Tag: 04.13.20

Arvo Pärt On What The Pandemic Says To Us

“This tiny coronavirus has showed us in a painful way that humanity is a single organism and human existence is possible only in relation to other living beings. The notion of “relationship” should be understood as a maxim, as the ability to love. Although this is truly a high standard, maybe even too high for a human being. Our current situation is paradoxical: on the one hand, it means isolation, on the other, it brings us closer. While isolating ourselves, we should be able to – we are even forced to – appreciate our relationships in a small circle and to tend to them.” – Estonian World

Are Non-Profits Too Averse To Political Advocacy?

Vu Le: “This is the problem. Our sector is afraid of advocacy, much less politics. And we have an absolute disgust for politics. We believe it is beneath us. We don’t want to get our hands dirty. Politics and anything associated with it is an ugly, terrible thing; we should focus on more noble, feel-good pursuits while virtue signaling by rabble-rousing about how we need to change systems yet simultaneously avoiding doing the one thing that would significantly change systems.” – NonprofitAF

The Sacred, 370-Year-Old Kabuki In This Japanese Village May Fade Away For Lack Of Villagers To Perform It

Every year since the mid-17th century, when a freak snowstorm stopped the shogun’s enforcer and saved them from a death sentence, the people of the mountain hamlet of Damine have performed a kabuki play to honor the goddess of mercy. They’ve never missed a year, not even during World War II. But, as with so much of rural Japan, all but the oldest people are gradually abandoning Damine for cities with better jobs. – The New York Times

In Lockdown, Pollution Plummets, The Sky Returns And Indians Contemplate A Different India

The circulation of a billion Indians has not settled into the neat grid of social distance. On my phone, I see looming disaster. And yet, looking up, I see something else—a glimpse, behind the jungle crow facing off with two brahminy kites, of an alternative to how we live. In northern India, the change has been as basic as breathing. Of the thirty cities with the worst air pollution in the world, twenty-one are in northern India. – The New Yorker

Where You Want To Be During The Virus Crisis: Berlin

Germany has a low infection rate, but additionally the city has efficiently tried to help its residents: “Fortunately, last week more than $1.4 billion was already doled out in Berlin to more than 150,000 of the city’s self-employed and small businesses. Colin filled out a short online application for the $5,400 which is being offered, no strings attached, available to freelancers. To his shock—as Germany’s bureaucracy is notoriously ponderous and time-sapping—the sum popped up in his bank account two days later.” – Boston Review

Court Rules That Video Game ‘Call Of Duty’ Is A Work Of Art

The manufacturer of Humvees, AM General, sued the game developer, alleging that the appearance of the trucks in Call of Duty “deceived [players] into believing that AM General licenses the games.” A New York State District Judge rejected the suit, writing that “if realism is an artistic goal, then the presence in modern warfare games of vehicles employed by actual militaries undoubtedly furthers that goal” and that the developer is thus protected under the First Amendment. – The Art Newspaper

Condé Nast Starts Its Pay Cuts At The Top

“The salaries of those earning $100,000 or more — just under half the company — will be reduced by 10 to 20 percent for five months, starting in May, [a] memo said. The pay of executives in the senior management team, including Anna Wintour, the artistic director and Condé Nast’s best-known figurehead, will be cut 20 percent,” with CEO Roger Lynch giving up half his pay. – The New York Times