"There are whole nations whose political discourse occurs mainly on Twitter. The amount of reputational and social wealth that stands to be lost if Twitter collapses is astounding. Twitter currently functions as perhaps the world's biggest status bank." - Wired
The question of where to draw the line between what is and what is not a city—not to mention where one ends and another begins—is getting harder to answer. Settlements are spreading out by merging into one another to create what urban experts term “megalopolises.” - Fast Company
The equilateral cross with arms bent at right angles has been a symbol of good fortune for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains for millennia, and it's ubiquitous in India to this day. South Asians in the U.S. see no reason to abandon it just because the Nazis perverted it. - AP
Boundaries between “traditional” culture and online culture have been breaking down. Television audiences have shrunk. Newspaper circulations are in terminal decline. Meanwhile, people have been hooked to Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and all manner of alternative platforms on the Internet. - The Critic
We also pushed to have Mr. Chapek fired because he didn’t believe in Disney magic. Disney is so much more than just another big business. Understanding that is crucial to its success. - The New York Times
"Professors of art, workers at museums, and assistants at a publishing house have all gone on strike or staged public protests during contract negotiations. Call this a black-turtleneck-worker uprising rather than a white-collar one." - The New Republic
Leisure travel has roared back since the pandemic, with the Greek capital a destination rather than a transit point to the islands; the Acropolis is now getting 16,000 visitors a day. The mayor of Athens is arguing for a tourist tax to cover the ballooning cost of services. - The Guardian
When unusually high tides hit last week, the $6 billion MOSE system of barriers in the lagoon was raised and a repeat of the catastrophic 2019 floods was avoided. Yet, as sea levels continue to rise, so do fears that, within a few decades, MOSE won't be enough. - MSN (The Washington Post)
The Russian Federation and its envoy had been chairing UNESCO's World Heritage Committee this year, throwing a wrench in the organization's attempts to save Ukraine's heritage sites and leading 46 countries, including large donor nations, to threaten a boycott. The Russian ambassador's resignation has ended that impasse. - Artnet
Since AIDS was identified in the early 1980s, the World Health Organization estimates that over 40 million people have died of HIV or AIDS-related illness and that today there are an estimated 38 million people carrying the virus. - Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus
In a word, sales. "Some much-heralded device innovations, like the ability to place Amazon orders via Alexa, have failed to win over a dedicated audience. In other words, Alexa does not appear to be driving incremental retail sales in any meaningful way." - Fast Company
Sofiane "Bennacer was part of the 32 emerging actors shortlisted for best newcomer at the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars. ... But in the wake of the indictment, the Cesar Academy pulled Bennacer out of the nominations process." - Variety
It's not because of COVID, and it's not because of the "downbeat" nature of some winners. Let's look at at the slate for 1980, for instance. - Irish Times
"More than its streaming services, movies or television series, the Walt Disney Co. matters because of its theme parks, and it is at institutions such as Disneyland and Walt Disney World that we can experience life inside a narrative-driven fantasy world." - Los Angeles Times
