By THEO EMERY, Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP) - A fire burned Friday evening in the gift shop and museum of the Boston Tea Party boat. The replica boat was not damaged. Firefighters battled the blaze from the street and boats in Boston Harbor. Divers pulled fire hoses underneath the two-story structure to try to douse the flames from below. The replica boat, moored about 50 feet away, was not touched by the flames. ``We saved the ship,'' said Boston Fire Department Chief Paul Christian. The nearby Congress Street bridge, which connects downtown to South Boston, did not appear damaged. Christian said an inspector will examine the bridge's underside for any structural problems. Christian estimated damages at $1.5 million. The cause is under investigation. ``I don't believe this was a lightning strike,'' Christian said. ``We just don't know.'' The Boston Tea Party boat is a full-size working replica of one of the boats on which the famous Boston Tea Party occurred on Dec. 16, 1773. On that night, American revolutionaries disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three East India Company boats. They threw 342 crates of tea overboard to protest British tax on the drink. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010803/us/tea_party_fire_2.html
Bid to keep ancient statue in UK
(I am willing to donate some money if the British Museum decides to support the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Ton Cremers)
The British Museum has launched a fundraising drive to keep an ancient marble sculpture of a dog in the UK. The 2nd century Roman statue, The Dog of Alcibiades, has been put up for sale by its British owner and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, has shown an interest in buying it. The government put a temporary bar on the piece leaving the country because of the historical importance placed on it.
The statue was brought to the UK between 1753 and 1756
Now the British Museum is attempting to raise the £662,000 asking price by the sale deadline, 26 August. The sculpture is twice life-size and represents a Molossian dog, ancestor of the modern mastiff breed. It is thought to be the only example of Hellenistic animal sculpture copied during the Roman period.
Aesthetic quality
It is currently on temporary display at the British Museum, where a donation box has been placed for visitors to contribute to buying the piece. Museum creator Susan Walker said: "The dog is really an outstanding piece of sculpture. "It is very important for the study of Greek and Roman sculpture as it has an outstanding aesthetic quality. "We are having a fantastic response from the public and we very much hope we are going to raise the money." The sculpture was unearthed and restored in Rome in the 18th Century. British collector Henry Constantine Jennings brought it to Britain between 1753 and 1756.
Missing tail
He called The Dog of Alcibiades after learning Alcibiades, an Athenian general, was said to have cut the statue's tail off in order to give people something else to talk about other than himself. The statue was sold to the Duncombes, a Yorkshire banking family, in 1816. A descendant of the family is now offering the statue for sale. Michael Tollemache, who acts for the seller, said: "In the early 1980s, the owner offered to sell this sculpture to the British Museum but it was not then possible to agree a deal. "The owner is delighted that funds may yet be found to enable The Dog of Alcibiades to find a permanent home in a British public collection." http://newssearch.bbc.co.uk/
Authenticity of Rodin sculpture exhibit challenged
THE ARTS REPORT - CBC Radio
TORONTO - An upcoming Canadian exhibition featuring sculptures by Rodin is at the centre of a trans-Atlantic controversy. The exhibit will feature more than 60 plaster casts and bronze pieces by the famous French sculptor. The plaster casts were donated to the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie, Ontario. The show is set to open at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto in September. But the director of the Rodin Museum in Paris is challenging the authenticity of the plaster casts. In a letter to a Toronto newspaper, Jacques Vilain says some of the casts were made after Rodin's death.
more: http://infoculture.cbc.ca/newsite/docs/story/summer_08022001_rodin.phtml From: IntlArtCop@aol.com Subject:
What is a dongle and why do you need it?
A situation occurred recently that should be brought to the attention of museums with PC- based access control systems. Many systems use a hardware lock to prevent use of the software on more than one computer. This device is often referred to as a dongle. Many of you with high cost software may have dongles as part of that software. For example, some expensive drafting software or graphics software requires this dongle be installed for the software to work. It is simply a small metal or plastic device that plugs into one of the ports on the back of the computer. Because there is only one dongle programmed for use with that specific software serial number, you can't use the software on two computers at the same time, protecting the copyright of the copyright holder. Many access control systems use dongles. Since the dongle is usually external and can be seen on the back of the computer, it can be removed or stolen. Think of the damage that can occur if a disgruntled security employee were to steal the dongle off of your alarm system computer. What usually happens is that the software continues to run but only for a few days. In some systems a warning occurs saying that you need to call your service provider to have this device re-installed. If you don't, some systems freeze up, or worse. This dongle is essentially your software license. If you lose it, it could cost dearly. One widely used system license is about $12,000. Lose the dongle and you pay for a new one-- $12,000. We recently learned of a museum that had a billing dispute with its service provider. Suddenly the dongle disappeared from the system computer and the warning was displayed. It is unclear whether the service technician removed the dongle. If he did, this is a crime. But that is irrelevant to you when your system is dead in the water and you have no alarm or access control system. There are two things you can do. Consult your IT Director or IT Consultant to ascertain if your particular PC can be equipped with a converter that allows the dongle to be installed inside the computer's case instead of on the outside. This puts it out of harms way and makes theft difficult but not impossible. The other possibility is to purchase or fabricate an adapter that allows you to place a lock over the dongle. This can be a metal box or clam shell that covers the dongle, and the box is locked. This, too, can be stolen or tampered with but it is more obvious or difficult. Remember, this is inside your secure control room so it doesn't have to be Fort Knox. It just has to keep a guard or a service tech from removing it without being immediately identified as the suspect. The bottom line is that you want to check to see if your system uses a dongle and if it does, you want to document its presence and take steps to secure it. If you happen to find yourself in any dispute with your system service firm, you may want to not allow the technician to have unescorted access to your system computer to preclude unauthorized removal of this device. If other software used by the museum uses a dongle such as expensive graphics or financial software you should also consider this to be a corporate asset that should be protected from sabotage or theft. If you think you have a problem involving a dongle, feel free to call me for any specific advice we can offer.
Steve Keller Museum Security Consultant