Parenting pop quiz! If your teenage stepdaughter goes to a party without your permission, what is the appropriate punishment? Hint: the answer is not "force her to fight a two-hour 'medieval-style duel' with you."

Ron Patterson, the man who created the first Renaissance fair in America, died on January 15 in California. He was 80 years old, and — if his obituaries are any indication — lived a pretty funny and cool life.