In prehistoric times, millions of bison roamed North America, but by the late 1800s, they were nearly extinct. Through conservation efforts, they can now be found in all 50 states, including national parks, private lands and even on one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. As VOA’s Elizabeth Lee reports, the story of how the bison crossed 45 kilometers of ocean to get to Catalina Island is right out of a Hollywood movie.
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A newly discovered photograph may provide the answer to one of the 20th century’s greatest unsolved mysteries — the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

The legendary American pilot vanished 80 years ago this month somewhere over the Pacific. She was attempting to be the first woman to fly around the world.

What is known is that Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan radioed on July 2 that they were in trouble between Papua, New Guinea, and Howland Island.

U.S. investigators quickly gave up the search, concluding they crashed into the ocean and formally pronounced them dead in 1939.

There have been numerous theories of what happened to Earhart and Noonan.

But a new television documentary shows a previously lost photograph of a woman resembling Earhart and a man who experts say is almost certainly Noonan on a dock somewhere in the Pacific.

The woman has her back to the camera and is looking to her right. She has the short hair style and men’s-style pants Earhart was known to favor.

A barge in the background appears to be towing an object that looks like the same size as Earhart’s plane.

The man in the foreground has the same hairline and prominent nose as Noonan’s.

The photo was misplaced in a box at the National Archives in Washington and the filmmakers found it by accident.

Possibly seen as spies

They theorize that Japanese forces captured Earhart and Noonan, believing them to be spies and held them prisoner in the Mariana Islands.

It is unknown when or how they died.

The producers believe someone spying for the U.S. against Japan took the photograph.

They say that may be the reason why the United States hastened to give up looking for Earhart and Noonan.

Shawn Henry, a former assistant director of the FBI and Earhart aficionado, hosts the documentary. He says the aviator was abandoned by her own government and “may very well be the first casualty of World War II.”

The documentary, “Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence,” premiers Sunday night on The History Channel.
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Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby has agreed to forfeit thousands of illegally smuggled ancient Middle Eastern artifacts obtained from antiquities dealers for a Bible museum headed by its president, the company and U.S. officials said Wednesday.

The forfeiture will include about 5,500 artifacts purchased by Hobby Lobby Inc that originated in modern day Iraq and were shipped under false labels, as well as an additional $3 million to settle the civil charges, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

“The protection of cultural heritage is a mission that (Homeland Security Investigations) and its partner U.S. Customs and Border Protection take very seriously as we recognize that while some may put a price on these artifacts, the people of Iraq consider them priceless,” Angel Melendez, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York, said in the statement.

Privately held Hobby Lobby said that it was new to the world of antiquities when it began acquiring historical items for its Museum of the Bible in 2009 and made mistakes in relying on dealers and shippers who “did not understand the correct way to document and ship” them.

The company’s president, Steve Green, is the chairman and founder of the Museum of the Bible, which is under construction in Washington, D.C.

The artifacts being forfeited include cuneiform tablets and bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals. Cuneiform is an ancient system of writing on clay tablets.

“At no time did Hobby Lobby ever purchase items from dealers in Iraq or from anyone who indicated that they acquired items from that country,” Green said in his statement. “Hobby Lobby condemns such conduct and has always acted with the intent to protect ancient items of cultural and historical importance. … “We have accepted responsibility and learned a great deal,” Green added, saying that the company has now “implemented acquisition policies and procedures based on the industry’s highest standards.”

Federal prosecutors say that when Hobby Lobby, which is based in Oklahoma City, began assembling its collection it was warned by an expert on cultural property law to be cautious in acquiring artifacts from Iraq, which in some cases have been looted from archaeological sites.

Despite that warning and other red flags, the company in December 2010 purchased thousands of items from a middle man, without meeting the purported owner, according to prosecutors.

A dealer based in the United Arab Emirates shipped packages containing the artifacts to three Hobby Lobby corporate addresses in Oklahoma City, bearing false labels that described their contents as “ceramic tiles” or “clay tiles” and the country of origin as Turkey.

 
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A weird thing happened when the four members of the alt-rock band Imagine Dragons sat down to listen to their new album all the way through. They actually liked it.

 

“This was the first record that I think after we created it and we listened to it, we all went, for the first time, ‘Yes. This is Imagine Dragons and we’re proud of this,”’ said lead singer Dan Reynolds. “That doesn’t happen very often in this band, to be honest with you.”

 

The Las Vegas-based quartet, which likes to blend rock and hip-hop, has always been its toughest critic, but on “Evolve,” band members had to learn to let go. They relied on producers for the first time — Swedish duo Mattman & Robin, who won a Grammy for Taylor Swift’s “1989,” and Joel Little, who produced Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” — to shepherd the album all the way through.

