Hunger Games author lives in Newtown, CT

[nmoira]

My Bacon number is 3 by these rules. But I thought it didn't count unless its through acting? (My "2" friend is legit though.)

[nmoira]

 

 

If the topic makes you "nervous," you could walk away, instead of ganging up on someone who simply posted a question.

 

How is the OP supposed to feel, after hearing 50 different versions of an implied "That was a stupid question. Bacon" or "That was a stupid question. Bobby Flay?"

 

Just jump on the bandwagon and beat up the OP for asking a question. Sheesh! Even if you don't think the question has value, the OP is a member of this community and she has value. I think she has been grossly mistreated here this evening.

 

And I continue to state that this thread is mean-spirited, in the sense that it seems as though several posters (at the beginning of the thread) intended to embarrass the OP. Not nice!

 

I disagree. It didn't seem that the OP could even have read the books. The first few responses were simply "why?" And were not answered. I've read the series and can't imagine on what basis a case can be made that we *need* to have a serious conversation about this. If the OP had come in with a reasonable argument from the start, this thread might have gone differently. I don't know. I get irritated when people are nudge, nudge, and make baseless assumptions instead of clearly stating what is on their mind, especially if they display ignorance of the work in question.

[songsparrow]

ETA: Upon reflection, I deleted my post in case the OP is feeling hurt or upset by the off-topic posts in her thread.

 

As for the original question posed, I think it is purely coincidence and I do not attach any significance to it.

[DarlaS]

My sister had a car we named Satan.

 

 

I had a 1978 Mustang not so affectionately dubbed "The Beast". It was a hungry beast. It ate paychecks. :glare:

[annandatje]

Why? Have you read the books? I cannot imagine anyone who has read the books comparing the two.

 

 

I just dropped in to take a look because I found it incredible that a thread of this title could have over 180 posts.

[Hunter's Moon]

Finally got through this thread.

 

Oh let me fill this page with funny stories. #1 - I was in a coma in the summer of 1992. One time, when I woke up, the nurse asked me who was president. I responded "Bush". Then I paused for a moment and did my reasoning out loud routine - "But it's an election year. Which means I get to vote. For president. Oh sh!t - I DEMAND A RECOUNT!!!! I HAVEN'T VOTED YET!! I ! DEMAND! A! RECOUNT!". By the time I had finished the nurse was curled up in a ball on the chair laughing so hard tears were running down her face. She patted me and said "Don't worry honey, it's still July and you'll get your say". I've often wondered how many times that nurse has recounted that story. #2 The World's Most Expensive Dime - My mom had knee replacement surgery in the winter of 2007. My dd was six and home schooling still. Mom would wake up around 3AM and need me to help her start her day. My dd would normally fall asleep around midnight. Two weeks this had been going on and I was a mess. So this one Thursday I had to go out and mail things for mom and took dd along to get her out of the house. She found a dime on the sidewalk and was SO HAPPY to be SO RICH. It's a dime, finders keepers. So I come home from errands and get the kid settled in with a DVD. Mom is laying down and I tell her that I need an hour to nap. No problem, she says. I tell the kid to wake me if she needs something and promptly pass out in my bed. An hour later I hear mom yelling at said kid. I get up, stuble down the stairs and find out that my dd had put the dime in her mouth. I told my mom it's pass through her and we had done this once before with a nickle when dd was three. No, my mom informs me, the dime is stuck to the roof of her mouth. I look in and dd has wedged the flat dime along the roof of her mouth and pushed it as far forward as she could. I tried getting it out. No luck. My mom tried getting it out, again no luck. I said let the kid suck on cold liquids to take the swelling down and if the dime wasn't out by bedtime we'd go to the ER. You see where this is going, right? Bedtime came and the dime was still there. My mom was hysterical that blood was being cut off to dd's brain ans she would have brain damage. So, I load up the kid in the car and drive to the ER. There a nurse tries to get it our, followed by three doctors, two more nurses and a handyman. No luck. Everyone that looks in and sees the olive branch says "Yeap, that's a dime alright." Eventually it's one in the morning and the doctors decide that the kid needs to be transported to the ER in the next largest city, an hour and a half drive away. So I follow the ambulance at breakneck speeds across rural South Dakota. Did I mention that they had given my dd a sedative? Well, they had and she was randomly quoting Madeline books. So we get to the new ER and the paramedics look a littlle shell shocked when the get out. My daughter can talk paint off a wall about nothing in particular. My daughter is rush into surgery, because it turns out that there is a concern about blood flow. She is dressed up in a surgery gown and has a cap on and a new stuffed animal to take in with her. I'm too tired to be hysterical at this point, plus I don't normally freak out until the crisis is over. In comes the surgeon to assess the issue. He looks in, says "Yeap, that's a dime all right!" and pokes at it a bit. He explains that his specialty is repairing cleft pallets. Then he says to my dd "Can I measure this dime for a moment? I need to make sure that the dime is the standard American size. Look, this is the special ruler I'll use." and he hols up a thin metal ruler with rounded ends. My daughter, always ready to keep a doctor happy, agrees. He takes the end of the ruler and gently slides it under the dime and popped it out. There is an impression of FDR's mug on the roof of my baby's mouth but there is no surgery. It's about four in the morning, I'm delirious with exhaustion, and I have to drive home. I call mom to update her and she points out there is no sense in me driving home because I have a car appointment in the morning in the town I am in. She made reservations at a near by hotel and I can sleep in. The kid is WIRED from all the fun she's had in the past twenty hours. We go, check in, and I again fall asleep but this time only after the kid is out. The next Monday I enrolled dd in public school. About a month later we got the bill in the mail for what we were calling The Dime Incident. It was over 20K and all covered by insurance. We now call it The World's Most Expensive Dime and gave that thing to the church in the offering plate. So, yeah, dimes. Tricky little buggers.

