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☆ Hollywood’s New Fantasy: A Magical, Colorblind Past
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Kabir Chibber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Across the arts, we now see so many worlds that never existed. The hit Netflix series “Bridgerton” depicts a version of Regency England ruled by a Black queen and an anachronistically multiracial royal court. When you see these examples gathered, they’re often followed by some complaint of a world gone mad with inclusion. In Britain, for instance, there was some outrage when the protagonist of an otherwise faithful Agatha Christie adaptation was revised to be a Nigerian immigrant. But the problem, for viewers, isn’t wokeness run amok; it’s the incoherence of the world we are watching.

Persons: David Copperfield, Dev Patel, they’re, Agatha Christie, isn’t Organizations: Netflix Locations: England, Britain, Nigerian

☆ What Murder Mysteries Solve
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But why, if that was my purpose, would I find solace in such an inherently violent genre? I now realize that what I really craved, and found in abundance in these novels, was solutions. The heart of this genre is not the murders that precipitate the plot, but the process by which they are solved — and, above all, the promise that they will be. The Detection Club, a literary society, was formed in 1930 by a group of prominent British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and G.K. Chesterton. But when it came to the process of solving the crimes, rules were rules.

Persons: Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, “, ” Organizations: God Locations: Israel, Gaza, G.K, Chesterton

☆ Good News for Rich Uncles and Orphaned Heiresses.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

You may remember that I’ve been blitzing my way through murder mysteries this winter. As it turns out, one Agatha Christie mystery is fun, two are interesting, but once you get past three or four, they start to raise real questions about the economic incentives of the early 20th century. (There may have been some others as well? After a point they all begin to blur together.) And with surprising regularity, the culprits’ elaborate schemes of murder and misdirection are specifically designed to obtain an inheritance.

Persons: Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Poirot, Roger Ackroyd Organizations: ABC, Sun

☆ 14 ways to get better at using ChatGPT: Comprehensive prompt guide
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Here are 12 ways you can write better ChatGPT prompts. Prioritize clarity and precisionDeStefano-Tangorra suggests that ChatGPT users "explicitly outline your expectations within the prompt" by adding precise words. "Clear and specific prompts lead to more relevant and useful responses," she said. Couto finds that the best marketing copy reads at a fifth- or sixth-grade level, which includes "short sentences and paragraphs, a conversational tone, and simple language." OpenAI's prompt guide suggests copying and pasting articles into ChatGPT, and then asking the chatbot to answer questions based on them.

Persons: —, ChatGPT, It's, Jacqueline DeStefano, Jason Gulya, Rob Cressy, Cressy, Peggy Dean, Dean, " DeStefano, Tangorra, Agatha Christie's Miss, DeStefano, Gulya, Anna Bernstein, didn't, Bernstein, Mary, Ashley Couto, Couto Organizations: Service, Business, Berkeley College, GPT, Facebook, Microsoft Locations: Asia

☆ ‘Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen’ Review: A Life of Writing Crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Lucy Worsley Photo: PBSInspiring one of the largest police pursuits of her time, a certain celebrated detective novelist created a lingering real-life mystery by disappearing for 11 days in 1926. But she has seldom gone missing since—not from print, movies, the trans-Atlantic consciousness or public television, where another popular PBS import autopsies the writer in “ Agatha Christie : Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen.”Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen Begins Sunday, 8 p.m., PBSMs. Worsley’s investigations have largely concerned Tudors, Georgians, Victorians and U.K. Christmas traditions, but in this three-part and nearly three-hour deep dive, she explores not just the biography of the world’s best-selling novelist but what made her the writer and woman she was. The 1926 vanishing act isn’t even mentioned until episode 2. First we see the way the author’s eccentric family, its evaporating fortune, her traumatizing experiences as a World War I nursing volunteer and her work in the hospital dispensary (where she learned about poisons) influenced the 70-odd novels (as well as plays and short stories) that continue to disturb and fascinate readers across the globe. Ms. Worsley’s idea—a good one—is to track Christie’s life alongside her crime-ridden imagination and see where and whether the two intersect.

Persons: Lucy Worsley, —, Agatha Christie, ” Agatha Christie Organizations: PBS

☆ ‘A Murder at the End of the World’ Review: P.I. Meets A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( James Poniewozik | More About James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An eccentric tech billionaire invites a slew of notables to a private retreat, where a detective must solve a mysterious death. The murder mystery, in comparison, is among the most literal, plot-reliant of genres. Could Marling and Batmanglij really have made something that … ordinary? FX’s “Murder,” which begins Tuesday on Hulu, is neither as weird as you might hope or as conventional as you might fear. Think of it as “Glass OAnion.”The detective here is a relative newcomer.

Persons: Rian Johnson’s, Brit Marling, Agatha Christie, ”, Darby Hart, Emma Corrin, Bill Farrah, Harris Dickinson, Andy Ronson, Clive Owen, — Locations: Hulu, Iceland

☆ The night train revolution has been hailed as an alternative to airplanes. Here’s how that’s going
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Ben Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Wherever they run, night trains are complicated, labor intensive and expensive to operate – one of the major reasons they went into decline in the first place. The $770 million contract could eventually see up to 370 new overnight carriages introduced to update Italy’s entire overnight train fleet. “Politicians must be clear: the night train market will be effectively closed for a very long time,” he says. So, what does all this mean for the much-vaunted night train revolution? With the honorable exception of government-subsidized Nightjet, which plans to expand rapidly over the next five years, European night train services have yet to match the hype.

Persons: Love, James Brown, David Bowie, Ray Charles, –, they’ve, Charisius, Agatha Christie, James Bond, Mark Smith, ”, “, ÖBB, “ Superliner, Kuleshova, Smith, it’s, Alex Halada, Nick Brooks Organizations: CNN, Orient Express, Austrian Federal Railways, Swiss Federal Railways, Deutsche Bahn, Italian State Railways, Amtrak, California Zephyr, European, Bloomberg, Getty, Regiojet, Compagnie Internationale des, VIA Rail, European Union, Frankfurt, Eurostar, EU Rail, EU Locations: Europe, Russia, Scandinavia, Vienna, Hamburg, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, France, Sweden, Milan, Sicily, Messina, Europe’s, United States, Berlin, Stockholm, Denmark, Czech, Prague, Croatia’s, London, Dresden, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Spain, Venice, Florence, Rome, Madrid, Porto, Portugal, Edinburgh, Zurich, AFP, EU

☆ Halloween in New York: Things to Do in October
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Erik Piepenburg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A Halloween without horror movies is like a Christmas without Hallmark movies about big-city women falling for small-town bookstore owners. New scary films in theaters now are the Agatha Christie-inspired “A Haunting in Venice”; the twisted sister tale “The Nun II”; and “Saw X,” the tenth film in the franchise. For a sneak peek at what horror fans will be drooling over next, check out the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Oct. 12-19), at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations. Stine’s horror books for teenagers (Disney+, Oct. 13). Back to scare again are new seasons of the killer doll show “Chucky” (Peacock, Oct. 4) and the anthology series “Creepshow” (Shudder, Oct. 13).

Persons: Agatha Christie, Hitchcock’s Marlene Dietrich, ”, moviemaking Adams, “ Michelle, Usher, ” Mike Flanagan’s, Edgar Allan Poe, Chucky ”, John, Ed Gein, “ Organizations: Hallmark, Brooklyn Horror Film, MGM Locations: Venice, Nitehawk, Williamsburg, Prospect, California, Texas

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham weren't enough to save “ Expend4bles ” from a debut box office flop. The Lionsgate and Millennium's film, also known as “Expendables 4,” pulled in a mediocre $8.3 million for the big-budget project. It starred several popular names, including Stallone, Statham, Curtis “50 Cent" Jackson, Megan Fox and Dolph Lundgren. It's been nearly a decade since the franchise released a film, which opened with $15.8 million and eventually grossed $214 million globally. But times have certainly changed, as the film barely placed second behind “The Nun 2," a horror movie that earned $8.4 million in its first week.

