Gentle Reader: I’m afraid the news will suck no matter what. So just have a drink and be grateful for what you have.
“Dear Abby” creator Pauline Phillips has died. Her tart tongue set the model for modern advice columns. Her sister, of course, was Ann Landers. NYTimes
Arson in Philadelphia has possible links to union intimidation. NYTimes
All of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners have been grounded. Because they can catch on fire. Really easily. BBC
Imagine this: you get a job. You get paid pretty well for it, but you don’t like working. You find someone in China who will do the job for pennies on the dollar. So you pay him. Then you get another job and do the same thing. Soon you’re earning a tidy sum without doing any work. This story is true and will probably be a “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” question. BBC
Several Americans were taken hostage in Algeria. Several people have reportedly escaped but the fate of others remains unclear. LATimes
I am fascinated by all the new evidence coming to light surrounding Natalie Wood’s death. LATimes
Dartmouth to end AP credits because they think AP tests aren’t as rigorous as their own classes. Is it a way to nickel and dime students or a path to a more robust education? Salon
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Inspired
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Smart
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Tickled
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Hungry
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Empathetic
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Smash!
![Avatar of [E] Sally Lawton](http://images.persephonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/avatars/284/801ec0bacfd48df87560e4e0a5e1b0b3-bpthumb.jpg){kind=avatar}
It might depend on your high school, but I found my AP American History class more rigorous than the history class I had to take once I actually got to college.
I got 18 hours worth of credits from the AP tests and it’s the only way I managed to graduate in four years with a double-major. Since my scholarship was only supposed to last for 8 semesters (no idea how they let me get away with summer school one year too), I’d have been screwed otherwise. No, the classes probably aren’t quite as rigorous, but in the long run the slight gap in knowledge base in a couple core classes probably won’t make a damn bit of difference in anyone’s life.
I feel like the job story is a Lifetime story waiting to happen. Except the someone in China will be a gorgeous, smart but mellow woman who will be saved by the American man after he discovered that there’s more to life than money.