 

:smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5:

[Hunter's Moon]

My best friends' brother (they're twins, I am not killing a kitten by using that apostrophe incorrectly) met Robin Williams.

 

Robin Williams bacon number is 2. So that would make mine 5, I think. Unless I count both twins, which would make me number 6. But I like being number 5 better so we'll count the twins as one (they're used to that by now).

[Hunter's Moon]

To answer the OP, I don't think there is any link at all between The Hunger Games and the massacre. The killer had a mental illness and access to guns. The end.

 

FWIW, I don't like The Hunger Games at all. The books and movie depress me.

[mommaduck]

Okay, do we need a six degrees of separation thread? :) Bonus points if kilts or cupcakes make it into the equation...

[itsheresomewhere]

Why? Have you read the books? I cannot imagine anyone who has read the books comparing the two.

 

 

Its like saying that History books promote violence.

 

This thread is a hoot.

[Jenny in Florida]

Aw, bummer! Maybe you just need a different recipe...I highly suggest most anything from 'vegan cookies take over your cookie jar.' They have several foolproof recipes that are super quick and require relatively few ingredients; do you have time to whip up a quick batch of something else? Their chocolate crinkle cookies are quick and festive. The chocolate chip aren't very unique, but they are super quick. I'll post a recipe for you if it is helpful.

 

 

Or take a look at www.postpunkkitchen.com, which is run by one of the authors of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I have and LOVE the cupcake book, and my daughter has been experimenting with recipes from the website. We've yet to find anything that isn't good. (And the platters I take to potlucks are pretty much always down to crumbs by the time I take them home. My husband took an apple crisp to a work function today and had people specifically ask which dish was mine so they didn't miss getting to it before it was gone. Clearly, the vegan thing isn't putting anyone off here.)

[annandatje]

The dime story alone should mean a 5 star rating for thread.

[KungFuPanda]

Has this already been brought up here in any of the discussions about the horrible murders at the school?

 

I haven't heard this in any of the news reports that I've seen either but it seems like something that should be seriously discussed.

 

I just thought this quote should hit mid-thread so that we don't lose focus. This is serious people!

 

 

I LOVE vegans. I used to be one but then I was corrupted.

 

OMG that picture :lol:

 

I would quote it but it is huge.

 

I agree, vegans are delicious.

 

 

 

Wow! Would you autograph my gun?!

 

I just love you for this.

 

Unbalanced minds can fixate on ANYTHING. Son of Sam thought he got orders from his dog.

