Lit Lounge Music Faves of 2009

Rolling Stone, NPR, and the AV Club have their lists of the Best of 2009, but the one you've been waiting for is finally here. The Lit Lounge presents the Top 10 recordings of 2009, in no particular order:

Wilco (the Album) - Wilco

Monsters of Folk

Strict Joy - The Swell Season

Actor - St. Vincent

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix

I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

The List - Rosanne Cash

Oh My God, Charlie Darwin - The Low Anthem

The Latest - Cheap Trick

No Line on the Horizon - U2

And our favorite live CDs:

Anthology - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Live From the Royal Albert Hall - The Killers

And the best reason to reinvest in remastered CDs:

The Beatles - the whole dang collection.

(The above video is a mashup of the top singles of the year, courtesy of DJ Earworm)

Odds are Blitzen was one of them

Don't tell the little ones: Dutch police shot and killed four runaway reindeer who bolted from a Christmas sleigh display. The reindeer were Latvian, probably taking away seasonal jobs from the Dutch deer.

Column of the Season: For the Nonbelievers

From today's Baltimore Sun, Garrison Keillor gets right to the point:

Christmas is a Christian holiday - if you're not in the club, then buzz off. Celebrate Yule instead or dance around in druid robes for the solstice. Go light a big log, go wassailing and falalaing until you fall down, eat figgy pudding until you puke, but don't mess with the Messiah.

One of these things is not like the others. . .

The Stooges

The Hollies

Genesis

Jimmy Cliff

and ABBA?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2010. Two bands that didn't make the cut this year: KISS and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

ABBA?!? Really? Since when is "Dancing Queen" a rock song?

My next bookshelf

Anyone who's seen my collection of books knows that I'm running out of display space, both at home and in my classroom. But if I could find just a little bit of wall space, I'd like to try this.

Wii wish you a Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to show everyone how wii decorated the house for the holidays. Thought wii'd add the Wii and Guitar Hero to the annual show. Details here.

The Simpsons, Estonian Style

Here's one for my kids, who are one-quarter Estonian. A pitch-perfect parody of The Simpsons opening.

Cutest. Video. Ever.

Getting a closer look at A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens left behind just one manuscript of his holiday classic, and the NY Times has every page available for you to examine. If you'd like your own copy, click here.

Red Arrows Football Coverage!

Of course, you'll be listening to WLHS as the Red Arrows take on the Inkster Vikings for the Division 2 State Championship, Friday at 1 PM (EST). You can open another tab and watch the game via a live stream on Fox Sports Detroit!

Matthew Stafford: An NFL Classic

This will go down as one of the gutsiest performances ever by a Detroit Lion:

Cancel your Black Friday plans, head to Ford Field!

How about those Lowell Red Arrows? After a convincing 35-14 win over Birmingham Brother Rice, LHS is in the Division 2 State Finals! The top-ranked Red Arrows will take on Inkster this Friday at 1 PM.

If you missed yesterday's game, you'll want to read Mick McCabe's article from today's Detroit Free Press. The Son of Swami was packed into the press box with the rest of the media sardines yesterday - this is the best piece on the Red Arrows I've seen in years.

How to define lateral movement

Leave your job at Fox News for The Onion. Too funny.

Exam Study Break!

It's a Poker Face-off between Lady Gaga, Christopher Walken, and Cartman. Enjoy.

RIP Ken Ober, One of MTV's Best

Those of us who remember MTV for music videos also remember its first foray into non-music programming. Ken Ober hosted "Remote Control", a pop-culture trivia game show that helped launch the careers of Colin Quinn, Dennis Leary, and Adam Sandler. (Am I the only one who remembers him as "Stickpin"?) Ober was only 52.

Sifting through the trash

In these days of instant information, it helps to have a few sources to sort the wheat from the chaff. For instance, say you want to know how much of a new non-fiction best-seller is on the up and up. You want to believe the author, but you're just not sure. What do you do? Two great sites that eschew obfuscation are Factcheck.org and Politifact.com. The latter measures the accuracy of a politico's statement on a scale from "Truth" to "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!"

Red Arrows advance to D2 Semis!

The mighty Lowell Red Arrows will meet the Warriors of Birmingham Brother Rice on Saturday, November 21. Game time is 1 PM at Howell High School. GO ARROWS!

Today's Lesson in Irony - GRCC Edition

A year ago, our beloved Grand Rapids Community College instituted a no smoking policy across campus which, as you can imagine, didn't please a number of students. (As a non-smoker, I'm thrilled to be able to breathe fresh air when entering and exiting the Main Building.) A year later, most are obeying the rule on campus, but there's a problem: they're taking their butts across the street to other businesses and churches that don't allow smoking either. (Some staffers are doing this, too.)

Yesterday, in an email sent to all students and staff, a number of sites were suggested where anyone could light up. Included in the list was - get this - Cancer Survivors' Park on Bostwick.

Why Lou Dobbs left CNN

The truth, as usual, can be found in The Onion.

For those who think "National Health Care Plan" = Socialism

You are encouraged to watch tonight's episode of Frontline on PBS. "Sick Around the World" explores how five capitalist democracies make health care work. Can't watch tonight? Watch it all online.

