Category: issues

“Shouldn’t taxpayers also acquire equity status [in exchange for the Wall St. bailout], so that rather than handing out corporate welfare we get some direct dividend if any of these private companies turn around? And couldn’t that dividend be used, in part, to underwrite full American public participation in the arts? … [And] what if the NEA just changed the rules? What if, say, its art museum exhibition grants were available only to shows that are open free to the public? That one small policy change would cause a profound shift in the way American museums do business.”

Michael Ignatieff: “Humanitarians may be as racist as realists. The same condescension that prompts realists to stay out of the quarrels of little peoples can prompt humanitarians to plunge in to save them. If humanitarians – then and now – often underestimate the costs of intervention, it may be because they condescend to the capabilities of the butchers they are out to defeat. If they overestimate the gratitude of the people on whose behalf they intervene, it may be because they are too much in love with the fantasy of helpless and thankful victims.”

The Russian military push into disputed areas of Georgia did more than shake up the international scene – it left some significant cultural devastation behind. “Thus far the destruction includes severe bomb damage to the Museum of Prince Matchabelli… destruction by arson of the church of St. George in Sveri, a rare 19th-century wooden structure… and extensive bomb damage to the monastery complex of Nikozi Church — dating from the 11th century, it is perhaps the most important site of all.”

“A phalanx of [Canadian] actors and artists, led by veteran Gordon Pinsent, spoke forcefully yesterday against the Conservatives’ recent cuts to arts and culture, urging citizens who value culture to vote and press for a prominent place in federal decision-making.”

A $475 million performing arts center is on the horizon in Las Vegas, and for the city’s cultural organizations, it can’t break ground soon enough. The center already has commitments for two resident companies, but there’s plenty of room for other groups to cut deals of their own.

“The science also shows that corporal punishment is like smoking: It’s a rare human being who can refrain from stepping up from a mild, relatively harmless dose to an excessive and harmful one. Three cigarettes a month won’t hurt you much, and a little smack on the behind once a month won’t harm your child. But who smokes three cigarettes a month?”

“But as a simple regime-change operation in Iraq descended into a baffling counterinsurgency, it became clear that you can have the most advanced… [equipment], but without any insight into the civilian population – or at least some sense of how they’ll react to your moves – your war effort is sunk.”

“Of the over 1,600 cadets at the Kabul Police Academy, only 10 are women. They are breaking traditions and taking considerable personal risk.”

A new game called Political Machine Express, available as a free download, lets players run virtual versions of the Obama-Biden vs. McCain-Palin campaign. “Much of the actual political process has made the transition into the game intact: You’ll give speeches, take a stand on a candidate’s real issues and juggle the costs of running a campaign while securing enough attention and support to win.”

“The region’s crowd-pleasing cultural organizations deserve a standing ovation for hosting 15 million visitors each year. Beyond the applause, though, what they’ve really earned is a hand up. That’s the message at center stage in the latest study by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Box-office growth plus economic impact should equal a regional approach to better fund the arts.”