Hoping to help in catching smugglers and eventually rebuilding whatever possible, Cheikhmous Ali and his fellows are risking their lives, using equipment such as cameras hidden inside ballpoint pens (yes, really) to document the catastrophic damage to historic buildings and artifacts from Syria’s civil war. (in English)
Author: Matthew Westphal
Shakespeare Was A Conservative, And His Plays Show It
“His political allegiances were clear … He supported early modern England’s status quo and established hierarchy, which meant defending the Crown’s view of divine monarchical right and opposing the radicals, often Puritan, who questioned it.”
250 Years Of Fussing About English Grammar, Hopefully (Ahem) Gathered Into One Database
“There’s a lot of advice about English usage that we largely take for granted, from split infinitives to dangling participles, but where did anyone get these ideas in the first place?” Linguist Robin Straaijer writes about his Hyper Usage Guide of English (HUGE)database project, using as an example the hopefully wars, which (like so many culture wars) has been fought since the ’60s.
All Sydney Is Arguing Over This Public Sculpture (And It Isn’t Even Built Yet)
“There are people in the world – otherwise sensible people – who continue to think that the purpose of public art is to make people happy. … [Yet] the purest pleasure excited by a newly announced work of public art is invariably to be found in the breast of the person who cannot stand it. Take Sydney, which has been yelling at itself all week over … plans to install a 50-metre-high undulating arch of stainless steel fettucine right over the road outside Town Hall.”
Louisville Orchestra, Near Death Not Long Ago, Is Back In The Black
“The Louisville Orchestra is reporting a $20,000 budget surplus – the first time it has been in the black since it filed for bankruptcy nearly four years ago.”
Nashville Ballet Announces Major Expansion Project
“The Nashville Ballet is embarking on an unprecedented public fundraising campaign to finance an expansion project to grow studio space, renovate its Sylvan Heights headquarters and dramatically increase the number of students.” The campaign, called ELEVATE, “has already raised $3.7 million out of its goal of $5.5 million.”
Ballet San Antonio’s Founder Starts City’s Second Professional Company
“With performances during its inaugural season under its belt, organizers of … Ballet Latino de San Antonio, are working on the fall 2014 schedule as well as plans for performing abroad next year.” The company was established by the city’s ballet madrina, Mayra Worthen, who stepped down as Ballet San Antonio’s artistic director in 2011.
The Case For Peter Gelb: The Met Opera’s Maligned Manager Isn’t As Bad As You Think
James Jorden: “It’s not hard to understand how the Metropolitan Opera’s general manager Peter Gelb got a bad rap … but the dark clouds hovering over Mr. Gelb should not obscure his very real achievements.” And those achievements go well beyond the HD simulcasts.
Rome Theater Evicts Squatter Theater Artists After Three Lively Years
“The curtain will come down on Sunday on the three-year occupation of the Teatro Valle, putting an end to a self-management experiment that turned the storied theater here into a lively cultural hub. City officials have given the occupiers of the theater – a motley cast of actors, technicians, playwrights and sundry artists – until Aug. 10 to leave so that renovations can begin on the theater.”
UK Jewish Film Festival In Fight With Host Venue
“A north London theatre has refused to host the UK Jewish Film Festival while it is sponsored by the Israeli Embassy amid the ongoing crisis in Gaza. The Tricycle Theatre … said it would not accept any funding from ‘any party to the current conflict’. It has offered to use its own resources instead.” Festival management calls the condition “unacceptable” and says it will move.