There was a lovely little fundraising party last weekend in New York for the literary magazine n+1. Then someone made off with the money. “We’ve been much drunker than this, but the party was so nice that we were lulled into a false sense of security. Everybody was wearing jackets; there was classical music. We didn’t think anyone was going to steal our money. Also, our office manager got into a fight with his girlfriend and had to leave the party, and he’s usually the guy who watches the cash box.”
Tag: 08.30.06
Fire Damages Royal Academy
A fire broke out in London’s Royal Academy Wednesday. “The fire broke out yesterday at the former Museum of Mankind, now owned by the Royal Academy, in Piccadilly. Part of the roof and first floor was damaged, a London Fire Brigade spokesman said.”
Pushing Out Pushkin
The city of Moscow is considering putting a shopping mall where a famous statue of Pushkin now sits. “If the city government gets its way, a four-storey shopping mall and traffic tunnel will soon be built on the square where Pushkin stands on his pedestal. PamPush – as the monument to the author is affectionately known to Muscovites – will survive, but protesters against the development warn that his square will be ruined. ‘Red Square may be the heart of the city, but Pushkinskaya is its soul’.”
UK To Study Stonehenge Traffic
The British government has decided to take up the issue of traffic at Stonehenge. “The National Trust warned last month that Stonehenge risked being stripped of its status as a world heritage site because of “second-rate” proposals to ease traffic congestion around it.”
Museum Of Modern Art Takes (Economic) Stock
“What is MoMA’s value to society? It may seem a callous inquiry. Artists view MoMA as a priceless collection. But economists, being an unsentimental lot, frequently occupy themselves with such diversions. Indeed, MoMA itself entered the fray with a June study by the firm of Audience Research and Analysis claiming that from late-2004, when it reopened, through mid-2007, the museum’s economic impact on the city will total $2 billion.”