Obesity Tied To Mental Declines A new study concludes that overweight people are at greater risk of mental decline as they age... San Francisco Chronicle 11/10/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 4:31 pm
Students Oppose Copyright Abuse (From The Other Side) Students at several American colleges are organizing to oppose expansion of copyright laws. "They are forming Free Culture groups on campuses to explain copyright law to fellow students. Stressing its importance for culture and society, the group says copyright law is being abused. To illustrate their point, the groups hold remixing contests, promote open-source software and rally against legislation like the Induce Act, which would hold technology companies liable for encouraging people to infringe copyrights." Wired 11/10/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 4:18 pm
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The Economics Of Art Theft Stealing valuable works of art seems like a sucker's play. With the art world on the lookout for stolen art, selling what you stole is highly problematic. "Nevertheless, art theft can be an extremely lucrative endeavor. Interpol has estimated that it is the fourth most profitable crime in the world, behind drug trafficking, money laundering and illegal arms trading. Recovering stolen art is a tricky endeavor." ABCNews 11/11/04
Posted: 11/11/2004 7:20 am
Curating China Contemporary art is booming in China. But who is choosing art to be shown? Before 1980, curators were unheard of in China. "Not until in 1993 when a curator from the famous Venice Biennial came to China, did we know that holding an exhibition needs a curator. From then on, as more and more contemporary artists went overseas to give shows, this word and this function became better understood." China View 11/12/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 10:20 pm
MoMA Vs. Tate Modern For the past few years Tate Modern has been the preeminent modern art museum. But the new Museum of Modern Art will reclaim the title soon. "As a theatre of contemporary art, Tate Modern is exceptional. But as a place where we can learn why Picasso matters, it fails - and wants to fail. A couple of weeks from now, Moma will once again be the place to learn about 20th-century art. Maybe Tate Modern can never tell the story of the modern world's art as well as Moma; but it could try." The Guardian (UK) 11/12/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 8:50 pm
V and A: Architecture Matters Again The Victoria & Albert Museum used to care deeply about architecture. Then came 1909, and a rough century... "Now it is all change again. Architecture is back. For a start, the V & A is taking its own building, its primary architectural exhibit, seriously. An intelligent new master plan that works with rather than against the building and should culminate in the restoration of the astonishingly rich South Court, carved up and hidden in an outrageous act of vandalism in 1949." The Telegraph (UK) 11/11/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 5:29 pm
Scream - Why No Insurance? Why wasn't Munch's "The Scream" insured before it was stolen? It was “not insured against theft because the city of Oslo has decided it is simply too expensive—the collection is of enormous value. We’re insured against fire and water damage but not against robbery.” ARTnews 11/04/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 3:22 pm
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Cleveland Orchestra Musicians Approve New Contract Musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra have approved a new two-year contract. "Under the new Cleveland agreement, the musicians will be compensated for the first time for Internet streaming of radio broadcasts. But the players will pay more for their health care, and their annual pension won't rise during the contract period." The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) 11/11/04
Posted: 11/11/2004 7:08 am
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra In The Black The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra reports a surplus of $200,000, reversing a $750,000 deficit the previous season. The orchestra recently reorganized its management, spreading out decisions on running the orchestra. St. Paul Pioneer-Press 11/10/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 10:53 pm
Famed Fenice To Reopen This weekend Eight years after fire gutted Venice's famed La Fenice, the opera house is set to reopen this weekend. "The latest restoration, some critics have carped, has certainly achieved authenticity, but without easing such discomfort. Still, La Fenice's place in the great opera houses of the world is assured, no matter how cramped some of the seating may be." New Zealand Herald 11/10/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 10:45 pm
Opera Australia Moving To Casino? Opera Australia has to find a temporary home while the Sydney Opera House is being refurbished. Where to go? One option is a local casino. The company "declined to speculate on how opera audiences might feel about mixing with casino clientele, but said everything possible would be done to make the experience enjoyable." Sydney Morning Herald 11/12/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 10:42 pm
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Fund Seeks To Fund Bay Area Creativity "The Ford Foundation's Leveraging Investments in Creativity initiative, which conveniently spells LINC as an acronym, surveyed Bay Area artists over a 15-year period and came up with some important and distressing findings: Sixty-three percent of artists earned less than $7,000 from their art. Seventy-eight percent of artists worked more than one job, and all artists surveyed had a median gross income from all sources of $35,000. In 2004, artists have less time to spend on their art than they did 15 years ago." San Francisco Chronicle 11/11/04
Posted: 11/11/2004 8:22 am
Edinburgh Fests Rally To Stay On Top With other UK cities planning big new summer festivals, the 11 Edinburgh festivals have formed a new association to better represent themselves. "The new Association of Edinburgh’s Festivals will act as a unified voice and lobbying group at a time when Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle are preparing for major arts events of their own." The Scotsman 11/12/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 10:28 pm
