“We know that firstborns are generally smarter than their younger siblings and more likely to become leaders, while younger brood-members tend to be more rebellious.” But the eldest child’s greater chances of success “may come at the cost of a less trusting, uncooperative disposition.”
Tag: 12.15.09
Actors Smoking Onstage? Not In Colorado
“Smoking onstage by performers is a commonplace occurrence that most theater professionals don’t think much about – that is, until that right is taken away.
This week, the Colorado Supreme Court handed down a decision that effectively upholds a ban on onstage smoking in the state.”
Ridley Scott Loses Court Battle Over ‘Bad Odours’
The film director (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) sued the neighbors near his country house in Provence for causing “aural and visual pollution and bad odours” by operating an organic chicken farm. The judges were not sympathetic. The suit “was [Scott’s] sixth attempt in five years to thwart his neighbours’ activities.”
I Say A Little Prayer For You (And It Does Us Both Good)
“A newly published study … [asks] the intriguing question: How does praying for someone affect the person saying the prayers? The answer seems to be: It makes them more forgiving, at least toward the person they are praying for. … And forgiveness, as the researchers note, is a vital element in maintaining close relationships.”
Short Stories For Your iPod
SpokenInk.co.uk “allows users to download the works of authors including Anton Chekhov and D H Lawrence, which can be played on iPods, MP3 players, mobile phones and computers. The stories in its extensive library are narrated by famous actors such as Timothy West and Prunella Scales and cost between 49p and £1.99.’
Troubled Honolulu Symphony To Give (Final?) ‘Thank-You’ Concert
Last month, facing a financial crisis, the HSO cancelled all remaining 2009 concerts and made no guarantees for the rest of the season. But on Dec. 27, conductor JoAnn Falletta and the orchestra’s musicians (all donating their services) will perform Beethoven’s 9th Symphony “as a thank-you to the community who has supported us for so many years.”
Embarrassing Dancing By Middle-Aged Men: It Has An Evolutionary Purpose
“The cringeworthy ‘dad dancing’ witnessed at wedding receptions every weekend may be an unconscious way in which ageing males repel the attention of young women, leaving the field clear for men at their sexual peak. ‘The message their dancing sends out is “stay away, I’m not fertile”,’ said [research psychologist] Dr Peter Dad.”
And Why Do People Dance Around At Parties Anyway?
That’s the great issue around which British psychologist Dr. Peter Lovatt (known around his university campus as “Dr. Dance”) is building his career: an “investigation into ‘dance confidence’ (DC) – the factor that makes the difference between you sitting glued to the bar seat and actually going for a boogie – and how it changes with age and gender.”
Architecture Show In The Ultimate Boomtown (No, Not Dubai)
“Exhibiting a rotting tofu hut alongside a dragon made of underpants, Shenzhen’s third biennale of architecture glories in the dizzying excess of China’s urban growth”
An Inflatable Meeting Hall On The National Mall?
“Designed by the New York firm Diller Scofidio & Renfro, the translucent fabric structure, which would be installed twice a year, for May and October, and be packed away in storage the rest of the time, would transform one of the most somber buildings on the mall into a luminous pop landmark.”