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Military policy hinders effectiveness

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In the past few months the controversial "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) policy has once again made its way into headlines. The underlying premise behind DADT appears, on the surface, understandable. The policy forbids those who openly identify as LGBT from serving in the military forces because "it would create an unacceptable risk to the high ... [Read More…]

Star support shouldn’t predict politics

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"I'm gonna say something really important, but really quick. I'm not gonna preach to you, but we need something really special this year," hip-hop artist Jay-Z says to a cheering crowd in a new "Vote Again 2010" public service announcement. The announcement encourages young voters to hit the polls again this year and be the force of change they ... [Read More…]

Familiarity can inhibit change

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My family tends to hold on to things till we can't get any more use out of them. Our last minivan had nearly 300,000 miles on it, shook when it got past 45 miles per hour and looked like a step down from the Flintstones car. The only reason we gave it away was because members of our church said they were praying daily that we would come to our ... [Read More…]

Costume gives festivities spirit

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When I was four years old, my mom dressed me as a spider for Halloween. She handmade the intricate, black costume and rigged the spider legs to move whenever I moved. I'm not sure how long it took, but I doubt it was easy. She dressed me in the costume and led me to a mirror where I could marvel at the costume she had created. But when I saw ... [Read More…]

NPR unjustifiably fires news analyst

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NPR analyst Juan Williams' contract was terminated two days after he made an inflammatory remark on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor. Controversy arose after Williams said, "If I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous." His statements ... [Read More…]

Ranger fever strikes up interest

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Some people are born in towns and states without professional sports teams. Some people are born and go to high schools where the cross country team has 60 members and the football team has 20. Some people are born with the need to talk about their favorite president rather than their favorite basketball player. Some people are born without cable ... [Read More…]

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