Culture Watch
From Harvard Medical School, Via the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner: Murder Is Her Hobby, Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death explores the surprising intersection between craft and forensic science. Frances Glessner Lee (1878 1962) crafted her extraordinary Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death exquisitely detailed miniature crime scenes to train homicide investigators to "convict the guilty, clear the innocent, and find the truth in a nutshell." These dollhouse-sized diorama composites of true crime scenes helped revolutionize forensic science. more »
Generations of War: The Rise of the Warrior Caste and the All-Volunteer Force
In the report "Generations of War: The Rise of the Warrior Caste and the All-Volunteer Force," the Center for a New American Security" Research Associate Amy Schafer writes that the trend of military service being passed from generation to generation has created a warrior caste in which a small section of the population bears the burden of America's wars. The report examines the risks and benefits associated with a warrior caste, but advocates against returning to conscription. more »
Edvard Munch, Desire, Mortality, Isolation and Anxiety: Between the Clock and the Bed
As he confessed in 1939, Edvard Munch's true "breakthrough came very late in life, really only starting when I was 50 years old." One of his last works, Self-Portrait. Between the Clock and the Bed (1940–43) — with its themes of desire, mortality, isolation and anxiety — serves as a touchstone and guide to the approximately 45 works in the exhibition. Together, these paintings propose an alternative view of Munch as an artist as revolutionary in the 20th century as he was when he made a name for himself in the Symbolist era. more »
Revealing My Age: All Kinds of Factors Are Blabbing My Age to the World at Large
Rose Madeline Mula writes: As if my wrinkles aren't enough of a giveaway, all kinds of other factors are blabbing my age to the world at large. My choice of music is another dead giveaway. The lyrics of my favorite songs tell sweet, romantic stories. No political statements, no anti-establishment rants, and not a single obscenity. Furthermore, the singers can actually sing — no screeching., whispering, or special-effect enhancements, I can understand the lyrics, and the melodies are melodic. more »
