Stephen Leary's Blog, page 7
April 27, 2015
American Sniper Movie Canceled But What About The Book?
Colleges and universities were once beacons of free speech and diversity of opinion, but that must've been a long time ago.
The latest assault on free speech is the cancellation of the movie "American Sniper" at several colleges, including the University of Maryland, Eastern Michigan University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. This doesn't include the campuses where the film was protested while shown.
From the Huffington Post:
The latest assault on free speech is the cancellation of the movie "American Sniper" at several colleges, including the University of Maryland, Eastern Michigan University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. This doesn't include the campuses where the film was protested while shown.
From the Huffington Post:
"I consider veterans and our military to be t...
April 25, 2015
Top Colleges Bypass Old White Male Shakespeare
The most prestigious colleges in the US no longer require English majors to take a course focusing on Shakespeare, considered the greatest writer the language has ever known.
The news is contained in a report, "The Unkindest Cut: Shakespeare in Exile 2015."
English chairs at several top universities responded to the Washington Post by rationalizing the slight to the old white bard. A requirement wasn't needed since many students take a Shakespeare course anyway.
The news is contained in a report, "The Unkindest Cut: Shakespeare in Exile 2015."
English chairs at several top universities responded to the Washington Post by rationalizing the slight to the old white bard. A requirement wasn't needed since many students take a Shakespeare course anyway.
Yale and others are also obliged...
April 22, 2015
Killer Robots And How To Protect Yourself
The United Nations has just held a conference to determine if killer robots violate the laws of war and should perhaps be banned.
The organization behind the anti-robot initiative is the Campaign To Stop Killer Robots. Among their supporters are Human Rights Watch and Code Pink--Left and Way Left of the political center.
I must confess I was unaware the technology behind killer robots had progressed to the point that the United Nations feels it must decide if android assassins should be banned....
The organization behind the anti-robot initiative is the Campaign To Stop Killer Robots. Among their supporters are Human Rights Watch and Code Pink--Left and Way Left of the political center.
I must confess I was unaware the technology behind killer robots had progressed to the point that the United Nations feels it must decide if android assassins should be banned....
April 21, 2015
Chess Grandmaster Nigel Short On Female Players
Chess Grandmaster Nigel Short of England has spoken dubiously again, this time giving his explanation of why there are so few women at the top of the game of chess.
The answer? Women aren't "hardwired" to be as good at the game as men. His evidence? Short pointed out that of the top 100 chessplayers in the world, 98 of them are men. And the brains of men and women are different. Therefore, women are weaker at chess.
It doesn't follow from Short's evidence that biological differences in brains b...
The answer? Women aren't "hardwired" to be as good at the game as men. His evidence? Short pointed out that of the top 100 chessplayers in the world, 98 of them are men. And the brains of men and women are different. Therefore, women are weaker at chess.
It doesn't follow from Short's evidence that biological differences in brains b...
So-Called Fact Checks Are Political Commentary
See how often something in today’s world is labeled “fact” or “science” but is another thing entirely. We are led to believe something is the truth when it is nothing more than an opinion, and a dubious one at that.
News media fact checks are often little more than partisan political commentaries. Here is a humorous "Fact Check" from the AP:
Here is the first claim the that AP's Steve Peoples decided to "fact check":
News media fact checks are often little more than partisan political commentaries. Here is a humorous "Fact Check" from the AP:
Here is the first claim the that AP's Steve Peoples decided to "fact check":
RUBIO: "Too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 20th century."...
Did Stephen King's Drug Use Shape His Radical Political Views?
Stephen King, the horror writer, often states his far left political views on twitter. I assume like many who grew up in the 60s, his opinions were formed back then half a century ago and haven't changed since.
A couple examples: he has issues with several Republican presidential candidates, ignoring the necessity of mentioning how on earth any of them could be worse than either Obama or Hillary:
Stephen King @StephenKingFollowCruz, Paul and...
A couple examples: he has issues with several Republican presidential candidates, ignoring the necessity of mentioning how on earth any of them could be worse than either Obama or Hillary:
Stephen King @StephenKingFollowCruz, Paul and...
Is Stephen King Still On Cocaine?
Stephen King, the horror writer, often states his far left political views on twitter. I assume like many who grew up in the 60s, his opinions were formed back then half a century ago and haven't changed since.
A couple examples: he has issues with several Republican presidential candidates, ignoring the necessity of mentioning how on earth any of them could be worse than either Obama or Hillary:
Stephen King @StephenKingFollowCruz, Paul and...
A couple examples: he has issues with several Republican presidential candidates, ignoring the necessity of mentioning how on earth any of them could be worse than either Obama or Hillary:
Stephen King @StephenKingFollowCruz, Paul and...
April 20, 2015
Valentina Lisitsa and Free Speech in Music
Valentina Lisitsa is a concert pianist in the news primarily because the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) canceled her appearance due to political comments she made on Twitter. The American-Ukrainian pianist tweets often about the Ukraine-Russian conflict. She's also a good pianist as you can hear in these videos.
Jeff Melanson, the CEO of TSO, received complaints about her tweets (!) and decided her opinions were not consistent with those that the orchestra feels nice and comfy with, so...
Jeff Melanson, the CEO of TSO, received complaints about her tweets (!) and decided her opinions were not consistent with those that the orchestra feels nice and comfy with, so...
April 16, 2015
Shakespeare's Double Falsehood
New research suggests the play "Double Falsehood" was primarily authored by William Shakespeare, not Lewis Theobald, as had been thought.
Theobald's 1727 version claimed that it had been originally authored by Shakespeare, but he produced his own version from 3 Shakespeare manuscripts that had subsequently been lost in a library fire. But it appears he overstated his own contribution, which according to the latest research, was minimal.
In The Daily Beast, Malcolm Jones calls it "the Bard's unc...
Theobald's 1727 version claimed that it had been originally authored by Shakespeare, but he produced his own version from 3 Shakespeare manuscripts that had subsequently been lost in a library fire. But it appears he overstated his own contribution, which according to the latest research, was minimal.
In The Daily Beast, Malcolm Jones calls it "the Bard's unc...
How To Quickly Brainstorm Plot Ideas For Your Book
Pace back and forth.
That’s it.
If you need to work out elements in your plot so it all makes sense, I recommend pacing (walking) back and forth.
I recommend this because it always works wonders for me. I think of a plot and what it needs, what it's lacking; maybe something about a character, or what is the proper chronology of events so plot elements happen in the correct order, and I pace back and forth thinking of the problem and every single time I come up with great ideas in just a few minu...
That’s it.
If you need to work out elements in your plot so it all makes sense, I recommend pacing (walking) back and forth.
I recommend this because it always works wonders for me. I think of a plot and what it needs, what it's lacking; maybe something about a character, or what is the proper chronology of events so plot elements happen in the correct order, and I pace back and forth thinking of the problem and every single time I come up with great ideas in just a few minu...
