Popular Culture

6 October 2003


Time is Money; Americans are Poor
A new book on personal finance is hardly what America needs, but You Don't Have to be Rich by Jean Chatzky makes a beautiful point. This society has decided that money is an end, rather than a means. "Whoever dies with the most toys wins" was a popular idea in the 1980s and 1990s that has become ingrained in the American soul -- never mind that the toys are junk, and dead is dead. There is also a new campaign by a fellow named John DeGraff called "Take Back Your Time Day," dedicated to getting Americans to focus on their time poverty. For more, click here.

The Homework Cop-Out
A study came out last week that says American school children are not suffering from a deluge of homework as anecdotal evidence has suggested. Most kids in high school don't even do 2 hours a night in homework, according to the study. What amazes is how the entire educational system thinks that homework should be the norm rather than a very rare exception. Click here to read on.

People of La Mancha Resist Windmill Plan
In the "Truth-Is-Stranger-Than-Fiction Department," the good people of Luzaga in La Mancha, Spain, are trying to keep windmills out of their town. The desire to use the adjective quixotic is almost irresistible. Yet, this reluctance to host windmills is merely the latest in a seemingly endless line of spoiled-brat attitudes summed up by "not in my backyard," or NIMBY. Click here to read more.