"Germany has seen more than €3.2 million in revenue (US$3.5 million) generated for cultural products, events, and services thanks to the rollout of that market's new KulturPass for 18-year-olds," who get €200 (US$219) to spend on cultural offerings by registering on an app. - Publishing Perspectives
"English teachers in Hillsborough County … (and) school district officials redesigned their instructional guides for teachers because of revised state teaching standards and a new set of state exams that cover a vast array of books and writing styles." - Tampa Bay Times
Researchers say they have created a system that can work out which keys are being pressed on a laptop keyboard with more than 90% accuracy, just based on sound recordings. - The Guardian
While readers see less coverage from traditional outlets, arts critics also find it harder to earn a living in the field. Many have moved from print to the internet, in hopes of finding greener pastures – or at least a more appreciative audience. - Quill
"An unlikely group of artists and activists known as the Art Stays Here Coalition has emerged to combat displacement. The small, all-volunteer group is part of a broader effort including policy makers, developers, advocacy groups, and others to confront ... 2 million square feet of (lost) cultural space." - MSN (The Boston Globe)
In 2020, a global investment firm bought the company that provides ebooks to nearly all libraries in the US, and quite a few in other countries as well. That is not good news for libraries - or their patrons. - Nine Lives
"'To be clear, any A.P. Psychology course taught in Florida will violate either Florida law or college requirements,' the College Board said." Then Florida's homophobes accused the College Board of "playing games with Florida students." - The New York Times
The plea deal avoids jail time. Daniels, "who appeared on some of the world’s leading stages, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera in London, is one of the most prominent classical stars to face criminal charges during the national #MeToo reckoning." - The New York Times
In a note to members after the so-called meeting, "WGA leaders dampened expectations of a resolution to the strike and expressed skepticism over the AMPTP’s intentions." - Los Angeles Times
With a $2.7 million major investment from the City of Melbourne and a further $1.25 million from the Victorian Government, Now or Never is expected to attract over 200,000 people. Its ambitions are to not only cement itself in Melbourne’s highly saturated festival calendar, but to also become an international festival destination. - ArtsHub
“To speak to the converted or the entirely familiar is not to truly converse,. It is to have one’s beliefs reinforced; it is self-soothing but not self-developing.” - The Wall Street Journal
"Visits to the Acropolis of Athens, Greece's most popular archaeological site, will be capped starting next month at a maximum 20,000 daily and subject to varying hourly entry limits. … As many as 23,000 people a day have been squeezing into the monument complex, mostly large groups visiting before noon." - AP
The billionaire philanthropist, investor, and founder of The Berggruen Institute, a global think tank, sees Venice as a strategic location for his intellectual and cultural endeavors. The Berggruen Institute is a bridge connecting Los Angeles, where it is headquartered, to Beijing, home of the Berggruen China Center at Peking University. - Whitewall
"Amid growing concerns about the negative impacts of tourist crowds, the revenue generated from tourism taxes can help to ensure that this important slice of many European economies maintains its social license to operate." - The New York Times
