AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- The Men’s Team World Cup Run May Be Helping Revive Mexico’s Mariachi Traditions
“People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” – NPR
- What’s Going On With Theatre Leadership Isn’t Exactly Hidden Or Mysterious
“Call it what you want: colonialism, toxic workplace culture, oppression, patriarchy, the result is the same: power in the hands of a few who extract all the benefit they can from the many while trying to convince us that we should be thankful for the honor of the extraction.” – Amy Wratchford
- While ‘ER’ Made Noah Wyle’s Career, It Probably Also Stifled Him
The actor, currently famous thanks to his project The Pitt, says he “missed out on roles in Saving Private Ryan and Good Night, and Good Luck because he couldn’t get out of filming” ER. – Variety
- The MAGA-Reviled Smithsonian Museums Saved Many Lives On The Fourth
Did someone hit a big flashing “irony” button for our timeline? – The New York Times
- A Twist In The Tale Of The Award-Winning Short Story Accused Of Being AI-Generated
“I was surprised to hear him opine that AI-generated writing will soon be widely accepted in literature, even as he maintained that he didn’t use AI tools in creating his story. He seemed bullish on AI overall, viewing it as a revolutionary technology.” – The Atlantic
ISSUES
- The MAGA-Reviled Smithsonian Museums Saved Many Lives On The Fourth
Did someone hit a big flashing “irony” button for our timeline? – The New York Times
- The Empty, Vacuous Promises Of The New LACMA
“There is nothing emancipatory, nor original, about creating a luxury venue that privileges sensibility over scholarship, allure over accessibility, and fine dining over gallery square footage.” – E-Flux
- Ordering Up, And Then Touching, The Objects At The V&A East Storehouse
“When you open these cardboard frames up and look at the edges of the paper and see they’re stained and old, you can really picture Beatrix Potter’s hand. … It’s such a privilege to be this close and be trusted.” – The New York Times
- Attendance Has Plunged At Europe’s Jewish Museums
Across Europe, many Jewish museums have seen visitor numbers drop, patrons back away and security threats rise since the fall of 2023. The association’s members also reported online harassment, vandalism and acts of aggression against staff members. – The New York Times
- Canadian Art Forger Used His Children In Scheme
Labeled Canada’s largest art fraud ever by investigators, the scheme has been the subject of a prolonged court battle that culminated last year in the conviction of Jeffrey Cowan, one of eight people arrested in 2023. He has been accused of taking part in an effort to sell 1,400 faked Morrisseau works. – ARTnews
MEDIA
- Everything Digital We’ve ‘Bought’ Is Actually Rented
And Sony’s email to Playstation UK customers was simply a reminder of that uncomfortable, horrifying fact. – Wired
- Pondering The Statue Of Liberty As An Art Object
Financed by public subscription, powered by photography and P.R., the Statue of Liberty is now so identified with her adopted home that she has all but melted into symbol. – The New York Times
- Appeals Court Reverses Lower Court Ruling That National Park Signs Had To Be Restored To Their Originals
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday halted the ruling, which would have restored park materials that the administration says were purged as part of the administration’s effort to get rid of materials that “disparage” Americans. – The Hill
- New York City’s New Budget Has Record-High Arts Funding
“The city government will give $323.8 million to (the Department of Cultural Affairs), which administers public funding to arts institutions throughout the city. The appropriation marks a nearly 7% increase from last year’s then-record $299.6 million investment.” – Hyperallergic
- Paris Has Become Europe’s Nexus For Black Culture
“Paris draws together communities from west, central and north Africa, as well as the Caribbean, and its density creates the conditions for encounters that aren’t as easy to manufacture elsewhere. What distinguishes Paris from other diaspora hubs … is the granularity of African identity it sustains.” – The Guardian
MUSIC
- A Twist In The Tale Of The Award-Winning Short Story Accused Of Being AI-Generated
“I was surprised to hear him opine that AI-generated writing will soon be widely accepted in literature, even as he maintained that he didn’t use AI tools in creating his story. He seemed bullish on AI overall, viewing it as a revolutionary technology.” – The Atlantic
- The Fanfiction Community Is At Internal War Over Generative AI
“Fandom communities are still mostly relying on vibes. Most fanfics aren’t judged by a tool like the AO3 skin, but by tells’ that could include anything from specific sentence structures — like the notorious ‘it’s not X, it’s Y’ — to overuse of flowery metaphors.” – The Verge (Archive Today)
- Cleared Commonwealth Prize-winner Explains His Writing Process
