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Here’s a Christmas Smackdown to enjoy while you await the arrival of the big jolly elf...
Category: Christmas Icons
Rudolph vs. Frosty
A four way match-up between St. Nicholas vs. Santa Claus vs. Kris
Kringle vs. Pere Noel
Category: Christmas Icons
Rudolph vs. Frosty
A four way match-up between St. Nicholas vs. Santa Claus vs. Kris
Kringle vs. Pere Noel
A nose so bright vs. a magic hat
Category: Music
First up, a three-way match-up for the most intolerable version (or best version, your choice) of “Last Christmas:”
George Michael vs. Taylor Swift vs. Glee cast
Most Depressing Christmas song:
The Christmas Shoes vs. A Soldier’s Silent Night
Category: Christmas theatre cash cows
The Nutcracker ballet vs. A Christmas Carol
First up, a three-way match-up for the most intolerable version (or best version, your choice) of “Last Christmas:”
George Michael vs. Taylor Swift vs. Glee cast
Most Depressing Christmas song:
The Christmas Shoes vs. A Soldier’s Silent Night
Category: Christmas theatre cash cows
The Nutcracker ballet vs. A Christmas Carol
Sugar Plum Fairy vs. Scrooge
Category: TV Specials (as they were called back in the day)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas vs. A Charlie Brown Christmas
Category: Classic Christmas Movies
It’s a Wonderful Life (an angel gets its wings) vs. A Christmas
Story (you’ll shoot your eye out)
Category: Flora
Holly vs. Ivy
Evergreen tree (real) vs. Evergreen tree (artificial)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas vs. A Charlie Brown Christmas
Category: Classic Christmas Movies
It’s a Wonderful Life (an angel gets its wings) vs. A Christmas
Story (you’ll shoot your eye out)
Category: Flora
Holly vs. Ivy
Evergreen tree (real) vs. Evergreen tree (artificial)
Holly vs. Ivy (both wondrously green)
Category: Food
Fruitcake vs. Anything
Sugar cookies vs. gingerbread cookies
Candy canes vs. peppermint bark
Fruitcake vs. Anything
Sugar cookies vs. gingerbread cookies
Candy canes vs. peppermint bark
Sweet and delicious vs. spicy and delicious
Category: Decorations
Christmas lights vs. Inflatables
Polar bears vs. Penguins
“Themed” Christmas trees vs. any ornament you happen to like plus the home- or school-made masterpieces
Christmas lights vs. Inflatables
Polar bears vs. Penguins
“Themed” Christmas trees vs. any ornament you happen to like plus the home- or school-made masterpieces
Only one of these animals lives anywhere near the North Pole (and it's not the one in the tux)
Category: Preferred locations for the “stuffer” gifts
Stockings vs. Shoes
Stockings vs. Shoes
Depends on where your ancestors came from...
Category: Anticipation
Christmas Eve vs. New Year’s Eve
Christmas Eve vs. New Year’s Eve
Santa vs. the ball drop in Times Square
Category: The Morning After
You get the idea...
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"Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred." The motto of a dissident poet and playwright who, when called upon by the people of his country, took up the mantle of politics. Let us remember Vaclav Havel, who died Sunday. He led the 'Velvet Revolution' in 1989 which helped foment the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and later served as the president of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. He endured Communist oppression and imprisonment, but remained an optimist and a force for the dignity of mankind.
"None of us—as an individual—can save the world as a whole, but . . . each of us must behave as though it were in his power to do so," Havel wrote in his 1997 book, The Art of the Impossible: Politics as Morality in Practice.
He was born Oct. 5, 1936, into a family of entrepreneurs in Prague. His early life was privileged, but his family's prosperity made it a target after the Communists seized power in 1948. Due to his "bourgeois" origins, Havel was denied a secondary education and had to finish his diploma at night school while working days. He was also denied entry to the history and philosophy departments of Prague's prestigious Charles University. He wound up studying economics at a technical institute instead. These frustrations became a source of creativity,. He mocked the Communist system's bureaucracy in his absurdist plays, which include "Beggar's Opera," "The Garden Party," "Largo Desolato," and "The Memorandum."
After the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia crushed the "Prague Spring" reform movement, Havel became convinced of the importance of moral resistance to dictatorship. As a prominent pro-democracy leader and critic of the Soviet regime, he was charged with undermining the state. His plays were banned and it was forbidden even to publish his photograph.
