Today is Fourth of July and I am proud to be an American, grateful for the liberties of my country, and thankful for the beauty of the land in which I live. In wondering about the future of this great nation, I am comforted by its historical resilience. I also am inspired by the courageous leaders who, time and again,…
Perseverance is not an issue of talent. It is not an issue of time. It is about finishing. Talent provides hope for accomplishment, but perseverance guarantees it. Running Past Failure As a small child, Vonetta (Jeffrey) Flowers dreamed about being in the Olympics. She ran everywhere she went, and gained a reputation among her school friends for being quick. At…
When JK Rowling began to write her first novel, she was a single-mother pent up in a tiny flat in Edinburgh, Scotland. Struggling to make ends meet, she scraped by on a meager public welfare check provided by the state. In the solitude of her desperate situation, Rowling even contemplated suicide. Rowling’s saving grace and source of inspiration was her…
At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, swimmer Michael Phelps broke the world record for the most gold medals won by an individual during a single Olympiad. In the 100m butterfly, the race in which he tied the world record by collecting his seventh gold, Phelps won in a photo finish. In fact, to the naked eye, it appeared as if…
The outcome of a sporting event sometimes is heavily influenced by the judgment of an official or umpire. For instance, with game two of the playoff series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat tied 103-103, Celtics guard Rajon Rondo drove toward the hoop for a layup. Dwyane Wade of the Heat appeared to whack Rondo on the head, causing…
In America’s 50 largest cities, the high school graduation rate is 53%. Nearly ½ of students do not earn a diploma within four years of starting the 9th grade. Not finishing high school adversely affects a person’s life in numerous ways. For example, dropouts are far more likely to be unemployed or imprisoned compared to their peers. Based on national…
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