Not everyone’s memories are appropriate fodder for books. Especially when those memories are relatively humdrum. To wit: It was at Keewaydin, [Michael] Eisner writes, that he learned the value of mutual respect, teamwork and leadership, along with such enduring life lessons as “Help the other fellow” and “Be a fair winner and a good loser.” Yes, it’s true. Despite a publicity merry-go-round, Michael Eisner’s book is not selling. This is possibly because while Eisner is somewhat well-known in the greater Los Angeles area (though not as ubiquitious as the industry would like to think), he’s not truly a household name

Yes, kids, it’s time to explore one of our favorite topics: Balancing the rights of copyright owners with the fact that works of art are inaccessible to those who want them. In today’s episode, we follow a group of classical music lovers who are slowly realizing that the cost-benefit ratio of rereleasing classic performances (pun not intended, but enjoyed nonetheless) is not so hot. So ephemeral is music that passionate minorities who appreciate it can’t believe their luck when lesser-known pieces survive multiple centuries, or when radio broadcasts by great, deceased or retired performers can still be heard – and

Mary Beth Lucas once said to us, “Bias is everywhere. Your job is to try to keep it out of your work as much as possible.” We were young, freshman year in high school, and quite sure we would write as neutrally as required. We were going to be Brenda Starr and journalists reported without bias. Ah, how we miss those naive days! To write without bias is to write without personality. Word choice and usage informs a story and it also reveals the bias of the writer (or, in the case of fiction, the character). We laugh at the

Words are dangerous, dangerous things. Access to words can lead to the one thing oppressors hate most: thinking. A thoughtful, questioning populace is the most dangerous threat a dictator can face. In times of fear, cutting off access to words becomes the weapon of choice. In Cuba, though largely underreported by the media, librarians are on the front lines of the thought wars. Jailed for promoting dangerousness (heck, jailed for attending conferences). Subjected to seizure of their entire book collections. Forced to live with the knowledge that books are being burned. These are the actions of a government living in