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The Final Bidders To Buy Simon & Schuster

he remaining bidders included KKR, one of the world’s largest private-equity firms, and News Corp, the owner of HarperCollins, a competing publishing house. - The New York Times

How Jake Tapper Has Found The Time And Energy To, On Top Of Everything Else, Write Six Books

"Tapper — who hosts CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper five days a week, co-hosts State of the Union every Sunday, tweets prolifically, writes nonfiction books, and raises two teenage kids with his wife — researched and wrote a 336-page novel in 24 months. How the hell did he do it?" - Esquire

The Taliban Have A Bonfire Of Musical Instruments (This Is Not A Metaphor)

In Herat, agents of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (yes, that's what it's called) had a public burning of instruments and speakers seized by authorities, saying that music causes "vanity among the youth and corruption in the society in Afghanistan." - Vice

National Gallery Of Australia To Return To Cambodia Sculptures It Thinks Were Stolen

"The astonishing story of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Padmapani and her Attendants, … a trio of 9th-century Cham sculptures … which were purchased by the NGA for $US1.5m in 2011 (from now-disgraced dealer Douglas Latchford), reads like the plot of an Indiana Jones movie." - The Guardian

China To Institute Sharp Limits On Minors’ Use Of The Internet

"Tech sector regulator the Cyberspace Administration of China said on Wednesday that people under 18 will not be allowed to access the internet via a mobile device between 10pm and 6am each day … and young people have different amounts of internet access depending on their age." - Variety

Europe’s Destination Cities Are Bumping Up Taxes On Tourists

"Amid growing concerns about the negative impacts of tourist crowds, the revenue generated from tourism taxes can help to ensure that this important slice of many European economies maintains its social license to operate." - The New York Times

The TV Audience In Britain Is Shrinking As Even Older Viewers Start Streaming

"As a result, the proportion of people watching any traditional TV broadcast in a given week has declined from 83% in 2021 to 79% in 2022, the sharpest fall on record, … according to the media regulator Ofcom." - The Guardian

Worldwide Spending On Cultural Infrastructure Is Back To Pre-COVID Levels

"Total costs of completed and announced projects in 2022 hit an estimated overall value of $15.1 billion. … Museums and galleries continue to dominate investments. However, for the first time, slightly more multifunction arts venues began construction than performing arts centres (84 multifunction vs. 81 performance)." - Artnet

John Adams Reviews Harvey Sachs’ Case For Making Schoenberg Matter

Too many books about Schoenberg are overly technical for the general reader, or else they assume a kind of hagiographic defensive crouch. Sachs can be refreshingly candid, sharing his feelings at times as if he were whispering confidentially in your ear during a concert intermission. - The New York Times

Metropolitan Museum Makes Deal With Augmented Reality Gaming Company in Roblox

The app can be used with Roblox, the popular gaming platform, where a new virtual version of the Met, including spaces like its Fifth Avenue façade and its Great Hall, can be explored. - The Art Newspaper

Meta Blocks Sharing Of News Stories On Facebook In Canada

"In order to provide clarity to the millions of Canadians and businesses who use our platforms, we are announcing today that we have begun the process of ending news availability permanently in Canada," Rachel Curran, Meta's head of public policy in Canada, said in a statement. - CBC

Portland Pulls Out Of Regional Arts Funding Agency

“The city has gotten a major bargain from the work that Regional Arts and Culture Council has done on its behalf. The team at RACC … are experts with a lot of years behind them. I think they’re going to be hard-pressed to find people with that same skill set.” - Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Incredibly Complicated Cultural Calculations Of Broadway’s “Here Lies Love”

Yes, the show is certainly a flag for innovative theatre in its use of space and immersivity. But there have been persistent critiques in both the Philippines and U.S. media that Here Lies Love is not only authored by a white man, but that it essentially glorifies tyranny and Imelda. - American Theatre

Freezing Out The Critics, Ushering In The Influencers

If all discussion of a film’s merits before release is left to influencers, whose driving ambition is to receive free merchandise by speaking well of the studio’s products, what can we expect the film landscape to look like? - The Guardian

Training AI Tools For The Languages (Even Major Ones) That Don’t Dominate The Internet

English alone counts for almost half the internet; add other European languages plus Chinese and Japanese and it's 95%. For other languages — even those like Arabic, Bengali, and Amharic used by many millions — AI tools have relatively tiny datasets to train on. Here are some people addressing that. - Deutsche Welle

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