Author: Laura Collins Hughes

On Dogs, Homework, And Safeguarding The Ego

“[G]enuine excuse artisans — and there are millions of them — don’t wait until after choking to practice their craft. They hobble themselves, in earnest, before pursuing a goal or delivering a performance. … The urge goes well beyond a mere lowering of expectations, and it has more to do with protecting self-image than with psychological conflicts rooted in early development, in the Freudian sense.”

Animal Cruelty On Film: Protected Speech Or Not?

“A decade ago, Congress decided it was time to address what a House report called ‘a very specific sexual fetish.’ There are people, it turns out, who take pleasure from watching videos of small animals being crushed. … So, in 1999, Congress made it a crime to sell ‘crush videos’ and almost all other depictions of unlawful cruelty to animals.” A Supreme Court case raises the question of whether the law violates the First Amendment.

Broadway’s ’08 Attendance Grew Slightly Over ’07

“Broadway grossed $940,871,190 during the 2008 calendar year — about on par with last year’s $938 million, although that tally was hobbled by the 19-day stagehands’ strike that in 2007 darkened the majority of Rialto shows during some of the Street’s most profitable frames. … Attendance hit 12.32 million, just above the 12.29 million logged in 2007.”

In Museums’ Fight For Survival, How Far Is Too Far?

“[A]s the recession affects both public and private funding sources, the economic pains are being felt across the museum world — from the large institutions with sizable endowments and hefty ticket prices, to the small museums that scrape by on government funding. … This funding crisis has led to some soul-searching about how far a museum may go to stay open.”

Ian Rankin Pushes For More Books In Braille

“On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Braille’s inventor, bestselling crime writer Ian Rankin has launched a campaign calling on writers, publishers and booksellers to make more books available to the visually impaired. Rankin is also backing an appeal to raise £2m to rehouse the UK’s leading Braille printing press, the Scottish Braille Press, which is struggling to meet demand with its current premises.”

Waterford Wedgwood, Cracked And Chipped

“This morning, I was about to eat my breakfast cereal from a robust, plain blue bowl…. And then I heard on the radio that Waterford Wedgwood, makers of Britain’s best-known ceramics, as well as Ireland’s most famous crystal and glassware, was in the hands of receivers and, effectively, up for grabs.” Jonathan Glancey on the significance of Waterford Wedgwood.

Indeed, Sir, The Artist Was Not Jock McTitian

“A painting by Titian has sparked a political row after the Scottish Government confirmed it had pledged a ‘significant sum’ towards its purchase. It followed newspaper reports that the government was contributing £17.5m towards acquiring the work of art. … But Glasgow MP, Ian Davidson, questioned the logic of spending such large sums during an economic downturn.”

Shakespeare’s Church May Have To Close

“The Warwickshire church where William Shakespeare was buried may have to close because of safety fears, its vicar has warned. Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon is under-going multi-million pound restoration work. Reverend Martin Gorick said if a £400,000 project to fix 15th Century windows was not carried out the church could close in about five years’ time.”

Hey! Movies! Leave Them Plays Alone!

“As movie adaptations of stage plays go, the recently released ‘Frost/Nixon’ and ‘Doubt’ are among the best of recent vintage, not least because the writers of the sourcing play also penned the screen versions. … But ‘Frost/Nixon’ and ‘Doubt’ are also, in very different ways, revelatory examples of how certain themes, emotions and truths simply cannot be fully and effectively transferred from stage to screen.”