Various U.S. political parties and politicians love to claim kinship with the president who created the National Park System and busted up monopolies. For instance: “Roosevelt’s welfare-state agenda … was not an end in itself; it was a means to facilitate the growth of a culturally homogeneous nation, dominated by the descendants of Anglo-Saxon settlers. Ms. Warren may dream of having a trustbuster as a running mate, but probably not one who refers to white people as the ‘forward race.'” – The New York Times
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Thanks To Climate Change, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival Considers Changes To Its Outdoor Theatre
Before a grassfire up the Rogue Valley shut down this weekend’s outdoor performances – and moved them inside to a local high school auditorium, as planned in case of smoke – the Oregon Shakespeare Festival held a town hall to announce that it was considering changes to its big outdoor theatre. “Ideas include a retractable roof and a redesign of the seating to encircle the stage so theater-goers are closer to the actors.” – Medford Mail-Tribune (Oregon)
The Voice Of Minnie Mouse Has Died
Russi Taylor, 75, began performing as Minnie for Disney in the mid-1980s – and then she met and married the voice of Mickey. She voiced many other roles for Disney, and also for The Simpsons. – Variety
Where Candyland Came From, Or, How Medical Needs Drive Culture
In short, the board game came from the need for kids isolated in polio wards to have something to do. “Abbott set out to concoct some escapist entertainment for her young wardmates, a game that left behind the strictures of the hospital ward for an adventure that spoke to their wants: the desire to move freely in the pursuit of delights, an easy privilege polio had stolen from them.” – The Atlantic
The Many Languages Of Paris
That is, of its refugee population – and of their radio station. – NPR
Teslas Will Soon Be Able To Stream Netflix And YouTube
But – or so Elon Musk claims – that access to streaming video will only happen while the car is parked. – The Verge
Ain’t No Party Like An Existentialist Party
When you’re partying during what feels like some pretty dark times, take inspiration from the French existentialists of the 1940s. “Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre spent a lot of time partying: talking, drinking, dancing, laughing, loving and listening to music with friends, and this was an aspect of their philosophical stance on life. They weren’t just philosophers who happened to enjoy parties, either – the parties were an expression of their philosophy of seizing life.” – Aeon Magazine
We’re In A Climate Emergency, So Could We Ban Glass Skyscrapers?
They’re expensive to build, expensive to maintain, and very expensive – to the planet – to cool. “Energy used on cooling has doubled since 2000 and accounts for about 14% of all energy use now.” – The Observer (UK)
Disney Smashes Its Own Box Office Record And It’s Only July, So Everything Is Fine
Listen, y’all, Frozen 2 hasn’t even come out yet. “After this weekend, the company has surpassed $7.67 billion worldwide, smashing the benchmark previously set by Disney in 2016 with $7.61 billion.” – Variety
MoviePass Changed What Customers Expect – And Now Regal Is Stepping Into The Ring
MoviePass is limping along with 225,000 customers compared to its high of 3 million in 2018 (whoa), but the big chains felt the pressure, and now there’s a new Regal Cinemas app. Caveat: “We’ll be suffering the from the same overload of theater subscription programs as we are with streaming services, but it feels more like a win for everyone. Many people live in an area where a Regal is their only moviegoing choice.” – Gizmodo