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☆ Maine shooting survivors claim Army negligence and FDA's weight-loss drug decision: Morning Rundown
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Elizabeth Robinson | Elizabeth Robinson Is A Newsletter Editor For Nbc News | Based In Los Angeles. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Supporters of then-President Donald Trump bang on glass where election absentee ballots are counted at Detroit's TCF Center on Nov. 4, 2020. Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty Images fileNearly four years later, the mayhem at the TCF Center is burned into the minds of many election officials, lawyers and poll watchers. An NBC News investigation can now report the extent of the Republican Party and Trump campaign’s involvement in the TCF Center ordeal in 2020. ➡️ Former President Bill Clinton said the election will come down to whether there is a fair and transparent vote tally. ➡️ House Speaker Mike Johnson predicts the election will reflect “a demographic shift” showing larger blocs of voters helping elect Republicans.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, Jeff Kowalsky, ➡️ Harris, ”, Harris, ➡️, Bill Clinton, Mike Johnson, Robert Card, Card’s, Lilly’s, Mounjaro, wouldn’t, Eli Lilly, Bao Li, Qing Bao —, Jimmy Chin, — Elizabeth Robinson, Elizabeth Robinson Organizations: FDA, Trump, Democrat, TCF Convention, Detroit's TCF Center, Getty, TCF Center, NBC, Republican Party, RNC, Democratic, of Defense, Army, Keller Army Community Hospital, Secret Service, Zoo, Canada, Indiana, ”, Geographic, Ikea Locations: Detroit, AFP, Michigan, Erie , Pennsylvania, Maine, U.S, Lewiston , Maine, West Point , New York, North Carolina, China, Irvine, Everest

☆ The Panda Factories
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Mara Hvistendahl | Joy Dong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +30 min

They show that, from the beginning, zoos saw panda cubs as a pathway to visitors, prestige and merchandise sales. Panda keepers with cubs at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in China, in 2022. A Chinese giant panda at the Panda Park in Al Khor, in Qatar, in 2022. Smithsonian Institution Archives A panda wakes up from anesthesia in March 1999 during a seminal study by American and Chinese researchers into panda breeding. Smithsonian Institution Archives Giant panda Mei Xiang taken out of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province, in 2000, for shipment to the National Zoo in Washington.

Persons: Ariana Drehsler, Kati Loeffler, “, ’, Loeffler, Kimberly Terrell, ”, Terrell, Soraya, Xin Bao, zookeepers, Richard M, Nixon, Pat Nixon, Annalisa Meyer, Melissa Songer, Heather Bacon, Bacon, Don Kohlbauer, JoGayle Howard, Darting, Howard, Ping Ping, Thomas Hildebrandt, Dr, Hildebrandt, Lei Lei, Meyer, Lung Yuan Chih, Lung, James Ayala, . Hildebrandt, Ayala, interjected, Mei Xiang, Ken Cedeno, Tian Tian, Xiang, David Wildt, Mei, Mei Xiang vomited, Qi Ji, Agnes Bun, scrawled, Pierre Comizzoli, Mads Frost Bertelsen, Meng Lan, Su Weizhong Organizations: Zoo Washington, Factories, Chengdu Research Base, Archives San Diego Zoo, The New York Times Chengdu Research Base, China, National Zoo, New York Times, Smithsonian Institution, Times, Pandas, Agence France, Memphis Zoo, Tulane University, Smithsonian, San Diego Zoo, The New York, Smithsonian . Pandas, Zoo, Associated Press, University of Central, Bear Care Group, China Conservation and Research Center, San Diego Union Tribune, Feature, Future Publishing, Getty, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, ”, Leibniz Institute for Zoo, Wildlife Research, National Zoo Washington, Institution Archives Chengdu Research Base, Breed, The New York Times, Beijing Zoo, Tsinghua University, Animal Studies, Visitors, New York Times China Conservation and Research Center, Smithsonian National, Associated, Smithsonian’s, and Wildlife Service, National, Fujifilm, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Reuters, Smithsonian Channel, “, Copenhagen Zoo Locations: China, Chengdu, Sichuan, Archives San Diego Zoo California, Washington, Louisiana, Japan, San Diego, San Francisco, Indonesia, Qatar, Al Khor, University of Central Lancashire, England, U.S, San, Fuzhou, United States, Feature China, Sichuan Province, Beijing, Berlin ., Wolong, Taiwan, American, estrus, New York Times China, Europe, Washington ,, Washington , DC, Beijing Zoo Beijing

