"He said, 'The only thing you need to think about is: Are you trying to improve, are you trying to do better?
But there's a big difference between an elite athlete and an ordinary one... True, but the techniques to improve are the same.
Occupancy rates in the United States, though starting to improve, are expected to end the year at 57 percent, about 6 points below the long-term average.
Two key areas where Villa also need to improve are up front (they were the lowest scorers in the top eight) and at home (where they picked up fewer points than any other club in the top 10).
Mr. Aristide's story embodies much that is Haiti -- a place where few things are ever exactly as they present themselves, where promises that conditions will improve are almost never kept, and where officials from outside often have only bad options.
Ultimately, such a policy works to the school's disadvantage, creating a situation in which students are afraid to complain about teachers who are incompetent or who abuse their power, while teachers who might be helped to improve are not brought to the attention of the administration.
