Art

#bronze
#childhood
#Petrit Halilaj
#sculpture

“Abetare” (2024). All photos by Eileen Travell, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, shared with permission

When visiting his hometown of Runik, Kosovo, back in 2010, Petrit Halilaj realized that his elementary school was being demolished. He went to the site—which had miraculously survived the Yugoslav wars that spurred his family to flee to an Albanian refugee camp in 1998—and found a pile of desks, many with doodles and notes scratched into their surfaces.

These etchings have now found their way to New York, where they’re perched atop The Met’s rooftop garden for Abetare, which translates to primer, as in the early education books used for learning basic literacy. Enlarged to proportions that would crush any singular tabletop, the rough drawings are presented as scratchy bronze sculptures depicting a flower, house, and spider á la Louise Bourgeois.

For the exhibition, Halilaj (previously) paired his initial findings with other scribbles recovered from desks throughout Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro, Balkan countries impacted by Serbian hostilities following Yugoslavia’s dissolution. “For me, returning to the region and visiting numerous schools was prompted by a desire to construct my own intimate map, in contrast to historical maps that reflect dominant narratives,” he shares. “We do not exist in isolation. We are shaped by each other’s identities, both positively and negatively.”

On view through October 27, Abetare features smaller works among the freestanding sculptures, including an arrow with Runik written in the center. Halilaj fastened that smaller piece to a concrete wall and pointed it toward the village as a way to tether the distant locations.

While playful and evocative of adolescent impulse, the works are a reminder of how war and conflict warp innocence. The project is also particularly timely as the city contends with helping tens of thousands of school-age migrants and the world witnesses mass atrocities in Palestine and Ukraine. Magnifying childhood transgressions, Abetare highlights what the artist refers to as small “acts of freedom” that defy ideology and systemic oppression.

Find more from Halilaj on Instagram.

#bronze
#childhood
#Petrit Halilaj
#sculpture

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The late legend Kobe Bryant has served as the cover star for NBA 2K24 and, for many, a strong incentive to reach the top Collector Level in the game’s MyTeam mode. As the NBA playoffs’ first round wraps up, many fans are more disappointed than excited with the most recent NBA 2K title, as developer Visual Concepts has pulled back on a promise made prior to launch. 

In the lead-up to the game’s release date, the NBA 2K24 developer Visual Concepts released a blog post running down the features of its card-collection mode, MyTeam. In that blog post, the developer laid out several features and rewards for the then-upcoming title. It took special care to devote a section to an upcoming Collector Level reward, Kobe Bryant. 

In that post, the developer highlights just how crucial Collector Level rewards are to the overall MyTeam experience. “Collector level rewards have always been important in MyTEAM, and last year the rewards came as surprises with a hidden end goal,” the blog post from prior to launch stated. “So let’s look forward a few months and reveal that Kobe Bryant will be the top reward in the Collector Level, and this reward will be available in April, during Season 6.”

First reported by The Washington Post‘s Herb Scribner, with further reporting done by Forbes’ Paul Tassi, NBA 2K24 has changed its top Collector Level reward to not include Kobe Bryant. Instead, players can now choose from two previously released 100-overall cards. However, according to multiple community members, the most recent 100-overall card, Yao Ming, is not an option for players to choose from.

Centering a Collector Level reward around such an iconic and beloved player likely encouraged many to grind (or spend) to achieve the top Collector Level and obtain the reward. Many players have taken to social media and the NBA 2K Community Discord server to voice their displeasure. As of this writing, neither the official NBA 2K nor NBA 2K MyTeam account has posted anything regarding the situation, and the “developer-supported and community-run” NBA 2K Subreddit contains zero posts about the missing reward. However, the MyTeam Subreddit has multiple player-posted threads regarding the problem.

The only community-facing comment from the NBA 2K team that I have found was posted on the official NBA 2K Community Discord. That comment matches the comment provided to me by a 2K spokesperson when I requested comment from the publisher. You can read the entire statement provided by a 2K spokesperson below.

2K strives to deliver the very best NBA 2K24 MyTEAM experience to the community. Please note that a change to a reward has occurred. Players who achieve a top Collector Level will now receive an Option Pack for two picks out of ten previously released 100 OVR Cards. We appreciate that players have dedicated time and effort throughout the year to achieve this reward and 2K is committed to ensuring players continue to earn valuable content as their reward.

