Author: Douglas McLennan

The Nobel Academy Is Plagued With Scandal And In Disarray

The academy is paralysed by the scandal, which was followed by a slew of resignations and expulsions. Six of The Eighteen have withdrawn from any part in its deliberations; another two were compelled to do so. The statutes say that 12 members must be present to elect any new ones, so with only 10, no important decisions can be taken and no new members elected. The vacuum has been filled with invective.

How Prominent Artists Spend Unrestricted Grants

How he’s spent the money: “Paying off my student loans—going to grad school in New York City is a doozy! My other big thing was getting my dancers health care. And just making sure my mother had grocery money after my father died.” Biggest mistake: “I had no knowledge of how to invest, or deal with the tax implications. I wound up losing a fair amount of money because I didn’t know how to properly channel the money so it could accrue interest. I kept it in my savings account and when tax time came around I was really shocked and scared by some letters from the IRS!”

Study: Employees Are Happier, More Productive After Switching To Four-day Work Week

Jarrod Haar, a human resources professor at Auckland University of Technology, said employees reported a 24 percent improvement in work-life balance, and came back to work energized after their days off. “Supervisors said staff were more creative, their attendance was better, they were on time, and they didn’t leave early or take long breaks,” Mr. Haar said. “Their actual job performance didn’t change when doing it over four days instead of five.”

Giant Scientific Publisher Cuts Off Scientists In Sweden And Germany From Access To Papers

Elsevier last week stopped thousands of scientists in Germany from reading its recent journal articles, as a row escalates over the cost of a nationwide open-access agreement. Negotiators in Germany and Sweden want all their papers published in Elsevier journals to be open access as part of any new contracts. They have said that they will not pay more than they did previously for subscriptions. But, until now, the Dutch publisher has offered other countries read-and-publish deals that cover only a small proportion of a country’s publishing output.

Today’s AJBlogs 07.19.18

Followup: Bechet By Liebman And Stowell Following the June 28 Rifftides review of the Scenes trio’s Destinations album, its guitarist, John Stowell, sent this comment: “Your readers might also enjoy the recent duo CD I recorded with Dave Liebman. It was … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2018-07-19

So you want to see a show? Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2018-07-19

Highlights From Today’s AJBlogs 07.18.18

On Community Kate Balug, another Creative Community Fellows alum, writes powerfully about narrow definitions of “community” and how her work seeks to do the opposite by breaching walls to promote inclusiveness. After several years of working as … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2018-07-18

How To Be a Great Museum Trustee What kind of museum donor hosts a visit in her home with the museum’s director, as she is nearing death, and asks him to read aloud the list of artworks in her final bequest? What … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2018-07-17

Rethinking Communities Justina Crawford is a Creative Community Fellows alum who works for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her picture of community is impacted by current events and reflects creating more inclusive environments. After living … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2018-07-17

Second Thoughts: Two High-Profile Hires Depart Sotheby’s Advisory Service In rapid succession, two ballyhooed recruits to Sotheby’s Fine Art Division (the firm’s art advisory service) have left their posts: —Eric Shiner, whose departure was reported today by Anny Shaw in The Art Newspaper, will … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2018-07-17

US House Rejects Cutting NEA Budget After Last-Minute Attempt To Do So

The vote on Wednesday was 297-114. It was a boost to arts advocates, who argued that such funding was just a tiny fraction of the federal budget yet offered any array of benefits to local communities. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) proposed the funding cut via an amendment to a larger government funding bill, arguing that the purpose was to make a “small dent” in federal spending