“In Kakuma in northern Kenya, where more than 300,000 refugees’ livelihoods have been affected by funding cuts that have halved monthly food rations, the children use the Acholi traditional dance as a distraction from hunger and have perfected a survival skill to skip lunches as they stretch their monthly food rations.” - AP
A.I. is a technology of averages: large language models are trained to spot patterns across vast tracts of data; the answers they produce tend toward consensus, both in the quality of the writing, which is often riddled with clichés and banalities, and in the calibre of the ideas. - The New Yorker
"There was a group of writers who were part of something called the New York Theatre Strategy; Sam Shepard and Lanford Wilson and Terrence McNally and Julia Bovasso and Irene Fornes, and they were all upset because no one would do their work Off-Broadway. So they said, “Will you co-produce with us?" - American Theatre
Chinese graphic artists are rapidly experiencing the impact of image generators on their day-to-day work: the technology enables copycats and profoundly shifts clients’ perception of their work, specifically in terms of how much that work costs and how much time it takes to produce. - The Verge
“In a landmark event for film lovers, the fully restored, uncut version of Ramesh Sippy's 1975 magnum opus Sholay will have its world premiere at Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy, on Friday. This version includes the film's original ending — changed due to objection from the censors — and deleted scenes.” - BBC
“The Johannesburg City Library ... had been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The city government claimed the building was undergoing urgent repairs, but ... many sensed a bigger problem. For nearly a decade, Johannesburg had been ruled by an unstable coalition of bickering political parties.” - The Christian Science Monitor
“Owning a Wright original — the architecture buff’s equivalent of owning a Picasso — comes with headaches as manifold as they are esoteric. … To address these hurdles … the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has created an ecosystem in which its 730 members can swap advice, trade stories and build community.” - The New York Times
The Argentine-born musician, who had long performing experience in both classical and jazz, wrote memorable music for an impressive list of feature films and television series, earning four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations. In addition, he composed over 50 concert works and maintained a conducting career. - The Washington Post (MSN)
The station’s current budget is predicted to end up $12 million in deficit. This latest round of cuts comes after workforce reductions in 2024, when KQED eliminated 34 positions in response to an $8 million shortfall. - Radio Ink
“Meadow, 78, has served as artistic director of Manhattan Theater Club since 1972, and by her own count has produced or presented more than 600 shows” — not to mention presiding over the nonprofit’s astounding growth — “making her one of the most prolific and successful figures in the American theater.” - The New York Times
His career ranged from Baptist minister to LBJ’s press secretary to publisher of Long Island’s Newsday to a decade at CBS News, but it was for PBS that he produced hundreds of hours of some of American TV’s most cerebral and provocative series. - AP
“Unlike many other symbols in art history, the sunflower is relatively new. … (Yet it has) set aflame the imagination of countless artists and writers in the past, including among others Sir Anthony van Dyck, Maria van Oosterwyck, William Blake, Oscar Wilde, Dorothea Tanning, Paul Nash and Allen Ginsberg.” - BBC
“F1” is one of Apple’s biggest entertainment bets since it leapt into Hollywood in 2019 and embodies its unusually lavish and meticulous approach to the business, which has brought little commercial success. - The Wall Street Journal
He’s the guiding hand behind Tom Hiddleston’s offbeat Rome, Nicole Scherzinger’s revelatory, Tony-winning Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, and Rachel Zegler singing “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” to passersby from the balcony of a London theatre. But his unorthodox tactics aren’t always that successful. - The Guardian
In the first scheme asking users outside the UK to pay a direct subscription for its news content, US users will be offered the chance to pay for a “premium experience”, including unlimited news and feature articles and a livestream of the BBC News channel. - The Guardian
