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The problem of religious language considers whether it is possible to talk about God meaningfully if the traditional conceptions of God as being incorporeal, infinite, and timeless, are accepted. Various theories of religious language either attempt to show that such language is meaningless, or that it can still be meaningful. The via negativa is a way of referring to God according to what he is not. Analogy uses human qualities as standards against which to compare divine qualities. Symbolism is used non-literally to describe otherwise ineffable experiences. A mythological interpretation of religion attempts to reveal fundamental truths behind religious stories. Alternative explanations of religious language cast it as having political, performative, or imperative functions. Logical positivists argue that religious language is meaningless because its propositions are impossible to verify. Religion has also been classified as a language game that is meaningful within its own context. Others have used parables to approach the problem, such as R. M. Hare's parable of a lunatic, and John Hick's parable of the Celestial City to propose his theory of eschatological verification. (Full article...)

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There are eleven episodes of Chartjackers, a British documentary television programme that ran for a single season in 2009. The series documents the lives of four teenage video bloggers—Alex Day (pictured), Johnny Haggart, Jimmy Hill and Charlie McDonnell—from the video-sharing website YouTube as they attempt to write, record and release a pop song by crowdsourcing through social media in ten weeks. When originally broadcast, the first ten episodes of Chartjackers, each five minutes in length, detailed the events of the previous seven days. The eleventh and final episode compiled highlights from the previous ten weeks into one 30-minute compilation. The series garnered a viewing figures peak of almost half a million with its final episode and was critically panned by reviewers. A cross-platform project, Chartjackers was distributed both on television and through online media – after being broadcast on BBC Two, each episode was available to view again through BBC iPlayer and on the YouTube channel BBCSwitch. (Full list...)

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Nancy Storace

Nancy Storace (1765–1817) was an English operatic soprano. Born in London, this child prodigy first performed in public at age eight before moving to Italy in 1778, where she soon embarked on a highly successful career. In 1783 Emperor Joseph II brought her to Vienna, where she starred in his new Italian opera company, appearing in works by Mozart and other composers. During a performance in 1785, her voice failed, and it never fully recovered. However, she was able to continue her career both in Vienna and later London, retiring by 1808. Several roles were written for her, including Susanna in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, and she helped her brother Stephen's operas find success.

Engraving: Pietro Bettelini; restoration: Adam Cuerden

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