Erring On The Side Of No Progress? The 'precautionary principle' is the idea that "scientists, medical researchers, technologists and just about everybody else these days should err on the side of caution lest they cause harm to human health or the environment." But one of Britain's leading medical experts says the principle inhibits knowledge. "He wonders whether, if the precautionary principle had been about for the past 200 years rather than the past 20, breakthroughs such as blood transfusions would ever have been made." spiked-online 06/16/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 12:26 pm
Getting Educated - A New Paradigm Helen Vendler proposes a new baseline of cultural education in this year's NEH Jefferson Lecture. "The day of limiting cultural education to Western culture alone is over. There are losses here, of course--losses in depth of learning, losses in coherence--but these very changes have thrown open the question of how the humanities should now be conceived, and how the study of the humanities should, in this moment, be encouraged. I want to propose that the humanities should take, as their central objects of study, not the texts of historians or philosophers, but the products of aesthetic endeavor: architecture, art, dance, music, literature, theater, and so on." National Endowment for the Humanities 06/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 12:46 am
The Art Basel Dance Looking at art at Art Basel is fun, but the real payoff is elsewhere. "The fair may offer the chance to see an array of post-1900 artworks that would put virtually any gallery in the world to shame, but it is the intricate, courtly dance of a thousand discreet business deals that makes the event so gripping." The Telegraph (UK) 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 2:23 pm
Looking Inside The Mummy "Years ago, mummy "unrollings" were acts of archaeological vandalism, conducted like dramatic performances in front of high-society fee-paying audiences. Now, by a fusion of advanced computer technology and state-of-the-art medical scanning techniques, we can sit in a darkened, air-conditioned "immersive theatre" in the British Museum, put on a pair of 3D glasses and penetrate a mummy's secret layers, one by one, without destroying a fibre of bandage, without even opening the spectacular painted coffin case. Wood, linen, tissue, bone… we can slice through them all like forensic scientists, like pathologists. It's quite a project." The Telegraph (UK) 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 2:08 pm
Artist Beats Barbie Copyright Claim An artist who was sued by Mattel for using images of Barbie in his work, wins after the toy-maker sues for copyright infringement. "It's enough to give corporations with brands they want to protect and expand pause to consider whether to simply reflexively unleash the hounds the minute they see somebody doing something that relates to their brand of which they don't approve. It may send a signal that a 'take no prisoner' litigation strategy against the little guy has new risks for the plaintiff." The New York Times 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 1:36 pm
A Singular New Museum For Vienna Prince Hans-Adam II, 59, the current head of the Liechtenstein dynasty, opens a new museum in Austria. "Does Vienna, already crowded with some 160 museums, need one more? The Liechtenstein Museum is different, not only because it can tap one of the world's largest private collections, but also because it reflects the idiosyncrasies of generations of private collectors. Further, the museum, which opened in March, contains works by Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, van Dyck and others." The New York Times 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 12:42 pm
Art Sales Signal Shifting Art Appetite Last week's London art sales signalled a shift in taste in the art markets, writes Carol Vogel. "Buyers' appetites consistently moved from the 19th century toward classic modern and contemporary art. Prices soared for 20th-century masters like Egon Schiele, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francis Bacon, while pretty, Impressionist canvases by household names like Renoir or Monet either didn't sell or brought lower prices than auction house experts had predicted." The New York Times 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 12:37 pm
Wagner Is A Hit At Pop Festival An abridged version of Wagner's "Ring" cycle has been a hit at the Glastonbury Festival. "It was the first time opera had been performed at the festival, with thousands of fascinated revellers gathering in front of the main Pyramid stage for the event. The 75-minute long extract opened with the section of the opera familiar to fans of the film Apocalypse Now, its lyrics sung in English and subtitled at the side of the stage to make it widely accessible. The Valkyries were played with relish by the ENO singers, flame-haired and dressed in black, as members of the orchestra behind them were clearly enjoying the unique experience." BBC 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 1:00 pm
Race Narrows For Kansas City Symphony Director Job The list of candidates to lead the Kansas City Symphony is down to three. Critic Paul Horsley has his favorite, but reports that the race is divided. And, he says, some changes to the makeup of the selection committee are worrisome. Kansas City Star 06/26/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 12:40 am
The Tech-Savvy Orchestra New devices such as the Concert Companion - which displays text describing what's going on in the music as a concert plays - add a new dimension to the symphony experience. The question is what its adds, wonders William Littler. Toronto Star 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:47 pm
Lollapalooza - Too Old To Live Lollapalooza had a established name. And a pretty good lineup for this summer's season. So why did the traveling music lineup kick the bucket? "The bristling embodiment of a generational zeitgeist, it wasn't. Quality programming aside, Lollapalooza 2004 had the disturbing aura of an 'oldies' package tour." Toronto Star 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:38 pm
