"Other writer-actor types have played the upper-middle-class intellectual as a kind of sheepish hero, all the while hiding, or prettifying, or justifying the dark interiors that often accompany that seemingly benign performance. Shawn turns this kind of character inside out and shows the demon within." - The New Yorker
"An intergenerational discourse that looks at the next new thing—be it digital technology, the telephone, radio, TV, even way back to Socrates’ time, when he talked about the invention of writing as bringing about the end of memory—and worry." - Nautilus
Zhi Bingyi had an engineering Ph.D. and a German wife, so when the Cultural Revolution hit, he was, of course, declared a reactionary. Trapped in solitary confinement, he began a thought process that ultimately helped transform China. - Psyche
The University and Colleges Union says that students across 13 subject areas would be affected including art, design, music, drama, dance, media studies and journalism. - The Art Newspaper
"Way overblown," declared one, who said the backlash shows "that people ... really don't understand how documentaries are edited." Others weren't so certain: "If it was clear that this was a projection of a fantasy, that's fine. But faking his voice is a betrayal of the contract." - Slate
Last week the adult website launched an online guide to erotic(ized) artworks at six of the world's great museums. Then one of those institutions started legal action over Pornhub's infringement of intellectual property rights. (The Louvre made threats but has backed off.) - Hyperallergic
Well, reunited digitally. The two pieces — one now at the Getty in L.A. and the other in Christchurch, NZ — are from linen inscribed with verses from The Book of the Dead that was used to wrap a mummy. - Smithsonian Magazine
While the service already carries several podcasts, this venture, called Booksmart Studios, is its first major investment in audio, "Substack sees the venture … as a case study for what's possible for independent podcast networks." - Axios
The Western institutions who now hold the looted treasures have been assuming the works were destined for a state-sponsored Edo Museum of Western African Art. Now the hereditary king of the Benin people insists they must go to a museum at his palace. - BBC
He and a friend started Universal Press Syndicate in 1970; Garry Trudeau was their first cartoonist. Among the many other cartoons and columnists he signed were Calvin and Hobbes, Cathy, William F. Buckley Jr. and Roger Ebert. - The Washington Post on MSN
"The BBC Proms will open at full capacity and without social distancing this summer, but attendees will be required to provide proof of their vaccination or COVID status in order to enter London's Royal Albert Hall." - The Guardian
Although "dance uses a progression of steps and movements to resonate with the speed and beat of a piece of music and coordinates the body in a cadenced manner, most African dances are segregated body movements that can be very hard to organize intellectually." - Global Sister Report
In documents filed with the court last week, the Obama Foundation says an injunction that delays the Center will increase costs by "at least $2.2 million per month," and will likely have a negative impact on fundraising. - Chicago Reader
“For the A.D.A. to yield its promise of equal access for the disabled, it may indeed be necessary and desirable for committed individuals to bring serial litigation advancing the time when public accommodations will be compliant with the A.D.A.” - The New York Times
Edward Berkeley directed classics and championed new operas in Aspen, while mentoring generations of emerging singers. He oversaw rehearsals in his signature shorts, high socks and sneakers and traveled almost exclusively by bicycle in Aspen. - Aspen Times
