Sotheby’s is promoting a series of features and events that span Latin American art, collector automobiles in Monterey, luxury accessories, historic photography and lifestyle recommendations from its Paris salon. Fernando Botero Exhibition at the Breuer A new selling exhibition at the Breuer explores Fernando Botero’s early years in New York, a period marked by limited resources and his determination to establish himself as an artist after leaving Colombia. The feature includes reflections from Botero’s children on this formative stage of his life and its impact on his creative development. Readers can read more about the exhibition and the works on view. Monterey Car Week Lineup for RM Sotheby’s RM Sotheby’s will present a group of notable collector cars in Monterey from 13 to 15 August, including a Porsche 911 Speedster originally commissioned by Jerry Seinfeld, a McLaren F1 and a 1958 BMW among other highlights. An editorial shortlist points to 12 standout automobiles expected to attract significant attention during the sales. Interested collectors can view details on the full Monterey offering. Wicker-Inspired Handbag Selection Responding to renewed interest in wicker design, Sotheby’s Marketplace has assembled a selection of handbags that reference woven forms while maintaining a focus on high-end materials and finishes. Shoppers can browse pieces available through the marketplace’s online platform. Rediscovered 170-Year-Old Daguerreotype A recently catalogued daguerreotype offered at Sotheby’s was previously sold at auction for a small fraction of its value, with both photographer and sitter described as unknown. Research by a Sotheby’s specialist identified the work as a significant document of nineteenth-century American history. You can watch the video below that traces the portrait’s rediscovery and attribution. Erin Walsh’s Paris Guide from Sotheby’s Salon Through its collaboration with digital concierge service Velocity Black, Sotheby’s Salon in Paris features a city guide by Hollywood stylist Erin Walsh outlining her preferred stops in the French capital. The guide includes fashion and cultural destinations as well as a visit to Sotheby’s Salon itself. Readers can explore the guide online. Palm Beach Property of the Week Sotheby’s International Realty is also promoting a Palm Beach residence that is presented as a private resort-style home in Palm Beach, Florida. You can see more information and imagery of the listing through Sotheby's property platform. By ML. Photo(s)/Sotheby’s

Artists are invited to submit their credentials for public art opportunities connected to the Miami International Airport (MIA) Capital Improvement Program through Miami-Dade County’s Art in Public Places program. The opportunity is open to local, national, and international artists at all stages of their careers. Artists should submit qualifications, including images of completed work, a resume, and an artist statement. Proposals or renderings for unfinished projects should not be submitted at this stage. There is no fee to apply. Important Deadline Deadline: Monday, September 21, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST Eligibility: Local, national, and international artists, subject to additional eligibility requirements outlined in the full opportunity. How the Selection Process Works Art in Public Places projects may involve commissioning new artwork specifically for a site or purchasing existing work. An independent Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), made up of professionals in art, art history, architecture, and architectural history, reviews artist submissions and recommends artists to the Art in Public Places Trust. The initial selection is based on an artist’s existing body of work and aesthetic, as represented through submitted images and other visual materials. Selected artists may then be shortlisted and invited to develop a specific proposal for a project site. At the proposal stage, artists receive additional information about the site, budget, and scope of work. They may also tour the location and meet with architects and planners. Artists can present their concepts using a range of materials, including drawings, blueprints, maquettes, computer-generated imagery, and material samples. Artists selected to move forward are expected to present a working budget. If a proposal is accepted, the Trust negotiates a contract with the artist covering the design and execution of the work, including related costs such as travel, materials, fabrication, transportation, insurance, and installation. Progress payments are made according to an agreed schedule. Submission Information Artists should carefully review the complete opportunity and eligibility requirements before submitting credentials. Deadline: September 21, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EST Application: Apply Here / View Full Opportunity Details By ML Staff/Photo/Toa Heftiba

