Skip to footer

Top Picks: 'Tidying Up,' Meet Vermeer on Google

PBS's 'Margaret: The Rebel Princess' examines her life in relation to the turbulent events of the world in which she lived, sweet dog tale 'Pick of the Litter' is now available on DVD and Blu-ray, and more top picks.

|
Courtesy of Getty/Popperfoto/FIle
  • By Staff

Tidy space

Readers whose hearts were captured by Marie Kondo’s method for decluttering in “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” can now watch the neatness guru in action in her new Netflix series, Tidying Up. Kondo exudes sweetness and charm across eight episodes as she guides clients struggling with a range of real-life problems: chaos with toddlers, empty nesters housing a lifetime of memories, and people overwhelmed by all their stuff. The final reveals aren’t magazine-ready homes, but the relief and joy expressed by those who go through her process are palpable.

Vermeer addition

The Google Arts and Culture app has been around since 2011; you may remember it for a viral face-recognition program that matched selfies to paintings. But the app’s main purpose is to make the world’s artwork widely accessible. One of its newest collections is the complete (known) work of Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch painter famous for “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” In total, 18 museums across seven different countries have contributed 36 paintings to the Meet Vermeer feature.

Princess story

Going through “The Crown” withdrawal? Check out some of the history behind the popular Netflix series with the new PBS program Margaret: The Rebel Princess, which examines her life in relation to the turbulent events of the world in which she lived. “Margaret: The Rebel Princess” debuts Feb. 10 at 10 p.m.

Bean counter

If you’re a student or know one, it’s worth your while to check out the Student Beans app, which is free for iOS and Android. Student Beans has partnered with various brands to give students discounts. You can browse on the app to see which deals are being offered or look up a specific company if you’re already planning a purchase.

Puppy tale

A sweet dog tale is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Pick of the Litter tells the story of Labradors that are trained for the Guide Dogs for the Blind organization. Monitor film critic Peter Rainer writes, “The best part of the movie is when the few who make it through are introduced to their new owners. It’s love at first touch.” This movie is not rated. 

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to Top Picks: 'Tidying Up,' Meet Vermeer on Google
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Arts/2019/0201/Top-Picks-Tidying-Up-Meet-Vermeer-on-Google
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe