The story at Washington, DC, headquarters is not super great. “Temps do almost every important job in NPR’s newsroom: they pitch ideas, assign stories, edit them, report and produce them. Temps not only book the guests heard in interviews, they often write the questions the hosts ask the guests.” – The Washington Post
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Activists Protest At Whitney, Demanding The Exit of Board Member Who Owns A Tear Gas Manufacturer
Board Vice Chair Warren B. Kanders is the owner of the tear gas manufacturer whose products were fired at the asylum seekers on the U.S./Mexico border. The protesters, who filled the lobby, brought banners, drums, and a cowbell, and burned sage, were “in solidarity with but separate from the nearly 100 Whitney staff members who signed a letter expressing their dismay at Kanders’s presence on the board and requesting a new policy around trustee participation in exhibitions.” – Hyperallergic
Competitive Dance Is Thriving In Colleges, Even At MIT
The co-captain is a senior majoring in electrical engineering and computer science, and he isn’t kidding when he says, “Although we are all MIT students, dance is an outlet for us where we can be carefree and have fun.” – MIT News
The Belfast Photographer Who Tries To Find New Ways Of Seeing Women
Hannah Starkey didn’t start out with a feminist agenda, but she did go to art school when photography, especially portraiture, was dominated by men. “Though her photographs appear at first glance to be traditional observational documentary, they are deftly choreographed. Often she reimagines what she has observed on the street or in cafes, clubs and bars, using women she has hired to meticulously create stilled moments of female reverie, togetherness or fleeting interaction.” – The Observer (UK)
No Surprise, ‘Roma’ Wins Another Best Picture Nod
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association pick Alfonso Cuarón’s ode to his childhood – and Netflix original – as Best Picture, with Best Cinematography, and runner-up awards for directing and editing. – Los Angeles Times
A Documentary Photographer Has Gone Missing In China
Internationally acclaimed photographer Lu Guang has been missing for five weeks. “According to local sources, the security services detained Lu Guang, along with his local host, on or about Nov. 3. He was supposed to travel a day or two later to Sichuan Province, where he regularly does charity work. He never made it.’ – The New York Times
Becoming (A) Spider-Man
Shameik Moore was in the middle of filming 2015’s Dope when he wrote in his journal, “I am Miles Morales, I am Spider-Man.” That was aspirational – and it came true. Movie director Bob Persichetti says, “I can’t now imagine anyone else being that voice.” – Los Angeles Times
Instagram Makes Parenting Teenagers Way Easier
Can’t get through to your kid? Sure, you could stalk them around the house, but probably their social media presence – especially Instagram, where they might even be pretty great photographers – can reveal much more than any sparse conversation would. – The New York Times
Some Essential Reading, According To Actor John Leguizamo
The actor found out his son was getting bullied at school about their heritage – so he created a stand-up show, got it on Netflix, and is now promoting some top-quality books about Latinx history so other kids don’t have to experience the same thing. Here’s his holiday shortlist of books (that, yeah, Americans should already have read). – The Atlantic
As The Field Museum Revamps, It Starts To Ask Exactly Whom Its Native American Hall Is For
The remodel of the Native North American Hall is overdue (at any natural history museum), and it’s vital. The hall hasn’t changed since its inception in the 1950s, and it’s a mess. How will the Field Museum do it right? “The renovations are taking place under the guidance of a robust advisory committee made up of contemporary Native American tribal leaders, scholars, artists, historical society representatives, and cultural caretakers.” (And it won’t remain stuck in time for 65+ years, either.) – Chicago Reader