I followed up requesting additional information on why the change was made, but the spokesperson declined to comment further. Some online speculation has posited that licensing issues are to blame, but there is no confirmation or evidence to support that theory outside of 2K’s unwillingness to comment further at this time.

NBA 2K24 arrived on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on September 8, 2023. While the gameplay is one of the stronger elements of the title, among our reviewer’s chief complaints involved the increasingly intrusive microtransactions that permeate multiple long-term modes within the game. This controversy surrounding one of the most monetized modes does little to refute that criticism. You can read our full review here.

This is the shocking moment four men appeared to try and force a Jewish pedestrian into the boot of their car in North London. 

Police have launched a probe into an alleged anti-Semitic hate crime after footage posted online showed the man appearing to be targeted by the group in Stamford Hill. 

The men are seen parking and getting out their car before demanding their victim gets into the boot. 

The Jewish man backs away from the men in the street while on the phone before one jumps towards him in a threatening manner.  

North London neighbourhood watch group Shomrim, which monitors areas with large Jewish communities, issued an alert about what they called an ‘attempted kidnap’ this afternoon.

The incident comes amid mounting concerns about anti-Semitic abuse in Britain, fuelled by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict following the militant group’s terror attacks last October 7. 

A young Jewish man was threatened by a group who stopped their car to approach him

Footage of the incident in Stamford Hill, north London, has been shared online

Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim appealed for information about the ‘attempted kidnap’

The clip was shared on X, formerly Twitter, accompanied by the words: ‘Jewish male threatened by 4 males who demanded he gets into the boot of their car.’

Shomrim said they and the Metropolitan Police were appealing for any information on and sightings of the car involved, a black VW T Cross with the licence plate number EA24 VXF.

The incident happened in Moundfield Road in Stamford Hill, near Tottenham in north London, an area with a significant Orthodox Jewish community.

Shromrim’s online post told the ‘incident ended when the victim said he was calling police and other vehicles approached’. 

They appealed for anyone who can help to contact Hackney Police, using the crime reference CAD 3224 28/04/24.

Horrified viewers responded online, with one saying: ‘That is absolutely terrifying.’

Another wrote: ‘He’s just a boy. How dare they treat people like that.’

Shomrim was also told: ‘That’s surely a crime but it looks more like idiots behaving like such more than a genuine attempted kidnap.’

Footage of the alleged kidnap attempt was shared by Shomrim on X, formerly Twitter

The outrage comes after Gideon Falter, who leads the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), was threatened with arrest for appearing ‘openly Jewish’ at a pro-Palestine march last week

The Mail On Sunday reported today how a Holocaust memorial was covered up in London’s Hyde Park for fear it could be targeted by vandals in a pro-Palestine demo.

Officials in Hyde Park yesterday hid Britain’s first public memorial to the 6million victims of the Nazi genocide under a blue tarpaulin in a move one Holocaust survivor called ‘shameful’.

The monument was then guarded by Metropolitan Police officers to stop it being targeted by pro-Palestine protesters who marched through London in protest against the war in Gaza.

Holocaust survivor Noemi Ebenstein, 82, urged the world to wake up to the scourge of anti-Semitism following another day of swastikas being waved through London.

On seeing the covered shrine, she said: ‘It is shameful. Seeing this, it feels like they are winning. 

‘Those who are Jew haters, those who are Holocaust deniers, they are winning because we are afraid of them. 

‘I just wish the Western world would stand up to these people, instead of running away, covering up monuments and being apologetic.’

Tory peer Lord Pickles, the UK’s special envoy on post-Holocaust issues, said the sight of the memorial wrapped in plastic sheeting ‘sends a terrible message to Jews in London and across the UK’.

Lord Pickles, who has been spearheading moves to get a national Holocaust memorial built next to the Houses of Parliament, said: ‘The sight of this precious memorial to the Holocaust being wrapped in plastic sheeting is truly shocking.

‘Have we become so cowed and fearful in this country that instead of expecting pro-Palestinian protesters to obey the law, we hide away the memorial to save it from vandalism?’

Scotland Yard was facing yet more anger from Jewish groups on Saturday after a Holocaust memorial was covered up over fears it would be vandalised by pro-Palestine activists

The memorial consists of two boulders lying within a gravel bed, surrounded by a copse of silver birch trees. It is inscribed in both English and Hebrew with the words ‘For these I weep. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people,’ which is a quotation from the Book of Lamentations

‘Shameful’: Holocaust survivor Noemi Ebenstein, 82, called for tougher action on anti-Semitism after the monument in Hyde Park was covered up as a ‘precautionary measure’

The outrage comes after Gideon Falter, who leads the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was threatened with arrest for appearing ‘openly Jewish’ at a pro-Palestine march last week.

