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When Words Have No Liability

We now live alongside AI systems that converse knowledgeably and persuasively—deploying claims about the world, explanations, advice, encouragement, apologies, and promises—while bearing no vulnerability for what they say. - The Atlantic

The Man Who Thinks The Enlightenment Was A Mistake

Rod Dreher emerged from the conservative blogosphere in the 2000s and won fans with his daily stream of testy opinions and unguarded anecdotal writing. He seems almost allergic to ideological consistency, has long had readers on the left as well as the right, and sometimes changes his mind over the course of a single paragraph. - The Atlantic

How Cornwall Shaped British Writers, And British Imagination

Winston Graham of Poldark, Virginia Woolf, Daphne du Maurier, and many other writers drew - and continue to draw - inspiration from the moors, cliffs, rugged coastline, and mines of the rural county. - BBC

The British Museum Has Removed The Word Palestine And Palestinians From Its Middle East Displays

“Concerns were recently raised by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLIF), a voluntary group of solicitors, about references to ‘Palestine’ in displays covering the ancient Levant and Egypt, which risked ‘obscuring the history of Israel and the Jewish people.’” - The Guardian (UK)

How Pokémon Became A Source Of Massive Soft Cultural Power

It’s a card game! It’s an app! It’s a movie! It’s a meme! It’s a stuffie (or a lot of stuffies)! But truly, what is Pokémon? - CBC

Berlinale Defends Jury President Wim Wenders Post-Soundbite About Gaza That Led Arundhati Roy To Withdraw

The festival head said, "Artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival’s previous or current practices over which they have no control. Nor should they be expected to speak on every political issue raised to them unless they want to.” - The Guardian (UK)

Bring Back Ski Ballet!

Nothing is “nutty” in the Olympics now. Ski ballet was a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992, but "unlike the other two freestyle disciplines, aerials and moguls, ski ballet didn’t graduate to full Olympic medal status.” - The New York Times

How Many Times Can One Man Win Cowboy Poet Of The Year, A Real Award That We Did Not Make Up?

At least three. “The Western Music Association describes the award as recognizing a person who writes ‘with imaginative power and beauty of thought, with the ability to enable audiences to develop a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the Western lifestyle through performance.’” - Oregon ArtsWatch

The Women Of Bauhaus

“The German art school turned political and cultural engine founded in 1919,” and its “principles included absolute equality between male and female participants — or they did at first, at any rate.” - Open Culture

How Toni Morrison’s Courage And Daring Shaped The Way We Think

“She became the only black woman ever to win the Nobel prize in literature. But the facts remain: she is difficult to read. She is difficult to teach. Notwithstanding the voluminous train of profiles, reviews and scholarly analysis … she is difficult to write about.” - The Guardian (UK)

Behind The Scenes Of The Lion Dance

“Because information about lion dancing in English is scarce, Chan led a group of Kei Lun Martial Arts members on a research trip to China in 2000. They studied with skilled craftspeople in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.” - The New York Times

As Minneapolis Starts Construction On A Memorial To George Floyd, It’s Dealing With Two More Intense Memorial Spaces

The mayor’s office says Minneapolis is “actively working on next steps, including continued community engagement regarding both memorials.” - Minnesota Public Radio

We Need To Talk About Heathcliff, Emily Bronte, And Race

“The ‘dynamics of this novel are about otherness in various ways, and that otherness is in Heathcliff.’ Onscreen, however, Heathcliff has largely been played by white actors.” - The New York Times

Generative AI Is Pretty Bad At Video Game Worlds

It might never improve enough. “Even in the most ambitious view where AI technology is feasibly able to generate worlds that are as responsive and interesting to explore as a video game that runs locally … there’s a lot more that goes into making a video game.”- The Verge (Archive Today)

Is Warner Bros Back To (Sky)Dancing With Paramount?

“Paramount Skydance’s latest offer — No. 9 since last year — includes a premium ‘ticking fee’ for WBD shareholders of about $650 million for every quarter that the Paramount-WBD nuptials are not completed by Dec. 31, 2026.” - Variety

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