1. BURNING MAN SUPPORTERS CRITICIZE FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS: Supporters of the Burning Man festival are opposed to new restrictions the federal government has proposed for the event in the desert. At a public meeting on Monday, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management proposed stepping up security searches and staging new barriers around the festival if capacity is expanded to 100,000 attendees. Associated Press: “Several festival supporters among the nearly 200 people who jammed the meeting room said the plans would cause more harm to the environment than existing requirements, including mandating trash containers that would attract an accumulation of garbage at the site where ‘leave no trace’ is a mantra and most festivalgoers are dedicated to packing in and out their own trash. The potential measures are included as part of its consideration of a new 10-year special use permit for the temporary community known as Black Rock City on the Black Rock Desert, 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Reno.” https://bit.ly/2VB59Ai
2. NETFLIX WANTS TO BUY HISTORIC HOLLYWOOD THEATER: Netflix has been the subject of Oscar backlash recently, but the streaming giant certainly isn’t backing away from the movie industry. The company is in talks to acquire the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood from venue owner American Cinematheque. Los Angeles Times: “Netflix is not interested in becoming a major player in the exhibition industry. Rather, the talks signal the company’s desire to endear itself to filmmakers who want to preserve the old way of going to the movies. … Purchasing the Egyptian would also enhance Netflix’s already formidable presence in Hollywood, adding to Netflix’s big office space on Sunset Boulevard and the Netflix-owned billboards blanketing the Sunset Strip with advertisements for the firm’s movies and shows. If a deal closes, American Cinematheque is expected to continue screening films at the Egyptian on weekends while Netflix presents its own programming midweek.” https://lat.ms/2UtvrYu
3. WHY CORONA CREATED A WALL OF TRASH AT IPANEMA BEACH: Beer brand Corona erected a wall of trash at the famed Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, made with plastic garbage collected over three days. The 49-foot-long, six-foot-high wall is an activation as part of the beer brand’s partnership with environment nonprofit Parley for the Oceans. Adweek: “Plastic has become such a growing scourge of ocean life that a dead, pregnant whale recently washed ashore in Italy with 50 pounds of plastic in its stomach. Brands and advocacy group have increasingly taken up the issue, with Bacardi recently petitioned the Unicode Consortium to remove plastic straws from emojis as a way of highlighting the need to transition away from single-use plastics like straws. The Ipanema wall was created by agencies Suko and Mutato, which note that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Economic Forum.” https://bit.ly/2U6vnsH
