Blog on hiatus

This probably comes as no surprise to those of you who have checked in and not found a new entry in 10 days (!), but we are going on hiatus. We will be back on March 5. That will bring us back in plenty of time to commemorate the five year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq (because we like anniversaries, especially those that are in multiples of five) but provide a much needed break in the interim.

When our favorite columnists go on hiatus, it's usually because they are writing a book. Perhaps taking a vacation. Nothing so cool for either of us. Kathy is simply swamped with projects - both during and after working hours. As for our boy in the service, he really has nothing new to report. Or if he does, he ain't sharing. He alternates between being bored (see posts 2/6, 12/27, and 12/18) and crazy-busy (see posts 1/13 and 12/27). The one consistent element in his schedule is planning for the 115's redeployment back to Oregon. However, whenever someone goes on sick call or on leave, he also picks up their tasks. For example, he's taken back and then given back the embedded reporter program three times in the last three months. And yet, he still hasn't gotten Kathy any autographs from her favorite reporters.

So, we will be back in about two weeks. In the meantime, if you need something to read in lieu of the blog, Kathy has two recommendations. The first is Three Cups of Tea. As its subtitle says, it's about "one man's mission to promote peace...one school at a time." Not necessarily a great piece of literature, Three Cups of Tea nevertheless merits reading and Kathy highly recommends it (Ed certainly would too, had he read it, but Kathy still hasn't made it to the post office to send it to him).

Set in Pakistan during the past decade, the book chronicles the the efforts of Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute to build schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. This story will not only tug at your heat and inspire you, but will also provide a glimpse into a region of the world that has become increasingly important to the United States in the past decade. If you're like us and know very little about this part of the world (despite Kathy's college degree in international relations), it's a good introduction. And, it really is an amazing story.

The other book Kathy recommends is, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Now, technically, she has not read the book yet (it's sitting on the dining room table), and thus can not speak to its literary merits. But the thesis is based on what she studied in graduate school and she recently saw the author, Richard Louv, speak in Sacramento. Based on a growing body of quantitative research, Louv argues that parental fear, changes in communities (e.g. growing urbanization, increased emphasis on standards in schools), and the increase in electronic media use (television, Internet, etc) have resulted in a generation of children who have lost their connection to nature. His concern is not simply nostalgia for times past; many educators, health experts and psychologists consider this condition to be harmful to children's physical and mental health and social skills. Louv's ideas and the Children and Nature movement are gathering momentum; in fact, in just the past week, both NPR and Opus have addressed this issue.

So in the spirit of addressing nature deficit disorder, grab a book, go outside, maybe read the book, maybe just enjoy being outside, play a little, and take a break from the Internet. We'll be back in March.