“Radio drama was thought to be nearly extinct when Yuri Rasovsky launched the National Radio Theater of Chicago in the early 1970s, and he emerged as a major voice in its revival.” In the 1990s, Rasovsky – nicknamed “El Fiendo” for his exacting standards and sharp temper – moved to Los Angeles and produced a string of award-winning recorded audio dramas.
Tag: 02.06.12
Foreign Countries Ban American Movies For The Darnedest Reasons
Sure, it makes sense that India would forbid The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – all that rape and violence. But Burma/Myanmar banned The Simpsons Movie over pigment, the French government cut the entire second half of an African art documentary, Ireland banned the Marx Brothers’ Monkey Business for anarchy, and China blocks all films depicting time travel.
French Booksellers Come Up With A New Kind Of Strike
“In Nicolas Sarkozy’s second crisis-budget plan, which raised taxes to try to plug the deficit, he raised VAT on books from 5.5% to 7%. … Booksellers’ unions are up in arms against the measure, which comes into force in April … Some booksellers have hinted at a possible ‘labelling strike’ where they simply refuse to stick on new price tags.”
Another Casualty Of The Arab Spring: Zaha Hadid’s Business
“Profits at Zaha Hadid Architects more than halved last year as the Arab spring brought several major projects to a halt. A conference centre and a complex of offices and shops in Cairo were put on hold, as was a conference hall in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.”
Ballerinas And Eating Disorders – They Didn’t Always Go Together
“Ballerinas used to be plump by modern standards; indeed, the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova was criticised in the late 1890s for being too thin (mocked for her long, slender limbs, she was nicknamed ‘the broom’ by fellow students).” My, how things have changed. (Might Balanchine bear a bit of the blame?)
Want To Make Uncreative People More Creative? Pressure Them To Conform (A Little)
“Admittedly, that sounds like an oxymoron; creative thinking and conformity are usually considered mutually exclusive. But newly published research finds a specific sort of arm twisting can help people who aren’t terribly innovative increase their creative output. The key is pressuring them to think independently, within the confines of a group project.”
Forget The 10,000 Hours Of Practice! To Gain Expert Skill More Quickly, Use Electrodes On Your Brain
For years, research neurologists have been trying to determine what goes on in the brains of top athletes, performers and others when they attain “flow” – that fully engaged state of mind in which they achieve at peak level. Now US military researchers are trying to speed up the learning process (of, for example, expert snipers) by inducing “flow” with electric stimulation.
Barbie, Simpsons Dolls Banned In Iran
“The Islamic Republic’s morality police, fighting ‘Western intoxication’ as the dispute over nuclear technology has raised fears of war, last month went on a drive against Barbie,” and the country has since banned action figures based on characters from The Simpsons. Yet “Superman and Spiderman were still welcome in Iran – because they do battle for the oppressed.”
First: 3D Printer “Prints” A Functional Jawbone For A Woman
“An 83-year-old Belgian woman is able to chew, speak and breathe normally again after a machine printed her a new jawbone. Made from a fine titanium powder sculpted by a precision laser beam, her replacement jaw has proven as functional as her own used to be before a potent infection, called osteomyelitis, all but destroyed it.”
Culture Minister’s Book Pulped Over Cover Image
“A new book by Munira Mirza, the culture adviser to the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has been withdrawn because of a legal problem over a Tate image on its cover.”