From the Atlantic Monthly:
A new breed of American soldier?call him the soldier-diplomat?has come into being since the end of the Cold War. Meet the colonel who was our man in Mongolia, an officer who probably wielded more local influence than many Mongol rulers of yore.
Thanks to John Robb….
Smart children left behind
In order to meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind, New York State
and Illinois have stopped dedicating funds to providing enriched programs
for gifted students, The New York Times reports.
“As long as students pass the exams, the federal law offers no rewards for
raising the scores of high achievers, or punishment if their progress lags.”
We have special protection for the disabled, the various races, the two
genders (I think), ESL students–and we condemn the brightest to
intellectual starvation.
The consequences of abandoning a substantial percentage of the Republic’s
brightest students–even if the great cities, by virtue of their size, and
the wealthiest suburbs, by spending their own money, are able to protect
their brightest–will be severe. “Justice cannot sleep forever.”
Thanks to ALEX R. COHEN, J.D.
Health Savings Accounts
Avram Lank writes about health savings accounts (similar to IRA’s), and the success a Wisconsin Bank has had promoting them.
No child left behind – Ro vs. Lantos
Larry Lessig posts on a recent debate between California 12th District incumbent Democrat Tom Lantos and challenger Ro Khanna. The debate included a discussion of the No Child Left Behind Act (google) (teoma) (alltheweb) (yahoo).
And here’s a link to one of my favorite exchanges. Ro criticizes Congressman Lantos for supporting the “No Child (except public school childred) Left Behind Act.” Just “talking to teachers,” he says, would have told you that Act wouldn’t work. In classic DC style, Lantos’ response: Ted Kennedy supported it, so it is “outrageous” for a “newcomer” to criticize what people who have “devoted their whole life to education” say. Ro is cut off in his reply: “I’m assuming that teachers who have devoted their whole life to education know more…”
Senate Insider Trading?
From Glenn Reynolds:
“STEPHEN BAINBRIDGE has an article up arguing that Martha Stewart never should have been prosecuted.
Personally, I think they should be devoting their resources to investigating insider trading within the United States Senate.”
Afghanistan/Iraq Aerial Photos
A very cool gallery of photos from a Marine aviator, here. Shot with a Sony DSC-F707 digital camera. There’s a lot of very impressive stuff in his portfolio. Thanks to instapundit.
Astronaut Jim Lovell visits Madison
Apollo and Gemini astronaut Jim Lovell spoke last night at an American Family Children’s Hospital Fund Raiser at Monona Terrace VR Scene.
There aren’t too many places Jim Lovell hasn’t been. (Google) (All The Web) (Teoma) (Yahoo Search)
The 71-year-old former astronaut has made two trips to the moon — the historic first lunar orbit flight, December 1968’s Apollo 8, and the aborted Apollo 13 mission in April 1970.
I posted some photos here.
“My Telltale Heart”
The Washington Post’s associate editor tells the tale of his brush with death
Customer Service/Appreciation @ 35,000 ft.
A first:
I (along with others) received this very nice thank you note from the captain of a UA 737 yesterday.
William Winter & the Education of Mississippi
In 1980, when William Winter became governor of Mississippi, there was no state funded kindergarten. School attendance was not compulsory. Mississippi ranked last in the nation among most educational indicators. And in the more than 25 years that had passed since the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision, the state had not been able to come to terms with school desegregation.
In 1982, Gov. Winter succeeded, against all odds, in passing the most sweeping education reform the state had ever seen, which among other things established kindergarten for all Mississippians.
NPR