Last Tuesday, author Susan Jacoby released her book, "The Age of American Unreason," which explores what she says is an American attitude of hostility toward global knowledge. According to an article in The New York Times, the idea befell her around the time of the Sept.
The carnage at Northern Illinois University last week, when a former student opened fire in a lecture hall, causing multiple injuries and killing five students before killing himself, highlights the necessity of firearm regulation and the need for universities to take a proactive approach to dealing with students who suffer from mental illness.
"The customer is always right." This overused, absurd and distinctly American phrase has contributed greatly to the decline of higher education. Many students at UM-D and elsewhere no longer think of themselves, upon starting their college careers, as having been granted the opportunity to undergo rigorous instruction, test their intellectual capacities and eventually earn a degree.
While putting together last week's Michigan Journal, I couldn't help but notice the jeer for "pity Grammys awarded to crackheads," noting the obvious allusion to music's latest train-wreck, Amy Winehouse. This upset me. While her singing, accompanied with what people call a fusion of jazz and R&B may not exactly be my cup of tea, it's at least different.
As if Michigan's budget crisis couldn't get any worse, Governor Jennifer Granholm just did the unthinkable: She decided to cut back on all the special aides in all the middle and high schools here in Michigan. Instead of having about three aides per school, she decided to let all go except for one or two.
The writer's strike is officially over. So, why do we still have all these annoying reality shows on TV? The membership of the Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East voted on Tuesday, Feb. 11 overwhelmingly in favor of lifting the restraining order and ending their 100-day strike that began on Nov.
Although it's the 21st century, it's amazing how much farther African-Americans have to go in achieving the best education and highest quality of life in the United States. Recently, I was doing research for a paper when I came across some very disturbing and enlightening statistics.