Literature Or Something Else?

     

Tucson Weather Today

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"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become."
--C.S. Lewis

I once read that literary fiction is fiction of ideas. While the story must be good, emphasis on action is not often as important as emphasis on the ideas, themes, and concerns of the book. Literary fiction tackles big issues that are often controversial, difficult, and complex.

Commercial fiction, on the other hand, is . . .

Oh well.

Who cares?

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Did You Know . . .?

In 2011 there was a survey and 63% of Americans did not know how many justices were in the supreme court.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1975, Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa was reported missing in Detroit, Michigan. He was last seen alive in a parking lot outside the Machus Red Fox restaurant the previous afternoon. By the time of his disappearance, Hoffa had a long and murky career in union politics. In Chicago, Hoffa was tried for fraud in handling Teamster pension funds, convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison. That sentence was commuted by President Richard Nixon in 1971, and despite his criminal record, Hoffa remained a key Teamster figure until his disappearance. To this day, Hoffa's fate remains a mystery, although many believe that he was murdered by organized crime figures.

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WORD FOR TODAY

caprice
noun
1. a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one's mind or the weather.
2. a tendency to change one's mind without apparent or adequate motive;

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Wesley Trent Snipes

(born July 31, 1962)

Wesley Snipes is an American actor who has starred in numerous films, including action thrillers and dramatic features. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy. In 2010, Snipes began serving a three-year prison sentence in McKean County, Pennsylvania for misdemeanor failure to file U.S. federal income tax returns. He was released from prison in 2013.

Joanne "Jo" Rowling

(born July 31, 1965)

J. K. Rowling is a British novelist best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series.

Dean George Cain

(born July 31, 1966)

Dean Cain is an American actor. He is most widely known for his role as Superman in the popular American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Emilia Rose Elizabeth Fox

(born 31 July 1974)

Emilia Fox is an English actress, known for her role as Dr. Nikki Alexander on BBC crime drama Silent Witness, having joined the cast in 2004 following the departure of Amanda Burton. She also appeared as Morgause in the BBC's Merlin beginning in the program's second series.

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"Every man's memory is his private literature."
--Aldous Huxley

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This Is Who I Am

   

7-28-14

    

Tucson Weather Today

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"Literature is a textually transmitted disease, normally contracted in childhood."
--Jane Yolen

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Did You Know . . .?

The people of North Korea have state sanctioned hair styles. There are 28 total choices: just 18 for women and 10 for men.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1945, a United States military plane crashed into the Empire State Building killing 14 people. The freak accident was caused by heavy fog. Upon impact, the plane's jet fuel exploded, filling the interior of the building with flames all the way down to the 75th floor and sending flames out of the hole the plane had ripped open in the building's side. One engine from the plane went straight through the building and landed in a penthouse apartment across the street. An 18 foot by 20 foot hole was left in the side of the Empire State Building. Though its structural integrity was not affected, the crash did cause nearly $1 million in damages, about $10.5 million in today's money.

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WORD FOR TODAY

penchant
noun
a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something: a penchant for outdoor sports.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Jacqueline Lee (Bouvier) Kennedy Onassis

(July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994)

Jackie Kennedy was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis; they remained married until his death in 1975.

Scott Cameron Pelley

(born July 28, 1957)

Scott Pelley is an American television journalist who is anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News and a correspondent for the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes. Prior to his 60 Minutes position, Pelley was a correspondent for the 60 Minutes II program and served as CBS News's chief White House correspondent

Lori Anne Loughlin

(born July 28, 1964)

Lori Loughlin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House, appearing in the series from 1988 to 1995. From 2008 to 2011, she portrayed the role of Debbie Wilson on the The CW series 90210 (2008–11, 2012), a spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210. She is also known for portraying the role of Ava Gregory on the The WB series Summerland (2004–05), which she also co-created and produced.

