Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz wrote more than 60 books on subjects from philosophy to zoology, including a classic on the Kabbalah. But his major achievement is what he called his “hobby”: a 45-volume translation (which took him 45 years) of the Babylonian Talmud from the original Aramaic into modern Hebrew (from which it’s been trnalsated into English and other languages), with enough commentary and background info that even a beginner can approach it. – The New York Times
Author: Matthew Westphal
How Can Online Journalism Get Ad Revenue Back? Maybe By Tossing Its Cookies
That’s what worked — shockingly well — when Dutch public broadcaster NPO tried it: when it eliminated cookies, and thus the means to target ads to particular users, revenue soared. Here’s why contextual advertising (what NPO sold instead) brought in more money than targeted advertising — and why, says one American ad pro, this would not (yet) work in the United States. – Wired
Color-Blind Casting Is Not The Solution — We Need Color-Conscious Casting
That’s the argument being made by a growing number of nonwhite actors and observers such as critic Diep Tran: “Color-blind casting is dangerous in the same way the phrase: ‘I don’t see race’ is dangerous. It negates the very real structural hindrances that block actors of color from the same opportunities as white actors — like low pay in the theatre industry, a lack of roles that are ethnically specific that actors of color can play, and unconscious bias on the part of white theatres and casting directors.” – The Guardian
Kent Nagano At The Montreal Symphony: A Final Assessment
Arthur Kaptainis: “[He] managed to forge an entente with an orchestra still reeling from the public resignation of Charles Dutoit and a provincial government that took culture more seriously than most. Not to mention a public that was quite prepared to be mesmerized by his mix of Japanese ancestry, Californian upbringing and European credentials. … As the right conductor at the right time, Nagano was in a much better position than most music directors to do whatever he wanted … [including] programming that few other North American orchestras would hazard.” (Not to mention opening a brand-new concert hall.) – La Scena Musicale (Montreal)
World’s First Entirely Virtual, Entirely Interactive Art Museum Opens Aug. 14
The Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) …, curated by London-based art dealer Lee Cavaliere, will feature masterpieces on loan from international institutions such as Musée d’Orsay, Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. … Additionally, VOMA will present commissioned artworks by international contemporary artists as part of its newly-launched Digital Firsts Commission Programme.” – Yahoo! (AFP)
General Manager Out At DC’s WAMU After No-Good, Very Bad Summer
“J.J. Yore … presided over big increases in revenue and membership since the Marketplace co-creator arrived at the public radio station in 2014, but the end of his tenure began with a public debate over the station’s ability to retain Black journalists and blossomed into a full-on staff revolt that followed an investigation into one editor and revelations about how WAMU treated allegations of harassment by former reporter Martin Di Caro.” – Washingtonian
Play About Afghan Dancing Boys Withdrawn By Authors After Anger From Many Sides
“In 2017 [sic], two Americans attempted something unconventional … a musical about a subject even Afghans would consider too sensitive and unsettling — ‘bacha bazi‘ or ‘boy play’.” Turns out it was. When Diversionary Theatre, an LGBTQ company in San Diego, presented The Boy Who Danced on Air onstage, the play was well-received; when the company posted video of it online this summer and people from all over could see it, the response was not so warm. – BBC
British Authors Raised £1 Million To Help Fellow Writers Through The Pandemic. That Money’s Almost Gone.
“Almost £1m has been given out to nearly 700 authors since the end of March, to help those facing financial crisis through the coronavirus pandemic. But the Society of Authors has warned that funds are now running low, and that losses for writers are set to continue into next year.” – The Guardian
Where’s Classical Music Performance Headed Post-COVID? Here Are Some Clues
Having listened to recent online offerings from North America and Europe (where concerts are carefully starting to move back into halls), David Patrick Stearns predicts that “innovation and experimentation will continue to be part of the package …, but in a less reckless form than in the past, and with a strong streak of social responsibility. Performances will be more intense. Decorative elements will be at a minimum. The pursuit of artistic truth could easily translate into a lack of polish. And that will be okay — we’ve had plenty of polish in recent decades.” – WQXR (New York City)
Helen Jones Woods, Trombonist With Groundbreaking All-Women Jazz Band, Dead Of COVID At 96
“In addition to their pioneering role as women on the jazz circuit, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were an interracial band in the era of Jim Crow. Their extensive itinerary through the South, where they traveled by sleeper bus, reportedly inspired jazz piano giant Earl Hines to call them ‘the first Freedom Riders.’ They also toured Europe, playing in occupied Germany for American soldiers — both white and Black, though not at the same time.” (After the band broke up in 1949, Woods, who was biracial, joined the Omaha Symphony — and was fired after her first concert when management saw her Black father pick her up.) – WBGO (Newark, NJ)