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And so whenever I get one of those notifications, I know I’m going to have a good time there. kevin roose[LAUGHS]: I actually don’t think I could’ve told you what IBM stood for. kevin rooseSo I’ve thought a lot and written a lot about how and when AI actually is a threat to jobs. The third category is just the jobs that I think are going to be protected, the jobs that we won’t let AI do. But I don’t actually think the speed of it matters at all.

☆ Topless Italian climate protesters block Rome traffic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, May 4 (Reuters) - Topless climate activists on Thursday blocked traffic on a busy street in central Rome to protest over the Italian government's climate policy after torrential rains killed two people. The stunt marked a change of tactics by the Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) group after Rome's right-wing executive introduced stiff fines against protesters who target monuments and heritage sites. On Thursday, Last Generation released footage showing a small group of activists kneeling on zebra crossings in Rome and taking off their tops or - in one case - stripping naked. Activists blame the extreme weather on climate change due to fossil fuels. Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; editing by Alvise Armellini, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Conflict Over Vandalizing Art as a Way to Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Farah Nayeri | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This article is part of our special report on the Art for Tomorrow conference that was held in Florence, Italy. Seldom in the history of art have so many masterpieces been vandalized in so little time. “What is worth more, art or life?” shouted one protester, Phoebe Plummer, 21, as visitors gasped and called for security. Videos of the attacks were seen by millions of people around the world, including, no doubt, the leaders. Yet the attacks also upset many members of the public concerned about art damage, and led the directors of top world museums to issue a stern statement, raising the question of whether art actually is an effective vehicle for protest.

☆ These are the 10 best destinations in the world for an eco-friendly vacation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Rotterdam, Netherlands, is the best city for a sustainable vacation, according to a 2023 report from Kayak. Rotterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands Graz, Austria Trondheim, Norway Munich, Germany Helsinki, Finland Stockholm, Sweden Zurich, Switzerland Gothenburg, Sweden Vienna, AustriaRotterdam and Amsterdam, both in the Netherlands, took the No. The Netherlands city is the second-largest in the country and Europe's largest seaport. The city, known as "the Venice of the North," is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, thanks to its iconic canal district. The channels' design is considered an example of town planning that influenced the world for centuries, according to UNESCO.

☆ London Marathon could face potential disruption from environmental groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

It’s genocidal.”Just Stop Oil have glued themselves to roads, ziplocked their necks to goal posts, blockaded oil facilities and targeted iconic artwork. More recently, two Just Stop Oil activists caused delays at the World Snooker Championship after storming the tables and throwing orange powder paint on one of the playing surfaces. “It’s time for everyone to join us in civil resistance or face the loss of everything we know and love. A Just Stop Oil protester recently disrupted the World Snooker Championship on Monday. The London Marathon is set to begin with the wheelchair and elite events before the mass start follows at around 10 a.m. local time.

☆ ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3, Episode 6 Recap: Dutch Treat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Christopher Orr | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ted, on the other hand, is understandably conflicted. Ted, having had his fill of foreignness, heads to the Yankee Doodle Burger Barn restaurant, which advertises American food in American portions. (For those who didn’t make the connection, the barbecue sauce the waitress brings him is from Arthur Bryant’s, Ted’s favorite joint in Kansas City.) Coincidentally, an old Jordan-era Bulls game is on the television, featuring the triangle offense implemented by the coach Phil Jackson. The first is the revelation that Beard’s drugs were duds: Ted wasn’t high at all!

☆ Just Stop Oil protester disrupts World Snooker Championship
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A protester disrupted the World Snooker Championship on Monday by climbing onto the table and throwing a bag of orange powder paint over the playing surface. Video footage shows the man – who was wearing a ‘Just Stop Oil’ t-shirt – running from the crowd and leaping onto the table during the game between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry. “It’s scary, actually.”The World Snooker Tour, who organizes the tournament, tweeted on Monday: “This is the Crucible. The show will go on.”In addition to sporting events, Just Stop Oil activists have targeted art galleries. The World Snooker Championship is being played at the iconic Crucible Theater in Sheffield, UK, and is now the latest high-profile sporting event to be disrupted by activists.

