What Rhymes With "Menorah"?

Rabbi Trent is getting ready to celebrate eight crazy nights of Hanukkah, starting at sundown tonight! Although I'm not sure a narcoleptic would mix well with open flames, rabbi or not. Still, happy Hanukkah to all of the Jewish Daria fans!

Today is also both Human Rights Day and International Animal Rights Day, so I guess everyone's covered except the plants. Won't someone think of those poor plants?
Fandom News!

• What do you think about Tommy Sherman's voice?


• Have you ever been to a taping of a TV show? Talk about it in the thread.


• Do you have any mistaken Daria memories?

Three Squeaks for Animal Rights!

Roger the Mouse (as fanon has christened him) hopes that everyone observes International Animal Rights Day by setting him free. Or at least not letting that Brian kid get anywhere near him. Today is also Human Rights Day, so I guess just about everyone is covered. But doesn't anyone care about the rights of plant life?

As a librarian, I would also like to point out that today is the anniversary of the birth of Melvil Dewey in 1851. You can celebrate by alphabetizing the books on your bookshelf. C'mon, it'll be fun!

Fanfic Update!

• Back to Highland: A Daria/Worm Crossover, by Meester_Lee (part 10): "Butthead opened the Pettys' front door and walked out towards the street. The two hot chicks were still there." (Part 11)


• Daria: In Another World?, by starwater09 (part 4): "Daria could still remember those words that her best friend had told her last week like it were yesterday, and at the time it was said it had given her great comfort to know that Jane could be so forgiving towards her."


• Tiffany Gets Career Advice, by MeowX7 (COMPLETE!): "Quinn Morgendorffer resisted the urge to drop the slick brochure like the vile piece of filth it was and only handed it back to her friend, Tiffany Blum-Deckler."


• Yet Another Cheesy Christmas Story, by Peridaniel (COMPLETE!): "The scenery outside the airplane was surprisingly clear for a winter night. As Daria idly stared out the window, she could see the trees, lakes, and occasional snow-covered fields that covered the ground."

What About Library Rights?

This moment of "Awwww!" is brought to you by International Animal Rights Day, and those rights include the right to be adorable. Today is also Human Rights Day, so I guess that pretty much covers every living thing on Earth aside from the vegetation. Unless today is also Plant Rights Day and no one told me.

Just because I'm a librarian and can't resist the chance to geek out a little, today is also the anniversary of Melvil Dewey's birth in 1851. You know, the guy who invented the Dewey Decimal system? A really cool anniversary for fans of library classification systems? Shut up, it is too cool!

Fanfic Update!

• Band of Mothers, by Kristen Bealer (part 2): "Quinn was using her phone to take multiple pictures of Acai flipping through one of Madison's copies of Junior Waif Magazine. "#futurefashionista!" she giggled, posting all of the pictures on Instagram."


• Come Together, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "The slim, dusky Frenchwoman, who wore the uniform of the National Gendarmerie (a branch of the French Armed Forces) and the rank of Chef d'Escadron (the equivalent of a Major or a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Armed Forces), shook her head as she walked around to the back of her desk."


• David M., by ST91 (parts 4 and 5): "After spending some time at the PC writing his stories about Melody Powers, David decided to go to bed. As he undressed, his gaze fell on the reflection in the mirror and as always he saw the damn strapping he hated so much." (Part 5)


• Evening, by JPAGC (COMPLETE!): "Jake surveyed the remaining of his cooking work and the relatively empty kitchen and sighed. 'I'm alright,' he said to his wife. Helen let go of his arm. Jake wobbled a little, but remained standing. 'Maybe we should go to bed,' he said, looking at his wife."


• Lust for Life, by elainefr (COMPLETE!): "'You're almost there. Here, let me give you a hand.' He knelt and extended a hand to her climbing form. They'd made it to the top of the makeshift structure in The Strawberry that those that had dared to brave it boasted a breathtaking view of Lawndale."


• Night of the Short Skirted Cynic, by Meester_Lee (part 4): "'You did?' asked Daria. 'When?' 'During the war, while I was in the Cavalry,' West replied. Daria looked at him and thought silently. Assuming this is 1875, that would be the Civil War, she thought."


