Pumping Up Latin American Art "For decades Latin American art has been the poor cousin in the house of academic art history departments. Few universities offer an introduction to Latin American art on a regular basis. Asia and Africa have always received more attention, in part because of the ways their art was absorbed by European and American artists in the 19th and 20th centuries. What would Picasso and Matisse be without tribal masks, Oceanic sculpture and Japanese prints? Like American art and literature before World War II, Latin American culture has received less respect than it deserves." Now an attempt to change that... Wall Street Journal 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 8:44 am
Plundering Iraqi Art Iraq's cultural heritage is being plundered under American occupation. "Ironically, the bombing campaign of 2003 had not damaged archeological sites. It was only in the aftermath, during the occupation, that the most extensive cultural destruction took place. At first there was the looting of the museums under the watch of coalition troops, but that was to be followed by more extensive and active destruction. Active damage of the historical record is ongoing at several archeological sites occupied as military camps." The Guardian (UK) 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 12:37 am
The Secret Of the Mummy's Tomb? The mummy of King Cheops, resident of the Great Pyramid has never been found. But now, a new theory of a secret passage within the pyramid. "Using architectural analysis and ground-penetrating radar, two amateur French Egyptologists claim to have discovered a previously unknown corridor inside the pyramid. They believe it leads directly to Khufu's burial chamber, a room which - if it exists - is unlikely ever to have been violated, and probably still contains the king's remains." The Guardian (UK) 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 12:21 am
Does France Need A Second Louvre? The French government wants to build a "second Louvre" museum in the north of France. "Louvre II, conceived to display some of the main gallery's vast unseen collection while bringing some of the nation's finest heritage to one of its more dilapidated provinces, epitomises the French government's drive towards decentralisation. For many, it is an absurd and amateur proposal born more out of political correctness than common sense." The Telegraph (UK) 08/28/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 12:09 am
Inside The Mummy The British Museum is giving visitors an opportunity to look inside an ancient mummy. "Using the latest in medical technology, visitors see under the mummy's wrappings and flesh, catching researchers' insights into the art that went into its creation." USAToday 08/30/04
Posted: 08/30/2004 11:45 pm
Guard Pleads Guilty In Dali Theft A Staten Island correction officer has pleaded guilty to involvement in the theft of a $250,000 Salvador Dali painting from Rikers Island jail. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Timothy Pina, 45, will be sentenced to five years probation and will resign from the Department of Correction. Newsday 08/30/04
Posted: 08/30/2004 10:23 pm
Did Mozart Have Tourette's? A new British documentary suggests that Mozart may have suffered from Tourette's Syndrome. "Tourette's is a constant battle between chaos and control, having a compulsion and trying to control it, and that translates into music. Mozart let his music run off in chaotic directions but then always brought it back under control." BBC 08/30/04
Posted: 08/30/2004 11:27 pm
Listeners Question KING Radio Direction Seattle's KING-FM radio has been one of America's few commercial classical music radio success stories. but in the past year the station has said goodbye to some long time hosts and some listeners are wondering what's going on with their station... Seattle Times 08/30/04
Posted: 08/30/2004 10:58 pm
Birth Of An Opera In Detroit a new opera is taking shape. Composed by Richard Danielpour with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison, "Margaret Garner" is undergoing workshops where it is being refined... Detroit Free Press 08/30/04
Posted: 08/30/2004 10:08 pm
Clear Channel Takes On The Arts Media giant Clear Channel is getting into the arts in a big way. "Starting next year, Clear Channel Communications Inc. plans to send a large wooden version of the Trojan horse on a tour of U.S. museums as a frontispiece to an exhibition on ancient Greece and Troy. Clear Channel's empire-building in the arts extends further — to touring Broadway musicals, where its omnipresence as a producer and presenter can mean trouble for competitors and cause wariness even among its partners. Cultural gatekeepers, including art critics and museum directors, have begun sounding a warning: Beware of a conglomerate bearing art." Los Angeles Times 08/24/04
Posted: 08/30/2004 11:58 pm
