Cai Guo-Qiang, Moving Ghost Town, 2014. (Image courtesy of Tony Prikryl, Artnews)
- The Aspen Art Museum has removed tortoises from their museum citing safety concerns. The turtle’s backs were being used as stands for ipads. This prompted a petition to free them from the tyranny of the museum’s curators. [Artnews]
- So much for the golden equalizer of the Internet. Social media is stifling debate and cordoning off enclaves of like-minded people, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center and Rutgers. [New York Times]
- A cat is not a child. It is a ward, and at best, a roommate. “But I cannot see a version of myself who is compelled to show pictures of my cat to strangers,” writes Jen Vafidis. “I did not give birth to this thing; it is an accident that we crossed paths.” [domesticity]
- Yay, listicles. “Ten Incredibly Dangerous Banned Toys” include snap bracelets, Cabbage Patch snacktime dolls, and those dino sponge capsules that grow in water. [Gizmodo]
- A “controversial” race-swapping artwork, which uses makeup to transform people’s skin color, is getting some flak for being racist. It seems well intentioned enough, it’s just kinda tame. [Artnet]
- Paul Krugman notes that real estate prices in big cities like New York are driving people to places with fewer economic opportunities, and giving people like Rick Perry boasting rights for a high job growth rate when they should have none. [The New York Times]
- Relatedly, don’t take cooking advice from an economics blogger. [The Conscience of a Liberal]
- It had looked like the Detroit Institute of the Arts was in the clear, thanks to some hefty donations which would basically buy the collection out of the hands of the city’s bankruptcy management. But it’s not in the clear yet. The “grand bargain” may be illegal. Cmonnn. [The New York Times]
- Big Canadian news. Big donut news. Burger King has put in a 11.4 billion dollar bid to buy the Canadian donut chain, Tim Hortons. A few facts for Americans who may not fully understand the presence the chain has in Canada: The average Canadian spends $150 annually at Tim Hortons, higher than spending at any other store. Tim Horton was an actual person; a hockey player. And, my favorite bit of trivia—in 2004, the Royal Canadian Mint released a commemorative quarter, and distributed the new coin exclusively through Tim Hortons. That’s right—you couldn’t go to the bank to get this quarter, but you could go to a donut shop. [Vox]
- More gems from Reductress, the women’s Onion: “Woman First in Family To Graduate College Without a Boyfriend.” [Reductress]
- The Water Tank Project has started putting art on New York water tanks to raise awareness about sustainability and water usage. Jeff Koons and Laurie Simmons have work in this thing. [Animal New York]
