The Chicago Tribune tells the story of how, across
Illinois,
students are going to school with textbooks held together by rubber
bands and duct tape. Is there a local story here for you? The
Tribune found:
A survey of 50
districts of varying wealth and size shows public schools are failing
to provide the most basic tool of learning: a current book in good
condition.
Nearly 80 percent of districts surveyed are using
textbooks in a main academic area that are out-of-date -- at least 8
years old. About 22 percent of districts have books at least 15 years
old.
Some schools have too few books to go around, forcing students to share and limiting teachers' ability to assign homework.
I have seen similar stories in other places, such as this one from Louisiana. In South Carolina, the state education department wants
to set up a barcode tracking system that would track textbooks
statewide. Auditors found that 10 percent of textbooks are sitting on shelves
unused -- while students in other districts need books.
New Splints and Technology Replace Cumbersome Casts
Here is a story about how new strap-on braces, rods and screws are quickly replacing heavy plaster casts for broken bones.
A recent study shows young patients who used the removable splints often healed with fewer mobility problems
than those with casts. The removable splints also allow patients to
bathe and get to those nasty itches without sticking a coat hanger down
their casts.
A 2002 study showed that casting costs about twice as much as splinting.
The Rise of the Black Family Reunion
The Washington Post
notes an interesting cultural trend. It is the rise of the black family
reunion -- not just small gatherings, but mega-reunions. On one weekend
last year, the paper says, Atlanta hosted at least 21 major family reunions.
For
African-Americans, reunions are the next big thing. The general
population may be drawn to increasingly popular couples-only resorts
and other venues designed to escape the din of relatives, but
African-Americans' travel tastes are shifting in the opposite
direction. Destination reunions are in. Solo getaways are out.
"The tide of mega-gatherings among African-American families is high and rising," said Stephen Criswell, a
University of South Carolina
professor who has researched the sociology of African-American
get-togethers. "The more threats that are posed to families by
dislocation and other social issues, the stronger the effort to
preserve certain rituals like reunions."
The gatherings have also evolved from small folksy get-togethers to full-scale, carefully orchestrated celebrations.
And the pageantry of African-American reunions is flourishing, too, according to Edith Wagner, editor of Reunions Magazine.
"The men often sport tuxedos. The women get dolled up in sorority
dresses. And everybody is decked out in fabulous hats. Now I call that
an event."
The story says mega-reunions follow a predictable model:
The dinner was
followed by an evening of dominoes, blackjack, poker and other games.
Saturday would start with the official family meeting, then a
sightseeing excursion and, in the evening, a formal dinner and dance.
Sunday's centerpiece: a family-led worship service.
Most
three-day-weekend reunions are based on this model, according to Lydia
Douglas, an official with the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
who helps families plan get-togethers. Some have fashion shows, others
genealogy sessions, picnics or other events.
Reunions Magazine keeps a running list of family reunions being planned around the country.
The Rush to Land Toyota
Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina are said to be Toyota's top picks for a new assembly plant. Other states, such as Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky, badly want to land Toyota's
new engine plant.
The New York Times reports on the jockeying for position.
Toyota may choose the site for the new factories by late summer.
Airfare Hikes Stick
Airfare price increases appear to be sticking.
Load factors -- which is airplane-speak for how many people are sitting in
the planes -- are running above 80 percent, which gives airline companies more
power than they have had since 2000.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium
of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of
Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the
information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed
and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is
fact-checked, but depends upon the accuracy and integrity of the
original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.
Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald last week, education writer...
