Literate Cities

I have to admit I am a sucker for the various "rankings" that come out like this one from Central Connecticut State University:

"America's Most Literate Cities - 2007"

1. Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. Seattle, Washington
3. St. Paul, Minnesota
4. Denver, Colorado
5. Washington DC
6. St. Louis, Missouri
7. San Francisco, California
8. Atlanta, Georgia
9. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
10. Boston, Massachusetts

Looked at geographically the one region of the USA not represented in this "top ten" list is the "Southwest" with cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Austin, Dallas, etc. clearly missing.

As a resident of Minnesota I am proud to see our Twin cities both ranked in this top ten list. To celebrate I plan to quit work early to read a book :-)

Todd

Reading to Children

The recently released report, "Reading Across the Nation" (USA), noted that just "under half of the parents surveyed said they or other family members read every day to their children, from newborns to five year olds..........."

In terms of percentage of families that read to their children the state rankings included:

HIGHEST - Vermont at 67%

LOWEST - Mississippi at 38%

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

For limited government activists like me these statistics represent the primary problem we have in the USA -- parents who do not take action on their own for the benefit of their children thus "inspiring" politicians to offer "assistance and solutions..."

I just have to pose this primary question -- if the families in Mississippi want to ignore their children's' education/development why should a resident of Minnesota like me have to pay for some "Head Start reading is fundamental" program that simply takes money out of my pocket that I could better spend on my own children?

Todd

Boys

According to a recent USA Today editorial I read there is a "gender gap" in terms of reading performance whereby girls perform much better -- 55% better in one Cook County, Illinois elementary school that was evaluated.

So the U.S. Librarian of Congress, James Billington, has named author Jon Sieszka a "Reading Ambassador" for a campaign designed to get more boys to read. Mr. Sieszka's campaign can be found at this website:

www.guysread.com

I applaud citizens like Mr. Sieszka who use their talent for a civic need like this one since an illiterate population only becomes more dependent on government programs. But perhaps more importantly is the other "gender gap" -- namely the fact that men in the USA still earn more than women do for doing the same job. Today's boys need to empower themselves by reading more so they are better providers for their future families since men are still the primary wage earners in the USA today although this could change soon as girls outperform boys in reading.

Personally I would love to see the Boy Scouts of America join this reading campaign by creating a "Reading" merit badge.

Thanks Mr. Sieszka,

Todd

Harry Potter sales totals

Granted this is just a snap shot view of current Harry Potter book sales but in the July 26, 2007 edition of USA Today's Best-Selling Books list of the top 50 the Harry Potter books had a very impressive presence. A full 8 out of the top 14 sales rankings in this top 50 list were captured by the various Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling -- 8 out of the current top 14 books!!

Not that is VERY impressive. I have to admit that I have not read even one of the Potter books and I have only seen a portion of one of the Potter films -- which I did not enjoy that much -- so I feel a bit out of the loop when it comes to the Potter cult. Standing in line waiting for the new Harry Potter (or the iPhone!!!) book is not the way I want to spend my time. A much better option is lying on my couch reading one of the many un-read books in my home library.

My congratulations to Ms. Rowling on her success. From the media reports I have seen her books have inspired children to be active readers so if that is true she has my heart felt thanks for promoting literacy.

Enjoy the magic,

Todd