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Friday, April 30, 2004

California Arts Economic Engine "California's nonprofit arts groups pump $5.4 billion annually into the state's economy, according to an economic impact study released Thursday by the California Arts Council. This represents a 152 percent increase since the last study was done in 1994." Sacramento Bee 04/30/04

Report: Arts Council Should Move From London A new report suggests that Arts Council England should consider moving out of London. "The institute's report suggested museum attendance outside London was half that of the capital's. The report said there had to be more effort to encourage arts participation. The report said London was so much higher than the rest of the country because there were many more artistic venues in the capital." BBC 04/30/04

Thursday, April 29, 2004

WTC To Get Smaller Insurance Payout - Some Rebuilding Projects In Doubt A jury has limited the payout of insurance to the developer rebuilding on the World Trade Center site, cutting $1 billion from the expected total. "The decision cast doubt on his financing for four office towers planned for the ambitious project designed for ground zero. Still, money seems assured for the $1.5 billion, 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, while federal funds will be available for a $2 billion transit center. A combination of private and federal money will pay for the planned memorial and a museum and performing arts center." The New York Times 04/30/04

Arts Funding Outlook Mixed For 2004 "If 2003 was the year of uniformly negative news nationwide on the state arts-funding front, 2004 is shaping up to be the year of the definite maybe, with some states looking at boosting funding and some localities considering more cuts. And in Florida, which sustained deep arts-funding cuts last year, well-mobilized cultural organizations may find themselves feeling sorry/grateful for their advocacy efforts." Backstage 04/29/04

Study: Philanthropic Giving Down By Almost $1 Billion "Charitable giving by America's grant-making foundations -- a universe of nearly 65,000 organizations -- fell from $30.5 billion in 2001 and $30.4 billion in 2002 to approximately $29.7 billion in 2003. A downward shift of $800 million might, arguably, be small change when one compares it to America's multitrillion-dollar economy, but for nonprofits, it is another sign that times have been tough, are still tough, and are likely to remain tough for the foreseeable future. A nearly $1 billion decline in giving in just three years, in fact, stands in stark contrast to the boom years of the late 1990s, when foundations, feeling flush and optimistic due to the dot-com stock market upswing, seemed to forever be moving their giving levels via a northern trajectory." Backstage 04/29/04

Miami - America's New Arts Capital? Is it true that experts consider "greater Miami as a potential capital of arts in the Americas?" If so, the state of Florida isn't stepping up to the table to support it happening. Miami Herald 04/29/04

Is Variable Ticket Pricing Good For Business? A limited study of Broadway ticket pricing practices, under which two people sitting in the same section of a given theater may have paid wildly different prices depending on when and where they bought their tickets, suggests that, contrary to some industry concerns, variable pricing doesn't seem to make consumers unhappy. "[C]onsumers were largely unaffected by price discrimination relative to uniform pricing, while producers experienced a 5 percent increase in profits... [O]n average, it looks like it didn't make much difference to consumers whether there was price discrimination or not." BusinessWire 04/29/04

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Officials to Investigate Faltering Arts Center When Pennsylvania's Mountain Laurel Performing Arts Center closed its doors only five months after opening, arts supporters and state officials were aghast at what appeared to be a classic case of mismanagement and overreach. Now, the state Auditor General's office is getting involved at the request of Pennsylvania legislators, investigating the decisions and deals that led to the construction of the $35 million venue. Mountain Laurel, located in the Pocono Mountains in the northeastern part of the state, was to have been the summer home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and planned to host summer concerts by the Philadelphia Orchestra as well. Scranton (PA) Times Tribune 04/28/04

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Dangerous Art? C'Mon - Art Is Impotent Are there ideas or art that are dangerous to society? That's the case made by some. "For every kid who watches The Matrix and shoots up his high school, we can cite millions more who saw the same movie and did nothing. Does this demonstrate that art is harmless? And if it is harmless, what's the point of it? Sadly, I suspect that it is harmless, and that there is no point to it..." Reason 04/27/04

