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Why “Gaslighting” Is The Merriam-Webster Word Of The Year

“In this age of misinformation — of ‘fake news,’ conspiracy theories, Twitter trolls, and deepfakes — gaslighting has emerged as a word for our time,” the dictionary company said Monday, unveiling its pick. - Washington Post

How Our Toys Got Corrupted

During the past two centuries, educators, psychologists, toy companies and parents like us have acted, implicitly or otherwise, as if the purpose of play is to optimise children for adulthood. - The Guardian

San Francisco Dance Company ODC Acquires A Third Building

Well, at least somebody can afford San Francisco real estate. This fortuitously located building — right next door to the company's theater in the Mission District and around the corner from ODC Dance Commons — will offer space to other groups as well as expansion room for ODC. - San Francisco Chronicle

New Technology That Replaces Most Musicians In The Theatre Pit

The innovative aspect of KeyComp, he said, is that a single musician can play one or two of the most important musical lines, and the technology adds subsidiary lines in a way that matches the player’s tempo, articulation and dynamics. 

“Phantom Of The Opera” Isn’t Leaving Broadway After All (Well, Not Yet)

In September, after months of shrinking attendance, producers announced that the longest-running show in Broadway history would finally close this coming February.  Ticket sales immediately picked up, and last week's gross box-office set a record. So the run has been extended for eight more weeks. - The New York Times

Remembering Theatre Critic Michael Feingold

Feingold’s greatness rested in the agility of his focus. He had the ability to take an aerial view of the work under consideration. But then, with breathtaking swiftness, he would zoom in for a closeup, discussing the production with meticulous visual detail and sensitivity to the choices.

“WALL-E” Director Andrew Stanton On Pioneering The Movie’s Style Of Visual Storytelling

"I always say that it was like trying to invent a new color. The hardest part is trying to get everybody to see this new color that you see. ... Then we follow it and we're discovering it as we go." - Vulture

Carey Perloff Digs Into Stoppard

The more I’ve dug into Stoppard’s biography, the clearer it has become that, in spite of appearing to be a quintessential Englishman, he’s always been an outsider. - Los Angeles Times

Is The Founding Novel Of Lesbian Literature Really A Lesbian Novel?  Is It Even A Good Book?

Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness was a powerful, even life-changing story for several generations of gay women.  But there's a serious argument to be made that it's actually a trans novel.  As for its literary merit, ... well, it has plenty of flaws. - BBC

You Knew It Would Happen: Popular AI Image Generator Starts Censoring

One user on Stable Diffusion’s sub-reddit said the removal of NSFW content was “censorship,” and “against the spirit philosophy of Open Source community.” Said the user: “To choose to do NSFW content or not, should be in the hands of the end user, no in a limited/censored model.” - The Verge

Welsh National Opera’s Boss Tries To Understand The Funding Cuts, But They Make No Sense

Aidan Lang: "There's been no explanation given other than a pleading that it's not an opera thing, it's about levelling up or spreading culture and creativity to the regions. But that's exactly what we do: within England, we perform in seven different cities. We just don't get it." - Bachtrack

The Architect Who Made Modernism Colombian

"If (Rogelio Salmona is) relatively unknown outside Colombia, that's perhaps because his work is difficult to categorize, distant from both the pure rationality of high Modernism and the historicism of his postmodern contemporaries.  Above all, Salmona was recognized for his career-long experiments with ... brick." - T — The New York Times Style Magazine

Is There A Full-Blown Crisis At CNN?

"The original cable news network ... has been shedding viewers. ... The cost-cutting new corporate management under the umbrella of Warner Bros. Discovery has also indicated it wants to reel in a perceived left-leaning political bias in CNN's coverage. Welcome to the painful cable news reset of late 2022." - The Guardian

Expensive New Floodgates Save Venice Again (But For How Long Will They Be Effective?)

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)

Russia’s Ambassador To UNESCO Finally Gets Out Of The Way

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

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