In the UK-based venture And Other Stories, “instead of a bunch of editors and sales people deciding what is worth reading, a series of reading groups, editors and translators meet to decide what is fit for publication. Over the next year, they plan to publish four books using this editorial approach.”
Tag: 10.01.10
The (Sordid) History of the Chain Letter
“This prayer has been sent to you for good luck. The original copy came from the Netherlands. It has been around the world nine times. …” (You know the rest.) However, “the real origin of the letter wasn’t the Netherlands: Like any truly great crooked scheme, it began in Chicago.”
Are The Liberal Arts Suffering In Tough Economy? Not At All
“A mapping of bachelor degrees conferred in the humanities from 1966 to 2007 by the Humanities Indicator Project shows that the percentage of such majors was highest in the late 1960s (17-18 percent of all degrees conferred), low in the mid-1980s (6-7 percent), and more or less level since the early 1990s (8-9 percent).”
Actors Unions Back Anti-Piracy Legislation
The bill was written by Leahy and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and would empower the Justice Department to crack down on websites dedicated to illegal sharing of copyrighted content.
Botticelli Online (And In Detail)
“By zooming in with the click of a mouse, the smallest details can appear — even ones that aren’t ordinarily visible. The images have a resolution of up to 28 billion pixels — about 3,000 times stronger than that of an average digital camera.”
In Dramatic Reversal, LA MoCA Finishes Year With Big Surplus
“The Museum of Contemporary Art announced Thursday that it finished its fiscal year with a $5.5-million surplus and has used most of it to continue replenishing the endowment it had illegally raided during nearly a decade of overspending.”
A New Graeme Murphy Dance Company
When Murphy left the Sydney Dance Company after 31 years at its helm, 90% of the company’s repertoire was his work. With a new artistic director putting his own stamp on the SDC, a pair of Murphy’s former dancers has launched the Mod Dance Company, which aims to keep Murphy’s work alive.
Donmar Warehouse’s Michael Grandage to Step Down
“Michael Grandage, who for almost nine years has been at the helm of London’s most acclaimed small theatre, the Donmar Warehouse, is to step down in autumn 2011. … Grandage took over the 250-seat theatre in 2002 from Sam Mendes, who left to pursue his directing career in film and on stage in the United States.”
After Wilde, Laramie and Beethoven, Directing Singing Animal Puppets
“Moisés Kaufman has wrestled with the trials of Oscar Wilde and the murder of Matthew Shepard. He’s grappled with Beethoven and Jane Fonda, both in the same play (33 Variations). Now this 46-year-old playwright and director is playing with puppets: fish, fowl, an ogre, rabbits, a cat. And they’re singing.”