Stories

Massive Art Thefts, Massive Recoveries This Week In Italy And Brazil

“The recovered works are Cézanne’s Still Life with Cherries, which authorities said was valued at about $7m (£5.2m), Renoir’s Fish, valued at $3.5m, and Matisse’s Odalisque on the Terrace.” - The Guardian (UK)

Nick Reiner, Accused Of Killing His Parents, Wants To Access His Trust Fund To Pay His Lawyers

But the so-called “Slayer Statute” prevents the youngest child of Michelle Singer Reiner and Rob Reiner from doing that. - The New York Times

Did AI Tell These Middle School Students They Now Live In ‘Venecky’ Instead Of Kentucky?

Wow: "Administrators later warned teachers there were a ‘LOT of mistakes’ on pages 19 through 36 and instructed students to tear the pages out of their planners before taking them home.”- Salon

Visiting The Bullshit Museum In Slovenia’s Capital

“In the heart of old Ljubljana, a mannequin with a bucket on its head welcomes visitors to a new and ambitious project – a museum focusing on the varied and sometimes antagonistic humour of the former Yugoslavia.” - The Guardian

Publishers Face Increasing Pressure Over AI

“Until AI, there has been the expectation that no matter what is written in a book, It authored by a person, or people. There needs to be new terms in the social contract between reader and writer.” - Christian Science Monitor

The Trumpets Of King Tutankhamun — And When A British Army Bandsman Tried To Play One

The oldest known brass instruments in existence are two smallish trumpets found inside the tomb of the boy pharaoh in 1922. Seventeen years later, for a live BBC broadcast from Cairo, a modern musician played one.  Bad idea. - CNN

Celebrating “Other” Washingtons

In Chicago, a lone statue of George Washington is now surrounded by “Other Washingtons,” which take the form of blue flags bearing the faces of Black Americans who bear the same last name. - CNN

Has Our Literacy Crisis Been Overblown?

Yes, Americans read less than they did forty years ago—not surprising, considering how many other forms of entertainment and information are competing for our time and attention. But does this spell decline or diversification? - The Bulwark

The Neuroscience Explanation For Why We Need Concerts

For “collective effervescence” to occur organically, bodies need to be present, in the same space, dancing to the same rhythm. The function is to restore the social bonds and shared beliefs that are eroded by the drudgery of ordinary life. - The Guardian

Public Radio Audience Is Growing Briskly Amid Funding Fights

Looking across five major noncommercial formats — news/talk, contemporary Christian, classical, AAA (adult alternative) and jazz — RRC says combined cume across PPM and continuous diary measurement markets is 9.6% higher than it was two years ago at the end of Q1. - InsideRadio

Making A Pilgrimage To The Now-Thoroughly Commercialized Mecca

“There are few words to describe the whiplash of coming face to face with a Joe & The Juice, a Sephora and a plethora of other shops and hotels and Times Square-style billboards after going through one of the most spiritually charged experiences of my life.” - Aeon

History Is Being Erased In Gaza, Iran And Ukraine

Of international bodies, Unesco is active in keeping a record of the fate of cultural heritage worldwide, but a record is just a record. Its listing of Russia’s and Israel’s devastation of their hated foes is like watching a historic tragedy unfold in real time. - The Guardian

Former UArts Building To Become Artist Housing In Philly

The news comes after the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded the VIA a $2.5 million grant for the building project and the establishment of on-site arts programming. - Hyperallergic

UK Universities Warn Of Funding Crisis Amid Collapse Of International Enrollment

University leaders are warning of financial turmoil in British higher education after new figures suggested a collapse in international student numbers would deprive the sector of vital income and undermine its future. - The Guardian

Shooting A Fiction Film Inside Very Real Anti-Government Protests, Complete With Tear Gas

That’s what Georgian filmmaker Uta Beria did with his latest feature, titled Tear Gas, filming amid demonstrations which have continued nonstop for more than 600 days. “We had a plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D,” says Beria. “And there were days where we needed to ... (simply) follow the flow.” - The Hollywood Reporter

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