Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Top-Rated Olympians on the Web
The Yahoo Buzz Log takes a look at the Olympian gods. Which ones get the most search requests on the Internet? You may be surprised who's at the top. Check it out here. If you follow the searches and look at all the companies that take their names from Greek gods, you'll see that the Greek myths are still very much with us in the 21st century.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
More Greek God Weirdness
We just found this posted from Associated Press -- another story about an attempt by a tiny fringe group of Greeks to revive the worship of the Greek gods. For years, worshipping the Greek gods has been against the law in Greece. Now, this group is seeing how far freedom of religion can go. I love Greek myths, but why anyone would want to worship the Greek pantheon is beyond me. Still, it'll be an interesting court case to watch.
Zeus worshippers demand access to temple
DEREK GATOPOULOS, Associated Press WriterFri Jan 19, 1:07 PM ET
After all these centuries, Zeus may have a few thunderbolts left. A tiny group of worshippers plans a rare ceremony Sunday to honor the ancient Greek gods, at Athens' 1,800-year-old Temple of Olympian Zeus. Greece's Culture Ministry has declared the central Athens site off-limits, but worshippers say they will defy the decision.
"These are our temples and they should be used by followers of our religion," said Doreta Peppa, head of the Athens-based Ellinais, a group campaigning to revive the ancient religion.
"Of course we will go ahead with the event ... we will enter the site legally," said Peppa, who calls herself a high priestess of the revived faith. "We will issue a call for peace, who can be opposed to that?"
Peppa said the ceremony will be held in honor of Zeus, king of the ancient gods, but did not give other details. The daily Ethnos newspaper, citing the group's application to the Culture Ministry to use the site, said the 90-minute event would include hymns, dancers, torchbearers, and worshippers in ancient costumes.
Greece's archaic religion is believed to have several hundred official followers, mainly middle-aged and elderly academics, lawyers and other professionals. They typically share a keen interest in ancient history and a dislike for the Greek Orthodox Church.
Ancient rituals are re-enacted every two years at Olympia, in southern Greece, where the flame lighting ceremony is held for the summer and winter Olympic games. But the event is not regarded as a religious ceremony and actresses are used to pose as high priestesses.
Last year, the Culture Ministry, fearing damage to monuments, blocked an initiative to hold an international track meet at Olympia. A panel of ministry experts ruled against Sunday's ancient ceremony at the ruins of the Temple of Zeus on similar grounds.
"Ancient sites are not available for this kind of event," ministry official Eliza Kyrtsoglou said. It was not clear whether the government had plans to block the worshippers.
Peppa's group, dedicated to reviving worship of the 12 ancient gods, was founded last year and won a court battle for official state recognition of the ancient Greek religion.
Those who seek to revive the ancient Greek religion are split into rival organizations which trade insults over the Internet. Peppa's group is at odds with ultra-nationalists who view a revival as a way to protect Greek identity from foreign influences.
They can't even agree on a name for the religion: One camp calls it Ancient-Religion, another Hellenic Religion.
The worshippers also face another obstacle: Greece's powerful Orthodox Church.
About 97 percent of native born Greeks are baptized Orthodox Christian, and the church regards ancient religious practices as pagan. Representatives of the church in the past have not attended flame ceremonies at Olympia because reference is made to Apollo, the ancient god of music and light.
Christianity took hold in Greece in the 4th century after Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion. Emperor Theodosius wiped out the last vestige of the Olympian gods when he abolished the Olympic Games in 394 A.D. The modern revival of the Olympiad maintains a slender link to ancient ceremonies.
"Christianity did not prevail without bloodshed," said Peppa, a novelist and historical writer. "After 16 centuries of negativity toward us, we've gotten something in our favor."
Ellinais is demanding government approval for its downtown offices to be registered as a place of worship — a move that could allow the group to perform weddings and other ceremonies. They threaten further court action unless that permission is granted.
"There should be respect for people who want to express their religious feelings in a different way, that is not the typical Orthodox or Christian way," Peppa said. "We should not be stopped or denied our rights."
Zeus worshippers demand access to temple
DEREK GATOPOULOS, Associated Press WriterFri Jan 19, 1:07 PM ET
After all these centuries, Zeus may have a few thunderbolts left. A tiny group of worshippers plans a rare ceremony Sunday to honor the ancient Greek gods, at Athens' 1,800-year-old Temple of Olympian Zeus. Greece's Culture Ministry has declared the central Athens site off-limits, but worshippers say they will defy the decision.
