Back to School from Ampolo Team on Vimeo.

We received many responses to our query about how to improve the education system. For this week’s video, we chose responses from a teacher, a school board member, and an activist. You can see some of the other viewer ideas by visiting our companion blog. Feel free to send us more ideas on this important subject.

Coming soon: your ideas on improving major league baseball.

A note: In September we ran a video on the desirability of reusable shopping bags. Ampolo does not endorse products or receive fees from manufacturers of products. But we have been struck by a particular phrase that could appear on bags and recently learned there is a company that produces reusable bags using that phrase. If you go to the site, you’ll not only see the bags, but also what Ed Begley, Jr. and Nick Nolte have in common!

DELEGATING AUTHORITY from Ampolo Team on Vimeo.

Ampolo does not endorse products or political candidates. But we are happy to post interesting ideas about both. As of this writing the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to be the Democrats’ presidential nominee remains undecided. This episode suggests a solution if the contest remains undecided after all the primaries and caucuses. Is it a perfect solution? Probably not. Is it the basis for a serious discussion on what to do? We hope so. Please share your comments.

Hail to the Chief from Ampolo Team on Vimeo.

This week’s episode begs the following questions:

1. Do you see any parallels to other past or present battles?
2. Whom do you think should win in the movie?
3. Whom do you think would win in real life?
4. What actor or actress would you cast as the president in this or any film today?
5. If Morgan Freeman is unavailable, what actor or actress would you cast as the president in this or any film today?

Your answers, please.

You Gotta Have Art from Ampolo Team on Vimeo.

We hope you will enjoy this week’s episode, in which two viewers shared with us their favorite works of art—public and personal. We heard from others as well, and we’d like to direct you to their special pieces.

Darrell directed us to Franz Winterhalter’s Portrait of Countess Olga Shuvalova, 1858

Linda wrote: “The Song of the Lark by Jules Breton comes to mind. I’ve always loved that painting, and had a poster of it in my room. I must have identified with her peasant look: bandana, outfit, machete. Seriously, tho’, I find the painting serene and earthy.”

Howard reported: “I am now interested in a new artist, Cheryl Warrick, who is not too well known. I saw her work at the print fair in NYC in November.

And Adar wrote: “Two images came to mind immediately, both public art. One is a mural on a house in Belfast. It promotes the loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Freedom Fighters. I saw this mural, amidst a wash of others, walking down Shankhill Road. A few days later, I saw a piece of stenciled graffiti art in Dublin. It looked similar to this.”

Nora is sitting in front of one of our favorite pieces of art. It is Issue #1 (by Miranda July) of The Thing, an object-based quarterly.