Something completely different

Star Wars. With the Beastie Boys. Enjoy.

RED ARROWS - PLAYOFF FOOTBALL!

Hope you can join me tonight for the first round of the MHSAA Football Playoffs! Lowell Red Arrows vs. St Johns Red Wings - all the action streaming tonight on WLHS Radio!

Shameless plug for my JoBro-obsessed daughter

Check out the vid Emily and her BFFs made for a JoBro contest - she's quite talented, if I say so myself!

Sherman Alexie says no to the movies, and a big pay day

We've watched Sherman Alexie's "Smoke Signals" in Lit & Film this trimester, but the prolific writer has no interest in seeing his bestseller, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, on the big screen. He explains why here.

Wilco (the Concert)

Ninth-row seats at Hill Auditorium. Liam Finn and Eliza Jane as the opening act. A 27-song set by Wilco (the headliner). An extra shot of espresso in my Biggby for the ride home. Fantastic night.

Bono on "Rebranding America"

Sure, he's a pompous windbag. But there's something to be said for a man who writes and dreams as big as one of U2's stadium anthems.

(A)n America that’s tired of being the world’s policeman, and is too pinched to be the world’s philanthropist, could still be the world’s partner. And you can’t do that without being, well, loved. Here come the letters to the editor, but let me just say it: Americans are like singers — we just a little bit, kind of like to be loved. The British want to be admired; the Russians, feared; the French, envied. (The Irish, we just want to be listened to.) But the idea of America, from the very start, was supposed to be contagious enough to sweep up and enthrall the world.

Why I'm missing the big game Friday night

One word: Wilco.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Exclusive - Wilco Song
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

Celebration of the Book at GRPL

No more ArtPrize? Well, dear reader, there's no reason to stay home this weekend. Head to the Grand Rapids Public Library's Main Branch this Saturday for the Celebration of the Book, a free event featuring a handful of authors and some great workshops. I'll be there at noon to see Dave Cullen, author of the powerful Columbine, considered by some to be the definitive account of what happened in Littleton, Colorado ten years ago.

The Taliban in Afghanistan

As we continue to read The Kite Runner and watch Osama, it's important to keep in mind the barbaric restrictions imposed on women by the Taliban at the height of their power in 2001. It's equally important to know that the kites are flying once again in the skies of Kabul.

Olbermann's Special Comment: Health Care

Say what you want about the man, but there's no arguing his ability to construct an effective, engaging, convincing argument:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Happy Birthday, Monty Python!

The Pythons made their Flying Circus debut forty years ago today. Some of the best comedy ever, and there's no arguing that.

161 games later

Told you so.

70 Years Later - A Munchkin Reunion

A charming interview with five surviving Munchkins. Watch as one dozes off midway through.

The Kite Runner and Afghanistan Today

As we read The Kite Runner in AP Lit, keep an eye on the news out of Afghanistan. Will President Obama commit 40,000 troops to the region? Is it, as some worry, another Vietnam? Or is it a mission we need to see through to the end?

It's Banned Books Week!

Celebrate your freedom to read this week! Here's the ALA's list of the top 10 most challenged or banned books of the past year. I'm happy to report that one of them, The Kite Runner, will be part of our AP Lit curriculum this fall. Want to see where the challenges are taking place? Check out this Google Map. Here's a few more facts about BBW from the ALA:

According to the ALA there have been 3,736 challenges from 2001-2008:

• 1,225 challenges due to "sexually explicit" material
  
• 1,008 challenges due to "offensive language"
  
• 720 challenges due to material deemed "unsuited to age group"
  
• 458 challenges due to "violence"
  
• 269 challenges due to "homosexuality"
  
• 103 challenges due to "anti-family"
  
• 233 challenges due to "religious viewpoints"
  

The ALA says that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five which go unreported.

So long, William Safire

William Safire, one of the best NY Times op-ed writers, died today at age 79. His weekly column, "On Language", was priceless. And if you were to look in a typical English classroom, you might find a poster with a list of his rules for writers:

Remember to never split an infinitive.

A preposition is something never to end a sentence with.

The passive voice should never be used.

Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.

Don't use no double negatives.

Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.

Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.

Do not put statements in the negative form.

Verbs have to agree with their subjects.

No sentence fragments.

National Puncutation Day is this Thursday!

What?!? A day just for punctuation? It's true. And to celebrate, here's a classic clip of Victor Borge trying to explain his Phonetic Punctuation System to Dean Martin.

Why do we trust Jon Stewart and Company?

Comedians aren't just funny, they're darn smart. Smarter than your average Situation Room host, anyway. Conan's pudgy sidekick, Andy Richter, just schooled CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Celebrity JEOPARDY! Andy's winnings: $68,000; Wolf's: -$4,600.

Ernie Harwell On His Career With Tigers - ESPN VIDEO

There will never be another voice like Ernie's. God bless.

