Category: issues

According to Mr. Martin, viewers watching the interview by closed-circuit television from across the country sent e-mails to the Y complaining “that the evening was not going the way they wished, meaning we were discussing art.”

“[T]imes and tastes have changed since the Corn Palace gained fame in 1892, and there is concern about dwindling visits to the attraction, which is key to the economy in [the] southeastern South Dakota town” of Mitchell. “The Corn Palace’s dilemma is similar to that facing other roadside attractions: how to keep current without sacrificing its quirky, small-town character.”

“In a cable dated Jan. 1, 2008, an unnamed U.S. diplomat writes that the CBC has ‘long gone to great pains to highlight the distinction between Canadians and Americans in its programming, generally at our expense'” and that the national broadcaster “pushes ‘insidious negative popular stereotyping’ with ‘anti-American melodrama’ in its entertainment TV programs.”

“Freely available online lectures and textbooks give universities the opportunity to reduce costs and increase quality, while focusing resources on what really matters: contact time between teachers and students. The simple fact is that the education most universities provide isn’t worth the money.”

“Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore announced $32 million of arts and cultural funding on Friday … The spending is new funding that has never been announced and comes from the Canadian Heritage department’s annual budget.”

“Some time ago, a group of fanatics grew irritated and agitated by the lack of zeal demonstrated by some of their co-religionists, many of them wealthy and educated. A number of these non-zealots were assimilating at a fast pace into modern culture, becoming almost indistinguishable from the elite group that ran it.”

With the country’s dire financial situation being common knowledge, few were surprised by the cuts of €76m over four years in Arts Council funding. More troubling to many is the reduction in Ireland’s annual income tax exemption for artists and writers from €250,000 to €40,000.

“Anaheim got the stadium [for the L.A. Angels] and the amusement park [Disneyland]. The county’s performing arts center, however, ended up in Costa Mesa. Now, Anaheim wants a big performing arts venue for itself and the rest of North County and, to that end, launched a major capital campaign Saturday night.”

“It turns out we’ve got the bourgeoisie entirely wrong. Far from being the champions of banality and the enemies of joy, contrarian economic historian Deirdre McCloskey says, they are true revolutionaries.”

Sir Peter, who has just turned 80, was being honoured for his contribution to world theatre. He urged an audience – packed with top actors and directors – to make “loud noises” against budget cuts. “It’s insane,” Sir Peter said. “I feel really ill at the thought of over 50 years thrown away.”