"Dating from between 600 CE–900 CE, Xiol" — near Mérida on the northern Yucatán Peninsula — "is comprised of 12 structures, including a main ceremonial center with a cenote, or a deep-water well. Two additional structures surrounding the ceremonial center likely served as elite residences." - ARTnews
The departure in particular of hosts Audie Cornish (All Things Considered), Noel King (Morning Edition) and Lulu Garcia-Navarro (Weekend Edition), all women of color, drew considerable criticism. SVP Anya Grundmann said that there's simply a competitive market (all three left for commercial media jobs) and NPR's overall staff turnover is low. - Press Gazette
The site had lost $20 million in 2020, the last full year before the takeover, but deep cuts and new investments led by BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti turned things around. (Now, if only BuzzFeed can make itself profitable ...) - Axios
The ruins of the Bronze Age settlement, which include a palace and a large industrial and goods-storage complex as well as other structures and over 100 cuneiform tablets, are at Kemune in the Mosul reservoir in Iraq, where a drought led to a major draw-down of water. - Newsweek
Says one publicist, "Ten years ago, I don't think the first thing out of my mouth (to a client) would have been: 'Are you OK knowing that there is a decent chance that this will ... be out there on social media?'" - The New York Times
The versatile singer-instrumentalist-composer, whose opera Omar is about to have its world premiere at Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, will head the 2023 edition of the Southern California contemporary music showcase. - San Francisco Classical Voice
The case that led to the arrest of the Louvre's former director has spread to the US: the Manhattan D.A. office has impounded five items in the Met's Egyptian collection that are connected to two dealers in Europe who are now charged with criminal conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering. - Artnet
Verdi built Villa Verdi on land he owned in Sant’Agata di Villanova, a hamlet near his home town of Busseto in the Emilia-Romagna region, in 1848. It was initially inhabited by his parents before Verdi moved in with his second wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, in 1851, remaining there until his death in 1901. - The Guardian
Researchers concluded that a humbling 90% of medieval manuscripts preserving chivalric and heroic narratives – those relating to King Arthur, for example – have gone. Of the stories themselves, about a third have been lost completely, meaning that no manuscript preserving them remains. - The Guardian
‘In answer to the question, “Who do you make work for?” people will say, “I make work for everyone – for anyone.” But when you say, “Well, what are you doing to ensure that outcome?” the answers start to narrow considerably. - ArtsHub
“For Bristol Old Vic to appoint a highly talented Black Latinx woman as artistic director provides a real opportunity to effect real change in how we express the multiplicity of British identities, experiences and histories.” - The Guardian
The subgenre has evolved and thrived for a century with its key elements mostly intact: galactic encyclopedias of knowledge, interstellar politics, heroic journeys, and extraterrestrial encounters. Space opera remains the engine of the genre, one of its most prominent forms. - LA Review of Books
"Within the Vijaya Vittala Temple in Hampi, South India are 56 pillars, each 3.6 metres high, which when gently tapped produce delicate musical notes. ... The pillars, named SaReGaMa, are so-called after the first four notes (svaras) of the standard scale in Indian classical music – similar to Western solfège." - Classic FM (UK)
Half of all public and private grants now pay administrators’ salaries – only a quarter fund arts production. Even if many are wonderful, managers are collectively the greatest obstacle to balancing budgets. - The Stage
