“We’ve seen how blogs affect politics and public opinion. In the blogosphere, Daily Kos and the Huffington Post are just as esteemed as the New York Times and the Washington Post. Newspapers, once too haughty to even acknowledge the presence of blogs (let alone the power), have carved out a respectful reciprocal relationship: Newspapers provide information, bloggers play the watchdog role, we all have the opportunity to listen, communicate and contribute to this marketplace of ideas.” And female bloggers, it turns out, often blog to build community.
Tag: 08.02.06
Sleek, Prefab Housing: Not As Promising As It Looks?
“The last thing the fledgling prefab movement needs at this point is aggressive marketing or more hype. What it needs is a reality check,” Christopher Hawthorne argues. New, high-design, supposedly accessibly priced prefab housing is wildly popular in theory, but in reality it’s been little tested beyond homes built for architects. “That’s allowed the houses’ creators to remain coy about cost overruns and other obstacles they’ve encountered as they try to work out the kinks of prefab construction. Meanwhile, the prices prefab architects quote to buyers have been climbing.”
Money, A Life In Art Don’t Have To Be Mutually Exclusive
Steady income, financial know-how and health insurance aren’t impossibilities for artists after all. “Mostly self-employed or relying on part-time teaching jobs, many artists tend to have shaky finances and scant prospects for improving them aside from going into another profession. But some institutions have sprung up in recent years to try to help — and ideally thrive financially at the same time.”
L.A. And Getty Agree On Mural’s Restoration
“After decades of fits and starts in the bid to preserve a politically provocative Siqueiros mural on an Olvera Street building, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and leaders at the J. Paul Getty Trust say they’ve made a $7.8-million deal to split the cost of making the 1932 work accessible to the public at last.” Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros’ “America Tropical,” depicting “a crucified Indian peasant under an American eagle,” was covered in the 1930s.
University Merger Pending In Scotland
“Plans are being drawn up for a new university for Scotland which will be the fourth largest in the country. Senior officials from Paisley University and Bell College in Hamilton are currently holding talks about merging the two institutions and creating a new university for 18,000 students… The idea is to create a university which is large enough to tackle the chronic problems of under-representation in higher education in the west of Scotland.”
Innovate Or Die
Carlos Acosta is the hottest thing going in the London dance world, and the Royal Ballet’s biggest current star. But as well as things are going for Acosta and the Royals at the moment, the dancer fears that his industry is gambling with its future. “The dangerous dearth of young choreographers and new full-length ballets, he said, means that the future classics of the repertoire are not being created.”
Let’s Not Go Overboard
At least one London dance critic thinks that Carlos Acosta’s fear for the future of dance is way overblown. “Ballet is in no immediate danger of dying – as an artform it still generates far more new work than opera. And though Acosta may be too modest to acknowledge it, while the profession boasts stars of his calibre, the public will always come flocking.”
Once Again: We All Know The Kid Is Fictional, Right?
It’s come to this: authors Stephen King and John Irving have publicly pleaded with J.K. Rowling to spare the life of the boy wizard Harry Potter in the final installment of her bestselling series. The plea, which was made straight to Rowling’s face at a charity reading in New York, may have fallen on deaf ears, however, as the famously secretive Rowling refused to make any promises.
Hermitage Theft May Be An Inside Job, Or Just Carelessness
The precious trinkets lifted from St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum sometime this summer may have been purloined by staff members, museum officials say. “The items had not been insured because they were in storage; only exhibited artworks at the Hermitage are insured. Prosecutors have opened a criminal case but police say there remains a possibility the items, dating from the 15th to 18th centuries, had gone missing internally as a result of the museum’s chaotic catologuing, and might yet be recovered.”
No,You’re Out Of Order!
Two London orchestra executives are taking great umbrage with a Guardian critic who recently painted the classical music industry as out of touch with the public and obsessed with money and marketing gimmicks. “Money is important – it keeps orchestras in business – but it is wrong to say that the extra commitment is not there… Little in life remains unaffected by the market economy – including English symphony orchestras. To succeed, we have to attract sponsors and be able to fund our activities. Diversifying and trying new ventures, such as producing DVDs aimed at six-month-olds, allows us to reach out to new audiences and become self-financing.”