by Michael Leppert | Mar 12, 2025 | Politics/Government, Pop/Life
I teach storytelling, though the official titles of the classes are things like presentations, writing or speech for business. But on the first day of school in all of my classes, I put a slide on the screen with this quote from the late Steve Jobs: “The most powerful...
by Michael Leppert | Feb 27, 2025 | Politics/Government, Pop/Life
There are so many stars and influencers surrounding us these days, it’s difficult for the uncool to keep up. I don’t know exactly when I crossed over into that territory, but I’m guessing it was shortly after my first son was born. He celebrated his 30th birthday this...
by Michael Leppert | Jan 1, 2025 | Pop/Life
Maggie Rose has landed her first Grammy nomination for her latest album, “No One Gets Out Alive.” It’s nominated for Best Americana Album, a fitting category, though on my first listen of it earlier in the year, I declared it to be the album of the year in every...
by Michael Leppert | Dec 21, 2024 | Pop/Life
I remember when, as a child, this time of year was filled with unmitigated joy. Like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story,” dreams really could come true. But as a nine-year-old boy, I never thought to ask Santa for a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle....
by Michael Leppert | Dec 5, 2024 | Politics/Government, Pop/Life
Fans of the movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” will remember the scene. Ben Stein plays a famously boring high school teacher giving a lecture about economics to a room full of teenagers fighting to stay awake. In about a minute, he covers the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act...
by Michael Leppert | Nov 28, 2024 | Politics/Government, Pop/Life
The late John Prine, in his 1971 classic song, “Illegal Smile,” wrote: “You may see me tonight, with an illegal smile. It don’t cost very much, but it lasts a long while.” The journey marijuana has traveled in American culture during my lifetime is a fascinating one....
