Just for fun (and accurate on the theme song, linked below)

How many criminal cases did Perry Mason, portrayed by Raymond Burr, lose? I didn’t know until recently.

Everyone knows he lost one. On the web, you can read it was either two or three. On the Carson show, Burr said three, and I figure he’s the person that should know.

When the series first came out, my mom never missed an episode. After moving to Lancaster, the show was on from 12:05 to 1:05, so I went home for lunch every day to watch it. I learned a trick from Perry Mason that I used in court, which always worked without fail. Only one attorney called me on it. It didn’t help him, though.

Heck, I even taped the theme song and played it as I walked down the hall toward the courtroom to try a case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT4wkkkaFTc

Thought inflation: “A nickel for your thoughts.”

In 1996, Charlie Sheen bought 2,615 California Angels baseball game seats. Sheen wanted to catch a home run, preferably by Cecil Fielder. Sheen and three friends sat alone but had no home runs in the game, so they ended up ball-less.

These are the people some want to identify with them when it comes to politics. Tell me, which of your friends has bought over 2600 tickets at a cost of over $6.500.00 to a baseball game for four people? I’d venture to say none.

Childhood was filled these cultural touchpoints. For example, when you’d rather play outside or watch something else on TV, but the next day at school, everyone’s buzzing about the latest big event. Or those family gatherings where the adults were excited about some new music or show, and you were just not quite getting what the fuss was about.

One such time for me was February 9, 1964. Beatlemania hit the United States that date when an astounding 74 million viewers watched The Beatles perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

As a young boy intent on watching “The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh” on Disney, I wasn’t one of the astounded. With a young mom, then 29, who loved all the latest music, I couldn’t win. My mom insisted we watch The Beatles instead.

It wasn’t until the next day, when I heard everyone at school yakking it up that I understood the significance. I went from hating the Beatles the night before to living the lie by maintaining a facade of adoration for the group.

The Beatles started with “All My Loving” and performed five songs, split into two segments. Ed Sullivan, who initially knew little about the band, featured them on his show nine times.

However, it was not their first appearance on American television. They appeared on the Jack Paar Show on January 3, 1964, but clips of the Beatles performing live versions of “From Me to You” and “She Loves You” were shown.

Funny, for all the hype, their hair wasn’t really that long. I never saw my episode of “The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.” I did come to love the Beatles, even though they screwed up my Sunday night 61 years ago.

I understand that Donald Trump’s approach may not resonate with everyone, but he is at least attempting to tackle longstanding, serious issues in education that have not seen much progress through traditional methods.

Merely increasing funding hasn’t solved these problems. As was done in the past, a return to emphasizing the teaching of core skills is part of the solution. Minimizing distractions in the classroom and teaching respect for authority from an early age are also crucial aspects of educational reform.

Some schools no longer require standardized tests to assess student achievement, leading to students passing even when they fall below the minimum standards. This practice needs reform; otherwise, the U.S. education system faces significant challenges. Studies show there is no question we’re turning out high school and college graduates who are not functionally illiterate.

Parents bear responsibility if they are unaware that their child is illiterate; they should actively participate in their child’s learning, not just delegate it to teachers. Ensuring homework is done, even if the child resists, is a fundamental role of parenting. But it goes both ways.

When parents have tried to voice their concerns through protests, they’ve often been met with police action and negative media portrayal, with the narrative that “educators” understand what’s best for children more than their own families. Therefore, schools need to be more receptive to parents playing a role.

A discussion of eliminating the Department of Education should be on the table. The idea that one size fits all is ludicrous. The modern Department of Education has been in place for just over 40 years; federal involvement in education has had a longer, though less centralized, history.

So, maybe the best approach is to return education to the state and local levels, where it was originally meant to be.