If an earthquake now hits India or Iran, like in 2001 and 2003, respectively, killing over 20,000 people in each country—or if we witness a repeat of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina in the US or 2011’s tsunami in Japan—will the world respond? Would the world wish to respond? Currently, health systems and social services are stretched to their breaking points. – Nautilus
Author: Douglas McLennan
Major League Baseball Announces A Virtual Opening Day
The ball parks are closed, but baseball will move online. It will happen Thursday, on what would have been opening day across baseball. The virtual event will feature a classic game for all 30 teams, a game they win. The schedule includes classic postseason games, no-hitters and walk-offs. – Yahoo!
The Arts Business Has Been Decimated. It Won’t Be Easy Getting It Back
Adrian Ellis: “The sector is economically significant—we have the data on all those jobs created; on the new investment the arts attract to urban areas; and on those high-end cultural tourists seduced into spending more, staying longer and coming back again. The sector is also socially significant and is, at its core, the custodian of the world’s material and intangible culture.” – Wall Street Journal
Will Movie Theatres Survive The Apocalypse?
Even during past recessions, consumers still flocked to theaters to forget their troubles. With ticketing and concession sales now evaporated, many analysts fret that some cinemas will not be able to survive without government assistance. – Los Angeles Times
Why Rebuild When We Could Remake? (Green)
They are asking for a $2 trillion commitment for programs that will create living-wage jobs, amped-up public health and housing sectors, and a pivot away from a fossil-fuels-based energy frame. Under their plan, the stimulus would automatically renew every year at 4 percent of GDP, or $850 billion annually, as well as give the public more of a voice in whether — and how — large-scale corporations would get bailouts.For now, the coalition recognizes that the focus should be on stopping the spread of coronavirus and mitigating all related health risks. – CityLab
Barbara Ehrenreich On Class, Health And Making It In America
“Like in journalism, in all the creative occupations, there’s no stability unless you’re a superstar of some sort. ” – New York Times Magazine
Critic/Curator Maurice Berger, 63 From Coronavirus; Changed Museum Conversation On Race
“From a very early age, I understood that my skin had a lot of meaning,” he told National Public Radio in 2005. “It made me different in the projects, but it gave me power in the outside world.” It was a theme he would explore throughout his career.
Is This Chatbot My New Best Friend?
To give users a personalised experience, the deep learning bot gathers information about conversation partners by asking them questions, adapts to their conversational style and, over time, attempts to mimic them. Beyond companionship, Replika’s creators believe that the technology could eventually serve as a conversational stand-in for deceased loves ones. – Aeon
Maybe Figuring Out How To Get Your Work To An Audience Is Part Of The Creative Challenge
Playwright Nick Green created the Social Distancing Festival website to host rehearsal videos, designs, photos, excerpts and other pieces of work that have been cancelled or postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He put out a call for submissions on Saturday, March 14. By the next day he had 23,000 page views and, as of Thursday, 270,000 unique visitors. – Toronto Star
Devastated US Arts Industry Looks For Government Assistance
It has not been an easy sell, coming at a time when many pillars of the economy, from airlines to restaurants to public transportation, are facing existential crises and needing handouts themselves. But it is a fight the country’s museums and performing arts groups are used to waging. – The New York Times