Five Bullets 4.28.23
This week: Chevalier, Harry Belafonte, NYC Parks & more
Hello and Welcome Back to Circles In Space for Five Bullet Friday, where each Friday I share interesting stuff collected during the week.
If you’re new to Circles In Space, I wrote a bit about myself and this newsletter.
Good morning everyone and Happy Friday! It’s a cool and cloudy Spring morning here in New York City with some rain expected this afternoon.
We’re counting down the days to the one-year anniversary of the newsletter. This week I’ve got a bit of everything - history, movies, the ethics of AI art and an interesting read on Lebanon’s history and future. So far, over the past year I’ve shared 225 bulleted topics- that’s a lot of interesting stuff! Expect to see some changes in the near future.
This week’s bullets:
Chevalier is based on the life of fencer, soldier, violinist and composer Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George, whose history was mostly forgotten after Napoleon’s re-establishment of slavery in 1802 France. Kelvin Harrison Jr. gives a powerful performance in this period drama about the virtuosic Chevalier.
RIP Harry Belafonte, singer, actor, activist and folk hero.
In my 3.31.23 newsletter dedicated to AI, I used artwork created by DALL-E which I’d prompted for an Edward Hopper-like painting. When I included the image, I wasn’t sure who to credit for the work - me? The AI? Edward Hopper? Welcome to the grey zone of the ethics of AI art.
Rania Abouzeid wrote an eye-opening account of the difficulties facing Lebanon after an economic collapse and government breakdown.
A few facts about two New York City parks:
Maria Hernandez Park bears the name of Maria Hernandez who was killed in 1989 after speaking out against drug activity in the community. The land was once home to P.T. Barnum’s circus before becoming a park in the 1940s.
Petrosino Square in lower Manhattan is named for Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino, who died while investigating the Black Hand in Palermo, Italy. He is the only NY police officer to die in the line of duty outside the United States.