Bethlehem Town Hall Rotunda Gallery 10 E. Church Street, Bethlehem
Covered Bridge Artisans Tour
Multiple Stops, Hunterdon County, NJ
November 28-30, 10–5; Free, self-guided tour. coveredbridgeartisans.com
What Goes Around, Comes Around (Part 2)
The Snow Goose Gallery 470 Main St., Bethlehem
Victor Arnautoff (1896-1979), City Life (detail), 1934, fresco, 10ft x 35ft. Coit Tower, San Francisco. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith Archive/Library of Congress. City Life was painted with funding from the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a New Deal program during the Great Depression. The mural caused some controversy at the time, because the newsstand he painted (pictured, right) excluded the conservative San Francisco Chronicle and included leftwing newspapers. It also included other references to the “lack of concern” people show each other, including a sign for Charlie Chaplin's City Lights, which was concerned in part with the same theme. [Note the robbery in the lower right corner and the car accident in the center.]
Christine Ebersole can’t do, you could fit on the head of a very tiny pin. She’s won Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for 42nd Street, and as both Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale for 2006’s Grey Gardens. She’s acted in Academy Award-winning films Tootsie and Amadeus. as well as Oscar-nominated movies such as The Wolf of Wall Street and Licorice Pizza. And now she will appear in director (and New Hope resident) Bradley Cooper’s film Is This Thing On? comedy in theaters this month.
Lehigh Valley advertising Raina Filipiak filipiakr@comcase.net
It Was Just an Accident Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere Tron: Ares
Mrs. Soffel (1984)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) Shoot the Moon (1982) Love and Death (1975)
NEWS DAY
Every time I used to walk past the old ABC building on West 66th in Manhattan, which is presently wrapped in demolition boards and scaffolding, it reminded me of my very first painting in New York, done twenty-five years ago at ABC Studios on Times Square. I painted a broadcast of Good Morning America, live.
I’m sad to see this building go, with its windows that gave everyday people on the street a view of the news anchors doing the broadcast. It was a nifty addition to my trips to the market or drug store. It was also a significant part of the Upper West Side’s identity and self-perceived
CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
Robert Beck is a painter, writer, lecturer and ex-radio host. His paintings have been featured in more than seventy juried and thirty solo gallery shows, and three solo museum exhibitions. His column has appeared monthly in ICON Magazine since 2005. www.robertbeck.net
STORY & PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK
exhibitions
Christmas in Bethlehem
Frank “Wyso” Wysochansky
Bethlehem Town Hall Rotunda Gallery 10 E. Church Street, Bethlehem November 9–December 19 Mon.–Fri., 8–4:00
Reception: Nov. 9, 2–4; Gallery Talk at 3:00 Closed Weekends and Holidays
This posthumous exhibition of the artist known as “Wyso” is curated by Steven J. Lichak. Frank Wysochansky (1915–1994) was self-taught, fiercely prolific, and unapologetically human. From the coal fields of PA to the walls of American galleries, Frank Wysochansky—known simply as WYSO®— created a body of work that speaks to the grit, faith, and resilience of the working class. Born to Ukrainian immigrants and one of 12 children, his life was steeped in the struggles of miners and their filies. When his father was killed in a mining accident, the experience seared into his soul—and into his art. He left school after the 7th grade and bece a freelance cartoonist for the United Mine Workers Journal (1946–1969). His subjects reflect his roots: miners, immigrant filies, religious devotion, and the PA landscape
The exhibition is sponsored by the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission (bfac-lv.org) and the PA Council on the Arts.
Covered Bridge Artisans Tour
Multiple Stops, Hunterdon County, NJ
November 28-30, 10–5
Free, self-guided tour coveredbridgeartisans.com
The 31st annual fall studio tour is back Thanksgiving weekend, inviting art lovers to step inside the private studios of some of the region’s most accomplished artists and craftspeople while exploring the scenic backroads of Hunterdon County, NJ. All within a 5-mile radius of the historic Green Sergeants Covered Bridge, visit 23 artists in 9 studios, and at Sandy Ridge Church. It is a seasonal tradition for locals and visitors alike, showcasing a rich diversity of artistic talent—from painting and photography to sculpture, woodworking, cerics, jewelry and fiber arts. Visitors can meet the artists, watch live demonstrations, and purchase original works directly from their creators— all while enjoying charming towns and countryside within a five-mile radius of the historic Green Sergeants Covered Bridge. Tour map, artist list & directions: coveredbridgeartisans.com
What Goes Around, Comes Around (Part 2) The Snow Goose Gallery 470 Main St., Bethlehem Nov. 16–Dec. 20 Opening: Sun., Nov. 16, 1–5 Gallery hours: Tues–Sat., 10–5 610-974-9099 thesnowgoosegallery.com
David Evan Serfass presents photographs influenced by his mother’s art—art he grew up with. Mary Serfass, in turn, draws inspiration from David’s photographs.
,Small Bird Bowls, Hackl Pottery
Karen Caldwell, Sunflower Bouquet
the art of poetry
Geometry and light
Light said to Shadow, walk with me, Let’s find old Geometry. Said Shadow, he’s there, just ahead, Playing ges with Philosophy.
Hey, Geometry, walk with us, Said Light flashing a grin. Admit the primacy of my light — Where I finish you begin.
And even Shadow, raised without, Drawn by Opacity, Is busy fitting you to his shapes, Tailored in obscurity.
By now Geometry, ancient as Light, Has had more than enough — I’ve been here since you first shined, Revealing all My stuff.
Why fight about who ce first — Leave it a mystery, Left to artists who have the gift To paint that all might see.
Richard Lennox (b.1939) has been painting in the New Hope and Lbertville area for more than 60 years. A graduate of Hilton College and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Lennox has exhibited his work widely in many of the major museums and galleries in the Delaware Vally region and has received many awards for his achievements. About his work, Lennox says, “Painting is about light, memory, and the senses. It is also about contagion of shapes and forms, horizontal and vertical stability, rhythms, overlaps, repetitions, variations, juxtapositions, contiguities, biguities, clarity, tonal contrasts, volume, textures, color assemblies, and geometries that catch the light.”
