Stories

The Meanings Of David Foster Wallace

The Bible warns that “all craftsmen who make idols will be humiliated.” American culture, perhaps in an effort to stave off potential embarrassment, often creates idols only to later destroy them. - Liberties Journal

In Its Centennial Year, The Book Of The Month Club Has Become Kind Of Cool

Since its rebrand as Book of the Month (no more club) a decade ago, the subscription service has grown every year and now has over 400,000 members. Its strength, says chairman John Lippman, is human curation: “We don’t depend on algorithms to determine your next book.” - Publishers Weekly

The Philosophical Consequences Of Simulations

Students tend to have a low tolerance for fanciful hypotheses and abstruse thought experiments. All but the most philosophically inclined roll their eyes at Descartes’s famed “evil demon” scenario in which the reader is meant to reflect on whether any of her beliefs couldn’t have been presented as a deception of a malevolent spirit. - Hedgehog Review

New Brain Study Reveals How Bilingual People Process Language

When deciding how to make a word singular or plural, for instance, bilingual people exhibit strikingly similar brain activity regardless of whether they are speaking in their first or second language. - The New York Times

Some Dance Forms Are Deeply Culturally Coded. How Can They Be Reinterpreted In Contemporary Choreography?

Choreographic researcher and artist Nazira Yerbolkyzy is among a new generation of practitioners working to reframe this relationship by exploring how traditional movement philosophies can be reinterpreted through contemporary choreography and movement analysis. - BroadwayWorld

£1 Billion Film/TV Production Complex Approved For Brownfield Site In London

“A £1 billion regeneration project to transform an industrial site in North London into a ‘landmark’ film and television studio site has been given the green light” — by a one-vote margin — “from Camden Council.” - The Standard (London)

Louvre Is “Running On Fumes,” Its Director Tells French Senate

Christophe Leribault: “To put it bluntly: despite its imposing majesty and the daily dedication of its staff, the Louvre is running on fumes. Its facilities and infrastructure are reaching the end of their lifespan.” - ARTnews

Longtime ABT Principal Cory Stearns, Not Entirely By Choice, Retires From Performing

The 40-year-old wasn’t happy when artistic director Susan Jaffe told him to make room for someone younger, but he’s philosophical: “I’ve been with ABT my entire life, and I feel very grateful. ... The idea of continuing to dance for the sake of dancing, that’s not what I (want) right now.” - The New York Times

Houston’s Menil Collection To Reopen Long-Closed Fresco Building And Fill It With Site-Specific Commission

The annex, opened in 1997 to house two Byzantine frescoes and closed since those works were returned to Cyprus in 2017, will reopen late next year to house long-term, site-specific, immersive installations — the first will be by Teresita Fernández — which will remain in place for roughly five years each. - Houston Chronicle (MSN)

U.S. House Committee Advances Measure To Axe Department Of Education’s Only Arts Grant Program

“The Republican-chaired House Appropriations Committee … advanced a proposal that could defund the Department’s Assistance for Arts Education program, … which was established in 2015 to fund primary and secondary arts education with an emphasis on ‘disadvantaged students’ and children with disabilities.” - Hyperallergic

Troubled San Antonio Philharmonic Appoints Interim Music Director

Facing more than one court case and no scheduled concerts, the struggling Texas orchestra has promoted its associate conductor, Felipe Tristán, to the music director’s podium on an interim basis. - San Antonio Express-News (MSN)

BBC To Cut Hundreds Of Jobs And Cut $107 Million From Budget

“The U.K. public service broadcaster, will cut around 550 jobs, slash content spending by £80 million ($107 million) over two years and ‘review’ broadcast TV channels as part of a big cost savings push. … (The network is) also eyeing further job reductions in corporate and other areas (totaling) around 700.” - The Hollywood Reporter

How Byron Allen Went From Standup Comic To Media Mogul To Stephen Colbert’s Time Slot

“He was one of the first entertainers to recognize that there was more money to be made in owning your content, rather than just performing it. Over the last three decades, he has built a multibillion-dollar business, Allen Media Group, which now has 2,000 employees across various media properties.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Rex Reed Hated Everything

In my ongoing conversations with him, along with the despairingly pungent emails he regularly sent from his AOL address Rex seemed to interpret the glut of mediocre films he was forced to endure as a highly personal affront to strict standards of taste, decency and class. - The Hollywood Reporter

The Song Company, Australia’s Leading Vocal Chamber Ensemble, Is Closing Permanently

Founded in 1984 in Sydney, The Song Company, which consisted of six to eight singers, regularly performed music ranging from the Middle Ages and Renaissance through the Romantic era up to newly-commissioned works. The ensemble went into receivership in 2019 due to financial difficulties; now it has filed for liquidation. - Limelight (Australia)

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