reports for here and art surfin' collected by Alden Scott Crow and Musea.
STATES SUE BIG 4: The media has been awfully quiet about the price fixing story of the Big 4, the 4 companies that control all the music, but that hasn't stopped 28 states (including Texas) from filing suit on 8/8/00 accusing Warners, BMG, Seagrams, and Sony (all Corp. Art cos) of price fixing on CD's to the 'tune' of several dollars per CD. Also named in the site were MusicLand Stores, Sam Goody stores, and Trans World Entertainment Corp, owner of Camelot Music stores, and Tower Records. NY State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said, "Because of these conspiracies, tens of millions of consumers paid inflated prices to buy CD's. In an agreement in May with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), these 4 agreed to band the MAP policy (the promotional scheme that kept prices inflated) for 7 years. The FTC estimated the over charges at$480 million since '95 (Reuters)
KIMBELL CASH: FW Weekly broke a story in late July, that something at the world renown Kimbell Art Museum (that Musea has often called the best small art museum anywhere) isn't quite right. The main point of contention is the salaries to trustees President Kay Fortson and vice president Ben Fortson (wife and husband) of $750,000 and $740,000. FW/W also noted that 3 of their adult children are voting members of the 9 person board. These salaries are much more than that paid to the full time museum director. Few if any foundations pay their boards, and when they do its no where near these amounts.
FW WEEKLY BOUGHT BY DESERT OVERLORDS: In a related story the FW indie alternative weekly was bought by New Times Inc, the Phoenix Co that is the largest owner of alt weeklies. Musea laments the loss of this indie voice in our area. And we fear it'll slip into the same formatted boredom that New Times used to ruin the Dallas -used to be- alt weekly, The Observer.
MYANMAR REJOINS HUMANITY: The military government allowed the full resumption of higher ed in Aug. After it's 3 years of closed door policy on all colleges and universities. The crack down was due to campus anti-gov demonstrations. Yet the key to a nation ( or a world for that matter) progressing is the influx of ideas for positive change. And because big biz, the media ,and the arts have forsaken that job for the tunnelvisioned pursuit of $$$$$$, it's now more than ever important to have free speech on all the world's campuses. (AP)
FIRE AT THE ADOLPHUS: A fire closed down the Dallas architectural jewel the Adolphus Hotel. Though contained to the basement the fire still caused $30 thou in damages. None of the historic parts of the hotel were harmed. We wish those at the Adolphus and the building itself, a quick recovery. (DMN)
RE-RE-WRITING HISTORY: In the 'Commie' scares of the 50's a number of Hollywood so called 'sympathizers' were banned for refushing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Now the Writers Guild of America has corrected the credits of 8 more blacklisted writers on 14 films from '51-64. The writers that can now be named are: Dalton Trumbo, Bernard Gordon, Carl Foreman, Ben Barzman, Cyril Endfield, Hugo Butler, Ring Lardner Jr., and Paul Jarrico. This brings the number of writing credit film corrections to 95. (AP)
THE DALLAS DAILY BECOMES MORE NARROW. The Dallas Morning News is joining newspaper chains from across the country in narrowing their printed sheets from 13.5 wide with print 13 inches wide to 12.5 inches wide and print 12 inches wide. The reason is to save paper cost (though no indication of a refund to readers or a reduction in newsstand prices). The 2 largest chains, Gannet (USA Today) and Knight RidderInc. (FW Star/Telegram) are also moving to trim area. (DMN)
DISNEY FOUND GUILTY: Disney Co. Was found guilty and ordered to pay $240 mill in damages to 2 businessmen who said Disney stole their ideas for a sports complex. Jurors ruled that Disney's conduct was willful and malicious which allows the trial judge to triple the damages.
X-FILES DEADLY: One worker, Jim Engh, was electocuted and 6 more injured in Aug. when an electrical line sent a 4,800 volt charge through the scaffold they were using on the season premier of the Fox, X-Files tv show. Of the 6 who survived, 5 were treated and released. (AP)
CORP. ART SUPPORTS THE 2 PARTY SYSTEM? Corp. Art Co's are giving heavily to the Presidential contenders, yet their doesn't seem to be much conviction in their giving in that they are giving to both Ken & Barbie candidates:
Seagrams 3/4 mill to Dem, 1/3 to Rep.
Warner 2/3 mill to Dem, 1/4 to Rep.
Disney 2/5 to Dem, 1/3 to Rep.
Apparently Corp. Art favors the Dems. (Center for Responsive Politics)
CHICAGO'S WMAQ IS GONE: WMAQ radio (standing for We Must Ask Questions) which began in '22, helped create 'soap operas', and presented such classic radio programs as "Amos 'n' Andy", "Fibber McGee and Molly," "The Great Gildersleeve", and "The Story Lady"; aired it's final broadcast in August the victim of a corporate merger. Most employees were laid off. The station was probably the 2nd best known behind the behemouth broadcaster WGN. (Reuters)
THOUGH SELDOM MENTIONED: We must not forget that the holocaust also killed 500,000 of the 1 million Gypsies living in Europe. That's one half of the population. To be accurate in its coverage of the holocaust the media must remember all its victims.
ENDER: This 1928 statement is from Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis (and reprinted from "Land Line" a magazine for truckers) "Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent... The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding."