Last week I was perusing the household environment, trying to decide which room to clean first. It was then that I noticed how many televisions we have. There is one in the kitchen to watch while we cook and do dishes. I have one in the living room for recording and viewing my two soap operas, "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." The loving husband has one in the family room for watching NASCAR racing, football, Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street, and video movies. He also has one in the garage for watching NASCAR, football, and Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street. We also have an extra TV with a VCR right in it to take on fishing trips for those rare moments when the fish are not particularly cooperative. We do not have a TV in the bedroom. If you have three or more television sets in your house, you are not alone. 41 percent of American homes do. Here are a few more disturbing statistics: oThe average time an American child ages 2-17 watches TV is 19 hours and 40 minutes per week. oThe time parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children is 38 minutes per week. oOn average, American children will spend more time in front of the TV (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours). oThe number of TV commercials viewed by children in one year is 20,000 oThe age by which children can develop brand loyalty is age two. oThe average number of violent acts an average American child sees on TV by age 18 is 200,000. oThe average number of murders witnessed by children by the age 18 is 16,000.Next week (April 21-27) is Turn Off Your TV Week. You are encouraged to "do something" instead of sitting in front of the television. And, I just happened to have an idea for you. Come to the library at 7 p.m. Tuesday April 22, for a special presentation by Minnesota Children’s Author William Durbin. This program is open to all ages. Mr. Durbin will have books available for purchase and they can be autographed after the presentation. Naturally you can come to the library anytime we are open. You don’t have to wait for a special program. Every day is a good day to visit the library. This week you might want to check out the new book by Iris Johansen, "Dead Aim." A celebrated photojournalist, Alex Graham has seen it all. She has recorded some of the most tragic and heartbreaking of catastrophes, everything from natural disasters to infamous acts of terror. Her experiences have left her forever marked with the human side of tragedy. So when a dam breaks in Arapahoe Junction, Colo., Alex is once more at the site doing more than just snapping pictures — she is in the mud with a shovel digging for survivors. Alex finds more than she bargained for. In one terrible instant, she is witness to a conspiracy that will stun a nation. The official story is just a cover-up for a truth so frightening, so unthinkable; anyone who threatens to reveal it must be silenced. Forever. And now that someone is Alex Graham.The first attempt on her life is swift and brutal. Only barely escaping, she finds an ally in an improbable source. Billionaire financier John Logan has his own reasons for protecting Alex, and these reasons alone are likely to get her killed. Using his vast connections and influences, Logan assigns a bodyguard to protect her. Judd Morgan is the best covert commando in the business, and if anyone can keep Alex safe, it’s this quietly dangerous man. Note: The library will be closed on Sunday, April 20, in observance of Easter.
