In and out of the workplace, people often keep adverse information about themselves secret because they worry that others will judge them harshly. But those fears are overblown, according to new research from the McCombs School of Business. In fact, when study participants pushed through fear to reveal a secret, those in whom they confided...
Culture
An African History of Cannabis Offers Fascinating and Heartbreaking Insights –An Expert Explains
When I tell people that I research cannabis, I sometimes receive a furtive gesture that implies and presumes: “We’re both stoners!”, as if two members of a secret society have met. Other times, I receive looks of concern. “You don’t want to be known as the guy who studies marijuana,” a professional colleague once counselled....
Nigeria’s Plantain Wine: a Traditional Drink with Huge Economic Potential
Agadagidi, a wine made from plantain, is a popular drink at festive occasions in Nigeria. But it’s not always of a high quality. It is usually produced in the southern part of the country in limited quantities because it is difficult to store. Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Enugu, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Lagos, Ogun, Osun and...
In Mexico, Piñatas Are Not Just Child’s Play. They’re a 400-Year-Old Tradition
María de Lourdes Ortiz Zacarías swiftly cuts hundreds of strips of newsprint and colored crepe paper needed to make a piñata, soothed by Norteño music on the radio while measuring pieces by feel. “The measurement is already in my fingers,” Ortiz Zacarías says with a laugh. She has been doing this since she was a...
Music Painted on the Wall of a Venetian Orphanage Will Be Heard Again Nearly 250 Years Later
Imagine Lady Gaga or Elton John teaching at an orphanage or homeless shelter, offering daily music lessons. That’s what took place at Venice’s four Ospedali Grandi, which were charitable institutions that took in the needy – including orphaned and foundling girls – from the 16th century to the turn of the 19th century. Remarkably, all...
From Ancient Greece to Broadway, Music Has Played a Critical Role in Theater
Though anxiety about the fate of live theater performances still lingers, Broadway is celebrating its third season since reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, with a lineup dominated once again by musicals. The new season includes long-running hits like “Hamilton,” revivals of classics like “Merrily We Roll Along,” new musical adaptations of nonmusical works like “Days...
In Conversation with Tim O’Keefe of the Texas Ballet Theater
The winter holiday season is chock full of tradition, and one of the most beloved traditions this time of year is seeing the beloved ballet The Nutcracker. Except for the sourest curmudgeons, The Nutcracker dances, music, story, and costumes are major fan favorites, for many reasons, and that’s not just the opinion of the average showgoer, but of...
Passion and Sumptuousness- La Traviata at the FGO
It’s the opening of the Florida Grand Opera’s 82nd season, and this one delivers a few of the most beloved in the operatic canon. The FGO is starting with La Traviata, and audiences are already buzzing about its passion and sumptuousness. Before the actual premier performance, nearly 1,400 students from the Miami-Dade district attended a dress...
The Daughter of the Regiment Plays Well in Chicago
When the world is full of woes, watching a comedic opera, albeit one with some quirky plot twists, is a welcome escape. Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment, which can be seen several times this November at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, is a wonderful way to be transported to musical dreamland. This production stars an accomplished and...
In Online News, Do Mouse Clicks Speak Louder Than Words?
In a polarized country, how much does the media influence people’s political views? A new study co-authored by MIT scholars finds the answer depends on people’s media preferences — and, crucially, how these preferences are measured. The researchers combined a large online survey experiment with web-tracking data that recorded all of the news sites participants visited in the month...








