“Prop. 1 is the culmination of a decade-plus struggle to pass a state law allowing counties to tax themselves for arts and culture education, and asks voters to approve a sales tax of 0.1 percent — a penny for every $10 — to support arts, culture and science access and education. In the campaign’s projections, that means $30 a year for a household with an income of $80,000. That might sound like a small ask, but Prop. 1 is provoking a large debate about our state’s tax system and whether this measure asks voters to make an either/or choice about funding priorities: homelessness or culture education? Mental-health services or the Wing Luke Museum?”
Tag: 07.20.17
Why Is It So Hard For New Women Musicians To Hit It Big?
“These artists all have a mainstream presence – performing at major festivals, appearing on Spotify and Radio 1 playlists, nurturing healthy social media accounts – but their popularity feels more microcosmic than an all-conquering march. Look at the charts. No female solo artists or groups have scored a UK No 1 this year, and beyond Anne-Marie’s vocal on Clean Bandit’s No 1 Rockabye in January, and Little Mix’s No 1 album, the year has been dominated by male artists.”
If This Really Is The Death Of Retail, What Will Happen To All The Street-Front Stores In Our Cities?
“What becomes of the ground-floor city when retail mutates into new forms? Some luxury brands might keep their boutiques as indulgences and loss leaders. But as national chains’ contracts give up on physical locations, commercial rents could fall, clearing the way for a resurgence of small stores: designer cookies and pet spas, but also used-book stores and shoe-repair shops. Or maybe only bars and restaurants will survive, and we will repurpose vacant storefronts into living spaces for a housing-strapped city.”
Study: Thinking You’re Lazy Is Bad For Your Health
“Among a large group of Americans who were tracked for up to two decades, the death rate was far higher among those who viewed themselves as less active than their peers. Intriguingly, this held true even “after adjusting for actual levels of physical activity.” This suggests that, while spending too much time on the sofa is clearly bad for your health, there are dangers in simply thinking of yourself as couch potato.”
If Your Job Is To Sell Books, What Do You Do When A Customer Wants A Book You Think Is Bad For Them?
“Despite the immeasurable good work independent bookstores and their staff do—from promoting children’s literacy to hosting readings and book clubs to being a vital part of local economies, and more—I’d hazard that the primary goal is always going to be customer satisfaction. So what can you do when a customer wants a book that you not only find objectionable but also believe actually dangerous in the lessons it portends amidst such a politically precarious time?”
Is It Possible There’s A Scientific Test For Consciousness?
“Week by week we hear claims from neuroscientists that would appear to confirm the prevailing “internalist” view of consciousness. If the brain creates a representation in our heads of the world around us through the firing of neurons, the argument goes, then we can identify neural activity that corresponds to particular aspects of consciousness. How, then, can the internalist theory be tested and demonstrated scientifically?”
Complaints Of Sexual Harassment Against Longtime Minnesota Theatre Executive Director
“The complaints — some anonymous — surfaced only after an internal dispute about whether the theater’s latest production should have an intermission boiled over, angering many of the community volunteers the theater relies on to function. As anger over the theater board’s oversight gained steam, MPR News interviewed these six people and one more who said they personally had been subjected to unwelcome sexual advances.”
Rising Young Cabaret Singer Dies Onstage
Barbara Weldens, a 35-year-old Frenchwoman who took first prize in last year’s Jacques Brel Young Talent competition and who released her first album in February, was performing at a festival in southwestern France when she abruptly collapsed, apparently having been electrocuted.
The First American Ever To Direct At Bayreuth, And They Chose, Of All People –
“Yuval Sharon has instigated a mobile opera involving 126 performers, 24 limousines and six composers. He’s produced a headphone opera, set among commuters passing through one of the country’s busiest train stations. … And, in 12 months, he’ll become the first American to direct a production at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, founded by Richard Wagner in 1876.”
They Warned Him Not To Take This Gig With The Bolshoi, But Choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot Made It Work
“‘It was a huge gamble,” Mr. Maillot, the director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, said in a phone interview from Monaco. ‘Everything was in place for it to fail.’ It did exactly the opposite. A success since its 2014 premiere, The Taming of the Shrew has become a calling card at home and abroad for the Bolshoi.” Laura Cappelle reports on the difficulties and delights of the project.