Potter fails to get stamp of approval
The following is from a New York Times editorial:Can Harry Potter's magic lift the sagging fortunes of the U.S. Postal Service? That's the 46-cent question posed by the service's new first-class...
View ArticleThe world owes so much to Mandela
It requires little more than being of a certain generation, and just a touch of compassion and racial sensitivity, to remain in awe all these years after the magnificent day in 1990 when Nelson...
View ArticleSmith: Royal born, prison hewn, justice agent
Change can be wrought in the most unlikely of circumstances. Who, for example, would expect a man sentenced to life in prison to become an agent of change for his nation and a symbol of freedom and...
View ArticleParker: Marxist? Apologist? No, a Christian
Washington We have reached a new level of political absurdity when the right is mad at the pope and the left wants to anoint his head with oil.Everyone seems to have his own special version of Pope...
View ArticleThe art of compromise and its role in politics
The recent federal government shutdown over the Affordable Care Act and the last-minute vote to raise the debt ceiling highlight the political impasse in Washington, D.C., these days. The government...
View ArticleSeiler: Charlie and the drones!
I can put up with Amazon's Jeff Bezos assisting in the destruction of my beloved brick-and-mortar bookstores. Somebody in the digital realm was going to play that role, and at least Bezos' recent...
View ArticleEditorial: Long Story Short
Protecting Lake George It's well worth the estimated $50,000 cost to ensure around-the-clock inspections at the four public Lake George boat launches. Just consider the $1.5 million that local...
View ArticleEmpowered to do the right thing
"Sweetheart, don't go any further down this road."I tried to sound calm as I spoke to my husband, Jim, against the background of a Red Sox game on our car radio. It was September 4, during our...
View ArticleEditorial: Calm Common Core storm
THE ISSUE:Sweeping changes in education have put New York students, parents and teachers in turmoil.THE STAKES:If there's a way to do this better, shouldn't the state consider it? It would be foolish...
View ArticleDowd: An idealist who was also a racist
On Thursday night, we sat around, talking about the lawyer and constitutional expert in the White House, a leader both didactic and charming, peacenik and hawk; the Ivy League academic who improbably...
View ArticleFriedman: Vanishing 'high-wage, middle-skill' jobs
The latest results in the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, which compares how well 15-year-olds in 65 cities and countries can apply math, science and reading skills to solve...
View ArticleCongress, go back to Washington and do your work
The following is from an editorial in the Seattle Times:Congress has passed only 44 substantive bills this year, making the 2013 session one of the least productive in recent history. The yearly...
View ArticleIn Iran, education withheld
In the United States, receiving a star when you're in school typically means something positive. For students at all levels, from medical school to community college, at some point in their childhood...
View ArticleEditorial: Strip-search restraint
THE ISSUE:Albany's police chief is revising rules on when and how strip-searches are done.THE STAKES:It continues the ongoing effort to improve relations between the police and residents. When a Times...
View ArticleBray: A holistic approach to open space
When David Sampson was director of the Hudson River Greenway, he would say that Troy in Rensselaer County is Albany's Georgetown (referring to Georgetown in Washington, D.C.). As much as I like Troy,...
View ArticleBanks as payday lenders need to be more accountable
The following is from an editorial in The New York Times:Banking regulators put the finishing touches on rules designed to rein in short-term consumer loans from banks that are as dangerous to...
View ArticleKrauthammer: U.S. needs to lead in ally crises
WASHINGTON — Three crises, one president, many bewildered friends.The first crisis, barely noticed here, is Ukraine's sudden turn away from Europe and back to the Russian embrace.After years of...
View ArticleEditorial: People before parking
THE ISSUE:Residents and council members voice concern about an eight-story parking garage for Albany's Park South neighborhood.THE STAKES:Pushing this through against residents' wishes is no way to...
View ArticleLawmakers should snap to it and renew program
The following is from an editorial in the Miami Herald:Congress should leave the "hunger games" to authors and screenwriters. But too many lawmakers insist on playing with poor and working-poor...
View ArticleProvide technical chance
The state Board of Regents has been considering the creation of a Career and Technical Education graduation pathway for some time now. The proposal to substitute a CTE exam for the global history exam...
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