You know what I love about my profession as a theater critic? The job insecurity. It gives every day a little extra dash of spice.

From the LA Times:

Bloomberg, the New York-based financial news giant, is shutting down its Muse brand of cultural journalism and has laid off its theater critic. The shake-up was part of a company-wide reorganization that came down on Monday and resulted in layoffs around the newsroom.

Bloomberg said it would continue its cultural coverage, "but with an emphasis on luxury."

That is some serious Nero/Caligula shit.

Journalism is collapsing, arts organizations are on the ropes, the US economy is still in deep and possibly worsening trouble (even the wealthy are jumping on diamonds and other material investments because they're too afraid of the volatile equity markets), but Bloomberg gazes into the future and decides to shift its cultural coverage to "an emphasis on luxury."

The on-the-ground reality is economic crisis, but all the advertising money has flown up to the top of the luxury-chain, so that's what Bloomberg will reflect back to us in its funhouse mirror.

We live in bizarre and bipolar times.