US Loses Ground In Brain Power The United States is losing its dominance in basic research. "Even analysts worried by the trend concede that an expansion of the world's brain trust, with new approaches, could invigorate the fight against disease, develop new sources of energy and wrestle with knotty environmental problems. But profits from the breakthroughs are likely to stay overseas, and this country will face competition for things like hiring scientific talent and getting space to showcase its work in top journals." The New York Times 05/03/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 8:54 pm
Where All The Students Are Above Average What is with the psychology of grade inflation where every student must be above average? "Several years ago, Harvard awarded ''honors'' to 90 percent of its graduates. For its part, Princeton has disclosed that A's have been given 47 percent of the time in recent years, up from 31 percent in the mid-1970's. Perhaps grade inflation is most severe at the most elite colleges, where everyone is so far above average that the rules of the Caucus Race in ''Alice in Wonderland'' apply: everybody has won, and all must have prizes." New York Times Magazine 05/02/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 8:48 pm
Are Greece's Olympic Dreams About To Become Nightmares? "The Athens Olympics were supposed to be the moment when the Greeks proved once and for all that they were an efficient European country, and when they shamed the British into handing back the Elgin Marbles. Architecture was critical to their vision, particularly the New Acropolis Museum, planned as a masterly propaganda stroke." But with the games only months away, many of the Olympics' most important buildings are nowhere ready... The Telegraph (UK) 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 10:29 pm
Shocker: Survey Says Museum Staffs Paid Horribly "An independent survey published today by the Museums Association reveals that museum and gallery staff earn significantly less than all equivalent professions - such as librarians, university lecturers, journalists - and many earn less in real terms than they did 15 years ago. The MA report shows that starting salaries for highly trained curators and conservators can be too small to pay for all the training the job has required." The Guardian (UK) 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:58 pm
Big Dig Artifacts Could Be Lost More than a million artifacts unearthed in Boston's Big Dig project are in danger of being lost. "The archeology for the Big Dig was probably the largest archeological project ever conducted in Massachusetts. But the actual discoveries -- the sites and their contents -- were even more significant because, for the most part, they predated the Revolutionary War. The farther back you go in time, the fewer written documents exist to describe what life was like. We really got an intimate look at the lives of many colonists and Native Americans." Boston Globe 05/03/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 8:36 pm
Why Suing Music Fans Is Pointless Recording companies are trying to sue their fans into not downloading music for free off the internet. But while the move seems to have dissuaded some, there's no indication that such disaffected fans have actually turned to using legal online services. It comes down to this: do musicians want people to listen to their music or not? BBC 05/04/04
Posted: 05/04/2004 5:49 am
Senator Has Questions For Smithsonian About Strads A US Senator wants to question the Smithsonian on the gift of four Stradivarius violins it received from Herbert Axelrod, a New Jersey businessman who is on the lam in Cuba after being indicted for tax evasion. "It is troubling that the Smithsonian may be turning a blind eye to tax mischief. Government agencies should be working in concert, not against each other. . . . Donors shouldn't be able to get away with playing the taxpayers like a fiddle." Washington Post 05/04/04
Posted: 05/04/2004 5:41 am
Polls Split On File-Sharing Polls about attitudes towards music file-sharing are contradictory. Most people believe artists should have control of copyright. But many don't think file-sharing is wrong. Even among musicians, the polls are split. "Thirty-five per cent said that free downloading has helped their careers. Then again, 30 per cent felt that file-sharing in general poses a "major threat" to creative industries." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 05/04/04
Posted: 05/04/2004 4:44 am
Classical Winner - But Of What? This week the BBC televises the finals of its BBC Young Musician of the Year. The live broadcast is a rarity. "In an age when the competition's viewing figures have plummeted from 20 million in its heyday to an anticipated 1.5 million this weekend, what kind of future can the winner look forward to? Is classical music living on death row? Is it really a tougher place to be than ever before? And what pitfalls lie in wait for an unsuspecting young musician suddenly catapulted to fame?" The Telegraph (UK) 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 10:32 pm
