You know I've watched "Reading Rainbow" religiously since 1983 when it first aired, (even before I comprehended the totality of the show) and it's indeed a sad day that something like that is taken off the air. Doesn't surprise me in the slightest at all though. The future is basically water boarding today's children into consumer driven mindless automatons who might know how to read, but really don't understand why it's important. They won't foster much in the way of caring, and like so many others already, merely regard *reading* with whatever is a part of their curriculum, or necessary to GET THAT JOB/CAREER and nothing beyond that. Once in a blue moon due to mainstream ballyhoo, they might pick up a novel, series or otherwise (Harry Potter anyone?) but that'll be the beginning and the end of it.
I learned quite a bit from Levar Burton's adventures simply hosting the show growing up, and it always both amused me as well as continued to educate (from time to time) throughout Senior High School. I can remember my first "reading moment of magic" in Spring of 1990, when I picked up THIS book:
which was the third in an 8 part series of *The Terminator* met ROBOCOP with elements of Mad Max in it, but only the first 6 books would prove to be worth a damn as the last two were written by another author who sucked. It was the first time I really got pumped about a book outside of what some teacher told me I had to read. While looking for the 1st in the series, I then stumbled upon Mack Maloney's post WWIII Nuke Aviator Action-Drama series of:
and from the summer of 1990 onward, I was hooked on reading. From that series I would move onto the 4 part series by Ben Sloane of:
then onto:
...and so on, furthering into non fiction works that set the stage for my never ending quest for more knowledge, and then going out and acquiring "Life Experience" over any over priced schooling. ***Now something like this happens and it saddens me. Yet another reason time is ending. A show actually promoting something of worth and the fat cats don't like it because in their eyes it's no longer pertinent. What could be more pertinent?