Today was a good day for NPR

As i drove down to So Cal, I was listening to NPR and MAN the topics today were spot on.

First there was a discussion about the need for blacks to not let the messenger get in the way of the message (in regards to the Tea Party etc) based on an article written by a republican black woman, Sophia Nelson.  Interested in looking her up.  Good dialogue

THEN there was a discussion about CHEATING in schools.  AGH I actually got off the freeway, pulled over, and spent a good five minutes trying to call in and give my two cents.  Maybe one day I'll write about cheating....
basically how I grew up not cheating but ignoring when others cheated until a certain boy in my high school class whom eVERYone knew cheated got into Stanford..
I didn't cheat in college either... and when I began TEACHING I was really hard on cheating until I went to GCA.
I think I changed my philosophy a little, being lenient on the first one, trying to vary my tests and projects so that kids CAN'T viably cheat, and of course, if they cheat, just give them another assignment for a maximum grade of a C.  Easy peasy..

It was interesting how a lot of students unfortunately aren't prepared to write college-level (works cited, research intensive) work in high school.  ... America and education.  ..::sigh::..

I thought about starting an interactive blog where each post would be something that would be useful to students
like how to cite a book
how to start an intro paragraph

under the idea that we must "first learn the rules in order to throw them out." (yea yea JM!)

it got staticky.

THEN
in LA i listened to a story of an American family that lives off of welfare.  I thought about health a lot.. :-/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128618224


Other discussions of note:
Debate over high-risk abortion public funding
Republicans blocking extension of unemployment benefits
Army + don't ask don't tell
auto-dealership bailout vs non-bailout / closing dealerships critique


There were random stuff too
like Lilith concert, a probe on Mars (pretty cool tho), human beings evolutionary development in terms of running,... yeah


ANyway, today was especially interesting... http://www.npr.org

I got into the habit of listening and absorbing information that way during my sophomore year when I worked a mind-numbing job and had an ipod.  At first, I couldn't focus, but now, I'm glad I can!

UM, I watched 24:Redemption last night.. and wow, 24 is kind of cool. and I just wish I had more international awareness............