newsflashes

{"title":"Bust Justice?","object":"2240","image":"/images/13.12.11_Richard_BreastImplantEDIT-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2012/12/bust-justice/","date":"2012-12-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Bust Justice?\n\n\n\nWomen’s quest for the ideal bustline has led to many innovations, Wonder Bras among them. Introduced in the 90s, the silicone breast implant is one of the more popular and visible augmentations on the market.\n\nAfter years of lawsuits, one maker of silicone implants, PIP, was sentenced in December for dealing in defective décolletage goods. The company’s sale of faulty implants, prone to rupture and leakage because of its use of industrial-grade silicone, sparked a global health crisis that harmed an estimated 300,000 women in 65 countries. —Diane Richard, writer, December 11\n\n**\n\n \n\nImages: Agence France-Presse & FP\n\nSource: “Breast implants: PIP’s Jean-Claude Mas gets jail sentence,” BBC News Europe, December 10, 2013 \n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"2240","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Ant art: beautiful or cruel?","object":"3584","image":"/images/13.12.20_Gihring_AnthillArtEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2012/12/ant-art-beautiful-or-cruel/","date":"2012-12-20 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Ant art: beautiful or cruel?\n\n\n\nHis art is spectacular, like an undersea ice sculpture, and so is the way he makes it: by pouring molten aluminum into an anthill. He lets it seep into the multitudinous chambers, then carefully digs it out, hosing off what remains of the anthill. \n\nTrouble is, for those who are troubled by such things, there aren’t any ants left. The anonymous artist is hardly the first to incorporate insects in his work, like the Dutch still life masters here. But it comes at too steep a price for those who dumped bile on a recent viral YouTube video of his process. The most common comment: “What if I poured aluminum in your house?”\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nDecember 20, 2013\n\nSource: anthillart.com\n\n\n","objectId":"3584","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"HEAD Beauty in Form and Function","object":"95999","image":"","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/06/head-beauty-in-form-and-function/","date":"2013-06-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"HEAD Beauty in Form and Function\n\nSUB But Does It Float?\n\nPractical solutions to engineering and manufacturing problems can also be beautiful. In 1808, the steamed and bent arms of this “Elastic Chair” were both cheap to make and elegant in form.  \n\nRecently, the American Society of Civil Engineers held its National Concrete Canoe Competition. Yes, concrete. Teams of grad students designed canoes made of one of the least buoyant materials imaginable. They are scored on, among other things, their unique concrete mixes and overall aesthetics. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, known for its artistic canoes, this year created a boat with bas-relief depictions of Yosemite and a cast pinecone and bough.  \n\n—Alex Bortolot, Curatorial Division, June 16\n\nImage: CANOE-1-articleLarge.jpg Courtesy New York Times\n\nhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/24/science/out-of-concrete-and-drudgery-come-canoes-that-float.html?_r=0&gwh=B417EDFC5AEA46B2274FA8DF525ED173\n","objectId":"95999","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"If a Tree Falls…","object":"1233","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_Trees6.26-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/06/if-a-tree-falls/","date":"2013-06-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"If a Tree Falls…\n\nIs It Rustic—or Ruinous?\n\n\n\nThe big storm that hit Friday, June 21, left numerous big trees and branches strewn in its wake. A frequent subject of paintings like this one by Gainsborough, the uprooted tree of today symbolizes civic disarray and the impact of climate change rather than rustic reflection or the passage of time. Many homeowners noted that the roots of trees were severed during the recent replacement of city sidewalk squares, likely speeding their toppling—at tax payers’ expense.\n\n— Diane Richard, writer, June 26\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Mark Vancleave, Star Tribune, June 26, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"1233","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Was Theseus the Superman of His Time?","object":"1263","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Tim_Superman_6.26-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/06/was-theseus-the-superman-of-his-time/","date":"2013-06-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Was Theseus the Superman of His Time?\n\n\n\nThe blockbuster movie this summer is Man of Steel, a reboot of the Superman franchise that finds Clark Kent as a young loner reluctantly battling extraterrestrials from his home planet. But it may as well be about Theseus, here slaying a monster while seemingly contemplating what he had for breakfast. He’s bored but dutiful—superheroes answer the call because, well, who else can? The ancient Greeks and Romans loved this notion as much as we do, inventing superheroes like Theseus and Hercules (played by the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in next year’s blockbuster Hercules: The Thracian Wars) and super-villains like Medusa. Every civilization, it seems, needs someone to stop the unstoppable.  \n\n—Tim Gihring, writer, June 26\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Clay Enos\n\nEntertainment Weekly, June 11, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"1263","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Will Sandmining Change?","object":"91556","image":"/images/13-06-26_2004.211_FracSandEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/06/will-sandmining-change/","date":"2013-06-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Will Sandmining Change?\n\n\n\nUsed in domestic drilling for oil and gas, the Midwest’s bounty of sand is being mined and sent by rail to North Dakota and elsewhere. The sudden economic boon, though, may carry a price. \n\nContrast this picture’s view with “Mount Frac” in downtown Winona. Do we fully know the risks of such mining? Do we have the political will to change to a more sustainable energy source? What will my view be when I kayak on the St. Croix? What will my view be when I kayak on the St. Croix? What will my view be.\n\nUsed in domestic drilling for oil and gas, the Midwest’s bounty of sand is being mined and sent.\n\n—Jill Meyer, staff operations report specialist\n\nJune 5, 2013\n\n\n\nSource: Brian Peterson, Star Tribune, “In a first, Minnesota\n asks Winona County to assess risks of frac sand”, http://www.startribune.com/local/190313011.html, February 9, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"91556","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"An Idyllic Landscape for Tony Soprano?","object":"12936","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Feldman_Gandolfini6.26.2EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/06/an-idyllic-landscape-for-tony-soprano/","date":"2013-06-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"An Idyllic Landscape for Tony Soprano?\n\n\n\nActor James Gandolfini died at age 51 of a heart attack on June 19. Like most people, when I think of Gandolfini, I think of Tony Soprano and his New Jersey mob. We were all hooked on The Sopranos due to the development of complex characters—and their relationship to place. And not just any place; New Jersey, where most of the show was filmed.\n\nGandolfini grew up close to Montclair and with his character’s multiple industrial business“interests,” he probably would have understood Inness’s inclusion of a factory in a beautiful landscape. \n\n—Kaywin Feldman, director, June 26\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Anthony Neste/HBO \n\nSource:“James Gandolfini Dead: Fans Flock to ‘The Sopranos’ Diner in New Jersey to Pay Tribute,” ABC News, June 26, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"12936","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Artists Out on a Limb?","object":"5748","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Rassieur_Trees.6.27EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/06/artists-out-on-a-limb/","date":"2013-06-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Artists Out on a Limb?\n\n\n\nWith thousands of trees, limbs, and branches suddenly littering our cities, we may feel some of the same Romantic tug at the heartstrings experienced by the artists who sought the overwhelming majesty of the Forest of Fontainebleau. In the decades after Michallon painted this study, the forest became a veritable outdoor studio for hundreds of artists eager to trade the refinement of Paris for and poetry of nature.\n\n—Tom Rassieur, curator\n\nJune 27\n\nPhoto credit: stolen shamelessly; don’t do this\n\nNews source: Red Panda Express\n\n\n","objectId":"5748","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Defense of Marriage in the Ancient World?","object":"108857","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Feldman_Hadrian6.26EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/06/defense-of-marriage-in-the-ancient-world/","date":"2013-06-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Defense of Marriage in the Ancient World?\n\n\n\nToday was a historic day with the Supreme Court’s two rulings on same-sex marriage. While this is new in our contemporary world, it would have been seen differently in ancient Rome. Roman men were free to have same-sex relationships without affecting their perceived masculinity or social standing. \n\nAncient sources make it clear that the virile Emperor Hadrian had a homosexual relationship with a Greek male youth, Antinous. Tragically, he drowned in the Nile. Hadrian founded an Egyptian city in his memory and also had Antinous deified.\n\n—Kaywin Feldman, director, June 26\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Michael Appleton; Source: New York Times, June 26, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"108857","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Trial by Fire?","object":"3296","image":"/images/NewsFlash_ATR_ArizFire_7.9_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/trial-by-fire/","date":"2013-07-09 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Trial by Fire?\n\n\n\nThe Yarnell Hill wildfire in Arizona is a tragic reminder of fire’s unpredictability. Since the 1970s, forecasters have used computer models to predict the paths of wildfires. Yet fires today behave much differently than in the past. \n\nSo, what’s changed? Increased drought. Reduced fire suppression resources. And most significantly, the popping up of many subdivisions in areas of high fire risk. The distressed people in this scene by Joseph Wright of Derby watch helplessly as their home is overtaken by fire, just as many residents of Prescott, Arizona, have in recent days.\n\n\n  Amanda Thompson Rundahl, MIA educator, \n\n\nJuly 5\n\nSource:“As Arizona fire rages, scientists warn of more unpredictable blazes,” LA Times, July 3, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"3296","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Do fancier utensils make tastier morsels?","object":"109066","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Naithani_UtensilsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/do-fancier-utensils-make-tastier-morsels/","date":"2013-07-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Do fancier utensils make tastier morsels?\n\n\n\nA recent study showed that your sweet tooth may be enhanced by a sweetly designed spoon. Among the findings: a larger, heavier utensil is thought to serve up sweeter food than its lighter counterpart. So does a black spoon. Cutting cheese with a knife imparts extra saltiness to your palate, and so will any blue utensil, and lighter tools make food seem richer. Sadly, fancy utensils don’t appear to make the taste of food more pleasurable; indeed, they may only serve to reflect your good taste.\n\n— Jessica Naithani, project coordinator, Design and Editorial\n\nJuly 10\n\nSource: “7 ways the utensils you use change the taste of food,” FastCompany Design, July 10, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"109066","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Sacred and Profane?","object":"6161","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_BodhiTemple7.10-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/sacred-and-profane/","date":"2013-07-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Sacred and Profane?\n\n\n\nThe Indian temple complex near the Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha is thought to have attained enlightenment was wracked by explosions this week. It was likely a terrorist attack, though no culprit has been named. The holy place is a UNESCO World Heritage site.\n\nOne imagines this youthful Buddha, by appearance classically Greco-Roman thanks to the intercultural trade winds that scattered Buddhism throughout Asia, would rue the distance he—and humankind—must continue to stride toward reaching salvation.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer\n\nJuly 10\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n\nSource: “Series of Explosions Rocks Buddhist Temple in India,” New York Times, July 8, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"6161","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Walk Like a Duck—in 3-D?","object":"1808","image":"/images/Bortolot_Newsflash_Duck3D_7.11EDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/walk-like-a-duck-in-3-d/","date":"2013-07-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Walk Like a Duck—in 3-D?\n\n\n\nArtists often prototype their work in materials like clay or wax. 3-D printing offers new ways to produce working samples of designs in progress. Design, print, test, refine, repeat: the technology has sped up the concept-to-product process and democratized design.\n\nIn Tennessee, Buttercup the Duck was born with a backwards foot. It was amputated and replaced with a printed prosthesis. An articulated human hand can be downloaded, printed, and assembled with about $150 in parts and some mechanical know-how. \n\n—Alex Bortolot, content strategist\n\nJuly 11\n\nPhoto: Feathered Angels Waterfowl Sanctuary\n\nSource: Rusty Blazenhoff, “Amputee Duck Walks For the First Time With a New 3D-Printed Foot,” www.Laughingsquid.com, July 2, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"1808","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"ZIP Code Joins AARP?","object":"1567","image":"/images/NewsFlash_JMeyer_ZIPcodeEDIT-1.PNG","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/zip-code-joins-aarp/","date":"2013-07-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"**ZIP Code Joins AARP?\n**\n\n\n\nThe 1791 Parisians depicted in this painting might have spilled tea from their elegant cups hearing the events of 1963 United States Postal Service—the introduction of the ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan) Code. \n\nAmericans weren’t too pleased, either, with the plan to increase efficiency of mail delivery. On the heels of expanding the telephone area code, we citizens were worried about becoming just a number. But with Mr. Zip’s help, there was 86% usage within 6 years. \n\n—Jill Meyer, advancement operations report specialist\n\nJuly 10, 2013\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: Josh Sanburn, Time, “The ZIP Code Turns 50”, July 1, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"1567","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Roar for the Camera?","object":"45653","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_RussianTiger_7.15-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/roar-for-the-camera/","date":"2013-07-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Roar for the Camera?\n\n\n\nRussian circuses, in an act that would shock most U.S. parents and child-safety officials, commonly offer photo-ops with children and trained animals. “Don’t worry, it’s just a little kitty,” one parent reassured his child.\n\nRussians are known for their brio (just look at Putin’s antics). But tigers are something to admire from a safe distance—particularly in South and Southeast Asia, where they have killed at least 373,000 people over the past 200 years.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer\n\nJuly 16\n\nPhoto: James Hill for New York Times    Above image of MIA staffer\n\nSource: Andrew Kramer, New York Times, July 11, 2013 \n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"45653","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"3-D IQ a Sign of Genius?","object":"3215","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_SpatialThink_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/3-d-iq-a-sign-of-genius/","date":"2013-07-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"3-D IQ a Sign of Genius?\n\n\n\nResearchers have found that a gift for spatial reasoning might be a strong indicator of future innovative thinking—better, perhaps, than math or language skills.\n\nChildren who tinker, put things together, and take things apart are expressing a type of ingenuity unable to be measured with tests like the SAT and ACT. The study suggests high spatial reasoning skills leads to success in careers such as engineering, technology, or, one easily imagines, sculpting—like the kinetic work of Alexander Calder (above). \n\n—Diane Richard, writer\n\nJuly 17\n\n\n\nSource: Douglas Quenqua, New York Times, July 15, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"3215","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Who suffers as Detroit goes bankrupt?","object":"4428","image":"/images/13-07-19_92.24_DetroitBankruptcyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/who-suffers-as-detroit-goes-bankrupt/","date":"2013-07-19 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Who suffers as Detroit goes bankrupt?\n\n\n\nOnce America’s fourth-largest city, Detroit filed for bankruptcy on July 18 having lost more than half its peak population and spiraled into debt—the largest municipality in the United States ever to do so. \n\nNot so long ago, Detroit was the bustling embodiment of the American dream, pushing out automobiles while lifting millions into the middle class—including African Americans who had moved north for factory jobs and initially had a hard time securing them. Now they’re being hit again in a so-called hollowing-out of the black middle class as American industries automate, move factories overseas, or close altogether.\n\n  —Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJuly 19, 2013\n\nSource: New York Times, July 18, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"4428","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A Honeymoon Boon?","object":"263","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_HoneymoonBoonEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/a-honeymoon-boon/","date":"2013-07-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A Honeymoon Boon?\n\n\n\nStarting August 1, Minnesotans may marry a consenting adult of any sex, stimulating a new industry for florists, caterers, photographers, and other wedding vendors.\n\nSame-sex couples are a hot new market that’s worth an estimated $130 million over the next three years. These couples are likely to beat the national average on wedding spending, just shy of $30,000. Cynics also note that the boom may have a profitable bust, too—as divorce lawyers assemble on the wings.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer\n\nJuly 24\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune\n\nSource: Aimee Blanchette, Same-sex marriage could be a boon for Minnesota’s wedding industry,” Star Tribune, July 24, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"263","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Coffee—and Coffin?","object":"116020","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Algeo_DeathCafeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/coffee-and-coffin/","date":"2013-07-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Coffee—and Coffin?\n\n\n\nModeled after the “café mortels” that began in France and Switzerland, philosophically inclined Americans are starting to see that a little discussion about death can be surprisingly calming. Currently, there are 40 cities—including our own Twin Cities Death Café—where these salon-style groups meet regularly to talk death, dying, and fears about the great beyond. Group members are finding that their conversations about mortality teach them a great deal about life, just as von Stuck’s Portrait of Beethoven, informed by the composer’s death mask, reveals more about Beethoven’s life than his death.\n\n—Courtney Algeo, writer\n\nJuly 24\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Jerry Holt, Star Tribune\n\nSource: Bill Ward, “The Death Cafe discussion group steers its members on how to live,” Star Tribune, July 24, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"116020","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Mollusk-mucus Mask?","object":"395","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_SnailFacialEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/mollusk-mucus-mask/","date":"2013-07-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Mollusk-mucus Mask?\n\n\n\nA Tokyo spa is now marketing a new facial treatment involving the use of live snails and their slime. The hour-long service, which costs about $245, is intended to make skin look more youthful. Hardly the first odd beauty panacea, the medicinal use of snails dates back to 400 BCE to conquer skin inflammation. What’s more, geishas and Victorian queens famously—sometimes fatally—applied toxic lead to whiten their complexions. \n\nMany depictions of the Buddha, like this one here, feature a cranium covered with snails, a symbol of his patient reflection while sitting under the Bodhi Tree. Somehow he always retained his youthful glow.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer\n\nJuly 25\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Telegraph\n\nSource: “Japan Clinic Launches ‘Snail Facial,’” The Telegraph, July 13, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"395","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Up for a moondance?","object":"116191","image":"/images/13-07-26_2013.19_AsteroidsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/07/up-for-a-moondance/","date":"2013-07-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Up for a moondance?\n\n\n\nScientists have recently discovered a new moon orbiting Neptune. Designated S/2004 N 1, it is the smallest of Neptune’s 14 moons and has avoided detection until now because it orbits the planet near two larger moons, Proteus and Larissa, in a zippy 23 hours flat.   \n\nMeteors like those rocketing around Jennifer Steinkamp’s 6EQUJ5 have also been be found orbiting moons and planets. And if you watch these multi-colored missiles long enough, you too might discover a new moon. \n\n—Christopher Atkins, curator\n\nJuly 26, 2013\n\nPhoto credit: NASA\n\nNews source: huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/15/new-neptune-moon-smallest-photos_n_3600177.html\n\n\n","objectId":"116191","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Adieu to the baguette?","object":"10436","image":"/images/13-08-01_93.2_BaguetteExtinctionEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/adieu-to-the-baguette/","date":"2013-08-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Adieu to the baguette?\n\n\n\nFrance has launched a public-relations campaign to save bread from extinction. Despite having the world’s highest concentration of independent bakeries, the French are consuming less and less of their signature food, the baguette. The average Frenchman ate three loaves of bread a day (!) in 1900, about when Monet was painting his series of grain stacks in Normandy. Today, the daily dose is a half a loaf. \n\nWine consumption is down too, and the last Gauloise cigarette factory closed in 2005. France, it seems, just isn’t as French as it used to be.\n\n— Alex Bortolot, content strategist\n\nAugust 1, 2013\n\n**\n\nImage: Agnes Dherbeys  Source: The New York Times, PARIS JOURNAL: A French Dining Staple Is Losing Its Place at the Table, July 30, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"10436","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Got Milk?","object":"113688","image":"/images/Bortolot_Newsflash_Breastfding8.7-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/got-milk/","date":"2013-08-07 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Got Milk?\n\n\n\nA recent national study documented a widespread drop in childhood obesity among low-income families. Why? Increased rates of breastfeeding, possibly.\n\nOf 43 states and U.S. territories surveyed from 2008 to 2011, just under half showed a downward trend in weight among 2- to 4-year-olds, with 20 states showing no change. A modest gain—err, loss—to be sure; nevertheless, it suggests that public health attempts to reduce childhood obesity may have turned a corner. \n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist\n\nAugust 7\n\nCredit: Renee Jones Schneider for Star Tribune.  \n\nSource: Sabrina Tavernise, “Broad Decline in Obesity Rate seen in Poor Young Children,” New York Times, August 6, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"113688","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Where’s the Beef?","object":"1233","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_LabBeefEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/where-s-the-beef/","date":"2013-08-07 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Where’s the Beef?\n\n\n\nLove an expensive burger? How about a $325,000 burger grown in a lab? A tasting of the first in vitro burger took place in London this week, thanks to a toothy investment into cruelty-free meat production by Google founder Sergey Brin.\n\nConsidered to be ‘future food,’ the hamburger was made from cow muscle grown in a lab over two years. Critics called the fried, low-fat burger dry and flavorless; however, admirers say such tissue production deserves funding if we are to feed our ever meat-loving planet. \n\n—Diane Richard, writer\n\nAugust 7\n\n**\n\nPhoto: David Parry/Press Association, via European Pressphoto Agency\n\nSource: HENRY FOUNTAIN, “A Lab-Grown Burger Gets a Taste Test,” New York Times, August 6, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1233","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Berry Weird Summer?","object":"1523","image":"/images/Meyer_NewsFlash_summerberryEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/berry-weird-summer/","date":"2013-08-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Berry Weird Summer?\n\n\n\nPleasures of summer certainly feature fresh berries. The usual chain of berry availability is strawberry, raspberry, then blueberry. But the wet, cold spring followed by some very hot weather has caused the berries to ripen all at once. What’s a baker to do?\n\nCould this Triple Berry Crisp prompt the pleasures of this painting—or is something else overflowing from Ceres’s cornucopia?\n\n—Jill Meyer, advancement\n\nAugust 7\n\n**\n\n**\n\nIngredients\n\n1 ½ cups strawberries (sliced) \n\n1 ½ cups blueberries \n\n1 ½ cups raspberries \n\n¼ tsp cinnamon \n\n1 tsp lemon zest \n\n2 tsp cornstarch \n\n¼ cup sugar (or agave nectar) \n\n1 cup quick oats (Quaker) \n\n½ cup whole wheat flour \n\n½ cup light brown sugar (unpacked) \n\n¾ tsp cinnamon \n\n¼ cup stick butter (half, melted) \n\nIngredients\n\n1 ½ cups strawberries (sliced) \n\n1 ½ cups blueberries \n\n1 ½ cups raspberries \n\n¼ tsp cinnamon \n\n1 tsp lemon zest \n\n2 tsp cornstarch \n\n¼ cup sugar (or agave nectar) \n\n1 cup quick oats (Quaker) \n\n½ cup whole wheat flour \n\n½ cup light brown sugar (unpacked) \n\n¾ tsp cinnamon \n\n¼ cup stick butter (half, melted) \n\nSource: yummly.com/recipe/Triple-berry-crisp-352474\n\n\n","objectId":"1523","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Has monogamy made us smarter?","object":"46","image":"/images/13-08-09_14.12_MonogamyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/has-monogamy-made-us-smarter/","date":"2013-08-09 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Has monogamy made us smarter?\n\n\n\nOnly nine percent of mammal species—and even fewer reptiles, amphibians, or insects (except for the faithful cockroach)—are monogamous. Even then, most don’t stay together for long. But humans do, generally speaking, pledging like this couple to be true to the end. \n\nNew studies of our evolution now suggest this fidelity has done more than boost the wedding industry. Once males decided to stick around and hunt for their family several million years ago, the extra care and calories provided to children likely enabled our brains to expand. A smart move—not that we were smart enough at the time to know it.\n\n  —Tim Gihring, editor\n\nAugust 9, 2013\n\nSource: New York Times, August 2, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"46","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"No Laughing Matter?","object":"18424","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_ClownsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/no-laughing-matter/","date":"2013-08-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"No Laughing Matter?\n\n\n\nA recent report supports what you probably already know: clowns are indeed scary for many.\n\nCultures around the world use masks in ritual performances. Increasingly, however, such masquerades have a disquieting effect in Western society. Scandals involving some clowns’ decidedly unfunny behavior might be one reason. Says the researcher: “…I think at the end of the day, a lot of the fear of clowns actually comes back to the person underneath the makeup.” —Diane Richard, writer\n\nAugust 14\n\n**\n\nPhoto: The Kobal Collection\n\nSource: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, “The History and Psychology of Clowns Being Scary,” Smithsonian Magazine, August 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"18424","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Pastoral—or Pests?","object":"109856","image":"/images/NewsFlash_Richard_WildHorsesEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/pastoral-or-pests/","date":"2013-08-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Pastoral—or Pests?\n\n\n\nThose thousands of wild horses? They’re running amok. And conservationists like Robert Redford are bumping heads with the Navajo Nation over what to do about it.\n\nThe feral symbols of freedom in the West are ranging roughshod through Native lands, causing $200,000 a year in damage, and dying of starvation and thirst. One solution is to round them up and send them to slaughter, which the Navajo Nation contends is more humane. But Redford, the Humane Society, and others argue for the creation of natural habitats and adoption.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer, August 14\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Diego James Robles for The New York Times\n\nSource: FERNANDA SANTOS, “On Fate of Wild Horses, Stars and Indians Spar,” \n\nNew York Times, August 10, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"109856","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A mountain on the roof?","object":"3763","image":"/images/13-08-15_88.85.2_ApartmentmountainEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/a-mountain-on-the-roof/","date":"2013-08-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A mountain on the roof?\n\n\n\nZhang Biqing spent six years building a craggy aerie resembling the idealized mountains of classical Chinese art, complete with fake boulders and winding walkways—atop his 26th-story Beijing apartment. Instead of a poets’ salon, there’s a karaoke lounge. \n\nAnd now it’s coming down. Seems the wealthy owner of a chain of traditional Chinese medicine clinics never had the blessing of the city, much less his neighbors, whom he reportedly threatened when they complained. Some idealizations, it seems, were never meant to be—at least not on the roof.  \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nAugust 14, 2013\n\nSource: New York Times, August 13, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"3763","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Why all the buzz about bees?","object":"6981","image":"/images/13-08-15_98.276.36_BeeCollapseEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/why-all-the-buzz-about-bees/","date":"2013-08-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Why all the buzz about bees?\n\n\n\nBees are suddenly everywhere—on the cover of TIME, the front page of the New York Times, and other media around the world—because they’re suddenly nowhere.\n A mysterious malady has reduced honeybee colonies by 30 to 50 percent every year since 2006, threatening many fruits and vegetables, not to mention honey.\n\nThe MIA has responded by hosting four bee colonies on its roof, celebrating the longstanding connection between art and nature exemplified in this Art Nouveau pitcher (note the bee crawling around the corn husk). You’ll also find bees on a clock in gallery G334 and on Third Thursday, August 15, here at the museum, as Andrew Zimmern’s AZ Canteen food truck serves honey fresh from the bees on our bonnet.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nAugust 14, 2013\n\nSource: New York Times, August 6, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"6981","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Scourge of Italy?","object":"529","image":"/images/13.08.21_Richard_FemicideItalyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/scourge-of-italy/","date":"2013-08-21 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Scourge of Italy?\n\n\n\nViolence against women is nothing new. In Italy, more than 80 women have been killed this year, mostly by their current or former lovers. A recent United Nations report called domestic abuse the “most pervasive form of violence” in the country.\n\nNow, Italy is looking to stiffen legal penalties on perpetrators of domestic abuse. Yet victims’ advocates say greater resources for women who leave abusive relationships—a frequent trigger for violence—are what’s truly needed. Says one shelter manager in Rome, “Many shelters and anti-violence centers around Italy are closing because of lack of funding.” \n\n—Diane Richard, writer, August 21\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Nadia Shira Cohen for the International Herald Tribune\n\nSource: ELISABETTA POVOLEDO, “A Call for Aid, Not Laws, to Help Women in Italy,” \n\nNew York Times, August 18, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"529","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Adieu to the unfriendly Frenchman?","object":"3161","image":"/images/130821_Gihring_UnfriendlyFrenchEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/adieu-to-the-unfriendly-frenchman/","date":"2013-08-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Adieu to the unfriendly Frenchman?\n\n\n\nThe gruff Gallic waiter and the petty Parisian hotelier loom as large in the tourist imagination as the Eiffel Tower. Who cares if they’re as unreal as Tintin? The Paris tourism board, that’s who. It’s distributed tens of thousands of brochures called “Do You Speak Touriste?” to cafes, hotels, and shops in an effort to snub out snobismeand put a premium on politesse, advising that Americans just like eating at 6 p.m. (and can’t be unglued from their phones) and the British like being addressed by their first names. \n\nWhat’s at stake? Billions of tourism dollars. And perhaps one of the primary reasons to travel: to be somewhere different from home. C’est la vie.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nAugust 21, 2013\n\nSource: New York Times, August 20, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"3161","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Does my hair make me look old? ","object":"486","image":"","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/does-my-hair-make-me-look-old/","date":"2013-08-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Does my hair make me look old? \n\n\n\nJust how old were the founding fathers in 1776? Younger than you’d think. Recent research in Slatemagazine pegs the major figures of the American Revolution as the millenials of their day. Jefferson was just 33. Franklin, the only genuinely wizened one, had wigs older than Hale and Hamilton, both 21. Betsy Ross, 24, was more like Etsy Ross. \n\nFamous portraits like this, which captured the fathers much later in life when they were truly fatherly, may have prematurely aged the founders in our perception. The powdered white wigs haven’t helped.\n\n— Tim Gihring, editor\n\nAugust 21, 2013\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: Slate, August 20, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"486","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"","object":"486","image":"","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/founding-fathers/","date":"2013-08-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Does my hair make me look old? \n\n\n\nJust how old were the founding fathers in 1776? Younger than you’d think. Recent research in Slatemagazine pegs the major figures of the American Revolution as the millenials of their day. Jefferson was just 33. Franklin, the only genuinely wizened one, had wigs older than Hale and Hamilton, both 21. Betsy Ross, 24, was more like Etsy Ross. \n\nFamous portraits like this, which captured the fathers much later in life when they were truly fatherly, may have prematurely aged the founders in our perception. The powdered white wigs haven’t helped.\n\n— Tim Gihring, editor\n\nAugust 21, 2013\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: Slate, August 20, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"486","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Life Mask or DNA Mask?","object":"116020","image":"/images/13.08.27_Feldman_DeathMaskEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/life-mask-or-dna-mask/","date":"2013-08-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Life Mask or DNA Mask?\n\n\n\nThroughout history, artists have based portraits on the sitter or his or her likeness. Sometimes the subject modeled in person; other times the artist used an extant photograph, bust, or portrait. Occasionally the artist created the portrait from memory or even imagination. Franz von Stuck combined these techniques for his depiction of Beethoven.\n\nToday, some contemporary artists are creating likenesses of people based on their DNA. Heather Dewey-Hagborg creates portraits of strangers from the DNA she finds on chewing gum and cigarette butts. \n\n    —Kaywin Feldman, director and president, August 27\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Kari Mulholland/TED\n\nSource: Christina Hernandez Sherwood, “Q&A: Heather Dewey-Hagborg, information artist, on the intersection of art and science,” Smart Planet, August 26, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"116020","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Walking Wounded?","object":"1244","image":"/images/13.08.27_Richard_WarriorEDIT-3.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/walking-wounded/","date":"2013-08-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Walking Wounded?\n\n\n\nThis much is true—with war comes wounded warriors. As Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg learned all too well. But what the Army Ranger perhaps didn’t expect was the 3-time reappearance of President Obama at his side.\n\nNor did the President expect to watch the traumatic arch of Remsburg, first as a battle-ready parachutist during a D-Day commemoration in Normandy, next as a casualty of Afghanistan recovering from severe head injuries, and, most recently, as a veteran relearning to talk and walk. When Remsburg saw the President this last time, he recited the Rangers’ creed, “Rangers, Lead the way,” and took his first steps toward the commander-in-chief.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer, August 21\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Pete Souza/The White House\n\nSource: JACKIE CALMES, “Obama and a Soldier: 3 Meetings, and a Lesson in Resilience,” \n\nNew York Times, August 22, 2013 \n\n\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"1244","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A Bear-ing of Gifts?","object":"1822","image":"/images/13.08.28_Naithani_bearEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/a-bear-ing-of-gifts/","date":"2013-08-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A Bear-ing of Gifts?\n\n\n\nTo foster a peaceful coexistence between humans and natural habitat, Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources has collected data from collared bears for over 30 years. By studying the collared bears, the DNR is able to track feeding habits, reproduction, and aging.\n\nThe bear longest tracked by the DNR, Bear No. 56, recently died. In her nearly 40 years, she gave birth to eight litters—or 22 individual cubs, 21 of which survived their first 18 months before reaching independence. She reportedly died of old age in a shaded area well suited to a restful bear nap.\n\n—Jessica Naithani, D & E Project Coordinator, August 28\n\n**\n\n\n\n\n\nPhoto: DNR\n\nSource: Paul Walsh, Star Tribune, “World’s oldest wild bear dies in Minnesota forest, August 27, 2013. \n\n\n","objectId":"1822","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A Petticoat Too Far?","object":"91467","image":"/images/13.08.28_Bortolot_SnakeJugEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/a-petticoat-too-far/","date":"2013-08-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A Petticoat Too Far?\n\n\n\nSt. Petersburg police recently plucked a provocative painting of Russia’s President and Prime Minister in women’s lingerie from a local art gallery, citing it had broken unidentified laws. Many wonder whether authorities will invoke this summer’s gay “propaganda” law banning the distribution of such materials in Russia.\n\nPresenting your enemies as effeminate and/or transgressive is nothing new, as this 1865 “snake jug” makes clear. It depicts Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States, in women’s attire, which he reportedly donned to escape capture by Union troops. \n\n\n  Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, August 28\n\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nJoshua Keating, “Police Remove Painting of Putin and Medvedev in Women’s Underwear From Russian Art Gallery,” Slate.com, Aug. 27. Photo: Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\n","objectId":"91467","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Produce a Better Result?","object":"98269","image":"/images/13.08.29_Richard_ShoppingCartEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/08/produce-a-better-result/","date":"2013-08-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Produce a Better Result?\n\n\n\nNext time you reach for a box of Pop Tarts, see if you can complete the task keeping a smile on your face. \n\nAn experiment in healthier eating has taken over a few markets in El Paso. In hopes to coax shoppers into making better dietary choices, researchers have added mirrors and dividers to grocery carts, subtly suggesting a better ratio of produce to prepared foods. So far, consumers have doubled their veggie quotient. Whether they eat them, however, is anyone’s guess.\n\n    —Diane Richard, writer, August 29\n\nPhoto: Bruce Berman for The New York Times\n\nSource: MICHAEL MOSS, “Nudged to the Produce Aisle by a Look in the Mirror,” \n\nNew York Times, August 27, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"98269","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Literal cross to bear?","object":"10425","image":"/images/13-09-04_79.19_CrucifixionEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/literal-cross-to-bear/","date":"2013-09-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Literal cross to bear?\n\n\n\nIn an act heavy with symbolism, eight Paraguayan bus drivers, along with several of their wives, have had themselves nailed to crosses to protest being fired after complaining of low wages. (Fortunately, the photograph shows only the “before” image.) \n\nThe drivers have remained on the wooden crosses for more than two weeks. The bus company said it would restore some of their jobs and find new jobs for others, but the drivers in solidarity have refused until all are invited back. —Diane Richard, writer, September 4\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Reuters/Jorge Adorno\n\nSource: JACKIE CALMES, “Fired Paraguayan bus drivers have themselves nailed to crosses,” Reuters, August 30, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"10425","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Who’s endangering whom?","object":"5925","image":"/images/13.09.03_Richard_ShepherdEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/who-s-endangering-whom/","date":"2013-09-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Who’s endangering whom?\n\n\n\nThe reestablishment of a viable wolf population to the Alps has results only too expected by French shepherds.\n\nOnce driven to extinction by hunters and loss of territory, wolves have returned to prowl the French countryside. Trouble is, there’s far less of it than in expansive North America. And French shepherds—who report the slaughter of some 20,000 sheep by wolves over the past five years—contend their livelihoods and their flocks are next on the endangered list.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer, September 4\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Rebecca Marshall for The New York Times\n\nSource: SCOTT SAYARE, “As Wolves Return to French Alps, a Way of Life Is Threatened,” \n\nNew York Times, September 4, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"5925","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"21st Century Ukiyo-e?","object":"80075","image":"/images/13.09.03_VideoWoodBlocks_AlgeoEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/21st-century-ukiyo-e/","date":"2013-09-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"21st Century Ukiyo-e?\n\n\n\nAmerican illustrator Jed Henry and British craftsman David Bull have reinvigorated the ukiyo-e genre of Japanese woodblock printing for a 21st century gaming audience. A wild success on Kickstarter (the Ukiyo-E Heroes project is still the most successful in the site’s history), Henry’s reimagining of video game characters as art tropes of medieval Japan has captured the imagination of art and gaming nerds alike.\n\n—Courtney Algeo, brand communications specialist\n\nSeptember 3\n\n\n\nSource: John Brownlee, “How Video Games Revived The Dying Art Of Japanese Woodprinting,” Fast Company, August 28, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"80075","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"To the Moon, Alice/Ladee?","object":"2725","image":"/images/13-09-5_80.28_MoonProbeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/to-the-moon-alice-ladee/","date":"2013-09-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"To the Moon, Alice/Ladee?\n\n\n\nNASA is soon returning to the moon via a Smart Car–sized probe named “Ladee” for a 100-day study of its surface. Meant to self-destruct after delivering its findings, Ladee can be replicated for future missions. But in the absence of manned American missions, some U.S. scientists question Ladee’s relevance. Still, Ladee may have company, as China, India, Japan, Russia, and the European Space Agency all have unmanned lunar missions in the works. —Jennifer Komar Olivarez, associate curator, \n\nSeptember 5\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Terry Zaperach/NASA, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n\nSource: CAROLINE CHEN, “New Moon Probe Raises Questions About What to Do Next in Space,” New York Times, August 31, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"2725","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"What ever happened to self-control?","object":"3077","image":"/images/13.09.03_Algeo_BrainToBrainEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/what-ever-happened-to-self-control/","date":"2013-09-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"**What ever happened to self-control?\n**\n\nThe first-ever experiment featuring human brain-to-brain communication was a complete, if not eerie, success. Using a wearable brain device made of magnets and electrodes, University of Washington professor Rajesh Rao sent a neural signal across campus to colleague Andrea Stucco. With this electronic input, Stucco twitched a finger, hitting a space bar and completing an action in a video game Rao was playing.\n\n—Courtney Algeo, brand communications specialist\n\nSeptember 3\n\n**\n\n**\n\n\n\nSource: Adam Pasick, “A scientist used some electrodes, a magnet, and a swim cap to play a video game using his colleague’s brain,” Quartz, August 28, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"3077","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Not your father’s Bar Mitzvah?","object":"30523","image":"/images/13-09-11_98.136.17_BarMitzvahEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/not-your-father-s-bar-mitzvah/","date":"2013-09-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Not your father’s Bar Mitzvah?\n\n\n\nLeaders of the largest branch of Judaism, the Reform movement, are initiating a reinvention of the bar and bat mitzvah process.\n\nThe movement stems from a concern that the current approach places too great an emphasis on Torah study at an age when youth are ill-equipped to grasp its full meaning. One suggestion is to delay the ceremony until children are older; another is to replace Hebrew school with a focus on community service. Thirteen Reform congregations across the nation have volunteered to pilot the change, and an additional 67 have signaled interest.\n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist\n\nSeptember 10, 2013\n\nSource: Laurie Goldstein, New York Times, “Bar Mitzvahs Get New Look to Build Faith,” nytimes.com, September 3, 2013. Photo: Guy Vlau for the New York Times\n\n\n","objectId":"30523","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Do you have a Van Gogh in your attic?","object":"1218","image":"/images/13.09.12_VanGogh_Gihring-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/do-you-have-a-van-gogh-in-your-attic/","date":"2013-09-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Do you have a Van Gogh in your attic?\n\n\n\nMight want to check. Recently, a painting gathering cobwebs in a Norwegian attic was declared a genuine Van Gogh, increasing in value about 10 zillion percent.\n\nSeems the painting had been declared a fake in the 1990s, largely because the mercurial artist had not signed it. Details, details. Other evidence confirms its authenticity as the long-lost Sunset at Montmajour, including a letter from Van Gogh to his brother describing the painting and when he painted it. It will be on display at the Van Gogh Museum, in Amsterdam, starting September 24.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nSeptember 12, 2013\n\n \n\n**\n\nSource: npr.org, September 9, 2013\n\nPhoto: Olaf Kraak / AFP / Getty Images\n\n\n","objectId":"1218","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Do these books make me look smart?","object":"1488","image":"/images/13.09.13_Bookshelfies_Gihring-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/do-these-books-make-me-look-smart/","date":"2013-09-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Do these books make me look smart?\n\n\n\nIf you want to look rich, you might pose in front of someone’s Lamborghini. With hundred-dollar bills cascading out of your pockets. If you want to look accomplished, you might do as Francisco de Mura did here, appearing among gold, marble, and fine drawings.\n\nIf you want to look smart, however, you’ll take a “bookshelfie,” a now-popular variant of the “selfie” cell-phone self-portrait in which you pose among shelves full of carefully curated books. And if you post it to Bookshelfies.tumblr.com you’ll likely even list your favorite books—not that you’ve necessarily read them.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nSeptember 12, 2013\n\nSource: Salon.com, August 20, 2013\n\nPhoto: from Bookshelfies.tumblr.com\n\n\n","objectId":"1488","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How do you recreate a temple’s doors?","object":"59617","image":"/images/13.09.13_Temple_GihringEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/how-do-you-recreate-a-temple-s-doors/","date":"2013-09-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"How do you recreate a temple’s doors?\n\n\n\nVery carefully—with surgical masks, if you’re the technicians who are hunkered down in the MIA’s Visual Resources area as part of the Tsuzuri Project to preserve Japan’s cultural heritage. For 10 days, through September 17, they’ll use a super-high-resolution Canon camera on a robotic tripod to photograph 16 sliding doors from the 17th century, section by section, that were once in the Daikakuji Temple in Kyoto. Back in Japan, they’ll stitch the images together, print the composite photos, and place them in antique-looking door frames. The temple will have its sliding doors again—or something exactly like them—next spring.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nSeptember 14, 2013\n\nPhoto: Charles Walbridge\n\n\n","objectId":"59617","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A biblical scourge—still?","object":"1913","image":"/images/13.09.19_Richard_PlagueEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/a-biblical-scourge-still/","date":"2013-09-19 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A biblical scourge—still?\n\n\n\nThe bubonic plague, aka Black Death, which killed one third of Europe’s population in the 14thcentury, is alive and well—in Africa and, yes, the United States.\n\nA recent study placed the U.S. as eleventh in number of plague cases (57 in a decade)—the only wealthy country to secure a ranking. That rate is dwarfed by infections in Africa, afflicting tens of thousands each year. The main vector is bites from fleas, though camels, dogs, squirrels, and prairie dogs are also culprits. —Diane Richard, writer, September 19\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: “Illustration of bubonic plague in the Bible” (1411), WikiCommons (German) \n\nSource: DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., “United States Ranks 11th in Plague Cases Worldwide,” New York Times, September 17, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1913","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Sushi market a go-go?","object":"30350","image":"/images/13.09.19_Richard_FishMktEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/sushi-market-a-go-go/","date":"2013-09-19 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Sushi market a go-go?\n\n\n\nIt’s the epicenter of sushi, the slimy storehouse of prized tuna and pie-eyed tourists in Tokyo: the Tsukiji fish market. And it will shortly be moving from its cosmopolitan locale to a climate-controlled distribution center on a manufactured island.\n\nThe world’s largest fish market, Tsukiji occupies prime development land desired by city planners for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But the move, estimated to cost $4.5 billion, is yet another blow to a vanishing way of life, preservationists contend. —Diane Richard, writer, September 19\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Ko Sasaki for The New York Times \n\nSource: MARTIN FACKLER, “A Way of Life Moves With a Market,” New York Times, September 17, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"30350","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A poet mourned","object":"1632","image":"/images/13-09-25_67.28_PoetAwoonorEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/a-poet-mourned/","date":"2013-09-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A poet mourned\n\n\n\nAmong the victims of the recent Nairobi mall attack was Kofi Awoonor, one of Ghana’s most famous poets.\n\nEvery individual killed or injured by the perpetrators of the violence is to be grieved. Still, the death of Awoonor reminds us of how poets, scholars, ambassadors, and cultural luminaries are as mortal as the rest of us. And of how easily our lives can be snuffed out, doing something as human as sipping coffee in a mall café. —Diane Richard, writer, September 25\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Agence France-Press — Getty Images \n\nSource: ADAM NOSSITER, “Ghanaians Mourn a Poet and Scholar Killed in Nairobi Mall Attack,” New York Times, September 23, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1632","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"An Autumn Temptress?","object":"4695","image":"/images/13.09.23_Myer_apple harvest-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/an-autumn-temptress/","date":"2013-09-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"An Autumn Temptress?\n\n\n\nDespite a cool spring that delayed the growing season, the apple harvest in Minnesota is going to be much better than last year’s spotty performance. Growers are expected to haul in 20 million pounds of the tempting fruit. Small potatoes, er, apples, compared to Washington’s 100 million pounds. But Minnesota’s apples go for higher prices, owing to better quality. Go ahead—take the fruit from Eve’s hand!\n\n—Jill Meyer, operations report and programming specialist\n\nSeptember 23, 2013\n\nSource: Elizabeth Baier, “Apple Growers look forward to bountiful harvest,” minnesota.publicradio.org, September 17, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"4695","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"","object":"4695","image":"","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/apples/","date":"2013-09-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"An Autumn Temptress?\n\n\n\nDespite a cool spring that delayed the growing season, the apple harvest in Minnesota is going to be much better than last year’s spotty performance. Growers are expected to haul in 20 million pounds of the tempting fruit. Small potatoes, er, apples, compared to Washington’s 100 million pounds. But Minnesota’s apples go for higher prices, owing to better quality. Go ahead—take the fruit from Eve’s hand!\n\n—Jill Meyer, operations report and programming specialist\n\nSeptember 23, 2013\n\nSource: Elizabeth Baier, “Apple Growers look forward to bountiful harvest,” minnesota.publicradio.org, September 17, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"4695","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Feeling over exposed?","object":"1727","image":"/images/13.09.25_Richard_RevengePornEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/feeling-over-exposed/","date":"2013-09-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Feeling over exposed?\n\n\n\nIn a day when camera phones are always at the ready, what might have seemed like a risqué expression of love now can have lasting, ugly repercussions.\n\nVictims of “revenge porn” are working to craft laws to prohibit former sexual partners from posting their revealing snaps online. A proliferation of revenge porn sites showcase these explicit photos, often accompanied by verbal slams and identifying details, such as where the women live and work, and their links to Facebook. —Diane Richard, writer, September 25\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Michael Stravato for The New York Times \n\nSource: ERICA GOODE, “Victims Push Laws to End Online Revenge Posts,” New York Times, September 23, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1727","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"“Hello? This is the pope.”","object":"1463","image":"/images/13.09.23_Gihring_pope-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/hello-this-is-the-pope/","date":"2013-09-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"“Hello? This is the pope.”\n\n\n\nThey call him the “cold-call pope.” Apparently, Pope Francis has been ringing up folks whose afflictions were brought to his attention: an Argentinean woman raped by police, a man whose brother was killed in a robbery. He’s offered comfort and, in one case, a promise to personally baptize a baby. \n\nIt’s yet another example of Francis’s efforts to become a kind of every-pope, which began with his rejection of the traditional red shoes (depicted in Batoni’s painting), as though the Vatican were just another Roman neighborhood. But don’t assume that any kindly caller announcing himself as the pope is the man himself—pontiff poseurs are reportedly dialing the faithful. And don’t ask to call him back. He’s a busy guy. \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nSeptember 23, 2013\n\n \n\nSource: ABC News, September 10, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"1463","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Dustbowl to Dead Zone?","object":"4383","image":"/images/13.09.26_Bortolot_Mississippi-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/dustbowl-to-dead-zone/","date":"2013-09-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Dustbowl to Dead Zone?\n\n\n\nThe Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is developing guidelines to reduce fertilizer runoff into the Mississippi River watershed. Why? It promotes algae growth and creates low-oxygen “dead zones” that can’t support marine life. A dead zone off the mouth of the Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico is the size of Connecticut. Upstream states want to shrink it by limiting runoff. \n\nLess than a century ago Dorothea Lange documented migrant workers escaping another man-made ecological disaster, the Dust Bowl. How are today’s Gulf State residents affected by the dead zone? \n\n  \n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, September 26\n\n**\n\nImage: LUMCON (Rabalais) \n\nSource: Matt Sepic and Elizabeth Dunbar, “Mississippi River’s 1926 dead zone holds lessons for Gulf of Mexico today,” Minnesota Public Radio, 9/25/2013\n\n\n","objectId":"4383","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Soldiers + Robots = Love?","object":"1201","image":"/images/13-09-26_51.37.29_SoldierRobotEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/soldiers-robots-love/","date":"2013-09-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Soldiers + Robots = Love?\n\n\n\nAll’s fair in love and war. But what happens when emotions and battle tactics collide? It’s a question researchers are asking about U.S. soldiers and the robots they use in places like Afghanistan. Soldiers say they see robots as mere machines, but sometimes their behavior suggests otherwise—that on some level they’re treated as pets or fellow combatants.\n\nSoldiers have always had close ties to those who assist them on the battlefield. Need evidence? Take Alexander the Great, portrayed here astride his beloved horse Bucephalus. —Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, September 26\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images\n\nSource: Katy Waldman, ”Are Soldiers Too Emotionally Attached to Military Robots?” salon.com, 9/20/13 \n\n\n","objectId":"1201","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Wanderlust in Shanghai?","object":"95595","image":"/images/13.9.25_Bortolot_CamelsRVEDIT_-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/09/wanderlust-in-shanghai/","date":"2013-09-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Wanderlust in Shanghai?\n\n\n\nChinese once adopted the camel as they road-tripped through Central Asia during the T’ang dynasty. Today, they’ve identified yet another foreign mode of transport for long stints on the road: the American-style RV. \n\nThe RV biz is booming as Chinese take to the highways for a little R&R. Companies also use them to do business in cities glutted with gridlock. While Chinese-made RV brands dominate, American brands Winnebago and Airstream are making, err, inroads into the market.\n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, September 25\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Kevin Lee/Bloomberg \n\nSource: Bloomberg News, ”China’s Generation Winnebago Avoids Traffic in RVs,” 9/23/13 \n\n\n","objectId":"95595","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Frau fashionista?","object":"","image":"/images/13.10.03_Richard_DirndlEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/frau-fashionista/","date":"2013-10-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Frau fashionista?\n\n\n\nBavaria’s traditional dirndl dress is seeing a revival as Germany’s fashionable set embrace the laced-up look.\n\nThe counterpart to men’s lederhosen, those leather knickers with bright suspenders, the dirndl dress has an apron, full skirt, and plunging neckline synched with laces. Today’s dirndl look is often topped with a rakishly plumed wool Bavarian hipster hat. One top maker of traditional Bavarian clothing said it sold about 16,000 dirndls last year, a 750 percent jump from 2002. Let’s see if Heidi Klum stalks the season’s runways in one.\n\n    —Diane Richard, writer, October 2\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Armin Smailovic for theInternational Herald Tribune\n\n**\n\nSource: MELISSA EDDY, “Dirndl, Dress of Past, Makes a Comeback in Bavaria,” New York Times, September 28, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Silence is golden?","object":"4379","image":"/images/13-10-03_92.132.1_IndianGoldEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/silence-is-golden/","date":"2013-10-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Silence is golden?