Persons: — Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham weren't, “, ”, Comscore, Stallone, Statham, Curtis “, Jackson, Megan Fox, Dolph Lundgren, It's, Michael Chaves, Venice ”, Kenneth Branagh’s, Agatha Christie, Denzel Washington, “ Barbie, Greta Gerwig, “ Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan Organizations: ANGELES, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Orient Express, Sony, GameStop, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, Writers Guild of America Locations: Venice

☆ Opinion: The 2,000-year-old advice for coping in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. A surprising number claimed to think about the ancient empire as often as ‘every day’ or least every week or two. It became a meme (are you even in a relationship if she hasn’t asked you about the Roman Empire? They marvel at their absolute dominion, their mastery of every strand of civilisation — and then how that power suddenly slipped away. Biden on Wednesday took steps to speed up the ability of Venezuelans in the US to obtain work permits.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Seneca, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Bobby McFerrin’s musing, David M, Perry, hasn’t, Jo Ellison, —, Marcus Aurelius, that’s, David Perry, “ There’s, ” Perry, Paula M, Krebs, “, Donald Trump’s, Ron DeSantis, Trump, …, ’, ” Cupp, Roe, Wade, Cupp, he’s, Dean Obeidallah, Trump’s, Patrick T, Brown, Bill Bramhall, Content Agency Rupert Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, David Zurawik, Rupert, Murdoch, Roger Ailes, Richard Nixon, ” Murdoch “, Walt Handelsman, Kevin McCarthy, Max Burns, Donald Trump, today’s MAGA, ” Clay Jones, Chuck Schumer, Elena Sheppard, Sen, John Fetterman, baring, Fetterman, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim Yo Jong, Sung, Yoon Lee, “ Kim Yo Jong, Kim, Kim Jong, ” “, Hunter Biden isn’t, Alexis Coe, George Washington’s, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, Hunter, … Hunter, Joe Biden, Biden, Peter Bergen, Mike Pence, … Biden, Bergen, ” Lisa Benson, Martin Sheen, Melissa Fitzgerald, Gurney, John F, Melissa, Andy, Michael Bociurkiw, ” Bociurkiw, Volodymyr Zelensky “, Zelensky, Lanhee J, Chen, ” Chen, Keir Giles, It’ll, Jennifer Wexton, Barbara Comstock, Alex Brandon, Jill Filipovic, Democrat “, ” Wexteon “, Eric Adams, Julian Zelizer . Biden, ” Don’t, David Horsey, Agency Frida Ghitis, Agatha Christie, China Adam H, Sobel, Holly Thomas, Russell Brand, Akanksha, Dan Perry, Gilead, Netanyahu government’s, Gene Seymour, Jann, Reggie B, Maren Morris, Matt Winkelmeyer, ” Maren Morris, Nicole Hemmer, Morris ’, Morris, Jason Aldean’s “, Oliver Anthony’s “ Rich, Richmond ”, “ Rich, ” Hemmer, Anthony himself, ‘, Hemmer Organizations: CNN, Financial Times, West Virginia University, Modern Language Association, WVU, West Virginia, Republican, Press, Florida Gov, White, Content Agency, Content Agency Rupert Murdoch Media, Fox News, Capitol, Agency, Democratic, fied Republican Party, Republican Party, Justice Department, Qatari, Amnesty International, Kennedy Center, UN, Assembly, CBS, Ukraine’s, Republicans, Democrat, Progressive Supra, GOP, Walton, Mobile, North, Richmond Locations: Rome, Ukraine, TikTok, Roman, Roman Republic, Washington, ”, Korean, North Korea, Iran, Qatar, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Dulles , Virginia, Virginia, New York City, United States, China, Las Vegas , Nevada

☆ Opinion: It doesn’t take an Agatha Christie detective to work out something’s up in Xi’s China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The latest to vanish from view is China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu. But anti-corruption campaigns are an ideal vehicle for political crackdowns, and in the opaque world of China’s regime, with no official explanation, there’s much that doesn’t meet the eye. (Rahm Emanuel, dripping with sarcasm, joked that the unemployment rate among Xi’s ministers might exceed that of China’s young people.) But China, of course, still promotes its system as a superior alternative to western-style democracy; tries to pretend that it’s not a dictatorship.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Li Shangfu, “ I’m, Nobody, Rahm Emanuel, ”, Xi’s, Agatha Christie’s, Li, China’s, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Qi, Xi, Mao Zedong, didn’t, Joe Biden, “, Hu Jintao, Hu, chastened, Jack Ma, Jeff Bezos Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, China’s Defense, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Twitter, Qin, Street Journal, PLA’s, Force, United Nations General Assembly, Communist Party Congress Locations: China, Japan, Denmark, Vietnam, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Ukraine, Germany

☆ Turbulence in China’s top ranks raises questions about Xi Jinping’s rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Defense Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for three weeks, sparking speculation he is under investigation. Both Li and Qin serve among China’s five state councillors, a senior position in the cabinet that outranks a regular minister. Li also sits on the Central Military Commission, a powerful body headed by Xi that commands the armed forces. China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu gives a speech during the Moscow Conference on International Security on August 15. Last week, as speculation mounted over the whereabouts of the defense minister, Xi called for unity and stability within the military during an inspection in China’s northeast.

