Sunday,
21 October 2012
Greetings
Students, Parents, Friends, & Readers:
Here
is mid-October’s edition of “Articles of Interest” for your perusal.
George McGovern, former
Senator and 1972 Presidential Candidate, passed away at the learned age of
90. Awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross for is heroic service during World War II, he became best known
for his staunch anti-war positions during the Vietnam era. On an aside note, McGorvern provided my
first foray into political activism.
As tag-a-long with my parents, I recall making campaign signs (at the
ripe age of 6) to attend one of McGovern’s political rallies. Rest in peace, Mr. McGovern.
Legendary
tech-guru Guy Kawasaki provides an
interesting infographic “all about texting,” including surprising historical roots to contemporary text-messaging
lingo.
There
is much debate over the boundaries of free speech and personal expression in the digital domain, particularly relating
to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
Somini Sengupta’s article “Free Speech in the Age of YouTube,” addresses examples including domestic and
international affairs.
The
website Reddit, which makes the
ambitious claim of being “the front page
of the internet,” provides an interesting model for future discussion of
where lines might be drawn in the ever-expanding chaos that is the web.
Dick Costello,
chief executive at Twitter, was
initially a stand-up comedian. His
background in improv has certainly contributed to Twitter’s nimble growth and future expansion, as if by concise quips of 140 characters or less.
The Economist
presents an intriguing article on the influence of government sponsored national identities and how they influence textbook content for school-age
children. The article cites
examples from as far away as France, Afghanistan, and South Korea, with roots
often stemming from on-going textbook debates in California and Texas.
In
his recent remarks at the annual Arts Education Partnership, Rocco Landesman,
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts referred to the accomplishments of Lusher Charter School (“a
diverse and integrated student body; low violence and truancy; and high
achievement and graduation rates,” in his words) as serving as
a “bold goal” for American education. How very cool to
serve as such an ambitious model; Lusher Pride!
And
on a final note, Nicholas Kristof’s
Sunday NYTimes op-ed column lauds the power of parental nurturing as
contributing to future success of children, his weekly column simply titled, “Cuddle your Kid!” Having just had my son home for his
Freshman fall break from college, these are words to live by.
As
always, I welcome your comments, feedback, and discussion.
With
sincere regards,
Sam
Wagner
Director
of College Counseling
Lusher Charter School
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