Column of the Week - David Brooks

What do Rep. Joe Wilson, Michael Jordan, and Kanye West have in common? David Brooks calls it a "High Five Mentality". Instead of the humility shown by past generations, our culture has embraced the cult of immodesty:

Today, immodesty is as ubiquitous as advertising, and for the same reasons. To scoop up just a few examples of self-indulgent expression from the past few days, there is Joe Wilson using the House floor as his own private “Crossfire”; there is Kanye West grabbing the microphone from Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards to give us his opinion that the wrong person won; there is Michael Jordan’s egomaniacal and self-indulgent Hall of Fame speech. Baseball and football games are now so routinely interrupted by self-celebration, you don’t even notice it anymore.

The '59 Sound

The Gaslight Anthem with Bruce Springsteen. The former plays The Intersection October 5; The Boss hits The Palace November 13. Can't wait!

So long, Summer 2009

And don't let the door hit you on the way out. From spring-like weather to the loss of Walter Cronkite, Teddy Kennedy and Merce Cunningham, this summer was one to forget. Joe Queenan sums up summer here, and Gail Collins offers a quiz for those of you who may have missed some of the more bizarre events of the past 90 days.

The summer wasn't a total loss. I got married. Ben got his driver's permit. Emily got rid of her braces. We adopted Zeus, the wire-haired Dachshund.

Back to school tomorrow.

Life is good.

What's the fuss?

Seriously, THIS is what parents are afraid of on the first day of school? A speech encouraging students to set goals and share in the responsibility for their education? Here's a sample of tomorrow's speech:

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Looks like socialism to me.

We believe! We believe!

Today marked the first day of school for most West Michigan teachers. We were treated to this gem of a performance - how can you watch this and NOT be hyped for the new school year?

Column of the Week: Goodnight, Uncle Ted

Even though I'm no longer teaching AP Language, I'll dig up an essay or two to share each week as an example of quality writing. Today, Andrew Sullivan's piece from The Sunday Times about the late Senator Edward Kennedy. Here's a bit:

For Ted achieved what neither Bobby nor Jack did: he worked in the legislative branch tirelessly over a long period of time, doing the dull stuff of politics that changes lives.

His office was legendary for its constituent outreach. You can’t go far on Cape Cod, for example, without bumping into one of his projects. A call from Kennedy’s office had more frisson than anyone else’s and more clout.

Barney Frank's Lessons in Logic

Thank you, Barney.

The mindset of this year's college freshmen

For the past twelve years, Beloit College has posted its annual Mindset List for incoming freshmen. You've probably seen one of these in email that's been forwarded twenty-plus times before landing in your spam filter. It's a good way for aging educators to better understand their students and avoid all of those "In my day. . . " lectures.

A fate worse than F

A university in British Columbia has created a grade worse than F. Presenting the FD - Failure with Dishonesty. How'd you like the parents to see that on your report card?

Goodbye John Hughes

If your kids want to know what it was like to live in the 1980's, show them a John Hughes film.

Column of the Day: Hang up and drive!

As my eldest prepares for driver's training, his father loses sleep for all of the same reasons his father lost sleep thirty years ago. Maureen Dowd's op-ed in today's NY Times shares some frightening stats about driving under the influence of cell phones:

Ominously, research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — suppressed for years and released on Tuesday after petitions were filed by advocacy groups — shows that there are “negligible differences” in accident risk whether you’re holding the phone or not. Hands-free devices may even enhance the danger by lulling you into complacency.

Fireball: The Craig Ferguson Apollo 11 Tribute

Nirvana gets Rick-Rolled

This is priceless.

40 years ago - no myth

Just watched Mythbusters crush the dreams of those loony "the moon landing was faked" conspiracy theorists. The boys were interviewed earlier today on CNN; this clip features a ticked off Buzz Aldrin confronting one of the non-believers. Brilliant.

The Onion 'Sold' to China

This week's issue of The Onion features news of its "sale" to the Chinese Government. You can see the new look here, or watch the Chinese Andy Rooney on the Onion News Network below.



China’s Andy Rooney Has Some Funny Opinions About How Great The Chinese Government Is

If Mythbusters explored schools of choice

The theory behind schools of choice is that, by giving families the opportunity to choose which school district to send their children, all schools will improve as a result of the competition. It works in the business world, so it should work in public education, right?

Not so much, according to a new study published in the August edition of the American Journal of Education.

Market-based educational policies, despite being implemented to alleviate social injustice in education, are actually helping to exacerbate inequality and erect further barriers for poorer students.

Myth busted. Back to the education reform drawing board.

AP results!

Somehow, your AP scores made it to my mailbox last weekend. I'm happy to announce that 76% passed the AP Lit exam, and 82% passed the AP Language! Great work!

Farewell, Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, died yesterday in Manhattan. A gifted storyteller and teacher, McCourt spun the story of his tragicomic life into a trio of best-selling memoirs. You owe it to yourself to read Angela's Ashes. Just keep the Kleenex handy.

UPDATE: This touching remembrance of McCourt as a teacher appears in Tuesday's NY Times.

AP Exam Results

Have your AP scores arrived? How'd you do? Let me know!

Happy Birthday, SpongeBob!

Ten years of living in a pineapple under the sea. And a 50-episode marathon scheduled for this Friday. Good times.