☆ Giant pandas from China arrive in US on loan to National Zoo
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

His mother, Bao Bao, was born a celebrity at the National Zoo in 2013 and returned to China four years later. His grandparents, Meixiang and Tian Tian, lived at the zoo for 23 years until their lease ended last year. It went offline last November, when Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their youngest cub Xiao Qi Ji left for China. And for the first time in 23 years, the giant panda exhibit at the National Zoo had become empty. “Our team and legions of fans look forward to welcoming Bao Li and Qing Bao to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.”

Persons: Bao Li, Qing Bao, China’s, Bao Bao, Meixiang, Tian Tian, Tom Booth, ”, Mariel Lally, Lally, Bao Li’s, they’re, ” Lally, doesn’t, “ She’s, Richard Nixon’s, Pat Nixon, Weeks, Ling Ling, Hsing Hsing, Cam, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Evelio Contreras, Qing, Ren Zhijun, Bao, Jin Tao, Brandie Smith, ” Smith, “ Organizations: DC CNN, FedEx, Panda, Washington Dulles Airport, Dulles International, National Zoo, CNN, US, Beijing Zoo, China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Washington, Smithsonian, Washington DC Locations: Washington, China, Beijing, China’s, Sichuan, Dujiangyan, Communist China

☆ They’re cute, cuddly and coming to America: China’s newest panda diplomats headed for Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Bao Li and Qing Bao were taken off public display and placed in quarantine on September 13 – a day after Qing Bao turned three years old. Bao Li and Qing Bao spent their last few days in Dujiangyan getting trained for their first long-haul flight. The zoo’s 24-hour Giant Panda Cam has garnered more than 100 million page views since its launch in 2000. “Giant pandas truly represent how great conservation outcomes can be achieved through great partnerships and with public support,” she said. “The international cooperation on giant pandas holds great significance,” the center said, adding that it had clarified such rumors multiple times.

Persons: Bao Li, Qing Bao, China’s, Tom Booth Qing Bao, Tom Booth, Bao, Brandie Smith, ” Smith, “, Bao Bao, Meixiang, Tian Tian, ”, Mariel Lally, “ Bao Li, Tian Tian Junior, Lally, –, Ren Zhijun, ” Ren, Evelio Contreras, CNN Ren, Ren, it’s, ” Lally, “ They’re, Richard Nixon’s, Pat Nixon, Zhou Enlai, Weeks, Ling Ling, Hsing Hsing, Cam, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Xi Jinping, Smith, influencers, Ya, Giant Panda Organizations: China CNN, FedEx Boeing, China Wildlife Conservation Association, CNN, Staff, Washington, Smithsonian, Washington DC, Zoo, National Zoo, US, Beijing Zoo, Memphis, San Diego Zoo, National, Memphis Zoo, China Conservation and Research Center, Giant Locations: Dujiangyan, China, Washington, Sichuan, Communist China, Beijing, San Diego, Atlanta, America, Europe, San Francisco

☆ These scientists want to safeguard Earth’s species by cryogenically preserving them on the moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A group of scientists has devised a plan to safeguard Earth’s species in a cryogenic biorepository on the moon. In order to reach the required temperatures on earth, a supply of liquid nitrogen, electricity and human staff are required. To reduce this risk, Hagedorn and the team thought about how cryopreservation could be achieved passively, which is impossible on Earth, and alighted on the moon. “We aren’t saying what if the Earth fails – if the Earth is biologically destroyed this biorepository won’t matter,” Hagedorn said in the statement. Sally Keith, a senior lecturer in Marine Biology at Lancaster University, who was not involved in the research, had similar concerns.

Persons: Norway Lise Aserud, NTB Scanpix, ”, Mary Hagedorn, Hagedorn, ” Hagedorn, Rob Brooker, James Hutton, ” Brooker, Sally Keith Organizations: CNN, Smithsonian, BioScience, Reuters, Conservation Biology Institute, James, James Hutton Institute, Lancaster University Locations: Svalbard, Norway, Scotland

☆ Bob Newhart, legendary comedian, dead at 94
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Dan Heching | Todd Leopold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Bob Newhart, whose stammering, deadpan unflappability carried him to stardom as a standup comedian and later in television and movies, has died, according to a statement from his longtime publicist Jerry Digney. Bob Newhart and Will Ferrell in "Elf." 1 with the follow-up, “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!”“The Bob Newhart Show” debuted in 1972. After a quick fade to black, he awakens… as Hartley, his character from “The Bob Newhart Show,” in bed with Pleshette. The finale of "Newhart," which brought back the characters of Dr. Bob Hartley, Newhart's character on "The Bob Newhart Show," and his wife Emily played by Suzanne Pleshette.

Persons: Bob Newhart, Jerry Digney, Digney, Newhart, Bob Newhart ”, “ Newhart, Will Ferrell, George Robert Newhart, Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, Nat “ King ” Cole, ”, Peabody, Bob Hartley, Dick Loudon, Suzanne Pleshette, Mary Frann, – Newhart, …, Hartley, Emily, ” Newhart, “, ‘, Johnny Carson, “ Young Sheldon, Kennedy, Mark Twain, Courtney, Timothy, Robert, Virginia “ Ginnie ” Newhart Organizations: CNN, crazies, Golfers, CBS, Proton, Television Hall of Fame, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Locations: Los Angeles, Turkey, Oak Park , Illinois, Chicago, Vermont, “, Newhart’s, Cleveland ”

☆ National Portrait Gallery acquires Dolley Madison daguerreotype — the earliest known photograph of a US First Lady
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Torey Akers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Washington, DC, has acquired the earliest known photograph of a US First Lady. The quarter-plate daguerreotype of former First Lady Dolley Madison, wife of fourth US president James Madison, dates from around 1846. The Dolley Madison daguerreotype, made by artist and entrepreneur John Plumbe Jr., shows the trailblazing First Lady when she was in her late seventies. In addition to his portrait of Madison, he created the earliest extant image of the US Capitol. Courtesy Sotheby'sThe NPG bought the Madison photograph for $456,000 at a Sotheby’s auction of books, manuscripts and Americana on June 28, more than six times the lot’s high estimate of $70,000.

Persons: Dolley Madison, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Philip Haas, Madison daguerreotype, John Plumbe Jr, Madison, Lonnie G, Joseph L, Emily K, ” Bunch, Dolley Payne Todd Madison, Lady, soirees, Zachary Taylor, ”, Louis Daguerre Organizations: The Art, CNN, Capitol, Plumbe, Madison, Smithsonian, Gidwitz, Foundation Endowment, US Locations: Washington ,, America, United States, Philadelphia, Washington, Madison

☆ Osgemeos Rocked Brazil. Can the Graffiti Twins Take New York?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Jill Langlois | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just inside the door to the studio of the Brazilian artists Osgemeos is a self-portrait. Spray painted onto the concrete wall of the old metal workshop’s entryway, the image shows the identical twins Otávio and Gustavo Pandolfo, 50, standing next to each other, hands at their sides and looking forward. They’re wearing colorful printed clothing, bags slung over their shoulders and baseball caps propped on their heads. Here, preparations are underway for “Endless Story,” their first museum survey of work in the United States. One of the brothers’ imposing sculptures, wrapped in black plastic so it can be shipped for the exhibition, hangs from chains on the sweeping ceiling and another is tucked away in a corner, a smidgen of what looks like a subway car visible.

