Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Smart TalkSMART TALK
by Dr. Molto Breve

IT IS NOT UNCOMMON:  Efficient language is smarter language.  Say it with me: Efficient language is smarter language.

What does this imply about academics who love superfluous double and triple negatives?  Lest we get too censorious, let's remember that they often write for scholarly quarterlies.  These unreadable publications encourage poor style, because obfuscation confuses rival scholars.

And it is common, indeed.  Astute reader Jerry Davis of La Crosse, Wisconsin, sent a complaint about ostentatious multiple negatives to the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired.  Thanks to Mr. Davis, we've added this impairment to our treatment list for college level staff.

The same ivy-choked brains may say, "I'm not saying you're not noncommittal."  That's the pot calling the kettle nonwhite.

All good thinking can be expressed in clear, simple English.  If one truly knows his or her subject, he or she should be able to make a reasonably bright twelve-year-old understand it.  Anything.

Say it again: Efficient language is smarter language.

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If you are a Narnia fan you will probably want 'The Chronicals of Narnia Prince Caspian Puzzle Book.  The book is themed on the new Narnia movie with puzzles by Sam Bellotto, Jr.  Belloto is a software developer and crossword puzzle constructor whose puzzles appear in a variety of newspapers around the U.S. including the Lansing Star.  The Narnia book includes crossword puzzles, of course, as well as word searches, and mazes, among others.

The puzzles are designed to test your Narnia knowledge.  But if you need to bone up, the book begins with a Narnia reference guide, a short glossary of Narniana.  The first challenge is Miraz's Maze, in which you must get Prince Caspian safely to the forest.  That is followed by Cair Paravel Crossword, Truffle-Hunter's Word-Doku, the Satyr Scramble and more than 35 other challenges.

In Reepicheep's Letter Stack you are give a crossword puzzle-looking page, but with a stack of letters in the bottom squares.  You must reposition the letters to spell words like Centaur -- I won't give away any of the others.  Next you must work out a secret code to find a Magic Movie Quote.  Bellotto has shifted the letters.  He tells you how the code works, then leaves the decoding to you.

From Thursday, July 3 through Saturday, July 5 , one of the world's most loved characters will come to life on the Hangar stage with Blanche Marvin's adaptation of Pinocchio. With song, dance, drama and just enough audience participation, Pinocchio will be sure to bring joy and excitement to the young and the young at heart. This rendition of the classic Italian folktale will be performed at 10am and noon on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Marvin's adaptation not only draws from Carlo Collodi's timeless tale of the wooden puppet, but also from Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author. A group of actors take the stage and argue over who will play each role in order to retell the story of Pinocchio. While interrupting and critiquing each other and bouncing between characters, the cast creates a drama all their own as Pinocchio learns to follow his conscience and learn right from wrong in order to become a real boy. Pinocchio is made possible at the Hangar Theatre with the support of Family Medicine Associates of Ithaca. The KIDDSTUFF season is made possible by season sponsor Wegmans and season media sponsors Ithaca Child and Ithacamoms.com.

(Ithaca, NY) Downtown Ithaca’s 9th annual Art in the Heart of the City program is expanding in several ways this year, including the addition of the arts to the city’s already vast array of  sustainability initiatives.

The 2008 Art in the Heart of the City program is sponsored by the Community Arts Partnership.  “Green and Sustainable Art” is this year’s theme. Every sculpture being displayed this year is made of all natural or recycled materials. Art in the Heart of the City has previously featured works made from recycled materials, but what’s new and different this year is the way the program will change and in some ways expand. 

The expansions are designed to encourage more community participation in the program A new, online gallery featuring the sculptures will be created and the Dowtown Ithaca Alliance and Community Arts Partnership will collaborate with area arts, sustainability and education groups for public programs that call on Arts at the Heart of the City as a framework for exploring what becoming a sustainable community can mean.

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You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. If you do not have Java installed you can obtain it from java.com. If do have Java you may need to check your security settings to make sure that applets are enabled, especially if you are viewing the puzzle from your hard disk. In Windows XP you may be able to enable the applet by clicking on the yellow bar at the top of the window and selecting "Allow blocked content".

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Smart TalkSMART TALK
by Dr. Laconia Crisp

NO TRESPASSING ALLOWED:  Signs around the grounds of the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired just say Keep Out.  After all, we treat a lot of famous people, and they value their privacy as much as the rest of us.

Of course, No Trespassing would do, but the advertising industry has taught us that the simple message works best.  So Keep Out it is. 

Signs like No Trespassing Allowed, or No Parking Allowed, when No Parking says it all, remind me of armed and dangerous.  I'm waiting to hear of a fugitive who's armed but perfectly safe to approach.

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You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. If you do not have Java installed you can obtain it from java.com. If do have Java you may need to check your security settings to make sure that applets are enabled, especially if you are viewing the puzzle from your hard disk. In Windows XP you may be able to enable the applet by clicking on the yellow bar at the top of the window and selecting "Allow blocked content".

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Lisa Bushlow, Executive Director of The Hangar Theatre, has announced the selection of Peter Flynn as the theatre's new Artistic Director. Based in New York, Flynn has extensive experience as a director and teacher, and is a prominent force in the development of children's theatre. "We are not just pleased to have Peter Flynn as our new Artistic Director," said Bushlow. "We are thrilled. We are ecstatic. He was our unanimous first choice."

Bushlow went on to say, "Peter Flynn will build on the vision of past artistic leaders, including Robert Moss, Mark Ramont and Kevin Moriarty. With his experience and enthusiasm, we look forward to a new integration of our professional summer season, our acclaimed training programs, and our year-round education programs in local schools."

SMART TALK
by Dr. Laconia Crisp

NO PARKING ANY TIME:  Perhaps writers of warning signs are of the ilk who officiously say lacerations and contusions instead of cuts and bruises, hoping someone, anyone, will think they might have a medical degree.

No Parking Any Time is no improvement over No Parking.  After all, since when did No Parking mean you could park there at, say three in the morning?  As the tee shirt says, What part of NO don't you understand?

To the linguistically impaired, No Parking Any Time has a huge attraction: twice the words.  Like the pompous official who describes a car as traveling at a high rate of speed instead of going fast, the sign maker may hope to sound like a lawyer.

At the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired, we show our patients how using bloated language impresses only those even more ignorant.

The prizewinner, however, is a real "Wet Paint" sign we saw with the helpful additional information, Applied With Paint Applicators.

Food for thought there.

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