Arts

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, may be best known as King Louis XV's Chief Mistress. But she was also a highly educated tastemaker, a patron of the arts, and an artist in her own right.

Arts

More Than A Mistress: Madame De Pompadour Was A Minister Of The Arts

2:34pm May 10, 2016

by Susan Stamberg

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, may be best known as King Louis XV's chief mistress. But she was also a well-educated tastemaker, a patron of the arts and an artist in her own right.

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A vendor at Tokyo's famed Tsukiji Fish Market butchers a Pacific bluefin tuna caught in waters off Mexico.

Bluefin Blues: Valuing A Tuna Species Before It's Too Late

2:09pm May 10, 2016

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

Our appetite for the Pacific bluefin — prized for its tender, flavorful flesh — has reduced stocks to just 2.6 percent of original levels. The incentive to save bluefin is ecological — and financial.

Books
Arts

Friend Or Fiend? 'Pit Bull' Explores The History Of America's Most Feared Dog

1:37pm May 10, 2016

Author Bronwen Dickey says the idea of pit bulls as predators is based on myth and misinformation. In the early Hollywood era, Dickey says, the dogs were often chosen to appear in comedies.

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David Prowse as Darth Vader in Star Wars. As you probably know, but many 5-year-olds don't.

Books
Arts

When Storytime Blows Kids' Minds: The Power Of The Plot Twist

11:07am May 10, 2016

by Barrie Hardymon

One of the profound pleasures of reading to children, says Barrie Hardymon, is the thrill of sharing a story's secrets for the first time.

Books
Arts

'The Noise Of Time' Can't Drown Out Shostakovich

10:00am May 10, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Julian Barnes' slim but powerful new novel chronicles the difficulties composer Dmitri Shostakovich suffered under repressive Soviet regimes, and mourns what is lost when tyrants try to control art.

Arts

Avant Garde Influences The Blockbuster In 'Uncharted 4'

5:02pm May 09, 2016

J.J. Sutherland and Chris Suellentrop of the podcast "Shall We Play a Game" review the latest from the Uncharted video game franchise, which will be released Tuesday for the PlayStation system, featuring intrepid explorer Nathan Drake back in action.

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Arts

Ken Burns Delves Deeply Into America's Complex Racial History

3:36pm May 09, 2016

The documentary filmmaker has been chosen to deliver this year's Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, the highest honor bestowed by the federal government for work in the field.

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Books
Arts

Richard Russo Returns To North Bath, NY, In 'Everybody's Fool'

1:33pm May 09, 2016

The Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Empire Falls says his characters are inspired by his parents' working-class World War II generation. Russo's new novel is set in a small town in upstate New York.

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An ad from the Food and Drug Administration's Fresh Empire campaign.

Notorious FDA? Feds Turn To Hip-Hop To Tamp Down Teen Smoking

12:01pm May 09, 2016

by Maanvi Singh

For its latest anti-tobacco campaign, the Food and Drug Administration wants to harness hip-hop swagger to reach minority teens — who disproportionately suffer the consequences of smoking.

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The FDA is asking consumers to help define what "natural" food is. It's an ancient philosophical question with no easy answers.

What Is 'Natural' Food? A Riddle Wrapped In Notions Of Good And Evil

5:48pm May 08, 2016

by Alan Levinovitz

Time is almost up for consumers to tell the FDA what "natural" food means. It's an ancient philosophical question with no easy answers.