Anyway, the reason I’m writing all of this is not to brag, but to complain. Over the last two years, I’ve felt like my job has become a bit less important than it used to be, for three reasons. - Noahpinion

Zhuangzi insists that even in idealised situations where values can be straightforward, the idea that hierarchies and institutions can reflect that moral map is a profound misunderstanding of how power actually works. - Aeon

That must have been revelatory at a time when most people seemed to believe that science was infallible. But expertise has been downgraded—and more people are getting their information from podcasters and influencers. Who could help us understand this shift? - The Atlantic

“The purpose of the device is to provide an unbiased account of the events that lead to the demise of the planet, hold accountability for future generations, and inspire urgent action,” the Earth’s Black Box website states. “How the story ends is completely up to us.” - Gizmodo

“There is something thrilling about a document dump, and picking through boxes and boxes of government files. We have often associated these habits with conspiracy theorists, ... but in the modern era of digitized records, anyone can jump down a rabbit hole anywhere, anytime, even on their phone." - The Atlantic

Seriously: Movies have "proved to be a tool of dictators, an instrument of propaganda and the weapon of ruthless, unaccountable corporate interests.” - The New York Times

From the start of the second Trump administration, the entire Smithsonian had been a target of those on the MAGA right who are preoccupied with expunging what they understand to be “wokeness” from prominent institutions.  - The Atlantic

“Bunch has been cast by many of his admirers as something of a resistance figure — one of the only high-profile leaders standing up to Trump by single-handedly preventing the president from rewriting American history itself.” - The Atlantic

“The Court’s order did not affirmatively require the Board to reschedule programming that had previously been cancelled or to seek new programming,” the lawyers wrote in the filing. - AP News

"The scale of this quiet coup is staggering. … In practical terms, Roku controls the television home screen.” - Salon

When the Trump administration removed from the site panels telling the history of the enslaved people who lived with the Washingtons there, the city of Philadelphia sued. A lower-court federal judge ordered the panels restored; a three-judge panel of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed that order. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Through policies and schemes, previously unheard-of opportunities for people of his background began to open up, without which he would not have become the success he is considered today. The situation today for aspiring artists from a similar background is much starker. - The Conversation

Antony Hermus, a 53-year-old Dutchman who is just finishing his tenure as chief conductor of the Belgian National Orchestra, will succeed Ryan Wigglesworth at the Glasgow-based BBC SSO as of the 2027-28 season. - The Scotsman

Japan has created a music right that will, for the first time, require performers and record companies to be paid when their recordings are played in public spaces such as cafes, shops, hotels, and gyms. - Music Business Worldwide

Here you go: “The works were played publicly for the first time on Sunday at the National Library of France.” - The New York Times

A speaker company wants to do what now? “What the company is undeniably great at is marketing. But selling mediocre Bluetooth speakers at inflated prices is very different from discovering talent and promoting artists.” - The Verge

SZA on Instagram "If your a musician and you support this degenerate shit? Your DISGUSTING and there’s NOTHING YOU COULD EVER SAY TO ME TO MAKE THIS OKAY. … I hope u have the life u deserve.” - Variety

“Companies often claim to use only content that is freely available online, but the datasets reveal the quantity of downloadable music that developers can access even though it is not supposed to be free.” - The Atlantic

The stations, too, feel more connected, with art, architecture and infrastructure blending seamlessly into a cohesive experience, a tribute to Metro’s sharpened design approach and its ever-evolving commitment to public art. But above ground, it’s a tale of two (transit) cities. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

An artwork by a Turner prize-winning artist has been removed from the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) after a row about the role Winston Churchill played in the 1943 Bengal famine. - The Guardian

“Officers in the Brigade des Stupéfiants discovered the artwork on 15 June while carrying out a routine search of a house owned by the aunt of a suspected drug dealer. … The artwork has not been publicly named by France’s Alliance Police Nationale, who said it is worth ‘tens of millions’ of euros.” - The Independent...

The repatriation was announced by Ghana’s foreign minister during a conference in Accra, but no information on the types of artifacts or the timeline for their return was released. - ARTnews

The sensory splash, co-founded by artists Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç, showcases four more reality-bending galleries to explore — like the classic “Alice in Wonderland” meets “Avatar” or the trippy, new horror film “Backrooms.”  - New York Post

As exhibitions become more spectacular, donors expect engagement that goes beyond acknowledgment plaques. Exclusive access has therefore evolved into a sophisticated currency and is increasingly a luxury experience in its own right. - The Times

Samir Pail argues that the publishing industry is fundamentally flawed insofar as publishers and authors generate consumer demand, then hand buyers off to companies like Amazon, which takes a significant cut and then owns the customer relationship. - Publishers Weekly

The collection is the latest donation to the Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Franklin in 1731, by Charles Rosenberg, a now-retired historian of science at Harvard University. He described this collection, including volumes dating to the late 1600s, as largely “how-to-run-your-sex-life books.” - The New York Times

“The Porter Square Review of Books launched this month. The (Cambridge, Mass.) store’s booksellers and writers-in-residence have begun publishing weekly(ish) book reviews on its website, on Thursdays; at about 500 words, these are deeper looks at books than the couple of sentences you’ll find describing ‘staff picks’ in-store.” - Nieman Lab

Do we have a great poet who captures the American spirit, the American story, the American identity? We asked a posse of authors and poets to send us their votes. - Plough

“For the sake of our own editorial integrity, the Granta Trust board has now taken the decision that we will no longer engage in external publishing partnerships.” - The Guardian

“Romance increasingly shifting from page to ear. This boom — fuelled by pandemic-era isolation and women with sexual agency wanting to multi-task while consuming books that feature guilt-free escapism — is pushing the publishing industry to pursue audio-first strategies.” - CBC

Gates: “If ... we found out that, let’s say, your daddy wasn’t your daddy but your daddy didn’t know, I have an ethics protocol; we would reach out to your publicist and say, ‘We’ve learned something in our research we need to discuss directly.’ And everybody knows it’s not good news.“ - The Hollywood...

