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The Woman With The Many Languages

With (far) more than 350 dialects of indigenous languages spoken across the United States, and few interpreters, vital information can fall away. "When you convey an idea from an indigenous language to Spanish and then to English, there’s a big risk of losing crucial details." - El País

Tearing Down Old Buildings To Build New Ones Is So Pre-Climate Emergency

The second word in the three Rs of environmentalism is reuse for a reason, writes Rowan Moore of planned London construction. "The most sustainable building is the one that is already there, as the now-fashionable saying goes." - The Observer (UK)

Wolf Biermann Is A Singer Whose Music And Moral Stances Once United East And West Germany

"Biermann was born under Nazism, in 1936, and raised in West Germany. As a teenager, he defected to the East and made a career as a singer of witty, folk-inspired songs — until an anti-authoritarian streak in his music began to trouble the Communist authorities." - The New York Times

Let’s Just Calm Down About AI And Music

All right, recent events are alarming for actual musicians. But "even a more radical artists-rights activist like Kevin Erickson, director of the Future of Music Coalition, is skeptical that AI could outright replace artists, or will inevitably learn on the backs of protected work." - Los Angeles Times

The Secretive YouTuber Recording, And Changing, Amusement Park Design

Come for the scoop about people getting conceived on a Garfield ride in Pittsburgh, stay for the philosophy: "Perhaps if we better understand amusement parks, he argues, we can better understand America itself." - Slate

The Czech Film Festival Karlovy Vary Has Brought A New Old Filmmaker To The Forefront

That is to say that Japanese director Yasuzo Masumura, who died 37 years ago, is enjoying a renaissance thanks to the festival. "There is a classic film fan born every minute, but in Karlovy Vary this year, you could feel it happen in real time" during screenings. - Variety

The Women Who Have Interpreted Dylan

Cher "ran into Dylan in a New York recording studio as her version was climbing the charts. He told her that he dug what she’d done with it, which, Cher writes, 'made me feel like floating away.'" - The New York Times

Even The Best Directors Are Going Franchise, But Why?

Chloe Zhao followed up Nomadland with a Marvel tentpole. Greta Gerwig is about to release Barbie. Barry Jenkins is directing ... a Lion King sequel?! Studios used to have more on offer. "Now this is all there is: franchise content, continuing endlessly until the heat death of the universe." - Irish Times

How The Heck Did ‘Barbie’ Find Itself At (Cold) War With China?

A crayon drawing, maybe. "Vietnamese censors have banned or altered several other movies that showed disputed areas as being under Beijing’s control. The list includes Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Abominable (2019) and Uncharted (2022), among others."- The New York Times

Actors Step Up Strike Preparations, Share Them On Social Media

"The union that is in the midst of tense contract negotiations with Hollywood’s major studios published a 42-second video on that showed members wielding staplers and duct tape in the grunt work of making dozens of picket signs." - Variety

Pianist, Crossover Artist, And Pops Conductor Peter Nero Has Died At 89

"Nero was a national treasure. He appeared with Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis and other headliners; released 72 albums; conducted the Philly Pops for 34 years, often with one hand while the other played a piano." - The New York Times

Watermelon Woman Finally Gets Long Overdue Honors At The Criterion Channel

Why did this take so long? Blame the GOP. "In 1997 Michigan Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra derided The Watermelon Woman as 'possibly pornographic.' ... He decried that the film had been funded by taxpayers." - NPR

When A TikToker Approached A ‘Looking Defeated’ YA Author, You Won’t Believe What Happened Next

Or, you might. "The video was posted to TikTok on Sunday and was flooded with supportive comments. ... On Monday, Warner tweeted that the novel became No 1 in Amazon YA sales, and soon after it was No 1 across all book genres." - The Guardian (UK)

One Dance Principal’s Mission Is To Be ‘As Human As Possible’ In Classical Ballet

American Ballet Theater principal Cassandra Trenary says, "I’m trying to find a balance between being the most human and the most stripped down and keeping it like a classical ballet. That’s an interesting struggle." - The New York Times

How Indigenous-Owned Record Labels Are Changing Canada’s Music Scene

The people are doing it for themselves: "Indigenous musicians are building their own foundation within Canada's music industry after years of feeling excluded from or limited by the system's unspoken glass ceiling." - CBC

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