“The French tourist, who was visiting London with his parents, was pushed from the gallery’s 10th floor viewing platform by a teenager with a history of mental health problems. … The boy has now gained the ability to sit up on his own, and he is able to feed himself soft foods with his right hand. He is still working on the coordination of his left side but is making small advances.” – Artnet
We Can Rebuild, But Why?
Merely stabilizing the economy, or preventing the absolute worst of all possible worlds, will not be enough. In a short few weeks, the COVID-19 recession has made painfully clear our profound economic weaknesses. We have long known that 40 percent of Americans cannot afford an unexpected $400 expense. Now we are beginning to understand exactly what that means. – Boston Review
As The UK Public Saw What Was Coming, Book Buying Soared
Even as government officials seemed a bit cavalier about it all – talking about herd immunity, for instance – people sensed that a shutdown was coming. “Sales of fiction rose by a third, while children’s education went up 234% to the third highest level on record. Puzzle books, handicrafts and true crime also saw sharp rises.” – BBC
Sarasota Ballet Will Support Its Dancers Through The Original End Of The Season
The ballet says that, “We also recognized that while many of our dancers have made their homes here in Sarasota, and others would be able to easily return to their home states/countries, many of the Company were not going to be so lucky. With our dancers from countries like Italy, who are unable to return to their families, we have assured them that we will help in whatever ways we can.” They expect to lose around $800,000. – Ballet News
The Organist Who Kept Britain Company During World War II
Sandy, as listeners called him, spoke like a reassuring, relatable friend. “Sandy Macpherson’s quiet voice is very reassuring at a time when our ears are on the alert for warning sirens,” one family wrote in September 1939. At Christmas, fans showered him with “flowers, mufflers, handkerchiefs, cigarettes, fruit and pots of jam.” – The Conversation
Nightlife Is The Soul Of A City. Now It’s Gone And We Need To Protect It
The rise of night mayors after 2012 followed the recognition by many cities that they largely ignored what many called their nighttime economies. Those who worked in the nighttime entertainment sector had long argued that their contributions to employment and city tax coffers went unrecognized. – The Conversation
Our Home-Isolation Comes With A Sober Realization: This, Actually, Is Who We Are
The necessary response to the pandemic has, after all, intensified huge swaths of the population’s pre-pandemic situations. The economically and medically fragile are at new risk; the cloistered and privileged have only thickened the walls of their bubble. Single people feel extremely single. People in relationships are now super-duper in relationships. The home has become not a refuge from the world’s arena but rather the arena itself. It’s thus tempting to think of the crisis as a personal reckoning: This is the life you’ve been making all along. Now live it. – The Atlantic
Out Of Another Plague And Quarantine Came A Priceless Record Of Pre-Conquest Mexico
“It is the middle of a plague — ‘a pestilence so great and universal, that already it has been three months since it started, and many have died and many more continue to die.’ This does little to stop a group of scholars who have sealed themselves off from the world in a Mexico City convent, where they toil on a series of volumes devoted to indigenous knowledge.” Carolina Miranda recounts the story of the Historia General de las cosas de la Nueva España, a 12-volume manuscript from 1576 now known as the Florentine Codex. – Los Angeles Times
Songwriters, Self-Employed Musicians To Get Aid In Bailout Bill
Most industry creative and support occupations are not eligible for unemployment. The bill now covers self-employed small-business owners, a category that in music ranges from songwriters to roadies. Under the new bill, self-employed individuals could begin receiving financial aid, through grants and loans, as soon as next month. – Variety
UK’s National Theatre To Start Weekly Webcasts Of Its Most Popular Productions
“The new two-month National Theatre at Home programme will begin with One Man, Two Guvnors, the Richard Bean comedy starring James Corden. The films will be shown at 7pm every Thursday to try to recreate, where possible, the communal viewing experience. They will then be available on demand for seven days.” – The Guardian
Federal Stimulus Bill Includes $75 Million To Stabilize Public Radio And TV
“The bill includes $75 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ‘to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including for fiscal stabilization grants to public telecommunications entities,’ the bill says. [It] directs CPB to use the funds to help ‘maintain programming and services and preserve small and rural stations threatened by declines in non-Federal revenues.'” – Current
Kansas City Symphony Cancels Concerts Into May But Will Pay Musicians
All salary and benefits for the players wil be maintained through the end of the 2019-20 season in June — thanks, according to executive director Danny Beckley, to increased support from patrons and donors. – The Kansas City Star
Furloughs And Pay Cuts At Cleveland Museum Of Art
“Anticipating lost revenues of more than $5 million because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Cleveland Museum of Art announced it will immediately furlough all part-time staff and temporarily lay off a portion of its unionized staff, which includes security guards. In addition, the museum mandated a five-hour-a-week reduction in salary for all nonunion employees, effectively reducing pay by about 11% to 15%.” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
New York City Ballet Cancels All Spring Performances But Will Pay Through End Of Season
“The employees who are to be paid and receive benefits through the dark season include the dancers, musicians, stagehands, costume designers, security personnel, ushers and administrators. … For now, their payment schedule is the same as it would have been without the pandemic: They will be paid until the end of the spring season, and then will face a short layoff.” – The New York Times
Art Basel 2020 Postponed But Not Cancelled
“Art Basel has now moved its Swiss edition — which regularly convenes nearly 300 galleries and is considered to be among the biggest art events each year — to run from September 17–20, with preview days on September 15 and 16. … Earlier this year, Art Basel canceled its Hong Kong fair entirely after the virus’s spread in the city prevented it from taking place.” – ARTnews
Verbier Festival For 2020 Called Off
Said festival founder Martin T. Engstroem, “There were far too many uncertainties. Our audience and our musicians come from all over the world with a large population mix. We could not take responsibility for a new outbreak of the virus.” The gathering in the Swiss Alps had been scheduled for July 17 to August 2. – EN24 (Switzerland)
Of Oedipus And Trump – Some Lessons
Insulted and incensed, Oedipus responds as intemperately as Trump when crossed by a politician or held to account by a member of the press. To salve his injured pride, Oedipus harks back to the equivalent of his electoral coup. It was through the sharpness of his wit that he, an outsider not in the royal line of succession, solved the riddle of the Sphinx and won the throne. – Los Angeles Times
How Do You Run Choir Practice For 300 Kids Via Zoom? Like This
“Since March 16, the [Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale’s] four ensembles have been hosting nine Zoom rehearsals every week, while its sister organization, Philadelphia Girls Choir, is running roughly 14 among its four ensembles.” Reporter Cassie Owens watches a rehearsal and talks to director Jeffrey Smith about how he pulls it off. – The Philadelphia Inquirer