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Dan Glickman, Anti-Pirate Dan Glickman used to be a Congressman and Secretary of Agriculture. Now he's fronting for the Motion Picture Association of America. "The overlying issue is piracy and how we fight it," Mr. Glickman said, a day after announcing plans to sue people who illegally download movies off the Internet, a provocative way to begin his stewardship. "I still believe lawsuits are only one part of the strategy. Education and awareness and embracing new technologies is part of it. It's important that we be seen embracing technology." The New York Times 11/12/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 10:14 pm
Axelrod Extradicted From Germany Herbert Axelrod, millionaire and violin collector, who fled the US after charges of tax evasion, is to be brought back to the US from Germany this week. "In its indictment, the government accuses Axelrod of two counts of fraud -- conspiracy and helping an employee cheat the Internal Revenue Service by funneling more than $1 million into a Swiss bank account. The combined charges carry a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine." Newark Star-Ledger 11/10/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 3:49 pm
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Why Musicals Rule With its expense and risk, why has the American musical not only survived but dominated the commercial theatre? "By changing, the musical has remained a truly popular form because it has shown itself capable of speaking to new generations. They grow up on Gene Kelly, but end up loving Velma and Roxie." The Telegraph (UK) 11/11/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 5:21 pm
Heilpern To Non-Profits: Why The Sell-out? John Heilpern wonders what has happened to the spine of non-profit theatre. "I’ve no argument with bottom-line Broadway producers. Apart from the usual British import or star-driven revival, Broadway has more or less abandoned serious drama. But when the producers of nonprofit theater throw in the towel, we’re in real trouble. They represent the last bastion of the true artist, 'because it’s where the money isn’t.' Because their stages are the only places left in American theater where the commercial bottom line isn’t intended to rule." New York Observer 11/10/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 7:16 am
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James: National Book Awards Marginalizes Itself Why is this year's National Book Awards shortlist so narrowly defined (in almost every way)? Caryn James writes that "by trying to strong-arm readers' taste, the judges are guaranteeing that their prize remains marginal. A National Book Award doesn't vault a writer into the upper reaches of American literature, as the Pulitzer Prize often does, and narrow-minded nominations like these help explain why." The New York Times 11/11/04
Posted: 11/11/2004 8:02 am
NEA Expands GI Writing Program The National Endowment for the Arts is expanding and extending its writing project for military stationed overseas. "The program has been an overwhelming success. I don't think the NEA fully appreciated the need and demand for the program when we first launched it. We have doubled the size of the program." Washington Post 11/11/04
Posted: 11/11/2004 7:56 am
The Whitbread Shortlists This year's shortlists for the Whitbread Prize have been announced. Finalists include The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst's Booker prize-winning novel. Past winners include Philip Pullman, Ted Hughes, Kate Atkinson and Kazuo Ishiguro. The Guardian (UK) 11/10/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 5:07 pm
Women's Review Closing The Women's Review of Books is publishing its final issue. It's closing after losing money since the mid-90s. "The story sounds familiar. It involves shrinking library budgets, increasing costs for printing and postage, and changes in reading habits. The cumulative effect has been to undermine the stability of a journal that was publishing review essays by and about Kathy Acker, Raya Dunayevskaya, Marilyn Hacker, and Adrienne Rich when some of today's "third wave" feminist scholars were in kindergarten." Chronicle of Higher Education 11/12/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 5:00 pm
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Afghanistan Bans Cable Channels The Afghan government has banned some cable channels, including a channel that shows raunchy Bollywood movies. "The high session of the ministers have decided to ban cable TV until a cable broadcasting law is made. More than a dozen cable stations broadcasting from places such as India, Pakistan and Dubai have been available in Kabul." BBC 11/11/04
Posted: 11/11/2004 3:17 pm
US Theatres Balk At Muslim Movie The makers of a new animated movie about the live of Muhammad knew it would be a hard sell to get the picture distributed in the US. So when no theatre company would pick up the film, producers decided to rent the theatres themselves and show it. Even then, the theatre chain Loews refrused to rent out its theatres... The Globe & Mail (Canada) 11/11/04
Posted: 11/11/2004 7:47 am
TV Stations Fear "Private Ryan" FCC Fines Dozens of TV stations across the US are pulling out of airing Saving Private Ryan on Memorial Day. "They say they're afraid the film's scenes of extreme violence and intense adult language will lead to sanctions by the Federal Communications Commission under its new, supersize anti-indecency standards. Ironically, most of them already aired "Saving Private Ryan" when ABC ran it, unedited, to commemorate Veterans Day in 2001 and 2002." Washington Post 11/11/04
Posted: 11/11/2004 7:28 am
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Looking For Pure Mr. B "Dance is most clearly preserved in the living bodies of dancers, not in books or on films or videotapes. Even before Balanchine's death in 1983, there was apprehension about preserving his works. Twenty-one years later, some critics swear that they are still performed as he would have liked; others find fault on a regular basis, saying that the New York City Ballet, the logical caretaker of his legacy, has not lived up to its responsibility, and look to other artistic directors and companies to preserve the work. Pacific Northwest Ballet co-director Francia Russell is one often looked to in this regard." Seattle Weekly 11/10/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 4:53 pm
Forsythe To Dresden? It looks like William Forsythe and his company, who were forced out of Frankfurt last season will end up in Dresden. Yahoo! (AFP) 11/08/04
Posted: 11/10/2004 4:11 pm
