Word: norm
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...lift off like the yellow lepidopteran fluttering nearby. And, also like a butterfly, it is light and airy. The sharply angled woodwork in the towering screened-in porch could be mistaken for the patterns on a diaphanous wing. The high quality of the workmanship would also please the exacting Norm Abram of "This Old House...
...dominant trend in pop culture? Maybe when I was a kid, in the '50s. Back then, the mainstream was bland, solemn, reassuring, and I was a part of it. I thought that "Father Knows Best" was a documentary - that its ethos of domestic civility was the overwhelming norm. But I was also exposed to, and invigorated by, lots of what would now be called "transgressive art" - popular works that exceeded or demolished the official standards of probity. I attended horror movies, read vivid comic books, gorged on a diet of rock 'n roll. (And what was the most extreme...
...complicated, busy lives, careers they forged on their own and ambitions to take them to the top. They have grown up to be self-reliant in uncertain times, with little guidance from their elders. Sex before marriage--"eating rice before the bell," as it is sometimes called--is the norm. All have acquaintances who do drugs, a haven for those who don't know where else...
...There we learn that Cruz's choices are somewhat humble measured against the norm. Just two weeks, ago, for example, murderer Juan Soria wanted "chicken, three pieces of fish, burgers, pizza, fruit (grapes, plums, peaches, apples, tangerines), doughnuts, walnuts, chocolate candy bar, plain potato chips, picante sauce, hot sauce, salad with ranch dressing, Coke and Sprite" before going to meet his maker. A month earlier, Jessy San Miguel, who had killed four people execution-style while robbing a Taco Bell, had asked for "Pizza (beef, bacon bits, and multiple types of cheese), 10 quesadillas (5 mozzarella cheese, 5 cheddar cheese...
...extended-school-year programs, while scant, are encouraging. A four-year study by Purdue University found that students on a 210-day calendar outscored peers who had fewer days even if they came from households with little education. Also promising are schedules that stick to the 180-day norm but replace the three-month summer with several three-week respites throughout the year. The shorter vacations cut down on learning losses and allow teachers to intervene when students start lagging...