The Republican Party is an elephant with two brains. To the far right of the political spectrum, conservatives think with one brain while the small-government moderates use the GOP’s other. With the 2010 elections on Nov. 2, the party will have to figure out which one to listen to if they want to win at the polls.Moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava dropped out of the race for a New York Congressional seat after losing support f...
Now that it has been reported that U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the suspected shooter in the Fort Hood attack, was a devout Muslim who supposedly shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire, we can...
During more than 30 years as a middle school counselor, one situation bothered me more than any other. I saw students sitting in the classroom unable to focus on learning because they were trying mentally...
Climate science is enormously complex, and irresponsible commentators like Patrick Buchanan (Oct. 17 Times column) hopelessly muddle the facts. Here are three red-flag arguments used by those who gross...
Iowa's state universities are reacting swiftly and comprehensively to the sadly predictable news of the state's revenue shortfall. When Iowans are making less and shopping less, the revenue derived from income, sales and other tax streams goes down as well.So we're glad to see the Board of Regents among the state agencies quickly obliging Gov. Chet Culver's call for 10 percent across-the-board cuts. The schools have proposed...
U.S. Rep. Mike Boland made his lieutenant governor aspirations official this week, and we wish him luck. Boland has been eyeing the spot since at least 2001 and faces a tough challenge.His exit has drawn four strong candidates who can offer voters in Illinois 71st House District a rare chance to shake up the status quo in Springfield.For 15 years, Boland won re-election with thorough constituent services and few serious GOP challengers. A ...
More powerful than a locomotive. That Superman-esque achievement also works for Quad-City high school students, whose 347 tons of food collected this year exceed the weight of two locomotives.Picture a convoy of 100 full-sized Hummer H2s. Heavy, but not as heavy as the results of this year's Student Food Drive.This year's total is shy of a record, but no less impressive to us. Year after year, these amazingly energetic kids...
No Child Left Behind test scores are out in Illinois and the results are tiredly the same.Failure, failure, failure.We've lamented this before (More children left behind," our Sept. 17 editorial on Iowa Q-C's dismal No Child results).And we'll keep raising concerns as long as Quad-City schoolchildren continue to be anchored to a program that keeps producing such lousy results.This year, every Illinois metro Quad-City high s...
Deputy Attorney General David Ogden issued a memo on Oct. 19 directing U.S. federal attorneys to cease prosecution of medical marijuana patients and dispensaries that operate legally under established state laws.This memo is a step in the right direction toward a sensible marijuana policy in the U.S.According to the official Department of Justice memo, prosecution of people using marijuana for medical purposes “is unlikely t...
Since March, allegations of professional misconduct of Chicago police by citizens reported to the Independent Police Review Authority have increased 19 percent, according to an Oct. 30 Chicago Tribune article. The IPRA is a city agency that investigates allegations of police misconduct and recommends a solution. At the same time, the department is reportedly about 2,000 officers short of its allowed strength of 13,500 off...
The idea behind the phrase “Not even if you were the last person on Earth” could actually happen if supposed “scientific evidence” is correct that the Ancient Mayan culture predicted our planet’s fate thousands of years ago. Apparently, everyone on Earth is supposed to be wiped out on Dec. 21, 2012, according to the Mayan LongCount Calendar.It seems people are profiting from society’s fears and anxieties about the possibilit...
Continuing in the spirit of innovation Columbia is known for, the college offers various departmental study abroad programs to students, providing them with opportunities to travel outside the country and expand their college learning experience.Under the International Programs office, the college has made an admirable effort in recent years to expand these study abroad programs and should continue to do so. Previous progra...