 

“We knew as a band one of our biggest flaws was overproducing ourselves. We’ve known it since the beginning and we’ve had so many conversations as a band saying, ‘How do we peel back?’ And we just couldn’t do it until finally somebody walked into the room and slapped our head,” Reynolds said.

 

The new approach reflects a lot of changes behind the scenes at Imagine Dragons, now re-entering the spotlight after more than a year away as a happier — maybe even sunnier — band. The first single, “Believer,” is already a hit.

 

The group ground away in obscurity for years — even for sharing a bill with mimes — until being signed by producer Alex da Kid and seeing massive success with the 2012 release of the hit “Radioactive.” Their second album, “Smoke + Mirrors,” went gold but didn’t reach the sales height of their debut, “Night Visions.” They spent seven years touring, a grueling schedule that took its toll.

 

“I think it kind of snuck up on us a little bit, to be honest. The change happened pretty fast. We were this tiny little band that struggled and struggled for so long and played any show we could — I mean, we opened for mimes, for heaven’s sake. And that was by far not our worst gig,” said guitarist Wayne Sermon.

 

By the time they blew up — with a Grammy Award and arena tours — band members feared the success would stop if they stopped.

“It was sort of unhealthy for us, so this year-break was amazing,” said Sermon. “I think it reflects in the music. I think the music is brighter. I think it’s cleaner. I think more vibrant.”

 

The break was most appreciated by Reynolds, who has always been frank about his battles with depression. He was desperate to get home and reconnect with his 4-year-old daughter, his wife and friends.

 

“I was in a really just scattered, depressed headspace, and I think it just came from a sense of losing my sense of self almost to a degree and all the abrupt changes. I had dealt with depression when I was young, but it really took on a whole new level and it was kind of a full year,” he said.

 

“I did a lot of self-work, read a lot of books, met with a lot of people who helped me find a healthier headspace and got to a really wonderful, colorful, good headspace, which has been just great.”

 

To make “Evolve,” the band leaned on Alex da Kid and new collaborators like Joel Little and Mattman & Robin. Imagine Dragons turned to the duo for several songs chiefly because they were very opinionated and very minimalistic.

Reynolds and Sermon recall working in the studio for hours, trying all kinds of song approaches, until one of the Swedish producers smiled or just nodded.

 

“They helped us see the weakness of what we’d done and the strengths and try to make a more evolved version of what Imagine Dragons was sonically while also retaining the elements that made the band who they were,” Reynolds said.

 

Reynolds, whose wife recently gave birth to twins, also was freed up to push himself lyrically, turning for the first time to address love on songs like “Walking the Wire” and “I’ll Make It Up to You.”

 

“Since I was in a healthy headspace for the first time in a long time, love was exciting to me and it wasn’t cliched or corny. It was beautiful and interesting. So I found myself writing about love.”

 

After spending much of the summer on tour in Europe, the band returns for a fall swing through the United States. Life on the road may be a grind but they say the reward is the ultimate high of playing live.

 

“Cliff jumping isn’t as exciting to me as the idea of going onstage and playing for people who got a babysitter, fought traffic, paid extra for parking and showed up,” said Sermon.
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Ahead of the Independence Day celebration, many museums across the country inaugurate special exhibits dedicated to the most important moments in American history. VOA Russian’s Maxim Moskalkov went to a vast display at the  National Museum of American History.
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We’re counting down the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending July 8, 2017.

It’s a big week on the Hot 100, as we finally break a 12-week chart drought.

Number 5: Ed Sheeran ” Shape of You”

Ed Sheeran slips a slot to number five with “Shape Of You.” Ed is vocal in opposing ticket re-sellers, and now he’s taking the fight to another level.

When fans come to see him in one of his seven U.K. stadium dates in 2018, they’ll need four forms of identification. In a statement, Ed’s label Atlantic says the security measures are meant to ensure fans aren’t ripped off by inflated prices on secondary ticket sites.

For 12 weeks, a female voice wasn’t heard in the Top Five. That drought has ended and you can thank Rihanna.

*Hot Shot Debut* Number 4: DJ Khaled Featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller “Wild Thoughts”

DJ Khaled takes Hot Shot Debut honors, opening in fourth place with “Wild Thoughts” featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller.

Female artists had gone missing from the Top Five for 12 weeks…a streak not equaled since 1972, when the women were shut out for 13 weeks.

