| | | | | As a young performance musician at Berklee College of Music, Myron Layese could barely hear the orchestra over the beating of his heart. Debilitating music performance anxiety (MPA) affects 15% to 25% of performers, a disorder so potentially incapacitating that it can severely affect both mental health and future prospects. With his virtual reality software StageFright, Myron aims to “lower that barrier of entry for music performance with research-based performance anxiety management techniques” to help musicians handle the stressors they face and reach their full potential. Working with MIT labs and students at Berklee, Harvard and MIT, Myron hopes to make public musical performance a breeze. WATCH MORE HERE |
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IMPORTANT
| | | | | Champions at Last | Argentina Do It the Hard Way, Beating France on Penalties Argentina appeared to be cruising to victory. Lionel Messi had opened the scoring with a 23rd-minute penalty and 13 minutes later, fellow veteran Ángel Di María made it 2-0. France’s lifeline came at the 80th minute when Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty — and followed it up with a glorious volley 97 seconds later. Both sides had the chance to win in regular time, and Messi thought he’d won it in extra time. Another Mbappé penalty saw France level the score 3-3 — but Argentina held their nerve in a penalty shootout to give Messi the one trophy that had eluded him. (Source: NYT) |
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| | | Biodiversity Breakthrough? | COP15 Nears Agreement to Protect 30% of Land and Water by 2030 Currently, 17% of terrestrial environments and 10% of marine environments are protected. “There has never been a conservation goal globally at this scale,” said Brian O’Donnell of Campaign for Nature. “This puts us within a chance of safeguarding biodiversity from collapse … We’re now within the range that scientists think can make a marked difference in biodiversity.” The deal would also double the $10 billion that currently goes to poor countries to help them safeguard nature. But critics bemoaned its weak language on the subsidies that make food and fuel overly cheap in many parts of the world. (Source: AP) |
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| | | In the Crosshairs | Schiff Drops Trump Bombshell as Proud Boys Trial Kicks Off Democratic congressman and member of the Jan. 6 House committee Adam Schiff said he believed there was “sufficient evidence” to charge former President Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. The committee, which holds its last session today, is expected to refer Trump and others to the Justice Department. Also in the capital, jury selection will commence in the trial of five members of the Proud Boys militia, including former chairman Enrique Tarrio. They are charged with seditious conspiracy — a serious charge that carries a jail term of up to 20 years — over their role in the Capitol riots. (Sources: The Guardian, NYT) |
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| | | Lost at Sea | Dozens Missing after Thai Warship Capsizes The HTMS Sukhothai sank during a storm in the Gulf of Thailand Sunday after water flooded its hull, causing its power controls to short-circuit. Crew battled to retain control of the ship, which listed to starboard before eventually going under around 11:30 p.m. local time. Seventy-five people were rescued, including three with serious injuries, and 31 remained missing in stormy seas. The missing sailors are believed to be wearing life jackets and the Thai air force has been called in to assist with the search. “It’s been more than 12 hours, but we will keep looking,” said a navy spokesperson. (Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Should I stay or should I go? Elon Musk tweeted a poll asking whether he should step down as Twitter CEO and promising to abide by the results. At the time of writing, “Yes” was leading by 57.6% to 42.4%. (Source: CNN) He’s still standing. Weeks after almost resigning as president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected as the leader of the ruling party. Five of the party’s new top seven support Ramaphosa. (Source: Daily Maverick) “Horrendous.” Five people, including the gunman, were killed in a shooting at a condo in Toronto Sunday night. (Source: CNN) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | | | ‘The Alternative Is to Say Goodbye’ | Bringing Back the Northern White Rhino “The sense of enormity when staring extinction right in the eye is difficult to comprehend,” said researcher Natalie Cooper of meeting Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, before his death. But now scientists plan to use semen and eggs collected from the last surviving members of the subspecies to implant embryos into a cousin of the northern white rhino. If everything goes according to plan, the first baby could be born within four years. “Of course, it’s not about just one,” said Jan Stejksal of the Dvůr Králové zoo. “It could take decades to have a reasonable number of babies.” (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | | Off-Key | Juilliard Grapples With Its #MeToo Moment Last week, classical music website VAN Magazine released the results of a six-month investigation into sexual harassment and misconduct at The Juilliard School’s composition department. “I wouldn’t even call it an open secret,” said film composer and Juilliard alum Laura Karpman. “I’d just call it open.” The report focused on Juilliard legend Christopher Rouse, who died in 2019, and current faculty member and former departmental chair Robert Beaser. Following the publication of an open letter demanding “action regarding the allegations of a decades-long abuse of women and power,” Beaser stepped away from his duties Friday. He vowed to clear his name. (Source: WaPo) |
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| | | Fish Out of Water | Giant Berlin Fish Tank Bursts, Spilling Thousands of Fish Onto Road Holding 264,000 gallons of water and 1,500 exotic fish, the 46-foot AquaDom was the world’s largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium. That changed early Friday when guests in the adjoining Radisson Hotel awoke to what “felt like an earthquake.” Two people were injured by glass splinters and all of the sea creatures perished, but it could have been much worse, said Berlin’s mayor Franziska Giffey: “If this hadn’t happened at 5:45 a.m. but even just one hour later, then we would probably have had terrible human loss to report.” Around 350 hotel guests were relocated amid fears of structural damage. (Source: Reuters) |
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| | | 6 Feet Under | Marion Smith, World’s Leading Cave Explorer, Dies at 80 The man who visited more caves — 8,291 to be exact — than any other human ever, died at his Rock Island, Tennessee home. Known as “the Goat” by fellow cavers, he entered his first cave in 1966 and was instantly hooked. Over a long career, he made important discoveries and suffered some near-death experiences, including being pinned under a boulder for 9 hours. “If caving were a professional sport, Smith would possess the lifetime stats of a Wilt Chamberlain or Ted Williams,” wrote Michael Ray Taylor in 2003. He was also the leading global expert in mining saltpeter, an ingredient in gunpowder. (Source: NYT) |
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| | | Stealing the Spotlight | Messi Made to Wear Traditional Cloak for Trophy Presentation He’d waited all his life to lift the trophy — and he had to wait a few seconds longer, as Qatar’s emir draped a black and gold bisht over the Argentinian star’s shoulders, covering part of his shirt. While tournament organizers called it a “regional celebration,” some thought it more sinister. Will Martin tweeted: “Making Messi wear that robe is absolutely grim. Sums up everything wrong with this World Cup.” Another Twitter user predicted it might backfire: “I’m glad they made him wear the cloak … it is a permanent reminder of FIFA’s and Qatar’s attempts to use this tournament for sports-washing.” (Sources: BBC, The Guardian, 7 News) |
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COMMUNITY
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