Marion Agnew

Canadian comedian Irwin Barker, the Professor of Comedy , died Monday, too early. Honestly, how many comedians do you hear ssaying, "I was thinking about Pythagorus the other day..."? From Pythagorus to Pavlov, potatoes to pink prey...an entertaining man who obviously loved language. Comedians also talk about his mentorship and generosity. More about Irwin is here . Thanks, Irwin, for setting a good example while making us laugh (and think).

Shy-Anne Hovorka performed at the opening of the G8 World Religions Summit in Winnipeg . Here's her video, produced locally. Lots of creativity in this region! Click here for all things Shy-Anne.

Edited to add material in blue. I'm not a soccer fan, but I am apparently susceptible to images of people running on a grassy field with their arms in the air, shouting in glee. Who doesn't like to feel that sense of "Score!!" from time to time? And since the New Yorker hasn't called to demand that I send over some of my short stories for immediate publication, I have to find those moments of "Score!!" other places. Bookstores are dangerou$ place$ for me. I have to be really careful about buying books.* and ** I'm also very susceptible to the non-book merchandise in bookstores. So it's easier if I just stay away from them. However, about a month ago, I got a hurry-up job for which I needed material. I scoped out a few things online but needed to browse the actual books in several different classifications and I didn't even know what to call those groups--self-help? leadership? management? business? inspirational? So I had to visit the local C...

Watch this. It's really nifty. I suppose you could say that optical illusions "trick" the brain. But instead, what if they simply tap into the brain's natural tendency to do someting it really wants to do? Same with writing. We carefully craft arrangements of ink splotches for someone else to see (or feel, or hear), and from that, the other person creates an entire world. Because the brain wants to. The pertinent question: How can I improve my writing so that others' brains find it easier to suspend their disbelief and co-create a world with me? I first saw this video on Gimundo , where I was directed from The Happiness Project .