All posts tagged: vital

A Vital Unconscious | Coco Fusco

A Vital Unconscious | Coco Fusco

Published by Jenni Sidey

I wanted with all my heart to paint the drama of my country, but by thoroughly expressing the negro spirit, the beauty of the plastic art of the blacks. In this way I could act as a Trojan horse that would spew forth hallucinating figures with the power to surprise, to disturb the dreams of the exploiters. I knew I was running the risk of not being understood either by the man in the street or by the others. —Wifredo Lam In the middle of the twentieth century the Cuban-born painter Wifredo Lam made the African presence in his homeland the driving force of his oeuvre, in drawings and paintings filled with totemic figures that often float in dark, monochromatic spaces. It has taken a long time for the originality of that aesthetic and political orientation to be fully appreciated in the United States. His most famous painting, La jungla (The Jungle, 1942–1943), was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in 1945, but for many years it hung by the coatroom in the museum’s …

iOS 26.4 brings essential upgrades to your iPhone – including a vital security fix

iOS 26.4 brings essential upgrades to your iPhone – including a vital security fix

Published by skeptic

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Apple’s iOS 26.4 spruces up Apple Music, Podcasts, and more. WatchOS, MacOS, TVOS, and VisionOS have also been updated. But the new and improved Siri is still waiting in the wings. iPhone users can now officially download and install iOS 26.4, a new update that adds a variety of features. No one item by itself is earth-shaking. But collectively, they do offer several handy improvements, as well as the usual security patches. Also: Apple’s iOS 26.4.1 update enables Stolen Device Protection by default now – grab it today 1. Apple Music First up are some clever additions to the Apple Music app. With the new Playlist Playground, you can use AI to create the type of playlist you want. For example, tell the app that you want it to build a playlist of jazz tunes from the 1950s, and it should generate one based on your music library. The new Concerts feature points you to nearby live …

Young woman diagnosed with bowel cancer twice shares vital warning for others

Young woman diagnosed with bowel cancer twice shares vital warning for others

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore At just 26, Charlotte Rutherford faced a life-altering diagnosis of bowel cancer, a tumour so aggressive it obstructed her colon, leaving her in excruciating pain and unable to keep food down. The harrowing experience, she says, profoundly shifted her perspective, making her realise “how fragile life is” and driving her mission to raise awareness that “this can be happening to young people”. Now 32, Ms Rutherford was living in Australia in 2020 when she was rushed to hospital, suffering from severe stomach pain, persistent vomiting, and a complete loss of appetite. For approximately 18 months, she had endured intermittent symptoms, but it was only when her condition reached an “emergency state” that a CT scan uncovered Stage 3B bowel cancer. The aggressive tumour had not only obstructed her colon but also spread to her lymph nodes. Recalling that terrifying period, Charlotte …

Vital freshwater fish migrations are rapidly collapsing all over the world

Vital freshwater fish migrations are rapidly collapsing all over the world

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Hidden beneath the surface of the world’s rivers, some of Earth’s great animal movements unfold – migrations that rival, in sheer biomass, the famous mass movements of zebra and wildebeest across the Serengeti. For centuries, fish migrations were as predictable as the seasons. Salmon, sturgeon, giant catfish and many other species moved through rivers in vast numbers, guided by rising water, flood pulses and evolved biological cues. These species are extraordinarily diverse, ranging from beluga sturgeon – massive fish that can live for more than a century and produce the world’s most prized caviar – to giant river carp, tropical eels, gold-flecked shad and goliath catfish, all of which travel to survive, in some cases over hundreds or even thousands of miles. Their journeys …

SoCal’s defense startups secure vital funding boost

SoCal’s defense startups secure vital funding boost

Published by Sam Flores

A bill restoring crucial federal funding to defense startups in Southern California is on its way to the president’s desk after making it through Congress on Tuesday. The Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act was passed following a months-long impasse over funding the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and related programs. The dispute imperiled funding that was deemed essential for Southern California’s resurgent defense and aerospace sectors. The bipartisan bill, which extends the programs through 2031, was passed by the Senate this month and, after delays due to the Iran war, was approved by the House on Tuesday. President Trump has vowed to not sign any legislation until Congress approves the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote — a measure strongly opposed by Democrats. However, the SBIR reauthorization bill can become law before the end of the month without his signature. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The SBA programs provide more than $4 billion in seed funding …