That is quite a mouthful, but like a map for buried treasure, it offers a guide, dizzying perhaps, to the elements that, once combined in Richard’s “contagion,” produce riches. This has been my experience with Richard’s masterful Fle in the Trees, a painting that has held my gaze often over the years. When I first viewed this painting, standing with Richard, I said, “geometry and light.” (I think I recall Richard nodding his assent.) I wrote this poem with those formal elements in mind—as a playful conversation ong the principal actors on Richard’s ordered stage. n
DAVID STOLLER
David Stoller has had a career spanning law, private equity, and entrepreneurial leadership. He was a partner at Milbank Tweed and led
Richard Lennox in his studio.
portfolio
STORIES
Stories add value to an artist’s work. While a narrative is not a prerequisite to an artwork’s success, it does promote viewer engagement. People linger because of it. How does one tell a visual story? To start with, all stories have a beginning, middle, and end, even if they are not revealed in that order. A story with just a middle part won’t entice our interest. When we encounter a story with only an end, we conjure the preceding events in our minds to make it whole.
So what is a story, and how does one tell it? Simply stringing together a series of chronological events does not a story make. For the narrative to work, we must disclose information in a way that engages our audience. We must provoke curiosity while simultaneously assuring the audience that we will reward their interest. Writers often start in the middle, just before some conflict has reached its peak, then fill in the beginning and finish with the conflict’s resolution.
Nobody is interested in being told something they already know. An audience engages when we present them with something unaligned with their expectations. Or when we remove critical steps from a repeating pattern, allowing asymmetry to catch their attention. These are just two exples of visual friction. They are speed bumps on the highway of inattention. Yet even if we slow viewers down, no one will listen if they think we lack something meaningful to say. Viewers evaluate our credibility at
the permanent
first sight. Are we capable of delivering, and what is in it for them? While we don’t have to answer all of their questions, we do need to convey authority and purpose when we interrupt their inner thoughts.
Craft is the first bulwark against our immediate dismissal. A wellcrafted artwork conveys, at a minimum, that the piece is intentional. And then there is the narrative. We can convey a story with varying degrees of literalness. An action can be shown or suggested; props may serve as guideposts; we might employ metaphors in our compositions; and an unseen event can be made known through its consequences. More subtly, image groupings can spark conversations between the included works. Voices quietly wafting from one piece to another invite viewers to quilt their own understanding, blanketing the entire collection.
Surprisingly, viewers can still feel satisfied even if they do not decode a particular artist’s specific story. Enigmas open new portals in our imaginations. The mystery is alluring in and of itself. Our reward is sensing the presence of something that cannot be seen. What is most important is that we believe the artist has an intent and that a narrative exists. And with any story, discovering and pondering unexpected possibilities deepens our appreciation for the impetus that gave them rise.
We artists want that impetus to be our artwork. n
the
and the
PHOTOGRAPH AND ESSAY BY RICARDO BARROS
Ricardo Barros’ works are in
collections of eleven museums, including
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Philadelphia Museum of Art. He is the author of Facing Sculpture: A Portfolio of Portraits, Sculpture and Related Ideas
LAMBERTVILLE
When you need to rent or buy a bicycle, look no further than Pure Energy Cycling & Java House, the brainchild of Arounkone Sananikone, a refugee from Laos. “I grew up on the South Side of San Antonio,” Mr. Sananikone stated, “and went on to become a chemical engineer.” This career enabled him to work with many prototype carbon fiber weaves intended for the aircraft industry. Eventually, this knowledge translated into his expertise in crafting high-end bicycles. “I enjoyed my work as a chemical engineer,” he said, “but I was born
to ride, build, and advocate bicycles.
Pure Energy is my passion.” Arounkone spoke about his background. “As a child, biking seemed absolutely awesome. So, when I was nine years old, I started saving money. It took three years, but I got my first bike.”
Arounkone had a strict practice routine. He rode his bike every day for two to eight hours, morning, noon, and night. At 15 years old, he garnered first place in the Super Class in a flatland freestyle contest. He went on to win more biking awards. But his dre was to own his own bike shop. “Biking was my addiction, my
salvation, my passion, and Pure Energy is my American dre come true.” Pure Energy offers a wide range of top cycling brands that focus on performance, quality, and reliability.
Working alongside Arounkone, building and repairing bikes is Kyle Robinson, known as the “boy wonder.” Kyle bles his addiction to biking on “dumpster-diving. “It happened this way,” he explained. “One day, my cousin and I found a dumped clunker of a bike. We worked non-stop to resurrect it, and then we biked everywhere.” Kyle began racing BMX bikes at the age of 13. Eventually, he raced nationally and bece a state chpion. “I knew that my life and my love revolved around bikes. I wanted biking to be my career, and my dre has come true.” Kyle and Arounkone repair, rent, and sell bikes. With a sly grin, Kyle added, “Stop by with your clunker or dre bike, and I will try my best not to commit it to the dumpster.” While you’re at Pure Energy, enjoy Java House, where you can relax with fresh coffee, loose tea, and energy bars. 609-397-7008. 201 S. Main Street, Riverwalk Complex, Bldg. A, Lower Level, Lbertville. pureenergy.com
Artist Michelle Farro has lived in Lbertville for about four years. In this short time, her paintings, prints, and volunteer work have become firmly entrenched in the community. Michelle has donated her time to create posters featuring her paintings for the Kalmia yearly House Tour event. Ms. Farro is a Jersey girl from Toms River who moved to California, where she earned her BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design. Michelle’s figure painting teacher, Mark Trujillo, encouraged her to use her talent as a painter. And she has. She also studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.
Today, Ms. Farro has her own studio and gallery on S. Union Street, where she paints, shows, and sells her work. “I work in oils, gouache,
and block printing, using each medium to tell different stories,” she explained. Michelle loves working with found photos to capture another time and give them a new life. She uses delicate color harmony in
Citron, originally from Hoboken and Bayonne, NJ, has lived in Lbertville for 45 years. When she arrived in 1978, she immediately knew Lbertville was/is her forever home. Her varied background includes: artist, writer, public speaker, athlete, pianist, singer, actor, potter, state/federal education project director, and award-winning English teacher.
MERLE CITRON
Merle
Arounkone Sananikone and Kyle Robinson
Michelle Farro
CHRISTINE EBERSOLE conversation
Even if you fell in love with Christine Ebersole at the start of her career in soaps such as Ryan’s Hope, One Life to Live, or more recent nighttime fare such as Bob Hearts Abishola, it’s been the Broadway stage where this actor-vocalist is most adored and awarded.
There’s been Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for the 2001 revival of 42nd Street, and her double roles as Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale for 2006’s Grey Gardens, to say nothing of her Tony nomination for Dinner at Eight (2003), and her bit as cosmetics queen Elizabeth Arden in War Paint (2017). On film, she’s acted in Academy Award-winning Tootsie and Amadeus, as well as in a handful of auteur-driven, Oscar-nominated movies such as Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza
What Christine Ebersole can’t do, you could fit on the head of a very tiny pin.
