“Some scientists are beginning to think that imagining an alternative reality might have ironic and tonic effects. Indeed, it might be a practical tool for strengthening commitment to country, workplace and relationships.”
Tag: 01.17.11
How Microbes Can Affect, and Infect, Your Mind
“‘It used to be thought that the immune system and the nervous system were worlds apart,’ says [one researcher]. Now it seems the immune system, and infections that stimulate it, can influence our moods, memory and ability to learn.”
Broadway Ticket Pricing: Lessons for London Theatres and Theatregoers
“British theatregoers don’t have the same culture of discount code hunting and deal-seeking that we have in New York. Part of it may be due to the fact that your tickets are simply more affordable (although I’m sure West End habitués would beg to differ).”
John Cleese Denounces British TV: ‘As Bad As Everywhere Else’
“The 71-year-old star of Fawlty Towers and Monty Python’s Flying Circus said: ‘When I was growing up, we had the best television in the world. Now it’s as bad as it is everywhere else, and I don’t particularly want to participate in that.”
Liszt Didn’t Just Invent Modern Concert Life, He Invented Modern Music
Stephen Hough: “The influences that shape new musical trends are diffuse, complex, and impossible to codify, but if one person can be credited as being the fountainhead of modern music it is Franz Liszt … in three, totally different stylistic directions. Whether we like his own compositions or not, we cannot avoid contact with Liszt if we have contact with music from the late-19th or 20th centuries.”
Will Corruption Charges Kill Golden Globes?
“Though accusations of entrenched corruption have dogged the HFPA for decades, it has always been tacitly overlooked in the industry. The 11th-hour lawsuit launched late Thursday by former HFPA publicist Michael Russell brought it all out into the open, with allegations of bribery, graft and payola routinely accepted and encouraged by members of the dubious association.”
Stratford Director Michael Langham, 91
“Langham succeeded founding artistic director Tyrone Guthrie at Stratford in 1956 – the festival’s final season under a canvas tent – and held the reins until 1967. He continued to direct at the festival until 2008.”
A Tale Of Two Collectors – Eli Broad And Norton Simon
“The similarities between Broad and Simon — both self-made men of vast wealth, savvy business acumen, genuine art passion and an often-remarked penchant for aggressive and controlling dealings — are as vivid as the differences.”
Is Continually Defending Liberal Arts The Best Way Of Making Them Relevant?
“Liberal arts professors today seem incapable of talking about what they do without metaphorically assuming a ‘duck and cover’ position. Why is this? And is it in the best interests of the liberal arts that we are perpetually defending them?”
How Neuroscience Is Changing Our Understanding Of Ourselves
“We are living in the middle of a revolution in consciousness. Over the past few decades, geneticists, neuroscientists, psychologists, sociologists, economists, and others have made great strides in understanding the inner working of the human mind. Far from being dryly materialistic, their work illuminates the rich underwater world where character is formed and wisdom grows.”