'Art is one of humanity's great empathic mediums'

'Why I'm still performing at Trump's Kennedy Center'

Lidiya Yankovskaya at The Washington Post

Some "audience members have chosen to shun" the Kennedy Center "regardless of the nature of the performance," but "such self-censorship is misguided," says Lidiya Yankovskaya. Art has the "capacity to change minds, shift cultures, challenge assumptions." Choosing "not to attend performances of content we support will only ensure that this content is not presented in the future." Americans "must continue to support the art that we want to see on the Kennedy Center stage."

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'I never thought I'd see an American pope. But Leo XIV is suited to our times.'

Mary Anna Mancuso at the Miami Herald

Pope Leo XIV "brings a lot to the papacy in terms of pastoral leadership and his missionary experience," says Mary Anna Mancuso. At a "time when the institutions feel more fragile than ever, the unity of the College of Cardinals reminded the world that some institutions remain strong and that we can lean on them." It "would be a mistake to let Leo XIV be defined by his critics." He is a "man elevated by faith and shaped by service."

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'Why in the world do people love golf?'

Dave Schilling at The Guardian

There is "no pastime more connected to the elasticity of time than golf," says Dave Schilling. It's a "game where futility is expected, where failure is right around the corner, and frustration is always simmering." The "most exciting part of golf is hitting the ball, but the rules encourage you to hit the damn thing less, not more." Most of the "time during a golf game, you're pondering, or worse yet, idly chit-chatting."

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'The US should focus on building robots, not ships'

Thomas Black at Bloomberg

The U.S. "long ago lost its dominance in shipbuilding," says Thomas Black. Of "all the battles to fight to create the conditions for a return of more manufacturing to America, shipbuilding is the steepest climb." Robotics is a "key enabler for a wide swath of manufacturing." It's "not too late to jump into the game and chip away at the foreign dominance of robot production." Resources "would be better spent making sure the U.S. is a leader in automation."

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