Last weekend in March

So, I'm going to need to hear from the readers on this one-- this was submitted (secondhand) by Christina herself, since she was so fascinated when Ryan told her about it at work.  I knew about it already- did you?  Because I'm pretty sure that Christina can't submit to this particular publication.  Thoughts?

From Marni- a very logical, totally well researched idea from an elected official that makes me proud of government.  Required pregnancy tests in bars.  Yes, let's do that.

In pop culture news this weekend-- let's talk about Gwyneth Paltrow.  Have you heard about how hard it is for her, being a mom and all?  Way harder than it is for us regular working moms.  And her embracing of a new term for her divorce? 

I'm interested on people's thoughts on this-- is the media being unfair to Bill de Blasio?
I personally wish the charter schools only serve 6% of students bit had been included without the and they are all jerks sentiment, but it is interesting to think about.  Pundits heart Bloomberg-- and I sure haven't figured out my feelings about Bill yet.

And in more close to home discourse that I'm at odds with-- let's talk about Brooklyn.  I must say, I dig the phrase "utopia of beards"...  I think I also like every filmmaker and author mentioned in this article (although, I know, I'm not supposed to like Woody Allen.  Ugh.)

Have you heard about the Denmark Zoo?

I'm going to follow this a bit this week-- it will be interesting to see the impact, if any. 

And because Christina loves quizzes-- let's compete.  She won the last one.  How many of the "100 Greatest Films" have you all seen?  (I do not know how this list is created, by the way-- both Toy Story movies are on it!).  I scored 37.  Sigh.

PS- I neglected "real news" this week.  A heartbreaking story that you hopefully didn't miss is about the giant mudslide in Washington that happened last weekend.  Other things happened, too-- so see the New York Times, ok? 

Saturday, March 22nd

So, I'm trying for the Saturday editions if I can due to Christina's request (and this is all about her after all, right?).  But (my 8 or so) readers, I've been told I'm not current and on trend enough, so please send your submissions this week to help me stay on point! 

First things first.  Seth Rogen and James Fraco spoof Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.  Included just because.

Crimea base besieged by Russia in the latest news from that region.

In things Michigan people are talking about.... Gay Marriage seems to be on the way to being legalized *but* the appeals court issued a stay until Wednesday.  So, back to waiting and seeing.  My parents' UU Minister got up early to marry as many people as she could until she couldn't this morning!

Related segue- have you heard about the church in Harlem with the horrible anti-gay signs?  Interesting version of confrontation, shown here.

And, an Obamacare tweet battle (have to admit, and I'm a little ashamed of it, but I kind of hope that Drudge gets injured or sick just because of his "life without health care" committment).

I still can't help but get images from Lost flashing in my heads when I read about the still mysterious missing Malaysian airplane.  How can it still be missing?


By request:  Spritz speed reader app promises you can read in record times.  But, critics are skeptical, especially in regards to comprehension.  What do you guys think? Should I try to get it so my students can finish the ELA test in time? 

Aaron's submission this week is about a new discovery in science- we can almost see to the beginning of the universe.   I sometimes wish that I had become a scientist, but he says it is too late for that now for me. 

Want to try this at home?  Walking on eggshells.  

For St. Patrick's Day

I hope you all had a good week!  Here are some highlights.  Let's start with a focus on reading:

1.  How well read are you?  I got 39.  I had thought that Marni would be the big winner....will one of you surprise me?  Post your score in the comments! 

2.  Did you see this NY Times article on children's books?  Such an important thing to talk about and think about (and check your school libraries for, if you have one under your control!). 

To segue from reading to school....

Still a racial divide, and now it plays out in the demographics of specialized high schools.  So proud of Explore's 3 success stories here, but there is SO much more to do!  Meanwhile, the charter versus fill-in-the-blank stories have grown to be more interesting across the country- here's an article from the Nation Magazine. 

And speaking of divisive politics-- read about how the "Obama factor" plays into mid term elections.
So frustrating, from my perspective.

Now- in order to participate in a wide range of conversations over the next couple of weeks, you need to know that we're in March Madness

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Group Participation Needed :  Create your own bracket here. 

You don't actually need to know anything in order to play (but if you do, you can use that knowledge and maybe do even better!).  We'll have a competition!  Winner gets taken to dinner by the rest of the group.  Sound good?  Action needed- be sure to make a bracket!

Week of March 8th

 

Starting off with "middle class problems," just because I find it hilarious.  Hope you enjoy.

 Marni is worried that this is too late in the week for you, so either she thinks you've already heard about it or that your social standing is ruined because you haven't.  So, here is the Travolta Oscar's goof, along with an option to "travoltafy" your name. 

And, speaking of gaffes, Obama misspells RSPECT.  Oh, Happy Women's History Month.

I'm a bit offended because I heard you don't watch the video links, Christina.  But you should watch this one-- Jon Stewart's take on how Fox News pundits talk about Putin vs Obama's mom jeans.  But, I included the article version just in case you need it in that format.

And speaking of video, Marni's friend and my honorary holiday cousin Tsedeye is featured on MSNBC regarding the minimum wage.  

I wanted to be sure you'd seen Ellen's most re-tweeted selfie pic ever, and found this even more fun variation.  (How many of these people do you know?  Curious.)

And in some more serious news-- some up-to-date information on the Ukraine situation.

Terrible news from Malaysia Airlines-- and such a strange situation regarding the stolen passports.

And this NY Times Magazine article about a father's autistic son who "speaks Disney" is fascinating-- long, but worth the read!

March!

We'll welcome March with the tail end of February's news-- thank goodness for this slow move away from winter (though it seems likely that Sunday night will make Monday a repeat of 50% attendance and a wasted day!).

First, in a follow up to the Dasani NY Times feature of a while ago-- the mayor is removing children from the same shelter she lived in. Pretty great impact for that reporter.
]So, if you watch the Oscars, you are doing that right now.  But since I only go to 1-2 movies a year (at the holiday time, in Michigan), I don't really watch, since I haven't seen them anyways.  I do look up the highlights later, though.  This should do the trick.

And rumor has it you also need this (I couldn't actually find an article with this information, so credit goes to me):
The Oscars (aka Academy Awards) are for movies.
The Grammy's are for Music.
Emmy's are for Television.
Tony awards are for theater.
I did need some help with the Golden Globes.

In world news, the crisis in the Ukraine is something to know a bit about.  And a much less publicized situation in Venezuela is also on the radar-- is it embarrassing that I was excited about this headline? 

Aaron thinks you'll all want to know about Lebron James' nose.  Lebron James is a basketball player. 

Also, the Olympics happened.  They are now done.

Finally, lots in the news about co-location in NYC.  We'll keep an eye on this one.