Abbey Road, London Calling, and Rubik's Cube

Three great works that work great together. Enjoy.

TOP 10
by extermitent

Back to the books! And the blogging

The honeymoon is over, let the blogging begin! I've aborted my attempt at reading Infinite Jest this summer; instead, I'll cruise through a bunch of books. So far, I've knocked off Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (challenging yet enjoyable), Columbine (emotionally challenging and extremely worthwhile), and Waiting for Godot (much better after seeing Nathan Lane and John Goodman's Broadway performance). Right now, I'm tackling Jeffrey Toobin's The Nine, an insider's look at the Supreme Court (fascinating).

Of course, I'm scouring the web for interesting bits that I think might interest those of you still checking up on this thing. Here's one from Newsweek: "Fifty Books for Our Times", a reading list for our world, right now.

A few words before taking a blogging break

It's time to take a vacation from the Lit Lounge (not that I've been terribly active of late). If I'd been keeping up with recent events, I'm sure you would have seen posts about Iran, the AP Lit exam reading, or the sudden (but not surprising) death of Michael Jackson.

Instead, I'm going to let you know how lucky I am to have the love of Kim, and how thrilled I am that we'll be married tomorrow. I am thankful for the love and support of our families, and excited to share the rest of my life with Kim. By this time tomorrow, we'll be on our honeymoon. As a result, the Lit Lounge will be closed until July 8.

In the meantime, I hope you'll check out a new blog by a friend of ours named Gnorman. I think you'll enjoy it.

The Return of the Pink Arrow Project

Last year's Pink Arrow Project raised nearly $100,000 for cancer-related projects in Lowell. This year's game, against Union High School, will take place on September 11, and will raise funds for a new Gilda's Club in Lowell. Great work by Coach Dean and everyone involved!

Infinite Summer Reading

For those Lit Loungers who think my summer reading assignment is too much, try this: David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest - all 1000+ pages of it, including endnotes - is my quixotic reading quest for the next three months. I won't be alone. Loads of literary gluttons for punishment (and hopeful reward) will use the Infinite Summer site as our motivation throughout the endeavor.

Free at last!

The AP Lit reading is finished for 2009! 1350 essays crossed my desk this year - I'm ready to come home!

Live from L-Ville: We're not horsin' around!

One more day! I've already read more essays this week than I did during last year's entire reading. I've met some wonderful people this year, and I've discovered so many new ideas for the classroom. Can't wait to try them in the fall!

But first, one more day of reading. Wish me luck.

We're one of Newsweek's Top High Schools!

For the fourth year in a row, LHS is on the list of the top 1500 high schools in America, according to Newsweek. 

Day One - The Reading Begins

A gorgeous day in Louisville - too bad I had to spend it inside reading essays. The upside is that I'm reading Question 3, commonly known as the Open Essay, where students can use the novel or play of their choosing. There are eight readers and one table leader at each table, and we're working longer hours this year: 8 AM to 5 PM (that's an extra 90 minutes/day). One MILLION essays will be scored this week, and I've knocked out 102 of them so far. Decent essays so far, including one that was way off topic, but extremely creative. Can't say I've read many essays that featured an imaginary novel and were written in English, Spanish, and binary code. Good times.

More tomorrow.

Off to L-Ville!

The Lit Lounge is packed and ready to hit the road, bound for the AP Literature Exam reading in Louisville, KY. SEVEN thrill-packed days of essay reading (and a few evenings of baseball with the Louisville Bats)!

Before I go, here's a link to our latest podcast, a brief PowerPoint from the Class of 2009. I'll add more next week!

Circle September 9!

The Beatles Rock Band makes its debut 9/9/09. (Number 9? Number 9?) Here's a peak:

A little ESPN love for the GR Griffins!

Anyone in West Michigan knows why the Red Wings continue to bring up one hot prospect after another, now the rest of the NHL knows. It's the Grand Rapids Griffins connection, where guys who might start for other NHL teams work under the watchful eyes of the Red Wings/Griffins staff until they are ready for Hockeytown. From ESPN's Pierre LeBrun:

Curt Fraser is the head coach in Grand Rapids and deserves his due for helping prepare players such as Helm, Ericsson and Abdelkader for this kind of
challenge.

"They're well coached in the American League," Wings assistant coach Paul MacLean said. "When they get here, they're easy to handle."

Game three is tonight at 8. On Versus. Don't bother calling me. Go Red Wings!

Yummmmm. . . banana bread. Now with whole grains!

Nothing better than a loaf of Mom's banana bread - the key ingredient is buttermilk. Here's a new version of her recipe in the GR Press, with healthy whole grains added. They suggest substituting low-fat yogurt for the buttermilk - tsk, tsk! (photo by Hoyt Carrier II of the GR Press)

For the Class of 2009

Congratulations and best wishes from the Lit Lounge!

BRING ON THE PENGUINS!

Good news! Detroit wins in OT on a Darren Helm goal! Bad news! The Red Wings have to play back-to-back games against Pittsburgh on Saturday and Sunday. Why? So Conan O'Brien can make his Tonight Show debut on schedule this Monday night. (Right: Dan Cleary and Chris Chelios celebrate Cleary's 3rd period goal)

Lowell's Superstar Seniors

Congrats to Ian Blodger, Sierra Moore, and Hailey Novak - our Red Arrow representatives in the GR Press list of 2009 Superstar Seniors. Well done!