☆ The guy behind the viral fake photo of the Pope in a puffy coat says using AI to make images of celebrities 'might be the line' — and calls for greater regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An AI-generated image showing the Pope in a luxurious puffer coat went viral over the weekend. "I just thought it was funny to see the Pope in a funny jacket," he told the outlet. And while he hadn't considered the impact of AI images before, added: "It's definitely going to get serious if they don't start implementing laws to regulate it." He added that he had "no ill will" and "just thought it was funny to see the Pope in a funny jacket." "I figured I was going to get backlash," he told BuzzFeed.

☆ ChatGPT isn't the only cool AI tool made by OpenAI — check out DALL-E, Whisper, and Codex
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

DALL-E, OpenAI's AI art generator, creates images based on detailed text descriptions from a person. Just months earlier, OpenAI removed the waitlist for its generative AI art generator, DALL-E, which grew to over 1.5 million daily users. The tool sparked controversy among artists who debated what DALL-E, and other AI art generators like it, could mean for people in creative jobs. DALL-EScreenshot of DALL·E search for "astronaut fish swimming in an ocean in outer space, digital art" DALL·E/OpenAIJust months before ChatGPT launched, OpenAI removed the waitlist for its generative AI art generator, DALL-E. The AI art generator creates original images called "generations" from detailed text prompts input by a person.

☆ Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi fooled the art market — and made millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

“The forgery was almost incidental,” Wolfgang told Fischer. “They are storytellers, together, which is why they did a lot of research,” Fischer told CNN in a video call. Wolfgang told her that he only produced pictures he considered beautiful, and he believed the owners enjoyed them as much as the art market profited from them. In 2014, Wolfgang told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that in addition to the court-imposed damages, he had settled lawsuits worth $27 million. From her conversations with Wolfgang, Fischer concluded that both of his parents were “severely traumatized” by their experiences during World War II.

Persons: Wolfgang Beltracchi, Heinrich Campendonk —, Steve Martin, Wolfgang, Helene, Heinrich Campendonk, Peter Endig, Max Ernst, Fernand Léger, Kees van Dongen, Derain, Jeannette Fischer, Fischer, ” Wolfgang, “, ”, ’, ” Fischer, Paul Hahn, Hendrick Avercamp, Christie’s, Robin Hood, hadn’t, CNN Fischer, Picasso, —, aren’t, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Salvador Mundi, Andy Warhol, Vincent van Gogh Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Der, Art, CBS, Scheidegger Locations: Halle, Germany, Hitler’s Germany, Switzerland, France, Cologne, ”, Stalingrad

☆ Art collector says a Van Gogh painting that he owns went missing for nearly six years and resurfaced in a Detroit gallery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An art collector says a Van Gogh painting he owns went missing and resurfaced in a Detroit museum. The 1888 oil painting is hanging in the Detroit Institute of Art. The collector said in a lawsuit he hadn't seen the artwork since shortly after he bought it in 2017. He wants the painting to be given to him when the DIA's "Van Gogh in America" exhibition closes on January 22, court documents said. Representatives for Soter and the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ 'Kidults' age 12 and up are buying more toys than ever, with teens and adults driving significant growth for the industry thanks to the pandemic and TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

'Kidults' age 12 and above are comprising a growing sector of the toy industry, according to NPD Group. NPD Group's Juli Lennett told Insider the growth is largely due to the pandemic and social media. "Now many of them are hooked," Lennett said of kidults who purchased toys early in the pandemic. Today, Lego now sells 100 adult Lego sets, according to the Associated Press, including a replica of Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night and a functional roller coaster. "We make LEGO sets specifically for adults with more detail, challenging building techniques, and cool ways to display."

☆ The Biggest Debates and Opinions in 2022 - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +30 min

Opinion The 22 Debates That Made Us Rage, Roll Our Eyes, and Change Our Minds in 2022Debating is what we do here at Times Opinion. To many, she was an icon: She ruled for 70 years, presided over the transition from empire to commonwealth and served as a living link to the generation that won World War II. (Though Ben Bernanke, a former Fed chairman himself, wrote in The Times that that wasn’t going to happen.) The United States and its European allies poured weapons and aid into Ukraine, but how was this going to end? As 2022 draws to a close, the fighting continues and peace talks look as distant as ever — which probably means that the debates will continue.

