The first is an article from The Sun Magazine by a retired teacher in New York named John Taylor Gatto. He is anti-school and pro-learning, and this is his acceptance speech upon being named New York's Teacher of the Year in 1989. You can also check him out on YouTube.
If you are unfamiliar to The Sun, as I was until my sister turned me on to it a couple of years ago, check it out. I love it. It has essays, interviews, poetry, short stories and unique, interesting sections, like one that's made of quotes from famous and non-famous thinkers, and another called "Readers Write", where the magazine puts out a topic and readers respond with their personal stories. So cool! Other facts about The Sun: it's been around for 30 years and Lily Tomlin's a fan. Buy a copy. Enough said.
The second is a short story my friend CHM sent me. Clarkesworld Magazine is a monthly science fiction and fantasy magazine. Personally, I'm not so into that stuff. I enjoyed Stranger In a Strange Land, by Heinlein, A Wrinkle In Time by L'Engle, and the short story "Harrison Bergeron"
by Vonnegut, but none of those were written after 1962, so I guess I might want to revisit the genre before I make an opinion about it. But, really, you know, why try to be well-reasoned before you speak, and especially prior to putting stuff in writing? A waste of time, if you ask me, so I'll just go on and say it...mostly, I think that stuff blows. However, this story by Kij Johnson is disturbing, psychologically stimulating and well-written. It's also about alien sex, which is a definite selling point. And it's short. Nice.
Another thing that wows me - and most of America, I s'pose - is AMC's tv show "Mad Men". (Personal Note to Mad Men: Oh Mad Men! I love you so much! I look forward to you every Sunday, and I don't think this season is slow at all! You make sitting on my couch eating sardines and green beans out of the can in my boxer shorts sexy! Thanks for just being you!)
Thanks to REL and CHM for providing me with stuff to talk about! Keep those cards and letters coming!
P.S. I'm not done with South Dakota, so you can look forward for more from "The Great Faces, Great Places" state soon! Woohoo!!!!!
BONUS: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html It really is a great story, and it's short, I promise!
grok
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