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Plans To Replace Nevada Poet Laureate Surprise Poet Laureate

Norman Kaye, 82, a “Las Vegas resident who’s written tunes for crooner Perry Como, is not happy the state wants a new promoter of the iambic pentameter. Kaye was torqued to learn the Nevada Arts Council recently sent out a press release seeking nominations for the post of poet laureate. The announcement does not mention the state has an existing poet laureate in Kaye, a grievous slight in my book.”

Impressions At Auction

Last week’s New York auctions of Impressionist and Modern art hit records and signaled a strong market. “What detracted from what was in most respects an astonishing sale was that Sotheby’s marketing machine had hyped it so much and set such high estimates to get the business from vendors that the prices almost seemed disappointing.”

Grandage On Top

Ten years ago Michael Grandage was unemployed and broke. Then he directed his first play and there was no looking back. In just a few years he jumped to the top of his profession, succeeding Sam Mendes as director of Donmar Warehouse. “Whereas Mendes’s programming was essentially Anglocentric, Grandage has made it a much more European-based house, with outstanding productions of plays by Camus, Pirandello and Strindberg.”

Shanghai’s Sinking

After a decade of building skyscrapers, Shanghai is now the world’s most densely populated city. But now the city is sinking. “The rock bed is about 300m from the surface and the underground water table is higher, about 1-1.5 m from the surface. There are now more than 4,000 buildings more than 100m tall in Shanghai. That results in extremely severe ground settlement.” It’s just one of the reasons why city planners are now desperately trying to halt the architectural annexation of Shanghai’s skies. Dearth of greenery, horrible pollution, inadequate transport and an almost unbearable press of humanity on the streets are others.”

Atlanta Opera Director Resigns

William Fred Scott has resigned as Atlanta Opera’s director. “The artistic director’s exit caps a turnover of the $5 million opera’s top managers in the last 18 months. Almost since the company was formed in the mid-1980s — to fill the gap when New York’s Metropolitan Opera ceased its annual tours to the city — the Atlanta Opera has struggled with deficits, inadequate venues and artistic unevenness.”

Report: Taj Mahal Isn’t Sinking

An investigation has concluded that India’s Taj Mahal is not sinking. “Indian authorities launched an investigation in October when historians reported that the Taj Mahal was leaning and in danger of sinking.But the four Taj minarets were observed to be inclined at various angles by the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI’s) first scientific survey in 1941, which examined the position and verticality of the minarets as well as the foundations’ stability.”

The Next Frontier: Elective Neurology?

“Some neurologists have recently wondered whether their field is the next frontier in elective medicine. The specialty now tries to protect ailing brains from conditions such as Parkinson’s disease or migraine headaches. But doctors’ efforts may one day extend to improving normal brains. This is coming, and we need to know it’s coming. There’s even a name for the field: cosmetic neurology.”

Cutting $10 Million From The CBC

Canada’s CBC is facing a government-mandated $10 million cut in its budget. “The CBC is already dealing with other financial pressures, including rising production and health-care costs, renewed contributions to the CBC pension plan and a massive loss of advertising revenue as a result of the NHL lockout (estimated to be about $50-million).”