Back to school, back to saving the day! Voices for Children of Broward County (Voices) hosted its annual Back-to-School Extravaganza at Old Navy in Oakwood Plaza in Hollywood on Sunday, Aug. 2. The Back-to-School Extravaganza is a part of Voices’ year-long 15th anniversary celebration and expands its mission to ensure that every child and young adult in Broward County who has experienced abuse, neglect, or abandonment has access to essential resources and programs that promote long-term stability and well-being. Over 70 children in foster care had the opportunity to shop for their back-to-school essentials alongside real-life superheroes, including Voices volunteers, Hollywood Police Department, City of Hollywood Fire Rescue & Beach Safety, Broward County Sheriff’s Office and beloved character entertainers Spider-Man, Disney Encanto’s Mirabel and K-pop stars Rumi and Mira. Families enjoyed a fun-filled morning, including breakfast, face painting, activities, and a surprise appearance by Florida Panthers Stanley C. Panther. DJ Aaron provided the soundtrack for the morning. Each child received brand-new clothes, a backpack full of first-day essentials and the reminder that their community sees them as the heroes they truly are. “The start of a new school year should feel exciting, not overwhelming, but for many children, showing up without the right supplies, clothing, or resources can make that first day feel out of reach,” said Voices President and CEO Erica Herman. “A backpack stocked with school supplies represents so much more than pencils and notebooks. It sends a powerful message to a child that they matter, that they are seen, and that someone is in their corner rooting for their success. The morning wouldn’t be possible without the support of Old Navy and our board members, donors and community partners who are committed to our mission and helped over 100 children go back to school prepared.” As many children in foster care move placements without essential supplies, Voices collects backpacks, school supplies, and monetary donations all year round to ensure school supplies are always available for those to feel prepared, supported, and excited for what is ahead. The community can help bring big smiles and bright futures to children in foster care by becoming a sponsor, making a monetary donation, hosting a donation drive, or purchasing supplies from Voices’ ongoing Amazon Wishlist. The Back-to-School Extravaganza is a part of Voices’ longstanding signature program, Dream Big Days, and is designed for children in foster care. Voices’ Dream Big Days is a transformative program designed to provide enriching experiences and core memory-making opportunities for children in foster care. Through a series of specially curated events and activities, Dream Big Days aims to broaden horizons, ignite curiosity, and foster personal growth among participants. These immersive experiences offer children the chance to explore new interests, discover hidden talents, and create lasting memories that transcend the challenges of their circumstances. Voices thanks its generous Back-to-School Extravaganza sponsors, including Pam Tindall; The Inglis Giving Fund; Home, Inc.; Broward County Sheriff’s Office; Hollywood Police Department; Hollywood Fire Rescue; Cooper City Women’s Club; Precious Dreams Foundation; Kindness Couture; Balloons Galore & More; Elite Photobooths; Media McCoy; DJ Aaron; B&B Catering; Fanatics; Genesis FC Football Club; The Fried Family; The Sullivan Family; Emily Wong-Swartz; Sarah Hartman; Claudia Petersen; Regina Wilcox and The Brooksy Group. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Voices.

You probably already know that how you eat before bed affects your sleep. Maybe you’ve found yourself still lying awake at 2 a.m. after enjoying a cup of coffee with dessert. But did you know that your eating choices throughout the day may also affect your sleep at night? In fact, more and more evidence shows that overall dietary patterns can affect sleep quality and contribute to insomnia. I am a nutritional epidemiologist, and I’m trained to look at diets at the population level and how they affect health. In the U.S., a large percentage of the population suffers from poor sleep quality and sleep disorders like insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the upper airway becomes blocked and breathing stops during sleep. At the same time, most Americans eat far too much fatty and processed food, too little fiber and too few fruits and vegetables. Although it is difficult to determine whether these two trends are causally linked to one another, more and more research points to linkages between sleep and diet and offers hints at the biological underpinnings of these relationships. How diet and sleep quality can be intertwined My colleagues and I wanted to get a deeper understanding of the possible link between sleep and diet in Americans who are 18 and older. So we analyzed whether people who follow the government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans get more hours of sleep. Using a nationally representative dataset of surveys collected from 2011 to 2016, we found that people who did not adhere to dietary recommendations such as consuming enough servings of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains had shorter sleep duration. In a separate study, we followed more than 1,000 young adults ages 21 to 30 who were enrolled in