 

Number 3: Bruno Mars ” That’s What I Like”

 

From here, things quiet down considerably.  Bruno Mars spends another week in third place with “That’s What I Like.”

Last week, Camila Cabello announced that she’d go on tour with Bruno here in North America – needless to say she was happy about it! Their joint dates begin July 20 in San Jose, California and run through August 22. September finds Dua Lipa taking over, touring with Bruno into 2018.

 

Number 2: DJ Khaled Featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper & Lil Wayne ” I’m The One”

 

DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper and Lil Wayne stay put in second place with “I’m The One.”

TMZ has video footage of Justin meeting Khaled’s little son Asahd during the video shoot for “I’m The One”…and the eight-month-old promptly bursts into tears. Asahd is a celebrity thanks to his father’s social media posts…and he also graces the cover of Khaled’s new album Grateful.

 

Number 1: Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber “Despacito”

Here’s something for Justin Bieber to be grateful for: Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber are your Hot 100 champs for a seventh week with “Despacito.”

Late last month, Justin threw his Yeezy shoes into the crowd at the Wireless Festival in Frankfurt, Germany. The right shoe is being auctioned on ebay…current bid nearly $8,000 — while the left one is now an Instagram star with nearly $10,000 followers.

And so it goes…until we do it again next week!
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One thing is certain: Culture has not been lacking in takes on Spider-Man for the past 15 years. First there was Tobey Maguire, who under the direction of Sam Raimi for three films ushered in the modern superhero era, and then there was Andrew Garfield whose two films with Marc Webb were immediately forgettable. And now, like all obedient franchises, they’re trying to start all over again, this time with the much more age-appropriate Tom Holland in ” Spider-Man: Homecoming .”

And you know what? Superhero cynicism aside, “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is really fun. Director Jon Watts, whose only previous feature film credit is the indie thriller “Cop Car,” has confidently put his stamp on the friendly neighborhood web-slinger by making one bold move: actually casting teenagers to play teenagers.

Yes, after two films with late 20-somethings donning the Spidey suit and getting bitten by that pesky spider, Spider-Man finally gets to be a kid (and we get to skip over the whole origin/ Uncle Ben story). Instead, Watts’ film, which is upsettingly credited to six screenwriters, picks up with Peter Parker (Holland) right before, during and after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” which introduced Holland’s Spider-Man in that epic airport Avengers battle.

Instead of a “last week in Marvel” segment to catch up, we’re given a refresher via Peter’s perspective. He’s just an excited kid who filmed the whole adventure and ever since has been thirsting for more Avengers action. He tries, endearingly, to prove his mettle on his own as he waits idly in Queens for a call from Tony Stark — giving directions to the elderly, retrieving stolen bikes and doing flips on command.

What he doesn’t know is that for eight years, there has been a supervillain emerging in his town in the form of a wronged construction worker, Adrian (Michael Keaton), who decided to break bad after losing a job to a government crew that clears post-superhero fight disaster areas. Peter, with his true-blue heart and naivete and eagerness to prove himself, of course takes on more than he can handle, while also trying to navigate high school, homework, crushes and the awkwardness of just being a teenager. Time passes easily and just when you might worry that you don’t actually care about any of the characters, the story throws a great curveball that carries interest to the end.

The film is overflowing with stellar talent, even in the smallest of roles and not counting the Marvel loaners in Robert Downey Jr. (who oozes charisma and charm even when phoning it in for a handful of scenes) and Jon Favreau. In the high school alone, there’s the too-cool Michelle (Zendaya), the crush Liz (Laura Harrier) and the adorable breakout best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon). Hannibal Buress and Martin Starr are there, too, to add reliable laughs. Adrian’s bad-guy crew includes Logan Marshall-Green and Michael Cernus. Even Spider-Man’s suit has an Oscar winner behind its voice (Jennifer Connelly).

Then of course there is Holland, a terrific actor since “The Impossible,” who is the perfect amount of empathetic, excitable and clueless to make Peter Parker work now and for years to come. For the most part, “Homecoming” is a joy. It’s light-hearted, smart, a little meta and the first Marvel film to really consider what it might be like for kids living in a world where superheroes are real.

My only quibble with “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is that for all of its charming and infectious realism about race, high school life and class issues, it has a bit of a woman problem. Simply: every significant and semi-significant female character looks like a model. It wouldn’t be an issue were the film not so spot-on with casting such a realistic variety of men and teenage boys, or if it were less concerned with hammering down on the “Aunt May is hot” bit that goes a little too far, but when taken together you start to wonder if maybe things would have been different if just one of the six screenwriters was a woman.

