"Disney has reached a tentative agreement with four unions representing thousands of workers at its California theme parks, including ride operators, candy makers and parking attendants. … The deal comes days after workers overwhelmingly authorized a potential strike, following months of negotiations over wages, sick leave and other benefits." - AP
It took decades for Olympic opening ceremonies to reach this scale. At the first modern Olympics in 1896, in Athens, athletes simply entered the stadium to hear speeches and a specially composed hymn – though more than 50,000 spectators still attended. - The Conversation
There’s something profoundly cynical in the way ACE used the last government’s ineptitude as cover for its own anti-classical agenda: its cack-handed assault on English National Opera, and its slashing of touring companies to the point where several major UK cities now have no regular live opera. - The Critic
More than a billion people are expected to watch the July 26 opening ceremony. But Thomas Jolly, 42, is no stranger to outsized projects in France, producing a 24-hour-long Shakespearean tetralogy in 2022 and reviving the favorite musical “Starmania.” - ABCNews
In the last few months, there have been protests against overtourism and "bad" tourist behaviour around the globe, and both issues seem to be coming under greater scrutiny. - BBC
Travel is one of those things one generally doesn’t attack in polite company, the world of letters excepted. Its wholesomeness is assumed. It broadens the mind. It makes us empathetic and, by rewarding our curiosity, encourages it to develop further. Only a fool or a misanthrope would criticize travel. - Hedgehog Review
The mayor said that the €5 entrance fee was expected to bring in about €700,000 on the trial dates so far, but the total collected was €2.43 million. However, his opponents say the fee's stated goal is to reduce the number of tourists, so clearly it's too low. - The New York Times
"The findings of the academic 'crisis' report, ... by the University of Warwick and the Campaign for the Arts pressure group, … (show) that while Britain has cut back its total culture budget by 6% since 2010, Germany, France and Finland have each increased their spending by up to 70%." - The Observer (UK)
There are three principles: The first is that we should have everything that Congress needs to do its work. The second is that we should possess the materials that cover the life and achievement of the United States. And the third is that we’re not in a vacuum, and we need stuff from the rest of the world. - Scientific...
One juror: “'Alec Baldwin is an actor, right?’ she said, adding that she would not have expected him to know a lot about gun safety. ‘I think he would have trusted the people, you know, on the set to do their job.’” - The New York Times
That doesn’t mean one will happen, but it might. Last week, a thousand people "protested outside Disneyland’s entrance in support of park employees advocating for changes like fair wages and a 'fair attendance policy.’” - Vulture
“Making queer-themed work in a country like Georgia is a perilous affair,” the writer-director says. “For And Then We Dance, his production had to lie about the plot in order to secure locations. … When details got out, the crew received death threats.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
The complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, alleges that the school declined to “furnish information” following attempts the negotiate severance pay and other matters in the wake of the school’s closure this past June. - ARTnews
"Disneyland is often said to be 'fun' or 'an escape,' but I wanted ... to ask those who have thought critically about theme parks why these spaces matter, why millions are drawn to them and what, if any, emotional benefit they provide. One word kept coming up: play." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
In the survey, creatives of all stripes, success and income levels say that — faced with rising housing prices, inflation and a weakened local art infrastructure — making a living as an artist in King County is now a Sisyphean endeavor that leaves them stressed out, exhausted and, in some cases, contemplating leaving the region. - Seattle Times
