The LOOP Print Emailer

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The LOOP Print Emailer

Friday 14 April 2000

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NEWS

C'EST LA VIE

The Acadamie Francaise, watchdog of the French language, is striking out against a percieved decline in appreciation for the country's language and literature. Stage One: verbally attack High School literature studies courses which, say the venerated Acadamie, have already killed off the classical languages and are now destroying language and literature itself. Stage Two: ban the word 'email', in a seminal instance of dastardly anti-traditional cultural misappropriation.

CYBERTEXT

Is the texbook dead? Maybe not, but a strong trend is emerging for teachers to include multimedia, virtual tours and online chat sessions in their lessons. Jim Masler, a history teacher in Santa Barbara, California, says that "the internet provides so much more than I could ever provide access to and my students' parents could ever afford." Educators world-wide are looking more to the internet for curriculum with whizz-bang impact, though whether it will supplement traditional resources or replace them altogether we must wait and see.

- compiled by Mark Ballinger

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TRIVIA

READ LIKE THE STARS

In one of the more useless bits of information we've come across recently... the favorite books of various celebrities. Who compiles these things?

Gillian Anderson: When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

Tony Blair: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

Jackie Collins: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

David Copperfield: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Lisa Loeb: Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl

Christina Ricci: The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis

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USA NON-FICTION BEST-SELLERS, AND WHY NOT TO READ THEM

1 - WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? by Spencer Johnson, Putnam, 94 pages. Johnson offers ways to deal with change, in the manner of his best-seller The One Minute Manager.

Who Moved My Cheese? Who the hell cares? It's just cheese buddy...

2 - EATING WELL FOR OPTIMUM HEALTH: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO FOOD, DIET AND NUTRITION by Andrew Weil, Knopf, 320 pages. Weil clarifies a lot of recent, often conflicting, information on food, diets, nutrition and supplements and offers his own recommendations for healthy eating.

Confused by The Zone? Sick of the Hip and Thigh Diet? Can't figure out if you can eat protein only 74 minutes after consuming a carbohydrate? Stop eating MacDonalds and go for a walk, pie-ass.

3 - BODY FOR LIFE by Bill Phillips and Michael D'Orso, HarperCollins, 203 pages. A 12-step program offers exercises and nutritional and motivational tips to achieve a better body.

Coming up, a 12-step programme for 12-step addicts.

4 - TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE by Mitch Albom, Doubleday, 192 pages. Sportswriter Mitch Albom reunites once a week with his college mentor, Morrie Schwartz, who is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease.

Hey! This one's actually pretty good. Check it out.

5 - RELATIONSHIP RESCUE by Phillip C. McGraw, Hyperion, 256 pages. This 'relationship' fix book from Life Strategies author McGraw counsels couples by diagnosing problems, offering fixes and advice on keeping a relationship in good shape.

Or you could just buy yourself a copy of The Rules and find a brand new 'relationship'.

6 - THE ROCK SAYS by the Rock, with Joe Layden, Regan Books, 224 pages. This WWF star tells his own story intermingled with the history of wrestling.

The 'with Joe Layden' bit says it all. Though I guess the Rock must've chucked in 10 or 12 words to get his clever name on the cover.

7 - HOW TO KNOW GOD by Deepak Chopra, Harmony, 319 pages. Chopra offers his theory that knowing God is a process for everyone.

Better watch it here - He knows when I'm sleeping, He knows when I'm awake... Hang on, that's Satan. Santa. Whatever.

8 - THE CASE AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON by Peggy Noonan, Regan Books. Noonan claims she does not hate Clinton, but merely has disdain for her, as she chronicles the various scandals of the Clinton White House and the first lady's role in those scandals.

Or read Erica Jung's fascinating essay (in her latest book, What Women Want), if you're after an intelligent commentary.

9 - A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS by Dave Eggers, Simon & Schuster, 375 pages. Eggers becomes an instant single parent and an orphan when his parents die within five months of each other and he is left to raise his 8-year-old brother.

Or wait for the mini-series.

10 - THE BODYGUARD'S STORY by Trevor Reese Jones, Warner Books, 336 pages. Reese-Jones, bodyguard to Dodi Fayed, offers his version of the car accident that killed Princess Diana and discusses his life since the accident.

Watch this space for a review (we couldn't resist).

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