Letter from a Sixth Grade Teacher to Kidz Bop

I started my day today with an inspiring letter (see below). I wonder if there are other teachers out there who use Kidz Bop in school? We could create a section of our website where teachers and kids use our video upload tools to work on communication and literacy skills. Would love to hear from any teachers who are interested in this.

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Hi Liz!
A very close friend of mine is a 6th grade teacher in California and a while ago, I told her that I knew the head of Kidz Bop (you!) and she got so excited... She asked me to pass on this letter to you which I have copied and pasted below. You and your company are clearly making a really positive impact on her and her students! :) I hope this letter starts off your day with a smile.
Best wishes,
Jane

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Hi Jane,
Could you please pass on this note to your friend who is affiliated with Kidz Bop? I'd love to let her know how her work is making a difference in my classroom. I teach 6th grade at a low-performing school (Ramona Elementary) in a low-income neighborhood (Montclair, CA). My students are predominantly Latino and most of them are below grade level. My colleagues and I work hard to provide quality instruction, valuable experiences, and new opportunities for the students here. We try to use music to encourage and motivate them to stay on task and work to their potential. The students are familiar with and enjoy radio music, but we cannot play it for them in a school environment. Even the "clean" edited version has inappropriate lyrical content. We download Kidz Bop versions from iTunes and play it for them during transitions, group work time, and even whole-school assemblies. The students love listening to the music while they work. Since they know any noise from them will cause me to turn it off, they are absolutely quiet when I turn it on. They have their favorites ("Let's Get it Started" by Black-Eyed Peas) and request them often. It makes my classroom a friendlier, hipper, and more enjoyable place to be. Thank you to the creators and employees of Kidz Bop for taking the time to make all of this music "clean" for my students!

Sincerely,
(name withheld since I don't have her permission)

My Family's Encounter with the Kennedys

My father was raised in a poor, working class, Irish Catholic family (actually, they were one step away from starving class - my grandfather's store failed during the Great Depression), in a hardscrabble Scranton neighborhood called Bone Hill. When he was accepted into the Naval Academy, my father became the first member of his family to attend college, and eventually moved away from the old neighborhood to start his own family.

We idolized the Kennedys. My parents spawned a similarly large (nine children) family, and we played sports together, sang around the piano together, and covered our heads with lacy tiaras as we lined up at Mass every Sunday, just like the Kennedys. Every evening we crowded around the dining room table under the peaceful gaze of a romanticized, Victorian portrait of the infant Jesus, which hung on the wall behind my mother's place. At my father's end of the table there still hangs a copy of a painting of the late Pope John XXIII, with Jack and Bobby Kennedy on either side of him. The three are walking away from us, into a sunlit place where presumably, they will no longer know pain or grief.

I was 14 years old, just finishing my freshman year of high school, in the summer of 1968. Though my idealism was rocked by the back-to-back assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, I remained an enthusiastic supporter of civil rights and champion of the underdog. After all, I was a first grader when President Kennedy was inaugurated. When he told us that he was passing the torch to "a new generation of Americans," it was clear that he meant he was passing it to me.

My father was devastated by Bobby Kennedy's death. He had been working for the county Democratic Committee, making calls to solicit donations for the Kennedy campaign and passing out literature to friends, colleagues, and fellow Little League parents. And so, after Bobby died, my father decided that we would go to Hyannisport for our summer vacation. That meant that on Sunday, our second day on the Cape, we all dressed up and headed to Mass at Our Lady of Victory Church, where the Kennedys worshiped. It was just one month after the death of Robert F. Kennedy.

As if my father had conjured her, Rose Kennedy was there. She was dignified in her still fresh grief, her face shielded by a black mantilla. But she spotted our family, eight (at the time) little kids all lined up in one of the pews, and it must have reminded her of her own. She approached us after the service and offered Memorial Cards, with Bobby Kennedy's picture on one side and a prayer on the back. My father shyly asked if she would take a picture with us, to which she gracefully assented.


My father idealized the Kennedys without ever recognizing that they were part of the privileged, patrician class, far removed from our existence as a large, suburban family doing our best to make ends meet. He refused to listen to any criticism of the Kennedys, and dismissed as lies any talk of their abuses of power, arrogance (and let's not even mention the President's philandering). As a "sophisticated" college student and young adult, I thought he was ridiculously naive in his unerring support of and identification with the Kennedys.

Looking back this week, I have to say that I think Dad had it right. Although Teddy Kennedy had every privilege in the world (and often took advantage of that fact), he nearly blew it all with a series of public and potentially crushing missteps. Still, he persisted on, righting himself and continuing to use his position to try to make a difference for the poor and minority citizens who counted on him to champion their cause. Frankly, I find it easier to relate to this flawed but compassionate man than it is to look up to a perfect hero immortalized in marble. I'll never be that, and Ted Kennedy surely knew he never would be, either.

Warrior, statesman, father, husband......and friend to many, even those who never knew him. As the NY Times wrote this morning, when Ted Kennedy is reunited with his big brothers in heaven, he's going to tell them "I carried the torch......I carried it all the way."

Reuters Feed from Iran

Reuters has a Twitter feed which is one of the best sources of information that I have seen - @reuters_iran.

Al Jazeerah/English reportedly is streaming video, much more than our western news organizations can, but their server must be swamped. I haven't yet been able to get on.

Neda's Voice

Last night I joined the Facebook group - In Memory of Neda - which sprung up immediately after the videos started to circulate. Looking at the list of members this morning, it is the most diverse, international group I've ever been a part of of.

The mainstream media is still not reporting any details - I suppose because they are restricted from reporting on the ground and can't confirm the story. MSNBC.com mentioned briefly videos of a young girl with blood flowing from her nose and mouth, said that she had "reportedly died," and that was it.

Neda was reportedly watching the demonstrations from the curb, with her father, when she was shot through the heart by a sniper (unconfirmed - this is what everyone is writing on Twitter). Why would a peaceful, innocent young woman be singled out? She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, not the chador required by Islamic law in Iran for women appearing in public. I suspect that was enough to make her a target. These young women, unrobed and demanding equal rights, are the leading edge of the "sea of green."

I hope, eventually, when the chaos dies down and it can be "reliably" reported, that Neda will become the Tank Man (Tiananmen Square) of the Green Revolution. Her death should not be in vain.

Twitter on the Barricades - Six Lessons Learned - NYTimes.com

This weekend is my first true immersion in Twitter, and I find it's more useful to read the information coming out of Iran as a big swath of general sentiment....rather than taking each individual tweet at face value. I found myself wonder why being in the thick of the dialogue with individual protestors trading tips, locations, and warnings was so absolutely absorbing, since I'm not there, don't know any of the locations they're describing, and don't really know who is who, in terms of reliable information. This article, from today's New York Times, explores these same questions.
Twitter on the Barricades - Six Lessons Learned

Morning in NY; Mid-Afternoon in Tehran

Dipping into the Twitter feed this morning, I'd say the overall tenor is less fraught, reaching still higher for moral authority and peaceful protest. There is also an overwhelming concern, which I didn't see yesterday, that the feed has been infiltrated by government agents.

Here are some highlights, 7:30am EDT:

pilotwomanf/tehran; "it will be in Vanak sq. Pple will be there at 4:30 pm,(after 30 mins) Tehran time. som1 called me and said it."

saitamaguy2002 Eyewitness: Special Forces are standing between Azadi Sq. and Emam Hossein Sq.; about 11 kms.

debbiezrm RT CAUTION: BLOCK all NEW users with NO or only VERY FEW followers! They are BASIJ!

oxfordgirl RT @persiankiwi: today the Gov is trying harder than ever b4 to hack our communications

iran_09: Iran is full of rumors - but the army is NOT on the streets - not against the people - no tanks yet –

mcaviglia: They have hacked GHALAM NEWs - website of MOUSAVI - Sea of Green will NEVER rest

Libertyfan44: Yesterday we voted for change. Today we fight for freedom. Tomorrow we will be FREE!!!!

koabal85: PLZ be careful, twitter full of gov agents joined yesterday, have few followesr and are spreading panic.

ranTweet @LiberT LiberT RT from Iran: "Iran isn't falling -- it's standing up"

karinaschneidrg RT frm Iran: Mousavi - Confirmed - calls for ALL the nation to stand on balconys TONIGHT and show support with 'Allah Akbar'

Her Name Was Neda...

Newsvine - Her Name Was Neda...

I can't bring myself to post a link to the videos (there are two, shot on cell phones from different angles). It's just too sad.

The Battle is On: Sampling of the Twitter feed from the Streets of Tehran

legolas81: doctors/nurses wear red crescent/red cross symbol so news can see if you are attacked for being street medics

jkebeans: remove all street signs, so shipped-in forces will lose orientation

rinkjustice: LIST MAP to EMBASSIES ACCEPTING INJURED; DO NOT GOTO HOSPITALS http://tinyurl.com/nwrvsd

PatriotRose: Don't WET MASK WITH WATER-vinegar & Lemonjuice effective against teargas به ماسکهای جلوی دهنتون آبلیمو وسرکه بزنید. آب نزنید

walkerdl: WE CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, MULTIPLE SOURCES CONFIRM: BASIJI ARE AT HOSPITALS. GO TO EMBASSIES

pilotwoman: Her name was ندا (#Neda), which means voice or call in Farsi. She is the voice of the people, a call to freedom

D_chosen_one: Suggestion: Disorient Basij entering your neighborhood by painting over numbers and removing street signs.

muluap: go to German Embassy if wounded, set pressure on western embassies until they let you in. They are human, they will

soynicole: PLEASE RETWEET - Basij rounding up injured protesters at Hospitals. List of EMBASSIES taking in injured: http://bit.ly/2rYIbt

lauraluvscoffee RT GO BACK & DELETE PAST TWEETS that have Iranian usernames. Arrests have been made. Please ENSURE ALL SEE THIS

buzzard1964: Change your twitter location to Tehran and time zone to GMT +3.5. This helps shield & confuse security police

rarianrakista: Book on how to fight tanks and armed forces in urban areas. http://bit.ly/k2ARx

iamtheyak: If you haven't yet, please change your profile location to Tehran & time zone to GMT+3:30, to help foil Iran govt spies

SecularnFree: Please only post CONFIRMED SOURCE information. The GOVT has placed misinformation on Twitter.

iran_09: Hospitals in Tehran are NOT safe. Basijis there, ppl disappearing.

Dlsale: LIST OF FAKE IRANIAN ACCOUNTS (Some working for Iran Gov't) http://bit.ly/greenfakes

Magicspin: یک برده است که یکی از منتظر کسی که دیگری را به او آزاد است. A slave is one who waits for someone else to free him.

bigbadblackwolf Deleting tweets does NOT remove them from search. Iranians should remove their name from their twitter profile

VivianBoroff: Basij R marking doors 2 attack later. Use oil/petrol 2 remove the mark frm your door.

RDUgirl: Iransource45 is an Iranian agent. If enough people block him, his count will be disabled.

FairyKingAub: CHEMICAL BURN FIRST AID http://bit.ly/Za5k5

Rezaliteit: Embassies accepting injured people: Finnish, German,British, Dutch, Norway, Belgian, Italian, Slovenian, Portuguese

Schteeboman: muluap look policemen in the face. Appeal to the heart of younger ones, some will change sides

pilotwomanRT: Look at the ppl personally confirming tank story, they are new arrivals, have between 20- 0 followers & want to scare you

pilotwomanRT: There comes in every struggle a moment that tips the balance. Death of Neda has shifted this battle to the side of the ppl

Demian888: Tehran, Iran, for every basiji, 11 free women and men should stand up

EmpiresCrumble: 4CHEM.BURNS:cool running h20, 20mins, rmve jwlry/clths near burn, cool wet cloth/towel, sterile wrap, rewash if need

theresefarmer: Mousavi - we have gone too far to stop now

SecularnFree: Neda looked at the camera then died - She was looking at us. FREE IRAN NOW

toddbober: Do not listen to those who tell you to take up the gun. Mousavi calls on Sea of Green not to be violent

flipngenius: Iranian military and police - turn on the basij. This girl should not have died. http://tiny.cc/basij

The Revolution as it's being tweeted...

It's nearly 6am in Tehran - Sunday morning is dawning, another day of protests awaits (I know this because my Twitter account is set to GMT +3.5, Location: Tehran).

I've been glued to Twitter all day - the Internet, mobile/wireless communication, and social media have all converged to bring about the maturing of the concept of democracy. It has always been an ideal, practiced by various populations, with varying degrees of success. Democracy is no longer an ideal, it's a reality. No government, anywhere, can hold back the tide of information in the hands of the people.

One of the fascinating things tonight is the reporting, on Twitter, of the death of a young woman named Neda. Neda means "voice" or "call" in Farsi, and she will clearly represent the voice and will of the Iranian people, putting a face to their cause. #neda is currently one of the highest ranked feeds on Twitter, and links to video of her death are available (I can't bring myself to post it here - simply too sad). She was young, beautiful, and gravely injured. In the brief clip that I saw, she looked directly into the camera and then died - heartbreaking. What I find amazing is that even as thousands of cries of her name reverberate across the ethernet, not a word has been reported on any of the major news Internet sites - at least, not that I can find. I am sitting here watching Christiane Amanpour do her wrapup on CNN, entitled "Blood on the streets of Iran." She is clearly the most authoritative voice reporting on television, yet Neda has not been mentioned.

Last week, I would have said that I prefer to read news on the Internet - because when I pick up a newspaper or listen to the radio, I'm seeing/hearing stories that are a day old - I read them hours before on the Internet. Twitter has blown Internet news right off the track. Of course, there will still be a need for thoughtful, well-researched, "professional" journalism. But when it comes to an event like this, the news cycle has suddenly gotten exponentially shorter.

Gil Scott Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Seems appropriate for today. The Revolution will not be Televised, but it will be Tweeted!

Praying for the safety of all the women in the streets of Tehran, standing tall and green, insisting on equality.

BBC Persia - Images of gunshots in the streets

Motherhood :: One of my Proudest Moments

In 2006, I chaperoned a church trip to Juarez, Mexico. We took a group of 20 American teenagers to work with a priest who was building churches in the poorest barrios and desert outskirts of Juarez.

