Many of the orchestra’s musicians scattered. Some stayed, volunteering in field kitchens, doing what they could to help the effort to push back the Russians from the capital. And it wasn’t long before the orchestra started performing again – reuniting first at La Fenice, Venice’s opera house, in April 2022. - The Guardian
"For hundreds of years, writers enjoyed the punchy power of a well-placed !, wielding its mighty sword of 'here be feelings!' with aplomb and persuasiveness. Here are five ways that literature can recuperate the abused exclamation point." - The Millions
For those without college degrees, life expectancy reached its peak around 2010 and has been falling since, an unfolding disaster that has attracted little attention in the media or among elected officials. - The New York Times
New York Times editor and culture writer Sarah Bahr tags along with the paper's chief critic to a preview of Gutenberg! The Musical and talks to him about how (and why) he works as he does. - The New York Times
Half the staff at Bandcamp, the online music platform known for championing independent artists and labels, have been laid off following the recent purchase of the company by music licensing startup Songtradr. - The Guardian
Kara Skrubis recounts how she was diagnosed with bone cancer while in college. It was a long road to recovery, but when she got her prosthesis, she put a ballet shoe on it and went to dance class. Three years later, she danced a solo with her university program. - Insider
Legal experts told me that copyright challenges pose a near-existential threat to existing A.I. models if the way they’re being trained isn’t aboveboard. If they can’t ingest mountains of data—which until now they’ve largely done without paying for that data—they won’t work. - Slate
The Grand Palais Éphémère, at the south end of the Champ de Mars in Paris, opened in 2021 as a short-term replacement for the Grand Palais. It's hosting concerts and art exhibitions and will be used for several events at the 2024 Olympics. - The New York Times
The internet is worth fighting for because despite all the misery, there’s still so much good to be found there. And yet, fixing online discourse is the definition of a hard problem. But look. Don’t worry. I have an idea. - MIT Technology Review
"'That really pushed us to the edge,' says Maggie Quick, a guest attendant. 'It was just the constant understaffing and the emotional exhaustion.'" Union recognition has gone smoothly enough at some indie cinemas; Alamo Drafthouse, however, is another matter. - AP
The author of The God of Small Things gave a speech about Kashmir and the Indian government's counterinsurgency campaign there at a conference in Delhi in 2010. She's now "accused of making statements promoting social enmity, prejudicing national integration and inciting offences against the state and public tranquillity." - The Conversation
Dariush Mehrjui, 83, one of the founders of Iran's "new wave," and his wife/co-screenwriter/costume designer, Vahideh Mohammadifar, were discovered by their daughter with knife wounds in their necks. - AP
A plaster version of The Burghers of Calais, now thought to be worth £3 million, is one of 1,750 works owned by the museums of the city of Glasgow and now described as "unlocated." The sculpture was last on display in 1949, when it was damaged. - The Guardian (AFP)
Contract negotiations drag on. Players say they want salaries that can attract top talent. Management says it wants to pay better but the cash just isn't there. And with the orchestra having merged with the Kimmel Center in 2021, a strike could upend the city's entire arts ecosystem. - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Both venues were evacuated on Saturday after the threats came in. Heightened security will remain in place at least through the opening of Paris+ (an Art Basel fair) on Thursday. - Artnet
