With each other as validation, we began to articulate the real, dismal and frightening story of life in The O, which had as its unlikely recruiting grounds the 1970s food co-ops of the US Midwest. After a dramatic exit, I wrote the memoir Inside Out (2002). The book was an effort to understand how I,…
How does our 21st century understanding of mental health affect our understanding of Hamlet? As a teacher, I have for decades approached the play like this: If everyone in the audience agrees that Hamlet was sane or Hamlet was mad, then the production was a failure; Shakespeare’s text was ambiguous, and a good production should…
My sister the computer programmer benefitted early in her career because she was an excellent writer. She was so good at taking notes that people would invite to her important meetings so there would be a good record, and people would consult her about important topics covered during those meetings. My brother the electrical engineer…
Peter spent the day at a chess tournament — the biggest he’s participated in yet. He won three games and lost one, and won a trophy for “Under 800” — but the trophy plaque has a curious misprint. Similar:Son took out trash w/o being asked; daughter wore papercraft tophat to grocery store. Life…I took my…
I already have some handouts on writing titles for web pages and writing titles for college papers. I don’t (at the moment) have a full handout on writing headlines for news stories. In this age of clickbait (“Clickbait Tactics Drive the Writing of Headlines on ABC News,” 2015), revisiting Poynter’s advice on writing traditional news…
Similar:The girl is intrigued by the plot twists in _The Mayor of Casterbridge_.PersonalCarolyn is in PICT Classic Theatre adaptation of Oliver Twist (opened Sat night, runs thro…[Artistic Director Alan] Stanford had no…BooksPfully Pfizered and pfeeling pfine so pfar. Current_EventsLighting really makes a difference! A glimpse into the captain's ready room, off the offic… AestheticsRemembering James…
This is a challenging writing task. Presidential biographies are a staple of children’s book publishing, and of classrooms across the country. Nonfiction for children is a surging category, particularly in light of a Common Core mandate that schools put greater emphasis on it in their curriculum. Publishers like Penguin Young Readers, Scholastic and Time for…
All of us with Facebook accounts do work for Mark Zuckerberg. Our tagging, sharing, and liking gives Facebook valuable information that advertisers use to reach us. This article describes how Facebook has been courting news organizations, asking them to provide content tailored to Facebook’s needs. Facebook is not interested in an informed, educated public that…
My kids have never seen The Princess Bride. (This is an odd pop culture gap for my 80s-obsessed girl.) Similar:The 3 Scariest Words A Boy Can Hear ("Be a Man")Former NFL player and current pastor Joe…CultureIn June, 2000 I was blogging about anagrams, 1750 Paris, ambiguity, a hyperlink patent cl…In June, 2000, I was blogging…
A literary work is a powerful tool for simulating what it’s like to inhabit someone else’s life. Not just tolerating difference, or grudgingly giving “the other side” equal time; but generating real empathy for the diversity of humanity. There is no Frigate like a Book To take us Lands away Nor any Coursers like a…
It’s extremely important to understand what a wide range of people are thinking about, and that includes being exposed to influential ideas that I disagree with. I’d rather not hide from an idea that has power, especially if it turns out I can do something about the issue. The headline is a little misleading… there…
NASDAQ.com throws shade via Reuters: Snapchat is popular among people under 30 who enjoy applying bunny faces and vomiting rainbows onto their selfies, but man yon Wall Street are critical of its high valuation, slowing user growth and lack of profitability. Joel Randewich, NASDAQ.com Similar:Disaster (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 5) Picard Trapped in…
Free speech is valuable. It’s dangerous to set the precedent that it’s okay to censor speech as long as you side with the censor and against the position being silenced. A New Jersey school district has suspended a teacher after yearbook photos of two high school students were altered to remove President Donald Trump’s name…
Similar:The black chair is down to 18¢ per ounce? Shut up and take my money, Amazon!PersonalSeeing A Wrinkle in Time. @prime_stagePersonalThis weekend! GeyerPAC.comPersonalSo this is Pi DayMy wife says she bought the pies intendi…AmusingAn Unexpecting MinorityTruthfully, I expected my new department…Academia'Inappropriate' dance moves lead to calls for student lessons in Peters Mr. Merrell said the…
Similar:Night Terrors (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Four, Episode 17) Trapped crew grows paranoi…Rewatching ST:TNG After discovering t…PersonalVery impressive mural has been installed in Admin for SHU’s Centennial.PersonalThe Drowsy Chaperone @setonhilluniversityPersonalCarolyn, Easter 2017 PersonalMy virtual army of grey capsules is just barely smart enough to follow my avatar around. #…My virtual army of grey capsules is…
Similar:Russia is relying on unwitting Americans to spread election disinformation, US officials s…If I ever share something that turns out…CulturePICT PROUD: PICT actress Carolyn Jerz takes on Viola in Shakespeare’s Twelfth NightPICT PROUD: She’s appeared on our stage…CultureDr. Seuss Racism Controversy: A Dr. Seuss Expert Unpacks the Author's History With Racism,…Nobody is banning, cancelling or…
Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope. Best case scenario? A virtual reality game that is either based around Portal or Half-Life, or unites the franchises into one experience. Valve has invested heavily in VR and clearly values the technology as an entertainment phenomenon – the Portal demo for Vive is one of the…
Similar:Another lovely variation of a #steampunk control panel. #blender3dart #neovictorian #desig…AestheticsRemembering James Doohan on his 100th Birthday (found on the Star Trek Wholesomeposting Fa…When I was a kid watching the reruns aft…HistoryToday's 10 sq cm of #steampunk control panel went pretty fast. At this stage I'm mostly re…One of many steampunk control panels I’v…AestheticsA…
Similar:Is There a Santa Claus?Update, Dec 2020: https://www.youtube.c…CultureThe complex geometry on this wedge building took me all weekend.  #blender3d #medievalyork…The complex geometry on this wedge build…Aesthetics14 Machines That Were Brilliant in 1985I used something very similar to this sh…CultureI had to act like I knew something about golf. There I am on the right at about…
MTV recently ditched the “Best Actor/Actress” awards in favor of “Best Actor,” which suggests the gender-specific term “actress” is less popular among MTV’s target audience. I added that detail, fixed some broken links, and updated the graphic. See Writing Tips: Gender Neutral Language. Similar:Finished Reading "Fibble," Book 4 in "Heck: Where Bad Kids Go."I finished…