Sounds like an ancient proverb. What you say about winners not always having to be victorious is very true. There is a such thing as the moral high-ground which not too many people seem to seek out these days. It is hard to know what will matter in the end, but it seems that the best things in life, even when they’re difficult to seek out, do lead…[Read more]

Very cool topic. When you start to think about what was science fiction only a few decades ago, now cemented in the technological canon of today, it really says something about the importance of any kind of fiction in society. You should look at this article from popular science that talks about what is science fiction right now that could become…[Read more]

I’m right there with you in your experience with that book. I too was taken aback by just how cruel the culture that Harper Lee portrays was. While it is a story of heroism, the “bad guy” in it lives on today in quiet corners of this country. You draw attention to that, and make it clear that a problem is never really gone, but rather ebbs and…[Read more]

Fascinating stuff. It is really incredible to me that the format of these tests has not changed for such a long time. For a country that claims to be all for educational reform, there has been almost no real action taken. Your investigation points out just how serious the situation is getting since qualified people everywhere are denied a chance…[Read more]

You made me think of a desert without trees, and how a landscape bereft of them might look. There still could be greenery in the absence of arboreal life, in which case the earth might look something like the rocky outcrops of mountains, where there is too little oxygen to sustain their existence. Lichens and shrubs would thrive, though the birds…[Read more]

I really like the angle by which you’re approaching this topic. One of the things that makes students angry is undue condescension from their higher-ups. Even though adolescence is a time of learning and discovery, young people wish to feel empowered in their own convictions, and not belittled by what they deem to be arbitrary authority figures. R…[Read more]

In a sport that is known and heralded for its brutality, I think its great that you’re drawing attention to the unique brand of danger endemic to the sport. Look into the most common injuries specific to the sport. I’d be interested to know the rate of career ending injuries for professional hockey players compared with other sports.

What a fascinating take on and old standard. I like your approach to the conflict between dichotomous ideals. It has a Matriz-y feel to it.

This topic is fascinating, especially in a time when it seems crime is an inescapable part of culture. It is really interesting in the context of domestic terror and mass shootings, and how the two equal brands of evil can become oddly alienated in our own minds. Keep up the good work.

Very interesting stuff. I really like your points and statistics involving what happens when teachers are the subject of online slander by students. It is a very negative influence in addition to cyber bullying of other students. You draw an insightful connection between the deprivation of free speech outright, but how not limiting this speech…[Read more]

This is very insightful, Jasmine. You hit the nail on the head by saying that Americans, regardless of their origin, have so much to be fearful of in everyday life. Many of those fears the government is supposed to protect against, at other times it is the source of such fear (as it is for the illegal immigrants). FDR said we have nothing to fear…[Read more]

This was really informative, Wilson. It truly is a lovely car, and one that isn’t afraid to flex its own muscle. I like that you talked about the car from both a technical and creative design perspective. You mention the resale value of this car, and it made me wonder where other cars in its class from this era will end up. I think about all the…[Read more]

Erik, this was very moving. I like the approach you take to the fundamental human nature of being creative. You say it is the most important thing to hold on to because it can lift others up at the same time that it lifts you up. Any creative process indeed is a way to feel better or make others feel better, and it is that shared creativity which…[Read more]

Excellent probe, Amy. I agree, the holes in the wall between church and state are elusive and ever changing. Esepcially in Utah, the gaps are large. You almost make Utah sound like an old Italian city state with how much influence the church exercises power over and infiltrates our legislative and executive bodies. And like you alluded to at the…[Read more]