Persons: China’s, Li Shangfu, Weeks, Qin Gang, Xi, Li, Qin, outranks, “ What’s, ”, Drew Thompson, Xi Jinping, James Char, Lloyd Austin, Alexander Nemenov, Xi’s, Deng Yuwen, ” Rahm Emanuel, Agatha Christie’s, “, –, Craig Singleton, General Zhang Youxia, Zhang, He’s, Thompson, they’re, ” Thompson, Mao Zedong, Char, …, ” Char, Jinping Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Defense, Foreign, Central Military Commission, People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, Wall Street Journal, Communist Party, National University of Singapore, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Belarus ’, US, Singapore’s Navy, China's, Conference, International Security, Getty, Twitter, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Washington DC, Development Department, Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department Locations: China, Hong Kong, United States, Washington, Beijing, Singapore, Moscow, Belarus, Minsk, AFP, Japan, Soviet, Sichuan, “

NEW YORK (AP) — “The Nun 2” and “A Haunting in Venice” virtually tied for the No. In its second weekend of release, Warner Bros.' “The Nun 2,” a spinoff from the studio's lucrative “Conjuring” franchise, grossed $14.7 million. If numbers hold, that will give “The Nun 2” (up to $56.5 million total and $158.8 million worldwide) the top spot at the box office for the second straight week. In three weeks, its grossed $73.7 million domestically and $132.4 million worldwide. Fourth place went to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” with $4.7 million in its second weekend of release.

Persons: —, Venice ”, Hercule Poirot, ” Kenneth Branagh's, Agatha Christie, ”, Denzel Washington, “ Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer ”, Barbie ”, Greta Gerwig's, Comscore, “ Barbie, “, “ Oppenheimer, Jake Coyle Organizations: Warner Bros, Orient Express, Century Studios, Walt Disney Co, It's, SAG, WGA, GameStop, Twitter Locations: Venice, ”, Telluride, Toronto

☆ Opinion: Musk, McCarthy and Romney are three kinds of leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. A vain and ambitious cigar-smoking bully who wore riding breeches, a polished helmet and boots and carried ivory-handled revolvers, he led troops on successful lightning strikes through German-held territory near the end of World War II. Musk has repeatedly been criticized for enabling and boosting antisemitic content on the platform.”“Isaacson tries to square these two Musks. During Trump’s first impeachment, Romney became the first senator in US history to vote to remove a president of his own party from office. He has been willing to do what he believes to be right — consequences be damned.”The differences between Romney and Trump were many.

Persons: CNN — “ Troy, Hadrian, …, ”, George S, Patton, “, Stephen D, Clay Jones, Elon Musks, Elon, Nicole Hemmer’s, Walter Isaacson, Musk “, Musk, ” “ Isaacson, Isaacson, ” Hemmer, Walt Handelsman, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, McCarthy, Joe Biden, “ Trump, impeaching Biden, Norman Eisen, Trump, ” Eisen, Biden, James Antle III, ’, Hunter, McCarthy “, John Avlon, Dennis Aftergut, Lindsey Graham wasn’t, Michelle Lujan Grisham, she’s, Hunter Biden, Robert J, Spitzer, It’s, ” Vladimir, Kim, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Frida Ghitis, Putin, vaingloriously, Peter the Great, Sébastien Roblin, Don’t, Romney Francis Chung, AP Sen, Mitt Romney, Romney, Sen, John McCain, Trump’s, Lanhee J, Chen, Lisa Benson, Kate Bahn, ’ I’m, —, Dana Peterson, Erik Lundh, ” Dana Summers, Kunis Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Danny Masterson, Jill Filipovic, “ Kutcher, Kunis, Kutcher, Masterson, Danilo Cavalcante, Arick, Scott Stantis, Jeff Yang, Jets Phil Hands, Julian Zelizer, Aaron Rodgers ’, ” Don’t, Nick Anderson, Tess Taylor, Tommy Tuberville, Mahnaz, Roxanne Jones, Coco Gauff, Amanda Tyler, Lara Setrakian, Paul Hockenos, Don Lincoln, Sophia Nelson, Tim Scott, Kenneth Branagh, Agatha Christie’s, Hercule Poirot, Noah Berlatsky, Poirot, Branagh, Sara Stewart, Winona Ryder Organizations: CNN, US, Marine Corps, Third Army, Vostochny, Twitter, Defamation League, Agency, Caucus, Republicans, Democrats, White, North, Putin, AP, Senate, Hollywood, Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Peugeot, United Auto Workers, UAW, “, Federal Reserve, Conference Board, Ninth, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, REUTERS, Reuters, Apple, European Union, Jets, Boston Red Sox, The Chicago Cubs, The New York Jets, New York Jets, MetLife, Tribune, Studios Locations: China, Washington, New Mexico, Detroit, Russia’s, South Africa, Hunter Biden’s, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, Russia, Ukraine, ”, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Aude, Pennsylvania, Brazil, Cupertino , California, Iran, New Texas, Venice

