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Facebook, Via Instagram, Experiments On Teen Girls

And it harms their mental health - a lot. But "families are trapped. ... Many parents say that they don’t want their children on Instagram, but they allow them to lie about their age and open accounts because, well, that’s what everyone else has done." - The Atlantic

US Publishing Discovers That It Skews Rather White

Following up on pledges made during protests in 2020, Penguin Random House did a self-audit for diversity. What it found: "The demographics of its authors, illustrators, translators, and other creators 'do not reflect U.S. reader demographics when it comes to race and ethnicity.'" - Publishers Weekly

Come On, Britain: Give The Marbles Back

This is important to Greece: "The missing Parthenon frieze in its original state is a reminder of the country’s humiliation by the Turks, and by a British aristocrat." And guess what? Britain can just scan the marbles and 3D print some replacements. - The Guardian (UK)

Why Elementary Schoolkids Need This Adaptation Of The 1619 Project

"Stories about slavery for children must do more than transmit information about the past. These stories have a reparative function—they must also humanize and liberate. These stories must uplift, hope, and heal while presenting the truth of slavery’s echoes in the present." - Slate

The Synergy Between Cinematographer And Camera Operator Can Be The Lifeblood Of A Film

When it works, anyway. One cinematographer: "What I look for in an operator is basically a clone of myself. An idealized clone. Somebody who will be able to do exactly what I want, but better." - Variety

Lubaina Himid Won The Turner When She Was 63

She wants her audience to understand difficulty - and the value of the grind. She says, "It’s not easy to make a painting, it’s actually very difficult. But it is possible to change something about yourself or about your surroundings or about the world.- The Guardian (UK)

The Woman Who Was Half Of The Mystery-Writing Duo ‘Charles Todd’ Has Died

Caroline Todd (a pen name for Caroline Watjen) and her son Charles (er, David) wrote more than 40 mysteries set in rural England after WWI. "They were one of the better mystery writers," says historical mystery writer Rhys Bowen. - The New York Times

The Influential Librarian Who Was Not A Goodnight Moon Fan

The book's "widespread fame is relatively recent. Though Goodnight Moon was published in 1947, sales dropped low enough in 1951 that the book nearly went out of print—all because the children’s librarian of New York Public Library hated it." - LitHub

Is The Australia Ballet Letting Go Of Tutus – And Classic Ballets?

Not forever, but the 2022 season is tutu-less thanks, new AD David Hallberg says, to the realities of pandemic programming - and "Kunstkamer, a large-scale contemporary work for 40 or more dancers (no tutus, no pointe shoes)." - The Guardian (UK)

Do We Really Need Netflix Viewing Numbers?

Netflix has released its Top 10 lists. But "the obsession with the numbers generated by films in the first few days of their release has had ... a negative effect on the quality of the films themselves, squeezing out the offbeat in favour of franchises and sequels." - Irish Times

TR (And The Horse He’s Riding On) Heading To North Dakota

The Teddy Roosevelt statue that's been in front of the American Museum of Natural History for decades will soon be bound for Minot, ND, "where it will eventually be displayed at the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library — located near Roosevelt’s former Badlands cattle ranches." - The New York Times

The Cultures Of Science And Art Aren’t So Different After All

Did cultural movements in art fertilize scientific breakthroughs? It’s an intriguing correlation, perhaps not much more. But it underscores the point that one culture, not two, inspires scientists and artists in their times. - Nautilus

What Are You Buying When You Buy An NFT?

Critics of NFTs assert that it’s ridiculous to try to claim ownership of something that can be infinitely reproduced on the internet, and pranksters will try to annoy collectors by simply copying and pasting the NFT image. - Slate

Spain Says UK Musicians Will No Longer Need Visas To Perform There

Spain’s announcement means UK musicians and their crew will no longer need visas for engagements of less than 90 days, a change in policy that came after months of lobbying from trade groups on both sides. - The Guardian

Book Business Is Booming. Except It’s Difficult To Get Books To Sell

In 2020, both the United States and the United Kingdom saw their largest annual increases in over a decade — a worldwide paper shortage and a global shipping crisis mean they're having a difficult time keeping up with that demand. - CBC

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