I’m fishing around in my 15-year-old brother’s Halloween candy bag, and I take out some Almond Joys. I stuff half of one in my mouth, kick up my feet, and crack open the Sunday paper. Read more...

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Grading practices score poorly Thank you for raising the issue of grading practices in the article “The learning curve” (News, Oct. 29) and the Oct. 30 editorial, “Fair grading should be a top priority.” This is an important start to what I hope will be an honest assessment of a real problem on campus. Read more...

For every good intention, there are a thousand bills rubber-stamped by Congress. Take for example President Bush’s new energy bill, on which he wants Congress to vote by the middle of this month. Read more...

You’ve donated money to the needy before, right? Surely you can recall dropping money into a tin can held by the guy wearing a Santa Claus outfit during the holiday season. Read more...

Garin Hovannisian (“Forest care better in private hands,” Oct. 29) did a good job thinking constructively about the causes and solutions to Southern California forest fires. Read more...

As an educator, I read with great interest both Colleen Honigsberg’s article “The learning curve” (News, Oct. 29) as well as the related Oct. 30 staff editorial. Read more...