Curiose

False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:35:00 +0000

False Memoir of Holocaust Is Canceled

This is a great story to read for all the people who point to fakery in Wikipedia, as if the world of print were sacrosanct...

One thing I wonder is why people are not willing simply to write fiction for its own sake, and call it that, rather than making other kinds of claims. Is this related to the popularity (baffling to me) of reality TV shows? I wonder.

Councils ban 'elitist' and 'discriminatory' Latin phrases - Telegraph

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:33:00 +0000

SERIOUSLY SCARY:

Councils ban 'elitist' and 'discriminatory' Latin phrases - Telegraph: "Bournemouth Council has listed 19 terms it no longer considers acceptable for use.

This includes bona fide, eg (exempli gratia), prima facie, ad lib or ad libitum, etc or et cetera, ie or id est, inter alia, NB or nota bene, per, per se, pro rata, quid pro quo, vis-a-vis, vice versa and even via."

Scientist at Work - James W. Pennebaker - Psychologist James Pennebaker Counts, and Analyzes, Words - Biography - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:49:00 +0000

Scientist at Work - James W. Pennebaker - Psychologist James Pennebaker Counts, and Analyzes, Words

FASCINATING ARTICLE IN NEW YORK TIMES

"Health improvements were also seen among people whose use of causal words — because, cause, effect — increased. Simply ruminating about an experience without trying to understand the causes is less likely to lead to psychological growth, he explained; the subjects who used causal words “were changing the way they were thinking about things.”"

Edupunk - more ponytails than punk

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:44:00 +0000

Edupunk - more ponytails than punk:

This post by Donald Clark expresses very nicely just why the whole edupunk thing seems to me incredibly silly. Here's an excerpt:

"I’m all for punking up conference presentations and learning experiences. But when grey-haired teachers take on these terms, they’d better look at themselves first. This so-called punky attitude is coming from well paid teachers and academics, in the comfortable context of largely tired old institutions. If they want to peddle punk then do what punks did – free themselves from the cosiness of the establishment."

Op-Ed Columnist - Kiplin’ vs. Palin - Editorial - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:21:00 +0000

Kiplin’ vs. Palin - NYTimes: One of the best editorials I have read in the New York Times in a LONG time.

"A friend wrote suggesting I take a look at Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “The Gods of the Copybook Headings,” in the light of current events. Written in 1919, when Kipling was 53, in an England drained by the Great War, which had taken the life of his teenage son, the poem makes sobering reading."

For excerpts from the poem, read the article. For the full poem, go here to Kipling.org.

Ron Rivera, Potter Devoted to Clean Water, Dies at 60 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:16:00 +0000

Ron Rivera, Potter Devoted to Clean Water, Dies at 60 - - NYTimes.com:

This man sounds like he was AMAZING.

He deserves better than being compared to the Pied Piper - ouch! Cultural literacy comes in handy sometimes.

"“I saw Ron as a Pied Piper,” said Robert Pillers, the treasurer of Potters for Peace. “He had the capacity to draw people in and then give them the means to accomplish something.”"

The Rubaiyat Of A Huffy Husband, by Mary B. Little.

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:09:00 +0000

The Rubaiyat Of A Huffy Husband, by Mary B. Little.:

On Christmas day a good Friend did present
My Wife a Book; no doubt with best intent.
The 'Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam' 'twas.
Little I dreamed the Woe of its Advent. ...

Media Talk - What George Orwell Wrote, 70 Years Later to the Day - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:23:00 +0000

Media Talk - What George Orwell Wrote, 70 Years Later to the Day - NYTimes.com: "The observations were made by George Orwell, whose copious diaries are now being published every day in blog form, exactly 70 years after they were made. The scholars behind the project say they are trying to get more attention for Orwell online and to make him more relevant to a younger generation he would have wanted to speak to."

Not Thanks, but Probation for Fixing Typos on a Sign - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Not Thanks, but Probation for Fixing Typos on a Sign: "Mr. Deck and Mr. Herson toured the United States this spring, wiping out errors on government and private signs. They were interviewed by National Public Radio and The Chicago Tribune, which called them “a pair of Kerouacs armed with Sharpies and erasers and righteous indignation.”"

That Student Loan, So Hard to Shake - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:25:00 +0000

That Student Loan, So Hard to Shake - NYTimes.com

Long and very informative article in the New York Times about the SERIOUS consequences of student loans, very different from credit card debt. I want to share this with my students but it is too depressing for the first week of classes! I will share it at some point later in the semester, when they are less stressed. I went through school carefully avoiding student loans of any kind, and chose my school based on what I could afford. Many students are clearly not as cautious about their debt.

Connected, Yes, but Hermetically Sealed - Ben Stein

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:57:00 +0000

Everybody’s Business - Connected, Yes, but Hermetically Sealed - NYTimes.com: I'm sort of reluctant to link to this Ben Stein article, because by no means do I want to endorse it - I disagree with it profoundly. I just don't understand this sentimentalist idea that somehow everything used to be great and wonderful until we got computers and cellphones and so on: as Stein opines, "Now, there is no thought or reverie. There is nothing but gossip and making plans to shop or watch television..." and so on.

