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A British Town Has Two Iconic Towers ,But Can’t Decide Which Is Which

"The towers have been a source of local pride for almost 100 years, but now a debate has ignited over which structure is which after the local historical society announced plans to immortalise them in a cruet set." - The Guardian (UK)

A Museum In Minnesota Gets Permission To Break Up Its Collection

In Bemidji, Minnesota, "A First Nations tribe in Canada sent the historical society a letter enquiring about a ceremonial water drum. The museum no longer had the artifact, but it forced the staff to re-examine what was in their archives." - Sahan Journal

Going To The Cinema Is A ‘Deeply Human Experience’ That Streaming Can Never Provide

"The beauty of going to the movies was never just about the films on the screens — it was about the way we all gathered to watch them." - The New York Times

A Brief Cultural History Of Crying While Reading

In the nineteenth century, "The tears were a form of praise. The femaleness of response, though, became a negative." Until the trauma plot, and the meme "Do you even cry, bro?" - LitHub

Has Nero’s Theatre Been Found In Rome?

At a 15th century palace that will become a Four Seasons Hotel, "to the archaeologists’ surprise — and immense delight — the dig brought to light traces of a first-century theater that the team believes was built by Nero." - The New York Times

The Paradox Of Vanishing Land Art

As Beverly Buchanan's Marsh Ruins sink into the marsh, questions arise. "What should be done when a work is major partly because the artist invited its decay? Perhaps the Marsh Ruins challenge us to rethink the possibilities of conservation itself." - The New York Times

You Can Read Esperanto Literature In Translation

It does feel a bit ironic, but it's good to have, for instance, Ukranian writer Vasily Eroshenko's "set of Esperanto fairy tales — stories about mice and flowers and paper lanterns — that are quaint on the surface but also scathing critiques of Western civilization’s deficiencies" in English. - Washington Post

The Actors Hold A Star-Studded Rally In Times Square

"If you can announce the highest-viewed this and the highest profits in that, then you can track our residuals. So we need to come to the table but we need to come to the table in good faith that there will be transparency." - CBC

Pamela Blair, Original ‘Chorus Line’ Cast Member, Has Died At 73

Blair sang "Dance: 10; Looks: 3," or as it's known to every theatre kid, "Tits and Ass." Her character Val's "brassy solo ... was a paean to the benefits of silicone, among them the national tours Val was hired for." - The New York Times

The US Picks Indigenous Artist Jeffrey Gibson For Venice Biennale

This is a first. "Although Indigenous artists have shown work more broadly in Venice over the years, the last time Indigenous artists appeared in the U.S. Pavilion at the Biennale was in 1932 — and that was in a group setting." - NPR

The Anti-CGI Backlash Is Here

And it's earning a lot of money at the box office. For instance, "Greta Gerwig used techniques dating back to silent film and soundstage musicals to bring her fantastical, hot-pink vision of Barbieland to life." - The Guardian (UK)

Dear Studios: AI Is Also Coming For You

OK, this sounds nightmarish: "AI doesn’t need Hollywood. It just needs itself. And AI will be able to offer audiences what Hollywood can’t: movies uniquely tailored to a single individual’s tastes." - Fast Company

In Seattle, Taylor Swift Fans Cause A Mini Earthquake

Well, OK, "seismic activity," anyway. Turns out "it’s actually 'quite common' for humans partying to create such vibrations, sending 'a lot of energy into the ground.' That energy travels as sound waves through the Earth."  - Washington Post

One Of The Things ‘Oppenheimer’ Gets Wrong Is Very American History

Tossing people off their land at gunpoint and giving them only 48 hours to go? Sounds like the USA - and that's just what government officials did to the 32 families on the land that became Los Alamos. - CBC

How The Kens’ Dancing Affects The Barbie Movie

"The dance is more than a dance: It’s an emotional release. ... The choreography is a passionate expression of selfhood, a tonic that recalls the vitality and athletic grace of Gene Kelly." - The New York Times

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