Hey look - a Pacific Northwest tree octopus!

Very interesting article in the NYT yesterday about whether online reading really "counts" as reading. In addition to questioning the truthiness of information on the interweb, it mentions some of the same ADD theories I expressed a few weeks ago, as well as a concept involving interweb proficiency testing alongside print reading comprehension. I never theorized about that. Not sure I agree with it.

Then again, not sure I agree with allowing a high school student who does not plan to move to Quebec or Paris immediately upon graduation, to complete 5.5 years of French instead of the far-more-useful Spanish. (Dumb, dumb, possibly the dumbest choice related to my education that I have ever made.)

Also of interest - the concept of paying kids to learn. CNN has been airing a series of interviews, panel discussions and op-eds of sorts on being black in America. (Opportunistic marketing ploy to gain viewers and/or sway the vote given the current presidential race, or capitalizing on the current presidential race to raise awareness and encourage discussion on a very important topic? Unclear. I put nothing past CNN.)

Anyway, the other day I caught a piece on education where an economist had piloted a controversial program that paid kids to earn good grades. One semester of good grades earned them $250, which some actually said would go in the bank for their college education.

Why is this controversial? I used to get $5 for every A and B in middle and high school. (I seem to recall this being a ploy to get my brother to try to get his grades up. It didn't work out so well. But I got new shoes so I didn't care!)

I don't know. The education system, just like the justice system and the health care system and the welfare system and the [lather rinse repeat] system are fucked. Such is life in a capitalist society. Until morality returns and doing something for the greater good is the core value in this country, these children have lost their village.

Thank God for you young whippersnappers, and the fine folks at MoveOn and Credo and of course the Obama '08 campaign. Barring political emergencies requiring mass protests, I'll send you money, but I've got Dr. Horrible to watch for the nineteen thousandth time.