Reaction to the execution of Saddam Hussein; Rene Descartes; Burlesque Queens
Reaction to the execution of Saddam Hussein
Larry Mantle talks with the local Iraqi and Islamic community about the execution of Saddam Hussein. Larry also talks with L.A. Times Baghdad Bureau Chief Borzou Daragahi about reaction to the execution in the region.
Rene Descartes
Scientist, mathematician, traveler, soldier, and spy, Rene Descartes was one of the founders of the modern world. His life coincided with an extraordinary time in history: the first half of the miraculous seventeenth century, replete with genius in the arts and sciences, and wracked by civil and international conflicts across Europe. But at his birth in 1596, the world was still dominated by medieval beliefs in phenomena such as miracles and spontaneous generation. It was Descartes who identified the intellectual tools his peers needed to free themselves from the grip of religious authority, and in doing so he founded modern philosophy. In a new biography, A. C. Grayling tells the story of Descartes' life, and places it in his tumultuous times – with the unexpected result that an entirely new aspect of the story comes to light.
Burlesque Queens
Drawing from ten years of close friendships and correspondences with many of her surviving idols, documentary filmmaker and writer Liz Goldwyn invites us to step back into an era when the hourglass figure was in vogue and striptease was a true art form. Goldwyn draws back the curtain to reveal the personal, often surprising, journeys of yesteryear's icons of female sexuality, restoring their legacy to an age that has all but forgotten them. Pulling together hundreds of archival photographs, costume sketches, and memorabilia, Goldwyn celebrates the collaborative vision and talent that went into creating the burlesque act – from the all-important, exquisitely designed costumes to staging and choreography, to each star's highly individual style.