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Diagnosing King Henry VIII

Over the course of his 38-year reign, he aged from a famously handsome monarch into an overweight, volatile despot. Various explanations, from syphilis to scurvy to psychopathy, have been proposed over the centuries, yet these diagnoses often tell us more about the preoccupations of the time than about Henry himself. - History Today

BBC Told To Avoid Color-Blind Casting

The BBC has been urged to rethink color-blind casting “tokenism” and “preachy” storylines about the UK’s colonial history in scripted series, according to a major study commissioned by the broadcaster. - Deadline

Why Is “American Psycho” Popping Up All Over? (And Should We Be Worried?)

In the 35 years since the novel made its bloody splash, there have been a hit movie, a stage musical, and countless memes. Now a remake of the film is in the works, the musical is being revived, and Patrick Bateman is a role model for the Andrew Tate manosphere. - The Guardian

How Did The Iconic “Infinite Jest” Become A Punchline?

The occasion is a moment to ask how a novel that mourns addiction and venerates humility and patience became a glib cultural punch line, routinely subjected to the word “performative” in its most damning sense. - The New Yorker

The Washington Post Is Imploding

Under Bezos’s leadership, CEO Will Lewis has floated a bunch of proposals to make the company profitable, few of which so far resemble anything people might actually want to buy. - Intelligencer (MSN)

Minneapolis Bookshop Becomes Famous After ICE Murders

Greg Ketter became a social media phenomenon over the weekend, when MS Now aired a video of him pacing half a block away from where Alex J. Pretti had been murdered by agents an hour earlier, cursing the 50-100 armed ICE agents keeping the crowd back. - Publishers Weekly

Music Companies Sue Anthropic For $3 Billion Over Copyright

The companies, including Universal Music Publishing Group, Concord Music Group, and ABKCO Music, are seeking more than $3 billion in potential statutory damages over alleged infringement of more than 20,000 songs. - Music Business Worldwide

Los Angeles Ballet At 20

For such a large city, L.A. has been a difficult environment for classical dance; before this company, no ballet troupe there had lasted for more than nine years. Artistic director Melissa Barak and executive director Julia Rivera talk with a reporter about how Los Angeles Ballet has lasted and where it’s headed. - Pointe Magazine

Why Liberal Arts Education May Be More Important In The Age Of AI

 A machine will never possess the level of interpersonal skills needed to manage a team, to engage in civil discourse with individuals from different cultures and backgrounds, or to resolve messy human conflicts that resist logic. Judgment will never be AI’s strength. - US News

We Used To Think That Our Brains Were Our Brains. Now We Know Different

Neuroplasticity therefore reframes the brain as neither rigid nor infinitely malleable, but as a living system shaped by experience, effort and time. - The Conversation

To Wall-Text Or Not-To-Wall-Text

“It feels more important than ever to invite multiple voices into the museum space. There isn’t one perfect solution for all visitors, but we strive to offer a variety of access points—whether it’s traditional labels, guided gallery conversations or prompts to spark reflection and dialogue.” - The Art Newspaper

Another Issue Musicians Don’t Talk About: Eating Disorders

A recent survey found that about a third of responding musicians were dealing or had dealt with an eating disorder. While there’s not yet any research as to why classical musicians develop eating disorders, several known risk factors are very common in the profession. - Classical Music (UK)

New Brain Research Reveals Insight On What Sparks Creativity

The old metaphor of creativity being sparked makes it sound like there’s a creativity center in the brain that’s just waiting to kick things off. But brain scans of jazz improvisers point to a much more diffuse picture of creativity’s location. - Psychology Today

Spotify Paid Our Record $11 Billion To Musicians In 2025

The milestone year reflected the “largest annual payment to music from any retailer in history,” the company announced on Wednesday in a post. In 2025, Spotify’s payout amount grew by over 10%, making the Sweden-based streamer one of the industry’s main revenue drivers. - Los Angeles Times

Smithsonian Struggles For Independence As 250th Birthday Celebration Starts

The battle is approaching a tipping point after the Smithsonian acquiesced to an administration demand to hand over documents regarding the types of exhibits it will display for America’s 250th anniversary this summer. - The Hill

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