AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- The Various Things British People Mean When They Say “Sorry”
“In the UK, ‘sorry’ is not simply an apology, it’s a cultural reflex – a five-letter pressure valve used to soften requests, smooth over awkwardness, fill conversational gaps and avoid the national horror of seeming rude. … For visitors, the puzzle is … working out what ‘sorry’ actually means.” – BBC
- Leading Paris Gallery Goes Bankrupt After 36 Years, Closes
Air de Paris, a leading French gallery, will close its doors and declare bankruptcy after 36 years in business, the gallery’s cofounders, Florence Bonnefous and Edouard Merino, tell Cultured. – ARTnews
- Harvey Weinstein Is On His Third Trial For This Rape Case — And This Time Nobody’s Paying Much Attention
The disgraced movie mogul was first tried for the alleged assault of Jessica Mann in 2020; he was convicted of third-degree rape, but the verdict was overturned in 2024 over prosecutors’ missteps. Weinstein’s 2025 retrial had a hung jury, and the current retrial is drawing little interest from media or spectators. – Vulture (MSN)
- The (Mis)Understanding Of Joan Didion
The places and events that Didion samples in the late Sixties—a time of unpopular foreign involvements, identity-based unrest at home, and a divisive, enigmatic national government—make right now an instructive time to read Slouching. – Hedgehog Review
- Is Capitalism Forever? Or…
No matter how one defines capitalism, the concept has served its critics well. Capitalism named an enemy, gave it a shape, and showed that it was on the march, threatening everything in its path. It still does. Scholars, by contrast, have often blanched at the term, dismissing it as political or polemical. – The Nation
ISSUES
- Leading Paris Gallery Goes Bankrupt After 36 Years, Closes
Air de Paris, a leading French gallery, will close its doors and declare bankruptcy after 36 years in business, the gallery’s cofounders, Florence Bonnefous and Edouard Merino, tell Cultured. – ARTnews
- Nonprofit Sues To Stop Trump’s “American Flag Blue” Repaint Of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
“In a lawsuit filed Monday, The Cultural Landscape Foundation said the administration’s moves to repaint the bottom of the Reflecting Pool blue without undergoing relevant reviews ran afoul to federal preservation laws governing historic sites.” – AP
- Suspect Arrested For Alleged Terrorist Plot To Blow Up Louvre
“The investigation began after the suspect was stopped by police in Paris on April 28; he was allegedly driving with a forged license. Officials said the man’s phone was accessed after that traffic stop. … The Interior Ministry said … the man was arrested before details of the attack had been fully formulated.” – ABC News
- AI Is Forcing Architecture Firms To Rethink How They Operate
Artificial intelligence has made its way into almost every corner of professional workflows, prompting the architectural industry to rethink how it works. To adapt to this shift, firms are now facing the limits of a model that has changed very little over the past few decades. – ArchDaily
- Visitors Get A Rare Closeup Look At Ceiling Murals By Klimt
The 10 paintings were done by the young Gustav Klimt and his brother at Vienna’s Burgtheater from 1886-1888. They’re currently getting a cleaning, and while the scaffolding is up, the theater is allowing some visitors to climb up and get a closer view. – AP
MEDIA
- Australia Announces A$1.1 Billion Arts Funding Budget
“The government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled a $1.1 billion (just under US$800 million) arts and culture package in the 2026–27 Federal Budget, headlined by increased (money for funding agency) Creative Australia, targeted support for national collecting institutions and new investment in cultural infrastructure projects across the country.” – Limelight (Australia)
- Time Out Names London As The World’s Top Culture Scene
Recognised for the scale, quality and accessibility of its cultural scene, the UK capital embraces diverse communities and historic landmarks, alongside an extraordinary range of world-class museums and galleries – many of them free to visit. – Time Out
- How AI Killed Off The Princeton Honor Code
A study of thousands of students at Rutgers University found that, in 2017, a majority copied their homework answers from the internet. AI has taken that dynamic to new extremes. It can mimic any writing style, produce a unique essay, and add in typos to make it appear human-authored. – The Atlantic
- Inside The Ransomware Attack On Education
Hackers who had previously targeted Google and Ticketmaster had purposely chosen now, when college finals are happening, to threaten Instructure, the company that makes Canvas, that they would leak the personal information of 275 million Canvas users. – The Atlantic
- Two Years After UArts Collapsed, Its Endowment Is Still Tied Up In Court
“Many parties, including colleges that accepted UArts students and a charitable trust that had funded more than half of the endowment, have been vying for the money in court.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
MUSIC
- The Various Things British People Mean When They Say “Sorry”
“In the UK, ‘sorry’ is not simply an apology, it’s a cultural reflex – a five-letter pressure valve used to soften requests, smooth over awkwardness, fill conversational gaps and avoid the national horror of seeming rude. … For visitors, the puzzle is … working out what ‘sorry’ actually means.” – BBC
- What Makes Some People So Good At Picking Up And Changing Accents?
One study found that the best predictor of whether someone could imitate a new accent was being able to execute a tongue-twister. A good ear for music and openness to new experiences also correlate with skill at accents. – BBC
- What Happens To Humanity When We Lose A Language?
