Music Monday: Practicing What I Preach?

Last year I wrote a post, "What Would Cause You to Stop Being a Fan of Someone or Something?"in which I wondered what I would do if somebody or some team or some company that I was a fan of did something I totally disagreed with, whether it’s a political stance they take or breaking … Continue reading Music Monday: Practicing What I Preach?

Where Have All the Workers Gone?

It seems like every restaurant and retail establishment I go to has a Help Wanted sign on the door. Earlier this week I called a doctor's office to check on an upcoming appointment. After 15 minutes on hold, I had to hang up. Service times at restaurants and grocery stores seem to be getting longer … Continue reading Where Have All the Workers Gone?

AcaSPOlooza

This post is a summary of an event I attended at Villanova tonight with my wife and son which combined two of my favorite activities at Villanova- student a cappella groups and the Special Olympics. I've written before about how big the Special Olympics are at Nova. For one weekend in November, our campus hosts … Continue reading AcaSPOlooza

Introducing! The Class of 2025!

The Mindset List, aka the “always/never” list, is a compilation of key points about incoming college students. Created at Beloit College in 1998 to reflect the world view of entering first year students—and to help faculty understand incoming classes—the list started with the members of the class of 2002, born in 1980. In 2019, the … Continue reading Introducing! The Class of 2025!

Why Would Anyone Want to Be on Their Local School Board?

School board members are typically unpaid volunteers, often parents who step forward to shape school policy, choose a superintendent, and review the budget. In most places, and during most times, it was a relatively unremarkable, yet vital position, one that few people paid attention to, or even knew who the members of the local school … Continue reading Why Would Anyone Want to Be on Their Local School Board?

Music Monday: A Look at a Slice of Soviet Rock and Roll History

The NPR website had a fascinating article a couple of weeks ago about the history of rock and roll in the Soviet Union. The focus of the article was on the Leningrad Rock Club: a 600-seat theater that opened in the early 1980s where bands could be seen and — more importantly — watched. The … Continue reading Music Monday: A Look at a Slice of Soviet Rock and Roll History

Can Money Help People to “Just Say No”?

Overdose deaths from stimulants in California nearly quadrupled between 2010 and 2019, and the problem has gotten even worse since. Preliminary data from the first nine months of 2020 — when much of the state was locked down because of the coronavirus— shows stimulant overdose deaths jumped 42% compared to 2019. California has proposed a … Continue reading Can Money Help People to “Just Say No”?

We’re Number 11, Again! :(

Eleven years ago New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote an opinion piece titled "We're No. 1(1)!" The title was in reference to a Newsweek ranking of the 100 best countries in the world. The U.S. didn't even make the top 10; we came in at No. 11. Not bad, but it seems that for … Continue reading We’re Number 11, Again! 😦

Just Because You’re Paranoid Doesn’t Mean There Isn’t a Microchip in the COVID Vaccine

Some 20% of Americans believe in the conspiracy theory that microchips may have been planted inside COVID-19 vaccines that millions of people have already taken worldwide, according to a study by YouGov and The Economist that was conducted last week. Despite a lack of evidence to support such a claim, the poll concluded overall that 15% of Americans … Continue reading Just Because You’re Paranoid Doesn’t Mean There Isn’t a Microchip in the COVID Vaccine

Music Monday: 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything

My son and I just finished watching the first episode of a relatively new series on Apple TV: 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything. Here's a brief description of the eight-part series: An immersive, deep-dive rich with archival footage and interviews, “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything,” will show how the musical icons … Continue reading Music Monday: 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything