To advocates of the NFT, the technology offers a revolutionary new way of selling art, and of circumventing snooty cultural gatekeepers whose resistance to a crypto future seems as square as the 19th-century Parisian art world’s disdain for impressionism. - The Guardian
“My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy. Erica Hill even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird!” Cruz responded: “Government propaganda … for your 5-year-old!” - The Guardian
After the Los Angeles Herald Examiner folded in 1989, the building became an out-of-context medieval ruin along a quiet stretch of South Broadway, as plan after plan to revitalize the landmark fell through. - Curbed
In 1974, Angelo Fregolent, now 94, parked his car at the newsstand he ran with his wife in the town of Conegliano, according to The Mirror, and never came back. - Insider
The threats are widespread. PEN says, "These bills appear designed to chill academic and educational discussions and impose government dictates on teaching and learning. ... The efforts amount to a sweeping crusade for content- and viewpoint-based state censorship." - The New York Times
"Even before the digital age you could access the World of Music through recordings, via the radio or the local music shop or even the Columbia House Record Club." And now? Livestreaming! - Oregon ArtsWatch
Penguin's Classics line is 75 years old this year. But - "What makes a book a classic? Who gets to decide? And will today’s classic still be a classic in 10 years’ time, let alone 50 or 100?"- The Guardian (UK)
"BookTok is passionate. It is also profitable—at least for publishers. Bloomsbury, a publishing house based in Britain, recently reported record sales and a 220% rise in profits, which Nigel Newton, its boss, put down partly to the 'absolute phenomenon' of BookTok." - The Economist
Sound familiar? "Collective narcissists tend to respond to the perceived threats of other groups in outsize, often aggressive ways. ... Meanwhile, group narcissists glorify positively valued in-group members and tend to overlook their moral transgressions." - The Atlantic
The chair for the Canada Council for the Arts says, "What you’re seeing is maybe an industry that is so ravenous for stories that it’s realized it has to open the gates beyond its usual suspects." - The New York Times
How do you go from being mocked for playing the love interest of a vampire to being the first American actress to win a César, not to mention getting into the Oscars discussion this year? "She is a master of misdirection, deflection, and pregnant glances." - Slate
For one thing, give the conductor a look. For another thing, hope the concertmaster is alert. Watch Thursday's cascading violin exchanges and fixes on video from Seattle's Benaroya Hall. - Seattle Times
One singer: "We have the power to uplift someone. ... It’s something I hope fellow musicians realize, appreciate and that they don’t forget, even if we’re in a very challenging time. The worst thing that can happen is for you to stop." - Los Angeles Times
