The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: education

  • A Woman’s Fate is about Location, Location, Location

    Once upon a time I owned my own home, and was actually surviving financially. Not rich. Never that. But I was doing okay. So I started thinking about women who were less fortunate than myself. I’m very aware that the bulk of my good luck in life is based simply on the arbitrary fact that…

  • “You’re never too old to live your dreams.”

    Thank you, Diana Nyad, for reminding us all of this the other day, when you swam for about 53 hours from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64. This amazing feat reminded me of the many other people I have heard of who have done incredible things at an advanced age. At my last…

  • The End

    The true sign of a civilized society is its investment in the arts and education. Once it has the ability and desire to support these pursuits, it has truly arrived at a level of sophistication that forever separates it from the barbarous dregs. Unfortunately in these troubling times more and more municipalities are suffering from…

  • A Steady Diet of Estrogen

    “Why do you always forget to clean under the toilet seat?” “Because I grew up in a house full of women. It never occurs to me to lift up the toilet seat.” Only recently has it crossed my mind that perhaps growing up with two sisters and a single mom has left me with certain…

  • Calling on the Youth of the World

    I look at the state of the world these days and I think that there’s quite a bit out there for people, especially young people, to be angry about. The economy is horrible. The environment is even worse. Politicians are increasingly corrupt and I think there’s a lot of reason to lose hope. The future…

  • A Global Perspective. Get One.

    Well, it is looking more and more like they’re going to do away with full time positions where I work so they won’t have to provide us with health care. If that happens, I am in deep trouble. I honestly don’t know how I’ll make it. And I’m hearing that same story from more and…

  • Twenty Seconds for Runan Wan: You Could Change Lives

    Update: The voting has closed. Thanks to all of you who participated! I’ll let you know if we won as soon as I know. We don’t want your money. We just want 20 seconds. Deep in the foothills of rural Yunnan Province, along the southern border of China, is the Runan Wan Primary School. The…

  • When Did “Intellectual” Become a Dirty Word?

    I really want to try to avoid getting political on this blog. I really do. I would like to demonstrate that there are many things we can all talk about without arguing or debating. But walking up to work today, I swear to God, I thought my head was going to explode. One coworker was…

  • “Enthusiosity”

    There’s a streak that runs through my family, and it’s as wide as the Mississippi River. For lack of a better word, I call it “enthusiosity”. It’s curiosity mixed with a great deal of enthusiasm. My mother had it more than anyone else. She’d get interested in a topic such as Australian History, and she’d…

  • Don’t Underestimate the Elderly

    My landlady is 72 years old, and only 4 months out from heart surgery, and yet the first time I saw her, she was wearing short shorts, a tank top, and a half ton of jewelry. I’m convinced she’s in better shape than I am.  I think she’s delightful. Back in the 80’s, I used…