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Reports on the difficulty of raising money for the arts in Scotland. Comments from Timothy Clifford, director of the National Galleries, on raising money to repair the Royal Scottish Academy building which was falling down; How he had to raise £12m from a population much smaller than that of most major cities; How being removed from the power center of Great Britain also makes it hard to raise funds; Scottish nature which makes people reluctant to help make someone else's house better; Public relations efforts to raise money; The cost of purchased art works; Money raising in the United States for the Scottish project.

Focuses on the situation of classical music in the United States. Governing of classical music's fate by the market place; Plight of U.S. orchestras and opera houses, which hope to obtain marketing experts in order to sell more tickets; Lack of an American equivalent to Europe's Beethoven and Wagner, though early American orchestras and opera houses rivaled any in Europe; Profile of Theodore Thomas, leader of the Thomas Orchestra.

Deals with the factors that persuaded David Hare to write the play "Stuff Happens." Focus of the play; Reactions of people to some familiar U.S. and British political issues; Comments of some audience on the play.

Reviews the Frick Collection in Manhattan, New York. What makes it unique; Resonances of Mr. Frick himself through the manner in which the collection is shown; Brilliant marketing in portrayal of the man, his personality, his story and the art itself.

Reports on the anticipated opening of New York's Museum of Modern Art which has been closed for expansion; Glenn Lowry, museum director and Yoshio Taniguchi, architect on a trip to the UK to rekindle excitement for the grand event; Features of the renovated building.

Presents observations from the author regarding a pleasant breakfast in Bruges, Belgium. Importance of a good meal and coffee in the morning; Disappointment upon the realization that the same plates could be found in New York City.

Reports on the attendance of Hollywood celebrities at the opening of Frank Gerhry's Walt Disney Concert Hall. Comments to reporters from Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Sidney Poitier; Details of the reporters' experiences; Demonstration of protestors against the demolition of Skid Row, a Los Angeles facility for the homeless; Funding for the concert hall.

Offers observations on United States architect Daniel Libeskind, who is charged with rebuilding the site of the World Trade Center, New York City, which was destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Details of a lecture he gave on his plans; Description of the site as it is planned; Number of e-mail messages he has received related to the site.

Discusses the presence of multicultural issues in American entertainment. Issues involving race; Example of the movies 'Far From Heaven' and 'Bringing Down the House'; Performance of Queen Latifah; Questions over the maturity of Americans regarding race relations.

Presents the thoughts of the author about the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, which houses the Academy Awards. Suggestion that the theatre is essentially a shopping mall; Cost to build the structure; Description of the theatre, which has ten marble pillars inscribed with the name of every film that has won Best Picture since the beginning of the awards in 1929; Observations about the importance of American cinema in comparison with that of the rest of the world; Description of the author's encounter in the theatre with a man who liked like U.S. President George W. Bush.