“Missing: An erhu, a two-stringed Chinese instrument made of python skin, bamboo, horse hair and rosewood. Last Seen: Feb. 28, in front of Merkin Concert Hall. The case is reminiscent of Yo-Yo Ma’s leaving his cello in a New York City taxi in 1999. Except that beloved stringed instrument, worth $2.5 million, was found within a matter of hours in a citywide police search. The owner of the missing erhu, Wang Guowei, an esteemed musician, has not had that fairytale ending.”
Tag: 03.10.09
British Book Awards’ Surprise Contender: Barack Obama
“US president Barack Obama leads the nominations for this year’s British Book Awards by making the shortlist for both author and biography of the year. Obama’s political tract, The Audacity of Hope, and his life story, Dreams from My Father, became UK bestsellers during his 2008 run for office. … Obama’s rivals for author of the year include American [Stephenie] Meyer.”
Georgetown Dean Gallucci To Head MacArthur Foundation
“Robert Gallucci will be the new president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Chicago-based organization announced today, in tapping the veteran Washington envoy and educator to head one of the nation’s most prestigious philanthropies. Gallucci, 63, has been Georgetown University’s dean of the School of Foreign Service for 13 years….”
For Many, Working Project-To-Project Is Untenable Now
“Most of the people I know don’t have regular jobs. They’re writers, actors, musicians, artists, photographers and filmmakers. They also are middle-class taxpayers who carry mortgages and send their kids to public school. They’re used to hard times. … But this is different.”
In Interpreting Dreams, Meaning Is What You Make It
“Suppose last night you had two dreams. In one, God appears and commands you to take a year off and travel the world. In the other, God commands you to take a year off to go work in a leper colony. Which of those dreams, if either, would you consider meaningful? … Tough questions, but social scientists now have answers — and really, it’s about time.”
His Business Reputation Damaged, YSL Bidder Sheds Tears
“Cai Mingchao, the Chinese art dealer who is refusing to pay for $40 million Qing bronzes he successfully bid for in the Yves Saint Laurent auction, said he wept when he realized that his credibility was shot and he may now have to close his business. … In the world of high-end art sales, where millions of dollars worth of items may sell on the basis of a phone call or handshake, defaulting is seen as unprofessional.”
The Art On Aussie Government Walls: “Uninspired”
“You can see some evidence of personal tastes, preferences for slightly more or less conventional work, decorative abstracts or emphasising indigenous culture. There are some fine individual worksand respectable lesser ones, but on the whole a lot of it is simply rather insipidand looks like the kind of harmless work you would expect to find in public service buildings.”