Music and morale in a country at war

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nears the end of its third year, music has become an important way to keep people’s spirits up — and a pillar of Ukraine’s defense.

A museum in England explores why we take drugs

NORWICH, England — In January 1953, William S. Burroughs went into the Colombian Amazon to look for drugs. Ayahuasca, to be specific, also called yage — one of the most potent hallucinogenic substances on Earth, and a fundamental aspect of the social and spiritual life of over 150 Indigenous Amazonian groups.

‘NCIS’ franchise learns to time travel with prequel series ‘Origins’

As humans in a changing world we crave continuity, reliability. Before we walk into a room, we like to be fairly certain of what we’ll find — walls, floor, furniture, not hot coals or clouds of poison gas. Thus the popularity of the franchise. It may not lead to great, revolutionary art, but at the end of a long day, when you kick off your shoes and sink down into the sofa, you may not be in the mood for “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” or a stuffed goat with a tire around its middle.