As lunchtime approached on the fifth day of grueling work in the relentless heat, we pulled off the highway and stopped at a church in urban Chihuahua, where a group of women were waiting with a lunch of simple but delicious Mexican food. As on each previous day, lunch was tamales, and I heard some grumbling as the kids went through the line. They weren't used to a steady diet of rice, cheese and refried beans, and they were getting sick of it (as well as getting constipated).

As we settled in at the long tables in the church hall, I saw that three or four of our teens had filled plates full of food, taken one bite and pushed it away. Embarrassed, I passed their plates down to the other end of the table, suggesting to the kids sitting there that they should eat these before going back for seconds. A few minutes later, I was surprised to hear Julia’s voice raised in anger. I leaned over to look down the table and saw Jules choking down a tamale from one of the rejected plates and saying “….because it’s insulting, that’s why. They have been cooking all frigging morning to make this food for us.”

It was worth all the stress of the trip just for that moment.

19th Century Stained Glass

It was 87 degrees in Cornwall-on-Hudson today - Spring coming in with a vengeance! Although I went to St. John's to photograph antique quilts, I was irresistably drawn to the 19th century stained glass windows, with the sunlight flooding through. Yet another treasure of hand-worked artistry.

WOMEN'S WORK : : Marveling at an Antique Quilt Show

My friend Bea Deamers is a master quilter, and she organized an antique quilt show as a benefit for our church today. St. John's is a beautiful, 19th century structure, with intricate, hand-carved wood throughout the sanctuary. The juxtaposition of the rich wood with the vibrant, hand-sewn quilts was simply breathtaking.









I am always moved by primitive, domestic creations because I see them as practical, though sometimes improbable, expressions of women's voices and creativity. I talked about this last summer with our friend Steven Kellogg, the award-winning children's author and illustrator, who has a world class collection of American Primitive antiques in his barn. Creativity and passion simply burst from these artifacts, which until recently were not recognized as ART. We've all heard the phrase "Anonymous was a Woman," and it's never more evident than in this kind of work.



I have read that Amish women, renowned for their abilities as quilters, always sewed a flaw into their quilts so as not to the mock perfection of God's creation. I don't know if this is true, but I can tell you that I love the hand hewn feeling of this incredible work.

Public Performance Art at its Best!

Maundy Thursday

This phrase is relatively new to me. Although I've been an Episcopalian for many years, I grew up Catholic and they call today "Holy Thursday." I wonder about "Maundy Thursday" every year and tonight I finally decided to look it up.
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MAUNDY THURSDAY: The Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus. Also called Holy Thursday.

[From Middle English maunde, ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on this day, from Old French mande, from Latin (novum) mandātum, (new) commandment (from Jesus's words to the Apostles after washing their feet, John 13:34).]
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Here's what happens in the service. There are three readings, the first from the Passover service, which is familiar to both Christians and Jews (mark the lintel with blood, roast the lamb and eat all of it, consume bitter herbs, salt water, charoses, etc). The other two readings are about Christ's interaction with the Apostles on that Passover night, in which he established both the rite of Holy Communion (consecrating the bread and wine as his body and blood as a promise that he will always be with us) and the concept of Ordination (ordaining his apostles as priests, his surrogates, in the church). And then, he picked up a towel and basin and washed each of their feet. They protested, but he insisted.

Tonight, I took off my shoes and socks and Father Tom washed my feet to remind me of Christ's teachings about humility and the requirement of service to one's fellow man. The master is not greater than the servant, nor is the teacher of more value than the student. The washing of the feet is a concrete representation of the fundamental "Do unto others" principle.

The other thing that I love about Maundy Thursday is the vulnerability of Christ. Because he was God, he knew that he was going to die, yet because he was incarnated as a human being, he was terribly afraid. After the Seder (what Christians call The Last Supper), he goes into the garden to pray to his Father for help, and he asks Peter and some of the other apostles to come and pray with him. They have been drinking wine and they are tired - they keep falling asleep. Jesus is afraid, and he knows the Romans are coming after him - he wakes his apostles and begs them to stay awake and watch. But they fall asleep.

So for me, this is the most important day of the year to show up at church. I never miss the service on Maundy Thursday because I feel as though the least I can do is be there, be awake, and offer whatever comfort and support that I can. I know everyone doesn't believe that Jesus was (or is) God, but surely he was a tremendous human being in anyone's eyes - the "Obama" of his time.

In the Maundy Thursday service we end by singing a mournful, ancient chant, over and over, as Father Tom and his acolytes strip all the vestments from the altar. One by one, the lights are extinguished, until the congregation is in complete darkness.

The refrain we sing goes like this:

STAY WITH ME. REMAIN HERE WITH ME. WATCH AND PRAY. WATCH AND PRAY.

I wouldn't miss it.

Fantastic International Night at the Oscars

From the Japanese animator thanking his pencil, to Penelope Cruz who broke out into Spanish, to the Japanese director of Best Foreign Film - “We be back, I hope”....it all reminds me of Roberto Benigni (“LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL) jumping on the back of his seat and exclaiming “I have Lo-sed all my English!” But better.