Ebersole’s true focus, however, is her handful of intricately detailed, rich theater music-based albums, such as Christine Ebersole sings Noel Coward, orchestral works such as Strings Attached, and original Christmas song projects such as After the Ball
Two albums of hers with legendary pianist and longtime Liza Minelli collaborator Billy Stritch—Sunday in New York and In Your Dres along with a friendship that harkens back to their days co-starring in 42nd Street, forms the basis of their series of shows together at Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Grill (November 17 and 18) as well as their I’ll Be Home for Christmas residency at 54 Below in New York City. If you can’t get enough of Ebersole on stages, big and small, she will appear in director Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? comedy, in theaters, starting December 19 (Stritch can also easily be found Monday nights at Birdland doing his Cast Party thing with vocalist-host Jim Caruso).
Joke with Ebersole about connecting her work with Philadelphiaborn, new New Hope resident Bradley Cooper and her own local roots (she lives in New Jersey, her children went to school at the University of the Arts), and she’s quick to remind me how deep those roots go.
“Both of my parents live in Pennsylvania, and my mom grew up on a farm right outside of Philadelphia, so this city holds a very special place in my heart,” says the actor-singer.
As for how she and Stritch got together in the first place, Ebersole recalls how she and the pianist met through their mutually shared lawyer. “He’s a mutual friend too, who had this great idea about putting us together as a club act when Feinstein’s was at the Regency in 2004. We did, however, have filiarity with each other from 42nd Street, and just loved each other from the start. And I think that we continue having that filial vibe through to today.”
Stritch chimes in when remembering Ebersole’s first time at the pianist’s apartment, and the birth of their signature stage song as a pair: “Surrey with a Fringe on Top.”
“I can remember looking at Christine and her looking at me and realizing that each of us had tears in our eyes,” says Stritch. “At the se time, both of us felt this powerful connection happening between us. I can totally remember seeing your face. From that moment on, I knew that this was going to be wonderful.”
Ebersole has, of course, worked with other collaborators throughout her career—including, most fously, music director and pianist Larry Yurman—but maintains a tender spot in her heart, and her vocal immensity, for Stritch in this intimate cabaret pairing.
“I think that my thing with Billy comes down to something unique in that he is a singer as well, along with being an azing singer and songwriter,” she says. “That combination brings out something… the sum is so much greater than its individual parts. Something else emerges between us. And it is nothing that I can get from anyone else,”
Stritch confesses that he is at a point in his career where he can pick and choose those with whom he wants to work, and he’d always choose Ebersole. “We laugh a lot,” he says. “That’s so important.”
To this, Ebersole begins to laugh, hard. “That laugh!” remarks Stritch. “That laugh makes me laugh. Whenever I can make her laugh, I’m set for the day.”
For all of this pair’s combined grace and giggling, it is the serious work of making music that swings and rings out, which is most important when Ebersole takes the stage. So, yes, their longtime signature song Surrey with a Fringe on Top,” is part of their live show’s agenda. But Ebersole has a list of Tony Award-worthy (and winning) songs that she always wants to get to with Stritch in the house.
While Stritch confesses to curating “an eclectic show,” with heaping helpings of the singer’s successes with Grey Gardens and 42nd Street, Ebersole has an additional agenda as something of a jazz vocalist when tackling complex, cosmopolitan songs such as “My Favorite Things” and “Can’t Help Loving that Man of Mine,” as well as a handful of Brazilian music classics.
“Also, it speaks to one of the albums that we did together, Sunday in New York, in that our love for that city comes out, our experiences there,” says Ebersole. “Billy makes it all possible. It’s quite the fun party when we play together.”
For all of the more joyous sets of songs that Ebersole will essay, there are serious, more ruminative “winter-centric” numbers to be sung, such as Stacey Kent’s “The Ice Hotel,” along with a handful of California-based drey dras from the pen of Joni Mitchell, with “River.”
Suppose Ebersole chooses to grace her audiences with anything
Christine Ebersole
CHRISTMAS CITY, USA
Bethlehem has a rich holiday heritage that dates to the 18th century, when the Moravians who settled the city christened it “Bethlehem” on Christmas Eve, 1741. Since 1937, the city has officially been known as Christmas City, USA. From guided walking tours of the city’s Historic Moravian District, one of the finest collections of 18th Century Germanic-Style architecture in the nation and home to the newest World Heritage Site in the U.S., to Christkindlmarkt market place and Christmas Carriage rides through the city. There are dozens of attractions and activities for all ages.
CHRISTKINDLMARKT AT STEELSTACKS
Nov. 14-16, 21-23, 28-30, Dec. 4-7, 11-14, 18-21. Thurs. & Sun. 10-6, Fri. & Sat. 10-8. FREE admission Fridays 5-8. One of the best holiday markets in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure. PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, 645 East First St., Bethlehem. christmascity.org. (877) 212-2463
CHRISTMAS CITY VILLAGE
Nov. 14- Dec. 21, Fridays to Sundays. Wooden huts filled with unique holiday gift ideas. Free. Sun Inn Courtyard in Historic Downtown Bethlehem, Main Street. LehighValleyChber.org
THE BAUM SCHOOL OF ART’S HANDMADE HOLIDAY GIFT SHOP
Nov. 18-Dec. 12. wine & cheese Reception
Nov. 20, 6-8, cookies & coffee Reception Dec. 6, 11:30-1:30. Galleries will be filled with handmade items from over 50 of our region’s artists and crafters. 510 Linden St., Allentown. (610) 433-0032. Baumschool.org
BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY
Nov. 28, 4:30-6. Payrow Plaza/city Hall in Bethlehem, 10 East church St. Enjoy free cookies, hot chocolate, visit with Santa and live performances. (484) 280-3024
CHRISTMAS PUTZ AND STAR & CANDLE SHOPPE
Nov. 28-Dec. 31. The christmas Putz is a retelling of the story of christ’s birth through narration and music. central Moravian church, 73 W church St, Bethlehem. For hours, visit centralmoravianchurch.org. (610) 866-5661
CHRISTMAS CITY FOLLIES XXVI
December 4-21, Thurs.-Sat., 8, Sun. at 2. Additional shows on Sat., Dec. 13 & 20 at 2, and Wed., Dec. 17, at 8. Touchstone Theatre’s Holiday Variety Show has been singing, dancing, and laughing for audiences for 26 years. Touchstone Theatre, 321 East
Dec. 6, 1:30, in the Sanctuary, Central Moravian Church. Enjoy the sounds of Church Choir and Mainstreet Brass. 73 W Church St., Bethlehem. moravianchurch.org. (610) 866-5661
CHRISTMAS CONTEMPLATIVE SERVICE
Dec. 8, 7, Old Chapel, Central Moravian Church, 73 W Church St., Bethlehem. A candlelit stillness, while listening to contemplative arrangements of carols. centralmoravianchurch.org. (610) 866-5661
BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS CONCERT, CHRISTMASTIME IN LEIPZIG
Dec. 13, 4:00, Egner Chapel, Muhlenberg College, Allentown. Be transported to 300 years ago, through the dramatic arc of advent and the joyous arrival of Christmas. The ultimate Christmastime celebration. Tickets: (610) 866-4382, x 115/110, Bach.org
ZOELLNER ARTS CENTER AT LEHIGH UNIVERSITY PRESENTS:
Dec. 13-14, 12 & 4, PA Youth Ballet presents The Nutcracker, with a live orchestra. Dec. 19, 7:30 Vienna Boys Choir
BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS CONCERT, CHRISTMASTIME IN LEIPZIG
Dec. 14, 4:00. First Presbyterian Church, 2344 Center St., Bethlehem. Be transported to 300 years ago, through the dramatic arc of advent and joyous arrival of Christmas. The ultimate Christmastime celebration. Tickets and info: (610) 866-4382, x 115/110, Bach.org
NAZARETH CENTER FOR THE ARTS
30 Belvidere St., Nazareth, PA
Nov. 10-30 Auction for the Arts
Nov. 22-23 LAA Studio Tour
Nov. 22. Comedy Night!
