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Headshot of me with long hair, pink lip stick, light makeup Kara Babcock

Protest by reading seems about my speed

It’s been a good week. On Friday night I went to the school’s Year 11 prom. I wore a suit and trainers, with a new bow tie and even some bracers. And somehow I ended up winning Best Dancer (no one could step to that).

Meanwhile, on the Web this week, here’s what I found interesting:

  • I fondly remember watching Captain Planet as a kid. Looking back, it might seem cheesy (indeed, it probably seemed cheesy to me even then). But both the story and its pro-environmental message spoke to me. So I’m very excited and intrigued to learn that Sony has decided a Captain Planet move is in order. While we’re on the subject, does ayone else remember that one time Captain Planet turned people into trees?
  • Speaking of science and the environment, Bill Nye is one of my heroes. He’s one of the reasons I like to wear bow ties. Bill Nye the Science Guy was another favourite as a child. The New York Times has an excellent spotlight on him. Go read it!
  • Someone has put together an explanation of the various archetypes met during the Hero’s Journey (à la Campbell) using puppets.
  • I’m an introvert. And I was very intrigued to learn that, anecdotally, other introverts seem to share my aversion to spontaneous socializing. I much prefer to know plans in advance!
  • Those rumours about missing Doctor Who episodes were sadly just rumours.
  • However, while we are all waiting with bated breath for the 50th-anniversary special, you can read this sobre critique of race and gender in Doctor Who. Going beyond the current football of “who plays the Doctor”, once again we have a contrast between the Davies and Moffat eras’ portrayal of race and gender. Although I was super-excited when Moffat took over as the showrunner for Doctor Who, I have to admit to feeling let down over the past season or so.
  • This is awesome: in the midst of the various energetic, occasionally violent protests in Turkey, some protesters have elected to stand silently and read. The article across the link has plenty of amazing pictures of this phenomenon.

Enjoy your Sunday. I’ve just started Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, a cross-time play about math and poetry. I’ve also got to figure out what I’m doing with my sixth form students when they return on Thursday for three more weeks with me.