Word Problems

Associated Press 4-20-06

A college math instructor has apologized for a test question invoking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that students complained was racially insensitive.

It began, "Condoleezza holds a watermelon just over the edge of the roof of the 300-foot Federal Building, and tosses it up with a velocity of 20 feet per second." The question then asked students to determine when the watermelon would hit the ground.

The Board of Trustees condemned the wording as insulting to Rice, who is black, because of caricatures of blacks eating watermelon during the days of plantation slavery.

A number of Seattle-area black community leaders demanded Ratener be fired or disciplined.

Editorial Comment:

I guess they wouldn’t have liked my question any better…

Kobe Bryant walks into a room and spots a young blonde girl standing 25 feet away. He begins chasing her at a speed of 9 ft/sec and the girl runs away at a rate of 6 ft/sec. How long does it take before Kobe jumps on her like a brother on a white chick?