Who’s to explain why parents alone in their cars were suddenly singing “up up up” from that “KPop Demon Hunters?” song? Or why, in the Venn diagram of pop culture and zoology, it was the capybara that emerged victorious and beloved? Goodbye, Moo Deng. You’re adorable, but so 2024. (Noveck, AP News)
Read MoreLux is exciting, at times breathtaking and surprising. It’s also spiritual. It “harkens back to an older tradition of Christian art,” wrote The Atlantic’s music critic: “the symphony written for the glory of God.” (Gonzalez & Bocanegra, Christianity Today)
Read MoreAn estimated 15,000 churches in the U.S. are likely to close in the next few years. Churches are more than places of worship – they are community centers, shelters, food banks. What's the community impact with church closures on the rise? (Sutherland & Chakrabarti, WBUR)
Read MoreThe R.S.S. originated as a shadowy cabal for the revival of Hindu pride after a long history of Muslim invasions and colonial rule in India, its early leaders openly drawing inspiration from the nationalist formula of Fascist parties in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. It has survived repeated bans, including being accused in the assassination of Gandhi, to grow into the largest right-wing juggernaut in the world. (Mashal & Kumar, The New York Times)
Read MoreThe number of murders saw a huge drop — about 20% fewer than in 2024, according to the Real Time Crime Index, which uses local crime data from nearly 600 jurisdictions around the country. Other violent crimes, including rape, robbery and aggravated assault, also declined, as did property crimes like motor vehicle theft and burglaries. (Anderson, NPR)
Read MoreGenerative AI has attracted a rising number of users under the age of 18, who turn to chatbots for things such as help with schoolwork, entertainment, social connection and therapy; a survey released this month by Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan polling firm, found that nearly a third of U.S. teens use chatbots daily. (Gibson, The Washington Post)
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