Persons: Osgemeos, Otávio, Gustavo Pandolfo Organizations: Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, Washington , D.C Locations: Brazil, United States, Washington ,

☆ Artist Kehinde Wiley denies accusations of sexual assault
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Stephy Chung | Nicole Mowbray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Kehinde Wiley, the American artist best known for painting former US President Barack Obama’s official portrait, has denied accusations of sexual assault. In an Instagram post shared Sunday, British-Ghanaian artist and curator Joseph Awuah-Darko alleged Wiley sexually assaulted him twice in 2021. Awuah-Darko said the first incident occurred on June 9, 2021, at a dinner held at the Noldor Artist Residency in Ghana, to celebrate Wiley’s work. In Sunday’s Instagram post, he wrote that reporting the assault in Ghana “would have been problematic at best — dangerous at worst,” given the country’s broader attitudes towards LGBTQ people. Wiley rose to international fame in 2017, when he was chosen to paint Obama’s official portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

Persons: CNN — Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama’s, Joseph Awuah, Darko, Wiley, Awuah, ” Awuah, ”, ” Wiley, “, Kehinde Wiley, Barack Obama, Mark Wilson, I’m Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Getty, ” CNN, Wiley, Ghana “, Yale University Locations: British, Ghanaian, Ghana, Accra, Washington , DC, Nigeria, New York, Ghana’s

☆ Opinion | 2024, I’d Like You to Meet 1892
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Jon Grinspan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By 1892, a giddily consumerist, venomously partisan Gilded Age society had gotten good at churning out campaign tchotchkes. The 1892 election marked Cleveland and Harrison’s second contest against each other. The repeated, deadening matchups of Cleveland and Harrison in 1888 and 1892 did just that. There are other rematches in American presidential history, but 1892 was the only time a sitting president lost re-election, ran four years later against his vanquisher, and won. That weird race has a message for all those planning to hit snooze on the coming campaign: Great political change can unfold when the system seems woefully stalled.

Persons: Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, Cleveland, Harrison, tchotchkes Organizations: Cleveland, Biden, Trump Locations: Cleveland

☆ Billy Dee Williams says actors should be allowed to wear blackface
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

I love that kind of stuff.”The origins of blackface date back to the minstrel shows of the mid-19th century. You should do it.”“If you’re an actor, you should do anything you want to do,” he said. Williams, who is best known for playing Lando Calrissian in the “Star Wars” franchise, pushed back. I don’t want to do anything based on this whole idea that ‘you’re a Black person, you’re a White person’ and things of that nature,” he said. I’m a creative entity in this life.”In 2019, Williams spoke about embracing the different parts of his character by using gender-fluid pronouns.

Persons: Billy Dee Williams, Bill Maher, Williams, White, Laurence Olivier’s, ”, Olivier, “, Maher, Olivier wouldn’t, ” Williams, Williams “, should’ve, Lando Calrissian, I’m, ’, ’ I’m, “ I’m, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Southern, Smithsonian’s National Museum of, ”, “, Wars, Esquire Locations: Southern United States

☆ Dazzling selection of the world’s biggest, finest and most unusual gems unite in a single exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Julia Carmel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“It’s really personal.”It’s easy to understand why: As the curator of mineral sciences for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Celestian oversees the Gem & Mineral Hall. The 125-carat "Jonker I" diamond, one of the most storied gems of its kind in history. “The story goes: It was raining one day… and then because all the rain just washed away the sediment, they found a 726-carat rough diamond,” Celestian said. Courtesy the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles CountyA view inside the Hixon Gem Vault, featuring highlights from the "100 Carats" exhibition. Though nothing else is quite as rare, the other gems in this exhibition are unique, vividly colored, and mostly unseen.

Persons: CNN — Aaron Celestian isn’t, ”, they’re, It’s, Celestian, Robert Procop, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Harry Winston, Winston, Lazare Kaplan —, King Farouk of, ” Celestian, Shirley Temple, hasn’t, Procop, Angelina Jolie, “, ” Procop, Lori Bettison, Varga, — Organizations: CNN, of Los, Gem, Mineral, American Museum of, “ Locations: of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, South Africa, New York City, King Farouk of Egypt, Egypt, ”, Los Angeles County, New York, Tanzania, Myanmar, Colombia

☆ For Ytasha Womack, the Afrofuture Is Now
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Katrina Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

And as with many things Afrofuturistic, Ytasha Womack’s fingerprints are all over it. (In 2023, Ms. Womack published “Black Panther: A Cultural Exploration,” Marvel’s reference book examining the films’ influences.) Afrofuturism is a way of thinking about the future, with alternate realities based on perspectives of the African diaspora. People have used imagination to transform their circumstances, to move from one reality to another. And so to claim your imagination — to embrace it — can be a way of elevating your consciousness.

Persons: Womack, “, Octavia Butler, Nyota Uhura, Janelle Monáe, Henrietta, “ Niyah Organizations: Adler, Carnegie Hall’s, National Museum of, Star, New York Times Locations: Chicago

☆ Cutting in line used to be rude. More places now let you pay to skip it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Cutting in front of someone who’s been waiting patiently in line used to be unethical, bad manners, taboo. Dating app Tinder offers a new $499-a-month membership with a “skip the line” feature that prioritizes a dater’s profile. Snowbird and other ski resorts, in a controversial change, allow visitors who pay extra to access expedited ski lifts. Paying for privilegesPaying to skip the line is part of a booming industry of advantages — if you can afford them. There have always been VIPs and perks for wealthier customers: orchestra seats at theaters, boxes at stadiums and first class seats on airlines.

Persons: who’s, there’s, ”, Killington, Joe Raedle, Edward Tenner, Tenner, “, Don Munsil, Disney, it’s, Sen, Ron Wyden, Gad Allon, Allon, that’s, ” Edward Tenner, “ You’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, TSA, Universal Studios, Disney, Oregon, University of Pennsylvania Locations: New York, Bachelor’s

☆ Panda Diplomacy Might Not Be Dead Just Yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Edward Wong | More About Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The fur balls might be coming back to Washington and San Diego. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said in a speech on Wednesday night that his nation’s best diplomats, giant pandas, might soon return to zoos in the United States that have recently sent bears back to their homeland. “We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” he told a gathering of mostly business executives at a dinner in San Francisco. Mr. Xi pointed out that the pandas are “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”Panda-monium gripped the United States last week when the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington sent its two aging adult pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, or “Little Miracle,” back to China on a 19-hour FedEx flight, the Panda Express.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Mr, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji Organizations: FedEx, Panda Express Locations: Washington, San Diego, United States, San Francisco, China

☆ Car Talk and Birthday Wishes Punctuate Biden’s ‘Trust but Verify’ Diplomacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Katie Rogers | More About Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“You know what they call that car?” Mr. Biden asked Mr. Xi. Mr. Biden wished Mr. Xi’s wife a happy birthday. Mr. Xi replied with embarrassment that he had forgotten her birthday was approaching because he had been working so much. At another point, Mr. Biden brandished a picture of a younger Mr. Xi standing on the Golden Gate Bridge. Mr. Biden eventually pierced the “Kumbaya” moment by telling reporters after the carefully coordinated summit that he still considered the Chinese leader a dictator.

Persons: Mr, Biden, Xi, ’, Xi’s, “, ‘, Mao Ning, Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, —, Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Mr, North Locations: United States, China, Asia, Washington, Russia, Helsinki, North Korean, Lago, Florida

☆ China pandas: Xi Jinping hints he could send new pandas to US as ‘envoys of friendship’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Yong Xiong | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Their departure leaves Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas from China. “Recently, the three pandas at Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C. have returned to China. The Chinese leader did not offer additional details on where any future Chinese pandas might be sent, but suggested California would be the most likely destination. The San Diego Zoo returned its last two pandas to China in 2019, after the loan agreement concluded. It’s also the Chinese leader’s first trip to the US in more than six years.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, “, Xi, Joe Biden, Richard Nixon’s, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji –, It’s, Biden Organizations: CNN, San Diego Zoo, Beijing –, Smithsonian National Zoo, Smithsonian National, Zoo, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Locations: China, United States, San Francisco, Beijing, Europe, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Qatar, Washington ,, Zoo Atlanta, Washington, California, Bali , Indonesia

