The Death Of Letter-Writing?
Fundamentally, whether you’re convinced that instant communication heralds the death of the literary letter depends on how you define a letter. – Times Literary Supplement
- Lookback: a holiday wedding
From 2004: I haven’t taken part in many weddings in my life, and none at all in recent years, so when my friend Laura asked me to read the Eighty-Fourth Psalm at her wedding last Saturday, I juggled my holiday plans and found a way to get myself to the... Read more
New South Africa variant ‘incredibly worrying’ – Hancock BBC. “[Health Secretary Matt Hancock] has spoken to his South African counterpart and it is ‘even more of a problem than the UK new variant.'” More trouble
A Record 39 Christmas Songs Dominated Year End Billboard Charts
Each holiday season, Mariah Carey’s song and other holiday tunes begin to climb the Billboard charts as their popularity resurfaces through streaming, radio play and even digital sales. Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart this week, followed by Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,“ Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” – Toronto Star (AP)
Staggering Economic And Career Cultural Losses Thanks To The Pandemic
Take star violinist Jennifer Koh as an example: “nine months into a contagion that has halted most public gatherings and decimated the performing arts, Ms. Koh, who watched a year’s worth of bookings evaporate, is playing music from her living room and receiving food stamps.” More than fifty percent of actors and dancers, and more than one fourth of musicians, are entirely out of work. And then there’s the broader category of arts and culture creatives. What will happen? – The New York Times
Washington Post – “As professional photography editors, we are accustomed to seeing a little bit of everything: war, famine, fires, hurricanes, politics, suffering, beauty, silliness and sometimes joy. This year was different. Photography, and photojournalism in particular, is regarded as a medium of reality. Reality became surreal this year and with it, photojournalism. Photography shines brightest when we are moved by it or it reveals something to us that we may have never seen before. We believe this selection of extraordinary photographs from the past year radiates that light. — the Washington Post Photography Team.”
Not Just Careless: Australian weapons part turns up on Armenian battlefield
by Michelle Fahy
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