Topic: Baton Rouge Advocate
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8 ways to find common ground
Gridlock plagues Washington. Polarizing soundbytes get constant play in the 24/7 news cycle. The culture wars rage on. But these Monitor op-ed writers suggest there’s more common ground than meets the eye. Here are eight powerful perspectives on the possibilities for meeting in the middle.
All Content
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Chapter & Verse Poetry Out Loud 2013 finals: students from all over the US will compete
Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation contest, will help to wrap up Poetry Month tonight in Washington, D.C.
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Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac & Other Writings on Conservation and Ecology
The collected writings of American naturalist Aldo Leopold appear in a beautiful new edition from the Library of America.
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Chapter & Verse Want to be a writer? You need a favorite author
This college professor urges his students to find a "writing hero."
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Opinion: What poetry could teach a divided America
A good poem reminds us not only of who we are, but what it’s like to be someone else. Such exercises in empathy can strengthen our capacity for compromise. America would be better off if more of us read poetry this National Poetry Month – and throughout the rest of the year.
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C.S. Lewis: A Life
On the 50th anniversary of his death, this new C.S. Lewis biography succeeds in deepening the appeal of his works.
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Opinion: It's almost Nov. 6. Do you know what books Obama and Romney have been reading?
John F. Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson – many of America's presidents were avid readers, and that informed their decisions. It gave them critical perspective. Americans should be curious about the reading habits of President Obama and Mitt Romney.
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Opinion: If Thoreau were to move to Walden today, would he bring the Internet? Maybe.
Thoreau is one of technological innovation's most famous critics. But there’s a different side to Thoreau’s relationship with technology that says a lot about our own continuing struggle to strike the right balance between individual serenity and an interconnected planet.
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Opinion: Tax day: How to remind Americans that paying taxes is a conservative value
To help create a political climate in which Americans can talk sensibly about taxes, let's start with kids: It’s time to make The Tax Talk with our kids just as much a part of our culture as The Sex Talk or The Drugs Talk.
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Wendell Berry: New Collected Poems
"New Collected Poems" allows the playful, musical side of Wendell Berry's being to shine through.
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Opinion: Advice for Congress this first day of spring: To improve leadership, go outside
Thoreau’s suggestion that Congress might be improved by a greater awareness of the natural world was a serious one. Being outdoors this first day of spring should remind leaders and voters of a calendar beyond the election cycle – and a web of connections that transcends party.
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Chapter & Verse Henry David Thoreau as global-warming researcher?
Comparing the dates Thoreau recorded of flowers in bloom with those today shows powerful evidence that global warming is taking place, say researchers.
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Chapter & Verse Oscars: A cartoon about the wonders of reading takes the prize
'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,' a 14-minute cartoon about the joy of books, took the Best Animated Short Film Oscar.
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When E.B. White is also Grandpa
E.B. White granddaughter Martha keeps loving watch over a unique literary legacy.
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Chapter & Verse Presidents Day: our best presidents are as close as the nearest biography
With biographies like Carl Sandburg's 'Lincoln,' Americans can learn about past presidents on any day of the year.
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8 ways to find common ground
Gridlock plagues Washington. Polarizing soundbytes get constant play in the 24/7 news cycle. The culture wars rage on. But these Monitor op-ed writers suggest there’s more common ground than meets the eye. Here are eight powerful perspectives on the possibilities for meeting in the middle.
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Chapter & Verse Eudora Welty: the garden at the heart of her creativity
Eudora Welty's love for flowers is explored in a new book.
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Opinion: After Black Friday, Cyber Monday – the best holiday deals? Clean out your closet.
Consumer spending can drive economic recovery, but a recession created by a culture of excess can't be healed by more excess. As my kids learned by cleaning up their rooms, sustained economic health comes from knowing what we really need and what we can do without.
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Opinion: Listening to the other voice in the Jackie Kennedy interviews
The voice of Jackie Kennedy's interviewer belongs to the late historian and former JFK aide Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., whose writings are again timely in this tea-party era. He noted that the Founding Fathers embraced government as a vital help, not an obstacle, to progress.
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Calvin Trillin remembers 9/11 differently from the rest of us
Calvin Trillin's beloved wife Alice died on Sept. 11, 2001 – in a strange but unrelated parallel to the terrorist attacks on the city that both the Trillins loved.
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5 good reasons to embrace the fall reading season
Are you a reader? Don't be afraid to say goodbye to summer. Good things are in store!
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The great summer escape – is it still possible?
In 1953 Americans still knew how to vacation. But for us today it may be harder.
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Opinion: After Borders closes: still room for both e-books and the paper kind
As an occasional book reviewer, even before the Borders liquidation announcement, I’ve thought a lot about the future of books. The ideal book is more than a lump of text, whether you are talking e-books or the paper kind.
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Opinion: How summer reading flipped me from my hammock and changed my life
I'll read this summer for moments of revelation. The summer before college, I confirmed my major by reading Russell Baker's "Growing up." Later, Eudora Welty's "One Writer's Beginnings," told me that a wise life could be made beyond the Washington Beltway.
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Fourth of July: an excellent day to stay home
On July 4, 1845, Henry David Thoreau took the first "staycation" – and authors have been debating its merits ever since.
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David McCullough talks about "The Greater Journey" and some of his own favorite books
One of the ways that biographer David McCullough learns about his subjects is to raid their libraries.
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