Congress To Investigate NJ Symphony Violin Deal Congressional investigators say they'll question the New Jersey Symphony on its purchase of 30 rare string instruments. "This transaction raises the question of why someone would sell a multimillion-dollar instrument collection for what he claims is less than half of its appraised value, and what tax benefits he may have received in return." The New York Times 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 10:19 pm
- Previously: Will IRS Seize Axelrod's Rare Violins? New Jersey philanthropist Herbert Axelrod, who fled the US to Cuba last week to avoid tax fraud charges, still owned some important string instruments that are on loan to prominent musicians. "Among the instruments given to Curtis is one on loan from the school to violinist Pamela Frank, who is both a graduate of and teacher at Curtis. Axelrod donated the 1736 Guarnerius del Gesù (Wienawski), now insured for $2 million, in 1993. Violinist Leila Josefowicz played on an Axelrod instrument, the 1739 "Ebersolt" Guarnerius del Gesù, and Maxim Vengerov played on an Axelrod-owned bow. Whether any musicians are still playing Axelrod-owned instruments is not clear. In some cases involving the IRS, such property is seized by the government." Philadelphia Inquirer 04/27/04
Music - Industry In Decline? "The music industry grew into a $40 billion sector at its peak in 1996. That figure has since fallen by almost 25%. During the last eight years, there has been a drop in global earnings of almost 25% - which record companies blame on massive counterfeiting and downloading music from the internet. Are we therefore looking at the death throes of a once invincible industry?" BBC 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:23 pm
Scottish Opera's Sad Death Rattle (Part 23) Poor Scottish Opera. In death throws over funding provided by the government, the company is in dancer of having to lay off staff and reduce operations. Now, "the company - providing few details - confirmed that it aims to spend more than a third of any future budget on education and "outreach" programmes. The opera is funded with a £7.5 million annual grant from the Scottish Arts Council. It currently spends about 11 per cent of its core budget on such programmes." The Scotsman 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:13 pm
NY Artists Get Ready For Republicans New York Artists are getting energized for this summer's Republican convention in their city. "Dozens of arts organizations are making plans for at least four nights of political theater during the convention at East Village clubs, established theaters like Symphony Space, public libraries and of course the streets. The Internet is throbbing with information and strategies exchanged by people often identifying themselves by first name only or by acronym. They want to make it clear that this is not the same old same old." The New York Times 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 10:10 pm
Creative Aging? "Creativity, some scientists say, may play an important role in healthy aging - conversely, the ill can shed extraordinary light on just how the brain perceives art. Even though our brains age, it doesn't diminish our ability to create. The big question, as arts projects become more common in retirement and nursing homes, is whether tapping elders' creativity truly brings them physical health benefits as well as joy. And if so, what works best?" NJonline (AP) 05/03/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 10:06 pm
The Unrest Behind France's Arts Workers "When the wheels fell off a French government program designed to help guarantee the livelihood of a certain number of artists and musicians, it caused a ruckus which is still echoing in the corridors of power." La Scena Musicale 05/03/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:33 pm
British Culture Minister: Art For Art's Sake Tessa Jowell, the British Secretary of State for Culture, will "pledge tomorrow to roll back decades of Whitehall antipathy by asserting that culture and the arts are fundamental human rights. In a reversal of the post-war obsession with using culture as a tool of social policy - in tackling crime, boosting educational standards and regenerating rundown cities - Ms Jowell will make a surprising plea for art for art's sake." The Independent (UK) 05/03/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:18 pm
Paris Cemetery Would Love To Give Morrison The Boot Paris' Père Lachaise cemetary drew 2 million visitors last year. It's home to many famous people. But the cemetery would love to get rid of the resident who gets by far the most traffic - rock star Jim Morrison. "We'd like to kick him out, because we don't want him, he causes too many problems. If we could get rid of him, we'd do it straight away." Unlike many of the tombs, Morrison's is on a perpetual lease. The Guardian (UK) 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:54 pm
