“The proportion of faculty who are appointed each year to tenure-line positions is declining at an alarming rate.” Three out of four new hires in the 1990s were appointed to nontenurable jobs. It is reasonable to infer from this that the number of non-tenure-track jobs, which accounted for 58 percent of faculty positions in 1993, will continue to rise.”
Tag: 04.04.10
Jesuits In Hollywood
The Borgia Popes (which is no whitewash of history) is “just one of the projects under way by Loyola Productions, a nonprofit production company in Culver City, Calif., owned by members of the Society of Jesus.” Says the company’s founder, “I don’t even introduce myself as a Jesuit priest. It tends to really frighten people.” Well, only those who know what a Jesuit is.
Being Normal Mailer’s Final Wife
“How Barbara Jean Davis, a former [Arkansas] pickle-factory worker and the only child of Free Will Baptists … became Norris Church Mailer, a Wilhelmina model, a novelist, a painter, an actress and a ringmaster extraordinaire.” Says she, “Well, I bought a ticket to the circus. I don’t know why I was surprised to see elephants.”
Angels: The Next Big Trend In Young Adult Fiction?
“Just like their blood-sucking supernatural cousins, angels are half-human visitors who can both fly and usefully suggest the mysterious adult world of sexuality that lies beyond. It is a thought that appears to have simultaneously occurred to authors and publishers searching for a new cult reading trend.”
What Is The Future Of Modern Dance In America?
“Look at this indigenous but fragile American art form, and you see fundamental change. There’s been a downsizing, a redefining, a splintering into countless small niches. … No one with broad-based stature and a track record of creating marketable and enduring work is poised to take over from the pillars of the field.”
3D Printers That Make Real Stuff
“Architects design their buildings in 3D software packages and pass them to Thinglab to print scale models. When mobile phone companies come up with a new handset, they print prototypes first in order to test size, shape and feel. Jewellers not only make prototypes, they use them as a basis for moulds. Sculptors can scan in their original works, adjust the dimensions and rattle off a series of duplicates (signatures can be added later).”
Miami Ballet School Transforms City’s Dance Future
“Currently almost half of Miami City Ballet (16 of the 20 corps de ballet dancers, two of six soloists and two out of 12 principal dancers, sisters Jeanette and Patricia Delgado) came through its school. The influx has accelerated in the past several years. The reputation of the school and the company have grown, drawing more aspiring dancers from a broader pool of talent in Latin America, Asia and across the United States to train at MCB.”
Berlin Theatre Finds Key To Full Houses
“Now after years of struggle the 1,895-seat theater that calls itself Europe’s “largest and most modern show palace” has started playing to full houses, attracting younger international audiences, boosting ticket sales and making tidy profits.”
Ford Foundation To Put $100 Million Into Arts Buildings
“In addition to helping arts groups build new spaces and renovate and expand old ones, the latest initiative aims to encourage the construction of affordable housing for artists in or around some of these spaces and to spur economic development in their surrounding areas.”
Berlin Opera Houses Surge Back To Health (How?)
“That a city with a population of 3.4 million, less than half the size of London, can support such operatic bounty never ceases to amaze. Five years ago, with Berlin’s looming bankruptcy, there was talk of closing one. But partly through the setting up of an opera foundation (“Stiftung”) to provide financial support and unified working practices, each is secure for now.”