Isn’t There Really Some Porn In Ballet Anyway?

“Take a look at video of the recently dismissed Royal Winnipeg Ballet dancer Jeppe Hansen as he practises his steps and does the splits, in his bulbous leotard, every muscle engorged. … When did the idea of ballet as highbrow spiritualism take hold? Do the wealthy few who now patronize the art have to think that their appreciation of young bodies is in no way voyeuristic, but a kind of abstracted aestheticism, so as to justify it?”

Is This The End Of Barnes & Noble?

“Last month, a disastrous earnings report coincided with the company’s announcement that it would no longer manufacture color tablets. And on Monday, Barnes & Noble announced that Mr. Lynch, the young, tech-savvy architect of the company’s digital strategy, had abruptly resigned. A new chief executive was not named. That leaves the nation’s only major bookstore chain without a clear path forward, reviving fears among publishers, authors and agents — who are deeply dependent on a viable Barnes & Noble — about its future.”

Australians Uninhibited? Not When They’re In An Audience

“Australia often seems to be a nation of cordial clappers and polite head-dippers when it comes to live performance. There are exceptions – festival-goers and, oddly, ballet audiences can be soccer-mob rowdy – but years of seated ovations and quick-to-fade clap-alongs suggest something happens to Australians when we arrange ourselves in rows and stare in the same direction.”