The Wikipedia Problem

“That it has survived almost 15 years and remained the top Google result for a vast number of searches is a testament to the impressive vision of founder Jimmy Wales and the devotion of its tens of thousands of volunteer editors. But beneath its reasonably serene surface, the website can be as ugly and bitter as 4chan and as mind-numbingly bureaucratic as a Kafka story. And it can be particularly unwelcoming to women.”

What Happened To Jose Feghali?

“His career fairly exploded after the Cliburn win. With top-drawer management, he had a busy schedule of playing with the world’s top orchestras, and in the most prominent recital halls. Latin good looks and that natural ebullience didn’t hurt. Given the bumpy history of Cliburn winners, critics speculated that this guy just might have staying power. But something happened along the way.”

Australian Prime Minister Changes Jury’s Choice For Book Prize, Furor Ensues

The judges for this year’s Prime Minister’s Literary Award for fiction chose to give the $80,000 prize to Steven Carroll for A World of Other People. Then Tony Abbott stepped in (it’s his award, right?) to decree that Carroll should split the prize with Richard Flanagan for The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which had already won this year’s Man Booker Prize. This did not make many people happy.

How the Arts Drove Pittsburgh’s Revitalization

“But in looking at Pittsburgh’s impressive revival, it’s important to take note of the key role played over the last 30 years by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, an organization that has managed one of the city’s most vivid transformations, turning a large part of downtown that had been overtaken by porn shops, strip joints, massage parlors, and sleazy bars into a lively, safe, and attractive district for cultural arts and entertainment.”

Google News Is Pulling Out Of Spain Due To New Law

“Starting Jan. 1, recently enacted Spanish legislation will require the search giant to pay the publications it links to. For previewing their articles. In addition to the article title, Google News offers a small content snippet, beckoning users to click on the link visit the news site. For that, the Spanish government believes, they should pay the publisher. You can furrow your brow and scratch your head now.”