\n\n\n\nAn Indian government query into the piles of gold being held in temples has been met with fierce umbrage. Such gold is stored by devotees as jewelry, bars, or coins.\n\nGold, precious the world over, serves in India as a hedge against inflation or to curry favor with the gods. But gold imports have exacerbated India’s current account deficit; its daily purchase is estimated at 2.3 tons, the weight of a diminutive Hummer. The World Gold Council cites about 2,000 tons—worth $84B—locked away in temple vaults. That’s a lot of necklaces.\n\n      —Diane Richard, writer, October 2\n\n**\n\nPhoto: D. Jose\n\nSource: “Gods forbid: India’s temples guard their gold from government,” REUTERS, September 29, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"4379","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Sound of silence?","object":"116020","image":"/images/13.10.03_Richard_MNOrchEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/sound-of-silence/","date":"2013-10-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Sound of silence?\n\n\n\nOsmo Vänskä, the acclaimed conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, made good on his promise to resign if the gridlock between management and players kept up. His line in the sand was two Carnegie Hall concerts in November, put in peril for lack of rehearsal time.\n\nAlready over a year long, the orchestra lockout has left many to wonder what’s next for the world-renowned hometown orchestra? The Minnesota Orchestra earned Grammy nominations in 2008 and 2012 for its recordings with Vänskä of symphonies of Beethoven (No. 9) and Sibelius (Nos. 2 & 5). Bum, bum, bum BAH.     —Diane Richard, writer, October 2\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Star Tribune \n\nSource: GRAYDON ROYCE, “Osmo Vänskä’s Departure Shakes Minnesota Orchestra,” Star Tribune, October 2, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"116020","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The world without faces","object":"62148","image":"/images/13.10.03_Gihring_FirstFaceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/the-world-without-faces/","date":"2013-10-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The world without faces\n\n\n\nForget frowns, smiles, looking into someone’s eyes or, for that matter, poking them in the eyes. Life, in other words, without a face. That was all of life on earth for billions of years, starting with bacteria and amorphous amoebas. But scientists now believe they’ve found the first creature with a face—a 419-million-year-old fish with a small skull and jaw. \n\nAs this mask demonstrates, faces have become the essence of who we are and how we understand the world—we even perceive faces in inanimate objects.  Without them, as Star Trek has repeatedly imagined for us, the world would be an alien place. \n\n—Tim Gihring\n\nOctober 3, 2013\n\n \n\n**\n\nSource: Reuters. September 26, 2013. \n\n\n","objectId":"62148","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Will the moose disappear from Minnesota?","object":"108723","image":"/images/13.10.03_Gihring_MooseEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/will-the-moose-disappear-from-minnesota/","date":"2013-10-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Will the moose disappear from Minnesota?\n\n\n\nThey’re as Minnesotan as loons, wolves, and passive-aggressiveness. Or they were: in less than a decade, the moose population in northeast Minnesota has mysteriously plummeted to just 2,760 animals, down from 8,840 in 2006—and it’s falling fast.\n\nOf 49 calves recently tracked in a major effort to discover the cause of their demise, 71 percent died after just one summer, most killed by wolves and bears—perhaps because they were easy, weakened prey. Researchers are investigating the role of climate change in weakening the animals. But with no solution in sight, the only moose left by 2020 may be over a mantel.\n\n—Tim Gihring\n\nOctober 3, 2013\n\nSource: Star Tribune, September 28, 2013. \n\n\n","objectId":"108723","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Would a nose job make you happier?","object":"593","image":"/images/13.10.03_Gihring_NoseJobEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/would-a-nose-job-make-you-happier/","date":"2013-10-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Would a nose job make you happier?\n\n\n\nWhen it comes to self-esteem, nose jobs are nothing to sniff at. Same with facelifts, eyelid lifts, and the like, according to a new collection of studies linking cosmetic surgery to an improved sense of body image. (Not studied was breast augmentation—researchers said it was already known to boost confidence.) \n\nThe evidence, however, consists of before-and-after surveys of people who were about to go under the knife. Not people like, say, Mrs. Sarah Allen, depicted here as utterly confident and self-assured in her rather masculine-looking middle age. \n\n—Tim Gihring\n\nOctober 2, 2013\n\n \n\n**\n\nSource: news.msn.com. October 2, 2013. Photos are of Jennifer Aniston. \n\n\n","objectId":"593","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Horsing around?","object":"5623","image":"/images/13-10-03_98.19_PranceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/horsing-around/","date":"2013-10-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Horsing around?\n\n\n\nThe graceful movements of horses have inspired humans for millennia. People like Joanna Rohrback, founder of Prancercise. Though around since 1989, her new dance form has recently taken YouTube and the late-night talk shows by storm.\n\nThis—um—unconventional exercise program is a “springy, rhythmic way of moving forward, similar to a horse’s gait and ideally induced by elation,” Rohrback says. Feel free to sample it, inspired by these prancing stallions. You might just give the guards a chuckle.   — Amanda Thompson Rundahl, museum educator, October 2\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Still of Prancercise video \n\nSource: VICKY HALLETT, “After viral video, Prancercise ready for its next adventure,” Washington Post, September 26, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"5623","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Your Cheating Art?","object":"12057","image":"/images/13.10.09_Richard_CheatEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/your-cheating-art/","date":"2013-10-09 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Your Cheating Art?\n\n\n\nThe Harvard student cheating scandal. The Atlanta schools score-changing scandal. Pirated movies, overblown mileage reports, rounded-up receipts. Not to mention Madoff, Petters, and Hecker. \n\nCheating seems widespread these days. Now, research points to why: we get a neurological lift when we get away with something. A study published recently in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that many of us actually feel happy after cheating, as long as we believe we’re not hurting anyone. The IRS isn’t people, right?             —Diane Richard, writer, October 9\n\n**\n\nImage: Lars Leetaru \n\nSource: JAN HOFFMAN, “Cheating’s Surprising Thrill,” New York Times, October 7, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"12057","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Flippers and Blow?","object":"67498","image":"/images/13.10.10_Bortolot_WhalesEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/flippers-and-blow/","date":"2013-10-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Flippers and Blow?\n\n\n\nSocieties around the world have long linked breath to life. God breathed life into Adam, after all, and this Vietnamese deity is demonstrating pranayama, controlled breathing to benefit life force. \n\nIt turns out that breath can tell us a lot about health. Today’s sensitive medical devices diagnose disease by measuring breath compounds. And marine biologists are adopting this technology to analyze whale breath—or “blow”—to learn more about whale populations. Getting blow from a 190-ton great blue isn’t easy, but it sure beats the alternatives: collecting blood or stool samples.         —Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, October 10\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Rebecca Kessler for The New York Times\n\nSource: Rebecca Kessler, ”A Wealth of Data in Whale Breath,” The New York Times, 9/30/13 \n\n\n","objectId":"67498","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Walking Away from Cancer?","object":"395","image":"/images/13.10.10_Bortolot_BreastCancer-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/walking-away-from-cancer/","date":"2013-10-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Walking Away from Cancer?\n\n\n\nA new study of middle-aged women reveals that physical activity can substantially reduce the risk of breast cancer. Researchers combed through the medical data of some 73,600 women ages 50–73 collected over 20 years. The results? Women who walked at least seven hours a week had a 14% lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who walked fewer than three hours a week. Workouts of greater intensity yielded even greater benefits. \n\nScientists don’t fully understand the biology behind these results, but we predict a 17% increase in home-workout DVDs. Zumba, anyone?\n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, October 10\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Anthony Lee/Getty Images\n\nSource: Gretchen Reynolds, ” How Walking May Lower Breast Cancer Risk,” New York Times, 10/9/13 \n\n\n","objectId":"395","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Do elephants get the point?","object":"1400","image":"/images/13.10.14.Bortolot_ElephantEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/do-elephants-get-the-point/","date":"2013-10-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Do elephants get the point?\n\n\n\nPointing is a singularly human act of communication. The thinking that generates such a simple gesture is surprising. In fact, babies don’t get the, ahem, “point” until about their first birthday. Then they use it a lot.\n\nScottish researchers contend that African elephants also understand the meaning of an extended index finger. It’s possible they get it intrinsically, or that it’s a learned behavior from watching their human handlers. \n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, October 14\n\n**\n\nImage: Dai Kurokawa/European Pressphoto Agency\n\nSource: Carl Zimmer, ”Elephants Get the Point of Pointing, Study Shows,” New York Times, 10/10/13 \n\n\n","objectId":"1400","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Shake a tail feather?","object":"18791","image":"/images/13.10.15_Bortolot_PeacockEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/shake-a-tail-feather/","date":"2013-10-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Shake a tail feather?\n\n\n\nScientists tout “sexual selection” to explain why peacocks have such ostentatious tail feathers. But what does that really mean to their potential mate, the peahen? Does she see what we see? If not, then what?\n\nBiologists recently put themselves in the peahens’ shoes by tracking their eye movements while males shook their stuff. Turns out it’s not what you got, but what you do with it. Peacocks must strut and move like a Bollywood film star to hold the hen’s eye—and capture her heart.      —Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, October 15\n\n**\n\nImage: Jessica Yorzinski\n\nSource: Robin Anne Smith, ”Eye-Tracking Reveals What’s Hot, What’s Not from the Peahen’s Point of View,” http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/, 7/25/13 \n\n\n","objectId":"18791","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Weight of the world?","object":"81890","image":"/images/13.10.15_Richard_FatTaftEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/weight-of-the-world/","date":"2013-10-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Weight of the world?\n\n\n\nU.S. President William Taft was a yo-yo dieter with a weight-loss guru, personal trainer, and a surprisingly modern low-fat, low-cal daily regimen. Today, he might post blog updates to help him stay focused. But in his time, a dietary diary and letters recorded his cravings.\n\nResearchers recently published in The Annals of Internal Medicinethe findings of his struggles, noting his wins (down 60 pounds!) and frustrations (gaining it all back, plus). Teasing and tales about tight bathtubs didn’t stop him: he died dieting, at a relatively svelte 280 pounds.         —Diane Richard, writer, October 15\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Corbis \n\nSource: GINA KOLATA, “In Struggle With Weight, Taft Used a Modern Diet,” New York Times, October 15, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"81890","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Marooned in Atlanta?","object":"4457","image":"/images/13.10.16_Richard_TibetScienceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/marooned-in-atlanta/","date":"2013-10-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Marooned in Atlanta?\n\n\n\nThat group of Tibetan monks eating pizza and occupying the quad at Emory University are engaged in an exchange of Eastern scholarship and Western science.\n\nAfter the Dalai Lama decided to merge scientific practices, in the first major change to Tibetan monastic education in 600 years, these students became the first to integrate Western scientific education in their studies. In return, American students are learning the powers of meditation, among other Tibetan lessons. One hurdle, however: How do you say “Quantum” in Tibetan? To date, 2,500 new scientific terms have been added to the Tibetan language.     —Diane Richard, writer, October 16\n\n**\n\nImage: David Walter Banks for The New York Times\n\nSource: KIM SEVERSON, “A Bridge Between Western Science and Eastern Faith,” New York Times, October 11, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"4457","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Sex, Telephones, and Lobster Cannibalism?","object":"5033","image":"/images/13-09-25_96.2_LobsterEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/sex-telephones-and-lobster-cannibalism/","date":"2013-10-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Sex, Telephones, and Lobster Cannibalism?\n\n\n\nWarming waters off the Gulf of Maine are resulting in increased fecundity of lobsters. Climate change has also forced the crustacean’s natural predators further offshore. The shocking result? Lobster cannibalism.\n\nLobster cannibalism tends to occur in captivity (hence the rubber bands around claws in fish market tanks). But population rates have spiked, so the population appears to be self-regulating. The good news? Good deals on lobster tail at your local fish market.\n\n —Heidi Raatz, visual resources, September 25\n\n**\n\n \n\nSource: MELISSA BREYER, “Lobster Cannibalism,” Huffington Post, July 30, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"5033","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Injustice for Mentally Ill?","object":"1218","image":"/images/13.10.17.Kearns.MentalIllnessEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/injustice-for-mentally-ill/","date":"2013-10-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Injustice for Mentally Ill?\n\n\n\nVincent van Gogh created some of his best work while receiving care for his mental illness. Would the same be true if he lived in present-day America? \n\nAccording to the Treatment Advocacy Center, cutbacks in mental health funding leave many would-be patients untreated and less protected by the social safety net. The center estimates that untreated mentally ill people are responsible for 10% of homicides, and make up 20% of the prison population and 30% of the homeless population. Not exactly creativity inspiring.\n\n  —Gail Marie Kearns, Security Team, October 17\n\n**\n\nSource: Gary Fields & Erica E. Phillips, “The New Asylums: Jails Swell With Mentally Ill,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/25/2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1218","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"What’s it worth to you?","object":"80075","image":"/images/13.10.16_Richard_BanksyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/what-s-it-worth-to-you/","date":"2013-10-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"What’s it worth to you?\n\n\n\nTo Banksy, the anonymous U.K. artist, it was $60. That’s how much he charged for each piece of signed artwork he sold at a one-day sale near Central Park. \n\nEver tweaking the art establishment, Banksy made his retail debut during a month-long stint in NYC. His work, which has sold at auction for as much as $1.87 million, brought in $420 (eight paintings; 50% off for two). Much like a ukiyo-e print—once ephemeral, now collectible and valuable—his satirical stencil work raises questions about the vagaries of taste and context.\n\n        —Diane Richard, writer, October 16\n\n**\n\nSource: Anna Russell, “A Bridge Between Western Science and Eastern Faith,” Wall Street Journal, October 14, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"80075","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"[    ], Drugs, Rock ’n’ Roll?","object":"2008","image":"/images/13.10.22_Richard_JapanSexEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/drugs-rock-n-roll/","date":"2013-10-22 00:00:00 -0500","content":"[    ], Drugs, Rock ’n’ Roll?\n\n\n\nJapan’s plummeting reproduction rates are well documented. Its population of 126 million is projected to plunge by more than one-third by 2060, generating vastly more retirees than toddlers.\n\nYet, the problem seems to stem from a complex source: intolerance of intimacy. According to the Japan Family Planning Association, 45% of women aged 16–24 “were not interested in or despised sexual contact”; a quarter of corresponding males shared the sentiment. The Japanese media has a new name for it: sekkusu shinai shokogun—or “celibacy syndrome.”\n\n        —Diane Richard, writer, October 22\n\n**\n\nPhotograph: Eric Rechsteiner\n\nSource: Abigail Haworth, “Why have young people in Japan stopped having sex?” The Guardian, October 19, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"2008","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Turkish Pandora’s box?","object":"89539","image":"/images/13.10.23_Richard_TurkeyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/turkish-pandora-s-box/","date":"2013-10-22 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Turkish Pandora’s box?\n\n\n\nIn journalism, three of anything makes a trend. But what to make of this October trio? First was a lifting of a headscarf ban on female civil servants; such observant Muslim wear was long outlawed under Turkey’s secular government, but no longer under its current leadership. \n\nThen came the firing of a TV newsreader for showing too much cleavage on air. Most recently, we learn that after 85 years the letter Q has been reinstated to the Turkish alphabet. When Atatürk imposed the Latin script on the Turkish language in 1928, it made sense to weed out seldom used letters, like Q, W, and X, to add others like ğ, ı, ü, and ş.     —Diane Richard, writer, October 23\n\n**\n\nImage: Alexander Christie-Miller in Istanbul and Jenny Booth\n\nSources: “Turkey’s headscarf ban lifted in assault on the secular state,” The Times, October 1; Marc Champion, “Turkey Cracks Down on Cleavage,” Bloomsberg, October 9, 2013; Yasmine Seale, “Q vs. K,” London Review of Books blog, October 16, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"89539","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Feeling ‘social jet lag’?","object":"10451","image":"/images/13-10-23_58.1_SleepEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/feeling-social-jet-lag/","date":"2013-10-23 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Feeling ‘social jet lag’?\n\n\n\nWhat chronotype are you—an early bird, a late-night owl, or some fowl in between? Recent studies show that heeding your nocturnal rhythms is best for your health.\n\nBut few of us can set our own schedules, which leads us to develop “social jet lag”—a feeling of being out of sync, drained, and less efficient. Indeed, violating your natural circadian rhythms can contribute to weight gain and all the related hazards. Here’s the good news: November 3 ends daylight saving time, the summertime clock that’s an equal-opportunity sleep disruptor.             —Diane Richard, writer, October 23\n\n**\n\n\n\n\n\nImage: Getty\n\nSource: GRETCHEN REYNOLDS, “Everyday Jet Lag,” New York Times, October 17, 2013\n\nCurious for more? Visit new.artsmia.org/stories\n\n\n","objectId":"10451","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Land of 9,999 Lakes?","object":"91556","image":"/images/13.10.22.Kern.WhitebearLakeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/land-of-9-999-lakes/","date":"2013-10-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Land of 9,999 Lakes?\n\n\n\nDespite Minnesota’s legendary lakes, recent droughts and population growth have overtaxed the state’s water resources. White Bear Lake alone has lost a quarter of its volume in 10 years. One idea to restore the lake involves redirecting water from the Mississippi River.  \n\nSays the Friends of the Mississippi River, residents of White Bear Lake should first consider conservation before pursuing expensive refills. If the community—named for its ever-shallower lake—continues to guzzle its groundwater, refills will only be a temporary fix.\n\n  —Gail Marie Kern, Security Team, October 22\n\n**\n\nSource: Jim Anderson, “Mississippi River might be tapped to help White Bear Lake,” \n\nStar Tribune, 8/31/2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"91556","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A tale of two powerhouses: AM radio and the Cardinals","object":"6783","image":"/images/13.10.31_Olivarez_RadioEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/a-tale-of-two-powerhouses-am-radio-and-the-cardinals/","date":"2013-10-31 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A tale of two powerhouses: AM radio and the Cardinals\n\n\n\nThe 50,000-watt signal of KMOX, the broadcast home of the St. Louis Cardinals for 58 years now, is a testament to the reach and staying power of AM radio. Testing the legendary station’s range during game four of the World Series on October 27, a New York Times writer drove south from Busch Stadium. Because AM (amplitude modulation) signals improve at night, the broadcast he heard outside a Mississippi restaurant—his final stop—was still crystal clear. \n\nAM radio waves travel around the globe without shooting into space, and better interact with the ionosphere without interference from the sun. Because of this, KMOX has spread the Cardinals’ popularity to 44 states, and fans as far as Guam and the Netherlands have reported getting the KMOX signal.\n\n—Jennifer Komar Olivarez, associate curator \n\nof Decorative Arts, Textiles, and Sculpture, October 30, 2013\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: New York Times, October 29, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"6783","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Are these the sea serpents of myth?","object":"99878","image":"/images/13.10.31_Gihring_oarfishEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/are-these-the-sea-serpents-of-myth/","date":"2013-10-31 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Are these the sea serpents of myth?\n\n\n\nThey surfaced recently near busy California beaches, a few days apart, dead on arrival. One was 18 feet long, the other 14 feet, like oceanic pythons. No one had seen anything quite like it, because spotting an oarfish—dead or alive—is nearly as rare as spotting a mermaid.\n\nNo surprise: the deep-sea creature, which can grow up to 50 feet long, was likely the undulating inspiration for sea serpent stories. What’s less clear is why these two died. But Japanese tradition holds that beached oarfish are harbingers of an impending earthquake.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nOctober 31, 2013\n\n  \n\nSource: cbsnews.com, October 20, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"99878","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Return of the Ottoman Empire—or hubris?","object":"121","image":"/images/13.10.31_Gihring_turkeyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/return-of-the-ottoman-empire-or-hubris/","date":"2013-10-31 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Return of the Ottoman Empire—or hubris?\n\n\n\nFor the first time, Europe and Asia will soon be connected by an underwater railway across the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey, a multibillion-dollar project that’s only the beginning of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Ottoman-like ambitions. As the republic approaches its 100th anniversary, he believes it can double its GDP and become one of the world’s 10 largest economies. \n\nBut these ambitions have already gotten him in trouble: this summer, his plans to put a reconstruction of Ottoman-era military barracks and a mosque in an Istanbul park sparked violent protests. Ultimately, he may be thwarted by nature: the railway parallels a major fault line.\n\n  —Tim Gihring, editor\n\nOctober 31, 2013\n\n**\n\nSource: cnn.com, October 29, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"121","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"What lovely bribes you have!","object":"1657","image":"/images/13.10.31_Gihring_bribedateEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/10/what-lovely-bribes-you-have/","date":"2013-10-31 00:00:00 -0500","content":"What lovely bribes you have!\n\n“Women love presents the way dogs like treats,” reasons the founder of Carrot Dating, the first bribery-for-a-date app. Potential partners can entice each other by offering such classy gifts as “plastic surgery or a tank of gas,” he says (and yes, it is a he). Which borders on prostitution or at least bad taste, similar to new sites WhatsYourPrice.com, where men bid on women, and MissTravel.com, where “attractive” women can hook up with “generous men” as, ahem, travel companions. \n\nNot exactly what Orpheus was trying here, using poetry and lyre music to seduce Eurydice (spoiler: it worked). Yet 30,000 people have joined Carrot Dating, which shows you can indeed buy yourself some love.\n\n  —Tim Gihring, editor\n\nOctober 31, 2013\n\nSource: cnn.com, October 29, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"1657","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Supremely Seedy?","object":"104485","image":"/images/13.11.6_Kern_Monsanto_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/supremely-seedy/","date":"2013-11-06 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Supremely Seedy?\n\n\n\nMonsanto wants to dominate the Corn Goddess. One of the largest distributors of genetically modified seeds in the world, the biotech behemoth has earned a reputation for suing farmers for saving seeds for later replanting without paying associated royalties. Monsanto’s aim? To protect its patents.\n\nIn September, farmers took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, trying to create legal protections if Monsanto seeds blow into their fields and plant themselves. No ruling has been issued.\n\n    —Gail Marie Kern, Security Team, November 6\n\n**\n\nImage: Reuters / Pascal Rossignol\n\nSource: “US farmers challenging Monsanto patent claims appeal to Supreme Court,” RT, September 6, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"104485","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Toys to Tokyo?","object":"","image":"/images/13.11.06_Richard_PandaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/toys-to-tokyo/","date":"2013-11-06 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Toys to Tokyo?\n\n\n\nCan’t make it to Narita with your Teddy bear in tow? The Unagi Travel company will take your stuffed toy on a grand adventure, without your having to lift a finger—except to reach for your wallet.\n\nIt’s an offering for the laziest of armchair travelers. For the cost of one-way postage to Japan (the return shipment is free), plus $35 on up, your plush toy can see the sights: shopping districts, Buddhist temples, skyline views, even spas. Really, spas?    \n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, November 6\n\n**\n\nImage: Courtesy of Unagi Travel\n\nSource: Claudine Zap, “This company will send your stuffed animal on a vacation,” Compass, October 27, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Will Snowden disappear, too?","object":"116294","image":"/images/13.11.07.Kern.SnowdenEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/will-snowden-disappear-too/","date":"2013-11-07 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Will Snowden disappear, too?\n\n\n\nG men in Washington, D.C., investigated Barton Kestle’s supposed “unAmerican” activities, and he was never heard from again. Or so goes artist Mark Dion’s tale. \n\nWhat do you think will happen if they get their hands on government documents leaker/hero/traitor Edward Snowden, now cooling off in Russia? One thing’s for sure: U.S. citizens will never wonder whether our government is watching us again.  \n\n  —Gail Marie Kern, Security Team, November 7\n\n**\n\nImage: Picture-Alliance/Associated Press\n\nSource: JAMES RISEN, “Snowden Says He Took No Secret Files to Russia,” \n\nNew York Times, October 17, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"116294","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"21st-century scourge?","object":"1935","image":"/images/13.11.13_Richard_SlaveEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/21st-century-scourge/","date":"2013-11-13 00:00:00 -0600","content":"21st-century scourge?\n\n\n\nFilms like 12 Years a Slave, out in theaters now, remind viewers of the devastating history and legacy of slavery. But human slavery endures in many ways—such as in certain types of prostitution and indentured work—and places today, including Mauritania, in West Africa.\n\nEnslaved at age 4, Noura Mint Mourada, pictured below, is one of an estimated 140,000 of the nation’s 3.8 million people “owned” by another. Though slavery was abolished in Mauritania long ago, the nation is now creating an agency to eradicate it for good.\n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, November 13\n\n**\n\nImage: Samuel Aranda for The New York Times\n\nSource: ADAM NOSSITER, “Mauritania Confronts Long Legacy of Slavery,” New York Times, November 12, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1935","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Beware of Camel Spit?","object":"95595","image":"/images/13.11.13_Richard_CamelMersEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/beware-of-camel-spit/","date":"2013-11-13 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Beware of Camel Spit?\n\n\n\nIn parts of the Middle East, camels are as commonly kept as dogs are here. But that close relationship has been shown to have public health risks. Camel spit was recently confirmed as a vector for transmission of the MERS coronavirus, which has infected 153 people and killed 64 since last September.\n\nThe MERS coronavirus was found in an ailing camel in a barn belonging to the 43-year-old man in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The first definitive confirmation of the MERS coronavirus in the camel provides a “missing link” for disease experts.   —Diane Richard, writer, November 13\n\n**\n\nImage: SPL\n\nSource: DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., “Saudi Arabia: MERS Virus Found in Patient’s Pet Camel,” New York Times, November 11, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"95595","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Where’s the beef?","object":"1325","image":"/images/13-11-13_57.12_StatinsEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/where-s-the-beef/","date":"2013-11-14 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Where’s the beef?\n\n\n\nGood news for those who struggle to give up high cholesterol foods and for drug companies that make statin meds: Popping pills may be the only reliable way to reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels. \n\nResearch shows changes in diet have a limited effect on cholesterol levels over time. This week, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released new guidelines that may result in doubling the number of Americans on lifelong regimens of drug therapy. Will the new guidelines’ endorsement of statin medication be interpreted by the public as a license to eat more burgers and fries?          \n\n   — Amanda Thompson Rundahl, educator, November 13\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Bill Gallery/ASSOCIATED PRESS\n\nSource: Richard Knox, “A shift in cholesterol advice could double statin use,” National Public Radio, November 13, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1325","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Who Needs College?","object":"12134","image":"/images/13-11-13_98.61.2_CollegeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/who-needs-college/","date":"2013-11-14 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Who Needs College?\n\n\n\nEveryone, says Michelle Obama in a recent speech to Washington, D.C., high school students. It was the first stop in the First Lady’s cross-country speaking tour aimed at inspiring more young people to pursue post-secondary education.\n\nHer critics dispute the value (and expense) of a college degree at a time when increasingly credits are amassed through MOOCs (massive open online courses) and at for-profit universities. Liberal arts education and elite colleges are also under scrutiny, seen as refuges from the real world for the privileged few—not unlike the Studio of Gratifying Discourse.\n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, November 13\n\n**\n\nImage: Carolyn Kaster/AP\n\nSource: Emmerie Huetteman, “First Lady’s New Initiative: College, ‘Whatever It Takes’,” New York Times, 11/12/13 \n\n\n","objectId":"12134","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Down with Space Junk?","object":"116191","image":"/images/13-11-13_2013.19_SpacejunkEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/down-with-space-junk/","date":"2013-11-19 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Down with Space Junk?\n\n\n\nEvidently so: just last weekend, a 1-ton European satellite ran out of juice and plummeted to Earth, breaking up into tiny pieces that peppered the South Atlantic Ocean like a big Caesar salad.\n\nIt’s yet another instance of a trend worrying scientists: the unpredictable re-entry of space flotsam into the earth’s atmosphere. 100 tons of the stuff is expected to fall on us earthlings this year alone. \n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, November 13\n\n**\n\nImage: An artist’s depiction of the European Space Agency’s Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite in orbit.\n\nSource: Kenneth Chang, “Satellite Falls to Earth,” New York Times, 11/6/13 \n\n\n","objectId":"116191","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Food pic = ick?","object":"98269","image":"/images/13.11.21_Richard_InstagramEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/food-pic-ick/","date":"2013-11-21 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Food pic = ick?\n\n\n\nPictures of food, more popular than snaps of kids or even dogs or cats, consume social media sites like Instagram and Facebook. But how appetizing are they?\n\nNot much, says a recent study by researchers at University of Minnesota and Brigham Young University, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. Indeed, the mere act of photographing your meal actually diminishes excitement for consuming it. So why whip out the smart phone? Just conjecture, but might it be a hi-tech dieting technique? Or a way to stoke food envy with one’s network? —Diane Richard, writer, November 21\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Instagram pics\n\nSource: “Instagram Is Spoiling Your Dinner,” The Connectivist, November, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"98269","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Snake handling a crime?","object":"111879","image":"/images/13.11.20_Richard_SnakeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/snake-handling-a-crime/","date":"2013-11-21 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Snake handling a crime?\n\n\n\nSnakes have played a visible role in religious texts and sacred practices around the world. No aardvark handed Eve a Honeycrisp or Fuji.\n\nA Tennessee pastor is now fighting state charges over possession of the slithery wild animals, which he uses in his sermons. “This is a fight for freedom of religion,” argues Andrew Hamblin, pastor of the Tabernacle Church of Guide and a star of “Snake Salvation” on the National Geographic Channel. The state seized about 50 snakes from the church’s “Snake Room,” including venomous copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlers. \n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, November 20\n\n**\n\nImage: Shawn Poynter for The New York Times\n\nSource: ALAN BLINDER, “Tennessee Pastor Disputes Wildlife Possession Charge by State,” New York Times, November 15, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"111879","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Really ancient wisdom?","object":"2536","image":"/images/13.11.26_Richard_BuddhasBDEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/11/really-ancient-wisdom/","date":"2013-11-26 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Really ancient wisdom?\n\n\n\nIt’s one thing to fudge your birth year—but by 300 years? Archaeologists have recently unearthed a series of ancient temples beneath the birthplace of the Buddha, now a UNESCO site, in contemporary Nepal.\n\nThe discrepancy puts into debate the origins of one of the world’s central religions. Until now, evidence pointed to the third century BCE, when Emperor Asoka sent Buddhism throughout South Asia in honor of “the enlightened one.” Discovery of the new structures places his birth date as early as the sixth century BCE.\n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, November 26\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Ira Block/National Geographic\n\nSource: JOHN NOBLE WILFORD “New Clues May Change Buddha’s Date of Birth,” The New York Times, November 25, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"2536","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Water Power vs. Water View?","object":"2900","image":"/images/13.12.3_Hydro_JKO_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/water-power-vs-water-view/","date":"2013-12-03 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Water Power vs. Water View?\n\n\n\nA new hydroelectric plant proposed by Crown Hydro LLC for downtown Minneapolis could provide power for 4,000 homes. But the proposed site, upstream from St. Anthony Falls, is contentious for aesthetic reasons. Residents and Minneapolis Park Board commissioners are worried that the plant would divert too much water in the summer, a low point for the Mississippi River. \n\nThis would jeopardize the picturesque heart of downtown Minneapolis, St. Anthony Falls, and the Stone Arch Bridge, exposing the former’s concrete spillway. Awaiting approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies, the company plans for a 2014 start. —Jennifer Komar Olivarez, associate curator, December 3\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Taken from Wikipedia, no citation given\n\nSource: MPR News, November 27, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"2900","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Just a Gleam in Her Eye?","object":"","image":"/images/13.12.04_Richard_EyeArtEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/just-a-gleam-in-her-eye/","date":"2013-12-04 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Just a Gleam in Her Eye?\n\n\n\nFirst came colored lenses, then lenses that make your eyes look supersized like Japanese manga characters. Now there’s bling for your iris.\n\nSurgically implanted jewelry is the latest fad—at least, for one fearless Russian-born New Yorker. A surgeon slipped a platinum charm under her eye’s thin protective coat, where it will stay until something new catches her eye. The American Academy of Ophthalmology warns consumers to avoid the surgery, which lacks approval by the U.S. FDA. —Diane Richard, writer, December 4\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Sydney Lupkin/ABC News\n\nSource: Andrew Roth, “Surgically Implanted Eyeball Jewelry Is the New Piercing,” ABC News, November 26, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The Dark Side of Dance?","object":"1320","image":"/images/13-12-04_56.8_BolshoiEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/the-dark-side-of-dance/","date":"2013-12-04 00:00:00 -0600","content":"The Dark Side of Dance?\n\n\n\nA dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet was sentenced to six years for his role in an acid attack that left Russia’s top ballet director partially blind. Pavel V. Dmitrichenko was convicted of hiring a thug to carry out the attack, which took place in January.\n\nThe trial gave a glimpse into the inner workings and toxic infighting within the world-famous ballet corps. So does the recent claim by an American Bolshoi dancer that officials attempted to extort $10,000 from her to appear on stage.   —Diane Richard, writer, December 4\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Maxim Shipenkov/European Pressphoto Agency\n\nSource: Andrew Roth, “Bolshoi Dancer Gets Six Years in Acid Attack on Director,” The New York Times, December 4, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1320","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Come Again?","object":"58","image":"/images/13.12.05.Kern.BushEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/come-again/","date":"2013-12-05 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Come Again?\n\n\n\nMany people who disagreed with the leadership of former President George W. Bush were convinced that he would cause the end of the world. \n\nHe didn’t, but in November he did give a talk to raise money for an organization, the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute, that has the second coming of Christ as its primary goal.     —Gail Marie Kern, Security Team, December 5\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Courtesy of the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute\n\nSource: Sarah Posner, “George W. Bush to Raise Money for Group That Converts Jews to Bring About Second Coming of Christ,” Mother Jones, November 11, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"58","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Gilding the Lily?","object":"2570","image":"/images/13-12-03_78.7_GildedAgeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/gilding-the-lily/","date":"2013-12-05 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Gilding the Lily?\n\n\n\nThe modern-day Gilded Age is upon us. Yet for many Americans, the availability of credit provides the illusion of abundance and an even playing field. We’re living like Astors—until the credit card bill rolls in. Thanks to student loans and consumer credit debt, the average citizen has far less wealth, while the One Percent are partying like the French aristocracy before 1789.  \n\n  —Gail Marie Kern, Security Team, December 3\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: “Wealth distribution in US rivals a modern day Gilded Age,” My Budget 360\n\n\n","objectId":"2570","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Art and activism: Nelson Mandela’s cultural legacy","object":"118698","image":"/images/13.12.07_Gihring_mandelaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/art-and-activism-nelson-mandela-s-cultural-legacy/","date":"2013-12-07 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Art and activism: Nelson Mandela’s cultural legacy\n\n\n\nPolitical freedom and artistic freedom go hand in hand, and black artists in South Africa galvanized the opposition to apartheid in the 1980 and ’90s, setting up Nelson Mandela for success. Today, the so-called “born free” generation of South African youth, coming of age post-apartheid, are expressing themselves through fashion and culture to project an image based not on the judgment of others but their own prerogatives. South African artists like Lolo Veleko (shown below) are chronicling this change, this experimenting with identity, one more way that Mandela’s legacy will linger.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nDecember 7, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"118698","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Elfish Espionage","object":"59168","image":"/images/13.12.13_Bauer_WorldWarcraftEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/elfish-espionage/","date":"2013-12-11 00:00:00 -0600","content":"**Elfish Espionage\n**\n\nCareful, not even your warlock avatar’s finest armor can protect you from Big Brother. \n\nAccording to leaked N.S.A. documents, American and British spies have infiltrated the fantastical realms of World of Warcraft and Second Life, on the prowl for terrorist and criminal networks that may be using these alternate realities to secretly plot their operations. Though no criminal activity has yet been reported, the spies’ presence prompts us to think a little harder about who’s actually behind that Weathered Observer’s Shield.\n\n—Emma Bauer, audience engagement assistant\n\nDecember 11, 2013\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: http://www.gamespot.com \n\n\n","objectId":"59168","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The End of Housework?","object":"1271","image":"/images/13.12.12Clean_GendronEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/the-end-of-housework/","date":"2013-12-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"The End of Housework?\n\n\n\nThe sad truth is that “men’s time investment in housework has not significantly altered in nearly 30 years,” and women are still shouldering the better half (ahem) of domestic labor. But the good news is that standards for cleanliness shift over time: “Fifty years ago, it was perfectly normal to iron sheets,” writes Stephen Marche. To achieve “perfect egalitarian squalor” today, women just need to lower their standards to match those of their menfolk. Kirchner’s painting Modern Bohemia depicts the dream of men and women released from the drudgery of housework to pursue their creative potential. One wonders, though: Who beats those carpets to keep their colors bright, and who weeds the garden that grows those lovely flowers? \n\n—Charisse Gendron, grantwriter, December 12\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Golden Cosmos\n\nNews source: Stephen Marche, “The Case for Filth,” New York Times, December 7, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"1271","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Anyone for Some Slaw?","object":"8031","image":"/images/13-12-18_84.85a-c_CabbageEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/anyone-for-some-slaw/","date":"2013-12-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Anyone for Some Slaw?\n\n\n\nSome habits are hard to change—even among global powerhouses like China. As soon as the snow flies, Beijing stockpiles bundles of green joy: cabbage.\n\nOnce a gambit against bitter winters, dismal memories of Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward policies, and the very real threat of starvation they wrought, the cabbage caches accrue on corners, in courtyards, on window ledges. Hoarding begins in November, when farmers bring their wares to cities for sale. Kimchi, anyone?   —Diane Richard, writer, December 18\n\n**\n\n \n\nImages: Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times\n\nSource: Andrew Jacobs, “As Winter Nears, Chinese Capital Is Blanketed in Green,” New York Times, December 11, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"8031","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Holy Cow: India beef exports to match Brazil’s?","object":"1325","image":"/images/13-12-18_57.12_IndiaBeefEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/holy-cow-india-beef-exports-to-match-brazil-s/","date":"2013-12-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Holy Cow: India beef exports to match Brazil’s?\n\n\n\nIndia could soon become the world’s largest beef exporter, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture—despite the sacred place held by the cow among the nation’s devout Hindu majority. The beef comes in the form of buffalo, not quite as venerated.\n\nIndia’s vegetarian appetites keep its annual domestic beef consumption comparatively low, at about 2 million tons; the U.S. consumes six times that amount, with only a quarter of the population. But exports of Indian beef are in reach of Brazil’s, the globe’s top supplier.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer, December 18\n\n \n\nImage: REUTERS/VIJAY MATHUR/FILES\n\nSource: JO WINTERBOTTOM AND MEENAKSHI SHARMA, “Special Report: In the land of the holy cow, fury over beef exports,” Reuters, December 11, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"1325","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Immortality on the moon?","object":"90695","image":"/images/13-12-18_2004.132.4_JadeMoonEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/immortality-on-the-moon/","date":"2013-12-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Immortality on the moon?\n\n\n\nThe successful landing last week of China’s Jade Rabbit rover on the moon gives China “the right to share resources on the moon with developed countries,” according to the Chinese News Service. \n\nConsidering that the launch rocket was named for the Taoist Moon Goddess (Chang’e) and the moon rover for her rabbit companion (Yutu), we can all hope the Chinese desire to share moon resources is genuine. Taoist thought holds the Moon Goddess stole the elixir of immortality from her husband and took it to the moon. She’s often accompanied by a rabbit that’s brewing potions offering humans the elixir of life.   — Amanda Thompson Rundahl, educator, December 18\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Cctv, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n\nSource: CHRIS BUCKLEY, “As Rover Lands, China Joins Moon Club,” New York Times, December 14, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"90695","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Scheme to honor the Hopi?","object":"108692","image":"/images/13-12-18_2010.1_HopiEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/scheme-to-honor-the-hopi/","date":"2013-12-19 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Scheme to honor the Hopi?\n\n\n\nThe December sale of sacred Hopi artifacts, held in Paris, highlighted deeds both noble and, some would argue, ignoble. The Annenberg Foundation conspired to purchase 27 tribal objects, keeping the plans secret from even the Hopi. Staff members worked covertly with a Paris lawyer to bid on the auction. Meanwhile, members of the Hopi, watching the sale online, bade goodbye to the spirits they believe embody each mask. \n\nHours later, the Hopi learned of the scheme, which will result in all but three of the 24 Hopi objects to be returned to the tribe. Plus, a couple had purchased one other with the same intent. —Diane Richard, writer, December 18\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Joel Saget/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n\nSource: TOM MASHBERG, “Secret Bids Guide Hopi Indians’ Spirits Home,” New York Times, December 16, 2013 \n\n\n","objectId":"108692","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Ant art: beautiful or cruel?","object":"","image":"/images/13.12.20_Gihring_AnthillArtEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/ant-art-beautiful-or-cruel/","date":"2013-12-20 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Ant art: beautiful or cruel?\n\n\n\nHis art is spectacular, like an undersea ice sculpture, and so is the way he makes it: by pouring molten aluminum into an anthill. He lets it seep into the multitudinous chambers, then carefully digs it out, hosing off what remains of the anthill. \n\nTrouble is, for those who are troubled by such things, there aren’t any ants left. The anonymous artist is hardly the first to incorporate insects in his work, like the Dutch still life masters here. But it comes at too steep a price for those who dumped bile on a recent viral YouTube video of his process. The most common comment: “What if I poured aluminum in your house?”\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nDecember 20, 2013\n\nSource: anthillart.com\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A life imitating art?","object":"115752","image":"/images/13-12-30_2012.76a-c_forgeryEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2013/12/a-life-imitating-art/","date":"2013-12-30 00:00:00 -0600","content":"A life imitating art?\n\n\n\nIn an $80 million scam that has rocked the East Coast gallery world, New York–based artist Pei-Shen Qian has vowed his innocence to painting knockoffs of works by the likes of Rothko, Pollock, and de Kooning. \n\nThe artist scoffed at the notion that his imitations could be mistaken for the real deal. Yet 60 faux masterpieces by his hand were sold, most through the prominent gallery Knoedler & Co., now closed. The dealer pleaded guilty to the criminal activity, confirmed by forensic evidence. Perhaps if the shady middleman who allegedly snookered Qian had paid as close attention to the paintings’ backs as to their fronts, no one still would be the wiser.   —Gail Marie Kern, Security Team, December 30\n\n**\n\nw\n\nImage: © 2013 The New York Times Company\n\nSource: Dune Lawrence, Wenxin Fan, “The Other Side of an $80 Million Art Fraud: A Master Forger Speaks,” Bloomberg News, December 19, 2013\n\n\n","objectId":"115752","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Police Tie One On?","object":"3520","image":"/images/14.01.22_Richard_TournaquetEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/01/police-tie-one-on/","date":"2014-01-21 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Police Tie One On?\n\n\n\nThe humble tourniquet has proven its mettle in battles and crises since the time of Alexander the Great, saving both life and limb of soldiers and civilians.\n\nToday, the technique of tying cloth above an injured limb to stanch bleeding is increasingly the job of metropolitan police departments, in response to the mass shootings and explosions of our time. The faster the tourniquet is tied, the more likely a life will be saved. Thanks to its use, only 2 percent of soldiers died from severe bleeding as a result of wounds in recent wars and atrocities, like the Boston bombings.             —Diane Richard, writer, January 22\n\n \n\nImage: Ken McGagh/MetroWest Daily News, via Associated Press\n\nSource: Michael S. Schmidt, “Reviving a Life Saver, the Tourniquet,” New York Times, January 19, 2014 \n\n\n","objectId":"3520","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Blood of Pope John Paul ll Stolen from Italian Chapel","object":"113688","image":"/images/14.01.28_Bortolot_PopeRelicEDIT-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/01/blood-of-pope-john-paul-ll-stolen-from-italian-chapel/","date":"2014-01-28 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Blood of Pope John Paul ll Stolen from Italian Chapel\n\n\n\nThieves broke into a small church in the mountains of Abruzzo, Italy, this past weekend and stole a holy relic containing the blood of Pope John Paul II. The blood-soaked gauze is one of only three relics of the late Pope. \n\nThe chapel and its picturesque surroundings were a favorite getaway for John Paul II, who visited the area frequently to escape the papal pressures of Rome. Area police are using sniffer dogs to trace the relic. \n\n— Alex Bortolot, content strategist\n\nJanuary 28, 2014\n\n**\n\n**\n\n       \n\nImage: SANPIETROALLENCIA.IT & EPA Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25911872\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"113688","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Dying traditions?","object":"9413","image":"/images/14-02-12_98.61.1_WuEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/dying-traditions/","date":"2014-02-04 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Dying traditions?\n\n\n\nAs China gains in economic stature, and its villages get turned to dust in favor of mass urbanization, one casualty is the traditional art of rural communities.\n\nCeremonial dances, music, and the skills it takes to perform them will likely evaporate. And attempts to fortify them, thanks to funding from the Ford Foundation, may not suffice in the years ahead. It makes one think: Why is this ceremonial hall here? Was it removed for a new highway? Marked for destruction as an adjacent city swells? Sold off for better-than-government rates?    —Diane Richard, writer, February 12\n\n**\n\nImage: Sim Chi Yin for The New York Times\n\nSource: Ian Johnson, “In China, ‘Once the Villages Are Gone, the Culture Is Gone’,” New York Times, February 1, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"9413","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A Dog’s Life?","object":"3282","image":"/images/14-02-11_2006.33.WestminsterEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/a-dog-s-life/","date":"2014-02-11 00:00:00 -0600","content":"A Dog’s Life?\n\n\n\nThe Westminster Dog Show is under way—and, by the looks of it, the nation’s dogs are having their day.\n\nOnce relegated to a life of work and a cold snooze in the great outdoors, dogs today enjoy new amenities, thanks to their human companions. In Minneapolis, housing developers are creating apartments with special services and places for grooming, romping, and—yes—doggie yoga. As the country’s most pampered pet, more than a third of U.S. households own a pooch, and 6 out of 10 households consider pets to be family members.                   —Diane Richard, writer, February 11\n\nImage: Timothy Clary/AFP/Getty Images\n\nSource: Jim Buchta and Janet Moore, “Twin Cities apartment developers offer amenities for Fido,” Star Tribune, February 7, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"3282","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A joy ride runs out of gas?","object":"83723","image":"/images/14-02-12_2003.191.1a,b_PhaetonEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/a-joy-ride-runs-out-of-gas/","date":"2014-02-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"A joy ride runs out of gas?\n\n\n\nIt’s a story as old as ancient Greece: boy eyes golden chariot, goes joy riding, crashes back to reality. That’s how it worked out for Phaeton, anyway, whose story is depicted on this toilette service. He seized the chariot of his father, Helios, god of the sun, lost control, and plummeted to his death—the runaway horses scorching the earth and creating the deserts of Africa. \n\nThe St. Paul boy who recently nabbed a school bus arguably fared better. Having taken the bus during the driver’s coffee break at a gas station, he wound up crashing into the pumps at another station a few miles away—without fatality and without the desertification of the eastern metro. \n\n            —Tom Rassieur,   \n\n   John E. Andrus III Curator of Prints and Drawings  \n\nFebruary 11, 2014\n\nSource: St. Paul Pioneer Press, February 10, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"83723","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"She’s a man-eater?","object":"45653","image":"/images/14-02-12_2012.1.1_TigerEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/she-s-a-man-eater/","date":"2014-02-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"She’s a man-eater?\n\n\n\nA return of India’s Bengal tiger population has brought with it a predictable side effect: a spike in tiger attacks.\n\nAs the number of protected tigers rebounds from a low of 4,000 nationwide, so has the slate of human victims. Over a span of six weeks, 10 people in or near the state of Uttar Pradesh have succumbed to what might be a single female tiger. The attacks have pitted local people and conservationists against each other. Now, sharpshooters are tracking the big cats, while students rally with the slogan: “Save the tiger.”    \n\n   —Diane Richard, writer, February 12\n\n**\n\nImage: Prakash Singh/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n\nSource: ELLEN BARRY and HARI KUMAR, “Tiger Population Grows in India, as Does Fear After Attacks,” New York Times, February 11, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"45653","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Why are there camels in Genesis?","object":"1785","image":"/images/14-02-12_70.21_CamelEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/why-are-there-camels-in-genesis/","date":"2014-02-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Why are there camels in Genesis?\n\n\n\nThe Biblical Jewish patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—got around on camel. At least in the Bible, where dromedaries are mentioned 47 times, mostly as a mode of transport. Artworks like the 19th century engraving below show Abraham riding into Canaan on a camel. \n\nBut recent carbon-dating of ancient camel bones suggests the beasts weren’t burdened with domestication until nearly a thousand years after the patriarchs are generally agreed to have lived. Meaning Biblical authors likely filled in stories with details drawn from their own, much later time, leaving the real means of the Israelites’ nomadic wanderings up for grabs.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nFebruary 12, 2014\n\nSource: National Geographic, February 10, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1785","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"ABBA a fashion victor?","object":"111576","image":"/images/14-02-19_2011.12a,b_AbbaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/abba-a-fashion-victor/","date":"2014-02-19 00:00:00 -0600","content":"ABBA a fashion victor?\n\n\n\nSome people will do anything to avoid paying taxes. They might even wear micro-minis, satin overalls, and glittery platform shoes to give their tax return a lift.\n\nThat’s true in the case of ABBA, Sweden’s top pop export. According to a new book, the Swedish tax code deemed the band’s fashion tastes sufficiently “outrageous” to qualify for tax deductions. Reflecting on the group’s satin-and-sparkles style, band member Björn Ulvaeus, shown below at left, said: “In my honest opinion we looked like nuts in those years. Nobody can have been as badly dressed on stage as we were.”     —Diane Richard, writer, February 19\n\n**\n\n\n\nImage: Photograph: Bengt H. Malmqvist/Premium Rockshot\n\nSource: Simon Bowers, “Abba admit outrageous outfits were worn to avoid tax,” The Guardian, February 16, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"111576","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A nerdy pastime unearths a legendary treasure?","object":"2416","image":"/images/14-02-20_76.73.78_treasureEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/a-nerdy-pastime-unearths-a-legendary-treasure/","date":"2014-02-20 00:00:00 -0600","content":"A nerdy pastime unearths a legendary treasure?\n\n\n\nAdmit it, you’ve considered buying one of those beach-combing metal detectors advertised in the back of magazines. Never know what you’ll turn up: rare coins, brass knuckles, the mythical Nibelung treasure. \n\nYes, a metal-detector-toting amateur archaeologist recently turned up a million-euro stash of silver bowls, brooches, statues, and other antiquities in a German forest, buried in the fifth century BC at the end of the Roman Empire’s rule in Rhineland. Is it the Nibelung, or Rhinegold, treasure made famous in Wagner’s operas? Or just a great endorsement for geeking out?\n\n  —Tim Gihring, editor\n\nFebruary 20, 2014\n\nSource: The Independent, February 20, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"2416","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Flogging in the streets?","object":"1978","image":"/images/14-02-20_73.42.3_FanaticsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/flogging-in-the-streets/","date":"2014-02-20 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Flogging in the streets?\n\n\n\nMembers of an all-woman Russian band were recently whipped by neo-Cossacks during a protest in Sochi, not far from the Olympic competition grounds.\n\nIt’s a strange mash-up of two worlds: contemporary feminist and historic militia. In modern Russia, Cossacks tend to be members of nationalist militia groups who have adopted the distinctive garb of the Cossack ethnic group. Members of Pussy Riot, meanwhile, descended on Sochi to draw attention to President Putin’s iron grip on political and artistic expression. Raises a question: Who’s the fanatic?       —Diane Richard, writer, February 20\n\n**\n\nImage: Morry Gash/Associated Press\n\nSource: ANDREW ROTH, “Members of Russian Protest Group Attacked by Cossacks in Sochi,” New York Times, February 19, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1978","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"No more clowning around?","object":"18424","image":"/images/14-02-20_61.6_ClownEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/no-more-clowning-around/","date":"2014-02-20 00:00:00 -0600","content":"No more clowning around?