TOLD YOU SO!

Attention Lit Loungers, beloved children of your humble blogger, and everyone else attached to his or her cell phone: TEXTING COULD BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH! I've already amended my syllabi to show concern for your well being. Read this before you text:

American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company — almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier.

The phenomenon is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation.

Jay Bennett - RIP

Former Wilco multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett died this weekend at age 45. His arrangements on Being There and Summerteeth turned me into a Wilco fan.

Column of the Week - Supreme Court takes on F-Bombs

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court decided that Bono's use of a "fleeting explitive" did have the potential to "(invoke) a course sexual image." Those of you who endured "Do You Speak American?" in APE Language will remember Jesse Sheidlower, who called the FCC's argument "rubbish."

Adam Freeman mentions Sheidlower and others in this op-ed, which explains the crux of the argument:  

Ultimately, the Fox Television case raises a dichotomy well known to linguists: descriptivism versus prescriptivism — that is, whether to yield to the reality of how language is actually used (descriptivism) or fight to maintain objective standards (prescriptivism). Descriptivists happily accept “impact” as a verb and “my bad” as a form of apology; prescriptivists resist such innovations.

If you thought the first 100 days were interesting. . .

Bad economy, the H1N1 virus, Iraq and Pakistan, and now this: According to NPR, Supreme Court Justice Souter will resign when the current term ends. 

Long time, no post

Over a week without an entry. Fear not, I do not have the Swine Flu, Avian Flu, or the rare combination of the two (Wren Pigs Flu). I am, however, up to my neck in research papers and portfolios to grade (which I dread), and a laundry list of pre-wedding essentials to take care of (which I enjoy).

Come back later tonight for a new podcast, one that celebrates National Poetry Month. Tomorrow, a bit of blogging on the Kentucky Derby, the most exciting two minutes in all of sport.

Dickensian blogging

Take your URL, run it through Dickensurl.com, and you get a Dickensian translation. Mine, appropriately enough, is from my favorite work by Boz, Great Expectations:

Mrs. Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her cleanliness more uncomfortable and unacceptable than the dirt itself. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and some people do the same by religion.

Can't wait for Waiting For Godot

My first Broadway experience will be Beckett's Waiting For Godot, starring Nathan Lane and John Goodman. A profile of the big guy is here (photo by Sara Krulwich of the NY Times).

How to improve the nation's I.Q.

How many of you have taken those ubiquitous online I.Q. tests? If you're not pleased with your results, there are ways to improve your I.Q., according to Richard Nisbett, a professor at the University of Michigan, and author of the book Intelligence and How to Get It. Nicholas Kristof, an intelligent NY Times writer, suggests that we work on an "intellectual stimulus package" as well as an economic one. 

And to those of you who dread summer reading for your AP classes, keep this in mind:

Good schooling correlates particularly closely to higher I.Q.’s. One indication of the importance of school is that children’s I.Q.’s drop or stagnate over the summer months when they are on vacation (particularly for kids whose parents don’t inflict books or summer programs on them).

That's right. I inflict summer reading on you for your own good. You're welcome.

All hail KAMPF!

The Lit Lounge is thrilled to announce that Mr. Kampfschulte is the 2009 High School Teacher of the Year in Kent County. Those of you who've had the privledge of taking his class, participating in Model UN, or touring Europe with the World Studies Council know what an enthusiastic, dedicated teacher he is! Congrats, Kampf!

A memory of The Bird

When Mark Fidrych was in his prime, Vern Plagenhoef covered the Tigers for The Grand Rapids Press. (Like Fidrych, he died too soon, at the age of 45.) Vern and his family lived in our neighborhood, and I babysat his kids on a couple of occasions. Vern was kind enough to ask The Bird for autographs for the three Larsen brothers. So, Vern placed three sheets of hotel stationary on a desk, and made the request to The Bird. Fidrych graciously signed his name three times - on just one sheet of paper, and not one of the signatures looks like the others.

Mark Fidrych was a goof. A beloved goof. He'll be missed. (photo from SI.com)

Bye bye, Bird

What a loss. Mark "The Bird" Fidrych died yesterday at age 54. For those who missed the absolute joy he brought to baseball, here's ESPN's Peter Gammons with a look back at his brief, beautiful career.

A viral video cure for the blahs

Perhaps it's been a long day. Maybe you feel like you're taking one step forward and two steps back. Or you're a Detroit Tigers fan. This ought to take care of it. Enjoy.

Stand By Me from David Johnson on Vimeo.

So, would that be short selling?

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan theorized that, as go men's underwear sales, so goes the economy. Apparently, it's going to get real tighty-whitey, economy-wise. 

Play ball!

Ah yes, Major League Baseball is back, and that can only mean one thing: the Detroit Tigers are out of the running in the AL Central! Just 160 more games to endure before we turn our attention to the Detroit Lions. 

Now in the Rock Hall of Fame. . .

