The equivalent of about $5.50 might be a small price to pay to see one of the world’s most iconic monuments — where the painter Raphael is buried — but the new fee has been accompanied by stumbling blocks. - The New York Times
"Songs have been written in over 20 languages across the U.S. and around the world. … The musical styles range from classic lullaby to rock, Latin, spoken word, and everything in between. Mothers have written their lullabies from homeless shelters, prisons, hospitals, as well as their homes." - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
According to the website Lexica, which tracks over 10 million images and prompts generated by Stable Diffusion, Greg Rutkowski’s name has been used as a prompt around 93,000 times. Some of the world’s most famous artists, such as Michelangelo, Pablo Picasso, and Leonardo da Vinci, brought up around 2,000 prompts each or less. - Technology Review
"When the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia repatriated a Bakor monolith to Nigeria at the end of June, … it received an almost identical facsimile made of resin … offered for free by the non-profit Factum Foundation, which … hopes that the exchange may serve as a model for future repatriation agreements." - Artnet
I didn’t have any ambition to be a “novelist.” I just had the strong desire to write a novel. I had no concrete image of what I wanted to write about—just the conviction that I could come up with something that I’d find convincing. - The New Yorker
"Hanoch Levin's Queen of a Bathtub, … a musical that used satire to attack perceived militarism, self-righteousness and racism in the aftermath of Israel's victory in the 1967 war, … (is) being revived in Jaffa amid a sense among its Palestinian performers it is more relevant than ever." - The Guardian
More than two years without performances or paying students, combined with soaring costs for both renters and owners, drove several of the senior figures in in metro San Francisco's flamenco scene out of the region entirely. But the ones who've stayed aren't giving up. - San Francisco Chronicle
"Budding luthiers and young musicians can now get a step closer to the master by honing their skills in his original house and workshop, which have been transformed into a centre of learning and a musical pilgrimage site in (Cremona,) northern Italy." - Yahoo! (AFP)
"If it goes away" as part of a major downtown redevelopment proposed by City Hall, "so too does the prospect of seeing, within county limits, Broadway productions, world-class ballet and premier opera performances, say theater groups who are sounding the alarm about what's at stake." - MSN (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
"The 'regressive' licence fee system could be replaced by a tax on broadband bills or a household levy based on property value, Richard Sharp (said). Plans to replace the £159-a-year licence fee with a different funding model after 2027 are being considered by the Conservative government." - The Guardian
Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times in 2018, promising to invest in the papers the way Jeff Bezos did in The Washington Post. Now, a month after major layoffs in L.A., Soon-Shiong has sold the U-T to Alden Global Capital's MediaNews Group. - Axios
"Objects (returned include) the 'Lombok treasure,' consisting of 335 objects from Lombok, Indonesia, the Pita Maha collection, a key collection of modern art from Bali and the 18th-century Cannon of Kandy, a ceremonial weapon from Sri Lanka made of bronze, silver and gold and inlaid with rubies." - CNN
"Unprecedented queues at the foot of the site ... and unruly scenes at the gateway to the sanctuary have spurred the Greek government to take action. … A time-slot system, fast-lane entry points for organised tourist groups and electronic ticketing are among the steps officials say will alleviate congestion." - The Observer (UK)
The BBC had a record commercial performance that contributed to 30% revenue growth, climbing from £1.7 billion to £2.1 billion. The corporation’s commercial arm BBC Studios delivered record-breaking results, achieving over £2 billion in sales for the first time, with profits of £240 million, up 6%. - Variety