He was born Oct. 5, 1936, into a family of entrepreneurs in Prague. His early life was privileged, but his family's prosperity made it a target after the Communists seized power in 1948. Due to his "bourgeois" origins, Havel was denied a secondary education and had to finish his diploma at night school while working days. He was also denied entry to the history and philosophy departments of Prague's prestigious Charles University. He wound up studying economics at a technical institute instead. These frustrations became a source of creativity,. He mocked the Communist system's bureaucracy in his absurdist plays, which include "Beggar's Opera," "The Garden Party," "Largo Desolato," and "The Memorandum."
After the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia crushed the "Prague Spring" reform movement, Havel became convinced of the importance of moral resistance to dictatorship. As a prominent pro-democracy leader and critic of the Soviet regime, he was charged with undermining the state. His plays were banned and it was forbidden even to publish his photograph.
In 1977, after members of a punk band called the Plastic People of the Universe were arrested on charges of "disturbing the peace," Havel organized the signing of Charter 77 by writers, actors and public intellectuals demanding basic human and civic rights. That move revived of dissident activity after nearly a decade of repression so severe that almost no opposition had been visible. This era was later commemorated in Tom Stoppard's play Rock n'Roll.
In early 1989, Havel was jailed again for several months, but by November it was clear that the Communist regime was doomed. Student demonstrations were on the rise and Havel's Civic Forum organized additional huge protests and held talks
with the crumbling Communist government, eventually persuading it to
relinquish power.
In early 1989, Havel was jailed again for several months, but by November it was clear that the Communist regime was doomed. Student demonstrations were on the rise and Havel's Civic Forum organized additional huge protests and held talks
with the crumbling Communist government, eventually persuading it to
relinquish power.
The Velvet Revolution: soldiers met with flowers and a commemorative plaque to celebrate the overthrow of Communism
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The Great Gatsby
"Midwestern boy mixes with rich Easterners, learns lesson from Gatsby’s story: rags to riches to death in a swimming pool, all cuz of girl."@Tweetbook
Macbeth
"Ambitious Scotsman slays true king, rises to throne on advice of witches, ghosts and bat-shit crazy wife, is slain by Caesarean-born lord."@Tweetbook
Hamlet
"Manic-depressive Dane mourns dead dad, hallucinates, contemplates matricide, drives flower-strewing chick to suicide, dies by the sword."@Tweetbook
The Catcher in the Rye
"Troubled youth flees prep school, drinks, swears and offends girls in New York City, rants about phonies, loses it watching sis on carousel."@Tweetbook
Anna Karenina
"Unhappy family, dull husband, dashing lover, tormented adulteress, tormented landowner, unrequited love, all ends badly under a train."@Tweetbook
"Midwestern boy mixes with rich Easterners, learns lesson from Gatsby’s story: rags to riches to death in a swimming pool, all cuz of girl."@Tweetbook
Macbeth
"Ambitious Scotsman slays true king, rises to throne on advice of witches, ghosts and bat-shit crazy wife, is slain by Caesarean-born lord."@Tweetbook
Hamlet
"Manic-depressive Dane mourns dead dad, hallucinates, contemplates matricide, drives flower-strewing chick to suicide, dies by the sword."@Tweetbook
The Catcher in the Rye
"Troubled youth flees prep school, drinks, swears and offends girls in New York City, rants about phonies, loses it watching sis on carousel."@Tweetbook
Anna Karenina
"Unhappy family, dull husband, dashing lover, tormented adulteress, tormented landowner, unrequited love, all ends badly under a train."@Tweetbook
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Now that we've had our first measurable snowfall in the Chicago area (okay, it wasn't very much), my thoughts again turn to books that celebrate the white stuff. Some classics for children (and the adults who love them):
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. This lovely picture book won the Caldecott Award in 1999. It tells the story of Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, a simple farmer in Vermont, who was fascinated by snow. When he receives the gift of a microscope from his mother, he begins a lifelong study of snow crystals. With the eyes of both a scientist and a poet, he is determined to share his discoveries, as well as the beauty of snow crystals with others, by capturing them in photographs. The illustrations in this book are wondrous woodcuts by Mary Azarian and they fit perfectly with the lyrical text.
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. This lovely picture book won the Caldecott Award in 1999. It tells the story of Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, a simple farmer in Vermont, who was fascinated by snow. When he receives the gift of a microscope from his mother, he begins a lifelong study of snow crystals. With the eyes of both a scientist and a poet, he is determined to share his discoveries, as well as the beauty of snow crystals with others, by capturing them in photographs. The illustrations in this book are wondrous woodcuts by Mary Azarian and they fit perfectly with the lyrical text.
