NewsfeedThe word textbooks has the potential to make us cringe. Why? Because their price tags are scary. But last week textbooks made headlines in a way that could be more frightening than the cost of funding a semester’s worth of biology literature. Pundits have dubbed the issue the “Texas Textbook Massacre,” attempting to frame a nationwide debate over what material belongs in social studies books at the secondary education level. »
As each year passes and I watch the American people as an aggregate make decisions, I am forced to wonder: does America really believe in equality of opportunity? I hear that line almost as much as I hear about professional athletes cheating on their wives. Anytime there is somebody spouting off the plethora of statistics illustrating the inequality in the Land of the Free, another one of the Brave will almost certainly counter by reminding everybody that “America is not about absolute equality; it’s about equality of opportunity.” »
America’s crisis mentality is itself a crisis. It’s been one after another: the swine flu epidemic, global warming, Islamic terror, the housing crisis, the banking crisis, the health care crisis. Recent headlines have brought new attention to the number of overweight Americans, and we’re reminded again of the obesity crisis. »
On St. Patrick’s Day, amid the celebration of everything Irish, I felt little left out. Although I enjoy clovers, leprechauns and massive amounts of green every now and then, I feel like celebrating the holiday would unfairly rob the Irish of the one day in which they celebrate their own culture. »