What a great night for global culture.

And Why No YouTube in Schools?

Si (my partner, Seymour Simon) and I spoke at the Wisconsin State Reading Association last week, on the topic of Digital Literacy. We were describing his blog, SeymourScience.com, on which he provides a variety of teacher support materials for the use of his books in the classroom, including Discussion Guides, Science Projects, and video. A former science teacher, Si acts as a video curator, selecting clips that are exciting and compelling for kids, as well as scientifically accurate. He often sources these videos from YouTube, such as this recording of a mountain gorilla family, presented as supplemental material for his Smithsonian/Collins book GORILLAS.

Multiple teachers at the conference told us that they cannot use these links, as YouTube is blocked in their schools. That is ridiculous. Surely school administrators could supply teachers with passwords, that would allow them to "unlock" YouTube for educational purposes. It is free, and full of captivating video.

Dr. James Gee, a leading proponent of videogames as educational tools, created this scene as an intro to one of his books: Rip Van Winkle wakes up in the early 21st Century, and is totally confused. He is frightened by automobiles and disturbed to see people seemingly talking to themselves (on bluetooth cell phone headsets). Then, he sees a familiar and comforting sight - a schoolhouse. He rushes in, and sure enough, it is just as he remembered it. Teachers lecturing from the front of the room, students yawning as they laboriously take notes by hand, textbooks with familiar, 20th century images.....

Is this really where we want our schools to be? There is significant funding earmarked for "Education" in the stimulus bill that President Obama signed today. We can only hope that some of it will be for teacher (and administrator) training in and access to the media that children find most compelling.

Cell Phones as Educational Tools?

Today's New York Times has an article about wireless industry groups who are pitching cell phones as educational tools. The way the article reads, it was a set up for the companies to be slammed for pitching products rather than truly focusing on education. And, that's exactly what happened in the reader comments on the article.

Amazingly, the authors don't seem to have done even rudimentary research, or they would have stumbled upon "Pockets of Potential," the new white paper from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, which advocates the use of cell phones and other wireless technologies to promote learning.


I added my comment into the mix - a lone voice in the wilderness of disapproval!

Voting with (and for) our Ancestors

Bill Cosby told Rachel Maddow a very moving story about voting for Barack Obama. After he entered the voting booth and closed the curtain behind him, he reached into his pocket and pulled out photographs of his deceased mother, father and brother. "And now," he said, "we're going to vote."

I heard a similar story from a friend who wore the dog tags belonging to his late father (a lifelong Democrat) into the voting booth, and is wearing them again today on Inauguration Day.

This means more than your typical election, without a doubt.

With Hands Outstretched

I was 6 years old in January, 1961 when President Kennedy was inaugurated. I remember that in the moment when he said "The torch is passed to a new generation," it felt as if I reached up and took that torch into my hands. That moment informed the way I have tried to live my life as an American.

I am moved, proud and honored today to accept the call to service once again. May God bless and protect President Barack Hussein Obama.

MashUp: Beatles and Nine Inch Nails. LOVE it!

Success!

This site - called "The Real Blogger Status" is practical and usable. This finally explained site feeds in a way that I could make sense of it, and my blog is (or should) now be posting automatically on Facebook.

The Real Blogger Status: What Is My Blog (Site) Feed?

Posting this for other who may be having the same struggle.

Autumn at Storm King

If you die in The Matrix do you die in real life?

Cynopsis Digital reports today that a 43-year piano teacher from Kyushu was jailed last week after illegally hacking into the account of her digital partner in the interactive game Maple Story and destroying the character he had spent a year creating after he had unexpectedly demanded a divorce from the woman's avatar. If convicted she faces up to 5 years in prison, according to reports.

Seymour Simon's new book, THE HUMAN BODY

There is nice mention of Si's latest photo essay book in "Notes from the Horn Book."Notes from the Horn Book | October, 2008
Well deserved. This is a beautiful new addition to Si's Smithsonian series.


I found a detailed and adorable review on Amazon, written by a 6-year-old named Evan. It made me smile - a new addition to the list of "raising an intelligent child tips" that one of his parents is clearly employing! Amazon.com: The Human Body: Seymour Simon: Books: "I really liked looking at the pictures. There were some pretty big words in this book. I think lots of people would enjoy 'The Human Body' by Seymour Simon, even grown-ups."

HarperCollins: THE HUMAN BODY by Seymour Simon

Mathematics as Poetry on the London Stage

While in London earlier this week we saw a thought-provoking drama called "A Disappearing Number," from the highly regarded experimental theater Complicite (the director, Simon McBurney, directed the revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," which just opened on Broadway with Katie Holmes).