Nov. 29 Basket Raffle
Dec. 12 Winter Exhibit Open House, 5-7
Dec. 19 Poorman’s Gambit www.nazaretharts.org
PEEPSFEST®
Dec. 30 & 31, 3-6. Annual two-day New Year’s Eve festival, SteelStacks, Bethlehem. A PEEPS® Rising Ceremony, culminating with fireworks. Presented by Just Born Quality Confections. steelstacks.org. (610) 332-3378
VALLEY
GEOFF GEHMAN
Bleached-blonde reggae cop. Jazz bassist. Medieval lutist. Author of songs about Russian children, Argentinian widows and his English ship-building dad. Winner of 18 Grmys. Rock and Roll Hall of Fer. British Empire Commander. Ex-apostle of tantric sex. We’re writing, of course, about Sting, who this month will visit the Valley for the first time in nearly 40 years. Back then he was merely a hit-writing soloist, newly sprung from his Police cell. Now he’s a cultural cZXeleon, a Zeus of the Zeitgeist. Nov. 2021, Wind Creek Event Center, 77 Wind Creek Dr., Bethlehem; 610297-7414; windcreekeventcenter.com
Postmodern Jukebox has some Sting swing. The big band applies big-band styles—wavy hair, curvy costumes, star-dusty arrangements, boogiewoogie movements—to everything from Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” to Radiohead’s “Creep,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to banjofied Bach. Expect some Christmas jive in the current show Magic, Moonlight & Mistletoe. Nov. 13, Zoellner Center for the Arts, Lehigh University, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem; 610-758-2787; zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is Emerson, Lake & Palmer on Christmas steroids. ELP took Copland’s “Hoedown” on a Nantucket sleigh ride; TSO takes Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker on a Russian train hijack. Clever and crazy, the madly popular ensemble hits the road again with “A Mad Russian’s Christmas” and “Wish Liszt (Toy Shop Madness).” No-
Geoff Gehman is a former arts writer for The Morning Call and the author of five books: Planet Mom: Keeping an Aging Parent from Aging, The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hptons, and Fast Women and Slow Horses: The (mis)Adventures of a Bar, Betting and Barbecue Man with Willi Mayberry. geoffgehman@verizon.net
vember 21, PPL Center, 701 Hilton St., Allentown; 610-224-4625; pplcenter.com
Tis the season for classical/popular fusioneers. The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight consists of candle-lit instrumentalists and vocalists who electrify tunes minted by the Rolling Stones, Linkin Park and, naturally, AC/DC. Ah, but when will they add Electric Light Orchestra’s rollicking “Roll Over Beethoven,” or Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind”? Dec. 6, State Theatre, 453 Northpton St., Easton; 610-2523132; statetheatre.org
Movies are nickned flicks because they offer flickering glimpses of life, afterlife and other spheres. In Annie Baker’s The Flick, a Pulitzer Prize-winning dra, three employees ruminate about it all in a decayed movie theater. (Nov. 14-16 and 19-21, Zoellner Center for the Arts, Lehigh University, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem; 610-758-2787; zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu
Kev Marcus and Wil B. are Black Violin, hip-hop classicists, activists and philanthropists. Friends since high school, they’ve sold out the Kennedy Center; earned a Grmy nomination for recording “The Message” with the Blind Boys of Alaba, and served scores of students from
low-income filies. Better yet, their foundation funds music scholarships for gifted, overlooked kids. Nov. 9, Musikfest Café, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem; 610-332-1300; steelstacks.org.
