“After a day of conflicting reports about the extent of damage that Islamic State militants had inflicted on the Temple of Baal in the ancient city of Palmyra, Syria, a United Nations agency said late Monday that satellite images confirmed that the structure had been largely destroyed. The primary temple building, nearly 2,000 years old, was flattened.”
Category: issues
Too Much History: Why Istanbul Can Hardly Dig A Subway Tunnel Anywhere
Not even an area that was underwater during antiquity is free of archaeological concerns. After all, there were shipwrecks …
Target Shooters Are Destroying Ancient Petroglyphs In Utah Parks
“Spattered paint and bullet holes are erasing an archaeological record dating back thousands of years on public lands south of this growing enclave of subdivisions in Utah County.”
Inside The Persistent Boys’ Club Of Animation
“Animation professionals interviewed for this article knew the conventional wisdom: ‘Boys’ shows are general audience and girls’ shows are niche.'”
Measuring The Creative Economy: Can We Measure How The Artists Are Doing?
“Interestingly, in all the responses to the article, no one so far has been able to suggest a data source that suggests that mean or median incomes for musicians have declined since 1999, adjusted for inflation. Everything that I have uncovered in many months of researching this article suggests that the story of music since 1999 is one of steady but small growth for musicians. Not some glorious renaissance, but certainly not a crisis.”
Is “Teach For America” An Idea Whose Time Has Passed?
“As TFA’s applicant pool shrinks and recruitment dips, its critics are claiming that alumni horror stories and ideological critiques of the organization are finally starting to take their toll. TFA, on the other hand, maintains that ongoing economic recovery is impacting their recruitment by driving top-tier applicants away from teaching.”
Cultural Appropriation – A Weapon Of Mass Destruction?
“I worry that if we reach a place where a charge of cultural appropriation becomes a trump card, instantly condemning a work of art, a fashion line or a fitness craze, we won’t delve deeper on the important questions raised by cultural exchange.”
How The Biggest Explosion In Recorded History Changed Culture All Over The World
The eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 did more than just cause the “Year Without Summer” and lead to months on end of storms, crop failures and epidemics. The aftermath of that catastrophe changed the course of painting and literature (though the participants didn’t know it at the time), and arguably led to the birth of an entire branch of popular culture.
Is Your Foundation Perpetuating Inequality By The Way You Give Away Money?
“A basic tenet of equity in our line of work is that the communities that are most affected by societal problems are leading the efforts to address these challenges. And yet, many foundations’ application process is deeply inequitable, leaving behind the people and communities who are most affected by the injustices we as a sector are trying to address.”
How New Orleans Culture Asserted Itself After Katrina
“When I first got to New Orleans after the flood I was stunned first by just how much had been destroyed, and then later by just how little I knew. I’d been writing about jazz for 20 years. Yet I was profoundly ignorant about what it means to have a living music, one that flows from and embeds everyday life — a functional jazz culture of the sort that once existed in cities throughout the United States but now is exclusive to New Orleans.”