a web-based dietary intervention study designed to help them increase their daily servings of fruits and vegetables. We found that those who increased their fruit and vegetable consumption over a three-month period reported better sleep quality and reductions in insomnia symptoms. Research conducted outside the U.S. by my group and others also shows that healthier overall dietary patterns are associated with better sleep quality and fewer insomnia symptoms. These include the Mediterranean diet – a diet rich in plant foods, olive oil and seafood, and low in red meat and added sugar – and anti-inflammatory diets. These are similar to the Mediterranean diet but include additional emphasis on certain components in the diet like flavonoids, a group of compounds found in plants, which are shown to lower inflammatory biomakers in the blood. Parsing the foods and nutrients Within overall healthy diet patterns, there are numerous individual foods and nutrients that may be linked to quality of sleep, with varying degrees of evidence. For example, studies have linked consumption of fatty fish, dairy, kiwi fruit, tart cherries and other berries such as strawberries and blueberries with better sleep. One of the common pathways through which these foods may affect sleep is by providing melatonin, an important modulator of sleep and wake cycles in the brain. Fiber-rich foods like beans and oatmeal and certain protein sources – especially those that are high in the amino acid tryptophan, such as poultry – are also associated with higher-quality sleep. Individual nutrients that may be beneficial include magnesium, vitamin D, iron, omega-3 fatty acids and manganese. Some foods like salmon are sources of multiple nutrients. Untangling the complexity One important caveat with a lot of the research on individual foods, as well as diet patterns, is that most studies cannot easily disentangle the direction of the relationships. In other words, it’s hard to know whether the association is a result of diet affecting sleep, or sleep affecting diet. The reality is that it is likely a cyclical relationship, where a healthy diet promotes good sleep quality, which in turn helps to reinforce good dietary habits. With observational studies, there are also possible confounding factors, such as age and economic status, that may have important correlations with both sleep and diet. Foods to avoid for sleep health Aiming for higher intake of sleep-promoting foods isn’t necessarily enough to get better sleep. It’s also important to avoid certain foods that could be bad for sleep. Here are some of the main culprits: Saturated fats, such as that in burgers and fries and processed foods, could lead to less slow-wave sleep, which is considered the most restorative sleep. Refined carbohydrates, such as those in white bread and pasta, are metabolized quickly. If you eat these foods for dinner, they can result in waking up from hunger. Alcohol disrupts sleep quality. Although the sedative effects of alcohol can initially make it easier to fall asleep, it disrupts sleep patterns by shortening the amount of REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep in the first part of the night and leads to more night awakenings. Caffeine consumed even six hours before bed can make it difficult to fall asleep because it blocks the hormone adenosine, which promotes sleepiness. The consistent overconsumption of calories can lead to weight gain, one of the strongest predictors of obstructive sleep apnea. Having excess weight is a factor because it can put additional pressure on the diaphragm and lungs, and can also lead to a narrower airway if fat accumulates around the neck and throat. Interestingly, our group has recently shown that toxicants in food or food packaging, like pesticides, mercury and phthalates – chemicals used to manufacture plastics – can affect sleep. Since toxicants can be found in both healthy and unhealthy foods, this research suggests that some foods can contain a mix of components that are both beneficial and harmful for sleep. Timing of meals and gender considerations The timing and consistency of eating, known as “chrononutrition” in the sleep research field, also very likely help to explain associations between healthy diets and good sleep. In the U.S., eating at conventional meal times as opposed to random snacking has been associated with better sleep. In addition, late-night eating is typically associated with unhealthier food intake – such as processed snacks – and could cause more fragmented sleep. A final and very interesting piece of this puzzle is that associations between diet and sleep often differ by gender. For example, it appears that the associations between healthy diet patterns and insomnia symptoms could be stronger among women. One reason for this could be gender differences in sleep. In particular, women are more likely than men to suffer from insomnia. Keys to a good night’s sleep Overall, there is not one magic food or drink that will improve your sleep. It’s better to focus on overall healthy dietary patterns throughout the day, with a higher proportion of calories consumed earlier in the day. And, in addition to avoiding caffeine, alcohol and heavy meals in the two to three hours before bed, the last few hours of the day should include other good sleep hygiene practices. These include disengaging from technology, reducing light exposure and creating a comfortable and relaxing environment for sleep. Moreover, allowing enough time to sleep and maintaining a consistent bedtime and wake time is essential. By Erica Jansen Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan. Images courtesy of The Conversation. Special thanks for The Conversation for content republishing. Top photo/Jude Infantini/unsplash

