Pamela Paul and Maria Russo of The New York Times Book Review say that “raising a reader is fun, rewarding and relatively easy” – and explain how. (First key hint is not to wait to get started: “Baby books are a necessity. … Read out loud, every day. Any book. … The content doesn’t matter.” And audiobooks don’t count.)
Tag: 06.21.17
How Do You Get Someone To Change Their Mind?
The key, based on academic research into adult learning, is cognitive dissonance. Suzanne Cope explains.
The Neuroscientist Who Makes Beautiful Brain Art To Inspire Better Scientific Work
Watch the oddly compelling video of neural circuitries made by neuroscientist Greg Dunn, his colleagues, and some computer algorithms that tossed in randomization. “As LEDs scan across the surface, they reflect off the varying depths and angles of the gold leaf grooves to make each neurological pathway shimmer like it is truly alive with electrical firings.”
Buffalo’s Albright-Knox Museum To Reconfigure, Expand, And ‘Become One With The Park’
There are several phases of construction planned, but “perhaps the most striking feature of the planned expansion is the creation of a vast, light-filled entry hall where the current courtyard and Bunshaft galleries exist. Renderings show the space as a glass-walled public plaza with an elevated walkway providing access to the existing auditorium on the south side and a new restaurant that will spill onto the east lawn of the gallery in the summer months.”
Defining America’s Deep Cultural Divide
The Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey of nearly 1,700 Americans — including more than 1,000 adults living in rural areas and small towns — finds deep-seated kinship in rural America, coupled with a stark sense of estrangement from people who live in urban areas. Nearly 7 in 10 rural residents say their values differ from those of people who live in big cities, including about 4 in 10 who say their values are “very different.”
The World’s Historic Artworks Are Under Attack – By Monstrous Microorganisms!
Notwithstanding our horror-movie headline, this is a serious issue. “These tiny invaders” – bacteria, fungi, even algae – “have wrought catastrophic damage on historic sites like the Lascaux cave paintings in France and the Titanic – [which] is being devoured by a tenacious species of metal-hungry bacteria. That’s why scientists and conservators are working to identify what kinds of bacteria are colonizing an artifact, purge them, and make sure they cannot return. Some are even enlisting bacteria to help protect historic sites.” (The good guys germs to the rescue!)
Do Free And Discount Tickets Really Make Opera More Accessible?
Some observers question whether free or low-cost opera tickets really are reaching new audiences, as opposed to being giveaways to fans who’d come anyway. Here, the general director of Opera Holland Park in London describes the several different programs of the sort his company offers, explains the philosophy behind the schemes, and describes the experience OHP has had with them.
The Doctor Seuss Museum: Oh The Places It (Won’t) Go
“The museum, which opened on June 3, displays a bit of amnesia about the formative experiences that led to Mr. Geisel’s best-known body of work. It completely overlooks Mr. Geisel’s anti-Japanese cartoons from World War II, which he later regretted.”
Dance As Event As Stream As Experience For The Camera
“Digital broadcasts of dance generally fall into two categories: behind-the-scenes glimpses into rehearsals, like those offered by ballet companies around the globe on World Ballet Day, and live streams of in-demand theatrical performances, like those presented by the Guggenheim for its Works & Process performance series. In these latter cases, the broadcast usually supplements the live event; even without people tuning in remotely, the show would go on. “Marfa Dance Episodes,” directed by Benjamin Millepied, with choreography by him as well as several company members, differ in that the broadcast itself was the event; the series was created exclusively for an online audience, and the episodes, ranging from about seven to twenty minutes, were choreographed for—and with—the camera.”
After Ten Years, ‘Jerry Springer – The Opera’ Is Finally Making It To New York
“Jerry Springer — The Opera was supposed to come to Broadway more than 10 years ago after its [Olivier] award-winning premiere in London. That didn’t happen for a variety of reasons, but that brazen musical will finally have a proper run in New York as part of the Off Broadway troupe New Group’s 2017-18 season, the company announced on Wednesday.”