Independent theaters continue to be a vital asset to their communities, with a 9% increase in business in 2025, an encouraging sign for the sector, according to a recent survey. - Variety

ABC argued in a filing to the FCC in May that “The View” airs under an exemption to the equal-time rule “granted to it more than twenty years ago.” - NBC News

“Google’s DeepMind AI unit and A24 are aiming to create new tools for movie production and distribution. … Though Alphabet unit Google is a major player in online entertainment through YouTube, the deal marks the first time it has taken a stake in a studio.” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

Skydance Media, through its acquisition of Paramount, already controls the CBS News archive. If Paramount succeeds in taking over WBD, it will also assume control of the CNN archive, one of the most important in the news and documentary space. - Deadline

“When you ask ChatGPT a question now, its reply may include a Getty-licensed photograph or image to help illustrate the topic being discussed.” - Fast Company

She is creating a final solo work for herself — her first time onstage in 13 years — as a farewell, and she officially departs as artistic director of Lucy Guerin Inc at the end of this year. The company, based in Melbourne, has toured widely, from Paris to New York to Shanghai. -...

When Executive Director Josh Neckels received notification from the bank that the company had received a deposit, he nearly dismissed it as spam, but decided to call the bank to check. - Oregon Arts Watch

“O’Connor was 56 when she died and still making music – she had almost completed a new album. To be a middle-aged woman in the music industry is a rarity, but dance isn’t so different.” - The Guardian (UK)

A week after artistic director Tariq O’Meally was abruptly dismissed, an unsigned statement was released: “Dance Place has restructured its staffing model and is reimagining its approach to presentation programming in response to a dramatically contracting public funding environment and its commitment to operating with both efficiency and deeper community ownership.” - Dance Magazine

Choreographic researcher and artist Nazira Yerbolkyzy is among a new generation of practitioners working to reframe this relationship by exploring how traditional movement philosophies can be reinterpreted through contemporary choreography and movement analysis. - BroadwayWorld

The 40-year-old wasn’t happy when artistic director Susan Jaffe told him to make room for someone younger, but he’s philosophical: “I’ve been with ABT my entire life, and I feel very grateful. ... The idea of continuing to dance for the sake of dancing, that’s not what I (want) right now.” - The New...

“Orchestral software from the German company KeyComp threatens to inflict the deepest cuts yet on what has traditionally been a steady gig for professional musicians. … Thanks to successful union campaigning, the software is banned in New York, Washington DC and in Hamburg, where the software company is based.” - The Guardian

“Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel has teamed up with former Huntington Theatre Managing Director Michael Maso and philanthropist Grace Nordhoff on a new center for playwrights and theatrical composers that will open in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, in 2028. Bards on the Bay will be housed in The Nancy Nordhoff Theatre Center.” - Playbill

“Most plays about prejudice comfort the audience with clarity. They reassure us that we would have recognized it immediately. Giant offers no such reassurance.” - Observer

“The Shaftesbury Theatre will be known as the Judi Dench Theatre from February 2027. … Dench has a long association with the Shaftesbury, which is one of the largest independent theatres in London.” - The Guardian

“Actor and former Magic Theatre board member Sarah Nina Hayon, who also founded New York's 24SevenLab, is artistic director; actor Daniel Duque-Estrada is producing director; and video designer Joan Osato … is director of sustainability and growth.” - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)

Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s five-day event — called “Edinlochry” — won’t be as chaotic as the actual Edinburgh Fringe can be, mainly because it will be curated rather than open-access. - The Edinburgh Reporter

“I knew nothing about music,” he once said, looking back at his entry into the record business. Yet his instincts made him one of the surest spotters and nurturers of talent in pop history, with a long — and varied — line of success stories. - Los Angeles Times

The multimedia artist will receive the ¥100 million prize — given annually by the Inamori Foundation in three fields: advanced technology, basic science, and arts and philosophy — at a ceremony in Japan on November 10. - Nonesuch Records

One of the few nonperformers in music to become a household name, Mr. Davis maintained a visible role as a starmaker for half a century. In the late 1960s he propelled a reluctant Columbia headlong into the rock era with acts like Janis Joplin and Blood, Sweat & Tears.  - The New York Times

"In the last few years, she has become that rare figure in Hollywood, a famous woman who has only grown more powerful with age, a champion of younger performers and something of a truth-teller in an industry full of people encouraged by flattery to talk absolute rubbish.” - The Guardian (UK)

“One day she was asked, What would it look like if Tinker Bell landed on a mirror and saw herself? Ms. Kerry thought perhaps she would never have seen her reflection, so she began a preening once-over.” - The New York Times

Singer “extended the magazine’s franchise of rich reporting and witty prose about offbeat, complicated and quintessentially American characters,” including a certain current president. - The New York Times