Word: mania
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...being a little harsh, of course. The Times' survey comes with a lengthy, elegant essay couching the whole project in a comfy coccoon of critical nuance, pre-emptively name-checking "the deplorable modern mania for ranking, list-making and fabricated competition" before vigorously succumbing to it. (It also includes the regrettable phrase "in the age of James Frey." Moratorium? Who's with me?) It's not the least of its sins, but it has to be said that the Times list is aggressively boring. I was surprised and pleased - like running into a dear friend at a deadly dull cocktail...
...very least, the prospect of a low grade often dissuades Harvard students from taking classes they otherwise might. The overall affect of this GPA-mania on the quality of our undergraduate education is regrettable...
...this the year of the grease monkey? Auto racing claims 70 million fans in the U.S. NASCAR sells $2 billion in merchandise a year (on tap: NASCAR-branded bikinis). And the sport isn't just a Middle America mania. It's inspiring movies and becoming part of the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Here's a look at some stars who feel the need for speed...
...online cult following - a comprehensive breakdown of the film's extensive fan universe can be found on its own, lengthy Wikipedia page - the more Snakes web sites have gone up. Here are a dozen sites that together give you a feeling for just how widespread Snakes on a Plane mania has become...
There is, not surprisingly, partisan division over the dropout problem. Liberals say dropouts are either a by-product of testing mania or an unavoidable result of public schools' being starved for funding. But more conservative reform advocates, like Marcus Winters, a senior research associate at the Manhattan Institute, disagree. "Spending more money just has not worked," he says. "We've doubled the amount we spend per pupil since the '70s, and the problem hasn't budged...