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Frank McCourt and the American Memoir

  • By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER

When Frank McCourt died last weekend at age 78, we were momentarily transported, it seemed, to a more innocent age of the American memoir.

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Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press

MEMOIR MAN Frank McCourt wrote of his miserable Irish childhood in his first book, which set in motion a boom in memoirs, including some fakes.

For once, public discussion of a best-selling memoirist didn’t involve the words “fabrication,” “apologize” or “James Frey.” Instead, publishing insiders and ordinary readers alike recalled being captivated by the poetic intensity and rueful humanity of Mr. McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes,” while former students fondly recalled the brilliant New York City public school teacher who waited until his mid-60s to finally grow up into a world-famous, Pulitzer Prize-winning author by writing down the amazing stories of his hardscrabble Irish childhood he’d been spinning out loud for years.

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Finding meaningful work when what has meaning for you is changing

Dave Pollard has produced a wonderful diagram .....

It's essentially about finding or creating work that is at the 'sweet spot' where your Gift (what you do uniquely well), your Passion (what you love doing) and your Purpose (what is needed) intersect

and if you don't read any further it's a great tool for deciding on your career future.

But Dave has gone further and factored change into the situation.

Dave's blog - How to Save the World

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Red 5 Hits with iPhone App

With digital downloads of comics for various desktop and handheld devices getting more and more attention, several comics publishers are getting additional sales through iPhone downloads. One of the surprise success stories has been Red 5.
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"Hope is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so hopes has within him the gift of miracles."

-- Samuel Smiles

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With the movie coming soon – time to catch up with Percy Jackson (and use some lesson plans)

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

The escapades of the Greek gods and heroes get a fresh spin in the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, about a contemporary 12-year-old New Yorker who learns he's a demigod.

more synopsis ... also provides links to:

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is scheduled to release on February 12, 2010 in the United States.

Read an extract

Hear the first part of the book, as read by the author.

  • Video interview with Rick in North Carolina

  • Video interview with Rick in Cincinnati

For Teachers ...

  • The Lightning Thief: A Teacher’s Guide.

A complete Lightning Thief unit

  • The Lightning Thief: A Reader’s Guide.

  • Rationale. A curriculum rationale, based on NCTE models, for those teachers considering Percy Jackson for classroom use.

  • Literature Circle Questions

  • Biographical Information on Rick Riordan.

  • A Readers Theater from Lightning Thief.

  • Percy Party event guide.

  • Project ideas.

Amazon, Archaia to release Kindle Graphic novel


  • Although Amazon.com has published prose works exclusively on the Kindle before, in a first the online retailer has teamed with graphic novel publisher Archaia to publish Tumor, an original graphic novel by writer Joshua Fialkov and artist Noel Tuazon, initially in a digital edition formatted specifically for the Kindle; Tumor will be released serially on the Kindle before a hardcover print edition is published.
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    K-12 online conference: Bridging the divide, 30 November

    http://k12onlineconference.org/
    The K-12 online conference invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This free conference is run by volunteers and open to everyone.

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    "I have yet to find a man, whatever his situation in life, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he ever would do under a spirit of criticism."


    - Charles M. Schwab

    Inspiring story


    It was fifty years ago, on a hot summer day, in the deep south.

    We lived on a dirt road, on a sand lot. We were, what was known as "dirt poor."

    I had been playing outside all morning in the sand. Suddenly, I heard a sharp clanking sound behind me and looking over my shoulder, my eyes were drawn to a strange sight!

    Entertaining Angels