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For the first time in major American comic book publishing, a bilingual issue will hit the stands. The Fantastic Four, also know as Los Cuatro Fantasticos, are heading to Puerto Rico, where they will face off against the evil villain, El Chupacabras.
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Many kids have written a Santa letter or two in the course of their lifetime - in fact, depending on when and where you grew up, you may have even written them in school. But when we grow up a bit and learn that Santa isn’t as real as we’d first believed, the question always pops up: where do all those letters to Santa go? [Read more →]
From left: Draft of the address, the only known photo of Abraham Lincoln, from the Library of Congress.
Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. Lincoln wasn’t the main attraction at the ceremony. Place of pride went to Edward Everett, the leading orator of the day. Lincoln was invited at the last minute by David Wills, a local lawyer who helped purchase the land for the cemetery. Everett, who was invited first, asked the organizers to postpone the date so that he would have time to write–and memorize–his speech. It took two hours to deliver.
Then Lincoln delivered the closing remarks, a mere 286 words. Although we now think of the speech as a rhetorical masterpiece, not everyone was blown away by the speech.
According to a New York Times article, his delivery was interrupted five times by applause and greeted with “long continued applause” at its conclusion. Outside of Gettysburg, the speech received mixed reviews from newspapers of the day, which were even more highly partisan than they are today. Northern papers both praised and attacked it, while Southern papers predictably denounced it.
Eyewitnesses, too, gave conflicting reports, but mostly about the amount of applause and whether or not Lincoln read from a manuscript. E.W. Andrews, the aide of a Union general, sat near the speakers’ platform. He recalled that Lincoln “came out before the vast assembly, and stepped slowly to the front of the platform, with his hands clasped before him, his natural sadness of expression deepened, his head bowed forward, and his eyes cast to the ground.” Andrews said “the great assembly listened almost awe-struck as to a voice from the divine oracle.”
Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin, who sat on the speakers’ platform, enthused, “It was so Impressive! It was the common remark of everybody. Such a speech, as they said it was! Everett and all went up and congratulated the President, shaking him by the hand.”
Everett wrote Lincoln a brief note the next day, requesting a copy of the speech and covering it with praise: “Permit me also to express my great admiration of the thoughts expressed by you, with such eloquent simplicity & appropriateness, at the consecration of the cemetery. I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”
How would a modern-day speaker approach the occasion? Perhaps as a PowerPoint presentation.
Many with receding hair lines feel embarrassed, nervous, or ashamed of exposing the tops of their heads. Today, though, on Be Bald and Be Free Day, all are encouraged to walk with their heads held high. [Read more →]
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated to increasing awareness of the disease and finding hope for future generations. The month will be filled with various activities and events, sponsored by public service organizations, government agencies, and medical associations, all hoping to raise funds for the fight against breast cancer.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been an annual occurrence for over twenty years and one of its main goals is to teach about the importance of early detection. They encourage women to perform self-breast exams, schedule their annual mammogram, and get the facts on all the medications they’re taking.
Take some time to educate yourself this month and learn what you can about breast cancer. And if you’d like to help, one of the easiest ways is to purchase some gear from the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Store. Filed with pink goodies like tshirts, pins, bracelets, jar openers, and so much more, part of each sale goes towards breast cancer education.
And if you’re a blog reader, which many of you obviously are, you may notice some changes around the blogosphere this month. Many sites — predicted to reach 3000 — will go Pink For October this year, changing their design to a pink version. If you have a blog or website, this is also an idea way to support this noble cause without spending anything but time.
There are so many ways to get involved and even help out, so make it an October goal to do a little something in support of breast cancer research and education.
Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us. - Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas
Today marks the beginning of the ALA’s Banned Books Week, a time when we celebrate our Constituionally-granted right to read whatever material we want. In observance since 1982, the annual Banned Books Week serves to both remind of how lucky we are to enjoy freedom of literary choice and to spread knowledge about some of the world’s most progressive and controversial books.
In 2006, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning novel, And Tango Makes Three was the year’s most-challenged book. The story follows two adult male penguins that co-parent an egg as a same-sex couple. Obviously due to its controversial subject matter regarding homosexuality, the book was officially challenged a combined 546 times by parents, administrators, and various groups.
And Tango Make Three was joined this past year by Cecily Von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girls (homosexuality, drug use, sexual content, offensive language), Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s Alice (sexual content and offensive language), Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (sexual content, offensive language, anti-family), Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (sexual content, offensive language), Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories (occult/Satanism, violence, and insensitivity), Chris Crutcher’s Athletic Shorts (homosexuality and offensive language), Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower (homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language), Toni Morrison’s Beloved (sexual content, offensive language), and Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War (offensive language, violence, and sexual content).
Celebrating Banned Books Week is as simple as picking up the banned novel of your choice and indulging in a few hours of enjoyable reading. For those that would like to be more actively involved, consider organizing a seminar, suggesting a banned book for your book club, or purchasing posters, tshirts, buttons, and other gear at the ALA Banned Books Store.
Today marks the beginning of the 6th Celebrate the Sea Festival at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Manila. A combination of international underwater photo and video competition, learning seminars on the ocean environment, and workshops on underwater photography, the Celebrate the Sea Festival strives to promote knowledge about the ocean and its underwater life.
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the country turned to Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, to secure our continued economic stability. We had good reason to want his assurance: the attack on the Pentagon was meant to destroy our political center and the attack on the World Trade Center, to destroy our economy. Today, on September 17th, Greenspan’s self-penned memoir, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World is released, giving us insight into the events of 9/11 and the days that followed.
In October of 1987, Greenspan experienced his first crisis as Chairman of the Federal Reserve when the stock market crashed and nearly crippled our financial system, causing a countrywide panic. Nearly 14 years later, on 9/11/2001, the United States of America braced itself for another crisis. None came.
The Age of Turbulence discusses America’s economic system in Greenspan’s own words, explaining how the new economic landscape’s flexibility and resilience allowed it to change and adapt so that the shock and aftershock of the terrorist attacks were absorbed and dealt with efficiently and quickly. Whether you agree or disagree with what Greenspan says, give The Age of Turbulence a try: full of personal experiences and insight only and economist could give, this book will hold your interest until the last page.
Having celebrated over 200 birthdays, the handbag is one of the oldest of our modern fashion accessories. Purses pull double-duty as being both a functional object and a fashionable piece that show off your personal style.
On September 8, 1966, Gene Roddenberry’s maiden Enterprise crew began its mission “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Though the show never ranked better than No. 52 in the TV ratings, it became a cult classic and was nominated in its first two seasons for an Emmy for Best Dramatic Series.
Star Trek was canceled after three seasons, its last episode airing on June 3, 1969. After its cancellation, it’s fan devotion became even more fierce, spawning fan conventions and developing into five additional television series (one was canceled before it aired), one animated series, and ten films. These six series add up to a total of 726 episodes that played over twenty-two television seasons, placing it only second to Doctor Who as the most prolific science fiction series in history.
After Star Trek: The Original Series ended in 1969, the world waited 18 years for the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which featured Jean-Luc Picard at the helm of what was once Captain James T. Kirk’s prized ship. This time around, the series enjoyed more success, running seven seasons before ending on May 23, 1994 and being nominated for an Emmy for Best Dramatic Series and winning a Peabody Award for Outstanding Television Programming.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001), and Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005) followed the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation, each boasting a significant fan base. Clearly, though it could not have been foreseen 41 years ago, Star Trek has become one of the most important sci-fi series in the history of the genre.