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19 Oct 2009 10:18

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Politics: Senator: Should college be a three-year deal, instead of four?

  • The three-year degree could become the higher-education equivalent of the fuel-efficient car. And that’s both an opportunity and a warning for the best higher-education system in the world.
  • Senator Lamar Alexander • Describing why a three-year undergraduate program, rather than a four-year, could become beneficial for students, schools, and parents alike. Alexander suggests that it’s problematic that many school facilities stay closed for nearly half the calendar year. He also notes that by condensing the college experience into three years, it costs less – in the case of Hartwick College, which is trying a three-year program, 25% less. We think there’s social benefits to not pushing college through in three years that Alexander’s not considering, probably because he’s old. • source
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09 Sep 2009 23:45

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U.S.: Swine Flu: Someone in your dorm already has it (probably)

  • 73% of colleges are reporting swine flu-like symptoms source
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11 Aug 2009 10:52

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Politics: Princeton professor: Interest groups damage the political process

  • Interest groups have clearly eroded the quality of our democratic process. The most obvious way has been through outright corruption. There are many historical examples of how powerful interest groups tried to buy their way to success.
  • Princeton professor Julian E. Zelizer • Discussing the damage that interest groups have done to political discourse. He’s not simply talking about the current situation with town halls and health care, although that’s part of it. He says that in general, interest groups have too much power: “Lobbyists and politicians on the left and right have been guilty of these sins.” He refers to the underrated movie “Bulworth,” which attacked this issue head-on. • source
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26 May 2009 08:57

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U.S.: Texas admissions policies puts schools in tough spots

  • 10% The cutoff point, set by a popular piece of legislation, for top-performing high school students to be guaranteed admission to Texas universities
  • 81% Percentage of U. Texas’ freshman class that makes up; they may get some breathing room thanks to a piece of legislation that just passed the state House source
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24 May 2009 19:48

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U.S.: College kids willing to stay close to the ‘rents during the recession

  • -40% decreases in out-of-state enrollment at many large universities
  • +5-10% average increases in in-state enrollment at many universities source
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18 May 2009 09:07

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U.S.: Obama handles the Notre Dame abortion hot potato with ease

  • When we open up our hearts and our minds to those who may not think precisely like we do or believe precisely what we believe, that’s when we discover at least the possibility of common ground.
  • President Barack Obama • Who deftly handled a fairly tense situation speaking at the University of Notre Dame, which as a Catholic institution doesn’t support abortion, by asking those involved in protests around his visit to find common points of agreement. Obama is pro-choice, which meant that he became a lightning rod when the university picked him as commencement speaker. With the speech, Obama seemed to soften the protests against him. • source
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14 May 2009 01:16

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U.S.: Obama’s commencement speech at Arizona State left ’em fawning

  • I come to confirm that one’s title, even a title like president of the United States, says very little about how well one’s life has been led — and that no matter how much you’ve done, or how successful you’ve been, there’s always more to do, always more to learn, and always more to achieve.
  • President Barack Obama • Sideswiping the controversy of not getting an honorary degree from Arizona State University to make a killer speech about never resting on one’s laurels or one’s title. This Obama guy knows what he’s doing – think we should give him an honorary degree? • source
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23 Apr 2009 10:31

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U.S.: The apparent “Craigslist killer” has a history that goes back a bit

  • In a doorway, he pushed me up against the wall and tried kissing me. I was trying to push him away, saying, ‘No Phil, get off me.’
  • Morgan Houston • A classmate of Phillip Markoff at State Univeristy of New York-Albany, where she said Markoff attempted to attack her four years ago. It was a close call, and she was saved by a friend. She said it was the only time Markoff attacked her. It appears that Markoff’s motive behind the current attacks, by the way, was to pay off gambling debts. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Apr 2009 18:22

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Politics, U.S.: Five guesses as to who the anonymous university donor was

  • one Bernard Madoff: Because he had to save his reputation somehow.
  • two R. Allen Stanford: See what we said about Bernard Madoff, then add cricket.
  • three Mark Cuban: Because he likes making points in roundabout, absurd ways.
  • four Bill Gates: Because he cares too much about helping out sometimes.
  • five Joaquin Guzman: Because Mexican drug lords make pretty great benefactors.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Apr 2009 18:14

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U.S.: Yo, universities, here’s a bunch of money. No questions, please.

  • $45 million in anonymous donations were given to nine different universities, big and small and seemingly picked at random, in the last few weeks.
  • don’t ask There was only one requirement – the schools could not find out who gave them the money. Anyone want to start a conspiracy theory? source
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