Christmas Greetings from the Lit Lounge

Your Buzzwords of 2008

Coming soon to a dictionary near you: fail (as in epic), nuked the fridge, staycation, and many more. (illustration from the NY Times)

COALergy for your Christmas stocking

Here's hoping you don't find any coal in your stocking - "clean" or otherwise.

Disney Channel enters Russian TV market

But over there, you don't watch Hannah Montana. In Russia, Hannah Montana watches you.

Don't use Dark Energy. . . it'll stunt your growth.

First coffee, then cigarettes, and now this. Even a galaxy experiences arrested development:

[Galaxy] clusters grow by gravity, according to cosmological theory, starting as small dimples in the heat and fizz of the Big Bang and then drawing in surrounding material over the eons. Dark energy would work against gravity and try to push the matter falling in back out, stalling growth.

Column of the Day: Save the Date!

My, how times change. Charles Blow examines "The Demise of Dating" in this column. On the right, a graph illustrating the change since 1976 (NY Times). 

The beginning of the end - late edition

"What's black and white and completely over?" asked Jon Stewart last week on The Daily Show. "Newspapers!"

Today's news out of Detroit would seem to echo that sentiment: The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News will be delivered just three days a week - Thursday, Friday, and Sunday - as part of cost-cutting moved designed to keep two major papers in Motown. 

Study Break! Be Inspired!

NOT on my Christmas Mix CD

So, so wrong.

A conversation with Arthur Miller

From The Charlie Rose Show in 1999, celebrating the 5oth Anniversary of Death of a Salesman.

A Dickens of a Bailout Cartoon

From Tony Auth in the NY Times. 

Miss me?

Sure you did. As usual, I've got a pretty good explanation for my absence. Last month, I received a grant from the Lowell Education Foundation to purchase podcasting equipment for the Lit Lounge. Beginning next month, you'll see periodic audio and video podcasts from the Lit Lounge. As for the content, well, that's up to you. What would you like to see/hear via podcast? How should we make the most of our new toys?

(Above: Four times the average daily requirement of Larsen via the new webcam.) 

The Audacity of Dope

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested today for corruption after allegedly trying to profit from naming Barack Obama's replacement in the US Senate. Classy. This is what he had to say yesterday in a photo op with disgrunted factory workers:

"But I don't care whether you tape me privately or publicly, I can tell you that whatever I say is always lawful and the things I'm interested in are always lawful. . ."

Stay classy, Rod. 

Best of 2008 - Tunes

NPR's list of Top 10 "Smart Rock" albums contains three of my faves of 2008: Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket, and The Hold Steady (coming to Calvin College in April!). I've put a few of my fave tracks on the Lit Lounge Playlist (see sidebar) for your listening pleasure. My guilty pleasures this year include Pink's "So What" and "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" by Gnarls Barkley. 

And 2009 looks promising with a new Springsteen release and the second CD by Modern Skirts, a cool little combo out of Athens, GA. While waiting for their new one to drop, I recommend giving a listen to their first CD, Catalogue of Generous Men. 

"I'd like to thank the Pulitzer committee. . . "

I can dream. Some real web-writers, however, are now eligible for their own Pulitzer Prize. Not you, Joe the Plumber. You have a toilet to unclog. Or a "book" to "write." (I'm guessing they involve the same material. . . )

Column of the freakin' year!

Publishers are laying off employees left and right, but some are shelling out millions in advance money for the likes of Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. Timothy Egan vents on behalf of all aspiring writers:

Most of the writers I know work every day, in obscurity and close to poverty, trying to say one thing well and true. Day in, day out, they labor to find their voice, to learn their trade, to understand nuance and pace. And then, facing a sea of rejections, they hear about something like Barbara Bush’s dog getting a book deal.

Amen, brother!

The Best of 2008 - Books

'Tis the season for "Best of" lists, and The New York Times selected works by Toni Morrison and Jhumpa Lahiri as part of their top ten. And while most Lit Loungers were reading the Twilight series, I soaked up The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, my favorite read of 2008. 

More of the "best" of 2008 to come. . . 

Time to do the write thing

I need you to find two sheets of paper, a pen, and 94 cents. In the next week, I challenge Lit Loungers to commit to writing 100 letters for Amnesty International's Write-a-thon. Our official Write-a-thon event info is here. If you're not in the immediate Lit Lounge area, email me, and I'll send you information on individuals at risk, sample letters, and contact information. 

Take a break from what you're doing now, watch this video, then put passion and pen to paper.

Axis of Evil member joins Youth Symphony Chorus, Sings with Orchestra

In another sign of improved international relations, frequent Lit Lounge commenter Sierra Moore and the GR Youth Symphony Chorus will belt out holiday ditties this weekend with the GR Symphony as part of the annual Holiday Pops concert. That's Miss Moore - in the back, wearing green and a Santa hat - in a pic from today's GR Press. A better photo can be found here. 

The littlest love guru

For my APE Language students: You think writing a process analysis is tough? It's so easy, a nine-year old can do it. And his How to Talk to Girls is now available at a bookstore near you.

STUDY BREAK!

Don't try this at home: an artist uses electric stimuli to force his face to move to the beat of a song. It picks up around :42, then gets very weird around 1:10. Enjoy.

Failure is not an option - in GRPS

Don't want to fail a class? Enroll in the Grand Rapids Public Schools, where no child is left behind with an E or F. But they might see an H this trimester.

We don't need no education. . .

Or thought control, or dark sarcasm in the classroom. Got it. But what you do need is to take a peek at these education-related articles: Time reports on how to fix America's schools (at least those in Washington DC), and how you can get paid for your A's; the NY Times explains how you can go to college and save $$ if you study overseas; Stanley Fish examines a new English translation of Paradise Lost; and a new study suggests that 30% of high school students have stolen something in their lives, and 64% have cheated on a test:

Despite such responses, 93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77 percent affirmed that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know."

Maybe a course in ethics wouldn't hurt. . . 

Hot Christmas Gift: Make Your Own Muppet

Forget the Hot Wheels, Wii games, and American Girl dolls - those are so 2007. This year's hot gift is a custom-made Muppet from FAO Schwarz. Just $130, no strings attached. (Cue rimshot and googley eye-roll.)

Long time, no blog

So, how've you been? I'd tell you that I've just been way too busy to blog, but you'd see right through that. Taking a week away from the Lit Lounge was nice, but now it's time to get back to providing you with the scattershot samplings from around the Web you've come to expect from this site. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. 

Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving break (especially if yours was extended by one day and two hours due to "poor road conditions").