Acting Oneself as Another: An Actor\u27s Empathy for her Character

What does it mean for an actor to empathize with the character she is playing? We review different theories of empathy and of acting. We then consider the notion of twofoldness (Wollheim), which has been used to characterize the observer or audience perspective on the relation between actor and character (Smith). This same kind of twofoldness or double attunement applies from the perspective of the actor herself who must, at certain points of preparation, distinguish between the character portrayed and her own portrayal effected in her craft. We argue that this concept helps us to understand how the actor can empathize with her character. For the actor who must study and rehearse her character, empathy may begin with higher-order (narrative or imaginative) processes that provide a contextualized understanding of the character. This understanding eventually integrates with more basic empathic processes in her actual performance

Health impact evaluation of boron in drinking water: a geographical risk assessment in Northern France.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate health impact of boron in drinking water. METHODS: A regional scale geographical study in Northern France was conducted. Assessment of boron blood levels in a group of 180 healthy individuals and correlation with boron content in drinking water were followed by an assessment of health indicators such as birth rates, mortality rates, and sex ratios in zones of different boron content in drinking water. RESULTS: After necessary adjustments, men living in municipalities with more than 0.30 mg/L of boron in drinking water had elevated but not significant boron blood levels compared with those living in municipalities with boron water levels of less than 0.30 mg/L (159.1 versus 123.0 ng/g; p > 0.05). The standardized birth ratio adjusted for the reference geographic zone and calendar time period was 1.07 and 1.28 in the low and high (>0.3 mg/L) boron content municipalities, respectively. The birth rate in municipalities with high boron content in drinking water was higher than that of the reference geographic zone and of the French general population (p < 10(-4)). The standardized mortality ratio adjusted for the reference geographic zone and calendar time period was 0.94 and 0.92 in the low and high boron content municipalities, respectively. The mortality rate in municipalities with high boron content in drinking water was less than that of the reference geographic zone and of the French general population (p < 10(-3)). No statistical difference was noted in the male-female sex ratios between the different municipality zones (p = 0.45). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study do not support the idea of a deleterious effect of boron on human health, at the boron water level contents found in this specific region. In fact, there is a tendency toward a beneficial effect with low-dose environmental exposure (less than 1 mg/L of boron) in drinking water