Touchstone Theatre is offering a rare chance to share a play before it’s ready for public viewing. The work is Bellavista Prison; the creators are Jose Diaz and his Experimental Theater Group. Spectators are welcome to question the content and the process, then return in March to see the finished production. (Nov. 7, 321 E. 4th St., Bethlehem; 610-867-1689; touchstone.org
Northampton Community College is staging Patrick Marber’s adaptation of Hedda Gabler, which is leaner and meaner than Ibsen’s original, with Hedda a smarter, nastier sexual grand master. The 2016 premiere starred the remarkably versatile Ruth Wilson, who was almost Shakespearean as a wounded waitress/nurse in the TV series The Affair. Marber’s go-for-the-jugular arsenal includes After Miss Julie, a modern, minimalist take on Strindberg’s original, and Closer, which dissects the sexual shenanigans of criss-crossing couples. He also wrote the screenplay for the film version directed by Mike Nichols. Nov. 20-24, Kopecek Hall, 3835 Green Pond Rd., Bethlehem; 484-484-3412; ncctix.org
Muhlenberg College concludes its “Living Writers” triennial with two 40-something major leaguers. Poet Roger Reeves (Nov. 6) is a Guggenheim fellow whose collection Best Barbarian received a Canadian
prize worth over $100,000. Playwright Branden Jacobs Jenkins (Nov. 20) hit the jackpot this year with a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize for Purpose, where a reunited Chicago fily test racial and political boundaries. This winter Muhlenberg will produce Everybody, his spin on the medieval morality play Everyman. The twist? Every night cast members pick the protagonist by lottery. Moyer Hall, Miller Forum, 2400 Chew St., Allentown; 484-664-3340; muhlenburg.edu
Miller Symphony Hall continues its “Live from the Met” series with a big-screen telecast of Franco Zeffirelli’s spectacular, splendid production of La Boheme, Puccini’s splendid, spectacular portrait of 19thcentury Paris bohemians. It’s the first opera I saw live, with my future high-school choral director conducting my father and sister in the chorus. Talk about the planets aligning. Nov. 23, 23 N. 6th St., Allentown; 610-432-6715; millersymphonyhall.org
Speaking again of my sister Meg, her first Nashville recording, “The Way the World Knew Her,” was produced by Jano Rix, keyboardist/percussionist for the Wood Brothers, a brawny, nimble, broad-minded trio. The Americana specialists are booked in Allentown, where I wrote for The Morning Call for 25 years, on Dec. 5, which happens to be my sister’s birthday. Talk about the planets aligning again. Archer Music Hall, 939 Hilton St.; 610-798-1466; archermusichall.com n
Wood Brothers
Left to right: Lorrie Moore, Safiya Sinclair, Safia Elhillo, Roger Reeves, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
CITY
With all of your Hallow’s Eve decorations put away and your Spirit Halloween money spent on hugely discounted summer trend costumes (Sydney Sweeney pants, J.D. Vance fake beards, Kristi Noem weapons), how about you start saving some cash for November, its turkey strike equient (maybe don’t put all of that Noem gear away), and whatever it is that I can recommend to you for the first snaps (oh, snaps) of winter?
Surrealists and post-Impressionists will command your art dollar this season with the just-opened Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets at the Barnes Foundation (60 works by the French post-Impressionist
painter including 11 on loan from the Musee de l’Orangerie in Paris and more from the NYC’s Museum of Modern Art in New York) and Dreworld: Surrealism at 100 at Philadelphia Art Museum’s wealth of Magrite, Miró, Tanning and Dalí’s fed Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War); both running now through February 2026.
ture’s heels is Hadestown—a moody, epochal hit Broadway musical that just re-invented itself on the New York stage—with a more intimate version of singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell’s visionary work, currently on the road, and making a pilgrimage to Philadelphia at Walnut Street’s Forrest Theatre between December 2 through Dec. 7.
As this live music event just makes it over our deadline’s transom, I can safely say that you should run, not walk, to Ensemble Art Philadel-
phia’s Miller Theater for a November 11’s Evening with Sara Joy. If any one new singer and composer can change the face of fresh jazz vocal work or alter its visage for the bolder, it’s Joy.
Actually, South Broad Street is a pretty great place to be throughout November. The whimsical, witty Back to the Future comic trilogy of films that made the 1980s a better place and Marty McFly iconic have been squashed into new Broadway musical form, and made into a touring thing that stays put at the Academy of Music from November 18 through to November 30. Following hot on the Fu-
If you don’t mind that I testing the limits of your imagination and value regarding free music, I would love to introduce you to an unusual, but deserving totem of the avant-garde Ars Nova Workshop’s presentation of the all-star Air Legacy Trio, performing the music of NEA Jazz Master Henry Threadgill, at South Broad Street’s Solar Myth on November 14. Saxophonist, flutist, and hubka phone inventor/player Henry Threadgill, bassist Fred Hopkins, and drummer Steve McCall created Air as a democratic
CONTINUED ON PAGE 25
A.D. OROSI
Baile en Tehuantepec
A.D. Amorosi is a Los Angeles Press Club National Art and Entertainment Journalism award-winning journalist and national public radio host and producer (WPPM.org’s Theater in the Round) married to a garden-to-table cooking instructor + award-winning gardener, Reese, and father to dog-daughter Tia.
Sara Joy
Henry Threadgill
film roundup
Frankenstein (Dir. Guillermo del Toro). Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz. A long-time passion project for writer-director Guillermo del Toro, this adaptation of the Mary Shelley perennial about an undead monster (Jacob Elordi) and the obsessive man, Victor (Oscar Isaac), who made him proves mostly triumphant. Both Isaac and Elordi are in full hot-blooded romantic mode, like two peacocking Edward Rochesters trading ideological/emotional barbs and blows. Del Toro sticks to the general structure of Shelley’s tale, moreso than most adaptations. The narrative is shaped as a dual reminiscence from a trapped Arctic explorer ship: Victor goes first, telling of his tormented upbringing and obsessive quest to cheat death. The Creature follows with a tearjerking tale of his slowly awakening consciousness, as well as his eventual recognition that his maker, along with the species he
Keith Uhlich is a NY-based writer published at Slant Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Out New York, and ICON. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle. His personal website is (All (Parentheses)), accessible at keithuhlich.substack.com.
