Genus Bononiae, €70 million restoration and retrofit of historic buildings in Bologna, will include a library, a concert hall, a museum of local history and various exhibition venues. Unusually for Italy, the project is funded – and operated – entirely by a private foundation, with virtually no government involvement.
Tag: 09.07.10
Some Looted Iraqi Antiquities Recovered – As Others Disappear
“Gold earrings made for an Assyrian queen, a sacred 4,000-year-old statue, and 540 other looted pieces of Iraq’s ancient history were formally returned to Iraq on Monday … [But] a previous shipment of 632 stolen pieces recovered in the US [went] missing after being delivered to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s office last year.”
No More Mehtas? Dwindling Parsis Try to Rebuild Their Numbers
Zoroastrianism, possibly the world’s oldest surviving religion (and the faith that gave us the Mehtas, the Tatas, and Freddie Mercury), is down to 140,000 adherents worldwide. They don’t accept converts or intermarriage. In an attempt to keep from disappearing, the Parsi community in Mumbai has launched a campaign that includes speed dating and fertility clinics.
Where Is the Great American Rabbi?
“The Jewish world of the 21st century has very few, if any, rabbis and scholars universally accepted as ‘great’ or ‘sagely’ who are admired even by those outside the specific sect, stream, or group on which the rabbi in question presides.” Is this an issue of personnel or of the changing nature of Judaism?
India’s Most Prominent Violinist Caught in Sex Harassment Charge-Countercharge
L. Subramaniam, 63 and one of the world’s top performers of Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, filed charges last month against his maid for stealing money and jewelry from his home. The following day, the maid accused him of sexual harassment.
Talks Over Proposed Saatchi Museum Break Down
“Charles Saatchi’s pledge to donate his gallery and modern art collection to the public is in jeopardy after talks with the Arts Council [England] broke down.”
There Is Accounting for Taste, It Turns Out
“New research finds people’s taste in entertainment remains remarkably consistent, regardless of whether they’re reading, watching or listening.”
Does the Web Really Make Us Stupid? Do Links Rot Our Brains? No.
Scott Rosenberg: “You recall [Nicholas] Carr’s statement that ‘people who read hypertext comprehend and learn less, studies show, than those who read the same material in printed form.’ Yet the studies he cites show nothing of the sort.”
What Accounts For Gender Inequality Of Authors Reviewed By NYT?
The Times seems to have a bias toward male authors. The question then becomes where the bias comes from. Is it unconscious? But the question might be more complicated. Is the Times slighting books by women because those books are more likely to fall under the category of “commercial fiction,” a category that critics are alleged to routinely ignore?
One Small Theater Company Takes Advantage of NY Real Estate Bust
“With small theater companies across New York struggling to make rent or renegotiate leases in a difficult economic climate, executives of Off Off Broadway’s Flea Theater said on Tuesday that they have purchased a building downtown to create a new home, concluding that buying instead of renting was necessary for its survival.”