Another favorite of mine is The Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats. It also won the Caldecott Medal, way back in 1963. It's the simple story of a boy named Peter savoring the joys of a snowy day. I love it because, having grown up in a city, I can relate to the urban environment through which Peter wanders in his red snowsuit, dragging his stick. The illustrations capture the waning sunlight of late afternoons in December and the lavender skies that hang low after the sun has dipped below the horizon. First published in 1962, this now-classic book also broke the color barrier in mainstream children's publishing. I remember as a child thinking it was wonderful to see a child in a book who was the same color as many of my own friends.
And we can't forget The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. In this chilly fairy tale, an imp creates an evil mirror in which beauty is made ugly. The mirror shatters and the pieces scatter and cause evil throughout the world. Kai and Gerta are playmates. Kai is struck in the eye by a fragment of the mirror and overnight
changes and alarms Gerta. He is attracted to and carried off by the evil Snow Queen and taken to her frozen palace. In the spirit of true friendship, Gerta sets off on a quest to find him and has many adventures along the way. One of my favorite versions of this story is illustrated by Vladyslav Yerko.
changes and alarms Gerta. He is attracted to and carried off by the evil Snow Queen and taken to her frozen palace. In the spirit of true friendship, Gerta sets off on a quest to find him and has many adventures along the way. One of my favorite versions of this story is illustrated by Vladyslav Yerko.
I would be remiss to not mention the lovely work of C.S. Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Four siblings — Peter, Susan, Edmund,
and Lucy — to be sent away from London during WWII to live in the country with the kind-hearted but remote Professor. The children will soon discover that the Professor's mansion holds many mysteries, including a room which holds nothing but a large wardrobe. When Lucy, the youngest, opens it one rainy day, they discover a passageway into Narnia, a once peaceful world inhabited by Fauns, Dwarves, Giants, and Talking Beasts. But now Narnia is a place "where it is always winter, but never Christmas" by the evil, but seductive White Witch who rules over it. The children become entangled in an adventure that encompasses betrayal, forgiveness, death, and rebirth. I never actually read this as a child. I only discovered it through my own children -- and spent many happy evenings reading it aloud to them at bedtime. Imagine a place where it is perpetual winter, without the joys of the holidays to brighten the darkness. Brrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
and Lucy — to be sent away from London during WWII to live in the country with the kind-hearted but remote Professor. The children will soon discover that the Professor's mansion holds many mysteries, including a room which holds nothing but a large wardrobe. When Lucy, the youngest, opens it one rainy day, they discover a passageway into Narnia, a once peaceful world inhabited by Fauns, Dwarves, Giants, and Talking Beasts. But now Narnia is a place "where it is always winter, but never Christmas" by the evil, but seductive White Witch who rules over it. The children become entangled in an adventure that encompasses betrayal, forgiveness, death, and rebirth. I never actually read this as a child. I only discovered it through my own children -- and spent many happy evenings reading it aloud to them at bedtime. Imagine a place where it is perpetual winter, without the joys of the holidays to brighten the darkness. Brrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
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On the evening of December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an African
American, was arrested for disobeying an Alabama law requiring black passengers to relinquish seats to white passengers when the bus was full. Blacks also were required to sit at the back of the bus. Her arrest sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system and led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation.
American, was arrested for disobeying an Alabama law requiring black passengers to relinquish seats to white passengers when the bus was full. Blacks also were required to sit at the back of the bus. Her arrest sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system and led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation.
Rosa Parks being fingerprinted after her arrest
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So you think you know everything there is to know about snowflakes? Well, heat up some cocoa, nestle down in your favorite easy chair and get ready to learn more -- maybe even everything you always wanted to know about the flakes from above but were too busy catching them on your tongue to ask. By the end of The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino, you'll be wishing for a blizzard so you can follow the instructions he provides for catching and viewing snow crystals.
Ever wonder just how snow crystals form? And what shapes they can take? Is it really true that no two snow crystals are alike? Cassino answers these questions and more in this visually stunning exploration of the science of snow. It's the perfect short read for winter days, with fabulous photos of real snow crystals in all their wondrous diversity.
Ever wonder just how snow crystals form? And what shapes they can take? Is it really true that no two snow crystals are alike? Cassino answers these questions and more in this visually stunning exploration of the science of snow. It's the perfect short read for winter days, with fabulous photos of real snow crystals in all their wondrous diversity.
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I recently had a discussion about how authors go about deciding on names for characters in their novels and plays. This, of course, led to a quick perusal of the Internet, a lively debate and a top-ten list. Or several top-ten lists. This is what happens when librarians have too much time on their hands (which admittedly isn’t very often).
We must, of course, start with the Bard of Avon, who, for the record, I believe actually did write his own plays! Shakespeare is at his wittiest when coming up with clever, charming and apropos names for his characters.