Come on, the cell phones et al. are just tools, like so many of the other technological tools we have created over the course of civilization - what is important is the CHOICES people make about how they use those tools. If they make LOUSY choices about how they use those tools, they are going to make LOUSY choices about how they spend their time without the tools.

I have made all kinds of choices to use the technology (yeah, I'm blogging right now, and I read Ben Stein's self-important screed ONLINE - I never would have had occasion to read it otherwise), while also managing my time and choices so that I am not a slave to the technology.

If Ben Stein thinks all these people are miserable slaves (I'm not so sure that they are...), then it is by their own choosing. You can't un-choose for people what they choose for themselves. That is otherwise known as fascism, which is not how the world works, thank goodness.

Sally Quinn - Worlds Apart - washingtonpost.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Sally Quinn - Worlds Apart - washingtonpost.com: I thought Sally Quinn put things very well here; I'm not someone who has the same attraction to McCain that she does, but I think she did a good job of explaining some of the big differences between the two candidates and their very different appeals.

"That kind of nuance is hard to understand sometimes -- it's unclear, complicated. Obama's world can be scarier. It's multicultural. It's realistic (yes, there is evil on the streets of this country as well as in other places, and a lot of evil has been perpetrated in the name of good). It's honest. When does life begin? Only the antiabortionists are clear on that. For the majority of Americans (who are pro-choice), it is 'above my pay grade,' in Obama's words, where there is no hard and fast line to draw on what's worth dying for, and where people of all faiths have to be respected. I would rather live in McCain's world than Obama's. But I believe that we live in Obama's world."

The Pop Vs Soda Map

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:08:00 +0000

The Pop Vs Soda Map: What a fascinating map!!!!!! I say soda... what do you say?

"soda: prevalent in the Northeast, greater Miami, the area in Missouri and Illinois surrounding St Louis and parts of northern California. ‘Soda’ derives from ‘soda-water’ (also called club soda, carbonated or sparkling water or seltzer). It’s produced by dissolving carbon dioxide gas in plain water, a procedure developed by Joseph Priestly in the latter half of the 18th century. The fizziness of soda-water caused the term ‘soda’ to be associated with later, similarly carbonated soft drinks."

Why open curriculum wikis won’t work

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:43:00 +0000

Why open curriculum wikis won’t work:

I'm in total agreement with Sylvia Martinez here - I believe in building up huge archives of online work not because it will be literally re-used, but because it will inspire people - teachers, students, everybody - to do their own work, based on ideas and inspiration they find in work that has gone before. Here are the two concluding paragraphs of the blog post; the whole thing is well worth reading:

I’m all for breaking down the monopoly that textbook publishers have on schools worldwide. I’m completely in favor of people using the collaborative power of wikis to build reference and teaching materials that reflect their views about learning and teaching. I have nothing but praise for people who decide to freely share the results of their hard work in public, like the MIT Open Courseware.

But hoping random lesson plans can knit themselves into a coherent curriculum is just magical thinking. At best, teachers may find a few nuggets they can adapt for their own classrooms. At worst, these pipe dreams soak up time, energy and money.

The Suffrage Cook Book (1915)

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:40:00 +0000

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Suffrage Cook Book: A cookbook from 1915 - with contributions from all kinds of contributors, and letters from contributors, photos. How cool! Below is Jack London's contribution!

"Roast Duck. The only way in the world to serve a canvas-back or a mallard, or a sprig, or even the toothsome teal, is as follows: The plucked bird should be stuffed with a tight handful of plain raw celery and, in a piping oven, roasted variously 8, 9, 10, or even 11 minutes, according to size of bird and heat of oven. The blood-rare breast is carved with the leg and the carcass then thoroughly squeezed in a press. The resultant liquid is seasoned with salt, pepper, lemon and paprika, and poured hot over the meat. This method of roasting insures the maximum tenderness and flavor in the bird. The longer the wild duck is roasted, the dryer and tougher it becomes. Hoping that you may find the foregoing useful for your collection, and with best wishes for the success of your book.
Sincerely yours,
Jack London."

BizarroBlog: MySpace MyDog

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:13:00 +0000

BizarroBlog: MySpace MyDog

Bizarro is one of my favorite cartoonists and I recently started reading his blog; his comments here about MySpace are hilarious and right on, I think! :-)

In 50�words - Home - Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:07:00 +0000

In 50 words - Home - Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog:

Here's an example he gives of a "mini-sage"

Finding Time
Each time I pass the picture I take a few seconds to straighten it. On its single nail, a heavy tread tilts it. I always have the extra seconds to make it straight, but I never have the precious minutes needed to get the second nail to straighten it permanently."

