No spoilers here. (I managed to avoid all spoilers, and hadn’t even seen the trailer. I did see still pics of porgs, though, and I knew the name of the character the StarWars Bros were hating on, so thank you to everyone who did their part to keep the secrets.) No intellectual critical distance for…
In the bird-flight simulator at the Pittsburgh Aviary, the girl twists and turns, careening around buildings, dive-bombing alleyways, and comes to a perfect landing in the middle of the street just as her timer runs out. The boy immediately heads up to clear the buildings, then flies toward the horizon to see how far he…
Pope Francis recently addressed Italian journalists: Your voice, free and responsible, is fundamental for the growth of any society that wishes to be called democratic, so that the continuous exchange of ideas and a profitable debate based on real and correctly reported data can be guaranteed. In our time, often dominated by the anxiety of…
If you were this person’s attorney, you’d probably want this social media blurb phrased a little differently. The headline attached to the story is clearer. Yes, the social media blurb is shorter, but I’d rather cut the “Twp” and make room for the unambiguous “and.” Derry man accused of assaulting female witness and attorney jailed…
Right now, I’m teaching “American Lit 1915-Present” for the last time. It’s the companion course to “American Lit 1800-1915,” which I’ll also never teach again. They are required courses for English majors who need to cover American Lit, but they were also designed to serve as electives. My colleagues and I have trouble covering the depth that we know our English majors need, without overwhelming students who are just looking to sample a bit of AmLit to fulfill a course requirement. So we’ve revamped both these courses, starting next fall. One new course will be “American Lit 1776-Present,” which will obviously cover fewer works than we can fit into 2 terms, but the benefit is we can be confident that any student who’s taken the course will have a clearer understanding of the scope of American literature. Another new course will be “Topics in American Literature,” which will allow us to go into some depth, without needing to cover a little bit of everything. I’m thinking of picking the focus “Literature and Government,” which could include “Rip Van Winkle,” All the King’s Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Invisible Man (Ellison, not H.G. Wells) and Farhenheit 451.
“If you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press… And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started.” — Republican Senator John McCain, in a Feb 2017 interview on…
The euphoria of getting my grades in Friday was short-lived. Similar:T-Shirts for student journalists who recently leveled up to “staff writer”(with bear signe…Personali trained an ai chatbot on my childhood journal entries – so that i could engage in real-t…I kept a journal from Feb 3 1983 (the da…CultureI remember these young people. I remember…
Similar:Kirk's manly, sensitive advice to young CharlieIn popular culture, Captain Kirk from th…CultureRespect the Text: Teaching Textual Primacy to Non-English MajorsIn the past, I have used the first day o…AcademiaAttending Religious Perspectives on the War in Gaza. Attending Religious Perspectives on the…PersonalStage Right's "The Secret Garden": Performing with My Talented Daughter This weekend has…
Similar:Sold out show today. Carolyn gets tomorrow off, then a final week.PersonalCarolyn is in PICT Classic Theatre adaptation of Oliver Twist (opened Sat night, runs thro…[Artistic Director Alan] Stanford had no…BooksI just installed the "Old Layout for Facebook" plugin for Chrome.I just installed the “Old Layout for Fac…CybercultureFigured out how to configure my iPad as…
Similar:More rehearsing. More dancing. PersonalWearing A Mask Is A Sign Of Mutual Respect During The Coronavirus PandemicShortly after my region ended their lock…BusinessOn the way to closing night of "Orphans."PersonalBattle of Agincourt — 600 Year Anniversary of Henry V's "St. Crispin's Day Speech"Sure, Marty McFly Day is interesting and…CultureHow Star Wars was saved in the editI learned…
Similar:Set design for Acts II and III of R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) #blender3dDesignStage Right spreads the gospel of music with 'Godspell'The Tribune-Review is very dependable in…Current_EventsHappy Easter 2020 CultureAI generated images from the prompt "guy being bricked in a prison like a poe story b…PersonalOh , potatoes and molasses. If you want some, you can…
Similar:Vibing to a park saxophonist as I code for an upcoming conference presentation, and wait t…Vibing to a park saxophonist as I code f…PersonalWhat kids do when Dad won't hand over the iPod So I’m not being selfish… this is …EducationI've completed my second set of 25 #neovictorian control panels, which I'll eventually use… AestheticsIt’s…
This clever freshman writing student created a project in Texture, which is designed for branching narratives (such as the Choose Your Own Adventure stories). In the next few screens, he put up nodes showing older and more recent writing samples, asked me to choose which one showed the better writing technique, and gave me feedback…
Peter looks forward to his Wednesday evening visits to the Monroeville Chess club. (Last one until mid-January.) Similar:A comic about Seagulls. If you feel like this… A comic about Seagulls. If…CultureNext up for the girl: Amy, the youngest sister, in Little Women: The Broadway Musical. Nov…PersonalAnother 10sq cm of a beautiful #steampunk control panel for…
I haven’t taught a developmental course at SHU, but when I teach freshman writing, I often encounter students who struggle with the transition from high school to college writing. Those who were praised all their lives as good writers can tell good personal stories, and they can deploy accurate summaries of non-controversial, “correct” facts. I give…
Saturday, Donald Trump tweeted that he knew Flynn lied, and that’s why he “had to fire” him. Critics immediately raised concerns, noting that if Trump did in fact know Flynn had lied, then Trump’s request that FBI Director James Comey “let this go” amounts to an obstruction of justice. Sunday, Trump’s lawyer John Dowd told…
Pop quiz for public relations 101. Scenario 1: You run a wildly popular app that incorporates video with a live host. You learn that a reporter is writing a personality profile of your host. Do you offer some cheerful quotes and then make a note to get your host to sign a new contract that handles…
Similar:AP Style: try to determine, and then respect, a source's preferences when it comes to…PersonalMe, contemplating the implications of maybe doing a socialize this weekend.Personal5 Fun Ways to Help Your Kids Learn Math OnlineMy son has finally found a math textbook…CybercultureWhat gives you comfort? I collect lights. Some of these have magnets!!AmusingOkay yes, this affirmation…
Similar:Annie 2012 with Annie 2017. Annie 2012 with her Warbucks. "Together at last. Together …PersonalCelebration of Writing — a big presentation day for freshman writing classes.PersonalTwelfth Night Cast Photo (Prime Stage, May 3-12)My daughter can hardly stop talking abou…AestheticsCraiyon: The signing of the Declaration of Independence, starring Chewbacca.PersonalIn September, 2000, I was blogging about PICK…
During the original run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, my college roommate and I invited our friends over to our duplex for Star Trek parties. Our local TV station ran the show at midnight Sunday, which was a terrible time, but we sometimes had 30 people over. Though we kept in touch virtually, I…