Arts & Humanities - News, Articles, Books, Photo-Art, and Videos.
CURIOUSMINDS
A weekly serving of great articles we curate, and original content we produce. So, all you have to do is pick, read, watch and listen. |
|
|
Stories from Around the World that Affect Us |
|
|
New Age of American Terror
Charlie Kirk and Eddington
In 1894, the French intellectual Émile Henry nursed two beers in a Parisian café as the orchestra played to a room of wealthy patrons. After paying his bill and getting up to leave, Henry removed a bomb from his overcoat pocket, lit the fuse with his cigar, and threw the bomb into the café, toward the orchestra, leaving five widows and ten orphans. Today, such terror has become frighteningly normal in America.
|
|
|
One Hellscape to Another
BBC (Human Rights)
As Israel continues its operation to fully occupy Gaza City, displaced Palestinians in the Israeli-designated "humanitarian zone" in southern Gaza say conditions are worsening as the areas fills up with ever more people. Reports say that two children were killed, and others were injured reportedly in two Israeli strikes on tents in the zone, raising further questions about safety. "We are living in such harsh conditions that even an animal couldn't survive them," says Sylvia al-Shurafi, who was forced to flee to southern Gaza this week.
|
|
Drone Strike on Sudan Mosque Kills 78
BBC (Civil War)
More than 70 people have been killed following a drone strike on a mosque in Sudan's Darfur region, An attack in the city of el-Fasher has been blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but the group has not taken responsibility. The RSF and the army have been engaged in a ferocious civil war for more than two years. The paramilitaries are gaining ground as they fight to seize complete control of el-Fasher - the last army stronghold in Darfur and home to more than 300,000 civilians who have been trapped by the fighting.
|
|
|
|
|
Open Society Needs Constant Vigilance
Philosophy
Liberalism is built on paradoxes—but we have a duty to defend it. Who is responsible for defending liberal democracy when its norms come under attack? The philosopher Karl Popper, writing as fascist armies swept Europe, understood this was not an abstract question. Popper championed societies that were fundamentally “open”—sustained by critical inquiry and peaceful disagreement, rather than imposed unity. Image by Dream Studio
|
|
|
|
|
Is Utopia Possible?Crash Course Philosophy |
|
|
Is utopia just too utopian? In this episode of Crash Course Political Theory, we’ll explore visions of utopia from Plato to bell hooks. And we’ll investigate whether “the good place” is a good-for-nothing, impractical daydream—or a path to charting political futures. Image by Leonardo |
|
|
Quote of The Week
Each day may seem insignificant. But what we do each day says who we are and determines what we become.
- James King -
|
|
|
Top Stories from our favourite publications to stimulate your curious mind, |
|
|
Coming Plutocracy
Why Larry Ellison and Elon Musk threaten republican government in America. I wrote back in January about “Elon Musk and the Decline of Western Civilization,” and I’m sorry to report that the decline continues unabated. On September 5 2025, Tesla’s board announced an incentive package for Elon Musk that offered him a trillion dollars if he met some very ambitious goals for Tesla’s stock. The second was a series of moves by Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, and his son David, to consolidate a business empire that could eventually include, in addition to Oracle, Paramount Global, Skydance Media, MTV, CBS, Warner Brothers/Discovery (which owns HBO and CNN, among other properties), and Bari Weiss’ Free Press. These are troubling developments from the standpoint of American democracy, for somewhat different reasons.
|
|
|
AI 2026: Mistral Will Rise
BISMARK BRIEF (Artificial Intelligence)
As of September 2025, the company is valued at $13.8 billion after a funding round in which it raised $2 billion. In total, the company has raised over $3 billion. This currently makes Mistral the highest-valued AI startup in Europe, and its models have been well-received for their cost-efficiency. Despite its small size relative to leading U.S. AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, or xAI, Mistral has secured the support of Nvidia as well as the enthusiastic backing of the French government through the personal involvement of French President Emmanuel Macron. |
|
5 Best Cities for Young Musicians
ART NEWSLETTER (Performing Arts)
We scored each city proper, on two pillars and multiplied them. We normalise each metric, give every pillar a 1–5 score, then multiply the pillars. Multiplication rewards balance: if a city is amazing for music but brutal to navigate or pay for, it drops. All numbers reflect the city proper rather than metro area as that is where most of the action happens. This ranking uses these pillars in order to find out which cities are good living, networking, and creating a career for yourself.