represents, tends toward cruelty instead of compassion. The imagery is of course splendid, though more satisfying is how fully and resonantly del Toro has mined this beloved story to his own ends. [R] HHHH
It Was Just an Accident (Dir. Jafar Panahi). Starring: Vahid Mobasseri, Ebrahim Azizi, Mari Afshari. The great Iranian writer-director Jafar Panahi has continued making movies under the harshest restrictions, all of them stemming from the regressive leaders of his home country’s oppressive regime. His latest is an allegorical farce in which former political prisoner Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) fatefully crosses paths with the interrogator, Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi), who tortured him. The man can be identified by the squeak in his artificial leg, though Vahid’s certainty about Eghbal’s identity wobbles after his captive protests otherwise. An initially single-mided quest for revenge becomes more and more complicated as Vahid attempts to concretely identify Eghbal with the help of several of his victims, all of whom come off as aspects of Panahi— seeming representations of the many emotional states he surely cycled through when he himself was incarcerated. The comical aspects of the
KEITH UHLICH
Oscar Isaac and Jacob
Elordi in Frankenstein
scenario commingle potently and provocatively, building to a profoundly unsettling moment of irresolution. At heart, this is a parable about a society’s perpetuation of violence and whether it’s possible to break those shackles once and for all. [PG-13] HHHH1/2
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (Dir. Scott Cooper). Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Stephen Grah. Another year, another by-the-numbers music biopic that’ll make the many who see it
race back to Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story for a palate cleanser. The virile bathos in this dratization of the creation of Bruce Springsteen’s great 1982 acoustic album Nebraska is at least at more of a simmer than a boil so that, all told, its torrent of clichés barely singes. Jeremy Allen White straps and struts adequately as The Boss, while Jeremy Strong goes far too Method deep as devoted manager Jon Landau, treating the shallow proceedings (which are basically about Bruce realizing he needs therapy) like they’re Greek tragedy. A girlfriend played by Odessa Young is a composite character mainly there to spur Springsteen out of his varied lethargies because, you know…Woman = Muse x Hardass. Suffering for one’s art has rarely been portrayed with such purposelessness and disposability. [PG-13] HH
Tron: Ares (Dir. Joachim Rønning). Starring: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jeff Bridges. The third installment of the inevitable Tron series is a simple tale of an A.I. gaining a conscience. Ares (Jared Leto) is a sentient progr conceived by a billionaire nepo baby (Evan Peters) who has eyes on a lucrative military-industrial complex contract. A rival CEO (Greta Lee) has more benevolent aims: Find the “permanence” code that allows tech constructs like Ares to survive in the real world more than half-an-hour and push mankind forward to utopia. Nothing goes to plan, of course. But we’re not here for the story as much as the rad visuals (oh, those speeding light-cycles!) and speakerbusting soundtrack (by Nine Inch Nails, outdoing their consistently high headbanging bar). Leto is pretty perfect as a stoic machine (anything that prevents him from emoting, thank you very much). The rest of the cast walks through their roles on the way to what was hopefully a stellar paycheck. And original Tron star Jeff Bridges pops up to spout some trans-humanist gibberish like an aged Jeff Lebowski gone full Silicon Valley. Still and all…pretty colors, dude! [PG-13] HH n
unit where free jazz and virtuosity pushed beyond its limits was just its start point. Now, as recommended and approved by Threadgill himself,
Marty Ehrlich takes on the reeds+ gig with onetime Air drummer Pheeroan AkLaff, and new school bassist Hilliard Greene. This will be magical.
My jury of one is still out on social-media-scion and influencer-turnedstand-up comic sensation Matt Rife. Is he funny? So far, I haven’t thought so as his act seems little more than him making goofy faces and being rude and childish—not that I’m against solely being goofy, rude and childish as a whole, but give me something more here. I can get that from any old Jim Carrey movie. That said, I’m willing to buy that Rife has hidden talents and rakish charms, though holding court at an over-sized space where crowds can barely make out your facial tics (Infinity Mobile Arean, November 29) might not be the best place to test out my doubts or any favorability that I’m willing to grant Rife. So.
Time for a moment of reverence here: New Jersey-born, Philadelphiaraised, Upper-Darby-dwelling poet, chronicler and songwriter Patti Smith created a life-changing album with guitarist Lenny Kaye and the rest of her band in 1975, Horses. Some call it the beginning of punk, an innovation for the female voice in rock, a reconnection with America’s poetic form, a new vision from a wordy lineage that starts with Walt Whitman, Arthur Rimbaud and Jim Morrison. Horses was all of that and none of that at the se time, and on November 29, Smith and her band brings all of that back home to The Met Philadelphia. If this isn’t worth a post-Thanksgiving hang-out, nothing is. n
Jeremy Allen White
multi-instrumentalist
Marty Ehrich, Hillard Green, Pheeroan ak Laff
Matt Rife
film classics
Mrs. Soffel (1984, Gillian Armstrong, United States)
Keaton has scintillating chemistry with a young Mel Gibson in Gillian Armstrong’s period dra. The actress’ Kate Soffel is a turn-ofthe-20th-century warden’s wife who falls for Gibson’s incarcerated Ed Biddle while reading Bible verses to him in prison. As their bond develops, Kate makes a bold choice to help Ed and his brother Jack (Matthew Modine) escape. What follows is by turns romantic and tragic as this prim housewife discovers depths in herself that she never
knew existed…and the consequences that inevitably come with this newfound awareness. Mrs. Soffel marks an endpoint of sorts in Keaton’s career. From here her roles, with a few exceptions, tended more toward the superficial and commercial, eschewing the comic and dratic ranges she displayed in these four features (and plenty more besides in her ‘70s-’80s run). They are still enough to solidify her place in the cinematic firment. Truly, there will never be another like her. (Streing on Prime.)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977, Richard Brooks, United States)
Keaton throws herself completely into the role of Theresa Dunn, a schoolteacher who rebels against her traditionalist upbringing by engaging in ever-more sordid sexual encounters. There’s a cautionary prurience to the subject matter, which writer-director Richard Brooks adapted from a 1975 novel by Judith Rossner that was itself inspired by the real-life murder of NY teacher Roseann Quinn. Looking for Mr. Goodbar still can’t help but be enored by the seedy city nightlife, nor by all the classic motown and disco hits on the soundtrack, nor by the no-less-brilliant Tuesday Weld as Theresa’s sister Katherine. But this is Keaton’s show and the dratic chops she displays and character insights she uncovers complicate any easy reading of the film, right to its hauntingly queasy downer ending. (Streing on Prime.)
Shoot the Moon (1982, Alan Parker, United States)
One of the great movies about divorce, this harrowing dra features Keaton as Faith Dunlap, a California wife who suspects her husband George (Albert Finney) is having an affair. The confession comes early and the fallout from George’s infidelity is ongoing and often verbally
and physically violent on both spouses’ parts. Both Keaton and Finney are at the top of their ge, mining all the complexity possible from their characters’ to-the-rafters vitriol. Several of the argument scenes feel uncomfortably real and as the film goes on it becomes apparent that Faith and George find a weird kind of sustenance and love in their bellowing rivalry. Keaton’s standout scene is a quiet one, however: Alone in a bathtub, singing to herself, cycling through a myriad of emotions
KEITH UHLICH
Diane Keaton in Mrs. Soffel
Albert Finney and Diane Keaton
as she contemplates where she is and where she’s going. It’s as if we’re eavesdropping on the most private of moments, and it’s a testent to Keaton’s skills that she lets us glimpse the inner tumult in so profound a fashion. (Streing on Prime.)
