Culture & Music
Among Belgium's many talents ...
Mundaneum: Precusor to Internet and World Wide Web
The Brussels Times Magazine
More than a century ago, two Belgians developed an archive system that would become a precursor to the Internet and World Wide Web. The Mundaneum in Mons, Belgium preserves their heroic effort to catalogue the world’s knowledge in a "paper Google."
Reliving the Holocaust in Propaganda
The Brussels Times Magazine
What was it like to grow up as a Jew in World War II? A new exhibition in Mons sheds light on historic
and current antisemitism via a collection from the Belgian Holocaust survivor who put it together. Surprisingly, he uses antisemitica to fight antisemitism.
The Brussels Times Magazine
“Ne me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)” was one of this Belgian singer-songwriter’s most famous songs and it applies to him 44 years after his death. With 14 studio albums and fans around the world from the 1950s to this day, Brel remains a music icon and one of the most famous Belgians in history.
The Brussels Times Magazine
The world’s largest music festival lies in sonic Boom, a Belgian town aptly named in light of the electronica spectacle it hosts every summer. Tomorrowland is the best of the fests, which amps up every element like no other from “glamping” and extraordinary production to Michelin-starred chefs and world-class DJs.
Stripper-Size Me
Chicago Scene
Having sex burns calories, but so does Cardio Striptease at Crunch Fitness and you don't have to have a partner ... Coined by Crunch in major U.S. cities nationwide, Cardio Striptease has been a great "sexcess." Participants range in age from their 20s to 50s, including
mothers and professional dancers, and on occasion, a few men even show up.
The Chicago River is a river to "dye" for every St. Patrick's Day, when Chicago Plumbers Union Local 130 turns it bright green. Some people also think the experience of dyeing the river is to "dye" for as well. Why else would one spend $7,600 to do so in an e-Bay auction?
Chicago Scene
It's one hell of a sax in the city and some of the best jazz Chicago has ever had. Dubbed "a wonderful talent" by saxophone great David
Sanborn, Silkman knows how to play the horn. Even when he was a homeless Windy City street
musician, his talent was obvious. In fact, it was playing outside of Water Tower Place that led him to local fame. "This young man is sure to go
places," noted jazz legend Benny Carter. "I can feel his music."
Chicago Scene
Sultry, rhythmic beats are created by Peven Everett on the keyboards, using his voice like an accompanying instrument, along with a bass guitarist, drummer, and percussionist. The music is smoky and delicious to the soul. It's also complete improvisation. "The gig is a free for all/ Everett said. "lmprov is my main focus in the show and what I'm excited about. I give _people exactly what they want and don't have to worry if I can play it. I don't want to play what's on my records. Why pay to see me then?"