at the same time, small enough to win some realistic victories." That's a quote from the latest Jonathan Kozol book that I am reading, Fire in the Ashes. Kozol was offering advice to a young woman who had overcome significant obstacles and was on her way to graduating college with a degree in social work. … Continue reading “Look for Battles Big Enough to Matter but … →

It's that time of year where it seems like every web site has created a list showcasing the highlights of the past year. I've seen lists of the best books of the year, the best sports moments of the year, and the best albums of the year, to name just a few. But the one … Continue reading The Top 6 Good-News Stories of 2015 →

I didn't realize it until today, but my previous two posts had a common thread to them, community and cooperation. Two days ago I wrote about what I referred to as the "herd mentality" that pervades college classroom communities when you ask students to answer a question by a show of hands. A research study … Continue reading Hive Mind →

There are two blocks in South Philadelphia where the neighbors work together each holiday season to put together a spectacular display of Christmas light and other ornaments. The first one is known as the Miracle on 13th Street, and was recently voted as having the best Christmas lights display in Pennsylvania by Travel + Leisure … Continue reading Christmas Lights and Community →

A recent study by researchers at Harvard Kennedy School found that when students were asked to respond to a question by raising their hands, the majority of them tended to vote with the herd. However, if students were using clickers to record their responses anonymously, there was less of a tendency to respond in a … Continue reading The Herd Mentality Is Alive and Well in College Classrooms →

McKinsey&Company, the global consulting firm, just came out with a list of its most popular articles for the year from the McKinsey Quarterly. One of the articles in particular caught my attention, "How to separate learning myths from reality", by Artin Atabaki, Stacey Dietsch, and Julia M. Sperling. The authors examine what they refer to as … Continue reading Separating Learning Myths from Reality →

The Wall Street Journal had a few stories today about exercise, but two stories in particular caught my eye. The first story was about a new type of exercise training that originated in Japan known as Kaatsu. One of its selling points is that it allegedely offers better results in less time and with less … Continue reading An Exercise Program Worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize? →

Since 2006, the Killers have released an original Christmas song/music video each year, with the profits going to support the Product RED campaign to end AIDS. The song is usually released around December 1 each year to coincide with World AIDS Day. I must admit that I was not aware of this annual tradition by the … Continue reading The Killers: 10 Years of Original Christmas Songs →