Autumn at Harvard (Goodbye Summers)

 Posted by  Education, Issues, The Media  No Responses »
Feb 232006
 

As you probably know, Dr. Lawrence Summers, the embattled President of Harvard, resigned on Monday. First, let me say that I have no idea whether Dr. Summers was a good and worthy president of Harvard University or not. But I do think that it is worthwhile to maintain an objective view of the truth, especially when discussing such a controversial figure. Because this resignation, while in some sense it only affects a small and elite university in Massachusetts, could have a huge ripple affect across University campuses across the nation, and thereby affect the quality and character of the general political and academic debate in this country.
Continue reading »

The Iraqi Powderkeg

 Posted by  Foreign Policy, Middle East, War in Iraq  No Responses »
Feb 222006
 

Sunni insurgents today blew up one of Shiite Islam’s most holy sites. In response, Shiite leaders have called for a three days of mourning. There are widespread reports of attacks on Sunni mosques, even as moderates call for calm. And the followers of one of the most militant Shiite leaders, Moktada al-Sadr, are mobilized and awaiting orders.

This is one of those flash-points that future historians will look back on as a watershed moment. The Iraqi government’s reaction to this tragedy will determine its legitimacy, and its ability to rule, for the next several months. It needs to be able to both restrain and placate the radical Shiites who are hungry for revenge. At the same time, it needs to bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice quickly, and act to protect other Shiite holy sites, without alienating moderate Sunnis. If it succeeds, this event will be seen as the undoing of the insurgency. If it fails (and at this point, the prospects are not particularly encouraging), this attack will become Iraq’s Fort Sumter. Iraq needs a miracle, and I hope and pray that they will get one.
Continue reading »

Teaching to the Test

 Posted by  Education, Issues  7 Responses »
Feb 222006
 

Jay Mathews at The Washington Post has an article today about why “teaching to the test” is actually a good thing. There are some good arguments to be made about why testing can be good; some of which are made by commentors at Right Makes Right!. Most importantly, it is good to occasionally get a rough idea of how things are going.

The author seems to feel that it is rare for there to be bad effects of “teaching to the test.” Rather, he argues, what is really happening is teaching to a standard. And he argues that in situations where teachers are forced to engage in bad teaching practices, good teachers will revolt and revert to the status quo. I sincerely beg to differ on all of these points.
Continue reading »

Port Bias

 Posted by  Bush Administration, Middle East, Terrorism, U.S. Politics  3 Responses »
Feb 212006
 

Did you know that 100% of the 9/11 hijackers lived, for a time, in the same country? That they received most of the training needed to carry off the attack while stationed in that country, and it was that country’s lackadaisical approach to security and terrorism which allowed the 9/11 attacks? Furthermore, did you know that that same country is now responsible for the security of America’s ports? This sounds outrageously scandalous, right?

So, what country am I referring to?
Continue reading »

Morning After Pill

 Posted by  Abortion, Healthcare, Issues  15 Responses »
Feb 212006
 

Today I want to talk about the morning after pill. Recently, the state of Massachusetts ruled that Walmart was required by law to stock the morning after pill.. Excuse me? Are you kidding me?

Look, I’m not against the morning after pill. Not even slightly. This argument is not about whether the morning after pill should be legal (although I fall solidly into the “should be legal” camp). But legally forcing a store to carry a product? That strikes me as a gross overstepping of government boundaries on business. The point of a business is to make a profit. If a particular product doesn’t move off the shelves, then a store loses shelf/storage space that could have been used for a more profitable product, as well as inventory costs. When government intervenes in these decisions, it hurts businesses, consumers, and the economy as a whole.
Continue reading »

 Older Entries  Newer Entries
© 2012 leftfielder.org login Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha