admin @ Wed, 2006-09-06 11:00
I took a walk on the Martin Prairie trail in Pioneers Park, just north of the Prairie Center. It was a gorgeous day. The bluebirds were flying and the sun shining bright. However, my hike turned very sad. As I walked the border of the pond that lies on the northwest end of the trail, I came across a “turtle graveyard.” There were several turtle skeletons lying in the cracked dirt beds. They came apart at the seams as I tried to lift them from the dirt. I said aloud, “How sad,” over and over, as I kept discovering more turtle corpses.
Turtles often bury themselves in the cool mud on hot summer days. However, these poor turtles were baked alive as the mud they were seeking shelter from the heat in quickly became dirt. Or perhaps they didn’t make it out of hibernation because the winter didn’t get cold enough.
If something has survived 10,000 years on this earth (or longer, for those of you who believe in evolution) independently yet can’t survive in today’s environment, what, my friend, do you think it’s doing to you? What lies ahead?
As much as Swarthmore College associate professor Thomas Dee may claim he’s not endorsing single-sex education (LJS, Aug. 28), it is safe to say that his study may be used to support such policies. His conclusions are based on a study conducted in 1988. A lot of things have happened in 20 years: technology has advanced, society has changed and the students have changed as well. My generation is not the same as previous generations. Also, most teachers today are happy to have students participate in class … no matter what their gender.
Furthermore, the idea that girls learn better with female teachers and boys with male teachers is one I don’t believe in. As a female high school student, I can say with absolute certainty that many of the teachers who have inspired, influenced and encouraged me the most were male. I would hate to think of not having had the opportunity to be their student as well as the student of female teachers. Having teachers of both genders has been only beneficial for me, and I don’t see that it’s any different for most other students.
I’m writing in response to “Students lack dedication” (Letters, Aug. 18). You simply can’t take one student who has a bad attitude and then wonder whether or not your “taxpayer money subsidizing tuition is worth it.” How fair is that to those of us working our butts off? What about the group of college students who are taking 18 credit hours on average and working to still pull A’s?
College tuition is not cheap, and students need the aid that is provided by taxpayers. Even with scholarships, grants, and financial aid, most students still struggle.
Think back to when you were in college — I’m sure no one there had the same attitude described here. I’m positive that all of the generations before mine were hard-working (no-partying) individuals.
Sept. 1 was Veterans Day at the Nebraska State Fair. Admission was $3. While this doesn’t seem like a lot of money, I think the least we could do for them is to let them into the fair at no charge. These are the men and women who have fought to keep our country free.
I’m a veteran and Afro-American/Black. I was denied employment at the Lincoln post office. The documentation submitted supporting my veteran status was rejected.
If checked, it would be hard to find a person of color working at the counter at the downtown Lincoln post office. In the hidden areas is anyone’s guess.
This technique is unpracticed in Omaha and other areas (i.e., Bellevue), to the best of my knowledge. I could be wrong, but I’m not wrong about Lincoln.
During the anniversary of our federal government’s blunder in “helping” Katrina victims, Councilwoman Patte Newman’s proposed graffiti ordinance (LJS, Aug. 29) offers the same sort of blunderous “help” locally; by victimizing the victims of graffiti.
Newman’s proposed ordinance will be voted on Sept. 11 and, as currently written, will force victims of crime to literally pay for the cost of their own recovery, or in this case the cost of crime-scene clean-up — something that would not be needed if the neighborhoods were immediately cleaned up by the city, so that the perpetrators are held accountable for the crime, not the victims!
If/when Newman’s ordinance goes into effect, victims of graffiti will be robbed by the city of Lincoln as a means to curtail the perpetuation of gang graffiti. Stopping the spread of gang “tagging” or gang graffiti is a task better designed for our police force, not the victim of the very crime it hopes to stop. The obvious solution to nip this issue in the bud is to have our city pay for all graffiti cleanup. The proposed ordinance states the city will pay for all public damage due to graffiti, why does it stop at the doors of property owners?
Neighborhoods with the least amount of disposable cash will of course be hit the hardest. Newman’s ordinance is simply another example of a reversed Robin Hood scenario, disguised as “help” to the public. How can robbing the poorest neighborhoods of what little money they have, as a means to clean up a crime scene, be looked upon as being anything other than victimizing the victim? We can do better than this!
Please call the City Council prior to Sept. 11 and voice your disapproval to this proposed ordinance, or better yet show up at the City Council meeting and voice your disapproval for Newman’s proposed ordinance, as this is not a solution!
This is cache, read story here