“Officials have been deluging cafes, hotels, shops and taxi ranks with 20,000 more pamphlets titled ‘Do You Speak Touriste?’, a manual on how to make travelers feel more welcome, after 35,000 copies handed out in July ran out.”
Category: issues
Hong Kong’s Ghosts Struggle With Hyperinflation
“For hundreds of years, Chinese have burned stacks of so-called ‘ghost money’ for their ancestors to help ensure their comfort in the afterlife. The fake bills resemble a gaudier version of Monopoly money … The value of the biggest bills has risen in the past few decades from the millions and, more recently, the billions. The reason: Even Hong Kong’s dead try to keep up with the Joneses.”
It’s 2013 And There’s A Rich Country That Still Has Actual Witch Hunts
“The sorceress was naked. The sight of her bare flesh startled the prudish officers of Saudi Arabia’s infamous religious police, the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV), which had barged into her room in what was supposed to be a routine raid of a magical hideout.”
A Seismic Shift In Phoenix Arts Scene
“At least eight of the Valley’s largest cultural non-profits, including the Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera and Arizona Theatre Company, have hired or are looking to hire new artistic or business directors.”
Phoenix Arts Groups Are Struggling. And That Might Be A Good Thing?
“The Great Recession has done more than force arts groups to re-examine their business models, it is also forcing them to face the hardest truth of all: Society doesn’t owe you anything.”
When The School Districts Bow Out Of Arts Ed, Local Groups Fill In
“We used to choose the content and say this is what’s good for you and do you want to come and hear the concerts. Now it’s a two-way street. We adjusted everything to make sure we support the curriculum teachers are delivering.”
How Bloomberg Shaped New York (For Good, Bad, And More)
Want to see how much Bloomberg’s policies reshaped the city during his tenure as mayor? This interactive shows and tells about new buildings, bike lanes, gentrification – and more.
An Attempt To Gentrify Without Pushing Out The Neighborhood’s People
“All over this city, people create these completely artificial spaces and call them communities, but we’ve had that here for the last 100 years.”
The Quandaries of Fame (And The Best Role Model For Dealing With Them?)
“Research has suggested that around 40% of adults expect to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame in some guise or other. Many more are enthralled by those who achieve this goal, often immoderately.” And many celebrities are famously ambivalent about their celebrity. David Cox suggests that we can all take a cue on how to handle fame from Stephen Hawking.
Failure For A Misguided Arts Center
“The Public should serve as a reminder that it’s usually a good idea to think before you build.”