NewsfeedA good friend once told me that
a bird in the hand is worth two
in the bush. He was referring to
relationships. What he meant
was that sometimes having someone
you like, trust and get along with is
better than any number of interesting
prospects you might have. I told him
“that would depend on your outlook
on life.” »
When a fifth grade-student shoots
her hand up in the air during a
history lesson and declares to
her pupils that President Obama
is a terrorist because she heard it from
her parents, the plausible reaction from
the sane among us is of a palm-meets-forehead
nature. How unfortunate. And
what an uncomfortable position for the
student’s teacher. »
In the technologically advanced
world of today, automobile
companies frequently crash
cars into thick, cement walls
on purpose just to see what will
happen. Inside of these cars they
place the well-known crash-test
dummy, which exists to endure
horrible experiences so we don’t
have to in order to know what
happens. We all owe at least some
thanks to these dummies; we are
smarter from their perils. The
demand for crash-test dummies
illustrates something about the
way we acquire knowledge as
human beings: there are more
ways to learn than to directly
experience something yourself. »
Mr. Chipman argues in his
column “Many hold wayward
perception of what college should
be about” that today’s collegebound
youths are mistakenly led
to believe that once independent,
these tragic young souls are
destined through the invisible hand
of social pressure to make regretful
decisions that invariably imperil
their future. I don’t disagree with
him. But is that such a bad thing? »
Before President Obama’s address
to the joint session of Congress
on Sept. 10, the Commander in
Chief addressed attendees of the
ALF-CIO Labor Day Picnic in Cincinnati.
In this speech Obama addressed
opponents of the America’s Affordable
Health Choices Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200)
by saying, “I’ve got a question for all
those folks: What are you going to
do? What’s your answer? What’s your
solution? And you know what? They
don’t have one.” »