Category: today’s top story

Teaching in the U.S. recently, playwright Mark Ravenhill encountered a Christian student who was allowed to opt out of course material he found objectionable on the basis of his Christian beliefs. It’s not just an American phenomenon, Ravenhill says; it’s happening in the U.K., too. “Surely the university should declare itself a liberal organisation, and insist that those joining it must abide by its liberal values? … There should be no opt-outs when it comes to culture.”

“The world’s oldest paper still in circulation – located in Sweden – has dropped its paper edition and now exists only in cyberspace. The newspaper, founded in 1645 by Sweden’s Queen Kristina, became a Web-only publication on Jan. 1. It’s a fate, many ink-stained writers and readers fear, that may await many of the world’s most venerable journals.”

“Independent record labels are responsible for 30 percent of music sales and 80 percent of all releases worldwide. If indie music were a major label, it would be the biggest in the world — and in a way, that’s what’s about to happen.”

Some of the most beautiful works of art human make aren’t found in museums but out in the real world. so maybe a car should win for best piece of contemporary art?

A single four-day Sotheby’s auction could bring in as much as £200m next week, experts are estimating. If the sale meets expectations, it could be the richest art auction in European history, featuring works by masters from Degas and Renoir to Warhol and Banksy.

The Dallas Symphony has a new music director. Jaap van Zweden, a 46-year-old Dutch conductor who has been building his reputation on both sides of the Atlantic, will take the helm in the fall of 2008. “It’s no secret that tidying up the DSO’s violins will be a priority, as well as generally tightening an ensemble that too often played on autopilot for former music director Andrew Litton… Above all, Mr. van Zweden must re-energize the orchestra and get the city excited enough to fill conspicuous swaths of empty seats at the Meyerson.”

“The bottom line is that American public policy basically permits individual donors and foundations substantial freedom to define their own purposes and to further them. At the same time, the sector has developed few internal mechanisms to ensure accountability — or even to define common standards of conduct. Yet on the whole, philanthropy resides below public notice.”

As evangelical colleges toss out longstanding rules against dancing, they’re mirroring an evolution in conservative Christian beliefs. “There are still conservative Christians, particularly in Baptist, Pentecostal and independent Bible-church traditions, who don’t dance, but they are growing scarce.”

“Contemporary art and art history is full of misunderstanding between creators and viewers about the meaning that work itself communicates. Both sides can be responsible for speaking past one another. True, many academics or critics exploit art’s “messages” for self-interested methodological or political ends. But many excellent artists leave themselves defenseless against such hijacking because they cannot articulate persuasively why they do what they do.”

“Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, the original – and the best – Leo and Max in The Producers, have been asked to reprise their roles one last time before the show ends its seven-year run in June… They haven’t accepted the offer yet.”