Book Nook

Book Nook: ‘Fuzzy Nation’ by John Scalzi

This book offers the reader a snarky sci-fi look at intelligent life and corporate ethics through the lens of a morally ambiguous rogue who’s a bit of a jerk (just for fun).

Title: Fuzzy Nation Author: John Scalzi Genre: Science-fiction The gist: Fuzzy Nation is a modern ‘reboot’ and reimagining of ‘Little Fuzzy’ by H. Beam Piper from 1962. It offers the reader a snarky sci-fi look at intelligent life and corporate ethics through the lens of a morally ambiguous rogue who’s a bit of a jerk (just for fun) and makes a circus of legal courtroom procedures in the most amusing way. It also has velociraptors, because who doesn’t love the threat of a good velociraptor-maiming scene? Cover art: The cover is fairly typical of sci-fi but it works and captures the scene where human meets otherworldly life. I really like how the spine has a headshot of both the main character and the Fuzzy, both of whom look much how I …

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Five Things to Know about Blogging for Hellertown Patch

It's your voice, and it's free. Learn more about how to blog for Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch.

Things change fast on Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch. Up until now, we've primarily been a news source, written by our staff and freelancers. But on May 4, we're hoping to add a new voice to the site: Yours. Got something to say about life in the Saucon Valley or news to spread? Need a forum for your community group or activity? Want to teach something? Or are you simply eager to share your views? Then read on and see if a Hellertown Patch blog is right for you. If that sounds good to you, e-mail josh.popichak@patch.com and we'll get talking about how to make it happen. If you've got a sample of the type of writing you'd like to do, send it along as well.

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Blog on Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch!

Got something to say? Patch.com is adding a platform for local bloggers on May 4.

Beginning May 4, Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch will be making room for local bloggers on the site, and it's free. We're looking for bloggers who can riff on various topics, share their personalities and engage our readers in discussions. Patch is more than a news site. It's an online conversation about your community. Then, we want to hear from you. This isn't a reporting job. It's a "blog-ortunity." You write what you want to say, when you want to say it. Do it on your schedule, at your convenience, whether that's every day or a couple times a month. Patch won't own what you post, so you can repost your entries to your other blogs. Much like The Huffington Post has done, Patch is providing local bloggers an online platform to have their …

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Local Scrapbooking Business Announces New Blog

Happy Inspirational Scrappin will feature a monthly challenge to inspire and motivate crafters.

Are you an avid scrapbooker? Or are you perhaps curious about scrapbooking and interested in learning more about why it's become such a beloved hobby for many local people? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, you might want to check out the "Happy Inspirational Scrappin" blog started by local scrapbooking business owner Amy Musser. Musser, who founded and owns Hellertown's Scrapbooking’s Inn, started the blog about a year ago. Along with a team of eight crafty girls, she uses the blog to help motivate and inspire crafters to live more positively by doing something they love.  Happy Inspirational Scrappin functions as an online challenge blog and is open to anyone who loves crafting. The monthly challenge featured on the …

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Blogging Teacher Gets Her 15 Minutes of Fame on National TV

The resulting brouhaha will evolve into her winning lottery ticket.

I was surprised--although I probably shouldn’t have been--when I sat down in front of the television with my first cup of coffee one recent morning. There she was--the infamous blogging teacher of Central Bucks East High School--appearing on a national television morning news shows in order to state her case to the American public. And, who was sitting by her side? An attorney. Another shocker. Yes--I know--"innocent until proven guilty" and everyone is entitled to tell their side of the story before punitive actions are taken by employers. But Natalie Munroe, the infamous blogging teacher, showed enough media savvy to appear in front of millions of Americans to explain herself by stating: Of all the points made in the short made-for-…

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Life in the Slow Lane

Central Bucks Teacher: Truth Teller or Ineffective Educator?

Maybe both, if you believe comments from some of her students.

Writer and commentator Michael Kinsley once said, “A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth.” Central Bucks East High School teacher Natalie Munroe might argue that that’s what she was punished for when she was suspended earlier this month for saying nasty things about unnamed students and colleagues on her personal blog. I think the issue is deeper than that. In case you’ve been in a coma in the last two weeks and missed the story in the national media, Sarah Larson, editor of the Doylestown-Buckingham-New Britain Patch, did a great job of reporting it and included some of the comments that got Munroe in trouble. According to Larson, these are a few ways Munroe wished she could describe some of her students to their parents: …

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Bucks County Teacher Suspended for Blogging About Students

A cautionary tale about mixing work with social media.

A Central Bucks East High School English teacher has been removed from the school after a controversial blog post from a year ago enraged her current and former students and parents on Tuesday. Natalie Munroe, who has been at Central Bucks East since 2006, teaches English. CB East principal Abram Lucabaugh said Wednesday morning that he and the district administrators found out about the post this morning. “We were made aware of the situation this morning,” Lucabaugh said. “I have removed the teacher from the school. The matter is currently under investigation.” Lucabaugh referred questions about policies for teachers and staff about online behavior to the school district. Central Bucks School District spokeswoman Carol Counihan said …

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