High School Boy Turned In To Police For Anti-War Artwork A high school student who drew pictures of George Bush including one that "portrayed Bush as a devil launching a missile, with a caption reading 'End the war -- on terrorism'" was turned in to authorities by his teacher. "The 15-year-old boy's art teacher at Prosser High School in Washington State turned the drawings over to school administrators, who notified police, who called the Secret Service." The boy wasn't arrested but was disciplined by the school. CNN (AP) 04/27/04

Busing In The Artists Paducah, Kentucky wants artists. And they'll help you move there if you are one. Paducah's "Artist Relocation Program has exerted the same magnetic pull on others who've dreamed of living, working and, most importantly, owning in a neighborhood of like-minded residents. In 2 1/2 years, nearly 40 people have moved here to transform a beat-up area of homes known as Lower Town into a blossoming art colony." Chicago Tribune 04/27/04

New Arts University Launching (But What Arts?) The new University of the Arts London is about to launch. "But the launch of the new institution as an "Imperial College for the arts" comes at a time when there is more confusion than ever about what arts students should be taught. A survey this week shows colleges and university arts departments in Britain agree on very little when it comes to the curriculum for future artists, except, bizarrely, black and white photography and silkscreen printing." The Guardian (UK) 04/27/04

Monday, April 26, 2004

Plan To Boost London Arts Big Time A new initiative aims to raise the value of London's arts industry by a third to £32 billion and create 200,000 new jobs in 10 years. "London's creative industries currently employ 500,000 people and are responsible for one in five of all new jobs in the capital. But an investigation by the mayor's Commission for the Creative Industries found the industry lacks international recognition, and young entrepreneurs often struggle to get financial backing." BBC 04/26/04

  • London's Manhattan Project For The Arts What will London's new arts initiative look like? "It sets out to make an immediate impact with a step-by-step policy of clearing blocks to arts activities. Its first move is a website which goes online today and which acts as a "space agency" - a clearing house for empty buildings or rooms which could be used for marketing, rehearsals and performances by arts groups." The Guardian (UK) 04/27/04

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Florida City Bets Future On Arts The city of Sarasota, Florida has decided that its future is with the arts. "A consultant's proposal would add up to 375,000 square feet of new cultural space and 300,000 to 600,000 square feet for shops, restaurants, galleries, offices and residences. There's also a planned three-acre public park, a 10th Street pier and marina, and a baywalk path along the water." Sarasota Herald-Tribune 04/25/04

What Does Scotland's Commitment To Arts Mean? So Scotland is undertaking a cultural review. But what's that mean? "A scan down the Cultural Policy Statement was enough to send readers cross-eyed trying to find meaning in the too-polished sentences. I have little idea what an 'effective, sustainable infrastructure for our arts, heritage, screen and creative industries' is. Nor do I like the suggestion that creativity is 'the edge we need in a competitive world'. It’s wrong to evaluate the arts as a pounds-shillings-and-pence tool of business. We should enjoy and pursue them for their own sake." The Scotsman 04/25/04

  • What Does Scotland's Arts Community Want? Is the Scottish Executive's plan for the arts just an exercise in delaying a policy? The culture minister says not: "I’m asking the sector to come up with some solutions for itself. I’m tired with the passivity. The system of decision-making suggests we know best all the time. Well, if the arts sector genuinely believes in the contribution it can make, here’s an opportunity for the commission to interrogate that.” Glasgow Herald 04/25/04

Big Increase For Florida Arts Funding "Florida lawmakers agreed Saturday to boost spending on arts and cultural programs by millions of dollars in the coming year -- but killed a plan that would guarantee future funding." The increase cheers arts supporters, but leaves the arts vulnerable in future budgets. The News-Journal (Florida) 04/25/04