The play was amazing - interweaving the story of the famous Indian mathematician Ramanujan with a contemporary story of a tragic love affair between a mathematics professor (who sees beauty and poetry in her beloved equations) and a globetrotting business executive (who much as he tries, just can't see what she sees). The story was brilliantly couched in the context of the mathematical concept of infinity, representing the continuum and interconnections of life, past, present and future. If it sounds like the story was complicated, it was - but incredibly moving.













McBurney liberally incorporates multimedia into his staging - there was an Indian tabla musician onstage the whole time playing a sort of underscore to the drama, and film clips were often projected on a screen that was part of the set (and often projected onto the actors themselves). The whole thing was staged as if it were choreographed, even though it is hardly a musical. Fascinating evening of theater.

SACRIFICIAL SHEPHERD

Busted because I was afraid to say ‘no.’ Idiot.

They say Christ died for our sins, but what good did that do, for Him or for us?

I think God got himself killed so he’d understand fear.

You act stupid when you’re afraid. Now He knows, and forgives.

GRIEF (IN DOG YEARS)

The night the old dog died he convulsed for hours, tears and juices mingling on the ground.

“Don’t clean it up,” I said.

Next morning the young pup sniffed, then leapt at the throat of the dog next door until we had to kick him off.

Alpha male redux.

Flash Fiction

A new form of writing called Flash Fiction has sprung up on the Internet. These mini-narratives are limited to 50 words - within you must establish a character, point of view and tell a story. The British website MiniWords runs an annual writing contest and features some really exceptional writing in this genre.

I've been experimenting with it all week. It is a fascinating discipline for a writer, trying to creative a narrative when each precious word must do double or triple duty.

Who Can Turn The World On With Her Marketably Pink, Sparkly Smile? -- Daddy Types

For some reason, I just got a Google Alert on this blog entry from August 2006. Who Can Turn The World On With Her Marketably Pink, Sparkly Smile? -- Daddy Types




Call me crazy, but I take a perverse pleasure in being dissed by complete strangers on the web!






For the record, I stand by my decision to create a mainstream, "lead" muppet to whom little girls can relate. The gender inequity on Sesame Street was appalling and always bugged me when Jules was little. Why were all the girls quirky, politically correct, un-relatable sidekicks, and never the hero? I think we've put that problem definitively to rest with Abby Cadabby. She's a star (thank you brilliant puppeteer Leslie Carrera!), and I'm so proud to have been involved in her creation.

If you Google my name you'll find more hilarious ones.....like How to get to Stereotype Street in the Boston Globe.

If I'm controversial enough to get all these folks fired up, I must be doing something right!

Fabulous Shot of Kid watching THE UPSIDE DOWN SHOW

Remember When: Laugh

It still breaks my heart that we weren't able to make more of these shows. THE UPSIDE DOWN SHOW was truly a breakout concept built around the educational benefits of imaginary play. Which of course, our achievement/results driven culture needs desperately.

It's a crying shame to lose all that laughing.

Ice Storm

We had quite an ice storm here in the Hudson Highlands last night. They had predicted a layer of ice up to 1/2-inch thick overnight, and I think we achieved that, easily.

I was dismayed, this past Spring, when I realized I needed to spend $3000 to take down five large, dead trees, all dangerously close to the house. Thank goodness I did it. Every dead branch came down last night, including some big ones. I am glad the huge chestnut that used to rise outside my bedroom window wasn't there last night trying to bear the weight of this ice!

"Just Press Play" on your Palm Pilot?!

If you know a preschooler who watches The Upside Down Show , the fact that little kids love to play with the imaginary Remote Control will not have escaped your attention.


Palm is offering freeware for download from their website that will put "Just Press Play" (the phrase typically uttered by Shane and David on the show) on your Palm Pilot.Just Press Play v5.1a freeware

Now there is a picture. A rabid, 3-year-old Upside Down Show fan with your Trēo in his hand, refusing to cede control. Sounds like a tantrum waiting to happen!

Panwapa Word of the day is......PING PONG!

What a great word to learn in five languages! Panwapa is Sesame Workshop's new multimedia project, teaching Global Citizenship to 4- to 8-year-olds. That is a complex curriculum, and it's sorely needed. I think this is a very good effort, and I know it will just keep getting better. See for yourself at www.panwapa.com.
This is my avatar and my Panwapa home - I live on a boat! And as you can see from my Panwapa Island flag, I like rice, dogs, books, riding my scooter, playing the piano, and making shadow puppets! Every child who registers as a citizen of Panwapa makes their own avatar who represents them in this world. Try it - it's fun, and I guarantee you, that little avatar is irresistible!

Major Website Update Today

I've spent my day updating and expanding www.liznealon.com to reflect the professional activity that's occupied my time this fall. I now have links to some of the writing I'm doing (hired as an "expert" columnist covering Family Travel and Informal Education for eHow.com), as well as a section about the seminars that I am teaching (how to reserve a space in my mediabistro "Executive Producing seminar or book me to speak to your group).

