"They had begun making their lives there around a date in December 2012 coinciding with the 5,125-year cycle of an ancient calendar, widely reported as a 'Mayan apocalypse.' ... Le Bloc had begun at the world’s end, they would say. The squat picked up where the world had left off." - The Paris Review
Although open-access advocates and library groups support the move, opponents argue the new policy will limit researchers’ ability to maintain control of their published work—and cut into the $19 billion academic publishing industry’s profit margins. - InsideHigherEd
"AI is already curating museum shows and biennials. Could it change how we approach, study, or regard art of the past, too? When it comes to AI and art history, it’s important to remember that, for many, this is not just a technological question, but an urgent ideological one too." - ARTnews
Fmovies launched in 2016 and racked up 374 million monthly visits more than 6.7 billion visits from January 2023-June 2024. Data from SimilarWeb ranked Fmovies as the 280th most visited website in any category and the 11th most popular TV, movies and streaming website. - Engadget
As she approaches her not-entirely-amicable departure after 45 years, the 73-year-old artistic director discusses the challenges she faced as a woman in the industry, her favorite memories (and her biggest disaster) and what her future in the theater may look like. - The New York Times
In 2024, both main parties recognise the positive power of music. While campaign songs and rally playlists encourage a sense of unity, they also send important messages to the wider electorate, reinforcing and differentiating the identity of the party and leader. - The Conversation
There are very legitimate concerns which such agreements can protect against, so an NDA shouldn't be rejected on general principle. Here's what to look for to make sure that the document is safeguarding creative product and personal security rather than covering up malfeasance. - Dance Magazine
"The chair of the OA board, Rod Sims, said that Davies’s contract was prematurely severed by mutual agreement … due to 'differences of opinion about how Opera Australia should successfully balance artistic innovation, audience development and commercial imperatives moving forward'." Sources say a mediator had to be brought in. - The Guardian
"Embedded in the newsroom throughout the year, the person will aim to 'ratchet up our ‘joy’ quotient across platforms,' according to an internal memo." - Bloomberg
After examining over 5,000 NFT collections and collecting 5 million transactions from NFTScan, researchers found that the overwhelming majority are dead (zero trading volume or social media activity), 43% of NFT holders have lost money on them, and the average loss is 44.5%. - NFTevening
"The Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, which contributed about half of UArts’ $62 million endowment, is not in favor of that money going to Temple as part of the deal, which largely appears to be sinking it. … Temple did not want to engage in a legal battle with a charitable trust." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Florida’s statute ... requires districts to set up a process for a parent or resident of the county to contest school and classroom library materials that they believe contain pornographic or sexual content. The country’s largest publishing houses say Florida has unleashed a wave of censorship." - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
After a worrisome dip in attendance in 2023 (to 97%), ticket sales to the summer Wagner mecca were up to a total of 58,000 this year. The festival's 2026 sesquicentennial will feature a special performance of the Ring tetralogy, the first Bayreuth production of Rienzi, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. - AP
"Together with the members of Abba, we have discovered that videos have been released where Abba's music has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately removed and taken down." - BBC
Some education advocates tout the benefits of what’s called a “balanced calendar,” which spreads vacation time equally across the seasons—a reimagining of what school can be, for the betterment of working parents, teachers, and students alike. - The Walrus
