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Against Beach Reading

No, this isn't a polemic against the less-than-heavyweight material stereotypically enjoyed on a blanket on the sand. This is a polemic against reading at the beach. - The Atlantic

Would Extinction Be Such A Bad Thing?

Since we are considering whether extinction might be better than continuing to exist, the question arises whether some pains could be so great that they outweigh any number of pleasures and other goods. - New Statesman

Establishing Serious Theatre In The French Countryside

The Federation of Local Festivals and Theaters, formally launched this month at the Avignon Festival, is made up of 17 rural companies started by young theatre grads who "found themselves frustrated with the rigid structure of France's theater world." - The New York Times

Evel Knievel Museum Moving From Kansas To Las Vegas

According to a report on Monday, the museum dedicated to the career of Robert Craig Knievel, who became known for his death-defying stunts and tricks on motorbikes, will move to the Las Vegas Arts District. - KVVU (Las Vegas)

Have The Coen Brothers Broken Up?

Well, there's no indication they've quit speaking to each other, but it seems Ethan has moved into live theater, leaving the movies to Joel. "If (their) films were the product of a true, across-the-board collaboration, what essential element will be lost when Ethan is gone?" - The Bulwark

Ellen Havre Weis, 64, Founder Of The Museum Of Modern Mythology

The museum was a once renowned San Francisco tourist destination where a vinyl Michelin Man rubbed elbows with a lifesize statue of Colonel Sanders. - The Guardian

Sarah Kaufman On How She’s Different From Other Dance Critics

"It's a small part of my job to cover performances inside a theater. … My goal (is) to reveal that dance is in us, that we all have the power to appreciate it, to do it to the extent that we can, and to enjoy it." - Harvard Political Review

How Will The Humanities Record The COVID Plague?

 The account by the Greek historian and general, Thucydides (460-400BC), of how the Athenians responded to their virulent plague in the fifth century, directly or indirectly influenced how many later historians in antiquity described plagues. - The Conversation

Goodreads Has An Extortion Problem

The site has a bullying problem, too. Huge traffic and inadequate moderation have allowed "review bombers" to threaten authors: Pay us or we'll flood your book with bad reviews and tank its rating. (Or maybe we'll do it just for kicks.) - Time

Frank Gehry Turned An Old Bank Building Into A Concert Hall For Less Than $15 Million

You'd expect a concert hall to cost 10 or 20 times that amount. What's more, after the bank moved out, the place was, among other things, a Burger King. Now it's the home of Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, the L.A. Philharmonic's Sistema-style program. - Los Angeles Times on MSN

They’re Going To Auction Off $100 Million Worth Of Picassos In Vegas

MGM Resorts collected the 11 works for sale and, for a time, had had them on display at the Bellagio resort. The company says it's deaccessioning them in order to expand its art collection, "giving a greater voice to artists from under-represented communities." - Artnet

Longtime NPR Host Neal Conan Dead At 71

"(He) was a mainstay of NPR programming for most of (its) half-century, joining the outlet in 1977 as a producer and departing in 2013 after hosting Talk of the Nation for 11 years." He then moved to Hawaii to farm macadamia nuts. - The Washington Post on MSN

Lonnie Bunch Introduces Smithsonian’s New Initiative On Racial Reckoning

"Beginning with a national summit on August 26, a series of integrated events — from conferences to town halls to immersive pop-up experiences — are designed to spark conversations nationally, regionally, locally, and among friends and family." - Smithsonian Magazine

Conductor Gianluigi Gelmetti Dead At 75

A student of Sergiu Celibidache, Gelmetti served as principal conductor or music director of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony (1989-1998), the Rome Opera (2000-2009), Sydney Symphony (2004-2008), and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo (2012-2016). - Limelight (Australia)

The Physics Behind Executing This Common Gymnastics Move

If the wolf turn was just about balancing on one foot, it probably wouldn't be in an Olympic-level beam routine. It's the spin that really makes this thing so difficult. - Wired

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