I've been at it all day, am fairly pleased with the results!

"Life With My X-Men" - A blog about the Upside Down Show

Kristie Meyer, describing her boys and their love of the Upside Down Show, writes "We used to have to get a napkin out for Shane and David at supper. Thankfully they started taking their meals elsewhere." Read her whole entry here: Life With My X-Men: Adventures of Shane and David:

Neopets Christmas Gallery

I have been collecting for many years, and if I do say so, I have one of the best Christmas collections in Neopia! I also take advantage of the season to send a message of peace to anyone who visits. My teenager says it's the "old hippy" in me. Guilty as charged.


(For residents of neopets.com, my username is lrn_jbk945. Use IE for the full effect with graphics and music)

Abby Cadabby Debuts in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Photo: Macy's

I have to say, I am so tickled to see our "girly" muppet, Abby Cadabby, looking so gorgeous in this bigger than life version! As I'm fond of joking, I only lasted long enough at Sesame Street to create one muppet, but she's a hell of a muppet! As usual, the Muppet Wiki provides the most in-depth information about the character (including a quote from yours truly) Abby Cadabby - Muppet Wiki

I think the fact that I was an outsider who did not come up through the Henson shop was an asset in the creation of Abby. Early on, I was spending a day at the studio, hanging back at the puppet table with Jason, the muppet wrangler. Curious, I asked if Henson muppets must always have those signature, "ping pong ball" eyes. He said no, which really got me thinking. I've always felt that the eyes were the main reason the previous female Sesame muppets were less than attractive. The pop eyes are funny on a guy (Cookie!), but not so flattering on a girl. I asked them to try Abby with wide, flat eyes, and prominent eyelashes. The first day the prototype puppet was brought into rehearsal, Fran Brill (the puppeteer who performs both Prairie Dawn and Zoe) took one look at the beautiful new puppet, and groaned "Look at those eyes. Damn you, Liz Nealon!" Sorry, Fran. I plead guilty as charged - she's a beauty and little girls want to be Abby's friend. Now, let's hope they buy lots of products at Christmas and give Elmo a run for his money!

Memoirists Pageant Tonight in NYC

If your Thanksgiving weekend is slowing down and you don't have plans for Saturday night, here's an option. The Best Memoirists Pageant Ever

Dissed by Miss Piggy - LOVE it!

This is hilarious.

Get Me My Morning Coffee: Sesame Street Adding A Girly-Girl Character

Come and Find Panwapa Island!

These are the irresistible avatars that kids are building to represent themselves on Panwapa Island! We tested these all over the world - the appeal is universal. This avatar was designed by Geoffrey Fowler, and he nailed it.

Click on the link below to hear the title song, which, as I've mentioned previously in this space, I think is a commercial, compelling sing-a-long, which is key because we embodied the Global Citizenship curriculum in the words. I will confess, though, that I almost didn't post this because of the terrible quality - they need to allocate more bandwidth to these streaming videos. We spent a lot of time and money creating these original muppet characters - it's a shame to have them look like this. Nonetheless, enjoy the song! SONG: Come and Find Panwapa Island

Just when we finally saw some Autumn colors...

It has been such a late autumn here (because we didn't have enough cold nights, below 40 degrees, to turn the leaves) that most of the leaves are still on the trees. Finally this weekend I was thinking that we had some reasonable colors! It's actually kind of pretty, the snow on the red Japanese maple......

The Best Memoirists Pageant Ever! 11/24 in NYC

Mark your calendars! On Saturday, November 24th at
3 PM The Bowery Poetry Club will host five writers reading excerpts from their memoirs-in-progress. As the flyer says: True stories! You'll laugh, you'll cry...you'll pay $5 at the door. Cash bar, refreshments for sale and great coffee.

Featuring:
Kim Brittingham (NYC)
Neil Cotter (Brick, NJ)
Chrys Buckley (Washington State)
Heather Maidat (Los Angeles)
Radmilla Suleymanova (NYC by way of Turkmenistan)

Kim Brittingham, who is organizing the evening, is in my writers' group, and I can testify to the fact that she is a wonderful writer who is working on a powerful memoir that fairly crackles with teen angst. If you are lucky, she'll read some of the material pertaining to her Duran Duran obsession - hilarioius!

A Dangerous Lame Duck

There is a powerful piece of commentary about the Bush agenda today on TomPaine.com: 14 Months of Danger

If you prefer a progressive view on current affairs and don't know this site, you should check it out. They describe themselves thusly: TomPaine.com is an online public affairs journal of progressive analysis and commentary. Every weekday, we go beyond the news to deliver well-informed, provocative and credible progressive perspectives on the pressing issues affecting the nation and the world. TomPaine.com combines depth with immediacy to equip progressives to compete effectively in the 21st century’s marketplace of ideas.

