Of course, they’re not alone, but the virus has especially terrible timing in a country hit by sudden so-called austerity measures. “The Australian arts industry operates on a knife-edge at the best of times – but in recent years, the pressure has reached boiling point: local creators have faced millions in funding cuts, with draconian laws decimating once thriving scenes.” – The Guardian (UK)
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Leaving The Rose Main Reading Room As The Coronavirus Looms
What it feels like to abandon communal reading and working in one of New York’s most glorious public spaces – not good. Said one retired professor: “I see we’ll have digital access for a lot. … But I’m not happy, I’m afraid.” – The New York Times
The Japanese Calligrapher Keeping A Forgotten Women’s Script Alive
Kana shodo, which is more than a millennium old and in which the first known novel was written, has fallen out of use for Japanese women today – but artist and master calligrapher Kaoru Akagawa is making art with it. – CNN
In Europe, Lockdowns Mean Neighbors Having Impromptu Singalongs From Their Windows
And then there’s the social-media-scheduled applause for hospital workers as well. In Rome, one neighborhood sang the anti-fascist anthem “Bella Ciao.” And “elsewhere in the city, pop triumphed over politics, as a neighborhood came together to perform the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest’s third-place winner ‘Nei Blu, Dipinto di Blu,’ a.k.a. ‘Volare.'” – Slate
Why Broadband Companies Must Ditch Their Data Caps For The Duration
As local and state governments try harder and harder to urge social distancing and isolation, internet usage will naturally increase from private residences. And “while it’ll be difficult for everyone to access all the resources they need in this time of shutdowns and isolation, it’ll likely impact low-income populations the hardest. Advocates worry that the homework gap, which refers to the difficulty students have completing course work without a stable home internet connection, will widen as schools close their classrooms and provide lessons and materials virtually.” – Slate
Life Feels Tenuous, So Here’s A List Of Fun Books To Read For Distraction And Joy
Also, to keep you away from the world of crowded bars or restaurants. Seriously, don’t do it. Instead, why not start a series like the many, many-volumed Discworld of Terry Pratchett? (Yes, your library is probably closed or closing, so you’ll have to get these books by e-reader or delivery, but still.) – The Guardian (UK)
Collecting Art Is Fun, But That’s Nothing Compared To Collecting Bits Of Outer Space
Meteorites are the hot new thing at Christy’s. The auction may (OK, probably will) be rescheduled over virus fears, but the fact remains that meteorites are becoming more popular to collectors, and the resource is finite. “Only about 60,000 meteorites are known to have landed on Earth, according to experts, but many fragmented into hundreds of pieces as they crashed through the atmosphere, or have since been cut and sliced and cut some more.” – The New York Times
Alert To The Unwary And The Fascinated: Amazon Is Flooded With Self-Published Virus Books
There are the terrible – quack “guides” to combatting the virus that causes COVID-19 – and the amusing: “Coronavirus Zombies Volume 1: The Living Dead Apocalypse by one Maximus Williams involves a vaccine for the illness turning those who catch it into a deadly threat. Running to just 20 pages, it promises ‘scenes of violence, guns, profanity and graphic scenes of zombies that may be objectionable to some.'” – The Irish Times
In Which ‘The Atlantic’ Argues That Theatre Shutdowns Could Be Good For Plays
Shakespeare apparently wrote King Lear while the Globe was shuttered because of the bubonic plague (a trope that echoed heavily on Twitter over the weekend). Then there’s the economic opportunity: “Given that the bubonic plague particularly decimated young populations, it may also have wiped out Shakespeare’s theatrical rivals—companies of boy actors who dominated the early-17th-century stage, and could often get away with more satiric, politically dicey productions than their older competitors. Shakespeare’s company took over the indoor Blackfriars Theatre in 1608 after the leading boy company collapsed, and started doing darker, edgier productions, capitalizing on a market share that was newly available.” – The Atlantic
The Met May Have Shuttered, But It’s Offering Several Operas Free In HD
In an act of generosity to millions stuck at home with no entertainment options during the rest of the month (or longer), the Met “will stream a title from its Live in HD series each night through the duration of the closure. The performances, originally captured as live broadcasts in movie theatres worldwide, will begin at 7:30 PM from the company’s homepage.” (And then, if you like what you get for free, you can of course subscribe to the opera’s full streaming service. Clever!) – Playbill