\n\n\n\nGood luck finding a clown for your child’s next birthday party: membership to the national clown association has plopped like the footstep of an oversized shoe.\n\nThe decline has been attributed to an aging population that increasingly finds clowning unfunny and to children who have grown up with video games, not Bozos with big round noses. Plus, at $300 a party, clowns’ earning potential hasn’t kept up with that of mortgage bankers, programmers, and other more profitable careers. If that isn’t a flower squirt in your eye, what is?         —Diane Richard, writer, February 20\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Robin Neilly/Getty Images\n\nSource: Jacob Davidson, “The U.S.’s Clown Shortage Is No Laughing Matter,” Time, February 18, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"18424","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"China’s 2 for 1?","object":"4343","image":"/images/14-02-26_2005.54.3_ChinaBabyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/china-s-2-for-1/","date":"2014-02-26 00:00:00 -0600","content":"China’s 2 for 1?\n\n\n\nIn an easing of its one-child-per-family policy, China is now allowing certain parents to have two children. Married couples in which one member is an only child may now make room for two—or even twins.\n\nAfter a generation of the policy, the reversal is bittersweet for some couples already struggling to pay school expenses for their singletons. The government hopes the change will encourage an additional 15–20 million couples to multiply, helping to offset a striking demographic imbalance in sex, where boys vastly outnumber girls.  —Diane Richard, writer, February 26\n\n**\n\nImage: Sim Chi Yin for The New York Times\n\nSource: DAN LEVIN, “Many in China Can Now Have a Second Child, but Say No,” New York Times, February 26, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"4343","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Stalling on a gift horse?","object":"2607","image":"/images/14-02-27_79.13_DaVinciHorseEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/02/stalling-on-a-gift-horse/","date":"2014-02-27 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Stalling on a gift horse?\n\n\n\nMovement is afoot to reposition a contemporary—and controversial—bronze horse from outside a Milanese racetrack to a more public setting in time for the 2015 World Expo in Milan.\n\nCreated by American artist Nina Akamu, the sculpture was inspired by a 15th-century design by Leonardo da Vinci. A gift to Milan by a group of Americans in honor of da Vinci and the Italian Renaissance, the massive steed has stood its current post for 15 years. But critics dislike its modern aesthetics and call it “a bit banal.”**\n\n   —Diane Richard, writer, February 27\n\n**\n\nImage: Alessandro Grassani for The New York Times\n\nSource: ELISABETTA POVOLEDO, “Moving Leonardo’s Horse: A Question of Logistics or Pedigree?” New York Times, February 23, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"2607","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Animal proteins could consume you","object":"1325","image":"/images/14-03-06_57.12_MeatEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/animal-proteins-could-consume-you/","date":"2014-03-06 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Animal proteins could consume you\n\n\n\nWhile nutrition experts note it’s too early to say for sure, a new study has found that eating a diet full of meat, cheese, and eggs can lead to an increase in major health issues down the line on par with smoking.\n\nThe meat of the study suggests that consuming a diet low in protein during youth and middle age, followed by a diet high in protein once in old age, can help to stay healthy.\n\n—Courtney Algeo, Brand Communications Specialist\n\nMarch 6, 2014\n\n\n\nPhoto: Reuters\n\nSource: Ian Sample, “Animal protein-rich diets could be a as harmful to health as smoking,” The Guardian, March 4, 2104 \n\n\n","objectId":"1325","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Crimea: Come again?","object":"1738","image":"/images/14-03-06_69.48_CrimeaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/crimea-come-again/","date":"2014-03-06 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Crimea: Come again?\n\n\n\nAs events in the autonomous Ukrainian region of Crimea unfold by the minute, the media are returning to history books on the Crimean War, the subject of this painting. Briefly put, in 1853 Russia, Britain, France, and Turkey’s Ottoman Empire faced off for control of the strategic location; Russia lost and never forgot.\n\nHome to Ukraine’s naval fleet, Crimea is on the Black Sea, an important site for oil transport. As Russian troops recently poured across its border, supporters of the Ukraine and an independent Crimea have cried foul. Much hangs in the balance.        —Diane Richard, writer, March 6\n\n**\n\nImage: Alexey Nikolsky/Presidential Press Service, via Reuters\n\nSource: STEVEN LEE MYERS, “Putin, Flashing Disdain, Defends Action in Crimea,” New York Times, March 4, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1738","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Puffing stuff?","object":"30782","image":"/images/14-03-06_68.79_VapingEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/puffing-stuff/","date":"2014-03-06 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Puffing stuff?\n\n\n\nContemporary devices for smoking tobacco have emitted clouds of confusion. What was once simply a cigarette, cigar, or pipe now goes by many names: \n\ne-cigarette, e-hookah, hookah or vape pen, vape pipe.\n\n**\n\nThe semantic problem is significant. In trying to understand the public health implications of the increasingly popular devices, particularly among young people, researchers are finding that subjects know their smokes by one name—and not another. So while they may demur on “vaping,” they neglect to share their daily dragging on an e-cig. No matter the name, the devices deliver potent levels of nicotine.              —Diane Richard, writer, March 6\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: MATT RICHTEL, “E-Cigarettes, by Other Names, Lure Young and Worry Experts,” New York Times, March 4, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"30782","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Un-bear-able Research?","object":"1822","image":"/images/14-03-06_70.64_BearEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/un-bear-able-research/","date":"2014-03-06 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Un-bear-able Research?\n\n\n\nThe MN Department of Natural Resources and bear researchers in northern Minnesota are entering a grizzly court situation this week. Residents of northern Minnesota say the bears have become too docile and people-friendly as a result of hand-feeding by researchers, like Lynn Rogers, below, and locals. Bears have been begun creating panda-monium by expecting food from people—and refusing to leave.\n\nShould the townfolk grin and bear it, or should the wild animals stay wild?     —Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nMarch 6\n\nImage: Brian Peterson, Star Tribune\n\nNews source: Associated Press, “Judge rejects Minnesota bear researcher’s request to toss case; attorney says no permit needed,” Star Tribune, March 4, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1822","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fair weather warrior?","object":"63503","image":"/images/14-03-12_2002.220.1_GenghisEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/fair-weather-warrior/","date":"2014-03-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Fair weather warrior?\n\n\n\nThis serene funeral mask comes from a region known now as Mongolia, a desert land conquered by the great horseman Genghis Khan. Recent studies show that his conquest not coincidentally coincided with a spate of good weather.\n\nTree-ring samples revealed a 15-year run of lush rains and mild weather on the typically brisk, arid steppes. Such conditions allowed nomadic Mongol horsemen like Khan to sweep through much of Asia over a few decades 800 years ago, conquering everything in their path. —Diane Richard, writer, March 12\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Kevin Krajick/The Earth Institute, Columbia University\n\nSource: Roff Smith, “Genghis Khan’s Secret Weapon Was Rain,” National Geographic,March 10, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"63503","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"‘Blade Runner’ hero","object":"3520","image":"/images/14-03-13_86.6_PistoriusEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/blade-runner-hero/","date":"2014-03-13 00:00:00 -0500","content":"‘Blade Runner’ hero\n no more? \n\n\n\nThe murder trial of South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has sparked international controversy. Pistorius, an Olympic athlete nicknamed the “blade runner” for his artificial limbs, has been charged with shooting and killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day last year.  \n\nControversies surrounding the trial range from incriminating witness testimony to graphic forensic evidence taken from the crime scene. These only add to Pistorius’s tarnished reputation and invoke an image of an athletic and statuesque hero, fallen from grace.  \n\n—Janeke Thumbran, writer, March 13\n\n \n\nPhoto credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images, npr.org\n\nNews source:David Smith. “Oscar Pistorius: a runaway interpreter, then the trial of the century begins.” The Guardian, March 3, 2014. \n\n\n","objectId":"3520","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Distant wedding bells?","object":"46","image":"/images/14-03-13_14.120_Cohabitate-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/distant-wedding-bells/","date":"2014-03-13 00:00:00 -0500","content":"**Distant wedding bells?\n**\n\nSo long, 1955! The long-held “cohabitation effect theory,” the idea that couples who live together before marriage will be more likely to divorce, has been debunked. Good thing, too, since rates of prenuptial cohabitation have spiked almost 900 percent since then.\n\nNew research from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro reveals that premarital cohabitation is not a statistically reliable predictor of divorce; rather, it’s age/youth and income. But we pass no judgment on Gari Melchers’s youthful couple here.\n\n—Emma Bauer, Audience Engagement Assistant\n\nMarch 13\n\n**\n\nImage: Kzenon/Shutterstock\n Source: Jessica Grose, “Call Your Dad: Living Together Before Marriage Does Not Lead to Divorce,” Slate, March 10 \n\n\n","objectId":"46","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Revenge of the record player?","object":"40283","image":"/images/14-03-13_98.276.162 _DigitalMusic-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/revenge-of-the-record-player/","date":"2014-03-13 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Revenge of the record player?\n\n\n\nWhen Neil Young wrote “My my, hey hey, rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay,” he didn’t anticipate the thin, tinny sound of today’s digital music players. Highly compressed MP3 files, he believes, can’t hold a lighter to records. “Steve Jobs was a digital pioneer,” he has noted, “but when he went home he listened to vinyl.”\n\nSo Young invented his own “high resolution” digital music player, recently unveiled at the SXSW festival. Called “Pono” (Hawaiian for “righteous,” Young says), the files are bigger and, allegedly, better. Maybe even than vinyl? “Every part of my body is getting hit with this,” he told the crowd. “My soul is feeling it.” Rock on. \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nMarch 12, 2014\n\nSource: CBS, March 11, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"40283","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Whether to fill the niches?","object":"6161","image":"/images/14-03-26_2001.153_BamianEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/whether-to-fill-the-niches/","date":"2014-03-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Whether to fill the niches?\n\n\n\nOnly months before the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan declared the arrival of a new enemy. The Taliban believed the pair of ancient Buddhas represented idolatrous beliefs. \n\nNow, in hopes of drawing tourists, Afghanistan is mulling what to put in their place. Do they use the rubble of the fallen rock, once carved by monks to spread the word of the Buddha? Create something new? Or leave the gaping niches as a reminder. Unesco and conservators are closely watching and weighing in.\n —Diane Richard, writer, March 26\n\n**\n\nImage: Shefayee/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n\nSource: Rod Nordland, “Countries Divided on Future of Ancient Buddhas,” New York Times,March 22, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"6161","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Written on your face?","object":"109119","image":"/images/14-03-26_2010.11.2_LiarEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/written-on-your-face/","date":"2014-03-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Written on your face?\n\n\n\nIt’s not nice to call this master silversmith a liar. It’s also likely inaccurate, too—even though T.S.A. and others who rely on facial recognition methods might contend his shifty eyes declare otherwise. \n\nLooks now that looks deceive. Contrary to airport security screeners’ claims, recent studies report that tics, gestures, and guarded gazes don’t necessarily correlate to dishonesty. An analysis of 200 studies found that people correctly identified liars only 47% of the time, less than chance. In fact, ears are the best lie detectors: liars tend to be less forthcoming and tell less compelling stories. —Diane Richard, writer, March 26\n\n**\n\nSource: “At Airports, a Misplaced Faith in Body Language,” New York Times,March 23\n\n\n","objectId":"109119","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Duck, duck, [  ]?","object":"61421","image":"/images/14-03-27_L2002.110.1_DuckEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/duck-duck/","date":"2014-03-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Duck, duck, [  ]?\n\n\n\nWhat’s the correct name: Duck, Duck, Gray Duck or Duck, Duck, Goose? The controversy is heated.\n\nChristopher Pollard, an expert on the game, argues that DDGD is the more elaborate version, requiring kids to add descriptive color to each duck rather than just call another fowl. He cites a source that claims its origins are Swedish, following the early settlers to Minnesota. \n\nWhile those of us here at the MIA run around in circles in this debate, I am going out on a limb and displaying this Newsflash in front of the true answer, symbolized here with Lemeul Travis Ward, Jr.’s “DUCK decoy.”\n\n—Christopher Bowman, Community Arts Associate\n\nMarch 27\n\nPhoto credit: Glenn Stubbe\n\nNews source: Jeff Strickler, “Minnesota’s kids’ game can’t duck controversy,” Star Tribune, March 26\n\n\n","objectId":"61421","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Tied up with a bow?","object":"1565","image":"/images/14-03-26_64.62_DianaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/03/tied-up-with-a-bow/","date":"2014-03-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Tied up with a bow?\n\n\n\nThe popularity of the Hunger Games series, with its books, movies, and righteous warrior Katniss Everdeen, has proved irresistible to toy marketers’ quarry: girls. \n\nToymakers are finding pinkified soft-core weaponry to be a bull’s-eye hit among would-be Dianas. Marketed under names like Air Huntress, Heartbreaker, and Rebelle, these slingshots, bow-and-arrow sets, and pump-action marshmallow shooters reflect an era post Title IX, says Hasbro. Or they point to a more aggressive—and aggressive marketing of—youth culture. Whether we’ll see an uptick in actual archery or hunting is too soon to say. —Diane Richard, writer, March 27\n\n**\n\nImage: Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times\n\nSource: HILARY STOUT and ELIZABETH A. HARRIS “Today’s Girls Love Pink Bows as Playthings, but These Shoot,” New York Times,March 22\n\n\n","objectId":"1565","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Korea’s divers plunging?","object":"33590","image":"/images/14-04-2_2010.83_SeaWomenEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/korea-s-divers-plunging/","date":"2014-04-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Korea’s divers plunging?\n\n\n\nFor generations, women native to an island of South Korea have braved the treacherous waters and frigid temps to make a living and support their families. Today, they are the last of a dying breed.\n\nThe women, known as haenyeo, or “sea woman,” scour the sea bottom—without respirators—for octopus, abalone, and conch. Wetsuits have only made the job more grueling and dangerous. Since 2009, 40 divers have died. Once numbering 26,000 in the 1960s, the population has plunged to 4,500. Their daughters and grand daughters prefer to work at the island’s resorts. —Diane Richard, writer, April 4\n\n**\n\nImage: Jean Chung for the New York Times\n\nSource: CHOE SANG-HUN, “Hardy Divers in Korea Strait, ‘Sea Women’ Are Dwindling,” New York Times,March 29\n\n\n","objectId":"33590","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Getting hotter?","object":"801","image":"/images/14-04-3_49.6_MethaneEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/getting-hotter/","date":"2014-04-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Getting hotter?\n\n\n\nThe Obama administration and the E.P.A. are publicly cracking down on the nation’s leading producers of methane gas, a chief contributor to global warming.\n\nTopping the list are natural gas and fossil fuel emissions released during the hydraulic fracturing—aka “fracking”—technology now used around the Midwest. As I can attest, the fields around Williston, N.D., are a fiery, apocalyptic vision of natural gas and methane burn-off. Another source, agricultural emissions, will target factory farms. Cows, that means you.\n   —Diane Richard, writer, April 3\n\n**\n\nImage: Brennan Linsley/Associated Press \n\nSource: CORAL DAVENPORT, “White House Unveils Plans to Cut Methane Emissions,” New York Times,March 28\n\n\n","objectId":"801","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Kickstarting Franciscans?","object":"15682","image":"/images/14-04-3_34.20_KickstarterEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/kickstarting-franciscans/","date":"2014-04-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"**Kickstarting Franciscans?\n**\n\nAbove St. Francis at Ripa, an 800-year-old Franciscan church in Rome, you’ll find a deteriorating cell, equipped with a stone pillow, where Saint Francis of Assisi (depicted in the panel at left) often stayed. \n\nTo raise the $125,000 needed to restore the room, the friars—known for their centuries-long vows of poverty and dependence on charity—are updating their fund-raising strategies. They’ve turned to Kickstarter, the electronic crowd-sourcing investment site. The campaign runs out on April 11. If it doesn’t reach the full amount, all proceeds will be returned to the funders. Godspeed, friars!\n —Emma Bauer, Audience Engagement Assistant, April 3\n\nImage: Gaia Pianigiani\n Source: Jim Yardley, “Centuries-Old Church Passes a Digital Collection Plate” New York Times, April 2.\n\n\n","objectId":"15682","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"XY IQ EZ 2C?","object":"522","image":"/images/14-04-3_33.3_IQEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/xy-iq-ez-2c/","date":"2014-04-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"XY IQ EZ 2C?\n\n\n\nIs his aspect keen? His gaze penetrating? His mouth and chin poised to utter incisive observations? \n\nAccording to new research published in PLoS One, clues about intelligence in men are readily observed on the face. Which should make choosing a potential mate that much easier for speed daters. By looking at static images of men, both male and female observers were able to identify higher levels of IQ in their subjects. The same was not true of images of women, for whom societal biases of attractiveness tend to cloud impressions of intelligence.    —Diane Richard, writer, April 3\n\n**\n\nImage: Greg Peverill-Conti\n\nSource: Eric W. Dolan, “People can predict the IQ of men — but not women — by looking at their face, study finds,” PsyPost,March 30\n\n\n","objectId":"522","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"50 Years of Civil Rights","object":"25054","image":"/images/14-04-10_86.110.3_CivRtsActEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/50-years-of-civil-rights/","date":"2014-04-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"50 Years of Civil Rights\n\n\n\nIn 1947, civil rights icon Jackie Robinson was the first African American athlete to be signed by a Major League Baseball team, thereby breaking the color barrier.\n\nThis week, the nation celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The 1964 act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, the workplace, and public facilities. Three ex-presidents and President Obama will honor the occasion with speeches at LBJ’s presidential library in Austin, Texas. —Diane Richard, writer, April 10\n\nImage: Keystone/Getty Images\n\nSource: Peter Baker, “For Obama Presidency, Lyndon Johnson Looms Large,” New York Times,April 8\n\n\n","objectId":"25054","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Domestic goddess?","object":"111501","image":"/images/14-04-9_L2011.20.5_StayHomeMomEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/domestic-goddess/","date":"2014-04-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Domestic goddess?\n\n\n\nThanks to poor job recovery and the high cost of childcare, many would-be working mothers are opting to stay at home, according to a recent Pew report.\n\nIn 1967, about half of all mothers worked at home, rearing children and running the household. Women’s participation in the work force peaked in 1999 at 60 percent; only 23 percent of mothers then did not have outside employment, a historic low. Today, 29 percent of mothers with children younger than 18—about 10.4 million women—stayed at home in 2012. About 6 percent of respondents answered they would work away from home if they could get a job.\n —Diane Richard, writer, April 10\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Pew Resource Center\n\nSource: Jess Bidgood, “Number of Mothers in U.S. Who Stay at Home Rises,” New York Times,April 8\n\n\n","objectId":"111501","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"For all the wine in China?","object":"1107","image":"/images/14-04-9_50.46.45_WineinChinaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/for-all-the-wine-in-china/","date":"2014-04-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"For all the wine in China?\n\n\n\nChina is swooshing and sipping more claret than just about any other country bar one: the U.S. of A.\n\nPurchases of bottles worth $10 and more have soared in China (and Hong Kong, whose wine consumption was factored in with the mainland). And China leads the world in consumption of more affordable red wine, aka rotgut. China, of course, is no stranger to fermented grapes—as this 11th-century wine vessel attests. No doubt, China will soon lead the world in red-wine hangovers as well. —Diane Richard, writer, April 10\n\n**\n\nImage: Reuters\n\nSource: Mischa Moselle, “China becomes world’s second biggest consumer of high-priced wine,” South China Morning Post,April 9\n\n\n","objectId":"1107","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Who are the burl burglars?","object":"119214","image":"/images/14-04-9_81.3_RedwoodBurlsEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/who-are-the-burl-burglars/","date":"2014-04-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Who are the burl burglars?\n\n\n\nThousand-year-old protected redwoods are being targeted by poachers and, like rhinos, it’s a specific part they’re after: the burls. The gnarly protrusions have long been valued by woodworkers for the vivid grain patterns inside. This wardrobe is painted to mimic such graining, as the real thing means money—massive redwood burls can fetch hundreds or thousands of dollars per slab. Last year, thieves toppled a 400-year-old tree just to hack off a 500-pound burl 60 feet up. \n\nThe poaching has forced the closure of scenic roads through the redwoods at night. But as in Africa, locals stressed by a poor economy won’t easily be deterred: they see treasure for the taking where others see treasures to be protected.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nApril 8, 2014\n\nSource: New York Times, April 8, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"119214","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Why is the door narrowing for elite colleges?","object":"12134","image":"/images/14-04-9_98.61.2_EliteSchoolsEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/why-is-the-door-narrowing-for-elite-colleges/","date":"2014-04-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Why is the door narrowing for elite colleges?\n\n\n\nA generation ago, an applicant to Harvard University had about a 20 percent chance of getting in. Now the acceptance rate is down to six percent. Stanford, the most selective university in the country, is down to five percent.\n\nThe issue, of course, is that applications are outpacing seats. The University of California–Los Angeles, the national leader in applications, received 86,000 apps—twice as many as in 2005—for a fall class that will number about 6,000. Online applications have made it easier for prospective students to throw their name in more hats than ever, qualified or not. Broadening their options, perhaps, but narrowing their chances.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nApril 9, 2014\n\nSource: New York Times, April 9, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"12134","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A Tin Ear?","object":"1218","image":"/images/14-04-14_51.7_Stradivarius-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/a-tin-ear/","date":"2014-04-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A Tin Ear?\n\n\n\nIt’s an enduring story: elite tastemakers deem what’s hot and what’s not, based on factors too subtle for the average Joe to perceive (or care about). The world thrills when experts, in blind tests, favor Two Buck Chuck over Chateaubriand. And now, classical musicians get their piece of humble pie. 10 violinists were handed a Stradivarius—instruments long hailed for their superior sound— and a new violin made to look old, and asked to pick the real deal. Six failed.\n\nWhat’s the connection to Van Gogh? The recent discovery of a painting by the Dutch master—and its authentication by experts—might sound like a case of elites acting as gate keepers. But it’s not. The question is one of authenticity: did Vincent paint this? Whether the painting is any good is a question best left to others.\n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, April 15\n\n**\n\nImage: Håkan Svensson\n\nSource: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/01/02/violinists-cant-tell-the-difference-between-stradivarius-violins-and-new-ones/#.U01s8FVdWSo\n\n\n","objectId":"1218","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Do you speak American?","object":"486","image":"/images/14-04-15_32.12_Turn-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/do-you-speak-american/","date":"2014-04-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Do you speak American?\n\n\n\nAMC’s new series Turn details the exploits of the Culper Ring, a group of American revolutionaries who spied on the British. Early reviews are decidedly mixed. English characters, burdened with the predictable accoutrements of villainy, are one dimensional: they’re posh punters in powdered wigs.\n\nA more interesting creative choice: in Turn, Americans and Britons alike sound vaguely like Branson, the Irish chauffeur in Downton Abbey. Linguistic research suggests that the British had only just started affecting that Oxbridgian soft “r” (think “dahling” instead of “darling”) at the time the series is set and actually sounded more like Americans do today!\n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, April 15\n\n**\n\nImage: AMC\n\nSource: Carolyn Eastman, “The Revolution Takes a Turn: AMC’s Drama about Washington’s Spies Aims for Moral Complexity,” Perspectives on History, April 2014 \n\n\n","objectId":"486","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"All aboard!","object":"4619","image":"/images/14-04-16_93.70.52_AmtrakEDIT-1.JPG","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/all-aboard/","date":"2014-04-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"All aboard!\n\n\n\nDemolition of New York City’s Pennsylvania Station, a Beaux Arts wonder designed by McKim, Mead & White (which also designed the MIA’s original building), began in October 1963. That same year, Twin Cities 400, a passenger express train between St. Paul and Chicago, ended service out of St. Paul’s Union Depot, which closed to the public in April 1971. \n\nAlthough 43 years have passed since the last train pulled out of Union Depot, Amtrak plans to resume service out of Lowertown’s newly renovated station on May 7. The Amtrak Empire Builder rolls into Gate C at 10 p.m., just in time to kick off the festivities for National Train Day on May 10.\n — Sabrina Crews, Visitor & Member Services Representative, April 17\n\nImage: Joel Koyama, Star Tribune\n\nSource: KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, “Amtrak to begin operating out of Union Depot starting May 7,”Star Tribune,April 2\n\n\n","objectId":"4619","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Avoiding tan lines?","object":"2724","image":"/images/14-04-16_80.27_NudeParkEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/avoiding-tan-lines/","date":"2014-04-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Avoiding tan lines?\n\n\n\nIn Germany, it’s not uncommon to see business people fling off their jackets—and more—during the noontime break. Winters are long, and nature is there to soak in.\n\nRecently, folks in Munich are now officially welcome to go naked provided they restrict themselves to six designated areas across the city. These aren’t hidden, out-of-the-way spots, either—they’re in the central district. Munich views allowing naked sunbathing as a public good. Personally, I think Kirchner’s dancer could use a dose of vitamin D—with SPF100.\n —Diane Richard, writer, April 16\n\nImage: Reuters\n\nSource: Feargus O’Sullivan, “Why Munich Went Ahead and Set Up 6 Official ‘Urban Naked Zones’,”The Atlantic,April 11\n\n\n","objectId":"2724","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Birds of a feather?","object":"3740","image":"/images/14-04-16_88.64.1-2_LookalikesEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/birds-of-a-feather/","date":"2014-04-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Birds of a feather?\n\n\n\nThat adage “Opposites attract” may be more myth than fact. According to a study of 1 million matches made by the online dating Web site eHarmony’s algorithm, people aren’t looking for a compatible partner; they’re looking to complete a matched set.\n\nThe dating site asks its heterosexual users to gauge themselves and their potential partners along a spectrum of 102 traits. Women in particular look for traits identical to their own, such as smoking and drinking habits (or former), sense of humor, or creativity. Common race and income are key determinants of a love interest’s prospects. Men, however, are more flexible—except for height. If Steve is short, you’ll likely find Eve shopping in petites.     —Diane Richard, writer, April 16\n\nImage: Peter Oomansky\n\nSource: Emma Pierson, “In the End, People May Really Just Want to Date Themselves,” FiveThirtyEightLife,April 9\n\n\n","objectId":"3740","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Surviving the stigma?","object":"529","image":"/images/14-04-16_34.19_SuicideEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/surviving-the-stigma/","date":"2014-04-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Surviving the stigma?\n\n\n\nPeople who attempt suicide do so for many personal reasons. Rarely, however, do you hear about them.\n\nThat’s likely to change as the taboo surrounding suicide attempts gets a new look. Survivors who have banded together via social media say their stories can play an important role in keeping others from the abyss; they are demanding to be heard despite worry that their stories may inspire others to act. The nation’s oldest suicide prevention organization recently voted to recognize this once invisible portion of its membership: the roughly 1 million Americans who try to end their lives each year, outnumbering the 38,000 who succeed.   —Diane Richard, writer, April 16\n\nImage: Michael Appleton for the New York Times\n\nSource: Benedict Carey, “Suicide Prevention Sheds a Longstanding Taboo: Talking About Attempts,”New York Times,April 14\n\n\n","objectId":"529","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Is daydreaming a disease?","object":"1476","image":"/images/14-04-10_61.24_DaydreamEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/is-daydreaming-a-disease/","date":"2014-04-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Is daydreaming a disease?\n\n\n\nYou know the type: staring into space, forgetting to sign their name, and, oh, there was a question on the back? Daydreaming. In fact, this is a lot of us. But now mental-health researchers, having already filed more than six million American children under attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are looking at the slower end of the distraction spectrum and finding what they call “sluggish cognitive tempo.”\n\nAdvocates say school performance could be enhanced. Others see a fad or merely a new market for pharmaceuticals—a dangerous experiment in stamping out differences. After all, who knows what daydreamers are really thinking about: could be something that changes the way all of us think.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nApril 18, 2014\n\nSource: New York Times, April 12, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1476","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Cornrows and camo?","object":"118797","image":"/images/14-04-22_XX_hairstylesEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/cornrows-and-camo/","date":"2014-04-22 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Cornrows and camo?\n\n\n\nIn its quest for conformity, the U.S. Army’s ban on certain hairstyles popular among African American women has got it tangled up in criticism of racism.\n\nSince the ban took effect, 16 women of the Congressional Black Caucus have asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to overturn the regulation on behalf of the 26,700 African-American women on active duty, who find it absurd to attempt to keep their hair straightened in war zones. Also banned were tattoos in highly visible places. Critics say the new grooming standards are an unsubtle way to reduce the Army’s size post wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  \n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, April 22\n\nImage: Bryan Meltz for The New York Times\n\nSource: Helene Cooper, “Army’s Ban on Some Popular Hairstyles Raises Ire of Black Female Soldiers,” The New York Times,April 20\n\n\n","objectId":"118797","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Star-crossed lovers?","object":"46","image":"/images/14-04-22_14.12_StarcrossedEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/star-crossed-lovers/","date":"2014-04-22 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Star-crossed lovers?\n\n\n\nThe story of an Afghan couple who recently eloped evokes a Shakespearean tragedy as they flee the wrath, and possibly worse, of their families.\n\nThe fugitives, Mohammad Ali (21) and Zakia (18), say their love has remained strong in the months since their families denounced the relationship for violating ethnic customs and a supposed arranged marriage when the young woman was a child. The groom, a Shiite Hazara, met his mate, a Sunni Tajik, while farming neighboring plots. Now, the stakes are perilously high as the brave couple heads up to the lawless mountains, seeking safety, and a honeymoon, with relatives in hot pursuit.\n   —Diane Richard, writer, April 22\n\n**\n\nImage: Diego Ibarra Sanchez for The New York Times\n\nSource: ROD NORDLAND, “Newlyweds, Facing Threats, Find Brief Respite in Mountains,” The New York Times,April 21\n\n\n","objectId":"46","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Why do we fear the future?","object":"40940","image":"/images/14-04-25_98.276.219.1_TechEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/why-do-we-fear-the-future/","date":"2014-04-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Why do we fear the future?\n\n\n\nAmericans love science-fiction—robots, flying cars, and all that. But apparently we prefer it that way, as fiction. A recent survey found us frightened of many futuristic technologies that may soon become reality. Fifty percent of us would not ride in a driverless car. Drones make us nervous, robot nurses leave us cold, and we’ve no appetite for lab-made meat.\n\nBack when this ice gun was marketed, we were more enthused about Buck Rogers-style fantasies. But perhaps that’s because it seemed a long ways off. We’re not quite ready, it seems, to trade human error for robotic control.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nApril 25, 2014\n\nSource: CNN, April 16, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"40940","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Amour eyesore?","object":"1413","image":"/images/14-04-29_61.36.15_BridgeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/amour-eyesore/","date":"2014-04-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Amour eyesore?\n\n\n\nAn expression of love has transformed the bridges of Paris, famed for their beauty, into a public eyesore.\n\nFor several years now, lovers from around the world have proclaimed their ardor with the click of a padlock along the metalwork of their favorite bridges. What seemed like a quaint idea has metastasized into a preservationist problem. Officials now periodically remove the burdensome panels and place them in storage. Meanwhile, police are targeting lock sellers near bridges, but so far have refrained from cracking down on the passionate perps. —Diane Richard, writer, April 29\n\n**\n\nImage: Thibault Camus/Associated Press\n\nSource: Alissa J. Rubin, “On Bridges in Paris, Clanking With Love,” The New York Times,April 27\n\n\n","objectId":"1413","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fab fad at 40?","object":"1595","image":"/images/14-04-29_65.5_RubikEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/04/fab-fad-at-40/","date":"2014-04-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Fab fad at 40?\n\n\n\nThe Rubik’s cube, modeled loosely after the colorful paintings of Mondrian, continues to confound at age 40.\n\nIntroduced to Americans in 1974 as a fun toy and demoted to paperweight status a month later, the cube is currently the subject of a major exhibition in Jersey City, where an 18-karat gold Rubik’s cube valued at $2.5 million is on display. It has also spawned an algorithm-loving population of speed cubers, who go so far as to employ “cube lube” lubricants to improve their twisting dexterity. —Diane Richard, writer, April 29\n\n**\n\nImage: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times\n\nSource: James Barron, “A Cube With a Twist: At 40, It Puzzles Anew,” The New York Times,April 25\n\n\n","objectId":"1595","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fierce—or faking it?","object":"1226","image":"/images/14-05-01_52.14_PainEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/fierce-or-faking-it/","date":"2014-05-01 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Fierce—or faking it?\n\n\n\nSoccer players, take note: While your phony grimace of pain may fool your fellow humans, today’s computers are now on to you.\n\nResearchers have designed sophisticated new software able to recognize the distinction between genuine or faked pain—better, even, than we humans do ourselves. Ever-improved facial recognition systems may be the first time a computer has trumped the species that created it at interpreting human emotions. \n   —Diane Richard, writer, May 1\n\n**\n\nWhich face is expressing genuine pain?*\n\nImage: Kang Lee, Marian Bartlett\n\nSource: Jan Hoffman, “Reading Pain in a Human Face,” The New York Times,April 28\n\n* Answer: B & C\n\n\n","objectId":"1226","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"New Research on a Tragic Subject","object":"529","image":"/images/14-05-01_34.19_MaleRapeDRAFT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/new-research-on-a-tragic-subject/","date":"2014-05-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"New Research on a Tragic Subject\n\n\n\nRembrandt’s Lucretia is a compassionate depiction of the tragic consequences of sexual assault. Recent research on sexual violence in American society suggests that our understanding of these crimes—about both the victims and perpetrators—needs updating: about a third of rape victims are male, and a sizable number of rapes are committed by women.  \n\nWhat accounts for this? Among other things, law enforcement groups are broadening the definition of “rape” to cover more forms of sexual aggression. Also, previous statistics on rape have not included populations living behind bars, for which the incidence of male victimization—often at the hands of women—is astonishingly high.    —Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, May 1\n\n**\n\nImage: Photo by Thomas Northcut/Thinkstock\n\nSource: Hanna Rosin, “When Men Are Raped: A new study reveals that men are often the victims of sexual assault, and women are often the perpetrators,” Slate, 4/29/14\n\n\n","objectId":"529","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Girls just want to have fun?","object":"1658","image":"/images/14-05-06_68.11_NunEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/girls-just-want-to-have-fun/","date":"2014-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Girls just want to have fun?\n\n\n\nIt’s hard to imagine what this Carthusian monk would think of the Italian singing sensation, Sister Cristina. Carthusians tend to shun contact with the outside world.\n\nNot so this sister. A contestant on Italy’s version of the reality show “The Voice,” Sister Cristina wowed the judges with her takes on Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls” song and other pop faves. Before she joined the convent, the nun had dreams of a life in show biz—but somehow a broken ankle upended that. Regardless, her talent went with her. And for now, so will the world’s TV audiences.     —Diane Richard, writer, May 7\n\n**\n\nImage: YouTube\n\nSource: Jim Yardley, “A Singing Nun for a Reality TV World,” The New York Times,May 6\n\n\n","objectId":"1658","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Build higher fences?","object":"53","image":"/images/14-05-06_14.76_DeerEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/build-higher-fences/","date":"2014-05-07 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Build higher fences?\n\n\n\nThe deer depicted in this painting are feeding at a forest, their natural habitat, or a royal park. But a recent shooting in a St. Paul suburb raises a vexing question about whether people should feed wild animals in their midst and, if so, at what risk to them or others. \n\nThis week, a long festering feud between neighbors over this very issue erupted into a deadly assault. At issue was whether feeding deer is an act of kindness or helps spread contagion, like the ticks that transmit Lyme’s disease, and fosters a dependency on such handouts.         —Diane Richard, writer, May 7\n\n**\n\nImage: David Joles\n\nSource: Jim Anderson and Paul Walsh, “Police: Deer-feeding feud leads to homicide in New Brighton,” Star Tribune,May 7\n\n\n","objectId":"53","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Pressing the flesh?","object":"2006.44.3","image":"/images/14-05-13_2006.44.3_HugEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/pressing-the-flesh/","date":"2014-05-13 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Pressing the flesh?\n\n\n\nThis singer could use a hug, don’t you think? Until recently, the physical reserve of Chinese and Japanese was legendary. Travel guides for diplomats and tourists counseled against touching—or, worse, clutching.\n\nNo longer. As Asia ascends on the global scene, it’s taking on some Western interpersonal style points. In China, classrooms emphasizing “emotional intelligence” have dictated parental-hugging homework. There was even a report of “hugging activities” between Japanese and Chinese students.   —Diane Richard, writer, May 13\n\n**\n\nImage: Ng Han Guan/Associated Press\n\nSource: DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW, “More Hugs Please, We’re Chinese,” The New York Times,May 7\n\n\n","objectId":"2006.44.3","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Prayer by majority rule?","object":"1936","image":"/images/14-05-14_72.68_PrayerEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/prayer-by-majority-rule/","date":"2014-05-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Prayer by majority rule?\n\n\n\nOfficial prayer at government meetings has lately been a touchy subject: who gets to say it, and to which god? But now the Supreme Court has made things simpler, ruling that local governments don’t need to be pluralistic in their prayers. If you only want Baptist preachers opening your town meetings, that’s your business—not the government’s. \n\nFor nearly all of world history, of course, religion was very much the government’s business—and that of artists. Van Cleve, for instance, became well known for his religious portraits and was soon summoned to paint royal figures, as well. Church and state, inseparable, held the power and the patronage. \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nMay 14, 2014\n\nSource: Slate.com, May 6, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1936","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Are beer goggles real?","object":"15558","image":"/images/14-05-15_32.21.7 _BeerGogglesEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/are-beer-goggles-real/","date":"2014-05-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Are beer goggles real?\n\n\n\nThe notion that inebriation makes the unattractive suddenly appealing was substantiated only by humiliating anecdotal evidence and some regrettable marriages in Vegas. \n\nNow there’s proof: British researchers tested volunteers who drank alcohol or a near-beer placebo. And not only did the drunks rate photos of men and women as more attractive then the sober folks did, they also found images of landscapes more attractive, suggesting the world in general is simply more beautiful through beer goggles. Good news for landscape artists, who may want to push the wine at openings.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nMay 15, 2014\n\nSource: Jezebel.com, May 14, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"15558","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Right to share arms?","object":"14157","image":"/images/14-05-15_23.67_ArmsEDIT-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/right-to-share-arms/","date":"2014-05-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Right to share arms?\n\n\n\nThe College of Arms, the U.K. organization that governs royal coats of arms, has welcomed very rich titled gay people—hello, Sir Elton John!—to apply. \n\nIf approved, Sir Elton, who is believed to be marrying his civil partner David Furnish in a private ceremony this month, will be able to conjoin this custom shield (shown below: note keyboard) with his betrothed’s. Or, as the College puts it, same-sex spouses may now “impale” the arms of their husband or wife with their own on a heraldic shield or banner. Ouch! —Diane Richard, writer, May 15\n\n**\n\nImages: Elton John’s custom shield; David Furnish and Elton John, Associated Press\n\nSource: Mia de Graaf, “Married gay couples can now get official coats of arms made at College of Arms—but they will have to pass the college’s own strict seal of approval first,” Daily Mail,May 15\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"14157","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Seeing eye to eye?","object":"1649","image":"/images/14-05-21_67.53_cerealEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/seeing-eye-to-eye/","date":"2014-05-21 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Seeing eye to eye?\n\n\n\nWould you buy cereal from this woman? Theoretically, a vast number of us would. Seems we respond powerfully to packaging designed to look us straight in the eye.\n\nRecent studies show the impact of a direct gaze, even from cereal boxes featuring goofy characters. When presented with two versions of the cartoonish Trix—one looking down, another looking directly out at shoppers—those who had gazed into the rabbit’s eyes reported higher feelings of trust and connection. They were also more likely to choose that cereal over other brands. \n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, May 21\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Paul Sakuma/Associated Press\n\nSource: Rachel Nuwer, “Cap’n Crunch Is Looking at You,” The New York Times,April 21\n\n\n","objectId":"1649","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A Bumble Fumble?","object":"4899","image":"/images/14-05-22_95.98.39_bumblebeeEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/a-bumble-fumble/","date":"2014-05-22 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A Bumble Fumble?\n\n\n\nThis week, 16 to 20 million honeybees were accidentally released when a truck transporting them toppled over on a Delaware highway.\n\nBeekeepers and firefighters assessed the sticky (and stingy!) swarm situation. Ultimately, they figured the best course of action was to allow the bees to buzz off, hosing them away with water. \n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nMay 22\n\nPhoto credit: USAToday/ Delawareonline.com\n\nSource: Robin Brown, “Millions of bees swarm Del. highway after wreck,” USA Today,May 21\n\n\n","objectId":"4899","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"So…how’s her personality?","object":"593","image":"/images/14-05-23_41.3_GreatPersonalityEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/so-how-s-her-personality/","date":"2014-05-23 00:00:00 -0500","content":"So…how’s her personality?\n\n\n\nIt’s usually a pejorative, suggesting someone’s not much of a looker. (No offense, Mrs. Allen.) But if anyone describes you as having a great personality, if not Brangelina’s looks, take heart. \n\nA new study of attraction suggests that only a small percentage of people fall in love with each other at first sight—likely the same small percentage who could universally be described as attractive: the Brad Pitts and Angelina Jolies. But after getting to know someone, that consensus about attraction breaks down and we increasingly value uniqueness. The playing field levels out—assuming you really do have a great personality.\n\n—Tim Gihring, Editor\n\nMay 23, 2014\n\nSource: New York Times, May 18, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"593","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A heritage lost in Syria?","object":"81714","image":"/images/14-05-29_2003.165.1a-c _SynagogueLostEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/a-heritage-lost-in-syria/","date":"2014-05-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A heritage lost in Syria?\n\n\n\nSince Syria’s civil war began, an estimated 33 churches, hundreds of mosques, and now the country’s oldest synagogue have been destroyed. The Eliyahu Hanabi Synagogue, built to honor the prophet Elijah, was at least 400 years old and contained thousands of cultural treasures, from Torah scrolls hundreds of years old to dining ware to Judaica of all sorts. \n\nThough some of the artifacts had reportedly been looted already or removed for safekeeping, all that was left in the building was presumably obliterated in a government bombardment of Damascus over the weekend of May 23. \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nMay 29, 2014\n\nSource: Thedailybeast.com, May 27, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"81714","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Computers stopped by Go?","object":"5197","image":"/images/14-05-29_97.141_GoComputerEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/computers-stopped-by-go/","date":"2014-05-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Computers stopped by Go?\n\n\n\nComputers have trumped humans at chess, Scrabble, poker, and many other things (like calculating Pi to five trillion digits). But no machine has beaten a human at the game of Go. Ever. \n\nOne game program, Crazy Stone, finally did beat Japanese pro Norimoto Yoda—but only after a four stone handicap, and it wasn’t pretty. Computer scientists are puzzled as to why their artificial intelligences aren’t intelligent enough to best even an amateur Go player. But it seems the endgame is crucial, and Crazy Stone, as its name implies, made some crazy embarrassing moves.\n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nMay 29, 2014\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Takashi Osato/WIRED\n\nhttp://www.wired.com/2014/05/the-world-of-computer-go/\n\n\n","objectId":"5197","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Driver Optional?","object":"98653","image":"/images/14-05-28_2005.138_DriverlessCarEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/driver-optional/","date":"2014-05-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Driver Optional?\n\n\n\nBuilt for speed, handling, and comfort, the Tatra T87 was The Ultimate Driving Machine™ of its age. Since then, car design has been driven by luxury or efficiency, two irreconcilable goals until Tesla won the hearts of car lovers and conservationists alike. \n\nDoes Google’s new car, just unveiled, indicate a completely new direction for car design? With no steering wheel, gas pedal, or even brakes, the Google Car is the first truly driverless car. You simply get in at point A and get out at point B. And with our seeming inability to refrain from texting or checking Facebook from behind the wheel, taking the burden of driving off the driver, er, passenger makes a lot of sense.\n\n- Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, May 28, 2014\n\n**\n\nImage: Google \n\nwww.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/05/28/google_self_driving_car_prototype_driverless_car_could_change_transportation.html\n\n\n","objectId":"98653","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Hope for Poisoned Artifacts?","object":"3535","image":"/images/14-05-28_PoisonedArtifactsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/hope-for-poisoned-artifacts/","date":"2014-05-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Hope for Poisoned Artifacts?\n\n\n\nIn the past, museums routinely doused their ethnographic collections with poison. It was a cheap and effective—if heavy-handed—tactic in the war against destructive pests. But it didn’t account for the possibility that the artifacts would one day be returned to their former owners.\n\nToday some of America’s oldest museums are honoring Native American requests for the return of sacred objects. They’d like to use them again in religious rites, but the poisoned ones are unsafe. Detox has always been too expensive. Now scientists at the Arizona State Museum are piloting much cheaper techniques that may ultimately put more sacred objects (literally) in the hands of their rightful owners.\n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, May 28, 2014\n\n**\n\nImage: California State Parks Museum Collections, 309-335-196\n\nSource: http://www.popsci.com/article/science/way-put-toxic-museum-artifacts-back-their-original-owners-hands\n\n\n","objectId":"3535","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Kids today…are good?","object":"2144","image":"/images/14-05-29_74.8_GoodTeensEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/kids-today-are-good/","date":"2014-05-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Kids today…are good?\n\n\n\nIf you’ve been huffing about teenagers lately, you might want to watch your step—because if you’re over 18, you do not have the moral high ground. By the numbers, American teens today are the best-behaved bunch on record. \n\nMind you, the numbers are limited to health: an all-time low teen birth rate, dramatic drops in teen abortion, fewer teens having unprotected sex, less drinking, less smoking, and more exercising. But they add up to one thing: Justin Bieber aside, kids today might have more sense than you did.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nMay 29, 2014\n\nSource: Vox.com, May 29, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"2144","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Was Trial by Combat Good Economics?","object":"115752","image":"/images/14-05-28_TrialByCombatEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/05/was-trial-by-combat-good-economics/","date":"2014-05-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Was Trial by Combat Good Economics?\n\n\n\nIn medieval England, disputing parties would hire “champions” to fight on their behalf in a brutal trial by combat—decisive and, well, medieval. But coming to blows may have been more beneficial than it sounds.\n\n \n\nAs a law and economics professor at George Mason recently argued, medieval England’s elaborate property laws made it incredibly hard to buy and sell real estate—trial by combat was a clever workaround. But it also may have benefitted the economy. Better fighters cost more, so theoretically the party with more resources to develop the land would win. Fundamentally fair? Absolutely not. But neither was the alternative.\n\n—Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, May 28, 2014\n\n**\n\nImage: Wikimedia Commons, Gerichtlicher Zweikampf.jpg\n\nwww.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/05/19/game_of_thrones_season_4_episode_7_the_real_life_advantages_of_trial_by.html\n\n\n","objectId":"115752","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Coal-fired calamity?","object":"738","image":"/images/14-06-3_46.23.1a-d_relicsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/coal-fired-calamity/","date":"2014-06-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Coal-fired calamity?\n\n\n\nThough tombs seem eternal, they and other sandstone and limestone artifacts are increasingly vulnerable to acid rain and other environmental factors. Industrial pollution is now damaging China’s cultural heritage, survivors of so many dynasties of war and weather.\n\nRecently, antiquities conservators have warned of the damage caused by the fallout from China’s top energy source, coal. Limestone Buddhas, pictured below, are among the latest casualties. Even the terra-cotta warriors of Xi’an, which appeared at the MIA in 2012, are at risk. —Diane Richard, writer, June 3\n\n**\n\nImage: Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times\n\nSource: Edward Wong, “Outlasting Dynasties, Now Emerging From Soot,” The New York Times,May 17\n\n\n","objectId":"738","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Maya Angelou, Remembered","object":"44007","image":"/images/14-06-03_P.99.12.2_MayaAngelou-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/maya-angelou-remembered/","date":"2014-06-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Maya Angelou, Remembered\n\n\n\nMaya Angelou—poet, novelist, actor, and activist—died on May 28, 2014, at the age of 86. Angelou was a revered literary voice committed to civil rights. Her most famous work, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” was a brutal and brilliant account of Angelou’s coming-of-age in the Jim Crow South. Angelou once said, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” \n\n \n\n—Katie Wildfong, Family & Teen Programs, June 2\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Michael Ochs Archives\n\nSource: Harry Smith, “Maya Angelou Was Always Generous,” NBC News, May 28\n\n\n","objectId":"44007","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The reign in Spain?","object":"1226","image":"/images/14-06-4_52.14_SpanishKingEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/the-reign-in-spain/","date":"2014-06-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The reign in Spain?\n\n\n\nIf Goya, court painter to the Spanish monarchy, were alive now, he’d be gasping for breath at the news of King Juan Carlos of Spain’s abdication of the throne.\n\nA survivor of World War II and the reign of Franco, King Juan is flailing at scandal that surrounds the crown, including a son-in-law accused of embezzlement. His own conduct hunting elephants in Africa while recovering from hip surgery—as Spain’s economy plummeted—also haunts his legacy. His son Felipe will assume the throne, though a skeptical Spanish public is left wondering what’s next.   —Diane Richard, writer, June 4\n\n**\n\nImage: Gerard Julien\n\nSource: Raphael Minder, “New King or, Spaniards Ask, Is It Time for No King?,” The New York Times,June 2\n\n\n","objectId":"1226","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Up in smoke?","object":"12936","image":"/images/14-06-4_2000.236_EPA_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/up-in-smoke/","date":"2014-06-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Up in smoke?\n\n\n\nLook closely: this painting paints a pretty pastoral picture of rural and industrial coexistence. Too bad we can’t live in Inness’s vision of a “civilized landscape.” \n\nLast week, President Obama used his executive authority to cut carbon emissions from the nation’s coal-fired power plants by up to 20 percent. The move will force industry to pay for the carbon pollution it creates. The new regulation, written by the EPA, will be the strongest action ever taken by an American president to tackle climate change.    —Diane Richard, writer, June 4\n\n**\n\nImage: Luke Sharrett for The New York Times \n\nSource: Coral Davenport, “President Said to Be Planning to Use Executive Authority on Carbon Rule,” The New York Times,May 28\n\n\n","objectId":"12936","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Who’s afraid of a female hurricane?","object":"14019","image":"/images/14-06-04_23.3d_HurricanesEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/who-s-afraid-of-a-female-hurricane/","date":"2014-06-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Who’s afraid of a female hurricane?\n\n\n\nNot people in the path of them. In a remarkable testimony to the power of gender bias, researchers recently found that hurricanes given female names are deadlier than those with male names, even when they’re the same strength—apparently because feminine-sounding storms are perceived as less dangerous.\n\nStudy participants told that a Hurricane Danny was approaching were more likely to evacuate than those told that a Hurricane Kate was imminent. Hurricanes weren’t named at all when one of the worst in New England history struck Providence in 1815—they weren’t even called hurricanes. It was called the Great September Gale (not Gail).\n\n—Tim Gihring\n\nJune 4, 2014\n\nSource: Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"14019","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Wimpy? Who, me?","object":"1162","image":"/images/14-06-04_51.18_WimpyKidsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/wimpy-who-me/","date":"2014-06-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Wimpy? Who, me?\n\n\n\nRecent studies show teenagers are slowing down when they should be speeding up. Or, as NPR says, they’re getting wimpy. Fewer than half of youths ages 12 to 15 are even close to being aerobically fit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With only 34% of girls and 50% of boys in adequate health, the CDC recommends adding physical activity to the school day to improve test scores and lower obesity rates.\n\nButterfly catching may seem like a wussy sport, but this boy is way fit—and I’ll bet he aced the ACT!\n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nJune 4\n\nPhoto: NPR, CDC/NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey\n\nSource: Nancy Shute, “Teens Are Becoming Even Wimpier Than Before,” National Public Radio,May 28\n\n\n","objectId":"1162","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A, B, Cs or QWERTY?","object":"112813","image":"/images/14-06-5_98.169.2.3_HandwrtgEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/a-b-cs-or-qwerty/","date":"2014-06-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A, B, Cs or QWERTY?