Biggest success factor is family
While reformers may hate to admit it, the single biggest, most influential factor in the success or failure of a child’s education is his or her parents and the family culture that a student brings...
View ArticleAmericans might enjoy Danish flavor
In Alternet, Kerry Trueman interviews Trine Hahnemann, a Danish chef and author, and discusses the many ways in which Danes are happier than Americans and the reasons why. Hahnemann points to healthier...
View ArticleInsufficient play stunts development
Children have less time for play that isn’t monitored or directed by adults than ever before, and it’s stressing them out, says Esther Entin in The Atlantic. Children need to play in order to properly...
View ArticlePolygamy a source of social instability
Polygamy is harmful for society, says Libby Copeland in Slate, noting new research shows “polygamous societies create large numbers of unmarried men, whose presence is correlated with increased rates...
View ArticleWorkplace, social policy need change
As things are now, young women are right to reject the feminist ideal which promised women they can “have it all,” says Anne-Marie Slaughter in The Atlantic. But the ideal is achievable with changes in...
View ArticleThe fallout of the nuclear family
The “father-makes-the-bacon, mother-fries-it-up home that Mitt Romney waxed ecstatic about” in the last presidential debate isn’t necessarily ideal, says Laura Bogart in Salon. She writes against “The...
View ArticleRather than leaning in, women need to step back
Most full-time work “is not compatible with family life, especially if you are a professional and have ambitions,” says Elsa Walsh in The Washington Post. In their excitement for equal opportunity,...
View ArticleNursing home keeps family close
My mother was a resident of the Albany County Nursing Home for 21/2 years. As anyone who has had a loved one in need of a nursing home knows, it was not any easy time. I was grateful to have a place in...
View ArticleGibson represents 19th District well
Fall brings not just the beginning of the school year, but local, state and federal elections. Recently, there has been an outcry for reform related to women’s issues. Not just as a woman, but also as...
View ArticleHuck Finn’s needs no IDA handout
The article “Broken promises of jobs,” Sept. 28, shows an out-of-control government as usual here. “Who’s guarding the hen house?” my dad would say. It would appear appointed, unqualified insiders are....
View ArticlePut funds toward human services
On Aug. 22, a coalition of 80 nonprofit human services providers submitted a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo requesting a $354 million reinvestment in a sector that has been battered by cuts, job loss and...
View ArticleFamily courage amid heartbreak
Once again, Paul Grondahl has written a powerful story that attaches a human face to what many would like to consider someone else’s problem – heroin addiction (“A couple’s season in hell,” Nov. 16). I...
View ArticleGiving thanks, in America
For one day, we gather ’round a table for this distinctly American holiday that knows no race or religion or ideology. We gather ’round, in the simple solidarity of thanks – we, this wonderfully...
View ArticleSolve violence with forgiveness
As predicted, the grand jury in Ferguson, Mo., decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown. And, as expected, chaos erupted and violence swept through the...
View ArticleMedia’s history of criticizing children
The moral outrage leveled at Elizabeth Lauten, a communications staffer for a Republican congressman, who criticized the attire and demeanor of President Barack Obama’s daughters at a public function,...
View ArticleFamily lives with the pain of suicide
I want to commend the Times Union and, especially, Jennifer Gish for her column “Finding meaning in loss,” Nov. 30, on Mary Clark and “Jerry’s Law.” My grandmother and Ms. Clark’s father were brother...
View ArticleLights illuminate very worthy cause
From my porch, I can see the entrance to Price Chopper Capital Holiday Lights in the Park. Every year, I am amazed and awestruck at the time and attention that goes into putting this event together in...
View ArticleA smile can help someone feel needed
It’s that time of the year for the lonely to feel extra lonely. When I thought about this, I realized we in America set ourselves up for this. We make such a big thing over family and happiness through...
View ArticleSheriff’s remarks were inappropriate
I cannot imagine the horror that police officers experienced in their investigation, and later discovery, of what happened to Kenneth White. That is no excuse for the comments that Albany County...
View ArticleRespect at a time of pain
Common decency to the next of kin when a loved one has died seems little to ask, but a New York City family has had to take their fight to secure this courtesy all the way to the state’s highest court....
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