Metallica and Run DMC, to name a couple. Not bad choices, but Time argues for ten acts that, so far, haven't made the Rock Hall cut. KISS, Genesis, Cheap Trick, Pat Benatar, and the other six have something else in common: they're all in my collection. What more can you ask for?

Heads up, students!

Since it is National Poetry Month, let's all try memorizing one poem, shall we? Jim Holt, in this essay in the NY Times, makes a compelling, if uneven, case for the task. 

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry "through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events." The Lit Lounge will produce plenty of poetry podcasts (alliterative or otherwise) this month. Visit this site for info on poetry happenings around Michigan. 

Meijer Gardens Summer Concert Series

Lyle Lovett, Keb Mo', The Indigo Girls, Neko Case, The Doobie Brothers, The Avett Brothers, and The Wallflowers are just part of the great lineup for this year's concert series. Tickets for members go on sale soon! 

Slumdog DVD bummer

Heads up! FOX goofed up big time and shipped rental versions of Slumdog Millionaire to retail stores instead of the full version with special features. I am one of those victims. My disc has the film and a handful of trailers, but no advertised extras.

Fortunately, replacement copies are available if you visit this site. Have your copy of Slumdog Millionaire handy, fill out the questionaire, and you'll have a replacement sent to you in a few days.

The perfect food: Squeez Bacon

Squeez Bacon, produced in Sweeden from US-bred swine. One bottle is equal to 64 strips! Yum!

(thanks to Rev. Greg for the tip)

AP Exam Spoiler Alert

Last year, some goof got a bunch of Facebookers to write WE ARE SPARTA! on their free-responses. This year's theme, according to a new Facebook group, is "Why so serious?" The idea is to write the phrase in your response booklet, then cross it out so it can't be considered part of your actual response. I do not condone this behavior (but I did get a chuckle out of it at last year's reading).

Spelling matterz

Let this be a lesson to future criminals: If you plan a crime, make sure you spell "POLICE" correctly on your fake police vehicle. 

Some inexpensive spring break staycation ideas

Best bang for your buck can be found at Calvin College this weekend: It's there biannual Festival of Faith and Music. For just $20, you can take in The Hold Steady, arguably the best bar band in America. Lead man Craig Finn discusses the role of faith in songwriting in this GR Press interview. 

In addition, Princeton's Dr. Cornel West will speak on Friday night - just $10 to hear one of the most brilliant men on the planet. If you can't make his speech, check out his books Race Matters or Democracy Matters. 

Column of the Day: Terribly Punny

From the "I Wish I'd Written It" category, Joseph Tartakovsky's guest op-ed in the NY Times is right up my alley. Get ready to groan.

Column of the Week: "And the Pursuit of Happiness"

Sometimes an essay is more effective if it doesn't look like an essay. Maria Kalman's piece, published this week in the NY Times, is brilliant in color and content.

Goodbye Delaware, hello economic recovery!

So goes the Republican economic recovery plan, as imagined by Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com. (Warning: Not suitable for persons who want tax cuts for the wealthy or those without a sense of humor.)

If you think a ban on smoking is bad. . .

. . . don't spit in Dubai. 

This week in Wordle

Wordle allows users to create word clouds by pasting a document, a URL, or an RSS feed. Here's what this week's posts look like, Wordle-style

Spectrum's cardiac unit is on stand-by

If having a heart attack is on your summer itinerary, the West Michigan Whitecaps are ready to help. For $20, you get a 4-pound burger that includes:

five beef patties, five slices of cheese, nearly a cup of chili and liberal doses of salsa and corn chips, all on an 8-inch sesame-seed bun.

Where the Wild Things Are - The Trailer

The classic Maurice Sendak book comes to the big screen this October, directed by Spike Jonze, with an adapted screenplay by Dave Eggers (What is the What). The music in this clip is "Wake Up" off of Arcade Fire's brilliant CD, Funeral. Enjoy.

Coming soon to a CD near you

Ben Folds' next project is a collection of his songs sung a capella by university groups from around the country. Here's a taste:

So long, George

Former Detroit Tiger George Kell, Hall of Famer and longtime TV play-by-play man, died today at age 86. Tiger fans will remember his Arkansas drawl: "Joo-lie" for July, "Sin-si-nat-tuh" for Cincinnati, and so many more. I remember walking along the concourse of Tiger Stadium as a kid when a man tapped me on the shoulder and said, "S'cuse me, son." It was Kell and team president Jim Campbell, moving through the crowd before the start of a game.

Mt. Redoubt responds to Gov. Jindal

You may recall Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's response after President Obama's speech to Congress last month. In it, he condemned the wasteful spending in the stimulus bill, including a whole bunch of moolah to monitor a volcano in Alaska. This week, the volcano responded, big time.

Set the TiVo: Gandolf as King Lear!

Sir Ian McKellen plays the man "more sinned against than sinning" this Wednesday night on Great Performances. A preview can be found here.

Booth bites the bullet

Another sign of the times: Booth Newspapers announced the consolidation of three Michigan newspapers (which will publish only three times a week) and the closing of The Ann Arbor News. In addition, The Press is reducing wages. It's only a matter of time before we read about shutdowns of papers in Muskegon, Grand Haven, and Jackson - and we'll read about it on the Internet.