\n\n\n\nIn our rush for early computer literacy, the Palmer method of handwriting has gone the way of eight-track tape. Most educators today have dropped cursive from the curriculum, focusing more on keyboard typing. \n\nHowever, recent studies have shown that children who learn how to write out letters by hand develop and strengthen different areas of their brains to express ideas more fully. It’s no wonder Chinese literati focused so much on the rituals and tactile practice of calligraphy and painting. Intelligence, self-control, and learning ability are all cultivated through pen and ink on paper. \n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nJune 5\n\nPhoto credit: Karin James, The New York Times\n\nSource: MARIA KONNIKOVA, “What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades,” The New York Times,June 2\n\n\n","objectId":"112813","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Coral reefs? Priceless.","object":"109578","image":"/images/14-06-11_2010.29.1_CoralEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/coral-reefs-priceless/","date":"2014-06-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Coral reefs? Priceless.\n\n\n\nCoral is beautiful. Coral is rare. Coral does its job without any expectation of a big payday.\n\nRecently, an economist looked at the financial benefits that intact coral reefs provide. His study, published in the May issue of Global Environmental Change, considers how coral reefs protect against soil erosion by weakening waves before they reach land, as well as serve as feeding grounds for marine wildlife. The services they provide each year is now valued at $11 trillion worldwide.  —Diane Richard, writer, June 11\n\n**\n\nImage: Reuters \n\nSource: Carl Zimmer, “Putting a Price Tag on Nature’s Defenses,” The New York Times,June 6\n\n\n","objectId":"109578","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Update: Locks of Love? ","object":"1413","image":"/images/14-06-11_61.36.15_Bridge2EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/update-locks-of-love/","date":"2014-06-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Update: Locks of Love? \n\n\n\nAn expression of love has transformed the bridges of Paris, famed for their beauty, into a public eyesore. Worse, in June the weight of the locks caused a bridge rail to collapse, forcing pedestrians to flee.\n\nFor several years now, lovers from around the world have proclaimed their ardor with the click of a padlock along the metalwork of their favorite bridges. What seemed like a quaint idea has metastasized into a preservationist problem. Recently, police were forced to shoo visitors off a central Paris footbridge burdened under the weight of so many tokens of affection.   —Diane Richard, writer, June 11\n\n**\n\nImage: Pierre Suu/Getty Images\n\nSource: Agence France Presse, “’Locks Of Love’ Bridge In Paris Evacuated After Railing Collapses,” The Huffington Post,June 9\n\n\n","objectId":"1413","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A face for fighting?","object":"18424","image":"/images/14-06-12_L2013.114.1_FightFaceEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/a-face-for-fighting/","date":"2014-06-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A face for fighting?\n\n\n\nCavemen were not the type to seek counseling. They didn’t call the cave police. They simply lashed out, with their fists. (“Hey, that’s my cave-painting brush!” POW! “Get your own pet mammoth!” SMACK!) Which a new study of pre-modern humans suggests is why the male jaw is bulkier than the female jaw, and strongest in all the right places to take a punch.\n\nIt also appears the male hand evolved to become a club-like instrument, adding to the evidence that fighting had more to do with our development than we’d like to admit. Only later, as Kuhn’s depiction of a brutish clown suggests, did we learn to defuse with humor.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJune 12, 2014\n\nSource: Daily Telegraph, June 9, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"18424","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Your personal paparazzi?","object":"3937","image":"/images/14-06-12_90.133.1PersonalPaparazziEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/your-personal-paparazzi/","date":"2014-06-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Your personal paparazzi?\n\n\n\nAre you still taking your own photos? How 1865–2013 of you. Are you still asking strangers to take photos of you? How…trusting. Or maybe you didn’t realize that you could hire a team of photographers to follow you around, documenting your everyday life, and that would be totally normal—perhaps.\n\nYes, it’s no longer enough to hire pros to shoot your wedding, your bar mitzvah, or your baby’s first birthday. For $229, photographers from I Heart New York will traipse after you as you go about your business for a couple hours—and a lot of people are taking such companies up on this. You can even post the images instantly on social media: your not-so-real reality show. \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJune 12, 2014\n\nSource: Associated Press, June 10, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"3937","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Feeling overstuffed? ","object":"106730","image":"/images/14-06-17_2008.79_TaxidermyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/feeling-overstuffed/","date":"2014-06-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Feeling overstuffed? \n\n\n\nTaxidermy, a pastime long dismissed as macabre at best, is now being revived in a British crafting class.\n\nStudents longing to skin, preserve, and pose critters are picking up tips from Margot Magpie, a pseudonym the instructor uses to evade animal-rights advocates on her trail. The aim is to mimic scenes in Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit books, in which mice and voles wear hats and clothes to sip tea and enjoy picnics. The bats, owls, and lynx in this scene were similarly sculpted.     —Diane Richard, writer, June 17\n\nImage: Andrew Testa for The New York Times\n\nSource: KIMIKO DE FREYTAS-TAMURA, “As a British Pastime Is Revived, Some Critters Get Second Lives,” The New York Times,June 8\n\n\n","objectId":"106730","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Tasty Fish or Clean Air?","object":"3115","image":"/images/14-06-17_82.84_OverfishingEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/tasty-fish-or-clean-air/","date":"2014-06-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Tasty Fish or Clean Air?\n\n\n\nEach year, humans pump roughly 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air, an amount detrimental to the environment if left in the atmosphere. Fortunately for us, the ocean absorbs around half of that CO2, thanks to phytoplankton that live near its surface—as well as the mid-level fish that dine on them, and the bottom-dwelling fish that feed on those middlings. \n\nThrough this “biological pump,” the ocean traps and stores C02 from the atmosphere deep in its depths. New studies show that, sadly, overfishing in our oceans is threatening this process of marine carbon storage.\n\n—Courtney Algeo, brand communications specialist\n\nJune 17\n\nImage: Reuters/Aly Song\n\nSource: Gwynn Guilford, “Fish can slow down global warming—but not if we keep eating them,” Quartz, June 5, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"3115","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"U.S. a flop at flopping? ","object":"1978","image":"/images/14-06-18_73.42.3_FakersEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/u-s-a-flop-at-flopping/","date":"2014-06-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"U.S. a flop at flopping? \n\n\n\nThe wild gestures captured in this painting look like the real deal. But World Cup watchers are wondering if U.S. soccer players punt in the art of playacting.\n\nFeigning injury is legendary among footballers eager to convince referees to make calls benefiting their side. A light tap can turn into a major arm-waving flop on the field. American players, however, seem reluctant to join the fray. Graham Zusi, a U.S. midfielder, said flopping “is something I’ve never really incorporated into my game, and I don’t plan on it.” He shrugs it off as Americans’ sense of fair play, on and off the field.     —Diane Richard, writer, June 18\n\nImage: Photo by: Paulo Whitaker/Reuters \n\nSource: Sam Borden, “Where Dishonesty Is Best Policy, U.S. Soccer Falls Short,” The New York Times,June 14\n\n\n","objectId":"1978","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Are you feeling stuffed?","object":"102644","image":"/images/14-06-20_2007.100_DiningAloneEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/are-you-feeling-stuffed/","date":"2014-06-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Are you feeling stuffed?\n\n\n\nThe only thing more awkward than dining out alone might be dining out with a giant stuffed animal. But that’s not how people see it at the Moomin Café in Japan, where going out in groups in the norm and the social awkwardness of dining alone is arguably unbearable—yes, worse than sitting across from a giant stuffed bear.\n\nThe Moomin Cafe supplies the stuffed animals, which aren’t actually teddy-bears but, well, Moomins—hippo-like cartoon characters created nearly 70 years ago in Finland. Which you’d presumably also understand if you lived in Japan.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJune 20, 2014\n\nSource: BusinessInsider.com, April 28, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"102644","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Golden age of smuggling?","object":"4379","image":"/images/14-06-20_92.132.1_GoldSmugglingEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/golden-age-of-smuggling/","date":"2014-06-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Golden age of smuggling?\n\n\n\nIndia is learning what America learned during Prohibition: make something hard to get, and you’ll have all kinds of criminals working hard to get it. Gold, in this case, which India has raised import taxes on to help erase a budget deficit—leading to $9 billion in illegally imported gold last year.\n\nHow do smugglers bring it in? That’s the interesting part: hidden under the toilet seat in an airplane restroom, melted into chips hidden in dates, turned into buckles or batteries or jewelry, and of course the inevitable stuffed-up-the-rectum trick. \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJune 20, 2014\n\nSource: Qz.com, June 16, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"4379","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Eye candy of the future?","object":"5487","image":"/images/14-06-24_97.92.6_holographicchocEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/eye-candy-of-the-future/","date":"2014-06-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Eye candy of the future?\n\n\n\nThe future is here! A Swiss company has found a way to imprint holograms onto chocolates. This isn’t your 1980’s aluminum-printed holograph of the Starship Enterprise, but the chocolate itself actually has grooves and bumps that refract light around its fat crystals. \n\nMany of us know the profound pleasure of the taste and mouth feel of chocolate. Now, our eyes will get a visual feast, too. Look for the hologram chocolates next year, when worldwide distribution is set to begin.\n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nJune 20\n\nImage: Morphotonix\n\nSource: MELISSA PANDIKA, “Holographic Chocolates Look As Beautiful As They Taste,” NPR,June 14\n\n\n","objectId":"5487","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Miracle? Not so fast…","object":"62516","image":"/images/14-06-19_2002.134_DrOzEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/miracle-not-so-fast/","date":"2014-06-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Miracle? Not so fast…\n\n\n\nTelegenic doctor Mehmet Oz was recently reprimanded for touting “miracle” weight-loss cures on his TV program, The Dr. Oz Show. Senator Claire McCaskill enumerated instances in which Dr. Oz claimed to hold a “miracle in a bottle.” He had promoted three tropical supplements: green coffee extract, raspberry ketone, and garcinia cambogia, related to tamarind. \n\n“The scientific community is almost monolithic against you,” said McCaskill, chastising Dr. Oz. “When you call a product a miracle, and it’s something you can buy, it’s something that gives people false hope.”\n       —Katie Wildfong, Family & Teen Programs, June 18\n\nImage source: fitbodiez.com\n\n\n","objectId":"62516","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Vitamin vision for Uganda?","object":"3584","image":"/images/14-06-20_87A_UgandaBananaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/vitamin-vision-for-uganda/","date":"2014-06-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Vitamin vision for Uganda?\n\n\n\nIn East Africa, thousands of children go blind each year due to malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency. \n\nRecently, scientists have found a way to genetically modify a banana, high in vitamin A and other nutrients, that could easily be grown and harvested within these African communities. It is hoped that the GMO will help solve preventable blindness in an area where many children don’t even make it to their sixth birthday. Talk about an appealing way to solve world hunger.\n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nJune 20\n\nImage: ABC\n\nSource: Australian Associated Press, “Scientists bend banana genome to help children overcome vitamin A deficiency,” The Guardian,June 15\n\n\n","objectId":"3584","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Food so good it’s criminal?","object":"10450","image":"/images/14-06-25_45.10_prisonlaborEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/food-so-good-it-s-criminal/","date":"2014-06-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Food so good it’s criminal?\n\n\n\nDemand for artisanal goods such as goat cheese, wine, tilapia, and even custom motorcycles has resulted in a strange pairing of bed partners: prisoners working at small farms and manufacturers. Businesses are offered an inexpensive, flexible workforce, while prisoners learn skills and work habits useful upon their release. \n\nOne prison-run dairy farm in Colorado now employs six inmates who milk 1,000 goats four times a day, supplying the milk for cheeses sold at Whole Foods. The theory is, employing felons will become an effective, feel-good, taste-good endeavor for reducing recidivism and helping small businesses.\n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nJune 26\n\nImage: Colorado Correctional Industries\n\nSource: JENNIFER ALSEVER, “Prison labor’s new frontier: Artisanal foods,” Fortune, June 2\n\n\n","objectId":"10450","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How into art are you?","object":"109122","image":"/images/14-06-25_2010.8_vulvaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/how-into-art-are-you/","date":"2014-06-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"How into art are you?\n\n\n\nThis week, an American foreign exchange student in Germany served as a reminder to art enthusiasts everywhere. While attempting to get a “funny” tourist photo, he fell into a large, 13-ton sculpture of a vulva;\n it took 22 firefighters to remove him. \n\nTouching, or, worse, getting stuck in a work of art not only can be dangerous and cause physical harm, but it can also be mortifying and make international news. Think twice before sticking your hands (or your entire body) into the art!    \n\n—Roma Rowland,\n Administrative Assistant\n Departments of Asian Art\n and Japanese & Korean Art, June 25\n\nImage: ERICKGUZMAN VIA IMGUR\n\nSource: LEE MORAN, “American student rescued after getting stuck in giant vagina sculpture in Germany,” Daily News, June 23, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"109122","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Merrily, merrily? ","object":"2239","image":"/images/14-06-25_75.7_rowersEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/merrily-merrily/","date":"2014-06-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Merrily, merrily? \n\n\n\nRowing a boat is a tranquil pastime, right? Not for two extreme adventurers who just completed a very long, rigorous row—from Agadir, Morocco, to NYC.\n\nThe South African couple gave themselves only two days to learn how to handle an oar. Then, row they did in their custom craft, all day, every day, for six months straight, without a support boat. They communed with dolphins and sharks. They watched videos on a laptop. They argued, lots, then spent three days without speaking. Though they did stop in the Bahamas and Miami, most of the journey was without land in sight. The two estimated having taken 3.6 million strokes.     —Diane Richard, writer, June 25\n\nImage: Credit Jake Naughton/The New York Times\n\nSource: Corey Kilgannon, “Adventurous Couple Arrive in New York From Africa, Merrily, Merrily,” The New York Times,June 20\n\n\n","objectId":"2239","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Trading a tiara for a halo? ","object":"12138","image":"/images/14-06-25_68.74.1_tiaraEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/trading-a-tiara-for-a-halo/","date":"2014-06-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Trading a tiara for a halo? \n\n\n\nA tiara worn by Ida Saxton McKinley, wife of President William McKinley, will soon finish its wayward journey from pawnshop to presidential library collection.\n\nThe tiara had been lent intermittently to the William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum in Canton, Ohio, before its owner fell on hard times, yielding it to a Las Vegas pawn shop. Museum staff members learned that the piece was for sale only by watching Pawn Stars. More than 300 donors raised at least $43,000, enough to recover the piece. The first lady wore the tiara to spruce up her cropped hair, worn short in hopes of reducing her migraines and epileptic seizures.   —Diane Richard, writer, June 25\n\n**\n\nImage: Photo by: McKinley Presidential Library & Museum \n\nSource: Eve M. Kahn, “What’s a Tiara Like You Doing on Reality TV?,” The New York Times,June 19\n\n\n","objectId":"12138","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Objects may be closer than they appear","object":"118536","image":"/images/14-06-26_L2013.87_AliceInWonderlandEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/06/objects-may-be-closer-than-they-appear/","date":"2014-06-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Objects may be closer than they appear\n\n\n\nNew research is uncovering the neuroscience behind a condition known as “Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.” First described in 1955, it involves a visual illusion in which objects or body parts appear unusually large (macropsia) or unusually small (micropsia)—what Alice experienced in Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.\n\nScientists note that the syndrome is most commonly experienced by children, and likely generates in the parietal lobe, which processes environmental and spatial information. It often precedes migraines.\n\n    —Katie Wildfong, \n\nFamily & Teen Programs, June 25\n\nImage: Lars Leetaru\n\nSource: Helene Stapinski, “I Had Alice in Wonderland Syndrome,” The New York Times, June 23, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"118536","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A lifelike resemblance?","object":"111088","image":"/images/14-07-02_2010.72_DeadPoseEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/a-lifelike-resemblance/","date":"2014-07-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A lifelike resemblance?\n\n\n\nThis fantasy coffin dovetails nicely with an eye-opening trend: placing the dead in a favorite pose at the funeral.\n\nTrue, only a handful of customers have requested the treatment—notably in New Orleans and Puerto Rico—but the photographs are striking. A former boxer wanted to be remembered in the ring, gloves on. The woman below, with wine, beer, and a pack of menthols. A funeral director involved in one such naturalistic service denied attempting to put the “fun” in funerals; rather, he said it was a unique way to help loved ones grieve.       —Diane Richard, writer, July 2\n\n**\n\nImage: Percy McRay, via Reuters\n\nSource: CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and FRANCES ROBLES, “Rite of the Sitting Dead: Funeral Poses Mimic Life,” The New York Times,June 21\n\n\n","objectId":"111088","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A Videogame for Stoners?","object":"5816","image":"/images/14-07-01_98.81.2_rockvideogameEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/a-videogame-for-stoners/","date":"2014-07-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A Videogame for Stoners?\n\n\n\nFor some people, nothing’s more exciting—more visually interesting—than a rock. Particularly if you’re a geologist or a member of the Chinese literati. For the rest of us, though, a rock is a snooze.\n\nEnter cyber rocks. Recently, a videogame developer created “Rock Simulator 2014,” a game in which players silently view rocks all over Earth. For fun. The game started off as a joke, but has developed into a real videogame where, soon, players will be able to roll their cyber rocks down hills. Never take for granite the power of a videogame—or imagination!\n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nJune 26\n\nImage: Strange Panther Games\n\nSource: Laura Hudson, “Finally, a Videogame That Simulates Being a Rock,”Wired, June 27, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"5816","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Courtroom witness? ","object":"1355","image":"/images/14-07-01_58.35_courtroomEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/courtroom-witness/","date":"2014-07-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Courtroom witness? \n\n\n\nThis picture by Bacon evokes a testifying witness. So it will serve as a backdrop to news about an exhibition of work by courtroom artists, those quick-scribbling illustrators who capture the drama of justice in action. \n\nA new book, The Illustrated Courtroom: 50 Years Of Court Art, by courtroom illustrator Elizabeth Williams pulls back the curtain on the proceedings. Courtroom artists are hired by media organizations to act as a lens for courts without cameras. As such, they’re journalists, too, waiting to capture the moment when a defendant lunges in rage, a judge scowls, or a plaintiff faints.     —Diane Richard, writer, July 1\n\nImage: Elizabeth Williams. © 2014 NPR \n\nSource: Rachel Martin, “’The Illustrated Courtroom’ Finds Art In Real-Life Legal Drama,” National Public Radio,June 22\n\n\n","objectId":"1355","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Pacific reawakening? ","object":"108860","image":"/images/14-07-02_2009.60a-s_JapanArmyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/pacific-reawakening/","date":"2014-07-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Pacific reawakening? \n\n\n\nJapan’s prime minister formally announced his nation’s intent to rebuild its military infrastructure, reversing a non-militaristic policy in force since the end of World War II. Japan’s army is only employed for self-defense.\n\nFaced with a growing crisis in its neighboring waters, with China claiming disputed islands and exploring deep-sea oil deposits, Japan is now reasserting itself as a force to be reckoned with. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a nationalist, says the Japanese military would only be used to protect its allies. Still, the hawkish response is likely to anger the Chinese—who have never forgiven Japan for its wartime occupation—and could set Asia’s two biggest powers even more at odds.       —Diane Richard, writer, July 2\n\nImage: Credit Image by Yuya Shino/Reuters\n\nSource: MARTIN FACKLER and DAVID E. SANGER, “Japan Announces a Military Shift to Thwart China,” The New York Times,July 1\n\n\n","objectId":"108860","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Take a seat? No, really. ","object":"10037","image":"/images/14-07-02_99.62.1_TortureChairEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/take-a-seat-no-really/","date":"2014-07-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Take a seat? No, really. \n\n\n\nAn office job, once an aspiration for the working classes, is now practically a death sentence.\n\nA review recently published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute clinches it: Sitting can be fatal. A study of 70,000 cancer patients found that sitting is associated with a 24% increased risk of colon cancer, a 32% increased risk of endometrial cancer, and a 21% increased risk of lung cancer. It also leads to obesity and all its ills. Even worse? You can’t exercise away sitting’s harmful effects. On the bright side: Short bouts of movement might help. Think I’ll go walk this to the gallery right now.     —Diane Richard, writer, July 2\n\n**\n\nImage: Reuters/Simon Newman \n\nSource: Hannah Newman, “Why not even exercise will undo the harm of sitting all day—and what you can do about it,” Quartz/The Atlantic,June 26\n\n\n","objectId":"10037","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Refugees from a changing climate?","object":"2138","image":"/images/14-07-04_74.79.1_ClimateRefugeeEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/refugees-from-a-changing-climate/","date":"2014-07-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Refugees from a changing climate?\n\n\n\nThe island nation of Kiribati recently purchased a 7.7-square-mile tract of forest on a nearby Fijian island. It’s a backup plan: if sea levels keep rising, Kiribati will need someplace else for their 103,000 citizens to live. With the sea creeping up about half an inch a year now, the country could be entirely beneath the waves by 2100. \n\nSome Kiribati residents have asked for asylum in New Zealand, claiming the burning of fossil fuels that is changing the climate is a form of oppression on the part of industrialized nations. Wherever they end up, they won’t be alone: by 2050, researchers say, there could be as many as 700 million “climate refugees.”\n\n—Tim Gihring, Editor\n\nJuly 4, 2014\n\n**\n\nSource: Qz.com, July 1, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"2138","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Catnap—or legal catnip?","object":"10451","image":"/images/14-07-08_58.10_SleepingEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/catnap-or-legal-catnip/","date":"2014-07-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Catnap—or legal catnip?\n\n\n\nThe dozing congregation captured in this painting could file a class-action lawsuit against Hogarth, if one New Yorker’s suit in state Supreme Court triumphs.\n\nAfter being captured deep in dreamland on the Yankee Stadium Jumbotron, Andrew R. Rector, the fellow pictured below, claims he was verbally harassed by the media and social media trolls. Rector has sued Major League Baseball, the Yankees, and ESPN, claiming the images of him asleep and the announcers’ commentary have damaged his reputation. The suit seeks $10 million in damages for defamation and mental anguish.             —Diane Richard, writer, July 8\n\n**\n\nCredit: ESPN\n\nSource: By James C. Mckinley Jr., “Fan Sues After Untimely Nap Brings Unwanted Attention,” The New York Times,July 7\n\n\n","objectId":"10451","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Holier than thou?","object":"1373","image":"/images/14-07-08_59.5_FakeMonksEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/holier-than-thou/","date":"2014-07-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Holier than thou?\n\n\n\nBegging for alms is as old as the Buddha. But what about donning bogus Buddhist robes to go beg for alms?\n\nNew Yorkers and tourists are frustrated by the growing numbers of saffron-frocked panhandlers posing as Buddhist monks and nuns, palms up for cash. When offered an insufficient donation, they reportedly demand $20 or more. Devout Buddhists, meanwhile, are irritated to be confused with them. One enterprising reporter followed a “monk” only to discover how quickly he shed his robes before riding the subway back to Flushing to drink cheap wine at a flophouse.     —Diane Richard, writer, July 8\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nCredit: Facebook: Fake Monks in New York City\n\nSource: JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN and JEFFREY E. SINGER, “If He Walks and Talks Like a Monk, but Has His Hand Out …,” The New York Times,July 5\n\n\n","objectId":"1373","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"New take on under armor?","object":"14148","image":"/images/14-07-08_23.54_SilkArmorEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/new-take-on-under-armor/","date":"2014-07-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"New take on under armor?\n\n\n\nImagine what the soldier who once sported this armor would think if he were handed silk combat gear instead. He’d probably dance a jig—and he actually could.\n\nA company based in Michigan has genetically engineered silkworms to produce spider’s silk, a light, flexible material that’s stronger by weight than high-grade steel. Long discussed as a possible protective material, spider silk could prove to be a far more comfortable alternative to the traditional, solid Kevlar vest worn by soldiers and police officers. Industrial silk has also been spun from genetically modified goats.           —Diane Richard, writer, July 8\n\n**\n\nCredit: Kraig Biocraft Laboratories; a closeup of gloves made out of spider silk\n\nSource: Elizabeth Howell, “Future Soldiers May Wear Bulletproof Spider Silk,” Live Science,June 25\n\n\n","objectId":"14148","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Can’t buy me love?","object":"46","image":"/images/14-07-09_14.12_WeddingsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/can-t-buy-me-love/","date":"2014-07-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Can’t buy me love?\n\n\n\nWhat’s the price of happiness? A recent survey rang up the cost of today’s American weddings compared to those of the 1930s. Looks like nuptial extravagance is a constant, even during the Depression.\n\nCiting data from the wedding retail site the Knot, the average price tag of a contemporary wedding runs to nearly $30,000, or roughly half of U.S. median household income. A 1930s wedding ran nearly $400 (about $6,500 in today’s dollars), about a quarter of median household income of the time. The good news? Today the groom’s suit is a steal, about a third of what it cost in 1930 before the days of mass production.\n   —Diane Richard, writer, July 10\n\n**\n\nSource: Jenni Avins, “The venerable, 80-year tradition of the insanely expensive American wedding,” Quartz,July 2\n\n\n","objectId":"46","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"An App for Wanderlust?","object":"111219","image":"/images/14-07-14_2010.88_MapMostBeautifulEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/an-app-for-wanderlust/","date":"2014-07-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"An App for Wanderlust?\n\n\n\nDevelopers with Yahoo have created a GPS program that maps out the most beautiful route, not necessarily the shortest (beauty resulting in a 12-percent longer trip on average). Created by crowdsourcing and images from Google Street View, Geograph, and even Flickr, the maps have proven to be extremely successful in plotting the most striking, quiet, and happy strolls for tourists and locals alike. The scenic route, indeed.\n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nJuly 14, 2014\n\nPhoto credit: MIT Technology Review\n\nNews source: “Forget the Shortest Route Across a City; New Algorithm Finds the Most Beautiful“ Emerging Technology From the arXiv\n\n\n","objectId":"111219","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Shoo fly, don’t bother me","object":"3584","image":"/images/14-07-23_87.4_MayflyInvasionEDIT-3.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/shoo-fly-don-t-bother-me/","date":"2014-07-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Shoo fly, don’t bother me\n\n\n\nBatten down the hatches—the mayflies are coming! Millions of mayflies are hatching along the Mississippi River, and it’s quite a sight. Though the droves of insects attest to the mighty river’s health, the bugs are causing problems, including bug-slickened roads that led to a three-car pileup near Red Wing, Minn. \n\nThe images below depicting swarms of mayflies in Minnesota and Wisconsin pair nicely with this Dutch still-life of rotting fruit, which, if you look closely, is covered with bugs! —Katie Wildfong, Family & Teen Programs, July 23\n\n**\n\n**\n\n    \n\nImage via @TimHalbach, @ruhnke, and @mylittlebloggie\n\nSource: Bob Collins, “Prepare to be disgusted. Mayfly hatch underway.” MPR News, July 21, 2014\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"3584","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Where yellow means ‘Go’?","object":"311146","image":"/images/14-07-23_99.132_YellowSheepTourDeFrEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/where-yellow-means-go/","date":"2014-07-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Where yellow means ‘Go’?\n\n\n\nThe 101st-annual Tour de France wraps up in Paris on Sunday, July 27, with the covetedmaillot jaune (yellow jersey) to be awarded to whichever rider completes the 3,664-kilometer, three-week race with the fastest overall time. This year’s epic race course wound all over both England and France, and was peppered with enthusiastic fans celebrating the Tour with fantastic displays of its signature color: yellow. \n\nOn this year’s opening day, called the Grand Départ, Yorkshire farmers made quite a spectacle by dyeing entire flocks of sheep a vivid shade of yellow. Très magnifique!\n\n—Katie Wildfong, Family & Teen Programs, July 23\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage via reddit.com\n\nSource: Philip Case, “Yorkshire sheep in Tour de France makeover,” Farmers Weekly, July 7, 2014.\n\n\n","objectId":"311146","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Calling me ‘Scruff Face’?","object":"1721","image":"/images/14-07-17_69.137_ScruffFaceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/calling-me-scruff-face/","date":"2014-07-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Calling me ‘Scruff Face’?\n\n\n\nFormer Governor Jesse Ventura is making news with his lawsuit against the Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. Ventura has accused Kyle, since murdered stateside, and his estate of defamation over an incident Kyle reported in his memoir American Sniper. The trial is being held in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.\n\nUp for debate is Kyle’s assertion that “Scruff Face”—later publically identified as Ventura—disparaged Navy SEALS in public at a bar, causing Kyle to punch him in the face. Ventura denies he ever impugned the SEALS, of which he is one, and says he has lost significant income and status among his fellow SEALS over the alleged smear. In court, Ventura continues to duke it out with Kyle’s wife and witnesses.  \n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, July 17\n\n**\n\nImage: Jim Mone, Associated Press\n\nSource: Randy Furst, “Ex-SEAL says he saw Ventura punched,” Star Tribune,July 16\n\n\n","objectId":"1721","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Remember the Alamo?","object":"3286","image":"/images/14-07-17_84.4.1_PhilCollinsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/remember-the-alamo/","date":"2014-07-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Remember the Alamo?\n\n\n\nPhil Collins sure does. The English singer-drummer was recently in San Antonio to announce the donation of his collection of artifacts from the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. \n\nThe star of the band Genesis developed an interest in the Alamo while watching a 1950s Disney miniseries on Davy Crockett. Some artifacts will likely go on display at the Alamo—at least, it’s in the air tonight. I think this horn chair, also made in San Antonio, might gore the singer who gave the world the earworm “Sussudio.”  \n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, July 17\n\n**\n\nImage: Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, left, with singer Phil Collins, Julysa Sosa / AP\n\nSource: The Associated Press, “Phil Collins donates revolution artifacts to Alamo,” Miami Herald,July 12\n\n\n","objectId":"3286","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Remover of—duvets?","object":"81675","image":"/images/14-07-17_2003.198_GaneshaEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/remover-of-duvets/","date":"2014-07-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Remover of—duvets?\n\n\n\nBedcovers sold at Urban Outfitters bearing an image of Ganesha—the elephant-headed Hindu god—were yanked from the shelves, the latest product to succumb to accusations of religious insensitivity.\n\nThe retailer caters to North American hipsters who see Hindu deities as signs of cool. Devout Hindus say they don’t mind the appropriations, up to a point. Sweatshirts are OK, but bedspreads and $8 socks touch the wearer’s feet, an offense for sacred figures, like Ganesha, who is endowed with the ability to remove obstacles—not warm soles.     —Diane Richard, writer, July 17\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Urban Outfitters\n\nSource: Roya Wolverson, “Urban Outfitters \n\ncan’t grow if it keeps offending everyone except suburban American teens,” Quartz,July 16\n\n\n","objectId":"81675","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Spies vs. typewriters?","object":"106338","image":"/images/14-07-17_2008.44.1_TypewriterSpiesEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/spies-vs-typewriters/","date":"2014-07-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Spies vs. typewriters?\n\n\n\nDon’t toss your old typewriter just yet (we know it’s still sitting in the basement), especially if you’re in the business of creating confidential documents. \n\nLast year, to throw off American spies, Russian security agencies went back to using old-fashioned, un-hackable typewriters. And now German politicians, spooked by widespread U.S. espionage, are recommending the same in their country. Not even the newer, electronic models but the plink-plunk manual style—even harder to bug. And no time wasted surfing the Web.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJuly 17, 2014\n\nSource: Newsweek, July 16, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"106338","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Independence—och, aye?","object":"320","image":"/images/14-07-24_26.2_ScotlandEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/independence-och-aye/","date":"2014-07-23 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Independence—och, aye?\n\n\n\nThis Rubens sketch celebrates the union of Scotland to England, a problematic partnership since 1707. Today, on the eve of a historic referendum to determine Scotland’s future, the stars are not aligned.\n\nWith just eight weeks before the referendum, on September 18, both sides are cueing their celebrity cheerleaders. Sean Connery—the original James Bond— and Alan Cumming, pictured center, are in favor of independence; J. K. Rowling—author of the Harry Potter series—is anti. Musician Annie Lennox, below left, remains on the fence.     —Diane Richard, writer, July 23\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Eamonn Mccormack/Getty Images; Mike Pont, via Getty Images; Suzanne Plunkett, via Reuters\n\nSource: KATRIN BENNHOLD, “Reading the Future of Scotland in the Stars,” The New York Times,July 23\n\n\n","objectId":"320","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Bird lovers crying fowl?","object":"1629","image":"/images/14-07-30_66.9_EagleEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/bird-lovers-crying-fowl/","date":"2014-07-30 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Bird lovers crying fowl?\n\n\n\nTurns out, sadly, wind turbines and birds don’t mix.\n\nMinnesota conservationists and wind energy proponents faced off recently over bird deaths caused by wind-turbine blades. Wind energy companies are seeking to extend a federal permit—from 5 to 30 years—allowing for a limited number of bald or golden eagle deaths. Bird lovers contend that the death of thousands of birds a year—including the nation’s symbol, still federally protected after years of population decline—is too steep a price to pay for power.   —Diane Richard, writer, July 23\n\n**\n\nImage: David Brewster, Star Tribune\n\nSource Samantha Schmidt, “Conservationists, wind-farm advocates clash over eagle safety,” Star Tribune,July 24\n\n\n","objectId":"1629","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Can’t get any peace?","object":"1255","image":"/images/14-07-30_54.30_SilenceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/07/can-t-get-any-peace/","date":"2014-07-30 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Can’t get any peace?\n\n\n\nHow crazy busy are you? Turns out, a lot of the noise is in taking place our heads.\n\nRecent studies have shown that the idea of sitting alone for any length of time, sans techno gadgets, is nearly unthinkable. In 11 experiments involving more than 700 people, most participants reported that they found it  “unpleasant” to be alone in a room with their thoughts for 6–15 minutes. What’s more, in one experiment, 64 percent of men and 15 percent of women preferred to self-administer electric shocks to keep them from thinking. What would the Buddha think of that?  \n   —Diane Richard, writer, July 23\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Clayton Brothers\n\nSource: Kate Murphy, “No Time to Think,” The New York Times,July 25\n\n\n","objectId":"1255","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Are night-owls smarter?","object":"106730","image":"/images/14-08-01_2008.79_SleepSmartsEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/are-night-owls-smarter/","date":"2014-08-01 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Are night-owls smarter?\n\n\n\nBenjamin Franklin, or whoever actually said “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” was apparently a moron. New research suggests that the higher your IQ, the more likely you are to stay up late and sleep late in the morning; the lower your IQ, the more likely you are to follow standard sleep operating procedure.\n\nNight owls, notably a lot of artists, may indeed be more open-minded and anti-establishment, flouting standard sleep patterns. They may also follow their muse a little closer, staying up to finish projects that everyone else shelves until the next day. But hey, good luck getting that worm.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nAugust 1, 2014\n\nSource: Elite Daily, July 28, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"106730","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Progressive by design?","object":"12828","image":"/images/14-08-01_FinlandExhib_SmartDesignEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/progressive-by-design/","date":"2014-08-01 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Progressive by design?\n\n\n\nThe evidence in this exhibition suggests that Scandinavians use design for the greater good. And one way they do it is by asking people what they want and then following through. \n\nThe city of Stockholm, in Sweden, is expanding its subway system to accommodate a projected half-million more people by 2013, and it’s asking residents to help with the design. The city recently crowd-sourced the color of the new metro line, creating buy-in and offering a reward to the person with the winning color and best rationale: a free one-year metro pass.\n\n—Tim Gihring, Editor\n\nAugust 1, 2014\n\nSource: Qz.com, July 30, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"12828","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Hug a great white?","object":"2543","image":"/images/14-08-04_78.26_SharkEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/hug-a-great-white/","date":"2014-08-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Hug a great white?\n\n\n\nFor anyone over the age of, say, 45, this beat—\n\nbah dum, bah dum, Bah Dum, Bah Dum, BAH DUM—sends chills.\n\nYounger generations who didn’t cringe during the movie Jaws see sharks today less as a fearsome maneater, and more as a dolphin-like character with goofy grin. Case in point: When sharks emerged on Cape Cod a few years ago, sidling up to a smorgasbord of seal, the town’s cop, science geek, and macho seafarer didn’t gather to hunt the Big One. Rather, the mantra became “spread the white shark love!” —Diane Richard, writer, August 4\n\n**\n\nImage: Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist for The New York Times\n\nSource: Katharine Q. Seelye, “They’re Going to Need a Bigger Gift Shop,” The New York Times,July 24\n\n\n","objectId":"2543","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Beauty and the i-Beast?","object":"1838","image":"/images/14-08-05_71.1_SelfieEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/beauty-and-the-i-beast/","date":"2014-08-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Beauty and the i-Beast?\n\n\n\nAs if adolescence wasn’t already tough enough, young girls are increasingly turning to YouTube with the delicate questions: Am I beautiful? Am I ugly?\n\nThe truthtellers and trolls of the Internet are reliably candid in their assessments, heaping venom on the self-conscious teens. Louise Orwin, a London-based performance artist (pictured below), has used her own video to inform her latest work, “Pretty Ugly.” About the experience, she said: “What I found was that it wasn’t the ‘you should die’ comments that affected me, but ones like ‘Your eyes are too close together.’ It was really hard to take, so I can’t imagine if I had been 10 years younger and receiving those messages.”\n —Diane Richard, writer, August 4\n\n**\n\nImage: Jonathan Player for The New York Times\n\nSource: Douglas Quenqua, “’Am I Pretty?’ Videos Posed to the Internet, Raise Questions,” The New York Times,August 1\n\n\n","objectId":"1838","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Modern-day plague?","object":"1226","image":"/images/14-08-06_52.14_ebolaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/modern-day-plague/","date":"2014-08-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Modern-day plague?\n\n\n\nThe patient depicted in this painting is the artist himself, receiving treatment from, likely, the plague. Goya painted it as a tribute to his caring, skilled doctor.\n\nYet another deadly plague is upon us. A highly contagious strain of the Ebola virus is inflicting disease, death, and fear across West Africa and around the world. Over 932 people have died to date. And the news gets even worse. Several doctors and other front-line health workers have already succumbed to infection. —Diane Richard, writer, August 6\n\n**\n\nImage: Abbas Dulleh/Associated Press\n\nSource: Rick Gladstone, “W.H.O. Weighing Emergency Decree on Ebola,” The New York Times,August 6\n\n\n","objectId":"1226","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Would you trust this face?","object":"48862","image":"/images/14-08-07_P70.59_trustEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/would-you-trust-this-face/","date":"2014-08-07 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Would you trust this face?\n\n\n\nTalk about snap judgments: A recent study shows that our brains gauge the trustworthiness of a face before we even truly look at it. Researchers publishing their results in the Journal of Neuroscience revealed that the part of our brains that processes emotion, the amygdala, has deemed two features especially untrustworthy: downward-sloped eyebrows and flattened cheekbones.\n\nOf course, we all know one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Still, this exhibition may put your skills to the test. Get to know this crew of cut-throat law breakers. It’s a killer show!\n\n— Ana Taylor, Assistant Photographer, August 7\n\n**\n\nImage: Journal of Neuroscience\n\nSource: Nancie George, “Face Value: How Our Brain Decides Who We Can Trust,” Everyday Health,August 6\n\n\n","objectId":"48862","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Bigger is better?","object":"6161","image":"/images/14-08-11_2001.153_StatueRaceEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/bigger-is-better/","date":"2014-08-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Bigger is better?\n\n\n\nThis statue of Siddartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, is presumably just under life size. Not so the sculpture being commissioned by India’s new government, which at 597 feet high will be the world’s largest, nearly twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.\n\nCalled the Statue of Unity, it will depict an independence leader who helped unite India’s fractious states. The size is intended to overwhelm statues of the Gandhi family, the rivals of India’s new governing party. Ram V. Sutar, the leading contender for the commission, is happy to help: supplying the statue race between India’s competing parties has made him the most prolific monumental sculptor in history.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nAugust 12, 2014\n\n**\n\nSource: New York Times, August 4, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"6161","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Apple not fall far from art?","object":"1502","image":"/images/14-08-13_62.73.1_AppleEDIT-8.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/apple-not-fall-far-from-art/","date":"2014-08-13 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Apple not fall far from art?\n\n\n\nApple, known for its intuitive design and deep secrecy, takes a page from masterpieces for its iconic devices. That’s according to Apple workers who leaked details about their internal training program, Apple University.\n\nApple educators liken the company’s process of product refinement to that of Picasso’s, Modigliani’s, and other modernist masters. A series of lithographs that make up Picasso’s The Bull, they say, shows similar techniques of paring details to achieve the streamlined simplicity of its iPhones, iPads, and iMacs.— Diane Richard, writer, August 13\n\n**\n\nImages: Bull images by Art Resource, NY; 2014 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; the ergonomic innovations of Apple mice\n\nSource: Brian X. Chen, “Simplifying the Bull: How Picasso Helps to Teach Apple’s Style,” The New York Times,August 10\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"1502","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"China delivers triple treat?","object":"117088","image":"/images/14-08-13_2013.29.1296_PandaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/china-delivers-triple-treat/","date":"2014-08-13 00:00:00 -0500","content":"China delivers triple treat?\n\n\n\nA Chinese zoo has announced the birth of newborn panda triplets billed as the world’s first known surviving trio, in what it hailed as a miracle given the mammal’s notoriously low reproductive rate.\n\nPregnancy rates by natural and artificial means can scarcely sustain the panda population, estimated at 1,600 living in the wild. Meanwhile, China’s expansionist policies and go-go economy are increasingly placing the panda’s habitat in peril. So let’s take a moment to admire the rare panda pups.  —Diane Richard, writer, August 13\n\nImage: China Daily/Reuters\n\nSource: Agence France-Presse in Hong Kong, “World’s first surviving panda triplets born in Chinese zoo,” The Guardian,August 12\n\n\n","objectId":"117088","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Tops in Her Fields?","object":"1096","image":"/images/14-08-13_50.46.434_MathEDIT-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/tops-in-her-fields/","date":"2014-08-13 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Tops in Her Fields?\n\n\n\nA 37-year-old professor at Stanford University has received this year’s top medal in math. Of interest is that the winner is from Iran, long associated with innovations in math, and also that she’s a she. Maryam Mirzakhani is the first woman ever to win a Fields Medal. \n\nThe gender imbalance in mathematics is well-documented. Not helping matters is the Fields Medal is restricted to mathematicians younger than 40, the age during which many women back-burner their careers to raise children. We’d love it if Mirzakhani would accept the award by elephant.     —Diane Richard, writer, August 13\n\nImages: Courtesy of Maryam Mirzakhani\n\nSource: Ben Mathis-lilley, “First female Fields Medal winner: Maryam Mirzakhani of Stanford,” Slate.com,August 13\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"1096","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Paint the party barn red?","object":"1618","image":"/images/14-08-13_66.46_BarnEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/paint-the-party-barn-red/","date":"2014-08-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Paint the party barn red?\n\n\n\nBarns hold more than living animals, carcasses, and piles of hay. For many urbanites these days, they are romantic backdrops for rustic nuptial celebrations.\n\nFarmers looking to make a little extra cash see the latest trend as a godsend, and some have made steep investments on improving sound systems and dance floors. Neighbors who aren’t in on the action, however, complain these rural revelries spoil the pastoral peace: lots of traffic, loud music, and drunken wedding woops till the cows come home.   —Diane Richard, writer, August 13\n\n**\n\nImage: Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times\n\nSource: Julie Bosman, “Neighbors Say Barn Weddings Raise a Rumpus,” The New York Times,August 3\n\n\n","objectId":"1618","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Southern lights?","object":"455","image":"/images/14-08-20_35.50.197a-c_firefliesEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/southern-lights/","date":"2014-08-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Southern lights?\n\n\n\nThe luminous lightning bug, once plentiful throughout the south, is possibly in danger of flickering out.\n\nIn multi-year research by Clemson University, some citizen scientists have moved outdoors to count the firefly population and investigate whether urbanization threatens it. For years, researchers and bug lovers alike have noted a dwindling in the world’s estimated 2,000 species of fireflies. A decline in natural water sources and an increase in light pollution, which can hamper the insects’ mating rituals, are possible culprits.\n     —Diane Richard, writer, August 20\n\nImage: Jacob Biba for The New York Times\n\nSource: Alan Blinder, “The Science in a Twinkle of Nighttime in the South,” The New York Times,August 14\n\n\n","objectId":"455","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Rock ’n’ Read?","object":"99368","image":"/images/14-08-26_2006.33_RocknReadEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/rock-n-read/","date":"2014-08-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Rock ’n’ Read?\n\n\n\nA Minnetonka couple has developed a fun way to try to close the educational achievement gap in Minneapolis. \n\nAfter converting an old bus into a portable singing and reading lab, they’ve found that kids can advance one year in reading with only 11 hours of singing! The bus is equipped with 32 computers, allowing the couple to bring reading and learning right into the students’ neighborhood. Now that’s something to truly sing about!     —Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant\n\nDepartments of Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art\n\nAugust 24\n\nImage: The Rock ‘n’ Read Project\n\nSource: “Rock ‘n’ Read Bus joins reading + singing to close achievement gap“ MyFox9.com, August 19\n\n\n","objectId":"99368","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Making puppy dog eyes?","object":"76","image":"/images/14-08-27_16.2_dogsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/making-puppy-dog-eyes/","date":"2014-08-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Making puppy dog eyes?\n\n\n\nThat dog owners resemble their pooches is well observed. Why is the question. A researcher from Japan took up the challenge, in a study showing headshot pairs of dogs and their owners to 500 undergrads.\n\nTurns out the similarities have little to do with hairstyles, facial shape, gender, height or even eye color. After controlling for many factors, the study revealed that something—say, a certain warmth, ferocity, vulnerability—is being conveyed in the mutual look about the eyes of dogs and their people.\n     —Diane Richard, writer, August 27\n\nImage: Courtesy of Sadahiko Nakajima\n\nSource: Jesse Bering, “Scientists Finally Figured Out What Makes Pets Look Like Their Owners,” Slate,August 19\n\n\n","objectId":"76","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Raising Cain,","object":"611","image":"/images/14-08-27_41.9_IraqEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/raising-cain/","date":"2014-08-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Raising Cain,\n Razing culture\n\n\n\nThe Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has unleashed enormous destruction. Say what you like about its cause: to establish a caliphate across the Middle East. Its effect is undeniable: mayhem, slaughter, and thousands of years’ worth of cultural treasures reduced to rubble.\n\nThis panel was taken from the remains of an imperial palace at Nimrud, the capital of the Assyrian empire, now located in modern Iraq. Excavated in the mid-19th century, the temple yielded this panel, one of the first examples of ancient Mesopotamian art to reach the Western world. I hope museums won’t be the sole remaining place for them to continue to exist.     —Diane Richard, writer, August 27\n\n**\n\nImage: Ali Al-saadi/AFP/Getty Images\n\nSource: Aki Peritz, “The Islamic State isn’t just killing people. It’s destroying a culture,” The Washington Post,August 22\n\n\n","objectId":"611","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Humane pyramid?","object":"18766","image":"/images/14-08-28_64.65.4_KrishnaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/humane-pyramid/","date":"2014-08-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Humane pyramid?\n\n\n\nIn India, an annual Hindu celebration honoring the god Krishna hinges on an extreme sport that sends the smallest to the tippy top of a human pyramid.\n\nThe festival of Dahi Handi reaches its climax with the heart-stopping sight of young boys hoisted to the apex of wobbly body masses, where they smash jugs of buttermilk in homage to Krishna. That they themselves often fall and smash has recently become a political and PR problem. Last Monday alone, 202 participants were injured, and one died during practice.\n     —Diane Richard, writer, August 27\n\n**\n\nImage: Divyakant Solanki/European Pressphoto Agency\n\nSource: NEHA THIRANI BAGRI, “In India, Human Pyramids Draw Crowds, and Protests,” The Washington Post,August 19\n\n\n","objectId":"18766","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Stressing the Cetaceans?","object":"3215","image":"/images/14-08-28_83.77_WhaleEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/stressing-the-cetaceans/","date":"2014-08-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Stressing the Cetaceans?\n\nRecent research shows that whale-watching causes stress for whales and dolphins, potentially putting the long-term wellbeing of the mammals at risk. Marine biologists have found that whales respond to whale-watching boats as they do to natural predators, upping their speed and respiring more heavily. \n\nObviously, no one mentioned this research to the maniacal sea captain who pursued the white whale in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Not that he’d have cared. The character served as inspiration for Calder’s great mobile, Ahab.     —Emma Bauer, Audience Engagement Assistant\n\nAugust 28\n\n**\n\nImage: TripAdvisor.com, provided by management of Whale Watching Sydney\n\nSource: By Daniel Cressey and Nature magazine, “Whale-Watching Found to Stress Out Whales,” Scientific American,August 26\n\n\n","objectId":"3215","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"What are you saying?","object":"1567","image":"/images/14-08-14_64.63.2_ReadingEmotions_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/08/what-are-you-saying/","date":"2014-08-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"What are you saying?\n\n\n\nWe’ve all encountered people who just aren’t great on the uptake. Do I have to spell it out? In the case of the poor woman in these paintings, dumped via letter, her suitor thought he needed to spell it out. And more and more we’ll have to spell it out for the younger generation, who can read emoticons—those digital smiley faces—but are struggling to read real emotions in real encounters with real people.\n\nThe fix? Less screen time, more…anything but screen time. It’s that simple, and that daunting.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\n August 29, 2014\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: Huffington Post, August 26, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1567","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"hashtag icebucketchallenge","object":"710","image":"/images/14-09-03_44.42.8a-c_IceBucketEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/icebucketchallenge/","date":"2014-09-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"#icebucketchallenge\n\n\n\nAll over the country, people are dousing themselves with buckets of ice-cold water. Why? To raise money to fight ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a neuro-degenerative condition. The Ice Bucket Challenge has spread like wildfire through social media outlets, in large part thanks to participation by celebrities (everyone from J Lo, to Lebron James, to Vogue’s notoriously stern editor Anna Wintour). As of this writing, it has raised over $100 million for ALS research.\n\nMIA staffers have taken the plunge, too. Though this ornate vessel was intended for ice cream, it would make a lovely ice bucket, don’t you think?\n —Katie Wildfong, Family & Teen Programs, September 2\n\n**\n\nImage: Elise Amendola, time.com\n\nSource: ALS Association, alsa.org\n\n\n","objectId":"710","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Play’s the thing?","object":"106292","image":"/images/14-09-03_FamilyCenter_PlayEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/play-s-the-thing/","date":"2014-09-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Play’s the thing?\n\n\n\nNew research shows the value of open-ended play on developing brains, and some scientists say that playtime may be even more valuable than classroom time. \n\nBy studying animal brains, scientists have found that certain kinds of play change neurons in the prefrontal cortex. Kids who engage in rough-and-tumble play and play games without rules develop stronger executive function, linked to emotional regulation and problem-solving skills. Studies also show that early development of the kinds of social skills linked to play is also linked to academic success later in life. So get to work—go play!\n\n—Katie Wildfong, Family & Teen Programs, August 27\n\n**\n\nImage: Toshiko Horiuchi Macadam, via billygrrl.com\n\nSource: Jon Hamilton, NPR’s Morning Edition, “Scientists Say Child’s Play Helps Build a Better Brain,” August 6, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"106292","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Road to salvation?","object":"1476","image":"/images/14-09-03_62.24_PilgrimEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/road-to-salvation/","date":"2014-09-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Road to salvation?\n\n\n\nThe pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, which has drawn religious trekkers across northern Spain since the ninth century, looks more like a highway today.\n\nCredit it to the Wild effect, inspired by Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, or a yearning to fulfill a bucket-list task, or a true quest for salvation. No matter the motivation, it’s moving as many as 240,000 pilgrims this year, up from 423 registered hikers in 1984. The route—or The Camino—is now lined with tourist facilities all the way to Santiago. Some determined pilgrims chafe at daytrippers dropping in mid-course, cell phones in hand. Others salute the positive effect the path’s popularity has had on Spain’s lagging economic recovery, mirrored here in Jesus’ listless expression.   —Diane Richard, writer, September 3\n\n**\n\nImage: Patricia de Melo Moreira for The New York Times\n\nSource: Raphael Minder, “Lifting the Soul, and the Spanish Economy, Too,” The New York Times, September 1, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1476","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Do you know what you’re saying?","object":"3076","image":"/images/14-09-04_82.46_ChinesePilots_EDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/do-you-know-what-you-re-saying/","date":"2014-09-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Do you know what you’re saying?\n\n\n\nThe world is getting smaller, faster than we can adapt, so a lot is getting lost in translation. Some of it is just off-key, not unlike the man of the house in this Dutch painting, who sports a silk kimono—evidence of world shrinkage even three centuries ago—that no man would ever wear in Japan. Other misses are more dangerous.\n\nTake the Chinese pilots whose Mandarin expression “meidei,” meaning “no problem,” sounds a lot like Mayday, the international distress call. Starting next year, Chinese pilots will have to pass a language test and rid themselves of heavy accents. Which might help avoid situations like the one a few years ago when a Chinese pilot asked to “taxi” by a Japanese air traffic controller instead heard “take off.” Which he did. \n\n  —Tim Gihring, editor\n\nSeptember 4, 2014\n\nSource: Asia.nikkei.com, August 30, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"3076","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Hug a carp?","object":"696","image":"/images/14-09-04_44.3.59_CarpEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/hug-a-carp/","date":"2014-09-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Hug a carp?