I have no Idea who this guy is or what rose colored glasses he is looking through. Obama is gonna fix it all- right, is that before or after the scandal implications? How does a Jr. senator become president? Lots of favors and little say so over what happens next. The next phase is already beginning, isnt it funny that his opposition senators from within are now being appointed to staff positions that have to do what he says and his staff is now recommeding the replacements. Conspiracy? I think not- strategic- yes! We have all seen the beginning of the end of our freedoms. Globalization of economy's will eliminate poverty? I dont get it or see how it will help? Why is it our problem to support the poor and uneducated of countries that desire to keep the poor and uneducated, poor and uneducated? Why do we support theological doctrine that favors uneducated people that are dependant on the theologians? Why do we support any government or people that oppress their own citizens? Why should america ever give in to social welfare? This is what Globalization brings is prosperity to otherwise non prosperous Governments. What comes after that? Common enconomy? common beliefs? common church? common education? I promise I will fight any and every effort that creates a global dependant economy or banking system. I have seen enough freedom go away, I wont give in to any more freedoms being taken away because america has to become what our neighbors are so the global economy can move forward. We are free because we fought for it, they want to be free so we can pay for it? NO WAY!!!! Freedom has a price and it costs way more than money to really stick. I for one dont want to be part of the Obamanation.Remeber this - We are who we are, because of where we have been. If we dont know where we were, how do we know where we are going?

You can chase it back as far as you like , but what made boxing day was a traditional English activity of taking presents recieved or items from  previous years recieved and given to the House servants. Boxing day was a holiday for the servants of the house , because on christmas all the house servants had to work. I lived in Jamaica for several years and Christmas day was just a party, boxing day was the holiday.

ok, I need to retract my sarcasim and I did not intend to "soap box". In the spirit of " the greater good", I firmly do not mean to insult the capabilities  levels of other people and the skills required to perform their job or chosen profession weather it be military or some meanial delimited employment viewed as unimportant. Everyone is important and each person has a place in the world, but lowering the bar is not a way to level the playing field. People get stronger and more self confident by over coming the obsticals that stop you from progressing. To learn is human, to achieve is necessary for everyone within each persons capacity to do so. The self esteem of your child is just that, it is your childs. It is up to every individual to over come their own deficiencies and your job as a parent to help and guide them. I never once did well in grammer or english and writing was a struggle, but mathamatically I am a whiz and it was learned, not just a gift or talent. We are all different, equality is as elusive as a white albino tiger and we are not all created equal. The Chance or opportunity to be equal is what we are and what we need to encourage. To make such a nonsense arguement that writing is obsolete and the tools of the day are better is so vile that it just makes me think that the problem is with the parent and teachers and not the child. It is such an unfounded statement that I am applaled that a profsssional would ever suggest we lower the bar so we dont hurt their little psychies. The more kids that realize we are not equal and you have to work harder than others to do the same thing the more great things our world will create and invent and find and research and bring as productivity tools to our world. What you are suggesting that productivity tools and equipment replace the human ability , instead of enhancing those abilities, will ultimately render those abilities useless and further limit the current ability to communicate effectively. Ask a modern teenager to hold a coheirent conversation without cell phone text lingo and you have a disaster in the making. The Goals of modern socialism , should be to raise the bar and be better than the other guy, if your going to have socialism, not lower the Bar as we have done so many times. I find it appalling that many modern engineers from some of the best schools in the country can't perform calculations by hand or interpret the outcome of a calculation just by looking at the calculation. Educated yes, in what I dont know. The author further reinforces my distrust and dissatisfaction of the American education system and the media that supports these utterly stupid paths of thinking. Our world requires all paths of communication to effectively get the message across to someone else. Eliminating one of these methods will further degrade society into a mob of blithering idiot consumers. Oh wait a minute, thats right, we are already there. Ok it will make the Mob bigger and when all us old farts die off with our basic skills that sent a man to the moon with tablets and slide rules you guys try to figure out how electricity makes your keyboard work. Productivity tools should never be given as a basis of knowledge until the Basics are mastered. What you are saying is your son can be a writer without ever having to write or learn grammer or otherwise learn english language as it is intended to be? Foolish of you to think this, electricity is still a luxury and not a necessity of life, if it was then we shouldn't have to pay for it, it should be provided like air and sunlight.