Life in an echo chamber

While the shutdown of one major newspaper after another might simply be a sign of the times, Nicholas Kristof explores the danger of reading only information that suits our personal preference in "The Daily Me": 

The decline of traditional news media will accelerate the rise of The Daily Me, and we’ll be irritated less by what we read and find our wisdom confirmed more often. The danger is that this self-selected “news” acts as a narcotic, lulling us into a self-confident stupor through which we will perceive in blacks and whites a world that typically unfolds in grays.

Another one bites the dust

Last month, The Rocky Mountain News left Denver with one major newspaper. Today, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer published its last edition. Tomorrow, it becomes an online-only news source, with just 20 staffers (down from over 160). Which Michigan paper will be the first to fold? According to a report yesterday on Michigan Radio, three papers - The Flint Journal, The Saginaw News, and The Bay City Times - might reduce publication to three days a week.

Meanwhile, The Grand Rapids Press has dropped "Get Fuzzy" from its comics page. Now there's a reason to cancel a subscription.

Introducing the Lit Lounge PODCAST!

To download the podcast, go here: Download this episode (right click and save)

otherwise, just click below and let me know what you think.


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Haven't they suffered enough?

Jay Leno to do a free show for Detroit's unemployed.

Feel the Illinoize - Sufjan's in the remix

Tipped off to this by Paste: Sufjan's "Feel the Illinoise" mashed up with Outkast, Pete Rock, and others. Download it here - free. 

Best reporting of the week

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Don't make Barack angry. . .

How to make your parents go nuts this weekend

Go here. Turn up the computer speakers. Type. 

Study break with Kutiman

Our 2nd trimester is, at long last, over, and the Lit Loungers have a hard-earned day off tomorrow. Celebrate their three-day weekend with this audio/video mashup from Kutiman:

Make Manny's Money! In just 300+ years!

It would take me over 300 years at my current salary to make what Manny Ramirez will pull in this year with the L.A. Dodgers. Meanwhile, he'll "earn" my salary every .48 games. Yeah, this recession is tough on everybody. If you'd like to compare your meager earnings to Manny's, visit this page on ESPN.

A message for Congressmen Ehlers and Hoekstra

Congressmen,

You are two of Michigan's representatives who have not added their names as co-sponsors of the Clean Water Protection Act, but I encourage you to do so today. Yes, I know, it's not going to please everybody (especially Consumers Energy, who contributes to your campaigns), but it will guarantee clean water in Appalachia for residents affected by mountain top removal.

(Mountain top removal, you may recall, is the incredibly cool way to get that "clean" coal from the mountains by blowing them to smithereens! As a result, all sorts of sludge is dumped into fresh waterways throughout Appalachia. The flora and fauna will return - in about 10,000 years.)

Congressman Ehlers, I tried to meet with you last summer about this issue, but your handlers in Washington DC explained that it was already too risky for you to co-sponsor a weaker bill, one that merely stops coal companies from further destruction, but doesn't require them to clean up the mess they've made.

I spent a week in West Virginia, listening to stories of real people who are really suffering because of our willingness to look the other way so more coal can be shipped around the globe. Once you see the beauty of this area, and the devastation caused by mountain top removal, you can't help but try to stop the destruction.

Unless, of course, it isn't in your political interest to do so. It should be.

Sincerely,

Jeff Larsen

p.s. Since the chance of Rep. Ehlers or Rep. Hoekstra reading this is slim to none, I encourage you to contact them.

A Tale of Two Hurlers

Last year, John Odom, a minor-league pitcher, gained notoriety for the first player to be traded for ten bats. At first, he played along with the deal and endured the chants of "Bat Man" and "Bat Boy" when coming to the mound. That didn't last long. He quit before the end of the season, and when his former manager tried contacting Odom in January to play ball this year, Odom didn't pick up his call.

Odom had died in November from an accidental overdose.

Matt McCarthy, on the other hand, left the minors and graduated from Yale and Harvard on the way to becoming a doctor. His memoir, Odd Man Out, depicts his year "playing with racist, steroids-taking teammates, pitching for a profane, unbalanced manager and observing obscene behavior and speech that in some ways reinforce the popular image of wild professional ballplayers." 

But, in the recent tradition of other "creative nonfiction" writers, it seems his story doesn't quite check out. Fortunately, a number of sports writers have noticed McCarthy's errors before Oprah made him her next Book of the Month selection.

About those crayons in my classroom. . .

Before my beloved Axis of Evil thinks about returing my ballpoint pens and taking away my crayons, they should look at Christian Faur's artwork. All crayons. Cool.

Time for some wordplay

UPDATE: Tyler Hinman wins his fifth consecutive ACPT, defeating Trip Payne and Francis Heaney in the finals. In the past five years, Hinman has NEVER made a mistake on a tournament puzzle. 

The 32nd Annual Crossword Puzzle Tournament is taking place in Brooklyn, NY this weekend. Those of you who've seen Wordplay will recognize some of the names at the top of the leaderboard: Trip Payne, Tyler Hinman, and Al Sanders are in third through fifth place, respectively. A champion will be crowned sometime on Sunday. You can follow the action here.