But just as Peter has some growing up to do, so does this young franchise.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” a Sony Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for “sci-fi action violence, some language and brief suggestive comments.” Running time: 133 minutes. Three stars out of four.
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You would think you were on the lawn of Washington’s National Cathedral in the 1920s. Women dressed like flappers; and men like F. Scott Fitzgerald. The sound of Jazz is in the air. The dead give way that it’s 2017 is the cell phone in everyone’s hands. VOA Russian’s Masha Morton has more.
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The dream of performing on Broadway came true last month for 74 high school actors, singers and dancers, selected from 50,000 young performers from across the United States. They came to New York to compete for the Jimmy Awards.

While the Tony Awards celebrate the best of Broadway’s professional theater, the Jimmy Awards, named for the late Broadway theater owner and producer James Nederlander, are given to the country’s best high school musical theater performers.

Seventeen year-old Felix Torrez came from Green Bay, Wisconsin. His performance as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast at his high school won him a spot in the competition.

“Being here already is an award itself,” Felix said. “Being able to perform on Broadway as a high-schooler … I just want to soak it all in.”

That’s how 18-year-old Jasmine Rogers from Houston, Texas, felt, too. She played the Witch in Into the Woods. Unlike Felix, she’s seen many Broadway shows.

“I didn’t get into musical theater until I was seven. I used to play the violin and I was bad at it,” she admitted with a laugh. “And one day a flier came home to do a production of Peter Pan. And so I auditioned and I fell in love with it from there on and I’ve been doing it since.”

Rehearsals and opportunities

For eight days, these teenagers were pushed hard. Only a few days after that first rehearsal, they had staged the opening number.

Kiesha Lalama, the show’s choreographer, said she expects a lot from these teenagers. “You know, if you treat them like professionals and really just challenge them to rise up, they do. And that’s what I think is so amazing about it, is that these kids are willing and able. And if you provide them with the opportunity they can thrive.”

Each participant is coached by a Broadway actor, including Howard McGillin, who has performed The Phantom of the Opera more than anyone else.

Monday morning was dress rehearsal, and just a few hours later, the curtain went up before a sold-out house on Broadway.

When the finalists were announced, Rogers was one of them. And so, in front of friends, family and a lot of important Broadway producers and casting directors, she sang, all alone, in a spotlight, center stage.

She didn’t win the best actress award, but the experience was a bigger prize.

Both Rogers and Felix made new friends, polished their performing skills, and came away with the confidence that they would definitely be back on Broadway.

LISTEN: Jimmy Awards

 
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Venus Williams wiped tears from her eyes during her Wimbledon news conference Monday.

She shook her head, fiddled with her hair and sat, silently.

The wave of emotion came as Williams attempted to answer a question about the two-car crash that police say she caused June 9 in Florida; a 78-year-old passenger in the other vehicle died 13 days later. Williams’ 7-6 (7), 6-4 victory over Elise Mertens at the All England Club was the five-time Wimbledon champion’s first match anywhere since the accident — and the first time she has spoken about it publicly.

Well, tried to speak about it. She began by saying: “There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating and …”

Williams paused.

“Yeah, I’m completely speechless,” she briefly continued.

“It’s just …”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m just …”

Then she sat there, silently. Eventually, the moderator seated next to Williams temporarily halted the news conference, allowing the 37-year-old American to leave the room for a bit. She huddled nearby with her older sister, Isha, before returning. When the proceedings resumed, the moderator asked that the topic of the crash be avoided, saying, “Venus is willing to take a couple more questions about other things. Tennis, perhaps.”

The 10th-seeded Williams’ return to action, and difficulty in addressing the off-court matters with the media — just last week, the police report was released, and a day later, the estate of the man who died sued her — were the most noteworthy happenings on Day 1 at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

Williams has not been cited or charged, and police say she was not drunk, on drugs or texting, but that she drove her SUV into the path of a car carrying a married couple. Williams, who owns a home near the crash site, told investigators her light was green when she entered the six-lane intersection but she got stopped midpoint by traffic and didn’t see the other car before she crossed their lane.

“I mean, obviously, I think it would weigh on any human being, and Venus is no different,” said Williams’ coach, David Witt. “Venus is the nicest person, and [this is] just some random thing that could happen to anybody, any day. But she’s looking to focus on the tennis. I’m sure it’s weighing on her but we’re going day by day and getting good practice in. Once she enters the court, I think her mind’s on the match and tennis and winning here at Wimbledon.”

Asked Monday how difficult the recent weeks have been, Williams replied: “Tennis is still the love of my life. You know, it gives me joy.” 

