The Confederacy was the enemy of the United States. Remember the extremely bloody war? So why, with a restoration of Confederate statues and names, are Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump "making common cause with apologists who believe that the wrong side won the Civil War”? - The Atlantic
Leonardo “had become one of us in the way we want 21st-century celebrities to be one of us: a tech entrepreneur, a creative, a misunderstood visionary who had more to do with our moment in history than his own.” - Irish Times
Rossiter was “a historian whose trilogy, Women Scientists in America, documented in sharp detail the ways women were excised from the annals of science.” - The New York Times
The director's new film is partly funded by MUBI. On the company's investor with ties to the Israeli military: “All corporate money is dirty. ... You can avoid it and not make films at all. But films are how I carry what I like to say.” - Variety
Hm: “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), sent a scathing letter to a number of tech giants, including Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. The letter's subject: the European Digital Services Act cannot be applied if it jeopardizes freedom of expression and, above all, the safety of US citizens.” - Wired
Not ideal: “This isn’t some relatively harmless inconvenience that just targets celebrities, either. These bots often insist they’re real people and will even offer physical locations for a user to meet up with them.” - The Verge
Should Portland State build two new performing arts centers to handle Broadway tours while the earthquake-unsafe Keller Auditorium is renovated? Can the city in any way afford this? And what about traffic? - Oregon ArtsWatch
“Most of the 1,300 Voice of America journalists had already been fired or remained on paid leave prior to these layoffs. Only 100 journalists and other staff members remain employed by the organization.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
The truth is that "disability is not a choice, but a natural variation of existence. That disability is part of the natural world, and not an anomaly to be corrected. That incurable illnesses exist. That medicine is an inexact science.” - LitHub
CalArts had tried to get 50-60 faculty and staff to take “voluntary separation” or early retirement, but when they didn’t get enough takers, they simply laid staff ad faculty off. - Hyperallergic
One actor, in three movies at the festival, said that “on stage and screen, actors are counted on to speak emphatically. ‘I’m happy to make louder the simple sentence of “Stop killing.”’” - The New York Times
“What many opponents resent above all is the high-handed way they feel Macron decided to make his gesture to the UK, overriding the advice of specialists who say the vibrations inevitable in a long journey by road could cause irreparable damage.” - BBC
“TIFF, long considered the people's festival because screenings are open to the public, is preparing to host its 50th edition.” But brands are blocking fan access - and the people are not thrilled. - CBC