He had planned to lead a counter protest with the CAA yesterday but called it off citing fears for the safety of Jewish participants.

Instead, just a few dozen counter-protesters gathered at Pall Mall where they were protected by rows of police as up to 200,000 pro-Palestinians marched past.

Officers arrested two men, one for holding a placard with a swastika on it and another for an alleged racist remark towards counter-protesters.

Police were also investigating other offensive signs, including one comparing Israelis to the Ku Klux Klan, and another stating that the media and Government are ‘controlled by Zionists’.

Nine in ten British Jews say that they would avoid travelling to a city centre if a major anti-Israel demonstration was taking place, according to polling by the CAA.

Royal Parks said they liaised with the Met over protests and said: ‘The Hyde Park Holocaust memorial is routinely covered with tarpaulin during various events as a precautionary measure.’

The Met’s Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said before the march: ‘Our objectives this weekend are to protect the right to protest and to keep the peace.’

There have been regular marches in the capital condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza in its response for the October 7 massacre by Hamas militants which killed 1,200 civilians with a further 235 taken hostage from southern Israel.

She wore a bedazzled sleeveless white T-shirt with the phrase “Karma’s a Bitch,” a thick silver chain, and a pair of pink, silver, and black bedazzled gloves.

Sophie Trudeau has given the cold shoulder to Meghan Markle after saying she hasn’t ‘spent much time’ with the Duchess who previously gushed the former First Lady of Canada was a ‘dear friend’. 

Ms Trudeau, who was formerly married to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has played down her friendship with The Duchess, who previously implied she shared a close bond with Sophie and admired her as being ’emblematic of strength’. 

During an episode of the Archetypes podcast in November 2022 Meghan admitted Sophie ‘used to send me little meditations during my pregnancy’ and voice notes ‘of encouragement’, adding: ‘I’ve gone to her over the years for advice.’

Meghan also described a day of laughter and fun that the pair spent at her Montecito mansion, where their children played in the swimming pool on pizza-shaped floats while they drank wine ‘on the terrace’ and were ‘giddy like absolute schoolgirls.’

But, when asked about her relationship with the Duchess in an interview with The Times today, Ms Trudeau was reserved to say the least, saying: ‘I know her… but we haven’t spent much time together.’

Sophie then turned the conversation over to Meghan’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton, revealing that her ‘heart just sunk’ when she heard about the Princess’s cancer diagnosis last month. 

Meghan Markle pictured with Sophie Trudeau in a photo booth at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) at Soho House in Toronto in 2016

Sophie Trudeau, who today gave the cold shoulder to Meghan Markle after saying she hasn’t ‘spent much time’ with the Duchess

Meghan Markle previously gushed the former First Lady of Canada was a ‘dear friend’ who sent her ‘meditations’ during her pregnancy

It is unclear why Sophie played down her friendship with the Duchess. Although a possible explanation could be linked to Meghan’s falling out with her former best friend Jessica Mulroney, who has previously acted as a stylist for Ms Trudeau. 

Despite ‘Jess’ reportedly playing an ‘influential’ role in Megxit, Meghan distanced herself from the mother-of-three after she became embroiled in a race row in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

MailOnline exclusively revealed that ABC severed ties with stylist Mulroney, confirming that she would not be returning to her occasional role as a fashion contributor on Good Morning America.

Canadian TV network CTV also cut off ties with the stylist, revealing that it would be pulling all episodes of her wedding-themed reality TV show I Do Redo from its platform.

Since then, Jessica has not commented on rumours of her drifting apart from Meghan, but it’s clear the relationship has cooled.

Meghan and Jess previously took sun-soaked trips to Positano, gushed about one another on social media, and were pictured at a number of high-profile events together.

The pair were so close Meghan phoned the stylist the night Harry proposed – before having her play a key role in her royal wedding.

The two have not been seen together publicly and Jessica did not feature in the couple’s Netflix series, in which other friends of Harry and Meghan were interviewed.

: Jessica Mulroney and actress Meghan Markle attend the World Vision event held at Lumas Gallery on March 22, 2016

Meghan Markle and Jessica Mulroney attend the Instagram Dinner held at the MARS Discovery District on May 31, 2016

Jessica posted this photo of her and Meghan sharing a heartfelt hug in 2016

During the podcast, which aired in November 2022, Meghan introduced Ms Trudeau as a ‘humanitarian mother’ she met in Toronto, where Meghan was living while filming Suits, at the city’s fashion week seven years ago.

