The artists believed factories were the future. "Diagonal lines hint at stained glass—and at the notion, widespread at the time, ... that industrial structures were the cathedrals of the machine age." - The Millions
Why? Energy bills. "Autumn has arrived with stark warnings from industry bodies, including UK Music and the Music Venue Trust (MVT), that live venues, studios and other music businesses will face insurmountable costs this winter." - The Guardian (UK)
"The People’s Joker is ... an extremely loose retelling of the Batman villain’s origin story, reinterpreting the Joker as a trans woman trying to break into the mob-like world of Gotham’s stand-up comedy scene." Of course, it was pulled from the TIFF line-up. - The Verge
How do the people making up the Ilona Andrews brand do it? Gordon Andrews: "We have argued about the fate of certain characters. Who lives, who dies." (Ilona agrees.) - The New York Times
Fly into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second and most charming city, and vast empty patches scar the landscape. Most of its southern districts and much of its centre have gone. - The Economist
Poland will formally ask Russia to return seven paintings now in a leading Moscow museum that were looted during World War II by the Soviet Red Army, the Polish culture minister said Wednesday. - AP
Russell told Business Media News he envisioned it as a business news show that would appeal to a mass audience, not just executives and investors. The show is currently heard by more than 12 million listeners weekly on more than 800 public radio stations nationwide. - Inside Radio
The pianist has spent the last four years commissioning new arrangements of the Disney songbook, turning the company’s vast library of show tunes — from the 1930s operetta of “Snow White” to the modern salsa of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” — for his new album. - Los Angeles Times
I knew that if I merely retreated to my “side,” I would only contribute to the problem. With some trepidation, then, I set out to ask twelve scholars what they see as the main challenges facing literary studies and literary criticism today. - The Point
Polshek rarely worked for private clients. He devoted himself to public buildings, ranging from the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the Museum of Natural History in New York to the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. Equally rare, Polshek, who died last week at 92, chose commissions that were consistent with his politics. - Architectural Record
In the mid-1930s, Mussolini's minister of agriculture(!), Edmondo Rossoni, worked to turn his home village, marooned in the marshes of Emilia-Romagna, into a model town that could be replicated across Italy. "In Tresigallo, Rossoni envisaged a utopia based around people, with everything geared towards improving their lives." - Atlas Obscura
Rituals are highly structured. They require rigidity (they must always be performed the “correct” way), repetition (the same actions performed again and again) and redundancy (they can go on for a long time). In other words, they are predictable. This predictability imposes order on the chaos of everyday life. - Nautilus
She was certainly a canny operator, but she was working to maintain safety and authority for herself and her sons (all three of whom became king) and stability for France. Though blamed for the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, she spent years trying to make peace between Catholics and Huguenots. - Smithsonian Magazine
"M*A*S*H is in some ways the most contemporary of its contemporaries. Its blend of madcap comedy and pitch-dark drama — the laughs amplifying the serious stakes, and vice versa — is recognizable in today's dramedies, from Better Things to Barry, that work in the DMZ between laughter and sadness." - The New York Times
