Archive for February, 2008
Friday, February 29th, 2008
 “TV rots your brain,” Mom used to say. And she was right- about most shows, anyway. Every now and then, however, shows come out that challenge our minds and actually teach us something. To prove this, MENSA, a club for really smart folks, recently released its top ten list of smart TV shows. They recognized Jeopardy, Frasier, Mad About You, and other ho-hum shows- mostly sitcoms (who knew science nerds had such a leaning toward comedy?). My first thought: “What the heck? Where’s Star Trek, Twilight Zone, X-Files, or other sci-fi shows that launched the careers of thousands of physicists, astronomers, astronauts, engineers, biologists, etc.? Where’s the love for the sci-fi?” And, just like that, my opinion of Mensa fell dramatically.
Great sci-fi shows, not including oatmeal-brained wannabes like Knight Rider, have always tuned the general public into next level knowledge and gotten young minds thinking about the possibilities. The latest flagbearer of this tradition is the stunning, consistently challenging Lost. If you saw last night’s episode about toggling back and forth in space-time, you know what I mean. The show literally bursts with references to literature, astrophysics, sociology, philosophy, and history. And when other shows are giving you the same tired extramarital fling of the week plot, Lost is twisting your brain inside out, tossing it in the blender, and hitting puree. And if you don’t feel like engaging in research to really dig into the marrow of the show, it is perfectly enjoyable as just plain drama. The deeper you dig, the better the show is. So while moms across America are telling their kids to turn off that TV junk, I’m shouting back, “No, don’t turn off the TV! Just turn to Lost.”
I felt compelled to list all the educational offerings Lost brings to the otherwise wanting wasteland that is primetime. I felt compelled to lay before the unappreciative TV-watching public, those who submit themselves to consistently mediocre, empty distractions like Survivor or American Idol, a breakdown of what they are missing. Behold, five great things you learn from Lost:
 1. Astrophysics - Since the second demise of Star Trek, primetime had been void of any talk of wormholes, time travel, or space-time. With the introduction of the Island as a vortex of electromagnetic, swarming nanotech clouds, and time-tripping dilemmas, this subject was once again blown open to the American public. In fact, this show took it one step farther by adding in a slew of internet scavenger hunts that introduced floods of theories to those diligent enough to seek them. Needless to say, Lost has opened a proverbial Hatch for tomorrow’s physicists.
2. Philosophy – It is no accident that John Locke is named after a famous 1600s social contract philosopher or that Desmond Hume shares a last name with Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume. All of the conflicts that have played out on the show can be traced to the philosophical viewpoints each character espouses, which is usually indicated by their carefully chosen names. In short, Lost is a duel of opposing philosophies. To watch these play out is to get a very entertaining look at how they collide in real life.
3. Literature – As with philosophy, Lost dips also into the waters of literature, both classic and modern. The names of characters are very often taken from famous literary characters or authors. Desmond’s lady love, Penelope Widmore, for instance, gets her name from Odysseus’ wife, who, like Ms. Widmore, waited faithfully for the return of her lover from a long, bizarre journey. Sawyer inherited his name from the wandering adventurer/boy-hero of Mark Twain’s novel. A newly introduced baddie, Matthew Abaddon, got his name from Biblical poetry- his last name means “a place of destruction” or “realm of the dead.” Sounds like a nice guy.
4. Sociology – Especially in its first season, Lost was the story of a bunch of people who crash on an island and how they deal socially with this crisis. They form alliances. Leaders emerge. Disruptors shake things up. New groups are discovered, and the survivors wrestle with how to confront them. Crazy experiments discovered in the Dharma hatches are other references to sociological theory, most notably the button-pushing scenario in the Hatch.
 5. Top-notch drama – If all the other stuff does not interest you, Lost is still one of the best dramas on television- and I don’t mean the kind of “drama” where everyone sleeps with everyone else, someone gets shot or gets a terminal illness every week, or people come in and out of comas conveniently. Lost represents the very best of drama, stories of falling and redemption, revenge and forgiveness, strength and weakness, love and hate, folly and consequence. Some episodes have actually moved me to tears by their sheer dramatic force.
If Lost has you chomping at the bit to learn more, check out the following links to online courses in literature, philosophy, and sociology. What have you learned from this gem of a show? Tell us below…
Posted in News & Entertainment, Online Education | 2 Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
 There is a plague among us. No, it’s not fatal like ebola or avian flu. But it can your make your ears bleed- figuratively speaking- if you’re an English freak like me. This scourge is referred to simply as bad English. Recently, its spread is being fueled by an army of illiterates taking to the internet and text messaging. We, as Americans, do okay when we have a script off of which to read (i.e. presidential speeches, Oscar acceptance speeches). Anytime someone is off the script, however, watch for their English to fall apart like a house of rice paper cards.
As an education writer and an English-phile, I feel an overwhelming responsibility to straighten people out and preserve the Mother Tongue (which, I realize, is already a crazy hodge-podge of Germanic, Norman, and Celt and is absorbing words from other cultures worldwide almost on a daily basis). Okay, honestly, I just think bad English sounds ugly and uneducated.
My friends, people around the world are learning our language, believing it will open a world of opportunity for them. We grew up speaking it and take it for granted. It’s high time we had the dignity and self-respect to at least get our language right. And that means actually thinking about what we are saying and eliminating those things that don’t make sense or make us sound like morons. Following are the five most common offenders. If you find yourself afflicted by these, check out our list of online English and business writing programs to inoculate yourself against the plague:
1. “Like” – From the Valley of San Fernando to nearly every social setting imaginable, the trademark multi-purpose linguistic tool of valley girls has now become a national phenomenon. People of all races and social classes use it. Small children, college professors, and celebrities use it. From construction workers in Atlanta to businessmen in Seattle, the word “like” has become, like, indispensable. It is used to mean “similar to,” “like this,” “uh,” and as a simple precursor to another offender, “So.” The problem with this overuse is that “like” only means one of these; it only means “similar to” or “to have a fondness toward.”
2. “So” – Once upon a time, “so” meant something akin to “therefore” or, in its other use, “this much.” People would say things like, “I didn’t like the popcorn. So I left it in the bowl,” or “You look so beautiful tonight.” Recently, however, it has become acceptable and reasonable to say, without any logical precursor, “So I started my new job,” or “I am, like, so over him.” It just doesn’t make sense. You don’t just go up to your friend and say out of the blue, “Therefore, I started my new job.” Sounds kind of weird, doesn’t it, because you didn’t say anything to lead into it?
3. “Speak to” – I grew up with people saying, “He can speak about that,” or “I believe he is best equipped to speak regarding that issue.” When did it become acceptable for people to say “speak to this” or “speak to that” when they really mean “speak about that”? You can speak to your grandma. You can speak to your friends. However, you can’t speak to an issue or a subject. It’s an inanimate, immaterial object with which you can’t converse.
4. Punctuation – I think it is safe to say that over three-fourths of America’s high school graduates have no idea what to do with their commas. Judging by the emails, advertisements, and blogs that float my way, most people think the comma stands for a dramatic pause. This causes them to throw in commas arbitrarily whenever they feel a pause coming on. Or, if they don’t hear a pause in the sentence when it’s spoken, they don’t include the comma when they write the sentence. For example, they write, “See you at the party guys,” instead of the correct “See you at the party, guys.” The extreme of this habit can be seen when people omit commas, semi-colons, and periods altogether in sentences like, “I saw the movie last night it was lame.”
5. Question Confusion – The next time you watch a press conference or news interview, look out for this one. The person speaking will say, “We are in the process of determining what are we doing about the tax problem.” This is, of course, incorrect. The speaker has forgotten that, although it sounds like a question, they are actually stating an object that sounds like question. It should have been said, “We are in the process of determining what we are doing about the tax problem.” You’ll usually see this in situations where someone is responding on the fly, and you’ll see both highly educated and uneducated people make the same mistake.
Posted in Career Advice, News & Entertainment, Online Education | No Comments »
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Generally, people don’t give movie stars too much credit on the educational side. I mean, let’s face it: dropping out of school is almost a prerequisite to making it big in showbiz. When they take their statuette at the Oscars and open their mouth to speak, we’re usually waiting for something embarrassing to pop out. This year’s nominees for Best Actor, however, are a mixed bag- educationally, I mean.
You’ve seen their movies. You’ve laughed, cried, and stayed riveted to your seat through their performances. You probably have a favorite you’re rooting for. Maybe it’s George or Johnny. Now, knowing that it has very little to do with their acting abilities, check out their educational backgrounds! These are our rankings of the Best Actor nominees based on their schooling. And the winner is…
 1. Tommy Lee Jones – Nominated for his work in the arresting In the Valley of Elah, Jones graduated from the St. Mark’s School of Texas and attended Harvard on a scholarship, where he roomed with Al Gore. A cool bit of trivia: Jones played offensive tackle on Harvard’s undefeated 1968 varsity football team, was nominated as a first-team All-Ivy League selection, and played in the memorable and literal last-minute Harvard sixteen-point comeback blitz to tie Yale in the 1968 Game. Jones graduated cum laude with a degree in English in 1969. Brains, brawn, and that disarming Texas charm! We’re sold.
 2. Viggo Mortensen – He’ll always be the king of Middle Earth to me. But before he made lopping off orc heads look so cool, Mortensen gained international experience, growing up in Norway, Venezuela, Argentina, Denmark, and New York. He graduated from Watertown High School in New York and earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Why Spanish? Because it was so easy for him that it gave him time to act in plays. At his commencement, however, Mortensen refused to wear an academic gown because they were made by sweatshop workers. After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, however, when he was granted an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, he did appear in the appropriate robes.
 3. George Clooney – While attending Augusta High School, the Michael Clayton star was leading man in school plays. Another cool bit of trivia: Clooney tried out with the Cincinnati Reds in 1977 to play professional baseball, but was not offered a contract. He attended Northern Kentucky University and University of Cincinnati, but did not graduate from either.
 4. Daniel Day-Lewis – The eccentric but brilliant star of Let There Be Blood attended boarding school. Although he had excelled onstage at the National Youth Theatre, he decided to become a cabinet-maker, applying for a five-year apprenticeship. However, because of lack of experience, he was not accepted. He then applied and was accepted at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which he attended for three years, eventually performing at the Bristol Old Vic itself. Wonder if he still dreams of being a cabinet maker.
.jpg) 5. Johnny Depp – Our favorite pirate and bloodthirsty star of Sweeney Todd, Depp dropped out of high school to become a rock musician. Two weeks later, he attempted to go back to school, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician. Depp called the remark "really sweet." Like so many high school bands, his didn’t last long. Good thing Depp had some talent in this whole acting thing. There is little correlation, it seems, between obtaining educational degrees and receiving Academy Award nominations. We just want them to get up there and act like there ain’t no tomorrow. And these gentlemen certainly do.
Posted in News & Entertainment | No Comments »
|
 |
|
Loading ...
