Apparently, there’s some brouhaha over standardized testing in schools. Earlier today, a friend posted a link to an article about parents in Central New York telling their children to refuse to take standardized tests, and it seems it’s not just a local phenomenon. The question is, why? Opponents of the testing say it stresses students, […]
I got a rejection email for a story I submitted to an English magazine in August. It’s a very short story – about 400 words, a so-called “flash fiction” piece – that has an extremely unusual twist in the last paragraph. It’s (delightfully, in my humble opinion) strange and thought-provoking, and everyone who has read it
In the aftermath of the horrendous shootings in Aurora, Colo., late last week, there has been the usual torrent about tightening and/or loosening regulations on guns. Within hours of the event, a woeful infographic made it to my Facebook news stream telling me how many people have been killed in the U.S. compared to a
While looking up some info for a new project I’m working on with my friend Dave, I ran across an unexpectedly funny (in a “oh no he didn’t just write that” kind of way) treatise by King James VI of Scotland and I of England — that is, the guy who authorized the creation of
As the Supreme Court gears up to hear oral arguments about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – pejoratively referred to by some as “Obamacare” – I’ve been reading up various commentaries and blog posts about the potential constitutionality. For example, NPR has a good, uncharged guide to the questions involved. However, my favorite
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” “Live free or die!” “Don’t tread on me!” “You’re not the boss of me!”
Some people listen to music that pumps them up while exercising. I listen to podcasts of public radio shows. Earlier this week I went running and heard the May 21 episode of Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me — whichfeatured 2012 presidential hopeful, Republican Gary Johnson, in the “Not My Job” segment. Now, I don’t know
So, many fellow libertarians probably will be upset with me when they hear that I don’t give a rabbit’s left toenail about the whole “net neutrality” regulations being considered by the FCC. Even the ever-stunning Shelly Roche hasn’t managed to convince me that I should care – and her video updates typically convince me plenty.
Eugene Volokh at The Volokh Conspiracy has some problems with a recent U.S. District Court decision that ruled a teacher’s comments about creationism violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. I am not a lawyer, but it seems that the problem has less to do with the fact that public
My contention that state-mandated vehicle inspections are a racket was reaffirmed again today. My car failed inspection for having a tail light out. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather have to replace a $3 tail light than a $100 set of tires or something. But it’s never quite that simple, is it. Instead
