“There is certainly enough science to address such contentious issues as whether women are innately bad at mathematics (they are not) and whether cultural indoctrination alone can explain why boys and girls tend to play with different toys (it cannot). Yet confused onlookers are often left with the impression that, when it comes to sex differences, everything is still up for grabs. So what’s the inside story?”
Tag: 03.08.11
Can Science and Islam Be Compatible? (Of Course)
Arab astrophysicist Nidhal Guessoum talks about what has held back scientific advancement in the Arab/Muslim world since the great achievements of the Midde Ages – singling out fundamentalists and authoritarian governments and arguing that “Islamic culture has never seen any serious conflict between science and religion.”
Why A Robocop Statue Should Be A Symbol For Detroit
“This is probably thrilling news for some, depressing news for others, but I’d like to make the case for why the statue should be welcomed. RoboCop (the cop and the movie) is a great ambassador for Detroit. And though a statue to him won’t fix the city’s problems, it does have something important to say about the place and its plight.”
Rebooting The Boston Symphony
“At the most basic level, what the orchestra needs right now is someone who will at once re-anchor and reboot the institution, bringing an infusion of vision, vigor, commitment, and inspiration. In recent seasons, as would-be highlights were time and again passed on to last-minute substitute conductors, you could sense the orchestra’s mounting resentment, simmering below its veil of professionalism.”
Brain Research: Why We Like Sad Music
“What we think happens in the case of sad music is that the subcortical [brain] structures of the people hearing it respond by empathizing with the sadness, and it actually induces sadness.”
Lilith Fair Rock Festival Is Shut Down
“Despite assurances last summer that Lilith would return – even as attendance was tanking and shows were being cancelled – Sarah McLachlan now says she will not revive her all-female music festival.”
Guillermo Del Toro’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Spiked by Universal
The $150 million adaptation of the great science fiction novelist’s At the Mountains of Madness is a dream project for the director of Pan’s Labyrinth. But del Toro insists on having the freedom to deliver a film with an R rating, while Universal Studios is convinced that the movie cannot turn a profit unless its rating is PG-13.
Manhattan’s Newest Piece of Musical Infrastructure: First-Class Rehearsal Space
Tucked amidst the tangle of the Lincoln Tunnel’s entrance ramps, the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, built and operated by the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, provides modern, acoustically clear space at below-market rates for freelance groups more accustomed to rehearsing in dark, muffled church basements.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and August Wilson Center Launch Partnership
“Workshops and master classes, training programs for budding dancers and a mid-season venue change for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre next year are all products of a multiyear partnership between the ballet company and the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.”
US Supreme Court To Rule On Whether Congress Can Take Work Out Of Public Domain
“A federal appeals panel, reversing a lower court, ruled in July against a group of orchestra conductors, educators, performers, publishers, film archivists and motion picture distributors who have relied on artistic works in the public domain for their livelihoods. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside arguments that their First Amendment rights were breached because they could no longer exploit the works without paying royalties.”