In a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon, Jamir Nazir told me that he feels vindicated—and relieved. “Look, I didn’t use it!” he said about AI. Now that he has won the prize, Nazir said, he is free at last to explain his process and clear his name. – The Atlantic
- How Noah Webster Pushed (And Pushed Some More) To Americanize The English Language
“Though it was much maligned during its initial years, The American Spelling Book had a profound pedagogical effect throughout the young nation. … ‘There iz no alternativ,’ implored Webster in 1790, … ‘Every possible reezon that could ever be offered for altering the spelling of wurds, stil exists in full force.’” – Literary Hub
- How JD Vance’s Book Put bell hooks’ 2002 Book Back On The Bestseller List
In 2002, the Black feminist writer and scholar bell hooks published a book titled “Communion,” which argues that women have been conditioned to search for love outside of themselves, and should focus on cultivating self-love in all stages of their lives. – The New York Times
PEOPLE
- The Men’s Team World Cup Run May Be Helping Revive Mexico’s Mariachi Traditions
“People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” – NPR
- What’s Going On With Theatre Leadership Isn’t Exactly Hidden Or Mysterious
“Call it what you want: colonialism, toxic workplace culture, oppression, patriarchy, the result is the same: power in the hands of a few who extract all the benefit they can from the many while trying to convince us that we should be thankful for the honor of the extraction.” – Amy Wratchford
- While ‘ER’ Made Noah Wyle’s Career, It Probably Also Stifled Him
The actor, currently famous thanks to his project The Pitt, says he “missed out on roles in Saving Private Ryan and Good Night, and Good Luck because he couldn’t get out of filming” ER. – Variety
- The MAGA-Reviled Smithsonian Museums Saved Many Lives On The Fourth
Did someone hit a big flashing “irony” button for our timeline? – The New York Times
- A Twist In The Tale Of The Award-Winning Short Story Accused Of Being AI-Generated
“I was surprised to hear him opine that AI-generated writing will soon be widely accepted in literature, even as he maintained that he didn’t use AI tools in creating his story. He seemed bullish on AI overall, viewing it as a revolutionary technology.” – The Atlantic
PEOPLE
- The Men’s Team World Cup Run May Be Helping Revive Mexico’s Mariachi Traditions
“People are drinking. They’re happy. They’re paying for music.” – NPR
- What’s Going On With Theatre Leadership Isn’t Exactly Hidden Or Mysterious
“Call it what you want: colonialism, toxic workplace culture, oppression, patriarchy, the result is the same: power in the hands of a few who extract all the benefit they can from the many while trying to convince us that we should be thankful for the honor of the extraction.” – Amy Wratchford
- While ‘ER’ Made Noah Wyle’s Career, It Probably Also Stifled Him
The actor, currently famous thanks to his project The Pitt, says he “missed out on roles in Saving Private Ryan and Good Night, and Good Luck because he couldn’t get out of filming” ER. – Variety
- The MAGA-Reviled Smithsonian Museums Saved Many Lives On The Fourth
Did someone hit a big flashing “irony” button for our timeline? – The New York Times
- A Twist In The Tale Of The Award-Winning Short Story Accused Of Being AI-Generated
“I was surprised to hear him opine that AI-generated writing will soon be widely accepted in literature, even as he maintained that he didn’t use AI tools in creating his story. He seemed bullish on AI overall, viewing it as a revolutionary technology.” – The Atlantic
THEATRE
VISUAL
- After Some Grim Times, The US Is Back In Love With Independent Cinemas
You can thank the young ones: there’s “a gen Z-led wave fueling a fresh resurgence of indie movie houses.” – The Guardian (UK)
- If You Need Some Incredible Photographs, Not Only Of Space, NASA Probably Has Them
But how to search them up? Google won’t help as much (if at all) anymore, but there are ways. – Wired
- The Two Versions Of Who We Really Are
Jean-Paul Sartre, for instance, insists that for humans ‘existence precedes essence’. We do not have an essence until we give ourselves an essence. In short, ‘man first exists: he materialises in the world, encounters himself, and only afterward defines himself.’ I define myself. – Psyche
- The Wrong Way To Criticize The Humanities
This poorly argued case that it may be time to restrain the principles of academic freedom and faculty autonomy is not helping the situation. – Boston Review
- Do We Have A Facts Problem Or An Interpretation-Of-Facts Problem?
Citizens can agree on verifiable facts and still inhabit different worlds, because facts do not interpret themselves. To see why, we need to look beyond narrow factual disagreements to the competing systems of interpretation through which people select, categorize, frame, connect, explain, and narrate facts. – Persuasion
