My parents have this philosophy of making me learn things for myself, which probably occasionally works. In second grade, they gave me some money for the month, an organizer to keep it in and a mandate to make a budget. Being "let her learn it herself" types, they gave me extra money, waiting to see how I'd use it to help others.

Here's what I did with my surplus: I bought Tootsie Rolls. I'm still absolutely mystified by this purchase. I definitely don't like Tootsie Rolls now, and I can't imagine that I did at the time. But somehow, when I saw that big, bulk 2-pound bag, I just knew I had to have it. [Read article]

I've been saddened by reading article after article in this newspaper and many others concerning the difficulty most people have realizing that creationism, intelligent design and evolution are not necessarily in conflict with one another. Even if they did conflict, science is ill-equipped to mediate.

There are many scientists with religious convictions who have no problem resolving accepted science with their belief systems. In his seminal "Origin of Species," Charles Darwin himself wrote of his theory. Indeed, Darwin was not opposed to a religious interpretation. [Read article]

Good news, undergraduates. According to recent statistics, that bachelor's degree has now drifted close to being on par with a high school diploma in terms of financial compensation in the workforce.

Although the U.S. tends to pride itself on remaining on top of the industrialized world, it continues to neglect the importance of education, which is evident through the increasing unimportance of the bachelor's degree in the workforce. [Read article]

Marijuana debate should consider black market forces

I celebrate the courageous effort of columnists David Schultz and Scott Patterson in facing the discussion about drug legalization in their recent column "The burning question: legalize marijuana? " I just want to mention some flaws in their arguments in hope of promoting a more focused discussion on the topic.

The first flaw deals with the last statement made by Mr. Schultz, encouraging an open "war" against the "enemies down south" instead of continuing the "futile war" against the drug consumers. There is an unfortunate use of the terms "war" and "enemies" instead of "law enforcement" and "criminals," which would be more proper of issues concerning black markets and such illegal drugs. It is important to consider that black markets involve both sides of the cyclic economic spectrum of supply-demand, and that both sides of the process share responsibilities. [Read article]