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.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Time for some wordplay
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.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
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.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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.
Monday, February 23, 2009
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
Friday, February 20, 2009
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?"
Thursday, February 19, 2009
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!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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.
Conan v. Colbert - The Invisible String Dance-Off
Proof that grownup geeks have a sense of humor, and some miming experience
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Write Idea
No, I am not agreeing with this Newsweek article to score points with my students. It's high time we can cursive from the curriculum!
Penmanship was once taught for close to an hour each day; it now warrants less than 15 minutes, according to a 2007 study. Keyboarding has replaced cursive as the priority in most schools, and most kids don't use it when they have the chance: in 2006, just 15 percent of SAT takers used cursive on the written test.
About that peanut butter. . .
Salmonella is the least of our worries. Seems that the FDA allows a certain amount of "natural contaminants" in processed foods before raising a red flag:
Peanut butter — that culinary cause célèbre — may contain approximately 145 bug parts for an 18-ounce jar; or five or more rodent hairs for that same jar; or more than 125 milligrams of grit.
In case you’re curious: you’re probably ingesting one to two pounds of flies, maggots and mites each year without knowing it, a quantity of insects that clearly does not cut the mustard, even as insects may well be in the mustard.
"Our Greatest National Shame"
Nicholas Kristof argues it's our declining education system. He makes this obvious point:
One of the greatest injustices is that America’s best teachers overwhelmingly teach America’s most privileged students. In contrast, the most disadvantaged students invariably get the least effective teachers, year after year — until they drop out.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
In the midst of the bushfire
An Australian firefighter offers bottled water to a koala. The fires have accelerated due to extreme heat and the oily leaves of eucalyptus trees.
Aussie Bushfires - a first person account
My parents met dozens of Aussies during their trip Down Under a few years ago, including a couple and their son, Aidan. Aidan, a gran prix racing enthusiast, died from Cystic Fibrosis, but left behind a treasure trove of memories for his parents and loved ones. Fortunately, his parents decided to store those memories outside of their home late last year.
As of this week, they no longer have a home. In a matter of minutes, they went from spectators to victims of the Aussie Bushfires that have claimed over 170 lives. They decided to escape to the north, while others in their area went south. They survived; many of their neighbors did not.
Here's what Aidan's father had to say in an email to friends:
(We) fled at around 5pm on Saturday - the roar of the fire at the back of our hill was so frightening but we managed - after several detours due to fire and fallen trees - and having the car damaged by falling, burning branches - to get to Yea. Sounds dramatic and scary - but nothing compared to what we have seen others experience on the news.
Yesterday, they went back to see if anything could be salvaged from the devastation:
So now it's hit - we are both devastated - I think we held on to a belief that it might only be partially gone, or we might find things we could salvage - but everything we picked up simply crumbled to dust.
They lost everything, including a 6000+ book collection. But Aidan's treasures are safe.
As horrible as losing a house and all our belongings, it's weird, but because of what happened with Aidan, we do have a bit of "ho-hum" happening about this - hard to explain.
Pictured above (from the top): the bushfire approaches, it rages one minute later, the devastation, Yarra Valley continues to burn
A new waste of time
From the folks who brought you Sudoku, here's KenKen! No, it's not Mom's pet name for Dad (as far as I know). It's the latest puzzle for the math-magician in your life. Good luck.
Your Valentine's Day Playlist
In love on February 14? Then NPR has a 100-song playlist for you, including songs from Frank Sinatra, Wilco, Rufus Wainwright, LL Cool J, and The Beach Boys. You broken-hearted types have a list, too. Only five tracks, however. Surprisingly, "Love Stinks" is not one of them.
And the answer is. . .
What is Teen JEOPARDY? Your chance to provide questions to the answers comes up soon. If you'd like to take the online test Tuesday, February 24, you'll need to register here.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Two views on global warming - and their research
New evidence that global warming (especially in Antarctica) can be attributed to human emissions was released in a report last October. Columnist Fred Barnes doesn't agree with the findings, claiming that there's been a "cooling spell" recently. His source? He's not telling.
Today's lesson, kids: When making a claim, have something a bit more substantive than "I'm not going to do your research for you."
And they gave up more 'runs' than the Tigers last year
The group that discovered the tainted peanut products was named "Team Diarrhea". I know, it writes its own joke. Run with it.
Australia's bushfires
As if record high temperatures weren't enough, 173 people have now perished from bushfires in southeast Australia. You can see the damage in this interactive map.
The fires appear to be arson. Australia's PM, Kevin Rudd, called the culprits "mass murderers". That's putting it nicely.
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