So says a new study of IQ. “People who sat an IQ test at the age of 11 in 1932 were ranked in exactly the same order when they took the exam again at the age of 77, showing that intelligence is stable throughout life. But researchers also found that those with high IQs tended to live longer because they made the right health decisions during their lives.”
Tag: 09.28.04
It’s Still Cheaper Than A Yankee Game
How big a risk is New York’s Museum of Modern Art really taking by hiking its admission price to $20? Well, if it’s local competition that matters, the Empire State Building only charges $11, but seeing Scary Spice on Broadway will run you $90. MoMA is also counting its new “coffee shops, movies, and relaxation areas” to make it an all-day destination, but some observers point out that museum attendance has plateaued in recent years. The real answer? No one has any idea whether the price hike will make any difference at all to MoMA’s attendance.
Festivals May Saturate Market
“The festival idea … has almost irresistible selling points: There is strength in numbers. There is spice in variety. There is built-in word-of-mouth. There may be more outlay, true, but there may be more revenue.” But are there simply too many festivals?
Because If We Edit Them, Then The Terrorists Have Already Won?
A little-known corner of U.S. trade law is being challenged in court on First Amendment grounds by a group of editors and publishers. “The regulations, meant to keep Americans from trading with enemies, require anyone who publishes material from a country under trade sanctions [Cuba, for instance] to obtain a license before substantively altering the manuscript. The publishers say that keeps them from performing typical editing functions like reordering sentences and paragraphs, correcting grammar and adding illustrations or photographs.”
Imagine All The People, Investing Too Much In A Song
John Lennon’s counterculture, anti-consumerist anthem, Imagine, has already had its message bastardized by any number of commercial enterprises, and now, a new sneaker sporting lines from the song is selling for $60 a pair. But maybe the problem isn’t the money-grubbing marketers, but the song itself, which has always been more commercial pablum than true protest: “it rewards its listeners for piously imagining a better world rather than doing anything concrete to improve it. A form of emotional vanity, Imagine allows us to congratulate ourselves for simply having a conscience. No wonder it’s become pop’s favourite comfort blanket, invariably reached for in troubled times.”
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Make Up A New Law
A new California law will require file-swappers in the state to register a legitimate e-mail address, or be charged with a misdemeanor. Critics are already charging that the law is merely an attempt to sidestep the intricacies of copyright law, and charge file-swappers with a newly invented crime. But the bill’s passage is a major victory for entertainment industry lobbyists, who plan to use the win as a springboard to launch similar efforts in other states.
The Arts, Delivered Fresh In Under An Hour
The Arts Council of Wales has rolled out a £2 million proposal to fund Welsh arts organizations outside the capital city of Cardiff. The stated goal of the plan is to ensure that no resident of Wales lives more than 45 minutes from what it calls “top-class” arts experiences.
National Gallery Embraces A Stepchild
“For the first time in its 63-year history, the National Gallery of Art is permanently dedicating galleries to photography, giving prominence to the work of Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Man Ray, Paul Strand and Ansel Adams.”
Director: Smarter Funding Would Help Arts Thrive
Deriding the politically safe notion of “false egalitarianism” in arts funding, Canadian Opera Company General Director Richard Bradshaw called Monday for more and better public and private funding to create an environment in which the arts can thrive. “We’re seeing phenomenal generosity in Canada at this moment, but most of that generosity is being directed towards buildings and the issue of funding what goes on inside those buildings remains in crisis,” he said.
American Lives, Painted By Iraqis
“Turning photos into paintings has long been a side business for the commercial artists of Baghdad, but it has never found more eager consumers than the Americans.” Even under current conditions, Iraqi artists can do brisk business with U.S. troops — though the artists and their subjects no longer meet because fraternization is too dangerous. Instead, they rely on go-betweens to shuttle soldiers’ snapshots and the paintings they become.