Friday, April 11th, 2008
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, the US government loves the life Gert and I live. Having a mortgage with children reduces the tax load significantly! . . . My nephew passed his jury for Eagle Scout this evening. Way to go, Parker . . . Well, this is certainly not the kind of press an upstart magazine should want . . . I’ve must not be well-read. I believe there are 
but 13 books on this list that I have read. I have a few others on the bookshelf . . . Not that anyone needed any further proof, but President Clinton does not tell the truth . . . Obama wasn’t going to win Pennsylvania, but thanks to foot-in-mouth disease (aka elitism), he surely has no shot now . . . spring has finally sprung . . . We all make mistakes, but shouldn’t a school district’s language arts supervisor not send e-mail with typos? . . . The AP counts differently than I do. According to Tom Hester, “Corzine’s $33 billion budget proposal would cut spending by $2.7 billion.” Yet, this year’s NJ’s budget was $33,293,000 and the proposed budget for next year is $33,968,603. That’s a spending increase the way I teach my fourth graders. Budget numbers are fluid, but I’ve yet to see a set of figures which actually shows spending will be less next year . . . Yikes! I shudder to think what this college would have done to us for our radio shows 20+ years ago . . . I agree with Justice Alito. I even wrote about it back in 2001. Of course, I approached it from a citizen of New Jersey, not as an Italian-American . . .
Posted in Education, GPS Games, Geocaching, Miscellaneous, New Jersey, Politics | 1 Comment »
Friday, April 4th, 2008
When I was in fourth grade I read a lot of Encyclopedia Brown stories. I loved the mysteries. I suspect that help foster my love of thrillers, suspense, and puzzles.
This is my first year teaching with this particular anthology. In it is an Encyclopedia Brown mystery titled “The Curse of Pablo’s Nose.” It just so happened that a week or so prior to us getting to that story we finished our read aloud book. Looking for something different, I pulled the first Encyclopedia Brown book that I recall reading 35 years ago.
My students (as did I) loved this! There are 10 cases in the book. My students did very well solving the last eight; the first two were spent seeing how to look and think about the clues. Once they saw me model the strategies, they did very well. I recall as a boy being able to solve some, but not all.
The first case, “The Case of Natty Nat,” introduced Encyclopedia and the rest of the Brown family. One thing I noticed is that the police in Idaville do not seem to be that sharp if 10-year-old Encyclopedia picks up on clues the trained officers don’t. But if one can suspend that disbelief, he can fully enjoy the cases that are presented.
Our favorite story was “The Case of the Bank Robber.” The students thought this through very well.
It’s nice to reread a book that you recall fondly from childhood. That I read this twice, both in fourth grade, seems somewhat
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Friday, March 14th, 2008
We live in a relatively small community, although larger than I grew up in. Even so, there are but two bookstores in the area: a used store in town and a mall bookstore. The mall bookstore is closing at the end of the month (I’d link to it, but the local newspaper wants to charge for that privilege . . . I don’t think so!). It’s not a surprise as to why.
From what I recall, The Booksmith has been opened for 20 years. In that time, book selling has changed radically. Borders and Barnes and Noble are all around (25 minute drive north or east). Their prices severely undercut an independent mall bookstore . . . not to mention the selection is far greater.
Then the Internet hit . . . most books, I suspect, are bought online. I know most of mine are.
So, the mall bookstore cannot compete on price. It must differentiate then in order to remain in business.
Several years ago I ran a contest at my school. After having contacted The Booksmith, it was agreed they would provide a $25 gift certificate for the winner of the contest. When the time came, they backed out. I was told since our school had not ordered any books they didn’t think it was appropriate to give a gift certificate. They did not honor their agreement. That was when I stopped shopping there.
Tonight our family was at the mall. I noticed there was a going out of business sign in the window. With but two weeks left before they close, I figured there might be some good bargains. Nope. Some books are being sold for 20% off, but only some. That isn’t going to move the merchandise.
As I browsed the aisles, I noticed Office 2000 for Dummies and Windows XP for Dummies. That further illustrates the problem with The Booksmith: those books are severely out-of-date. Who is going to pay full price for those books even if there were someone interested in them?
Our area will be down to just a used bookstore in April. I don’t suspect many will be inconvenienced by that.
Posted in Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 25th, 2008
A classic children’s novel. It is one of my favorites. I hadn’t read it in a few years so it was nice returning to it with this class.
This is a wonderful look into NYC nearly 50 years removed. The politeness and formality of my childhood can be read about here. This is indeed wholesome; a cricket, a mouse, a cat, and a boy. What wonderful characters Selden created.
There was a time when folks would take the train from Times Square to Connecticut for an afternoon picnic. I suspect those days are long gone. And so would the days of a cricket eager for sandwiches who hitches a ride from the country to the city.
How displaced Chester was! It’s a good thing there’s familiarity between species as the out-of-towner soon was comforted by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat, residents of the Times Square subway. Friendships do not end there as little Mario Bellini adopts Chester, travels to Chinatown (When was the last time a boy traveled alone from Times Square to there?) to secure a cage for his new pet. Amusement ensues as Sai Fong teaches young Mario about clickets.
But all is not well as Mama Bellini is troubled and shows her disdain for the insect.
Much travesty occurs before Chester is able to prove his worth to the Bellinis. Once upon a time the New York Times was known for its Arts section (before credibility became an issue). Chester finds himself as the most famous cricket there is as he is written about in the newspaper.
Yet, through all the entertainment and meeting of new friends, Chester was still a country cricket.
It’s fun reading stories I recall from my childhood. It’s a quick read and I recommend this classic.
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Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
When I lived in Boston, I read a lot of John Irving. I think I had read all of his books save Setting Free the Bears. I have not read a one since. Hmmm . . .
Anyhow, without question my favorite of his books was A Prayer for Owen Meany. It was very spiritual and so well-written. I have recommended to many people over the years.
So here I am 17 years removed from Irving, after midnight, flipping through On Demand to find something to watch. I came across a title that I decided to read the description. It sure did sound familiar, yet the title was not the same. A quick check of IMDB and sure enough, the movie Simon Birch is the film version of Owen Meany. Who woulda thunk it?
That this is nine years old and stars Jim Carrey, I hold no hopes of it being any good, but what the heck, I’ll give it a try.
Posted in Entertainment, Movies | No Comments »
