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Behind The Move To Get Rid Of Book Blurbs

There’s been a bunch of authors and publishers lately saying, “Hey, this is hugely time-consuming. It’s an incredibly emotional process. What would happen if we stopped doing all this?” - Marketplace

Baltimore Theatre Refuses To Comply With NEA’s New Anti-DEI Guidelines

Baltimore Center Stage, Maryland’s state theater, says it will refuse to comply with the NEA’s new guidelines — which state that applicants “will not operate any programs promoting ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’” or “gender ideology” — at the cost of its own potential federal funding in the future. - Baltimore Banner

AI Imaging Discovers Remnants Of 5000-Year-Old Civilization Below Dubai

The integration of AI and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) proved especially powerful. SAR technology provides high-resolution images of structures buried beneath the earth's surface, capable of penetrating natural barriers such as sand, vegetation, and ice. - Jerusalem Post

Philly’s No Name Pops Appoints A Music Director

Christopher Dragon starts on July 1; by that point, the No Name Pops will be called the Philly Pops. Dragon is currently resident conductor of the Colorado Symphony and music director of the Wyoming Symphony (through this summer) and the Greensboro (NC) Symphony (starting this fall). - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Why Do Orchestra Musicians Have Tenure?

In particular, tenure exists to ensure that orchestra conductors cannot “clean house” according to their personal artistic tastes. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Kansas City’s Master Of Vinyl

In a vacant church, he built a concert hall and studio where he recorded the Delta blues and Louisiana roots music. His latest acquisition is a printing shop that makes farm-equipment manuals and inserts for Analogue Productions LPs. Today, LP sales are now a $1 billion-plus market in the U.S. alone. - The New York Times

What’s A Bookstore To Do When An Author Becomes Problematic?

What to do about art we admire that is created by people we don’t? Most bookstores leave it in the hands of patrons. - The Star-Tribune

Seven Defendants On Trial For Death Threats Against Artistic Director Of Paris Olympic Ceremonies

“Thomas Jolly filed a complaint for death threats after receiving homophobic and antisemitic abuse on social networks. The online attacks erupted after Jolly’s acclaimed but controversial opening spectacle on the Seine in July — a queer-inclusive, high-energy fusion of tradition and modernity.” - AP

Unknown Donatello Sculpture Turns Up In Museum Storeroom

The marble bust, depicting Mantua noblewoman Cecilia Gonzaga, was identified in a storeroom at the Spiš Museum in Levoča, Slovakia. It was previously thought to be a 19th-century copy and was at one point used as a toy by the young girls at a reformatory. - Artnet

Disney Cuts 6% Of Staff At TV Networks And ABC News

“About 200 employees are being let go at Disney’s ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks unit, people familiar with the matter said.” Among the casualties: the ABC newsmagazines 20/20 and Nightline are being consolidated into a single unit, and election-forecast website Five-Thirty-Eight is closing. - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

U.S. Book Industry Braces For Havoc Due To New Tariffs

“President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 10% increase to tariffs on goods from China, went into effect on March 4 — and although the tariffs had been delayed once before, the publishing and printing industries are still left with questions.” - Publishers Weekly

San Francisco Symphony Is Intimidated Into Pausing Black Composers Project

“The San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Conservatory of Music have ‘paused’ the Emerging Black Composers Project, citing a memo from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that called diversity efforts ‘repugnant’ and ‘shameful’ and directed schools to eliminate them or risk losing federal funding.“ - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

“Hamilton” Cancels Its Run At Kennedy Center In Wake Of Trump Takeover

Lead producer Jeffrey Seller: “Political disagreement and debate are vital expressions of democracy. These basic concepts of freedom are at the very heart of Hamilton. However, some institutions are sacred and should be protected from politics. The Kennedy Center is one such institution.” - Variety

D.C. Will Paint Over Black Lives Matter Plaza Mural After GOP Threatens Transit Funding

“D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser signaled Tuesday that the city would paint a new mural at Black Lives Matter Plaza outside the White House after a Republican lawmaker introduced a bill threatening millions of dollars in transportation funding if Bowser did not agree to erase and rename it.” - The Washington Post (MSN)

How On Earth Did Reddit Become One Of The Nicest Places On The Internet?

For its first decade, Reddit was widely considered just a notch above 4chan: full of rage-filled prejudice, vicious verbal abuse and creepy sex stuff. Now Reddit's full of (mostly) civil discussion, advice and support on topics from popular to extremely niche to silly. And there are good reasons for that. - The Atlantic (MSN)

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