Brampton: Canada's Home for Weird Art Small cities often find themselves with a hard row to hoe when they attempt to reinvent themselves as arts destinations, but the much-maligned town of Brampton, Ontario, is determined to give it a try. But Brampton isn't just looking for artists - it's embracing all the avant-garde, taboo-defying "weirdo" artists it can get. "Brampton is, after all, the home of Scott Thompson, weirdest and wildest of the Kids in the Hall. This sprawling commuter conglomerate of 400,000 — expected to grow to 700,000 this decade — might just be the Canadian centre for strange, experimental art." Toronto Star 04/24/04

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Going For Economic Diveristy In School? The top American universities are now more than ever filled with children of the wealthy. "Experts say the change in the student population is a result of both steep tuition increases and the phenomenal efforts many wealthy parents put into preparing their children to apply to the best schools." Now some schools are trying to diversify the economic makeup of their students. The New York Times 04/22/04

Scotland To Undertake Major Review Of Arts Policy "A 'once in a generation' review of the arts, which makes widening access to arts and culture a cornerstone of public policy, was announced by Scotland's culture minister yesterday" The Guardian (UK) 04/23/04

  • Scotland: Culture Review Short On Specifics What will Scotland's year-long culture review consist of? "The culture minister, Frank McAveety, called the review the start of a 'new era' and a "once-in-a-generation opportunity". But there were few specifics in the "cultural policy statement" that the executive produced yesterday in a glossy brochure. Mr McAveety talked repeatedly of changing a "20th- century" arts infrastructure in Scotland and of "trimming unnecessary bureaucracy" to achieve 'best value'. But the document offered no concrete working proposals." The Scotsman 04/23/04

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

French Unions Disrupt Cultural Events (Again) "Protesting French actors and technicians, who prompted the cancellation of most summer arts festivals last year and forced the resignation of the French culture minister this spring," are again disrupting cultural events in France and threatening the Cannes Film Festival. The New York Times 04/22/04

Protests Over Philly Arts Cuts Philadelphia cultural leaders are protesting the mayor's plans to cut $4.4 million of cultural funding. "The city now spends just 12 cents per $100 on the city's arts and cultural sector, which in turn supports 11,000 jobs, generates more than $560 million in regional spending and returns $6.5 million in city tax revenue, according to a 1998 Pennsylvania Economy League study." CentreDaily.com (AP) 04/20/04

Building A Downtown Neighborhood (We Hope) As mid-sized American cities go, Minneapolis has a fairly thriving urban center. But what the city has always lacked is a heavily populated downtown neighborhood to anchor its impressive cultural scene. A new building spree aims to create that sought-after mix of residential and commercial space, but Minneapolitans have seen this type of ambition before, only to see the grandest plans fall to the budget knife or the wrecking ball. And at the core of the debate is the question of what makes a neighborhood vital: is it upscale boutiques? Affordable housing? Lots of coffee shops and bars? Easy access to theatres and baseball games? The goalposts seem to move with each passing year. City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul) 04/21/04

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Testing The Art Of The Free Market The new Savoy Opera in London is a grand experiment in the business of art, writes Norman Lebrecht. "The revolution was, unseen, in the bottom line. This was opera without subsidy, opera with an entrepreneurial spirit - opera as it used to be, organised by resourceful enthusiasts for an audience that consisted not of bow-tied aesthetes and glams in gowns but, in the main, of working men and women who might otherwise have been watching farce in Whitehall, a musical on Shaftesbury Avenue or a DVD at home. After sixty years of public support for the arts and a general recognition that they are a jolly good thing, here was a genuine attempt to test the market and see what sort of people, and how many of them, might go to the opera if it was brought to them at a guaranteed professional standard and at a reasonable price." La Scena Musicale 04/16/04