Shakespeare’s Top Ten Character Names:
1. Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Twelfth Night) Post nasal drip, anyone?
2. Sir Toby Belch (Twelfth Night) ‘nuff said.
3. Dogberry (Much Ado About Nothing) All constables should be as much of a hoot!
Shakespeare’s Top Ten Character Names:
1. Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Twelfth Night) Post nasal drip, anyone?
2. Sir Toby Belch (Twelfth Night) ‘nuff said.
3. Dogberry (Much Ado About Nothing) All constables should be as much of a hoot!
4. Iago (Othello) Just saying the name leaves an evil taste in the mouth!
5. Launcelot Gobbo (and his dad Old Gobbo) (The Merchant of Venice) Shylock’s fun-loving, crude servant
6. Mistress Overdone (Measure for Measure) Shameless hussy
7. Mistress Quickly (Merry Wives of Windsor) Overdone’s equally shameless colleague
5. Launcelot Gobbo (and his dad Old Gobbo) (The Merchant of Venice) Shylock’s fun-loving, crude servant
6. Mistress Overdone (Measure for Measure) Shameless hussy
7. Mistress Quickly (Merry Wives of Windsor) Overdone’s equally shameless colleague
8. Doll Tearsheet (Henry IV, Part 2/Henry V) Falstaff’s favorite hussy and BFF with MQ
9. Dr. Pinch (The Comedy of Errors)
10. Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) Devious trickster fairy
Honorable mention to Christopher Sly (The Taming of the Shrew) (Oops, guess this one goes to 11!)
9. Dr. Pinch (The Comedy of Errors)
10. Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) Devious trickster fairy
Honorable mention to Christopher Sly (The Taming of the Shrew) (Oops, guess this one goes to 11!)
But what about Charles Dickens? His fans will stage a thrown-down for the championship between Chuck and Will at the turn of a page.
Dickens' Top Ten Character Names:
1. Uriah Heep (David Cooperfield) Could there be a better name for a villain? (Darth Vader excepted, of course) I mean, you can't think the name without conjuring up images of body waste.
2. Pumblechook (Great Expectations) Pip’s guardian -- his name sounds as loud-breathing and rotund as he is.
3. Mr. Sowerberry (Oliver Twist) Say the name and you will have the very image of the cruel, ugly undertaker on your tongue -- yuck!
Dickens' Top Ten Character Names:
1. Uriah Heep (David Cooperfield) Could there be a better name for a villain? (Darth Vader excepted, of course) I mean, you can't think the name without conjuring up images of body waste.
2. Pumblechook (Great Expectations) Pip’s guardian -- his name sounds as loud-breathing and rotund as he is.
3. Mr. Sowerberry (Oliver Twist) Say the name and you will have the very image of the cruel, ugly undertaker on your tongue -- yuck!
4. Paul Sweedlepipe (Martin Chuzzelwit) Can you say “eccentric?”
5. Wackford Squeers (Nicholas Nickleby) also daughter Fanny, son Wackford, Jr. and Mrs. Squeers. The nasty caretaking family who run the orphanage. Possibly the origin of the phrase “wack-job?”
6. Polly Toodle (Dombey and Son) Plump, jolly nurse -- what else could she be with a name like that?
5. Wackford Squeers (Nicholas Nickleby) also daughter Fanny, son Wackford, Jr. and Mrs. Squeers. The nasty caretaking family who run the orphanage. Possibly the origin of the phrase “wack-job?”
6. Polly Toodle (Dombey and Son) Plump, jolly nurse -- what else could she be with a name like that?
7. Bumble (Oliver Twist) True to his name
8. Fagin (Oliver Twist) Another perfectly named villain
9. Harold Skimpole (Bleak House) Notorious tightwad -- and his name evokes that character defect
10. Seth Pecksniff (Martin Chuzzlewit) One of the biggest hypocrites ever imagined with a wonderfully evocative name.
8. Fagin (Oliver Twist) Another perfectly named villain
9. Harold Skimpole (Bleak House) Notorious tightwad -- and his name evokes that character defect
10. Seth Pecksniff (Martin Chuzzlewit) One of the biggest hypocrites ever imagined with a wonderfully evocative name.
But we can't possibly exclude the one we all know and love: Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol). It's a name that has entered the vernacular; everyone knows how miserly a “scrooge” is...
Oops, guess this one goes to 11, too!
Oops, guess this one goes to 11, too!
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Okay, so I admit to feeling a little retro with my entry of the other day. After all, does anyone “surf” the Internet anymore? The little tech devil/angel that perches on my shoulder was chiding me, “That entry was so 2002. Get with it, babe, it’s almost 2012. Today it’s all apps, apps, apps!!”
