American Standard of Living, Advice for Mayors, Recess at School Archives

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American Standard of Living, Advice for Mayors, Recess at School

American Standard of Living, 2006

Americans who honestly compare their home environments to those of the previous Depression/WWII generation will instantly acknowledge that the overall trends have much improved the average family's welfare. Most Baby Boomers grew up in small houses on concrete slabs, with children stacked up in bunks in a couple of bedrooms, and an entire family typically sharing one bathroom. Nobody had much private interior space. City kids had no yards, lots of noise, pollution, and other urban hazards. Elderly urbanites often ended up in deteriorating row houses or fortress apartment towers. Only a small slice of the population dreamed of airy kitchens, high-ceilinged family rooms, libraries and media centers, basement rec centers, backyard pools, and quiet shady streets.

"In Praise of Ordinary Choices," by Karl Zinsmeister, The American Enterprise Online, June 2006

Advice for mayors

Note to mayors: Try to avoid scandals that involve the phrase "summer home." It doesn't look good for you.

"For Whom the Swell Tolls," by Zach Patton, 13th Floor, June 1, 2006

Recess at School, Now a Class

[F]or many kids today, the recess bell comes too late, for too little time, or even not at all. Pressure to raise test scores and adhere to state-mandated academic requirements is squeezing recess out of the school day. In many schools, it's just 10 or 15 minutes, if at all. In some cases, recess has become structured with organized games -- yes, recess is being taught.

"Schools, Pressed to Achieve, Put the Squeeze on Recess," by Margaret Webb Pressler, The Washington Post, June 1, 2006

June 1, 2006 06:27 AM    Caught Our Eye