Warning: US/Aussie Free Trade Proposal Will Harm Aussie Culture Cultural leaders in Australia are warning that a proposed free trade agreement with the US will impinge on Australia's home-grown culture. "The proposed deal caps the amount of local content at existing levels of 55 per cent on free-to-air commercial television and 25 per cent for commercial radio, and at 10 per cent on pay TV. If the government reduces these content levels, they cannot be raised again. The deal also prevents the government from regulating local content levels for new media without consulting the US, which can challenge any proposed changes." The Age (Melbourne) 04/19/04

Monday, April 19, 2004

Two National Groups Fold Into Americans For the Arts "Two national arts groups, the State Arts Advocacy League of America (SAALA) and the National Community Arts Network (NCAN), have agreed to be folded into Americans for the Arts." Backstage 04/19/04

UK Arts Giving Up Giving to the arts was up in the UK last year. "Donations to the arts by companies and individuals rose last year to £376m - equivalent to more than a third of the total of £957m of taxpayers' money spent on subsidies. But art galleries and museums remain unglamorous causes to both kinds of donor, according to figures issued today. They are in low places for largesse from business sponsorship and private giving." The Guardian (UK) 04/19/04

The Battle For Florida The state of Florida slashed arts funding last year. But arts supporters were cheered in the past few weeks when members of the legislature proposed a cultural trust fund that would provide long term funding for the arts, restoring last year's cuts. But Governor Jeb Bush has been throwing cold water on the plan: "The priorities of the future should be established by future governors and legislatures. That's the general principle that I support and believe in.'' Miami Herald 04/18/04

Arts Against Bush "Anti-administration politics are busting out of their usual homes in music, books, fine art and standup comedy, and crossing easily over into feature films, theatre, and even mainstream television shows in the run-up to this November's U.S. presidential election. At the same time, many of the flag-waving, administration-friendly movies that Hollywood rushed to produce in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, either foundered in development or are bombing at the box office, including the current The Alamo." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 04/18/04

Sunday, April 18, 2004

Aussie Arts - Flinging Open The Doors Australia's most venerable stuffy cultural institutions have found new life in the past decade. "Some call it "a renaissance", others "a revolution". Either way, many of our most august institutions have reinvented themselves. The walls that once protected their vast collections of artefacts and books from the ravages of the outside world have become porous. Why? In short, they have been rejuvenated by the internet." Sydney Morning Herald 04/18/04

Old Culture War Fears Bedevil Arts Funding (Still) The failure of a major initiative to fund arts in Cleveland came down to some very old issues left over from the culture wars of the 1990s: "The reluctance to approve government-administered money for the arts might be due to the two deep-rooted and opposing fears that the Mapplethorpe battle caused: Would the grants pay for art that the public finds incomprehensible, unattractive, obscene or blasphemous? And would the government place restrictions on artists' freedom of expression as a direct or indirect condition of the grants?" The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 04/18/04

Utah's Culture Boom Utah arts groups are struggling. But voters have recently approved bonds for several big cultural building projects. Indeed, there's a building boom going on in Salt Lake City as about $500 million in new cultural facilities are contemplated. Salt Lake Tribune 04/18/04

Is New Jersey In For An Arts Funding Increase? "After two years of budget cuts totaling about $4 million, the New Jersey arts community has something to celebrate: a proposed increase of $6.6 million in state funding for arts organizations and projects." New Brunswick Home News Tribune (AJ) 04/18/04

Is Mickey Mouse Over As A Cultural Icon? What's happened to Mickey Mouse? Once one of America's most-loved cultural icons, the Mouse doesn't cut it in today's culture. "Boring," "embalmed," "neglected," "irrelevant," "deracinated" and, perhaps most damning, "over" are some of the adjectives that cropped up in recent interviews with people in the cartoon, movie and marketing businesses. And strangely for such a well-known figure, Mickey doesn't even have a back story: no clearly defined relations, no hometown, no goals, no weaknesses." The New York Times 04/18/04