\n\n\n\nBehold, lovely women cuddling carp. The fish is not only an invasive species, but also a girl’s best friend. Karpermeisjes, or Carp Girls, have befriended the whiskery bottom feeders while posing for a Facebook photo op. Imagine a modern mermaid, singing a “call of the carp,” as the fish swim lovingly to the surface for the day’s embrace, and a photoshoot to boot.\n\nWhile this phenomenon may seem a bit strange, women and carp have been snuggling up since 1768. There really is nothing quite like the embrace of a 75-pound slippery aromatic fish. Have you hugged your carp today?\n —**Ana Taylor, assistant photographer, September 3\n\n**\n\nImage: © Facebook/Carp Girl Fishing\n\nSource: “De karpermeisjes van Facebook,” Volkskrant.nl, September 4, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"696","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Myth of the greying president?","object":"486","image":"/images/14-09-04_32.12_GreyObama_EDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/myth-of-the-greying-president/","date":"2014-09-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Myth of the greying president?\n\n\n\nPresident Barack Obama has a little more salt mixed in with his pepper these days. But is his silvered coif the result of stress?\n\nProbably not. The odds of hair turning grey simply ramp up by 10 to 20 percent every decade over 30. (And in recent videos created by ISIS, the terrorist group, Obama is Photoshopped to look greyer and more haggard.) But the perception of presidential super-aging persists—perhaps because of portraits like this one of Washington, which suggests that experienced statesmen go grey. Even if they have to powder their hair.\n\n  —Tim Gihring, editor\n\nSeptember 4, 2014\n\nSource: The Telegraph, September 3, 2014 \n\n\n","objectId":"486","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"California goes green—ish?","object":"104252","image":"/images/14-09-10_2007.86.8_GrassEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/california-goes-green-ish/","date":"2014-09-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"California goes green—ish?\n\n\n\nThe rain in Spain may be falling on the plain, but not on California’s plain, leaving area yards brown and crusty.\n\nOne entrepreneur’s solution comes straight from the Pantone color book: painting the lawn grass-green. Amid the record-setting drought, homeowners yearning for the appearance of verdant grass are hiring workers with spray-paint nozzles to dye their turf. For less than $400—not much more than a regular water bill these days—one satisfied customer hailed the instant, albeit temporary, solution. All the green, none of the water.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer, September 10\n\nImage: David Walter Banks for The New York Times\n\nSource: Jennifer Medina, “Seeing Discolored Lawns, California Businesses Apply Dab of Green,” The New York Times, August 31, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"104252","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fouling our own nests?","object":"116881","image":"/images/14-09-10_2013.29.1123_RaptorEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/fouling-our-own-nests/","date":"2014-09-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Fouling our own nests?\n\n\n\nNorth American birdlife could look quite different mid-century thanks to climate change’s impact on habitat. \n\nAccording to a widely publicized study by the National Audubon Society, trumpeter swans and northern hawk owls, among others, could go extinct as soon as 2050, and Baltimore orioles will likely flee Maryland. Populations of Minnesota’s state bird, the loon, are also seen to be at risk over the warming temperatures. The study says about half of the approximately 650 species will be driven to smaller spaces or forced to find new places to live, feed, and breed over the next 65 years. Otherwise, they could go the way of the dodo.\n —Diane Richard, writer, September 10\n\n**\n\nImage: Elaine Thompson/Associated Press\n\nSource: Felicity Barringer, “Climate Change Will Disrupt Half of North America’s Bird Species, Study Says,” The New York Times, August 24, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"116881","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Haggling over haggis land?","object":"320","image":"/images/14-09-10_26.2_ScotEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/haggling-over-haggis-land/","date":"2014-09-10 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Haggling over haggis land?\n\n\n\nThe time for threats and bargaining has begun over the future of the United Kingdom. With Scotland’s independence referendum only days away, it’s anybody’s guess which side will prevail. \n\nA recent poll showed the “Och Ayes” gaining statistical strength. Meanwhile, English political leaders like Prime Minister David Cameron and Gordon Brown, former PM and a Scot to boot, are issuing dire warnings should the Ayes have it. Said Cameron: “So let no one in Scotland be in any doubt: we desperately want you to stay; we do not want this family of nations to be ripped apart.” —Diane Richard, writer, September 10\n\n**\n\nImage: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images\n\nSource: STEPHEN CASTLE and ALAN COWELL, “’There Will Be No Going Back,’ David Cameron Tells Scotland as Independence Vote Nears,” The New York Times, September 10, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"320","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Blast off? China: You bet!","object":"60728","image":"/images/14-09-11_2002.45_SpaceTravEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/blast-off-china-you-bet/","date":"2014-09-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Blast off? China: You bet!\n\n\n\nAs space tourism heats up, the nationality with the serious celestial horsepower today is the Chinese.\n\nSheng Tianxing, a tea trader whose name literally means “sky travel,” took it to heart by buying a $100,000 ticket for a flight to go 64 miles above Earth. A half-century ago, Mao Zedong bemoaned that China could not launch a spud into space. Now, affluent adventurers are signing up in droves for voyages to the cosmos.     —Diane Richard, writer, September 11\n\nImage: Qilai Shen for The New York Times\n\nSource: Cao Li, “Wealthy Chinese Travelers Lining Up to Blast Off,” The New York Times, September 6, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"60728","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Is France blushing?","object":"1655","image":"/images/14-09-12_67.67_ToplessFranceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/is-france-blushing/","date":"2014-09-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Is France blushing?\n\n\n\nParisians were offended when this painting debuted in the 1880s—not by the nudity, they were mostly fine with that (though they objected to the pubic hair). It was the casual way that the model—an ordinary woman no less, not a mythical heroine—was portrayed. \n\nNudity has always been complicated in France. Take the fact that topless sunbathing—a once ubiquitous sign of France’s liberal attitudes—is quickly going extinct. Authorities are cracking down and a new generation of women are covering up. Some say France is simply more conformist now; others suggest the economic downturn has spread conservatism all the way to the beach. Either way, France is blushing once again.\n\n—Tim Gihring\n\nEditor\n\nSeptember 13, 2014\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: The Associated Press, September 9, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1655","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Do dogs care what you say?","object":"99368","image":"/images/14-09-16_2006.33_DogPettingEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/do-dogs-care-what-you-say/","date":"2014-09-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Do dogs care what you say?\n\n\n\nNot really. Sorry, dog whisperers. And why should they? According to a new study, dogs prefer something else over “good dog” or anything else you have to say: petting. And it’s not even close.\n\n“What we say to dogs doesn’t seem to be rewarding to them at all,” said one of the researchers, who had one person praise a dog and another pet it and found that dogs showed far more interest in the people petting them. In fact, the dogs showed no more interest in spoken praise than in having no interaction at all. Maybe it shouldn’t be surprising. Dogs. Don’t. Speak. Human.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nSeptember 16, 2014\n\nSource: Discover Magazine, September 7, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"99368","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Touché?","object":"877","image":"/images/14-09-16_50.46.20_SwordEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/touche%CC%81/","date":"2014-09-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Touché?\n\n\n\nImagine crouching down to wash your hands in a river—not a particularly clean river, kinda soupy with algae—and feeling the tip of a 3,000-year-old bronze sword.\n\nThat’s what happened recently to an 11-year-old boy in China’s Jiangsu Province. He took the sword home, where it piqued local curiosity. “Some people even offered high prices to buy the sword,” his father said. “But I felt it would be illegal to sell the relic.” Archaeologists dated the weapon to either the Shang or Zhou dynasties—the dawn of Chinese civilization—based on its material, size, and shape. And to think, I once sat on an arrowhead in a lake in Wisconsin.   —Diane Richard, writer, September 11\n\n**\n\nImage: unspecified\n\nSource: Amanda Williams, “Chinese boy stumbles across 3,000-year-old bronze sword after he put his hands in a river to wash them,” Daily Mail, September 8, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"877","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Sand pit vs. turkey legs?","object":"14148","image":"/images/14-09-17_23.54_RenFestFracEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/sand-pit-vs-turkey-legs/","date":"2014-09-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Sand pit vs. turkey legs?\n\n\n\nFans of the Renaissance Festival, a Shakopee-based celebration where armored “knights” joust daily and mead leads the drinks menu, are confronting the reality of today’s energy boom: gaping frac sand pits.\n\nAn adjacent silica sand mine, which produces construction aggregates used in hydraulic fracturing, is encroaching on the festival’s turf, rented for over 40 years from the mine’s owner. Fairgoers have longer hikes from the parking lot and gasp-inducing views into the chasm. Now, the festival’s owners and diehard fans are wondering where to take their fantasy world next. \n —Diane Richard, writer, September 17\n\nImage: Jim Gehrz\n\nSource: Emma Nelson, “Mine chips away at Renaissance Festival’s magic,” Star Tribune, September 16, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"14148","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Egypt: Wrong address?","object":"110041","image":"/images/14-09-18_2011.20_CanalEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/egypt-wrong-address/","date":"2014-09-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Egypt: Wrong address?\n\n\n\nThis print by Titian depicts an episode from the Book of Exodus: Moses parting the Red Sea to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. \n\nFive hundred years later, Egypt recently sought to commemorate another dramatic water event: the multibillion-dollar expansion of the Suez Canal. To publicize the event, Egypt reproduced a rendering on a postage stamp. Problem was, the drawing was of the Panama Canal, located in South America, not the Suez Canal in Egypt. Oops. —Diane Richard, writer, September 18\n\nImages: On the left, Egypt’s stamp of the “Suez Canal”; on the right, a photograph of the Panama Canal.\n\nSource: Robert Siegel, “Egypt Stamps Wrong Canal On Its Postage,” NPR, September 15, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"110041","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Are we going medieval?","object":"59168","image":"/images/14-09-16_04.3.60_SwordfightsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/are-we-going-medieval/","date":"2014-09-23 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Are we going medieval?\n\n\n\nYou can blame the “Lord of the Rings” movies for a lot of things: the rise of the fantasy novel, the revival of Renaissance Festivals, the sudden popularity of New Zealand. And now, perhaps, the return of swordfighting.\n\nThis isn’t fencing. This is bearded guys in armor wielding steel longswords over their heads. There are websites where they parse ancient swordfighting manuals and heatedly compare the German and Italian techniques. And there are tournaments—thankfully with unsharpened blades and blunted tips. “It’s a kind of prep school meets biker gang vibe,” says one longsword aficionado. Nothing unites, it seems, like being chopped with an anachronous slab of steel.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nSeptember 19, 2014\n\nSource: New York Times, September 15, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"59168","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A New China Syndrome?","object":"3161","image":"/images/14-09-24_83.147_ParisSynEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/a-new-china-syndrome/","date":"2014-09-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A New China Syndrome?\n\n\n\nYou know how the pleasures of planning a trip are sometimes greater than the actual taking of it? Like, discovering this Grand Salon carpeted in, say, shag?\n\nThat phenomenon has a name: Paris Syndrome. It was coined for Japanese tourists who arrived in Paris expecting a fantasy of Chanel suits, Champagne corks, and refined manners, only to discover seas of other tourists, surly Parisians, and so many sidewalk droppings. Now, it’s now Chinese tourists who are afflicted with the syndrome. Newly moneyed and eager to see the sights of the City of Lights, they’re finding themselves marks for pickpockets and haunted by broken dreams. —Diane Richard, writer, September 24\n\n**\n\nImage: Marlene Awaad for The New York Times\n\nSource: Dan Bilefsky, “Chinese Tourists Find a Movable Feast Best Left Behind,” The New York Times, September 20, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"3161","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Eat, Drink & Be Eighty?","object":"30782","image":"/images/14-09-24_68.79_SmokerEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/eat-drink-be-eighty/","date":"2014-09-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Eat, Drink & Be Eighty?\n\n\n\nSinger/songwriter Leonard Cohen, pictured here, is ready to re-embrace the pleasures of youth: smoking.\n\nAt his 80th birthday, he declared it was time to start smoking again. His announcement inflamed a modern debate: At what age do you embrace your mortality and the pleasures that might speed you to its end?\n\nGroups like the American Cancer Society are now sighing a collective groan. Illness caused by smoking and secondhand smoke—cancer and asthma, to name two—continues to plague America’s health system. Despite it, our over-80 population is only growing.\n —Diane Richard, writer, September 24\n Image: Alfred Steffen/Corbis Outline\n\nSource: Jason Karlawish, “Too Young to Die, Too Old to Worry,” New York Times, September 20, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"30782","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fashion: fall forward?","object":"9830","image":"/images/14-09-24_P.17,468_FashionEDIT-3.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/09/fashion-fall-forward/","date":"2014-09-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Fashion: fall forward?\n\n\n\nFall’s runway displays of 2016 spring fashions started in New York, went to London and Milan, and is now in Paris. Yes, it mostly features women’s fashions. \n\nBut let’s hear it for the boys, whose sartorial expressions would not be far out of place in this gallery.\n\n—Diane Richard, writer, September 24\n Images, clockwise from left: Duckie Brown show, Credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images;\n Tim Coppens. Credit: Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times; Lacoste. Credit: Erin Baiano for The New York Times\n\nSource: Guy Trebay, “Keeping Things Casual,” The New York Times, September 10, 2014\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"9830","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"By the light of the phone?","object":"1341","image":"/images/14-10-1_57.45_PhoneProtestsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/by-the-light-of-the-phone/","date":"2014-10-01 00:00:00 -0500","content":"By the light of the phone?\n\n\n\nIt’s been called the Umbrella Revolution. But another notable image from the Hong Kong protests involves more recent technology: the use of cell phones as glowing stand-ins for candles or torches, held aloft during vigils.\n\nIf the phones don’t have quite the visceral impact of flaming torches—“Bring your pitchforks and iPhones, everyone!”—they do underscore the modernity of Hong Kong and its argument for more progressive government.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nOctober 1, 2014\n\nSource: Getty Images, October 1, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1341","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Selfie madness in Mecca?","object":"1510","image":"/images/14-10-1_62.85_HajjEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/selfie-madness-in-mecca/","date":"2014-10-01 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Selfie madness in Mecca?\n\n\n\nIt’s this season of the haj, the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage for Muslims to Saudi Arabia’s holiest sites. And today’s global smartphone snap-and-share culture may be running foul of Islam’s tenets. \n\nThe urge by some pilgrims to document and share their every move via social media has many Islamic theologians fuming. Exclusive to Muslims, the two main mosques are not to be served up on Instagram like so many plates of pasta, they contend. Further, they believe such behavior undermines the humility and tranquility required to perform solemn acts of piety.\n\n    —Diane Richard, writer, October 1\n Image: unidentified selfie\n\nSource: Afifa Jabeen Quraishi, “Say no to Haj selfie!,” Arab News, September 30, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1510","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Celebrity exposé?","object":"1727","image":"/images/14-10-9_69.22_CelebEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/celebrity-expose%CC%81/","date":"2014-10-09 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Celebrity exposé?\n\n\n\nFor celebrities like Mlle. Lange and, more recently, Jennifer Lawrence, the difference between public and private is growing ever thinner.\n\nBeautiful, talented, and willing to bare it all for their art, such actors have always captured the public’s eye. But in this month’s Vanity Fair, Lawrence asserted that the hijacking of cellphone photographs she took of herself in the buff were not for the consumption of admiring fans, but solely for her intended recipient. Indeed, she called the photos’ theft and subsequent release a “sex crime.”\n\n    —Diane Richard, writer, October 9\n Image: PATRICK DEMARCHELIER. STYLED BY JESSICA DIEHL.\n\nSource: “Cover Exclusive: Jennifer Lawrence Calls Photo Hacking a ‘Sex Crime,’ Vanity Fair, October, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1727","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Bright idea?","object":"","image":"/images/14-10-15_Lobby_LED_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/bright-idea/","date":"2014-10-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Bright idea?\n\n\n\nWant to see the soft glow of genius? Easy. Look up.\n\nLast week, three physicists won the Nobel Prize for lighting a way to a better world. Specifically, they fine-tuned the creation of energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lighting, which has illuminated the museum’s galleries for the last couple of years. Working separately and together, they found a way to produce blue light beams. This discovery augmented the work of other physicists who had produced red and green diodes, allowing for the creation of balanced white light. Which is why art looks so good under its glow.\n\n    —Diane Richard, writer, October 14\n Image: Jonathan Nackstrand/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. \n\nSource: Dennis Overbye, “American and 2 Japanese Physicists Share Nobel for Work on LED Lights,” The New York Times, October 7, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A glossy for jihadists?","object":"1748","image":"/images/14-10-16_69.80.1a,b_ISMagEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/a-glossy-for-jihadists/","date":"2014-10-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A glossy for jihadists?\n\n\n\nThe Islamic State, currently terrorizing Iraq and Syria, may appear to Westerners like a band of pirates playing at war in the lawless desert. Not, in other words, like a group that would put out a glossy English-language magazine. But Dabiqlooks like a perverse Smithsonian, with coverlines like “The Revival of Slavery” and “Reflections on the Final Crusade.”\n\nIt’s intended to recruit Europeans and Americans. The latest cover features a Photoshopped image of an IS flag atop the Egyptian obelisk in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square—suggesting payback for Christianity’s anti-Muslim crusades that ended more than 600 years ago.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nOctober 16, 2014\n\nSource: International Business Times, October 13, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1748","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Google riding high?","object":"95595","image":"/images/14-10-15_2004.205.1.1_CamelEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/google-riding-high/","date":"2014-10-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Google riding high?\n\n\n\nBy now we’ve all seen Google’s Street View camera, slowly documenting the curb appeal of city and towns around the globe.\n\nIn places without curbs, however, the mega-tech company has improvised. Like, say, using a 10-year-old camel named Raffia. In Google’s first use of animals since starting the project in 2007, Raffia and a handler walked the Liwa Oasis, a supposed tourist spot in the south west of Abu Dhabi emirate. The camera-bedecked camel captured 360-degree views of the desert terrain.\n     —Diane Richard, writer, October 15\n\nImage: Courtesy Google\n\nSource: Lindsay Carroll, “Google offers a camel’s eye view of Liwa Oasis,” The National UAE, October 8, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"95595","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Grotesque gourds?","object":"703","image":"/images/14-10-15_44.41.8_PumpkinEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/grotesque-gourds/","date":"2014-10-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Grotesque gourds?\n\n\n\nIn a way, artists are like Dr. Frankenstein, creating their unique vision out of so many assorted parts.\n\nTony Dighera, a California farmer, has taken his creations one step further: molded melons. He first experimented with growing a square watermelon, popular in Asia for its ability to stack. Now, he has perfected the “pumpkinstein,” a gourd grown in a plastic mold shaped with the face of the Frankenstein monster. These jocular jack-o-lanterns come with a collector’s price tag: about $100 a piece.\n     —Diane Richard, writer, October 15\n\nImage: Monica Almeida/The New York Times\n\nSource: Jennifer Medina, “It’s Alive! And It Grows Into a Jack-o’-Lantern,” The New York Times, October 12, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"703","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Trespassing tiger?","object":"107115","image":"/images/14-10-15_2009.7_TigerEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/trespassing-tiger/","date":"2014-10-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Trespassing tiger?\n\n\n\nThis is the story of a rescued-and-released cat that followed its instincts into trouble with a capital T.\n\nThe Siberian tiger, Kuzya, was released into the wild by none other than Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president. Last week, the radio-tracked cat crossed the Amur River into China. Which is where things get complicated. Chinese poachers are notorious for following their own instincts—profit. By killing tigers for purported medicinal uses, they’ve left fewer than two-dozen tigers in the wild today. In Russia, the tiger recovery effort has been one of Putin’s pet projects. You can be sure he’s taking a personal interest in Kuzya’s welfare abroad.\n     —Diane Richard, writer, October 15\n\nImage: International Fund for Animal Welfare\n\nSource: Andrew Jacobs, “’Putin’s Tiger,’ in a Territory Grab All His Own, Swims to China,” The New York Times, October 10, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"107115","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Why are the “sea monsters” surfacing?","object":"111088","image":"/images/14-10-16_2010.72_DeadWhaleEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/why-are-the-sea-monsters-surfacing/","date":"2014-10-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Why are the “sea monsters” surfacing?\n\n\n\nLast year, two of the most curious creatures in the world washed up on California beaches a few days apart. They were oarfish, likely the source of the old sea serpent myths. Now, another deep-sea creature has turned up far from home: a rare beaked whale.\n\nScientists describing the find have resorted to double modifiers to convey how unusual this “very cryptic species” is: “very, very seldom seen,” “they disappear very, very quickly,” “for a very, very long time not much has been known about them.” So, very, very good for researchers, but likely very, very bad for the animals.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nOctober 16, 2014\n\nSource: ABC News, October 14, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"111088","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fancy a Tatra? Impala 4 U","object":"98653","image":"/images/14-10-16_2005.138_ImpalaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/10/fancy-a-tatra-impala-4-u/","date":"2014-10-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Fancy a Tatra? Impala 4 U\n\n\n\nA moment of excitement once accompanied trips to the rental car lot, where your gleaming mystery vehicle awaited. Today, it’s more like, “White or silver Impala?”\n\nYes, you might prefer a Tatra for gadding about town. Instead, rental car companies registered nearly 90,000 new Impalas during 2013, making it North America’s top-selling rental car for two years running. There’s nothing wrong with a sturdy, American-made Impala. It’s like Jif on Saltines. But, still. \n\n    —Diane Richard, writer, October 15\n    \n\nImage: Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times \n\nSource: Josh Barro, “You Can Rent Whatever You Want, as Long as It’s an Impala,” The New York Times, October 13, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"98653","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Are you pointing at me?","object":"1401","image":"/images/14-11-12_61.30_PointergateEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/11/are-you-pointing-at-me/","date":"2014-11-11 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Are you pointing at me?\n\n\n\nMinneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, community activist Navell Gordon, and local organization Neighborhoods Organizing for Change have been the subject of controversy over some simple finger-pointing. \n\nLocal news station KSTP, backed by several law enforcement agencies, claimed they were flashing a gang symbol. However, since time immemorial, we’ve used our index fingers to simply point. Hodges and Gordon, much like this scene in Shepherd Boy Pointing at Tobias and the Angel, were using their fingers for good—and emphasis.\n\n—Roma Rowland, Administrative Assistant, Asian Art and Japanese & Korean Art, November 11\n\nPhoto credit: Screengrab from Neighborhoods Organizing for Change video\n\nNews source: LIBOR JANY and ERIC ROPER, “#pointergate reveals deeper City Hall rift between city, police union,“ Star Tribune, November 11, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1401","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Four sisters, 40 years?","object":"108785","image":"/images/14-11-12_2009.66_SistersEDIT-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/11/four-sisters-40-years/","date":"2014-11-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Four sisters, 40 years?\n\n\n\nSome artists fall in love with their subjects. In Nicholas Nixon’s case, make that plural. While visiting his wife’s family in 1975, he took a portrait of Bebe with her three sisters “on a whim.” \n\nThe image became the seed of a series—recently compiled in a book—that has lasted 40 years, with Nixon taking one sister portrait a year. We think we know them, but, really, beyond their names (from left, Heather, Mimi, Bebe, and Laurie), who are these women who have aged, as have we all, so compellingly over the years?            —Diane Richard, writer, November 11\n\n**\n\n     \n\nImage: Nicholas Nixon \n\nSource: Susan Minot, “Forty Portraits in Forty Years,” The New York Times, October 3, 2014\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"108785","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Where reality wins out?","object":"1819","image":"/images/14-11-12_70.62_BuckarooEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/11/where-reality-wins-out/","date":"2014-11-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Where reality wins out?\n\n\n\nThe term “screentime” describes one more thing that’s ruining American childhoods, much like “junkfood” and “helicopter parenting.” But one place where reality beats the virtual any day is youth rodeo, a sport popular with riders equipped with ranges in their backyards.\n\nWestern states like Utah and Wyoming start ’em small; kids as young as 5 begin as mutton-busters, then age their way up to wrangle steers. Faced with a choice of playing video games or updating his Facebook status, one 6-year-old rider said, “I don’t want to sit on my lazy butt” as he adjusted his (required) Kevlar vest, helmet, and, of course, cowboy boots. —Diane Richard, writer, November 11\n\n   \n\nImage: Kim Raff for The New York Times\n\nSource: JULIE TURKEWITZ, “Where Riding and Wrangling Beat Virtual Adventures,” The New York Times, November 3, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1819","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Are you a magical thinker?","object":"1854","image":"/images/14-11-14_71.3_MagicalThinkingEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/11/are-you-a-magical-thinker/","date":"2014-11-14 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Are you a magical thinker?\n\n\n\nWe adults like to think we’re rational. We don’t believe in fairies (most of us). We don’t think we’re Peter Pan (most of us). And yet we’re very prone to magical thinking (all of us).\n\nResearchers recently asked college students to throw darts at several images, including one of a baby. Guess which image they missed the most? Yep, even though we rationally realize that no actual baby would be hurt by a dart through the eyes of a printed image, we can’t bring ourselves to tempt fate. But it’s not a bad thing. Nailing our troubles into a power figure like this one, for instance, let’s us put them to rest—mind over matter.\n\n  —Tim Gihring, editor\n\nNovember 14, 2014\n\nSource: New York Times, October 27, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1854","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"An eye for turbulence?","object":"1218","image":"/images/14-11-22_51.7_VanGoghTurbulenceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/11/an-eye-for-turbulence/","date":"2014-11-22 00:00:00 -0600","content":"An eye for turbulence?\n\n\n\nVincent Van Gogh knew something about turbulence, the chaos of his mind at certain times in his life. Did this help him understand the nature of turbulence in the atmosphere? Scientists recently discovered that the turbulence in our starry skies consists of large and small eddies of air—swirls not unlike those in Van Gogh’s Starry Night and other paintings.\n\nWhile many artists in Van Gogh’s day were presenting luminence in their Impressionist works, Van Gogh was mastering turbulence, two sides of the same coin. This would suggest that he wasn’t crazy but misunderstood. Thank goodness he was allowed to paint, and his paintings preserved until now, when we can begin to understand them. \n\n—Tammy Ray, Security\n\nNovember 22, 2014\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: Upworthy.com, November 15, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1218","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Can we think better, when we think about nothing?","object":"30781","image":"/images/14-11-22_98.211_MeditationEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/11/can-we-think-better-when-we-think-about-nothing/","date":"2014-11-22 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Can we think better, when we think about nothing?\n\n\n\nIn Mumbai, India, 6,000 people filled a stadium to watch a man do nothing. The young monk sat still on a stage from daybreak until mid-afternoon as people came up and offered him some random word, phrase, or number—500 in all. Then, six hours later, he repeated everything he’d been told, from memory, in order.\n\nThe event was a showcase for the powers of meditation, as practiced by the man and his fellow Jain monks. With meditation, they say, comes brainpower—including total recall. By clearing the mind, the pathways connecting bits of information are intensified. That’s the theory anyway. And in a country where rote memorization means academic success, that’s worth thinking about.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nNovember 22, 2014\n\nSource: New York Times, November 17, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"30781","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Tippling with T-Rex?","object":"5813","image":"/images/14-12-04_50.46.20_AlcoholEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/tippling-with-t-rex/","date":"2014-12-04 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Tippling with T-Rex?\n\n\n\nThis bronze wine vessel, dating back nearly 4,000 years, is proof of humanity’s long love affair with the fruit of the vine. Turns out, happy hour started well before that.\n\nA new study finds that our longer-limbed ancestors evolved the ability to metabolize alcohol as far back as 10 million years. Earlier research had dated the first wine-induced headache to some 9,000 years ago, when intrepid humans first quaffed a cup of fermented fruit. So, if you’re inclined this season, raise a glass to our gorilla cousins who developed the gut digestive enzyme ADH4 that many of us now enjoy.\n   —Diane Richard, writer, December 4\n\n**\n\n     \n\nImage: Martin Divisek / Bloomberg\n\nSource: Melissa Healy, “Human ancestors developed a taste for alcohol 10 million years ago,” Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"5813","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"All hail education?","object":"12057","image":"/images/14-12-11_99.144_CabbieEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/all-hail-education/","date":"2014-12-11 00:00:00 -0600","content":"All hail education?\n\n\n\nThis handkerchief shows that certain students will always look for academic shortcuts, even cheating.\n\nNot drivers of London’s black taxi fleet. These legendary cabbies invest years in learning routes and sites by studying maps, driving routes, mnemonic devices, and visual cues. Their training, called The Knowledge, is rigorous and rewarding. Scholarship has shown that the posterior hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with memory, is bigger in London taxi drivers than in most people. Now, their training is under threat by 21st-century tech: Uber and GPS.     —Diane Richard, writer, Dec. 11\n\n**\n\nImages: Clockwise from top left: E.F. Corcoran/Topical Press Agency, via Getty Images; Malcolm/Getty Images; Ben Stansall/Agence France-Presse – Getty Images\n\nSource: Jody Rosen, “The Knowledge, London’s Legendary Taxi-Driver Test, Puts Up a Fight in the Age of GPS,” New York Times, November 10, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"12057","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Is jade the new blood diamond?","object":"11978","image":"/images/14-12-12_34.21.1_JadeMiningEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/is-jade-the-new-blood-diamond/","date":"2014-12-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Is jade the new blood diamond?\n\n\n\nJade has long been a prized stone for Chinese sculpture. But as China’s middle class grows, demand has never been higher. And it’s fueling illicit and dangerous mining in the jungles of neighboring Myanmar.\n\nBillions of dollars worth of the gem are being smuggled into China, but the Myanmar miners see little of the reward. Many are hooked on heroin and toil in tiny pits gouged out of the earth—concerns that seem to matter little to Myanmar military leaders who aid the smuggling and Chinese bosses who can count on the impoverished conditions in northern Myanmar to fuel a steady stream of miners dreaming of jade. \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nDecember 13, 2014\n\nSource: New York Times, December 2, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"11978","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Were the Tudors legit?","object":"14157","image":"/images/14-12-12_23.67_TudorsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/were-the-tudors-legit/","date":"2014-12-12 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Were the Tudors legit?\n\n\n\nRichard III, or what remains of him, was dug up in a parking lot in Leicester, England, in 2012. He had reigned as king in the 1400s until his rival relative, Henry Tudor, defeated him and began the long line of Tudor monarchs.\n\nBut a recent examination of his DNA suggests—surprise—infidelity somewhere along the line (female infidelity, to be specific). And since both Richard and Henry were descended from the same king, it’s possible that the Tudors had branched off from the royal line. Not that royals always played by the bloodline rules: Henry claimed the throne “by right of conquest,” not blood, one expert noted. And perhaps now we know why. \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nDecember 13, 2014\n\nSource: BBC News, December 2, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"14157","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Let ’em drink champagne?","object":"31377","image":"/images/14-12-17_99.192.1a-c_LordsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/let-em-drink-champagne/","date":"2014-12-17 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Let ’em drink champagne?\n\n\n\nThis is a wine cooler, but it’s not hard to imagine a bottle of Veuve Clicquot chilling comfortably here. At least, so some House of Lords peers might imagine.\n\nA recent ruckus arose when, to save expenses in straitened economic times, a plan was proposed to choose a single bubbly brand to serve at both U.K. legislative chambers. Egads, several peers said, balking at the House of Commons brand. Turns out British taxpayers subsidize the House of Lords’ Champagne consumption to the tune of roughly five bottles for each of its 791 peers a year. Then, a member of the Lords’ Refreshment Committee—which handles the Champagne contract—offered this handy tip to Britain’s struggling masses: Eat porridge instead of sugary cereal.        —Diane Richard, writer, Dec. 17\n\nImage: Peers of the House of Lords, Oli Scarff/PA Archive\n\nSource: Katrin Bennhold, “Save a Few Pennies on Champagne? Lawmakers in Britain’s House of Lords Are Aghast,” New York Times, December 16, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"31377","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Stop and smell the roses?","object":"8775","image":"/images/14-12-17_83.7_FlowerEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/stop-and-smell-the-roses/","date":"2014-12-17 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Stop and smell the roses?\n\n\n\nThe auction house outside of Amsterdam that delivers fresh-cut flowers to the world seems to be wilting.\n\nToday, more than half of the world’s cut flowers are bought and sold at the auction here, the hub of the global flower trade since the early 20th century. Traditionally, buyers flock to the auction at dawn, bid on tulips, roses, ranunculus, and more, then arrange to have their stems shipped via Schiphol airport to the Lunds near you. But today, anyone with wi-fi and a buyer’s license can bid online without actually having to come inspect the blooms.         —Diane Richard, writer, Dec. 17\n\n**\n\nImage: Photo by Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times\n\nSource: Christopher F. Schuetze, “Dutch Flower Auction, Long Industry’s Heart, Is Facing Competition,” New York Times, December 16, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"8775","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Keep Beijing ‘weird’?","object":"60965","image":"/images/14-12-23_98.67.2.1-8_ChinaArchEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/keep-beijing-weird/","date":"2014-12-23 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Keep Beijing ‘weird’?\n\n\n\nAfter three decades of being the “it” city for the world’s most daring architects, and shunting Communist uniformity to the wind, Beijing’s boom of incredibly imaginative architecture could be coming to a close. \n\nA recent edict by President Xi Jinping called a halt to “weird architecture.” Now, city planners, builders, and architects are scrambling to figure out what that means. One building wearing the “weird” stigma, now under construction, emulates the mountains in a classical Chinese landscape painting.  —Diane Richard, writer, Dec. 23\n\nImage: An artist’s rendition of the Chaoyang Park Plaza development, left, which developers have warned may be the last oddly shaped buildings constructed in Beijing for some time. Credit Courtesy of MAD Architects\n\nSource: Cao Li, “Under Xi, China’s Wave of ‘Weird Architecture’ May Have Peaked,” New York Times, December 19, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"60965","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"‘Manspreading’ no more?","object":"10433","image":"/images/14-12-23_66.20_ManspreadEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/manspreading-no-more/","date":"2014-12-23 00:00:00 -0600","content":"‘Manspreading’ no more?\n\n\n\nThis fellow, with his well-contained limbs, could be a poster child for today’s Metropolitan Transit Authority. \n\nThat’s because New York City transit officials are now targeting a nuisance, called manspreading, by which certain riders spread their knees beyond the borders of their seats, causing others to scrunch or stand. A new public service campaign is spreading the word to curb manspread (though women, of course, have also been guilty). The new ads come as the subways are surging with more riders than at any time in recent history.  \n\n—Diane Richard, writer, Dec. 23\n\n**\n\nImage: Photo by: Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times\n\nSource: Emma G. Fitzsimmons, “‘Manspreading’ on New York Subways Is Target of New M.T.A. Campaign,” The New York Times, December 20, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"10433","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Going it alone in Japan?","object":"263","image":"/images/14-12-31_23.42_BrideEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/going-it-alone-in-japan/","date":"2014-12-31 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Going it alone in Japan?\n\n\n\nThis bride looks exhausted after her big day, awaiting her groom for the honeymoon. In Japan, she could enjoy a quiet wedding night all by herself. \n\nToday’s quirky trend from Japan is self-marriage. That’s right: women who marry themselves instead of waiting for Mr. (or Mrs.) Right. No compromising. No worries about getting jilted at the altar. And no in-laws. A travel agency invented the concept, and so far 30 “solo brides” have bit. Interestingly, half of those were already married, but didn’t have the wedding of their dreams.   —Diane Richard, writer, December 31\n\n**\n\nImage: AFP\n\nSource: “Japan: ‘Solo weddings’ for single women,” BBC, December 22, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"263","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Seeing spots in Iran?","object":"1987","image":"/images/14-12-31_50.46.425_LeopardEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2014/12/seeing-spots-in-iran/","date":"2014-12-31 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Seeing spots in Iran?\n\n\n\nAt the center of this ancient bowl is a leopard. Or a gazelle with spots. But let’s say it’s a Persian leopard.\n\nOne of the big cats’ habitats is the mountainous border between Iran and Iraq—a place where, thanks to years of conflict and thousands of land mines, few would fear to tread. Thankfully, that war zone has kept poachers and other predators away, resulting in a healthy population—500 to 800—of the otherwise endangered feline. The leopards tend to be too fleet of foot to trigger the mines, though other hazards—increased traffic from oil exploration, for one—persist.—Diane Richard, writer, Dec. 31\n\n**\n\nImage: Frans Lanting, National Geographic\n\nSource: Peter Schwartzstein, “For Leopards in Iran and Iraq, Land Mines Are a Surprising Refuge,” National Geographic, December 19, 2014\n\n\n","objectId":"1987","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A village changes its tune?","object":"66970","image":"/images/15-1-6_P.75.51.164_FalconEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/01/a-village-changes-its-tune/","date":"2015-01-06 00:00:00 -0600","content":"A village changes its tune?\n\n\n\nA small, impoverished village in northeast India has reversed its practices—from predator to protector—concerning the migrating falcons that once sustained it.\n\nThe villagers had long relied on the Amur falcon hunt for both food and income. Just two years ago, residents slaughtered hundreds of thousands of the raptors. But a conservationist’s video depicting the hunt brought international condemnation—and an eye-opening education on the value of eco-tourism to the region. As a result, last migration season, millions of the falcons soared without harm through India on their way from Russia to southern Africa.     —Diane Richard, writer, January 6\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Ramki Sreenivasan/Conservation India\n\nSource: Gardiner Harris, “Falcon Hunters Become Fervent Preservationists,” The New York Times, January 4, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"66970","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A lover, not a fighter?","object":"84073","image":"/images/15-2-18_2003.242.1.1_SoftSoldierEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/02/a-lover-not-a-fighter/","date":"2015-02-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"A lover, not a fighter?\n\n\n\nTurns out China’s one-child policy, enacted in 1980, has resulted in soldiers without much grit.\n\nApt to cry, text their girlfriends, and drop out, the conscripts are not warrior material, says a recent report by the RAND Corporation. “After 30 years of the one-child policy, kids come into the army who are used to being coddled and the apple of their parents’ eyes,” the report says. About 70 percent of People’s Liberation Army soldiers come from one-child families, and among combat troops, about 80 percent have been raised as only children.\n   —Diane Richard, writer, February 18\n\n**\n\nImage: Reuters\n\nSource: Jane Perlez, “Soft Recruits Hinder China’s Military Modernization,” The New York Times, February 17, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"84073","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Is it hot, or is it just me?","object":"54","image":"/images/15-2-18_14.8_HotFlashEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/02/is-it-hot-or-is-it-just-me/","date":"2015-02-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Is it hot, or is it just me?\n\n\n\nHot flashes are nature’s way of telling half the population that it’s time for a new phase of life.\n\nTurns out, nature takes her sweet time getting the world out to some women. Results from the largest, most diverse study of middle-aged women reveal that some face 7–14 years of hot flashes and night sweats as their hormones drop into lower gear. Over all, black and Hispanic women experienced hot flashes for significantly longer periods than white or Asian women. And in a cruel twist, those who suffer hot flashes earlier in life tend to have them longer as well—extending the lifespan of many desk fans.       —Diane Richard, writer, February 18\n\n**\n\nImage: Karen Tam for The New York Times\n\nSource: Pam Belluck, “Up to 14 Years of Hot Flashes Found in Menopause Study,” The New York Times, February 16, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"54","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Not a dry eye?","object":"546","image":"/images/15-2-25_35.5.82_EyelashEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/02/not-a-dry-eye/","date":"2015-02-23 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Not a dry eye?\n\n\n\nWhy are some eyelashes seductively long, while others are short and workmanlike? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.\n\nAccording to a recent study of numerous mammals conducted by Georgia Institute of Technology, the length of eyelashes are always about one-third as long as the eye is wide. Turns out that’s the ideal length for diverting airflow around the eye and reducing evaporation, keeping the eyeball moist. An engineering marvel with aesthetic benefits.\n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, February 25\n\nImage: David Hu and Guillermo J. Amador/Georgia Tech\n\nSource: James Gorman, “Length of Lashes Keeps Eyes From Drying, Study Finds,” The New York Times, February 24, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"546","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The monk in the statue","object":"1473","image":"/images/15-03-04_62.14_MummyMonkEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/the-monk-in-the-statue/","date":"2015-03-04 00:00:00 -0600","content":"The monk in the statue\n\n\n\nAs far as we know, there is no one inside this sculpture. But perhaps we should check: an ancient Buddha statue was recently scanned in the Netherlands and was found to contain a mummified monk. The mummy is sitting in the lotus position, on a roll of cloth inscribed with Chinese characters spelling his name: Liuquan, meaning Six Perfections—a reference to the six perfect virtues that someone seeking buddhahood needed to practice. \n\nBut this monk might have gone a step further, to self-mummification, eating nothing but nuts and seeds, bark and roots, and finally a poisonous tea. He would have spent his last days as a kind of living skeleton, sealed inside a stone tomb barely bigger than his body, breathing through a tube. He would have run a bell every day that he was alive, and when he rang no more the tube was removed and he was sealed up.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nMarch 4, 2015\n\n**\n\nSource: Discovery News, February 23, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1473","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"USA Happy Baby?","object":"116079","image":"/images/15-3-5_2013.37.2_babytourismEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/usa-happy-baby/","date":"2015-03-05 00:00:00 -0600","content":"USA Happy Baby?\n\n\n\nThe desire to give a child a leg up in the world is universal. That drive is now spurring what’s known as “birth tourism” by parents who visit the United States in time to deliver their babies.\n\nRecently, federal agents stormed 37 locations in Southern California, gathering evidence about what they say are three illegal “birth tourism” businesses catering to wealthy Chinese women. Such travel agencies, named things like Star Baby and USA Happy Baby, are believed to provide counsel to would-be clients, such as to wear loose-fitting garments in transit, along with housing and prenatal care. The moms-to-be spend as much as $60,000 in hopes of securing American citizenship for their newborns.\n —Diane Richard, writer, March 5\n\n**\n\nImage: Jae C. Hong/Associated Press\n\nSource: Tamar Lewin, “California Apartments Raided in Federal Investigation of Chinese\n ‘Birth Tourism’,” The New York Times, March 3, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"116079","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Whose hidey hole?","object":"119650","image":"/images/15-3-5_HERMIT_mancaveEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/whose-hidey-hole/","date":"2015-03-05 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Whose hidey hole?\n\n\n\nThe recent discovery of an underground bunker in Toronto caused much speculation and not a little fear. Was it a tunnel for terrorists planning to attack a nearby university’s tennis stadium, site of the Pan Am Games? A pit for nefarious activities? A spot for teens to neck in?\n\nTurns out, no. The two men who claimed the well-built, well-provisioned, moisture-resistant cave said that’s just what it was: a “man cave” in which to hang out. “It is simply two guys who just wanted to dig a cave,” said a Toronto police spokesman. The men apologized; no charges were filed. \n\n  —Diane Richard, writer, March 5\n\n**\n\nImage: CBC News\n\nSource: “Toronto Tunnel Dug by Two Men as ‘Man Cave,’ Police Say,” CBC News, March 2, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"119650","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A war on cultural heritage?","object":"611","image":"/images/14-03-11_49.1_ISISNimrudEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/a-war-on-cultural-heritage/","date":"2015-03-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A war on cultural heritage?\n\n\n\nThe Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has become notorious for slaughtering ethnic groups it despises in a horrific bid to culturally cleanse its territories. Now it has begun destroying antiquities and entire ancient cities, erasing the multicultural history of the Middle East.\n\nIn Iraq, ISIS recently smashed Mesopotamian treasures at the Mosul Museum, burned rare books and manuscripts in the Mosul Library, and bulldozed UNESCO World Heritage sites at Hatra and Nimrud, which were ancient Assyrian cities. This panel once decorated the imperial palace in Nimrud, and similar designs are now lost forever. \n\nThe militants claim they’re honoring Koranic reproaches against idolatry, yet the facts don’t back this up: ISIS has sold other antiquities to fund itself, and ancient Assyrian monuments were respected by Muslim leaders for centuries. The reality appears to be a twisted interpretation of religious dogma used to justify intimidation and control.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nMarch 11, 2015\n\n**\n\nSource: Associated Press, February 26, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"611","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Casting a shadow?","object":"1727","image":"/images/15-3-11_69.22_ClintonEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/casting-a-shadow/","date":"2015-03-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Casting a shadow?\n\n\n\nIf we know anything from looking at this painting, Mlle Lange as Danae, it’s that artists often get the last word.\n\nNelson Shanks, whose painting of President Bill Clinton now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, included all the trappings of presidential power: vases, andirons, a mantelpiece flanked by ionic columns. But the shadow over the fern, cast by a blue dress Shanks hung on a mannequin, alludes to presidential misbehavior. “Let’s face it, that’s a metaphor,” Shanks said. “”There’s a major shadow across [Clinton’s] presidency.”—Diane Richard, writer, March 11\n\n**\n\nImage: Nelson Shanks/National Portrait Gallery/AP\n\nSource: Michael Miller, “Bill Clinton Portrait Contains Hidden Monica Lewinsky Allusion, Artist Nelson Shanks Reveals,” People, March 2, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1727","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Come again?","object":"4457","image":"/images/15-3-11_92.44_DalaiLamaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/come-again/","date":"2015-03-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Come again?\n\n\n\nA Tibetan mandala represents many things, including the impermanence of life. On that, and only that, China and Tibet agree: we die. What happens next, though, is now in hot dispute.\n\nThe government of China, which claims dominion over Tibet, vows to pick the reincarnated spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism—the Dalai Lama—after this one dies. However, the current Dalai Lama, 80, has stated he might opt not to be reincarnated, to prevent his replacement from becoming a stooge of China’s atheistic Communist government. Party officials say the Dalai Lama is being “frivolous” with his words. The Dalai Lama shot back: “There is no guarantee that some stupid Dalai Lama won’t come next, who will disgrace himself or herself… So, much better that a centuries-old tradition should cease.”             —Diane Richard, writer, March 11\n\nImage: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters\n Source: Chris Buckley, “China’s Tensions With Dalai Lama Spill Into the Afterlife,” The New York Times, March 11, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"4457","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How low can you go?","object":"5623","image":"/images/15-3-18_98.19_HorseEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/how-low-can-you-go/","date":"2015-03-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"How low can you go?\n\n\n\nWas Mr. Ed a Mr. Right? Turns out stallions with the deepest whinnies—think Barry White—win more mates.\n\nResearchers at the University of Rennes 1 in France have shown that, when given the choice, mares choose stallions with deeper voices—a characteristic associated with size and fertility. Looking for reproductive advantage, the mares use their ears to find the toughest, calmest, most fertile males—the ones with the potential to be good sires and protective mates. The same holds true for other mammals, including humans, though only up to a point. Research shows that too much masculinity might be good for a fling, but not for building a family.       —Diane Richard, writer, March 18\n\n**\n\nImage: Ivan Dupont/Getty)\n Source: Mia Rozenbaum, “Barry Whites of horse world get all the mares,” New Scientist, March 12, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"5623","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Should ultra-thin models be illegal?","object":"320","image":"/images/15-3-18_26.2_ThinModelsEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/should-ultra-thin-models-be-illegal/","date":"2015-03-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Should ultra-thin models be illegal?\n\n\n\nRubens was famous for painting pleasantly plump figures, an exaggerated fleshiness now known as Rubenesque. But recent standards of beauty have tended toward the opposite: ultra-thin, potentially anorexic fashion models. \n\nFrance, the style-conscious heart of the couture industry, is now expected to follow the lead of Italy, Spain, and Israel in banning models from catwalks and advertising who fall below a BMI (body mass index) of 18, or about 121 pounds for someone 5 feet 7 inches. If they fail regular weight checks, their agents could be fined or jailed. This would put just about every current supermodel, from Adriana Lima to Candice Swanepoel, out of business—at least in four countries.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nMarch 18, 2015\n\nSource: The Guardian, March 17, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"320","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"So sacred, it’s criminal?","object":"33050","image":"/images/15-3-18_2001.30_BuddhaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/so-sacred-it-s-criminal/","date":"2015-03-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"So sacred, it’s criminal?\n\n\n\nDepictions of religious figures are apt to garner scrutiny. Rudy Guiliani’s condemnation of Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary comes to mind, as do Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons personifying the Prophet Mohammed.\n\nIn Myanmar, a depiction of the Buddha wearing headphones condemned a nightclub manager from New Zealand and two Burmese associates to two years in prison. The court said the image denigrated Buddhism and violated Myanmar’s religion act, which prohibits insulting, damaging or destroying religion. To which a Human Rights Watch official responded, “This is a clear instance of criminalizing free expression.”             —Diane Richard, writer, March 18\n\n**\n\nImage: Soe Than Win/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n Source: Austin Ramzy, Wai Moe, “Myanmar Sentences 3 to Prison for Depicting Buddha Wearing Headphones,” The New York Times, March 17, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"33050","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Keeping secrets?","object":"63571","image":"/images/15-3-19_2002.204a-p_WritingDeskEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/keeping-secrets/","date":"2015-03-19 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Keeping secrets?\n\n\n\nIn the 1800s, you could keep your private hand-penned letters away from prying eyes by using the secret compartments of this elegant secretary. Today, you can use a private e-mail server like Hillary Clinton.\n\nDuring her time as Secretary of State, Clinton used a private e-mail account (instead of a dot-gov account) because, she said, she didn’t want to carry two cellphones. She has since released copies of messages she identified as official government business, and deleted all the messages she deemed personal—like her yoga poses and wedding plans for Chelsea. Life was so much easier when private matters were kept under lock and key.\n —Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation and Participatory Experiences\n\nMarch 19, 2015\n\n \n\nImage: Stefan Rousseau, The New York Times \n\nSource: Michael S. Schmidt and Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “Emails Hillary Clinton Said Were Kept Could Be Lost,” The New York Times, March 13, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"63571","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"You light up my life?","object":"1423","image":"/images/15-3-24_61.36.24_PicassoEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/you-light-up-my-life/","date":"2015-03-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"You light up my life?\n\n\n\nFor nearly 40 years, 271 artworks by Pablo Picasso sat in a box in a garage in France. An electrician who worked for the famed artist claims the artworks were gifts from Picasso’s wife, Jacqueline, in the 1970s.\n\nIn 2010, the electrician brought the art to Picasso’s son, Claude Ruiz-Picasso, to authenticate. They were real alright, but Ruiz-Picasso thought they were stolen, so he sued the couple. The electrician (now 75 years old) and his wife were given a suspended sentence for owning stolen artwork.\n\n—Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation and Participatory Experiences\n\nMarch 20, 2015\n\n \n\nPhoto credit: Gjon Mili, Life Magazine \n\nNews source: Aurelien Breeden, “French Court Orders Picasso’s Electrician to Return Nearly 300 Artworks,” The New York Times, March 20, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1423","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"So you think you can dance?","object":"869","image":"/images/15-3-25_50.46.186.1_DanceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/03/so-you-think-you-can-dance/","date":"2015-03-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"So you think you can dance?\n\n\n\nResponding to widespread frustrations—really?—over late-night square-dancing by older folks in public spaces, Chinese authorities are now clamping down. \n\nReacting to complaints about enthusiastic “dancing grannies”\n do-si-do-ing\n to blaring boom boxes, a government office overseeing sport and culture has issued new regulations on public exercise—one suspects, to minimize spontaneous assemblies. At the same time, it introduced 12 “socially responsible” choreographed practices—or “drills”—to improve the visual cohesion of the dancers.             —Diane Richard, writer, March 24\n\n**\n\nImage: Zou Hong/China Daily\n Source: “China to regulate square-dancing,” China Daily, March 24, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"869","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Sanskrit rock next big thing?","object":"18790","image":"/images/15-4-1_64.65.12_LeelaEDIT-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/04/sanskrit-rock-next-big-thing/","date":"2015-04-01 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Sanskrit rock next big thing?\n\n\n\nCreative inspiration knows no geographic bounds, as these images of Westernized dandies of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) show so magnificently. \n\nRecently, an Indian musician found inspiration in Eric Clapton’s classic rock song Layla for a work of his own—with a twist. Krish Ashok’s Indianized version, called Leela, contains all the familiar chords, but its lyrics are in Sanskrit. Posted on the audio-sharing site Soundcloud, Leela has been played almost 50,000 times. In writing Layla, Clapton himself drew inspiration from a 12th-century Persian love story.               —Diane Richard, writer, April 1\n\n**\n\nImages: Image tweeted out by @krishashok; Ashok selfie\n Source: Adrija Bose, “Eric Clapton’s Layla in Sanskrit is Hitting All the Right Chords,” NDTV, March 16, 2015\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"18790","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"What if the museum were gluten-free?","object":"10436","image":"/images/15-4-2_93.20_GlutenFreeEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/04/what-if-the-museum-were-gluten-free/","date":"2015-04-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"What if the museum were gluten-free?\n\n\n\nIf the MIA went gluten-free, this painting would look much different—just sun and mist, really, no grainstack. And many other paintings would be seriously bereft, as well, from pastoral landscapes to Dutch still lifes. \n\nThis is the kind of imagery that “hangs” in the Gluten Free Museum, a Tumblr site that magically erases anything gluten—a sometimes problematic protein found in wheat, barley, and rye—from artworks such as Arcimboldo’s food-filled portraits (below). Life, or art, wouldn’t be the same without it.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nApril 2, 2015\n\n**\n\nSource: Glutenimage.tumblr.com\n\n\n","objectId":"10436","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Would you eat this? ","object":"3584","image":"/images/15_4_2_87.4_HyenaHumansEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/04/would-you-eat-this/","date":"2015-04-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Would you eat this? \n\n\n\nIn the future, you might have to. If food and everything else becomes as scarce as some experts think it will in a world with nine billion people and a barren ecology, you’ll eat anything you can get your hands on—even if it’s rotten.\n\nThat could be a problem, healthwise. Which is why a student at London’s Royal College of Art is thinking about synthetic biology, products that would give us the ability of hyenas to eat even the most putrid things. A kind of inhaler, perhaps, to ingest hyena’s stomach-hardening bacteria, smell-altering and taste-bud-tricking devices to get past our psychological as well as physical repulsion. Just some of the engineering we may need in a literally spoiled world.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nApril 2, 2015\n\n**\n\nSource: QZ.com, March 31, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"3584","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Is the night too bright?","object":"3161","image":"/images/15-04-08_83.147_NightBrightEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/04/is-the-night-too-bright/","date":"2015-04-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Is the night too bright?\n\n\n\nNightlife was born in places like this grand salon, as peasants went to bed and the wealthy stayed up to party in the light of massive chandeliers and mirrors. Turns out the peasants were the smart ones.\n\nNew research into our circadian rhythm, the daily cycle of sleep and wake, hunger and fast, reveals the risks of artificial light. Most of us now get too little light during the day and too much at night, throwing off our circadian rhythm. And since the same genes that control the circadian rhythm also influence the genes behind food processing, our DNA damage response, and how our cells and tissues grow, it’s no surprise that obesity, diabetes, cancer, sleeplesness, and depression are all on the rise. Party at your own peril.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nApril 8, 2015\n\n**\n\nSource: QZ.com, April 7, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"3161","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The king of the goats?","object":"1959","image":"/images/15-04-08_73.13_KingPuckEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/04/the-king-of-the-goats/","date":"2015-04-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The king of the goats?\n\n\n\nEvery year, the locals in Killorglin, Ireland, drag a wild male goat into town. A town lass dubbed the Queen of Puck (a puck being a male goat) crowns the goat King Puck and the honored animal is set up on a high scaffold to survey his kingdom. Everyone drinks for a few days and then the goat is released back into the wild with an inflated ego. \n\nThe Puck Fair is the oldest festival in Ireland, going back to at least the 1600s. Oliver Cromwell, the story goes, was invading and spooked a herd of goats. One of them made his way into town and, like Lassie, alerted the citizens with his agitation that trouble was afoot. For the 362 days of the year when he’s not celebrated with a toast, a King Puck statue in the city gives the goat his due.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nApril 8, 2015\n\n**\n\nSource: QZ.com, April 7, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1959","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Buonaventura)","object":"3632","image":"/images/15-05-06_87.64_How Old_Buonaventura-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-buonaventura/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"It’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages and genders of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"3632","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Close)","object":"1721","image":"/images/15-05-06_69.137_How Old_Close-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-close/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"It’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages and genders of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"1721","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Copley)","object":"593","image":"/images/15-05-06_41.3_How Old_Copley-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-copley/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"\n\n\n\nIt’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"593","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Dix)","object":"2242","image":"/images/15-05-06_75.72.3_How Old_Dix-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-dix/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"It’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages and genders of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"2242","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Read)","object":"2505","image":"/images/15-05-06_77.46_How Old_Read-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-read/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"It’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages and genders of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"2505","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Romuald)","object":"1512","image":"/images/15-05-06_62.9_How Old_St_Romuald-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-romuald/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"\n\n\n\nIt’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages and genders of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"1512","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Tashat)","object":"95","image":"/images/15-05-06_16.414_How Old_Tashat-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-tashat/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"It’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages and genders of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"95","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Tissot)","object":"2239","image":"/images/15-05-06_75.7_How Old_Tissot-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-tissot/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"\n\n\n\nIt’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages and genders of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"2239","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"How Old? (Washington)","object":"486","image":"/images/15-05-06_32.12_How Old_Washington-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/how-old-washington/","date":"2015-05-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"It’s the craze that’s sweeping the nation: Microsoft’s machine-learning team built a site that takes any photo you throw at it and tries to guess the ages and genders of those it portrays – with varying success. We thought we’d try it on a few artworks at the MIA.\n\n\n","objectId":"486","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Terrible toll for olive trees?","object":"1218","image":"/images/15-5-13_51.7_OliveEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/terrible-toll-for-olive-trees/","date":"2015-05-13 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Terrible toll for olive trees?\n\n\n\nDevastating. Apocalyptic. Those are words you don’t want to hear when you think of anything, really, much less Italy’s most famous olive-producing regions.\n\nBut those adjectives are being uttered by Salento farmers in Italy’s southern boot now faced with a blight that’s desiccating their olive groves. The cause is a bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa, credited with killing at least 1 million trees so far. Dread of the disease’s spread has roiled Europe, as families who have manufactured olive oil for generations now fear ruin. Officials are trying to quarantine the outbreak before it leaps toward other olive-producing nations, like Spain.\n   —Diane Richard, writer, May 13\n*Image: Davide Monteleone for *The New York Times\n Source: Jim Yardley, “Fear of Ruin as Disease Takes Hold of Italy’s Olive Trees,” The New York Times, May 11, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1218","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Not-so-veiled bias?","object":"12092","image":"/images/15-5-27_70.60_VeilEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/05/not-so-veiled-bias/","date":"2015-05-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Not-so-veiled bias?\n\n\n\nIn the decade since France banned the wearing of veils in public schools, devout French Muslim women report a backlash across all spheres of secular French society.\n\nIndeed, women in headscarves here describe being made the targets of everything from subtle discrimination to overt violence. Accounts of being spat at and having veils tugged are commonplace, as are of job offers later rescinded. So far, France has passed two laws, one in 2004 banning veils in public elementary and secondary schools, and another, enacted in 2011, banning full face veils, which are worn by only a tiny portion of the population.\n   —Diane Richard, writer, May 27\n\n**\n\nImage: Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times\n Source: By SUZANNE DALEY and ALISSA J. RUBIN, “French Muslims Say Veil Bans Give Cover to Bias,” The New York Times, May 26, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"12092","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Evidence of a horrible past?","object":"2137","image":"/images/15-6-3_74.77_SlaveShipAB-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/06/evidence-of-a-horrible-past/","date":"2015-06-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Evidence of a horrible past?\n\n\n\nIt’s terrible, but true: without the international slave trade, the Makonde people of northern Mozambique probably wouldn’t exist. They emerged as a distinct culture in the 1800s when refugees from Mozambique’s coastal lowlands—teeming with slave traders then—fled to higher ground inland. In time they became Makonde. \n\nNow, the wreck of São José Paquete Africa, a Portuguese slave vessel, has been discovered off the southern African coast. It left Mozambique Island in 1794 for Brazil with around 400 prisoners from northern Mozambique. While they wouldn’t have called themselves “Makonde,” some of these captives’ indirect descendants did—and still do.     —Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, June 3\n\n**\n\nImage: A view of Mozambique Island, a former Portuguese slave trade port and a UNESCO World Heritage site, off the coast of Mozambique in south-east Africa.\n\nSource: Helene Cooper, “Grim History Traced in Sunken Slave Ship Found Off South Africa,” The New York Times, May 31, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"2137","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Your cheating art?","object":"12057","image":"/images/15-6-3_99.144_ImpostersEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/06/your-cheating-art/","date":"2015-06-03 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Your cheating art?\n\n\n\nWe’ve all been there. In the moment at which we must prove our mettle, we’re tempted to grab a crutch. This handkerchief, for example, is inked with the answers to some quiz from heck more than a century ago.\n\nChina hardly corners the market on cheats; however, 15 Chinese students were recently accused of hiring imposters to take entrance exams in hopes of securing seats at American universities. The accused allegedly paid nearly $6,000 a pop for their ersatz edge. Suspicions about international students cheating on U.S. university entrance exams are nothing new. The charges include conspiracy, counterfeiting foreign passports, and wire and mail fraud.   —Diane Richard, writer, June 3\n\nSource: By Jess Bidgood, “15 Chinese Accused of Using Test-Taking Impostors for College Entrance Exams,” The New York Times, May 28, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"12057","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Men: Need a lift?","object":"1463","image":"/images/15-6-4_61.62_MensHeelsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/06/men-need-a-lift/","date":"2015-06-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Men: Need a lift?\n\n\n\nAt Cannes Film Festival recently, a woman was booted off the red carpet for her inelegant choice of footwear: flats. Seems stilettos or platforms offer more than a sartorial lift; they also elevate your societal stature, too. \n\nWhich takes us to men in heels. Today, few fellows would be comfortable in anything but flats, cowboy boots excepted. Centuries ago, though, nobility believed “the higher the heel, the closer to God”—and the farther away from muck in the street. King Louis XIV adored a red silk-covered heel, while diminutive Napoleon surprisingly wore flats. And styles have scarcely shifted since—unless you’re Prince, Mick, Elton, James Brown, or Bowie. —Diane Richard, writer, June 3\n\n**\n\nImage: Wikimedia Commons\n Source: Jeni Avins, “Why did men stop wearing high heels, anyway?,” Quartz, May 23, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1463","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Baby fat?","object":"320","image":"/images/15-6-16_26.2_ChildObesityEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/06/baby-fat/","date":"2015-06-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Baby fat?\n\n\n\nFeel free to call these floating angels—or cherubs—Rubenesque. For they were indeed painted by Rubens. \n\nBut many children today, given unfettered access to high-calorie foodstuffs, are showing Rubenesque curves. According to a recent study in Childhood Obesity, parents increasingly see their chubby children as cherubs, and are turning a blind eye as their kids pack on pounds. More than three-quarters of parents of pre-school-age obese sons and nearly 70 percent of parents of obese daughters described their children as “about the right weight.” And the likelihood that parents can estimate their child’s weight accurately has declined about 30 percent, leading one doctor to coin the problem “oblivobesity.” —Diane Richard, writer, June 16\n\n**\n\nImage: Giselle Potter\n Source: Jan Hoffman, “Parents’ Denial Fuels Childhood Obesity Epidemic,” The New York Times, June 15, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"320","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Identifying gender?","object":"593","image":"/images/15-6-16_41.3_CaitlynEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/06/identifying-gender/","date":"2015-06-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Identifying gender?\n\n\n\nThe woman in this painting wears an elaborate dress and dainty gloves, but her face is startlingly masculine. What looks like five o’clock shadow is probably an effect of aging art materials. Either the topmost thin layer of flesh-colored paint has faded, or it has sunk into the grayish paint that lies underneath. \n\nSimilarly, Caitlyn Jenner’s Vanity Faircover encourages us to think about outward expressions of gender. Many women feel pressure to present the stereotypical ideal of female beauty that we see in this image. TV media has remarked primarily on her appearance, showing that Jenner is being treated just like her female celebrity peers. That’s a positive statement about transgender equality, but a sad recognition that society still values a woman’s looks above all else. \n\nPhoto credit: Annie Leibovitz, Vanity Fair\n\n**\n\n**\n\n—Juline Chevalier\n\nHead of Interpretation and Participatory Experiences\n\nJune 11\n\n**\n\n\n","objectId":"593","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Garden-variety sculptor?","object":"6860","image":"/images/15-6-24_L98.84.3_FlamingoEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/06/garden-variety-sculptor/","date":"2015-06-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Garden-variety sculptor?\n\n\n\n\n\nThis story starts with a name. Two, actually. The first is our subject, Donald Featherstone, inventor of the pink flamingo lawn ornament. The second? The reporter who produced his obituary: Dwarf Planet’s Bright. (Really?)\n\nBack to Featherstone. Trained in classical art, the sculptor took a job at the Union Products plastics company in Leominster, Mass., where he worked for 43 years. “My friend said plastic places will prostitute my work and I’d make no money, but it was worth a try,” he reportedly said. Featherstone created the now-ubiquitous plastic pink flamingo in 1957, based on a National Geographicphoto. One more thing: he and his wife, Nancy, wore matching outfits for 35 years. —Diane Richard, writer, June 24\n\n**\n\nImage: Amy Sancetta/AP\n Source: Dwarf Planet’s Bright, “Man Who Created The Pink Plastic Lawn Flamingo Dies,” National Public Radio, June 13, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"6860","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"What gives a flag its power?","object":"8024","image":"/images/15-6-24_27.78_ConfedFlag_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/06/what-gives-a-flag-its-power/","date":"2015-06-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"What gives a flag its power?\n\n\n\nAfter the recent mass shooting at a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina, attention turned to the flag flying at the state capitol—the same Confederate battle flag brandished by the white supremacist gunman. A week later, Alabama removed the flag from a Confederate memorial on its capitol grounds, stores like Walmart stopped selling it, and Mississippi talked of redesigning its official state flag, the only one still bearing the Confederate symbol.\n\nWe endow objects with power, to offend or inspire—a peculiar trait of supposedly rational people. Though it may depend on context. The Charleston Drawing Room, for instance, came from the home of Colonel John Stuart, an 18th-century British sympathizer who owned 200 slaves. Today, he’s largely forgotten, but the memorial to Thomas Jefferson, a fellow slave owner, has now become embroiled in the discussion of our troubled past.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJune 24, 2015\n\n**\n\nSource: Slate.com, June 15, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"8024","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Cultural Appropriation?","object":"","image":"/images/15-7-1_L2014.200.5a-d_RachelDolezalEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/cultural-appropriation/","date":"2015-07-01 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Cultural Appropriation?\n\nAt first glance, this dress resembles a typical European gown from the 1700s. A closer look at the work reveals a commentary by the artist that criticizes colonialism and trade between dominant and historically oppressed cultures. The fabric for this dress, although made for the African market, was produced in Britain. What’s more, the designs and production technique were appropriated from another culture in Indonesia. \n\nAccusations about cultural appropriation are nothing new, or so recent headlines report. The story of Rachel Dolezal “identifying as black” raises questions and concerns about race and identity. Adopting black culture to the point of creating a different racial identity has put Dolezal’s motivations in a questionable light, leading to her resignation as leader of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP. \n\nAre these acts of appropriation and borrowing traditions from other cultures harmless, or are there negative consequences?      —Abbey Thomsen, Intern,**June 29\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Tyler Tjomsland, The Spokesman-Review\n\nSource: ‘I Identify As Black,’ Rachel Dolezal Says In TV Interview,’” National Public Radio, June 16\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"High stakes on & off court?","object":"80860","image":"/images/15-7-01_2003.145_TennisEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/high-stakes-on-off-court/","date":"2015-07-01 00:00:00 -0500","content":"High stakes on & off court?\n\n\n\n\n\nAthletes gain our admiration for their skill under pressure and competitive drive. Distressingly, though, some fans’ ardor can develop into unhealthy behavior.\n\nFemale tennis players in particular are singled out. Recently, Simona Halep, a Romanian player ranked No. 3 in the world, received threats from a fan outraged by rumors of her engagement to another man. Indeed, the sense of one-to-one communication that social media fosters is likely fueling the stalking behavior. Since the 1993 stabbing of Monica Seles, the Women’s Tennis Association has worked to create safe space around players. But performances on court, like Halep’s recent losses, may reflect the strain.   —Diane Richard, writer, July 1\n\n**\n\nImage: Monica Seles, 1993, Associated Press\n Source: Ben Rothenberg, “Concerns Over Personal Safety Haunt Women on Tennis Tour,” The New York Times, June 30, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"80860","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Can you spare a Drachma? ","object":"278","image":"/images/15-7-15_24.1_DrachmaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/can-you-spare-a-drachma/","date":"2015-07-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Can you spare a Drachma? \n\n\n\nIt’s easy to get riled up about money. The topic can even anger Jesus Christ. In this painting by one of Greece’s greatest sons, El Greco, Christ chases merchants and moneychangers out of the Temple. \n\nFast forward to today, as Greek and Eurozone officials scramble to rescue Greece’s failing economy. The Greek population is passionately divided about whether to keep the euro or return to the drachma. Many Greeks want Eurozone support, but don’t want to face the austerity measures that accompany yet another bailout. With difficult choices and repercussions to face, perhaps Greeks should consider, “What would Jesus do?”\n   —Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation, July 15\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: The National Herald\n\nNews source: Jack Ewing, “Greece’s Banks Are Next in Line for a European Bailout,” The New York Times, July 13, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"278","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Street Art as High Art?","object":"109328","image":"/images/15-7-15_2012.117.2a-e_ChichaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/street-art-as-high-art/","date":"2015-07-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Street Art as High Art?\n\n\n\nChicha, a popular and controversial art form, has peppered the cities of Peru since the 1960s. The colorful murals of Chicha typically contain socially charged messages.\n\nEmbraced by some, repelled by others, these murals have been removed by the Peruvian government in recent months. Yet Chicha prospers among a global audience. This summer’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival features the work of several highly regarded Chicha street artists. \n\nThough not Chicha, Alixa and Naima similarly serves as a symbol for social activism. The artist Swoon uses salvaged materials to illustrate her fellow street artists in a tight embrace, seeking to overcome the destructive elements of urban life. —Abbey Thomsen, Intern, July 15\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Caro Curbelo, Mirá Mamá\n\n\n","objectId":"109328","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Longhorn legacy?","object":"3286","image":"/images/15-7-16_84.4.1_LonghornEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/longhorn-legacy/","date":"2015-07-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Longhorn legacy?\n\nHow did Texas cattle get such long horns? Evolutionary biologist, MacArthur Genius grant winner, and cattleman David M. Hillis figured it out.\n\nThe longhorns are descended from cattle brought by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. These cattle escaped and lived wild in the American Southwest for 300 years. Having to fight off predators, their horns evolved to be longer and longer—measuring as much as seven feet across. Turns out, the longer the horns, the safer the calves.\n\nThis chair was made in the late 1800s when the longhorns were prized for their meat and hide but the horns were discarded.\n\n—Hallie Ojala-Barrett, Intern, July 16\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Ben Sklar, New York Times\n\nNews source: Claudia Dreifus, “Texas Scientist With a Thing for Longhorns,” The New York Times, July 7, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"3286","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"What’s in a name?","object":"1978","image":"/images/15-7-16_73.42.3_RenamingEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/what-s-in-a-name/","date":"2015-07-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"What’s in a name?\n\n\n\nLake Calhoun may soon be just a distant memory of Rollerblading hardbodies and “on your left.” Advocates are getting traction for changing the name of the popular Minneapolis lake to something, well, anything not associated with 19th-century statesman John C. Calhoun, whose pro-slavery views have tainted his legacy.\n\nChanging names with the times is hardly limited to lakes. This Delacroix painting long went by “The Fanatics of Tangier,” until it was recently decided that “fanatics” was pejorative and was replaced by “convulsionists”—a bit awkward, perhaps, but purely descriptive. And ironic: Delacroix, a Frenchman, was taken with the exotic “foreignness” of this scene; but “convulsionist” historically referred to a sensational, self-harming cult—in France.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJuly 17, 2015\n\nSource: Star Tribune, June 23, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1978","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"What’s in a name?","object":"1978","image":"/images/15-7-16_73.42.3_RenamingEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/whats-in-a-name/","date":"2015-07-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"What’s in a name?\n\n\n\nLake Calhoun may soon be just a distant memory of Rollerblading hardbodies and “on your left.” Advocates are getting traction for changing the name of the popular Minneapolis lake to something, well, anything not associated with 19th-century statesman John C. Calhoun, whose pro-slavery views have tainted his legacy.\n\nChanging names with the times is hardly limited to lakes. This Delacroix painting long went by “The Fanatics of Tangier,” until it was recently decided that “fanatics” was pejorative and was replaced by “convulsionists”—a bit awkward, perhaps, but purely descriptive. And ironic: Delacroix, a Frenchman, was taken with the exotic “foreignness” of this scene; but “convulsionist” historically referred to a sensational, self-harming cult—in France.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor\n\nJuly 17, 2015\n\nSource: Star Tribune, June 23, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1978","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Off the rack? ","object":"99368","image":"/images/15-7-22_2006.33_FashionEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/off-the-rack/","date":"2015-07-22 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Off the rack? \n\n\n\nThe Comtesse d’Egmont Pignatelli pictured here was a fashionable noblewoman who only wore custom-made clothing. Ready-to-wear clothing wasn’t an option for women until the early 1900s, and even when it was, royalty eschewed it for bespoke fashions. When you have piles of cash, why wear something others can buy?\n\nAvant-garde designers Viktor & Rolf took inspiration from the Comtesse and her ilk for their fall 2015 haute couture collection. Couture describes one-of-a-kind clothing that’s often more conceptual than practical. The garments make the wearer appear as if she’s taken a painting off the wall and bent it, frame and all, into something resembling a garment. If the Comtesse were around today, she’d likely be seated in the front row of the runway show. \n\n—Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation\n\nJuly 22\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: From Tom + Lorenzo blog, http://tomandlorenzo.com/2015/07/viktor-rolf-fall-2015-couture-collection/\n\n\n","objectId":"99368","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Showing a false face?","object":"63503","image":"/images/15-7-22_2002.220.1_MaskEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/showing-a-false-face/","date":"2015-07-22 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Showing a false face?\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Chinese have a long tradition with masks, as this gorgeous gold funerary mask of a young woman attests.\n\nThe latest mask news from China is the adoption of a “faceless” day for some office workers. Each month on a designated day, staff are allowed to wear masks to conceal their emotions. No more smiling amicably through a colleague’s boring anecdote. No more hiding yawns while the boss drones on and on. No more suppressing that look of disgust when the client fails to meet a deadline. A mask—in this case, of a character known as “No Face” from the Japanese film Spirited Away—could be the best workplace deflection tool since email.       —Diane Richard, writer, July 22\n\nImage: AP\n Source: Lisa Wright, “Workers in China wear masks to hide facial expressions,” Toronto Star, July 14, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"63503","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Buried treasure a pleasure?","object":"102644","image":"/images/15-7-28_2007.100_DrSeussEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/07/buried-treasure-a-pleasure/","date":"2015-07-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Buried treasure a pleasure?\n\n\n\n‘What pet should I get?’ is a rollicking rhyme posed in the title of a “new” book by writer Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Recently published, the illustrated book was found in a box in 2013, along with numerous orphaned sketches. With his whimsical classics like The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss has been enchanting young readers for half a century. It was assumed we had heard the last from him—but no! \n\nYoshitomo Nara’s sculpture Your Dog reminds us how big the world can seem through a child’s eyes. What Pet Should I Get? is about making choices: fish or fowl, dog or cat. Which pet would you choose? \n\n—Hallie Ojala-Barrett, Intern, July 27\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Random House\n\nNews source: Alexandra Alter, “Dr. Seuss Book: Yes, They Found It in a Box,” The New York Times, July 21, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"102644","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Boise, Basque Country?","object":"1555","image":"/images/15-8-5_64.44.1_BasqueEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/08/boise-basque-country/","date":"2015-08-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Boise, Basque Country?\n\n\n\n\n\nYou probably think “potato” when you think of Idaho, not Joan Miró.\n\nBut every five years, the state’s Basque population shouts, “Ongi Etorri!” (Basque for “Welcome!”) Which would put a smile on the Basque artist’s face. A street party called Jaialdi (Basque for “festival time”) takes over downtown Boise, celebrating the roots sunk by immigrants from Northern Spain who mostly came as shepherds in the early 20th century. With an estimated 35,000 or more attendees, Boise hosts one of the biggest Basque festivals outside Europe.\n\n      —Diane Richard, writer, August 5\n\nImage: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times\n Source: Kirk Johnson, “A Taste of Basque Paella Amid Idaho’s Potatoes,” The New York Times, August 4, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"1555","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Turn about fair play?","object":"19404","image":"/images/15-8-5_MacFarlaneRm_CottonEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/08/turn-about-fair-play/","date":"2015-08-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Turn about fair play?\n\n\n\n\n\nTrade between China and the U.S. is older than this wallpaper. And for years, China’s cheap manufacturing has helped cause the collapse of American factories. But things are changing: now, China is off-shoring its textile production to more economical bases—like the cotton mills of South Carolina.\n\nAfter years of rising wages, higher energy bills, and mounting logistical costs, textile production in China is becoming increasingly unprofitable. Today, the opposite forces—depressed wages, abundant land and energy, and heavily subsidized cotton—are making the United States more competitive. The Carolinas are now home to some 20 Chinese manufacturers, which spin cotton into spools of yarn. —Diane Richard, writer, August 5\n\n**\n\nImage: Travis Dove for The New York Times\n Source: Hiroko Tabuchi, “Chinese Textile Mills Are Now Hiring in Places Where Cotton Was King,” The New York Times, August 2, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"19404","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"By hook or by crook?","object":"5925","image":"/images/15-8-18_99.200.2_SheepEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/08/by-hook-or-by-crook/","date":"2015-08-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"By hook or by crook?\n\n\n\n\n\nThe job of shepherd tends to be inherited, passed down from generation to generation. Until now. \n\nIn Catalonia, a region of northern Spain, students can now get a degree in shepherding. It’s a perfect fit: As rural communities depopulate, urbanites are seeking ways to get back to the land. There are no official statistics for the number of shepherds, but fewer than a dozen now work in the mountains of Catalonia. Shepherds, who are subsidized, can earn about $3,330 a month, about four times the national minimum monthly wage in Spain.\n\n      —Diane Richard, writer, August 18\n\n**\n\nImage: Samuel Aranda for The New York Times\n Source: Raphael Minder, “A Fading Tradition in Spain Gets an Unusual Boost: Shepherd School,” The New York Times, August 17, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"5925","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fishing gone?","object":"2543","image":"/images/15-8-18_78.26_WalleyeEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/08/fishing-gone/","date":"2015-08-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Fishing gone?\n\n\n\nToday, most people don’t wear button-down shirts and ties to go fishing. The fashion has changed, but the popularity of fishing endures—especially in Minnesota, where it’s a much-loved summer pastime and industry. \n\nYet the walleye population in Minnesota’s Lake Mille Lacs has been declining for decades. This year the number of fish reached a critically low level, and the walleye fishing season had to be cut short. Overfishing puts the animal and ecosystem at risk, but it also affects people who work at or on the lake. The season’s unseasonably early end has cut into prime earning time for its businesses at Mille Lacs.      —Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation\n\nAugust 17\n\nPhoto credit: Dan Kraker, MPR News\n\nNews source: Jon Collins, “Mille Lacs businesses brace for change with early end to walleye season,” MPR News, August 4, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"2543","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"When is a duck not a duck?","object":"1735","image":"/images/15-8-19_69.37_RangerEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/08/when-is-a-duck-not-a-duck/","date":"2015-08-19 00:00:00 -0500","content":"When is a duck not a duck?\n\n\n\n\n\nTwo female soldiers recently graduated from Ranger School in Fort Benning, Ga., the first women to have made it through the Army’s top course and one of the military’s most rigorous and excruciating training programs. Diana the Huntress would be proud.\n\nBut whether they can serve as infantry or tank officers is still up for debate. Despite having proven their mettle alongside the male soldiers, meeting precisely the same standards, including the initial physical tests—49 push-ups, 59 situps, six chin-ups, and a five-mile run in no more than 40 minutes—as women they remain ineligible to serve in combat roles.          —Diane Richard, writer, August 19\n\n**\n\nImage: Nick Tomecek/Northwest Florida Daily News, via Associated Press\n Source: Richard A. Oppel Jr., “Two Female Soldiers Poised to Graduate From Ranger School,” The New York Times, August 17, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"1735","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Holy rite—or illegal act?","object":"5682","image":"/images/15-8-26_98.246_JainEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/08/holy-rite-or-illegal-act/","date":"2015-08-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Holy rite—or illegal act?\n\n\n\n\n\nA rite performed by the most devout members of India’s Jain community is running up against Indian laws protecting human life. Whether the state should interfere with religious practice hangs in the balance.\n\nIn Pune, a 92-year-old patriarch vowed to perform the sect’s supreme rite—fasting to death—in the culminating act of santhara, a voluntary starvation ritual undertaken every year by several hundred members of the austere, ancient Jain religion. The practice, believed to release the spirit from cycles of rebirth and death, is a blessing for family and observers. Yet a high court judge has declared the fast a form of suicide, which is illegal under Indian law.     —Diane Richard, writer, August 26\n\n**\n\nImage: Serena De Sanctis for The New York Times\n Source: Ellen Barry and Mansi Choksi, “Sect’s Death Ritual Clashes With Indian Law,” The New York Times, August 24, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"5682","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Baby panda, too cute?","object":"117088","image":"/images/15-8-27_2013.29.1296_PandaEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/08/baby-panda-too-cute/","date":"2015-08-27 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Baby panda, too cute?\n\n\n\nThe announcement of the birth of a new panda cub on Twitter heralded much joy and excitement. With only 12 adorable giant pandas in the U.S., the new arrival at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is cause for celebration. Almost 900,000 people visited the “panda cam” website to check in on the new mother, Mei Xiang. \n\nGiant pandas mate and reproduce very rarely, especially when in captivity. Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated in April. The infant cub is very fragile at this young age, and very tiny. Giant panda newborns can be up to 700 times smaller than the weight of their mothers. I think that Sano Akira’s Bear: Glittering, inspired by the Japanese Kawaii style—meaning cute or adorable—would approve. Even though its eyes aren’t open yet, the new panda is too cute.\n\n—Hallie Ojala-Barrett, Intern, August 27\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Becky Malinski, Smithsonian’s National Zoo\n\nNews source: Liam Stack, “Giant Panda Gives Birth to Two Cubs at the National Zoo,” The New York Times, August 22, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"117088","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fowl play at the fair?","object":"90011","image":"/images/15-9-9_2004.177.6_BirdEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/09/fowl-play-at-the-fair/","date":"2015-09-09 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Fowl play at the fair?\n\n\n\n\n\nVisitors to the nation’s state and county fairs this season might have been surprised by how silent the poultry barns have been. No clucking, no crowing. What you’d expect from this rooster weathervane, basically.\n\nThat’s because, since the avian flu epidemic ravaged U.S. commercial henhouses and poultry barns this spring, fair organizers have said no to live birds. Instead, stuffed versions of prized fowl entered the 4-H competition ring—a surreal picture, certainly. At one county fair in Indiana, the closest thing to pluckish poultry was a slingshot competition featuring beanbag birds and other fake fowl.   —Diane Richard, writer, September 9\n\n**\n\nImage: Kelsey Gee, The Wall Street Journal\n Source: Kelsey Gee, “At Fairs This Year, Fake Fowl Play Chicken,” The Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"90011","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A monumental migration?","object":"89565","image":"/images/15-9-16_2010.55.11_MigrantsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/09/a-monumental-migration/","date":"2015-09-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A monumental migration?\n\n\n\n\n\nImagine the sense of upheaval. People escaping wartorn countries. People desperate for economic uplift streaming across borders. People in host countries not sure how to handle the influx. And all those souls, sent adrift by rapacious smugglers, claimed by the tide.\n\nWith the largest migration since WWII now under way, the world’s eyes are once again open to the urgent needs of thousands of uprooted people. Cy Thao’s series documenting the migration of the Hmong people captures that harrowing urgency in visually poetic narratives.   —Diane Richard, writer, September 16\n\n**\n\nImage: Bulent Kilic/Agence France-Presse—Getty Images\n Source: Rick Lyman and Dan Bilefsky, “Migrants Clash With Police in Hungary, as Others Enter Croatia,” The New York Times, September 16, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"89565","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A warrior spirit?","object":"108860","image":"/images/15-9-23_2009.60a-s_JapanEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/09/a-warrior-spirit/","date":"2015-09-23 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A warrior spirit?\n\n\n\n\n\nOver the protest of pacificists and leftist politicians, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently secured passage of legislation authorizing overseas combat missions for Japan’s military, overturning a decades-old policy of reserving the use of force for self-defense.\n\nEnacted after WWII, the policy curbed Japan’s military activity abroad. Now the debate is how closely Japan wants to ally itself with U.S. military policy in Asia. One worry is that Americans will expect Japan to act as its “deputy sheriff” toward powerful countries like China and rogue states like North Korea. The debate ended after lawmakers began a brawl for control of the chairman’s microphone.   —Diane Richard, writer, September 23\n\nImage: Yuya Shino/Reuters\n Source: Jonathan Soble, “Japan’s Parliament Approves Overseas Combat Role for Military,” The New York Times, September 18, 2015 \n\n\n","objectId":"108860","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Missin’ emissions?","object":"98653","image":"/images/15-9-29_2005.138_VW_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/09/missin-emissions/","date":"2015-09-29 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Missin’ emissions?\n\n\n\nThe automotive industry is revved up with the news that Volkswagen (VW) has cheated U.S. emissions standards with some sneaky software. The program, installed in four-cylinder diesel cars, enabled emission controls when the cars were being tested, but disabled them all other times. The cars emit up to 40 times the legal limit of harmful pollution.\n\nThis isn’t the first time that VW has run afoul of the law. Around 1938, Tatra, the Czechoslovakian car-maker that created the sleek T87 you see here, launched a lawsuit against VW for patent infringement. However, the lawsuit ran off the road when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938, resulting in the Tatra factory coming under Nazi administration.     —Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation\n\nSeptember 29\n\nPhoto credit: Patrick Pleul/DPA/Landov\n\nSource: Bill Chappell, “Volkswagen Used ‘Defeat Device’ To Skirt Emissions Rules, EPA Says,” The Two-Way: Breaking News from NPR, September 18, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"98653","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Monkey business?","object":"3077","image":"/images/15-9-30_82.47_MonkeySelfie_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/09/monkey-business/","date":"2015-09-30 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Monkey business?\n\n\n\nIs a monkey an artist if it presses the camera’s shutter? That’s the fundamental question at the heart of a lawsuit recently filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on behalf of Naruto, pictured below. It claims that yes, it is, and yes, Naruto deserves to own the copyright under U.S. law.\n\nDavid Slater was the photographer who visited a forest preserve in Papua New Guinea, home of curious macaques and other dexterous mammals. After he left his camera on a tripod, several monkeys started snapping “selfies”—the publication of which has since brought Slater royalties. According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Northern California, PETA maintains the plaintiff, Naruto, deserves the credit and with it any proceeds, which could be used to protect its rapidly shrinking habitat.    —Diane Richard, writer, September 30\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Naruto, Macaque selfie\n\nSource: Justin Wm. Moyer, Monkey wants copyright and cash from ‘monkey selfies,’ PETA lawsuit says,” The Washington Post, September 23, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"3077","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Welcome, hat head?","object":"109119","image":"/images/15-10-7_2010.11.2_Hat_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/10/welcome-hat-head/","date":"2015-10-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Welcome, hat head?\n\n\n\nNew arrivals to St. Paul won’t suffer the cold long, thanks to Jun-Li Wang, pictured below—whose hat resembles that of Mr. Baer’s slouchy fur cap.\n\n \n\nAt its inaugural Welcome Hat event this week, Wang’s group—St. Paul Hello—distributed faux-fur hats with flaps to newcomers. Wang, a transplant herself, sees it as a way to share Minnesota Nice while protecting non-natives against cold and ice.\n       —Diane Richard, writer, October 7\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Jun-Li Wang, founder of Hat Day\n\nSource: Gail Rosenblum, “New to St. Paul? Get a free hat and make friends at Welcome Hat event,” Star Tribune, October 3, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"109119","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"ISIS destroys iconic arches","object":"81247","image":"/images/15-10-7_2008.28.2_PalmyraEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/10/isis-destroys-iconic-arches/","date":"2015-10-07 00:00:00 -0500","content":"ISIS destroys iconic arches\n\n\n\nYet another landmark structure in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra has been deliberately destroyed by Islamic State militants. The building involved this time was a set of triumphal arches, erected in the second century. \n\nIf the destruction keeps apace, all that will remain of the ancient cultural site will be images. The Getty Research Institute recently announced its acquisition of a group of photographs that offer rare glimpses of some of these places as they stood 150 years ago. Among the 47 albumen prints are the earliest printed photographs of Palmyra, showing the Temple Baalshamin and Temple of Bel, both of which ISIS is believed to have obliterated.             —Diane Richard, writer, October 7\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Joseph Eid/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images\n\nSource: Anne Barnard, “ISIS Destroys Triumphal Arches in Palmyra, Syria,” Star Tribune, October 5, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"81247","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A nicer, milder Viking?","object":"32465","image":"/images/15-10-8_99.93a,b_Viking_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/10/a-nicer-milder-viking/","date":"2015-10-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A nicer, milder Viking?\n\n\n\nVikings have gotten a bad rap. That’s what Norwegians now rediscovering the artistic and adventuresome spirit of Vikings are saying these days.\n\n \n\nLong associated with a reputation for brutality, Vikings were once embraced by Nazis and, more recently, supremacists. But local tourist authorities are trying to shake off those associations, emphasizing instead Viking technical prowess and craftsmanship. In fact, Scandinavia’s first government-funded training course on how to live like a Viking is now under way: At a cost of $2,200 each, 14 students, men and women, have embarked on the nine-month course, which includes a visit to the Viking-conquered English city of York.\n         —Diane Richard, writer, October 8\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Mauricio Lima for The New York Times\n\nSource: Andrew Higgins, “Norway Again Embraces the Vikings, Minus the Violence,”\n The New York Times, September 17, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"32465","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Up in smoke?","object":"738","image":"/images/15-10-14_46.23.1a-d_ChinaSmoking_EDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/10/up-in-smoke/","date":"2015-10-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Up in smoke?\n\n\n\nChinese men now smoke one-third of all the world’s cigarettes, and a third of all young men in China are doomed to eventually die from the habit, scientists in China and Britain have concluded. \n\n \n\nA recent study in The Lancet, a British medical journal, reveals the devastating epidemiological effects of smoking in China. If current rates of smoking persist, 2 million people in China will die per year in 2030, contributing greatly to the global burden of disease. That’s double the 1 million Chinese who die from smoking-related causes today. Men in particular are vulnerable; they start smoking at younger ages and in greater numbers.      \n        —Diane Richard, writer, October 14\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press\n\nSource: Jeffrey Koplan, Michael Eriksen, “Smoking cessation for Chinese men and prevention for women,” The Lancet, October 10, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"738","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Betrayed by your face?","object":"2505","image":"/images/15-10-22_77.46_DepressedEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/10/betrayed-by-your-face/","date":"2015-10-22 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Betrayed by your face?\n\n\n\nThis boy looks more than depressed; he looks like he’s got one foot in the grave. He has; it’s a death portrait. \n\n \n\nToday’s facial recognition technology is proving to be as deft as the artist who painted this portrait in identifying the ways depression plays out across our faces. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon, for instance, are using a multi-modal algorithm to analyze facial expression based on 68 points on the face, including the eyebrows, eye corners, mouth, and nose. The findings are interesting: both depressed and non-depressed people smiled with the same frequency, but depressed people’s smiles faded more rapidly. Also, depressed women frowned less frequently than non-depressed women—the opposite of depressed men. Researchers hope the technology will help clinicians diagnose and treat people with signs of depression and PTSD.           —Diane Richard, writer, October 22\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Michaela Rehle / Reuters\n\nSource: Adrienne Lafrance, “Machines That Can See Depression on a Person’s Face,” The Atlantic, October 19, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"2505","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"BLT—Hold the bacon?","object":"1325","image":"/images/15-10-28_57.12_MeatEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/10/blt-hold-the-bacon/","date":"2015-10-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"BLT—Hold the bacon?\n\n\n\nCarnivores got the bad—though, truthfully, not wholly unexpected—news recently that consuming processed meats is linked to an increased risk of developing certain kinds of cancer. \n\n \n\nAn international panel of experts convened by the World Health Organization concluded that eating processed meat—like hot dogs, ham and bacon—raises the risk of colon cancer and that consuming other red meats “probably” isn’t great for you either. But the increase in risk is so slight that experts said most people should not be overly worried about it. Still, for those of us who do eat meat, it’s one more reason to drop the Jucy Lucy.           —Diane Richard, writer, October 28\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images\n\nSource: Anahad O’connor, “Meat Is Linked to Higher Cancer Risk, W.H.O. Report Finds,” The New York Times, October 26, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"1325","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Double the pleasure?","object":"116079","image":"/images/15-11-3_2013.37.2_OneChildEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/11/double-the-pleasure/","date":"2015-11-03 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Double the pleasure?\n\n\n\nRecent relaxation of China’s official “one-child policy” gives new hope to couples who desire a larger family. \n\n \n\nUnder the former policy, this noble pair might have felt free to procreate as they wished; poor, rural, or just average folks, however, lacked that luxury. For parents who did manage to have two children, the state typically has refused to recognize that second child, denying him or her access to education, jobs, housing, or official status of any kind. \n\nIntended as a way to invigorate China’s slowing economy, the eased restrictions have thrilled many would-be parents. Still, experts say the shift in policy may backfire, given couples’ reluctance to double their child-rearing expenses.        —Diane Richard, writer, November 3\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Adam Dean for The New York Times\n\nSource: Chris Buckley, “China Ends One-Child Policy, Allowing Families Two Children,”\n The New York Times, October 29, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"116079","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Palatial dollhouse?","object":"","image":"/images/15-11-18_L2013.87_DollhouseEDIT-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/11/palatial-dollhouse/","date":"2015-11-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Palatial dollhouse?\n\n\n\nWelcome to Astolat Castle. It took 13 years for Elaine Diehl, a celebrated miniature artist, to build the 9- foot-tall dollhouse, now appraised at $8.5M. Located in New York City, it offers loads of luxury: a many-volume library, working lights, parquet floors, a marble bathroom with real t.p., and micro-taxidermy for wee hipsters. Even real liquor in tiny bottles!    *\n   —Diane Richard, writer, November 18*\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Photographer: Zack DeZon/Bloomberg\n\nSource: Patrick Clark, “This Dollhouse Costs $8.5 Million. Let’s Take a Tour,” Bloomberg Business, November 11, 2015\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The people have spoken.","object":"12058","image":"/images/15-11-18_18.19_DemocracyBurmaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/11/the-people-have-spoken/","date":"2015-11-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"The people have spoken.\n\n\n\nAfter two decades of house arrest, pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has led her party, the National League for Democracy, to a landslide victory this month in parliamentary elections that upended the Myanmar’s military power structure. \n\n \n\nA symbol of dignified nonviolent resistance, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient sacrificed much to see this day. While confined to house arrest by the generals who have governed Myanmar—formerly known as Burma—for half a century, she lost her freedoms, witnessed her fellow citizens founder under oppression, and her husband died in England. In fact, her marriage to a foreigner makes her ineligible to become the country’s president. “I will be above the president,” she declared.    —Diane Richard, writer, November 18\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Mark Baker/Associated Press\n\nSource: Seth Mydans, “Aung San Suu Kyi, Long a Symbol of Dignified Defiance, Sounds a Provocative Note,” The New York Times, November 17, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"12058","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A tomb fit for a queen?","object":"95","image":"/images/15-12-2_16.414_NefertitiEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/12/a-tomb-fit-for-a-queen/","date":"2015-12-02 00:00:00 -0600","content":"A tomb fit for a queen?\n\n\n\nRecent infrared and radar wall scans of the tomb of King Tutankhamen could soon yield a discover that has the worlds of archaeology and Egyptology atitter: the long-sought burial tomb of Queen Nefertiti. \n\nIn the Valley of Kings, such a discovery would be royal news indeed. Egypt’s government is desperate for the kind of earthshattering archaeological find that would lure tourists back to its ancient pyramids. Since the 2011 uprising, Egypt’s tourism industry has gone belly up. Where once 12,000 people stood in long lines each day to visit the attractions in Luxor, the number has plummeted to as few as 300 a day. The lost tomb of Nefertiti, Pharaoh Akhenaten’s powerful queen, could be the golden ticket.    —Diane Richard, writer, December 2\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Khaled Desouki/Agence France-Presse—Getty Images\n\nSource: Kareem Fahim, “Hope for Nefertiti’s Tomb, and Egypt’s Economy,” The New York Times, November 29, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"95","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Singer serenade?","object":"77","image":"/images/15-12-2_16.20_TonyBennettEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/12/singer-serenade/","date":"2015-12-02 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Singer serenade?\n\n\n\nTurns out Tony Bennett is sweet on John Singer Sargent. \n\nThe multiple Grammy winner is also a painter en plein air, spending time daily to capture his muse—Central Park—in all its mercurial hues. Not surprisingly, he has a soft spot for Impressionists. “For me, Sargent is it,” he said. Bennett started painting at age 8, and for a while it was a tossup which art to pursue. Seems some people can paint their cake and sing it, too. Signed Anthony Benedetto (his birth name), three of his paintings are held in the Smithsonian’s permanent collections. Now, if only his autograph hounds would kindly stand aside.             —Diane Richard, writer, December 2\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Damon Winter/The New York Times\n\nSource: Alex Vadukul, “Tony Bennett Finds His Heart in Central Park,” The New York Times, November 27, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"77","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Targeted?","object":"120409","image":"/images/15-12-07_2014.26_GladiatorsEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/12/targeted/","date":"2015-12-07 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Targeted?\n\n\n\nMichael Brown, LaQuan McDonald, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and now Jamar Clark. The death of Clark, a 24-year-old black man, at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department sparked a chain of events: a two-week occupation of the city’s Fourth Precinct police station by hundreds of protesters, the shooting of four unarmed demonstrators, a thousand-person march, and the forced removal of protesters from their temporary camp. Clark’s case and other recent examples of law enforcement using lethal force on black males is at the heart of Mitchell Squire’s Gladiators.  \n\n**\n\n—Witt Siasoco, Studio & Community Arts Associate\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Jim Mone / AP Source: David Graham, “How Did Jamar Clark Die?” The Atlantic, November 18, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"120409","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Beijing’s big sky country?","object":"19404","image":"/images/15-12-17_67.58.7_JacksonHoleEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/12/beijing-s-big-sky-country/","date":"2015-12-17 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Beijing’s big sky country?\n\n\n\nEuropeans and Americans have long fantasized about the Exotic Orient. For instance, the wallpapers here were created for the export market and show dazzling scenes from a fictive China. \n\nLikewise, China today is facing West—to the American West. On the outskirts of Beijing, a recent development called Jackson Hole has attracted the moneyed class to its spacious timbered McMansions, arrayed along streets with names like Moose and Route 66. The American experience only starts there. Security guards come uniformed as park rangers. There’s a clapboard country church, wagonwheel lamps, and a daily smorgasboard featuring American pork chops. “America represents wilderness and freedom, and also a big house,” said a resident. Giddy-yup.     \n   —Diane Richard, writer, December 17\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Sim Chi Yin for The New York Times\n\nSource: Andrew Jacobs, “Living a Frontier Dream on the Outskirts of China’s Capital,” The New York Times, December 8, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"19404","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Beijing’s big sky country?","object":"19404","image":"/images/15-12-17_67.58.7_JacksonHoleEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/12/beijings-big-sky-country/","date":"2015-12-17 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Beijing’s big sky country?\n\n\n\nEuropeans and Americans have long fantasized about the Exotic Orient. For instance, the wallpapers here were created for the export market and show dazzling scenes from a fictive China. \n\nLikewise, China today is facing West—to the American West. On the outskirts of Beijing, a recent development called Jackson Hole has attracted the moneyed class to its spacious timbered McMansions, arrayed along streets with names like Moose and Route 66. The American experience only starts there. Security guards come uniformed as park rangers. There’s a clapboard country church, wagonwheel lamps, and a daily smorgasboard featuring American pork chops. “America represents wilderness and freedom, and also a big house,” said a resident. Giddy-yup.     \n   —Diane Richard, writer, December 17\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Sim Chi Yin for The New York Times\n\nSource: Andrew Jacobs, “Living a Frontier Dream on the Outskirts of China’s Capital,” The New York Times, December 8, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"19404","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Going out in style?","object":"111088","image":"/images/15-12-30_2010.72_CasketArtEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2015/12/going-out-in-style/","date":"2015-12-30 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Going out in style?