Nothing more pointless than hoisting a flag on a sandbar so one can become a king of nothing, at least till the next tide sweeps you out to sea. The battle is for the "commanding heights" of mainstream culture, and forming little enclaves of succor for gentle souls who just can't bear to go on without a medal, a gong, a grant or two is a waste of time... all with the same board members, most, if not all of whom, have spent their careers far above the madding crowd and outside the commercial culture, like Daniel P. Crandall's sweet little foundation in his AT article today. The only awards that count in the battle for the mainstream culture are measured in eyeballs, audience size, and money. Get enough of those and you will get more recognition than you can stand. The liberals own the universities, the big foundations, the government and the various dying media companies, whose very sickness has come about by ignoring the rather elemental fact that mass media must appeal to...(Read Full Post)