I was saddened to read this morning of the passing of Andy Rooney, 92-year-old CBS commentator and journalist extraordinaire. Andy Rooney was an amazing communicator. My earliest memory of him is of Grandma and Grandpa watching 60 Minutes, and when he came on with his show-closing commentary, my grandparents would nod (and discuss) in whole-hearted agreement. Even when I was a small child, there was something about Andy Rooney that made me feel secure. He was grandfatherly, curmudgeonly, and constantly full of aging common sense. It wouldn’t seem that Andy Rooney and I, born close to 60 years apart, would [...] Read more »
On Parenting with No Future
Parenting and teaching are two of the most future-minded activities I can think of. Why? Well, because everything a parent does with their child (on a good day, anyway) is intended to help the child grow into a healthy, productive, principled, happy adult. Every action, every child-training philosophy, and even the personalities and value systems of little playmates are all viewed from a long-term “what will this mean for my child’s future?” lens. The same could be said of teaching—nothing is done without specific intention, not only for teaching in this particular moment, but in order to lay the groundwork [...] Read more »
On Borrowing Shakespeare’s Naughtiness
Now I don’t usually support name-calling, nor do I encourage it at any age. But doggone it, reading Shakespeare is enough to force those firmly-held beliefs into flitting gently out the back window, at least for a little while. I’m certain I shall come to my senses again in the near future, when I will even more firmly go off about the complete indecency, incivility, and inappropriateness of slinging insults. Until my good sense returns, however, I intend to thoroughly enjoy myself with this inimitable Shakespearean collection of insults. If you feel that you, too, could use major help in [...] Read more »
A Genuine Good Turn
Thank you, Dave Powell, for making me very happy this morning. I am so glad to know there are random strangers in the world like you when it comes to helping a desolate child out. We hear plenty about random strangers doing bad things to kids, so I’m delighted with this sweet tale of a stranger taking pity on a sad, lonely, desperately-seeking child. And yes, since I see you’ve been getting a few proposals of marriage on Google+ after your good turn here, may I mention that I have a couple of lovely female friends whose company I think [...] Read more »
On the Affairs of Presidents
I really don’t like “gotcha” journalism. I find it mean-spirited, ugly, and an annoying waste of news resources that could have been far more effectively spent on things considerably more important than how much money Mr. Mighty-So-and-So-the-Politician spent on his last haircut. Or how much Ms. Former-Speaker-of-the-House paid for the suit she’s wearing. As long as no laws were broken, no money was misappropriated, and no lies were told to the public in the getting of the haircut or the wearing of the suit, I just really couldn’t care less. Likewise, if Ms. Average Politician wishes to (legally) hop from [...] Read more »
Polygyny a Factor for Suicide Bombers?
Today I read a thought-provoking article online titled “Ten Politically Incorrect Truths about Human Nature.” Written for the magazine Psychology Today, it would in my opinion be more accurately titled “Ten Politically Incorrect Theories about Human Nature,” as social and behavioral science can be very difficult to apply with accuracy to civilizations long dead. (In some historical situations, the best we can ever hope for in explaining past human behavior is to come up with well-supported theories. To confuse those theories, no matter how scientifically or behaviorially respectable, with documented “truth” might be stretching it a bit. But I digress.) [...] Read more »
To the Woman Providing Unintentional Sex Ed at Barnes and Noble:
I am happy for you that you are fully at home in your sexuality. Really, I am. But I didn’t come here to get a free refresher course in Human Sexuality 101. You see, I came here to sit down in the corner of the craft aisle and enter that rare state of nirvana occasioned by the knitting, crochet, sewing, and quilting tomes scattered all around me while I bliss out in museum-quality silence. It is not my fault that the universe conspired against me on this one and that the powers-that-be at B & N chose to abut the [...] Read more »
The latest burglary report
Folks, I simply can’t resist sharing this unbelievable burglary account with you. Hailing from the state of Florida, where I once lived, these burglars are among the most, uh, er, extraordinarily unorthodox of their entire profession. Here’s the headline and link: Dumb, dumber and dumbest: Burglars snort ashes of a man and two dogs after they mistook them for cocaine Read more »
On Alternate Realities and Living in Freedom
Yesterday I read an article that raises some interesting questions about the lying that the average adult practices on a many-times-daily basis. The difficult and searching issues the article brings up about truth and how much of it we reveal, or choose not to reveal, and what the effects can be on our lives are sobering, to say the least. Oh, it’s not that people are usually setting out to “lie” (ie, make up a story or tell something blatantly untrue), but rather that many times in the adult world people find it easier to simply not tell the truth [...] Read more »
Handel’s Halleluiah Chorus…as you’ve never heard it before
This is, quite simply, beyond awesome. The residents of the city of Philadelphia were so privileged to see this happen, and to get to be a part of it. What if communities all over the United States began to participate in organizing Random Acts of Culture? How might that change our world? I wonder… Read more »
Wise words from a 106-year-old Holocaust survivor
When I lived and taught in Europe, I went to Auschwitz. Several years later, on a return trip to Europe, I traveled to Dachau. Both of the visits were completely overwhelming, but even so, I vaguely recall a story told to me about one of the then-currently-serving docents at one of the camps. If I remember correctly, she was herself a Holocaust survivor and had been taken to the concentration camps as a child. She had been freed at the end of the war, and she had promptly gone on as an adult to be trained in the career path [...] Read more »
The Power of Story
I have wanted to write about this beautiful article for some time. Yet I have found that nothing I can say about it is as powerful as what the author herself has already expressed so perfectly and so completely. I wish this extraordinary manifesto on why author Katherine Paterson reads and writes could hang as a poster in libraries across the United States. But since I can’t see to that, I can at least see to it that everyone who reads this blog has the opportunity to be enriched by her wisdom and passion for reading, justice, and mercy. Her [...] Read more »
A Friend’s Words about Change
Recently a friend and former colleague of mine, Deborah Fike, wrote some wonderfully wise words about change—specifically about accepting change in others who are dear to us. As I’m sure you well know, this can often be an even harder task than accepting change in ourselves. Deborah’s wise (and brief) words can be found here: Have a great Wednesday, and may her words empower you today and in the future to continue the difficult but ultimately rewarding journey of accepting the changes that come into the lives of those who matter most to you. Read more »
Dean Abbott on Meetings
My friend Dean Abbott recently wrote one of the funniest pieces I’ve ever read about the topic of meetings, or rather our naive belief in American culture that getting everyone together for a meeting will actually enable things to get done. As Dean helplessly shares from the trenches of a recent week of meetings, this often isn’t the case. At all. If I’m not mistaken, reading his brief post will bring you the funniest 5 minutes of your day. Enjoy! Read more »
Stereotypical fun in 5 minutes or less
Growing up in a family of five boys and three girls, I have never been very sold on the academic theory that all behavioral differences between the genders are learned, not innate. The sociologists and behaviorists who actually hold to this belief must seriously have never had many opportunities to observe children from 0-8, but hey, that’s just my opinion (I certainly have no scientific study to confirm my bias on this, just years of observation, babysitting, nannying, and teaching). So I have to say that this little clip of comedians acting like college girls is really funny. No matter [...] Read more »
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