"These are our temples and they should be used by followers of our religion," said Doreta Peppa, head of the Athens-based Ellinais, a group campaigning to revive the ancient religion.
"Of course we will go ahead with the event ... we will enter the site legally," said Peppa, who calls herself a high priestess of the revived faith. "We will issue a call for peace, who can be opposed to that?"
Peppa said the ceremony will be held in honor of Zeus, king of the ancient gods, but did not give other details. The daily Ethnos newspaper, citing the group's application to the Culture Ministry to use the site, said the 90-minute event would include hymns, dancers, torchbearers, and worshippers in ancient costumes.
Greece's archaic religion is believed to have several hundred official followers, mainly middle-aged and elderly academics, lawyers and other professionals. They typically share a keen interest in ancient history and a dislike for the Greek Orthodox Church.
Ancient rituals are re-enacted every two years at Olympia, in southern Greece, where the flame lighting ceremony is held for the summer and winter Olympic games. But the event is not regarded as a religious ceremony and actresses are used to pose as high priestesses.
Last year, the Culture Ministry, fearing damage to monuments, blocked an initiative to hold an international track meet at Olympia. A panel of ministry experts ruled against Sunday's ancient ceremony at the ruins of the Temple of Zeus on similar grounds.
"Ancient sites are not available for this kind of event," ministry official Eliza Kyrtsoglou said. It was not clear whether the government had plans to block the worshippers.
Peppa's group, dedicated to reviving worship of the 12 ancient gods, was founded last year and won a court battle for official state recognition of the ancient Greek religion.
Those who seek to revive the ancient Greek religion are split into rival organizations which trade insults over the Internet. Peppa's group is at odds with ultra-nationalists who view a revival as a way to protect Greek identity from foreign influences.
They can't even agree on a name for the religion: One camp calls it Ancient-Religion, another Hellenic Religion.
The worshippers also face another obstacle: Greece's powerful Orthodox Church.
About 97 percent of native born Greeks are baptized Orthodox Christian, and the church regards ancient religious practices as pagan. Representatives of the church in the past have not attended flame ceremonies at Olympia because reference is made to Apollo, the ancient god of music and light.
Christianity took hold in Greece in the 4th century after Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion. Emperor Theodosius wiped out the last vestige of the Olympian gods when he abolished the Olympic Games in 394 A.D. The modern revival of the Olympiad maintains a slender link to ancient ceremonies.
"Christianity did not prevail without bloodshed," said Peppa, a novelist and historical writer. "After 16 centuries of negativity toward us, we've gotten something in our favor."
Ellinais is demanding government approval for its downtown offices to be registered as a place of worship — a move that could allow the group to perform weddings and other ceremonies. They threaten further court action unless that permission is granted.
"There should be respect for people who want to express their religious feelings in a different way, that is not the typical Orthodox or Christian way," Peppa said. "We should not be stopped or denied our rights."
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
A Visit to Gatesville
I love doing school visits because I never know what to expect. My first trip after the holidays was to Gatesville, Texas, a small town near Waco. I had no idea that I would actually be visiting Camp Half-Blood! The students and staff had worked so hard to transform their school into camp. The classrooms turned into cabins. Many of the sixth graders were dressed as characters from the book. Amazing artwork was everywhere. It was just an incredible day. To see pictures of the projects they created, click here. And thanks, Gatesville, for a perfect school visit!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Camp Half-Blood 2007
Every month I get many questions about the real Camp Half-Blood, which will be held again in Austin this summer. This is brought to you by BookPeople and their fearless community outreach director, Topher Bradfield. For those of you out-of-state, I don't know of any other camps in other locations, sorry! But if you can make it to Austin, the camp is sure to be a blast. Last year's camp was absolutely amazing, and this year they are expanding to two sessions. Topher just posted registration on the BookPeople website. The camp sold out quickly last year, so if you're interested, click here.
See you at camp, demigods!
See you at camp, demigods!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Are Kids' Books Boring?
Martha Brockenbrough from Encarta contacted me this week for an article she is writing, "Are Kids' Books Boring?" It's a fascinating subject, and I can't wait to read her entire article on Encarta.com. In the meantime, here are some of my thoughts that came out of our interview:
When it comes to books for kids, do adults and kids love different things? If so, why do you think that is?
