Steven Spielberg: While today Spielberg's name is synonymous with big budget, he was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three times. He eventually attended school at another location, only to drop out to become a director before finishing. Thirty-five years after starting his degree, Spielberg returned to school in 2002 to finally complete his work and earn his BA.
The journey:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110105/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_turtles__journey
The stinging story:
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/04/study-us-bumblebee-population-in-sharp-decline/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-sb-n%7Cdl1%7Csec4_lnk2%7C193568
Speaking of stories, an new edition of a Mark Twain classic.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_revising_mark_twain;_ylt=AvvbDikjarRLsifwMH0YK1is0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNxZjFhZXFhBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwMTA1L3VzX3JldmlzaW5nX21hcmtfdHdhaW4EY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM4BHBvcwM1BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDbmV3ZWRpdGlvbnJl
Comment at will. Frankly, I'm disappointed that they would edit a classic. It would be like editing To Kill A Mockingbird and taking the "n" word out of it. While I'm disappointed in the editing of a classic I'm not really disappointed in there being les bees. I'm allergic to them. And I'm always glad when the turtle beats the hare.
WHO AM I?
Everyone has heard of the midnight ride of Paul Revere but they didn't tell you about my ride. When I was sixteen years old I rode to alert American Colonial forces to the approach of enemy troops. Doesn't matter that I rode twice the distance of Paul. My ride started at 9:00 P.M. and ended around dawn. I rode 40 miles into the damp hours of darkness. Remarkable because modern day endurance horse riders using lightweight saddles can barely ride such distances in daylight over well marked courses. As I rode I could see the sky aglow from the burning town. "Muster at Ludington's," I shouted at the farmhouses of the militiamen. I rode through Carmel on to Mahopac, thence to Kent Cliffs, from there to Farmers Mills and back home. I used a stick to prod my horse and knock on doors. I managed to defend myself against a highwayman with my father's musket. When, soaked from the rain and exhausted, I returned home, and most of the 400 soldiers were ready to march. I was born the daughter of an Army officer. After the war I married and had six children. I was born in 1761 and died in 1839. New York State erected a number of markers along my route. George Washington made a personal visit to thank me for my ride, to bad history books didn't thank me by including my ride along with Paul's. If you don't know who I am by now wouldn't you think that my nickname is the "Female Paul Revere." Who Am I?
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6 comments:
The turtles are amazing, and I hope they can be protected in their long journeys.
I just heard a discussion on the radio about the decline in bees. One theory is that using "systemic" pesticides is at least part of the cause. So eat organic if and whenever you can. I've also heard about hive stress because bees are shipped all over for pollination purposes. The loss of bees would be a major world agricultural problem.
Personally, I think bringing Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer up to 2011 sensitivity standards is dumb. He's sure right that we're most of us made uncomfortable by the N-word (witness me saying N-word instead of just typing the word). But the books reflect their period. Any reasonably intelligent reader knows that, and knowing about history and cultural changes is a good thing. Changing "Injun" Joe to "Indian" Joe and "half-breed" to "half-blood" is just plain stupid.
Hi Pat
I completely agree with you about editiing Twain and other classic is stupid. It is erasing history and we have already had enough of that.
I agree with you about the turles. I had no idea until I read the article of what they went through.
I can believe pesticides is one of the reasons for the decline in bees. I wonder if with the declinng bee population of the cost of honey will skyrocket.
Bill
Boy, Speilberg is another interesting example of beating others' opinions. I didn't know his history.
The turtle story is fascinating. We did have the leatherbacks on the east coast, in FL, although we didn't see many of them.
As to the bees, I have mixed feelings. Like you, I'm allergic to any stinging insect. On the other hand, the bumble bees and honey bees are, as I understand it, critical to the pollination of fruits, vegetables and some flowers. I'd much rather see a decline in the number of wasps and hornets. Bumble bees I can see and hear and avoid, for the most part. Wasps and hornets are much more aggressive, more quiet and, to me, more dangerous. Plus, the darned things love to build nests all around the eaves of the house and carport and shed.
I am not in favor of editing the classics, just to make the "politically correct." This is another case of rewriting history, to make it more acceptable and I think it's not a positive move. I have "issues" with "editing" Mark Twain. For one thing, even at the time of his writing, not all blacks were slaves. Secondly, any black person or person of color (with Negro blood) was commonly referred to as a nigger. It was the culture. It wasn't even necessarily considered derogatory by many back then, simply an identifier, if you will. If our children don't understand how the term came to have negative connotations, how will they understand the many obstacles Negroes had to overcome, the battles that were fought (and why) and the changes that have come about, leading to the word having such negative meaning today? Ironically, I had black friends in Mpls who said there were times when "nigger" fit, as in a black man who killed someone or who beat his wife or walked out on his family. Within the black communities I grew familiar with, it was like a term that differentiated between the "good" and the "bad," a bit like calling someone "white trash."
As to Injun Joe and half-breed, I'm with Pat. That's just plain stupid and it goes back to a cultural thing. The American Natives weren't treated much better than the blacks, in many respects.
Hi DR
I also found Speilberg an interesting example of overcoming people's perception of him.
I really never knew anything about turtles until I read the article and thought it was pretty interesting.
I'm with you on wasps and hornets.
I think the same about editiing classics and I do banning them in schools. Don't.
Very interesting comments about the n word and its use in and by a black community and the history of it.
Bill
Bill, not only will the price of honey skyrocket if we lose our bees, the price of everything will skyrocket, and some things will simply no longer be available. It is potentially a Very Big Problem.
Wow Pat I didn't realize it was that big of a problem I was just thinking I was glad I didn't have to worry about being stung. Now thanks to you I am thinking more big picture.
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