“About 50 people packed the inside of the Children’s Book Cellar, where is was shoulder to shoulder, like a rainbow mosh pit. Ophelia, a drag queen from Topsham, read from two books about inclusion.” “Across the street, another much smaller group, called An End to Child Indoctrination at the Cellar Bookstore, said their message was not about hating anyone.” – The Morning Sentinel (Waterville, Maine)
Blog
The Opera That Won The Venice Biennale Is Running Out Of Money, With Number Of Performances Slashed
The creators of Sun and Sea (Marina) at the Lithuanian pavilion say they had never really expected more than 15 visitors at a time and certainly never expected to win the Golden Lion or draw crowds. So the funding plans they had weren’t adequate to what actually happened. They’ve cut down from daily performances (when the press and judges were in town) to once on Saturdays; they say that “[adding] a Wednesday performance is our maximum ambition.” – The New York Times
For First Time Since 1993, Japan’s Movie Theaters Have Raised Ticket Prices
Two of the country’s four major chains have raised the price of a standard ticket from ¥1,800 ($16.50) to ¥1,900 ($17.50), citing the costs of new IMAX and 4D equipment as well as “anti-earthquake measures” (aren’t those standard in Japan already?). – The Guardian
Staff At Belgian Theatre Balks At Being Merged With Country’s Most Famous Dance Company
The dramaturg at the Kaaitheater, a Flemish company in Brussels, has written an open letter arguing hard against a merger between the Kaai and Rosas, the company of choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. The directors of both companies have called the letter, and the worries expressed in it, “premature.” – The Brussels Times
How A Dutch Museum Discovered The Monet It Thought It Had Was A Different Monet Underneath
Ruth Hoppe, the modern art conservator for the museum, noticed that the painting had been retouched to cover up tiny holes in it. On closer inspection, she found that there were shards of glass wedged into the canvas. Ms. Hoppe decided to do a more extensive investigation. She X-rayed the work, and discovered something extraordinary: Underneath the “Wisteria” was another painting — of water lilies. – The New York Times
Know This At Your Peril! How Knowledge Can Stand In The Way Of Truth
What more than true belief is required for knowledge? A natural thought is that your belief needs to be backed by good reasons. It can’t just be a guess that happens to turn out right. But this doesn’t seem enough either. – Aeon
The Celebrity Hologram – What Does This Say About How We Think About Fame?
It’s a given that celebrity image is built on smoke and mirrors. But we’re in a curious spot today, where the music industry is manoeuvering to convince audiences that the veneer of an artist’s presence is a compelling substitute to watching a flesh-and-blood performance. Enter the pop star hologram. – The Guardian
How Social Media Is Distorting The Value Hierarchy Of Higher Education
“The tools and rules of social media are increasingly swallowing up scholarly work, whether we join the new platforms or not. Where once discernment, hard-won expertise, and glacial, scrupulous scholarship read by only a small cabal of peers carried real weight, the research agenda is now driven by an economy of clicks, likes, follows, and retweets.” – Chronicle of Higher Education
Social Media Terms: The Difference Between Creators And Influencers
The current distinction between creators and influencers has much more to do with what platform a person gains her fame on than her gender. – The Atlantic
A Conservative Writer Makes An Anti-Market Argument About Jeff Koons
Matthew Scully: “Actually, if there’s political insight to be gleaned from all this, it probably has more to do with inflatable reputations, gullible audiences, and the spell of progressive groupthink — problems that grow only more hopeless with money.” National Review Online