Sally Ann Struthers

(born July 28, 1947

Sally Struthers is an American actress and spokeswoman, best known for her roles as Gloria Stivic on All in the Family, for which she won two Emmy awards, and as Babette on Gilmore Girls. She was the voice of Rebecca Cunningham on the Disney animated series TaleSpin.

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"He liked the mere act of reading, the magic of turning scratches on a page into words inside his head.” 
--John Green, An Abundance of Katherines

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

   

STONER

 

    
Tucson Weather Today
 

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A while back I told of downloading to my Kindle the novel, Stoner. Well, last night just before going to sleep I finished reading it. And I don't for an instant regret paying ten dollars for it.

I don't have the words to describe my experience of reading this book, so I will post some of the reviews:

From Publishers Weekly:
This reprint of Williams's remarkable 1965 novel offers a window on early 20th century higher education in addition to its rich characterizations and seamless prose ... Williams (1922–1994) won the NBA for Augustus (1973), and NYRB will republish his western, Butch's Crossing next year. Williams's prose flows in a smooth, efficient current that demands contemplation.

"It is a marvelous discovery for everyone who loves literature."
--Ian McEwan, BBC Radio 4

"One of the great forgotten novels of the past century. I have bought at least 50 copies of it in the past few years, using it as a gift for friends... The book is so beautifully paced and cadenced that it deserves the status of classic."
--Colum McCann's Top 10 Novels
The Guardian:

"Stoner is undeniably a great book, but I can also understand why it isn’t a sentimental favorite in its native land. You could almost describe it as an anti-Gatsby....Part of Stoner's  greatness is that it sees life whole and as it is, without delusion yet without despair....The novel embodies the very virtues it exalts, the same virtues that probably relegate it, like its titular hero, to its perpetual place in the shade. But the book, like professor William Stoner, isn’t out to win popularity contests. It endures, illumined from within."
--Tim Krieder, The New Yorker

"It’s simply a novel about a guy who goes to college and becomes a teacher. But it’s one of the most fascinating things that you’ve ever come across."
--Tom Hanks, Time

I hasten to add that not everyone will like the book, But I most certainly did. (And I don't know why.)

Stoner

 

Now I guess I'll have to read another of John Williams's books... probably Butcher's Crossing.

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Did you know that . . . ?

The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1982, Shirley Allen was arrested for poisoning her husband, Lloyd Allen, with ethylene glycol, commonly known as anti-freeze. After witnessing her mother spike Lloyd's drinks with the deadly substance, Shirley's own daughter turned her in to the authorities.

Lloyd Allen was Shirley's sixth husband and the second to die from mysterious causes; the other four had divorced her. John Gregg, who died a year after he married Shirley in 1977, had changed the beneficiary on his life insurance policy shortly before his death. Shirley was outraged to find that she was left with nothing.

When Allen's death was investigated, toxicology reports confirmed that his body tissue contained a lethal amount of ethyl glycol. After a short four-day trial, Shirley Allen was sentenced to life in prison in 1983.

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WORD FOR TODAY

literature
noun
1. The body of written works of a language, period, or culture.
2. Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value.
3. The art or occupation of a literary writer.
4. The body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field.

Wikipedia states that Literature is the art of written work. The word literature literally means: "things made from letters". Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms -- fiction and non-fiction -- and two major techniques -- poetry and prose.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Patrick Daniel "Pat" Tillman
(November 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004)

Pat Tillman was an American football player who left his professional career and enlisted in the United States Army in June 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he died in the mountains of Afghanistan. The Army at first reported that Tillman had been killed by enemy fire, and then Lieutenant General Stanley A. McChrystal approved the award of a Silver Star. The actual cause of Tillman's death was ruled by The Pentagon as friendly fire.

Sally Margaret Field
(born November 6, 1946)

Sally Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for her leading American TV and film roles, most notably in Gidget (1965–66), The Flying Nun (1967–70), Sybil (1976), Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Hooper (1978), Norma Rae (1979), Absence of Malice (1981), Places in the Heart (1984), Steel Magnolias (1989), Not Without My Daughter (1991), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), Eye for an Eye (1996), ER, Brothers & Sisters (2006–11), The Amazing Spider-Man and Lincoln (2012).

