Culture and Arts

Editor's Note: Two points about this lawsuit are it doesn't force an injunction and doesn't protect private contractors. "Our members put their lives on the line to keep our country safe,” said J. David Cox Sr., national president, American Federation of Government Employees, “requiring them to work without pay is nothing short of inhumane. Positions that are considered ‘essential’ during a government shutdown are some of the most dangerous jobs in the federal government. They are frontline public safety positions, including many in law enforcement, among other critical roles. A substantial number of those working without pay are military veterans." more »

New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition (Floor 2, Gallery 999, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall) opens with a dramatic installation that emphasizes the universality of jewelry — precious objects made for the body, a singular and glorious setting for the display of art. Great jewelry from around the world will be presented in a radiant display that groups these ornaments according to the part of the body they adorn: head and hair; nose, lips, and ears; neck and chest; arms and hands; and waist, ankles, and feet. more »

Julia Sneden wrote: It's embarrassing to think back over the sheer volume of presents I've received over the years. A few stand out: a beautiful, winter-white skirt of soft wool embroidered with pale blue and silver snowflakes that I longed for but knew we couldn't afford, that turned up miraculously anyway ... an opal ring that my great aunt had promised me when I was sixteen ... from my husband, a pair of books by Carmen Bernos de Gasthold, the first Christmas we were married ... a present my eldest son selected all by himself for me when he was about eight, blue ornament earrings paid for from his allowance ... the Double Crostic books another son gives me yearly ... a copy of Babar the King brought me by my adult middle son ... photos of my grandchildren taken and compiled into a little book by my clever daughter-in-law. more »

During the holidays, many in the press write stories aiming to help readers cope with the blues and other seasonal conditions. But some journalists inadvertently support a myth about the holidays and suicide, or quote well-intentioned sources who should know better. Despite the fact that the holiday season has some of the lowest average daily suicide rates, some journalists continue to perpetuate the holiday-suicide myth. In the 2017-18 holiday season, two-thirds of the print news and feature stories that mentioned both the holidays and suicide drew a false connection between them, according to the latest analysis by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.    more »