 

Fixation does not = causation or responsibility.

 

I don't think it's fair to judge unless you've personally interviewed the dog. He has a compelling tail.

 

 

Feel free to disregard my posts. I was actually raised in District 12 and am prone to violence AND snark.

[Impish]

I just thought this quote should hit mid-thread so that we don't lose focus. This is serious people!

 

 

 

I agree, vegans are delicious.

 

 

 

I just love you for this.

 

 

 

I don't think it's fair to judge unless you've personally interviewed the dog. He has a compelling tail.

 

 

Feel free to disregard my posts. I was actually raised in District 12 and am prone to violence AND snark.

:smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5:

[nmoira]

I agree, vegans are delicious.

 

The ones I know look kinda bony. Are you sure?

[LibraryLover]

My first college room-mate grew up in CT. Another friend who grew up in CT basically lived next door to Michael Skakel. So yah, it all makes sense.

 

But not really. Like Bowling for Columbine (and I like MM).

[KungFuPanda]

 

 

The ones I know look kinda bony. Are you sure?

 

Positive. It's the human equivalent to grass-fed beef. #truefactsIjustmadeup

[Spy Car]

I had a late friend who was in a movie with Charlie Chaplin (Limelight), who was in a picture with Tippi Hedren, who was in a picture with Kevin Bacon.

 

I also know Clint Eastwood, who was in a picture with Marcia Gay Harden, who was in a picture with Kevin Bacon.

 

Bill

 

 

[aggieamy]

I had a 1978 Mustang not so affectionately dubbed "The Beast". It was a hungry beast. It ate paychecks. :glare:

 

I had an old truck we called The Beast. It was a mechanical nightmare but I loved it anyway.

[Audrey]

 

It means that they are two degrees away from Bacon. Here's where it describes it: http://oracleofbacon.org/help.php

 

 

Hey! I just found out I'm Bacon ranked! I'm a 3!

 

So :tongue_smilie: to the people who said indie film wouldn't get me anywhere.

[Caraway]

 

 

I know nothing of Mass Effect, but a brief exposure to Grand Theft Auto leads me to believe it is violent pornography with no redeeming social value. The publishers of this "game" should be ashamed of themselves IMO.

 

In contrast the Hunger Games (mostly) affirmed positive moral values in very difficult and complicated circumstances. It don't see any equivalence between this book (which deals with serious issues) and the video game (which is absolute trash).

 

Bill

[Audrey]

Okay now... for those of you who are playing with the oracle of bacon, have you been able to find any ranked higher than a 3? Almost every name I put in is a 2. I wracked my brain to come up with any names I could and could manage to find a couple of 3's. My farthest one so far is when I typed in "Virginia Dare" who was surprisingly only a 4.

 

Has anyone got anything further than that? Any 5's or 6's?

[Caraway]

 

 

I know nothing of Mass Effect, but a brief exposure to Grand Theft Auto leads me to believe it is violent pornography with no redeeming social value. The publishers of this "game" should be ashamed of themselves IMO.

 

In contrast the Hunger Games (mostly) affirmed positive moral values in very difficult and complicated circumstances. It don't see any equivalence between this book (which deals with serious issues) and the video game (which is absolute trash).

 

Bill

 

Hrm. I thought you only read Moby Dick.

[Joanne]

 

 

Hey! I just found out I'm Bacon ranked! I'm a 3!

 

So :tongue_smilie: to the people who said indie film wouldn't get me anywhere.

 

 

I'm a 3 also. My tie in is a 2 from 1983.

[Audrey]

I'm a 3 also. My tie in is a 2 from 1983.

 

 

I had a minor part in an obscure crappy indie with someone who did another crappy indie with someone who went on to have a bit part in JFK with... the Baconator himself. I got my SAG card doing that crap-pile indie, too, so bonus! :laugh:

 

I'm pretty sure that if that oracle counted theatre, I'd be a 2, but alas... that is not how the game is played.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Amazingly, I'm only a 3. Even more amazingly, my link was Bill Nye, who is not exactly someone known for a lot of movies as such.

