"The war recalibrates everything. The humanism and decency of Chekhov now seem less relevant than the survey of Russian violence in the works of Maxim Gorky. ... Everything is situated around burning questions: How could a country come to this? How could a people commit these crimes?" - MSN (The Washington Post)
"For all their informal organisation, these virtual reading groups led by a famous figurehead have emerged as a driving force within the publishing industry, and a factor in many of its biggest recent successes." - The Guardian
"According to union leaders, the musicians have been trying to negotiate contract commitments with Philly Pops management since August without success. They learned on Nov. 16, the same day as the rest of the city, that Pops owner Encore Series Inc. planned to end their productions." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
"The bill, if passed, would allow more performing artists to deduct essential work expenses from their taxes by updating what's called the Qualified Performing Artist (QPA) deduction." - Broadway News
In partnership with food pantries, housing nonprofits, support organizations for ex-prisoners, and similar groups, the Ticket Bank will offer 1,000 free or pay-what-you-wish tickets each week to performances at the National Theatre, the Barbican, the Roundhouse, and four nonprofit theatres, with more to be added. - The Guardian
Said Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter in announcing the honor, "Adam Sandler has entertained audiences for over three decades with his films, music, and his tenure as a fan favorite cast member on SNL. Adam has created characters that have made us laugh, cry, and cry from laughing." - NPR
Wealthy economies should abandon growth of gross domestic product (GDP) as a goal and focus economic activity around securing human needs and well-being. This approach, which has gained traction in recent years, can enable rapid decarbonization and stop ecological breakdown while improving social outcomes. - Nature
Having only launched as a public beta on Nov. 30, ChatGPT crested well over a million users in five days. Since then, media coverage has ballooned, and its user base has only continued to grow. - Gizmodo
"Apple Music plans to launch a dedicated classical music app next year combining Primephonic's classical user interface," said an Apple Newsroom press release shared last year. Apple has not publicly addressed the plans since and did not respond to our requests for comment over the past month. - MacRumors
Today many U.S. museums are facing a reckoning for their aggressive tactics of the past. Attitudes have shifted, the Indiana Jones era is over, and there is tremendous pressure on museums to return any looted works acquired during the days when collecting could be careless and trophies at times trumped scruples. - The New York Times
This week, practitioners in India have once again sought to draw attention to what they see as cultural appropriation of yoga, amid allegations it has been whitewashed. Vikram Jeet Singh, a yoga instructor in Goa said that “his own culture” has been “wiped out and suppressed by colonisation”. - The Guardian
Just the long noun “government-agency-run public art” might’ve made some of you sleepy; the adjective “taxpayer-funded” might have others wondering where you put your pitchforks. - Seattle Times
"The question of alphabet reform is hardly new for these countries — over the last 150 years, Kazakh has been written in Arabic, Latin, and Cyrillic, each prevailing at different points in the language's history," depending on the imperial ruler. The same is true for Uzbek, Turkmen, and Kyrgyz. - JSTOR Daily
According to a 2020 survey conducted by the school, 11 percent of respondents indicated knowledge of a sexual assault that took place in a Juilliard-related context. Four percent of respondents said they had been a victim of sexual harassment at a Juilliard program or activity. - Van
"I wouldn't be surprised to see (the) protest included in upcoming lists of top-ten artworks of 2022. Theirs is a form of performance art, but its message is muddled and unconvincing. ... They want to have it both ways, to act out their emotions and give up nothing." - New York Magazine
