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POPSBy imagining many possible worlds fiction can chang our Minds "For more than two thousand years people have insisted that reading fiction is good for bookyou. Aristotle claimed that poetry—he meant the epics of Homer and the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, which we would now call fiction—is a more serious business than history. History, he argued, tells us only what has happened, whereas fiction tells us what can happen, which can stretch our moral imaginations and give us insights into ourselves and other people. This is a strong argument for schools to continue to focus on the literary arts, not just history, science, and social studies. But is the idea of fiction being good for you merely wishful thinking?'
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POPS Five Japanese Gardens Learn More… Explore the Portland Japanese Garden, discover a fresh perspective, and learn about Japanese arts and culture through our online articles and expert columns.
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POPSMuseum Island in Berlin All the enterteiments in a little island close to Berlin. So you do not have to walk far to see everything you like
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POPSBBC Save the Sounds What is BBC World Service?World Service Newsroom We are the world’s leading international broadcaster providing programmes and content for radio, television, online and mobile phones in English and 31 other languages. Hundreds of reporters and specialist correspondents bring impartial news reports, documentaries and analysis from around the globe. We also offer a rich mix of other programming from arts, business and culture to drama, science and sport. BBC World Service is one part of the collected international-facing television, radio and online services which form BBC Global News.
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POPS "Truth to Power" by Mark Steyn
He came; he saw; he stimulated: “If you accept the premise, and I do, that the United States is the most powerful country in the world, then Barack Obama is the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar. That has to be good for American artists.” I suppose so. He could invade somewhere and force the natives to accept degrading roles in NEA-funded performance art. He could take out the Iranian nuclear program by carpet-bombing it with unreadable literary novels. That is, if you “accept the premise” that the United States is the most powerful country in the world. Rocco Landesman may, but it’s not clear, from his actions (or inactions) in Eastern Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, that the president does. But, even so, it seems an odd pitch to “American artists.” Rocco Landesman, Speaking Goof to Power, isn’t the first Obama groupie to enjoy the kinky frisson of groveling obsequiousness, but he’s set an impressive new standard in public revelation thereof.
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POPSPhotos: Ansel Adams in Color An elegant book chronicles how the great landscape master — known for his black and white work — explored the possibilities of color. From the book, Ansel Adams in Color, published by Little, Brown
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POPS What Junk I love this stuff. It takes a master's eye to be able to see something great out of a pile of junk. Just collecting the stuff is a tremendous endeavor! Then storing it, Wow!
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POPS"The Artist in Chief" and "Navigating the Art of Change” To borrow a line from the Artist in Chief, I’m “fired up and ready to go.” Am I starting to sound like an advocate? Well, that seems to be a touchy subject. Some quote-unquote “journalists” have recently accused this agency of losing its independence and becoming a propaganda machine. While I want to state in no uncertain terms that the NEA is not a political agency and that when art becomes propaganda I lose all interest in it, I also want everyone to know that the days of a defensive NEA are over. We have a plan and we are going to, quote, “advocate” for it. Remember, please, that the NEA is an unusual agency within the federal government. We have always been considered the champions of the arts and artists in the public sector. In a sense, we do “advocate” for them in a way that the IRS doesn’t advocate for taxes or the FCC for bandwidth. We promote the arts. We Know Art Works: Rocco Landesman Addresses Grantmakers in the Arts
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POPS Amazing Pictures, Pollution in China October 21st, 2009 by Key October 14, 2009, the 30th annual awards ceremony of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund took place at the Asia Society in New York City. Lu Guang from People’s Republic of China won the $30,000 W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography for his documentary project “Pollution in China.” August of 1993 he returned to post-graduate studies at the Central Arts and Design Academy in Beijing (now is the Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University). During graduate school, he studied, traveled all over the country and carved out a career, became the “dark horse” of the photographer circle in Beijing. Skilled at social documentary photography, his insightful, creative and artistic work often focused on “social phenomena and people living at the bottom of society”, attracted the attentions of the national photography circle and the media. Many of his award winning works focused on social issues like, “gold rush in the west”, “drug
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POPSA woman dies of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the United States *** BOOBIES ALERT *** Colleges around my area are promoting National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A paper I was handed by a student indicated that every three minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer? It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women and the chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman’s life is about 1 in 8. African-American women are more likely than white women to die from breast cancer. Lesbians are at a higher risk of breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers because they are less likely to have children by age 30, if at all. Just wanted to pass this information along. I'm doing my best to keep abreast of the situation.
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POPSDemon Descends on College Demons allegedly took possession of a student at a N. Georgia college. Later in the day a troupe of gnomes trampled the gladiolas outside the student union building while just this morning a renegade unicorn was rumored to be harassing a pagan sacrifice on the quad. The Ghost Busters have been contacted.
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POPSCoffee Anyone? I can just smell and taste as I look at it. Check out the other photos here.
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POPSFusion of Cultures Seems the arts are the greatest arenas where cultures fuse. Here is one such group of musicians that have been around for a while and whose music I personally love. Afro Celt Sound System
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POPSBendaroos Reviews Bendaroos are really fun and kids never get bored with them. Either will you! I got that lost year as Christmas Stocking Stuffers and they were well received by all
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