“A small band of economists has been studying how height, weight and beauty affect the likelihood of committing – or being convicted of – a crime. Looking at records from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, they have found evidence that shorter men are 20 to 30 percent more likely to end up in prison than their taller counterparts, and that obesity and physical attractiveness are linked to crime.”
Tag: 05.11.10
Nikita Mikhalkov’s WWII Film Epic Flops In Russia
“Nikita Mikhalkov, Russia’s most famous and well-connected film director, has drawn unexpected critical fire for his epic new war movie, The Exodus: Burnt by the Sun 2.” The box office take has been disappointing as well.
Is The Continental-United Merger Bad For The Arts?
The deal “would relocate Continental’s headquarters to Chicago. Houston, which has been the airline’s home since 1982, fears the merger means a loss of jobs, prestige – and charitable contributions. Research … suggests this concern is well founded.”
Tate Modern Expands Into Non-Western Art
“Tate Modern has used the occasion of its 10th birthday to show how it is expanding its collection beyond Europe and North America, actively buying work from artists in countries from Algeria to Egypt to Iran.”
Most High School Students Cheat – And Think It’s Okay: Study
“The study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln … found the practice is widespread and many students carry misperceptions about academic dishonesty, and also identified patterns among students that may help teachers stop it. … In some cases, though, students simply don’t grasp that some dishonest acts are cheating.”
At 40, The Place Remains Crucial To UK Dance
“The rollcall of dancers, choreographers and performers who have trained, rehearsed, performed or simply fallen in love with dance at the Place is as eclectic as it is long: there’s [Matthew] Bourne, Richard Alston and Siobhan Davies, not to mention Madonna, Kate Bush and Helena Bonham Carter.”
Adrift In A Sea Of Dreadful Writing
“[A]wful books have always been with us, but nowadays a specimen of unkempt, puffed-up prose or stumbling, lugubrious verse doesn’t even need to make it past an editor or publisher to glide slimily into the awareness of the unsuspecting public. … Bad writing can serve as a lesson of one kind or another, but can it ever be recycled into something approximating art?”
Glee Creator Wants Newsweek Boycott Over ‘Bigoted Piece’
Ryan Murphy calls an online piece about gay actors playing straight characters “as misguided as it is shocking and hurtful,” partly because the author “is himself gay. But what is the most shocking of all is that Newsweek went ahead and published such a blatantly homophobic article in the first place…and has remained silent in the face of ongoing (and justified) criticism.”
Seattle Rep Chooses Artistic Director From Its Own Ranks
“The new honcho will be Jerry Manning, a respected staffer at the Tony Award-winning Seattle company since 2001. For the past two seasons, Manning has run the company’s creative operations on an interim basis as producing artistic director.”
Michael Crichton’s Jasper Johns Flag Fetches Record $28.6M
“A Jasper Johns painting of an American flag from the estate of writer Michael Crichton sold for a record $28.6 million tonight at Christie’s International in New York.”