“To encounter contemporary Cuban art is relatively rare for U.S. citizens, who continue to risk $7500 fines for traveling to Cuba under an ongoing economic embargo.” Now the largest show to come to the US since 1944 has some wondering if the travel ban to Cuba might be lifted.
Tag: 10.28.09
Study: Culture Can Affect EvolutionToo
“The researchers found that most people in countries widely described as collectivist have a specific mutation within a gene regulating the transport of serotonin, a neurochemical known to profoundly affect mood.”
The Scariest Movie Ever Made
According to totalscifionline.com, it’s The Shining. Stanley Kubrick’s film “scared off fierce competition from Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby and British cult classic The Wicker Man.”
Understanding Despair (Or, Listening To Kierkegaard)
“If Kierkegaard were on Facebook or could post a You Tube video, he would certainly complain that we, who have listened to Prozac, have become deaf to the ancient distinction between psychological and spiritual disorders, between depression and despair.”
Salsa In The Land Of The Rising Sun
“Japan’s standing as a ‘hub’ for salsa in Asia rises every day. International talent flock to the capital; specialist publications cover the dance form as a swelling number of aspiring dancers scour the city for classes.”
Where Bernstein Left Off: Teaching The Classical Audience
“Music institutions are feeling, it seems, a responsibility to assume the role that educational institutions are abandoning, in terms of teaching people about classical music. … But there’s a fine line between conveying useful information and lecturing at people.”
New PAC Isn’t Enough; Dallas, Get Serious About Urban Life
“The city fathers and business leaders understand the value that an exuberant arts community has for a metropolitan area, but the urban developers still have not created a vibrant life, as opposed to a lifestyle, in downtown Dallas….”
Electric Literature: You Name The Medium, They’ve Got It
“The founders of Electric Literature, a new quarterly literary magazine, … allow readers to enjoy the magazine any way they like: on paper, Kindle, e-book, iPhone and, starting next month, as an audiobook.” What’s more, “next month, Rick Moody will tweet a story over three days.”
Has The Mind-Reading Machine Arrived?
“What are you thinking about? Which memory are you reliving right now? You may think that only you can answer, but by combining brain scans with pattern-detection software, neuroscientists are prying open a window into the human mind.”
Rattle Re-Ups With Berlin For Nine More Years
The Berlin Philharmonic “said Wednesday that [Simon] Rattle has signed a contract to continue in his role as artistic director through 2018 … The British conductor has led the Berlin Philharmonic since 2002.”