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Todd Gitlin Defined The Way Many People Saw The Sixties

Later, Gitlin critiqued identity politics, annoying some former colleagues in Students for a Democratic Society and other causes. In 2021, he pulled together "a group of ideologically disparate writers and activists to oppose continuing efforts by Republicans ... to undermine free and fair elections." - The New York Times

Lou Stovall Took Screenprinting From Grocery Stores To Gallery Walls

"In those days, silkscreen was mostly used for commercial posters. Bold, flat, attention-getting signs — STOP, or SALE. Curator Danielle O'Steen says 'he felt silkscreen didn't have to be flat.' And so the experimentation began: 'He and some artists helped turn it into an art form.'" - NPR

The Perfect Wordle Guessing Strategy Teaches Us Quite A Lot About English

"In Wordle, your own language skills, memory, and the Wordle dictionary mean that no human (with the possible exception of an eccentric memory champ) could correctly identify 12,972 eligible words in as many guesses." - Slate

Study: Documenting How Humans Have Altered Evolution

They confirmed, for instance, that on average, all over the world, animal species seem to be getting smaller. This runs contrary to a theory of evolution called Cope’s rule, which posits that species should increase in size over time. - Wired

Smithsonian Chooses Founding Director For New National Latino Museum

The museum, along with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, was authorized by Congress in December 2020. The museums will be the first new Smithsonian venues since the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016. - Washington Post

Remembering Post Modernist Choreographer David Gordon

He combined movement and words in ways that could be stimulating or jolting, focusing on family or fantasy, or delving into Ionesco, Shakespeare, or Aristophanes. - Dance Magazine

The Book Tour Has Gone Online (It Might Stay There)

Even as international travel restrictions are being lifted, some writers say they will continue to carry on with virtual events because they are more convenient and accessible. They say this has the additional benefit of leaving them with more time to focus on their craft. - BBC

Spotify’s Pickle: It Needs Rogan And Music Lovers

Spotify’s business needs all the podcasters it can get. Especially ones like Mr. Rogan, who draws listeners by the millions. But the threat of popular musicians drawing listeners off the platform in protest of Mr. Rogan or any other controversial podcast content can’t be dismissed, either. - The Wall Street Journal

Is This Little Bejeweled Sphinx Really “The Talisman Of Napoleon” (And Worth $250 Million)?

Ben Davis: "Allow me to introduce you to the evidence in favor of the Talisman's authenticity and importance, which has impressed noted Napoleonic jewelry experts such as Pat Boone, the Eisenhower-era hit-maker and conservative Christian icon." - Artnet

What Happens To Your Brain In A Bad Breakup

Love changes us so deeply—at a physiological level—that when it’s lost, we hurt more than if we had never loved at all. - The Atlantic

Can Literature Actually Change History (Not Just Literary History)?

Four scholars offer their answers in a roundtable — including the observation that, in the rare instances when that does happen, the book itself isn't always very good. (Also, no cheating by calling the King James Bible literature.) - History Today

Does Duke Ellington Need A Revival?

Ellington’s legacy — as large and as meaningful as that of any artist in American history — remains enigmatic. We honor him, put him on stamps, name streets and buildings after him and teach him. But we still don’t know what to do with Ellington beyond keeping his best-known tunes in rotation. - Los Angeles Times

James Joyce’s “Ulysses” Is 100 Years Old. What, Exactly, Are We Celebrating?

"That Ulysses was an event nearly everyone will agree. However, can we say even now, a century later, what kind of event it really was in Irish or world literary terms? And is Ulysses really a novel at all in any case?" - Dublin Review of Books

Canada Debates New Canadian Content Law For Streamers

The Online Streaming Act, introduced Wednesday, would force web firms to offer a set amount of Canadian content and invest heavily in Canada’s cultural industries, including film, television and music. - Toronto Star

In The Face Of Black Lives Matter And Ongoing Violence, Is Creating Dance A Sufficient Response?

Choreographer David Roussève has always situated his work at "the intersection of choreography and social activism," finding that he can help create empathy with the characters the audience is watching. But after a policeman in South Carolina shot Walter Scott, Roussève wondered if even that was enough. - Dance Magazine

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