The Supreme Court ruled last Thursday in District of Columbia v. Heller that the District of Columbia’s almost de facto ban on handgun ownership violates the Second Amendment. While some liberal commentators have expressed abhorrence toward this ruling, I think it is important to actually discuss what the ruling said. In that vein, we must first look to what Mr. Heller was suing over. [Read more →]
The AP reports that the math skills of American students would be better if elementary school teachers had math skills to begin with. Now before we delve into this topic, let me state for the record that I am a high school physics teacher. From my position, it would be easy to blame the poor math skills of my students on their math teachers. I have students who can’t math their way out of a paper bag, and I take a lot of time every year to teach basic algebra (solve for x) to students who should have those skills before walking in my door. I sometimes resent that my time to teach my own subject is eaten up with mathematical remediation — and not just for a few individuals, but for a large percentage of even the honors students. There isn’t even an argument regarding whether my students lack sufficient math skills. But it isn’t their fault. I am not being facetious when I say that. The fact is that somebody along the way failed to teach them. [Read more →]
An older brother’s job is to protect his younger brother or sister. That’s what I’d always been told by my parents, and that’s what I’d seen. My older brother protected me. [Read more →]
We all have our horror stories about lousy customer service. My most recent was when my husband and I were standing in line at an office supply store. The clerk was yapping into her cell phone while scanning our purchases. Without so much as a word or a glance in our direction, she managed to bag our items, take our money, and hand us our receipt. Her name tag identified her as the assistant manager. [Read more →]
June 6, 2008
I dream I am in a combination university/world’s fair and I need a bathroom. Steven Feinberg from elementary school gets there before I do, so Gail encourages me to try the medieval bathroom. There is a steep cobblestone ramp [Read more →]
Two Salt Lake City sisters, Sadie, 9, and Pyper, 7, protested high gas prices after the family canceled its cable TV to save money because of rising fuel costs. As the AP describes it, cable TV was one of the “budget-cutting casualties” (emphasis mine) and it left the sisters “without their favorite cartoons and shows.” It’s worse than living in Darfur. [Read more →]
When I have it in abundance there is no moderation. I’m an addict. I drink one, then another, and another until it is gone within a few hours. I can’t even begin to fathom the amount of money I have spent on it over the years. Now it seems my children have inherited my addiction. We buy by the case. Multiple cases, actually — in three or four different flavors. [Read more →]
I’ve recently learned through the magic of the internet that that staple of physical comedy in the modern era, the blow to the male groin, has reached its apotheosis in a YouTube favorite called Kicked in the Nuts. If you have not watched this bit of entertainment, the segments feature a wiry man sporting a bright orange wig — reminiscent of Carrot Top or the McDonald’s clown — who sneaks up on unsuspecting victims and kicks them in the groin. [Read more →]
I might be risking my libertarian, anti-authoritarian street cred, but this doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. The Associated Press reports that police entered Troy Molde’s home in Lakeville, Minnesota and woke him at three in the morning. It was part of a public service campaign to get people to lock their doors to prevent thefts. Molde “feels violated,” as he should. Strangers in your house at three in the morning — strangers with guns and badges — giving you a lecture about home security is no fun. The police say entering the home was justified. [Read more →]
Once a week, my family dresses in pioneer clothes, and steps into time — full skirts, long sleeves, aprons, pantaloons, bonnets, and boots. Our invention for time traveling is an air-conditioned car. Once I drive through the gates, we’ve arrived in the 1800’s. [Read more →]
