The modern “word-cross” appeared for the first time in print in the December 21, 1913 edition of New York World’s FUN Supplement. Section editor Arthur Wynne, trying to fill the Christmas insert, drew inspiration from his native England. - Zocalo Public Square
If all works of literature are haunted by the ideal forms of which they are but imperfect instantiations, then the blank book symbolises the refusal to compromise authorial vision. - Aeon
Is an African museum, designed by an African architect, capable of undoing this level of institutional violence? Can it go beyond a restaging of the artefacts’ abduction? If not for an imperialist agenda, what is the role of the museum in a post-colonial world? - Hyperallergic
One can be forgiven for failing to see any common threads between these two seemingly divergent entities. However, a closer look reveals evidence to the contrary. - WQXR
The regal properties are reporting a “Bridgerton factor” as people enchanted by the baroque interiors and bucolic gardens of the hit show decide to visit its real life landmarks. - The Guardian
“If you define neuroaesthetics as the use of neuroscience to explain art and aesthetic experience, then it is not surprising that neuroaesthetics fails: art just isn’t a phenomenon (neurological or experiential) to be explained by neuroscience, psychology, or any other empirical science.” - Nautilus
Mansiya V.P. was three when her mother took her and her older sister to Bharatanatyam lessons. The family persisted despite opposition from the local mosque committee, and, at 27, she's pursuing a doctorate in Bharatanatyam. Now a Hindu temple has refused to let her dance there because she's Muslim. - BBC
A frequent commentator on television and radio, as well as a prolific writer, Mr. Boehlert never shied away from searing critiques of what he saw as bias in the mainstream press and the circular impact of media on politics. - The New York Times
"Not only were narratives of sexual abuse – long regarded as too risky for commercial theatre audiences – being listened to, they were actively being sought out. ... But the fundamental changes that #MeToo promised have not been as meaningful or lasting as many in the industry hoped." - The Guardian
The unspoken secret had been fleetingly exposed: Free labor is a fact of academic life. “These arrangements are common in academia.” - The New York Times
"There are fears Wales could lose its brass band tradition after player numbers plummeted during the pandemic. Bands from across the country said they had lost members, with fewer younger players joining." - BBC
Like the Delta blues or Yellowstone National Park, baseball is as indelibly American as it is painfully uncommercial. Left to fend for itself, the game will eventually disappear. The New York Times
"(They're) two celebrated dance artists with different styles, temperaments and cultural backgrounds. What they have in common is willingness — hunger, really — to take on weighty issues. Otake has been illuminating the environmental damage caused by nuclear accidents. Jones is intimately connected to the struggle against racism." - The New York Times
Moving away from “literal sensibilities” for logo choices, Opara tells It’s Nice That, the team went for a more symbolic direction, developing a morphing “M” which fluctuates in shape, texture and colour to reflect the transformative basis of Mellon’s work. - It's Nice That
A charter member of the Actors Studio, from the 1940s through the '90s he appeared in dozens of plays and films (ranging from Some Like It Hot to Yentl) and hundreds of TV episodes, with a specialty in variously ethnic gangsters and outlaws. - MSN (The Washington Post)
