This way-clever video, which I found on YouTube, uses short snips from various animated Disney films to provide an entertaining education on the nature of copyright, fair use, and the public domain. The daunting reality is that copyright has way gotten out of control in recent years — where once upon a time copyright […]
Entries Tagged as 'Lit'
Copy Rights and Wrongs
May 29th, 2007 · 2 Comments · Books, Culture, Film, History, Law, Lit, Video
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In His House at R’lyeh the Ronald Waits Dreaming
May 8th, 2007 · 1 Comment · Culture, History, LGBT, Lit, News, Politics, Theater
Apparently the Republican candidates spent their recent debate going on and on about how great Ronald Reagan was and blah blah “Morning in America” blah blah Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn! blah. Oh, Republican candidates. You silly creatures. You really should know better than that. Because now I’m going to have to open a […]
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In Chicago: Alt Q, Diane di Prima at the Poetry Center, and Fruity Neo-Futurist Fun
May 8th, 2007 · Comments Off on In Chicago: Alt Q, Diane di Prima at the Poetry Center, and Fruity Neo-Futurist Fun · Chicago, Culture, Fringe, LGBT, Lit, Music, Neo-Futurists, News, Performance, Poetry, Theater
It’s springtime, so naturally Chicago’s fancy is turning toward divorce and debauchery. Oops, I meant to say, fabulous fringe performance, music, and poetry readings! This week the Poetry Center of Chicago is presenting a reading by legendary beat poet Diane di Prima, author of 35 books of poetry and prose, including Pieces of a Song, […]
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Roundup: Sunday Potluck Edition
May 6th, 2007 · 9 Comments · Activism, Blogs, Comics, Culture, Education, Film, Foreign Policy, Hate Crimes, Health, LGBT, Lit, Music, News, Peace, Pet Food, Pets, Poetry, Politics, Tea
Sunday was always potluck day where I grew up, so I hereby present to you this glorious covered casserole of links I didn’t get around to posting this week. With a few fresh ones stirred in, just to keep you guessing. Retired general compares Bush to a deserter: “By vetoing this bill and failing to […]
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Roundup: Giant Hourglass Edition
April 30th, 2007 · 3 Comments · Activism, Apple, Blogs, Books, Culture, Education, Fantasy, Foreign Policy, Health, Human Rights, Lit, Media, News, Politics, Science, Science Fiction, Tech, TV
As part of an international day of protest over the genocide in Darfur, campaigners in London displayed a giant hourglass filled with “blood” to symbolize time running out. The image at right is from a video featuring Hugh Grant tied to the campaign. More than 200,000 have died, with 2 million displaced and 4 million […]
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Tolkien’s Children of Hurin: Break a Leg, Professor
April 17th, 2007 · 5 Comments · Books, Culture, Fantasy, Journal, Lit, Mythology, News, Peoria
It appears that Christopher Tolkien has one more book to produce out of his father’s magic hat, although this one will almost certainly be the last. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien goes on sale today, three decades after his death: Tolkien’s son and literary executor Christopher, now in his eighties, constructed “The Children […]
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Remembering Kurt Vonnegut: “A Rather Daft and Kind Old Man”
April 16th, 2007 · Comments Off on Remembering Kurt Vonnegut: “A Rather Daft and Kind Old Man” · Blogroll, Blogs, Books, Culture, History, Lit, News, Peace, Uncategorized
Gregory Rodriguez has a piece in the LA Times today in which he remembers working as an editorial assistant for Kurt Vonnegut’s publisher, and getting to know Vonnegut as he worked on revising Hocus Pocus for publication. Their first meeting, as Rodriguez recounts it, has Vonnegut displaying a vulnerability that is at once charming and […]
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DVD: The History Boys
April 13th, 2007 · Comments Off on DVD: The History Boys · Culture, Education, Film, History, LGBT, Lit, New Wave, News, Poetry, Theater
The History Boys is finally being released on DVD this coming Tuesday, April 17. According to this review, the DVD comes with a solid curriculum of extras: Writer Alan Bennett and director Nicholas Hynter share an informative track addressing the changes made to the play but, sadly, do not discuss the interesting cast in personal […]
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Kurt Vonnegut, Home at Last
April 12th, 2007 · 3 Comments · Books, Culture, Journal, LGBT, Lit, News, Science Fiction
Kurt Vonnegut is dead. Today the world is a little less kind than it was yesterday. American literary idol Kurt Vonnegut, best known for such classic novels as “Slaughterhouse-Five” and “Cat’s Cradle,” died on Tuesday night in Manhattan at age 84, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. Longtime family friend, Morgan Entrekin, who reported […]
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Jonesing for Doctor Who
April 2nd, 2007 · Comments Off on Jonesing for Doctor Who · Culture, Doctor Who, Lit, Media, News, Science Fiction, TV
Season 3 of Doctor Who is off to a great start, premiering on the BBC this past Saturday night to an appreciative 35.9% of the UK TV audience. Episode 1, “Smith and Jones,” served up rhino-headed aliens called The Judoon, a hospital on the moon, and of course the debut of the Doctor’s new companion, […]
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The Waterboys: Mike Scott in The Guardian, and new album Book of Lightning
March 26th, 2007 · 2 Comments · Books, Culture, History, Journal, Lit, Music, Mythology, Neo-Futurists, News, Performance, Poetry, Travel
Mike Scott, singer, songwriter, and bandleader of The Waterboys, has a thoughtful and entertaining piece in The Guardian recounting his experiences trying to correct errors in the band’s entry on Wikipedia. Meanwhile, the Waterboys have a new album coming out in April! It’s called Book of Lightning and you can hear samples of a couple […]
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In Chicago: The Return of the Partly Dave Show, Plus Jellybeans, Oobleck, and Jane Goodall
March 23rd, 2007 · 4 Comments · Books, Chicago, Culture, Fringe, Journal, LGBT, Lit, Neo-Futurists, News, Performance, Poetry, Theater
I was at the Landmark shop in Andersonville yesterday, and the nice lady behind the counter asked me to guess how many jellybeans were inside the glass human head and write my answer on a slip of paper. I guessed 425. No wait, 450! 17,034! A zillion! Oh my heavens, the pressure. I seem to […]
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News: Three Rings, No Waiting
March 19th, 2007 · Comments Off on News: Three Rings, No Waiting · Books, Culture, Food, LGBT, Lit, Media, News, Politics
• Karl Rove may be facing a subpoena this week if he doesn’t agree to appear before the Senate to testify in the fired prosecutors scandal. The chairman of the judiciary committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, wants White House officials on the record, under oath. The final decision on putting on the agenda subpoenas is mine,” […]
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