Bill Moyers Journal

See if you can find the time to take a look online at Bill Moyer's last Bill Moyers Journal.. He is retiring from broadcasting after four decades, though apparently it will be kept alive in an online life. One of the saddest parts of not working on a PBS show anymore was missing out on hearing Bill Moyer's speak at the PBS conventions. Not only were they the most insightful, enriching, and empowering moments of the week, but he always made himself available to talk to anyone afterwards. He is a truly remarkable, articulate, empathetic man who knows how to cut through the media rubble more clearly than anyone.

The first story is exactly the heart of what Bill Moyer's cared about most: people. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement shows the other side of a movement in the country that sees the need for change and does something about it without the politics and anti government spewing a few other groups the media is more fond of sharing these days.

The second is a wonderful interview with Jim Hightower. I can't believe he's right here in Texas. The heart of which may be described as a quote from his mother, "Two wrongs don't make a right but three left turns do."

And finally, there is an interview with Barry Lopez, the award winning author who talks about nature, spirit, and the human condition.

It will be time well spent.

Boys, Books, and Teen Brains

We've talked with partners for a long time about "books for boys." Why don't they read? What do they want to read? Does it matter that they're not reading? What can we write that they WILL read? There are a couple of articles with some intriguing insight, including today's Nicholas Kristoff op-ed piece in the Times, The Boys Have Fallen Behind. The Center on Education Policy confirms that boys have fallen behind in reading in every single state. Some argue “The world has gotten more verbal...Boys haven’t.”

The answer may surprise some. ..."Encourage lowbrow, adventure or even gross-out books...Indeed, the more books make parents flinch, the more they seem to suck boys in."

Kristoff shares a very cool idea, the website, guysread.com, that offers useful lists of books to coax boys into reading, and they are helpfully sorted into categories like “ghosts,” “boxers, wrestlers, ultimate fighters,” and “at least one explosion.”

And while we're looking at the boys/reading dynamic, take a look at NPR's look at the differences in the teen age brain and the adult brain. It may answer more questions than just why boys don't read. It's a fascinating article that may explain why your kids are doing what they're doing and that they might not have any idea WHY they're doing what they're doing. Their frontal lobes are not fully connected, and that leads to a lack of insight, excitability, and their being self centered. Sound like some one you know? Or knew?

Maybe they should read a good gross out book?

The Kids are All Right

A beautiful pause in the health care debate from Thomas Friedman in the NYT today, reminding us that there is hope that we're doing some things right thanks to the kids of recent immigrants. See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/opinion/21friedman.html

He wrote:

Gotta say, it was the most inspiring evening I’ve had in D.C. in 20 years. It left me thinking, “If we can just get a few things right — immigration, education standards, bandwidth, fiscal policy — maybe we’ll be O.K.” It left me feeling that maybe Alice Wei Zhao of North High School in Sheboygan, Wis., chosen by her fellow finalists to be their spokeswoman, was right when she told the audience: “Don’t sweat about the problems our generation will have to deal with. Believe me, our future is in good hands.”

As long as we don’t shut our doors.

You can read about the Intel Contest here: http://www.societyforscience.org/STS/

New Movie Friday

Forced to do this because of the many bad reviews popping up for Marty's SHUTTER ISLAND. Hey, it's really good. Great film noir. It's Sam Fuller for the 21st Century, not Hitchcock. It's not all blood and gore, more gothic and intrigue. Lots of great plot and twists and if Leo ain't the best, it's still worth jumping in. It's an in-theater, not at home experience. The screening crowd last night at Studio Movie Grill was totally into it. You could hear a pin drop in parts.

Go see it while you pass on Oscar nominated THE LAST STATION. Guess the Last SNOOZE was taken. Hard to see so much scenery chewed when it's not on stage. Yay, James McAvoy though,but boo Helen Mirren (she must regret having to watch it twice). Not worth an Academy vote.

So thar' ya go. Or don't go.

Didn't you think it was even more???

So the LA Times article discusses how you better be a tv show or movie if you want be a toy. Not so shocking, but then they add the apparently somewhat shocking news that "toys based on characters found in movies, TV shows or books accounted for $5.4 billion, or 25% of all U.S. toy sales, last year." I'm really surprised it's only 25%! Didn't you think it was closer to 30, 40, or 50 per cent? Where's the next creativity coming from? http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-toystory16-2010feb16,0,2526066.story