Bal Harbour Shops celebrated the launch of its new styling partnership with renowned fashion stylist Elizabeth Saltzman with an intimate brunch at The Hedges Inn in East Hampton. Hosted by Saltzman, the August 11 gathering brought together fashion insiders, industry leaders, and longtime friends of the luxury shopping destination, including Aerin Lauder, Alina Cho, Celine Rattray, Julie Hillman, Lara Shriftman, Lisa Perry, Malcolm Carfrae, Sarah Wetenhall, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Nina Runsdorf, Amy Griffin, Cameron Silver, Helen Lee, Andrea Rajačić, Serena Levy, Anne-Cecilie Speyer, Marjorie Harris, and Sara Handreke. Saltzman has been named Bal Harbour Shops’ inaugural Stylist Expert in Residence, with her six-month residency running November 2026 through May 2027. As part of the partnership, she will work closely with Bal Harbour Shops’ Access Client Services Program, bringing her styling expertise and industry perspective to its personalized approach to luxury shopping. The collaboration expands Bal Harbour Shops’ focus on one-on-one client service while connecting its fashion community with one of the industry’s leading stylists. The family-owned destination, which opened in 1965 as America’s first all-luxury fashion center, continues to build on its reputation for curated retail and highly personalized experiences. By ML Staff.Photos/BFA | David Benthal

I’ve taught “The Odyssey” to college students for over a decade, including in a course on witches in Western culture. I suspect my students would immediately notice that the Circe in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey” is a departure from the one who appears in Homer’s ancient poem. Nolan’s Circe, played by Samantha Morton, is more like a fairy-tale witch than an ancient goddess. Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures Homer’s Circe is an immortal goddess, desirable and beguiling. In classics scholar Emily Wilson’s 2017 translation of “The Odyssey,” she is described as “the lovely Circe with her braided hair.” She lives in a “beautiful tall house of polished stone” and “shining doors,” along with dozens of nymphs, fellow goddesses who serve her and her guests. When Odysseus arrives in Book 10, Circe and her household treat him with the highest standard of hospitality, giving him a bath, fresh clothes, and wine to drink from golden cups. Then there’s Nolan’s Circe, played by Samantha Morton: She is less ancient goddess than fairy-tale witch, with a dirt-smudged face and an unkempt ponytail. Her hut is dark and dilapidated. She is alone. Inside, where a cauldron bubbles and a caged raven croaks, she offers Odysseus and his men a goopy stew, which they greedily devour. Then something strange happens. They begin to gag. Circe puts her hands to their faces, working their flesh like clay. Noses lengthen into snouts. Bellies swell and tails sprout. The men become pigs. Some critics found the film’s Circe reductive for being portrayed as “a simple witch,” while others found her “almost poetic” for being “earthily human.” Morton, in an interview with The Times of London, spoke about Circe as “a survivor,” evoking women who speak out against abuse. So, which is it? How faithful is the film’s Circe to the original poem? And what inspired Nolan – and Morton – to portray her this way? Circe in Homer’s epic In Homer’s poem, Circe plays a major role. After taking Odysseus to her “dazzling bed,” she becomes Odysseus’ lover, hosting him and his men for an entire year. When Odysseus decides it is time to move on, she helps him prepare. She gives the crew instructions to reach the Underworld in Book 11 and to conjure the seer Tiresias, who prophesies how Odysseus will return home. After this feat, Odysseus and his men return to Circe’s island in Book 12. It is Circe who reveals the famous choices Odysseus must make on the remainder of his journey: whether or not to hear the Sirens’ song, and whether to sail nearer to the whirlpool Charybdis or the six-headed monster Scylla. Circe reiterates Tiresias’ warning to avoid the sun god’s sacred cattle – to “remember home” so that Odysseus can “at last arrive in Ithaca.” British painter John Collier’s 1885 painting ‘Circe’ depicts the witch as a graceful, attractive temptress. Buyenlarge/Getty Images In the film, Circe appears only briefly. She doesn’t play hostess for a day, let alone a year. And though she tells Odysseus how to reach the Underworld, it is Tiresias – played by an unrecognizable James Remar – who foretells Odysseus’ coming challenges, and Odysseus embarks without returning to Circe’s island. In