Nov042012
Life
Nov042012
Banned Books Awareness: “Bridge To Terabithia”
Katherine Paterson’s Bridge To Terabithia is a 1977 children’s literature classic about two fifth-graders, Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke, who create an imaginary kingdom named Terabithia in the woods where they rule as king and queen and where the only limit is their imaginations. A heartwarming tale of friendship...
Sep302012
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...
Sep052012
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...
Jul292012
Banned Books Awareness: To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee’s immortal classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, was first published in 1960 to instant acclaim- despite her editors’ warnings that it probably wouldn’t sell all that well. In its first year of release it would garner rave reviews by The New Yorker and Time magazines, as well as...
Jul252012
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...
Jul182012
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...
Jul152012
Banned Books Awareness: Bastard Out of Carolina
Literature dealing with hot-button topics such as AIDS and child abuse are okay for classroom use- so long as those works have happy endings, at least according to the administrative board of the Fremont Unified School District in California. The board has approved other books with sensitive topics in...
Jul102012
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...
Jul082012
Banned Books Awareness: Literary Freedom Update
Over these many months this column has shed light on some very real current events around the world in which the freedom to read has been challenged by individuals, or groups, armed with torches lit by the flames of ignorance. This week offers updates on some of those stories....