From Stalin to Steve Jobs, from Brezhnev to Berlusconi, from Hitler to Marilyn Manson: some of the world’s most recognized figures have been reinvented in a new exhibition by a young Russian artist who prefers comedy to politics.

Kazakhstan-born Victoria Tsarkova studied icon painting, and says the heroes of her portraits could be described as “iconic” just as well.

North Korea’s leader has made it to the homepage of China’s biggest newspaper, dutifully informing readers that Kim Jong-un was named Sexiest Man Alive 2012. The editors were not deterred that the award came from The Onion, a US satirical magazine.

Chinese People’s Daily Online positions itself as “one of the world’s top 10 newspapers,” so seeing an Onion piece on Kim Jong-un appear on its main page makes a reader look twice: this has to be a joke.

But no, there’s no kidding with Pyongyang. The caption under the image of North Korea’s supreme leader on the main page – The Onion’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2012 – looks exactly as if Kim Jong-un were picked the Man of the Year by Time magazine.

Inside, a presumably statesmanlike image of Kim astride a powerful steed is followed by a flat quote from The Onion:

“With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman’s dream come true. Blessed with an air of power that masks an unmistakable cute, cuddly side, Kim made this newspaper’s editorial board swoon with his impeccable fashion sense, chic short hairstyle, and, of course, that famous smile.”

Smile for the camera, coppers — the US Supreme Court has decided to let stand a lesser ruling that allows citizens in the state of Illinois to record police officers performing their official duties.

Up until just last year, an anti-eavesdropping legislation on the books across Illinois meant any person within the state could be imprisoned for as much as 15 years for recording a police officer without expressed consent. In August 2011, a federal appeals court struck down the law, but an Illinois prosecutor has asked the Supreme Court — unsuccessfully — to challenge that ruling.

On Monday, the top justices in the US said that they would not hear the case and will instead rely on last year’s ruling where a federal appeals court in Chicago agreed that the eavesdropping law, as written, “likely violates” the First Amendment.

“The Illinois eavesdropping statue restricts a medium of expression commonly used for the preservation and communication of information and ideas, thus triggering First Amendment scrutiny” and that the “statute restricts far more speech than necessary to protect legitimate privacy interests,” the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals opined previously.

Under that ruling and thanks to the Supreme Court’s refusal to weigh in this week, last year’s decision to not allow the enforcement of that law will stand, essentially making it for once-and-for-all perfectly legal at the highest level to tape record cops on the job.

Harvey Grossman, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, says in a statement that the ACLU was “pleased that the Supreme Court has refused to take this appeal.”

Martin Lee is the author of Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational and Scientific and is director of Project CBD, a non-profit educational service dedicated to promoting and publicizing research into the medical utility of cannabidiol (CBD) and other components of the Cannabis plant.

In the seminar, Lee will discuss various molecular mechanisms through which CBD exerts a therapeutic impact. He will review recent findings that led to the discovery of the endogenous cannabinoid system, a hitherto unknown signaling system in the human brain and body that regulates a broad range physiological processes, including glucose metabolism, blood pressure, bone density, intestinal fortitude, pain perception and the formation of new stem cells (neurogenesis) in adult mammals.

Within the scientific community, the discovery of the “endocannanbinoid system” is increasingly recognized as a seminal advancement in our understanding of human biology. CBD research is at the cutting edge of a revolution in medical science. As director of Project CBD, Lee will discuss efforts to reintroduce CBD-rich products into the grassroots supply in states where medical marijuana is legal.

The presentation on CBD’s will be made on Friday, December 7 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Presto Quality Care (formerly THCF Medical Clinic) at 647 Main St., Riverside CA 92501. The general public is invited to attend and there is no charge for admission.

He died on November 23, 2012 from complications of throat cancer.

The 81-year-old actor was surrounded by friends and family before he passed peacefully, “just as he’d wished for,” the statement said.

Linda Gray, his on-screen wife and later ex-wife in the original series and the sequel, was among those with Hagman in his final moments in a Dallas hospital, said her publicist, Jeffrey Lane.

Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American film and television actor best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime televisionsoap opera Dallas, and astronaut Major Anthony “Tony” Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.

He had supporting roles in numerous films includingFail-Safe, Nixon, and Primary Colors. His television appearances also included guest roles on dozens of shows spanning from the late 1950s up until his death, and a reprisal of his signature role on the 2012 revival of Dallas. He also occasionally worked as a producer and director on television.

Hagman was the son of actress Mary Martin. He underwent a life-saving liver transplant in 1995. Although Hagman was a member of a 12-step program, he publicly advocated marijuana as a better alternative to alcohol.