Opinion

Anti-American protests in the Middle East are nothing new. In fact, they’ve become so common that they are practically a part of the cultural landscape.

hoosing a college can be stressful. Each student must decide if he or she wants to attend a party school or a more scholarly institution. Perhaps he wants a school with a liberal inclination, or maybe she desires an institution with a strong religious foundation. Another decision? Private or public.

As is the case with much of the working class labor groups in the 20th century, teachers formed unions to have their collective needs met. It’s a simple concept: If the district doesn’t give them what they want, they don’t do their jobs.

Tuition. Higher One. The Education Urban Renewal Area. New health insurance. Increased philanthropy and grants for sustainability research and initiatives, social change, and scientific and technological advancements. Notable recognition of Portland State by national enterprises like The Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report. And in November we’ve got the national presidential election and the mayoral election here in Portland.

Few things inspire more contentious debate than the topic of government responsibility for education. Some people hold that higher education is a privilege, while others believe it’s the responsibility of any government to provide the means of gaining knowledge to its citizens.

In a recent Oregonian op-ed piece, Portland State President Wim Wiewel asked to what extent the United States educational system should be emulating the academic rigor typical of places like South Korea and Singapore—countries that long ago surpassed the U.S. in terms of test scores and number of degrees earned.

We’re all aware of the ever-increasing rise in tuition. On top of a lousy economic backdrop and the government cutting education funding like crazy, many of us scramble to figure out how to pay for school. If you have a deficit in your financial aid package but turning tricks or selling dope isn’t exactly your thing, you might benefit from taking advantage of the Federal Work-Study Program.

Nearly 7,000 miles away from us, in Afghanistan, a disturbing trend has taken root. Afghan military and police officers are turning their weapons on their NATO and American trainers. The so called “green-on-blue” shootings have claimed the lives of 51 coalition soldiers this year, and a total of 114 lives since 2008, according to the Long War Journal, a news blog from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Several years ago the rapper will.i.am was asked what single item a woman he was interested in could possess that would convince him they were incompatible. His response? “If she had condoms in her house, that would just fuckin’ throw me off. That’s just tacky.” This still infuriates me.

If the speed with which city commissioners pressed their plan to add fluoride to our drinking water seems fishy to you, you aren’t alone.