Hey, I referenced Angry Birds, didn’t I?
Hey, I referenced Angry Birds, didn’t I?
Tech Devil says that doesn’t count. So, in an effort to redeem myself and be the hip, futuristic library media specialist that I sometimes am, I herewith present a selection of apps that we may see somewhere down the road, later or sooner. The catch? These apps were envisioned by students in Kindergarten through 12th Grade in response to a question asked by Speak Up -- Project Tomorrow’s annual survey of educators, parents and kids. Project Tomorrow is a national education nonprofit group based in Irvine, California which supports the innovative uses of science, math and technology resources in schools and communities.
The question they asked? “If you could create the ideal mobile app for learning, what would it look like?” Here are some of the most intriguing responses:
The question they asked? “If you could create the ideal mobile app for learning, what would it look like?” Here are some of the most intriguing responses:
My Teacher Match: “This program scrutinizes how each student learns best through a test that measures their interests, hobbies and special skills. Teachers are quizzed separately on the same criteria and matched up with compatible students.” Submitted by a high school student.
An interesting idea, but what happens to those students and teachers who don’t match up well with anyone? Do they get thrown in together in the “Reject” class, like the kids who are always picked last for team sports and dodgeball?
An interesting idea, but what happens to those students and teachers who don’t match up well with anyone? Do they get thrown in together in the “Reject” class, like the kids who are always picked last for team sports and dodgeball?
When I Grow Up: “I would create an online career app with career paths, each with easy-to-read information. For example, a student could select a column called Animals, and choose a career path, like equine vet. Students could browse images and vocabulary terms and even take a short quiz.” Submitted by a middle schooler
I like this idea, although there are websites out there that have plenty of good information already available on this topic for students, such as this one from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
I like this idea, although there are websites out there that have plenty of good information already available on this topic for students, such as this one from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Race Against Time: “My game would have kids going through a virtual world using a time machine. The students would learn about history through simulations. Students would create an avatar, which advances with them as they move through each level.” Submitted by an elementary student.
Love this idea! I have often wished for more interactive learning games with historical simulations. The Oregon Trail game is still as popular as ever with students and they really do learn through playing it! Including the joys of dysentery, as noted above.
Love this idea! I have often wished for more interactive learning games with historical simulations. The Oregon Trail game is still as popular as ever with students and they really do learn through playing it! Including the joys of dysentery, as noted above.
Puzzle Crazy: “My app shows students how to complete a Rube Goldberg puzzle. Students would have to use their imagination to complete a puzzle by using trash to make something.” Submitted by an elementary student.
Perhaps this student does not have a well-informed library media specialist at his school. If he did, he would already be familiar with this website, and this one too, which let kids do NOW what he envisions in his future app.
Perhaps this student does not have a well-informed library media specialist at his school. If he did, he would already be familiar with this website, and this one too, which let kids do NOW what he envisions in his future app.
The Lab: “In my game you can choose different chemicals or substances to mix together. When you click the ‘See the Reaction’ button, you’ll find out what happens.” Submitted by an elementary student.
Well, this would probably be a lot safer than letting fifth graders run amok with chemicals during their “Mixtures and Solutions” Unit!
Well, this would probably be a lot safer than letting fifth graders run amok with chemicals during their “Mixtures and Solutions” Unit!
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How is the teaching life sublime? Let me enumerate the ways:
The palpable excitement of my colleagues as the new year begins ... it is indeed ELECTRIC...
The incredible wide-mouthed joy of a kindergartner meeting her teacher for the first time...
Getting the "do-over:" the chance to really improve your practice every year -- and seizing the opportunity to do so...with relish...
Meet the teacher day... when every student shows up with parent(s) in tow ... even in the pouring rain...
Alumni who return with their younger siblings and still oooh and aaah over the changes they see in their old school ... especially newly-minted sixth graders who then proceed to gush about their new middle school... enthusiasm is contagious...
The well-earned exhaustion that hits at the end of a frenetic day...
Sublime
The palpable excitement of my colleagues as the new year begins ... it is indeed ELECTRIC...
The incredible wide-mouthed joy of a kindergartner meeting her teacher for the first time...
Getting the "do-over:" the chance to really improve your practice every year -- and seizing the opportunity to do so...with relish...
Meet the teacher day... when every student shows up with parent(s) in tow ... even in the pouring rain...
Alumni who return with their younger siblings and still oooh and aaah over the changes they see in their old school ... especially newly-minted sixth graders who then proceed to gush about their new middle school... enthusiasm is contagious...
The well-earned exhaustion that hits at the end of a frenetic day...
Sublime