Category: issues

“The Smithsonian Board of Regents is reviewing the way it handles corporate donations after the American Petroleum Institute withdrew a $5 million gift last week. The Smithsonian solicited the gift for its Ocean Initiative, but regents questioned whether it was appropriate to accept money for a marine science enterprise from a group supported by hundreds of oil companies.”

“A study — ‘Left Pipeline: Why Conservatives Don’t Get Doctorates’ — argues that the much debated minority status for conservatives in higher education may be the result of differing priorities of graduating college seniors of different political persuasions.”

“On the surface, the writers would seem to have all the cards, and the stagehands few. But the stagehands, who began striking almost a week after the writers, are most likely the ones who will be heading back to work first.”

“The accessibility of creative work on the Internet is changing traditional ideas about intellectual property, and some major artists are beginning to respond.”

“What constitutes ‘fair use’ in classes that rely on films, television shows and assorted media clips? In some ways, it’s still an open question. Copyright law and court precedent set the limits, but within those limits, colleges, scholars, studios and lawyers have struggled to define when exactly it’s permissible to use artistic works in the classroom and in students’ assignments.”

“What is culture? The EU’s own definition – in Article 5: Decision 1419/1999/EC, should you want to look it up – talks about the arts, literature and shared lifestyle. But whose arts? Whose literature? Whose lifestyle? In short, whose culture? Any suggestions gladly received.”

“I am not a huge fan of Norman Mailer’s; in fact, I am president of the Harold Pinter Society — so my sympathies lie elsewhere. Still, I was shocked by the lack of coverage regarding this important American author’s contributions, work and life.”

“The modern global education market is fiercely competitive. The benchmark is set by an American college elite with billions at its disposal. That, like it or not – and few now have much choice in the matter – is reality. How will Scotland cope – compete, if you prefer – with the money flooding into higher education in England?”

“Nonprofits may see a fallout from the market turmoil as early as next month if year-end bonuses are cut. Nonprofits do year-end appeals to catch that wonderful gift, but if bonuses are diminished, there may not be that money to give.”

“Going.com allows users to check who else plans to go to a concert or party to help decide whether to attend, and they can see how many people are interested in an event like the Moby concert.”