As the only outlet covering their communities, these papers still have an audience willing to pay for them, and many of them are profitable. What they don’t have is anyone to take over when the publisher gets sick, dies, or is simply desperate to retire. - Columbia Journalism Review
“A globe-trotting correspondent for The Atlantic, Vanity Fair and The New York Times Magazine, … (he) worked as a commercial pilot before becoming one of the most acclaimed magazine writers of his generation, traveling around the world to report on plane crashes, shipwrecks, nuclear proliferation and war.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
Said co-producer Marsha Posner Williams, “When that red light was on, there were no more professional people than those women, but when the red light was off, those two couldn’t warm up to each other if they were cremated together.” (Arthur regularly used the c-word to refer to White.) - The Hollywood Reporter
At the Vienna Festwochen, director Milo Rau and dramaturg Servane Dècle presented The Pelicot Trial, a seven-hour reading of excerpts from the courtroom proceedings, interviews, and commentary about the trial of Dominique Pelicot dor drugging his wife, Gisèle, and allowing dozens of men to rape her while he watched. - The New York Times
“In a project Casa Batlló has described as a ‘remarkable rediscovery,’ the back façade has been returned to its original state following a years-long €3.5 million ($4 million) initiative. ... This was the first comprehensive attention that has been paid to the building’s rear in more than a century.” - Artnet
“’What will it take to keep Curtis tuition-free?’ asked Curtis president Roberto Díaz in 2016, when the Institute was still in the early days of a major fundraising campaign. Now the small music conservatory has answered, raising nearly $200 million for endowment, musical instruments, programs, and another building.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
“The audience inside — who have paid up to a whopping £250 ($336) a ticket — are left with a livestream of the number. Those on the street below, some waiting for (Rachel) Zegler and some lucky enough to have been passing by, get a free performance from a Golden Globe-winning actress.” - The Hollywood Reporter
The hotel chain discovered Bodett through his spots on All Things Considered, and their relationship worked very well for almost 40 years. Then the Indian chain OYO bought Motel 6 — and its assets and debts, including the final year of Bodett’s $1.2 million annual contract, which OYO has refused to pay. - Tedium
A growing body of research correlates persistent use of AI with a drop in critical thinking; humans become reliant on AI and unwilling, perhaps unable, to verify its work. As chatbots creep into every digital crevice, they may continue to degrade the web gradually, even gently. Today’s jankiness may, by tomorrow, simply be normal. - The Atlantic
“From its perch 5,000 feet above sea level, the ancient al-Qahira Castle has watched over Yemen’s third-largest city, Taiz, for more than 800 years. ... But the future of its weathered walls is now uncertain — not because of threats from invaders or empires, but because of the sudden suspension of restoration funds.” - Smithsonian Magazine
Prolific authors are not only calling out people who use AI to write, they’re also posting livestreams and time-lapses of their writing processes to defend themselves against such complaints. - Wired
Many Pensacola parents were appalled by this surge of censorship; some wondered if it was unconstitutional. By early 2024, a U.S. district court judge ruled that Penguin Random House, PEN America, authors, and families in Escambia County had standing to sue. - LitHub
Art Basel’s flagship event in Switzerland now faces formidable challenges. The 289 gallerists from 42 countries participating in this year’s edition of the fair, whose V.I.P. preview opened on Tuesday, are trying to make sales at a time when the art market is in a slump and the world is in turmoil. - The New York Times
“The al-Kharrats say they are the only family in Syria who have continuously performed the Sema, as the dance is known, ... through years of war, repression and threats from extremist groups like ISIS. … Now, they say they are hopeful about new opportunities under the new Syrian government.” - The World
