Companies are making plans to put droves of departed idols on tour in hologram form — stars like Buddy Holly, Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley and Billie Holiday.
Would you attend a concert featuring a hologram of an artist who has died? Why or why not? What do you think the experience would be like?
If so, which deceased artists would you like to see perform live? Why?
Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to find out more about how companies are creating these hologram stars.
Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
From the outset, “Moulin Rouge” was a jukebox musical with a difference.
The Moulin Rouge itself is a storied Parisian venue that has gone through many incarnations — cabaret, theater, music hall — since its founding in the late-19th century. The movie’s master stroke was to tell a tragic turn-of-the-century love story through alternate renditions of anachronistic pop songs.
Above is an image related to one of the news stories we followed over the past week. Do you know what it shows? At the bottom of this quiz, you’ll find the answer.
Have you been paying attention to the news recently? See how many of these 10 questions you can get right.
Have you ever heard two songs that sound remarkably similar? What about watched movies or read books with similar plot points or characters? Do you think there are instances when it is O.K. for artists to borrow from each other? Should there be consequences for artists to borrow too much?
Occasionally, pop innovates in a hard stylistic jolt, or an outlier comes to rapid prominence (see: Lil Nas X), but more often, it moves as a kind of unconscious collective. An evolutionary step is rarely the product of one person working in isolation; it is one brick added atop hundreds of others.
Originality is a con: Pop music history is the history of near overlap. Ideas rarely emerge in complete isolation. In studios around the world, performers, producers and songwriters are all trying to innovate just one step beyond where music currently is, working from the same component parts. It shouldn’t be a surprise when some of what they come up with sounds similar — and also like what came before.
The idea that this might be actionable is the new twist. Every song benefits from what preceded it, whether it’s a melodic idea, a lyrical motif, a sung rhythm, a drum texture. A forensic analysis of any song would find all sorts of pre-existing DNA.
A copyright troll exploits that, turning inevitable influence into ungenerous and often highly frivolous litigation. And given how lucrative the “Blurred Lines” judgment proved to be, it has become a de facto blueprint for how claims about originality will be litigated moving forward: If there is a whiff of potential borrowing on a song (and there almost always is), the borrowed might come knocking.
This forecloses on the possibility that there is some value in copying, or duplicative ideas. It also suggests that all copying is alike — the brutally unethical kind, and also the Leibniz-Newton kind. It fails to make a distinction between theft and echo, or worse, presumes that all echo is theft. It ignores that the long continuum of pop revisits sonic approaches, melodies, beats and chord progressions time and again. It demands that each song be wholly distinct from everything that preceded it, an absurd and ultimately unenforceable dictate.
Mr. Caramanica goes on to say:
The idea that there is a determinable origin point where a sonic idea was born is a romantic one. But a song is much more than romance these days — it is an asset, and a perpetual one at that. Note the recent boom market in the rights to song royalties. Check out the listings on royaltyexchange.com, where you can bid on fractional ownership to the rights for thousands of songs. Or the catalog gorging happening in the music publishing sector, with firms like Kobalt and Merck Mercuriadis amassing huge catalogs. Strategies like these are the equivalent of placing bets on every square on the roulette table. A fractional claim (via songwriting or sample credit) on a pop megahit can mean millions of dollars.
This system encourages bad-faith, long-shot action. Juries filled with non-music experts are ill-suited to make decisions in cases that tend to come down to the testimony of dueling musicologists. Perhaps a better solution is needed: an arbitration panel, with buy-in from all the major record labels and song publishers, where claims can be adjudicated by a jury of peers.
Do you think it is possible to identify an original creator of a musical sound or style? What elements of a song (lyrics, beat, melody, etc.) do you think a songwriter, producer or musician can claim ownership of?
How do you distinguish between borrowing, influencing and stealing? Do you think there is an easy way to determine how an artist incorporates music they have heard before into their own work? Do you think it is possible to create purely original work?
Do you listen to any musicians who have been accused of stealing from another musician? Does this change how you view or interact with their work?
