Thursday, October 25, 2007

At 6:45 a.m. this morning, the only news story on Google News about the defeat of the DREAM Act last night in the Senate was from a Dallas newspaper. Not even the Los Angeles Times carried the story on its front pages - still concentrating on wildfire coverage. Nevertheless, this is a very important omission.

The American Association of Community Colleges provides some background on this issue:

"The DREAM Act provides a path to citizenship for undocumented students who are long-term residents of the United States and were initially brought to the country before the age of 16. Eligible students gain legal status through 2 years of higher education or military service. Most DREAM-eligible students have little or no contact with their "home" countries, having lived most of their lives in the United States. Rather than the opportunity to continue their education or enter military service, and make meaningful contributions to the American economy and society, they instead face deportation to countries with which they have little or no connection. Community colleges strive everyday to educate and train the skilled workers required by the 21st century economy, and if we are to succeed in this task, we cannot afford to deny the talents and drive possessed by DREAM Act eligible students.

Previous versions of the legislation also repealed a provision of federal law that barred states from granting in-state tuition to undocumented students. Unfortunately, the political landscape has shifted to the point that the legislation's sponsors felt they had to remove this provision of the bill in order to preserve its viability. We will continue to work with Congress to enact this provision in separate legislation."

Click here for similar sentiments expressed by the American Council on Education.

You can also read about the this issue on NPR - which lead with the story this morning.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Here's an OPINION from the Rocky Mountain News.com about moves to have colleges and universities to take more concerted action to prevent students from downloading music and other media on university Internet networks.

Worth looking at to:

a) decide if you agree with the opinion presented (balanced? one-sided?)
b) have a frame of reference for seeking other points-of-view (if you need a topic for a pro/con approach)
c) find out about how legislating can work - where regulations like the one proposed here can be inserted in a large bill, effectively burying it for all but the most eagle-eyed reporters and/or advocacy groups to view.

Monday, October 01, 2007


That was a L-O-N-G vacation! We're back, it's fall semester, and there are many interesting and informative web sites, tips, and techniques to tell you about...

Here is an example of a FLASH presentation that is great looking as well as effective in getting its message across: (please be patient while the screens load)

From American Public Media:

http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/

Welcome to Consumer Consequences, our interactive game designed to illustrate the impact of our lifestyles on the Earth. It's part of American Public Media's special series, "Consumed," which explores whether the modern American lifestyle is sustainable in the long run. (Stay tuned to this site for more "Consumed" content).

Consumer Consequences will ask you a series of questions about your lifestyle, and as you play, it will show you how many "Earths" of natural resources it would take to sustain all 6.6 billion humans… if everyone lived like you.