Love and Death (1975, Woody Allen, United States)
A world without the great Diane Keaton is a sad place indeed. In honor of her recent passing, this month’s Classics column spotlights several of her greatest roles. Annie Hall (1977) is for many the go-to
Keaton collaboration with writer-director Woody Allen. But for sheer unbridled pleasure, nothing beats this earlier te-up, a gut-busting parody of Russian literature in which Keaton plays Sonja, cousin to Allen’s failed Napoleon assassin Boris. There’s practically a joke every second, all of them funny. Though few sequences can top the two direct-address interior monologues where Allen pontificates about “wheat” while Keaton spirals through a neurotic reverie about forced marriage. Her comic chops are at their peak and it’s sublimely vertigo-inducing. (Streing on Pluto TV.) n
“She has so many different colors and textures to her voice AND, AND she can swing,” says Billy Stritch of his dance partner, Christine Ebersole. That’s not something that you can learn.” n CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16
from her provocative, all-originals novel-esque album, Isolation. In that case, there will be more than a few teary eyes beyond their own in the house.
Woody Allen
Christine Ebersol and Billy Stritch. Photo: Stephen Sorokoff
place in the world. Stopping to watch was particularly fascinating before the flatscreen era diluted the singularity of what you were witnessing on the other side of the glass. Nowadays, a lot of this happens in somebody’s basement.
That first New York painting of mine was done on the GMA set, February 2, 2000. I was supposed to paint the day before, but when I arrived at 4:00 that morning, it was clear something unusual was going on. I stood in the control room looking at the bank of twenty-plus monitors, each showing a different clip of a commercial airliner. One screen had a graphic of the Pacific Ocean with a black dashed line that ended in a large red X. Air Alaska flight 261 had crashed off California. The staff of ABC News was scrbling. The hosts, Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer, would in large part be extemporizing. I was told I would have to wait to paint until the next day—it was just too chaotic—but I got to stay and watch the production unfold from many vantage points. It was a marvelous experience.
The next morning was a “normal” day for them, and I began painting around 5:00 in front of the “fireplace,” the set’s home base for the show. There were just a few people in the room, putting the ceras in position and laying cables. The studio had five sets, including the weather person position, and during breaks, the ceras, hosts, and guests would reposition themselves for the next segment by moving just a few feet. It was engrossing to watch, especially a quarter century ago when the networks were king and technology was nothing like it is today. I had to focus on painting, so it was good that I was able to enjoy watching the day before.
I had the basis of my painting established when the script was circulated, just before the show went live. It helps to know what is going to happen and how much time I have to get it down. I got a copy and looked to see when I could expect Charles and Diane to be in the locations I planned. It wasn’t great news. Charles was scheduled to be there for five minutes, total. Diane would not be in my view at all. There was nothing I could do. I changed my focus to make the crew dominate, so I could indicate Charles and Diane quickly and simply when I got an opportunity; I might even need to improvise them.
An hour later, I had Charlie painted in the chair and the crew silhouettes in place. The floor director ce over to me at a commercial break and we chatted a little. She was wearing a bulky sweater and had a lot of communication gear hanging from her belt. She jokingly asked me to take some pounds off her in the painting. I told her I would if she got Diane to sit at the fireplace for three minutes.
The next break, she walked over to Sawyer, who was studying the script for the next segment. The director touched her on the elbow, causing Diane to lift from the seat, and led her a few paces to the fireplace chair. Three minutes later, the director called out, “One minute,” did the elbow touch again, and took Diane back to where she had been sitting when they started. Sawyer never broke concentration. I made good on my deal with the director.
When the show was over, they recorded a few promos for Good Morning America, the lights ce down, ceras were stowed against the wall, the cables were coiled, and everybody left the studio. I walked over to the big windows and looked out at the people streing along Broadway. When I had made sense of my day so far, I grabbed my kit and went out to join them. n
Answer to GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
these paintings to evoke a drey, soft memory in the viewer’s eyes. “I also love reading memoirs. These readings were my inspiration to paint portraits of people who have made social contributions. I also enjoy creating mystery in my paintings, leaving the rest to the viewer’s imagination.” Recent projects of note include paintings for HBO, Chairish, Bergdorf Goodman, and Anthropologie. Michelle works from both her home and her studio. Every day, she creates a painting documenting the moon’s phases, all in gouache, always urging her observers to see the filiar in new ways, because, as she stated, “Painting is a lifelong process of learning to see.” In addition to her fine art, Ms. Farro offers color consulting for homes as a local service. A recent project was the Lbertville Library. info@michellefarro.com 4 S. Union Street, 2nd floor, Lbertville, NJ
Artist, teacher, and designer Johanna Furst has her studio and gallery upstairs at the People’s Store. Here she creates her paintings and teaches painting classes. Johanna’s paintings are large. She has even used hollow doors for some of her paintings, most of which contain a naked woman entwined with the natural world and surrounded by its creatures. “The people in my paintings are nude, because nudity is natural. Because we are a part of the natural world, I paint from the animal’s perspective of people, nature, and our relationship to it.” Her people and nature appear to be at peace in life, in death, or in “rebirth”. She explained, “I try to paint the invisible grace that nature, in its wisdom, can teach us.”
Johanna is a former ballet dancer, which influences the rhythm of her work. The birds that fly, the flowers in bloom, and the animals, especially tigers, that ro throughout her paintings represent the natural world and the freedom it embodies. “I teach not only to survive as an artist in America, but also to spread the joy of painting and the journey that takes you to places you have never been. I think the most exciting part of being a painter is what we discover about ourselves.” Johanna teaches on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 3:30 and on Sundays from 3:00 to 5:30. Open studio spaces are available. “We paint,” Johanna said, “to leave a unique mark, approach, and fingerprint of who we are.” Sometimes, before a class begins, Johanna employs a variety of calming techniques, such as music, meditation, or breathing exercises, to help her students discover their own creativity. She wants artists to experience that sense of grace, a state of being that allows them to descend into a “flow” space, where they can reach the sacred, the truth, and pure love. info@johannafurst.com The People’s Store, 28 North Union Street, 3rd floor, Lbertville, NJ. n
Johanna Furst
FINDINGS
Well-being no longer dips and ill-being no longer peaks in the midlife of Britons and Americans, owing to a deterioration in mental health ong the young. Loneliness ong Japanese and Taiwanese women declines in late life, whereas it continues to rise ong their male counterparts. Between 2002 and 2019, the probability that a given area of Manchester, England, would become a bar desert increased twentysix-fold, while the probability of its becoming a restaurant desert decreased fourfold. Jordanian women self-reported high mean scores on the Food Fussiness scale, and Turkish preschoolers who engage in emotional overeating are more likely to have parents who soothe them with food. Researchers determined that American consumers who experience white guilt are more likely to patronize black-owned businesses, even when they are poorly rated. Dry lower-leg skin in African-American women is distinctive for its downregulation of several free fatty acids.
