I first wrote about The Great American Read, an eight-part PBS series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, back in May. The show investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories, and what America’s 100 best-loved novels have to say about our diverse nation … Continue reading Cast Your Vote! Voting Ends Thursday (Oct. 18) at Midnight!
Thanks to Mary, my wife, we did at least one thing right while our kids were growing up (notice how I snuck in there to grab some of the glory...). We had books, lots and lots of books, for our kids. I can remember many nights reading to our three boys and starting to talk … Continue reading Books – the Great Equalizer
Well, he's certainly not a new artist, but he still brings the same passion to his concerts that he did over 40 years ago when he was just starting out. And while he may be best known for playing lead guitar with the E Street Band in front of sold-out stadiums, he's also just as … Continue reading Music Monday – You’re Missing
In a post from last week, I talked about the Genius Awards given by the MacArthur Foundation and focused on a particular winner, Vijay Gupta. I also noted that I thought I would turn the Genius Awards into a series of posts, profiling a different winner every week or so. This week's MacArthur Fellow is Ken … Continue reading This Is What Genius Looks Like – Part 2
Today's Wall Street Journal featured a profile of Heather Mac Donald, an American political commentator, essayist, attorney, and journalist. She is currently a Thomas W. Smith Fellow of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. Over the years, Mac Donald has been more than willing to share her opinion on a variety of issues, including victimization, philanthropy, immigration reform, crime prevention, racism, racial profiling, rape, politics, … Continue reading What Am I Missing?
Maybe the office printer had jammed up for the third time that day. Maybe he'd just been replaced by a robot. Or maybe he had just watched this classic scene from Office Space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjsSr3z5nVk Whatever it was, something inspired Jeffrey Yip to start a business that allowed people to vent their anger in an eco-friendly way. … Continue reading Rage Against the (Fax) Machine
Good Will Hunting is one of my favorite movies, following the adventures of Will Hunting, a self-taught mathematical genius who works as a janitor at MIT. While there are many subplots to the movie, to me the key takeaway is that genius can be found anywhere, and that we can't judge someone simply by the type … Continue reading A Real Life Will Hunting
It's one of my favorite weeks of the semester, one I've written about before. Students are presenting their vision boards and it has been great getting to hear what their short-term and long-term goals and dreams are. One of the students thought it would be fun to throw in what her results were from having … Continue reading My Spirit Animal Is a Turtle – What’s Yours?
I've been wearing glasses since 4th grade, when I was nine years old. The reason for needing the glasses was (and still is) nearsightedness. At first, I was embarrassed to wear them, but at this point, they have become part of who I am. My glasses are the first thing I put on in the … Continue reading Who Knew That Greatness Was Outside My Reach Since I Was Nine Years Old
The Wall Sreet Journal had a story last week about how hip-hop and R&B dominate the record business, but on the concert circuit, rock dominates. Hip-hop and R&B, America’s most popular genre, accounts for 38% of U.S. on-demand audio streams, versus 20% for rock. But in the live-show realm, rock is thriving. When Billboard ranked last year’s 50 … Continue reading Music Monday – The Avett Brothers
Borden's Blather 