languages like English seem to invade smaller countries and displace their languages – and languages are indeed dying out faster under the pressures of globalism. But nobody seems to ask, What harm is this doing to English?”
Tag: 11.03.09
Why Are Autumn Leaves More Boring In Europe?
North America is, of course, famous for the brilliant reds, oranges and yellows its trees display in the fall, and East Asia offers its own arboreal spectacular (think of all those Japanese maples). Why do the leaves of Europe offer mostly yellow and brown? The answer, it turns out, has to do with ice ages and mountain ranges.
Office Gossip Is Being Studied By Ethnographers
“One side, the functionalist school, sees gossip as a useful tool for enforcing social rules and maintaining group solidarity. The other school sees gossip more as a hostile endeavor by individuals selfishly trying to advance their own interests.”
The Secret Behind The Onion‘s Headlines
“They are the heart of the paper, and not only the first thing anybody reads, but also, unlike headlines in real newspapers all over the world, the first things to be written. The staff devotes the first two days of every week to composing headlines, then assigns the articles that will run beneath them.”
UK Culture Secretary Warns Of Tory Threat To The Arts
Britain’s culture secretary, Ben Bradshaw, “said Tory culture policy was totally aligned with the commercial interests of Rupert Murdoch’s News International and predicted the central tenet of British cultural policy – the arm’s length relationship between the arts and government – is about to be swept away.”
Is Guggenheim Bilbao Getting A New Sibling?
“The Museo Guggenheim Bilbao is completing feasibility studies for a satellite near the historic town of Guernica, just 40km east of Bilbao. Local and provincial authorities in the Basque Country anticipate that the new museum would extend the so-called ‘Bilbao effect,'” but the government is wary of spending in this economy.
Northern Calif.’s Willows Theatre Company To Shutter
“In September, the board of the 34-year-old company said that as a result of lackluster ticket sales and outstanding debt, they needed to raise $350,000 by Nov. 1 or the Willows would close.” Emergency fund-raisers weren’t enough to save it.
Estate Fight Pits Heirs Vs. Museum Of Fine Arts, Houston
“Alfred C. Glassell Jr., founder of Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., intended to leave about half of his $500 million estate to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and his will should be honored, a lawyer for the museum said.” Lawyers for Glassell’s daughter say the museum took advantage of an old man.
Van Gogh’s Correspondence Now Available Online In English
“In what is perhaps the first project of its kind, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has put English-language translations of 902 of Vincent van Gogh’s personal letters on line.” Vangoghletters.org “allows you to search them by keyword, correspondent, city and more.”
Honolulu Symphony Faces Bankruptcy (Again)
“The symphony, the oldest American orchestra west of the Rocky Mountains, has struggled in recent years to pay its musicians. Two months ago it received a $1.8 million cash infusion to cover operating expenses for the upcoming season.” The HSO may file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as early as Wednesday (Nov. 4).