De helft van de Nederlanders die met vakantie gaat doet dat in eigen land. Voor hen én de buitenland-gangers geldt een sterke trend: steeds langer wachten tot je definitief boekt.
Bob gaat trouwen, dus zijn beste vrienden zijn druk bezig met het organiseren van een vrijgezellenfeest. Het plan is om een hele dag te vullen met leuke activiteiten, zoals lasergamen, varen en steengrillen. Het enige probleem: het festijn kost vooralsnog maar €100 per persoon. Een schandalig laag bedrag dat opgekrikt móét worden.
De twee vrienden die het organiseren overleggen druk over mogelijkheden om het vrijgezellenfeest wat prijziger te maken. “Misschien kunnen we er een extra dagje aan vastplakken? Want dan moeten we wel een overnachting erbij regelen. Dan kunnen we ook op de tweede dag nog gaan karten en paintballen, en ’s avonds hebben we de tijd om een paar uurtjes bankbiljetten te verbranden. Zo slaan we meerdere kostenverhogende vliegen in één klap!”
Als het vrijgezellenfeest na deze aanpassingen nog niet duur genoeg is, hebben de organisatoren nog één troef achter de hand: een voedselgevecht met cashewnoten en pijnboompitten.
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Meta "said in a court filing on Monday that four states were seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties," reports Reuters, "over accusations the company designed its Facebook and Instagram platforms to addict young users and misled the public about their safety."
Meta put forward the figure in its response to the attorneys general's filings on how penalties should be calculated if the states prevailed at trial. The number, which has not previously been disclosed and is close to Meta's market capitalization of around $1.5 trillion, comes ahead of an August trial in Oakland, California, over the claims brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey against the company. Meta said the amount was unsupported by the evidence. "A sanction of that size has no analog in the history of consumer protection enforcement," the company said in the filing. "The plaintiffs' outlandish calculations have no basis in fact or law," the company said in a statement, adding that it would continue to defend itself against the states' demands.
A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement the lawsuit "alleges Meta has prioritized profits over the safety of kids and fueled the mental health crisis we see impacting a generation of American children. The California Department of Justice looks forward to holding Meta fully accountable at trial in August...."
Meta has denied the allegations, saying the attorneys general have no evidence it misled consumers about its platforms' alleged addictiveness because "social media addiction" is not an established psychiatric condition, and therefore statements that its platforms were not addictive could not be false... Last month, [U.S. District Judge] Rogers rejected Meta's bid to cancel the trial, saying there remained factual disputes over whether its social media platforms were addictive, whether Meta falsely denied it designed them that way, and whether it "partially" directed the platforms at children.
"A further 14 states have brought claims under their own laws, which will be heard at a separate trial in February..."
Thanks to Slashdot reader Sparkatron for sharing the article.
Meta put forward the figure in its response to the attorneys general's filings on how penalties should be calculated if the states prevailed at trial. The number, which has not previously been disclosed and is close to Meta's market capitalization of around $1.5 trillion, comes ahead of an August trial in Oakland, California, over the claims brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey against the company. Meta said the amount was unsupported by the evidence. "A sanction of that size has no analog in the history of consumer protection enforcement," the company said in the filing. "The plaintiffs' outlandish calculations have no basis in fact or law," the company said in a statement, adding that it would continue to defend itself against the states' demands.
A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement the lawsuit "alleges Meta has prioritized profits over the safety of kids and fueled the mental health crisis we see impacting a generation of American children. The California Department of Justice looks forward to holding Meta fully accountable at trial in August...."
Meta has denied the allegations, saying the attorneys general have no evidence it misled consumers about its platforms' alleged addictiveness because "social media addiction" is not an established psychiatric condition, and therefore statements that its platforms were not addictive could not be false... Last month, [U.S. District Judge] Rogers rejected Meta's bid to cancel the trial, saying there remained factual disputes over whether its social media platforms were addictive, whether Meta falsely denied it designed them that way, and whether it "partially" directed the platforms at children.
"A further 14 states have brought claims under their own laws, which will be heard at a separate trial in February..."
Thanks to Slashdot reader Sparkatron for sharing the article.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
A largely figurative painter with a penchant for literary citation, Andrew Salgado turns his attention to the still life in a new body of work. Wanting to depart from his narrative-driven process in favor of subject matter allowing for greater intuition and spontaneity, the artist began to render vibrant bouquets in his signature gestural marks. Color ripples across each canvas, presenting the stylized florals in various states of blossom and decay.
Salgado is an avid, eclectic reader, and while his still lifes operate at a remove from his typically reference-rich compositions, they still contain snippets of texts and art history. Awash in blues of all shades, “The Prince,” for example, emerges from a Thomas Bernhard novel that follows an aristocratic protagonist’s descent into paranoia and obsession. In Salgado’s painting, the singular, focused color palette and flowers splayed in every direction mirror the frenetic energy of a message left on the table.
There’s also “Dear Theo,” which centers on a bright cluster of sunflowers synonymous with Vincent van Gogh. Like the title, a scribbled note at the bottom right is addressed to Theo, the Dutch painter’s brother and longtime financial supporter. “To be sufficiently heated up to melt those golds and those flower tones, not just anybody can do that,” Vincent famously wrote Theo. “It takes an individual’s whole and entire energy and attention.”
Being attuned to one’s energy and attention is also critical in this body of work. Rather than follow a rigid, predetermined path, the artist opted for more freedom and the ability to latch onto a thought or association and allow it, and the paint, to lead.
Glory! is on view from July 16 to August 15 at BEERS London. Keep up with Salgado on Instagram.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Andrew Salgado’s Gestural Still Lifes Pulse with Energy appeared first on Colossal.
SergioQ79 - Osanpo Photographer - posted a photo:
A Takamatsu ci sono luci, insegne, gallerie commerciali e strade serali come in molte città giapponesi. Ma il ritmo è diverso. Non c’è la stessa calca, non c’è la stessa pressione continua di Tokyo. La città resta accesa, ma lascia spazio per camminare e guardare. Anche per questo Shikoku continua a sembrare un Giappone più accessibile, meno consumato dal passaggio dei visitatori.
高松にも明かりがあり、看板があり、商店街があり、夜の道がある。日本のほかの都市と同じように街は動いているが、速度が違う。東京のような混雑や強い圧力は少ない。街は明るいままでも、歩いて見回す余白が残っている。だから四国には、まだ人の暮らしに近い日本が残っているように感じる。
Takamatsu has lights, signs, shopping arcades, and evening streets like many Japanese cities. But the rhythm is different. There is not the same crowding, not the same constant pressure as Tokyo. The city stays lit, but it still leaves room to walk and look around. This is also why Shikoku still feels like a more accessible Japan, less worn down by the flow of visitors.
