Reed Johnson recounts how the 15th-century Voynich Manuscript has obsessed a centuries-long succession of individuals who have tried repeatedly to decipher the code in which it’s written.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Sicily Forces Cancellation Of Cleveland Museum Antiquities Show
“Sicily has canceled a major traveling exhibition of ancient treasures scheduled to open Sept. 29 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The cancellation comes several weeks after Sicilian cultural authorities complained publicly that the prolonged loan of important antiquities to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, where the show is now on view, was hurting the island’s tourism economy.”
Can Philosophy Help In Dealing With Grief?
“At times like these, philosophers are of limited use because when they have talked about dying they have tended to focus on what it means for the one who dies. … A much more useful philosophy would help us to prepare for the deaths of others. I have never been sure that philosophy does a good job of that. But perhaps a philosophical outlook can help us make sense of death when it comes close to us.”
Dancer Expelled From Ballet School For Doing Porn Says He’s Glad He Started Debate About Art
Jeppe Hansen (nom de porn Jett Black): “What I wanted to do was to create a conversation about what’s acceptable, where our sexuality visions and views are going, and what you can do as an artist – and within the parameters of being an artist – with sexuality.”
Isn’t There Really Some Porn In Ballet Anyway?
“Take a look at video of the recently dismissed Royal Winnipeg Ballet dancer Jeppe Hansen as he practises his steps and does the splits, in his bulbous leotard, every muscle engorged. … When did the idea of ballet as highbrow spiritualism take hold? Do the wealthy few who now patronize the art have to think that their appreciation of young bodies is in no way voyeuristic, but a kind of abstracted aestheticism, so as to justify it?”
Why I Became A TV Critic: Rank Addiction
Alessandra Stanley: “Television was all but forbidden when I was growing up. It’s not that my parents had high standards or academic expectations. They were of a time when adults set limits just because they could. … That period of deprivation cemented a lifelong passion for television as acute as the diabetic’s craving for chocolate, the smoker’s need for a puff.”
KUSC Classical Radio’s Listenership Jumps – Or Does It?
The Los Angeles station’s tally of listeners rose nearly 16% from May to June this year. But the station’s president suggests that the rise in ratings may be a result of changes in the panel whose listening habits form the basis for the ratings.
The ‘Salvador Dali Of Cooking’ Is Getting A Museum Show
“Ferran Adrià might not be a household name, but for nearly three decades, as chef and mastermind of the acclaimed Catalan Spanish restaurant El Bullí, he moussed, foamed and otherwise re-imagined cuisine in modernist ways that have inspired many of the world’s top chefs.”
Kenneth Branagh’s Acclaimed Macbeth Will Make It To U.S. Movie Screens
The Manchester International Festival production of the Scottish play “is scheduled to be broadcast live to cinemas in England on July 20 as part of the NT Live series. A pre-recorded version will be broadcast to movie theaters in the U.S. and around the world starting Oct. 17, with encore screenings to follow.”
Tel Aviv Library Brings Beach Reading To The Actual Beach
“The Tel Aviv Municipality inaugurated a new library on Tuesday at the Metzitzim Beach, near the city’s port … The library, which consists of a two-wheeled cart stationed on the promenade, contains 523 books in five languages: Hebrew, Arabic, English, Russian and French.”