The most obvious pitfall of contrarianism is that, just like following the crowd, it outsources your judgement to others, albeit in rejection rather than acceptance. It’s also impractical. - The Critic
Opera’s contribution to health and welfare, its ability to improve lives, is a happy by-product. It is not the point. It is not opera’s job to do social work. Yet unfortunately this is where we find ourselves. - The Critic
Ultimately, when you see a book cover in a store or online, you’re really just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Because at most of the really big imprints, that cover probably went through the ringer. - Fast Company
A bad doctor and an uncircumspect translator are both bad in proportion to the good that they would be able to perform if they were performing at their profession’s fullest potential. - 3 Quarks Daily
The screen inferiority effect (as it's called) has been repeatedly documented in studies, regardless of the language or country involved. The effect is different, however, for different types of subject matter. The reasons for all this aren't clearly understood yet, but there are some clues. - Psyche
If Philadelphia Ballet’s fledgling apprenticeship program needed a success story to tout, Na zir McFadden is it. After his ballet post, the Philadelphian landed a plum: assistant conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He’s 23 years old. - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
"A 2019 study … found that from just two sites of the over 5,000 under their control, the Islamic State looted an estimated $20 million worth of the country’s cultural heritage. … Because these crimes rarely involve average citizens ..., the perpetrators largely evade public scrutiny." - USC Annenberg Media
Charity content on YouTube and most recently TikTok has always been a formulaic and nearly surefire way to gain likes and views. While these videos are praised for their clear attempts at making the world a better place, none are without disapproval. Critics have called this “philanthro-tainment” uncomfortable, ungenuine and even sinister. - USCAnnenberg Media
"The conflict is forcing leaders to navigate larger existential questions about the power and limits of arts institutions at this moment, including whether museums should try to stay neutral or whether they should take an active role in responding to political and social issues." - Vox
Residents in more than half of U.S. counties have very limited access to a reliable local news source. More than two newspapers a week have shut down during 2023, with just an estimated 1,200 daily papers still publishing. Since 2005, Medill reports, the number of newspaper journalists has fallen by 66%, or 43,000. - InsideRadio
"Sound the trumpets, folks, ring the bells and most importantly crank up that old-fashioned noisemaker that goes 'a-rooo-gha', for Danger Sound Klaxon! The Horn That Changed History has blown away the competition to win the 45th The Bookseller Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year." - The Bookseller (UK)
The most charming and enduring tradition was the collaboration between the Oakland A’s and Oakland Ballet, which from the mid-1980s through the 1990s paired some of baseball’s biggest names with the ballet’s highest profile production of the year — bringing a marketing boon to a scrappy and often struggling arts collective. - San Francisco Chronicle
Automakers have been gradually leaving AM receivers out of their new-model cars, and they really want — for legitimate reasons — to drop AM from their electric vehicles. Yet there are legitimate reasons for regulators and lawmakers to insist that AM radios remain. Ernie Smith explains. - Tedium
"KCRW, which has an annual operating budget of about $23 million, relies on member contributions and corporate sponsorships, including studios looking to promote their movies and television shows" — meaning the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes cost the station a lot of revenue. - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
The de-sanctified sanctuary was Manhattan's hottest nightclub for a while in the 1980s. Shifting fashion and excessive drug use eventually shut the club down, and nobody has yet managed to run a successful business out of the oddly-positioned but landmarked building. Will it work as a theater? - MSN (Curbed)
