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What Did Happiness Used To Look Like?

We don’t know without a lot of careful analysis because words and their meanings change. However, “over the past two or three decades, the historical study of emotions has developed a rich set of tools with which to chart the ways that emotions have changed over time. Emotions such as anger, disgust, love and happiness might seem commonplace, but they are not so readily understood in the past.” – Aeon

Hank Azaria Says He Will Stop Voicing Apu On The Simpsons

But will Apu be retired from the show, or will the show get a new voice actor – perhaps an Indian American voice actor? This has been a long time coming. “In 2017, the comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem With Apu forced Mr. Azaria, who is white, to reckon with his portrayal of the Kwik-E-Mart owner who speaks with a pronounced Indian accent. The film attempted to trace the origin story of Apu and put the character in a broader context of Hollywood depictions of Indians.” – The New York Times

Stephen King’s Twitter Comment About The Oscars Gets At One Of The Academy’s Deepest Problems

These guys just will not accept responsibility. “Diversity is too often discussed as something separate from, or even in conflict with, artistic virtue. It is treated as an abstract concept meant to materialize without industry gatekeepers and Oscar voters, such as King, challenging their own possibly narrow views and instituting different practices. Put more plainly, the lack of representation is regularly talked about as a problem, but one for someone else to solve and for other institutions to address.” – The Atlantic

Norma Tanega, Whose Hit Single Was Covered By Nearly Everyone, Has Died At 80

Tanega’s “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog,” which was truly a recounting of her life with her cat named Dog, smashed through 1966 and was covered by Barry McGuire, jazz artists, Yo La Tengo, They Might Be Giants and many others, has died. Tanega also wrote for Dusty Springfield, with whom she had a relationship. She said as she was touring with her first album, “‘The folkies don’t like me and the rock ’n’ rollies don’t like me.’ … She nonetheless enjoyed performing, she said: “’ just want to sing for people. You might say it’s mass love.'” – The New York Times

Writing About War, But, You Know, With Women

You’ve probably heard of the French Resistance, but do you know about the great-grandmothers of Ethiopia in 1935? Ethiopian novelist Maaza Mengiste’s second novel (partly) concerns the women who fought back against Italy in its invasion of Ethiopia – and she went to Italy to learn more At a reading, she met a man who said, “‘My father dropped poison on your people. How do I ask for your forgiveness?’ And he started crying. It was at that moment that I said to myself: ‘My God, this history is not done, this war that feels distant but is not distant.'” – The Observer (UK)

Why Did The Public Shut Down A Climate Activist’s Play Early?

The show, The Truth Has Changed, tells of Josh Fox’s anti-fracking work and what he describes as “incessant harassment” from the gas and petroleum industries. Fox says the issue was the content of his show; he is the show’s writer, actor, and co-director. The Public begs to differ, saying that the show was shut down following Fox’s refusal to abide by the Public’s Code of Conduct – and, more specifically, “a series of verbal abuses to the staff.” – The New York Times