Blogs List
Gray matter
 Jim Bartholow |
Remembering The BeatlesMon, September 21, 2009 @ 2:46PM The recent hubbub over the release of The Beatles music and video game got me thinking back to when the Fab Four led the first wave of The British Invasion of music to the United States. I was 12 at the time and just discovering music. Transistor radios were just coming into mass marketing so we had the music wherever we wanted to take it. The Beatles were a fresh sound with lyrics about the usual topics (girls, love, breaking up). And that hair, really radical for the times and our parents were repulsed both by their music and their looks. That was a perfect combination for America's young people who were listening to the sounds of The Beach Boys, Frankie Avalon and the Supremes. The Beatles made a big point of how much they enjoyed the music of America's blues artists such as Chuck Berry and the Isley Brothers. But, growing up in Cleveland, we didn't hear much of Chuck, or James Brown, or any other black performer.
|
Upon Further Review
 Evan Bevins |
I Just Want to Be Friends, 'Beth Cooper'Tue, November 17, 2009 @ 7:22PM “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” recently released on DVD, is a pretty faithful adaptation of the book of the same name. And just like with the book, I enjoyed some parts of the film immensely, but could have done without plenty as well. The movie follows the fallout of the titular proclamation, made by high school outcast Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust, “Inglorious Basterds”) during his valedictory speech. The object of his affection (Hayden Panettiere, “Heroes”) is the uber-popular head cheerleader and is somewhat embarrassed, but also a little amused, by his outburst. That’s about the only thing that goes right for Denis, as graduation night degenerates into a running party/chase with the girl of his dreams. The movie, directed by Chris Columbus (“Rent,” the first two “Harry Potter” movies), does a great job of communicating teenage awkwardness, albeit on a scale beyond even what I experienced in high school.
|
Editor's desk
 Jennifer Houtman |
Who Dey?Mon, November 9, 2009 @ 10:03AM I got a call this morning from a Marietta Times reader about our lead headline on the story about the Bengals win over the Ravens. She wondered about our use of the term, 'dey.' At first I thought maybe she doesn't follow football and doesn't realize it comes from Bengals fans' popular chant, "Who dey! Who dey! Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?' According to Wikipedia, the fans sometimes just yell 'Who dey!' rather than shout the entire cheer. They've even named the team mascot, their Bengal tiger, 'Who dey.' I soon realized it wasn't that she didn't understand the term, she just didn't approve. Her exact words, "This is how black people speak, and I don't appreciate the newspaper stooping to that level." Every so often, I get a call like this that reminds me racism is alive and well in the Mid-Ohio valley. The caller certainly got my blood boiling, but in the end, I'm glad she made the call.
|
Baby steps
 Erin O'Neill |
Spook-tacular good timesMon, October 26, 2009 @ 3:07PM The fall season is upon us and pretty soon it will be time for my second favorite holiday - Halloween. I know the holiday has different meanings for different people and folks choose to celebrate in many different ways. Some even choose to forget it altogether. But for me and my family Halloween has always been a lot of fun. Perhaps it is because I have the distinction of also being born on the 31st; perhaps it is because I come from a dramatic and creative family (my father once wrapped himself in several rolls of toilet paper to become a mummy); perhaps it is because of the goodies or the beautiful fall colors, the last hurrah before winter weather and the hustle and bustle of THE holidays. Perhaps it is all of these. The enjoyment of the season has not waned since I've gotten older (and I will not be disclosing just how old I am going to be), in fact, since I've had my daughter, I get to enjoy the holiday even more just watching her light up.
|
It's your internet
 Art Smith |
NASA video is out of this worldWed, November 18, 2009 @ 12:51PM If you are like me, normally you struggle to find something you enjoy watching on TV. There are a lot of options - just not that many that suit me. There are a lot of options available on the Web; many of them are even educational. There is of course You Tube, and other options that provide recorded programs and videos. NASA provides a video option that is literally out of this world, allowing you to watch what is occurring on the in the International Space Station and during a Shuttle Mission live directly to your desktop. While I write this a have small window open showing the "routine" docking of several billion dollars of space hardware hurling around the planet. The Shuttle Atlantis is delivering a variety of spare parts to the orbiting space station. At one time such a docking would have been carry lived on the three networks that most American watched. The half dozen cable news channels available today will likely make a quick mention of it today.
|