Jonathan Harris
(Nov 6, 1914 – Nov 3, 2002)

Jonathon Harris was an American character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the TV version of The Third Man and the prissy villain Dr. Zachary Smith of the 1960s science fiction television series Lost in Space. Near the end of his career, he provided the voice of "Manny", a praying mantis in the animated feature A Bug's Life.

Emily Jean "Emma" Stone
(born November 6, 1988)

Emma Stone is an American actress. In 2007, she starred in the action drama Drive as Violet Trimble, and made her feature film debut in Superbad (2007). She has appeared in The House Bunny (2008), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), Zombieland (2009), and Paper Man (2009). In 2010, Stone voiced Mazie in Marmaduke, and starred as the lead in the comedy Easy A. In 2011, she co-starred in Crazy, Stupid, Love. and The Help. In 2012, Stone starred as Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man. In 2013, she co-starred in Gangster Squad, and voiced the character of Eep in the animated film The Croods.

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John Williams’s “Stoner” is something rarer than a great novel -- it is a perfect novel, so well told and beautifully written, so deeply moving, that it takes your breath away.
--MORRIS DICKSTEIN
The Inner Lives of Men

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

    

I Want It Done MY Way

     

Tucson Weather Today

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I once edited a small-press print magazine, Whispers & Shouts, and I soon learned that most writers (especially young writers) do not desire helpful criticism of their submission, no matter what they say; they want praise.

There was one young lady that I thought had potential... the story she submitted was interesting and she seemed to be adept at most of the usual skills writing students are enjoined to acquire.

But there was one glaring error; the story's ending was so much of a cliche that any observant reader past the age of thirty would recognize it immediately. When I notified her of this, and offered an alternative ending (which was original and delightful, if I do say so myself) and told her I would accept the story for (paid) publication if she would rewrite it using the alternative ending , the young girl responded swiftly with, "No. I want it printed just the way I wrote it. Please send my story back in the SASE I originally sent you."

Of course, I did so.


Youthful writers are not the only writers that are offended by somewhat harsh but truthful criticism. Some are aged individuals, often those who have been unsuccessful in getting their work published over a span of  years. Some of these otherwise intelligent and logical oldsters can grow unbelievably angry and childishly abusive when receiving straight-talk criticism. They suffer what I like to call the old "I'll take my bat and go home" syndrome.

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NASA reports that the Cassini spacecraft is going to compose a Special Portrait of Saturn … and You!

NASA's Linda Spilker writes:

"One of the most exciting Cassini events in 2013 will be the unusual opportunity on July 19 to image the whole Saturn system as it is backlit by the sun. With Saturn covering the harsh light of the sun, we will be gathering unique ring science and also catching a glimpse of our very own home planet.

"One of the best parts of the mosaic we're making on July 19 is that we'll be able to take a picture of Earth - and all of you - from about 898 million miles (1.44 billion kilometers) away. We think Cassini's July image is a special opportunity for Earthlings to wave at our photographer in the Saturn system. We hope you'll go outside, look in the direction of Saturn and send us pictures of yourselves waving."

LINK

Linda Spilker is the Cassini project scientist, based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.


There is another blog post about Viewing Saturn -- When and Where to look if you want to Wave at Saturn by By Jane Houston Jones.

From Los Angeles (and western states) wave at Saturn low on the eastern horizon from 2:27 to 2:42 p.m. PDT on July 19, 2013. Saturn’s approximate location is shown, but it will not be not visible in the daylight.

LINK

Jane Houston Jones is a member of the Cassini education and public outreach team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., a long-time amateur astronomer and host of JPL's "What's Up" stargazing videos.

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TRIVIA

Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula."

