“[L]ike Casals, whose refusal to perform under Franco made him a symbol of heroic resistance, or Rostropovich, whose political beliefs led to exile from his own country and a resulting sense of moral authority. Once you’ve won that authority, what is your responsibility to use it, and how?”
Author: Laura Collins Hughes
Can We Defang Our Bad Memories By Updating Them?
“Now, many experts accept the view that memories are stored like individual files on a shelf; each time they are pulled down for viewing, they can be altered before being put back into storage. Altering a memory during the time it is off the shelf can create an updated memory that can be saved in place of the old one, scientists believe.”
Archaeologists Find Cemetery Rife With Sexual Symbolism
“In the women’s coffins, the Chinese archaeologists encountered one or more life-size wooden phalluses…. Looking again at the shaping of the 13-foot poles that rise from the prow of each woman’s boat, the archaeologists concluded that the poles were in fact gigantic phallic symbols,” corresponding to “symbolic vulvas” on the men’s.
Why Does Music Get Stuck In Our Heads?
“The mental pathways for music are complex, sometimes including not only auditory areas but also the visual cortex of the brain. Recent research suggests that musical perception is entwined with primitive parts of the brain and that it can influence emotions through the limbic system.”
San Diego: Welcome, Mr. Landesman. We’d Like More $$$.
Rocco Landesman’s visit “came in the wake of major arts-funding disappointment for San Diego. Last year, local organizations received just a sliver of the $50 million in economic stimulus funds distributed by the NEA…. San Diego’s share of the stimulus amounted to two grants totaling $75,000, the same amount that went to Fresno.”
Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei Discusses His Digital Activism
“Ai described his evolution from an artist to an activist as ‘a very natural act’ and said that social media are ‘like water and air, but in China we can’t even talk about it.’ When asked if he fears not being allowed to reenter the country, the artist replied: ‘Nothing can silence me as long as I’m alive. I don’t give any excuse. It isn’t going to change my beliefs.'”
Study: Mona Lisa’s Smile Shifts, Thanks To Painting Trick
“Austrian neurologists say analysis of the masterpiece shows her face appears to shift depending where a person focuses their gaze. If her eyes are stared at, it appears she has a subtle smile on her lips. But if the onlooker shifts their gaze to her mouth, then the smile disappears.”
Scottish Opera Caters To A New Audience: Infants
“The experimental performances, to be staged at venues across the country, will feature no lyrics, narrative or plot. Instead, classically trained singers will create baby-friendly noises, such as Wellington boots splashing in puddles, buzzing bees, quacking ducks and the fluttering of feathers.”
Boston-Area Billboards Picture Stolen Gardner Museum Art
“[B]eginning today Clear Channel Outdoor is running an FBI poster on two of its digital billboards announcing the $5 million reward for the stolen art and urging anyone with information to contact the FBI and go to gardnermuseum.org for more information.”
The Truth About Film Criticism’s Future: There Isn’t One
Glenn Kenny: “And now let me quote Vladimir Nabokov, as is my wont: ‘Sex as an institution, sex as a general notion, sex as a problem, sex as a platitude–all this is something I find too tedious for words.’ Now, just substitute ‘the future of film criticism’ for ‘sex’ in the above and you’ll have pretty much summed up my attitude. Why? Because I know it’s over. … And I’m fine with that.”