Aslan, an associate at the University of California, holds a doctorate from the Harvard School of Divinity and has studied religion his entire career. His family fled from Iran after the 1979 revolution, settling in California, where the scholar adopted Christianity. He converted back to Islam during his tenure at Harvard.

Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz, had to click her ruby slippers together three times to go back home to Kansas. Hiri’s posse is as tight of a “clique” as the snapping sound of Dorothy’s shoes.

A nickname for the South, particularly Atlanta, is the “Dirty South.” Glover was raised in Atlanta, taking in the full part of its unique style for most of his life. All grown up, he keeps the tradition alive, “cleaning up” on his competition and winning. With his new change, he can afford to stay “clean” in the finest threads too.

The idea of the “Mudville Nine” comes from a poem, “Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888.” Fogerty’s version is written first-person, but highlights the same ideas that the original shared, especially Casey. Replace him with any legend – the pain of a strikeout will always resonate!

“But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.”

Anyone that convinces themselves that they are always right can usually not be changed. If you believe yourself to be the victim, to always be the “saint” that does no wrong, you might be incorrect! The singer does not care – that’s just typical “you.”

The generalization that urban, typically poor schools are “chaotic” is often repeated, but tends not to be that true. Schools, for many in unfortunate situations, are a safe haven – neutral territory, a source of food, and an actual opportunity to improve on life. Schools may be unruly, but the situation is a vast improvement to the so-called “poor neighborhood” experience.

O'Reilly is correct, though, in the negative effects of poor neighborhoods. A longitudinal study on “crack babies” indirectly revealed that a poor home life, combined with poverty, can cause serious setbacks in development. The link to unemployment, however, is not established.

In the same report, the figure for white people in general, from 16-19, is 20.4%.

The single most interesting thing to be found in the Snowden leaking case (outside of the leaks)! This is a radical departure from existing government precedent, which has continually stressed the need to review and punish state crimes and treason within private military tribunals, rather than open court. Fellow leaker Bradley Manning is currently facing one such tribunal.

By placing Snowden in civilian court, the government removes claims of torture and bias, while also seeking public support. It is equivalent to the “come home…we won’t treat you too badly” call of every “betrayed warrior” troupe – the US is handing out an easy trump card.

The development will come when/if Snowden manages to leave Russia. This promise hinges on Snowden’s direct return to the United States. If, for example, Snowden leaves to Venezuela, there is little to suggest that the Unites States may not revoke the offer and force a military court.

14 Zhitnaya Ultisa (ул. Житная/Zhitnaya Street) is the home to the Russian Interior Ministry. Interestingly, it is also the home of the Federal Penitentiary Service, where all of Russia’s federal (and not so nice) prisons are based. Russia, until recently, ranked first in number of prisoners per 1,000 citizens; the crown has now passed to the United States and China.

These concerns were not falling on deaf ears: Konovalov is one of the more progressive justice agents in Russia. With a record of punishing police agencies who abuse their power and collaborating with European Union peace efforts, Konovalov might actually be genuinely concerned for the wellbeing and fate of Snowden, outside of meme political gains.