Stories

Tennessee Library Director Fired Over Refusal To Move Gender-Themed Books

She was fired for her refusal to remove more than 100 books that discuss gender identity or contain violence from the children’s shelves.  - The New York Times

University Partnership Gives This Ballet Company’s Dancers 80% Off Tuition

After being in the company for a full year, any full-time member of Boston Ballet can take courses toward a degree from Northeastern University, with almost all courses available online. - CBS News

University Of Syracuse Cuts Almost 100 Programs

In all, 93 of the 460 academic programs at the school will be closed or paused, meaning that no new students will be able to enroll in those majors. Coursework in the areas will still be offered, and minors in many of the subjects will continue to be available. - The New York Times

Hollywood’s Difficulty In Grappling With What AI Will Do To It

AI isn’t just another flash-in-the-pan techno-bauble, like VR headsets, the “metaverse,” or NFTs. It’s actually revolutionary. The insistence betrays the measure of anxiety one might expect at a confab celebrating a power–hungry industry staring down an energy crisis. - Wired

Why Being A Writer Is No Longer A Profession

Today, by some estimates, the average freelance journalist is paid around $0.25 to $0.50 per word, and at the highest-paying glossies, rates have hovered around $2 per word for more than a decade, even as inflation has diminished the purchasing power of that seemingly handsome fee. - The Baffler

“The Dawn Of The Three-Minute Heist”: Considering The Fallout From The Latest Museum Robbery

“How and why is this incident different from the Louvre theft, which targeted the royal jewels? How will investigations play out? Perhaps most importantly, what are the chances of recovering these priceless paintings? We put these questions to the world’s top museum security and art theft experts. Here’s what we found out.” - Artnet

The “South Park” Guys Have A Successful AI Company. They Named It Deep Voodoo.

“If a studio or production house needs something shape-shifting or face-switching, chances are they’ll call Parker & Stone. And chances are something strange — and, perhaps even more surprising when it comes to AI, potentially ethical — will result.” - The Hollywood Reporter

Last Year Rome’s Cinecittà Studios Hemorrhaged Money. Hollywood Has Saved Them.

“Italy’s Cinecittà Studios are back in the black with a small but significant €1.1 million ($1.2 million) operating profit for the fiscal year of 2025, it was announced on Tuesday just as three big Hollywood shoots in various stages are decamped on its vast backlot.” - Variety

Jeremy O. Harris Was Quite Productive During His Three Weeks In A Japanese Prison

In a paywalled essay in Vanity Fair, the playwright/actor/screenwriter/impresario writes that he read 23 books, finished an outline he owed to a film studio, journaled, and profited from his time off the grid. Indeed, he says, “you could re-create this experience and rich white people would pay for it.” - The Cut (MSN)

Lara St. John Says She Paid No Damages To Settle Jonathan Carney’s Defamation Lawsuit

“No monies were paid to settle the litigation or to secure Mr. Carney’s signature,” the violinist wrote. “There has never been a personal campaign to defame Mr. Carney or to damage his reputation. An individual creates their own reputation and they just need to own that fact.” - The Violin Channel

America’s First Fully Nonprofit Newspaper Is Dropping Its Online Paywall

“The Salt Lake Tribune is in a unique position among American newspapers, having converted to nonprofit status in 2019. In the years since, it’s achieved financial stability and had the space to think about some foundational questions: What should a nonprofit newspaper look like? What does it owe to a community that a for-profit might not?” - Nieman Lab

2,500-Year-Old Golden Helmet Stolen Last Year Has Been Found

A gang of robbers used explosives to break into the Drents Museum in the northern Netherlands in January of last year. They smashed display cases and made off with the 5th-century BC golden Helmet of Coțofenești and three gold bracelets. Announcement of their recovery was made by star art detective Arthur Brand. - CBS News

Lego Set To Release Its Largest-Ever Set, Of Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia In Barcelona

News of the upcoming set, part of the company’s Architecture series, was leaked by a long-time leaker known as Chief Wiggum, whose predictions have proven true in the past. - Dezeen

Compelling Video Games About Managing Stores???

Retro Rewind is the latest in a category called “store simulators”—games that basically create bottled versions of hourly-wage drudgery. Set in the ’90s, the game tasks players with such activities as stocking shelves, manning the checkout counter, and balancing the daily books. - The Atlantic

50 Years Ago, This Fairuz Song Became Lebanon’s Great Anthem Of Hope. Now The Lebanese Are Feeling Ambivalent About It.

Through year after year and decade after decade of turmoil, Fairuz’s “Bahebak Ya Lebnan” (“I Love You, Lebanon”) inspired hope and pride in the nation’s resilience. Now many Lebanese associate the song with tragedy, and younger people see the lyrics’ promises as a hollow fantasy. - The Guardian

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