February 2008
You are browsing the archive for February 2008.
The Week in Fourth Grade
As I go through Isa’s fourth grade textbooks, I spot things that bother me. I understand the need for simplification, but at the expense of fact? Or am I being too picky?Here’s a lab to do at home from the science book: Cut up an apple and measure and record the mass of the fresh […]
Arrested Development: Season 1 vs. Season 3
Many have failed to pick up on the major qualitative distinctions between these seasons. In fairness, it was rarely clear when the show was even on, let alone what season it was. Michael Bluth: tenderhearted and ethical to a faultSeason 1: Bumbling courtship of Marta. Hilarious.Season 3: Finds out he is the father of Julia […]
For anyone who thought show business was sexy
I was copied on this email today, from Lipstick Jungle’s payroll company to NBC-Universal… This notification is to let you know that the following Document Type folder names have been changed as described: Script Clearance Report has been renamed: Script Research Report.Script Collated has been renamed: Script – First White.Script Revisions has been renamed: Script […]
Voting in Topanga Canyon
My old pot dealer’s wife checked me in. I said, “I’m John Levenstein, American.” She started laughing, then couldn’t stop laughing, and things bogged down for a while. The other woman running the polling place put a provisional ballot in the official ballot box by mistake, and then swore us all to secrecy.
Countdown to Lipstick Jungle
One of our Bloggers™ has a show coming out on Thursday: Lipstick Jungle. Brooke Shields is one of the stars. I can’t help but think of my childhood, when Brooke was one of the beauties, and her name was bandied about constantly. Bo Derek, Brooke Shields and Farrah. I remember the ubiquitous poster was omnipresent […]
Inverted commas
Twenty years ago, PC word processors struggled with apostrophes and quotation marks. Back then, I was forgiving, but the problem is still ubiquitous. Why? I spent the morning reviewing graduate school applications in which every apostrophe was converted to a question mark. And look at the atrocious quotation marks offered in the otherwise reasonable font […]
Super Bowl Halftime Show
In light of their past problems with the FCC, I was suprised to see the show start with a giant penis arrow making its way across the field to the heart shaped stage. The penis punctured the heart, Tom Petty came to life, and enthusiastic fans rushed the stage. Who were these young white people […]
I Am Allowed to Say "Super Bowl"
But advertisers aren’t. Unless they are somehow officially connected to the Super Bowl. Hence, this is just about my favorite week to pay attention to commercials and print ads. I just love all the euphemisms for Super Bowl. “The Big Game” is the most common. (“Stock up on soda and snacks for the Big Game!”) […]
Grimace, indeed
Keenan’s class will soon be going on a three-day field trip to Space Camp in Montreal. (I didn’t know the Canadians had a space program; then it occurred to me that this probably was the Canadian space program.) When told were told the trip would include a stop at the mega-McDonalds just on the US […]
Jack Silbert, curator