Category: issues

“A court in Poland ruled on Monday that it was not slanderous to refer to President Lech Kaczynski as a duck.”

“Imagine, if you will, that by some fluke, Libertarian candidate Bob Barr ended up president of the United States. What would the next four years look like? Dare we consider such an unlikely possibility? Oh, we dare all right!” An example: “The Revolutionary War-era ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ flag is reinstated as the official banner of the United States. Barr beams with pride as millions, ignoring the flag’s command, unfurl and stomp on it.”

“An article of faith among conservative critics of American universities has been that liberal professors politically indoctrinate their students… But a handful of new studies have found such worries to be overwrought. Three sets of researchers recently concluded that professors have virtually no impact on the political views and ideology of their students.”

“Minnesota voters approved an increase in the state sales tax for the next 25 years to fund clean water, the outdoors and the arts. The amendment to the state constitution increases the state sales tax by three-eighths of a percent beginning next July and will raise about $275 million a year.” The arts will be in line for around $54m of that pot each year.

“Liberals may or may not see their dreams come true tomorrow, but whether Obama or McCain is elected the 44th President of the United States, we might wonder what will unfold in the arts in the coming years. Won’t many writers and artists lose their muse – along with their enemy – when Bush disappears?”

“Senator Barack Obama … is the first White House contender to include a far-reaching arts plank in his platform. The proposals range from increased support for arts education and the National Endowment for the Arts, to changing the federal tax code for artists.” Margo Lion, Michael Chabon, Hal Prince, Eugenia and Pinchas Zukerman, and Agnes Gund were among those who pitched in on the plank.

“Much as I would like to believe that supporting the arts is intrinsic to all of us, we have to acknowledge that for many people those dollars are better spent elsewhere. And because arts groups typically budget exceedingly close to the bone, events like the current financial crisis can have devastating effects.”

Three sets of researchers recently concluded that professors have virtually no impact on the political views and ideology of their students.

“On October 22, federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett told the Australian National Academy of Music by fax that it would not receive its Government funding of $2.64 million for 2009, effectively truncating its activities from the end of this year… The minister’s reasoning — ‘ANAM no longer represents the most efficient way of delivering support for elite classical music training’ — used deadening language to sound the death knell for this unique institution.”

“[British Columbia’s] venerable Victoria Foundation has fallen victim to turbulent financial markets and announced yesterday that until the economic situation improves it will not hand out funds… Last year, the Victoria Foundation bestowed CAN$7 million in grants to more than 300 individuals and groups involved in charitable activities.”