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Is Hunter Biden’s Art Career A Problem?

Experts have raised alarms that individuals might buy the artworks – expected to fetch between $75,000 and $500,000 – to try to curry favor and gain influence with Joe Biden. They also accuse Hunter of trading on his father’s name and position. - The Guardian

The Poem That Provoked An FBI Investigation

"Dial-a-Poem received more than a million calls before it lost funding and ended in 1971. There were complaints of indecency, claims that the poems incited violence. The FBI investigated." - The Guardian (UK)

The New York City Council May Remove The Thomas Jefferson Statue In Its Chambers

Black, Latinx, and Asian councillors have been asking for its removal for two decades. - The New York Times

But Wait: IATSE Members May Not Vote To Ratify Contract

Says one IATSE member who's a dolly grip about the supposed changes, "The 10-hour turnarounds — that’s the same shit that’s already in my contract. Why would I be excited about that?" - Variety

How The IATSE Strike Was Probably Averted

"The companies — Walt Disney Co., Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Sony Pictures Entertainment, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia — were forced to abandon their take-it-or-leave-it approach to the talks, which had been dragging on for five months." - Los Angeles Times

Penelope Lively On Her Writing Career And The Difference Between Novels And Short Stories

Lively, who's 88: "When I started, publishers didn’t expect a breakthrough with a first or second book. They were prepared to stay with an author for a long time. They seem to be more driven by marketing now." - The Guardian (UK)

Netflix Fires One Of The Organizers Of The Trans Walkout

The fallout from Dave Chapelle's special continues. The employee is Black and pregnant; Netflix says they were "terminated on suspicion of leaking metrics to the press related to the Dave Chappelle special," but other reports say the employee spoke out against the leaks. - The Verge

Why We Can’t Speak Second Or Third Languages Without An Accent

"As with chemistry, the important thing is not just how the elements behave in isolation, but how they come together. Each language has rules for these combinations, which native speakers (and many teachers) generally grasp but don’t or can’t explain." - The Economist

Gilbert And George And London’s East End

When the artists go out, they find more than their favorite cafés: "Walking is their research. They photograph graffiti, look out for curious new images of street life, which make their way into their montage prints: canisters of clubbers’ laughing gas; women in burqas." - The Observer (UK)

This Choreographer Who Won A ‘Genius’ Grant At 70, And Has Some Big Plans

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's groundbreaking contributions have become both mainstream and topical. "An experimental dance company in Brooklyn? Nothing unusual about that now — yet Zollar was forging a new path when she founded Urban Bush Women in 1984." - Washington Post

Dali’s ‘Lips’ Sofa Started Life As A Back-Of-The-Envelope Sketch

Of course it did. - The Observer (UK)

The Musician Solange Launches A New Free Library Of Out-Of-Print And Rare Books By Black Authors

Solange's creative studio, Saint Heron, hired a community bookstore founder to "curate" the first 50 items in the library, which will be mailed to those who request them for a 45-day loan period. - Hyperallergic

Paddy Moloney, Who Died Last Week, Put Irish Music On The Map

The Chieftains became bigger stars than the Rolling Stones in 1975, when Stanley Kubrick used their music in the movie Barry Lyndon - and that's when they quit their day jobs to perform Irish folk music full-time. - BBC

Turns Out Amelia Earhart Was Also A Poet

"Earhart was one of the earliest aviators, a record-setter, a college professor and well ahead of her time as a champion for women’s rights. Yet she is also one of history’s more enigmatic figures." - Washington Post

Alan Hawkshaw, Composer Who Was Surprisingly Popular With Hip Hop Artists, 84

Hawkshaw, who composed the theme music for several popular British TV shows, was also a pianist and Hammond organist who "ended up working at more than 7,000 recording sessions." - The Guardian (UK)

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