LKL’s Blog

And in news of the weird: Chinese education officials have scrapped a job cut plan that allowed single-parent teachers with children to stay in work after it prompted a rash of divorces… 41 teachers at a single school file[d] for divorce in a week… In comparison, their town divorced a total of 34 couples in [...]

I’m reading an interesting book: A History of the World in 6 Glasses, by Tom Standage. According to the author’s extensive research, six drinks – beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca Cola – have shaped the world in ways that I could never have imagined. I’m not a history buff, but somehow the retelling [...]

Tonight is the season premiere of Smallville. Yay! I became an addict about a year ago, when I caught a couple of episodes on TV and decided to order seasons 1-4 on DVD. I watched them all just in time to catch the reruns of the first 3 episodes of season 5 on TV before [...]

This week marks Google’s eighth birthday, and it is commemorated by yet another very clever doodle – take a close look at how many candles there are and what they spell out. Google Blog: How long is 8 years in Internet time?

A couple of years ago, when I’d finally paid off my student loans and starting building up a bit of a savings account, I thought it would be nice if my money did some good. I did a bunch of research and found Wainwright Bank, a bank in Boston with a social and environmental agenda. [...]

It’s one of the big questions, and the simple answer – live in a country where it’s spoken – is impractical for many people. Though my article addresses learning French, the essential concepts can be applied to any language: What Is the Best Way to Learn French?

Does anyone else mix up these words? They have completely different meanings, but whenever I see either one I have to think for a minute about which one it is. Of course I know what they mean, it’s just that the “philan” at the beginning of both words throws me off, so I thought I’d [...]

My favorite French radio station is Le Mouv’. I started listening to it when I lived in Toulouse, and before I left I managed to find it on the internet. It’s a fairly good mix of music, mainly alternative rock (which they call indé, an apocope of indépendant), about half in French and half in [...]

I just saw one of the funniest movies ever – Noises Off, with Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Carol Burnett, Denholm Elliott, Julie Hagerty, Nicolette Sheridan, and Marilu Henner! Since it’s over 10 years old, it’s unlikely I would have ever picked it out myself, but I will forever be grateful that Netflix recommended it. The [...]

Last week I drove down to South Carolina with my husband and mother. Since it was a 12-hour trip, we rented a car and drove in two-hour shifts. Like many drivers, my husband and mother both tend to be a bit lead-footed on long trips, commonly going 15-20 miles over the limit. As for myself, [...]