Europe's creations pale next to Mesoamerica's, Eurasia's

I suppose it's refreshing to be presented with unvarnished racism, such as that espoused by Silas Montgomery in his letter to the editor ("Those with Îbone to pick' should give thanks to Îthe white man,'" Monday). It is completely unsophisticated and straightforward in its bitterness and hatred.

Never mind that no European people ever came up with a completely original system of writing, unlike the Mesoamericans. Never mind that the bulk of Eurasia's collected knowledge was almost lost by the European cultures, and was only preserved by the Islamic world. [Read article]

Fail calculus? Get a D in accounting? Blow off the second half of your semester in English literature? No problem. Just GRO it. But don't bet on your prospective graduate school to be as forgiving as UA's grading policy.

The UA is among only a handful of schools that allow students to replace a certain number of course grades by retaking classes. While both courses appear on student transcripts, only the repeat attempt is used to calculate the student's grade point average. [Read article]

According to the United Nations, which rarely does anything good beyond collecting statistics, the drug trade pulls in roughly $400 billion, mostly in the United States, and saps over $18 billion from our country in order to fight it. That stands as 8 percent of the entire world's trade, even narrowly defeating Sen. Ted Kennedy's pork projects in scope. Millions die, waste their lives in addiction and prison, and buy totally unnecessary items from QVC. And, according to some new TV ads paid for by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, it's all the fault of you damnable drug users! [Read article]

Fluffy, white balls of cotton drifted across I-10, catching in the dried weeds on the side of the road. The cotton harvest had begun. Last Wednesday, I got a chance to visit the 2002 University of Arizona Cotton Field Day at the Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC).

Two aspects of the day disgusted me ÷ Monsanto Corporation-patented cotton and the 2002 Farm Bill.

The UA was given roots when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act of 1862, giving 30,000 acres of land to each state to be used to house and fund a land-grant institution. The bill set the foundations for mass education of the working class in areas of agriculture, mechanics and military. [Read article]