Nolan’s adaptation, Circe is simply another obstacle for Odysseus to overcome on his journey. She is more villain than lover, healer or seer. So it’s understandable that some viewers might come away from the film seeing her as “just a witch.” Circe the feminist But this version of Circe – angry, vindictive and, yes, witchy – didn’t appear out of thin air. The film’s Circe defends her actions, telling Odysseus: “I didn’t turn your men into anything – this is who they are! They have raped and pillaged across the world, you think that’s against their nature?” It’s a fair point. Odysseus’ men have set fire to Troy, blinded the Cyclops and raided the island of the Laestrygonians, repeatedly choosing their own interests over the virtue of xenia, or hospitality, that the film stresses is central to Greek culture. In her condemnation of Odysseus’ men, I see the tradition of feminist retellings of “The Odyssey,” where Circe serves as a symbol of resistance to the patriarchal values represented – even if ambivalently – in Homer’s poem. Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy’s 1999 collection “The World’s Wife” contains her poem “Circe.” Much like Margaret Atwood’s 2005 novel “The Penelopiad,” which reimagines “The Odyssey” from Penelope’s perspective, “Circe” views the events of Book 10 from Circe’s point of view. Circe, the poem’s speaker, instructs the nymphs in a recipe for cooking pork. Her references to ingredients – parts of the butchered pig – assume double meanings as readers recall that these pigs were once men: “Lay two pig’s cheeks, with the tongue, / in a dish, and strew it well over with salt / and cloves. Remember the skills of the tongue – to lick, to lap, to loosen, lubricate, to lie / in the soft pouch of the face …” In the comic, familiar vein of this poem, this Circe is jaded. She has loved and lost. She has encountered betrayal and, she suggests, abuse. Addressing a feminine audience that presumably shares her experience, she remembers a time when she was “younger” and “hoping for men.” Now, she turns the traditionally feminine work of cooking into a refuge – and a weapon. Circe shows her nymphs precisely what men are good for. “Season with mace,” she says, referring at once to a spice and to a self-defense weapon. The poem is funny, but it also makes the reader think differently about the witch. In Briton Rivière’s 1871 painting ‘Circe and the Friends of Ulysses,’ Circe appears like the lovely goddess described in Homer’s epic poem. Wikimedia Commons In Nolan’s “Odyssey,” when Circe returns Odysseus’ men to their human form, she whispers, “Back into your disguises.” The line could be dismissed as the babbling of a crazy old crone. But viewed alongside Duffy’s poem, it could also be taken seriously as a moral judgment: these men are guided by their grossest, most insatiable appetites. This Circe is unhinged because of what she knows. She is a witch, yes. But she also speaks the truth. Madeline Miller, in her bestselling 2018 novel “Circe,” also reclaims the witch as a figure of empowerment. Her Circe initially welcomes ships to her island. In a chilling scene, a sailor asks, “Mistress? When will your husband be home? We would toast such fine hospitality.” When Circe replies, “If you would thank your host, thank me. This house is mine alone,” the men assault her. Claiming her treasures for themselves, they fall asleep drunk on her wine. Circe regains consciousness, turns the men into pigs, and resolves to do the same with future visitors. When Miller’s Circe tells Odysseus, “You must understand that your men would have robbed me blind,” readers, like the hero, recognize her magic as her means to assert ownership of her body, to manifest her will in a hostile world. A witch for a reason The Circe of Nolan’s “Odyssey” indicts Odysseus and his men: their version of masculinity, their violence and their entitlement. Odysseus arrives at the same conclusion – that he, too, is a pig, and not a man; that he has stolen too much from others’ tables, violated the sanctity of their homes and desecrated their gods. This depiction of Circe is integral to Nolan’s apocalyptic narrative. As many, including Emily Wilson, have pointed out, Nolan goes to great lengths to portray the Trojan War as a moral failure of the Greeks. Characters in the film hint at the looming collapse of Bronze Age Greek civilization, the scattering of its people and the disappearance of writing, linking the Greeks’ campaign of conquest and plunder to the eventual destruction of the world they inhabit. What comes next ultimately vindicates Circe’s condemnation of the sailors. This Circe may not look much like the lovely goddess of the poem, and her role may be limited to the metamorphosis of men into pigs. But she makes a point that resonates with past feminist appropriations of this compelling character in a visceral way that moviegoers won’t forget. This article has been updated with a correction: It was James Remar, not Anthony Hopkins, who played Tiresias in “The Odyssey.” Words by Bailey Sincox, Lecturer in Comparative Literature, Binghamton University, State University of New York. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.