TomPaine.com was founded in 1999 by John Moyers in conjunction with a series of hard-hitting opinion page ads in The New York Times. We take our inspiration from Thomas Paine—the revolutionary thinker and activist known for his incisive, biting commentaries.

It's good stuff.

An afternoon of discovery at MoMA

I was at the Museum of Modern Art in New York yesterday to see the powerful collection Georges Seurat’s drawings (MoMA: Georges Seurat - The Drawings. The exhibition runs through January, 2008, and it is definitely worth the trip). He was a master of this form. Working with simply a conté crayon on paper, it is extraordinary to see the nuanced images, particularly the subtle play of light, that he was able to achieve. The Errant Æsthete, a self-described "blog for culturally curious," has an in-depth article about this memorable exhibit. If you are interested in art and culture, you'll probably want to bookmark this blog.

While we were there, we stumbled on an exhibit of sculptures by the African American artist Martin Puryear, and his work is simply wonderful. The sculptures are whimsical and irresistible - I was drawn from one to the next to the next with exclamations of delight!


In fact, there are signs everywhere instructing parents that they must hold their children's hands at all times while in the Puryear exhibit. How many installations are so compelling that the curator has to worry about children not being able to control themselves while in the space? It is that wonderful.

Ladder for Booker T. Washington
Martin Puryear, 1996.
Wood (Ash and maple. 432" x 22.75", narrowing to 1.25" at the top).

Some of the sculptures soar so high into space, I had to wonder where the heck this guy works, that he can produce on this kind of scale? I found it to be a joyful, uplifting experience simply being in the same room as his work.

MoMA has a virtual tour of the exhibition on their website - click this link MoMA.org | Exhibitions |Martin Puryear. Check it out.

Word of the Day on Panwapa? ORIGAMI!

I have been spending more time this week on the Panwapa Island site, which is Sesame Workshop's new broadband site, designed to teach global citizenship. I've written about it previously in this space Check out Panwapa Island

It has been a very gratifying week as I've heard from a number of former Sesame colleagues who want to know what I think, or who are hoping I'm happy with the site. As one person put - "I am eager to know what you think about it because there's so much of you in it."

Raising children as global citizens who are aware of the broader world and who accept their responsibilities as citizens of that world is indeed a passion of mine. I feel so privileged to have been able to work on a project as rich and full of promise as this one. And, our team worked long and hard to create Panwapa across three types of media (video, broadband, and print) It was not easy, but they persisted, and the outcome reflects their effort and dedication.

And on the subject of what I think? I like it very much. My one regret is that we wrote very catchy, compelling songs for this project. They are irresistibly singable, in my view, and the lyrics embody the curriculum that we were trying to teach. Any virtual world is somewhat daunting when you first try to enter - whether you're a kid visiting Panwapa or an adult first encountering Second Life. And, since this is a rich media site and there is often loading time when children need to wait. I wish that the songs were present from the moment you click on the world, and there for you to sing while you are waiting for data to load. It's a missed opportunity, but there is plenty of time to fix it. This is a five-year project, and it will continue to expand, develop and roll out in additional territories. I have no doubt it will get better as it goes.

Teachers and caregivers - there are materials available if you are interested in using this media. Like the website itself, everything has been produced in five languages - Arabic, English, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish. Click on the "For Caregivers" button on the Panwapa site to learn how to use this highly engaging content with your children.

Calder-Eye View of Autumn

My camera and I have been on the road this week, most recently photographing at the Storm King Arts Center (which, if you haven't seen it, is a magnificent, world-class, outdoor sculpture park that we're so lucky to have right here in Cornwall). The installations are so artfully conceived that the contrast of man-made with the natural environment often creates a third, "enhanced-natural" reality. I love this place.

Black Flag, 1976, Alexander Calder

As I wandered amidst the towering sculptures, I started photographing autumn as framed by these whimsical, sheet metal "windows."


I like this symmetrical stand of trees, framed by one of the ovals in Gui, a 1976 Calder sculpture.




Every autumn, when the Storm King Arts Center closes for the winter I feel a pang of guilt, knowing I haven't taken advantage of it as I might have in the previous year. Will take another shot at it in the Spring.

On the subject of Photography.....

One of the photographs that I exhibited this Fall was called "Claymation Scraps," an image that I shot in Florence, Italy, where Sesame Street is producing a new series of Bert and Ernie stories, realized in claymation.


My friend Steve attended the opening of the show, and he was particularly drawn to this image. Steve is an actor who had a successful career on a popular soap opera.....until he was about 45. Then they wrote him out in favor of a new "young stud" whom they assumed would be more attractive to their female viewing audience.

Steve paused in front of the Bert & Ernie photograph, and then said "I know exactly how they feel."

Autumn in the Hudson Highlands

I've done a lot of hiking this Fall, and although it has definitely been a muted Autumn (Global Warming and all that.....), there were still some beautiful sights. Check out my new portolio at Autumn in the Hudson Highlands