☆ Giant chicken frog faces extinction due to a deadly amphibian fungus
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The mountain chicken frog was once so abundant in Dominica, with thousands found across the island, that it became a national delicacy, supposedly tasting of chicken. Chytridiomycosis is a fungal infectious disease that affects more than 500 frog species across the world. A research team spent 26 days searching for the mountain chicken frog in Dominica. The research team spent hundreds of hours searching for the chicken frog during the months of July and August. “There are many things that people can do to prevent the spread of chytrid and help protect frogs,” Kaganer said in an email.

Persons: Chytridiomycosis, Andrés Valenzuela Sánchez, ZSL, Sánchez, Jeanelle Brisbane, “, Alyssa Wetterau Kaganer, ” Kaganer, chytrid, Kaganer, … Organizations: CNN, Zoological Society of London, & Conservation Biology, Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, London Zoo Locations: Dominica, Caribbean, Montserrat, ” Brisbane, Dominica —

DALLAS (AP) — A miniature X-wing Starfighter used in a “Star Wars” film sold for over $3 million during an auction over the weekend of items both collected and created by longtime Hollywood model-maker Greg Jein. The auction house said that everyone from model-makers to collectors and science-fiction fans attended, making the event its best-attended in years. The Red Leader X-wing Starfighter that was used in the 1977 film “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" sold for about $3.1 million after a bidding duel between two collectors, the auction house said. Also going for an eye-popping amount was a “Star Wars” Stormtrooper costume that sold for $645,000. Zutavern said his friend had a love of Hollywood history, and a passion for seeking out items for his collection.

Persons: Greg Jein, Jein, Joe Maddalena, Jein’s, ” Jein, Stanley Kubrick's, Steven Spielberg's, Lou Zutavern, Zutavern, “, ” Organizations: DALLAS, Heritage Auctions, Red, “, Air and Space Museum Locations: Hollywood, Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington ,

☆ Smithsonian Acquires Major Collection About Enslaved Poet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Jennifer Schuessler | More About Jennifer Schuessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In September 1773, Phillis Wheatley, a young enslaved woman from Boston, boarded a ship home from London, where she had gone to promote her forthcoming book of poems — the first ever published by an American of African descent. It was not the first time Wheatley had sailed to Boston. But on this second voyage, Phillis — now a literary celebrity — picked up a pen and wrote “Ocean,” a 70-line ode full of dreaming, wonder and longing for freedom. “Ocean” went unpublished and was seemingly lost until 1998, when the manuscript surfaced at an auction. Now it has been acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, as part of what the museum says will be the largest collection of Wheatley material in public hands.

Persons: Phillis Wheatley, Wheatley, Phillis —, —, ” Organizations: Smithsonian’s National Museum of Locations: Boston, London, Africa

Our species, Homo sapiens — with our complex thoughts and deep emotions — were the only true humans to ever walk the Earth. A study last week found early humans were building structures with wood before H. sapiens evolved. This ability to read ancient DNA revolutionized the field, and it is constantly improving. He specializes in creating lifelike models of ancient humans for museums, including the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History, in hopes of helping public perception catch up to the science. They haven't been able to gather much ancient DNA from Africa, where H. sapiens first evolved, because it has been degraded by heat and moisture.

Persons: ”, Chris Stringer, ” Stringer, sapiens, Rick Potts, naledi, heidelbergensis, John Shea, “, Svante Paabo, Paabo, Bence Viola, Potts, Shea, ’ ” Shea, let’s, Janet Young, Young, John Gurche, Gurche, ” Gurche, “ They’re, they’re, it’s, haven't, we’ll, Mary Prendergast Organizations: Stony Brook University, University of Toronto, Canadian Museum, Smithsonian, American Museum of, Rice University, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Africa, Europe, Indonesia, Asia, Swedish, East, Southeast Asia

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana folklorist Nick Spitzer and Mississippi blues musician R.L. Boyce are among nine 2023 National Heritage Fellows set to be celebrated later this month by the National Endowment for the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors in the folk and traditional arts. He founded the Louisiana Folklife Program, produced the five-LP Louisiana Folklife Recording Series, created the Louisiana Folklife Pavilion at the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans and helped launch the Baton Rouge Blues Festival. “But see, I play the old way, and nobody today can play my style, just me.”Boyce has played northern Mississippi blues for more than half a century. He has shared stages with blues greats John Lee Hooker, a 1983 NEA National Heritage Fellow, and Howlin’ Wolf.

