Blogs List
 Meg Alexander |
'Staggering Genius,' indeed staggeringTue, August 31, 2010 @ 12:31PM Dave Eggers' memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, was indeed a staggeringly good read. The reason I know this, if nothing else, is the number of times I was interrupted while trying to finish it. Always, always, always, when I am reading a good book — a great book — I am interrupted in the final chapter, most often the last page. Eggers' novel was no exception. All the same, despite the distractions, the book was more than satisfying, like a well balanced meal, emotionally and intellectually challenging, and damn tasty too. (Please forgive the analogy — I just realized how hungry I am.) The memoir begins with a vivid scene in which the author's mother is dying of cancer, and the graphic nature of his narration carries through to the end.
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 Jennifer Brookens |
bad driver/Ghosts of bad boyfriends pastMon, September 6, 2010 @ 1:54PM "Hey twerp in the wanna-be souped-up truck - Who challenges a minivan to a drag race?! And I didn't appreciate you throwing your cigarette out the window at me when I tried to pass your piece of crap truck when you decided to crawl 25 in a 45 zone - especially after riding my butt all the way back from Truman until I finally pulled over for fear of getting rear-ended. MORON!!" That was my anger-fueled Facebook status Sunday after encountering some guy in a truck that displayed the driving behavior of someone I remember from way back when... and would prefer to forget. It was probably why I got so ticked off when most people would find a truck trying to challenge a minivan to a race either amusing or just pathetic. During high school, I dated a guy who thought he was a miracle worker when it came to old cars and king of the streets for racing. Truth was, he was far from it.
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 Kylie Saari |
Medical professionals end autism-vaccine linkTue, September 7, 2010 @ 11:47AM By the time my son was born, five years had past since the study possibly linking vaccines to autism was published. Autism was the media's childhood disease darling, just like OCD had been when I was in high school, and ADHD was for a while. Now food allergies seem to get that honor. But with five years to cause panic among new parents, I was well aware they had linked the two. It was confusing to have to make a decision about vaccinations, knowing the diseases they prevent are debilitating and life threatening, but the one they could cause was debilitating as well. Last week, the original publisher of the study retracted the study, siting many, many subsequent studies showing no link. That ends the medical debate on the issue, but will it end it in the hearts of parents? My husband and I decided to vaccinate our kids — we found the risk of autism less than the risk of the other childhood diseases vaccines protected them against.
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 Lee Smith |
'Cost of Government Day' gets later, laterTue, August 24, 2010 @ 4:51PM The average American, I suspect, doesn't mind receiving value for his or her tax payments. Most people drive and like nice streets and roads. We like our sewers to work. We like knowing there are police, firefighters, prosecutors and soldiers to protect us. When we move beyond these basics, government becomes not a provider of general services, but a tool of special interests. They line up at the public trough and often do not even have to compete for government handouts. Every "worthy" cause has its patron saint in the form of a politician. The politicians scratch each other's backs to fund all their pet projects and programs. This has a horrendous cost that is largely hidden. Thankfully, entities like the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation shine light on the fiasco. The foundation is a Washington-based tax watchdog group that offers an annual "Cost of Government Day" report.
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