They took their chances and we didn't create enough.

Why have so many schools reduced the time and emphasis they place on art, music, and physical education? The answer is beyond simple: those areas aren’t measured on the all-important tests. You know where those areas are measured… in life! Art, music, and a healthy lifestyle help us develop a richer, deeper, and more balanced perspective. Never before have we needed more of an emphasis on the development of creativity, but schools have gone the exact opposite direction in an effort to make the best test-taking automatons possible. Our economy no longer rewards people for blindly following rules and becoming a cog in the machine. We need risk-takers, outside-the-box thinkers, and entrepreneurs; our school systems do the next generation a great disservice by discouraging these very skills and attitudes. Instead of helping and encouraging them to find and develop their unique strengths, they're told to shut up, put the cell phones away, memorize these facts and fill in the bubbles.

We urge all senior citizens who believe they qualify for this discount to contact their natural gas marketer immediately.

The reason why families and nonprofits like us, there is no selling involved; with scrip you don't have to do that and most parents are uncomfortable being salespeople. The nice thing is it's mutually beneficial - the family gets full face value, the organization gets money and the business gets loyalty.

I'll always choose a teacher with enthusiasm and weak technique over one with brilliant strategies but who is just punching the clock. Why? An enthusiastic teacher can learn technique, but it is almost impossible to light a fire inside the charred heart of a burned-out teacher.

I prayed fervently for a series regular job on a show that had the perceived caliber of talent that '30 Rock' had.