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A quote alternatively credited to both former President George H. W. Bush and comic auteur Woody Allen runs like this: “90 percent of life is just showing up.” While the latter is more likely to have said it, the former is more likely to have done it. Nevertheless, by a happy coincidence, President Obama is doing at least as much in a state with a tightly contested Senate race. “As students begin their school year, President Barack Obama will deliver his second annual Back-to-School Speech at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, September 14 at Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration...

Back-to-school checklist: Whiter teeth & tattoos NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Shopping for back-to-school "basics" used to mean T-shirts, jeans, socks and some notebooks. This year, parents added a few other things with one item that really stands out: tattoos. About 45% of parents polled say that hair highlights, teeth whitening, even tattoos are among the items they will buy their kids to go back to school, according to a new American Express Spending & Saving Tracker survey. The survey tracks parents' school-related spending intentions. Haircuts led the list of services that mom and dad are treating junior to before the...

This is a scene from the Rodney Dangerfield movie, "Back To School", in which Rodney takes his first economics class and gives the arrogant professor some real-world input to his economic theory of starting a new business:

PHILADELPHIA — On the very first day of the school year, 12-year-old Mileena Rodriguez was reminded by President Barack Obama himself that hard work can take you places.Mileena listened to Obama's plea to study hard and stay in school Tuesday, watching along with several of her classmates at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and students across the country. For all the hubbub among adults over the back-to-school speech, many youngsters took the president's message to heart. "He said that we're the future, and he's right," said Mileena, who wants to be a forensic scientist. "That's a president telling you, `I care...

Tomorrow is being promoted as 'keep your children home from school' day. Various names have been used to describe the day from 'National Truancy Day' to 'Hall Pass Tuesday.' They all refer to the same thing. Parents all across the United States are keeping their children out of school tomorrow to protest Barack Obama's address to school children... The second thing to watch, however, is Congress. On Tuesday the House and Senate return from their summer break. 2 bills could be sent to the floor in short order without further debate, should the Democratic leadership decide to pull a fast...

As school gets started across the country, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya share a motivational message for America's students. (public domain)

Hot Air's Ed Morrissey - joined by bloggers Baseball Crank and Moe Lane - notes that Los Angeles public schools won't be in session next Tuesday when President Obama delivers his speech to the nation's children. Neither will those in the Boston schools. Or the New York City public schools. Or those in Seattle, Buffalo or Eugene (Oregon). It's the Obamatuerism of the day on this one, but it may be indicative of a new theme concerning the Obama administration's managerial and strategic political competence. All presidential teams tend to get high marks during their honeymoons. But the Obama honeymoon...

Back-to-school sales flunk Most retailers posting declines in August, indicating continued weakness in the consumer sector. By Julianne Pepitone, CNNMoney.com staff reporter Last Updated: September 3, 2009: 10:29 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Back-to-school sales for major national retailers fell from last year, but the results were stronger than analysts expected, thanks in part to discounters. August same-store sales, sales at stores open a year or more, fell 2.9% overall from last year, Thomson Reuters reported. Analysts had expected a 3.8% decline as consumers continue to feel the pinch of the recession. "The overall index was not good by...

My 15 and 12 year old daughters attend public school. They are well versed in conservatism and understand the difference between right and wrong (conservatives vs. Obama administration). I called my daughters school about the Obama speech. They said they were recording it and are giving the kids the option to see it the following Friday. To me, it’s a testament to how the school views this administration. On the other hand, I’m finding it difficult to remove my kids from school for the day because it puts them in an awkward position. Not because they're friends are Obama fans....

Right blasts Obama speech to students President Barack Obama's plans for a televised back-to-school address to students next week are drawing fire from some conservatives, who say he's just trying to indoctrinate them to his political beliefs. In the Sept. 8 speech, Obama will challenge students to work hard, set goals for their education and take responsibility for their learning, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a letter to principals. The Education Department is encouraging teachers to create lesson plans around the speech, using materials provided on the department website, that urge students to learn about Obama and other presidents....

