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Stories

Why Our Ideological Fights Descend Into Fights About What Words Mean

The well-rehearsed rhetorical drama over this kind of conceptual terminology is only one of the ways in which arguments over definitions and usage have risen to prominence and in some cases become almost synonymous with the desire for social change in recent years. - The Point

In The Middle Of The Night, Hong Kong Authorities Remove Tiananmen Memorial

The 26-foot-tall artwork, known as the “Pillar of Shame,” had stood at the University of Hong Kong for nearly a quarter-century and honored the hundreds, if not thousands, of students and others killed on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese military crushed pro-democracy protests. - Washington Post

American Contemporary Theatre Closes Its Acclaimed MFA Program

The program consistently ranked as one of the top five graduate acting schools in the country, after more than five decades educating such distinguished alumni as Denzel Washington, Anna Deavere Smith, Annette Bening, Elizabeth Banks and Anika Noni Rose. - San Francisco Chronicle

Man Buys $30 Drawing. Now It Could Be Worth Millions

“It was either a masterpiece or the greatest forgery I had ever seen,” he said. - The New York Times

Christkindlmärkte: A Brief History Of Germany’s Christmas Markets

The mercantile/community gatherings date back to at least the 14th century, and though they've since spread through much of the world, they're especially dear to Germany (where pandemic-induced cancellations hit very hard). Here's the story of the markets, from prune Zwetschgenmännle to hot Glühwein. - Quartz

An Iconic Chicago Building Is Saved

Chicago has a forest of imposing skyscrapers, and nothing else like this squat concoction of glass and steel that looks from the outside like a spaceship docked in the heart of the Loop, and reveals, on the inside, the city’s most vertiginous and spectacular atrium.  - Chicago Reader

How Jewish People Eating Chinese Food Became A Standard Part Of American Christmas

It's not only because Chinese restaurants were the only places open on Christmas back in the day … - Mental Floss

Is The Golden Age Of Travel Over?

The old way it was practised, at vast scale, and across increasingly porous borders, has begun to look like it might be a terminal casualty. At the time of writing, there are only memories, and the work of reorienting ourselves to a more inert and less hospitable world. - Aeon

A Small Ballet Company Bounces Back From Hurricane Ida

Flooding caused by the storm wrecked the studios of Roxey Ballet in Lambertville, NJ; said director Mark Roxey, "The building was submerged in water. It looked like everything had been flipped upside down and shaken in a snowglobe." Here's how the community came to the rescue. - Pointe Magazine

Is Paris’ Grand Palais Throwing Out Its Big Art Fair?

RX France is challenging the validity of the process, claiming that it has received two written commitments to the fairs from RMN-Grand Palais, the public body that owns the beaux-arts building, in 2019 and in 2021. - Artnet

“Dirty Harry” At 50: Portrait Of A Seminal ’70s Antihero

"Partisans on either side looking for affirmation of their stance will be disappointed. … Neither condemning nor condoning his actions, the film offers what may be the clearest image of the archetypal cop's self-perception as the only one willing to do the dirty jobs holding America together." - The Guardian

Omicron Shutdown Comes At A Bad Time For Broadway

This selective information release does little to quell anxieties, and resentment toward the Broadway establishment is often triggered. - Washington Post

Do Egyptians Think Verdi’s “Aïda” Is Cultural Appropriation? Merely Silly? Actually, They Don’t

to Cairo and asked people there about it — and she found that people, even those who've never seen it themselves, seem generally proud of Aïda and its glorification of their homeland's ancient history. - The Guardian

Brigitte Lefèvre Helped Transform France’s Entire Dance Scene Into What It Is Today

She led the way in introducing the country to contemporary dance, not least at the Paris Opera Ballet, which she ran for two decades, and she helped establish choreography centers with resident companies throughout France. Here she talks about her choices and her legacy. - The New York Times

Even The Color Blue Is Having Supply-Chain Problems

Two factories in France produce much of the world's synthetic ultramarine pigment; one stopped making it, and the other couldn't meet the extra demand and froze exports, causing difficulties for all sorts of businesses worldwide. And there are similar issues with other colors. - Yahoo! (The Washington Post)

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