Textbook piracy is rampant in much of the world, particularly in countries with expanding economies such as China. Governments aren’t exactly eager to crack down on pirates. “Countries say to us: ‘We really want education for our kids. You people [in the United States] are rich. Why do you want to stop us from copying textbooks?'”
Tag: 03.29.04
Aiming At Affordable Art (And Those Who Might Buy)
There’s a new breed of art fair, and it’s doing quite well. The fairs offer “affordable art” aimed at the entry-level buyer. “Some buy for investment, calculating that as interest rates are low and the stock market is fluctuating then art should be a good long term home for spare cash. A survey this week revealed that 24 per cent of adults would consider buying art for this reason. But dealers and fair organisers say that most buy because they feel more confident than ever about doing so and because they want to spend disposable income on something for their home.”
A Better Barbican?
Musicians have complained about the acoustics in London’s Barbican Theatre for years. “But a £7m refurbishment to improve the deadening acoustics has proved so successful that more of the best musicians in the world are now happy to appear, it was claimed yesterday. Twenty years after its first – and only – distressing performance at the Barbican, the Vienna Philharmonic returns next month.”
Falling Flat On Boston’s Strand
In 2002, promises and hopes sailed high for Boston’s Strand Theatre, a converted vaudeville house being rebirthed as a community performing arts center. “Less than two years later, the Strand’s books are soaked in red ink. The Strand’s 1,400-seat auditorium is dark on most evenings, and it droops with inactivity during the daytime. Paint is peeling, chairs are broken, and a city maintenance crew recently replaced 150 dead light bulbs that had been left in their sockets.”
Peter Ustinov, 82
Actor Peter Ustinov has died of heart failure in Switzerland. Ustinov, who spoke more than half a dozen languages, won Oscars for his roles in the films “Spartacus” and “Topkapi.” The multi-talented entertainer, who was knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth but did not like to be known as “Sir Peter,” completed his last film as an actor, about the life of 16th century German protestant leader Martin Luther, late last year.”
No Book Left Behind
A new installment of the “Left Behind” series is due out this week. “Over the last nine years, the ‘Left Behind’ series, which is based on Dr. Tim LaHaye’s literal, bloody interpretation of the Book of Revelation, has become one of the biggest surprise hits in American popular culture. The first 11 novels have sold more than 40 million copies. The authors have unseated John Grisham as the best-selling novelists for adults and, in some places where evangelical Christians are common, the books rival the Harry Potter series in sales.”
New York Reduces Financial Aid To Lincoln Center
A few years ago, then-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani pledged $24 million a year for ten years to Lincolnm Center’s rebuilding project. But new mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to reduce the amount. “For the next fiscal year Mr. Bloomberg’s preliminary budget has reduced Lincoln Center’s $24 million allotment to $5 million. City officials acknowledge that these measures indicate an increasingly hard-line approach toward cultural organizations, the largest of which is Lincoln Center.”
Here Come The Russians
Russian collectors are making their presence felt as they invest heavily in art. “A new elite is taking up the mantle of pre-Revolutionary collectors, the czars and industrialists whose collections became museums, including the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the Tretyakov in Moscow. The Russian government has lifted taxes and duties to spur the return of works smuggled abroad by nobles or sold by the Bolsheviks after the Revolution of 1917. The authorities also want to encourage Russia’s new multimillionaires to bring home the acquisitions they have been making, and keeping, outside the country.”
Giant Saddam Head In Scotland
An enormous head from a statue of Saddam Husein has landed in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. “Since the head is thought to be the only one of its kind in Britain, museum officials are calling its arrival a coup for the city. But many citizens are outraged, accusing the museum of war looting. Weighing almost 136 kilograms, the head is from a statue believed to have come from the city of Basra, a British stronghold during the war.”