Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Answer of the Day
Have any of Ursula Le Guin's writings been adapted for the screen? Ursula K. Le Guin, best known for her Earthsea and Catwings book series, is the author of books of poetry, novels, short stories, essays, books for children, young adults and adults, screenplays and verbal texts for musicians. Known for her feminist views, Le Guin has said about her ability to write while raising three children, "One person cannot do two full-time jobs, but two persons can do three full-time jobs — if they honestly share the work." She is the recipient of a National Book Award, a PEN/Malamud Award, the Pushcart Prize and numerous Hugo and Nebula awards. Her novels The Lathe of Heaven, The Dispossessed and The Word for World is Forest were adapted for the screen, as were the Earthsea books. Happy birthday to Ursula Le Guin, who turns 80 today.

Quote
"To hear, one must be silent." — Ursula K. Le Guin

Word of the day
ultracrepidarian

[adj] going beyond one's proper province; giving opinions on matters beyond one's knowledge
[n] one who ventures beyond his scope; an ignorant or presumptuous critic

(© Michael A. Fischer)

Today's History

Reenactment of the Battle of Trafalgar 2005

• Old Ironsides: the United States Navy frigate USS Constitution was launched in Boston Harbor (1797)
• Battle of Trafalgar: with the simple declaration "England expects that every man will do his duty," Admiral Horatio Nelson won a tremendous victory over Napoleon's fleet off Spain's southwestern coast; it came at the cost of his life (1805)
• Guggenheim: stunning Frank Lloyd Wright structure housing a museum of modern art opened on Museum Mile in New York (1959)

Today's Birthdays

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

• Alfred Nobel (1833-1896): inventor of dynamite, founder of the Nobel Prize
• Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993): jazz trumpeter; and, musicians Georg Solti (1912-1997), Celia Cruz (1925?-2003), Manfred Mann (69) and Lee Loughnane (63)
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834): author of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• Martin Gardner (95): math puzzler
• Judy Sheindlin (67): TV's Judge Judy
• Benjamin Netanyahu (60): Israeli PM
• Kim Kardashian (29): socialite/reality TV star, Keeping Up With the Kardashians; also, actors Joyce Randolph (85), Carrie Fisher (53), Ken Watanabe (50), Will Estes (31) and Matt Dallas (27)
• Willis McGahee (28): Ravens running back; plus, MLB legend Whitey Ford (81)