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day, June 19 in 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviets, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. Both refused to admit any wrongdoing and proclaimed their innocence right up to the time of their deaths, by the electric chair. The Rosenbergs were the first U.S. citizens to be convicted and executed for espionage during peacetime and their case remains controversial to this day.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a statement declining to invoke executive clemency for the pair. He stated, "I can only say that, by immeasurably increasing the chances of atomic war, the Rosenbergs may have condemned to death tens of millions of innocent people all over the world. The execution of two human beings is a grave matter. But even graver is the thought of the millions of dead whose deaths may be directly attributable to what these spies have done."

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WORD FOR TODAY

enjoin
verb
1. To direct or impose with authority and emphasis.
2. To order (someone) to do (something); urge strongly; command
3. To prohibit or forbid.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS


Moses Harry Horwitz
(June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975)

Moe Howard was an American actor and comedian best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades. His distinctive hairstyle came about when he was a boy and cut off his curls with a pair of scissors, producing a ragged shape approximating a bowl cut.

Phylicia Rashad
(born June 19, 1948)

Phylicia Rashad (born Phylicia Ayers-Allen) is an American Tony Award-winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show.

Maxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram
(June 19, 1915 - Jan. 8, 1994)

Pat Buttram was an American actor, known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the television series Green Acres.

Mary Kathleen Turner
(born June 19, 1954)

Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Romancing the Stone, Prizzi's Honor, The Accidental Tourist, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The War of the Roses, Serial Mom, and Peggy Sue Got Married.

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Hemingway's remarks are not literature.
--Gertrude Stein
    

6-17-13

    

Tucson Weather Today

 

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TRIVIA

All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day, June 17, in 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Senate investigations eventually revealed that President Richard Nixon had been personally involved in the subsequent cover-up of the break-in; additional investigation uncovered a related group of illegal activities that included political espionage and falsification of official documents, all sanctioned by the White House. Nixon became increasingly embroiled in the political scandal.

On July 29 and 30, 1974, the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment, charging that Nixon had misused his powers to violate the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, obstructed justice, and defied Judiciary Committee subpoenas. To avoid almost certain impeachment, Nixon resigned from office on August 9.

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WORD FOR TODAY

corollary
noun
1.  natural consequence: something that is a natural consequence of or accompaniment to something else
2.  statement easily proved from another: a proposition that follows, with little or no further reasoning, from the proof of another
3.  obvious deduction: something that is very obviously or easily deduced from something already proven

A corollary is a statement that follows readily from a previous statement.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

 

Barry Manilow
(born June 17, 1943)

 

Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He is best known for such recordings as "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana (At the Copa)". In 1978, five of his albums were on the best-seller charts simultaneously, a feat equalled only by Herb Alpert, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Mathis.

Venus Ebony Starr Williams
(born June 17, 1980)

 

Venus Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 32 in singles as of May 27, 2013. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002, becoming the first African American woman to achieve this feat during the Open Era.

Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich
(born June 17, 1943)

 

Newt Gingrich (born Newton Leroy McPherson) is an American politician, author, and political consultant. He represented Georgia's 6th congressional district as a Republican from 1979 until his resignation in 1999, and served as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. Gingrich was a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.

Erin Margaret Murphy
(born June 17, 1964)

 

Erin Murphy is an American actress who is best known for her role as young Tabitha Stephens on the top-ten television sitcom Bewitched, which ran from 1964 to 1972. For the first season, she shared this role with her sister, Diane, as they were of similar appearance and stature. As they got older and looked less alike, Erin played the part alone.

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The Bible is literature, not dogma.
--George Santayana
    

Yeah, But What Is It, Really?

    

Tucson Weather Today
 

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An autobiography tells the story of a life,
while the memoir tells a story from a life.

I have been writing what I thought of as autobiography, but have now come to realize that it will never be finished. So perhaps I should settle for authoring instead a memoir, or maybe a series of them. What I have, at least temporarily, saved from editorial deletion and vowed to keep from a massive quantity of written words, though, should more truthfully be categorized as a work of semi-factual fiction.

And that might be the best way to preserve this somewhat rambling piece of debatable history... as I remember it.

