-FUPPETS- For Readers XLIII

That is not the Lone Ranger above. It is Louis L'Amour, famed writer of western tales and all-around he-man. His own wide-ranging personal life could be made into dozens of films. Mr. L'Amour would have waged holy war against the decline of reading in the USA. While electronic readers saturate the media, the average person has actually dropped their amount of literature reading down to abysmal levels. While there are many various reasons for this, -FUPPETS- lays much of the blame on an education system that rewards rote memorization and the didactic study of "facts" instead of rewarding creative, critical thinking. This is the kind of education that many people truly need. They do not need to know the dates of historical events as much as they need to know the actual details of the history, the people who made it happen, and to think critically as to WHY these things happen. That question, "why?", is the one question that teachers seem to dread the most. That is pathetic, as that is the one question that they should be willing and ready to discuss with their students. It is a sad shame, for the human brain thrives on language. Travel is not the only way to expand one's mind and vocabulary. Books can do the very same thing, yet it seems like pundits are jumping on the ever-expanding bandwagon that books/literature is dead or dying. Only the foolhardy and ignorant would suggest this is a good thing. Luckily there are still people out there writing and thinking and trying to help us out. THE MARK OF A MASTERPIECE: The man who keeps finding famous fingerprints on uncelebrated works of art. - ( David Grann - The New Yorker ) When Jefferson changed "subjects" to "citizens." - ( Marc Kaufman - Washington Post ) IN DEFENSE OF THE MEMORY THEATER: Personal book collections are as important as books themselves - ( Nathan Schneider - Open Letters Monthly ) RENT A WHITE GUY: Confessions of a fake businessman in Beijing. - ( Mitch Moxley - The Atlantic ) THE REAL DEAL: Has "reality" TV led to an increased demand for documentaries? - ( John Bailey - Sydney Morning Herald )