☆ The Many Mustaches of Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Calum Marsh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“It was my ritual every night after the shoot,” Yoshihara said recently in a video interview. “Me and the mustache sit together. The mustache became like a friend.”Yoshihara takes facial hair very seriously. The first iteration of Branagh’s Poirot mustache was created for “Orient Express” by the designer Carol Hemming, with whom Yoshihara worked closely as the head of the hair and makeup departments. The colossal gray swath of hair was meant to pay tribute to Poirot’s military background and the vogue after World War I.

Persons: Kenneth Branagh, Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, Wakana Yoshihara, ” Yoshihara, “, ”, Branagh, Yoshihara, Carol Hemming Organizations: Orient Express, “ Orient Locations: Venice

☆ Li Shangfu: Speculation grows over whereabouts of China's defense minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday skirted questions on the whereabouts of the country’s defense minister, amid mounting speculation the recently promoted general has been placed under investigation. Qin, who was only foreign minister for seven months, has retained the position of state councillor – a senior role in China’s cabinet which Li also holds. On Chinese government and military websites, Li is still listed as the defense minister, state councillor and a member of the party’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). “The foreign minister and the defense minister are both externally facing interlocutors with the international community. Two weeks away from the public view is not unprecedented for China’s defense minister, who typically has less frequent public engagements than the foreign minister.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Li Shangfu, China’s, Li, Mao Ning, “ I’m, Qin Gang, Qin, –, Rahm Emanuel, Li hadn’t, Emanuel, Xi’s, Agatha Christie’s, Li Shangfu hasn’t, ”, Xi Jinping, ” Drew Thompson, Lee, Sergey Shoigu, Alexander Lukashenko Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Communist Party, Financial Times, Street, Foreign Ministry, Central Military Commission, People’s Liberation Army, Force, CNN, Foreign, Rocket Force, Defense, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, National University of Singapore, Development Department, Equipment Development Department, Security Forum, ”, Reuters, ” Reuters, Border Defense Friendship Exchange Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, United States, Africa, Russia, Belarus, Moscow, Minsk, Hanoi

Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured), speaks at the U.S. The ambassador, Rahm Emanuel, has always spoken in "a colorful manner," said Matthew Miller, restraining a smile, although he declined to say whether Emanuel's comments had been cleared by the State Department. "I would guess that the Chinese government views Ambassador Emanuel's remarks as authoritative and deliberate signaling. I doubt that's the case," said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. All of that suggests that the administration is unlikely to rein in its Japan ambassador.

Persons: Japan Rahm Emanuel, Antony Blinken, Andrew Harnik, Rahm Emanuel, Matthew Miller, Emanuel, Agatha Christie's, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu hasn't, Li, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Obama, Emanuel's, Bonnie Glaser, Biden, Rahm, AMBASSADOR Emanuel, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama's, Laquan McDonald, Fumio Kishida, Yun Sun, He's, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Trevor Hunnicutt, Patricia Zengerle, Timothy Kelly, Don Durfee, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: U.S, Ambassador's, WASHINGTON, . State Department, State Department, Foreign, Rocket Force, Defense, Reuters, German Marshall Fund of, CHINA U.S, AMBASSADOR, Obama, House, West Wing, China Program, Stimson, Biden, Thomson Locations: Japan, Tokyo, TOKYO, Washington, Britain, China, United States, Beijing, U.S, CHINA, Chicago

☆ All Hail the Long-Suffering Cadaver
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Amor Towles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

For over 100 years the cadaver, that unsung hero of murder mysteries, has been accommodating, gracious and generally on time. But through it all, the cadaver has shown up without complaint to do its job. But decade in and decade out, the cadaver has remembered its lines and hit its mark. And all of this — the loss of life, the autopsies, the recriminations — the cadaver has suffered in silence, on our behalf. After all, it was the cadaver who set the wheels of a mystery in motion.

