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☆ Cowboy historian rates 13 Wild West scenes in movies and TV
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Margaret Guzman | Korey Isbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Cowboy and Old West historian Michael Grauer rates 13 Wild West scenes in movies and television for realism. Grauer is a public historian focusing on cowboy history and Western American culture. He is the McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture and Curator of Cowboy Collections and Western Art for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. He also does a living history cowboy presentation called "Cowboy Mike." You can learn more about the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum here.

Persons: Michael Grauer, gunslingers, Clint Eastwood, Buster Scruggs, Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, Django, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee, Grauer, John Wayne, Kevin Costner, Rufus Buck, Lakeith Stanfield, Regina King, Idris Elba, Charles Goodnight, Tim McGraw, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Mike Organizations: Old, Gold, Business, Confederate, Cowboys, Cowboy Culture, Collections, Western Art, National Cowboy, Western Heritage Museum, Western Heritage Locations: Old West, Tombstone

☆ Tschabalala Self is an artist expanding what it means to paint
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Suyin Haynes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Both a source of inspiration and a place to ground herself, Harlem holds a special meaning for the artist Tschabalala Self. Tschabalala Self Paula Virta/Courtesy the artist/EMMA -- Espoo Museum of Modern ArtSelf’s own relationship with the concept of home has evolved in recent years. This conversation with the traditional western canon of painting is ongoing for Self, and influences other facets of her work. In thinking about the concept for “Lady in Blue,” Self considered the increased attention on monuments, particularly in recent years. But the commission also represents much more than the sculpture’s identity or physicality alone, added the artist.

Persons: Tschabalala, ”, Black, “, I’ve, —, Paula Virta, EMMA, Anthurium, ” Paula Virta, domesticity, it’s, Leon Neal, “ It’s, ” Tschabalala, EMMA – Organizations: CNN, Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo Museum of Modern, MoMA, Hammer, Self, Saastamoinen, Museum of Modern Art Locations: Harlem, Manhattan, New York, Finland, ”, Espoo, New York City, Trafalgar, London, American

☆ Russia's adapting air defenses means Ukraine's new F-16s are an example of weapons that are 'no longer relevant:' senior Ukrainian officer
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An unnamed Ukrainian officer told Politico of his doubts about the usefulness of incoming F-16s. It's an example of how Ukraine often receives weapons systems too late, he told Politico. AdvertisementUkraine's long-awaited F-16s are an example of weapons systems that are "no longer relevant" once they end up in Kyiv's hands, a senior Ukrainian officer told Politico. Dettmer wrote that the officer cited the F-16s as an example of how "we just don't get the weapons systems at the time we need them." AdvertisementOne pilot told Ukrainian media they're a massive step up from the Soviet MiGs he usually flies, comparing the upgrade to going from "a Nokia, straight to an iPhone."

Persons: —, Valery Zaluzhny, Jamie Dettmer, Dettmer Organizations: NATO, Politico, Service, US, Kyiv, Soviet, Nokia, America, Ukrainian Air Force, Air Force Command, Business Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Denmark, Netherlands, Kyiv

☆ Opinion: We must help Ukraine now or fight costlier wars later
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Opinion Mark T. Esper | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Whether Congress chooses to provide the continued financial support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan desperately need will go a long way toward answering this question. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on July 9 in Washington, DC. Without renewed US support, the arms pipeline to Ukraine will continue to dwindle over the coming months, directly impacting what happens on the battlefield. Politics must be set aside, and politicians who spurn allies, coddle autocrats and argue for American retrenchment should be ignored. Leadership is a heavy cross to bear, indeed, but the benefits of doing so — especially in the face of clear threats — will always outweigh the costs and favor the United States.

Persons: Mark, Esper, Trump, Russia resurges, Defense Mark Esper, Greg Nash, Vladimir Putin’s, Israel dismantles, Joe Biden, Anatolii Stepanov, Putin, Xi Jinping, coddle autocrats Organizations: Times, The McCain Institute, CNN, Defense, Armed, Funds, Communist, NATO, Ukraine, Taiwan Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United States, Israel, Taiwan, Washington , DC, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Communist China, Kyiv, Moscow, Russian, Kostyantynivka, Donetsk, AFP, China, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Washington, Iran, Afghanistan, East

☆ Eileen Agar: Her Jewel-Like Paintings Stretched Surrealism
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Roberta Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Titled “Eileen Agar: Flowering of a Wing: Works, 1936 -1989,” this knockout is at Andrew Kreps Gallery (through Saturday). Its title, taken from one of the canvases here, signals Agar’s lifelong devotion to nature and to ambiguous meanings. Agar may be best known for her collages and their fusion of Surrealist imagination and Cubist structure and geometry. But this show homes in on the paintings, which have a contemporary air and are plenty interesting enough. Most of the paintings here involve several shades of blue, as if haunted by Matisse’s “The Blue Window” (1913) in the Museum of Modern Art.

