The Natoinal Spellign Eeb

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“Revelatory... Harris's sly wit and infectious curiosity make understanding world chaos fascinating... witty, horrific, and necessary.”

-- Boston Globe

"Brave... irreverent... charges into the thick of the globe's myriad simmering wars... hilariously relaxed."

-- New York Observer

“Fascinating, enlightening, and surprisingly: NOT TOTALLY DEPRESSING.”

-- John Hodgman,
author, The Areas of My Expertise and correspondent for The Daily Show

"A rollicking ride of intellectual discovery and emotional growth... his comic timing never fails"

-- The Wall Street Journal

"A surprisingly touching memoir"

-- Entertainment Weekly

"Effortlessly funny and informative... tender, human, and very wise... A must for anyone who loves Jeopardy!, or has ever seen it, or is breathing."

-- Joss Whedon, creator, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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The Natoinal Spellign Eeb

General Incompetence

Photographer Amy Davis of the Baltimore Sun should get some sort of medal for this picture from last night's Spelling Bee, which is now on the AP wire:

Wow. That's absoluetly pefrect.

If you want to verify the pic, it's #8 in the Spelling Bee pics here; it also lives on the Sun website here.

UPDATE: I don't know if anyone else picked up on it, but when given the chance to pick her favorite word, contestant Isabel Jacobson from Wisconsin chose Kakistocracy, meaning "rule by the worst possible people."

A cleverly slipped-in political statement? Maybe so.

Later on, they showed footage of the finalists being given a surprise visit to the White House, including a squirm-inducing group face-to-face with the First Lady, who treated some of the brightest kids in America as if they were almost as dim as her husband. Isabel was barely visible, apparently sitting in the back with her knees bent up in front of her. If I had to guess from her body language, she seemed unsure whether to hide or display discomfort. One thing I do know: every time the camera panned the back row, it cut away before getting to Isabel. Maybe she didn't display the requisite sense of childlike wonder while being condescended.

You go, girl.

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