Persons: Agatha Christie

Here are the meanings of the least-found words that were used in (mostly) recent Times articles. Works by Agatha Christie, Robert Louis Stevenson and P. G. Wodehouse all featured tontine members plotting to kill one another in hope of a big payoff. — Dog Ziggity: New Jersey’s Own Hot Dogs (Sept. 24, 2013)And a bonus: arrant — total or extreme:It constitutes a dismissal of eager and innocent articulateness. And as such, it is an arrant and thoughtless injustice that must be stopped. — Opinion: A Language Test That Stigmatizes Black Children (Oct. 7, 2022)The list of the week’s easiest words:

Persons: tantara, orotund, Lorde, tontine, Agatha Christie, Robert Louis Stevenson, G, Wodehouse, today’s, Melmoth ’, Gatsby, Tom, Daisy Buchanan, Ross Douthat, —, Umberto, monocracy, Sarkozy, ” — Sarkozy, viand Organizations: Umberto Eco, Socialists, Drinks Locations: New York, Prague, Texas

☆ Over 100 people trapped for several hours in mystery writer Agatha Christie’s former home
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Over 100 people were trapped for several hours in Greenway, the former home of famed British mystery writer Agatha Christie, in the English countryside on Friday. Caroline Heaven, a tourist who was visiting Greenway, contacted local news outlet Devon Live to spread the word that roughly 100 tourists were trapped in the grounds of Christie’s former holiday home. Britain’s National Trust which manages the historic site quickly put a message on its website, announcing that a large tree had fallen on the single-track road leading into Greenway. A spokesperson for the National Trust said it was aware that there were “visitors, staff and volunteers still at Greenway unable to leave,” adding that the National Trust was “doing everything” to ensure their comfort whilst they waited. Christie herself was known to while away the hours on Greenway’s lawns, playing clock golf and croquet and entertaining guests with snippets from her latest mystery novels, according to the National Trust website.

Persons: Agatha Christie, Caroline Heaven, Christie Organizations: London CNN, Greenway, Devon, National Trust Locations: Greenway, Devon, England, Britain’s

☆ Auction of Charlie Watts' book collection includes signed 'Great Gatsby' first edition
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A collection of first-edition books and jazz memorabilia belonging to the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will go up for auction in September. Leading the auction will be a signed first-edition copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." “Charlie built his collection of modern literature and jazz with passion, intelligence and dedication, and this two-part auction celebrates his distinguished collecting taste,” they added. Christie's Images Limited 2023The collection also includes objects that once belonged to jazz legends, including Watts’ favorite saxophonist, the late Charlie Parker, according to the release. Christie's Images Limited 2023Highlights from the collection will go on display in Los Angeles between July 25 and 29 and New York between September 5 and 8.

Persons: Charlie Watts, Scott Fitzgerald, Scott Fitzgerald's, Benedict Winter, Mark Wiltshire, “ Charlie, George Orwell, Agatha Christie, James Joyce, Fitzgerald, Watts, Charlie Parker, Parker, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin’s, “ Porgy, Bess, ”, Charlie, Dave Green Organizations: CNN Locations: London, American, British, Los Angeles, New York

☆ Charlie Watts book collection to be offered for sale at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Members of the Rolling Stones (L-R) Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards arrive for the "Exhibitionism" opening night gala at the Saatchi Gallery in London, Britain April 4, 2016. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File PhotoLONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - Books and jazz memorabilia belonging to late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will go under the hammer in a two-part sale in September, auction house Christie's said on Monday. "Charlie Watts: Gentleman, Collector, Rolling Stone – Literature and Jazz" will feature more than 500 lots, with price estimates ranging from 800 pounds to 300,000 pounds ($1,023 - $383,730). Also on sale are rare editions of books by George Orwell, James Joyce, Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. The flagship auction will take place in London on Sept. 28, while an online sale will run from Sept. 15-29, Christie's said.