[caitlinsmom]

arg. Multi post

[caitlinsmom]

Amazingly, I'm only a 3. Even more amazingly, my link was Bill Nye, who is not exactly someone known for a lot of movies as such.

 

I put in John Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) since the movie was filled in the town my SIL lives in AND I've eaten in the restaurant. Dear old John has a Bacon score of infinity. Apparently Kevin doesn't associate with someone whose favorite animal is a lyger.

 

 

ETA: Did I really just spell Napoleon wrong!? It's bed time.

[Spy Car]

 

 

Hrm. I thought you only read Moby Dick.

 

I indulged by son, then 7, who wanted very badly to read the book.

 

I was very uncertain about the theme (having only a superficial understanding of the book) and agreed to start reading it together with the proviso that I would shut it down immediately if I felt it was getting inappropriate, and that I expected it would be the case. He accepted "the deal," and I was very surprised how uplifting I felt the book was. And he took away all the right messages.

 

I have also listened to him read hundreds of pages from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (which are pretty funny). But we also read a fair portion of books I select. At the moment we actually are reading Moby Dick together, which he is enjoying.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

Okay now... for those of you who are playing with the oracle of bacon, have you been able to find any ranked higher than a 3? Almost every name I put in is a 2. I wracked my brain to come up with any names I could and could manage to find a couple of 3's. My farthest one so far is when I typed in "Virginia Dare" who was surprisingly only a 4.

 

Has anyone got anything further than that? Any 5's or 6's?

 

I put in a bunch of names of stars I've either met or worked with, and finally hit on a 1 with Kevin Costner, who at the time we met was working on A Perfect World, and starred in JFK with Kevin Bacon.

 

Bill

 

[LibraryLover]

At the moment we actually are reading Moby Dick together, which he is enjoying.

 

Bill

 

 

You understand Susan is gagging at that, right?

[kitten18]

I put in John Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) since the movie was filled in the town my SIL lives in AND I've eaten in the restaurant. Dear old John has a Bacon score of infinity. Apparently Kevin doesn't associate with someone whose favorite animal is a lyger. ETA: Did I really just spell Napoleon wrong!? It's bed time.

:tongue_smilie: Spelled wrong. It's JON, he's a 2. :lol:

[Spy Car]

 

 

 

You understand Susan is gagging at that, right?

 

Poor dear Susan. Eventually she may come around. Hope springs eternal.

 

Bill

[Crimson Wife]

I lived in Fairfield County, CT a couple of towns over from Newtown for my jr. year of H.S. until my parents decided to move back to my hometown in MA. I found the people tended to be very superficial and materialistic, so I have to wonder if Ms. Collins based some of the Capitol in HG on her experience living in the area.

[Abeille]

Ok, I haven't made it all the way through the thread but I think this is a VERY reasonable question. I'm not sure what she was saying was that it caused it but that an this happened in the same home town where the Hunger Games author lives. Where did she get the idea.. to me it goes hand in hand. The whole point of the books was how we have become desensitized to the value of human life and the prevelence of violence even among children.... Which is exactly what happened at the school. I am NOT saying that the book caused him to do it.. What I am saying is that the author was upset about the lack of value of human life in society and it is interesting that apparantly the feelings that she saw around her that helped her write the book are reflected in this tragedy. Yes, OP, I think it is interesting!!!

 

That isn't what I took away from the Hunger Games series. The books are about a dystopian society that uses the annual games as both a demonstration of the government's iron-fisted control over the outlying districts and a spectacle to entertain the capital district's privileged citizens. Yes,some characters are desensitized to violence and view the Games as entertainment (e.g. the citizens of the capital district, and the contestants from richer districts who have been trained since early childhood towards the goal of winning). However, the vast majority of the people in the books abhor the Games and watch them because they are forced to. The books do not glorify violence at all; in fact, they do quite the opposite. I'm sure the author did take some of her ideas from trends she sees in our society (as well as ideas from ancient Rome) but I doubt she saw anything particular to Newtown. It's a coincidence.

[FaithManor]

Okay now... for those of you who are playing with the oracle of bacon, have you been able to find any ranked higher than a 3? Almost every name I put in is a 2. I wracked my brain to come up with any names I could and could manage to find a couple of 3's. My farthest one so far is when I typed in "Virginia Dare" who was surprisingly only a 4.

