Overall, 2022 was a good year for independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland, who saw their number climb to a 10-year high. According to the Booksellers Association (BA), there are now 1,072 independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland, up 45 on the tally of 1,027 for 2021. - The Guardian
Ask someone how she thinks and you might learn that she talks to herself silently, or cogitates visually, or moves through mental space by traversing physical space. - The New Yorker
The Vancouver House is a 490-foot high-rise teetering on a narrow base, twisting and expanding as it rises. The torquing tower serves as a new gateway to the city, appearing like a half-formed archway that frames the skyline and British Columbia’s North Shore Mountains beyond. - Bloomberg
A 2009 study, for instance, found that newborns react to beats — i.e. they anticipate the downbeat of rhythmic patterns, which tends to support the theory that our ability to perceive rhythms is inborn and not learned. - Ludwig Van
"The ebullient rector of St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, fondly known as the Actors' Church, carries himself as much like an impresario as a priest. … Theatricality is baked into the building's fabric, a 1631 masterpiece by Inigo Jones, architect and pioneering theatre designer." - The Guardian
"Jean Davidson, 54, is president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the largest professional chorus in the country. (She) will begin her tenure April 1, succeeding Gary Ginstling, who left in October to become the executive director of the New York Philharmonic." - The Washington Post
This culturally and linguistically diverse environment gave rise to innovations that would have lasting legacies in fields including algebra, geography, astronomy, medicine and engineering. - The Conversation
"To the chagrin of his fans, (Doug) Henning himself sold his illusions to David Copperfield and other magicians, and permanently quit the world of fake magic to devote himself, full-time, to the real magic of Transcendental Meditation." - The Baffler
Really, the courtship between Ratmansky and City Ballet — a new New York City Ballet under the leadership of its artistic director, Jonathan Stafford, and Whelan — was in plain sight. - The New York Times
"Museum-building in a real estate-obsessed city that Mark Twain called 'superbly beautiful' — in the sunny heart of a proud 'sporting nation' — often requires overcoming a barrage of negativity. The Sydney Opera House was loathed before it was loved, and the Modern has traveled a rough road already." - The New York Times
After Dr. López Prater showed the image, a senior in the class complained to the administration. Other Muslim students, not in the course, supported the student, saying the class was an attack on their religion. They demanded that officials take action. - The New York Times
"In Boston, there are reports of people pronouncing the letter 'r.' Down in Tennessee, people are noticing a lack of a Southern drawl. And Texans have long worried about losing their distinctive twang. Indeed, around the United States, communities are voicing a common anxiety: Are Americans losing their accents?" - Salon
In her 5½ years as artistic director, she steered the company through the COVID crisis and a headquarters renovation, and she hired more Kiwis as dancers and choreographers. She also dealt with personnel problems that culminated in the firing of her husband, ballet master Michael Auer, for bullying. - Stuff (New Zealand)
TV Rain (Dozhd) – once headquartered in Moscow, long harassed by Putin's government, and finally shut down in the months after the invasion of Ukraine – has secured a five-year broadcasting license from the Dutch Media Authority, six months after Latvia removed the station from its airwaves. - Euronews
