http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458 For 26 years, the American Library Association (ALA), the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores band together on the last week in September to lead a celebration of the freedom to read.  Calling itself "Banned Books Week" (BBW) it <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-banned-books-week-both-28sep28,0,4133686.story">celebrates en-us Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:31:14 EST Wed, 1 Oct 2008 21:44:36 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#18 <i> I think the theory is if you make enough money to afford the MBA (or work for a company that's willing to pay for your tuition), that qualifies you to get it, or something.  It's perverse. </i><p> Something more perverse: The <a rel="nofollow" hre Wed, 1 Oct 2008 21:44:36 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#17 <i>The funny thing in looking at MBA programs and reading MBA graduate job boards is that they all make fun of economists and talk about how economists don't get hired by major financial firms because they lack the "business sense" of MBAs...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz Wed, 1 Oct 2008 14:29:20 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#16 In retrospect, it is kind of funny that they bothered spending a half a semester on sex education but no time at all on anything even remotely related to economics/life skills in high school. It was a "college prep" school so I suppose that was "beneath" u Wed, 1 Oct 2008 13:44:13 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#15 My school system did not require economics of any kind, which I do think is a shame.<p> That said, I took AP economics on my own, and it was miserable.  My teacher taught it like a science, i.e. that there were absolute truths, which is of course ridi Wed, 1 Oct 2008 13:01:07 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#14 Yes, it was indeed mandatory. I was in the French Immersion stream, so I'm not sure about the English stream kids, but we were required to take a single Canadian Economy course and a Law & Democracy course. I'm sure there must have been some English co Wed, 1 Oct 2008 01:46:54 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#13 <i>but none of the ones I've talked to give any indication they were required to take economics of any kind. </i><p> For what it's worth, the Pennsylvania high school curriculum (statewide) requires a semester (i.e. half a school year) of economics, usuall Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:12:26 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#12     Yes, it was US centered. I've never traveled, which is usually a disclaimer in my comments. <p>     Was your course mandatory or not? There are doubtless places you can learn these things, but that's a far cry from the kind of satur Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:51:05 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#11 In many Catholic families of Irish and/or Italian descent, one son if often directed into the priesthood.  If it were not for my uncle giving me Stranger in a Strange land and Time Enough for Love, folks might be calling me "Father Lou".<p> But no, I Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:28:55 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#10 I'm sure your comment is about the U.S., but during my HS education in Canada, I learned about basic economics. Including credit, banking, budgeting, etc... Is there no chance it's being taught in the U.S. at all? That seems kind of crazy to me! Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:20:30 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#9     Over at Bookmans, we've had the Banned Books display up all month, as usual, though this year there were no new additions to the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bookmans.com/Free-Speech.223.0.html">merchandise</a>. Personally, I think a we Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:57:29 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#8 His backgrounds are fantastic.   Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:17:04 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#7 I was gonna go with <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Have-Spacesuit-Travel-Robert-Heinlein/dp/1416505490/ref=ed_oe_p">Robert</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0340837950/ref=ed_oe_p">Hei Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:44:27 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#6 Tintin In The Congo is one of Herge's earlier works and thus far more raw than his later Tintin material. As a child, I had to go to Spain just go get a copy since the American distributor refused to pick it up at the time. It was one of the few blanks in Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:28:09 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#5 The public library used to have a strict lending policy to children under a certain age.  I used to go to my local library up the pike from where we lived.  I'd browse around the shelves and make sure I'd only check out books from the adolescents Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:41:01 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#4 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://stereotypeandsociety.typepad.com/stereotypeandsociety/images/2007/07/23/tin_tin_in_congo1.jpg">Behold the horror</a> that is <i>Tintin in the Congo</i>!  Indeed, as an inspiration for evil it is right up there with <i>Me Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:30:34 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#3 That author wouldn't have been <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.stephendonaldson.com/">Stephan Donaldson</a> would it? Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:46:20 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#2 I forget the name of the author, but I remember checking out a sci-fi novel from the "young adults" section, when I was maybe 13.  Contained therein were graphic descriptions of orgies involving the underaged.  This author was relatively unique i Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:38:04 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/9/29/10937/3458#1 As you may or may not be aware I was/am the general manager of a softball team. On it we have a local English teacher, and we discussed this subject at length while we were playing the field during batting practice. <p> I asked why certain books, such as t Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:41:54 EST string http://www.treesandthings.com/search/