To Scare Themselves?

The approach of Halloween has made me think about books, movies, etc that just plain give me the chills. Reading "the Tell-Tale Heart," watching Psycho -- definitely the all time scariest film I've ever seen, or reading In cold Blood makes children dressed as princesses or Star Wars characters not-at-all scary by comparison.

What is the scary film of this generation? The Scary novel? Any nominees?

To Play Trivial Pursuit?

Had a super time last night playing Trivial Pursuit against some really smart English majors. We played the "book lovers" edition, but I thought it should be retitled the "trashy book lovers" edition because it was heavy on Danielle Steele and light on William Shakespeare. Our next intellectual game night should be "Taboo" -- my favorite word game of all time!

To Volunteer at the Trenton Public Library?

Faculty, staff, and students (in alphabetic order, rather than order of importance) face unprecedented challenges because of the economic crisis in the United States and around the world. Over the last year, tuitions have risen, salaries have fallen, and institutions have struggled to manage enrollments and endowments.

In late summer, faculty at The College of New Jersey learned that they would have to take seven furlough days in the 2009-2010 year, reducing their pay by 10%. The response was a mixture of anger, resentment, shock, disbelief, and resignation. But a number of faculty members took the opportunity, with Prof. David Blake's leadership, to use that furlough time productively and in a way that demonstrated the commitment of higher education professionals to their larger communities.

Sigma Tau Delta members (and moderators) have continued this volunteer effort, sorting hundreds of books for the Trenton Public Library book sale.

from Prof. Felicia Steele, moderator: When I went to the library the first time, I was struck by all the activity going on there, even though huge parts of the library were closed to the general public. Every computer was being used, teenagers were in the stacks reading books, and patrons of all ages were coming in and out. The library definitely seemed to be a happy hub in this community. It seemed like a perfect match between Sigma Tau Delta and a community service site.