☆ Climate protesters hurl paint at Milan's La Scala opera house
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Climate-change activists in Italy on Wednesday threw paint at the entrance of Milan's famed La Scala opera house ahead of the opening performance of the season, local police said. Activists have staged high profile protests across Europe in recent months, sometimes targeting museums and art works in calling for tougher action to tackle global warming. Police said they had detained five people following the incident at La Scala, while cleaners swiftly removed the paint from the entrance of the theatre. La Scala will open its 2022-23 season on Wednesday, one of the highlights of the Italian cultural calendar, with a performance of the Russian opera "Boris Godunov" composed by Modest Mussorgsky. Reporting by Sara Rossi and Fabiano Franchitti; Writing by Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by Gavin Jones and Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bob Marley immersive experience to land in US next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A massive immersive experience celebrating Bob Marley is heading for its U.S. premiere early next year, complete with photographs, lots of music and even a pair of the reggae giant’s footwear. The multi-room exhibit “Bob Marley: One Love Experience” will open in Los Angeles on Jan. 27 at Ovation Hollywood, following runs in London and Toronto. The 15,000-square foot (1,393-square meter) experience includes previously unseen photographs, concert videos, lyric sheets, rare memorabilia like guitars, a soccer jersey, sneakers and art that highlight Marley’s influence. “After being in London and Toronto, it’s going to be amazing bringing the experience here to the U.S. for the first time and just steps from Daddy’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Cedella Marley, CEO of Bob Marley Group, said in a statement. The exhibit is produced by the Marley Family and Terrapin Station Entertainment.

Many in the art and insurance world, however, say it may be only be a matter of time before art works are vandalised, especially if protests spread beyond climate activism. The art insurance market globally earns around $750 million in premiums. PRESSURE ON PREMIUMSLosses and levels of insurance availability tend to dictate insurance premiums. Commercial museums and galleries, however, buy art insurance, and its use is also more prevalent among larger museums in the United States than in Europe. While five insurers contacted by Reuters said they were not yet factoring climate attacks into premiums, some artists say they already face increased costs.

☆ Climate protesters are chucking food at priceless paintings. A social movements expert says these tactics only convince people who already think climate change is serious.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A string of climate protests this year involved throwing food at famous pieces of art. But disruptive tactics won't sway those who aren't already concerned about climate change, a sociologist told Insider. "What I've found is that these tactics are likely to be viewed as positive by people who already believe that climate change is a serious social problem," Dylan Bugden, a sociologist at Washington State University who studies global climate change protests, told Insider. In Bugden's research, he's found disruptive and confrontational tactics aren't effective on people who are not already concerned about climate change. Tomato soup on van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'The van Gogh painting was unharmed due to protective glass, in October.

☆ Climate activists throw liquid at Klimt painting in Vienna
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN — Climate activists in Austria on Tuesday attacked a famous painting by artist Gustav Klimt with a black, oily liquid and one then glued himself to glass protecting the painting’s frame. Members of the group Last Generation Austria tweeted they had targeted the 1915 painting “Death and Life” at the Leopold Museum in Vienna to protest their government’s use of fossil energies. After the attack, police arrived at the museum and the black liquid was quickly cleaned off the glass protecting the painting, Austria Press Agency reported. It’s one of the latest pieces of art to be targeted by climate activists to draw attention to global warming. Just Stop Oil activists also glued themselves to the frame of an early copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, and to John Constable’s “The Hay Wain” in the National Gallery.

☆ Climate activists throw black, oily liquid at Klimt painting in Vienna
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Gustav Klimt's painting "Tod und Leben" is seen after activists of Last Generation Austria (Letzte Generation Oesterreich) spilled oil on it in Leopold museum in Vienna, Austria, November 15, 2022. Climate activists in Austria on Tuesday attacked a famous painting by artist Gustav Klimt with a black, oily liquid and one then glued himself to glass protecting the painting's frame. After the attack, police arrived at the museum and the black liquid was quickly cleaned off the glass protecting the painting, Austria Press Agency reported. It's one of the latest pieces of art to be targeted by climate activists to draw attention to global warming. The British group Just Stop Oil threw tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" in London's National Gallery last month.

