Blog: Nine Kinds of Pie – Page 17

Happy π Day from Nine Kinds of Pie

March 14, 2017Philip NelMath, NumbersMath, Numbers

π Day is upon us once again! Here are 3.14 pieces of Pi (as it were). 1. The π sculpture in Seattle, Washington. Photo by Niall Kennedy. 2. π to 1000 decimal places 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078 16406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582 23172535940812848111745028410270193852110555964462294895493038196442 88109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486104 54326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920962829254 09171536436789259036001133053054882046652138414695194151160943305727 03657595919530921861173819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857 52724891227938183011949129833673362440656643086021394946395224737190 70217986094370277053921717629317675238467481846766940513200056812714 52635608277857713427577896091736371787214684409012249534301465495853 71050792279689258923542019956112129021960864034418159813629774771309 96051870721134999999837297804995105973173281609631859502445945534690 83026425223082533446850352619311881710100031378387528865875332083814 20617177669147303598253490428755468731159562863882353787593751957781 8577805321712268066130019278766111959092164201989 This website lists π out to its

Firearms and Fascists: Does the Kansas House believe in democracy?

March 8, 2017Philip NelAcademe, Education, Guns, Kansas, Kansas State UniversityAcademe, Education, Guns, Kansas, Kansas State University

For nearly two months (since January 18th), Representative John Barker – the chair of the Kansas House’s Federal and State Affairs Committee – has refused to bring House Bill 2074 to the full Kansas House so that the entire chamber can vote on it. The bill extends universities’ and hospital’s exemption for campus carry, and

Seuss’s Matilda: Horton’s Ancestor

March 2, 2017Philip NelChildren's Literature, SeussChildren's Literature, Seuss1 Comment

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! To celebrate the 113th anniversary of Theodor Seuss Geisel’s birth, here are twoÂ things Seussian. 1. The True Story of Horton Hatches the Egg When asked how he came up with the idea of Horton Hatches the Egg (1940), Seuss would often give an answer like this (from a September 1972

MLA 2018 Call for Papers! Calling Dumbledore’s Army: Activist Children’s Literature

February 5, 2017Philip NelAcademe, Call for Papers, Children's Literature, MLA, Radical Children's LiteratureAcademe, Call for Papers, Children's Literature, MLA, Radical Children's Literature4 Comments

Books can encourage children to question rather than accept the world as it is. Literature for young people can invite them to imagine a world where black lives matter, women’s rights are human rights, poverty does not limit one’s life choices, LGBTQ youth know they are loved, indigenous peoples’ rights are respected, the disabled have

Killing Higher Education, Literally: Kansas’ Campus Carry

February 1, 2017Philip NelAcademe, Education, Guns, Kansas, Kansas State UniversityAcademe, Education, Guns, Kansas, Kansas State University

Yesterday, in response to overwhelming support for rolling back Kansas’ insane campus carry law, Senator Jacob LaTurner‘s Kansas Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee decided instead to prevent the full senate from voting on Senate Bill 53 – a bill which would have exempted college campuses from their imminent weaponization. Would the full senate have supported

Testify! Keeping Kansas Universities Gun-Free

January 26, 2017Philip NelAcademe, Education, Guns, Kansas, Kansas State University, University of KansasAcademe, Education, Guns, Kansas, Kansas State University, University of Kansas3 Comments

Today, supporters of Senate Bill 53 arrived in Topeka (Kansas’ capital), offering reasons for why firearms should not be invited onto our campus and into KU’s medical center. If you’re from a more rational U.S. state or from outside of the U.S., you may be wondering why bringing guns into classrooms is even being debated.

You’re a mean one, Dr. Nel. Your voice is full of gunk!

December 20, 2016Philip NelChristmas, Music, SeussMusic, Seuss4 Comments

The holidays! When people sing – and expect you to sing. Except, perhaps, you don’t want to sing. Maybe you are shy. Or self-conscious about your voice. Or you imagine that everyone else sings better than you do. Well, worry no more! I am here to cure your self-consciousness, and to prove that many people are much,

Was the Cat in the Hat Black? — cover reveal

December 19, 2016Philip NelChildren's Literature, Publishing, Race, Racism, SeussChildren's Literature, Publishing, Race, Racism, Seuss3 Comments

Here is the cover for my next book, Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books, forthcoming from Oxford University Press in July 2017. Since it (the cover) is now on some websites (notably Oxford UP & Amazon.com), I thought I’d share it here. THANKS

Children’s Literature and Comics/Graphic Novels at MLA 2017

December 18, 2016Philip NelAcademe, Children's Literature, Comics, MLAAcademe, Children's Literature, Comics, MLA3 Comments

In January, before the kleptocracy, In Philly,Â mourning anÂ ailingÂ democracy, Find comfort, anxiety, knowledge, and despair! (When academics gather, these tend to beÂ there.) January fifth through eighth, at the MLA, We’ll meet and think. We’ll eat and drink. What do you say? Ahem. Here are all the sessions on children’s literature and/or comics/graphic novels at the 2017

The Public University in an Age of Alt-Facts: Remarks on Receiving a Higuchi Award

December 13, 2016Philip NelDemocracy, Donald Trump, Education, Kansas State University, Trumpism, University of KansasDemocracy, Donald Trump, Education, Kansas State University, Trumpism, University of Kansas3 Comments

Brief remarks on the university in an age of misinformation, delivered today when I received a Higuchi Award. It’s a great honor to be joining Professors Christer Aakeröy, Judith Carta, and Randolph Nudo in receiving recognition for our research. It’s especially meaningful to be receiving this recognition right now, at a moment when facts and