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Just What Did Elon Musk Buy In Twitter?

As of early last year, just one in five U.S. adults said they ever use Twitter—a slice that plateaued by 2018. The research shows Twitter’s general user base skews left-leaning and relatively young and that just one quarter of U.S. adult users produce 97% of Americans’ tweets. - The Wall Street Journal

Schirmer To Publish Hundreds Of Scores By Jewish Composers Silenced By The Nazis

"The list of music to be published includes more than 300 songs, 100 chamber music pieces, 50 orchestral works and other pieces, in genres including classical, opera, jazz and film music. The first works will be published next spring." - The New York Times

Not Creepy At All: Disney Wants To Integrate Your Data Across All Its Businesses

Once the company unites data collection capabilities between its various divisions, “we can give you a better experience in the park, because we know what your preferences are in terms of viewing and a better experience on Disney+ because we know what your affinities are.” - The Wall Street Journal

The Power Of Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Fiction

"His novels alternate restlessly from an East Africa of the past to the Britain of the present, as if they comprise two parts of a puzzle — parts that do not quite fit — that it will take a lifetime of writing to solve." - The New Republic

The Climate-Activist Stunts In Museums Aren’t Just Badly Targeted, They’re Downright Embarrassing

"We don't know the protests are effective, and we do know they're likely to cause financial problems for many museums. Here I'll add my own concern: The activists look so silly. ... The soup-and-superglue movement fails an important test of youthful, radical politics: It does not look cool." - MSN (The Atlantic)

France’s National Railroad Refuses To Allow Double-Bass Players To Travel With Their Instruments

Says one musician: "We are afraid of not being able to arrive at the place of the concert, of losing our (paid) commitments. Traveling with these old, fragile, expensive instruments is already stressful, but at the moment, anxiety dominates when buying an SNCF ticket." - The Strad

Parenthood Is Treacherous Territory For Stand-Up Comedy

"Jokes about raising children make an easy connection with certain sleepy-eyed audiences, but that can be its own parent trap. This is well-trod ground. ... The primary challenge of stand-up on this subject is that it risks cheap sentimentality. Nothing smothers comedy faster." - The New York Times

UN Agencies Are Doing Satellite-Based Tracking Of Russia’s Damage To Ukraine’s Culture And Heritage

"Geneva-based UNOSAT and UNESCO, the Paris-based educational, scientific and cultural agency, announced Wednesday that they are finalizing a database of cultural sites that compares 'before and after' images bought from private-sector satellite companies." - AP

The Smithsonian Selects Sites For The Proposed National Latino And Women’s History Museums

The two plots are at the southwest corner of the National Mall, near the Washington Monument: one is directly across the Mall from the African-American Museum, and the other is directly around the corner, facing the Tidal Basin. - MSN (The Washington Post)

The Latest Target Of The Self-Gluing Climate Protesters Is Vermeer

At the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, two guys in "Just Stop Oil" t-shirts walked up to Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring; one tried to superglue his head to the painting, then the other poured tomato soup over him.  The art is undamaged; the vandals have been arrested. - The Guardian

Mindful Music Programs And Mental Health

In the U.S., teachers are turning to music to aid students of various ages with increased levels of depression and behavioral issues. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Art Of Persuasion (As Opposed To Coercion)

At the heart of such suspicion is the assumption that persuasion is to be understood as an act done by someone to someone. One party is active, the other party is passive. - Psyche

How Cate Blanchett Trained To Play A Conductor For “Tar”

“Tár” is a tantalizing example: an elite acting talent taking on a rarefied slice of the classical music world. The preparations Ms. Blanchett and her collaborators did behind the scenes mirrored aspects of the story, which involves the painstaking work of creation and rehearsal. - The Wall Street Journal

Conductors And The Cult Of Personality: “Tar” Nails It

“TAR” is uncomfortably spot on. It’s more about abuse of power than music, though the classical trappings are a convincing gilding. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

New Study: Playing Video Games May Help Young Brains

The gamers did better than non-gamers in tests where they had to control impulsive behavior or memorize information, according to the National Institute of Health, which promoted the research. - Axios

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