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TRIVIA

Walt Disney was afraid of mice.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day, June 15 in 1846 representatives of Great Britain and the United States signed the Oregon Treaty, which settled a long-standing dispute with Britain over who controlled the Oregon territory. The treaty established the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia as the boundary between the United States and British Canada. The United States gained formal control over the future states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, and the British retained Vancouver Island and navigation rights to part of the Columbia River.

More

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WORD FOR TODAY

literate [LITT-uhr-uht]
adjective
1.  able to read and write: having the ability to read and write
2.  knowledgeable: having a good understanding of a particular subject
3.  well-educated and well-read: well-educated and cultured, especially with respect to literature or writing

The primary sense of literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from a critical interpretation of the written or printed text. Key to all literacy is reading development, a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text.

Literature is the art of written work and can, in some circumstances, refer exclusively to published sources. The word literature literally means "things made from letters" and the pars pro toto term "letters" is sometimes used to signify "literature," as in the figures of speech "arts and letters" and "man of letters." Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms -- Fiction and Non-fiction -- and two major techniques -- poetry and prose.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

 

Ice Cube
(born June 15, 1969)

Ice Cube (born O'Shea Jackson) is an American rapper, record producer, actor, screenwriter, film producer, and director.He built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer, director, actor and producer in cinema.

Additionally, he has served as one of the producers of the Showtime television series Barbershop and the TBS series Are We There Yet?, both of which are based upon films in which he portrayed the lead character. His popularity increased after his critically acclaimed role as 'Doughboy' in John Singleton's hood-based drama, Boyz n the Hood. He has signed on to star in and produce Welcome Back, Kotter, a big-screen adaptation of the 1970s television series. Ice Cube will play the title character, originally portrayed by Gabe Kaplan

Courteney Bass Cox
(born June 15, 1964)

Courteney Cox is an American actress, producer, and director. She is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream, and as Jules Cobb in the sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination. Cox also starred in the FX series Dirt. She owns a production company, called Coquette Productions, which was created by herself and then-husband David Arquette. Cox has also worked as a director on her sitcom Cougar Town and the television movie Talhotblond.

Neil Patrick Harris
(born June 15, 1973)

Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, producer and magician. He is best known for the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold & Kumar series, and the title role in Joss Whedon's musical web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Helen Elizabeth Hunt
(born June 15, 1963)

Helen Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom, Mad About You, for seven years before being cast in the 1997 romantic comedy film, As Good as It Gets for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Some of her other notable films include Twister, Cast Away, What Women Want, Pay It Forward, Soul Surfer and The Sessions. She made her directorial debut in 2007 with Then She Found Me.

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Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.
--Boris Pasternak
    

The Crafting Of Literature

    

Tucson Weather Today
 

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I, among others, was recently asked if I had opinions on Experimentalist Short Stories. Although I did not, and still do not remember much about it, I had many years ago read the experimental novel 'Infinite Jest' written by David Foster Wallace and so I responded with a brief opinion.

But then I wondered if my bad experience with that book (wondering WTF it was all about) was perhaps due to my unschooled youth and lack of literary experience.

So I trekked on over to Amazon and bought the Kindle edition of 'Infinite Jest'. I am curious to learn whether or not I have matured enough as a reader (at age 74) to actually understand the author's meanings and even possibly enjoy the 1082 page story.

To read an excerpt go to the Amazon 'Look Inside' page

Throughout all the years I have observed life and studied both the Craft and the Art of writing, I have never found a clear-cut division between the two. This leads me to believe that there is probably no difference, just one invented by pundits to raise their opinions of themselves.

Either that or I am not intelligent enough to grasp that difference.

That could be it.

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TRIVIA

Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day, June 13 in 1983, after more than a decade in space, Pioneer 10, the world's first outer-planetary probe, left the solar system. The next day, it radioed back its first scientific data on interstellar space.

Headed in the direction of the Taurus constellation, Pioneer 10 will pass within three light years of another star -- Ross 246 -- in the year 34,600 A.D. Bolted to the probe's exterior wall is a gold-anodized plaque, 6 by 9 inches in area, that displays a drawing of a human man and woman, a star map marked with the location of the sun, and another map showing the flight path of Pioneer 10. The plaque, intended for intelligent life forms elsewhere in the galaxy, was designed by astronomer Carl Sagan.

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WORD FOR TODAY

experimentalist
noun
Use of empirical or experimental methods in determining the validity of ideas.

Experimental literature refers to written work -- usually fiction or poetry -- that emphasizes innovation, most especially in technique.

"Experimentalist" is also used in reference to a personality type that builds up gradually to a work. Here the term is not limited to science, but is frequently used in relation to artists. Famous "experimentalists" could include Cézanne, Mark Twain or Robert Frost. The opposite of being an Experimentalist is to be a Conceptualist.

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Off Subject Nutrition Note:
Open Access, Peer-Reviewed, Research Article --

Vegetable Cost Metrics Show That Potatoes and Beans Provide Most Nutrients Per Penny.

Excerpt from abstract:
. . . tests showed that beans and starchy vegetables, including white potatoes, were cheaper per 100 calories than were dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables. Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables had similar nutrient profiles and provided comparable nutritional value. However, less than half (n = 46) of the 98 vegetables listed by the USDA were were consumed >5 times by children and adolescents in the 2003–4 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. For the more frequently consumed vegetables, potatoes and beans were the lowest-cost sources of potassium and fiber. These new metrics of affordable nutrition can help food service and health professionals identify those vegetable subgroups in the school lunch that provide the best nutritional value per penny.

Link

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Timothy Alan Dick
(born June 13, 1953)

Tim Allen is an American comedian, actor, voice-over artist and entertainer, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement. He is known for his starring roles in several popular films, including the Toy Story film series (as the voice of Buzz Lightyear), The Santa Clause film series, and Galaxy Quest. Allen currently stars as Mike Baxter in the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing.

Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy
(born June 13, 1962)

Ally Sheedy is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. Following her film debut in 1983's Bad Boys she became known as one of the Brat Pack group of actors in the films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire. She is also known for her roles in WarGames, Short Circuit and High Art, for which she received critical acclaim.

Paul Edward Lynde
(June 13, 1926 - Jan 10, 1982)

Paul Lynde was an American comedian and actor.

A noted character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his barely in the closet homosexuality, Lynde was well known for his roles as Uncle Arthur on Bewitched and Harry MacAfee, the befuddled father in Bye Bye Birdie -- both the stage musical and the film-version. He was also the regular "center square" guest on the game show Hollywood Squares from 1968 to 1981 and was the voice of The Hooded Claw in the animated Hanna Barbera series, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, though never credited.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
(born June 13, 1986)

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, also known as the Olsen Twins collectively and Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen individually, are American fraternal twin actresses and fashion designers.

Following their acting debut as infants on the television series Full House, the sisters appeared together in a variety of TV, film and video projects throughout their child and teenage years. Through their company Dualstar, the Olsens joined the ranks of the wealthiest women in the entertainment industry at a young age.

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I don't know which is more discouraging, literature or chickens.
--E. B. White
    

Prometheus Was Merely A Myth, You know



    

Tucson Weather Today

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Today's text will go here, if I can come up with some before this day is done.

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HISTORICAL CLIP

On March 11, 1818 Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was published. The book, by 21-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, is frequently called the world's first science fiction novel. In Shelley's tale, a scientist animates a creature constructed from dismembered corpses. The gentle, intellectually gifted creature is enormous and physically hideous. Cruelly rejected by its creator, it wanders, seeking companionship and becoming increasingly brutal as it fails to find a mate.

Although serving as the basis for the Western horror story and the inspiration for numerous movies in the 20th century, the book Frankenstein is much more than pop fiction. The story explores philosophical themes and challenges Romantic ideals about the beauty and goodness of nature.

Mary Shelley was a respected writer for many years, but only Frankenstein and her journals are still widely read. She died at the age of 53.

