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The Prado Museum Casts Itself In The Role Of Literary Muse

Since last year, the Prado has been bringing novelists to live in an apartment overlooking the museum. They stay for periods ranging from three to six weeks, but they are not expected to write there. All they have to do is look at the art — and draw inspiration from what they see. - The New York Times

How Do Humans Understand Direction? With Language, Of Course

The configuration and language of the four directions is common to many—though not all—cultures. - LitHub

Russian Ballet Dancer Critical Of Putin Falls From 5th Floor To His Death

Multiple Vladimir Putin adversaries have died after falling from windows. The term “Sudden Russian Death Syndrome” was born after many notable Russian figureheads who have spoken out against Putin’s reign died in puzzling ways. One of the most common causes of the deaths are window falls. - The Daily Beast

Federal Judge In Texas Temporarily Halts The Onion’s Purchase Of Infowars

"The bankruptcy judge overseeing the Chapter 7 liquidation of Infowars and Jones’ assets on Thursday temporarily halted the transfer of Infowars to The Onion and ordered an evidentiary hearing to review the auction — in which bids were submitted secretly." - Variety

Even Northern California Has Issues With Censoring High School Plays

School district officials cancelled Santa Rosa High School's production of Dog Sees God, which depicts the characters of the comic strip Peanuts in high school and deals with themes of bullying, gun violence, and homophobia. A privately-owned theater nearby hosted the production instead. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Director Of Smithsonian’s American Art Museum Was Removed After Years Of Staff Complaints

Stephanie Stebich raised more than $100 million for the museum in her seven years there and maintained good relations with the board and senior Smithsonian officials. But former and current staffers describe her decision-making as confused and her management style as anger and recrimination. - The Washington Post (MSN)

Arthur Frommer, Who Pioneered The Budget Travel Guide, Has Died At 95

Beginning in 1957 with "Europe on $5 a Day," Frommer’s philosophy changed the way Americans traveled abroad. His advice became so standard that it’s hard to remember how radical it seemed in the days before discount flights and backpacks. - AP

Shen Yun Under Investigation By New York State For Labor Practices

The company is alleged to use underage student performers to work on and off stage for workweeks of well over 40 hours, with extremely busy touring schedules, for only nominal pay. - The New York Times

James Sewell Ballet Will Close After 35 Years

The Minneapolis-based company will shut down next March. "It’s the latest blow to the Twin Cities dance community, less than a year after ... Minnesota Dance Theatre announced in February it would pause its performing company, and the Cowles Center for Dance and Performing Arts went dark." - The Minnesota Star-Tribune

Giller Prize, Canada’s Top Literary Award, To Anne Michaels For “Held”

The jury described the book as "a novel that floats, a beguiling association of memories, projections, and haunted instances through which the very notion of our mortality, of our resilience and desires, is interrogated in passages as impactful as they can be hypnotic." - CBC

How Might We Communicate With Aliens? Understanding AI Might Help

Unlike bones, we can’t dig up ancient languages to study how they developed over time. While we may be unable to study the true evolution of human language, perhaps a simulation could provide some insights. That’s where AI comes in—a fascinating field of research called emergent communication. - Singularity Hub

News Service AP Will Cut Eight Percent On Its Staff In Restructuring

The bulk of the changes will come in the U.S., where we remain committed to our 50-state footprint but must evolve to align with changing customer and market needs. - Deadline

Study: People Can’t Tell The Difference Between Human And AI Writing

Ten poets, from the medieval Geoffrey Chaucer to modern writer Dorothea Lasky, were successfully impersonated by AI chatbots, with most of the 696 participants slightly preferring the imitation to the real thing. - The Conversation

Restoration Of Rembrandt’s “Night Watchman” Begins In Public

The restorers are working in a specially-designed glass chamber in the Rijksmuseum’s Gallery of Honor in full view of the public. - ARTnews

Claim: More Music Is Released Now In A Typical Day Than In All Of 1989

In business analyst MiDiA's recent 'State of the music creator economy report', they found that the overall number of music creators was around 75.9 million - a 12 percent increase over the previous year. - Music Radar

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