The skull of a child found in the Skhul Cave on Mount Carmel suggested that interbreeding between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens may date to as early as 140,000 years ago. A six-year-old male bear who died at the Viminacium phitheater in modern-day Serbia appears to have worn down his teeth on the bars of his cage before he died, likely from infection following a blunt-force injury to the skull. An Updown girl buried with adornments befitting the seventh-century Anglo-Saxon elite had a sub-Saharan African grandparent, and the Slavicization of Eurasia was the result of east-to-west migration rather than of top-down imposition by Slavic elites. British metal production did not collapse until at least a century after Roman withdrawal, likely because of bubonic plague, and it diminished again with the establishment of the Church of England, as Catholic buildings were stripped for scrap. The bronze objects at Knossos may not all have been deposited through hoarding, and may also have been Final Palatial rather than Neopalatial. Rising seas may reach the moai of Easter Island as early as 2080. Rising CO2 levels in the upper atmosphere will intensify the impact of geomagnetic storms on satellites. British fire crews have been hpered by the presence of unexploded bombs when dealing with wildfires sparked during military training sessions. Hot air over the Indian Ocean is warming the East Antarctic interior ice sheet region. The Pir-Karakor Anomaly, which has allowed glaciers in these mountain ranges to withstand climate change longer than expected, has been in decline since 2018. Heat and heavy metals deaden the non-flight buzzing of buff-tailed bumblebees. Ocean acidification is weakening the teeth of sharks. The teeth of the tenaculum projecting from the foreheads of male ghost sharks, presumably used to grasp females during mating, are more akin to oral tooth whorls than to modified dermal denticles.
A survey of three species of octopuses from Europe and the Americas catalogued a total of 6,781 arm deformations. The presence of a semipermeable faunal boundary in the North Atlantic Current was suggested by the absence, below the 47th parallel, of knobless Botrynema brucei ellinorae jellyfish. Annual migrations cause adult humpback whales to lose twelve tons of blubber. The anchors of ocean wind turbines in the southern North Sea act as reefs, with their animal populations varying between Heligoland and the southern German Bight. Bats may mistake reflective turbine blades for the brightness of open skies. Astronomers announced a new trans-Neptunian object, 2017 OF201, which may be a dwarf planet and which has a solar orbit lasting 25,000 years. Twice a day for one Martian month every Martian year, salty brines may form from melting frost. Physicists discovered why ice is slippery.
INDEX
% of internet traffic last year that was generated by humans : 49
That was generated by bots : 51
Number of previous years on record in which traffic generated by bots has exceeded that by humans : 0
% by which Google searches are less likely to result in clicks if they feature an AI Overview : 47
% change in unpaid search traffic to U.S. news websites since Google debuted these overviews in May 2024 : −26
In news-related ChatGPT queries since January 2024 : +212
Portion of companies that report using AI in their business : 4/5
Portion of those using AI that has not resulted in any “tangible bottom-line impact”: 5/6
% change since 2023 in total U.S. investment in constructing housing : +5
In total U.S. investment in constructing data centers : +115
Portion of Americans with household incomes above $200,000 who expect AI to do them more harm than good : 3/10
Of those with household incomes below $50,000 : 3/5
Portion of teenage drivers in the U.S. who say they often take “long glances” at their phones while driving : 7/10
Chance that the average teenage driver is looking at their phone at any given time while driving : 1 in 5
% of Americans who say they would feel safe in a driverless car : 13
Min. value of cryptocurrency reported stolen in the first half of this year :
$2,840,000,000
Min. number of reported cryptocurrency thefts in this period that involved physical violence : 31
That involved the severing of a finger : 2
% increase since last year in ransomware attacks worldwide : 28
Portion of annual U.S. deaths that would not occur if the nation’s mortality rate matched that of comparably wealthy countries : 1/4
Portion of annual deaths ong Americans aged 25–44 that would not occur : 3/5
Est. number of people worldwide who die each year as a result of sanctions : 777,000
% of these people who are under the age of 5 : 36
Average estimated life expectancy of a Palestinian in Gaza before Oct.7, 2023 : 75.5
In the year following October 7 : 40.6
% of Americans who favor arresting Benjin Netanyahu for war crimes if he visits the United States : 46
Who oppose this : 32
Estimated % of ICE detainees who are held in private, for-profit facilities : 86
Portion of Republicans who say that the president should be able to revoke the citizenship of a native-born American : 1/4
Min. % by which the U.S. immigrant population has decreased since January : 2.6
Last year in which this population declined : 1964
Factor by which the portion of U.S. domestic flights that are delayed by more than an hour has increased since 1990 : 2
By more than three hours : 5
Average time at which a San Francisco office worker left the office in 2019 : 5:17
In 2025 : 4:51
Average number of minutes by which songbirds start vocalizing earlier in the morning in light-polluted areas : 18
By which they stop vocalizing later in the evening : 32
% of Americans over 65 who say they can tell time on an analog clock “instantly” : 95
Of those aged 18–30 : 43
5ources: 1–3 Imperva (San Mateo, Calif.); 4–6 Similarweb (NYC); 7,8 McKinsey & Company (NYC); 9,10 U.S. Census Bureau (Suitland, Md.); 11,12 Quinnipiac University Poll (Hden, Conn.); 13,14 Rebecca Robbins, Harvard University (Cbridge, Mass.); 15 American Automobile Association (Heathrow, Fla.); 16,17 Chainalysis (NYC); 18 Harper’s research; 19 Check Point Research (Tel Aviv, Israel); 20,21 Jacob Bor, Boston University; 22,23 Francisco Rodríguez, University of Denver; 24,25 Michel Guillot, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia); 26,27 Napolitan News Service (McKinney, Texas); 28 TRAC (Syracuse, N.Y.); 29 YouGov (NYC); 30 Pew Research Center (Washington); 31 U.S. Census Bureau; 32,33 Maxwell Tabarrok (Cbridge, Mass.); 34,35 Work Forward (San Francisco); 36,37 Neil Gilbert, Oklahoma State University (Stillwater), and Brent Pease, Southern Illinois University (Carbondale); 38,39 YouGov.
THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
BY EVAN BIRNHOLZ
investments
1 Streaks of smoke
6 Calculates the total again 12 Big and tall blazer?
19 Increase in intensity 20 Surprise attack
21 Its national anthem is “Himni i Flurit” (“Hymn to the Flag”)
22 Car mechanic’s favorite board ge?
24 Fish such as a branzino
25 Big ount, as of bricks
26 ___ process (constitutional right)
27 1990s Ontarian premier Bob whose surne is 51 Across backward