Persons: Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Luke MacGregor, Christie's, Scott Fitzgerald, Harold Goldman, George Orwell, James Joyce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Watts, Charlie Parker's, Porgy, Bess, George Gershwin, “ Charlie, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Ed Osmond Organizations: Saatchi, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ 12 ways to get better at using ChatGPT: Comprehensive prompt guide
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Here are 12 tips for crafting the best ChatGPT prompts, from assigning it a persona to being polite. Here are 12 ways you can write better ChatGPT prompts. "Clear and specific prompts lead to more relevant and useful responses," she said. Couto finds that the best marketing copy reads at a fifth-or sixth-grade level, which includes "short sentences and paragraphs, a conversational tone, and simple language." Feed ChatGPT an outlineIf you want ChatGPT to generate longer posts, Couto suggests giving the AI a specific structure and outline.

Persons: ChatGPT, It's, Jacqueline DeStefano, Jason Gulya, Rob Cressy, Cressy, Peggy Dean, Dean, " DeStefano, Tangorra, Agatha Christie's Miss, DeStefano, Gulya, Anna Bernstein, didn't, Bernstein, Ashley Couto, Couto Organizations: Berkeley College, GPT, Facebook

☆ Diversity takes center stage at the new National Portrait Gallery in London
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Nicole Mowbray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —When The National Portrait Gallery opened its doors to the public in London on Thursday, it was the first time in three years it has done so. The National Portrait Gallery was officially opened by Catherine, Princess of Wales, seen standing in front of Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai (Omai). Why would the National Portrait Gallery commit to taking this work they wouldn’t see until it’s finished, 90% of which is created by non-artists? What did she do?” Haworth told the National Portrait Gallery about the figure. Some art critics have been scathing of the gallery’s rework, with Jonathan Jones at the Guardian dubbing it “the same old cocktail party.” His review begins: “The National Portrait Gallery has been closed for three years.

Persons: Princess Catherine of Wales, ”, Jamie Fobert, Purcell, The Mary Weston, David Parry, Tracey Emin, Sam Taylor Johnson’s, David Beckham, Zadie Smith, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Sir Michael Eavis, Peter Blake, Ada Lovelace, Margaret Sarah Carpenter, Catherine , Princess of, Joshua Reynolds ’, Mai, Paul Grover, Jann Haworth, Liberty Blake, Boudicca, Elizabeth I, Mary Beard, Beatrix Potter, Agatha Christie, Nicola Adams, Pepper’s, Haworth, ” Blake, “, ” Jann Haworth, Toby Hancock, Blake, “ It’s, ’ It’s, it’s, ” Haworth, Oliver Hess, Jonathan Jones, Nicholas Cullinan, You’ll Organizations: London CNN, Jamie Fobert Architects, Getty, Chanel Culture Fund, Olympic, Beatles, Art, CNN, Guardian Locations: London, United Kingdom, Britain, The, Nigerian American, Glastonbury, British, Catherine , Princess of Wales, AFP, Salt Lake City

☆ UK streamer BritBox just inked a big Comcast deal and is poised to grab more US viewers with shows that go way beyond Agatha Christie
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

British streamer BritBox just scored a deal with Comcast as it eyes US expansion. BritBox is like other enthusiast streamers that have sustained growth while big SVODs' growth has slowed. BritBox International, the British-specialty streaming service backed by BBC Studios and ITV Studios, has big ambitions for growth. The Xfinity opportunity is "a real step change in terms of distribution and access," said Reemah Sakaan, CEO of BritBox International. But BritBox sees itself in a good position to complement the big streamers — as British content moves into the mainstream and interest in high-quality, international content grows.

Persons: it's, Comcast's, BritBox, Reemah Sakaan, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Matthew Macfadyen, John Stonehouse, Frannie Langton, Jed Mercurio's, Mercurio's, Cary Grant, Archie, Jason Isaacs, Harry Potter, Matthew Macfadyen's, Brian Cox, Logan Roy, Robert Schildhouse, King Charles, Sakaan, We've Organizations: Comcast, BritBox, BBC Studios, ITV Studios, AMC, BET, Netflix, Hulu, US, Amazon's, Disney, Labor, Warner Bros, Hollywood, Writers ' Guild of Great Locations: British, Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, " Stonehouse, BritBox, American, Stonehouse, North America, Writers ' Guild of Great Britain

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