Daily Archives: April 15, 2007

Open thread

April 15, 20071:05 a.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (55)

Solar Field an invitation to pagan cults?

April 15, 20071:03 a.m.

Sedgwick County commissioners have put a planned Stonehenge-like Solar Field in Sedgwick County Park on hold after some Wichitans worried that it had cultish religious connotations and was a bit, well, Goth.
The privately funded one-acre project, which is similar to Wichita artist Steve Murillo’s Riverside solar installation but on a larger scale, does come off as vaguely New Agey — the artists call it a peaceful and “metaphysical” place of healing.
But is that so scary? Murillo denied any religious aim.
“These pause points, these places of reflection and meditation, are opportunities to increase our enjoyment of life and our ‘well-being,’” he said in an e-mail. “These stone circles with centers offer us a place in the park where we can ‘center’ ourselves.”
Is that too pagan-sounding for Wichita? Stay tuned.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Sedgwick County | Comments (52)

What does GOP brand stand for anymore?

April 15, 20071:02 a.m.

The GOP presidential primary is about more than Iraq and how many divorces and flip-flops are allowed per candidate. It’s also about whether the Republican Party can still be trusted, on national security or anything else. Kate O’Beirne, Washington editor of the National Review, expressed it well last Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “The Republicans have a real brand problem, brand name problem. It used to be people thought they might not much like big government, but they can run it. Now they seem to like it fine, but not be able to run it at all.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under U.S. politics | Comments (47)

Universities are becoming more elitist

April 15, 20071:01 a.m.

As tuition rates have skyrocketed in recent years, there has been concern about whether universities are pricing out low- and middle-income families. A UCLA report on 40-year trends at public and private universities suggests that is happening, as “Political Mom” noted in an earlier thread.
The study found that more of today’s college freshmen are from financially better-off families than ever before, USA Today reported. The median family incomes of freshmen in 2005 were 60 percent higher than the national average, compared with 46 percent in 1971.
The report concluded the rising cost of college tuition is creating a widening gap between those who can afford to attend college and those who can’t. The good news is that more financial aid is available to low-income college students than ever before — more than $134 billion.
Posted by Patrice Hein

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Education | Comments (40)

Military perspective mostly AWOL in 2008 race

April 15, 20071:00 a.m.

With U.S. forces fighting on multiple fronts, shouldn’t U.S. leadership be drawing more heavily upon military experience? Yet, as Associated Press reports, the only top-tier presidential candidate for 2008 with a military record is Sen. John McCain, whose service in Vietnam and long captivity in an enemy prison are well-known. Part of this is generational, as the dominance of World War II veterans in national politics ends and a post-Vietnam draft group of leaders (Barack Obama) emerges. But many among the candidates received deferments during Vietnam, for school, jobs, medical problems or missionary work (Mitt Romney).
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (5)