Month: January 2022

The Futurist Manifesto

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti’s 1909 Futurist Manifesto glorified the powerful, new technology of the automobile and spawned futurism—an art and literary movement that sought to replace traditional aesthetic values with the characteristics of the machine age. Futurist artists glorified danger and war. Focused on speeding cars and trains, racing cyclists, and urban crowds, they often depicted several views of an object simultaneously with fragmented planes. What brought about the end of futurism? Discuss

Serial Killer Doctor Hangs Himself in His Cell (2004)

To English doctor Harold Shipman, the fundamental medical principle of “first do no harm” apparently meant little. After practicing medicine for decades, he aroused suspicion in 1998, when it emerged that he was named the sole beneficiary in a deceased patient’s will—a will that Shipman turned out to have forged. He was arrested and ultimately convicted of killing 15 patients, but he is suspected of more than 200 murders. The final life he took was his own. How did “Dr. Death” kill his victims? Discuss

Stephen Foster Memorial Day

Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864) was a composer whose popular songs and ballads have found a lasting place in American music. When he died at the age of 37, he left behind more than 200 compositions—among them “Camptown Races,” “Oh! Susanna,” and “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair.” January 13, the anniversary of Foster’s death, was proclaimed Stephen Foster Memorial Day in 1951. In Florida, this day is part of Stephen Foster Memorial Week, and events include performances by musical groups from schools and universities throughout the state. Discuss

Christoph Graupner (1683)

Graupner was a German harpsichordist and composer. After studying law at the University of Leipzig, he joined the Hamburg Opera alongside a young violinist named Handel, then became conductor to the court at Darmstadt. He won the prestigious cantorship at the Church of St. Thomas but was contractually bound to the court, so the cantorship went to another emerging composer—Johann Sebastian Bach. Graupner was a prolific writer and revered in his time. Why did he fall into obscurity? Discuss

The Nakhla Meteorite

The planet Mars has long fascinated humans, so people were understandably excited when a Martian meteorite landed in Nakhla, Egypt, near Alexandria on June 28, 1911. Containing carbonates and hydrous minerals formed by chemical reactions in water, the Nakhla Meteorite was the first ever to suggest the presence of water on Mars. About 40 meteorite fragments were recovered, the biggest about the size of a large pineapple. What did a farmer claim happened to his dog when it was struck by a piece? Discuss