"Democracy" and "freedom" are two of the most ambiguous and misused words in the English language.

"We (Iraqi war) hawks were wrong about many things. But in opening up the possibility for a slow trudge toward democracy, we were still right," David Brooks concluded in a recent column for The New York Times.

Like the quagmire that has become Iraq, this statement confounded me with its cloudiness. To try to understand what Mr. Brooks so vaguely asserted, I cracked open a copy of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Here's what I discovered: [Read article]

Let me come right out and say it: I don't own a TV. Neither do my roommates.

Even more shocking: If we did have a television, I would probably ignore it. I believe that with the exception of a few shows ("The Simpsons" and Jon Stewart come to mind), most of what passes for "programming" is crap.

Sometimes, when people discover this, they are incredulous. "You mean you really ... don't ... watch ... TV? Well, the other day I read an article that gave me fresh ammunition to use while arguing. [Read article]

Did you know that in Tucson, you can be ticketed for speeding, even if you're riding a bike?

No, this isn't an arcane rule, like an ordinance in Toronto that prohibits riding a streetcar on Sunday if one has been eating garlic, or a Massachusetts law stipulating that citizens must take a full bath before going to sleep (although, upon second thought, perhaps those edicts should be enforced - scores of repugnant odors could be prevented). [Read article]

Oh, to be back on spring break. To journey back to a land without exams, without term papers, back to a magical realm where the most difficult decision was whether to drink the blue martini or the blue-green one ·

Reality bites, especially in today's media climate.

Where do you get your news? Increasing consolidations and multimillion-dollar media mergers have left staunch conservatives, ultraliberals and everyone in between complaining about a lack of balance on the airwaves. Even more appalling is the fact that many teachers never teach media literacy to schoolchildren. [Read article]

While researching a paper about the relationship of scientific research and industry last weekend, I came across a quote that keeps echoing in my head: "The search for truth also implies a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true."

Condoleezza Rice initially spoke to the Sept. 11 commission behind closed doors, refusing to testify under oath. Yet she had no problem disseminating her views to a cornucopia of media sources. She said Sunday, "There is an important principle involved here: It is a long-standing principle that sitting national security advisers do not testify before the Congress." [Read article]

Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. To paraphrase a former presidential campaign slogan, "Are you safer now than you were then?"

Bush's own re-election campaign relies heavily on touting the "success" of his administration against terrorists. Unfortunately, recent tragedies in Spain and Iraq suggest his efforts have been less than successful. America has won several symbolic battles, such as the capture of Saddam Hussein, but terrorists are still winning the war. [Read article]

If it weren't for the efforts of certain environmental activists, some of the world's most precious treasures wouldn't exist today. Thanks to their hard work, acres of endangered zones, from bio-diverse coral reefs to tropical rainforests, are being preserved. Indeed, environmentalists have dedicated themselves to many worthy causes. But every once in a while, a group of well-intentioned but misguided activists finds a way to discredit the environmental movement, making other eco-crusaders look completely ridiculous. [Read article]

Last week, the Arizona Senate Education Committee took a step into the 21st century by supporting a bill that aims to make sexual education in Arizona "medically accurate."

SB 1096 defines "medically accurate" as "supported by research, and recognized as accurate and objective by leading or organizations with relative expertise in the field."

Using sound information to educate students hardly seems like a radical idea. Yet the term "medically accurate" is extremely vague. Researchers frequently investigate the same issue, only to come to completely different conclusions. [Read article]

After Sept. 11, 2001, the words "illegal immigrant" assumed an ominous meaning in America's lexicon. Mourning morphed into anger, and as bin Laden remained elusive, the search for a scapegoat culminated in a disgusting new brand of discrimination toward people who appeared to be of Arab descent. In Dearborn, Mich., a city with a large Arab population near my hometown, hundreds of people were senselessly interrogated by immigration agents seeking "inside information." [Read article]

John Ashcroft isn't exactly known for being a staunch defender of civil liberties. In the past three years, the attorney general has, among other things, cracked down on immigrants' rights and ordered American librarians to provide information about "suspicious" patrons. (I don't know about you, but when I want to plan a hijacking, my first thought is to make a beeline for the public library. Just imagine all the terrorists who will be caught red-handed thanks to this provision of the Patriot Act.) [Read article]

Whoever controls the present controls the past. No, it's not 1984. It's 2004. But the Bush administration is drawing a closer parallel to George Orwell's dystopia every day. The war on terrorism continues with no end in sight; in order to preserve peace, we must prepare for war. Bush uses polarizing terms - simplistic language to drain the colors of the world into a binary scheme of black and white. Or, as he says, "Either you're with us, or you're against us." [Read article]

Ah, the things that Bush promises: Better prescription coverage! Environmental protection! And, while we're at it, let's go to Mars!

Rub the dust out of your eyes - it's an election year.

It may seem like Bush is simply demonstrating his unique brand of compassionate conservatism.

Yeah, sure. Despite his sugarcoated rhetoric, G.W. hasn't lived up to his promises.

He has said one thing and done another. [Read article]

Let the games begin! With election season in full swing, the American press can't seem to stop talking about Bush and the Democratic candidates. However, an issue more important than the race has been widely overlooked ÷ the mechanism of voting itself.

The United States became the butt of other countries' jokes after the disastrous 2000 election, with its butterfly chads and the messy court case that ensued. In response, local governments put their punch cards aside and began experimenting with new technology that promised to make results more accurate. For bonus points, the companies that manufacture electronic voting systems pitched the machines' incredible ability to make voting easier and more accessible. [Read article]

Stop textbook price-gouging by buying from overseas retailers

After Thanksgiving, we only have a few weeks until - gulp - finals. Academically, the only thing to look forward to at the end of the semester is the possibility of selling our loathed books for a profit. Then it's back to the bookstore to drop another wad of cash and do it all over again.

Textbooks at the UofA Bookstore and at college bookstores around the country are ridiculously expensive. By shopping online at overseas retailers, such as www.amazon. [Read article]

While alumni swarmed the University of Arizona campus this weekend, enjoying the football game and Homecoming parade, many current UA students were working hard in order to pay for their education. How many of those alumni, I wondered, would have graduated, had they not benefited from financial aid? How many were left behind because they were short on cash, but just missed the cutoff for financial support? [Read article]