April 29, 2020
I am a TV-sports addict, but I don’t miss the games. I can live without them—at least for now. Sports are an integral part of society’s fabric and serve many purposes, but they are not life or death (except maybe for a Vikings’ playoff game or a Lakers-Celtics’ championship series). The coronavirus, however, is life or death.
March 24, 2020
One
day, when I was about ten years- old, a package arrived at our house in Duluth.
Inside was a new high-school textbook, Our American
Government Today, coauthored by my uncle, Morris (Morrie) Lewenstein, then
an assistant professor of social sciences and education at San Francisco State
College.
March 17, 2020
I
have been fascinated with rhymes for many years. I will try to rhyme a couple
words or string together a couple sentences that rhyme. I enjoyed reading the
poems and stories of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss to my children.
March 10, 2020
In 2019, I continued to be informed and entertained by several good books. I gained increased knowledge of history by reading about the courageous pioneers who settled the Northwest Territory, the brave participants in the American War of Independence, and the victims and perpetrators of violence in the bitter war in Northern Ireland.
February 23, 2020
In
early afternoon, on Sunday, October 6, a bright, glorious autumn day, my
youngest daughter jogged down John Ireland Boulevard toward the State Capitol
in St. Paul, approaching the finish of her first marathon—about three hours
longer than Eliud Kipchoge would run six days later, but a special achievement
for her nonetheless.
December 4, 2019
Every
fall weekend, my oldest daughter, my son, and I gather in front of my TV to
watch the University of Southern California (USC) football team. My son and I
began this ritual while my daughter attended USC from 2001 through 2008,
earning two degrees; the Trojans ranked as one of the nation’s top teams under
Coach Pete Carroll.
October 3, 2019
In How Schools Work, former U.S. secretary of education Arne Duncan writes about the big lies that pervade the education system. In fact, under the category “lies,” the book’s index lists 20 separate references such as lies about academic achievement, about college preparedness, about efficacy and preparedness, and so forth.
March 6, 2019
Last summer and fall, two famous Minnesota athletes, Lindsay Whalen and Joe Mauer, caught my attention after their retirement announcements when they publicly thanked everyone who helped make their success possible. Next, Alan Page, retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and National Football League great, issued a statement expressing gratitude when receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony.
February 17, 2019
The past few years, I have expanded my reading of print books. Often, I will learn of books from reviews in newspapers and magazines or from suggestions by one of my children.
February 3, 2019
My sister recently sent me a picture of her granddaughter, Hannah, a first grader, lying on her stomach, on the floor, reading a thick book. Other books are randomly strewn across the floor, and a bookshelf appears in the background. Like Hannah, I learned to read in the first grade, and reading has been one of my true loves since.