Persons: Nick Spitzer, R.L, Boyce, Spitzer, Bess Lomax Hawes, ” Spitzer, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Fats Domino, “, Hawes, ” Boyce, ”, John Lee Hooker, Howlin ’ Wolf, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Ed Eugene Carriere, Michael A, Cummings, Joe DeLeon “ Little Joe ” Hernandez, Roen, Elizabeth James, Perry, Luis Tapia, Wu Man Organizations: ORLEANS, Heritage Fellows, National Endowment, Arts, Heritage Fellowship, Library of Congress, Washington , D.C, Tulane University’s School of Liberal Arts, Tulane, Louisiana Folklife Program, Louisiana Folklife, Baton Rouge Blues, Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife, Heritage, Associated Press, NEA, Blues, Heritage Fellow Locations: Louisiana, Mississippi, Washington ,, New Orleans, Acadiana, Washington, Indianola , Washington, New York, Temple , Texas, Waimea , Hawaii, Dartmouth , Massachusetts, Santa Fe , New Mexico, Carlsbad , California

The collection amassed by Jein, who died last year at age 76, will be offered up by Heritage Auctions next month in Dallas. Jein, who had an Oscar and Emmy nominated career making miniature models, was also a collector of costumes, props, scripts, artwork, photographs and models from the shows he loved. But a small preliminary model, which is about 5 inches (12 centimeters) long, is among Jein's creations that will be offered at the auction. Chang said Jein loved his work and also had a passion to learn about a wide array of topics. After Jein died, his cousin found that his book collection spanned topics from cooking to the military.

Persons: Greg Jein, Jein, “, Joshua Benesh, ” Jein, Steven Spielberg's, Benesh, ”, William Shatner, Kirk, Leonard Nimoy’s “ Mr, Spock, ” Lou Zutavern, Jein’s, ” Zutavern, Jerry Chang, Chang, Chang's, you’d, ” Chang Organizations: DALLAS, “ Star, Heritage Auctions, Air and Space Museum, “, Hollywood, California State University , Los Locations: Dallas, Los Angeles, dumpsters, California State University , Los Angeles, Hollywood

☆ Tian Tian: Giant panda celebrates last birthday in DC zoo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Piper Hudspeth Blackburn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The 26-year-old bear, Tian Tian, along with two other pandas in the zoo, are slated to leave by December 7. On Sunday, Tian Tian received a special “fruitsicle” cake made with fruits and vegetables with a “frosting” of sweet potatoes, mashed carrots and honey for his birthday, the museum said. The National Zoo’s Giant Panda Program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian first arrived at the zoo in the early 2000s and were originally supposed to stay for 10 years. According to the National Zoo, giant pandas have an estimated lifespan of about 15-20 years in the wild and about 30 years in human care.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Organizations: Washington CNN, Conservation Biology Institute, China Wildlife and Conservation Association, Panda Program, National Zoo Locations: United States, China

☆ Tony Bennett, crooner who sang ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ dies at 96
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —Legendary singer Tony Bennett, best known for singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” has died, according to his longtime publicist, Sylvia Weiner. From Tony Bennett Bennett was discovered by Bob Hope while performing at a New York City club in 1949. In 1963, his recording of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" won Grammy Awards for record of the year and best solo vocal performance. ABC Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television/Getty Images Bennett and San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein hang onto the outside of a San Francisco cable car before taking a test ride in 1984. His performance of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” won Grammys for best record and best male vocal performance.

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