Jan
19
Since School Girl’s been out of school for a while now – and I’m not certain when she’ll be allowed back in, as we have to check with the doctor this morning – I thought we’d talk about a couple of events being celebrated today, illustrated with a couple of YouTube videos.
First, today’s the official celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in the US. Here’s the full version of his most famous speech:
And here’s a link to 10 other, less well-known but arguably more enlightening and uplifting, quotations from Dr. King, courtesy of The Bilerico Project. They’re all great, but my personal favorite is #10.
Today, January 19, is the 200th birthday of short-story writer, poet, and drunken opium junkie Edgar Allan Poe. I can say that, by the way, because I am a fan. A fan in huge capital letters, lit up by 1000 LEDs.
My introduction to Poe happened at a Halloween party at school. Our 4th-grade teacher thought it would be a great idea to have us listen to a scary story. The story he chose? “The Tell-Tale Heart”.
Just like “Dark Shadows” did several years before, it gave me nightmares. It also got me hooked on Poe, and introduced me to the short story “The Gold Bug”; still one of my favorites, and it was a real thrill to see Sullivan’s Island in person many years afterward.
I’ll also be working on something for myself today. Here’s a hint. Not sure if it’ll be finished…
