“To skim to inform” is the new norm for reading. What goes missing are deep reading processes which require a quality of attention increasingly at risk in a culture and on a medium in which constant distraction bifurcates our attention. These processes include connecting background knowledge to new information, making analogies, drawing inferences, examining truth value, passing over into the perspectives of others (expanding empathy and knowledge), and integrating everything into critical analysis. Deep reading is our species’ bridge to insight and novel thought. – The Guardian
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Afghanistan’s Most Famous Actress, And First Female Filmmaker, Shot In Kabul
Saba Sahar, who is a senior police officer and an activist as well as a performer and producer/director, was shot in her car or her way to work. She was comatose for 20 hours but is now out of danger, said her husband. The Taliban has denied responsibility. – CBS News
Istvan Rabovsky, First Big Ballet Star To Defect From Soviet Bloc, Dead At 90
“Trained in Hungary and the Soviet Union, Mr. Rabovsky and [his wife Nora] Kovach created a sensation with their technical virtuosity and an energetic style virtually unknown to Western audiences until the Bolshoi Ballet appeared in London and New York in 1956 and 1959.” – The New York Times
How To Bring L.A. Back From Disease, Dissension, And Unrest? Build Concert Halls, Says Mark Swed
“On the surface, that no doubt sounds idiotic — economically, socially and in just about every other way,” writes the L.A. Times classical music critic. “It’s not. It is the simplest, surest, most affordable means of turning this town around. Better still, we’re already nearly there. So please, bear with me.” – Los Angeles Times
‘Manipulative, Offensive, And Cheap’: Whitney Museum Cancels Show Of Black Artists’ Work After Artists Cry Foul
“The Whitney Museum of American Art on Tuesday canceled an upcoming exhibition after artists of color objected to the institution’s having obtained their work through discounted sales largely meant to benefit racial justice charities. They have accused the museum of trying to capitalize on their work without properly compensating them.” – The New York Times
Lost 13th-Century Portions Of Westminster Abbey Rediscovered
“Built in the 1250s as part of Henry III’s rebuilding efforts, the L-shaped structure” — called the Great Sacristy — “housed sacred items, including chalices, altar linens and vestments. … Medieval clergy members may have also gathered in the sacristy to prepare for processions into the main church.” – Smithsonian Magazine
Actors’ Equity OKs Three Indoor Productions, The First Since COVID Lockdown
“All three theaters are nonprofits in New England, where virus cases are low. The region has already been home to the first two outdoor productions featuring union actors during the pandemic. … Among the shows planned is a seven-actor version of Little Shop of Horrors; the theater is still figuring out how to stage a sadistic dental exam and several encounters with a man-eating plant, but is pledging to limit physical contact between actors (and yes, that means Audrey and Seymour will not kiss).” – The New York Times
Support For The Arts, And For Public Funding, In Australia Hits New High: Study
“The top-level statistics are impressive: few other industries can boast sustained engagement with 98% of the population. The survey shows a significant rise in both the number of Australians who believe in the positive impacts of the arts, and the number who support it being publicly funded.” – The Guardian
How Good Teachers Cultivate Wonder
While it is certainly not inevitable that children lose their sense of wonder as they grow up, and while adults are in principle as capable of experiencing wonder as children, it is to be expected that, as the world becomes more and more familiar to children as they age, they will experience wonder less readily. It increasingly requires effort to see how extraordinary the world and everything in it is. Familiarity – even if it implies no real understanding at all – can dull the sense of mystery. – Psyche
What Pandemic? Vinyl Record Sales Up 17 Percent
“The biggest issue [in the vinyl industry] is the broken supply chain,” said the Vinyl Alliance, a trade industry group in April 2020. Increasing shipping costs, a lack of live concerts at which to sell merchandise, and a slow down in new vinyl requests from musicians had record production and sales declining. But the demand for vinyl records was too strong to keep the industry down. Manufacturing quickly got back to normal, and, in the US, 2020 unit sales are up over 17% from 2019. The appeal of the record, with its tangibility, beauty and history, just keeps on growing. – Quartz