☆ Trump D.C. hotel receipts reveal $10,500-a-night rooms for foreign officials seeking to influence U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Anna_Byline.Jpg | Anna Schecter | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

For their part Qatari officials and connected companies spent at least $307,941 at the Trump hotel from late 2017 through mid-2018, according to the Oversight Committee’s findings. In the letter she requests presidential records from NARA that could be related to attempts by foreign governments and lobbyists working on their behalf to influence the Trump administration by spending money at the Trump Hotel. A spokesperson for the Malaysian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the Oversight Committee, documents from Mazars show the Turkish Embassy sponsored two stays at the Trump hotel around the time of Erdoğan’s visit. The documentation obtained did not show how much the embassy spent at the hotel during either of these stays.

☆ Trump D.C. hotel receipts reveal $10,500-a-night rooms for foreign officials seeking to influence U.S. policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Anna Schecter | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The Saudi revenues for the Trump hotel came during a period when Saudi Arabia and the UAE were lobbying the Trump administration to support them during their blockade against economic rival Qatar. In the letter she requests presidential records from NARA that could be related to attempts by foreign governments and lobbyists working on their behalf to influence the Trump administration by spending money at the Trump Hotel. The Malaysian expenditures at the Trump Hotel were the most extensive in a one-week period found by the Oversight Committee to date. A spokesperson for the Malaysian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The documentation obtained did not show how much the embassy spent at the hotel during either of these stays.

☆ Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's art collection tops $1.5 billion at auction
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Christie's sold 60 works from the Paul G. Allen Collection for over $1.5 billion Wednesday night, as wealthy collectors around the world shrugged off economic and crypto worries to invest in trophy artworks. Several works sold for three or four times their estimates, with several artists setting new records at auction, including Vincent van Gogh, Edward Steichen and Gustav Klimt. The sales total of $1.506 billion shattered the previous record for the most expensive collection ever auctioned, set by the Harry and Linda Macklowe collection auctioned at Sotheby's for $922 million. The sales total for the Allen collection will soar even higher Thursday morning, when another 95 lots head to auction. The collection of Paul Allen, the late co-founder of Microsoft, was a treasure trove of masterpieces spanning 500 years.

☆ Paul Allen's art collection hauls in record $1.5 bln at auction
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The total represented the highest amount ever collected at a single art auction, according to the auction house, Christie's in New York. Among the priciest works sold was Pointillist pioneer Georges Seurat's Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version), an 1888 oil on canvas depicting three nude women. Cezanne's "La Montagne Sainte-Victoire", a colorful landscape painted from 1888-1890, sold for $137.8 million, another record. And a Gustav Klimt 1903 painting, "Birch Forest," set the high mark for a Klimt work, selling for $104.6 million. Additional pieces from Allen's collection will be offered at auction on Thursday.

☆ An auction of 60 works from the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's art collection smashes records by raising $1.5 billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An auction of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's art collection raised just over $1.5 billion. The Christie's auction has set a new record as the biggest art sale in history. The most expensive work was Georges Seurat's "Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version)", which fetched $149.2 million. This painting, which depicts three nude women, is considered a pioneering work of Seurat's signature style of Pointillism. A total of five pieces went for more than $100 million each at the auction in New York on Wednesday night.

☆ Activists glue themselves to Goya paintings in Spanish climate protest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Climate protesters from Extinction Rebellion stick themselves to Goya's paintings "Las maja naked" and "La maja ropa" to alert about the climate emergency in Madrid, Spain November 5, 2022 in this picture obtained from social media. Climate activists glued themselves to the frames of two world-famous paintings by Spanish master Francisco de Goya in Madrid's Prado museum on Saturday, the latest in a string of protests targeting artworks across Europe. A man and a woman attached themselves to Goya's "La Maja Vestida" (The Clothed Maja) and his "La Maja Desnuda" (The Naked Maja), and painted "+1.5 C" on the wall between the two works, video footage showed. Groups of climate activists have mounted a series of similar protest in recent weeks in the build-up to next week's COP27 climate change conference in Egypt. "We condemn the use of the museum as a place to make a political protest of any kind," the gallery added.

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