Of Illness And Conductors So James Levine has a medical condition that weakens him. "Before Met fans or administrators panic, some perspective is called for. Although conducting requires mental and physical stamina, the job is hardly limited to those who fit the standard image of the kinetic and charismatic wizard of the podium, like the young Finnish firebrand Esa-Pekka Salonen of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Some of the greatest conducting of the last 100 years was done by aging and physically enfeebled maestros who still inspired orchestras through their insights and uncanny abilities to convey intention with economical hand gestures, facial expressions and sheer presence." The New York Times 05/03/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 8:42 pm
- Previously: Can Levine Still Conduct? As James Levine winds up another season at the Met and prepares to take the helm of the Boston Symphony in 2004, concerns over his health and ability to do his job are finding a public voice. Persistent shaking and loss of energy have become an everyday part of Levine's podium demeanor, and his musicians, many of whom stress that without Levine, the Met orchestra would not be the revered ensemble it is today, claim that he is nearly impossible to follow on a nightly basis. Levine insists that, despite the shaking, he is in excellent health, but questions persist about his workload and future prospects. The New York Times 05/01/02
Trucker Theatre Comes In From The Road The Hull Truck players are Britain's best-known vagabond theatre company. But now it's time to settle down. "Named after the elderly lorry which formed their first base, the Hull Truck players are to move to a £13.6m arts centre, the designs for which go on display in the Yorkshire port this week." The Guardian (UK) 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:51 pm
The Unexpected Grammar Book Lynne Truss on her best-selling grammar book "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: A Zero Tolerance Approach To Punctuation": "I'm not a grammarian or a linguist or a professional editor and I don't want to pretend that I am. Punctuation was a topic that felt knowable, containable. If you get into the larger subject matter of grammar you do need to study it and I've always been a little intimidated by academe, although now my old college, University College London, has invited me to be a Fellow, which is nice." Toronto Star 05/04/04
Posted: 05/04/2004 5:35 am
Self Publishing Hits The Big Time "Call it self-publishing, vanity, subsidy, or print-on-demand publishing. It's all related, in that the author pays the publisher rather than vice versa, and with the advent of digital technology, it's become big business." Newsday 05/04/04
Posted: 05/04/2004 5:04 am
Chicago 'Zines And Success "The basements of Chicago have spawned a noisy, pugnacious little industry: self-published magazines. Aimed at the erudite and hip, attention-grabbing local titles from The Baffler to WhiteWalls and TENbyTEN have won small but loyal audiences from New York to Los Angeles and beyond. Now several of Chicago's upstart journals are dealing with an unexpected state of affairs: They are encountering small signs of success." Chicago Tribune 05/04/04
Posted: 05/04/2004 4:26 am
Brits Buy More Art Books Than Americans Although the American book-buying public is considerably larger that that of Great Britain, it buys fewer books about art than the British." BigNewsNetwork.com 05/03/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 10:08 pm
World Tour Poetry By Helicopter Publishing mogul Felix Dennis is on a crusade for poetry (at least as he defines it). "In his newest chapter, the British multimillionaire is on a crusade to challenge the obscurity of modern poetry, by reclaiming old-fashioned values of rhyme and meter. His flair for marketing, and his bankroll, are giving him unusual success. His first volume of poetry, "A Glass Half Full" got barely any attention from serious reviewers but sold all 10,000 copies printed in Britain. Wall Street Journal 05/03/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 8:57 pm
PBS To Evaluate Prime Time Schedule "PBS program execs plan to begin a formal process of judging primetime programs by predetermined goals, including minimum ratings levels, outreach successes and other factors. Programs that fail to meet goals may lose PBS funding or slots in the schedule." Current 04/26/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:43 pm
Oakland Ballet Gets Leg-Up On Fund-Raising Oakland Ballet needs $500,000 by the end of the month or it will go out of business. What seemed like an impossible fundraising goal, though, is now closer. "The troupe, which had collected about $53,000, now has announced the pledge of a matching grant of $200,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Sufficient contributions to match that grant would put the ballet within $47,000 of its goal." San Jose Mercury-News 05/04/04
Posted: 05/03/2004 9:07 pm
