Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Announcement—Changes in the New Year:
This is it for the year for me. I’m dead tired, and have people in town, and the whole bit. I plan to sleep all of next week, and when I wake up, I’ll go right back to bed to sleep some more. (Should we have some major event next week, I’ll be there.)
I’ll see you again Jan. 3, just after the new year. My next About Arlington comes out in the Connection at about that same time. Simply call 703-917-6465, and they’ll set-up a FREE SUBSCRIPTION for you (if you live in Arlington).
I’ll be changing my posting in the new year, too, as I’ll have to teach more next semester. I won’t have time to do two a week. I’ll only post on Wednesdays, with “Extras” as needed.
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My daughter is a world record holder*
My daughter Hazel, along with most of the other students at F. Scott Key Elementary School, won a Guinness World Record** by reading “Charlotte’s Web”*** simultaneously, aloud, on Wednesday Dec. 13.
Walden Media, producers of the new Charlotte’s Web movie, were the coordinators of the event****.
According to the Break the Record Web Site:
“The current record for Most People Reading Aloud Simultaneously is held by 155,528 students from 737 schools in the United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth’s poem, ‘Daffodils,’ on March 19, 2004.*****”
We wait to hear results from the brewers******. In the mean time, I say quaff a few for luck*******.
*Along with 547,825 other kids, in 50 states and 28 countries—I’m still wondering if they woke up kids at 2 a.m. in some of these countries to read, just askin’.
**The results haven’t been verified yet, and it’s quite the process, including police officers (or even newspaper editors) to verify the number of readers at each location and that such thing.
***They didn’t read the whole book, and in fact, I arrived at 12:04 (four minutes after the start) to find it was all over.
****Along with a few other media mogul types, such as Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.
*****I tried both the Guinness Book itself (the 2005, 50th Anniversary Edition) and their web site, but couldn’t verify the number listed by the Walden Media web site.
******The documents from the schools showing that they completed it, the number of students involved, etc., are due to the coordinators on Jan. 3.
*******As this is my final post before the new year, I might just start now!
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Truck Blocks Southbound George Mason
This is the least news-filled news I’ve ever written:
At about 8:30 a.m. today, an 18-wheeled tractor-trailer blocked the southbound lanes of N. George Mason Drive at N. 4th Street. The rear tires of the trailer were up on the median; the front tires of the tractor were on George Mason’s sidewalk. Traffic backed up to the Lubber Run Center at Park Drive.
Neither the truck nor other vehicles appeared damaged; police were on the scene, but no ambulances or other emergency vehicles.
The police had no further information. They will have a report soon.
This reporter’s guess: the truck driver left 4th Street and miscalculated how tight the turn onto George Mason was and got himself stuck, nothing more. When we hear from the police we’ll let you know.
This is it for the year for me. I’m dead tired, and have people in town, and the whole bit. I plan to sleep all of next week, and when I wake up, I’ll go right back to bed to sleep some more. (Should we have some major event next week, I’ll be there.)
I’ll see you again Jan. 3, just after the new year. My next About Arlington comes out in the Connection at about that same time. Simply call 703-917-6465, and they’ll set-up a FREE SUBSCRIPTION for you (if you live in Arlington).
I’ll be changing my posting in the new year, too, as I’ll have to teach more next semester. I won’t have time to do two a week. I’ll only post on Wednesdays, with “Extras” as needed.
++++++++++
My daughter is a world record holder*
My daughter Hazel, along with most of the other students at F. Scott Key Elementary School, won a Guinness World Record** by reading “Charlotte’s Web”*** simultaneously, aloud, on Wednesday Dec. 13.
Walden Media, producers of the new Charlotte’s Web movie, were the coordinators of the event****.
According to the Break the Record Web Site:
“The current record for Most People Reading Aloud Simultaneously is held by 155,528 students from 737 schools in the United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth’s poem, ‘Daffodils,’ on March 19, 2004.*****”
We wait to hear results from the brewers******. In the mean time, I say quaff a few for luck*******.
*Along with 547,825 other kids, in 50 states and 28 countries—I’m still wondering if they woke up kids at 2 a.m. in some of these countries to read, just askin’.
**The results haven’t been verified yet, and it’s quite the process, including police officers (or even newspaper editors) to verify the number of readers at each location and that such thing.
***They didn’t read the whole book, and in fact, I arrived at 12:04 (four minutes after the start) to find it was all over.
****Along with a few other media mogul types, such as Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.
*****I tried both the Guinness Book itself (the 2005, 50th Anniversary Edition) and their web site, but couldn’t verify the number listed by the Walden Media web site.
******The documents from the schools showing that they completed it, the number of students involved, etc., are due to the coordinators on Jan. 3.
*******As this is my final post before the new year, I might just start now!
++++++++++
Truck Blocks Southbound George Mason
This is the least news-filled news I’ve ever written:
At about 8:30 a.m. today, an 18-wheeled tractor-trailer blocked the southbound lanes of N. George Mason Drive at N. 4th Street. The rear tires of the trailer were up on the median; the front tires of the tractor were on George Mason’s sidewalk. Traffic backed up to the Lubber Run Center at Park Drive.
Neither the truck nor other vehicles appeared damaged; police were on the scene, but no ambulances or other emergency vehicles.
The police had no further information. They will have a report soon.
This reporter’s guess: the truck driver left 4th Street and miscalculated how tight the turn onto George Mason was and got himself stuck, nothing more. When we hear from the police we’ll let you know.
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