Someone swiped the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign (which weighs 90 pounds and is 16 feet long) from in front of Auchwitz. This is the kind of work that doesn’t set you free; this gets you a short term in a pound you in the ass prison, and a long term in one of the lower circles of Dante’s Hell.
Three from the NYT:
- Obit watch: C.D.B. Bryan, author of Friendly Fire
.
He will be cremated in advance of a memorial service early next year, St. George Bryan added; until then, his remains are to be stored in martini shakers.
- A touching and sad article about a retired policeman in Japan who spends his days trying to keep people from killing themselves.
Mr. Shige and a group of volunteers he put together have saved 222 people so far, a tally that has made Mr. Shige a national figure in a country that often seems apathetic about its high rate of self-destruction. But he has also met with criticism from a conformist society that can look dimly on people who draw attention by engaging in activism, even of the most humanitarian kind.
- Finally, on a much happier note, a review of “Chestnuts Roasting on the Flaming Idiots“. I saw one of their “last” shows at Zach Scott a few years back, and it wasn’t what I expected; I was totally blown away, not only because they’re talented performers, but their performance style is clearly influenced by people like Ricky Jay. I’m delighted to hear that they’re back; even better, they’re coming back to Austin.
fame.
.
and Perrow’s 
have been major influences on my thinking.
, you really need to.)
and other non-fiction children’s books about the heroic exploits of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (Remember, these were elementary school libraries, and this was before Hoover’s death; they didn’t have books like 
. And I wasn’t reading 
at that time, so I didn’t enough to be able to seek it out elsewhere.)
is out of print, but readily available used from Amazon.)
. But I digress.) So, of course, I have to note the NYT‘s navel gazing story yesterday on 
, a book which I strongly recommend. (When I say “genuine freaking weirdo”, I mean it. Parsons did seminal early work on rocketry; he was also a leading follower of Aleister Crowley and an active practitioner of thelmic magic. He also lost one of his lovers to none other than L. Ron Hubbard, and died under rather bizarre circumstances.)
, about discovering fairly late in life (age 45) that he had Asperger’s Syndrome. The Gross interview is particuarly interesting, as it concentrates on Page’s relationship with the music of minimalist composers such as Reich, Riley, and Glass. I’m wondering if there’s something specific about minimalist music that connects with Aspergerians and, perhaps, with the autistic as well. (As we know, Bob, much of the spoken text of “Einstein on the Beach” was written by the autistic Christopher Knowles.) I am curious to see if 
has any thoughts on the subject; I’m also interested in reading Page’s book.
on my stack to read, and will probably get to it eventually. I’ve been a little put off by the fact that Robison’s brother is Augusten Burroughs, of 
fame.)