Yeah, yeah, I know, change is heavy. Three words: suck it up. When I'm in the supermarket and have waited in line for 10 minutes amid rafters of phonebook-sized magazines screaming "Buy Me!" as they tantalize me with the impossible -- "72 Sock Drawer Makeovers" -- I don't need Super Bulk Mom to try to pay for her 18 cases of Flakies with exact change, fishing for pennies in her purse like they're goldfish in the county fair turtle pool. Or else she'll start groping for her paper-clipped coupons while all I can think about is the fact that the fastest way out of this hell is going to be to take the plastic conveyor divider and beat myself unconscious with it. Just because this Muzak-ed, fluorescent environment is the highlight of your day doesn't mean it's mine. Let's move it along. Unlike actual salespeople, the geniuses behind those cheesy infomercials have got me hooked. But why am I compelled by their argument that their single appliance, the Pure-fier, can replace a whole countertop or cupboard full of other appliances, when a) I don't have any of those other appliances; b) I don't know what they do, or even how to pronounce some of them; and c) appliance-wise, I'm still working on the fork? When they come up with something that will both brew coffee and not burn my Kraft Dinner in a single container, then I might dial. Meanwhile I'm stuck there like a vegetable -- which, I'm learning, can be diced in under three seconds -- held hostage by my own inertia.

Ross 4

]There is a spirited debate about the importance of educating our young people in the humanities -- the study of history, culture, philosophy, language, religion and so on -- when the job market is pushing for degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. How will we know where we are going if we don’t know where we have been? How do we hold onto our quality of life and our freedom to live as we choose while billions of others strive to get where we are? How will we maintain strong alliances and influence other nations if we don’t understand the cultures or perspectives of others? And what good is all of the science or technology or engineering or math in the world if we don’t have the imagination or understanding to guide us in applying it effectively?