Trump says US bombed military sites on an island vital to Iran’s oil network

Trump says US bombed military sites on an island vital to Iran’s oil network

Published by Sam Flores

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump said the U.S. bombed military sites Friday on an island vital to Iran’s oil network, while an American official said 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious assault ship are being sent to the Middle East nearly two weeks into the war with the Islamic Republic. Trump said U.S. forces “obliterated” targets on Iran’s Kharg Island — home to the primary terminal that handles the country’s oil exports — and warned that the island’s oil infrastructure could be next. Just a day before, the speaker of the Iranian parliament said such a strike would provoke a new level of retaliation. Earlier Friday in the Iranian capital, a large explosion rocked a central square where thousands of people gathered for an annual state-organized rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran. There were no reports of casualties. The decision to proceed with the demonstration attended by some senior government officials, and Israel’s threat to …

Iran war has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil choke point. Reopening it is a big challenge

Iran war has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil choke point. Reopening it is a big challenge

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS (AP) — Gasoline prices are rising largely because of the Iran war’s impact on the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passageway for oil and gas from the Persian Gulf. The waterway off Iran’s coast, now effectively closed, is so vital for the global economy that governments are working on blueprints to speedily reopen it to shipping when the shooting stops. In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron is leading an international effort to unblock the energy choke point, so that oil, gas and goods could flow freely again “when circumstances permit.” He envisions countries using warships to escort tankers and container vessels through the strait when fighting is less intense, whenever that may be. Former naval officers who have served in the Hormuz passage say vessels would be sitting ducks, with little room for maneuver in the strait’s narrow shipping lanes, if foreign naval forces attempted to reopen the waterway before a cessation of hostilities. “In today’s context, sending warships or civilian vessels into the Strait of Hormuz would be suicidal,” French navy retired Vice …

Government strategy highlights RE, citizenship education, and home education oversight as vital to community cohesion – Humanists UK

Government strategy highlights RE, citizenship education, and home education oversight as vital to community cohesion – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

A new UK Government strategy on community cohesion has highlighted Religious Education (RE), citizenship education, and stronger oversight of home education as important to building a more cohesive society. Humanists UK, which recently called for the reintroduction of Ofsted’s duty to inspect how schools in England contribute to community cohesion, a legal requirement until 2011, said it was encouraging that it was recognised that cohesion is shaped in part by what children learn in a school setting. Protecting What Matters: Towards a more confident, cohesive, and resilient United Kingdom, sets out a wider programme aimed at strengthening social cohesion and resilience across the UK. Religious Education: promoting diversity and mutual understanding The strategy says the Government will ‘drive up standards’ in the teaching of RE in England, and will carefully consider including RE in the national curriculum, subject to sector consensus. It also links RE to wider work on cohesion through improved engagement with Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education, and efforts to strengthen faith and belief literacy more broadly. Humanists UK has long argued …

Daddy Pig set to run London Marathon and raise vital funds for deaf children’s charity

Daddy Pig set to run London Marathon and raise vital funds for deaf children’s charity

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Beloved children’s animated character Daddy Pig is set to tackle the TCS London Marathon, aiming to raise vital funds for a deaf children’s charity. The father of Peppa Pig will embark on the challenge to generate both financial support and awareness for the National Deaf Children’s Society, a storyline that will unfold both in the popular cartoon and in real life, following the revelation that his son, George Pig, is moderately deaf. According to the charity, more than 54,000 children in the UK are affected by hearing loss, with Daddy Pig aiming to raise £54,000 for deaf children and their families. Sporting a specially designed running costume, Daddy Pig’s progress during the marathon on 26 April will be trackable via the TCS London Marathon app. The platform will also provide an opportunity for the public to donate to the cause. open …