Culture & Religion — May 21, 2010

Yes We Cannes!

Hollywood’s depiction of events like the war in Iraq, the global financial crisis and religious extremism are taking center stage at the Cannes Film Festival; here is the NYT review.

bigthinkeditor

Hollywood’s depiction of events like the war in Iraq, the global financial crisis and religious extremism are taking center stage at the Cannes Film Festival; here is the NYT review. “Of all the filmmakers whose work is in the 63rd Cannes Film Festival none have had the impact of the man who could not attend. Jafar Panahi is an Iranian director who was asked to join the competition jury, but is currently in a jail in his country for his political views.”

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

▸

7 min

—

with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

Culture & Religion

Beard Ban

In a rare affront to tradition, civil servants in one Japanese region will soon be required to shave their beard after complaints were registered over the powerful facial hair.