Finding Hope In High School Papers (originally posted March 1, 2011) Through one of my volunteer associations, I've been asked to judge papers for the 2011 National History Day . This year, the theme is "Debate and Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, and Consequences." The first challenge for me in judging the work of high-schoolers is this: I am not a teacher. I have been telling myself that some portion of my second career in public service should involve teaching, but the fact of the matter is that I have never taught for a living. The exercise of sorting through the writings of students reminds me that teachers, though much-maligned of late, have a pretty tough job. And by the way, reading the voluntary works of willing students is probably one of the activities a professional teacher would actually relish. There are plenty of less-than-pleasant daily tasks in which teachers must engage. I must ...
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Thanks Staff Sergeant Giunta (originally posted November 17, 2010) Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta of Iowa was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor yesterday (November 16, 2010). SSG Giunta demonstrated his selflessness and courage in the face of enemy fire in Afghanistan on October 25, 2007. While putting his own life on the line, he made sure two of his comrades, who died on the battlefield, were not left behind. In the Pentagon, the portraits and stories of all Medal of Honor winners are displayed, and SSG Giunta will now join them. Our nation owes a continuing debt to the Sal Giuntas among us, most of whom, as SSG Giunta acknowledged himself, will go unnoticed. So while it sounds trite to say, thanks for your service, Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, United States Army.
Space Shuttle Discovery and Our Future (originally posted March 9, 2011) The Space Shuttle Discovery touched down at Florida's Kennedy Space Center today, March 9, 2011, at 11:57 AM. This landing marks the final mission for the nation's oldest shuttle vehicle, and with only two shuttle missions remaining, one each for Endeavour and Atlantis , NASA's shuttle program comes to an end. This era will be replaced by U.S. astronauts hitching rides with the Russian space program to get to the International Space Station, by launching satellites through already-existing NASA and commercial rockets, and by a push for Mars exploration. But, as the New York Times opines: "What sort of spaceship might ultimately replace the shuttle is an open question, and it is not yet clear how NASA will fare in the ongoing budget debate." http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2011%2F03%2F10%2Fscience%2Fspace%2F10shuttle.html%3F_r%3D1%26hp&sa=D&s...
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