To be honest, Britney's a national treasure

"To be honest, Britney's a national treasure. Believe it or not, for my generation, it's just as big of a topic as 9/11." – Chris Crocker, 19, star of the viral video "Leave Britney Alone" on YouTube (language warning). (September 13 MSNBC.com).

'A lot of districts are kind of stuck in the old mindset' that parents are responsible for their children's breakfast

"'A lot of districts are kind of stuck in the old mindset' that parents are responsible for their children's breakfast, Chandran said, 'And that doesn't yield good participation.'" – from a San Diego Union-Tribune story about under-use of the school breakfast program, quoting and paraphrasing Sivakumar Chandran of California Food Policy Advocates. (September 15 San Diego Union-Tribune)

In higher education, finance professors make more than economists, and economists earn more than history professors

"In higher education, finance professors make more than economists, and economists earn more than history professors. It's a simply matter of supply and demand in the labor market. Some skills command higher returns outside of teaching than others. That doesn't demean history professors. History professor know they are likely to earn less money than finance professors (with exceptions like Stephen Ambrose) when they enter graduate school. There's a saying we have in economics – 'you can't repeal the law of supply and demand.' What that means is that if you don't let price clear the market then something else will. In the case of science and math, since we don't allow relative pay for these teachers rise, the market clears in the quality dimension. We have many educators 'teaching out of field' in those areas as compared to fields in which supply is more plentiful." – Michael Podgursky, professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Columbia. (September 17 EducationNews.org).

Do I like the NEA better than the NRA?

"Do I like the NEA better than the NRA? Sure, but in terms of the way they operate and what they do, they're the same – and you should be equally skeptical of their claims. There are times when the interests of the adults and the interests of the kids are not the same, and it's naïve to deny that." – Andrew Rotherham, co-director of Education Sector. (September 14 National Journal)

Mark Towner Spyglass: Today's Political Headlines

'08 Notes: Let Them Eat Steak
Posted: 17 Sep 2007 08:19 AM CDT
Congress returns from a long weekend celebrating Rosh Hashanah, and this time they mean business, as everyone has a busy week scheduled. The Senate takes up consideration of the Defense Department...


Waiting on Dino
Posted: 17 Sep 2007 07:25 AM CDT
Washington Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire has already bagged $2.7 million for her reelection bid and is on pace to break her own record for the most cash ever raised ($6.4 million) for a...