Gere-ing
up to play Bach
According to the Feb. 6 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jassen
Todorov, violinist and professor of music, instructed actor Richard Gere
on a solo violin piece for "Bee Season," which is being filmed
in Oakland. Assuming it makes it into the film, Gere's character plays
a passage from Bach's Chaconne for Solo Violin. "He's very musical,
and he's a very fast learner, with a very good ear,'' Todorov said. "He
began (taking lessons) a few months ago in New York, so we're not starting
from scratch here. The fact he wants to do it well, and is very willing
to learn, is great.''
Read the
full
article. The importance
of sexuality research
Gilbert Herdt, director of the National Sexuality Resource Center
and professor of human sexuality studies, defended the importance
of scientific research
on sexuality in a Feb. 6 letter to the editor in The New York Times. "'U.S.
Official Defends Use of Sex Studies' (news article, Jan. 30) was welcome
news to those of us working in sexuality research," he wrote. "If
the unfounded attacks on our work had been left unanswered by the National
Institutes of Health, they could have crippled research and hindered
the use of scientific knowledge to save lives."
Read the
letter
to the editor. (free registration required) Being
level-headed about "The Passion"
A Feb. 16 Contra Costa Times article reported on the reactions to the
hype surrounding Mel Gibson's "The Passion." "I think
that having a level-headed educational debate can help," said
Nitzhia Shaked, a lecturer in the Jewish Studies Program. Shaked didn't
comment directly
on the film because she hadn't yet seen it, but she just recently completed
a book that offers a legal analysis on the trials of Jesus, comparing
the law of the day with the biblical accounts.
Read the
full
article. Poetry
for posterity
SFSU's Poetry Center & American Poetry Archives "has become
one of the most important repositories of poetry recordings in the nation" says
the San Francisco Chronicle in a Feb. 19 article on the Center's
50th anniversary. The Center not only is home to recordings of many famous
poets reading
their work -- Allen Ginsburg, Robert Lowell, Marianne Moore -- but
it also continues to support younger poets by sponsoring a series of
readings each
semester. "We're not really flush with money," said poet
Maxine Chernoff, chair of the Creative Writing Department. "But
the Poetry Center is where people want to read. Poets often stop
here on their way
through the U.S. if they're visiting from other countries."
Read the
full
article. A
de-Fanged Examiner
"The perception that I have of the Examiner is that (the Fangs) tried
to suck all, I mean all, the profits out of it -- even worse than our
usually
rapacious newspaper companies," said J.T. Johnson,
professor of journalism, in a Feb. 20 Editor & Publisher article
about the sale of the Examiner
to billionaire Philip Anschutz. "Whoever this (new owner)
is and whatever he does with the Examiner, it can only improve."
Read the
full
article. Washington's
practical religion
George Washington and other founding fathers believed that religion
and morality are necessary for democracy but at the same time
must not be
imposed, said Jacob Needleman, professor of philosophy, in a
commentary that aired
Feb. 23 on NPR's Morning Edition. "Religion can help keep
the principle of personal gain from dominating the life of society,
especially a society
in which personal liberty prevails," he said. "The
ideals of religious morality together with a uniquely democratic
constitution helped
stabilize a free people who had thrown off the burden of tyranny."
Listen
to the commentary. CSU
faculty doing more research
A Feb. 23 San Francisco Chronicle article reported that more
faculty on CSU campuses, including SFSU, are engaging in research.
The
article cites
as evidence of this trend the fact that several campuses, especially
SFSU, SDSU and SJSU have greatly increased the amount of outside
research funding.
Albert Uy, assistant biology professor, said that research
helps keep him interested in teaching and benefits his students. "It
is sort of nice to show [students] evolution is happening right
now, and we are studying
it. It is nice for them to see that the professors are active
in research and are just not regurgitating what other people
have done," he said.
Read
the full
article. Nabbing
the Nascar dad
Bush's move to push for a constitutional amendment excluding
same-sex couples from marriage rights provoked strong reactions
by the Democratic
presidential
candidates, reported the Feb. 25 edition of the San Francisco
Examiner. David Tabb, a professor of political science, said
that Bush made
the announcement to capture the "Nascar dad" vote. "The white male between
30 and 50 years old, who is working class is very important to his re-election," he
said.
Read the full
article.
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people and programs in the news, see the SFSU
in the News page on SF State
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