Articles written by John Hale

Where Knowledge Rules

What is Helium

About me - John Hale

After 16 1/2 years of college, I completed my bachelors degree in journalism. Trust me, it's easier to make money on Helium than it is as a working journalist. The reason it took me 16 years to graduate? I was paying my way as a working journalist.
I have

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Parenting & Pregnancy > Parenting Styles (Other) Is it better for children to be raised by stay-at-home parents?: 4 of 85
Children need to be raised in a stable, supportive and supervised household, with the ideal situation being one of plenty. Our nuclear family finds survival next to impossible, but if it can be accomplished, it is the perfect match of the idyllic and idealism. In the 1950s, television glamorized the family as Dad working an ... More..
Pets & Animals > Animal Rescue & Adoption The merits of adopting a dog through a rescue league: 5 of 102
If John Grogan's book "Marley & Me" was written about the world's worst dog, "Jem" could have only emerged from the deepest recesses of Hell and I still love him. Jem was adopted from the Guilford County (N.C.) Animal Shelter on a visit to PetsMart in Greensboro. He was so demure named Mr. Cuddles by the staff that my wife d... More..
Politics, News & Issues > People in the News Michael Vick: Is he a criminal for promoting dog fighting?: 2 of 30
To defend the morally reprehensible and separate it from its criminality is the job of the best defense attorneys. I'm not one of them. What Michael Vick is accused of doing violates every value in my being, but he is also accused of exhibiting perfectly human behavior. Since the story of Adam and Eve, when God gave dominion... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Family Law Should US citizens accused of domestic abuse lose the right to bear arms?: 3 of 27
Domestic violence, like pedophilia, is a crime of escalation. Violators will get progressively worse until something bad happens to them, and then they scale back for the short term. The other problem with domestic violence is that the crime typically isn't reported until it has begun the cycle of escalation. The quick slap ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Party Politics & Ideology Assessing the future of civil liberties activism in the US: 1 of 8
Civil liberties activism has receded to the smaller stage of the community and away from the 1960s radicalism that provided the heyday of liberalism. Community volunteerism is up and many schools require their students to participate in a volunteer project as a prerequisite to high school graduation. This trend should contin... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Sports News & Opinion (Other) Should collegiate athletes receive payment for competing in college athletics?: 3 of 17
How dare you, sir, suggest that our boys playing on the University of Alabama gridiron are underpaid? Are you suggesting that the Fab Five at the University of Michigan weren't paid as well as the British Fab Four? That's just heresy. More importantly, that's hypocrisy. The prompt implies that the university athlete isn't pa... More..
Education > Education (Other) How to deal with back-to-school blues: 5 of 25
Your best intentions of intellectual pursuits have fallen by the wayside in a summertime of play and athletic interests. You're behind the rest of the crowd now because you didn't complete your summer reading requirements. The dread of returning to the classroom looms over you like the tortuous hours you spent trying to conv... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Football Is the coverage of the Michael Vick case racially motivated: 3 of 12
To call Michael Vick's legal problems a question of race is an insult to black men world wide. It is tantamount to saying all white men are drunken racists like Mel Gibson and all white women are as ridiculous scofflaws as Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie (Oops, I forgot, Richie is at least half-black). The raci... More..
Sports & Recreation > Baseball Players Baseball commentary: Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds: 5 of 15
For nearly every baseball record we can make an excuse to make a case for whomever to hold the record. We create categories to buoy our arguments. But one fact holds true to the entire Barry Bonds/Hank Aaron/Babe Ruth home run record argument: Not one of them was found to break the existing rules en route to the establishmen... More..
Politics, News & Issues > People in the News Paris Hilton: Does justice favor the rich?: 2 of 6
Lady Justice may sport a blindfold over her eyes, but her hand is outstretched for the almighty dollar. Does that mean there is disparity in the treatment of the rich and the poor in the court system? Absolutely, but both are being punished equally. Paris Hilton could afford the best legal defense in the world. O.J. Simpson ... More..