An Islamic MTV

“Introduced in the spring of last year, 4Shbab, which means ‘for youth’ in Arabic, broadcasts music videos, variety shows … news and even a reality program called Your Voice Is Heard – which might as well be called ‘Who Wants to be an Islamic Pop Star?'”

What’s the Purpose of the Imagination?

“Why did humans evolve the capacity to imagine alternatives to reality? Was story-telling in prehistoric times like the peacock’s tail, of no direct practical use but a good way of attracting a mate? It kept Scheherazade alive through those one thousand and one nights – in the story. On further reflection, imagining turns out to be much more reality-directed than the stereotype implies … [and a] reality-directed faculty of imagination has clear survival value.”

Theater of the Musculature

“[Claire] Porter, who brings her anatomical solo Namely, Muscles to the New York International Fringe Festival this week, picks up where that old spiritual “Dry Bones” leaves off, cataloguing the soft tissues that enable dancers to fly, and assist the rest of us to rise with dignity from our chairs.”