Pop has always thrived on reinvention, with artists moving through distinct phases that reconfigure both their sound and sense of self. Charli XCX in a promotional photo for her new era, tied to the album Music, Fashion, Film. Live Nation David Bowie moved through personas such as Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke, each marking a distinct shift in sound and identity. Madonna similarly built her career through transformation, with each phase tied to a distinct visual and sonic shift. More recently, Beyoncé has moved through distinct eras, from Lemonade (2016) to Renaissance (2022) and Cowboy Carter (2024), creating clearly different stylistic worlds around each project. Taylor Swift’s recent Eras Tour has helped to repackage this reinvention as clearly defined “eras”. The tour reinforced the idea that each album represents a distinct world, and encouraged fans to structure their memory, identity and engagement through these phases. These artist eras are now experienced, circulated and intensified through social media. Albums have become centrepieces of wider cultural worlds built through visuals, personal stories and fan participation. Meanwhile deluxe editions, remixes and companion releases increasingly blur the boundaries of the album itself. Thinking in terms of eras provides a way of understanding these multiple releases as belonging to the same creative chapter that fans actively participate in, expand and help define. Charli XCX Fan studies research has long shown that digital technologies expand opportunities for fan creativity and participation, allowing audiences to play a more active role in shaping and circulating cultural meanings. On social media, fans don’t just follow an era – they help bring it to life. Through videos, memes, fashion, conversations and creative interpretations, they shape the meanings that come to define a project and extend an album beyond the music itself. Artists often encourage this by revealing visual aesthetics, sharing cryptic teasers and discussing new projects in interviews long before release, inviting fans to imagine the era before the music is even out. What emerges is something larger than an album alone: a shared cultural world built together by artists and fans. Camera by Charli XCX, the final single to be released before her album Music, Fashion, Film. This can clearly be seen in the work of Charli XCX. Released in 2024, her album Brat became instantly recognisable for its lime green artwork and deliberately chaotic aesthetics, becoming one of the defining pop moments of the year. The album’s rebellious energy was rapidly taken up by fans online, who helped to build a recognisable Brat universe that connected with the core themes of the album through fashion, memes and video edits. One example was the “apple dance” a viral TikTok dance that accompanied Charli’s song Apple. It was originally created by fan Kelley Heyer before being taken up by Charli herself and becoming a regular feature then in her live shows. Participating in an era in this way was also a way of expressing identity and belonging, allowing fans to signal shared values, tastes and community through creative participation. How the apple dance fuelled Charli XCX’s ‘Brat summer’. Charli’s new album Music, Fashion, Film (released on July 24 2026), signals a shift in tone and style, showing a distinct new era. Where the Brat era embraced bright green visuals, club culture and a chaotic energy, Music, Fashion, Film introduces a more cinematic, fashion-led aesthetic, with stronger influences from rock culture. The album’s artwork itself is a collage featuring figures from music, fashion and film. As with Brat, fans are similarly able to co-produce a particular world around this new era, being invited through a website generator to add their own images and remix the album cover. This built excitement around the release and encouraged fans to share visual references and interpretations before the music was fully out. It’s an example of how eras increasingly begin even before albums are released, shaped through expectation as much as through reception. Wink Wink by Charli XCX. The third single from Charli’s album, Wink Wink, with its tongue in cheek declaration “I’m not a bad girl anymore, I promise”, signals a deliberate departure from the Brat era. This has shaped early fan interpretations of the project as a shift in direction. Charli herself has reinforced this, explaining in interviews that her albums often “repel against each other”, suggesting that reinvention is central to her creative process, with it being “fun to flip the form”. Ariana Grande One of Charli’s recent collaborators, Ariana Grande has highlighted a different dimension of era building with her new album, Petal (released on July 31). Whereas Charli’s recent era has centred on a bold visual aesthetic, Grande has framed her new era primarily through emotional openness and personal storytelling. Grande labelled her new current era “a little feral” and from “a place that I have maybe been too shy or polite to tap into before” in a post shared to her Instagram before any music was released. By describing the project this way directly with her followers, Grande encouraged fans to understand the album as an emotionally revealing chapter of her career. The visual presentation remains important. Through monochrome photography, Grande showcased a return to her signature high brunette ponytail after the blonde look associated with her role as Glinda in Wicked. The striking image of her smiling on the album artwork helped to signal a new chapter as it reinforced a sense of a return to self after a major acting role. These visuals establish the mood of the project, but it is the emotional framing of the project that gives this era its further distinctive identity. Fans extend those narratives through their own posts, edits and discussions online. Eras, as well as being visual or aesthetic terrains, can also be emotional ones. Not every fan welcomes a new era. Major shifts in sound or image can spark debate, with some celebrating reinvention while others mourn the loss of what came before. Those discussions are themselves part of how an era takes shape. Ultimately, what we are seeing is the expansion of the album. Albums remain core musical texts, but eras are the wider worlds built around them that can grow over time through visuals, performances, interviews, remixes and fan interpretations. In this sense, the album becomes less of a fixed object and more of an ongoing cultural space shaped through repeated engagement and reinterpretation. Eras have become such a powerful way of understanding contemporary pop music. Listening is only one part of the experience. At their core, eras are sustained by the connective and creative work of fandom, which fuses together music, meaning and identity across time. Words by Lucy Bennett, Lecturer in Popular Music, Digital Culture and Fandom, Cardiff University. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.

