“I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles—it’s big fat bribe,” he said. - The New Yorker
“A report by Ofcom warns that UK-focused programming made by the British public service broadcasters (PSBs) – the BBC, ITV and Channels 4 and 5 – is under threat and there is a ‘strong case’ for legislation to make sure it is easy to find on third-party platforms,” notably YouTube. - The Guardian
Our lifespans have expanded, but our health spans—the number of years we live with mental sharpness, physical independence, and emotional well-being—has not kept pace. If we don’t prepare now, the result won’t just be personal hardship. - Time
What made libraries so exciting? They were hardly novelties. Roman writers like Cicero and the two Plinies assembled rich collections of books in their city houses and country villas. - London Review of Books
Despite more advanced manufacturing and design technologies than have existed in human history, our built environment tends overwhelmingly toward the insubstantial, the flat, and the gray, punctuated here and there by the occasional childish squiggle. - n+1
Patrick Soon-Shiong, the pharma billionaire who bought the L.A. Times in 2018 (and was seen as a savior at the time but no longer), said that he is planning to “take L.A. Times public, (for it) to be democratized. And allow the public to have ownership of this paper.” - The Hollywood Reporter
“Herbert Blomstedt is still conducting major symphony orchestras around the world at the age of 98. And as correspondent Martha Teichner reports, he plans to continue doing so past 100 because, he says, ‘I have gifts I have to live up to.’” - CBS News
“For Ukraine, For Their Freedom and Ours!, a French nonprofit, has filed a case with the International Criminal Court (in the Hague), accusing Russia of the ‘systematic, widespread, and organized’ looting of Ukrainian cultural heritage.” - ARTnews
“Blending Tin Pan Alley sentiment and contemporary pop, the Bergmans” — Alan and his wife, Marilyn (who passed in 2022) — “crafted lyrics known by millions, many of whom would not have recognized the writers had they walked right past them.” - AP
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, umbrella organization for the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, is eliminating 12 positions. A statement explained the layoffs as a response to reduced municipal funding due to the city’s budget crisis, a slump in tourism, and a continued slump in attendance post-COVID. - San Francisco Chronicle
“Donald Trump sued Dow Jones, News Corp, Rupert Murdoch and two Wall Street Journal reporters on Friday over an explosive report that the president wrote a 2003 birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein that contained suggestive language. Trump claims the Wall Street Journal and its journalists defamed him.” - Variety
“Isaac Thompson has been named president and chief executive officer of the Minnesota Orchestra, returning to his home area after two years of holding the same positions with the Oregon Symphony. He succeeds Brent Assink, who has served in an interim capacity since September 2024.” - The Minnesota Star Tribune
This summer, five artists — Yumzhana Sui from Buryatia, Michel Lafleur from Haiti, Boluwatife Victoria Lawal and Samuel Olayombo from Nigeria, and Patrick Ruganintwali from Rwanda — had intended to participate in the residency, but their visas were denied. - Hyperallergic
There’s the softer version of wellness, one characterized by some combination of smoothie consumption and aspirational TikTok videos. Then there are the more hard-line (and health hazardous) variations involving everything from (basically) bleach drinking to parasite cleanses to “wellness farms” designed to wean you off antidepressants. - Wired
The cancellation came after more than 16,000 people, including Nobel laureates, Italian and international politicians and activists, signed a letter addressed to De Luca and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, calling for Gergiev’s appearance not to go ahead. - The Guardian
