America’s Star System Pays Pretty Well

“The top of American life has become a very cozy and lucrative place, where the social capital of who you are and who you know brings unimaginable returns. If you’re an international rock star, you can get a piece of the deal when Facebook has its I.P.O. If you’re a global columnist, you can monetize your influence across the speaker’s circuit and through paid TV gigs.”

Cleveland Museum, Effectively Accusing Sicily Of Extortion, Cancels Antiquities Show

“The Getty and the Cleveland museum announced Wed. July 10 that Sicily had canceled the show. A day later, Sicilian authorities offered to negotiate over additional fees.” Said a statement issued today in Cleveland, “To announce all new economic terms after the exhibition has been organized, cataloged and shipped is unprecedented and negotiations over this development have to date been unsuccessful.”