Sightings
"You Think I Should Choose Life?" Asks Lady Mary in Downton Abbey's Season Four
New characters, old emnities, revelations, complicated relationships, romances, London literati, hardships ... where do the the plot twists and infatuations end? Not for a while, as Season 4 begins and beyond that, a planned-for Season 5 lies. more »
A Puppy Lemon Law, Minimum Wages, Gas Taxes, Legal Marijuana Among New State Laws
Elaine S. Povich writes: A wide-ranging collection of new state laws went into effect Jan. 1, including legalized pot, a puppy "lemon law" and a ban on unauthorized drone surveillance. One new law protects the "Possum Drop," a Brasstown, NC, New Year's Eve event. According to the National Conference of State Elaine S. Povich writes: Legislatures, states enacted nearly 40,000 laws and resolutions during 2013 legislative sessions, and many of them take effect on Jan. 1. Many of the laws made headlines when they passed. Now state residents will feel the effects. more »
Tiepolo and Friends, Commedia dell-arte and Venetian Culture at the Morgan
"The names Tiepolo, Canaletto, and Guardi are almost synonymous with the time and place, and their paintings and frescoes are the works most commonly associated with the Settecento in Venice. The drawings in this exhibition, chosen entirely from the Morgan’s collection, bring to light the full spirit of eighteenth-century Venetian art and the many extraordinary individuals who participated in the resurgence of cultural activity that characterized the final years of the Republic." more »
The Power of Poison and Unique Gifts at the American Museum of Natural History
Humans have long marveled at the secrets of poisons and sought to detect their presence and protect against their toxic powers, as many fascinating artifacts on view at the exibition will reveal. Prized objects included celadon dishes, believed to detect poisons; fossilized shark teeth, thought to be dragon tongues that could "purify" food of deadly compounds; and fossilized sea animals called crinoids, believed to be antidotes to common poisons. more »