• Now, They're Legal, by Brother Grimace (COMPLETE!): "'Colonel Armalin?' Armalin turned from the opened glass case next to a bookshelf (where he kept his Team Banzai jacket with Blue Blaze Irregular patch) as a thirty-something woman with long, chestnut-hued hair stood at the entrance to his office. "


• Thanksgiving With The Barksdales (Quinn, Season 2), by WildDogJJ (COMPLETE!): "Jake and Helen are seated at the kitchen table. Quinn is there as she frequently stops by to cook dinner (and make sure Jake eats healthy). Quinn: ...so I told him that he needs to offer healthy choices on the menu, not just the usual greasy stuff, because of the anti-fried food firestorm caused by that movie. He seemed to see the light of reason." (Part 2) (Part 3)


• Unnamed story (LLH - Short Entries), by Brother Grimace and Roentgen (parts 68 - 71): "So, two days after Revelation Day, we're are all eating in the Camp Tolnai dining facility. (Sergeant Major Nemec said - and Mags agreed - that it would look better if we Legionnaires ate with the military types.)" (Part 69) (Part 70) (Part 71)


• Unnamed story (World's Shortest Crossover, Part XIV: The Crossover Awakens!), by Kuriamo22 (COMPLETE!): "She could barely think over the pain, the great burning coming from her abdomen where she had been shot. She could barely hear the rush of air escaping from the compartment over the sound of her ears ringing and the blare of the low pressure alarm."

You Have the Right to Hear Well-Crafted Poetry

O'Neill's trying desperately to get that lion head off so he can let us know that today is both Human Rights Day and International Animal Rights Day. I'm not sure that he really counts as either of those things, but with any luck he'll succeed in freeing himself before he suffocates.

Today is also the anniversary of Emily Dickinson's birth in 1830, and we know that Ms. Barch, at least, is a fan: "Daria, in the name of Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, Anne Bronte, Emily Bronte, and Charlotte Bronte, I want to say, 'You go, girl!'"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's exactly how Dickinson would have phrased it.

Work continues on the PPMB, which is still down. Find out the details at the Paperpusher MB Twitter feed, while discussion continues at The Sh33p's Fluff Message Board.

Fanfic Update!

• The Boston Tea Party, by Shad_Tkhom (COMPLETE!): "А примерно через месяц, когда всё окончательно пришло в норму, позвонила Хелен. И попросила о встрече. Здесь, в Бостоне."


• CTPAX, by Shad_Tkhom (COMPLETE!): "Что часто нами движет ? Страх. Одних он может парализовать, прижать к земле, расплющить, а других наоборот — заставляет двигаться, действовать."


• Life As We Know It, by Princess-Pasta (parts 1 and 2): "'I am not arguing with you today, Daria. You're doing this. No discussion. Your father has already left for work and I'm going in the next five minutes. Get your sister to school on time.'" (Part 2)

It's Certainly better Than Inhuman Rights!

Today is Human Rights Day, created by the United Nations in 1948 to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration sets out thirty articles that each define a recognized human right, including freedom from slavery, the right to peaceful assembly, and the right to education.

There's nothing to specifically relate this to Daria, although presumably Daria would be in favor of the declaration while Ms. Li would prefer to pick and choose from the articles. I just thought it was a neat holiday to share. Plus, I bet Human Rights Day is the most compassionate person on Holiday Island.

The globe on the left symbolizes both the global nature of the holiday as well as our shared right...to drink soda!

A Good Day with an Awkward Name

Another day with a lot going on. Let's see, it is the UN-mandated International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (a worthy goal but such a horrible title), and also Humans Rights Day in South Africa and Harmony Day in Australia. The latter two get special awards for being succinct and on target. We should talk to the UN about the too-long-a-name issue. They have a lot of awkwardly named holidays and really need to work on that.

It is the 58th anniversary of the Moondog Coronation Ball, which was the very first rock & roll concert ever. (The guys of Mystik Spiral fill in as mascots here.) The MCB was held in Cleveland and was kind of a successful failure, as you will see when you read the link.

Finally, with the able assistance of Andrea (below), we celebrate World Poetry Day. Write a Daria poem and post it on PPMB or FF.net today. Stretch your boundaries. Blow some minds. Make some rhymes. There you go!

NEWZ!!