\n\n\n\nThe would-be occupant of this lobster coffin knew the value of a dramatic exit. \n\nSo, too, does a crew of artists in Paris. They have bought a communal tomb in a cemetery near Montmartre and adorned it with a bronze sculpture large enough to house their cremated ashes. The sculpture, shaped like a cactus, bears less resemblance to a crucifix than to a certain provocative hand gesture. The scheme’s aim is to create an irreverent mausoleum that is a symbol of absurdity in this Parisian village of the dead, whose 21,500 graves include Edgar Degas and François Truffaut.     \n   —Diane Richard, writer, December 30\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto credit: Capucine Granier-Deferre for The New York Times\n\nSource: Doreen Carvajal, “French Artists Will Take Their Irreverence to the Grave,”\n The New York Times, December 29, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"111088","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Artistic Aspirations?","object":"","image":"/images/16_1_12_ArtStudios_OldNavyT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/01/artistic-aspirations/","date":"2016-01-10 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Artistic Aspirations?\n\n\n\nWhen you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Mia wouldn’t exist without kids who dreamed of being artists. Sadly, Old Navy didn’t consider that before rolling out the toddler shirts below. \n\nIn response, people took to social media to call out Old Navy for devaluing the arts. They also pointed out the irony that these designs were created by someone with at least some artistic training and skill.\n\nOn December 30, Old Navy released a statement: “…With this particular tee, as a result of customer feedback, we have decided to discontinue the design and will work to remove the item from our stores.”\n\n—Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation\n\nDecember 31, 2015\n\nPhoto credit: Via http://www.oldnavy.ca/products/cute-baby-shirts.jsp\n\nNews source: Loryn Brantz, “People Are Pissed Old Navy Is Selling These Offensive Baby Shirts,” BuzzFeed, December 30, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fashion’s rebel rebel?","object":"111576","image":"/images/16-1-13_2011.12a,b_BowieEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/01/fashion-s-rebel-rebel/","date":"2016-01-13 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Fashion’s rebel rebel?\n\n\n\nThe seemingly sudden death of rock icon David Bowie has saddened fans worldwide of his avant-garde music, gender-defying glamour, and exuberant fashion tastes. \n\nWith his gaunt physique and chiseled features, the protean Bowie has served as a fashion icon for some 50 years. Most recently, he was the subject of an art exhibition organized by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, which later traveled to Chicago and other venues. \n\nBowie’s elaborate costumes, like the one shown here in his Ziggy Stardust persona, seem to suit Cave’s Soundsuit to a T.              —Diane Richard, writer, January 13\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: Vanessa Friedman, “David Bowie’s Fashion Legacy,”\n The New York Times, January 12, 2016\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"111576","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fashion’s rebel rebel?","object":"111576","image":"/images/16-1-13_2011.12a,b_BowieEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/01/fashions-rebel-rebel/","date":"2016-01-13 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Fashion’s rebel rebel?\n\n\n\nThe seemingly sudden death of rock icon David Bowie has saddened fans worldwide of his avant-garde music, gender-defying glamour, and exuberant fashion tastes. \n\nWith his gaunt physique and chiseled features, the protean Bowie has served as a fashion icon for some 50 years. Most recently, he was the subject of an art exhibition organized by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, which later traveled to Chicago and other venues. \n\nBowie’s elaborate costumes, like the one shown here in his Ziggy Stardust persona, seem to suit Cave’s Soundsuit to a T.              —Diane Richard, writer, January 13\n\n**\n\n**\n\nSource: Vanessa Friedman, “David Bowie’s Fashion Legacy,”\n The New York Times, January 12, 2016\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"111576","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Biblical plague?","object":"","image":"/images/16-1-28_98.1.100_locustsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/01/biblical-plague/","date":"2016-01-28 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Biblical plague?\n\n\n\nWhen you think of locusts, you might think of them in Old Testament terms. Or, in a secular context, like a group of teens who’ve ransacked your pantry and gobbled down all your Doritos.\n\nIn Argentina, they’re grappling with the real deal—epic droves of humming, thrumming, hungry insects, posing immeasurable damage to the country’s crops. Farmers and fumigators there are scrambling to curb the country’s worst locust plague in 60 years, exterminating them before they fly in hopes of preventing even greater damage. Locust clouds could easily decimate fields of sunflowers and cotton, and grasslands for cattle grazing—one of Argentina’s top crops.                    —Diane Richard, writer, January 28\n\n**\n\nPhoto: SENASA\n Source: Jonathan Gilbert, “Argentina Scrambles to Fight Biggest Plague of Locusts in 60 Years,” New York Times, January 24, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Face-off between two Grands?","object":"","image":"/images/16-2-3_98.276.19A-GG_chessEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/02/face-off-between-two-grands/","date":"2016-02-02 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Face-off between two Grands?\n\n\n\nIn a move that has prompted outrage among players worldwide, Saudi Arabia’s top cleric has labeled chess “haram”—or forbidden for Muslims—claiming it arouses “enmity” and “hatred” among players.\n\nUnlike, say, the shoot-em’-up video game Grand Theft Auto V, chess is not exactly new to the Islamic world, nor is it violent. Muslims in India or Persia have been playing chess since the 6th or 7th century, and they are credited with introducing the game to Europe.\n\nThe Grand Mufti made the decree—or fatwa—on his weekly television program, calling chess “a waste of time and an opportunity to squander money.” In response, the chess world’s Grandmaster Garry Kasparov tweeted: “Saudi Arabia trying to ban chess is stupid, but we should be more concerned about their bans on human rights and democracy.” \n\n                   —Diane Richard, writer, February 2\n\n**\n\nImage: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Arab Chess(Source: Wikimedia)\n Source: Kareem Shaheen, “Chess forbidden in Islam, rules Saudi mufti, but issue not black and white,”\n The Guardian, January 21, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Graying at the temples?","object":"123100","image":"/images/16-3-1_2015.79.162.2_JapanEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/graying-at-the-temples/","date":"2016-03-01 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Graying at the temples?\n\n\n\nWant a contemporary picture of Japan? Imagine a few less children clambering over the hide of this smiling elephant.\n\nJapan’s population has dropped 1 million since its last census five years ago. The decline is attributed to two chief causes: low birthrates and a reluctance to welcome immigrants to the island nation. Today’s birthrate is 1.4 children per woman, nowhere near replacement rate. Fewer people may have its upsides—reduced commutes, shorter lines, less job competition. But it’s not sustainable long term, with an aging population in need of tax-funded services. The news gets worse: Today’s population of 127.1 million is estimated to fall another 40 percent, to 83 million, by the end of the century.—Diane Richard, writer, March 1\n\n**\n\nImage: Yuya Shino/Reuters\n\nSource: Jonathon Soble, “Japan Lost Nearly a Million People in 5 Years, Census Says,” The New York Times, February 26, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"123100","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Short, stout, ubiquitous?","object":"100515","image":"/images/16-3-1_2007.36.2_TeapotEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/short-stout-ubiquitous/","date":"2016-03-01 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Short, stout, ubiquitous?\n\n\n\nThis teapot is not the “Utah teapot.” But its shape evokes an object that revolutionized 3D computer graphics and now serves as a visual in-joke among programmers.\n\nHere’s the back story: When computer scientist Martin Newell was a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, he was seeking a standard object to render in 3D. His wife suggested a teapot—ergo, the “Utah teapot.” The curves, handle, lid, and spout—and corresponding shadows—made it an ideal object for graphical experiment. The Utah teapot soon became an icon of computer graphics creativity. Keep your eyes open for it in the video game, cartoon, or theater screen near you. —Diane Richard, writer, March 1\n\n**\n\nImage: Martin Newell’s drawing of the Utah Teapot.\n\nSource: Jesse Dunietz, “The Most Important Object In Computer Graphics History Is This Teapot,” Nautilus, February 29, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"100515","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Seeing double?","object":"98954","image":"/images/16-3-2_2008.84_TwinStudyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/seeing-double/","date":"2016-03-02 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Seeing double?\n\nTwins are a valuable commodity for science. And none more so than Mark and Scott Kelly, twin astronauts whose lives have each had remarkable trajectories.\n\nScott recently ended 340 consecutive days in space—a record for a NASA astronaut. He called the International Space Station “a magical place” but said living there for 11 months had been like being “in the woods camping for a year.” Mark, the husband of former legislator Gabrielle Giffords, has made news with his vocal push for gun control.  After reuniting on terra firma, the twins will be subject to NASA research on genetic changes that occur in space, along with differences in bone density, fatigue, and stress.—Diane Richard, writer, March 1\n\n**\n\nImage: Scott, left, and Mark Kelly. Credit Tony Cenicola/The New York Times\n\nSource: Kenneth Chang, “Scott Kelly Poised to Set NASA Record for Consecutive Days in Space,”\n The New York Times, February 25, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"98954","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Women at work: Carrington","object":"","image":"/images/16-3-2_2005.127.2_WomenatWork_CarringtonEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/women-at-work-carrington/","date":"2016-03-02 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Women at work\n\n“I WARN YOU, I REFUSE TO BE AN OBJECT.” Those words greet visitors to the Leonora Carrington Foundation website. Rebellious and strident, Carrington forged a remarkable artistic career in Europe, the UK, and the U.S. Keen on the work of the Surrealists, she was 20 when she met German artist Max Ernst at a party in 1937. The arc of the relationship is cinematic: his broken marriage; their artistic collaboration and cohabitation in Paris; his arrest by the Gestapo for making “degenerate” art; his escape via marriage to collector Peggy Guggenheim; her nervous breakdown and creative rebirth. In time, she made her way to Mexico City, where she championed women’s rights. Her work incorporated magical realism and drew from autobiographical detail, subverting male surrealists’ characterization of female sexuality. In her words: “I didn’t have time to be anyone’s muse.”—Diane Richard, writer, March 2\n\nImage: Leonora Carrington Foundation.\n\n“Women at Work” celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting female artists in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Women at work: Claymore","object":"109856","image":"/images/16-3-2_2010.19_WomenatWork_ClaymoreEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/women-at-work-claymore/","date":"2016-03-02 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Women at work\n\n\n\nI’d like to imagine Ida Claymore in this picture, among her artfully adorned sisters. Claymore was a Plains artist with tremendous beading skills and a fancy cursive signature. When a commercially made leather and metal suitcase somehow came into her possession, she must have thought: I can make this so much better! So she gathered up deer hide and spent, what—months? years?—applying glass beads, using her skillful fingers. Then she attached the hide to the bag. Yes, the babies were crying. Yes, she had dinner to cook. But still she made the time to bead this bag. In doing so, she showcased an art form honed over hundreds of years of Plains and Woodlands tradition. The scene she depicted is of an accomplished horseman and a highly skilled camp keeper and artisan. Could it be Claymore, herself?—Diane Richard, writer, March 1\n\n**\n\nImage: Lakota young women, Manderson, South Dakota. Photograph courtesy of Arthur Amiotte.\n\n“Women at Work” celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting female artists in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"109856","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Women at work: Zulul","object":"12111","image":"/images/16-3-4_ 99.115.1_WomenatWork_Zulu1-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/women-at-work-zulul/","date":"2016-03-08 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Women at work\n\n\n\nCall it “lost in transaction.” When this pot was sold on the international art market, the name of the Zulu woman who made it was left behind. \n\nOnly very rarely do we know the names of African artists. Sometimes that’s because different societies have different notions of individual creativity, and artist names are deemphasized. More often than not, it’s because Westerners didn’t think of African art as “art” and didn’t consider African artists “artists.” It was enough to know that a pot was “Zulu.” The name of its maker?  Not important.\n\nThankfully, times have changed. Today we know the names of many Zulu women potters, and their work is celebrated and highly sought-after.          —Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist\n\n**\n\nImage: Artist Peni Gumbi shining a pot, ArtThrob Magazine, artthrob.co.za\n\n“Women at Work” celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting female artists in Mia’s collection.\n\n**\n\n\n","objectId":"12111","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Women at work: Bonheur","object":"4483","image":"/images/16-3-9_92.74_WomenatWork_BonheurEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/women-at-work-bonheur/","date":"2016-03-09 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Women at work\n\n\n\nRecognized as the foremost animal painter of her time, Rosa Bonheur became one of the most established female painters in Europe and the U.S. Like Palette, most of her works focused on animals, and she frequented places like slaughterhouses to help her better understand the anatomy and emotions of her subjects. In her own words: “I became an animal painter because I loved to move among animals. I would study an animal and draw it in the position it took, and when it changed to another position I would draw that.” Trained as an artist from a young age, Bonheur was encouraged by her father to act liberally, and she began to dress as a man. Her defiant stance toward the typical roles of gender in society places her at the forefront of feminism.*\n             —* Ellie Hohulin, Learning Innovation intern, March 9\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Édouard-Louis Dubufe, Rosa Bonheur with Bull, 1856\n\n“Women at Work” celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting female artists in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"4483","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Women at work: Catlett","object":"7890","image":"/images/16-3-9_P.97.1_WomenatWork_CatlettEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/women-at-work-catlett/","date":"2016-03-09 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Women at work\n\n\n\nThe granddaughter of former enslaved people, Elizabeth Catlett was an African American sculptor, painter, and printmaker known for producing politically charged works, focusing on the female human body and the struggle for civil rights. She fused visual elements of the African tradition with those of western Mexico. Many of her pieces celebrated famous African Americans as well as anonymous workers, like this female sharecropper. Catlett used art to explore and promote her progressive political views and to depict other strong black females in her works, defying the norms of white male artists. In her own words: “I have always wanted my art to service my people—to reflect us, to relate to us, to stimulate us, to make us aware of our potential.” *\n           —* Ellie Hohulin, Learning Innovation intern, March 9\n\n**\n\nImage: Elizabeth Catlett, The New York Times, 2011\n\n“Women at Work” celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting female artists in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"7890","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Women at work: Hosmer","object":"81074","image":"/images/16-3-9_2003.125_WomenatWork_HosmerEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/women-at-work-hosmer/","date":"2016-03-09 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Women at work\n\n\n\nHarriet Goodhue Hosmer was one of the leading female sculptors of the 19th century. Possibly the only woman of her time to gain complete financial independence through the success of her art, Hosmer was encouraged by her father to pursue art and physical activity, and even wore pants and a men’s shirt to paint. A rarity for females at the time, she got to study live models in Rome, helping her to master the anatomical proportions of the human body. Eventually, she even led her own studio in Rome, one comprised of all men. Hosmer’s Neoclassical interpretation of Medusa challenges the norms of how the Greek monster was typically portrayed, representing her in a beautiful human form.     \n       — Ellie Hohulin, Learning Innovation intern, March 9\n\n**\n\n**\n\nImage: Augustus Robin, Engraving of Harriet Hosmer, 1872\n\n“Women at Work” celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting female artists in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"81074","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Women at work: O'Keeffe","object":"","image":"/images/16-3-9_L2014.234.195_WomenatWork_OKeeffeEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/women-at-work-okeeffe/","date":"2016-03-09 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Women at work\n\n\n\nOne of the most significant artists of the 20th century, Georgia O’Keeffe is known for her bold American Modernist paintings of flowers, bones, and desert landscapes. \n\nO’Keeffe also loved to explore the female body in her paintings. Even her nonrepresentational works, such as Green-Gray Abstraction, were seen as having a deep sexual meaning. In reality, she was simply one of the first artists who could explore her sexuality and representation as a female on the larger stage, and often had no sexual intentions behind her works. In her own words: “Well—I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flowers you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower—and I don’t.”— Ellie Hohulin, Learning Innovation intern, March 9\n\n**\n\nImage: Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O’Keeffe, 1918\n\n“Women at Work” celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting female artists in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Women at work: Smith","object":"113164","image":"/images/16-3-9_2011.74.14_WomenatWork_KikiSmithEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/women-at-work-smith/","date":"2016-03-09 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Women at work\n\n\n\nKiki Smith’s works defy traditional object making, with many pieces paralleling the traditional representation of women in art history. Smith focuses on gender roles being assigned based upon society and culture, not biology. This commentary exposes the flaws of many of the gender norms we have come to accept. \n\nSmith uses a wide variety of materials and styles to explore themes of the body and sexuality. By challenging the viewer to dive into societal issues through the representation of the body, Smith begins a commentary on what different forms of the body can represent. What do Smith’s fetal pose and worm-like position in Worm represent to you? *\n               —* Ellie Hohulin, Learning Innovation intern, March 9\n\n**\n\nImage: Nina Subin, Kiki Smith 2013, 2013\n\n“Women at Work” celebrates Women’s History Month by highlighting female artists in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"113164","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The art of the political portrait?","object":"537","image":"/images/16-3-16_35.7.106_EgoEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/the-art-of-the-political-portrait/","date":"2016-03-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The art of the political portrait?\n\n\n\nLet’s talk about the time-honored history of portraits and their ability to project clues about the status of their sitters. Really, that’s all we’re going to talk about here. No. Really. \n\nFor instance, take this Burgomaster, whose lavish choice of lace and gilded embroidery sent Holland’s strait-laced  Calvinists swooning. The “town mayor” is portrayed as a gentleman of leisure, standing on the veranda of his estate. Like Donald J. Trump’s portait hanging at his Mar-a-Lago estate in his tennis whites. Both men appear self-assured and proud. Both directly confront the viewer. And both likely loved the reflection they saw. See? Not tough at all.                              —Diane Richard, writer, March 16\n\nImage: Eric Thayer for The New York Times\n\nSource: Jason Horowitz, “A King in His Castle: How Donald Trump Lives, From His Longtime Butler,”\n The New York Times, March 15, 2016\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"537","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Lost language of nature?","object":"12936","image":"/images/16-3-24_2000.236_LostNatureEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/lost-language-of-nature/","date":"2016-03-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Lost language of nature?\n\n\n\nWe are in the midst of a sixth great extinction, a rapid loss of species unprecedented except for five prehistoric mass extinctions—of the dinosaurs, for one. Only this time, it’s largely man’s doing, as we warm the planet, transform natural spaces, and abandon what’s left of them for concrete cities. \n\nAlong the way, as several new books note, we’re losing the language of nature—words like guzzle (the low spaces on barrier beaches that allow the tides to pass into inland marshes) and the distinctions between streams, creeks, and brooks. George Inness, who hailed the factory in this stream scene as a sign of progress, might not have worried about this—because there seemed to be no end of nature in the 1800s and because the triumph of man over it seemed inevitable and good. But a loss is a loss, and we can only be the lesser for it.\n\n—Tim Gihring, Editor\n\nMarch 24, 2016\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nIllustration by Jennifer Luxton for Yes!magazine, January 18, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"12936","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Are narcissists better artists?","object":"1278","image":"/images/16-3-29_55.45_NarcissistArtistEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/are-narcissists-better-artists/","date":"2016-03-30 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Are narcissists better artists?\n\n\n\nPablo Picasso once declared, “God is really an artist, like me…I am God.” He was, clinically speaking, a narcissist, turning every relationship toward himself and reveling in the glory he pushed for.\n\nAs an artist, he is hardly alone. A 2013 study found that narcissists are more likely than other people to consider themselves creative and to promote their creative work. Now a new study finds that the tendency works in their favor. Identifying narcissists by the size of their signature, how often they refer to themselves in interviews, and the number of self-portraits they make, the researcher found a correlation with success in the art market. The greater the narcissist, the greater the auction value of their work. The more you think of yourself, it seems, the more others do, too.\n\n—Tim Gihring, Editor\n\nMarch 29, 2016\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nFrom Hyperallergic.com, \n\nMarch 29, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1278","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"ISIS plunders Palmyra","object":"81247","image":"/images/16-3-30_2008.28.2_PalmyraEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/isis-plunders-palmyra/","date":"2016-03-30 00:00:00 -0500","content":"ISIS plunders Palmyra\n\n\n\nFirst, there was rare good news: this month, control of the ancient Roman city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was returned to the Syrian army from ISIS, which held it since May. This funerary relief once sealed a tomb at the site.\n\nThen, a reckoning: Not only had the Islamic State destroyed much of the site’s monuments; it had also laid land mines around two nearly 2,000-year-old temples. Much of what it didn’t destroy, it plundered for blackmarket sale. Worse still was the human toll: the murder of Palmyra’s retired chief of antiquities. Troops are now working to clear the ancient city, known as “the bride of the desert,” of mines ISIS left behind.                 *—Diane Richard, writer, March 30\n*Images: The destruction of the main building of the Temple of Baal was confirmed by this satellite image on Aug. 31, 2015. Top: Airbus DS via UNITAR-UNOSAT; bottom: UrtheCast via UNITAR-UNOSAT\n\nSource: Sarah Almukhtar, “The Strategy Behind the Islamic State’s Destruction of Ancient Sites,”\n The New York Times, March 28, 2016\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"81247","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The eagle has landed?","object":"1629","image":"/images/16-3-30_66.9_EagleEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/03/the-eagle-has-landed/","date":"2016-03-30 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The eagle has landed?\n\n\n\nEagles, like the one depicted here, are revered in many cultures for their hunting prowess. Yet the Mongolian tradition of eagle hunting, popular since Genghis Khan, is in a death spiral. \n\nFor centuries, nomadic burkitshi—eagle hunters in Kazakh—on horseback have braved subzero temperatures in search of eaglets to train as hunting partners. Today, only 50 to 60 “true” hunters remain, and urbanites from Ulan Bator are more likely to fly drones than raptors. To document this endangered sport, Australian-born, Hong Kong-based photographer Palani Mohan traveled to the steppe over five winters. His book, Hunting With Eagles: In the Realm of the Mongolian Kazakhs,compiles Mohan’s photographs of the burkitshi and their raptors, whom they regard as family. *                          —Diane Richard, writer, March 30\n*Image: Palani Mohan\n\nSource: Carey Dunne, “The Vanishing Practice of Hunting with Golden Eagles in Mongolia,”\n Hyperallergic, March 21, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1629","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Secrets not so secret?","object":"","image":"/images/16-4-6_69.80.1A,B_iPhoneEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/04/secrets-not-so-secret/","date":"2016-04-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Secrets not so secret?\n\n\n\nRecently, the FBI announced it had hired a third party to unlock the iPhone of an attacker in the December 2015 San Bernardino shootings. Apple refused to assist in the process, citing privacy concerns. Since then, a bug in the phone’s operating system shows a relatively easy way to gain entry to contacts and photos, with no need of fingerprints or passcoades.\n\nThis elaborate inkstand by Vincenzo Coaci is the 18th-century equivalent to an iPhone, in that it was a central tool in communication of the time. Full of secret compartments containing candleholders, a sander, an inkwell, and even a lever to make two doves kiss, the inkstand’s delightful surprises can only be uncovered by those in the know.                 *       —* *Ellie Hohulin, Learning Innovation intern, April 5\n*Images: Carolyn Kaster/AP/2016\n\nSource: Hayley Tsukayama, “Bug allowed open access to iPhone photos and contacts,” The Washington Post, April 6, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Not amused?","object":"56568","image":"/images/16-4-12_2015.55.1_NotFaceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/04/not-amused/","date":"2016-04-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Not amused?\n\n\n\nYou see it in Hawaii. You see it in Haiti. In Helsinki, Hanoi, and Harare, too. It’s the “not face”—as in “I’m not buying what you just said.” Turns out, the pursed frown or scowl that consumes your face when your credulity is challenged is found the world over. \n\nA recent study documented the facial movements of 158 students, who were asked a series of questions—some of them purposefully annoying—in their native languages. The result? C’mon. “To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that the facial expressions we use to communicate negative moral judgment have been compounded into a unique, universal part of language,” said study author Aleix Martinez, a professor at Ohio State University.     \n — Diane Richard, writer**, April 12\n\nImage: Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch\n\nSource: Corinne Purtill, “Scientists have identified a facial expression made around the world: “the not face”,” Quartz, March 30, 2016\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"56568","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Spare some change?","object":"689","image":"/images/16-4-28_44.25_TubmanEDIT2-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/04/spare-some-change/","date":"2016-04-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Spare some change?\n\n\n\nRecently, President Obama and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced that Harriet Tubman will be the new face of the U.S. $20 bill. Tubman, a former enslaved person and abolitionist, will become the first woman on paper money since Martha Washington briefly appeared on the $1 silver certificate in the 19th century. In the process, she will oust Andrew Jackson.\n\nIn Reminiscences of 1865,Abraham Lincoln, the face on the $5 bill and the President who fought for the freedom of slaves during the Civil War, is paid tribute. Along with his portrait, there is a 25-cent shinplaster and a coin, showing some of the currency used in the time of Tubman and Lincoln. It seems only fitting now that these two national heroes will sit side by side in Americans’ wallets. Tubman’s $20 will be released by 2020.\n   — Ellie Hohulin, Learning Innovation intern, April 28\n\n**\n\nImage: Harriet Tubman, by H.B. Lindsley, 1850–1900\n\nSource: Jackie Calmes, “Harriet Tubman Ousts Andrew Jackson in Change for a $20,” The New York Times, April 20, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"689","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The wisdom of robots?","object":"1473","image":"/images/16-4-29_62.14_RobotMonkEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/04/the-wisdom-of-robots/","date":"2016-04-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The wisdom of robots?\n\n\n\nCan robots be monks? The Longquan (Dragon Spring) Temple, in the mountains northwest of Beijing, thinks so. A robot, after all, can be programmed to learn, pray, and resist temptation. And this robot, a 2-foot-tall saffron-robed guy named Worthy Stupid Robot Monk (stupid is a term of affection in the Beijing dialect), even dispenses wisdom.\n\nAsk “What is love?” and it says, “Love is your own obsessions not being satisfied, the clashing of other people’s troubles with yours.” Mention that you want to die and it cautions, “Don’t assume you’re the most pathetic person in the world.” Human monks say it proves that science and Buddhism are compatible. But since Worthy Stupid Robot Monk lacks a heart, not everyone believes the advice is heartfelt. \n\n—Tim Gihring, Editor\n\nApril 28, 2016\n\nFrom the New York Times, April 27, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1473","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"New brand of burial?","object":"875","image":"/images/16-5-5_50.46.193_GucciTombEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/05/new-brand-of-burial/","date":"2016-05-05 00:00:00 -0500","content":"New brand of burial?\n\n\n\nIn many countries in Asia and elsewhere, tomb figures have long been used to accompany the deceased in the afterlife.\n\nIn our consumerist times, those grave offerings have taken a more brand-savvy bent. The latest trend? Designer gear—shoes and purses—made from paper, meant to be burned to send off loved ones’ spirits in style. Accordingly, the designer brand Gucci—ever protective of its luxury image—has cracked down on Hong Kong’s graveside vendors, claiming trademark infringement. In response, shopkeepers have pulled “Gucci” items from shelves, replacing them with inflammable packs of cigarettes—Danhill, Lucky Strlke, Marlbero, Sailem—and other dubiously named brands to be bought by the bereaved.         — Diane Richard, writer, May 5, 2016\n\nImage: Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times\n\nSource: Michael Forsythe, “Rest in Peace … Just Not in Gucci Loafers,” The New York Times, May 4, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"875","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Hidden treasure?","object":"116294","image":"/images/16-5-12_2013.17_NoguchiEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/05/hidden-treasure/","date":"2016-05-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Hidden treasure?\n\nFans of mid-century modernism recently got a gift from on high. High above a drop-paneled ceiling, that is. In St. Louis, home of Eero Saarinen’s Gateway Arch, an exhibition focused on “mid-mod” drew attention to works from the era of space exploration. Drawings and maquettes highlighted works in the region that once were.\n\nSoon after, a “lunar landscape” emerged, designed in the mid-1940s by Isamu Noguchi for the American Stove Company-Magic Chef Co. After seeing the modernism show, the president of the U-Haul Company, which now owns the building, took down the paneling to reveal Noguchi’s space-age biomorphic ceiling.       —Diane Richard, writer, May 12, 2016 \n\n**\n\nPhoto: top: Isamu Noguchi with architecture by Harris Armstrong, ceiling for American Stove Company, photographed for ‘The Architectural Forum: Magazine of Building’ (October 1948) (courtesy Harris Armstrong Collection, University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Washington University Libraries);bottom:courtesy U-Haul Company of St. Louis\n\n**\n\nNews source: Allison Meier, “A Noguchi Ceiling in a U-Haul Showroom Is Restored to Its Former Glory,” Hyperallergic, May 5, 2016\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"116294","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Before the Selfie: Goya","object":"1226","image":"/images/16-5-12_52.14_BeforeSelfie_GoyaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/05/before-the-selfie-goya/","date":"2016-05-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Before the Selfie\n\n\n\nThe most renowned painter of the Spanish Court, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828) is regarded as the most important Spanish artist of his day. His early career was spent painting luminous portraits of Spain’s royal family and aristocracy. Later, he painted scenes of political instability, warfare, and brutality that still disturb and chill today. \n\nAlong the way, he made self-portraits that reflect his own evolution from brash young painter to observer of life haunted by all he had witnessed and lost, including his hearing and several children. In 1820, he made this tribute to his caregiver, Dr. Arrieta, an image of unflinching self-exposure and vulnerability.   —Diane Richard, writer, May 14, 2016\n\n**\n\nImage: WikiCommons, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid\n\n“Before the Selfie” highlights the popularity of the self-portrait in Mia’s collection before 2000. To see self-portraits by contemporary artists, visit “Beyond the Selfie” in Gallery 368, May 14–October 30.\n\n\n","objectId":"1226","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Before the Selfie: Yasumasa","object":"109149","image":"/images/16-5-17_ 2010.25_BeforeSelfie_YasumasaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/05/before-the-selfie-yasumasa/","date":"2016-05-17 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Before the Selfie\n\n\n\nThis photo is a rare look at the artist Morimura Yasumasa—in his own skin, without wearing the personna of a famous other. \n\nFor more than two decades, Yasumasa, one of Japan’s most renowned artists, has inserted his own face into paintings by van Gogh, Velasquez, Kahlo, and Vermeer, as well as glamorous headshots of stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. His frequently gender-bending self-portraits investigate the ambiguity between male and female identities while also illuminating Japan’s love-hate relationship with Western culture, the rise of global art movements, and the free exchange of cultural ideas. —Diane Richard, writer, May 17, 2016\n\n**\n\nImage: The Japan Times, 2006\n\n“Before the Selfie” highlights the popularity of the self-portrait in Mia’s collection before 2000. To see self-portraits by contemporary artists, visit “Beyond the Selfie” in Gallery 368, May 14–October 30.\n\n\n","objectId":"109149","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Catch of the day?","object":"12138","image":"/images/16-5-18_68.74.1_DianaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/05/catch-of-the-day/","date":"2016-05-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Catch of the day?\n\n\n\nTwo amateur divers recently discovered Israel’s biggest haul of underwater Roman-era artifacts in a generation, including, at left, figurines of Luna (later identified with the goddess Diana; note the moon tiara) and Dionysus.\n\nThe divers discovered the treasures while exploring a sunken ship near an ancient port. As soon as they realized their catch, they alerted the country’s antiquities authority. The trove of priceless  artifacts included bronze statues, lamps, jars, animal-shaped objects, anchors, and thousands of coins featuring images of the Roman emperors Constantine and Licinius. The oldest objects date to the first century CE. —Diane Richard, writer, May 18, 2016 \n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: ZUMA Wire/Rex/Shutterstock\n\n**\n\nNews source: Associated Press, “Underwater treasure trove discovered by amateur divers off Israeli coast,” The Guardian, May 16, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"12138","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Before the Selfie: Chardin","object":"1227","image":"/images/16-5-24_52.15_BeforeSelfie_ChardinEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/05/before-the-selfie-chardin/","date":"2016-05-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Before the Selfie\n\n\n\nYou might call this a symbolic portrait. Like a self-conscious suitor who leaves certain books or magazines lying around his apartment before inviting a date in, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin has assembled the accountrement of the arts—sculpture, drawing, architecture, goldsmithing—and its rewards, most notably a prestigious medal, as though they were just sitting there on a desk. \n\nIt’s a clever gambit, to create a self-portrait without ever showing his face. Indeed, it probably says more about how he wished to be seen than if we had seen him in the flesh (for comparison, a true self-portrait is shown here). And yet, by removing himself from the scene, he can also claim modesty. —Tim Gihring, editor, May 25\n\n**\n\nImage: Self-portrait, 1771, pastel, Musée du Louvre, Paris.\n\n“Before the Selfie” highlights the popularity of the self-portrait in Mia’s collection before 2000. To see self-portraits by contemporary artists, visit “Beyond the Selfie” in Gallery 368, May 14–October 30.\n\n\n","objectId":"1227","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Before the Selfie: DeMura","object":"1488","image":"/images/16-5-24_62.48_BeforeSelfie_DeMuraEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/05/before-the-selfie-demura/","date":"2016-05-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Before the Selfie\n\n\n\nModesty was not on the mind of Francesco de Mura, though in fairness there wasn’t much to go around in the circles he moved in. He was a court artist, one of the most successful in southern Italy, a favorite of the Bourbon King Charles VII. \n\nIn this portrait, he made sure you knew it, from the expensive fabrics and furniture to his drawing of Minerva, Roman protector of the arts. Today, however, he is little remembered—the Salieri to Mozart. In fact, the first-ever exhibition of his work in modern times is only now making the rounds, due to arrive in Minneapolis this fall. He has a lot to live up to. —Tim Gihring, editor, May 25\n\n**\n\nImage: Francesco de Mura’s The Visitation, c. 1750.\n\n“Before the Selfie” highlights the popularity of the self-portrait in Mia’s collection before 2000. To see self-portraits by contemporary artists, visit “Beyond the Selfie” in Gallery 368, May 14–October 30.\n\n\n","objectId":"1488","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Rolling up the red carpet?","object":"10361","image":"/images/16-5-31_70.40_RugsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/05/rolling-up-the-red-carpet/","date":"2016-05-31 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Rolling up the red carpet?\n\n\n\nIt’s a wonder that rugs like those scattered here were ever made. Over months, tiny fingers made so many colorful knots in intricate patterns—and that was after the work of shearing, spinning, and dyeing the wool. \n\nBut the days of the so-called Persian carpet are fading fast. Made in Shiraz, Iran, and elsewhere, carpets have been underfoot of the elite for centuries. In the 15th century, Henry XIII’s court artist, Hans Holbein, painted them to dazzling effect. Today, though, mass-produced varieties are gaining ground, even for Iranians who can afford the real deal. Says one authority on carpets: “People simply are no longer interested in quality.” —Diane Richard, writer, May 31, 2016 \n\nPhoto: Newsha Tavakolian forThe New York Times\n\nNews source: Thomas Erdbrink, “The Persian Rug May Not Be Long for This World,” The New York Times, May 26, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"10361","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Tug of war over the Buddha?","object":"8447","image":"/images/16-6-2_2000.31.5_BuddhaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/tug-of-war-over-the-buddha/","date":"2016-06-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Tug of war over the Buddha?\n\n\n\nDueling claims have long pit the neighboring nations of India and Nepal over a mystery: where exactly was the house in which the future Buddha grew up? \n\nBoth countries agree it was near the Himalayas, but which side of the border—drawn centuries later—is hotly disputed. Now, Unesco archaelogists are escavating a site in Nepal that might yield the answer—only 17 miles away from another excavation site, in India. At play are millions of tourism dollars principally from Chinese tourists, eager to reaffirm their Buddhist faith. Throngs of pilgrims are expected to flock to whichever nation can claim the most righteous ruin. —Diane Richard, writer, June 2, 2016 \n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Unesco\n\nNews source: Ellen Barry, “India and Nepal in Not-Very-Enlightened Spat Over Buddha’s Childhood Home,” The New York Times, June 1, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"8447","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A Mughal art revival—in coloring books?","object":"120430","image":"/images/16-6-8_2014.101_MughalColoringEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/a-mughal-art-revival-in-coloring-books/","date":"2016-06-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A Mughal art revival—in coloring books?\n\n\n\nThey were intricate and dense, every inch—and there were not many inches to begin with—encrusted with color, geometry, and superfine lines. These miniature paintings, perfected in the Mughal era of 1500s India, symbolized the merging of refined Persian culture with the cultures of the Indian subcontinent. By the 1700s, with western influences rising, they were passé.\n\nToday, they’re being reincarnated—under western influence—as a source for adult coloring books. The rich decoration and intricate lines make an ideal foil for the accomplished colorist. And in India, where the books have become a hit, there is also a sense of pride: for aesthetic refinement, the Mughal era has been a tough act to follow.\n\n—Tim Gihring, editor, June 8, 2016\n\n**\n\nSource: Qz.com, May 25, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"120430","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Stairway to lawsuit?","object":"3520","image":"/images/16-6-8_86.6_LedZEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/stairway-to-lawsuit/","date":"2016-06-08 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Stairway to lawsuit?\n\n\n\nWhat do The Doryphoros and Led Zeppelin have in common? Both classics took inspiration from other artists—at least, so a lawsuit filed against the U.K. rock band claims. \n\nThe Doryphoros is a Roman copy of an earlier Greek work. No problem there. But the “descending chromatic four-chord progression” that starts the song “Stairway to Heaven” may have been lifted from another song, “Taurus,” written by Randy Wolfe for the band Spirit. A trustee for Wolfe’s estate is now suing the band members of Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement. Previous plagiarism charges against the band have resulted in a revision of credits on its albums to include the names of the accusing songwriters.   —Diane Richard, writer, June 8, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Hulton Archive/Getty Images\n\nNews source: Ben Sisario, “Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ to Be Scrutinized in Court in Copyright Case,” The New York Times, June 5, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"3520","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Daring to reach new heights?","object":"4866","image":"/images/16-6-15_95.84_BeehiveEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/daring-to-reach-new-heights/","date":"2016-06-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Daring to reach new heights?\n\n\n\nEvery hairdo has a first. For her beehive, Margaret Heldt, a Chicago hairdresser, took modern ladies to new heights.\n\nA contributor to Modern Beauty Shop, Heldt was asked to create a signature look for women of the 1960s. Inspired by a fashion-forward fez she fancied, she whipped up the do and affixed it with suffocating amounts of AquaNet hairspray. Voilà—beauty, elegance, and vertical lift, all in a look that would last for days. Her editor dubbed it the “beehive,” a name that clearly stuck.\n\nHeldt might have admired the signature coiffure of this Yoruba shrine head. Not quite a ’hive, but you can almost hear the bees.            —Diane Richard, writer, June 15, 2016\n\nPhotos: The beehive, which first appeared in 1960, was a favorite among celebrities, including, from left, Audrey Hepburn and Aretha Franklin in 1961, Amy Winehouse in 2007, and Jennifer Lopez in 2010.\n\nNews source: Bruce Weber, “Margaret Heldt, Hairdresser Who Built the Beehive, Dies at 98,” The New York Times, June 13, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"4866","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Seeing stars?","object":"116191","image":"/images/16-6-15_2013.19_MilkyWayEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/seeing-stars/","date":"2016-06-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Seeing stars?\n\n\n\nWe’re losing the Milky Way to light pollution, says a recent study. One-third of humanity—and 80 percent of North Americans—can no longer see the sky’s creamy compote of stars. For the first time in the history of our species, entire generations of people have never seen our galaxy. The cause is electric lighting, mostly urban, which saturates the night sky. High-efficiency light sources like LEDs actually exacerbate the effect by casting a cool white light. The loss—to migrating species, astronomers, and dreamers alike—is cosmic.           —Diane Richard, writer, June 15, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Peter Komka / AP\n\nNews source: “The Milky Way Is Disappearing,” The Atlantic, June 10, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"116191","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"LGBT Pride ","object":"119693","image":"/images/16-6-16_2014.42_PrideEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/lgbt-pride/","date":"2016-06-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"LGBT Pride \n\nThe Girlfriends directly connects to the nation’s LGBT rights movement in important ways. One of the figures in this duo, Jill Johnston, was an influential Lesbian activist and author of Lesbian Nation: The Feminist Solution (1973). \n\n**\n\nGeorge Segal, the artist who captured this tender moment between Johnston and another woman, also created a monument near the Stonewall Inn in NYC, shown at right. On June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar. Its patrons fought back against what had become city-sanctioned harassment of gay people. This riot triggered a series of protests, including the first gay and lesbian march. The events at Stonewall are credited as the flashpoint for the LGBT rights movement we celebrate this month.\n —Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation, June 16, 2016\n\nTop: Jill Johnston in 1985; Jack Manning/The New York Times\n\nBottom: NYC Parks\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"119693","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The Greatest, no question","object":"113973","image":"/images/16-6-16_2012.24_AliEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/the-greatest-no-question/","date":"2016-06-16 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The Greatest, no question\n\n\n\nThe recent death of Muhammad Ali is the death of far more than an athlete. Born Cassius Clay, this son of Louisville, Ky., made history in the boxing ring and in the world —both as a heavyweight fighter and a heavyweight anti-war political figure. Self-dubbed the “greatest boxer of all time,” he was both a physical and verbal combatant whose rope-a-dope rhyming phrases, it’s been said, inspired rap. (Me! Wheeeeee!”) His memorial service gathered a rich cross-section of American figures—imams, rabbis, Native leaders, a priest, a former president—to praise this man who lived his life honestly, without apology. In Ali’s words: “I don’t have to be who you want me to be; I’m free to be who I want.”           —Diane Richard, writer, June 16, 2016\n\nPhoto: John Rooney, Associated Press\n\nNews source: “Muhammad Ali Dies at 74: Titan of Boxing and the 20th Century,” The New York Times, June 3, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"113973","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Artists’ egos—Dalí to Kanye?","object":"5033","image":"/images/16-6-30_96.2_KanyeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/artists-egos-dali%CC%81-to-kanye/","date":"2016-06-30 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Artists’ egos—Dalí to Kanye?\n\n \n\n \n\nSalvador Dalí once stated, “E​very morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dalí.”\n\n​\n\nSound familiar?\n\nWith the announcement of Kanye West’s Saint Pablo tour, West is once again making headlines as one of the most controversial figures in pop culture. Resembling Dalí’s words, his latest track, S​aint Pablo, ​states: “​I know I’m the most influential, that T​IME ​cover was just confirmation, ​th​is generation’s closest thing to Einstein.​” Certainly, artistic genius is, in part, born out of personality, daring, and ego. It’s up to you—and time—to judge whether Dalí, or Einstein, or an artist named Pablo (Picasso) laid the way for the likes of West.           —A​lexandra Cole, intern, June 29, 2016  \n\nPhoto: AJC.com \n\nNews source: “Kanye West Shares Saint Pablo Tour Dates,”B​illboard, June 14, 2016 \n\nQuote: Brainy Quote; Lyric: Lyric Genius\n\n\n","objectId":"5033","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"New vistas for Wright home?","object":"19689","image":"/images/29-6-16_72.11_WrightEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/06/new-vistas-for-wright-home/","date":"2016-06-30 00:00:00 -0500","content":"New vistas for Wright home?\n\nA Frank Lloyd Wright–designed home in Cloquet, Minn., has been sold, dismantled, and shipped to western Pennsylvania. The home was built for Ray and Emma Lindholm in 1953 after their daughter, Joyce, learned of Wright’s work in an art history course at the University of Minnesota. Road construction and urban development were the primary reasons the owners decided to sell Wright’s Usonian design. Though Minnesota may be losing an architectural gem, the home will be reconstructed, piece by piece, in a park among many other homes designed by Wright and his apprentice in Acme, Pa. Fallingwater—arguably Wright’s most famous house—is in nearby Mill Run, Pa. Visitors will be able to tour the home next spring.        —Gretchen Halverson, intern, June 29, 2016\n\n**\n\n\n  \n    \n      Photo: Courtesy of John Clouse\n      Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy\n    \n  \n\n\nNews source: “Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in Minn. Moved piece by piece to Pa.,” MPRNews, June 29, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"19689","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Galactic romance?","object":"116191","image":"/images/16-7-6_2013.19_JunoEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/galactic-romance/","date":"2016-07-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Galactic romance?\n\n \n\n \n\nJust in time to celebrate, the unmanned spacecraft Junoreached Jupiter on July 4, 2016, nearly five years after it launched its 540-million-mile journey. Though we have come a long way since Galileo first discovered Jupiter and its moons on January 7, 1610, this was not the first time a manmade object has reached the gas planet. That NASA triumph dates to 1995. This mission differed, however, in purpose: Junois helping us better understand Jupiter’s origins, its water content, and atmospheric conditions. \n\nJuno is scheduled to make impact with Jupiter in February 2018, upon completing its mission. For Roman mythology buffs, that collision will have layered meaning: the goddess Juno is married to the god Jupiter. So, naturally, some friction is likely to occur.  —A​lexandra Cole, intern, July 6, 2016  \n\nPhoto: N​ASA/JPL­Caltech\n\nNews source: CNN, “’​Welcome to Jupiter!’ NASA’s Juno space probe arrives at giant planet,” J​uly 6, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"116191","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Just don’t do it?","object":"80860","image":"/images/16-7-6_2003.145_NikeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/just-dont-do-it/","date":"2016-07-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Just don’t do it?\n\n\n\nFor women athletes, modern sportswear seems to go one direction: up. Shorter, more form-fitting is the name of the game. Until this tennis season, that is. For the female players it sponsors at Wimbledon, Nike issued a “Premier Slam” dress that was about as breezy and voluminous as the toga on this badminton player. And slammed it was. Competitors were forced to cinch their shapeless, babydoll dresses with headbands and by adding layers, like a long-sleeved shirt and leggings. “When I was serving, it was coming up, and I felt like the dress was just everywhere,” Rebecca Peterson of Sweden said. Nike sent tailors to redress the dress to serve up performance over cuteness.           —Diane Richard, writer, July 6, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Alastair Grant/Associated Press\n\nNews source: Ben Rothenberg, “For Some at Wimbledon, Nike’s Dress Just Doesn’t Do It,” The New York Times, June 28, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"80860","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Not my painting","object":"486","image":"/images/16-7-7_32.12_ArtistDenialEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/not-my-painting/","date":"2016-07-07 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Not my painting\n\n\n\nGilbert Stuart painted many portraits of Washington—including the original of this image—but claimed the one in the White House was not his (the White House still says it is). Today, while many artists would love to be linked to a work by Peter Doig, whose paintings of mystical landscapes sell for tens of millions of dollars, one artist has denied the attribution: Peter Doig.\n\nHe’s being sued by the owner of a painting who would like to cash in on it—but can’t if Doig continues to disown it. It certainly looks like his work, was purchased 40 years ago from an artist who resembles Doig. But Doig says it wasn’t him—and now, to avoid $5 million in damages, he has to prove it.                     \n\n—Tim Gihring, editor, July 7 \n\n**\n\nImage: The disputed painting, as it appeared in the New York Times on July 7, 2016.\n\n\n","objectId":"486","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Sandy moments in time","object":"4457","image":"/images/16-7-7_92.44_SandSculpturesEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/sandy-moments-in-time/","date":"2016-07-07 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Sandy moments in time\n\n\n\nThe Buddhist monks who build mandalas don’t expect them to last (though this one has, to honor persecuted Tibetans). Indeed, building with sand has long been a metaphor for ephemeral acts, whether intentional or simply foolish. And the latest wedding trend may be a bit of both: sand sculptures.\n\nCouples are commissioning these beachy counterparts to the faded fad of ice sculptures—of their names and wedding date, pets, dolphins, bottles of rum—for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. After a seaside reception, they are abandoned to wind and water. Not the best analog for a lasting marriage, perhaps, but certainly sustainable.                    —Tim Gihring, editor, July 7 \n\n**\n\nImage: New York Times, July 7\n\n\n","objectId":"4457","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"All for one for the Trio to Rio?","object":"2224","image":"/images/16-7-11_75.52A,B_Trio to RioEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/all-for-one-for-the-trio-to-rio/","date":"2016-07-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"All for one for the Trio to Rio?\n\n\n\nTriplets Liina, Leila, and Lily Luik will be the first triplets to compete at the Olympic Games, according to the International Olympic Committee. \n\nThough the marathon-running triplets are not expected to challenge for a medal, they do hope to support one another to the finish line. The race-day strategy may depend on that sisterly bond. While Leila holds the fastest personal best of the three, it is Liina who trainers say is in the best form; she will likely take the lead, relying on her sisters to shield her from wind and help her maintain her pace. Despite this plan, the sisters remain focused on and committed to their own success. Liina suggested that if she feels her personal best coming, she’ll race ahead. The women’s marathon is scheduled for August 14 in Rio de Janeiro.\n\n          —Gretchen Halverson, intern, July 11, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: John Hendrix for The New York Times\n\nNews source: Jeré Longman, “The Trio to Rio,” The New York Times,June 30, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"2224","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Thrill of the treasure hunt?","object":"100638","image":"/images/16-7-11_2006.84_TreasureEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/thrill-of-the-treasure-hunt/","date":"2016-07-12 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Thrill of the treasure hunt?\n\n\n\nA Santa Fe man initiated an old-fashioned treasure hunt to shake people from their Netflix-induced trances and get them outside. Forrest Fenn, 85, an art dealer and Vietnam veteran, wrote a 24-verse poem studded with clues that lead to a treasure he buried, estimated at $2 million. \n\nOver 65,000 people have hit the trails in search of the trove, which he claims is filled with gold coins, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. While some searchers focus on the chance at a hefty payout, others suggest that the most precious treasure is found in the thrill of the hunt amid the vast wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. Either way,  just as he hoped, Fenn seems to have succeeded in giving Americans a reason to “get off their couches” and into the great outdoors—during the centenary of the National Park Service, no less.   —Gretchen Halverson, intern, July 11, 2016\n\nImage: John Hendrix for The New York Times\n\nNews source: Fernanda Santos, “On the Hunt, ‘Where Warm Waters Halt,’ for a $2Million Treasure,” The New York Times,July 5, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"100638","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Game of throne?","object":"117153","image":"/images/16-7-14_2013.29.14.1_EmperorEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/game-of-throne/","date":"2016-07-14 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Game of throne?\n\n\n\nA classic from Japan, The Tale of Genji relates the life and loves of the emperor’s son, Genji. Written by a noblewoman, Murasaki Shikibu, in the 11th century, it’s considered the world’s first pageturner. Spoiler alert: Genji never became emperor, but his grandson, Niou, did.\n\nRecently, Emperor Akihito of Japan announced plans to abdicate the throne before he dies, passing it to his son, Crown Prince Naruhito. The last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku, in 1817. What tale might Murasaki spin from this news?     \n —Diane Richard, writer, July 14, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Shizuo Kambayashi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Image\n\nNews source: Motoko Rich, “Emperor Akihito of Japan Plans to Abdicate Throne, Broadcaster Says,” The New York Times, July 13, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"117153","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Of fireworks and fear","object":"6359","image":"/images/16-7-20_2010.37_NiceEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/of-fireworks-and-fear/","date":"2016-07-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Of fireworks and fear\n\n\n\nThe views of Nice are forever altered since tragedy struck last week, during Bastille Day, France’s national day of celebration.\n\nMatisse loved Nice, and his still-life paintings from his time in the south of France were foundational to his vibrant artistic experimentations. This lively tableau—a vase full of anemones, an inviting demi-tasse, and a classic text of French philosophy—is suffused with lightness. But today, Nice is in the depths of mourning, as are France and the world, forced to confront the darkness that would propel a man in a truck to extinguish the light of so many celebrants.     \n —Diane Richard, writer, July 20, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times\n\nNews source: Alissa Rubin, “Terror Through the Eyes of Innocents: The Children in Nice,” The New York Times, July 18, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"6359","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The cat’s meow?","object":"3077","image":"/images/16-7-20_ 82.47_CatEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/the-cats-meow/","date":"2016-07-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The cat’s meow?\n\n \n\nMeet Larry, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, 10 Downing Street. In the wake of Britain’s major political upheavals—Brexit and a new PM, to name two—one thing is set to remain the same: Larry. \n\nCat fanciers had worried that Larry might be ousted, what with the change of UK Prime Ministers from David Cameron to Theresa May. But it looks like L​arry has another life at the Downing Street household, where he will continue his official duties of posing regally for the press and catching rats. Although Larry is not the first Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, the lucky cat has held the unofficial title since 2011. In a time of dog-eat-dog politics, this familiar feline face may just be the heart-warmer we’ve all been longing for.         —A​lexandra Cole, intern, July 20, 2016  \n\nPhoto: WPA Pool/Getty Images \n\nNews source: “Larry the cat escapes Downing Street eviction,” B​BC NEWS. J​uly 12, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"3077","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Whither the political winds?","object":"90021","image":"/images/16-7-21_2004.177.12_PoliticsEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/whither-the-political-winds/","date":"2016-07-21 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Whither the political winds?\n\n\n\nThe first of its kind is believed to have topped the ancient Greek agora in Athens, the cradle of democracy. Weather vanes have made the winds legible for centuries, but which way will the political winds blow this November? That’s what many wonder as the Republican National Convention meets in Cleveland, Ohio. \n\nOne thing is certain in this blustery political season: Donald Trump will represent the Republican party in the presidential election this fall. The choice of the Buckeye State as site of the party’s nomination is symbolic in and of itself: known as a swing state but also as a bellweather, Ohio voters have failed to vote for the successful candidate only twice since 1896.\n          —Stanilas Walden, intern, July 20, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Grant Miller for the Republican National Committee\n\nNews source: Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, The New York Times, July 19, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"90021","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Hearsay put to rest?","object":"1218","image":"/images/16-7-28_51.7_Ear-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/hearsay-put-to-rest/","date":"2016-07-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Hearsay put to rest?\n\n\n\n\n\nThe topic of conjecture since 1888, the identity of the woman who was the recipient of van Gogh’s ear is no longer a mystery. Gabrielle Berlatier was a maid in a brothel in Arles, working to pay back debt incurred after undergoing medical treatment for rabies. Van Gogh gave her his ear on December 23, 1888, the date of the episode. Distressed by the event, Berlatier kept it a secret. \n\nNo longer. Despite reassurances made to Berlatier’s descendents that she would remain unnamed in the recent book Van Gogh’s Ear: The True Story by Bernadette Murphy, Art Newspaper did some digging. Based on medical records related to the rabies attack, the newspaper determined it was Berlatier. Many are hoping that more information will surface about the incident that characterized van Gogh’s later life.  —Ali Coffman, intern, July 28, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Peter Barritt/Getty Images/SuperStock RM \n\nNews source: Chris Johnston, “Woman who received Van Gogh’s ear named 130 years after artist cut it off,” The Guardian, July 20, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1218","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Keeping formation in the DMZ?","object":"1320","image":"/images/16-7-28_56.8_Soldier-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/keeping-formation-in-the-dmz/","date":"2016-07-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Keeping formation in the DMZ?\n\n\n\nLife can be tense while stationed in a Demilitarized Zone. But South Korean soldiers amassed along the border are fighting back with a unique form of stress relief: ballet.  \n\nTaught by a ballerina from the Korean National Ballet, soldiers are adding to their arsenal the grace and discipline inherent in the classical dance form. The practice offers soldiers much-needed balance and serenity, as well as provides an opportunity to form friendships with other soldiers. Now, stretching at the barre and practicing splits have become an artful extension to the tense line of duty.           —Ali Coffman, intern, July 28, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Reuters / Kim Hong-Ji\n\nNews source: Johnny Simon, “South Korean soldiers are fighting stress with ballet,” Quartz, July 20, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1320","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Priest serves til his ‘last breath’","object":"113539","image":"/images/16-7-28_2012.44_Priest-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/priest-serves-til-his-last-breath/","date":"2016-07-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Priest serves til his ‘last breath’\n\n\n\n\n\nIn the latest wave of ISIS terror attacks, Father Jacques Hamel was brutally killed while saying Mass in St.-Étienne-du-Rouvray, France, a tragedy that left a parishioner wounded and rocked the working-class town in Normandy.\n\nFr. Jacques, age 85, laughingly responded to those who urged him to retire, noting, “I’ll work until my last breath.” He kept up his busy schedule of masses, baptisms, and looking after parishioners. His dedication and humility did not go unnoticed, as parishioner Jean Baya, a plumber, remarked, “He was just so helpful. It really hurts me that he’s gone.” Father Mputu Amba, a fellow priest in the Archdiocese of Rouen, remarked, “To leave us just as he was celebrating Mass must have been some kind of blessing for him, despite the tragic circumstances.”   —Ali Coffman, intern, July 27, 2016\n\nPhoto: St.-Étienne-du Rouvray Parish\n\nNews source: Adam Nossiter and Hannah Olivennes, “Jacques Hamel, 85, a Beloved French Priest, Killed in His Church,” The New York Times, July 26, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"113539","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Rebel time capsule?","object":"3738","image":"/images/16-7-28_88.58_GainsbourgEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/rebel-time-capsule/","date":"2016-07-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Rebel time capsule?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlthough it has been 25 years since the death of Serge Gainsbourg, the rebellious French music icon, his presence can still be felt at his former home in Paris.\n Prior to the musician’s death, fans and critics alike left a graffiti mural on his fence. Today, that still ever-changing mural acts as a shrine to the late musician. The home itself has remained unoccupied since his passing, leaving a “time capsule” of the musician who inspired artists who followed him, such as Beck, Tame Impala, Yo La Tengo, and many more. Come to think of it, his home would make a fantastic addition to Mia’s period rooms.               —Alexandra Cole, intern, July 27, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Miguel Medina/Agence France-Presse - GETTY IMAGES\n\nNews source: Lilia Blaise, “Graffiti-Covered Time Capsule Is an Ode to a Rebel Musician,” The New York Times,July 25, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"3738","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"The road to Brazilian bacchanal? ","object":"1524","image":"/images/16-7-28_63.41_OlympicEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/07/the-road-to-brazilian-bacchanal/","date":"2016-07-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"The road to Brazilian bacchanal? \n\n\n\n\n\nAs the Summer Olympics nears, athletes will soon begin their descent upon Rio de Janeiro. Many will resemble the chiseled statues of Greek heroes—see Doryphoros!—but the world’s best athletes embody these ancient legends in more than one way. \n\nWhile Citius, Altius, Fortius (Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger”) may be the Games’ official motto, the second should be: “What happens in the Olympic village stays in the Olympic village.” Coursing adrenaline and the timeless camaraderie of sport give way to another ancient pastime: debauchery. Athletes may show beauty and rigor on the field, but they are also likely to channel Dionysus, who inspired followers to embrace their human passions to their chaotic ends.        —Stanilas Walden, intern, July 28, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto source: Webneel     \n News Sources: Sam Alipour, ESPN, April 15, 2013; Lulu Garcia-Navarro, NPR, July 27, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1524","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Olympics: I heart for stag nights?","object":"109688","image":"/images/16-8-4_2010.43_boxingEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/olympics-i-heart-for-stag-nights/","date":"2016-08-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Olympics: I heart for stag nights?\n\n\n\nI’ve never been to a boxing match, and chances are good I’ll never go. I’m also unlikely to watch Team USA’s bouts starting on August 9. No stomach for it. \n\nNevertheless, I love stories and films about boxing: When We Were Kings, the 1996 documentary about the “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, and The Fighter, the 2010 flick about supreme family dysfunction, crack addiction, and wicked 80s Lowell, Mass., hair. And, of course, Rocky, the original. Last year’s Creed also had heart. Boxing films put the human drama on center stage, with all its hope, ugliness, ego, and sweat. There’s always a hero, a villian, and a narrative arch. The drama of Bellows’ boxers leaves me breathless.     \n       —Diane Richard, writer, August 4, 2016\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Boxer Carlos Balderos, the first member to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic team, The Los Angeles Times\n\n\n","objectId":"109688","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Olympics: The boycott of ’68","object":"111495","image":"/images/16-8-4_2011.15_OlympicsAlcindorEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/olympics-the-boycott-of-68/","date":"2016-08-04 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Olympics: The boycott of ’68\n\n\n\nLew Alcindor was arguably the world’s greatest basketball player in 1968, though he was still in college. He was 7 feet 2 inches tall and seemingly unstoppable, leading to headlines like, “Can Basketball Survive Lew Alcindor?” The United States Olympic Team wanted him badly for that year’s games in Mexico City. \n\nAlcindor, however, didn’t want the Olympics. Neither did many American black athletes, who felt hypocritical supporting a country that didn’t support them. Alcindor, who soon changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was one of the few who stayed away. “Yeah, I live here, but it’s not really my country,” he said on the Today show. Two athletes who did participate raised their fists in a Black Power salute—an iconic image that overshadowed Alcindor’s protest. But in his absence, Alcindor sent the ultimate statement: I refuse. \n\n          —Tim Gihring, editor, August 4, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Alcindor (right) discussing racism with Muhammad Ali (center) and Bill Russell in 1967.\n\nSource: Bettmann/Corbis\n\n\n","objectId":"111495","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Olympics: Sail away?","object":"1477","image":"/images/16-8-9_62.36_Olympics_sailingEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/olympics-sail-away/","date":"2016-08-09 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Olympics: Sail away?\n\nThe sailboats in this painting weren’t made to race. They were designed to catch fish. But seeing them all lined up by the dock may bring to mind the scenes now unfolding at the Summer Olympics. \n\nThere will be five men’s, four women’s, and one mixed event on Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sailing was supposed to make its Olympic debut at the games in Athens, Greece, in 1896. But due to bad weather, it was postponed until Paris 1900.\n         —Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation, August 5, 2016\n\n470s racing in Weymouth at the London 2012 Olympic Games. \n\nCredit: Photo Onedition.\n\n\n","objectId":"1477","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Olympics: Water worries?","object":"1626","image":"/images/16-8-9_66.61.2_Olympics_sailingEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/olympics-water-worries/","date":"2016-08-09 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Olympics: Water worries?\n\nUnsafe water conditions in Rio’s Guanabara Bay have some Olympic athletes saying, “Yuck.” \n\nWhen Rio was awarded the Olympics in 2009, it was on the condition that sewage in Guanabara Bay be 80% treated and that the debris be cleared. One month before the opening ceremonies, however, the city’s mayor came clean: only 30% of sewage in the bay had been treated and it was plainly not debris free. With the Olympics upon us, water-sport athletes have begun to take extra precautions. Sailors have trained to dodge filth and garbage, will use waterproof bandages, and will do their best not to ingest any water. However, with a sport that may require a rope be held in a sailor’s mouth, as Jorge Lima of the Portuguese team has pointed out, it may be impossible for these athletes to compete unscathed.  \n     —Alexandra Cole, intern, August 5, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: BBC News\n\nNews source: “Sailors on Guanabara Bay Are Adept at Dodging Debris and Skirting Sewage,” The New York Times, August 2, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1626","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Here’s Lucy?","object":"120191","image":"/images/16-8-11_2014.132.4_LucyEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/heres-lucy/","date":"2016-08-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Here’s Lucy?\n\n\n\nResidents of Celoron, N.Y., would appreciate this rear view of their hometown hero, Lucille Ball. \n\nEspecially compared to Celoron’s statue loved by none—nicknamed Scary Lucy (above). A social media sensation, Scary Lucy drew visitors—but for all the wrong reasons. Unveiled in 2009, the bronze lacked all that made Ball famous: joy, wit, beauty, humor. A substitute statue recently arrived on the scene (right). Today, Celoron’s mayor says: “You can stand at any angle and look and say, ‘That’s Lucy.’”       —Diane Richard, writer, August 11, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhotos: Top: The Post-Journal, via Associated Press; bottom: via Reuters\n\nNews source: Liam Stack, “Here’s Lucy! ‘Scary’ Statue Is Replaced With One That Looks Like Her,” The New York Times, August 9, 2016\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"120191","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Olympics: Already a winner ","object":"115109","image":"/images/16-8-11_2013.35.755_Olympics_refugeeEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/olympics-already-a-winner/","date":"2016-08-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Olympics: Already a winner \n\n\n\nWith the first ever Refugee Team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, all eyes have turned to one astounding athlete, swimmer Yusra Mardini.\n\nAn 18-year-old Syrian refugee currently residing in Germany, Mardini has had an extraordinary trip to the Olympics. During her escape from Syria, the dinghy carrying Mardini, her sister, and 20 other refugees began sinking in the Mediterranean Sea hours away from land. Mardini and her sister, the strongest swimmers on board, pushed the dinghy safely to shore. \n\nRepresenting the refugee population at the Olympics, Mardini won her 100m butterfly heat; unfortunately, though, she did not advance. She has now set her eyes on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.      —Alexandra Cole, Intern, August 11, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Storypick, “The Inspiring Yusra Mardini: An Olympic Refugee Swimmer Who Saved 20 Lives From A Sinking Boat.”\n\nNews source: “Team Refugee athlete Yusra Mardini wins her 100m butterfly heat,” NBC Olympics, August 6, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"115109","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Olympics: Caffeine crisis in Rio","object":"491","image":"/images/16-8-11_32.21.10_Olympics_CoffeeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/olympics-caffeine-crisis-in-rio/","date":"2016-08-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Olympics: Caffeine crisis in Rio\n\n\n\nBrazil has been the largest contributor to the global coffee market for 150 years. As such, tourists to Rio’s Summer Olympics are likely savoring the excellent, locally sourced cuppa for less than $2. But will Olympic athletes go the extra mile for their caffeine fix? Because no coffee is available to athletes within the Olympic Village. \n\nEven though Coca-Cola, the beverage sponsor for this year’s Games, sells coffee products through its Gold Peak brand, it isn’t on the menu in the Olympians’ dining facilities. The solution? One would have to brave Rio’s new—and reportedly highly flawed—transportation system to find a café elsewhere in the city. Now that deserves a Black Gold medal.\n   —Stanilas Walden, intern, August 10, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto source: The New York Times  \n News source: Brian O’Connor, Extra Crispy, ‘There is No Coffee in the Olympic Village,’ August 5, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"491","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Olympics: History repeats itself?","object":"120251","image":"/images/16-8-11_2014.132.30_Olympics_Phelps-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/olympics-history-repeats-itself/","date":"2016-08-11 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Olympics: History repeats itself?\n\n\n\nSwimmer Michael Phelps is poised to beat a 2,168-year-old Olympic record held by Leonidas of Rhodes. Leonidas held 12 individual wreaths (the accolade of the ancient Games) to Phelps’s now 12 individual golds. \n\nEarning his title in the 154th Olympics in 164 BCE, Leonidas competed in the “triple,” the stadion sprint (about 200m), the diaulos (roughly 400m), and the Hoplitodromos (a sprint performed while wearing armor). He went on to win big at the next three Games, too. Phelps holds 21 gold medals and 25 overall. Like Leonidas, he is undeniably an athletic prodigy. Whether Phelps sprints past his ancient competition has yet to be seen. Either way, the world will be watching—and somewhere Leonidas’s wreathed ghost might be as well.       \n —Gretchen Halverson, intern, July 11, 2016\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Michael Sohn, AP Images\n\nNews source: Barry Petchesky, “Michael Phelps Tied A 2,168-Year Old Olympic Record” Deadspin,August 10, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"120251","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"An emperor’s screen time?","object":"117584","image":"/images/16-8-24_2013.29.48_EmperorEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/an-emperors-screen-time/","date":"2016-08-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"An emperor’s screen time?\n\n\n\nThis painted screen takes a very different form from the digital screen that recently showed Japan’s hereditary leader, Emperor Akihito.\n\nIn a rare TV appearance that riveted Japan and the world, Emperor Akihito, age 82, announced his desire to abdicate the throne, one his family has held for almost 2,700 years. If he resigns, his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, 56, would succeed him. Still, the role of emperor is lifelong, and this change would be the biggest transformation of the monarchy since World War II. Oh, and there’s one more parallel: the subject of this painted screen is another emperor who abdicated.  —Diane Richard, writer, August 24, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhotos: REX\n\nNews source: Jonathan Soble, “At 82, Emperor Akihito of Japan Wants to Retire. Will Japan Let Him?” The New York Times, August 7, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"117584","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Hearing crickets?","object":"33804","image":"/images/16-8-24_2002.271.2_CricketsEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/hearing-crickets/","date":"2016-08-24 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Hearing crickets?\n\n\n\nAs we savor the end of summer, nature’s late-night soundtrack is set to a concert of chirring crickets.\n\nIn China, those songs are also celebrated—in the home. Chirping insects like katydids, cicadas, and crickets have long been prized as household pets, held in clay vessels or bamboo cages and fed with grains of rice. The practice, which dates back 2,000 years, was put on hiatus during the 1950s and ’60s, when Mao deemed it bourgeois. Though the insects are deeply embedded in Chinese culture, their mortal presence is ephemeral. Even the most cherished katydid will succumb to autumn’s first frost.—Diane Richard, writer, August 24, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhotos: Adam Dean for The New York Times\n\nNews source: Andrew Jacobs, “The Song in the Heart of Many Chinese Comes From Insects,” The New York Times, August 24, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"33804","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Strong as an oak?","object":"3363","image":"/images/16-8-31_85.82_OakEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/08/strong-as-an-oak/","date":"2016-08-31 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Strong as an oak?\n\n\n\nOak was a favorite wood of Frank Lloyd Wright, who started his architectural practice in Oak Park, Illinois.\n\nSo Wright would likely be dismayed to hear that the oak population in California now faces a triple threat: drought and pest infestation thanks to climate change, and insufficient funds for forest management. The result is an alarming die-off of trees, oak and pine among them, from fires and disease. One plant pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, exclusively targets oaks; it’s so lethal, it goes by the name Sudden Oak Death syndrome. The official death count is now in the millions. Feeling sad? Time to hug Mia’s beautiful old oak in Target Park.    —Diane Richard, writer, August 31, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhotos: Gabrielle Lurie for The New York Times\n\nNews source: Cynthia H. Craft, “Like Tens of Millions of Matchsticks, California’s Dead Trees Stand Ready to Burn,” The New York Times, August 31, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"3363","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Out of the shadows?","object":"89555","image":"/images/16-9-7_2010.55.1_LaosEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/09/out-of-the-shadows/","date":"2016-09-07 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Out of the shadows?\n\n\n\nFor Cy Thao, the shadow war in Laos and the struggles of displaced Laotians—including the artist’s friends and family—were as plain as the nose on his face. \n\nRecently, President Obama acknowledged America’s secret war in Laos and the deadly legacy it left. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military dropped 80 million cluster bombs in Laos, causing countless deaths and maimings—even today. (In Laos, Pokemon Go players have been officially warned to watch their step.) As the first sitting American president to visit Laos, Obama toured a U.S.-funded center that searches for explosives and provides prosthetic legs. Then he took time to visit a temple, sip from a coconut, and savor a Southeast Asian afternoon.\n   —Diane Richard, writer, September 7, 2016\n\nPhoto: Stephen Crowley, The New York Times\n\nNews source: Mark Landler, “Obama Takes a Detour to Reconnect With Southeast Asia,” The New York Times, September 7, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"89555","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Bearing ancient fruit?","object":"1696","image":"/images/16-9-15_68.88_AppleEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/09/bearing-ancient-fruit/","date":"2016-09-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Bearing ancient fruit?\n\n\n\nIn the palm of Baby Jesus’ hand is a luscious-looking apple. What type of apple, though, is what most interests Isabella Dalla Ragione.\n\nRagione is an “arboreal archaeologist” dedicated to conserving the heirloom fruits of Italy. She turns to Renaissance paintings to identify species no longer present in the produce aisle, then hunts for their seeds to graft on her trees in hopes of resurrecting them. Today, her orchard is full of endangered fruits: cherries, figs, apples, pears, peaches, quinces, and other species. A century ago, Italians had some 100 types of apples to eat; today, 80 percent of crops consist of just three varieties. —Diane Richard, writer, September 15, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Francesco Lastrucci for The New York Times\n\nNews source: Elisabetta Povoledo, “Italian Grows Forgotten Fruit. What She Preserves Is a Culture,” The New York Times, September 15, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1696","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Making faces?","object":"1738","image":"/images/16-9-15_69.48_FaceEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/09/making-faces/","date":"2016-09-15 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Making faces?\n\n\n\nThis painting depicts a wounded soldier who returns from the Crimean War into the embrace of his family.\n\nMany soldiers from WWI wished for a homecoming so warm. Instead, those who survived the horrors of war often returned with breathtaking injuries—to faces, to limbs, to psyches. A fascinating new book, Grand Illusions: American Art and the First World War, tells the story of Anna Coleman Ladd, an American sculptor who applied her skills to make prosthetics for soldiers left with “broken faces.” Her work was heaven sent, as one soldier attested: “The woman I love no longer finds me repulsive, as she had the right to do.” —Diane Richard, writer, September 15, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Library of Congress\n\nNews source: Allison Meier, “The Sculptor Who Made Masks for Soldiers Disfigured in World War I,” Hyperallergic, September 8, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1738","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"‘You clicked?’","object":"1473","image":"/images/16-9-21_62.14_PriestEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/09/you-clicked/","date":"2016-09-21 00:00:00 -0500","content":"‘You clicked?’\n\n\n\nSeems everything these days is available over the internet. Even, in Japan, freelance priests.\n\nAmazon.com is now making priests available by housecall. These gig priests conduct traditional rituals, particularly those related to funerary customs, for people no longer connected to their familial temples—but who haven’t abandoned religion altogether. For their efforts, the priests receive about 70 percent of the shopping-cart proceeds, with the balance claimed by Amazon. As with everything the mass online retailer does, the upsides are convenience and clear pricing. The downsides? A disconnection from neighborhood providers. Temple leaders are not fans of the new offering.\n —Diane Richard, writer, September 21, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Ko Sasaki for The New York Times\n\nNews source: Jonathan Soble, “Japan’s Newest Technology Innovation: Priest Delivery,” The New York Times, September 20, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1473","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A world-class remuddle?","object":"3344","image":"/images/16-9-28_85.34_GreatWallEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/09/a-world-class-remuddle/","date":"2016-09-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A world-class remuddle?\n\n\n\nIf this stoneware bowl had a crack in it—and if I owned it, it surely would—there’d be no missing the river of glue applied to repair the damage. \n\nRecently, the Great Wall of China suffered a similarly inelegant repair. To the dismay of cultural historians the world over, a five-mile stretch—considered to be the “most beautiful wild stretch of the Great Wall”—has been paved over with a substance resembling smooth cement. The “fix” along the Suizhong section is a gift for skateboarders; not so much for preservationists. “This was vandalism done in the name of preservation,” decried a local park officer. “Even the little kids here know that this repair of the Great Wall was botched.” An investigation is under way.  —Diane Richard, writer, September 28, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: screenshot via @Echinanews/Twitter\n\nNews source: Claire Voons, “Shoddy Restoration Smooths Over a Stretch of China’s Great Wall,” Hyperallergic, September 23, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"3344","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"DIY down under?","object":"111088","image":"/images/16-9-28_2010.72_DIYEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/09/diy-down-under/","date":"2016-09-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"DIY down under?\n\n\n\nNew Zealanders tend to be straight shooters. So perhaps it’s no surprise that a group of seniors on the South Island has bonded together over death. These DIYers have formed a Kiwi Coffin Club to craft their own personalized coffins.\n\nThe goal is not only cheaper funerals, they say, but also self-expression. Much like this glorious lobster coffin, the burial boxes they’re constructing project the makers’ personalities. Former palliative care nurse Katie Williams, pictured here, founded the first club of its kind in 2010. Since then, the coffin clubs have multiplied to a dozen. As Williams said: “There is a lot of loneliness among the elderly, but at the coffin club people feel useful, and it is very social. We have morning tea and lunch, and music blaring, and cuddles.”\n —Diane Richard, writer, September 28, 2016\n\nPhoto: Katie Williams\n\nNews source: Eleanor Ainge Roy, “The coffin club: elderly New Zealanders building their own caskets,” The Guardian, September 22, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"111088","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Restorative justice?","object":"120055","image":"/images/16-9-28_2014.43.1A-D_SufiEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/09/restorative-justice/","date":"2016-09-28 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Restorative justice?\n\n\n\nThis contemporary artwork might appear to have little to do with the ancient shrines of Timbuktu. The connection is Sufism. The artist evokes Sufi mysticism with her use of white clothing and inward gaze representing spiritual reflection. \n\nIn 2012, followers of hardline Islam smashed nine centuries-old Sufi shrines in Timbuktu, Mali, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Recently, judges at the International Criminal Court ordered a member of a jihadist group linked to Al Qaida, Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi (left), to serve nine years in prison for his role in the attack. It was the court’s first prosecution of the destruction of cultural heritage as a war crime.\n —Diane Richard, writer, September 28, 2016\n\nPhoto: Pool Bas Czerwinski\n\nNews source: Marlise Simons, “Prison Sentence Over Smashing of Shrines in Timbuktu: 9 Years,”\n The New York Times, September 28, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"120055","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A mystery unmasked?","object":"12092","image":"/images/16-10-6_70.60_UnveiledEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/a-mystery-unmasked/","date":"2016-10-06 00:00:00 -0500","content":"A mystery unmasked?\n\n\n\nLiterary fans of the Naples–based fictional quartet written under the pseudonym of Elena Ferrante are outraged at the possible unmasking of their beloved yet publicity-averse author. \n\nA subject of avid speculation, the author’s identity has been fiercely guarded—and should remain so, say her readers. Still, mysteries are made to unravel, and numerous names have been floated. The latest is Anita Raja, an Italian translator. According to a recent article by an investigative journalist, Raja’s coffers have swelled apace with the series’ publication cycle. Fans are crying foul for violating the author’s privacy and also for going after the pen behind two female protagonists who exert power over their lives and fates.       —Diane Richard, writer, October 6, 2016\n\nPhoto: Chris Warde-Jones for The New York Times\n\nNews source: Rachel Donadio and Jennifer Schuessler, “Who Is Elena Ferrante? Supporters Say NOYB,” The New York Times, October 3, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"12092","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Aged to perfection? ","object":"1325","image":"/images/16-10-18_57.12_MeatEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/aged-to-perfection/","date":"2016-10-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Aged to perfection? \n\n\n\nBelieve it or not, people are flocking to an exclusive restaurant in northeastern France to pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for meat that is over 15 years old. Yes, I said 15 years.\n\nUsing a technique called “hibernation,” the Polmard family has created a way to store meat over long periods. It involves the blowing of cold air at speeds of 75 miles per hour over beef kept in refrigeration reaching -45 degrees.\n\nButcher Alexandre Polmard says there is no loss of quality to the meat. So if you have some extra money to burn, make sure to get your reservations now, because the restaurant is booked up for months. And may I recommend packing some Tums, too? \n\n  —Susan Hopson, Learning Innovations intern, October 18, 2016\n\n**\n\nImage: Farmer, breeder and butcher Alexandre Polmard.\n\nNews source: Chris Dwyer, “What does the world’s most expensive meat taste like?” CNN, October 11, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1325","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Obsessive love?","object":"1219","image":"/images/16-10-18_ 52.1_ObsessiveEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/obsessive-love/","date":"2016-10-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Obsessive love?\n\n\n\nWe’ve heard it in song lyrics. We’ve seen it in movies. After the breakup, you can’t move on. You think about them constantly.\n\nScientists have named this condition limerance. While most people do recover from heartbreak, some people develop a kind of psychological illness. One reason is that reminders of your ex are ever-present thanks to social media. You open up Facebook and there they are—with someone else? The feelings come pouring back, and your mind lands in a state of limerance. And it can happen to anyone. Listen to most country songs and you’ll agree.    \n\n  —Susan Hopson, Learning Innovations intern, October 18, 2016\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: tedieshi on deviantart.com\n\nNews source: Nick Lehr, “Limerance:  The potent grip of obsessive love,” CNN, October 10, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1219","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Swap and share?","object":"2251","image":"/images/16-10-18_ 75.9.1_SwapEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/swap-and-share/","date":"2016-10-18 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Swap and share?\n\n\n\nYou’ve probably seen professional athletes after the game, chatting it up, then taking off and trading their jerseys. Why? Seems some players want souvenirs of their games.\n\nThis is nothing new, but thanks to social media sites like Instagram, we’re seeing this kind of exchange more often. Turns out, the trend may have started way before the NFL. Quilters have often swapped blocks of cloth to create one-of-a-kind quilts made by their friends. Check out the Baltimore Quilt, hanging above, representing the talents of 36 women. What a lasting way to share your work.    \n\n  —Susan Hopson, Learning Innovations intern, October 18, 2016\n\n**\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: ESPN\n\nNews source: Bob Condotta, “Swapping jerseys after the games all the rage among NFL players,”\n The Seattle Times, January 30, 2015\n\n\n","objectId":"2251","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? Shah Jahan","object":"3245","image":"/images/16-10-19_NextinLine_84.118.3_JahanEDIT-word/media/hdphoto1.wdp","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/next-in-line-shah-jahan/","date":"2016-10-19 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\n\n\nThis posthumous portrait of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was painted at a time when the might of the Mughal Empire was on the wane, between 1707 and 1720. \n\nWhile the painting does not directly refer to succession, the act of remembering Shah Jahan, the last powerful Mughal Emperor to exert a centralized control over significant parts of India and the force behind the Taj Mahal, symbolically gestures towards the passing of one era and the coming of another. This is significant, because several smaller princely rulers had asserted their independence from the Mughals and established their own rule during the first half of the 18th century. The British, in turn, seized that power vacuum to deepen their hold over the subcontinent.                             — Atreyee Gupta,   Jane Emison Assistant Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, October 19, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Shikha Gautam, nomadscribblings.com\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"3245","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? Tlingit","object":"763","image":"/images/16-10-19_NextinLine_47.30.2_TlingitEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/next-in-line-tlingit/","date":"2016-10-19 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\n\n\nThe naaxiin (also known as Chilkat) dance blanket is worn by powerful clan leaders of the Haida and Tlingit Nations. This leadership role was passed down from one generation to the next, and the ceremonial regalia signifies one’s right to command the position. The designs display the identity, prestige, and power of the blanket’s owner. \n\nThe naaxiin is valuable because of the time and resources required to make it. Highly revered women would weave these exquisite blankets based on designs drawn by men who had inherited the right to do so. The designs and crest symbols recount stories that reaffirm how wearers or their ancestors were granted power through their interaction with natural and supernatural phenomena. It was the artistry of the weaver to transform the cedar and goat’s wool into an object able to communicate in both the spiritual and natural realms.\n       — Dakota Hoska, research assistant, October 19, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Tony Hunt, a Kwagulth artist, wears his Dancing Blanket. (Jorgen Svendsen)\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"763","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? Yoruba","object":"2275","image":"/images/16-10-19_NextinLine_ 76.29_YorubaEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/next-in-line-yoruba/","date":"2016-10-19 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\n\n\nYoruba kings, or obas, once surrounded themselves with beaded finery, palaces, courtiers, and servants. But even the king served at the pleasure of others. A king was not born into power. A council of kingmakers selected him from a pool of candidates, weighing each one’s fitness to take office. Once the king was installed, diviners checked in with the orisha (deities) each year to determine if the king still had divine support. If he didn’t: adios.  \n\nGross infractions, incompetence, or dereliction of duty could also result in the king’s ouster. In that case, the king was instructed to remove his crown and look inside it at the packs of medicines held within. This symbolic action marked the loss of his political power. So great was the medicines’ power, it could also lead to the loss of the former oba’s life.\n       — Alex Bortolot, Content Strategist, October 19, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Oba Idowu Owoaje Soludero II, crowned the Moloda of Odogbulu in 1971\n\nCourtesy “Visual depiction of some traditional rulers,” hibe-online.com\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"2275","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? Arch","object":"116298","image":"/images/16-10-20_NextinLine_2013.46_archEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/next-in-line-arch/","date":"2016-10-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\n\n\nMaximilian I knew that behind any leader is a good propagandist. Especially when your empire eclipses much of Europe.\n\nAn impressive example of propaganda, think of The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian I as the ur-billboard. At the time of its initial publication, The Triumphal Arch was the largest print ever completed. Though Maximilian I, a Habsburg king who would become the Holy Roman Emperor, was not rich enough to complete major self-aggrandizing monuments, he seized on the idea that a printed equivalent—by Albrecht Dürer, no less—could effectively make his case for the right to rule. Fully assembled, the print measures more than 11 feet tall by 9 feet wide. Which is larger—if no more arresting—than the coffin he traveled with from 1514 until his death five years later.\n   — Diane Richard, writer, October 20, 2016\n\n**\n\nImage: Portrait by Albrecht Dürer, 1519 (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna). Maximilian holds his personal emblem, the pomegranate.\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"116298","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? tusk","object":"1312","image":"/images/16-10-20_NextinLine_56.33_TuskEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/next-in-line-tusk/","date":"2016-10-20 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\n\n\nWhat’s the biggest animal in the jungle? The elephant. Who’s the most powerful leader in the Benin Kingdom of Africa? The oba, or king. What symbol of power most effectively conveyed authority? The oba’s carved tusk, like this one. Big time. \n\nFor the oba, the succession of power generally passed from father to son or brother to brother. Becoming and staying an oba wasn’t always a smooth ride, though. Who took the throne was sometimes disputed, spawning wars. And banishing your brother was not always the best solution, as Oba Uwaifiokun discovered in the 1400s. He exiled his brother Prince Ogun, only to be murdered by him in a nighttime ceremony in a market. Another leader, Oba Ezoti, only reigned for 14 days, after getting hit with a poisoned arrow at his coronation.    \n\n  — Susan Hopson, Learning Innovation Intern, October 19, 2016\n\nPhoto: Wikipedia\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"1312","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Dancing deputy?","object":"109140","image":"/images/16-10-25_2014.17_DeputyEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/dancing-deputy/","date":"2016-10-25 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Dancing deputy?\n\n\n\nDeuntay Diggs, a sheriff’s deputy from Stafford County, Virginia, is dancing to bring attention to a nationwide problem: negative perception of law enforcement. \n\nVideos of the dancing deputy have twice gone viral. The latest was at a pep rally, where he danced solo to Beyonce’s “Formation.” Diggs hopes his videos portray a positive message during a time when relationships between citizens and law enforcement are fraught. Dance on Deputy Diggs, dance on.  \n       —Susan Hopson, Learning Innovations intern, October 25, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Inside Edition\n\nNews source: Perry Stein, “The Dancing Beyonce Deputy: He has gone viral twice for his dance moves,”\n The Washington Post, October 19, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"109140","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? Bernini","object":"1375","image":"/images/16-10-19_NextinLine_59.7_Bernini-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/next-in-line-bernini/","date":"2016-10-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\nThe succession of popes is rife with intrigue. The 900s, especially, when two popes were murdered and a series of anti-popes—rulers who challenged the legitimacy of the reigning pope—took power.  \n\nAfter the death of Pope Clement IX, an arduous process of selection began, lasting four months. French and Spanish factions caused rifts among the cardinals. When no decision could be made concerning the three candidates, an unlikely candidate was proposed: Cardinal Altieri, an octogenarian. Because of his age, Altieri refused the post, offering up yet another selection. His protests were futile, and on May 11, 1670, he was crowned Clement X, assuming the name of his predeccessor. Clement X would go on to reign for six years, two months, and 24 days. Despite his foot-dragging acceptance of the role and his short tenure, he is remembered for his efforts to preserve peace throughout Europe.\n — Gretchen Halverson, Media and Technology Assistant, October 21, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Coat of arms of the Holy See, Donald Lindsay Galbreath, A Treatise on Ecclesiastical Heraldry, 1930\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"1375","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? Poussin","object":"1348","image":"/images/16-10-19_NextinLine_58.28_Poussin-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/next-in-line-poussin/","date":"2016-10-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\n\n\nJealousy, power struggles, mysterious deaths—Oh my! Roman politics had no shortage of intrigue. Germanicus, a nephew of Emperor Tiberius, was a likely prospect for emperor himself. As his star ascended thanks to his military prowess and good looks, Tiberius sent him farther and farther away. When he died of a mysterious illness, sources suggested foul play, pointing fingers at Tiberius. The death of Germanicus came to haunt Tiberius, whose popularity plummeted, ushering in a climate of fear and distrust that soon consumed Rome. Amid the anxiety, another suspect was identified: Tiberius’s chief advisor, Sejanus. Rumors of corruption resulted in*treason trials, in which *delatores,or informers, were used to root out rising stars from threatening the emperor’s grasp on power. Despite his best efforts to put distance between his nephew and himself, Tiberius goes down in history firmly tied to Germanicus, who forever remains the revered martyr. \n\n— Gretchen Halverson, Media and Technology Assistant, October 26, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Portrait of Germanicus, The British Museum\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"1348","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? Tooker","object":"122015","image":"/images/16-10-26_NextinLine_L2014.234.556_TookerEDIT-2.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/10/next-in-line-tooker/","date":"2016-10-26 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAmerican politics has long been fraught with stark polarization, and increasingly so today. Tooker’s Men and Women Fightingdepicts a heated moment of anger and passion that seems to reflect this political moment. He portrays an instant in which conflict has reached physical confrontation. The tension is exacerbated by the emotive expressions of the figures as they push and pull to hold their ground. Tooker himself was involved in the Civil Rights Movement and cared deeply about peace and equality. He and his partner, William Christopher, participated in the 1965 march from Selma toward Montgomery with Dr. Martin Luther King. His exploration of conflict seems increasingly relevant now. \n — Gretchen Halverson, Media and Technology Assistant, October 26, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Top: Selma to Montgomery March, History.com; bottom:Self Portrait, George Tooker, 1947\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"122015","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Next in line? Michelle Obama","object":"99368","image":"/images/16-11-2_NextinLine_2006.33_Roslin-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/11/next-in-line-michelle-obama/","date":"2016-11-02 00:00:00 -0500","content":"Next in line?\n\n\n\nThe role of first ladies in U.S. history has often been secondary to the powerful men they stand beside. The position is a political one by association, granting many first ladies a certain latitude. \n\nThroughout the tenure of her husband, however, Michelle Obama has presented herself as an active presidential spouse through her philanthropic and social causes, her American-made fashion allegiences, and her earnest yet powerful speeches. She has seized her proximity to power to promote causes like childhood nutrition and exercise, and also to lay bare realities that, as an African American woman, she can directly relate to, including issues around racism, poverty, and making history through perseverence and strength. \n\nWe can only imagine what our next first lady—or gent—will offer the nation.\n         — Gretchen Halverson, Media and Technology assistant, November 2, 2016\n\n**\n\nPhoto: The New York Times Style Magazine, “To the First Lady, With Love,” Oct. 17, 2016\n\nTimed to coincide with the U.S. election, “Next in line?” is a series that highlights how power is transferred or demonstrated among a variety of cultures represented in Mia’s collection.\n\n\n","objectId":"99368","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Roots of locker room banter? Debauchery","object":"1566","image":"/images/16-11-7_NextinLine_64.63.1-2_GarnierEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/11/roots-of-locker-room-banter-debauchery/","date":"2016-11-07 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Roots of locker room banter?\n\n\n\nThe leaked video in which the Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump, boasts about his predatory behavior toward women was met with much outrage. \n\nThe discomfort with his language suggested that such rhetoric is exceptional or infrequent. However, simply turn back to the Middle Ages, and it becomes clear that this type of misconduct is ages old. Indeed, the explicit gesture Trump alluded to can be seen in many medieval examples. Scholars Sonja Drimmer and Damian Fleming contend that Trump’s statements reflect a cultural legacy of disrespect and violence toward women. Acknowledging that legacy and working to move beyond it is one lesson to learn from the latest headline.\n         — Gretchen Halverson, Media and Technology Assistant, November 7, 2016\n\n**\n\n**\n\nPhoto: British Library, Yates Thompson MS 13, fol. 177r\n\nSource: In the Middle, Sonja Drimmer and Damian Fleming, Oct. 9, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"1566","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Lethal beauty?","object":"124691","image":"/images/16-11-8_2016.33.2_ArsenicEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/11/lethal-beauty/","date":"2016-11-09 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Lethal beauty?\n\n\n\nAllow me to interject something bitter into this vibrant domestic scene. Don’t see it? Arsenic was once common in colorful wallpaper, like the spotted pattern you see before you.\n\nA recent book, Lucinda Hawksley’s Bitten by Witch Fever: Wallpaper & Arsenic in the Nineteenth-Century Home (Thames & Hudson), chronicles the rise of poisonous pigments in the 19th century through the burgeoning British wallpaper trade. Arsenic allowed for the mass production of eye-popping shades of green, blue, and yellow, which ran riot across Victorian-era walls. The famous wallpaper designer William Morris even got rich on his family’s arsenic mines. Still, Morris claimed “witch fever” was mere hysteria. Tell that to the parents of children stung by the poison, which caused skin lesions and worse—even death.                     —Diane Richard, writer, November 9, 2016\n\nIllustration: Germany, 1735–40, courtesy Bibliothèque des Arts Décoratifs, Paris\n\nNews source: Allison Meier, “Death by Wallpaper: The Alluring Arsenic Colors that Poisoned the Victorian Age,” Hyperallergic, October 31, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"124691","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Fictional place in history?","object":"116294","image":"/images/16-11-15_2013.17_fakehistoryEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2016/11/fictional-place-in-history/","date":"2016-11-15 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Fictional place in history?\n\n\n\nIn downtown Denver, a peculiar window in the ground showcases what appears to be an excavated dig. Only, the relics are rather contemporary: a cell phone case, even a stoneware bong. Two Mexican artists, who go by Sangree, created the piece to prompt questions about the nature of time—what was in this space before, and what could be put there later? The work also draws attention to how quickly Denver is growing and erasing its past.\n\nHere at Mia, the Curator’s Office similarly plays with fact and fiction. The artist wanted the viewer to question the significance of objects in a cultural, historic, and environmental perspective. Some things are not as they appear. Look closer.\n\n—Susan Hopson, Learning Innovation Intern, November 15, 2016\n\nPhoto: Hyperallergic.com\n\nNews source: Devon Van Houten, “Fake Ruins Beneath a Denver Bus Station,” Hyperallergic, October 26, 2016\n\n\n","objectId":"116294","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"A cartoon’s classical roots?","object":"60965","image":"/images/17-1-09_BambiCreatorDies_98.67.2.1EDIT-2.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2017/01/a-cartoons-classical-roots/","date":"2017-01-10 00:00:00 -0600","content":"A cartoon’s classical roots?\n\nTyrus Wong, the artist behind the look and feel of the Disney cartoon movie Bambi (1942), died last month at age 106. Wong’s life began with the iconic immigrant struggle of the 1900s: due to others’ racial prejudices, he was long overlooked as a studio artist, but in time he rose to become an acknowledged master. He had successful careers at Disney and Warner Bros.\n\nJust like these pages from a landscape album, Wong’s ideas for Bambi were inspired by Chinese painting from the Song dynasty (960–1279). Song paintings feature detailed elements, such as a gnarled tree, surrounded by landscapes rendered in a few loose, but carefully placed brushstrokes. Wong helped Disney solve the visual challenges of Bambi—depicting animals in a backdrop of nature. Wong simplified the backgrounds to create impressionistic washes of color and line, allowing the characters to pop.\n — Juline Chevalier, Head of Interpretation, Jan. 9, 2016\n\n**\n\n**\n\nAbove, right: Tyrus Wong, photo by Sara Jane Boyers, The New York Times.\n Above, left: One of Tyrus Wong’s sketches for the visual development of Bambi. Tyrus Wong family; Disney 2017.      \n\n\n\n\n\n\n","objectId":"60965","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Elephant in the room: Ivory: Crickets","object":"33753","image":"/images/17-1-11_Ivory_2001.291.9A,B_CricketEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2017/01/elephant-in-the-room-ivory-crickets/","date":"2017-01-11 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Elephant in the room: Ivory\n\n\n\nChina has long used ivory in traditional medicines, carvings, and even utilitarian objects like this cricket container. \n\nCricket culture in China dates back at least 2,000 years. So prized were the insects, kept for both their singing and fighting abilities, their owners purchased elaborate cages to hold them. This one, made of ivory, suggests a time when elephants were more plentiful, or less valued, than crickets. \n       — Diane Richard, writer, January 12, 2017\n\nImage: Cricket-fights, engraving, 1879\n\nTimed to coincide with the recent announcement by China to halt its commercial trade of ivory, “Elephant in the Room: Ivory” is a series that highlights the use of ivory across various cultures represented in Mia’s collection. As China’s largest consumer, for art and traditional medicine, the announced ban could protect the lives of thousands of elephants a year.\n\n\n","objectId":"33753","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Elephant in the room: Ivory: Grogger","object":"5561","image":"/images/17-1-11_Ivory_98.136.15_GroggerEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2017/01/elephant-in-the-room-ivory-grogger/","date":"2017-01-11 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Elephant in the room: Ivory\n\n\n\nGrogger is Yiddish for rattle. A grogger is used during the Jewish holiday of Purim. In medieval times, its noise was thought to evoke the grinding of Judas’ bones. \n\nDuring both world wars, use of a whistle to alert citizens of an impending chemical bomb attack was impossible; gas masks got in the way. Instead, forces twirled groggers as alarms. Today, a grogger is a party noisemaker, a tin toy. Why this one is made from ivory is anybody’s guess. Could be the artist saw a parallel between grinding bones and carving tusks.                       — Diane Richard, writer, January 12, 2017\n\n**\n\nImage: Two airmen wield gas rattles during an exercise during World War II. Imperial War Museum.\n\nTimed to coincide with the recent announcement by China to halt its commercial trade of ivory, “Elephant in the Room: Ivory” is a series that highlights the use of ivory across various cultures represented in Mia’s collection. As China’s largest consumer, for art and traditional medicine, the announced ban could protect the lives of thousands of elephants a year.\n\n\n","objectId":"5561","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Elephant in the room: Ivory: Big tusks","object":"1312","image":"/images/17-1-17_Ivory_56.33_BigTusksEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2017/01/elephant-in-the-room-ivory-big-tusks/","date":"2017-01-17 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Elephant in the room: Ivory\n\n\n\nAs elephants and rhinos near extinction, their ivory has only become more valuable—there is even evidence that criminal gangs are now hastily slaughtering the remaining animals and stockpiling their horns and tusks, for the day when there is literally no more supply to meet demand.  \n\nBut this is just the pathetic end of a very long story. There were once elephants in North Africa, but ivory hunters wiped out that population completely perhaps a thousand years ago. Ditto for much of South Africa in the 19th century, and most of West Africa in the 20th century. We are now largely down to East Africa, where shrinking habitat and the killing of large bulls means the days of elephants bearing tusks as large as this one are almost certainly over. — Tim Gihring, editor, January 17, 2017\n\n**\n\nImage: A 1690 drawing of Europeans bartering for elephant tusks in what is now Ghana, then a German colony.\n\nTimed to coincide with the recent announcement by China to halt its commercial trade of ivory, “Elephant in the Room: Ivory” is a series highlighting the historical use of ivory across cultures represented in Mia’s collection. As China is the largest market for ivory, taken from tens of thousands of endangered elephants and rhinos killed by poachers every year, the ban could help save the animals from extinction.\n\n\n","objectId":"1312","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Elephant in the room: Ivory: Mammoth tusks","object":"444","image":"/images/17-1-17_Ivory_31.35.1-32_MammothTusksEDIT-1.jpg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2017/01/elephant-in-the-room-ivory-mammoth-tusks/","date":"2017-01-17 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Elephant in the room: Ivory\n\n\n\nOver the centuries, elephants and rhinos have been slaughtered so their tusks and horns could be carved into objects both ceremonial and banal: royal bling and billiard balls, cruxifixes and piano keys. (If you have a halfway decent piano made before 1970, you’re likely tickling the ivories, as they say.) \n\nThis chess set, made in China in the 1700s, shows what a creative carver was capable of, in the fine filigree and detail. It all seems terribly morbid now, but the industry has moved on to even more exotic, if already dead, sources: You can now purchase ivory chess sets made from 40,000-year-old mammoth tusks. Rather ordinary looking. But considering the rarity, the $8,500 price seems almost prehistoric. — Tim Gihring, editor, January 17, 2017\n\n**\n\nImage: A chess set for sale from The House of Staunton company, made from mammoth ivory.\n\nTimed to coincide with the recent announcement by China to halt its commercial trade of ivory, “Elephant in the Room: Ivory” is a series highlighting the historical use of ivory across cultures represented in Mia’s collection. As China is the largest market for ivory, taken from tens of thousands of endangered elephants and rhinos killed by poachers every year, the ban could help save the animals from extinction.\n\n\n","objectId":"444","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Elephant in the room: Ivory: Christ","object":"23172","image":"/images/17-1-18_Ivory_82.24A-G_ChristEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2017/01/elephant-in-the-room-ivory-christ/","date":"2017-01-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Elephant in the room: Ivory\n\nIvory has been a coveted material for use in luxury goods and art and religious objects for centuries. \n\nThat’s because elephant tusk is especially malleable, allowing skilled carvers to produce expressive, detailed sculptures. However, due to the size and shape of the tusk, many of these creations are relatively small. This limitation kept many artists from signing their work; only in rare instances and on larger-scale objects do we see signatures. Although this sculpture of Christ on the Cross is unsigned, three other sculptures have been attributed to this anonymous artist throughout Italy and Spain. \n\n— Gretchen Halverson, Media and Technology Assistant, January 18, 2017\n\n**\n\n**\n\nTimed to coincide with the recent announcement by China to halt its commercial trade of ivory, “Elephant in the Room: Ivory” is a series that highlights the use of ivory across various cultures represented in Mia’s collection. As China’s largest consumer, for art and traditional medicine, the announced ban could protect the lives of thousands of elephants a year.\n\n\n","objectId":"23172","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Elephant in the room: Ivory: Jerome","object":"11955","image":"/images/17-1-18_Ivory_57.33_JeromeEDIT-1.png","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2017/01/elephant-in-the-room-ivory-jerome/","date":"2017-01-18 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Elephant in the room: Ivory\n\nIn the 1600s, a renewed interest in ivory carving emerged thanks to new maritime routes along the east and west coasts of Africa. \n\nThe baroque style, so called for its dramatic, elaborate effects, coincided with this ivory influx, providing European artists with a medium suited for the style of the day. Many began using ivory in extravagant church interiors and to create expressive sculptures, like this one of St. Jerome. The skill of ivory carving became so popular that, in central Europe and the Netherlands, court positions were created for sculptors who specialized in ivory.     — Gretchen Halverson, Media and Technology Assistant, January 18, 2017\n\n**\n\nPhoto: Malachy Postlechwayt, Partial Ivory & Gold Coasts of Africa including Angola\n\nTimed to coincide with the recent announcement by China to halt its commercial trade of ivory, “Elephant in the Room: Ivory” is a series that highlights the use of ivory across various cultures represented in Mia’s collection. As China’s largest consumer, for art and traditional medicine, the announced ban could protect the lives of thousands of elephants a year.\n\n**\n\n\n","objectId":"11955","type":"newsflash"}
{"title":"Elephant in the room: Ivory: Coffee","object":"100514","image":"/images/17-1-18_Ivory_2007.36.1_CoffeeEDIT-1.jpeg","link":"http://newsflash.dx.artsmia.org/2017/01/elephant-in-the-room-ivory-coffee/","date":"2017-01-19 00:00:00 -0600","content":"Elephant in the room: Ivory\n\n\n\nI don’t know about you, but I take my daily dose of steaming hot coffee for granted. Of course there will be beans to grind each morning, awaiting my eager lips. Or at my local Caribou. Or in the Friends of the Institute’s office. Of course!\n\nA century or more ago, roasted coffee in England was as exotic as elephant’s tusk. Which must be why the silversmith fused both imported rarities in the design of this coffee pot. If you were incredibly posh, like, Downton Abbey posh, you’d pull out your sterling and ivory coffee and tea set to show guests your worldly epicurean tastes. Of course!       — Diane Richard, writer, January 19, 2017\n\n**\n\nImage: © 2012 WGBH Educational Foundation.\n\nTimed to coincide with the recent announcement by China to halt its commercial trade of ivory, “Elephant in the Room: Ivory” is a series that highlights the use of ivory across various cultures represented in Mia’s collection. As China’s largest consumer, for art and traditional medicine, the announced ban could protect the lives of thousands of elephants a year.\n\n\n","objectId":"100514","type":"newsflash"}