|
|
|
The Pandemic of Fake Jobs
Corporate work is a charade. It’s transitioning to something more interesting. The most honest person I’ve met recently was a VP at a tech company who told me: “I manage a team of twelve people who create documents for other teams who create documents for senior leadership who don’t read documents. I make £150k a year. It’s completely absurd, and I’m riding it as long as I can while building something real on the side.” |
|
|
Art of Deep Listening
THE MARGINALIAN (Literature)
One fact that never fails to astound me: Despite the immense cultural changes and leaps in knowledge over the epochs, the human brain — that crucible of consciousness, roiling with the psychologies that govern the behaviors we call human nature — has remained virtually unchanged for the past hundred thousand years. How humbling to consider that what is cognitively true of our ancestors — who, lacking a knowledge of astronomy as the correct frame of reference for planetary motion, explained eclipses as acts of god and comets as omens of ill fortune... . |
|
The Tournament
WOMAN OF LETTERS (Literature)
He came across a lonely boy, out in the mountains, who claimed he’d been cast out by a harsh father who favored his brother over him. The paladin enjoyed the young man’s company and hoped to train him as a successor, so he swore an oath of friendship to this boy. But when they emerged from the mountains, the Paladin discovered that this boy was a nobleman. And, worse, he was an anointed knight. Yes, this boy, Deanor, was actually Ser Andras the Knight.
|
|
|
UPGRADE to PAID
CURIOUSMINDS content and opinions contain important information curated from reliable sources. We rely on reader support to keep it FREE. We want it to reach as many people as possible. If you value what we do and would like to help us sustain it, please consider a small monthly or annual contribution. Contributing subscribers get full access to all James King Publications including archives of CURIOUSMINDS, and a valuable BONUS: FREE ebook versions of all James King’s published books.Click - View them at Amazon · Donate via the - Choose a subscription plan - page. If you are not a subscriber already - Go to the Welcome page |
|
|
James King Blog offers valuable resources for students of Arts and Humanities. Particularly those interested in Environments, Literature, Performing Arts, Visual Art, Philosophy, Travel, and Human Rights. The articles provide insights into complex interactions between humans and their environments, and the ethical and moral dimensions of environmental issues. The Blog is relevant to students of all ages and those who are just fascinated by the Arts and Humanities. |
|
|
 What is the Built Environment – the Best Comprehensive Overview
What is the built environment? It encompasses all the physical structures, spaces, and systems created or modified by human beings. This includes buildings, infrastructures such as roads, bridges, and water supply systems, as well as recreational spaces like parks and urban gardens. |
|
|
FREE BOOKS201 Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense FreebiesThis Promo Closes October 20 Thriller authors join forces in joint promotion campaigns to introduce themselves to readers. You can download as many books as you like.
I hope you find plenty to entertain you. CLICK THE BANNER BELOW TO VIEW THE PROMO - AND GRAB AS MANY BOOKS AS YOU WANT |
|
|
|
|
ALFIE GOES TO THAILAND - SERIES
If you like thought-provoking drama, romantic tragedies, and damaged characters, then you’ll love the tropical sauna and wry humour of POST- IT NOTES and the other books in this Psychological Thriller series. The Series is a story of human challenge, manipulation, rejection, abuse, and a search for peace. |
|
|
|
|
THE KENRIGHT CHRONICLES - SERIES
The Kenright Chronicles is a psychological thriller series. Jack Kenright, a young investment banker gets involved in an international art swindle. which cripples his business and threatens his life and his family. He ends up a recluse, working for the FBI undercover and exposes massive corruption in the gambling world. |
|
|
|
|
BLAMEBy Michelle Huneven
A Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. A woman faces the many complicated consequences of a drunk-driving accident in Michelle Huneven's gripping third novel, Blame. Patsy MacLemoore, a twenty-eight-year-old history professor with a brand-new Ph.D. and a wild streak, wakes up in jail—yet again—after another epic alcoholic blackout.
|
|
|
|
|
The Kindly OnesBy Jonathan Littell
A Nazi recounts his unsettling journey through WWII in this prize-winning novel: "a world-class masterpiece of astonishing brutality, originality, and force" (Michael Korda, The Daily Beast). A literary sensation when it was first published in France, Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones was awarded both the Gran Prix du roman de l'Academie and the Prix Goncourt. Second World War historian Antony Beevor called it "a great work of literary fiction, to which readers and scholars will turn for decades to come" Now it is available in a sparkling English language edition by the renowned translator Charlotte Mandell (The Times, UK)
|
|
|
Substack - Creative Xellence -
Join us at Creative Xellence where we are building a home for James King's Poetry, Short Stories and serialised Novels. Subscribe for Free and you will be notified of new content and recieve the Newsletter.
|
|
Medium
At Medium we curate high value informative articles related to A&H from major publishers and authoratative sources. And we publish a smattering of selected articles from James King Blog and articles written by James King for Medium Publications.
|
|
|
Please Share
Please share CURIOUSMINDS with those whose life it may brighten. Many readers don't realise that even if they don't spend a cent on one of my books, just by reading free books and blog posts, they are supporting the growth of James King Publications.
If you are not a subscriber already and would like to receive CURIOUSMINDS, CLICK HERE |
|
Important Emails
Important emails sometimes go to your SPAM folder. Here's how to avoid it happening repeatedly. In your Spam or Promotions Folder, mark them - Report as not Spam - they should then go to your inbox. See our Amazon Author Page and Facebook |
|
|
|
|
-b399lo.png)
