“In a series of experiments, people who counted money felt less pain when their hands were dipped into scalding water. The soothing power of cash also helped them shrug off the emotional pain of social exclusion.”
Tag: 04.09.10
UK’s Radical Bookstores Make A Comeback (Sort Of)
“[W]hile the independent books sector in the UK has indeed been beset by bad news – independent bookshops closed at the rate of two a week in 2009, according to the Booksellers Association – the radical bookshops that have survived are witnessing a revival of interest, and are guardedly optimistic about their futures.”
Bookshops Bet On Hunger For Human Contact
Brick-and-mortar bookstores stake their “future not just on dead-tree books but on our need for community, for having real contact in addition to the virtual kind. … In our revved up, plugged-in world, having the chance to look someone squarely in the eye and share ideas may be the most bankable commodity of all.”
The Case Against A Top-Of-The-Charts List For Classical Music
“One specific problem with this classical chart is that it will be very dull indeed. Tastes in classical music don’t move at the pace of pop and rock, and you can bet your bottom dollar that month after month, we’ll be seeing Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, Albinoni’s Adagio and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – with the only novelty provided by the latest emanation from Philip Glass or a choir of plainchanting monks. OK, it’s not going to do any harm, but will it do any good?”
How A Company Of Actors Imploded
The Sydney Theatre Company was to be “a company of elite Australian actors to something special and virtually unheard of: they would enjoy a degree of control over their destinies. They would produce fine work, born in a loving and safe rehearsal where every actor’s voice would be listened to.” So far so good. But then…
A New Way To Measure Theatre Success?
“A group of the UK theatre world’s leading industry bodies – The Society of London Theatre, Theatrical Management Association and Independent Theatre Council – have recently come up with what they believe is a completely new way of measuring the effectiveness (or otherwise) of a theatre production.”
The Blog That Sank Leonard Slatkin
Slatkin writes that: “Realizing that my credibility as a Verdian might be questioned, I decided never to reveal [to the orchestra] that this score was new to me.” Note to bloggers: Posting sensitive information on the Internet is not generally the best way to keep it a secret.
Weighing Words – Writers From Prison
“Since 1960, the PEN Writers in Prison Committee has been campaigning for writers who have been threatened, suppressed or imprisoned for their work. The most famous include Wole Soyinka, Vaclav Havel and Salman Rushdie, who have all had to weigh their words in fear.”
David Zinman Abruptly Quits Aspen Music Festival
Alan Fletcher, who was fired by the festival in October and rehired in November, said that he and Mr. Zinman had disagreed about certain faculty cuts made in response to the recession last year. But he added: “I have never had any problems with David. He raised the level of everything here and left a great legacy.”
A Buy Recommendation On Sotheby’s?
“Art sales also move in close tandem with the global money supply, which is unlikely to shrink much while most governments keep monetary policy loose. Even if economic growth is only modest in coming months, investors with an eye for Sotheby’s should enjoy higher rewards.”