Evolution for Kids! Wow!

This past summer I was in Pisa and got my first glimpse of the Leaning Tower. Pisa is still very much a college town, and has been, since the time of Galileo. It’s unnerving to stand near the Tower and imagine Galileo at the top, doing his experiments, with the Basilica and the small, but vibrant town in the background.

Joseph Campbell is one of my favorites, too. Did you get a chance to read any?

Great site. Email me directly if it’s okay to add a link to your site on my blog - I won’t do so without your express permission.

-Donavan

aka

Sideon

I would like to relate a little story about children’s books. When my oldest was about 10 years old we were at a book store and I gave him the challenge of finding a children’s book that had anything to do with the 5 freedoms guaranteed in the First Ammendment. Of course, he could not find one. So we expanded to the adult section, got a book, took it home and talked about the five freedoms. We modified the “freedom to petition the government” to “freedom to petition your parents” for the time being. My son, quick to pickup on anything that give him any advantage, waited until the next day and handed me a petition.

Southern California was in the throws of a drought. Everyone was putting in shower heads with restrictor plates to cut the flow of water and I had dutifully installed them in our house, including the kid’s bathroom. Unknown to me, at some time after the installation, a small piece of plumber’s sealant had partially clogged the restrictor plate and the output was an energetic drip and not much more. He had tolerated it for a week but sure welcomed the opportunity to “petition the government”.

A recent poll found that less than 1% of the population could name the five freedoms and almost 20% could name all the members of the Simpson family on TV. What does that tell you?

There used to be more independent stores - I went to Gene’s Books at King Of Prussia to listen to touring authors read their own work to crowds that waited in lines for hours for the opportunity. It was an hour to get there - but worth every mile.

I always loved bookstores as a child and I hope my kids will, too. We don’t spend much time in toy stores, but I can see spending a lot of time in book stores as soon as they are ready. I’m really looking forward to it!