GENIUS is mostly a matter of lots of hard work, argues the Times' in-house conservative, David Brooks.
AS if to prove Brooks' point, it's interesting to learn that YouTube sensation Susan Boyle was working long and hard before making it to "Britain's Got Talent." Go to Musictoob for the story and video of Boyle at age 22, singing "The Way We Were" just 25 years ago in a talent show at a social club in Scotland.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
From an e-mail ...
SENT by a relative, probably something moving around cyberspace, but much to the point anyway:
The CEO and the Teacher
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
“What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?” he argued.
He reminded the other dinner guests of what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.”
To emphasize his point, he said to another guest; “You're a teacher,
Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?”
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied, “You want to know what I make?” She paused for a second, then began:
“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
“I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.
“I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for five without an iPod, Game Cube or movie rental.
“You want to know what I make." (She paused again and looked at every person at the table.)
“I make kids wonder.
“I make them question.
“I make them apologize and mean it.
“I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
“I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.
“I make them read, read, read.
“I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator.
“I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
“I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
“I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart, to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag because we live in the United States of America.
“I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.”
Bonnie paused one last time, then continued:
“Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention to them because they are ignorant.
“You want to know what I make?
“I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make, Mr. CEO?”
The CEO’s jaw dropped, and he remained silent.
The CEO and the Teacher
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
“What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?” he argued.
He reminded the other dinner guests of what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.”
To emphasize his point, he said to another guest; “You're a teacher,
Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?”
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied, “You want to know what I make?” She paused for a second, then began:
“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
“I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.
“I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for five without an iPod, Game Cube or movie rental.
“You want to know what I make." (She paused again and looked at every person at the table.)
“I make kids wonder.
“I make them question.
“I make them apologize and mean it.
“I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
“I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.
“I make them read, read, read.
“I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator.
“I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
“I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
“I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart, to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag because we live in the United States of America.
“I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.”
Bonnie paused one last time, then continued:
“Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention to them because they are ignorant.
“You want to know what I make?
“I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make, Mr. CEO?”
The CEO’s jaw dropped, and he remained silent.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
For Tuesday ...
A reminder that the dogwoods are looking good this year, despite Monday's rains ... .
MEANWHILE, Mark C. Taylor of Columbia University wants to "end the university as we know it." An interesting argument for overhauling higher education.
MEANWHILE, Mark C. Taylor of Columbia University wants to "end the university as we know it." An interesting argument for overhauling higher education.
Monday, April 27, 2009
It's Monday ...
AND it's as good a day as any for Frank Rich to explain why President Obama is wrong to not want to look back.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sorry, Herb, ...
BUT ours is a culture that takes pride not only in its ignorance but in its taste for gunfire as well.
FROM a thoughtful essay in Foreign Policy:
FROM a thoughtful essay in Foreign Policy:
The wisdom of geographical determinism endures across the chasm of a century because it recognizes that the most profound struggles of humanity are not about ideas but about control over territory, specifically the heartland and rimlands of Eurasia. Of course, ideas matter, and they span geography. And yet there is a certain geographic logic to where certain ideas take hold. Communist Eastern Europe, Mongolia, China, and North Korea were all contiguous to the great land power of the Soviet Union. Classic fascism was a predominantly European affair. And liberalism nurtured its deepest roots in the United States and Great Britain, essentially island nations and sea powers both. Such determinism is easy to hate but hard to dismiss.
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