One unintended casualty of the US government’s preparations for war in the Middle East appears to be an extensive list of archaeological excavations scheduled for the region. “In any normal summer, dozens of excavations are conducted in Israel, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Yemen and elsewhere, tempting thousands of professionals and volunteers with the exotic mysteries of antiquity and the prospect of significant discovery.” And it’s not just the timing of the digs which are at risk: archeologists fear that a war could irreparably damage countless artifacts, just as the 1991 Gulf War did.
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Growth In Used-Book Sales
Let’s look at the used-book business. Since 1993 the used-book business has grown substantially. But “between 2000-2002, there was a 4.8% decrease in the number of open shops.” Why? Though the business continues to grow, the internet is accounting for more sales.
Take That, New York!
And the winner of the heated competition to be the only American city to be allowed to exhibit the Dead Sea Scrolls this year is… drum roll… Grand Rapids, Michigan? As a matter of fact, yes, and it may be more appropriate than you think. Grand Rapids, while certainly far from being a bustling metropolis, is a deeply religious community, and the exhibition, which will bring fragments of 12 manuscripts from the famous Scrolls to a local museum, is expected to draw visitors from all over the Rust Belt area of the Midwest. Curators hope that their coup will be a reminder to the arts world that people everywhere can appreciate art and artifacts – even people who don’t live in New York or Chicago.
Preservation Blues
“In Chicago, far too many ‘everyday masterpieces’ are being discarded like so much gristle. The city has a national reputation for being a vigilant protector of marquee landmarks designed by such renowned architects as Frank Lloyd Wright and Daniel Burnham. But Chicago is much less careful about safeguarding the lesser-known architectural gems, that give its neighborhoods their character. Hundreds are gone… even though the city, in a 12-year study it conducted that cost more than $1.2 million, identified them as architecturally or historically important. The demolished structures–more than 200–ranged from Spanish Baroque theaters to Georgian mansions to Queen Anne taverns.”
Buy A CD Lately? Have Some Cash!
You may not have heard, but the recording industry has some money for you. Specifically, if you purchased a CD, tape, or vinyl album between 1995 and 2000, you’re entitled to part of a massive cash settlement paid by various record labels as a penalty for their collusion and price-fixing crimes during the 1990s. Now, don’t get excited: you can’t get more than $20, and if too many people file claims, you won’t get anything at all (in which case, all the money would go to music education programs,) but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?
Colorado Springs Will Miss Payroll
The beleagured Colorado Springs Symphony, already in bankruptcy and facing the probable resignation of its music director, will miss its mid-January payroll today, leaving musicians and staff to fend for themselves, and almost certainly prompting the musicians’ union to file a grievance claiming that the CSS is in material breach of contract. The orchestra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after musicians refused to accept the board’s demands for a large cut of their already-bargain-basement salaries. Musicians also claim that the organization’s upper management has been grossly incompetent, and should be held responsible for its own failings.
Colorado Springs Music Director Will Resign (Or Will He?)
“Lawrence Leighton Smith, the nationally known music director of the financially strapped Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra, all but admitted Monday that he will resign his position today.” Smith had threatened as much before the cash-strapped ensemble declared bankruptcy last week, as a show of support to the orchestra’s musicians, who were being asked to take a pay cut. However, although this report claimed that Smith would announce his resignation on January 14, a subsequent article (see above) reports that he has not yet followed through.
The New Harry In June
The latest installment in the Harry Potter series will be on sale June 21. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be released on a Saturday so that young fans do not have to skip school to buy it on its first day. More than a third of a million copies of the last Potter book were sold on its first day of release in July 2000 as Potter mania swept the UK.”
UK Movie Tix Selling Well
A slew of high-budget US films has propelled 2002 UK movie ticket sales to a 10% increase over 2001, despite earlier fears that the World Cup would cut into cinema attendance during the crucial summer blockbuster period. The increase came even as the rest of Europe experiences a decline in sales and interest, and coincided with what many are calling a ‘renaissance’ of British film.
Agreement Could Be Better, Say Consumer Groups
A number of consumer organizations and digital rights groups are complaining that yesterday’s landmark agreement between the recording industry and the computer industry concerning copyright protection and digital piracy doesn’t go nearly far enough in protecting the rights of consumers to do what they wish with content they have legally purchased. The activists hope that Congress will press forward with the Digital Media Consumers Rights Act, proposed last year, but the new agreement was struck with the understanding that Congress would agree to keep government out of the issue.