In the article, Mr. Caramanica suggests that having an arbitration panel of musical peers would be better than having jurors who are not musicians determine the fate of pop music lawsuits. What do you think? Do you think that experts in the music world are better suited to make these decisions? Why or why not?
Can you think of examples of songs or other forms of art that borrow from already created works? Do you think this is more widely accepted or embraced in one form of art versus another?
Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
The ability to create a post is the essential thing every blogger needs to learn. Well-formated content will not only draw more visitors to your blog, but it will also keep them longer. Because of that, the first thing every new WordPress blogger should do is learn how to create a post in WordPress.
Back in 2011, we have created a guide on how to create a post in WordPress (with classic editor); however, since then, the WordPress post editor was rebuilt entirely. You can still use the old post editor using WordPress plugins; however, this solution is not permanent. Classic post editor will eventually become unsupported, and you will need to learn how to use the new one, called Gutenberg.
Let’s start!
The transition from one editor to another may be a bit intimidating as they look completely different. I can assure you that the new editor is not only easy to use, but it also offers many more options which you will love!
The beginning is very similar. You need to visit your WordPress Dashboard and from the left menu pick Posts > Add New
Optionally you can click on underlined items
The old post editor was very similar to blogger one, so switching between those two platforms was a little bit easier. The main difference now is the post body field. You no longer have one massive post content area. Instead, your posts (and pages) are build from blocks. You can access them by clicking on any “plus in a circle” symbol. I have marked them red on the screen below:
TIP: Use the top symbol to learn more about each block.
The top button is better for beginners because it includes a description of each block. Most of them are straightforward; however, you can always learn something new browsing block descriptions.
Managing your blocks
Once you add a block to your post, it will appear under the title area. Select your new block to reveal even more options!
There is no limit to the number of blocks you can have in your post. To make your blog post more appealing, make sure to use different blocks, for example, images or headings.
TIP: You can use a panel with arrows to drag and drop your block!
If you plan to work on your post for a longer time, remember to hit ‘Save Draft’ in the top right corner to save your progress for later.
Assign your post to a category
With the post ready to publish, it is time to assign it to the proper category and some tags to it.
Use the right column settings to add new categories or pick an existing one. Both categories and tags help your visitors find the content they are looking for, so you should never skip this step.
Click on the tab name to expand it and find all options.
Add featured image
Another essential part of each post is your featured image, also known as a cover photo of your post. The picture which you will upload here is used for your post excerpts (short post snippets on the homepage) when you share your post on social media and everywhere else, where there will be just one image needed.
Select an image that best represents the content of your post and choose one that is visually appealing.
Publish your post
Is your post ready? Let’s do a quick check! You should already have:
Post Title
Post content (build from blocks)
At least one post category
Featured Image
With all those elements in place, head to the top of the right column. Before you hit the ‘Publish’ button it is worth to take a look at the options below it.
The most important will be VIsibility and Publish
Remember to preview your post before publishing it!
If the preview is alright and you are happy with your post, you can finally click ‘Publish’. The new post editor will ask you to double-check everything and suggests options you may want to look through.
You will need to click ‘Publish’ again to confirm that everything is double-checked, and you want to publish your post.
Congratulation! You have created your first post!
I hope this guide was helpful and you learned how to create a post in WordPress! Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or if there are any topics you would like me to cover in the next guides.
Remember – there are no stupid questions!
We all been there. In the beginning, even the most natural and most obvious things for everyday WordPress users can look complicated.
Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by what you see. Or, tell us about a memory from your own life that this illustration makes you think of.
Post it in the comments, then read the related article to find out what it’s all about.
Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will perform at the Super Bowl in Miami in February as the N.F.L. tries to restore the cachet of its halftime show.
The two artists were the first chosen for the halftime show since the N.F.L. formed a broad partnership last month with Jay-Z, the music impresario who will help produce entertainment at the Super Bowl and other prominent N.F.L. events, and support the league’s social activism campaign, Inspire Change.
If researchers conducted a survey to measure student satisfaction with lunch at your school, what do you think your peers would say? What would you say?
