A fairly detailed article in a local English newspaper this week on the subject of teenagers seeking cosmetic surgery lies behind my words today. The article had to have caught the attention of many, and for more than one reason.

Two odd incidents in which people lost their cool and physically attacked someone surfaced in our local news this past week. Although the stories may have appeared trivial, they offer fodder for reflection on the topics of anger and basic, old-fashioned respect.

For a number of years, I have had a soft spot in my heart for the city of Keelung. That's because my former secretary Amy comes from Keelung, and I've greatly enjoyed visits with her family there. Now I have another reason to like the place.

Forgive me for first offering a caveat. The words that follow are not cool or objective in tone. That may sound odd, given that this column appears on page 4 of the China Post.

Just because a fellow is sharp and respected enough to win a second term as president of the United States does not mean he is immune to an occasional goof. Just mention the name of California attorney general Kamala Harris to Barack Obama these days, and ask how someone with his perspicacity could have stumbled so badly.

Taipei Deputy Mayor Chang Chin-e (張金鶚) yesterday formed a negotiation team and vowed to offer a proposal in three months to settle dispute surrounding the long-stalled Wenlin Yuan (文林苑) urban renewal project.

The topic of alcohol and drinking came up in one of my General English (GE) classes on Wednesday. The next day, a local newspaper ran these headlines on news stories: “'Two-hour' alcohol ban at Kenting Music Festival” (TT 4-4-13 p. 2) and “Lawmaker slams commission's 'drinking program'” (p. 3).

News this week about a guitar-playing elementary school principal who moonlights as a street performer has me thinking about the meaning of education. Education is a gradual process. Education is not so much about fulfilling a specific goal or arriving at a destination. Education is a long and often unpredictable journey. This I truly believe.

A Catholic activist group called Bishop Accountability said this week that newly installed Pope Francis should take swift and public responsibility for mishandling sex abuse crises in his former archdiocese of Buenos Aires while he served as head of the Argentine Bishop's Conference from 2005 to 2011.

Some may argue that enough is enough, and it is now more than time to let go of the fuss over last week's revelation that Taiwan's first family has enjoyed a wedding it more or less did not want us to know about.