MinnPost Picks: on Chile’s water, Shen Yun, and watching ‘Cats’ while high

“Is the cost of Chile's fresh water too high?” The Guardian When the massive copper mining operations near the Chilean city of Antofagasta depleted fresh water in the arid region, the city and mines turned to desalination plants. But creating potable water from the ocean results in a waste brine that some allege is killing wildlife. —Walker Orenstein, workforce and environmental reporter “Stepping Into the Uncanny, Unsettling World of Shen Yun,” The New Yorker You've seen the brightly colored posters with women dancing in exquisite dresses, advertising "Shen Yun: 5,000 Years of Civilization Reborn." Maybe you've even attended a performance yourself. But what, exactly, is the dance troupe's origin story? "The ads have to be both ubiquitous and devoid of content so that they can convince more than a million people to pay good money to watch what is, essentially, religious-political propaganda," writes Jia Tolentino of the New Yorker. —Jessica Lee, local government reporter “What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane,” The Atlantic Originally published in the July 2019 issue of The Atlantic, this became the most engaging story on the internet all year, as measured by Chartbeat, a digital analytics company. It’s a riveting tale about the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished into the Indian Ocean in 2014. But this pick is not just about the story. It's also about the exceptionally fine and seductive writing of William Langewiesche, a former professional airplane pilot who got his start as an aviation writer. Read this and you’ll want to read everything else he’s written. —Pamela Espeland, Artscape columnist "People are seeing ‘Cats’ while high out of their minds. These are their stories." The Washington Post File under: It seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. The big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical has drawn negative reviews for its cat-human hybrid costumes and the mismatched proportions of the cats, among other concerns. Writer Maura Judkis put out a call for folks who've tried to view the movie under various influences, with critiques ranging from “The most incredible cinematic experience of my life,” to “When Judi Dench turned and looked me directly in the eyes to let me know that a cat is not a dog, I was terrified.” You've been warned/encouraged. —Corey Anderson, creative director

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MinnPost Picks: on Chile’s water, Shen Yun, and watching ‘Cats’ while high

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MinnPost Picks: on Chile’s water, Shen Yun, and watching ‘Cats’ while high