ISSUES

Ukrainian Troops Get Handbook On Protecting Cultural Property

“The handbook sets out Ukrainian soldiers' main obligations under international humanitarian law, the different levels of protection afforded to cultural property, the precautions to be integrated into operational planning, and the procedures for identifying, reporting and documenting attacks against heritage.” - The Art Newspaper

Trump’s Name Must Stay Off Kennedy Center While Appeals Proceed, Rules Panel

“A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit … rejected the administration’s argument that the removal was damaging the arts institution’s finances.” - The Guardian

Aboard A Cruise Ship With 20 Celebrity Impersonators

“Near the exit, with his blue eyes and sensible sandals, was Boy George, who swanned over to double-cheek kiss Sharon, then peck the forehead of Martha Stewart, and  —  skipping over Jeff Bezos  —  the tip of Fran Drescher’s nose. Sinatra (A), by the banquette, had just politely pumped the hand of Sinatra (B) ...” - N+1

ABC, Fighting Back Against The FCC, Says That ‘The View’ As A News Show Is Long-Settled Law

“The F.C.C.’s focus on The View plays on longstanding grudges held by the president against the show and some of its hosts, and thrusts a talk show started by the ABC journalist Barbara Walters as a breezy kaffeeklatsch into a molten national debate.” - The New York Times

Construction Begins On Frank Gehry’s Final Building, A Performing Arts Center In Abu Dhabi

Dar al Funoon, located in the starchitect-heavy Saadiyat Island cultural district — alongside the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (also by Gehry), the Zayed National Museum (Foster + Partners), the Louvre Abu Dhabi (Jean Nouvel) and others — will contain a 2,000-seat performance hall, a 3,500-seat open-air amphitheatre, a 400-seat theatre and a 250-seat jazz venue. - Dezeen

White House’s “Report” Criticizing Smithsonian History Is Riddled With Errors

The report often doesn’t even bother to engage with many of the claims it ridicules — like obvious and well-documented facts about anti-Chinese sentiment in post-Civil War America — or takes them as self-evident proof that the Smithsonian is misrepresenting history. - Washington Post

The Congresswoman Who Sued Trump For Renaming The Kennedy Center — And Won

Joyce Beatty, a seven-term representative from Ohio, became an ex officio Congressional member of the Kennedy Center’s board in 2019. She says that the resolution to add Trump’s name to the complex was introduced without advance notice at a meeting in December, and she was muted when she objected. - The New York Times

Historians Defend Smithsonian American History Museum Director From Trump Administration Attacks

“(Anthea) Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History since 2019, has commissioned exhibitions that … document the lived experiences of ordinary people, sometimes focusing on race, sexuality and colonialism. … Many historians support her goal of telling a more nuanced story of the United States.” - The New York Times

What Exactly Does The Trump Administration Think Is Wrong With The Way The Smithsonian Depicts American History?

“Here are some of the report’s main charges, and how they relate to the administration’s broader push to promote what President Trump has called ‘patriotic’ history.” - The New York Times

Trump White House Launches Scathing Attack On Smithsonian Over Its Portrayal Of History

The 162-page report, by the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, represents a sweeping attack on the museum’s presentation of American history. It is the latest step in the Trump administration’s campaign to pressure the Smithsonian into conforming to what President Trump has described as “patriotic” history.

The Consequences Of Losing Physical Media

“For decades, the premise behind buying games, VHS tapes, DVDs, and other media was simple. You handed over money, and in return you got the game, show, or movie to keep. That bargain is now breaking down.” - Fast Company

Trump’s White House Excoriates The Smithsonian National Museum Of American History

“The White House condemned the  for what it said was a failure to celebrate the nation’s heritage, arguing it had become a political tool intent on denigrating the American story.” No First Amendment red flags here at all. - The New York Times

Can Anyone Save Wikipedia?

Elon Musk and a MAGA army, not to mention AI, not to mention (other) authoritarian governments, are sure coming for the little nonprofit that could. - The New York Times

Turkish Comedian Imprisoned For Insulting Erdogan

"A Turkish court on Friday ordered a comedian jailed pending trial on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after his stand‑up routine included references to him as a ‘dictator.’” (This is what the some might call Erdogan “not beating the charges.”) - Seattle Times (AP)

Everything Digital We’ve ‘Bought’ Is Actually Rented

And Sony’s email to Playstation UK customers was simply a reminder of that uncomfortable, horrifying fact. - Wired

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