"By adding to the (original) store space piecemeal, the brothers drifted into the 'superstore' concept by accident. Mathematically, the formula they discovered was astounding (and oversimplified): as their bookstore became larger with better selection, it drew from a larger radius, became more exciting, and sales per square foot increased!" - Literary Hub
"The then-culture minister, Dario Franceschini, sought applications from foreigners to shake up the museum sector, … appoint(ing) seven foreigners and several Italians with experience abroad." The new government, made up of right-leaning nationalist parties, is not following suit, and directors from abroad have good reasons not to apply. - The New York Times
"The deal will give SPE’s film and television production groups, which include Columbia Pictures, TriStar, Screen Gems and 3000 Pictures as well as TV operations …, development rights to The Guardian’s current and developing news stories, as well as the paper’s archive, reaching back 200 years." - The Hollywood Reporter
One of a trio (along with Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry) of erstwhile newspaper reporters who became famous for satirizing their home state in fiction, Dorsey wrote a series of novels about serial murderer Serge Storms, who came up with fiendishly inventive ways of dispatching deserving victims. - Tampa Bay Times
"The three-year contract, … (coming) after months of wrangling, … includes an increase in compensation of about 22 percent over three years, a central demand of the musicians, who had argued that they were underpaid because of salary cuts made during the pandemic." - The New York Times
With total attendance holding steady – and three fewer shows on the roster – the increase in receipts can be attributed to a 27% bump in average ticket price: $151, compared to the previous week’s $118. Overall, 90% of Broadway seats were filled during the holiday week. - Deadline
A gesture, a tear, or just silence may be more eloquent than words. It is this ‘beyond’ in our imperfect communications, that hint at what art can do. Art aspires to a more perfect communication: one that takes us beyond the confines of the lonely self. - 3 Quarks Daily
While the Romans clearly engaged in acts that we today consider gay or straight sex, they would not recognise the sexual orientations we associate with them. The ancient Romans did not share the same conceptions of sexuality that we do. - The Conversation
Human beings make machines, but machines remake human society, too. Reliable, spring-driven clocks enabled precision time measurement, forcing us into regimented daily schedules, but they also helped sailors calculate their positions at sea with far greater accuracy, leading to the first reliable maps. - The Wall Street Journal
The Donahues have since retaken possession of their painting from the auction house, Bonhams. All they have to show for their efforts is a new cardboard box, courtesy of the Bonhams shipping department. - The New York Times
"One of the big lessons on my mind recently is that certain types of communities are difficult to scale. We’ve spent a lot of years trying to grow as much as possible in order to maintain ourselves as an organization financially, and we’ve never found that the type of community we want to build has any shortcuts towards growth."...
He's the media executive fronting the bid by RedBird IMI, a joint venture between two investment funds, based in New York and Abu Dhabi, to buy the Tory-supporting newspaper and magazine in a bankruptcy auction. If successful, Zucker intends to expand the outlets into the US market and beyond. - Variety
The foundation said the half-a-billon-dollar commitment is the largest multiyear funding initiative in its history. “I feel proud that we’ve been catalysts and contributors to a larger conversation in the nation about monuments,” said Elizabeth Alexander, the foundation’s president. - The New York Times
"In 1990, then-director Sam Miller named (Norton Owen) director of preservation, where he now oversees the scholar-in-residence program, PillowTalks, pre- and post-show talks, and exhibitions. Carrying on Pillow founder Ted Shawn’s drive to document, Owen has prioritized video and continually upgraded the quality of the organization’s performance recordings." - Dance Magazine
At a time when more Americans feel stressed, face mental health challenges, and feel more disconnected from each other than ever before, the arts can serve as a unifier and a touchstone for our humanity, directly impacting our individual and collective well-being. - American Theatre
