Have a news tip or story idea ?

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Permalink Reply by Meymo Lyons on May 21, 2008 at 11:48am

Great idea,Karl ! I will forward your tip to Jessica Golloher our DC reporter.

Thanks,

Meymo

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Permalink Reply by barryt on May 21, 2008 at 10:45pm

Joy Hakim, former teacher and former editor and editorial writer at the Virginian-Pilot newspaper (Norfolk, Virginia), talked on C-SPAN's BookTV about her series of science books and the importance of teaching science in schools at an event hosted by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. During the Q&A, the last 3 minutes of the recorded program, she railed against the "Expanding Horizons" concept that she says American educators adopted some 60 years ago. In that concept in the first 6 years of school children are first taught about their neighborhood, then their city, then state, country and finally the rest of the world. This she argued has proven to be a failure but school systems still use it. It is a waste of school time that could be better used teaching content courses such as math, science and literature. She says it is not important to teach kids about their local grocery store, that they'll learn about it sooner or later on their own. She also objected to teaching reading as a content subject. She felt that the books they use in reading lessons should be books on subject matter, such as science or history. But she argues that the textbook publishing empires control how schools teach,

She was much more persuasive in her argument than I am being. In any event, I suggest it would be useful to have a program explore the planning of elementary school curricula, how they are chosen, who participates in that planning, what opportunities there are for input to the curriculum planning. Perhaps Ms. Hakim could be a part of a discussion panel, along with some school board members, some classroom teachers, and school curriculum specialists.

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Permalink Reply by Meymo Lyons on May 22, 2008 at 10:36am

Dear Barry,

Thanks for writing. The next time we take an in-depth look at elementary education we will certainly keep Joy Hakim in mind.
Thanks for your input!
Best,

Meymo

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Permalink Reply by Ursula Bass on May 22, 2008 at 4:36pm

Have you considered covering life coaching? The wave of life coaching has travelled from CA to NYC and is now hitting DC. What is coaching and how does it make a difference for people?

In this time of spiking food prices and shortages, rising gas prices, and an overall slowing economy, people are looking for answers for what really matters in their lives. Many are choosing to become coaches or hire a coach.

The industry is unregulated and not licensed. Top coaching programs out there are interested in raising the standard of the industry so a few bad coaches do not sour a profession that truly makes a difference for people.

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Permalink Reply by Meymo Lyons on May 22, 2008 at 5:07pm

Hello Ursula,

I would love to do this story. I could step off quickly if I had a victim of a poor life coach and a success story from someone who benefited from a great life coach. Do you know people in the field? Or someone with experience with a life coach? Remember if you want your information to remain confidential email me directly :meymo@wamu.org.
Thanks for the good idea.

Best,

Meymo

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Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on May 23, 2008 at 9:28am

In Arlington County, the County governmetn is proposing to allow folks to have Accessory Dwelling Units like allowing folks to live in your basement in your home. Most of the citizenry are against it as it will cause overcrowding and really cannot be enforced to ensure these units comply with the law. Probably the biggest civic issue in Arlington County to date. The Arlington County Civic Federation will be voting on whether to support this or not on Tuesday June 3 at 7:30 at Arlington Hospital's Til Hazel Auditorium. Might be a good local story for you.

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Permalink Reply by Meymo Lyons on May 23, 2008 at 10:44am

Hi John,

I just clipped your tip in our "day file" good news story. Are you planning on attending the meeting? Would you talk to us on the record if you are ?

Best,

Meymo

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Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on May 23, 2008 at 10:53am

I am and I will, even better, I can refer you to others who are better spokespersons than I. Do you want to contact me off line?

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Permalink Reply by Meymo Lyons on May 23, 2008 at 12:35pm

Sure or email me at meymo@wamu.org!

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Permalink Reply by Prisilla on May 23, 2008 at 9:22pm

I would like to know more about stories like the one reported in the NYT concerning a 22 year old American arms dearler. He sent useless ammunition and weapons to Afgan irregulars fighting on our side. Who monitors compliance with these contractors, who vets them, what sanctions are applied?

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Permalink Reply by John Antonelli on May 27, 2008 at 9:30am

Meymo, check this story out, from the Arlington Sun-Gazette

Neighborhood Goats Are Facing an Uncertain Future
by KRISTEN ARMSTRONG, Staff Writer
(Created: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 7:45 AM EDT)

Carne is a Nigerian Dwarf goat that several North Arlington residents are keeping as a pet. County officials say Carne and another goat, Leche, can't stay. (Photo by Kristen Armstrong)
What's an environmentally conscious and easy way to cut grass? For Arlington residents Bryant Nichols and Matt Haggerty, the answer was a pair of goats they bought on Craigslist.

But now, the county has stepped in, and the bleating duo, Carne and Leche, might be on their way back to the farm.

“We have until June 6 to get rid of them,” said Bill Daus, the owner of the property. “In [county zoning ordinance] section 5.A.2, it states you can't have livestock within 100 feet of a property line or road.”

But the goats' owners and other members of the house don't see the goats as livestock, and are trying to persuade the county to consider them as pets.

“We bought goat books and did lots of Internet research,” Nichols said. “The Arlington County Web site specified that swine and poultry were not allowed, so we thought we would have no problem with goats.”

Nichols and Haggerty bought the Nigerian Dwarf Carne and French Alpine Leche for $80 each from a farm in Nokesville, Va., and keep them in a fenced-off area in their back yard.

Although they've been using the goats' droppings to fertilize the garden, they said they are not using Carne and Leche to make money, as a farm would.

“Goats should be considered pets when they are kept for fun and as friends,” Nichols said. “Livestock animals are raised to be sold for profit. We never plan to make a financial profit on either Carne or Leche.”

(According to county spokesman Diana Sun, however, “the financial profit motive is not necessarily a definition” of livestock.)

And even though the goats escaped and ran down to the corner of Lee Highway and George Mason their first night in Arlington, they have been very well-behaved since then, Daus said.

“Originally I was a naysayer, but now I'm a supporter,” he said. “They don't smell at all. They're quieter than dogs, and make much less mess.”

“They are basically like a really shy, cute dog with no teeth that eats leaves, grass and weeds,” Nichols said.

The house's goat supporters have set up the Web site, www.saveourgoats.com (which has a live “goat cam”), to get people to sign petitions requesting that the county “exclude does (female goats) and wether (castrated male goats) from the definition of livestock.”

So far, they have 194 signatures, and hope to get 1,000 in the next two weeks.

What's the likelihood that the county will let Carne and Leche stay? “Anything is possible,” Sun said. “It's possible that the County Board would have to change the ordinance.”

But if the county doesn't allow the goats to remain in Arlington, Nichols, Haggerty and Daus are willing to battle to keep the pair.

“They're our pets now. We're attached to them,” Daus said. “We're really going to [fight] if we have to. We're ready to go to court for it.”

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Permalink Reply by Meymo Lyons on May 27, 2008 at 10:19am

Hello Morgan,

Great question for the reporter who did the piece for the New York Times. Horrendous story.

Best,

Meymo Lyons

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