“Liberal Muslim activist and author Irshad Manji and her assistant suffered minor injuries after hundreds people from the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) attacked the writer’s book launch at the Institute for Islamic and Social Studies (LKiS) Foundation in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.”
Month: May 2012
Easter Island Statues Have Bodies Beneath Those Heads (Petroglyphs, Too)
“When most people think of the renowned monolithic statues, they think of the heads only. But in October 2011, the Easter Island Statue Project began its Season V expedition, revealing remarkable photos showing that the bodies of the statues go far deeper underground than just about anyone had imagined.”
Burma Shave’s Legendary (And Long-Lost) Road-Sign Verse
“In a simpler time, when automobiles went slower … there was a popular advertising campaign that ran from 1927 until 1963. It consisted of rhymed messages sequentially staked on the right side of the road, all ending with the advertiser’s name, ‘Burma-Shave’.”
Protests Over Lack Of Women Honored At Cannes
“Just days before the festivities kick off, a group of prominent French filmmakers have written an open letter to organisers condemning them for failing to award women who stand behind the cameras instead of in front of them.”
Now Anyone Can Publish A Book (And Traditional Publishers Struggle To Catch Up)
“Publishers want to know what to publish. Readers want to know what to read. The traditional models are being smashed.”
NY City Opera Shrinks (Only 8 Percent Of This Year’s Budget Came From Ticket Sales) And Takes Risks
“At this moment in its history, when it is battling its way back from financial disaster and reduced to a fraction of its former size and activity, City Opera feels like a small company in town, closer to the ambitious young Gotham Chamber Opera with its $1 million budget than the behemoth Metropolitan Opera. It will have to stake out its own ground in size and artistic profile to draw audiences and donors.”
Toronto’s Royal Conservatory Doubles Its Enrollment In First Year Of Carnegie Hall Alliance
“In the past year 70 music schools and more than 3,000 teachers in the U.S. have signed up for the Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory Achievement Program, which will deliver the same kind of syllabus and graded testing used by 500,000 Canadians annually. The federal government, under former Con student Stephen Harper, put up $7.5-million to get the Carnegie partnership started.”
“Avengers” Racks Up $1 Billion In Only Two Weeks
“After setting the record for the biggest domestic opening ever, the superhero adventure had a massive second weekend, raking in $103.2 million. That raised the film’s total in the U.S. and Canada to $373.2 million, and combined with the movie’s $628.9 million international haul, the picture joined the ranks of 11 other films that have sold over $1 billion worth of tickets.”
Study: There’s A Relationship Between Staying Thin And Consuming Culture
“This does not mean a person looking to lose 10 pounds should join a book club rather than a health club. But this data suggests you have a better chance of keeping off excess pounds if you indulge in leisure-time interests that have intellectual or emotional weight.”
Chicago Lyric Opera Balances Books By Tapping Endowment
“Given the ever-rising costs of opera production, the company was forced to draw approximately $3.8 million from its reserve funds to break even for the fiscal year. Lyric had tapped into its Campaign for Excellence Fund to the tune of $4.3 million in fiscal 2011, and $2.7 million the previous year, to balance its books. All three were planned withdrawals.”