Persons: Hilma af, Rosie Lee Tompkins, Mary Delany, Eileen Agar, Andrew Kreps, Agar, —, Matisse, Matisse’s “ Organizations: Museum of Modern Art Locations: Hilma af Klint, Sweden, United States

☆ Presidential portraits: Kehinde Wiley’s secret, decade-long project painting African leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Perhaps not, supposes Kehinde Wiley in his latest collection, “A Maze of Power,” which, in the artist’s own indelible style, casts plenty of light of its own. We’re now learning that before and after that commission, he had been on a secret, decade-long odyssey across the African continent, painting its current and former heads of state. This series narrows the gap further, with subjects commanding a similar power to some of Wiley’s artistic reference points. Tanguy Beurdeley/© Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Galerie TemplonHery Rajaonarimampianina, the former president of Madagascar, sits astride a horse in one painting. Some might wrinkle their nose at seeing certain heads or former heads of state depicted in such triumphant fashion.

Persons: Kehinde Wiley, Wiley, Barack Obama, We’re, Jacques Chirac, Obama, Sarah Ligner, Black, Old, Olusegun Obasanjo, Paul Kagame, Tanguy, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, Alpha Condé, –, ”, Rajaonarimampianina –, “, “ it’s, Andy Warhol’s, Mao Organizations: CNN, Old Masters, Democratic, Wiley Locations: Africa, Zimbabwe, Rhodesia, Los Angeles, Senegal, Nigeria, New York, Paris, France, Rwanda, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Guinea, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ Harmonia Rosales’ ‘Master Narrative’ exhibition reimagines Renaissance art
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

A selection of her work in this vein is currently on display in the exhibition “Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative” at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta. At the core of Rosales’ art is the idea that “storytelling is a journey of personal discovery and a reclamation of one’s cultural identity." Elon Schoenholz/Harmonia RosalesAcross 20 oil paintings and a large-scale sculptural installation, Rosales’ work challenges viewers to consider the universality of creation through a Black diasporic lens. Rosales' work demonstrates her journey towards empowerment and self-love, with figures in her artworks painted with features she used to dislike about herself. Every one of these (artworks) tells my stories.”“Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative” is on display at the Spelman College Museum of Art in Atlanta through December 2.

Persons: Adam, ” Sandro Botticelli’s “, Venus ”, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Harmonia Rosales, Barbara, Rosales, Elon, Rosales ’, Olodumare, orishas —, Lucy Garrett, it’s what’s, ” Rosales, “, “ I’m, ”, Liz Andrews, —, Andy Warhol, ’ ” Rosales, ” “, Harmonia Rosales “, I’m, Regla, Harmonia, Black Mary, Virgin Mary, Helen Morales, ” Lucy Garrett, ” Morales, Yemaya, “ They’ve, Angelou, Saint Bartholomew Organizations: CNN, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, University of California, European, Masters, Spelman College Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, Museum of Contemporary, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, European Old Masters, Catholic, UCSB Locations: Britannica, Cuban American, Atlanta, Santa, Western Africa, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Rosales, Cuba, Americas

☆ The war in Ukraine is pushing Russia away from its WWII-style artillery strategy, and experts say it's 'a concerning trend'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia and Ukraine have relied heavily on artillery to batter each other's forces. AdvertisementAdvertisement"This is a concerning trend, as over time it will likely significantly improve Russian artillery," write the report's authors, Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds. Russian artillery doctrine is still largely based on extensive analysis of World War II data to determine how many shells were needed to achieve a specific effect. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev"First, Russian forces lack the ammunition to sustain this volume of fire," the RUSI report said. According to the RUSI report, Russia continues "to rely heavily" on multiple-launch rockets, 120-mm mortars, and "other imprecise systems," and "corner-cutting in the production of its munitions is becoming apparent."

Persons: Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, ANDREY KRONBERG, —, Stalin, Operation Bagration, Maxim Zmeyev, Andrey Rusov, Katyusha, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Getty, REUTERS, Russian Defense Ministry, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Western, Moscow, Volgograd, AFP, Berlin, Russian, Saratov, US, Soviet, Forbes

☆ ‘Lunar Codex’ aims to bring human art to the moon
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Nicknamed “Moon Museum,” it was attached to a leg of the spacecraft and then left on the moon with it. Called the Lunar Codex, it will be split across three launches planned over the next 18 months. The artworks that make up the Lunar Codex will be miniaturized in nickel NanoFiche. Peralta originally intended the Lunar Codex to include only his own works, such as "Sonnets from the Labrador," but reconceived the project as a global endeavor during the pandemic. Jack Burns, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder, thinks the Lunar Codex is a cool concept.

