Ennosuke Ichikawa IV — scion of an eminent kabuki family, the force behind an updated style called super-kabuki, and a popular television star — was found unconscious near his now-dead parents. All had overdosed on psychotropic drugs, and Ichikawa IV, caught in a sexual harassment scandal, had written a suicide note. - The Guardian
If a secret really is something I tell only myself, is there something here that is mine and mine alone, that survives as my true ‘self’, more basic than the many roles I play out socially? - Aeon
"In the chest-thumping nationalism that has dominated the country's tightly controlled official and public discourses, the Chinese military occupies a sacred, central place – and any perceived slight can lead to serious consequences." The current crackdown is drawing some comparisons with the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s. - CNN
In 1936, Hughes and artist Elmer W. Brown put together and shopped around The Sweet and Sour Animal Book. No publisher acquired the book, but the original verses and pictures have been reunited for a museum show in Cleveland. - The New York Times
"About 94% of (Actors Equity) members who voted backed the deal with the Society of London Theatre, which will see them get 16.7% pay rises over the next two years. Some members including understudies could be in line for up to a 43% rise in payments." - London Evening Standard
"Volunteers have been transporting the books and other precious documents, which became submerged in water and mud in flooded libraries in the worst-affected areas, to Cesena, where the items will be placed on shelves in temperatures of -25C (-13F) in industrial-size freezers provided by (frozen-food company) Orogel." - The Guardian
"Italian police have arrested 21 out of 51 suspects in an operation which included hundreds of officers, authorities said. … Those arrested are under investigation for 'numerous clandestine excavations, receiving stolen goods and illicit marketing, nationally and internationally, of very important archaeological finds.'" - CNN
"Justice Timothy Fancourt said a trial in January will have to determine whether The Sun had carried out unlawful information gathering that included tapping his landline and bugging his car and breaking into his home." - AP
"Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alison Mackenzie signaled on Thursday that she'll dismiss the suit, finding claims that the movie depicts sexual acts are a 'gross mischaracterization' of the scene. She said in a tentative ruling that the claims 'arise from protected activity' under the First Amendment." - The Hollywood Reporter
It’s one of the best years in recent memory for Cannes, which seemed revitalized as it finally shook off the hangover of the pandemic. It’s anybody’s guess which film will take the Palme. - Toronto Star
As we expected, ambassadors and others across the bank began working together, making measurements, targeting data cleanups, and eliminating root causes of error. Then, somewhat organically, ambassadors and regular employees began using methods and tools provided in the training in new ways. - Harvard Business Review
Reporting for this story, I spoke with multiple people who are essentially funemployed, or at least one meaning of it, who sit around at work all day with very little to do. What was most surprising was that many did not exactly love the situation and felt somewhat conflicted. - Vox
If the mark of 21st-century politics is the ascendancy of culture and identity over economics and class, it could be said to have been born here in Turkey, home to one of the longest-running culture wars of them all. - The New York Times
"Whether the company's open call for corps members marks a change in relationship with the San Francisco Ballet School is still uncertain." The company is completing a major change in leadership: Tamara Rojo is just finishing her first season as artistic director following Helgi Tomasson's 37-year tenure. - San Francisco Chronicle