The New Immigration, The New Culture The culture of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island in the 20th Century has reverberated through the city's popular culture. But the culture of a more recent waves of immigrants is only slowly seeping into the city. "Nearly 1 million immigrants have settled in New York since 1990, and today 36% of city residents (or 2.9 million) are foreign-born, a figure rivaling the previous high of 41% reached in 1910, according to U.S. census statistics. The borough of Queens, where once-deteriorating neighborhoods have been revitalized by a flood of newcomers, is now thought to be the nation's most ethnically diverse county." Los Angeles Times 04/17/04

California Arts Council Director Resigns Barry Hessenius has resigned as director of the California Arts Council. "During his tenure, Hessenius has overseen Arts Council budgets that reached a high of $30.7 million in 2000-01 and a low of $1 million for the current fiscal year, a drop of more than 97 percent in funding for the arts by the state. The money had been awarded as grants to more than 4,000 of the state's arts endeavors, large and small, rural and inner-city - everything from artists in residence in schools to major orchestras." Sacramento Bee 04/17/04

Thursday, April 15, 2004

Progress vs. Public In France, the peculiar type of civic modernization often referred to as "progress" by politicians is frequently met with anything from skepticism to outright hostility, and the construction of a huge new bridge over the Tarn River is the latest battleground. "The project is paradoxical. Nobody can dispute that it is going to be one of the most beautiful bridges in the world... But the bridge will do much more than lop two hours off the journey from Paris to the southwest coast. It is proof that in one of the most centralized countries in Europe, a bureaucrat in Paris can draw a line on a map and, at a stroke, bypass any local objections." Washington Post 04/15/04

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Making The Museum Experience Kid-Friendly For the first time in decades, art museums are making a concerted effort to cater to the needs of children, and the museum field trip may never be the same. "The once-a-year docent-led sprint through the galleries is being replaced by more sophisticated strategies. Children are being invited to write labels, dress up in the period costume of a particular painting, and act as docents themselves." One Boston museum is even embarking on a year-long study to discover just what children get out of the museum experience, and what information they retain. Boston Globe 04/14/04

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Cities Zero In On Arts Budgets Last year it was state governments that slashed arts funding. This year it's cities. Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York... all are looking at cutting cultural funding as hey struggle to balance budgets. Philadelphia Business Journal 04/13/04

Monday, April 12, 2004

A Lincoln Center Plan That's "Evolutionary" After years of debate, finally a plan for a Lincoln Center makeover that works. "What we've got here is the inverse of the Wow Factor: a new plan for the center's public spaces so understated as to seem almost uncanny. It looks just like Lincoln Center, only smarter, more self-aware and amazingly confident in its sense of direction. The plan is evolutionary. It tweaks, here and there, the existing architecture of Lincoln Center, but the overall effect is to enhance the original rather than to negate or override it. It's respectful. This seems to me an invaluable civic lesson at this intemperate moment in our national life." The New York Times 04/13/04

California City Funds Plan To Lure Artists The city of Ventura, California has become so expensive to live in that artists moved out. So "last week, the city gave Minneapolis-based Artspace Projects Inc. $400,000 to begin work on a plan to provide homes and studios to at least 25 artists and their families. The company, which specializes in carving airy lofts out of abandoned industrial buildings, aims to raise at least $10 million, mostly from state and federal agencies and private foundations." Los Angeles Times 04/12/04

Sunday, April 11, 2004

US Cracking Down On Porn The US Department of Justice is cracking down on pornography. The DoJ plans to "prosecute those producing and distributing obscene material. 'Nothing will be off-limits as far as content goes. We'll do everything we can to deter this conduct.' But that may be difficult. "More than 11,000 adult films are released annually in the US and there are 800 million DVD and video rentals of adult movies each year, according to the trade association Adult Video News." The Observer (UK) 04/11/04

Denver: Changing Horses In Mid-Construct Denver's major cultural institutions are in the midst of a building boom. But several of those institutions are in a hunt for new top leadership. And that means... Denver Post 04/11/04