Persons: —, Andy Warhol, Samuel Peralta —, ” Peralta, Peralta, I’ve, ”, “, Isaac Asimov's, Samuel Peralta, Mazzy, Olesya Dzhurayeva, Connie Karleta, Samuel Peralta “, Daniela De Paulis, ” Paulis, Jack Burns, “ I’m, Carl Sagan, Timothy Ferris, Bach, Beethoven …, Chuck Berry, Ferris, ” Ferris, ‘ Kilroy Organizations: CNN, NASA, “, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Virgin, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Colorado Locations: Canadian, North America, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Russia, American, Netherlands, Labrador, University of Colorado Boulder

☆ After Ukraine's success with US-made HIMARS, European militaries are looking for their own rocket artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Other European countries are pursuing their own rocket artillery, buying HIMARS or building new systems. Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesMultiple launch rocket systems have been around since World War II, when the legendary Soviet Katyusha battered Nazi forces. But Russia adapted and moved its command and supply centers out of HIMARS range, though at the price of compromising some efficiency. Rocket artillery can't replace howitzers, which offer some advantages, such as the ability to fire barrages continuously for hours. Still, rocket artillery is certain to join howitzers as the backbone of Western artillery.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, HIMARS, PATRIK STOLLARZ, Biden, ATACMS, salvoes, Jakub Porzycki Organizations: Russia, Service, Rheinmetall, Defense News, Lockheed, Getty, US State Department, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Ukraine, Storm, Nazi, Anadolu Agency, Russian, GPS Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Germany, Munster, AFP, Poland, France, Soviet, Warsaw, Russia

☆ NATO countries are using Ukraine as a testing ground for their advanced weaponry, and are learning valuable lessons: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's fight against Russia has provided an important testing ground for NATO weaponry. NATO members, including the US, Canada, UK, Germany, and France, have been giving Ukraine weapons and training since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. Reznikov pointed to Ukraine shooting down a Russian Kinzhal missile in May using a US-made Patriot system. Reznikov said that Ukraine was also showing NATO countries how their weaponry could work when used together. At the same time, he said that Russia's attempts to frustrate Ukraine's weaponry with moves like jamming signals meant constant updates to technology like GPS-guided munitions and drones, again providing valuable learning opportunities.

Persons: Ukraine's, —, Oleksiy Reznikov, Reznikov, Russia's, Petro Pyatakov, Jack Watling Organizations: Russia, NATO, Financial, Service, Financial Times, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russia, Canada, Germany, France, Ukraine, Russian, London, China

☆ Al-Balad: Where Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry began
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the beating heart of this city, Al-Balad, is more than a thousand years old, and it has been immaculately preserved as a reminder of Saudi Arabia’s history – specifically, Jeddah’s role as a key point of entry for religious pilgrims. He devoted city resources to the remaining Al Balad buildings and prevented some from being torn down, Parry says. The Al-Balad area was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2014 as Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Mecca. This pale-blue color is one of the most popular for doors and windows in the old city. Over two nights, Al-Balad’s old buildings were lit up while acts like Busta Rhymes, Xzibit and Lupe Fiasco performed alongside some of the Arab world’s biggest musicians.

☆ How weapons from Western allies are strengthening Ukraine's defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +15 min

In the months after, artillery ammunition came, then Western artillery and vehicles. Ground-Launched Small Diameter BombAdd a description of the graphic for screen readers. Add a description of the graphic for screen readers. Although it uses a NATO-standard calibre for its main gun--120mm--the Challenger 2's barrel is rifled, unlike the smoothbore weapons used in other Western tanks. Air defense Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, including power plants and residential buildings, have come under increasing attack from Russian missiles and one-way drones, often launched from outside Ukraine's territory.

☆ Ukrainian troops are calling the US military in the middle of shootouts with Russia for help fixing their artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military is leading a team that is helping to repair Ukraine's military hardware over the phone. Ukrainian troops, meanwhile, are pushing artillery systems to the limits to keep Russia at bay. According to the report, Ukrainian troops have been firing their heavy artillery pieces past when they would typically be due for a repair, and at unprecedented rates to keep Russian forces at bay. Because of this, the support team is learning the limits of these systems and where they might have a breaking point. In finally securing the Western-made tanks, which were much-sought-after by Ukraine, the country has now set its ambitions on acquiring fighter jets.

☆ A Wintry Twist on an Age-Old Tale
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Keith Christiansen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Unless you are a miserly curmudgeon, such as Charles Dickens imagined as the protagonist of his famous Christmas tale, the likelihood is that you have a favorite Old Master painting that depicts the birth of Jesus and his veneration by shepherds or those mysterious “wise men from the east.” These are among the most frequently painted subjects of Western art; illustrations of a story that has proved irresistible. Already by the second century, the account found in the Gospels had been fleshed out to create a narrative that resonated on multiple levels. On the one hand, there is the tale of a pious, 12-year-old girl whose virginal state is entrusted to an old widower, Joseph—a carpenter by profession—who is shocked when he discovers she is pregnant and considers what action he should take to avoid the disgrace that will inevitably follow.

☆ The Ukraine war has often been a grinding artillery battle. These are the big guns being sent in to pound Russian forces.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Its array of 122 mm, 152 mm and 203 mm cannon mirrored those used by Russia's military. Denice LopezGermany and the Netherlands have already delivered 10 of the German-designed Panzerhaubitze 2000 armored self-propelled 155 mm howitzers to Ukraine. 1st Class Mikki SprenkleFrance's Caesar is a 155 mm howitzer mounted on a six-wheeled truck. Jacob BradfordThe Zusana-2 is a Slovakian wheeled 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. RCH-155The turret of the RCH 155, armed with a 155 mm gun, is unmanned and controlled from the drive module.

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