“Radio Begum launched on International Women’s Day in March 2021, five months before the Taliban seized power amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops. … The Taliban (has) lifted their suspension over alleged cooperation with an overseas TV channel.” - AP
“The 76-year-old (French) actor, already accused in a string of sexual assault and rape cases, is suspected of falsely declaring his tax residency to be in Belgium since 2013.” - AFP (Yahoo!)
“According to this study, 92% of (disadvantaged) students had greater access to books because of Little Free Library boxes, 49% read more frequently (an average of 1.1 additional days per week), and 88% of children have built their own at-home book collections.” - Publishers Weekly
“The satirical work, titled ‘America’ ..., poked fun at excessive wealth. It weighed just over 215 pounds (98 kilograms) and was insured for £4.8 million ($6 million).” Prosecutors say that one of three defendants was involved in the actual theft and the other two helped to sell the disassembled gold. - AP
“I think of it as inviting this so-called ‘main stage’ to go outdoors and inviting the education programming to be ‘main stage’ in the sense that it is without distinction or for this particular kind of audience.” - CultureOC
The effort spent trying to impress others; the dazzling meals I was too tired to cook but cook I did; the Guardian column that I just couldn’t stop tinkering with. What can get lost in all this are the ordinary feelings and parts of myself that have ended up neglected, because I didn’t consider them dazzling enough. - The...
“A coda is a musical element at the end of a composition that brings the whole piece to a conclusion. A coda can vary greatly in length. My life’s coda is generous and rich.” - AP
Escapism is more tempting than ever in the digital age and is often associated with guilt or laziness. But some are unlearning those narratives, teaching each other to normalize radical rest and permit healthy doses of escapism with the popularization of concepts like “rot day.” - The Tyee
As conversational AI agents become more interactive and personalized, they will surpass human influencers in their ability to shape our decisions without us realizing it. - Big Think
I asked Gagosian about the comments of one of his former rivals, Arne Glimcher of Pace Gallery, who said five years ago, "This market has nothing to do with art. It's all about how fast one can make money." - CBSNews
I believe we need to blow up the outdated, embedded public stereotypes of art and culture, and fashion a wholesale public reimagining of what the sector can really do. And this is the perfect time to do it. - The Tyee
The outcome could have implications for the more than 39 copyright-related AI lawsuits currently working their way through U.S. courthouses. That said, it’s not necessarily a slam dunk for plaintiffs who allege that AI companies violated their IP rights. - TechCrunch
Am I stuck in an AI-curated loop, feeding the same preferences back into the system until my tastes become a closed circuit? Is Spotify’s recommendation algorithm making me predictable – and, dare I say it, boring? - TechRadar
“The Substance is a mess, full of sound and fury, signifying little, with Moore given scant else to do besides ‘react with horror to her latest mutation.’ Indeed, Moore is, well, just fine in it.” (Note: Sometimes, that’s not why people win Oscars … sadly.) - Slate
Brandon Jay "said he drew inspiration from buy-nothing groups that encourage participants to give and receive items within a community rather than buy them. … 'It’s been so heartwarming and lovely to connect people,’” he said. “'And a big portion of it is helping heal what you lost.’” - LAist