 

Has anyone got anything further than that? Any 5's or 6's?

 

Hmmmm...I've done worse. I had an English prof in college that claimed she had a bit part (the maid or something in the play in the movie) in "Somewhere in Time". So, of course if I type in Jane Seymour or Christopher Reeves, I get a number. But, if I type in HER name, she doesn't have a Bacon number. Me thinks she may have told us all a "tall tale".

 

Beverly Sills will give you a 4. She's the farthest out I've been able to get even when I use some rather obscure opera singers from the 40's and 50's or 1910-20 silent film actors and actresses.

 

Faith

[Caroline]

You mean, like, "Hey Clint, let's go get some French press coffee in reusable cups made from recycled material." know Clint Eastwood?

 

I was in a few community theater productions with Edward Norton in high school. He is a 2, so that makes me a 3. Also, I worked with singer/songwriter Peter Salett, whose songs are in movies which are 2 from KB. I don't know if that counts, though...

 

I had a late friend who was in a movie with Charlie Chaplin (Limelight), who was in a picture with Tippi Hedren, who was in a picture with Kevin Bacon.

 

I also know Clint Eastwood, who was in a picture with Marcia Gay Harden, who was in a picture with Kevin Bacon.

 

Bill

 

[WishboneDawn]

If the topic makes you "nervous," you could walk away, instead of ganging up on someone who simply posted a question.

 

How is the OP supposed to feel, after hearing 50 different versions of an implied "That was a stupid question. Bacon" or "That was a stupid question. Bobby Flay?"

 

Just jump on the bandwagon and beat up the OP for asking a question. Sheesh! Even if you don't think the question has value, the OP is a member of this community and she has value. I think she has been grossly mistreated here this evening.

 

And I continue to state that this thread is mean-spirited, in the sense that it seems as though several posters (at the beginning of the thread) intended to embarrass the OP. Not nice!

 

I have to agree. The OP wasn't being a troll or rude or...anything. I think it would have been worthwhile to have a real discussion over the issue to see where she was coming from and share our views.

 

I thought this kind of response was reserved for people who were intentionally trying to mess with the community, not anyone who might need some discussion to help deal withan issue they've been thinking over.

[WishboneDawn]

I disagree. It didn't seem that the OP could even have read the books. The first few responses were simply "why?" And were not answered.

 

Thisis a message board. People post things and then walk away to watch a toddler, cook supper, etc. She responded within an hour to the "whys" that were tossed her way. Because she wasn't offering an instant response is a pretty poor reason to start ridiculing her question.

 

I've read the series and can't imagine on what basis a case can be made that we *need* to have a serious conversation about this. If the OP had come in with a reasonable argument from the start, this thread might have gone differently. I don't know. I get irritated when people are nudge, nudge, and make baseless assumptions instead of clearly stating what is on their mind, especially if they display ignorance of the work in question.

 

She had her original question and one response. After her first post people were already going down the kilt path. She had no opportunity to nudge and make baseless assumptions.

 

People on this board come from a wide variety of experiences and viewpoints. A little leeway to hear folks out and help them see different perspectives shouldn't be a lot to ask.

[nmoira]

Thisis a message board. People post things and then walk away to watch a toddler, cook supper, etc. She responded within an hour to the "whys" that were tossed her way. Because she wasn't offering an instant response is a pretty poor reason to start ridiculing her question.

 

She had her original question and one response. After her first post people were already going down the kilt path. She had no opportunity to nudge and make baseless assumptions.

 

People on this board come from a wide variety of experiences and viewpoints. A little leeway to hear folks out and help them see different perspectives shouldn't be a lot to ask.

 

 

That there should be a serious discussion about this "question" is an assumption, and was a statement, not a question. No rationale was given in the OP and her later clarification did not seem as if it came out of a reading of the books.

 

Contrast with something like: I just found out that Collins lives in Sandy Hook. I haven't read them, but I have heard her books glorify violence and I'm wondering if there could be a link.

 

This approach might have prompted some discussion.