President Barack Obama is heading back to school -- on television that is! The commander in chief will appear in a back-to-school television special next month along with pop superstar Kelly Clarkson, and NBA MVP LeBron James. President Obama will appear in a 30-minute documentary that will air on all Viacom channels on September 8 at 8 p.m., the Associated Press reports. In the special, the president stresses the importance of education and calls it the key to people achieving their dreams, the AP writes. President Obama, Clarkson, and James are teaming up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation...

While teachers across Frederick County prepared their classrooms last week, they were not the only ones moving back into the schools. Ten school resource officers moved into their offices at the nine county high schools and Heather Ridge School, said Sgt. Mark Landahl, who supervises the unit for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office. The officers worked on patrol during the summer months.

HOUSTON (AP) - As a mother of two, Feleccia Moore-Davis is accustomed to the usual back-to-school swirl of new supplies, new clothes and new routines. But this year, that final flurry of summer is accompanied by an unusual worry. Moore-Davis does not yet know how her children will get to school. Last month, the financially pressed Houston-area school district her two daughters attend decided to end bus service for students living within two miles of schools. Now Moore-Davis is contemplating the bustling intersections and streets without sidewalks the girls would have to navigate if they walked to school, and wondering...

Okay, here we go folks. School has started in my state, there are already H1N1 cases involving teachers and students. They are talking about vaccinating everyone in the entire county, and it didn't sound voluntary. This is crap, something is not right about this. No other nation was destroyed but for some reason "America is in for it" ... Why is that? WHO warns time running out for governments to prepare for dramatic spread of virus, predicting number of cases could double every few days

TO: UNC-Wilmington Students FR: Mike Adams Welcome back! I am so glad to start another semester here at UNC by the Sea. I just got back from teaching at Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I also had some time off last week, which I spent considering some new policies for the new semester. There will be several minor as well as two major changes this semester. The purpose of this email is to explain the first of the two major changes in class policy. On my day off last week, I pulled up a chair on the front porch...

A $200 back-to-school giveaway for needy kids sparked a mad rush for money on the streets of New York on Tuesday. "It's free money!" said Alecia Rumph, 26, who waited in a Morris Park, Bronx, line 300 people deep for the cash to buy uniforms and book bags for her two kids. "Thank God for Obama. He's looking out for us." Thousands of people lined up at banks and check-cashing shops to withdraw the cash that magically appeared on their electronic benefit cards. Some rushed out because of rumors the money would vanish by the end of the day. "Rumors,...

Indiana 1 Of 3 States With Public School Textbook Rental Fees INDIANAPOLIS -- In the midst of back-to-school season, expenses for clothing, supplies, backpacks, lunchboxes and the like are expected, but some costs catch parents off guard -- such as rental fees for textbooks. Indiana is one of just three states in which parents of public school students pay textbook rental fees, which typically run from about $100 to $400 each year, depending on the school district, 6News' Dan Spehler reported. The additional expense is something that people who move into the area may not be prepared for. Many parents...

PRINCETON, NJ -- Even as back-to-school started in earnest last week, with numerous states holding their tax-free shopping events, and as consumer confidence hit a new weekly high, Gallup's Consumer Spending measure suggests a tepid consumer response. While this meets general market expectations, it is bad news for the nation's retailers, for whom back-to-school is second in importance only to the Christmas holidays. Last week's jobs report and the sales success of the "Cash for Clunkers" program have combined with the continued Wall Street rally to boost consumer optimism. However, the fact remains that increased consumer confidence does not seem...

NEW YORK — It's still early, but analysts' grades already are coming in: the back-to-school shopping season is off to a lousy start. "Back-to-school selling hasn't really started yet," said John Morris, BMO Capital Markets analyst, based on recent conversations he's had with store executives. "Retailers have a very foggy picture."

Back-to-school sales suffer By M.S. Enkoji Jul. 31, 2009 Jeans for $29, the sign reads. What's a mother to do if she has two daughters about to go back to school? "The sales are really enticing," said Janet Weeks, who has a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old. "That's a pretty good deal for jeans." But she's a teacher who is a little worried about her job at McClatchy High School. So moderation is the theme for this year, said Weeks, who is passing up a lot of the deals and bargains. "This year, they can probably start the school year with...