Martha McSally (R-Ariz.): “We have hundreds of people playing the tuba and clarinet. … If we really had a manning crisis, from my perspective, we would really tell people to put down the tuba and pick up a wrench or a gun.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Top Posts From AJBlogs 03.24.16
Max Facts: How Hollein Straddles the Divides Between Contemporary/Historic, Tech/Traditional
When I interviewed him more than a year ago over lunch in New York, Frankfurt museum director Max Hollein and I were obsessed with technology. I was then working on this Wall Street Journal article … … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-03-24
Nuzzling Brussels: The Musical Instruments Museum Tweets Through the Tears
Horrified, as we all were, by the news from Brussels, I surfed yesterday to the website of a museum there that I’d always wanted to visit — the Musical Instruments Museum. My jaw dropped when I saw … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-03-24
Despite AA – Don’t Avoid People, Places & Things
The National Theatre and Headlong’s production of Duncan Macmillan’s new play, People, Places & Things, has got a well-merited transfer to the West End at Wyndham’s Theatre, with … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2016-03-24
Garry Shandling, Influential Comedian And TV Writer, Dies Suddenly At 66
“His death is a tragically sudden end to a storied career that more than once redefined comedy: He was best known as the creator and star of the surreal 1986 sitcom It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, which ran for four seasons on Showtime, and the landmark HBO series The Larry Sanders Show, a spoof of late-night talk shows that pioneered an age of darker, more adult humor on television and inspired a new generation of comedians.”
Jian Ghomeshi Acquitted Of Sexual Assault Charges
The former host of the popular CBC Radio program Q “has been acquitted on four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking by an Ontario Court judge who says the ‘deceptive and manipulative’ evidence of the complainants raised a reasonable doubt [about his] guilt.”
Half-Naked ‘Pagan Librarians’ Burn Henry Miller’s Books In Russian Mardi Gras Bonfire
“A group of young people in Krasnodar, southern Russia, burned several books written by American author Henry Miller and filmed the whole ‘ritual’ on camera. The group slammed Miller for promoting an ‘amoral’ western way of life.” (includes video)
Appeals Court Upholds Alberto Vilar’s Prison Term But Cancels Fines
“A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday ruled that a federal judge was justified in increasing the prison sentence of money manager and arts patron Alberto Vilar to 10 years in prison from nine for securities fraud. But the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York vacated the $10 million in fines imposed on Vilar and Gary Tanaka, his business partner at the now-defunct Amerindo Investment Advisers Inc.”
Nora Ephron, Who Took The T Out Of ‘TMI’, And The One Secret She Kept
Why did the “consummate over-sharer” tell almost no one about the illness that ultimately killed her? The key, suggests her son, may lie in one of her favorite quips: “When you slip on a banana peel, people laugh at you. But when you tell people you slipped on a banana peel, it’s your laugh.”
What Policymakers Could Learn About Artificial Intelligence From The Guy Who Played Go With Google’s Computer
“In the first three games, AlphaGo bludgeoned Lee with a calculating efficiency that mystified the 33-year–old Korean. Then in Game 4, Lee responded to the challenge of artificial intelligence with new tactics. He attacked AlphaGo, aggressively sought to hem it in, and in a transcendent moment of genius laid down a lone white pebble that one Go champion dramatically called the ‘hand of god.’ He won.”
How To Read Dante (Since So Few Of Us Really Have) In The 21st Century
“Start by treating The Divine Comedy not as a book, with a coherent, beginning, middle, and end, but rather … treat the poem as Dante the character treated his journey, something to be undertaken step by step.”
Malaysia Bans LGBT Rights Comedy For ‘Mocking National Security’
“Namewee’s film Banglasia, which centers on a group of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds who find themselves forced to accept each other’s differences, was banned from cinemas last year after 31 scenes were deemed inappropriate by local censors.”