Hitchens: Czeslaw Milosz's Extraordinary Accomplishment Christopher Hitchens takes a close read of poet Czeslaw Milosz's understanding of politics: "The long-term achievement of Milosz was to have scrutinized, not just in between but clean through, and well beyond, the party "lines" that claim for themselves exclusive truth. In doing so he shamed the so-called intellectuals who managed the ugly trick of denying freedom to their own minds, the better to visit the same deprivation upon others." Slate 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 8:32 am
Edinburgh's Record Fringe Year The edinburgh Fringe has another record year. But is the festival getting too big? "Fringe officials said that for the second time in a row, ticket sales had exceeded £1m and were 13% up on last year. For the first time in its history every one of the 1,695 fringe shows had sold a ticket before the festival began on August 8. Some venues saw ticket sales jump by almost 40%. With 1.25m tickets sold for 25,326 performances, the 2004 fringe exceeded last year's record takings, but many venues reported business tailing off sharply in the last week." The Guardian (UK) 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 12:28 am
The Secret Of My Prolificacy How is it that some writers are so amazingly prolific? Every time you turn around, they're popping out another book. Has anyone tested these people for steroids (or, I suppose, the literary equivalent)? Has Stephen King submitted to a blood test lately? Boston Globe 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 9:33 am
Paid Thesis: Canadian Students Complain More than 50 Canadian colleges require graduate students who wish to see their thesis published in a national, standardized way to submit the work to an American company "which then gets non-exclusive publishing rights." Some students protest that the American company ought not to be able to make money off their research. The Globe & Mail (Canada) 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 8:03 am
Discovering The Young Black Demographic Magazine publishers are discovering the young black male. "The magazine industry has largely ignored the young black male reader. Publishers think they pick them up with music magazines like The Source, XXL and Vibe, so as a result there has been a void." Some new magazines are cashing in on that neglect... The New York Times 078/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 1:20 am
Why Video Games Rule Video games are hugely popular - it's not difficult to see a day coming when they'll be our most popular form of entertainment. Why? "I submit that it's more fun to do stuff than to watch stuff. It's one of the reasons movies about hot video games rarely do much at the box office: I'd rather help Lara Croft outwit enemies and cheat death in the "Tomb Raider" series than watch Angelina Jolie dodge special effects onscreen -- even an augmented Angelina Jolie. Video gaming is to moviegoing as writing a book is to reading one: You are in control." Chicago Tribune 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 9:41 am
Israeli Court Overturns Film Ban "Israel's film board banned Jenin, Jenin from being shown in the Jewish state last year, saying it presented a distorted version of events in Jenin. But on Monday Israel's High Court reinstated a ruling which overturned the ban, saying the film board did not have 'a monopoly over truth'." BBC 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 8:13 am
BBC Going For Quality, Say Director New BBC chairman Mark Thompson says the BBC is to undego a "significant change of direction", moving away from reality and lifestyle shows in a drive for excellence. "Excellence is above all what audiences expect the BBC to strive for - and because of the licence fee and because the BBC doesn’t face the same commercial pressures as our competitors, they expect us to strive for it with more conviction and consistency than anyone else." The Scotsman 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 1:03 am
Phone Film Festival It's the first wireless phone film festival. "To be sure, it's not very likely that the wireless device in your pocket will be showing something along the lines of Gone With the Wind anytime soon. But there's a good chance participating artists will turn in some sophisticated work, especially those who understand how to think small." Wired 08/30/04
Posted: 08/30/2004 11:38 pm
African Dance Crew Vies For Longest Dance Party A Zimbabwean dance crew - The Neighbourhood Crew - has set a world record for the longest dance party after dancing non-stop for 56 hours - nearly four hours longer than the current record of 52 hours and three minutes. "The group of about 57 youths took to the dance floor last Thursday hoping to dance non-stop for 100 hours, but had to settle for the 56 hours when fatigue finally caught up with them on Sunday morning." Harare Herald 08/31/04
Posted: 08/31/2004 10:01 am
