International News in May 2002
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The effect of Globalisation on Geoculture
The Association of the Taxation of financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens (ATTAC) explores the 'geocultural stakes' in modern global activity, based on the premise that 'cultural matters...are quite absent from contemporary strategic debates, including those about the consequences of globalization'. more >
Canadian Booksellers angered at the expansion of Amazon
Booksellers are calling on Sheila Copps, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, to block the expansion of Amazon.com into the Canadian market, warning their businesses will be devastated if the U.S. online giant sets up a domestic distribution arm. more >
US arts community urges government to restore individual fellowships
Six years after the US Congress stripped individual artists of direct support via the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), 'Arts Wire' asked its readership to comment on the impact this continuing lack of recognition has had. more >
Novels lose out to newspapers
According to research into reading habits, newspapers are more popular than novels among Britons reading for pleasure. more >
A tilt toward the third world at the Sao Paulo Biennial
Physically, the Sao Paulo Biennial is the largest celebration of art in the world, exceeding even its better-known counterpart in Venice. But organising such a show has always been a process fraught with controversy and adversity, and the 25th biennial has proven no exception. more >
American arts agencies contend with state budgets
After nearly a decade of robust growth, legislative appropriations for state arts agencies contracted slightly in fiscal year 2002, as both the national economy and state budgets softened, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). more >
Arts education money slashed in California budget
One year after California's Governor Gray Davis lifted the hearts of arts teachers across the state by showering the California Arts Council with money, he has proposed slashing its budget by more than half. more >
Calabash Literary Festival promoted in the Big Apple
Jamaica's 2002 Calabash International Literary Festival, held 24-26 May, enjoyed a special launch in New York earlier in the month. more >
Free trade regimes kill cultural diversity, says Canadian activist
The wider acceptance of comprehensive free trade regimes may have worked to advance economic benefits in many countries, but it is hardly a welcome sign to the growing number of advocates working to preserve cultural diversity throughout the world. more >
GATS a growing threat to cultural policy
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), one of the agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO), came into force in January 1995. Already, GATS places constraints on the ability of sovereign governments to implement cultural policies and programs. Proposals in a new round of liberalisation talks and the comprehensive negotiating agenda adopted by the WTO, can only bring further restrictions on governmental measures that support domestic cultural expressions and ensure cultural diversity. more >
Lobbyists toast new copyright act
Champagne was flowing freely in room B-340 of the Rayburn House office building on Thursday afternoon as scores of politicos gathered to toast a controversial copyright law. In between raised glasses of bubbly, some of Washington's most influential lobbyists and politicians sung the praises of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and said it had successfully limited piracy and promoted creativity. more >
Rescue hope for Afghan treasures
International conservation experts are meeting in Kabul for talks on how to save Afghanistan's cultural heritage. A key item is the feasibility of restoring ruined treasures such as the Bamiyan Buddhas. more >
UNESCO news
UNESCO will showcase launch the compilation of a new representative list of world cinema this week, and last week celebrated Africa Day. more >
WIPO phonograms and performances treaty is legal
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has announced that its Phonograms and Performances Treaty (WPPT) entered into force on 20 May. more >
2002-2003 'South African Handbook on Arts and Culture' launched
The second edition of the 'South African Handbook on Arts and Culture' was launched in April, in response to numerous local and international requests for an updated version. more >
Former Australia Council chief lands top gig in London
Another Australian has landed a plum British cultural job, with the surprise appointment of Sydney Opera House CEO and former Australia Council boss Michael Lynch as the head of central London's most controversial arts complex, the South Bank Centre. more >
Producers unite against American rule
The controversy generated by the US Screen Actors Guild's 'Global Rule One' has been reverberating at Cannes, where producers from five English-speaking countries have joined forces to denounce the guild's attempt to 'impose working conditions on actors beyond the union's jurisdiction'. more >
Donkeys and elephants inject politics into art
In Washington, a conflict involving the First Amendment is increasingly likely to go to court. It is the latest example of the vexing questions that arise when officials pay for exhibitions and think that they can decide what is appropriate. more >
Readers desert UK libraries
Readers are deserting Britain's libraries, depressed by their shabby decor, peculiar opening hours, and the impossibility of getting hold of a new bestseller. However, more people use the service access the internet and study. more >
Why arts coverage should be more like sports coverage
Senior Editor Chris Lavin, from the San Diego Union-Tribune, wrote and delivered this speech last week to the national convention of arts service organisations. more >
Guide to arts education opportunities released
The US government's new bipartisan education act, 'No Child Left Behind', includes the arts in the definition of 'core academic subjects'. This could lead to a huge improvement in national education policy. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >