“Despite the importance of humour to human psychology, it is only the advances in brain imaging during the past decade that have enabled neuroscientists to pin down how the brain reacts when a joke tickles us. Armed with this knowledge, they are now solving the puzzle of why some jokes are funny to some people but leave others cold.”
Tag: 02.01.10
Site Of Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In Becomes Civil Rights Museum
“[One] of the achievements of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, which is opening Monday in that former Woolworth building, is that you begin to understand how such a place became a pivot in the greatest political movement of the 20th century.”
Finding The Funny Bone In The Brain
“[D]espite the importance of humour to human psychology, it is only the advances in brain imaging during the past decade that have enabled neuroscientists to pin down how the brain reacts when a joke tickles us. Armed with this knowledge, they are now solving the puzzle of why some jokes are funny to some people but leave others cold.”
Barbican Box Office Manager Jailed For £33K Refund Scam
“Over a period of 13 months, Christopher Todd, 35, transferred cash into his own bank account through scores of transactions involving unsuspecting arts lovers.” A co-worker turned him in.
Michael Kaiser: Where Are The Arts Important? Everywhere.
“I was reflecting on the claims of too many politicians that the arts are the province of the elite in big coastal cities like New York and Los Angeles. … [But people] of all backgrounds and income levels are involved with the arts across the United States. Why else would 400 enthusiastic people come to my presentation in Kalamazoo, Michigan and 750 attend in Kansas City, Missouri?”
Blue Whales’ Songs Are Getting Lower
“It’s the same old tune, but the pitch of the blues is mysteriously lower – especially off the coast of California where, local researchers say, the whales’ voices have dropped by more than half an octave since the 1960s. No one knows why. But one conjecture is that more baritone whales indicate healthier populations: The whales may be less shrill because they’re less scarce and don’t have to pipe up to be heard by neighbors.”
Checking Out The Old Globe’s New Stage In San Diego
“As part of a $22-million upgrade, the Old Globe Theatre demolished a 224-seat in-the-round theater and replaced it with … a 250-seat in-the-round theater. The spaces are so similar that, from your seat, you have to look closely to notice what’s different. Good thing.”
Journalists, Stop Giving Away Your Work For Free!
Alan Mutter: “Apart from the sheer righteousness of being paid an honest dollar for an honest day’s work, journalists need to stand together – and stand tall – to reassert the stature of their profession. The reason is simple: If they don’t put a value on what they do, then no one else will, either.”
Stop Writing Completely Except For Pay? That’ll Be The Day
Christopher Lloyd: “[When my newspaper clients lost their freelancer budgets entirely,] I had a choice to make. Take Mutter’s high road, and refuse to keep supplying film reviews for free. … Or, I could keep slaving away without pay. … I opted to go the second way. After all, I knew I wasn’t going to drop my passion for film criticism. If I was going to do it, I might as well have it published.”
Miramax May Yet Rise From The Dead
As Disney shops the remains of the label, “initial discussions indicate a price of over $700 million for the Miramax name and its 700-film library…. Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein, who founded Miramax in 1979, are not among the bidders — so far.”