“If you’re in the business of translating ideas in the academic realm to a general audience, you have to simplify … If my books appear to a reader to be oversimplified, then you shouldn’t read them: you’re not the audience!”
Tag: 09.29.13
How Ballerinas’ Brains Change To Accommodate Movement
“Ballet dancers develop differences in their brain structures to allow them to perform pirouettes without feeling dizzy. Researchers from Imperial College London said dancers appear to suppress signals from the inner ear to the brain.”
Is War A Fundamental Part Of Our Culture?
“The emerging popular consensus about our biological predisposition to warfare is troubling. It is not just scientifically weak; it is also morally unfortunate, as it fosters an unjustifiably limited vision of human potential.”
Tear-Down Of Ira Gershwin’s House Shows Difficulty Of Preservation In LA
“The recent demolition of a North Roxbury Drive residence where Gershwin lived, wrote and entertained Hollywood royalty is just the latest example of how difficult it can be to preserve the past in a city where residents are accustomed to doing as they wish.”
Should Bob Dylan Get A Nobel Prize?
“I’m not the first to suggest it, but it’s time to take the idea seriously. The Nobel Prize in Literature is not awarded posthumously, and Mr. Dylan, now in his 70s, has battled heart disease. Alfred Nobel’s will decreed that the prize should go to a writer with “the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.” Why hasn’t Bob Dylan received one?”
The L.A. Times Live-Blogged The Finale Of ‘Breaking Bad’
“As the finale approached, ‘Breaking Bad’ had honed itself to a fine point, the L.A. Times’ Todd VanDerWerff writes, with a penultimate episode both weird and brilliant. For Sunday’s show, the series’ huge fan base was on the edge of their seats.” Um, spoilers ahead.
Yep, Preserved Shark Artist Damien Hirst Created An ABC Picture Book
“My intention with The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991) was to replicate the sort of fear you might feel on being confronted with a shark. It’s the fear of death, but I’ve always noticed kids love it rather than being frightened of it.”
What Happened When Ingrid Bergman Met Robert Rossellini
“Years later, after the scandal surrounding their adulterous love affair had subsided into yesterday’s news and with subjective directorial visions like Rossellini’s thriving on the art-house circuit, the work was reassessed with a newfound appreciation for its gutsiness and aesthetic power.”
What’s Theatre’s Deal With Trans Actors?
“Where will we change costumes? Will we even fit into the costumes? Will we be believable? Will the audience be distracted and confused? It can be an uphill battle.”
As City Opera Comes To An End, What Its Famous Alumni Have To Say
“To the singers and musicians who make up the backbone of the company, it would mean a loss of performing traditions, the disappearance of another company that gives performers work, and farewells to colleagues who have grown close over the years.”