January 2003
Program Notes
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First Week (January 4- 10)
Is Painting Dead?
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In 1839, upon learning of the first steps toward photography, French
painter Paul Delaroche is said to have quipped, "From today
on, painting is dead." No one is quite sure Delaroche actually
uttered these words. But the inherent question about the relationship
between painting and photography is one that has been raised with
each advance in ways to depict reality - whether film, video or
computer imaging. Is painting dead? Art professors Robert Sites
(NSU)¸ recipient of a 2001-2002 fellowship from the Virginia
Commission for the Arts, and Richard Roth (VCU), chairman
of the painting and printmaking department, weigh in.
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Second Week (January 11-17)
Widows of the Titanic
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"Women and children first!" was the cry aboard the HMS
Titanic as it broke apart and sank that cold April night in 1912.
Many women boarded lifeboats fully expecting their husbands would
come soon behind them. But surviving crew members later blamed the
women for refusing to let them row back and rescue those struggling
for life in the icy Atlantic. Deborah Welch (LU) tells the
story of the Titanic widows. Also featured: The Southwest
Virginia coal mining town of Dante turns 100 this week, though the
real celebration came a few years ago with the publication of the
book "Memories from Dante." David Rouse (UVa-Wise)
says the village is typical of many coal camps where most aspects
of life were controlled by mining companies before unionization.
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Third Week (January 18- 24)
The Boy in the Box
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Are some convicted sex offenders too dangerous to be let out once
their prison sentences are up? Virginia lawmakers are considering
funding for a law that allows for the civil commitment of such offenders
if experts determine they could strike again. The case of Richard
Alvin Ausley may be a first test of the legislation in the state.
He's to be set free in April after spending 30 years in prison for
abducting, beating and sexually assaulting a Portsmouth boy-13 year
old Martin Andrews. Andrews, now a Florida resident, believes Ausley
is still a threat to others and that Virginia should keep him off
the streets. Ann Coughlin (UVa) and Janet Warren (UVa)
examine the legal and psychiatric issues involved.
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Fourth Week (January 25- 31)
Wall Street's Culture of Greed
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Pillars of the U.S. financial system were shaken to their core
in the year that just ended. The plunge in stock market values in
the wake of the attack on the World Trade Center was followed by
the collapse of Enron and a succession of scandals involving some
of the biggest names in corporate America. Profound worries linger
at the start of the new year. Will Americans lose faith in their
financial institutions? Will the stock market pull out of the doldrums?
Will stagnant interest rates lead to a cycle of deflation? Analysts
David Feldman (W&M) and Don Chance (VT) join us to
sort out the issues.
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