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The American Presidents
During my college years at the University of Minnesota-Morris, I took a number of political science courses that intrigued me. One that particularly stood out was “The American Presidency”, where we...
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‘Tis The Season (For Football)!
The turkey has been carved and the pie has been consumed. The leftovers are finally starting to dwindle. The packages from Black Friday are safely stashed in a closet. With the calendar turning to...
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The New “King”
A number of years ago while browsing around a bookstore, I stumbled upon this novel: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King (9780671042851. 2000. Gr. 11-Adult). It is the story of a...
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The Big Game
In January of 1967, the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the first ever AFL-NFL championship game. There were no celebrities in attendance, no week-long events leading up to...
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Bowl You Over
Each year, as a sports fan, I go into a bit of a funk during the months of February & March. I know that basketball and hockey are still being played during this time, but as more of a...
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Reviews: How Star Wars Conquered The Universe & Quiet
Since the start of 2015, I have read two books that really had an impact on me. I feel that both titles would be great additions to any high school library collection: How Star Wars Conquered The...
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Celebrating #42 (Jackie Robinson Day)
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson trotted out to first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The act itself was a simple one, but its significance was incredible: Jackie was the first black man to ever play...
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Book-To-Screen Update
When I’m not reading or cheering on my favorite Minnesota sports teams, I enjoy watching movies. Whether sitting at home on my couch watching the flat screen, or at the cinema with a bucket of popcorn...
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Hot Dog!
I love competitive sports. I also love eating. One day each year, both passions converge into one glorious event: the Coney Island (NY) Hot Dog Eating Championship. Set on the Fourth of July, when...
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“What I Read Over My Summer Vacation…”
There is a famous Norman Rockwell painting (entitled “Coming & Going”) that I’ve always liked which depicts both the beginning and end of a family vacation… To me, the end of August often...
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ITEM 2015: Historical Fiction & Graphic Novels
Four days from now, at the ITEM Conference in St. Cloud, MN, a number of our Mackin Librarians will present top titles for school libraries across multiple interest levels and genres. My two areas...
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A “Depressing” Anniversary
Eighty-six years ago today, the American stock market took a lethal plunge, throwing the country’s banks and working class into a panic and perpetuating the most severe economic depression the country...
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The Force Awakens
“Chewie…we’re home!” Today, Han and Chewie are indeed “home” with the release of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. For the next few days (weeks? months?), Star Wars will be everywhere. I have my...
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The Greatest
Yesterday, Muhammad Ali turned 74 years old. Known simply as “The Greatest”, Ali transcended boxing to become an important social, cultural, political, and religious figure over the past 50 years....
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Lights, Camera, Action!
Whether I was watching The Wizard of Oz or Saturday morning cartoons as a child, or marveling at films like Interstellar and TV mysteries like LOST more recently, I’ve always been a fan of the film and...
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The Ides Of March (Election 2016)
On March 15th in the year 44 BC, Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated at a meeting of the Roman Senate. Legend has it that mere months before his fateful death, Caesar was warned by a fortune...
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Play Ball!
“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do: I stare out the window and wait for spring” (Rogers Hornsby) Nary a week from today, the baseball season will...
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Film To Book: Going The Other Direction…
When one of my younger brothers was in grade school, he wasn’t an avid reader by any stretch of the imagination. He just couldn’t “buy in” to the notion of patience and sitting still long enough to...
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It’s About “Time”
I was born in 1985…the year that Marty McFly got Doc Brown’s time-traveling Delorean up to 88 mph. My Dad was born in 1955…the year that Marty’s parents must be set on the right track of history. I...
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How You Play The Game(s)
Not long ago, fellow blogger Anna featured some videogame-centric titles in this post. While reading that entry, it really got me thinking about some of the great memories I also experienced as a...
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