-
It's Electric: The Electric Company Returns
Hey you guuuuys! The Electric Company is back, ready to bring its wacky brand of educational programming to a new generation of kids. While Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno won't be around this time, the show's message remains the same: reading can be fun. A hipper, more energetic Sesame Street, The Electric Company's true successor, at this point, is probably the fantastic Yo Gabba Gabba, which captures the energy of the original series. Will the new Electric Company connect with kids? See for yourself: a comparison between the old school Electric Company and the version that will be launched in January, 2009, after the jump. Now if only they could resurrect Square One Television, the children's television universe would be good to go.
MORE » -
Shirley Chisholm: "I Am, Was, And Always Will Be A Catalyst For Change"
On this date in 1924, Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to the United States Congress, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Chisholm, who had gone to college to be a teacher, was elected to Congress in 1968, and broke another barrier by becoming the first African-American major-party candidate to run for the Presidency in 1972. While her run was ultimately unsuccessful, Chisholm earned 28 delegates and ensured that the face of American Presidential politics would be forever changed. "I am a candidate for the Presidency of the United States," Chisholm noted, "I make that statement proudly, in the full knowledge that, as a black person and as a female person, I do not have a chance of actually gaining that office in this election year. I make that statement seriously, knowing that my candidacy itself can change the face and future of American politics—that it will be important to the needs and hopes of every one of you—even though, in the conventional sense, I will not win."
MORE » -
She Blinded Me With Science...And Awesome Dance Moves
Hey, Scientists: need a way to explain your complicated thesis to others? Perhaps you should consider entering the "Dance Your Ph.D" contest, an annual challenge designed to give scientists the chance to express their thesis work through dance. This year's winners have just been announced, and include Sue Lynn Lau, a graduate student at the University of Sydney, Australia, who designed a routine as a representation of her thesis, "The role of Vitamin D in beta-cell function." The synopsis given on Lau's entry: "Every PhD begins in the dark, but it takes only a few bright sparks to kindle the flame of discovery." The contest is a pretty rad way to combine science and the arts, and is an incredibly creative way to share one's academic work without using any words at all. Clip after the jump.
MORE » -
-
The "Downsized Holiday": Ur Doin It Wrong
Alex Williams wanted to throw a holiday dinner party, but in this economy, he found it difficult to throw a proper shindig on a budget, and so he enlisted the help of David Monn, a party-planner who made it his mission to help Williams throw a "downsized" feast for his guests. Williams recounts this experience in The New York Times, writing with wonder about the deals he was able to snap up at Kmart, Jack's 99 Cent Store, and Trader Joe's, as if these places were exotic wonderlands where magical cheapness comes to life. In the end, Williams is able to carry off the entire party for a "budget" total of $238.40. To which we say: shenanigans, Alex Williams. She-na-ni-gans.
MORE » -
Team Of Rivals
It's finally official: after weeks of speculation, it has been confirmed that Senator Hillary Clinton will be nominated for the position of Secretary-of-State by President-elect Barack Obama. Obama is also expected to announce on Monday that Robert Gates will remain in his position as Secretary of Defense "for a year or more and that retired Marine General James M. Jones would serve as national security adviser." [HuffingtonPost]
MORE »

















