“Two of the region’s major arts organizations, the Virginia Opera and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, owe the city of Norfolk a combined $380,000 for unpaid rent and event fees.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Pres. Obama Nominates First African-American, First Woman Librarian Of Congress
If confirmed by the Senate, she’ll also be only the second person in the position to have made a career as a librarian.
This Man Has Been Building A Cathedral By Hand For 55 Years
“Twelve miles north of Madrid in Mejorada del Campo, a 90-year-old man is working to finish his life’s work: a grand cathedral. It is a cathedral with no trained architect, no government approval and no benediction from the Catholic Church. It is either the work of a madman or that of a prophet.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 02.24.16
Internships and Privilege
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Someone says, “[X historically disenfranchised group] should stop complaining. They have way more privileges than I do.” When thus confronted, I have had to resist the visceral impulse … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2016-02-23
Obama Finally Axes Librarian of Congress
It took more than six years, but President Obama got his way today, appointing the first African-American as Librarian of Congress: Carla D. Hayden, head of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore’s public library. I should say “nominating,” because … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-02-24
Interactive Hijinks: Putting the Viewer in the Picture
For some, it seems, it’s not enough to inhabit an artwork in their imaginations. They want to enter it physically. I’m embarrassed to own up to my own “living in a painting” experience: It occurred … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-02-24
Gary Bartz At The PDX Festival
Alto saxophonist Gary Bartz opened his Portland Jazz Festival concert singing a slow blues. He wasn’t lamenting his or anyone else’s troubles. The main message of his lyric was, “Sadness gotta leave this room.” … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-02-24
The Rampant Generation of Audio Files Continues
It’s remotely conceivable that you’re sitting around with nothing to do, and in case you’re in that enviable position, I have two hours’ worth of new recordings of my music up to entertain you. … read more
AJBlog: PostClassic Published 2016-02-24
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Leading Art Fair In Australia Canceled One Day Before Program Is Announced
After three major galleries pulled out just before deadline, the board’s decision to cancel was unanimous.
What The World’s Most Epic Sleep-Talker Said As He Dreamed
“Do you know Edwina didn’t even cry when that crocodile popped off her leg? She didn’t even cry, Edwina. She was fascinated, just fascinated. Her mother fainted dead away, and her father fainted dead away. … And Edwina just stood there and watched him chew up her leg. You know what? She said she always wanted to be Long John Silver!”
Could Google Search Results Really Change Minds And Flip Elections?
Research psychologist Robert Epstein finds, and worries about, just how much effect a small change in the order of search results can have.
What It’s Really Like To Work In Hollywood If You’re Not A Straight White Guy, In The Words Of Those Who Do It
“Here, 27 industry players reveal the stories behind the numbers – their personal experiences of not feeling seen, heard or accepted, and how they pushed forward. In Hollywood, exclusion goes far beyond #OscarsSoWhite.”
What We Can Learn From Comparing Translations Of The Bible
“When a book is viewed by so many as holy, and when millions of people consider it the word of God, the stakes are much higher. Acknowledging that there is a translation issue, and that an alternative reading is possible, or that you may be reading a mistranslation, means the reader has to think deeply about what he or she actually believes.”
Anthropomorphizing Animals – Even Scientists Are Getting More Comfortable With It
“Now some prominent scientists are arguing that, though the impulse was well-intentioned, decades of knee-jerk avoidance of all things anthropomorphic may have mostly served to hold this field back.” Says one researcher, “It’s ruined the field. It prevented people from even asking those questions for about 40 years.”