25 Most Influential Books of the Last 25 Years

An intriguing list from Mental Floss magazine. And since March is National Reading Month, there's no time like now to read one or more of them. Current Lit Loungers will find most of the 25 in Larsen's personal library.

Please Read to Us!

Read Across America Day is this Monday, March 2. Do your part - read to a child. And if you have time, drop by the Lit Lounge and share a story with these forlorn souls.

One of Electric Light Orchestra's lights has gone out

Kelly Grouchutt, bass player for ELO, died earlier this month in England. For those not familiar with the ELO sound, I recommend Out of the Blue, their masterpiece. 

"Clean" Coal, Coen Brothers' Style

Column of the Day - Op-Ed Cartoon Edition

Stimulus package. Heh. Pat Oliphant is still the best.

Demetri Martin - Palindrome Poet

His new show, Important Things, is a blast, and Demetri Martin's 224-word palindrome poem is one more example of his incredible wit. It's the same front to back, and you can find it here.

Movie roles to die for

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to my fiancee how much fun it would be to snag a walk-on role as a corpse on Law & Order while we're in NYC this summer. Leave it to the AV Club to put together a list of the best movie corpses to get me in the mood. 

Geek 101

If you've ever wanted to graduate from dork to geek, the AV Club is ready to help. This week, the hipper-than-thou types begin a weekly "Gateways to Geekery" series. Your first lesson: The French New Wave. Enjoy.

Oscar wrap-up

Slumdog Millionaire wins! And in other news, the sun came up today. Best Picture may not have been a surprise, but there were a few upsets. And, as usual, the post-Oscar commentary makes for enjoyable reading. Here are two opinions of the same broadcast. One snarky:

Each acting category was announced not by one, not by two, not by three, not by four, but by five (five!) presenters. And they weren't just any presenters, but old winners in each category, some of whom seemingly haven't been seen in public for decades. So for Best Supporting Actress, we were treated to appearances by Whoopi Goldberg, Tilda Swinton, Goldie Hawn, Eva Marie Saint and Anjelica Huston. Having such different, and differently dressed, actresses all onstage at the same time eulogizing—because that's really what it felt like—the nominees was so distracting

And one classy, mature, and balanced:

The new design also made possible a crucial new camera shot, looking directly at the nominees from behind the presenters on stage. The looks in the eyes of Viola Davis, Marisa Tomei and Amy Adams as they were praised by Oscar legends was dramatic--infinitely better and less sadistic than the the traditional practice of framing the nominees in little boxes so we could see the instant reactions of the losers

Ebert remembers Siskel

Gene Siskel, the acerbic half of Siskel and Ebert, died ten years ago today. Roger Ebert, who can no longer speak due to cancer, still writes movie reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times, and has a remarkable blog. His most recent entry is a tribute to his dear friend and reviewing foe. In it, he mentions Gene's thoughts on the importance of his religion:

He spoke about his Judaism, which he took very seriously. His parents had started the first synagogue on the North Shore after World War II. "I had a lot of long talks with my father about our religion," Gene told me. "He said it wasn't necessary to think too much about an afterlife. What was important was this life, how we live it, what we contribute, our families, and the memories we leave." Gene said, "The importance of Judaism isn't simply theological, or, in the minds of some Jews, necessarily theological at all. It is that we have stayed together and respected these things for thousands of years, and so it is important that we continue." In a few words, this was one of the most touching descriptions of Judaism I had ever heard.

Your column of the day

From The Washington Times, Maggie Gallagher on the recent Bristol Palin interview. Her final line is the kicker:

"(W)atching Bristol speak raises for me another more pressing question: Is it really wise for an entire society to adopt the point of view of the average inarticulate 18-year-old kid?"

And the Oscar goes to. . .

Slumdog Millionaire is the odds-on favorite, and my choice for Best Picture. I'm still miffed that WALL-E was sent to the Best Animated Feature ghetto, and that The Dark Knight didn't garner more nominations. David Carr, the NY Times' Carpetbagger, lists his picks here. 

FAT BOY IS BACK!

Let the artery clogging begin. I will be there this Saturday morning for a good ol' greasy-spoon breakfast!

"Harry. . . it sucks."

Consider me jealous. A former Lit Lounger just emailed to inform me that she's now in possession of an autographed Harry Chapin concert t-shirt. Be warned, Heather - you wear that around me and I won't be held responsible for my actions!

A little help for rural Alaskans

Yes, I know, this economy is hitting us all. Some folks in rural Alaska (WAY off the beaten path) are being forced to choose between "feeding their families and heating their homes" while a certain "Maverick" is busy telling media types to keep her kids out of the news, then allowing one of them to be interviewed by FOX News.

So, if you can, send a little something their way. The folks in rural Alaska, that is. 

Bald head + financial need =

A great advertising opportunity? If anyone asks, I'm in!

Conan v. Colbert - The Invisible String Dance-Off

Proof that grownup geeks have a sense of humor, and some miming experience

Today's Study Break - a new intro for The Simpsons