Salads – along with other fresh produce – are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Leafy greens are rich in vitamins A, C and K, folate, potassium and magnesium. They also contain lots of fiber, which supports a healthy gut microbiome, promotes fullness, helps regulate blood sugar, and may contribute to healthy aging and better cognitive function. Prewashed greens are extremely convenient, but whole heads of lettuce may be less risky during a cyclospora outbreak. CostaPPPR via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA But an ongoing 2026 outbreak of cyclosporiasis, caused by the cyclospora parasite, has sickened more than 11,500 people across the United States with explosive diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms and has put a damper on salad consumption. A poll released on July 26 reports that 40% of U.S. adults have cut down on buying and eating fresh produce. News of egg and blueberry recalls, plus an investigation into a new, separate cyclospora outbreak, has not helped. As an immunologist and infectious disease specialist studying how germs spread and cause illnesses and outbreaks, I know it’s impossible to entirely eliminate your risk of being infected with microbes that can contaminate foods, such as cyclopsora, E. coli and salmonella. But rather than avoiding fresh produce, adopting a few sensible food safety practices can help you significantly reduce your risk of getting sick while continuing to enjoy the many health benefits and flavor perks of salads and fresh veggies. During an active outbreak, washing your prewashed greens is a good idea. But better still would be choosing a whole head of lettuce that you wash at home. The perks of prewashed produce Bagged lettuce and other veggies, often labeled “triple washed” or “prewashed” and marketed as ready to eat, have become very popular. The packaging gives consumers confidence that the product has been commercially cleaned and helps save time when preparing fast, healthy meals. Convenience is important: Research shows that when vegetables are easier to prepare and eat, people tend to consume more of them. Commercial processors follow food safety practices, and millions of bags of produce are consumed safely each year. Normally, using prewashed lettuce right out of the bags is a low-risk move. Salad has some hefty health benefits – and there are ways to keep eating it, even during a foodborne illness outbreak. Commercial packaging risks However, prewashed doesn’t mean sterile. “Triple washed” or “ready to eat” means a product is cleaned to commercial standards, not that it is free of all harmful germs. And the same things that make prewashed vegetables convenient and appealing also introduce risk. That’s because each stage of production – harvest, cut, wash, conveyor belt and packaging – creates another opportunity for contamination. What’s more, bagged lettuce often travels a considerable distance to consumers. This gives germs ample time to multiply, making contaminated food harder to locate and recall. During commercial processing, pathogen from a single contaminated leaf can spread to additional leaves through equipment or wash water, increasing the potential for cross contamination. Research also suggests that cut leaves release plant juices that may help bacteria survive and multiply. Cyclospora is resistant to the chlorine and sanitizers commonly used to sanitize fresh produce, and routine washing may not completely remove the parasite. It’s also a particularly persistent pathogen in that its eggs adhere tightly to the surface of leafy greens and other bumpy produce. For these reasons, preventing contamination during growing, harvesting and processing is the most effective strategy for reducing risk. Benefits of whole, local lettuce In the face of multiple outbreaks involving fresh produce, choosing whole heads of lettuce and washing them at home is a reasonable way to reduce risk. Strip off and throw away the outer leaves, wash the leaves you plan to eat under running water and dry them in a salad spinner or with paper towels. Whole lettuce heads undergo less processing than commercially bagged lettuce, which means fewer chances for exposure to microbes that can make people sick. That’s also true of locally grown produce. Local produce usually comes from smaller farms and gets to your plate in fewer steps, so it tends to be safer than mass-produced fruits and vegetables. Buying lettuce at local farmers markets or farm stands – or even just choosing locally grown produce at your supermarket – can lower your risk of exposure during the current cyclosporiasis outbreak, which is suspected to come from commercial producers. The upshot is that the health benefits of salad far outweigh the relatively small risk of foodborne illness – particularly if you follow these three simple rules: Opt for whole heads of lettuce when possible, and rinse them well at home. Thoroughly scrub other produce with water and a produce brush, too. When possible, buy locally grown produce, since nationwide outbreaks generally come from large commercial producers. If you do go for bagged and prewashed greens and other produce, give them a good rinse even when they say “prewashed.” Words by Lisa Cuchara, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Quinnipiac University. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.

