“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union…”
The gym was crowded with the morning noise of kids eager to learn (or perhaps just to see their friends). Few of them were probably paying any attention to the Preamble to the Constitution… but within the first three words my mind was already humming the tune: you know the one… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHp7sMqPL0g I don’t know about my readers, but for me Schoolhouse Rock was formative. Not only did I learn important history lessons (I particularly love ‘I’m Just a Bill’ about how laws are created: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyeJ55o3El0&feature=related– though nowadays they would have to add some lines about earmarks and lobbyists;) But I also learned about math: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUHFzH06HqU&feature=related), and science: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfNoarPudw&feature=related). Most importantly, though, I learned about grammar. Here are a few of my favorites: Adjectives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbgZfQNBFS0&feature=related Adverbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDwXHTcodNg&feature=related Interjections: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e24kdjdbtw&feature=related Conjunctions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AyjKgz9tKg&feature=related These shows are worth re-watching even now as an adult. It is truly amazing the knowledge I have forgotten, and what better way to remind myself than to bring back the songs that taught me to begin with (apologies to my teachers here, but this is pretty much true). These songs were clever, succinct and catchy… something that is clear when you see how many people still remember them. Schoolhouse Rock was broadcast on Saturday mornings beginning in 1973 and ending in 1985. Many were re-aired between 1993 and 1999 and in 2009 there were some additional songs made for direct to video. Many parodies and spin-offs, such as Jack Johnsons’ 3R song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSM2riAEX4U) have been released on albums and YouTube since then and point to the perseverance of the tunes and topics. Like nursery rhymes, Schoolhouse Rock formed the cultural backbone of a generation of young children. We can only hope our words as writers, as moms, as teachers and friends will ever have half as much impact. I’ll end now having relearnt name of my most used word: an interjection. As they say on Schoolhouse Rocks… DARN! That’s the end.
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“Is there a hurricane named Deanne?”
Interestingly enough, there isn’t… at least not technically. I was inspired to do some research on how a hurricane (the storm, not the drink) gets its names. Sadly, I am sure this, along with many other important life facts, was something I learned in school but have now forgotten. First off… names are given to tropical storms, and when a storm is designated a hurricane by the speed of the wind it, retains the tropical storm name. Over the years there have been many different naming strategies. For example, in the Caribbean hurricanes were named after the patron saint of the day. When U.S. meteorology began they named hurricanes by latitude and longitude (imagine the fun those weatherman had giving the news.) Military meteorologists during WW II started naming hurricanes after women (probably in revenge for the song, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of my Hair from the musical South Pacific set during the same time period). Anyway… this stuck until 1978 when the National Weather Service decided- huh, this sort of sends the wrong signal- and began using both men and women’s names for hurricanes on a 6 year rotational schedule. So… every six years the same hurricane names are re-used, unless one becomes devastating (such as Katrina) in which case it is taken off the list and replaced. Want to find out if there is a hurricane named after you? Look on the National Hurricane Center. So far, Deanne hasn’t made it on the list. |
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June 2020
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