Arts & Life

Nathan J. Marcisz of Marion, Ind., focuses intently as he spells a word during the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

What's A Thamakau? Spelling Bee Is More About Entertainment Than English

1:37pm June 11, 2015

by Geoff Nunberg

Linguist Geoff Nunberg says it's fitting that the Scripps National Spelling Bee is broadcast by ESPN. (And, by the way, a thamakau is a kind of canoe used in Fiji.)

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Books
Arts

The Truth About 'Mike's Place'

9:56am June 11, 2015

by Etelka Lehoczky

Mike's Place is a real-life beach bar in Tel Aviv that could be Israel's answer to Cheers. But it's no sitcom. A graphic novel recounts the 2003 suicide bombing that left owners and patrons in shock.

Dial-A-Giant

12:38am June 11, 2015

The legendary alt-rock duo talks about keeping up with modern times and leads a game where all the answers are wrong.

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Arts

Hey, I'm Walkin' Here!

12:38am June 11, 2015

In this game, contestants summon their inner Ratso Rizzo as they answer questions while invoking his infamous line, "Hey, I'm walkin' here!"

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Arts

Egalitarian Nerds Maps

12:38am June 11, 2015

"Egalitarian Nerds Maps" is an anagram of the phrase "Presidential Anagrams." Our first president — "He's a Towering Gong," anagrammatically speaking.

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Arts

Best Piece Of Trivia You Learned This Week: Psychopath Edition

12:38am June 11, 2015

True or false — psychopaths are insusceptible to contagious yawning. Ophira Eisenberg and Jonathan Coulton get down to the scary truth.

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Arts

Fields Of This

12:38am June 11, 2015

They Might Be Giants join Jonathan Coulton in ruining the Sting song 'Fields of Gold' by singing about other elements on the periodic table.

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Arts

Melted

12:38am June 11, 2015

In this final round, contestants must guess the correct movie titles upon hearing their opposite wording. For example: 'Melted' would be the opposite of the movie Frozen.

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Juan Felipe Herrera won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2008 for his collection Half of the World in Light.

Books
Arts

Juan Felipe Herrera Named U.S. Poet Laureate

7:20pm June 10, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Already California's poet laureate, the prolific Chicano writer bears an enduring fascination for his native state — and a passion for teaching that's likely to shape his time in the new role.

Actor David Gulpilil gives a genuinely wrenching performance in Charlie's Country

Arts

'Charlie's Country': A Worn Landscape That's Both Sad And Majestic

6:55pm June 10, 2015

by Bob Mondello

NPR's Bob Mondello reviews a dramatic film about an aboriginal hunter who yearns for a life in Australia, like the one his parents had.

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