“When presented with negative information about the candidates they liked, partisans of all stripes found ways to discount it. When the unpalatable information was rejected, furthermore, the brain scans showed that volunteers gave themselves feel-good pats — the scans showed that ‘reward centers’ in volunteers’ brains were activated. The psychologist observed that the way these subjects dealt with unwelcome information had curious parallels with drug addiction as addicts also reward themselves for wrong-headed behavior.”
Tag: 02.02.06
Howard Stern Pirated
Fans of Howard Stern are pirating copies of his radio show, which is now available legally only on subscription-based Siruis satellite radio. “Although no one can know the total number of Stern stealers, it is clear that Stern is a runaway hit among file sharers. His shows are more popular than the TV show ‘Gilmore Girls’ and just behind Fox’s ‘The Simpsons.”
The Joint Chiefs Have Time To Read The Comics?
“In a protest with an unusual number of high-level signatures, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and each of its five members have fired off a letter assailing a Washington Post cartoon as ‘beyond tasteless.’ The Tom Toles cartoon, published Sunday, depicts a heavily bandaged soldier in a hospital bed as having lost his arms and legs, while Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in the guise of a doctor, says: ‘I’m listing your condition as ‘battle hardened.””
The Brokeback Agenda
Okay, Brokeback Mountain is a good movie, but are those eight Oscar nominations for Ang Lee’s “gay cowboy” flick really about rewarding great filmmaking? Or is this just Hollywood’s way of thumbing its nose at the right-wingers who currently control America’s political system? Stephen Hunter says that Brokeback “makes an argument with images craftily employed to communicate ideas. Nothing in it is arbitrary… generally, the movie is cruel to family. It seems to think family is a bourgeois delusion” and that homosexuality is a natural reaction against the imprisonment of traditional American family life.
Greening The Skyline, For Health And Profit
Can towering skyscrapers and natural beauty ever really coexist? A new generation of architects doesn’t see why not, and the corporations that populate high-rises across America are beginning to see the benefits of a different kind of urban planning. “Not so long ago, green construction was largely dismissed as prohibitively expensive and as just so much political correctness. But the arrival of the Condé Nast tower in Times Square in 1999, designed by Fox & Fowle and billed as the first green skyscraper in New York, sent the message that corporate America saw something to gain from the green model.”
New Swan Lake To Hit The Road
A new production of Swan Lake that has been making serious waves since its premiere last year in Shanghai is preparing to take the “unconventional blend of classical ballet and traditional Chinese acrobatics” on a major world tour including Russia, Japan, Germany, and the U.S. The production, which includes acrobatic feats worthy of Cirque du Soleil, is a complete reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, and even changes the storyline to make it more relevant to modern Chinese audiences.
Box Office Slump? Don’t Tell The Brits
“In a year when blockbusters went bust in the United States and films fizzled in Europe, Britons flocked to the cinema — to see a teenage wizard, a magical wardrobe and a psychedelic chocolate factory. The U.S. box office slumped to its lowest level in almost a decade in 2005, dragged down by a slew of underperforming action films and lackluster sequels. Ticket sales also fell across much of Europe. But while a strong pound and an uncertain tax climate have fueled fears for the future of British filmmaking, British filmgoing is in great shape.”
Music Soothes The Wayward Dog
A dog shelter in England has begun playing classical music to calm its canine guests. “The animals are said to respond well to the strains of Beethoven and Mozart, but are not fans of pop or dance music.”
A New Look At Abstract Expressionism
A new documentary focusing on the revolutionary changes that hit the American art scene beginning in the 1960s has an intriguing premise: that artists of the era consciously abandoned any attempt to cater to existing public interests and began creating art that viewers would simply have to “catch up” to. But in the years since Warhol, Stella, Hockney, and others burst onto the scene, much of the museum-going public has managed to embrace the revolutionary style they embodied.
Poll: Consumers Say CDs Too Expensive
What ails music? Recording company execs say its illegal file-sharing. But a new poll of music consumers has plenty of criticism for the music industry. “Eighty percent of the respondents consider it stealing to download music for free without the copyright holder’s permission, and 92 percent say they’ve never done it. Meanwhile, three-quarters of music fans say compact discs are too expensive, and 58 percent say music in general is getting worse.”