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WORD FOR TODAY

literature
noun
1. The body of written works of a language, period, or culture.
2. Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value.
3. The art or occupation of a literary writer.
4. The body of written work produced by scholars or researchers in a given field.
5. Printed material.

From Wikipedia:
Literature is the art of written work and can, in some circumstances, refer exclusively to published sources. The word literature literally means "things made from letters" and is sometimes used to signify "literature," as in the figures of speech "arts and letters" and "man of letters." Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms -- fiction and non-fiction -- and two major techniques -- poetry and prose.

From about.com:
Literature is a term used to describe written or spoken material. Broadly speaking, "literature" is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

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BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

 

 

Lawrence Welk

 

Born Mar. 11, 1903
Died: May 17, 1992

Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large number of radio, television, and live-performance fans (and critics) as "champagne music".

In 1996, Welk was ranked #43 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Sam Donaldson

 

Born March 11, 1934
Age:   78 years old

Samuel Andrew "Sam" Donaldson, Jr. is an American reporter and news anchor, serving with ABC News from 1967 to the present. He is best known as the network's White House Correspondent (1977-89 and 1998-99) and as a panelist and later co-anchor of the network's Sunday Program "This Week".

Ralph Abernathy

 

Born March 11, 1926
Died April 17, 1990

Ralph David Abernathy, Sr. was a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, a minister, and a close associate of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Following King's assassination, Dr. Abernathy took up the leadership of the SCLC Poor People's Campaign and led the March on Washington, D.C., that had been planned for May 1968.

Dorothy Gish

 

Born Mar 11, 1898
Died Jun. 4, 1968

Dorothy Elizabeth Gish was an American actress, and the younger sister of actress Lillian Gish. When they were old enough, Dorothy and Lillian were brought into their mother's act, and they also modeled.

In 1912, their childhood friend, actress Mary Pickford, introduced them to director D.W. Griffith, and the sisters began acting at the Biograph Studios. Dorothy and Lillian Gish both debuted in Griffith's An Unseen Enemy. Dorothy would go on to star in over 100 short films and features, many of them with Lillian.

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The decline of literature indicates the decline of a nation."
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
    

Arts And Crafts

Tucson Weather Today

I have some thoughts regarding last night's State Of The Union speech, but I believe that I should give myself some time to muse upon those thoughts. And the thoughts of established columnists and political writers. So, if I decide to share my opinions about the speech on the blog I will do so tomorrow.

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I am not a musical person. I could get along quite well without any music at all in my life. Most music, to me, is nothing more than a distraction. I am aware of music playing in the background but only because it tends to disturb the focus of my thoughts.

I think that I can recognize a well crafted piece of music whether the craftsmanship be in the choice of words selected to create the song, its instrumental accompaniment, or the depth of emotion the singer brings to the song's delivery. But I, unlike most other people, cannot detect exactly how or when a well-crafted piece of music is transformed into a Work Of Art.

But at times I find myself mysteriously moved by a particular piece of music, or by the sound of a singer's voice, and I ask myself is that then, ART?

All I can say, about music, is: "I know what I like."

Born On This Day

Etta James

born January 25, 1938

died January 20, 2012

Etta James passes away -- announcement, information, and videos, including At Last.


My non-recognition of Art and Artistry also exists within the realm of literature.

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood's Rules For Writers

In The Blind Assassin Margaret Atwood wrote: "The only way you can write the truth is to assume that what you set down will never be read. Not by any other person, and not even by yourself at some later date. Otherwise you begin excusing yourself. You must see the writing as emerging like a long scroll of ink from the index finger of your right hand; you must see your left hand erasing it."

Margaret Atwood is another author who has written many books that I have never got around to reading, although I have meant for a long time to read them all. And I know that I had better get to it without further delay.

As for the craftsmanship or the artistic quality of the written word...

"I know what I like."

__________

"If we were all on trial for our thoughts, we would all be hanged."
--Margaret Atwood

Thoughts On Reading Preferences

An article The Death Of Fiction in the January/February 2010 issue of Mother Jones first states, "Lit mags were once launching pads for great writers and big ideas." and then asks, "Is it time to write them off?"

