There has been debate over some communities displaying “Holiday Trees” instead of “Christmas Trees.” This debate is silly. It is wasteful of your time, spirit, and energy. The name is unimportant, just as in Shakespeare’s famous line of “a rose by any other name…” Call it what you will, but the...
Blog
Banned Books Awareness: “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”
’Twas the night before Christmas and someone stole Santa’s pipe. Yes, folks- yet another beloved tale from childhood has become the latest victim of the red pen of politically correct censorship as tradition and historical accuracy fall to ignorance and arrogance. The 18th-century poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”-...
Autumn in Michigan
I recenty uploaded 12 images from my Autumn Day in Dodge Park. They are now available as prints on my deviantArt site- http://t.co/mDt2FXZR
Movember
Banned Books Awareness: Here’s to 30 more years of banned books
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the American Library Association’s Banned Book Week. 30 years of tracking, cataloging, documenting, and reporting attempts to remove books from the shelves of schools, libraries, and bookstores forever. 30 years. The truth of the matter is that censorship has existed for as long...
Banned Books Awareness: How will you celebrate your literary freedom?
A little over one week from now will be the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, the bibliophile’s annual celebration of the freedom to read, which this year takes place from September 30-October 6, 2012. Sometimes we forget in our daily struggles just how important our intellectual freedom...
Once again finding inspiration in the every day
It happened again. I discovered something very inspirational in what would have otherwise been just another mundane shopping experience, proving to me that life continues to show its magic and possibility in even the most unlikely of ways. I spent the morning cleaning the ol’ homestead and needed a...
Using Inspiration to Transcend Tragedy
When incidents happen like last Friday’s shooting, we as a society always focus first and foremost on the negatives like the hows and whys, shouting endless, tired diatribes about gun control, violence, and social triggers from all points along the socio-political spectrum as we nitpick at the various elements...
What is a “Real” American, anyway?
If you grew up in the ’80s like me, many of you probably spent Saturday mornings watching the WWF and Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling. You knew every line of Hulk’s trademark theme song and sang along before he pummeled the latest WWF heel. Come on, sing it with...
Thought for Food
One normally doesn’t find fast food to be synonymous with philosophy, or the source of creative inspiration, but a recent visit to a local Jimmy John’s sub shop was just that. The shop was decorated with signs scattered along the walls, positioned in just about every direction. Some were...