Codebox Software - The 100 Most Common English Words

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:15:00 +0000

Codebox Software - The 100 Most Common English Words: "The 100 Most Common English Words"

I cannot get more than 60!

BibliOdyssey: Baroque Fables

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:29:00 +0000

BibliOdyssey: Baroque Fables
Another fantastic discovery from BibliOdyssey!

What Happened in Polish History: Part I � Polandian

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:44:00 +0000

What Happened in Polish History: Part I : First in a series of humorous takes on Polish history! Here's an excerpt: "In another stroke of uncanny luck the greatest king of this period was called Kazimierz the Great. It was particularly lucky bearing in mind that his father was called Władysław Łokietek, which roughly translated into English means Vladislaus the Short Arse. All Polish people know this sentence about Kazimierz the Great: “Zastał polskę drewnianą a zostawił murowaną.” As far as I can make out this means something like “He saw Poland was made of wood and got stoned” but apparently it means that he rebuilt everything that was made of wood in bricks and mortar. This must have kept him pretty busy because, despite being king for almost 60 years, he failed to have any legitimate children."

Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:23:00 +0000

Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address

Not surprisingly, where I lived in Berkeley (Delaware and Shattuck) and in San Francisco (Stanyan and Parnassus) were both at the top of the scale for walk scores. Where I live now (rural North Carolina) is at the bottom of the scale... but that has its advantages too: being at the bottom of the scale means I don't expect to go out for coffee, for movies, for dinner - instead, we do a serious grocery shopping trip once a week, and entertain ourselves at home. Walking to all kinds of fun places was great, and I especially loved where I lived in Berkeley - but I also like being left to my own devices this way, and living a much less consumerist lifestyle to begin with. :-)

Josh Jarboe YouTube Video Controversy Shows the Value of Transparent, Publish-at-Will Technologies ~ Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:30:00 +0000

Josh Jarboe YouTube Video Controversy by Stephen Downes: I thought this observation by Stephen Downes was very interesting - would guys get thrown off the football team for listening to music as offensive as what Jarboe was creating? Of course not. It does seem like a real double-standard, and except for this comment in Stephen Downes, I hadn't seen that angle raised in the extensive public discussion of this OU event (and, yes, I guess this is the first time OU has ever been mentioned by Stephen Downes... which makes the whole thing even more depressing!) - "It is likely that you would find Josh Jarboe's rap (language and content warning) offensive. But is the best response to that to kick him off the football team? Sure, the freestyle was pretty stupid. But has anyone at OU been listening to rap and hip hop recently? Jarboe was, quite frankly, tame compared to what's published and broadcast on radio and television."

The Patry Copyright Blog: End of the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:38:00 +0000

The Patry Copyright Blog: End of the Blog:

Very few blogs are as well-written as this one, and it is a shame that it is coming to an end. The author's discouraging reflections on the world of copyright law are very sad indeed... I would like to be more optimistic, but there's little good news to be found... Here's a quote from the final blog post:

Copyright law has abandoned its reason for being: to encourage learning and the creation of new works. Instead, its principal functions now are to preserve existing failed business models, to suppress new business models and technologies, and to obtain, if possible, enormous windfall profits from activity that not only causes no harm, but which is beneficial to copyright owners.

R.I.P. for this great blog. I hope the archives stay up.

Muslim Holiday at Tyson Plant Creates Furor - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:18:00 +0000

Muslim Holiday at Tyson Plant Creates Furor - NYTimes.com:

EXCELLENT. Of course, there are prejudiced, ignorant objections being raised (see the article for comments about how the U.S. is a "Christian" country)... but I am really glad to see this! Learning about the holidays of other religions and cultures is a great way to get to know that culture. Id al-Fitr sounds like a good place to start - and God knows, people have a lot of learning to do here!

“We in the labor movement have always understood that unions are only strong when we work to protect the dignity of all faiths, and that includes Muslims,” said Mr. Appelbaum, who also serves as president of the Jewish Labor Committee. “What we negotiated was the will of the workers,” said Mr. Appelbaum, who added that his was the first union to negotiate a paid day off for a Muslim holiday and that he was sure Tyson would not be the last employer to agree. The plant affected is in the town of Shelbyville, some 40 miles south of Nashville. Under a five-year contract there, Id al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, is now one of the plant’s eight paid holidays."

Rules Grammar Change | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

noreply@blogger.com (Laura Gibbs) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:57:00 +0000

Rules Grammar Change | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: I LOVE IT.

U.S. Grammar Guild according to, the new structure loosely on an obscure 800-year-old, pre-medieval Anglo-Saxon syntax is based. The syntax primarily verbs, verb clauses and adjectives at the end of sentences placing involves. Results this often, to ears American, a sentence backward appearing.
'Operating under we are, one major rule,' said Joyce Watters, president of the U.S. Grammar Guild. 'Make English, want we, more archaic and dignified sounding to be, as if every word coming from the tongue of a centuries-old, mystical wizard, is.'