At each subsequent stage in the history of the modern university, English professors have repurposed literary history to suit expedient needs. When English classes were one way of carrying forward the religious mood of schools once devoted to educating a ministry, literature was made an occasion for conversion or homily.
Tag: 11.17.05
The Challenges Of NY’s Non-Profit Theatres
“The overarching challenge facing New York City’s not-for-profit theatres is the fact that available funding from government and institutional sectors has failed to keep pace with the incredible explosion of not-for-profit companies,” Louloudes stated. “This is a national problem, and the reasons behind it are far more complex than can be presented in a three-minute testimony.”
Wall Street Journal Editors Defend Tomlinson
Editors at the Wall Street Journal defend former Corporation for Public Broadcasting chairman Ken Tomlinson. The WSJ developed a new show during Tomlinson’s watch. “We knew Mr. Tomlinson was pushing for the program from his perch at CPB, but our job wasn’t to dissect the internal debates and politics of public broadcasting. That’s too opaque for any outsider, and even apparently for an insider like Mr. Konz, whose report is laced with such weaselly and inconclusive phrases as “the questions involve whether” Mr. Tomlinson “breached his fiduciary responsibilities.” Well, did he or not?”
Vancouver Candidates Won’t Promise Arts Funding
Vancouver’s mayoral candidates were on the hook this week to show their support for arts funding. But they declined to say they would provide for recommended arts budgets. “We are looking at a seven-percent [property] tax increase [if all the staff recommendations for next year are approved by the new council]…. In principle, I support it. But I cannot in advance tell you what the budget is going to be.”
Radio City Makes Deal With Musicians
Radio City Music Hall has reached a deal with musicians for the Rockettes Christmas Show. “The parties had been working with a mediator to try to resolve the conflict, which came to a head Nov. 2 when the musicians went on strike and two preseason shows were canceled. Since then, the show has gone on with recorded music.”
Guardian Corrects Its Article About Chomsky
The Guardian corrects and clarifies a number of points in an incendiary article about Noam Chomsky published last month.
Ex-Getty Curator Got Loan From Collectors
Ex-Getty curator Marion True got a loan from two collectors only days after the Getty bought their collection. “True was a driving force behind the Getty’s 1996 acquisition of Lawrence and Barbara Fleischman’s 300-piece collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan artifacts, considered one of the finest private antiquities holdings in the world. The Getty paid $20 million for 32 pieces in the collection, and received the rest as a donation. Three days after the deal was closed, records show, Lawrence Fleischman agreed to lend True $400,000 with an interest rate of 8.25 %, market rate at the time.”
In Praise Of Librarians
“Librarians have to care, and thus suffer a slippage whereby caring for books becomes being perceived by the public as guarding them. Thereby, a mean-spirited, censorious figure is born, figured forth as a crone. (In the popular imagination, librarians are always women.) Her hair is in a bun, and a scowl is on her face. We have done something wrong merely by entering the library. How dare we? And, once inside, how dare we proceed to talk? Another slippage: the library into a shrine, wherein the god of Knowledge is to be venerated by all who enter, while Vestal Virgins preside.”
Art And The Hollywood Collector
Hollywood superagent Michael Ovitz has amassed a major art collection. “To date, no one has gone behind his collection to describe what he did to amass it early on. It’s a tale of ambition, greed and ego not only on his part but also on the part of those who did business with him. In the process, Ovitz helped change the art world for the worse by bringing the same ruthless tactics to SoHo and 57th Street that he’d used to rule Hollywood.”
Self-Publish… But Then What?
It costs as little as $500 to have a book self-published. But what to do with the books after they’re printed? “Publicity is almost nonexistent. The publishers don’t run advertising campaigns or have marketing teams devoted to new titles, and they have little luck getting their books reviewed in newspapers and magazines. And forget major booksellers. When they get their titles from traditional publishing houses, they can return those that don’t sell and pay for only those that do. Most print-on-demand publishers don’t allow returns. As a result, stores refuse to take their books.”