Arts Make A Comeback In The Heartland The post-9/11 focus on national security and the weakened U.S. economy has famously cost arts groups millions of dollars in local, state, and federal funding over the last few years, but in some cities, the arts are starting to rise again. In Indianapolis, where funding cuts hit hard, the city's Arts Council will see its budget rise this year, despite flat levels of government funding. Contributions from foundations and the private sector are up, and there is reason to believe that local officials are beginning to buy into the notion that money pumped into the arts is returned to the local economy in measurable ways. Indianapolis Star 04/11/04

U.S. Denies Visas To Cuban Supergroup "A two-month US tour by the 15-piece Cuban jazz-pop band Cubanismo! has been canceled because its members were denied visas to enter the United States. The group had planned a 43-show, 34-city itinerary... Cubanismo!, made up of musicians from various Cuban bands, has played in the United States several times over the last decade, including last year." The Justice Department has offered no explanation for the refusal to grant visas. Boston Globe 04/10/04

Friday, April 9, 2004

Gioia Presents NEA Budget To Congress National Endowment for the Arts chairman Dana Gioia presented the Bush administration's request for a 15 percent budget increase to Congress. "The need for national arts leadership has never been more critical. There is presently a national crisis in state, local, and private arts funding across the United States. Budget cutbacks are nearly universal, and the majority of institutions in most arts fields are currently operating at a deficit with numerous bankruptcies, even among established organizations. Our appropriations -- 40% of which are directly allocated to state arts agencies and regional organizations -- provide much needed stability in this challenging environment." Backstage 04/09/04

Bruni Gets NYT Restaurant Critic Job Frank Bruni has been named the New York Times new restaurant critic. "Mr. Bruni, 39, joined The Times in 1995 as a reporter for The Metro Section before becoming a national correspondent, first in San Francisco and then in Washington. He covered the presidential campaign of George W. Bush and the first eight months of the Bush administration, and went to the Rome bureau in 2002." The New York Times 04/09/04

Thursday, April 8, 2004

  • Crying About The NYT's Interim Restaurant Critics The position of restaurant critic, is one fraught with danger. Since William Grimes left the job at the New York Times, the paper has used interim critics, but the restaurant industry is angry at the results. "Mr. Grimes wasn’t exactly beloved by the city’s restaurant industry—many considered him sensationalist, too transfixed by his fine-tuned prose to appreciate or even understand the joys of the table—but now his controversial tenure seems like the good old days." New York Observer 04/06/04

The Vast Right-Wing Morality Crusade As the government debate over clamping down on broadcast 'indecency' ratchets up, John Doyle is getting a bit tired of hearing the crackdown described as a response to a genuine swelling of public outrage, rather than as a private crusade of the American ultra-right. After all, if the public were truly the main concern, why wouldn't the hearings being held to confront the spectre of Janet Jackson's exposed breast and Howard Stern's potty mouth be held, well, in public? "Nothing that happens behind closed doors is genuinely in response to a populist concern. Otherwise, it wouldn't be necessary to go behind closed doors." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 04/08/04

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

The Pulitzers - Is Writing About Cars Real Criticism? Many were surprised this week when the Pulitzer for criticism went to someone who writes about cars. Is writing about cars real criticism? "Cars are literally what connects the city of Los Angeles. I'm sure some people will clench their fists and decry the award as the end of our culture, but it seems like a completely reasonable choice to me." The New York Times 04/08/04

Would It Be Illegal To Just Beat Them With Sticks? The Shanghai Grand Theater, which spent over $36,000 on an electronic jamming system to disable cell phones and wireless pagers in its performance space, is being forced to turn off the system after being told that using it is illegal. The theater says that it will begin politely asking patrons to turn off their mobile devices, which performers claim ring "from start to finish," but some theatergoers insist that they should have the right to stay in touch with the outside world, even if it means disrupting the show. XinhuaNet 04/07/04