• Work continues on the magnificent Best of Daria Fan Fiction on FF.net! Go go go!
• NEW! Gene wishes to know what great description (best descriptive phrase) you have read lately that impressed you.
  

PPMB

• Finn Morgendorffer 38: Fractures, by HolyGrail2007 (Part 2): “Aunt Rita?” Finn’s voice called from the couch. “What are...” Helen started, but Rita interrupted. “Oh, Helen, it’s awful. Ralph left me!” Rita exclaimed. “He... what? Oh, that bastard!” Finn shouted.

• From the Fractured Life of Stacy Rowe, by Respite (COMPLETE!): But then, just like every other bastard, he doesn't call, and it's five o'clock somewhere, and I'm halfway through my soaps and a bottle of Smirnoff when his bitch comes pounding on my door yelling my name like I'm going to come out if she keeps yelling. And so I had to do something, or my neighbors were going to hate me even more than they probably did already.
• NEW! Gimme the Prize, by RLobinske (COMPLETE!): Anthony DeMartino warily entered the alley behind the Good Time Chinese restaurant. He could feel the other immortal waiting. The electric feeling was unmistakable and the accumulated power, intoxicating. There can be only one...
  
• Mata Dari, by Dennis (COMPLETE!): It was the irony of the thing that Daria hated the most. The most accomplished wordsmith Lawndale High had seen in at least a decade was, less than a year short of her thirtieth birthday, working as an accountant.
• Morning Next, by Jim North (COMPLETE!): "Okay, so, everything makes sense then," Jane said with a nod. Daria glared at her. "No, everything does not make sense!" she said. "Where did we get the sushi? And the gum? And this hotel room? And the penguin?!" (FF.net)
  
• Project Runaway, by Disco316 (COMPLETE!): Stacy Rowe had run away from her home over the weekend for reasons nobody could determine. Her parents said they couldn’t find any sign of why she had left, and nobody had seen her since Saturday night. At school, Quinn had suggested to her other friends, Sandi Griffin and Tiffany Blum-Deckler, that they should go out searching for her after school. Sandi’s response was to suggest that the Fashion Club should not lower itself to searching in unfashionable areas. The ensuing argument left both Sandi and Quinn upset, and left Tiffany primping at a mirror; at least, that’s the last either had seen of her before leaving.
• Unnamed story (March Madness Round 1, Match 1: Minx vs Jim North), by Minx (COMPLETE!): “I did it. I told you. Eleven a.m. on move-in day. Those crayons were useful.” Jane said. Daria could hear the smile in her voice. Daria’s brow furrowed, ‘Eleven a.m. on move in day? What the hell was she on about…?’ As Daria thought, a snippet of a long forgotten conversation slipped into her mind. “Wait a minute, you’re not referring to… I mean you didn’t… Crayons?” Daria said in disbelief.
• A Very Special Daria, by OverlordMikey (COMPLETE!): Jane’s eyes began to twitch. Something was way off. A dream? No, that can’t be right. Brain-washing? Then how could Brittany have been affected? The Twilight Zone? No, there’s color. I must have died! Was I really bad enough to be sent to hell though? Hmmmmm—don’t answer that.
  

Hope Is the Thing That Sorta Like Has Feathers, You Know?

This is Human Rights Day, saith the U.N., not that anyone else is paying attention. This is the kid at Holiday Island High who gets beaten up a lot.

It is also the 178th anniversary of Emily Dickinson's birthday. One of my favorite poems of hers stands up very well in present day arguments over science and religion, over which there should not be any argument at all, but you know how people are.

At right we have a marvelous image from MTV showing Daria as Emily Dickinson, with Emily's sister Hortense ("Is that Hortense?" "She does look a little nervous."), on a country walk in medieval Massachusetts or England or somewhere. Emily and Hortense used to go out into the country on picnics, and because this was before iPods were invented Emily would bring some poems to read aloud, which Hortense would then wad up and throw away. Hortense eventually disappeared on one of these walks, and Emily claimed her sister had been carried away by Indians, though none lived in their neighborhood, which was gated. Emily was left to finish writing her poetry undisturbed and become famous, or rather she would have except she was a woman and no one listened to her back then. We carry on that excellent tradition by not listening to her today.

This has been your History of Literature Minute.