Is that street lamp watching you?

From bridges to sewers, streetlights to rubbish bins, cities are increasingly using an unusual range of sources to gather data about a subject of acute interest: you. 
Read more.

Northern Soul: Keeping The Faith. By The Culture Show BBC2

One of the best documentaries about the Northern Soul scene to date, it's been done with love and affection. Produced and Directed by Maurice O'Brien and Edited by David Arthur. Well worth seeing!

Look up and ... get a life

'Look Up' - A spoken word film for an online generation. 'Look Up' is a lesson taught to us through a love story, in a world where we continue to find ways to make it easier for us to connect with one another, but always results in us spending more time alone.

Written, Performed & Directed by Gary Turk.

Generation Like

In this eye-opening follow-up to FRONTLINE’s classic documentary The Merchants of Cool, author Douglas Rushkoff returns to the world of youth culture.
He explores how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media — and how big brands are increasingly co-opting young consumers’ digital presences on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
“Today’s teens don’t need to be chased down by corporations,” says Rushkoff, who interviewed everyone from actor and social media superstar Ian Somerhalder to YouTube sensation Tyler Oakley

Ai Weiwei vase worth $1m broken in local artist protest

A Florida artist is facing criminal charges after deliberately dropping a vase by dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in an apparent protest.

Maximo Caminero, 51, was charged with criminal mischief after breaking the $1m (£600,000) vase on Sunday in Miami.

The Florida museum is holding an exhibition of the work of the Chinese artist until mid-March. It includes an artwork, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, depicting Mr Ai smashing an ancient Chinese vase.

Merchants of Cool - How Teens run the Economy

They are the merchants of cool: creators and sellers of popular culture who have made teenagers the hottest consumer demographic in America. But are they simply reflecting teen desires or have they begun to manufacture those desires in a bid to secure this lucrative market? And have they gone too far in their attempts to reach the hearts--and wallets--of America's youth?

Take a closer look at the complex world of selling "cool" in a Frontline documentary. Click here to watch ->

For source go here.

Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema

From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians

We all know the name Jesus Christ — but how much do we really know about the historical Jesus and the early Christians? 
More than you might think. 
Archaeological finds have yielded a deeper understanding of Jesus' class and social status, and are challenging old ideas about the identity of his original followers.

Watch online here.

Why piano-mania grips China’s children

In Mao’s China, pianos were destroyed as despised symbols of the bourgeoisie – but now an estimated 40m children are learning the instrument. What has changed? Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore investigates. 

Keng Zhou holds a prestigious position as dean of the International Piano Academy at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. But he first learnt to play in 1973 not on a gleaming grand piano but on an instrument’s battered remains. The legs had been sawn off for fuel and its cover removed to create a makeshift table. For years in Mao’s China, Western classical music was viewed suspiciously as a tool of imperialism and the piano a despised instrument of the bourgeoisie.

How To Make A Traditional Full English Breakfast

Traditional Full English Breakfast Recipe. Gail and Jill, of the Blacksmith's Café in Hastings, guide us through the ritual of making the perfect fried breakfast. Savour our Traditional Full English Breakfast recipe.

For source go here.

Reading the world in 196 books

Writer Ann Morgan set herself a challenge – to read a book from every country in the world in one year. She describes the experience and what she learned. 

I used to think of myself as a fairly cosmopolitan sort of person, but my bookshelves told a different story. Apart from a few Indian novels and the odd Australian and South African book, my literature collection consisted of British and American titles. Worse still, I hardly ever tackled anything in translation. My reading was confined to stories by English-speaking authors.

Michael Morpurgo on how to write for children

Michael Morpurgo is one of England’s best-loved children’s writers. He discusses his fascination with historical subjects and how he writes for children with Razia Iqbal.

Michael Morpurgo has written over 100 books, the most famous of which,War Horse (1982), has since become an award-winning and hugely successful stage play. It was adapted into a feature film by Steven Spielberg in 2011. Morpurgo has won several prizes, including the Whitbread Award. In 2005 he won the Blue Peter award for his novel, Private Peaceful.

He talks with Razia Iqbal about preserving traditional values, the importance of historical accuracy in his novels, and how to tackle serious and disturbing subjects when writing for children.



For source go here.

China thirsty for wine

Tom Brook profiles a documentary in the market for distributors at Cannes that examines China’s growing interest in fine French wines. China’s economic ascendancy has created a thirst for luxury goods – and produced a bubble in wine prices. But whereas the buyers of the most expensive wines in the West tend to be investors, the Chinese are buying them to drink. 

Directors David Roach and Warwick Ross’ film Red Obsession examines the effect of China’s new wealth on the wine industry in Bordeaux, on domestic drinking habits and on China’s perception abroad.



For source go here.

Why this could be one of the happiest countries on earth?

Bhutan is one of the poorest and least developed nations in the world but it has been ranked the happiest nation in Asia and eighth happiest in the world in a survey. Plastic bags are banned, tobacco is almost illegal and the country measures the wellbeing of its people by Gross National Happiness (GNH) rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Carmen Roberts went to find out why Bhutan is such a land of contentment.



For source go here.

Is Modern Life Killing Us?

Is the pace of life - juggling childcare, a commute, work, technology and exercise - affecting individuals' happiness in the UK? 
Figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest we are actually working on average an hour or two less than we did in 1971 but it does not feel that way, as the internet and email mean we are never off-duty. 
Reeta Chakrabarti is given tips on how to slow down and asks whether any lessons can be learned from people in Denmark, where people work shorter hours and pay less for childcare.


For source go here.

Why is art so expensive?

While the world economy languishes, paintings and sculpture continue to command dizzying prices. Georgina Adam explains how competitive billionaires, new wealth and the fashions of the super-rich keep values sky high. 

Girls 'lack ambition' for good jobs

 





A new report from the Women's Business Council says our economy needs women's contribution, and action is required to remove the obstacles that currently restrict women from realising their full potential.

These obstacles appear at all stages of their working lives. Among the report's recommendations are a call to broaden girls' aspirations and career choices and to create a business culture that embraces them.

Ruby McGregor-Smith, chair of the Women's Business Council (WBC) and author of the report, told today presenter John Humphrys that she has seen "a real lack of confidence in young girls".

Gladys Lawson, a microbiologist who volunteers for the charity Inspiring the Future, said some girls "don't have any guidance" in schools and described how girls "lack ambition". "Parents need to encourage their children as well as teachers" she added.

For source go here.

Cult of celebrity 'is harming children'

The cult of celebrity is producing a generation that believes education and hard work are not important in achieving success, claims the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

A survey found that more than 70 per cent of teachers in primary and secondary schools said the cult of celebrity was perverting children's aspirations and expectations.

About 37 per cent of teachers believe their pupils want to be famous for being famous.

They fear that many youngsters do not realise how hard their idols have worked to earn their fame.

Meet the strangest startup in travel: CorruptTour

Prague-based startup travel agency offers tours of "corrupt" areas and cities. Genius or gimmick? 
We’ve covered a lot of startups in our careers, but this one takes the prize for our favorite travel startup ever, for the simple reason that it is the strangest ever: CorruptTour.

Revival of the British butler

The TV series Downton Abbey is now being shown in more than 100 countries and has generated an interest in the fine art of butling.

But what qualities do you need to be a good butler? David Lewis takes some training and discovers that some hotels are now offering guests their own personal butler during their stay.

For source go here.