[catz]

Thisis a message board. People post things and then walk away to watch a toddler, cook supper, etc. She responded within an hour to the "whys" that were tossed her way. Because she wasn't offering an instant response is a pretty poor reason to start ridiculing her question.

 

 

 

She had her original question and one response. After her first post people were already going down the kilt path. She had no opportunity to nudge and make baseless assumptions.

 

People on this board come from a wide variety of experiences and viewpoints. A little leeway to hear folks out and help them see different perspectives shouldn't be a lot to ask.

 

 

I respectfully disagree. I think the conversation may have turned had she come back with a strong, well thought argument based on some actual evidence that's been released. You cannot start an extremely controversial topic that has no base in fact, and expect it to stay the course.

 

I did say I thought this was as releveant as Hansel and Gretel and King Lear. There have been dark stories through the ages. And unless the police come out and say this kid had a shrine to the Hunger GAmes in his basement, I stand by that. It's a non-sensical assertion IMO not based on any evidence. Actually having read and understood the books would have been a step in the right direction.

[astrid]

I thought it was going to be a photo of you in CT. Or Kevin Bacon in a kilt.

 

 

Kevin Bacon lives in CT; not very far from Newtown...... hmmmm........

 

astrid (also in CT, not very far from Newtown....)

[Reya]

And video games? And violence on TV? Oh, maybe it was caused by bullying?

 

Oh, PLEASE. Give me a break.

[unsinkable]

 

I respectfully disagree. I think the conversation may have turned had she come back with a strong, well thought argument based on some actual evidence that's been released. You cannot start an extremely controversial topic that has no base in fact, and expect it to stay the course.

 

I did say I thought this was as releveant as Hansel and Gretel and King Lear. There have been dark stories through the ages. And unless the police come out and say this kid had a shrine to the Hunger GAmes in his basement, I stand by that. It's a non-sensical assertion IMO not based on any evidence. Actually having read and understood the books would have been a step in the right direction.

 

 

But LOCATION is part of studying the whys and wherefors of Literature.

 

Hansel and Gretel was a children's story from a particular region with regional flavors, if you will.

[nmoira]

Kevin Bacon lives in CT; not very far from Newtown...... hmmmm........

 

astrid (also in CT, not very far from Newtown....)

 

No! That would blow me away... off to check...

 

Wikipedia says Manhattan, but I think I'd like another source. :tongue_smilie:

[Kathryn]

I found the most relevant piece of information on this thread!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield_State_Hospital

 

"Fairfield State Hospital (also known as Fairfield Hills State Hospital or Fairfield Hills) was a psychiatric hospital in Newtown, Connecticut, which operated from 1931 until 1995."

 

"The feature film Sleepers used the hospital as a setting. Actors on location included Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt and Kevin Bacon."

[nmoira]

I found the most relevant piece of information on this thread!

 

http://en.wikipedia...._State_Hospital

 

"Fairfield State Hospital (also known as Fairfield Hills State Hospital or Fairfield Hills) was a psychiatric hospital in Newtown, Connecticut, which operated from 1931 until 1995."

 

"The feature film Sleepers used the hospital as a setting. Actors on location included Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt and Kevin Bacon."

 

Nicely done.

[caitlinsmom]

:tongue_smilie: Spelled wrong. It's JON, he's a 2. :lol:

 

Hilarious. And here I was thinking I was quick to notice my other spelling errors. :) Dang it! I was hoping I could win the no Bacon award.

[catz]

 

But LOCATION is part of studying the whys and wherefors of Literature.

 

Hansel and Gretel was a children's story from a particular region with regional flavors, if you will.

 

Sure, but again, not seeing any relationship between the fact that the author happened to live there and this horrific event. Hunger Games takes place in a fictional world. It is not at all particular to CT. There has not even been cheesy, speculative media coverage on any sort of relationship. Have you read the book?

[nmoira]

 

But LOCATION is part of studying the whys and wherefors of Literature.

 

Hansel and Gretel was a children's story from a particular region with regional flavors, if you will.

 

I hope this was meant to be a joke, 'cause otherwise I might have to cover my mouth and desperately try to avoid eye contact in an effort not to giggle (all virtually, of course).