Category: today’s top story

Methods of the Harvard Law professor “defending a Boston University graduate student accused of illegally downloading music in a closely watched federal lawsuit … have drawn criticism,” and no wonder: He tape-recorded the judge on the case, posted the recording on his blog, and included it in an exam for his students. He argues that his approach reflects “the transparency that is the hallmark of [the student’s] battle – indeed the transparency that [the lawyer] says is the essence of the Internet.”

“Italy’s deadliest earthquake in three decades damaged some of the country’s oldest monuments, including the medieval dome of a 13th-century church that survived another quake three centuries ago. The remote and mountainous region of Abruzzo, where the earthquake on April 6 hit hardest, includes well preserved medieval and Renaissance towns that are home to some of the country’s priceless art works.”

“The earthquake in Abruzzo did not spare the region’s artistic patrimony, though government officials said Monday that it was too soon to determine the extent of the damage to historical buildings or works of art. In L’Aquila, the regional capital, the earthquake caused ‘significant damage to monuments,’ said Giuseppe Proietti, secretary general of the Italian Culture Ministry.”

“Dance Theater Workshop is one of many organizations that have invested in buildings in recent years, hoping for homes in which to safeguard their artistic mission. But these spaces have become burdens, contributing to escalating deficits and distracting the institutions from their core purpose.”

“Surprisingly, at a time of global uncertainty and local anxiety, no one on council raised any major objections to spending more than $64 million to ensure the city’s cultural infrastructure remains alive and well.”

“The Museum is heaving most days with visitors from all over the world and there is scarcely an Etruscan corner left where quiet contemplation can be guaranteed. The building is two-thirds of the way towards funding its £135 million cost.”

“In 2009-10 the company will present a tasting menu – just five productions – symbolic of its traditions: modern works (Hugo Weisgall’s Esther), new productions (Don Giovanni in a staging by Christopher Alden), the underperformed (Chabrier’s Étoile), war horses (Madama Butterfly) and Baroque works (Handel’s Partenope).”

“The engine of the arts in the ’30s was not escapism, as we sometimes imagine, but speed, energy and movement at a time of economic stagnation and social malaise. … If we look at the arts as a life-giving form of social therapy, many other fads and fashions of the 1930s fall into place. The thrust of the culture, like the aims of the New Deal, was to get the country moving again.”

“Thirty years ago, the NEA received a modest 12 cents per $100 of non-military discretionary spending. Today that is just 3 cents per $100. If the NEA had simply maintained its 1979 percentage of discretionary funding, its 2008 budget would have been $613 million.”

“Forty-six percent of nonprofit organizations raised more money last year compared with 2007, according to preliminary findings of an annual survey, released … today by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Reflecting the toll exacted by the economic downturn, the percentage of fund raisers whose institutions raised more money last year was a new low in the eight years the survey has been conducted.”