“Some communities are lucky enough to have the political or cultural autonomy to protect their languages – think of Welsh or Māori – but many aren’t so fortunate. Some rue and rally; others resign themselves to decline.” – The Guardian (UK)
- If You, A Writer, Think Most Writers Are Trash, Are You A Literary Jerk?
Uh, yes. “This feels a little bit like a you-problem. And by that, I mean you need to start treating yourself (and your writing) more carefully, and with a great deal more empathy and respect.” – LitHub
- Best First Sentence In Literature?
Well, best opening, anyway. Maybe Lauren Groff? – The Atlantic
PEOPLE
- The Various Things British People Mean When They Say “Sorry”
“In the UK, ‘sorry’ is not simply an apology, it’s a cultural reflex – a five-letter pressure valve used to soften requests, smooth over awkwardness, fill conversational gaps and avoid the national horror of seeming rude. … For visitors, the puzzle is … working out what ‘sorry’ actually means.” – BBC
- Leading Paris Gallery Goes Bankrupt After 36 Years, Closes
Air de Paris, a leading French gallery, will close its doors and declare bankruptcy after 36 years in business, the gallery’s cofounders, Florence Bonnefous and Edouard Merino, tell Cultured. – ARTnews
- Harvey Weinstein Is On His Third Trial For This Rape Case — And This Time Nobody’s Paying Much Attention
The disgraced movie mogul was first tried for the alleged assault of Jessica Mann in 2020; he was convicted of third-degree rape, but the verdict was overturned in 2024 over prosecutors’ missteps. Weinstein’s 2025 retrial had a hung jury, and the current retrial is drawing little interest from media or spectators. – Vulture (MSN)
- The (Mis)Understanding Of Joan Didion
The places and events that Didion samples in the late Sixties—a time of unpopular foreign involvements, identity-based unrest at home, and a divisive, enigmatic national government—make right now an instructive time to read Slouching. – Hedgehog Review
- Is Capitalism Forever? Or…
No matter how one defines capitalism, the concept has served its critics well. Capitalism named an enemy, gave it a shape, and showed that it was on the march, threatening everything in its path. It still does. Scholars, by contrast, have often blanched at the term, dismissing it as political or polemical. – The Nation
PEOPLE
- The Various Things British People Mean When They Say “Sorry”
“In the UK, ‘sorry’ is not simply an apology, it’s a cultural reflex – a five-letter pressure valve used to soften requests, smooth over awkwardness, fill conversational gaps and avoid the national horror of seeming rude. … For visitors, the puzzle is … working out what ‘sorry’ actually means.” – BBC
- Leading Paris Gallery Goes Bankrupt After 36 Years, Closes
Air de Paris, a leading French gallery, will close its doors and declare bankruptcy after 36 years in business, the gallery’s cofounders, Florence Bonnefous and Edouard Merino, tell Cultured. – ARTnews
- Harvey Weinstein Is On His Third Trial For This Rape Case — And This Time Nobody’s Paying Much Attention
The disgraced movie mogul was first tried for the alleged assault of Jessica Mann in 2020; he was convicted of third-degree rape, but the verdict was overturned in 2024 over prosecutors’ missteps. Weinstein’s 2025 retrial had a hung jury, and the current retrial is drawing little interest from media or spectators. – Vulture (MSN)
- The (Mis)Understanding Of Joan Didion
The places and events that Didion samples in the late Sixties—a time of unpopular foreign involvements, identity-based unrest at home, and a divisive, enigmatic national government—make right now an instructive time to read Slouching. – Hedgehog Review
- Is Capitalism Forever? Or…
No matter how one defines capitalism, the concept has served its critics well. Capitalism named an enemy, gave it a shape, and showed that it was on the march, threatening everything in its path. It still does. Scholars, by contrast, have often blanched at the term, dismissing it as political or polemical. – The Nation
THEATRE
VISUAL
- The (Mis)Understanding Of Joan Didion
The places and events that Didion samples in the late Sixties—a time of unpopular foreign involvements, identity-based unrest at home, and a divisive, enigmatic national government—make right now an instructive time to read Slouching. – Hedgehog Review
- Is Capitalism Forever? Or…
No matter how one defines capitalism, the concept has served its critics well. Capitalism named an enemy, gave it a shape, and showed that it was on the march, threatening everything in its path. It still does. Scholars, by contrast, have often blanched at the term, dismissing it as political or polemical. – The Nation
- Maybe Resilience Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Does?
Part of the appeal is that calling someone resilient in the endurance sense sounds kind. It feels like encouragement rather than judgment. But communicating kindness without taking any responsibility is just a way to make yourself feel more comfortable – that everything will be OK. – Psyche
- Study: Participating In The Arts Slows Biological Aging
The findings are the first to show that both participating in arts activities and attending events, such as viewing an exhibition, lead to people staying biologically younger. – The Guardian
- Will AI Make College Unnecessary?
The pressures on higher education seem extraordinary, even to someone like me, who is generally convinced that real change is rare, perhaps especially when it comes to America’s tried-and-tested system for replicating its élites. – The New Yorker
