Category: issues

“The man whose inquiry led to new vetting procedures for adults working with children today calls on the Government to rethink parts of its controversial anti-paedophile register.” Some prominent authors have said they will stop visiting schools rather than join the registry. “Sir Michael [Bichard] said the idea that people like actors, authors or entertainers, who only occasionally visit a school, should register with the scheme should be reconsidered.”

“U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns [R-Fla.], joined by 50 fellow congressional Republicans, has fired off a scathing letter to the head of a federal arts agency, expressing outrage that taxpayer money went to groups that produce ‘objectionable and obscene movies, plays and exhibitions’.”

“An independent report released Tuesday recommends a 55,000-person limit for events on the Great Lawn in Central Park – essentially supporting the city’s current regulations. The report is the latest twist in a saga extending back to 2004.”

“The Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Festivals Edinburgh have launched a new iPhone application to help visitors navigate their way around the events. The Edinburgh Festivals Guide … carries full listings for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, International Festival, Jazz and Blues Festival, Art Festival, Book Festival, Mela and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It will enable visitors to browse shows, check ticket offers, read reviews and plot their routes around the city.”

“Arts leaders have welcomed a report by the Home Affairs Select Committee [of Parliament] which recommends a raft of changes to the controversial points-based visa system, including the introduction of a fast track process, so that performers can enter the country at short notice in ‘exceptional emergency cases’.”

Nancy Sinatra: “My father, Frank Sinatra, and singers like Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby and Perry Como fought for years for performance royalties from radio stations, arguing it was unfair that performers are not paid…. This fight isn’t just about featured artists. There are thousands of background singers and session musicians who deserve to be paid for their work, too.”

“[W]hen you’re balancing concerns about education or health against arts and culture, eliminating the latter seems like a no-brainer. … That’s because most of us think of the arts as Cinderella waltzing in her ball gown at the palace — fun, frivolous, pleasant but expensive and nonessential. A more apt image would be Rosie the Riveter, the female laborer with a scarf binding up her hair, a rolled-up sleeve displaying real muscle and a ‘We can do it’ attitude.”

“The Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park has filed a complaint against Hammond Beeby Rupert Ainge Architects, the firm that designed and supervised the theater’s construction. Early last year, emergency repairs began on the mostly underground theater to fix damage from water seeping into the external stairwells, offices and other non-public spaces.”

“Cultural groups are fighting back, bombarding commissioners with e-mails, phone calls and personal pleas to restore the money. But they will have to get in line behind police, firefighters, foster children, the elderly and every other interest group dealing with diminished resources because of plunging property values.”