Entries for September 2010

Social scientists use the parable of the "floating babies" to remind us that we can't solve a problem until we know its source.

You know this story: The townspeople meet at the riverbank for a celebration when suddenly they notice a baby struggling to stay afloat in the river's rushing waters. Someone runs to save the baby; then he notices another one coming from upstream. More and more babies come rushing down the river as the people of the town quickly make a human chain to try to save the infants.

When a few townsfolk run upstream along the riverbank, someone yells, "Where are you going?"

"We're going to find out who is throwing these babies into the river and stop them!"

A new documentary, "Waiting for Superman," is posing the question: Just who is throwing an entire generation of American children into the rough and dangerous waters of public education, only to drown in a torrent of mediocrity?

The film is being criticized for pointing out that America's teachers unions too often protect incompetent educators and perpetuate a system that rewards longevity over talent. Being unions, they place the economic goals of their members over the educational needs of the children they supposedly serve. (Why does this surprise some people?)

It says something — draw your own conclusions — when the president's attendance at church makes national headlines.

There was a time when the banner, "President and family attend Sunday services" would have been akin to "President eats jelly on toast." But as we know, this president doesn't go to church much.

The cynic in me would note on my trusty calendar that Labor Day has come and gone, and thus it's officially campaign season (kind of like Lent for politicians), which explains the president's renewed interest in all things religious.

The president claims that his security requirements create a circus atmosphere in church that isn't conducive to solemnity and prayer. But it's odd that he has never mentioned pursuing a regular, logistically friendly alternative, such as hosting a home church in his private quarters at the White House.

Instead, the Obamas seem to live the typical, secular lifestyle that increasingly marks our 21st-century American culture, even among people who profess a strong religious belief.

Sundays are for sleeping in, reading a stack of newspapers, long walks with the dog, going out for brunch, playing a round of golf. It's all the stuff the Lord intends for a day of rest, without the fussy clothes and sitting still and long sermons.

Last Friday, 400 seniors at Norwin Senior High School in Irwin, Pa., thought they were attending a routine presentation on the importance of donating blood, offered by the community's Central Blood Bank.

Instead, when Assistant Principal Tim Kotch cued up the PowerPoint slides provided by an employee of Central Blood Bank, the giant screen was filled with gay porn. It gives new meaning to the term "flash drive," doesn't it?

Reports say it took somewhere between 15 and 30 seconds for the images to register in the minds of the large audience, and then for the assistant principal to pull the plug on the graphic photographs. Astonishingly, the guy from the blood bank actually took the microphone and gave his talk about donating blood, which students say they'll now never forget.

Even before I have the chance to stow my purse and kick off my sandals, my son pops into the room to ask: "What are the new rules?"

"Rules?"

"Yeah," he says. "I figured since the parent meeting at school was mandatory, they must be telling you about all sorts of new rules."

"Nope," I reassure him. "Same rules as before."

He can't imagine what administrators and parents would need to discuss if not some sort of complex rubric to define the various rings of hell one might be required to visit in the event of a behavioral lapse.

I explain that the meeting wasn't about school policy, but rather about the school's mission. "You might say it was a mission-effectiveness seminar for parents," I say.

He glazes over and then says, "Huh? Well, good night."