The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs’ Art in Public Places program, in partnership with the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, is requesting qualifications from professional artists interested in a major public art commission at Miami International Airport. The project calls for a landmark cladding and screening artwork that will span the existing Dolphin and Flamingo Garages and the newly built Ibis Garage, creating a cohesive visual identity at the airport for years to come. The selected artist or artist team will be asked to propose distinctive artistic applications that enhance these utilitarian structures and engage employees, travelers and passers-by. Shortlisted artists will receive a proposal stipend and travel allowance to participate in an in-depth concept development phase with Art in Public Places, the aviation department and the project’s architectural and engineering consultants. The commissioned artist will be expected to serve as a member of the garages project team for at least four years, while the selected general contractor will fabricate and install the final design. Interested artists can apply online for consideration. By ML. Photo(s)/Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs

Museums around the world are increasingly turning their galleries into dance floors by inviting DJs to play within their spaces and at special events. This shift is part of a broader effort to diversify programming and make institutions more responsive to contemporary cultural practices. Rather than treating these events as mere entertainment, a new generation of institutions is beginning to recognize DJing as an artistic discipline that carries curatorial weight. Through selections of tracks, samples, and mixes, DJs assemble soundscapes that reference specific histories, subcultures, and geographies, creating narratives that can be as carefully constructed as those in traditional exhibitions. By placing DJs at the center of their programs, museums are acknowledging that the dance floor can function as a space of community building and shared experience. Audiences who might not visit for a conventional exhibition are being drawn in by music-led events, while curators gain new tools to explore themes such as migration, identity, and technology through sound. Readers can explore more perspectives on these developments on the Art Basel website. By ML. Photo(s)/Art Basel

Chanel has released a limited edition purse spray version of its Gabrielle Chanel Essence eau de parfum, offering the fragrance in a portable format designed for everyday use. The new purse spray is presented as a compact, on the go format that can be carried easily and applied throughout the day. Chanel describes the product as a fragrance that can be worn like jewelry, reflecting the free spirited character associated with Gabrielle Chanel. The launch highlights the warm scent profile of Gabrielle Chanel Essence, a floral concentrate built around Grasse tuberose, which is positioned as the central, most captivating note in the composition. The purse spray is intended to prolong the fragrance trail while providing a convenient way to refresh the scent. For more details on the fragrance, you can visit Chanel online. By ML. Photo(s)/CHANEL

Florida Grand Opera is spotlighting its grand-scale productions in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, inviting audiences to experience large-scale sets, costumes, and powerful vocal performances that aim to leave a lasting impression long after each show ends. The company, which presents classic grand opera alongside contemporary works and new commissions, is encouraging opera-goers to attend upcoming performances that showcase both established artists and emerging talent from its training program. Founded in 1941 as the Opera Guild of Greater Miami and later merged with the Opera Guild of Fort Lauderdale, Florida Grand Opera operates under the direction of Maria Todaro and continues to serve South Florida audiences as one of the nation’s oldest opera companies. Through its Florida Grand Opera Studio, the organization trains emerging singers who support world-class artists on stage and perform in the community, expanding access to opera throughout the region. By ML. Photo(s)/Florida Grand Opera