The researchers found that participants with their phones in another room significantly outperformed those with their phones on the desk, and they also slightly outperformed those participants who had kept their phones in a pocket or bag. The findings suggest that the mere presence of one’s smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity and impairs cognitive functioning,…
A journalist’s response to President Trump’s early morning caps-imbued assault on the FAKE news media. Let’s be clear about what Trump is suggesting here. He wants the Senate intelligence committee to open an investigation into the “Fake News Networks” to get to the bottom of why so much of the news is “just made up.”…
Great behind-the-scenes story of the hard work that went into breaking the Tom Price private travel story. The first tip came from a casual conversation with a source back in May: Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price was using private jets for routine travel, possibly in violation of federal travel rules that allowed such flights…
Similar:Making movie magic with my dueling gut-shot daughterAestheticsIt appears there may be some audience participation in this outdoor production of Richard …PersonalThe girl is the Dew Drop Fairy in @laurelballetperformingco The Nutcracker Saturday evenin…PersonalVisiting my parents. Admiring their original Hallmark Enterprise Christmas ornament. I ask…AmusingFormer student: "I remember sometimes being annoyed with all of our…
Similar:I'm in the timeline where the Borg are everywhere and Riker doesn't want to go b…PersonalFULL BLOOM at Latrobe’s Olde Main, Aug 30-Sep 2.CultureAmazing birthday cake, created by Jane Eyre herself, Karen Baum. (Thank you @kaboom1250!)PersonalMy student journalists sport their fashionable “What Would Jerz Do?” wristbands.AcademiaTake a moment to appreciate these good COVID-19 statisticsMay 1,…
We focused just on Act I today — the opening scene on the battlement, the initial court scene that introduces Claudius and Gertrude, the domestic scene where Ophelia gets mansplaining first from her brother then from her father, and Hamlet’s encounter with the ghost. After the slow opening acts in A Comedy of Errors, The…
After the UK ambassador cut off his recitation of a pro-colonial Kipling poem in a Maynmar temple, UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson said, “No? Good stuff.” The foreign secretary has been accused of “incredible insensitivity” after it emerged he recited part of a colonial-era Rudyard Kipling poem in front of local dignitaries while on an…
Similar:More Adventures in Suburban AdultingAbout four years ago I bought an electri…CultureBirthright, Part 1 (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 6, Episode 16) Worf learns his father m…Rewatching ST:TNG The Enterprise-D vi…EthicsRhythm of the Dance (Irish dance, song, and music touring show)My family thoroughly enjoyed this perfor…AestheticsWhat About “The Breakfast Club”?I made three movies with John Hughes;…
In an opening lecture, I briefly listed the five freedoms Americans are guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Then I moved on. I quizzed them the next week, and they didn’t do too well. They did a little better when I surprised them with a follow-up quiz. After that,…
Jerz > Writing > Journalism Using the inverted pyramid structure is one of the major differences between a news story and a personal essay. Similar:One in a Billion: email tips – Google Search In the grand scheme of things, this …CybercultureOne Author Breaks Down the Reality of Violent Games in the MediaChris Person posts a link to this very…
You’re a busy editor, fighting a deadline. Two submissions arrive in your email. One is brilliant but full of grammatical errors and style inconsistencies. You’d have to spend an hour fixing it up. Another submission is just okay, but it’s ready to go. Which would you publish? I often encounter students who’ve been told all…
Carolyn rehearses with Nick Lenz. Her show is Friday night. (She’s a napkin, wolf, and villager Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.) Similar:Apparently Facebook Doesn't Know Me Very WellI’m actually rather happy at the thought…AmusingGoogle’s healthcare AI made up a body part — what happens when doctors don’t notice? Though not in a hospital setting, the…
Similar:My students were awesome. So many thoughtful final projects. So much growth. A stressful, …PersonalIt's such a privilege to introduce these young people to Shakespeare's body of work.After starting my 200-level “Shakespeare…AcademiaSHU Community Lines Up to Honor JoAnne Boyle's Final Trip Up the HillJoAnne Boyle liked talking about traditi…AcademiaA pleasant find: somebody left a painted…
The Girl: I’m sorry I’m being so… Me: Self-deprecating? The Girl: No! Me: Testy? The Girl: No… the term I was going for is “bitchily modest.” Similar:Florida Woman Bites CamelIdentifying her as a “Florida woman,” as…AestheticsWhy I Took My Kids’ Toys AwayMy wife is something of a hoarder. Now, …CultureHow Television Covered the Kennedy Assassination…
It’s also a disservice to readers to report on Spicer’s post-White House life and not mention how unusual and controversial his tenure was. This is a guy famous for meeting with reporters near the bushes on White House grounds, for coining the phrase “Holocaust centers,” for creating the necessity for courtroom sketch artists in the White House briefing…
If a goggles-for-brains Lego character can master the difference between active and passive verbs, you can too.
Similar:My brother drove my mother in to see Carolyn in tonight’s opening night Kinetic Theatre pr…PersonalAttending Religious Perspectives on the War in Gaza. Attending Religious Perspectives on the…PersonalAdventure | T.M. CampGreat story of nerdiness and discovery a…CybercultureMy Shakespeare students are off peer reviewing their term paper rough drafts. I’m official…AcademiaNo, Kirk and Uhura didn't share…
New graphic. First step in touching up my collection of pages on writing short technical reports. A business memo, a lab report, or a professional e-mail are all variations on the basic report structure described in this document. Feel free to modify these guidelines in order to meet your reader’s needs. Think of Your Reader First Your busy reader…
In an opening lecture for my journalism class, I listed the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. I’ve referred to the importance of the First Amendment several times, but I haven’t listed the freedoms in class. One week after the opening lecture, I asked students to list those freedoms on…
Wish I’d known this technique when I spilled tea all over my JC Superstar script. (I did the paper towel and fan thing, but didn’t try leaving the book under weights overnight — probably because I needed to use the script at rehearsal.) Similar:Photo of William Crowther, 2012I just noticed that a few days ago,…