“Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom” is a piece Plath wrote when she was 20 and submitted to Mademoiselle magazine, which rejected it (too dark!). Faber, which is publishing it in January, lets us have an advance look. — The Guardian
A 4000-Year History Of New Year’s Resolutions
Turns out, it’s a time-honored tradition that started about 4,000 years ago with the ancient Babylonians. Beginning with a 12-day religious festival (are we seeing a modern equivalent here?) called Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or re-upped their devotion to the sitting ruler. At this time they also pledged to pay debts and return borrowed goods to keep in good standing with their gods. – Fast Company
Could California Soon Have Its Own Internet?
A series of laws passed in California this year raise a new possibility: that individual US states will splinter off into their own versions of the internet. In July, California passed a privacy law, similar to the European Union’s policies, that will give users more control about the data companies collect about them. Governor Jerry Brown followed by signing a net neutrality law in late September meant to replace federal rules banning broadband internet providers from blocking or otherwise discriminating against lawful content, as well as a law that requires bots to identify themselves if they promote sales or try to influence an election. – Wired
“Bird Box” Has Taken Over Netflix (And The Internet, Apparently)
Netflix claimed on Friday that the movie had been watched by approximately 45 million accounts since its Dec. 21 debut — the best first seven days ever for a film released on the platform. – Washington Post
What We Can Learn About Ourselves By Studying Those Who Are Studying Us
Even the smallest action or fragment of speech, Emily Martin believes, can be a useful clue to the mostly invisible wider cultural assumptions that shape how research is done in any specialized field. She observes and collects these fragments, hoping that, later on, she’ll be able to find connections between them and make better sense of a scientific world view that is fascinatingly foreign to her. – The New Yorker
The Highest-Box-Office-Earning Actor Of 2018
The highest-earning actor of 2018 (George Clooney) didn’t even release a movie this year. But can you name the actor who earned the most at the box office with her films? (and no, she wasn’t even close to being highest paid)
Ringo Lam, Director Of ‘City Of Fire’ Who Changed Movies Forever, Has Died At 63
Lam’s 1987 movie inspired Quentin Tarnatino and helped usher in the 1980s Hong Kong New Wave. – The Hollywood Reporter
The BBC Has Filed Formal Complaints Against Russia About Staff Data Leaks
Wow, this isn’t scary at all: Forty-four journalists’ “full names and photographs were published on social media by the For Mother Russia group. … Many of the 44 are Russian citizens working for the BBC World Service.” – BBC
Norman Gimbel, Oscar-Winning Lyricist Of ‘Girl From Ipanema’ And ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song,’ Has Died At 91
Gimbel was “a Bronx-born songwriter who studied under Frank Loesser, the celebrated composer of Guys and Dolls” and who wrote the themes for Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. – The Washington Post
Can We Still See Frida Kahlo’s Art Without The Scrim Of Kitsch In Between?
Honestly, everything from Frida Kahlo air fresheners to Frida Kahlo teacups are available. But “would an anticapitalist, whose 1932 painting Self-portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States contrasts indigenous Mexican flowers and artefacts with the smoke-belching chimneys of a Ford factory, be pleased by the commodification of her image?” – The Guardian (UK)
Eight Months With A Flip Phone
Why would someone not 90 years old use a flip phone? “Motivating me in those early days, during the brain-shock of the new-old, was a thought experiment of my simple invention: Suppose the Dalai Lama had a smartphone.” – Wired
For People Who Are Type A, Being Mediocre At Piano Is Perfect
Adults who take piano lessons, and who simply can’t be perfect at it, can find something new. “Playing the piano has accomplished what all that yoga and meditation never could. I can quiet my mind and focus entirely on something: not my breath, but the music.” – The New York Times
Is ‘Scientology Did It First’ A Good Defense For Running A Bullying Sex Slave Ring In Hollywood?
Yes, this sounds salacious, but it’s sadly, depressingly real: Smallville actress Allison Mack offered that defense in court. “Mack’s lawyers argued that Mack’s threat to release naked photos and disparaging statements made by cult members against their relatives doesn’t rise to the threat of ‘serious harm’ required to prove someone engaged in forced labor.” – Deadline
Dame June Whitfield, Star Of BBC Comedies Including ‘Absolutely Fabulous,’ Has Died At 93
Whitfield spent decades being sought out for famous British male comics to play off her superb timing – but then she found her own stardom on TV in Terry and June and then as Edina’s mother in Absolutely Fabulous, which was, and still is thanks to streaming, international comedic gold. – BBC
What Happens If You Log Off Social Media And Just Read?
This is going to surprise everyone: When people get off Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Slack, and more, they get a lot of books read. However! “My only real distractions were hunger and cold. My heat came from a small wood-burning stove, and keeping the tiny house at the right temperature, it turned out, required the same kind of constant low-level attention as my Twitter feed.” – The Guardian (UK)
How Did Viral Dance Moves Become The New Music Videos? [VIDEO]
Those aren’t really viral dances – they’re witty and very smart social media moves for established performers. To quote a CEO, “Dance sells.” – BBC
Watch Out, Pinterest: Khalil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’ Is About To Enter Public Domain
The Prophet, and a lot of other work, is public domain on January 1. Sure, the estates are going to lose money. (But honestly, who cares? This is great for readers.) – The New York Times
Using Theatre To Provoke Debate
“Wise Fool, founded in Santa Fe almost 20 years ago as both a performing arts and social justice advocacy organization, combines clowning and circus artistry with storytelling in its popular productions, some of which have become holiday traditions — such as the Circus Luminous show held at the Lensic Performing Arts Center each year on the weekend after Thanksgiving.” – Santa Fe New Mexican
Music For Social Action? Let’s Help Students Acquire The Tools For Music, Says Rapper
Through the Voice For Change workshops, Australian hip hop artists such as Melbourne-based rapper Mantra, will be taking to schools around Australia to not only equip young people with skills in making music, but to challenge them to find and pursue their passions. “I’ve seen the impact music and art can have when it connects with people on an issue they relate to,” says Mantra. – Beat