I had heard of bell hooks. I recognized her face in the photos I have seen the last few days but would not have been able to explain how or why. And that was all. The feminist author, poet and professor died of end-stage renal failure on December 15 in her home in Kentucky. She was only 69.

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Former Senator Bob Dole's passing has been a real learning experience. Sure, I knew the basic facts about one of the political icons of his time, but I had no idea that he had a famous sense of humor. Hearing so many funny one-liners from the Kansas Republican and former presidential nominee has changed my view of him, but it has also given me one more thing to miss about the way our politics used to be.

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What a year 2021 has turned out to be! I vividly remember feeling that last year was the worst year we have collectively experienced, but in many ways, this year just feels like Season 2 of the same horrifying series.

Objectively, most things are better than they were twelve months ago. But some of the weeds that had so blatantly reared their heads last year have now clearly taken root, and it is time to rethink a sane approach to their eradication. Clipping off the top of a dandelion doesn't accomplish much. Removing it requires us to dig a little deeper.

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In recent weeks, I have had a marked increase in opportunities for discussions with readers of my weekly column. As one might imagine in American culture, these "opportunities" are usually initiated through some form of objection to the opinion about which I wrote. Lucky me! Columnists could easily transition to the complaint department. If any of the newspapers carrying this drivel needs any help with that, I'm there for you.

I think it's time we all take a couple of minutes to renew our agreement on what the differences are between articles, editorials, and columns.

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On Thanksgiving evening, following a memorable battle with her brother, Pauly, Adrian finally went out on her first date with Rocky Balboa. She wasn't exactly happy about it either, telling Rocky, "but it was Thanksgiving." He simply replied, "yea, to you. To me it's Thursday."

And with that, I have exhausted my list of favorite cinematic scenes depicting a version of my favorite Thursday of any given year.

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I never expected to write a column about the things Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has in common with an eighteen-year-old killer. No matter what the jury decides next week in the trial of young Kyle Rittenhouse, he unquestionably and unnecessarily killed two people. Admittedly though, as far as strange occurrences of late go, seeing the commonalities here actually don't rank all that high.

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Welcome to Think about It with Michael Leppert.

The purpose of this podcast is to convince you to think about it. If I fail at that, I am sure I will be able to at least help you understand how I think about it.

All in just FIVE MINUTES. That's right, every episode is just FIVE MINUTES.

So…what exactly is "it?"

"It" will be something that is happening today in our cultural, community, or political space. And "It" will also be how we communicate with, relate to, or exist around each other.

Not everyone agrees with me on this, but I am convinced all of the "its" I talk about here are things that we can collectively make better, heal from, or enjoy more if we all decide to think about it.

Look for new episodes and new opportunities to think about it every Tuesday.

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