Strange Little Collecting Project

Disclaimer:  I know that my educational rants have been happening closer and closer together as of late, but I can’t help it. I am just too pissed off.  It's really tough to watch something you love get screwed over.  I promise to write more blogs in the near future about something embarrassing I did at the grocery store, but I’m just not feeling it right now.  So, if you're tired of hearing teachers complain about schools, you should probably stop reading. In the fall of last year, the North Carolina Board of Governors made it possible for state universities to raise their tuition as much as they want. Before this decision was made, students in the North Carolina University System were protected by a 6.5% cap, meaning they would only be spending 6.5% more for school each year. (Which still isn’t great, but at least it’s controlled). UNC-Chapel Hill immediately began discussing a 44% increase over the next 4 years.  Thankfully, the Board of Governors agreed to limit the inc

I’ve always grown up around Bradford pear trees. They’re a pretty popular tree, so you’ve probably grown up around them, too. I didn’t pay them much attention though until a few years ago. We had a really tough winter (as far as North Carolina goes), and I remember my dad mentioning that he was worried that his Bradford pear wouldn’t make it through another snowstorm. Bradford pears are a cultivated tree that wouldn’t exist if horticulturists hadn’t willed it so. They were engineered to grow quickly, and to be beautiful. Bradford pears are very popular with landscapers because of this expediency and curb appeal; if they plant these trees in a brand new development, the Bradford pears give that neighborhood the look of permanence that is often lacking from new construction in just a few short years. Heartier, sturdier trees grow much slower and the new neighborhood has that stark, naked look. There is a flaw in the tree design though. The crown of the Bradford pear grows much quicker th