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IQ And The Sexes

“A major new study reports that, up to the age of 14, there was no difference between the IQs of boys and girls. But beyond that age and into adulthood there is a difference of five points, which is small but it can have important implications. As intelligence scores among the study group rose, the academics say they found a widening gap between the sexes. There were twice as many men with IQ scores of 125, for example, a level said to correspond with people getting first-class degrees. At scores of 155, associated with genius, there were 5.5 men for every woman.”

Pennsylvania – Land Of The Non-Profit

In the past decade, non-profits have created one in every four jobs in Pennsylvania. “Nonprofits now employ about one in 10 working Pennsylvanians, among the highest rates in the nation. Philadelphia itself is almost off the charts, with one in five workers in the city employed by nonprofits at the end of 2003. The comparable rate for the United States: one in 14.”

Chicago – Then And Now

Chicago has always been a great music town. But the last 40 years have expanded the depth and breadth of classical Chicago. “Seed money from the National Endowment for the Arts (founded in 1965) and other granting institutions created fertile ground for new performing arts groups in the late ’60s and throughout the ’70s and ’80s. And many of those groups sustained their growth through the new practice of subscription ticket sales, which in turn fanned individual giving. As a result, the city now pulses with dozens of music ensembles made up of local professionals, almost all of them founded since 1967.”

Korean Soaps Find American Audiences

“As Americans flee network television in droves, Korean dramas are grabbing audience share. In the Bay Area, “Dae Jang Geum,” or “Jewel in the Palace,” aired this spring, dubbed in Mandarin on the Chinese-language KTSF. For the finale, more than 100,000 fans tuned in, handing the show higher ratings than ABC’s “Extreme Makeover,” the WB’s “Starlet” or PBS’ “Live From Lincoln Center” in that time slot. The ‘Korean wave’ of pop culture — known in South Korea as hallyu — is a point of national pride, helping introduce the country to the world and breaking down historical grudges with its neighbors. The soaps have also boosted the popularity of South Korean movies and singing acts.”

How America Is Failing At Public Diplomacy

A nation’s culture, exported to the world, acts powerfully in the arena of diplomacy. But “despite a mounting stack of reports recommending drastic changes in the organization and funding of public diplomacy, very little of substance has been done. And most Americans, including many who make it their business to analyze public diplomacy, seem unmindful of the negative impression that America has recently been making on the rest of humanity — via our popular culture.”

The Year VHS Tapes Died

Make no mistake – teh videotape format is dead. “In fairness, the remains of VHS haven’t been interred yet. After all, 94.7 million American households still own VCRs. And more than $3 billion was spent on video rentals and purchases in the United States last year, according to Home Media Research. But if VHS isn’t quite dead, it’s at least on life support, comatose, all industry signs indicating it will not be resuscitated.”

Miss Manners Weighs In On The “New” Heckling

Miss Manners has observed that “heckling is attempting to reinvent itself under the popular name of ‘audience participation.’ The Internet having given us the means of widely disseminating immediate personal reactions to just about everything, the idea has arisen that doing so will enhance any format. Sorry, all you little whizzes who thought you could outsmart Miss Manners: Using a new method of achieving a rude aim does not catapult you into etiquette-free territory.”