Illustration: Frank Stockton

While I found the article interesting, I have to admit that it brought my mind back to those seemingly heretical thoughts I have been harboring and musing upon for a long time: my own thoughts on the subject of popular writing versus literary writing.

Not thoughts engendered and shaped and refined by learned teachers and professors of literature.

Not echoed second-hand opinions, but my own intuitive thoughts which, when revealed, so often transform bosom buddies into hostile antagonists.

My thoughts are based on my observations of simple common-folk, the general run of middle-class American citizens with which I (being one of them) usually associate.

For example:

The writings attributed to William Shakespeare were neither obscure nor elitist: at that time. In the 1500s. Around 500 years ago. Those popular works used words the people of the time understood and used themselves. Understandable words that were arranged to bring about an enlightenment of sorts, but known words, notwithstanding.

Words that were an illumination of a higher truth than that which the members of the audience were accustomed to ponder. Words presented not so much in written form to be read as is done today, but in poems to be declaimed and voiced in performed plays, words to be spoken aloud by actors.

When I speak of or write about my opinion as to what constitutes enjoyable reading, preferring Stephen King to Shakespeare, I am immediately characterized (loudly and scornfully) as being an uneducated lout. Which I am. Without a doubt.

Do I in turn step up and call out in derision, labeling my accuser an elitist snob? No. I merely sit back and wonder why these highly educated yet unreasonably-incensed castigators cannot simply continue to read whatever they want to read and, in turn, allow me to read what I want to read?

Another example:

From Beowulf:

Hwat! we Gar-Dena in gear-dagum

beod-cyninga prym gefrunon,

hu ba aoelingas ellen fremedon.

Oft Scyld Scefing sceaoena preatum.

(Translation)

Lo! the Spear-Danes' glory through splendid achievements

The folk-kings' former fame we have heard of,

How princes displayed then their prowess-in-battle.

Oft Scyld the Scefing from scathers in numbers...

Ever will be

the Morlocks

and the Eloi.

No further elaboration needed.

Loyalty to a petrified opinion

never yet broke a chain or

freed a human soul.

--Mark Twain

Writing's A Hobby, Not My Profession

This morning early I read a piece written by a person I respect and in it he posed these questions:

"How would the masters of olde deal with the media of today and tomorrow? What would they do? Would Shakespeare post his sonnets in a blog? Would Leaves of Grass be a podcast? How about the music video Inferno by Dante?"

Those are intriguing questions.

I have no answers for those specific questions but I do have some thoughts regarding the so-called "Masters of olde" and about what I believe the concept of "Great Literature" to be.

Great literature is a collection of thoughts and ideas recorded by men and women who felt compelled to describe their personal observations of life as they perceived it. And to do so in their own way, each according to his individual ability.

That though is merely my opinion as to what constitutes great literature. It is not necessarily the opinion of learned professors and historians who decree which writings will be preserved and which will fade into obscurity.

For instance, the Works Of Shakespeare are revered and fawned over by scholars and lovers of artistic expression all over the world, so this collection then is properly proclaimed as being Great Literature.

I disagree. But who am I?

Who am I? Well, I am the reader. But I am the reader that says, "This stuff is old and out-dated and no longer meaningful to me so I will only read it if and when I am forced to do so."

Current convention certainly does not proclaim the Works Of Stephen King as being Great Literature. And yet millions of readers buy this man's many books. And actually read them. And re-read them. And enjoy reading them.

As do I.

But then, as I asked above, "Who am I?"

I have more to say on this subject, but a blog entry should be short and directly to the point, so it's probably best to wait until another day to do so.

Note:

In my personal journal today I posted a glimpse at a few bits of writing from my past, proving that writing is my hobby, not my profession.

Please do not hesitate to comment on what I have written here. Reading and absorbing the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of others, such as you, is how I (and other readers) learn.

Thanks for reading . . .