"St. Louis Park Public Schools will allow opt-outs for families who don’t want their children to read books with LGBTQ+ characters, after six Somali Muslim families threatened to sue the district.” - Sahan Journal
"I will always remember the words written on a piece of paper that Navalny held at one of his court hearings: 'I am not afraid and you should not be afraid.' Navalny was still smiling and laughing on the eve of his death." - The Atlantic
We were the victims of an American approach to city planning that had lost its way. But the next generation of kids may not be so unlucky. After a long demise, the grid is showing signs of a comeback. - The Atlantic
Kevin Roose: "My column about the experience was probably the most consequential thing I’ll ever write — both in terms of the attention it got … and how the trajectory of A.I. development changed. … It's been a year of growth and excitement in A.I. but a surprisingly tame one." - The New York Times
Over the past year, faculty groups dedicated to academic freedom have sprung up at Harvard, Yale and Columbia, where even some liberal scholars argue that a prevailing progressive orthodoxy has created a climate of self-censorship and fear that stifles open inquiry. - The New York Times
"A series of recent updates to (Arts Council England) policies … were met with fury from artists, writers and musicians. … Within hours, ACE issued a statement recognising the strength of feeling over the guidance and said it would 'publish an updated version' as soon as possible." - The Guardian
"A number of programming staff at a major ACE-funded organisation recently described to me how they were investigated by its HR department after inviting a gender-critical artist to speak. Their jobs are now in doubt because they “exposed audiences to dangerous ideas”. - Unherd
Now students are intimidated by anything over 10 pages and seem to walk away from readings of as little as 20 pages with no real understanding. Even smart and motivated students struggle to do more with written texts than extract decontextualized take-aways. - Slate
In the ruling, Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín threw out claims on vicarious copyright infringement, DMCA violations, negligence, and unjust enrichment. The court did not believe the plaintiffs’ allegations of unlawful business practices and fraudulent conduct related to unfair competition. - The Verge
"Artists, writers and musicians have reacted with fury to an Arts Council England warning that “political statements” could break funding agreements. ... ACE advised the organisations it funds to be wary of 'overtly political or activist' statements made in a personal capacity by people linked to them." - The Guardian
As the quantity and quality of professional arts coverage and criticism in major media outlets erodes, so too does much of the public’s awareness of, attention to, and discussion about the arts. And yet, alternative sources of arts coverage are surfacing. But are they too little, too underachieving, and too late? - Arts Fuse
Last month, the territory's Arts Development Council abruptly decided to withhold funding for a major theater awards event because (it later revealed) two disfavored writers were there. Now the entire arts community is nervous about how they might unknowingly violate China's sweeping national security law. - South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
"Responding to residents’ fears that Venice is becoming a glorified water park, this city that has drawn awestruck visitors since the Middle Ages is seeking to become a laboratory for how to deal with a modern ill: tourists inundating Instagrammable destinations from Savannah, Georgia to Hallstatt, Austria." - The Washington Post (MSN)
Released just last month, the most recent research shows that, while Calgarians are still interested in engaging in the arts, audiences are much more selective about what they attend. Affordability is an issue, but so is the amount of discretionary time available to take in the arts. - Calgary Herald
"We need to stop treating museums, theaters and galleries like sacred spaces that exist in some rarefied realm of public life. And we need to start treating them — and funding them — like interstate highways, high-speed internet and other infrastructure projects, using money that’s earmarked to maintain the country’s infrastructure." - The New York Times
