Nevada Opera presents … Hansel & Gretel. By Englebert Humperdinck (the German Composer who lived from 1854 to 1921 — NOT the pop singer of the same stage name that local drummer Tony Savage has toured with — but possibly the inspiration for Prince Humperdinck of one of my favorite books of all time, The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.) But I digress.

The opera follows the fairytale bedtime story you remember (although it’s German and Grimm - a bit darker, sweeter and more romantic). A perfect opera for the whole family. Don’t miss it! Performances are Friday, February 8 at 7:30 pm or Sunday, February 10 at 2:00 pm at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. Buy your tickets now! Or call the opera directly: 775-786-4046.

And be sure to arrive early for the pre-show talk! Artistic Director Michael Borowitz is AMAZING!!!

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute released the results of their American Civic Literacy Test. Students from 50 colleges nationwide, including top Ivy League schools, failed a test of their knowledge of American history and economics. The average score (14,000 college students took the test) was 54% or an F.
I’d have to agree with Scott Casper, who teaches history at the University of Nevada, Reno. Casper said “memorizing historical dates and other information doesn’t give students insight into democracy as much as learning how to think and question.”  (Read the Gazette Journal article.)  And where exactly does that happen?

This is a multiple choice test. Even if you don’t know the answer, with some basic knowledge, or in some cases logic, you can eliminate some of the answers - and have a pretty good shot at passing.

The story claims the “students who gain more knowledge about civics and history are more likely to vote and take part in social and political activities.” If this test is anything like what students find in a civics classroom (and how boring does that sound already?), then I don’t think more classes will get young people engaged.

Projects like Rock The Vote are an interesting start, but I think people are more likely to get engaged if they feel like they are making a real difference.  It’s a tough sell.

And I’ll be very interested to see how Nevada’s experiment in getting involved in the Presidential selection process turns out.  Planned Parenthood is organizing its activists to get to the caucuses.  Unions are as well.  But we haven’t seen any presidential candidates in a while.  We’ll see how it all turns out.

the positive! Join in the celebration! Not many communities take the time to recognize all those unsung heroes who quietly go about improving quality of life. But Truckee Meadows Tomorrow does just that, in a big way!

Join thousands of your friends and neighbors to recognize the contributions of the Silver Star winners at Accentuate the Positive, October 5, 2007 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in the Rose Ballroom. Don’t miss it!