The Vital Near-Magic of Fire-Eating Fungi JSTOR Daily
Ivan the Terrible, a complex figure known for his intelligence and devout nature, also had a dark side characterized by paranoia, rage, and bouts of mental instability that worsened with age. The painting attempts to convey Repin's interpretation of the emotional turmoil that ensued after the fatal encounter. The motive behind Ivan the Terrible's dreadful act was a result of a confrontation with his son over the son's pregnant wife. The Tsar had beaten his son's wife severely for wearing what he considered promiscuous clothes, causing her to suffer a miscarriage. When Ivanovich confronted his father about this cruel act, the Tsar struck him on the head with his sceptre, a blow that proved fatal and led to Ivanovich's slow and agonizing death over three days. In the painting, Ivan the Terrible holds his deceased son with a mixture of sorrow, regret, and lingering anger. The young child's eyes are filled with tears, and he clutches his father's arm, revealing signs of potential forgiveness, helplessness, and the devastating effects of the fatal blow he endured. Repin's creation of this masterpiece was no easy task; it required an immense amount of time and constant revision to achieve the desired result. The artist himself admitted to not enjoying the process due to the frequent reworks, but art critics worldwide have hailed the painting as a true masterpiece. It's worth noting that the image presented here is a 3-D version, providing a higher quality that allows for zooming in. While some may have reservations about the addition of 3-D elements, it was done to enhance the painting's quality and capture more realistic features rather than alter its essence. The painting continues to be a subject of political debate, historical insight, and reflection on the complexities of the human condition.
Hackers Claim To Have Breached Ticketmaster Stealing Personal Data of 560M Users
HackRead: “ShinyHunters hacking group has claimed to have breached Ticketmaster, stealing the personal data of 560 million users. The 1.3 TB of stolen data also includes payment details. Learn more about this major cybersecurity incident and its implications. The notorious hacker group ShinyHunters has claimed to have breached the security of Ticketmaster-Live Nation, compromising the personal data of a whopping 560 million users. This massive 1.3 terabytes of data, is now being offered for sale on Breach Forums for a one-time sale for $500,000.
The Breach: Details and Implications – ShinyHunters has allegedly accessed a treasure trove of sensitive user information, including full names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, ticket sales and event details, order information, and partial payment card data. Specifically, the compromised payment data includes customer names, the last four digits of card numbers, expiration dates, and even customer fraud details…”
The Monopoly Case Against Ticketmaster, Explained
404 Media: “The Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation/Ticketmaster isn’t really about high ticket prices, or ticket scalpers, or any individual offense. It is about a systematic vertical integration of the entire live music business, which has led to the company’s dominance over tickets, yes, but also over live music venues, artists’ tour booking, and concert promotion. This dominance has led to the downstream effects everyone hates, like higher ticket prices, difficult-to-obtain tickets, a symbiosis with ticket brokers, etc.
The key thing you need to know about this 124-page lawsuit, and about Live Nation as an entity, is what this vertical integration means for anyone touching the live music industry and anyone who wants to see a concert anywhere in the U.S. The Justice Department’s lawsuit, filed last week, paints a vivid picture of this vertically-integrated monopoly and explains all of the harms it has led to. In simple terms, Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, is not just selling fans tickets on Ticketmaster.com.
It owns, operates, or has exclusive contracts with the vast majority of midsized and large concert venues, and a supermajority of all outdoor pavilions and amphitheaters. And it has a concert promotion and artist agent arm, meaning major bands and artists are signed to Live Nation promoters.
For all but the smallest bands playing tiny indie venues, it is nearly impossible to book and perform a tour in the United States without touching Live Nation or Ticketmaster at some point. And this omnipresence over the whole industry means that Live Nation has a huge amount of control and power over how much bands are paid, how much tickets cost, and which venues they play at…”