Ideally, a good children's book should also appeal to adults because it strikes some universal nerve. It will have a gripping story, a sprinkling of humor, characters we care about, issues that are relevant and haunting. The key, though, is that the book should FIRST appeal to kids. There are relevant, haunting, wonderfully written books that appeal to adults but are simply not kid-friendly, even if they are labeled as kids' books. The major award lists are mostly populated by books like this. Visit any English classroom in the country and you will find these books being taught in the curriculum, because the teachers love them (or more often, the teachers don't have time to read them, but the books are on a literary award list, and so they must be safe choices). These books become part of the literary canon for generations. Look at the bored faces of the students, and you will see that this is a shame. According to one site, 58% of US adults never read another book after high school. If you look at what we are asking students to read in middle school and high school, it's no wonder.
Yes, there are children's books that do not appeal to adults. You probably won't find Captain Underpants in the school curriculum, even though it is wildly popular (and in my opinion, brilliant). Eragon is also huge with young readers, though personally I can't get into it. But if a book appeals to kids, it doesn't really matter whether I like it or not. Conversely, if I as a middle-aged adult love a 'children's' book that doesn't appeal to my students, that's probably not a book I should be using in my classroom. I don't buy into the idea that a good book must be a difficult book, or that if something appeals to kids, it can't possibly have literary merit.
Are some books universally loved? Name a few...
Universal is a pretty big word. I can't think of a single book, however well-loved, that does not have its detractors. I'm a huge fan of Charlotte's Web, for instance. Neither of my sons can stand the book, much to my sorrow. Even Harry Potter, which has huge appeal for all ages, is not loved by everyone. I don't believe in making lists of "must read" books for exactly this reason. It's much more important that we have a broad range of books that appeal to many different kinds of readers. Ten 'must read' books for an eighth grade girl might be very different than ten 'must read' books for a fifth grade boy.
Are there some books that will never win awards, but will change kids' lives? Can we invent an award for those?
Any book that makes a child want to read more is a gold medal, five star book in my opinion. Do we need an award for that? No, because adults would run it, and adults would muck it up. Speaking as an author, the ultimate reward is when I get an email from a child saying, 'Your book was the first book I ever enjoyed,' or 'Your book makes me want to write my own stories.' That kind of feedback reminds me why I became a writer in the first place.
When it comes to books for kids, do adults and kids love different things? If so, why do you think that is?
Ideally, a good children's book should also appeal to adults because it strikes some universal nerve. It will have a gripping story, a sprinkling of humor, characters we care about, issues that are relevant and haunting. The key, though, is that the book should FIRST appeal to kids. There are relevant, haunting, wonderfully written books that appeal to adults but are simply not kid-friendly, even if they are labeled as kids' books. The major award lists are mostly populated by books like this. Visit any English classroom in the country and you will find these books being taught in the curriculum, because the teachers love them (or more often, the teachers don't have time to read them, but the books are on a literary award list, and so they must be safe choices). These books become part of the literary canon for generations. Look at the bored faces of the students, and you will see that this is a shame. According to one site, 58% of US adults never read another book after high school. If you look at what we are asking students to read in middle school and high school, it's no wonder.
Yes, there are children's books that do not appeal to adults. You probably won't find Captain Underpants in the school curriculum, even though it is wildly popular (and in my opinion, brilliant). Eragon is also huge with young readers, though personally I can't get into it. But if a book appeals to kids, it doesn't really matter whether I like it or not. Conversely, if I as a middle-aged adult love a 'children's' book that doesn't appeal to my students, that's probably not a book I should be using in my classroom. I don't buy into the idea that a good book must be a difficult book, or that if something appeals to kids, it can't possibly have literary merit.
Are some books universally loved? Name a few...
Universal is a pretty big word. I can't think of a single book, however well-loved, that does not have its detractors. I'm a huge fan of Charlotte's Web, for instance. Neither of my sons can stand the book, much to my sorrow. Even Harry Potter, which has huge appeal for all ages, is not loved by everyone. I don't believe in making lists of "must read" books for exactly this reason. It's much more important that we have a broad range of books that appeal to many different kinds of readers. Ten 'must read' books for an eighth grade girl might be very different than ten 'must read' books for a fifth grade boy.
Are there some books that will never win awards, but will change kids' lives? Can we invent an award for those?
Any book that makes a child want to read more is a gold medal, five star book in my opinion. Do we need an award for that? No, because adults would run it, and adults would muck it up. Speaking as an author, the ultimate reward is when I get an email from a child saying, 'Your book was the first book I ever enjoyed,' or 'Your book makes me want to write my own stories.' That kind of feedback reminds me why I became a writer in the first place.
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