Latest news with #StanleyKowalski
New York Times
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Works of Art
If you sit close enough to the front of the theater for 'A Streetcar Named Desire' at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, you can see Paul Mescal spit and sweat as he stalks the stage as Stanley Kowalski, an artist doing his work in real time and space. It had been a while since I'd seen live theater when I went to see 'Streetcar' a few weeks ago, and I found myself in awe of the very liveness of it. I've grown so accustomed to experiencing culture through screens that I forgot how exciting it is to be in the room where the art is happening, to witness the effort and passion and bodily exertion that go into it. It's not just movies and TV, of course — we're all aghast at how much time we spend on devices, consuming content , whatever that means. Reading and watching and posting and shopping, always shopping for things and ideas and comfort and distraction. Surely this endless marketplace will turn up something that satisfies us at some point! I complained to a friend that I had the blues recently and her advice surprised me in its specificity and simplicity: 'Engage with things that someone put a lot of work into.' This wisdom seemed to cut through a lot of the bargaining I do with myself about how I spend my time. 'Well, it's OK that I spent the last 45 minutes reading the NYCBike subreddit because I learned about how they're ticketing cyclists who run red lights on Second Avenue, which is useful to me as someone who frequently cycles down Second Avenue,' I might rationalize. But if I am determined to engage only with things that someone put a lot of work into, idly reading Reddit is out. So is my habit of scrolling through Instagram Reels of senior dogs. No more using ChatGPT as a therapist — there isn't even a 'someone' in that equation. I had thought my online hygiene was unimpeachable, that I'd skirted many of the mental-health hazards of social media by using it only as a source of impersonal pleasure (no looking at friends' envy-inducing vacation photos, no posting, just the aforementioned old dogs, some fashion stuff, maybe some inspiring quotes from interviews with famous authors). But once I started cutting stuff out and noticed my mood improving, I realized that it wasn't the nature of the content that was making me sad, but the volume. If I sometimes feel like my hard drive is full, then it doesn't matter if what I'm adding to the drive is, on its face, soothing. It's just more stuff, more data, more things to process. By adopting my friend's elevated standard for what's allowed in, I decreased the number of inputs, the number of demands for thought and work and reaction I was requesting of my brain. Of course, there are complications that arise with this rule. 'A lot of work' is a subjective measurement, and often the things that entail a lot of work are expensive, only available to those who can afford them, which risks creating a pretty boring, exclusionary selection for cultural consumption. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Beginning of Lent boosts local seafood sales
WILBRAHAM, Mass. (WWLP) – Friday is the first Friday in the Catholic holy season of Lent which also means a boost in seafood sales for local establishments. Every year at this time, the demand for fish goes through the roof for businesses like the Big Y in Wilbraham. It is one of the most important times of the year for Catholics–Lent season. From now through Easter Sunday, many catholics give up eating meat on Fridays. For many Catholics, refraining from meat is a form of sacrifice and penance, acknowledging Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. Stanley Kowalski of Wilbraham told 22News, 'Growing up we always did it as kids as well. My, my mom and dad always had fish at home and it was a special day for that.' As a result, many people buy fish or go to seafood restaurants on Fridays during Lent. For Big Y in Wilbraham, they started to see a rush of customers at their counters. 'I mean this is the day to get fish and they have a great sale going on,' he adds. 'I'm going to get some salmon here. $8.99.' The store is offering several seafood options like salmon, shrimp, and oysters, but their most popular seller is haddock and cod.' Store Director Derek Kaczowka told 22News, 'We are very busy right now. And we were going to have fried fish and chip dinners for our customers. We make to order. And you could pick that up.' They expected to fulfill nearly 90 orders by the end of Friday. 'We have plenty of fish, plenty of condiments, boxes, plenty of staff, and we're just ready to go,' he adds. The store typically sees 6 fresh deliveries a week from the North Coast, so they are ready for the high demand expected to come for the next few weeks of Lent season. Lent lasts 40 days and the observance of Lent dates back to the 4th century. Many have given up something, whether it's chocolate or TV or video games or other activities. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
