An FP List of the world’s most influential political satirists shows that in dangerous places, telling jokes can be hazardous to your health.
Tag: 10.18.10
Resurrection for Chicago’s Shattered Globe Theatre
“The end of the venerable off-Loop theater was reported by some outlets [last month], based on an unsigned fax declaring a shut-down. But the ensemble members were never on board with that choice. And it turns out that the company now has a new board of directors and will be run by artistic director Roger Smart.”
Malmesbury Bids to Become UK’s First ‘Philosophy Town’
“Think carefully if you are considering heading to this corner of Wiltshire – the market town that gave us philosopher Thomas Hobbes is aiming to become Britain’s capital of thought,” the equivalent of Hay-on-Wye to the country’s literary scene.
No, Homer Simpson Is Not Catholic, Says Simpsons HQ
Executive producer Al Jean, who reminds us that the Simpson family attends the “Presbylutheran” First Church of Springfield, says, “We’ve pretty clearly shown that Homer is not Catholic. I really don’t think he could go without eating meat on Fridays – for even an hour.”
Science Works On Discovering Biological Source Of Creativity
“With the aid of new diagnostic instruments, neurologists and other scientists hope to unlock the secrets of creativity both in artists and the general population.”
Google/YouTube Tries Seducing Europe’s Copyright Hawks
“In Europe, YouTube is still perceived in some circles as an illicit conduit for bootleg music. … But [YouTube owner] Google, using a carrot-and-stick approach of negotiation and music blackouts, [is beginning] to root out the legal hurdles to YouTube’s growth in Europe.”
Robin Williams May Make Broadway Acting Debut as Captive Feline
“Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, an Iraq War play by Rajiv Joseph that had an acclaimed production in Los Angeles, may come to Broadway in the spring with Robin Williams in the title role.”
Gerrit Rietveld, Black Sheep of Modernist Design
Other Modernist pioneers “came from similar [humble] backgrounds, including Le Corbusier, whose father was a watch enameler, yet Rietveld was the only one to be defined by his roots, so much so that he is often dismissed as a carpenter who drifted into design by accident.”
What Makes a Novel Booker-Worthy? ‘Indestructibility’
“The judges are given five months to read upwards of 150 books, then they reread the longlist of 12 and, in a final round, go back once more over the shortlist of six. … The Man Booker is not so much a contest of literary merit as a test of indestructibility … The winner is the book that takes the longest time to fall apart.”
The Unseen Sea: San Francisco Fog, Captured in Time-Lapse Photos
“How cool is it to see how the fog seems to lap against the mountains like waves on a beach, and how much it churns and boils overhead? Who knew it was so animated?”