She said: ‘Sophie has become a dear friend and someone who I think is so emblematic of strength that comes from embracing your humanity, even in the face of all these family and home and public pressures, keeping that sense of self while holding up the mantle of what comes with being a parent and a spouse, that’s a full plate. 

Meghan went on to describe a day that she spent at her Montecito mansion with Ms Trudeau. She said: ‘This wasn’t our day of being the wives and moms, all perfectly quaffed with up-dos and pearls and demure smiles.

‘This was the other version of us both with wild curly hair and swimsuits and loose linen and huge belly laughs. Big cuddles with our little ones, quiet whispers of girl talk on the terrace, giddy like absolute schoolgirls. We were just having so much fun.’

According to Finding Freedom, Meghan became friendly with Sophie in 2016 after  meeting her husband Justin, who has been Canada’s prime minister since 2015, at the One Young World summit in Ottawa that year.

‘Sophie had given up a career in television, where she had been working as a correspondent on CTV’s eTalk, to take on a more formal role alongside her husband as he hit the campaign trail,’ the authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim.

‘The pair became fast email friends, Meghan was interested to hear how Sophie had successfully made the move from an entertainment news correspondent to much-beloved First Lady, all while skillfully dodging controversy.’

Meghan Markel is pictured during an episode of her Archetypes Podcast. Spotify has since confirmed it was not renewing the podcast which ran for 12 episode, for a second series

Justin Trudeau and Sophie Trudeau arrive at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6, 2023

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex wave as they leave Windsor Castle after their wedding in 2018

They were previously pictured posing cheek-to-cheek in a photobooth at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) at exclusive Soho House in the city in 2016.

It comes as the launch of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealed insights into the Duchess’ updated friendship circle.

Polo wives, socialites and Britney Spears’ former stylist are among 50 specially selected recipients of the first product of American Rivera Orchard (ARO) – a jar of strawberry jam.

Some such as Netflix star Mindy Kaling, her Suits co-star Abigail Spencer and parenting campaigner Kelly McKee Zajfen took to social media, sharing pictures of the preserve nestled in a hamper.

Others, such as actress and comedian Melissa McCarthy spoke out to defend the Duchess, calling her ‘inspiring’ women suffering ‘hate’ for getting on with ‘her own life’.

Yet despite the beaming pictures and words of praise from some, others have been notably missing from the clamour surrounding Meghan’s new business.

The noticeable absences of some of her former closest pals suggest they may have been ‘Markled’ – the word is cruelly used by critics to describe how she is seemingly able to swiftly move on from some of those once closest to her.

The Duchess of Sussex is in the process of launching her American Riviera Orchard brand by giving jam to friends in limited edition batches

American Rivera Orchard is a lifestyle brand that will sell products such as jams and cookbooks 

Culture and PR gurus have told MailOnline that Meghan’s friendship group has evolved to support her new venture, focusing on those who also live in the Californian enclave of Montecito or are women in business.

Culture expert Nick Ede told MailOnline: ‘As with all friendships and circles they always change.

‘We can see from whose in and whose out that the old guard of celebrity friends from Meghan’s pre Megxit days seem to have been excluded from this PR campaign and there is a new squad who live in and around the Montecito area and support women in business.

‘It makes sense for her and the brand to have a local squad supporting her as this is all about home made produce and a sense of community.

‘With the success of Suits on Netflix and now with the BBC buying it I think she’s missing a trick by not engaging all her old co stars and wedding guests to help support the brand as it launches as this would boost the brand and create demand.’

Meanwhile public relations expert Mark Borkowski said Meghan’s updated circle of friends proves she still has ‘profound influence’ but added she has started to ‘curate’ friends that fit her new ‘narrative’.

The PR wiz said: ‘Meghan’s circle proves she has a profound influence and will continue. The lineup of names surrounding her in this endeavor certainly speaks volumes about her evolving inner circle.

‘Mindy Kaling and Tracee Ellis Ross, it’s evident she’s curating a circle of influencers and creatives, signaling a shift towards a more culturally resonant sphere.

‘As for those left out in the cold, it’s a curious mix of former confidants and acquaintances who perhaps didn’t quite fit the new narrative. It’s a strategic move, undoubtedly showcasing Meghan’s knack for reinvention and remaining in the news cycle.’