Here’s the list. Pretty basic stuff, really, but it’s surprising how many times I come across both the loose/lose and lead/led errors from folks who really ought to know better.
Here’s the list. Pretty basic stuff, really, but it’s surprising how many times I come across both the loose/lose and lead/led errors from folks who really ought to know better.
Korean artist Ji Lee creates images out of words, using only the letters in the word itself. Some are more successful than others, but the overall effect is intriguing.
It’s not often that our work is blessed by a priest. But recently, thanks to a project for Sacred Heart Medical Center, we enjoyed such an occasion. While we’re not sure of the Father’s exact words, we thought we heard him quote Ezekiel: “they have made thy beauty perfect.”
Portrait of the Artist’s Father: William C. Herman (2010)
If you’re looking to enjoy a wonderful local art exhibition, visit the Lied Arts Center on the campus of Whitworth University. Bruce Herman’s Face to Face is only up through November 5, but it’s well worth the visit. For a preview, check out Herman’s work here.
J. Maureen Henderson offers up some thoughtful advice on the nuts and bolts of writing, a counter to the typical approach that, as she explains, is “like an article on getting rich that only tells you how to order champagne with élan, but doesn’t mention anything about how to make money in the first place.”
For what it’s worth, I’d be even more direct: Read. A lot.
It’s like jazz. It doesn’t matter how many theory books you consume, how many improvisation lessons you take, or that you’ve started referring to your friends as “hep cats”—if you don’t listen all the time to swing, bop, cool, and even fusion, you’ll never be a pro.
So. My advice to aspiring writers? Pick up a book. And when you’re done with that one, pick up another.
Elmore Leonard turns 86 today.
One of our intrepid readers—let’s call him “Curtis”—writes in to complain about the nounification of certain verbs:
When did the word “disconnect” become a noun? Has it always been a noun? What is wrong with “disconnection?” Do the two words, in noun form, convey two distinctively different things?…I heard it on NPR this morning so I had to ask.
Let’s take Curtis’s questions in order:
*H. W. Fowler, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (New York: Oxford UP, 1926) p. 739.
11th place, 2011: Dr. Jan Michels, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany
Nikon’s annual Small World Photomicrography Competition is regarded as “the leading forum for recognizing beauty and complexity as seen through the microscope.” Complexity, yes. Beauty? Not so sure about that.
Deadline for next year’s contest is April 30, 2012.
Moritz Resl has completed a project in which every letter of the over 900 fonts in his library—including the ugly ones—was drawn with low opacity, then overlaid one on top of the other. The result is an average of sorts. Intriguing, perhaps, but entirely predictable.
Last Friday was the unveiling of a very special installation. For the past several months, we’ve been working on a commemorative display for the Sisters of Providence in honor of their 125th anniversary as founders of Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Standing in front of the display, AMD’s Aaron Bragg is flanked by Bill Bouten (left) and Tim Thomas (right) of Bouten Construction. Both the Bouten family and the Thomas family contributed to the funding for the project.
Working in conjunction with Providence Sacred Heart Foundation, the Sisters of Providence, and major display donors, we researched, wrote, and designed this installation. The legacy of the Sisters’ contributions to patients, families, and our community is inspiring. For us, few projects are as meaningful as those that tell a unique story about people with a gift for compassion.
Quick: if you want to refer to the decade in which the moon landing occurred, do you write (a) 1960’s, or (b) 1960s? How about if you’re selling some vintage records at a garage sale? Does your sign read (a) LP’s for Sale, or (b) LPs for Sale?
If you answered “b” to both, congratulations. You’re correct, and you’re dismissed.
If you answered “a” to either one, you probably read the New York Times, so it’s not entirely your fault. But you’re both wrong.
Random samples I threw into the mix resulted in scores ranging from 72 to 81 percent—or from “go ahead and compare yourself to a summer’s day” to “the waters of the Avon almost lap at your feet.”
Give it a shot. And report your results in the comments below.
Behold: real-time information on the state of our roads. Somehow, I think that if street conditions were included in the criteria—like oh, I don’t know…potholes—Spokane would have a big fat dot over it. I mean c’mon. Anyone drive on Perry south of 29th lately?
