“Before his death in 1924, Franz Kafka left his papers to Max Brod who rushed them out of Czechoslovakia ahead of the advancing Nazis. Now, the daughter of Brod’s late secretary wants to sell them to a German institute. But the legal battle in Israel has become Kafka-esque.”
Tag: 09.28.09
Professor Wins Legal Battle Against Litigious James Joyce Estate
“The Stanford scholar who wrote a controversial biography of James Joyce’s daughter has settled her claims for attorneys’ fees against the Joyce Estate for $240,000. The settlement successfully ends a tangled saga that has continued for two decades.”
Don Ho Was Right: Champagne’s Magic Really Is In The Tiny Bubbles
European researchers have found that “some of the chemicals that impart the special toasty, fruity aromas to the beverage are captured by the bubbles and brought to the surface [and thence to the nose] in higher concentrations than in the wine itself.”
Where Concepts Are Born: The Hippocampus
“A diminutive chihuahua and a lumbering Irish wolfhound look completely different, yet most us know they both belong to the concept called ‘dog’. Now the brain regions responsible for our ability to organise the world into separate concepts have been pinpointed.”
Confucius The Subversive
In an absolute monarchy, “Confucius was a self-made man and he taught that governors should be chosen for their virtue and ability, not their birth. He argued that the end of government was the welfare of the people. And he insisted that a ruler who was not righteous and humane would forfeit the Mandate of Heaven, and so lose his crown.”
Malaysia Bans Brüno
“An official from Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board said the movie was considered unacceptable because of its story line, offensive language, jokes and racy nature. … ‘It’s banned because the story is based on gay life … There are a lot of sex scenes,’ she said. ‘It’s contrary to our culture’.”
Buffalo’s Albright-Knox Shuts Down One Of Its Galleries For Good
“The Albright Knox Art Gallery is scaling back again to help get through the economic crisis. It is now official. The Collectors Gallery, featuring local artists, will close permanently at the end of October.”
Steppenwolf Makes The Business News
“[T]here is some hope out there for the business we call show. Our very own Steppenwolf Theatre Company has been named on of the top 15 places to work by the Wall Street Journal‘s Top Small Workplaces 2009.”
Hungry Men Love Zaftig Women: Study
“A man’s image of the perfect romantic partner varies depending upon whether he is feeling hungry. That’s the conclusion of a newly published study, which finds peckish males prefer females who are heavier, taller and older.”
The Original ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ (Yes, She Exists) Dies At 46
“[Lucy] Vodden was a classmate of John Lennon’s son, Julian, at a nursery in Weybridge, Surrey, in 1966 when he drew a picture of her, surrounded it with stars and took it home to show his parents. The four-year-old showed it to his father and explained: ‘It’s Lucy in the sky with diamonds’.”