At KairosPDX charter school in Portland, Ore., students recently took part in a “Tasty Challenge” event organized by FoodCorps, a nonprofit organization that connects children to healthy food in schools. The students sampled two recipes that featured butternut squash and voted for the one they liked better. The landslide winner, a soup, may be added to the school menu.
If the same event took place at your school, would butternut squash be received with such enthusiasm? Do you think school leaders would welcome student suggestions about how to improve school lunch if the suggestions promoted healthful eating? How well does your school do with offering meals that are nutritious and popular among students?
FoodCorps has found “a range of ways that schools can make their meals a more pleasant experience.” In “What if Children Ran the School Lunchroom?,” Anahad O’Connor writes:
Nationwide, lifestyle related diseases have taken a toll on children’s health. Roughly one in three kids is overweight or obese, and diabetes is on the rise. Some children get about half their daily calories at school, but many schools struggle to provide nutritious meals that kids will eat: A federal study published last year found high levels of food waste, with more than a quarter of the calories and nutrients produced in elementary school cafeterias going into the garbage.
But making vegetables more appealing is only half the battle. FoodCorps recently commissioned a study that involved interviewing over 400 students, school nutrition workers, teachers and other staff members at nine diverse schools around the country. It found a range of ways that schools can make their meals a more pleasant experience.
Many children lamented the lack of variety and flavor in their meals. They said their meals did not reflect their cultural heritage or what they ate at home and at restaurants. Some students and staff members complained about windowless, cramped cafeterias that felt colorless and depressing, and lunch periods that were too short. In many schools, students had as little as 15 minutes to wait in line, eat their food and catch up with friends. Ultimately the students said they wished they had more control over their cafeteria experience.
The findings prompted FoodCorps to start its “Reimagining School Cafeterias” program, which has several components. One is the “Tasty Challenge,” in which kids try vegetables prepared in different ways and vote on their favorites. Participating schools get a “flavor bar” where students can add special herbs and seasonings to their meals like adobo, hot sauce and garlic. Students also get to provide input to their schools about ways to revamp their cafeterias, such as adding more plants and natural lighting.
As for how FoodCorps has brought change to KairosPDX, Mr. O’Connor writes:
At Kairos, more than half the student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch. The school was founded in 2012 with a focus on improving educational outcomes for students of color. Kali Ladd, its co-founder and executive director, said that in the past Kairos’s students wouldn’t touch a vegetable unless it was smothered in ranch dressing or other condiments. “They never wanted to eat vegetables — they would just throw them out,” she said.
But now Kairos has a full time FoodCorps service member, Sophie Rasmussen, and a FoodCorps graduate who became the school’s nutrition and garden coordinator, Graham Schreiber. Together they teach the students how to grow and harvest vegetables in a community garden and use them in recipes. “With the access to the garden we’ve seen a dramatic change in the eating habits of our kids,” said Ms. Ladd. “The first year we had a FoodCorps member, they harvested kale and made a stew with it, and that’s something we would have never seen before. In terms of helping our kids develop healthy eating habits, it’s been wonderful.”
During a recent lunch period at the school, a group of fifth graders sat around a table talking about the butternut squash taste test and describing their favorite garden-inspired school meals, including sweet potato fries and yakisoba noodles with shredded cabbage and carrots. Then they rattled off a list of the crops they were growing: blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, peas, basil and more.
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
What do you think FoodCorps would learn about your school lunches and overall cafeteria experience if students were given a survey? Why?
To what degree is food waste an issue at your school? How much food do you see in the trash cans at the end of lunch period?
In the article, Curt Ellis, the group’s co-founder and chief executive officer, suggests that it’s better for students to “discover what they love to eat” instead of adults at their school “telling them what they should eat.” What are your thoughts on this idea? Why do you think Mr. Ellis believes in this approach?
What, if anything, in the article resonated with you? Explain.
Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
Climate change, Hong Kong, immigration, and of course, President Trump, are all popular topics in this year’s contest. Enjoy the insightful commentary in these winning cartoons.