Hawaii Governor Proposes Major Arts Funding Cut Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle proposes cutting state arts funding by 61 percent. "The Legislature allocated nearly $1.2 million for the foundation for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Thursday. Lingle's plan is to reduce that amount by more than $730,000. The foundation, which has taken budget hits since 1994, when it received more than $6 million in state funding, supports more than 110 nonprofit arts organizations." Honolulu Advertiser 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 2:39 pm
New Laws For American Non-Profits? Last week's US Senate hearings on how non-profit organizations work is likely to lead to new legislation in the fall. "Like the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act targeting public companies, the draft seeks to make non-profits' dealings transparent and accountable. It proposes, among other things, increased and timelier financial reporting and auditing, more reliance on independent directors, limits on board size and on pay, and stiffer penalties for violations. It also would create restrictions on donor-advised funds, a fast-growing area of philanthropy not now subject to any special government rules." Chicago Tribune 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 1:51 pm
Warning! Moron Alert! What we need? A terrorism alert system for the arts, write Dominic Papatola. It could be administered by the NEA, he imagines: "At a press conference Friday in Washington, Gioia unveiled a Moron Alert System, under which all concerts, plays and recitals would be color-coded to identify what the chairman referred to as 'heightened and specific' threats to the integrity of a given performance." St. Paul Pioneer-Press 06/27/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 2:05 am
The Fall Of Mr. DVD Warren Lieberfarb is known in Hollywood as the "father of the DVD." DVD's of course, have earned movie studios billions of dollars of revenue, eclipsing what movies make in the theatres. So why did such an important guy get bounced out of his job? MSNBC 07/05/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 12:20 pm
Langer - Pass On The Controversy "Eli Langer, the artist most famous for having beaten Canada's child-pornography law on a defence of 'artistic merit,' says he'd like to 'pass the mantle on to some other artist, some other case.' After more than a decade of being the one everybody calls when threats of censorship erupt, he wants to stop "contextualizing myself within the dialogue of child pornography in Canada' and get on with his real life as a figurative painter." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:03 pm
The Story Behind "The Producers" Toronto Flop People are asking why The Producers is closing early in Toronto. Why did the show flop? "Should a show really be considered a flop when it runs for 33 weeks in this town, delighting 400,000 people and pulling in an average of $1 million a week at the box office? Think of this as a tale of great expectations. The New York producers of The Producers were sure they could enjoy a run of more than a year in Toronto, and they did their financial planning based on that assumption. That begins to explain how The Producers could lose money in Toronto." Toronto Star 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:26 pm
Complex Ideas Made Child-like "It is invigorating to see adults make complex ideas available to children. But there is a less welcome, regressive trend in evidence, too - authors who hijack children's literature to make their work more cosy." The Observer (UK) 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:27 am
English Writers' Group Caught Up In Free Expression Dispute "English PEN, the writers' organisation dedicated to freedom of expression and the support of persecuted writers, is caught up in an in-house row over freedom of expression." The Guardian (UK) 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:24 am
Boss: Stern Will Stay On Air Howard Stern, who has been telling listeners for months that he probably wouldn't be on the air much longer because of an FCC crackdown on content, has got a vote of confidence from his bosses, who say they'll keep him on. "Stern's syndicated show was dropped by six stations in February for indecency. But his audience figures went up between January and March in the three biggest US markets - New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Stern had blamed his show being dropped on a conservative backlash." BBC 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 12:54 pm
Fahrenheit Soars At Box Office Riding on waves of controversy, Fahrenheit 911 was a big hit at the American box office over the weekend. "If early estimates are correct, the movie instantly became the top-grossing documentary in the nation's history. The film is believed to have earned $21.8 million on its opening weekend, a record for a documentary. Even more significantly, it managed to become the nation's No. 1 movie attraction, despite playing on only 868 screens, about a third what a big blockbuster would have." Washington Post 06/28/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 1:17 am
The End Of Reruns? Yeah, Right! So American TV networks are abandoning reruns and going to a 52-week season. American TV execs, a curious species prone to hyperbole, are calling it an "epochal" change. A "revolution." An "unprecedented" demolition of rules that have stood for decades. What they really mean is: "If this doesn't work, we are so screwed." Toronto Star 06/26/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:42 pm
R-Cards - Acknowledging Reality, Or Abdicating Responsibility? Some American theatre chains are issuing "R-Cards" that allow minors to get in to R-rated movies. "But critics are denouncing the R-card as both a maneuver around the movie rating system — which was set up to help parents sort out which movies were appropriate for their children — and an abdication of parental responsibilities." The New York Times 06/27/04
Posted: 06/27/2004 10:11 pm
Lord Of The Dance Performances Canceled After Murder An unidentified man shot dead and robbed a member of the entourage performing Lord of the Dance at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre early on Sunday morning. Performances of the show have been canceled. The Independent (South Africa) 06/27/04
Posted: 06/28/2004 1:09 am