She is a former No. 1 and the owner of seven major singles titles, along with 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all won with her younger sister, Serena.
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Two sites with cultural treasures separated by more than 40,000 years — caves with art dating to the Ice Age and buildings designed by a Bauhaus master less than 100 years ago — highlight Germany’s submissions for the prestigious World Heritage Site designation by the U.N.’s cultural agency, UNESCO.

The six caves are in the western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, where archeologists have discovered flutes made from mammoth ivory along with other ancient instruments and carvings. The Bauhaus buildings in northeastern Germany were designed by the school’s second director, Hannes Meyer.

A World Heritage designation brings sites some protection from development, pollution, and other threats. It can also raise a region’s profile and draw more visitors.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee is meeting in Poland in early July. This year’s nominations for World Heritage sites include seven natural sites, one both natural and cultural and 27 cultural sites. Other cultural sites being considered include the Valongo Wharf in Rio, the Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological sites in Cambodia, the Kujataa subarctic farming landscape in Greenland, and the landscapes of Dauria in Mongolia.

The caves in Baden-Wuerttemberg in the valleys of the Ach and Lone rivers have been excavated since the 19th century and have yielded hundreds of personal ornaments, at least eight musical instruments and more than 40 small figurines carved from mammoth ivory.

 

Archaeology professor Nicholas Conard, whose team discovered a 40,000-year-old mammoth ivory figure known as the Venus of Hohle Fels after the cave in which it was found, said the site fulfills the outstanding universal cultural value that UNESCO is looking for.

“They have produced the most abundant, richest and oldest record of early art works and also musical instruments, along with a whole range of other innovations, that are part of the cultural development at the time when modern humans spread across Europe and the Neanderthals went extinct,” said the University of Tuebingen professor.

Stefanie Koelbl, the executive director of the area’s Museum of Prehistory in Blaubeuren, said the Venus of Hohle Fels is the oldest known image of a human.

“This figure has a very special charisma also carved from ivory — she has this typical pattern for artworks from the younger Paleolithic Age here in southern Germany, these notch lines and cross lines,” Koelbl said. “She has no head but a loop to carry her and probably was carried as an amulet. It belonged to one special person.”

Other finds in the caves include a 20-centimeter  (8-inch) phallus carved from siltstone, believed to be 32,000 years old, a water bird figure, unique in early Ice Age art, that is about 40,000 years old and a broken figure of a half man-half lion carved from mammoth ivory.

 

“This was an exceptional area,” Conard said.” Each year we find new examples of Paleolithic artworks that can be up to 40,000 years old or even a little bit older. And they are typically beautifully formed objects cut with stone tools and made from mammoth ivory.”

Fast forward from the Baden-Wuerttemberg caves to the 20th century, when the Bauhaus school of architecture revolutionized design and aesthetic concepts between 1919 and 1933. Some Bauhaus buildings were already inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996.

 

Under consideration this year are buildings designed by Meyer known as Laubenganghaeuser — literally “housing with balcony access” — in the housing estate in Dessau, southwest of Berlin, as well as a trade union school he designed in Bernau, north of Berlin.

 

The yellow-brick school, built for the ADGB union in 1930, was designed by Meyer and colleague Hans Wittwer and is “today still a paragon of functional architectural design, which is freely and thoughtfully integrated into its natural surroundings,” according to the foundation that looks after it.

 

The five Laubenganghaeuser buildings, first occupied in 1930, have 90 apartments arranged in rows on three levels, each only 48 square meters (517 square feet), reflecting Meyer’s focus on making Bauhaus designs affordable yet still comfortable and with the same aesthetic, said Monika Markgraf of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.

“They are very small, precisely laid-out apartments,” she said. “They are oriented so the living rooms facing south will get a lot of sunlight, and the side rooms like the kitchen, hallway and bathroom are to the north, so it’s very functional.”
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The annual July Fourth concert near the U.S. Capitol will include an appearance by two droids who fought for independence in a galaxy far, far away.

The two “Star Wars” characters will be on stage Tuesday evening while the National Symphony Orchestra plays John Williams’ music from the beloved sci-fi movie. The performance will celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Star Wars,” which was released in 1977.

 

R2-D2 and C-3PO are veterans of the Washington stage, having participated in the Kennedy Center Honors when “Star Wars” creator George Lucas received the award.

 

The July Fourth concert, known as “A Capitol Fourth,” will also feature performances by the Beach Boys, the Four Tops and Trace Adkins, among others. John Stamos will host the show.

 

 
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