Tag: 10.06.20

The Little Piece Of Papyrus That Rewrote The History Of Christianity (Until It Didn’t)

Dr. Karen Leigh King had become a very rare thing: a theology professor whose speaking engagements could sell out a venue. Her work on the Gnostic Gospels, in particular a fragmentary Coptic manuscript called the Gospel of Mary (referring to Mary Magdalene), had brought to light the real possibility that women could real influence and authority in the earliest centuries of Christianity. Then, in 2010, she received an email with the subject line “Coptic gnostic gospels in my collection” … – Literary Hub

Canadian Opera Company Shuts Down For 20/21 Season

“Earlier this summer, our team made a promise to ourselves — and to our audiences — to explore every possible option for going ahead with our season. Since then, however, the changing local health situation has made it clear that cancelling our original winter and spring programming is the only safe decision for our staff, artists, and audience members.” – Ludwig Van

Are Societies With Gendered Languages Really More Sexist?

With respect to grammatical gender, there are three kinds of languages: gendered (e.g., Spanish, Arabic), where virtually all nouns are designated masculine, feminine, or, in some cases, neuter; genderless (e.g., Chinese, Turkish), with no grammatical or lexical distinction between male and female; or “natural gender” (e.g., English, Swedish), where only people and animals who possess a biological gender get gendered nouns and pronouns. Do speakers of gendered and genderless languages tend to see the world differently? Do their countries differ in gender (in)equality? Nayantara Dutta looks at some research. – BBC

Netflix Indicted By Rural Texas Grand Jury For ‘Cuties’

“The court filing [in Tyler County] claims Netflix knowingly promoted work that ‘depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child … which appeals to the prurient interest in sex.'” The French film, which contains no nudity but shows some very suggestive dance moves which have attracted controversy, is about an 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant who joins a teen dance team. – The Texas Tribune

Second City Has Put Itself Up For Sale

The announcement comes toward the end of a difficult year for (arguably) the world’s most famous improv comedy institution: in addition to the crippling effect of the COVID-19 epidemic (which saw two-thirds of the company’s staff laid off), The Second City has been shaken by accusations of institutionalized racial discrimination which saw co-owner and executive producer Andrew Alexander resign in June. – Variety

Gramophone’s Record Of The Year Is Mirga’s Weinberg Symphonies Disc; Igor Levit Is Artist Of The Year

The English-speaking world’s most prestigious classical recording prize goes to DG’s release of Mieczysław Weinberg’s Symphonies No. 2 and No. 21, with Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla conducting the City of Birmingham SO and Kremerata Baltica and Gidon Kremer playing the violin solos. Notable among the other awards is the rehabilitation of the Philadelphia Orchestra: 12 years after being pointedly left off the magazine’s list of the world’s 20 greatest symphonic ensembles, the band has been named Orchestra of the Year. (As David Patrick Stearns puts it in the accompanying essay, “Like all heavenly bodies, the Philadelphia Orchestra moves in and out of eclipse.”) – Gramophone

British Gov’t Considers Selling Off Channel 4

Said minister John Whittingdale, “Unlike the BBC, Channel 4 survives as an advertising-funded model. … We do need to think about Channel 4 and whether there is still a need for a second publicly owned public service broadcaster, or what function it should fulfill.” Founded in 1982 as a home for risky and experimental programming commissioned from independent producers, the station is currently best known for The Great British Bake-Off. – The Guardian