Is it possible to have a civil and substantive conversation about politics between people of differing (opposing!) ideologies these days? It sure doesn't seem like it if you read the increasingly over-the-top blogosphere, listen to the hyperbolic talk radio, and watch the overblown 24/7 cable new channels. The result is a truly toxic "mocktail" that [...]
It seems like every day when I go on line I read something that causes me to think: "Another indication of the end of civilization as we know." Well, this morning I had another one of those painful epiphanies when I read that Bristol Palin, the daughter of the former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential [...]
Even before any action is taken to reform our public education system, the current efforts being championed by President Obama and administered by Education Secretary Arne Duncan are missing the mark at two fundamental levels and, in doing so, ill serve the needs of all students. First, let's start with what public education reform really [...]
Back in February, I posted a blog post, Public Education Gone (Absurdly) Wrong, that described what I considered to be a too-bizarre-to-be-true-but-it-was scenario between a frustrated parent and her son's school administration. In response, a commenter insightfully pointed out that you could replace 'public education' with just about anything happening in politics today and the [...]
Though less common, letdowns in intensity can also cause your level of performance to decline. A decrease in intensity causes all the things that enable you to perform well to disappear. Physically, you no longer have the blood flow, oxygen, and adrenaline necessary for the strength, agility, and stamina you need to perform your best. [...]
I was recently interviewed on a parenting radio show and thought that, with summer around the corner, the topic of kids and summer activities seemed timely. 1. What ultimately is the goal a parent should have in mind when they select/offer ideas to their children of what to do this summer? Parents should think about [...]
Having established in a previous post that what most people call multitasking is not the most productive and efficient way to work, the next question I want to address is how to effectively engage in single tasking. The answer is definitely not rocket science; it simply requires prioritizing, delegation, focus, and most importantly, commitment and [...]
In my last post, I described what I believe is a tragedy of national proportion as exemplified by practices in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) that demonstrate a wanton disregard for the education of its students. In that post, I introduced you to Leonard Isenberg, a respected public school teacher of 15 years, [...]
It is a scenario that I just don't want to believe because it affirms my (our!) worst impressions of public education for the poor in America. This post has everything you would expect from a massively flawed and inertial monolith: a system failed, a bureaucracy corrupted, teachers subverted, and young people disserved. It has all [...]
One of America's most cherished rights is citizens' right to privacy, as former Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun noted, "the right to be let alone." Passions are stirred by debates about the right to privacy and it has become a political hot potato in recent years due in part to the domestic wiretapping controversy, identity [...]