Tuesday, April 6, 2004

Is Short Art Short Value? "Does great art always have to be a feat of endurance? Is there something aesthetically unsatisfactory about a play that is over in 35 seconds, a short story that contains only seven words, or an opera that can be performed in the time it takes to boil an egg? Fortunately for the culturally hungry with little time on their hands, all these things exist. The issue is whether you think you would be getting your money's worth." The Guardian (UK) 04/07/04

The Death Of American Arts Education Arts education is quickly disappearing from schools across America. "Art and music classes have become secondary to more traditional subjects such as math and science, which means that when budgets are tight, the arts are among the first to be cut from curriculums." CNN.com 04/06/04

It's An Aesthetic Aesthetic World What do academics interested in aesthetics do when they get together? They talk about ideas. "One of the things that I really love about the American Society for Aesthetics is that it's quite balanced... . There's serious scholarly work that's pursued on major texts in the history of aesthetics... . At the same time, there's not a condescending attitude to the emergence of cultural forms." Philadelphia Inquirer 04/06/04

Monday, April 5, 2004

Some Applause For Arts Pulitzers The Pulitzers have an uneven record when it comes to the arts. But this year, writes Terry Teachout, "three of the prizes were deeply and personally satisfying to me." About Last Night (AJBlogs) 04/05/04

  • The Arts Pulitzers Here's a list of the books, play and music that won this year's Pulitzers... The New York Times 04/05/04

The Online University "University of Illinois at Springfield officials say they are working toward creating an online 'mirror campus' that will offer all 39 of the degree programs that are available in the university's classrooms. The plan is one of the most ambitious online projects undertaken by a mainstream institution." Chronicle of Higher Education 04/05/04

Sunday, April 4, 2004

On Campus: Political Litmus Test? David Horowitz is "spearheading a campaign to end what he calls discrimination against conservative faculty and students. At its core is an 'academic bill of rights,' written by Mr. Horowitz, that asks universities, among other things, to include both conservative and liberal viewpoints in their selection of campus speakers and syllabuses for courses and to choose faculty members 'with a view toward fostering a plurality of methodologies and perspectives'." The New York Times 04/03/04

Friday, April 2, 2004

Inconsistent Border Regs To Blame For McEwan Border Snafu? It took writer Ian McEwan 24 hours to get across the border into the United States this week. Now he has a stamp in his passport that says he was denied entry, which could cause problems the next time he travels to the US. Inconsistent border procedures are being blamed on his delay. "What happened to Ian McEwan illustrates the inconsistencies in the process to enter this country, and this happens more often than most people think. The only reason that we are even aware of this incident is because Mr. McEwan is famous." Seattle Post-Intelligencer 04/02/04

  • Previously: McEwan Delayed At US Border On Way To Speaking Tour Writer Ian McEwan - winner of the prestigious Booker Prize and author of the best-selling "Atonement" - was refused entry into the US and delayed for 24 hours at the start of a speaking tour of the US Tuesday. One of Britain's most popular and acclaimed authors, McEwan "almost missed his appearance before Seattle Arts & Lectures after he was refused entry to the United States by American authorities at the Vancouver, B.C., airport and spent more than 24 hours in enforced limbo." Seattle Post-Intelligencer 04/01/04
Thursday, April 1, 2004

States Look At New Regulation Of Non-Profits "The battle to force not-for-profits, including arts groups, to strengthen their fiscal accountability has moved from Congress, where it raged during 2003, to the states, where three attorneys general are pushing tough, charity-regulating legislation." Backstage 03/31/04

Anne Of The Public Domain A controversial piece of Canadian legislation which would have extended the copyright of certain works of literature - most notably, the Anne of Green Gables series - has apparently died in Parliament, but the story of how it met its demise is as rife with political intrigue as the question of how such a specific measure found its way into legislative print in the first place. The estate of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the Green Gables books, had pushed especially hard for passage, and questions are swirling about the political influence of the Montgomery family as a result. The Globe & Mail (Canada) 04/01/04


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