What defines humanity is not just our unusual level of intelligence, but also how we capitalize on that intelligence... If we merely lived up to our scientific classification—Homo sapiens—and just sat around thinking all day, we’d be much different creatures. - The Atlantic
A vandal had more than 15 minutes to smash vitrines and priceless art before security realized something was wrong - and the photos show the extent of his rampage. - Dallas Morning News
"Despite the vitriol, people are watching the show; according to HBO Max, Velma was its biggest animated series premiere ever. Problem is, they’re watching it through the lens of the entire history of Velma and the Scooby-Doo franchise as a whole." - Wired
The reasons stem from energy costs - and cuts in subsidies. "Strasbourg hosts the choir, the design workshops for sets and costumes and the administration of the establishment; Colmar, the opera studio, its training structure; while the ballet ... is based in Mulhouse." - Le Monde
While recording music by Kurt Weill, musical historian Michael Haas "began to discover an entire hidden world of composers who either died during the Holocaust, or became exiles. They either gave up music or — like Walter Arlen — wrote music that no one ever heard." - NPR
Part of the problem lies in the rhetoric of "terrorism" - something that Lima's political elite seems to use whenever any other part of the country disagrees with, or protests, their policies. - Hyperallergic
A documentary filmmaker for years, she feels ambivalent about the attention her film Saint-Omer has already had - she's the first Black woman to have a film put forward as France's official Oscar contender. - The Guardian (UK)
"Urban planners, architects and designers around the world are looking to make cities spongier—using nature-based solutions to better absorb water," and that's where playgrounds come in. Instead of asphalt, grass - "or at least porous turf." - Fast Company
The actor was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, but kept it quiet. "She wanted to get better so she could continue working. And honestly, she just didn’t really want to talk about it. She wanted to live her life, on her terms, and be with her family." - Los Angeles Times
But when the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up revealed that with kids, she's let go of trying to be so tidy, the internet freaked out. - NPR
As Hollywood Shuffle joins the Criterion Collection (making him one of the very rare Black directors on the list), Townsend is also coming off a couple of years of steady experimentation with Netflix's Kaleidoscope and the conclusion of the Best Man stories. - Washington Post
"sdf"The Vermont Law and Graduate School wants to take down a mural that some consider outdated and racist. But a law protecting artistic expression could preserve the painting." - WCAX (Burlington)
Oscar-nominated director Lukas Dhont of Close says, "I believe we can learn many things from listening to 13-year-olds, because they are still so closely connected to the hearts. ... They’re so uncensored." - Los Angeles Times
She's on TikTok, of course - or at least, her new fans are, and they're heading to Bath in droves. One academic even suggests that "Austen is the most memed writer after Shakespeare." - The Observer (UK)
