It's a much-commented-on phenomenon, and that lack of pleasure is an important marker for distinguishing depression from plain old sadness. What's going on with that? It's all about the dopamine. - Mic
Collecting people in a certain space, at a certain time, on a certain date, in a certain seat, to see an unknown quantity — these mandatory requirements fly in the face of the behavior of the increasingly isolationist consumer market. - Alan Harrison
There has always been salt in the sand and groundwater of central Iraq, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. But salinity levels are rising and sandstorms are becoming more frequent, eating away at the mud bricks of which the region's historic monuments are made. - The Guardian
“I think this is really to be seen as a hostile action against the musicians more than against me. Now you're undermining the efforts of the musicians to continue live music in San Antonio by doing something like this. It's a very strange message to potential donors and patrons.” - Texas Public Radio
"119 local women and 670 men are being trained in traditional stone masonry techniques using 'Mosul marble' — a kind of gypsum alabaster native to the area — as part of a larger effort by UNESCO to encourage community participation in heritage conservation." - The Art Newspaper
Ashton Edwards, a 19-year-old apprentice at Pacific Northwest Ballet, has been dancing on pointe in class as a matter of course, performs both male and female roles, and will be in the corps of swans in the company's upcoming run of Swan Lake. - The New York Times
"Bouquet appeared in nearly 120 film and television roles" — he was a favorite of filmmakers Claude Chabrol and François Truffaut — "even as he remained active on the Paris stage, taking parts well into retirement age — he starred in a production of Molière's Tartuffe at 92." - MSN (The Washington Post)
"Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers in Q1 and expects to lose another 2 million in the current second quarter, the streamer said in its first-quarter 2022 earnings release Tuesday." The causes, said the company, are password-sharing and the loss of the Russian market due to Ukraine-war sanctions. - Variety
The donations, the largest in each organization's history, come from the estate of H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest, the board chair who oversaw the Museum's creation and opening and the owner of The Inquirer before he transferred it to the nonprofit Lenfest Institute for Journalism in 2016. - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
The Russian government will provide 1 billion rubles ($12.1 million) to cultural projects and institutions which have lost money due to "sanctions pressure" because of what Putin's deputy chief of staff called "their patriotism and loyalty to the country." - The Art Newspaper
Francesca Moody, who produced at the festival the original stage version of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag, is one of several frequent participants who said the entire Fringe enterprise could "collapse" if the cost of accommodations in Edinburgh for artists and visitors can't be brought under control. - The Stage
Paris is dead, and many people like it that way. Living in the ruins of an old Cathedral, Parisians are the ivy that overtake it, the vandals who paint their names on the side of it, and the squatters inside who reinforce its cracking walls. - 3 Quarks Daily
Just 3% of UK households signed up to a new video streaming subscription in Q1 2022, compared to 4.2% during the same period in 2021 when the pandemic was keeping more people home. Fifty-eight percent of households (16.9 million) now have at least one paid subscription, down 215,000 quarter-on-quarter. - Deadline
Founded in 2000 by Felix Barrett, the British firm has developed a passionate fanbase thanks to its unique form of immersive theater, which leaves audiences free to choose what to watch and where to go in vast, decorated spaces. - Deadline
For artists and curators from countries that have been hit hardest by Covid-19 or those that have struggled most to foot the bill—presentations require around $100,000 to $300,000, according to several commissioners we spoke to—it’s been a race against both time and resources. - Artnet
