"An article in the $1.7 trillion Omnibus Appropriations Bill passed on 22 December … paves the way for the Biden administration to rejoin and finance the UNESCO organisation — the United Nations culture and education body — as well as pay the huge debt accumulated in membership dues." - The Art Newspaper
The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once each received five nods: one for lead performance (Colin Farrell and Michelle Yeoh, respectively), three for supporting performances, and best ensemble, the union's equivalent of Best Picture. With four nominations, Ozark led the TV categories. - The Guardian
Are thought, argument, and debate really dying? The picture painted in the media is of a horrified, unqualified yes. But it’s a big country out there. Is wokery crushing free inquiry everywhere? - The New Republic
A parade of well-known actors participated in the readings on Riverside Drive along the West 80s, including John Leguizamo, Ellen Burstyn and Chris Rock, whose Broadway debut was in a Guirgis play. - The New York Times
Overall, 2022 was a good year for independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland, who saw their number climb to a 10-year high. According to the Booksellers Association (BA), there are now 1,072 independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland, up 45 on the tally of 1,027 for 2021. - The Guardian
Ask someone how she thinks and you might learn that she talks to herself silently, or cogitates visually, or moves through mental space by traversing physical space. - The New Yorker
The Vancouver House is a 490-foot high-rise teetering on a narrow base, twisting and expanding as it rises. The torquing tower serves as a new gateway to the city, appearing like a half-formed archway that frames the skyline and British Columbia’s North Shore Mountains beyond. - Bloomberg
A 2009 study, for instance, found that newborns react to beats — i.e. they anticipate the downbeat of rhythmic patterns, which tends to support the theory that our ability to perceive rhythms is inborn and not learned. - Ludwig Van
"The ebullient rector of St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, fondly known as the Actors' Church, carries himself as much like an impresario as a priest. … Theatricality is baked into the building's fabric, a 1631 masterpiece by Inigo Jones, architect and pioneering theatre designer." - The Guardian
"Jean Davidson, 54, is president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the largest professional chorus in the country. (She) will begin her tenure April 1, succeeding Gary Ginstling, who left in October to become the executive director of the New York Philharmonic." - The Washington Post
This culturally and linguistically diverse environment gave rise to innovations that would have lasting legacies in fields including algebra, geography, astronomy, medicine and engineering. - The Conversation
"To the chagrin of his fans, (Doug) Henning himself sold his illusions to David Copperfield and other magicians, and permanently quit the world of fake magic to devote himself, full-time, to the real magic of Transcendental Meditation." - The Baffler
Really, the courtship between Ratmansky and City Ballet — a new New York City Ballet under the leadership of its artistic director, Jonathan Stafford, and Whelan — was in plain sight. - The New York Times
"Museum-building in a real estate-obsessed city that Mark Twain called 'superbly beautiful' — in the sunny heart of a proud 'sporting nation' — often requires overcoming a barrage of negativity. The Sydney Opera House was loathed before it was loved, and the Modern has traveled a rough road already." - The New York Times
