quote [ In 1995, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the futurist and science fiction writer most well known for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, presented a television documentary on the 1980 discovery of the Mandelbrot Set

Clarke narrates the 54-minute film, which includes interviews with important mathematicians, including Benoît Mandelbrot himself. David Gilmour, the guitarist for Pink Floyd, provides the soundtrack. It's hard to imagine a more perfect combination. ]

quote [ British police are dealing with an incident on London Bridge after witnesses said a van ploughed into pedestrians before several people got out of the vehicle and started stabbing passers-by.

In the latest statement form London's Metropolitan Police said officers were also responding to an incident in Borough Market, which is nearby to the southern end of London Bridge. ]

quote [ Swedish prosecutors say they will drop a preliminary investigation into an allegation of sexual assault against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, bringing to an end a seven-year legal stand-off.

"Chief Prosecutor Marianne Ny has today decided to discontinue the preliminary investigation regarding suspected rape concerning Julian Assange," a statement read. ]

quote [ Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell has died at age 52, his publicist has confirmed to Associated Press this evening.

Brian Bumbery told the outlet that Cornell passed away in Detroit and that the death was 'sudden and unexpected', adding that his family was shocked.

No cause of death has been confirmed at this stage. Cornell's family will closely work with the medical examiner to determine what happened. ]

quote [ In a historic decision, a federal judge has found that Harris County's bail system infringes on the rights of poor people charged with non-violent offenses, granting a preliminary injunction against the county and forcing immediate changes on the county's bail system. ]

quote [ The folk ritual is believed to honour the ghosts of ancestors and in previous shows the blade of the sword broke when it was pressed against his chest.
But on this occasion the act went wrong and the weapon failed to snap causing the 25-year-old to stab himself in the chest. ]

quote [ Part of our problem is one of success. As we get richer, our tolerance for global poverty diminishes. So we get angrier about injustices.

..when we don’t see the progress we have made, we begin to search for scapegoats for the problems that remain. Sometimes, in the past and perhaps today, we have been too quick to try our luck with demagogues who offer simple solutions to make our nations great again — whether by nationalising the economy, blocking imports or throwing out immigrants. If we think we don’t have anything to lose in doing so, it’s because our memories are faulty. ]

quote [ Do you want to stop Donald Trump from rounding up Mexicans into camps? Try this: Encourage your idealistic, third-party-voting progressive and libertarian friends to drop their fantasies of an ideal, radically revised political and economic order and fight instead to protect what we’ve got. It’s the prudent thing to do, and it’s the principled move.

In a profound and persuasive new book, The Tyranny of the Ideal: Justice in a Diverse Society, the political philosopher Gerald Gaus shows that visions of political perfection are bound to lead us astray. ]