And what Anniversary would that be, you ask, Well:

Of President Franklin Roosevelt's signing of the GI Bill, which enabled millions of veterans to go to college, and is credited for sparking the post-war economic boom.

And fuel the growth of this Nation it did, I grew up in that time frame, not only of many getting the opportunity to further their education in our Universities and Colleges but the birth of Trade Schools teaching a wide veriaty of Professional Industrial Trades, many now no longer done in this country or are rapidly on the wane.

The YouTube, MySpace, Facebook; all of these sites are significant amongst the millions and millions of internet websites around the world. These are among the more popular and more controversial sites that plague favorite past times. The big question, however, is are these web browsers and the many others out there on the internet the new source of education and entertainment?

Eduaction provides people with tools and knowledge they need to understand, perform, and participate in todays world. Education enhances the ability of households to manage health problems, improve nutrition and childcare, and plan for the future. It helps to sustain the human values that contribute to individual and collective well-being. It is the basis for lifelong learning. It inspires confidence and provides the skills needed to participate in public debate. It makes people more self-reliant and are of opportunities and rights.

Bumped.

On Saturday May 3rd, 2008 the first annual Race and New Media conference was held at the CUNY campus of New York City College of Technology. The conference was held as a platform for panel discussions on topics of race, new media, politics and religion, and included an insightful keynote speech by Omar Wasow, omarwasow.com. Wasow is a co-founder and ongoing strategic advisor of BlackPlanet.com. Under Wasow's leadership, BlackPlanet.com became the leading website for African Americans, reaching over three million people a month. Wasow has been featured on TV segments for NBC's Today Show and public radio's Tavis Smiley Show, exposing modern issues of technology.

AP reporter Anne Flaherty "http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Pentagon_biggest_obstacle_to_Democr_05132008.html">updates lobbying effort by Pentagon to defeat Jim Webb's bill to enable Vets to attend in-state public universities and colleges free of charge.

Veterans groups say it's time to expand college aid for GIs, and Democrats want to use an election year to do it. Their biggest obstacle? The Pentagon.

Originally posted: 2008-04-28 00:55:44 - bumped by cho

The News & Observer has a good report on the returning OIF and OEF Veterans as some transition to Students in Colleges and Universities around the country, reporting on some of the problems they face in that transition from combat soldier to student.

This could have been expanded, as many already have found out as others before you went through the same, to the transition from In-Theater Soldiers to Civilian life not just as Students

.

Wisconsin used to take pride in its university system supported by a bipartisan consensus to create a world-class educational facility.

Now, under the leadership of today's GOP-led state Assembly, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its sister campuses are under assault, deadly assault.

From the blog Waxing America:

This is rather an offensive question, but a question we have to ask ourselves. Open our eyes and see what effect media really has on us. Should it be the way it is and should it be considered appropriate for year 2008. We turn on television, watch news so that we could get informed about what is going on today in our state, our nation and around the world. But are we getting the right information or we're being more amused? Perhaps we're being told lies?

If I could tell people
one thing about autism
it would be that I don't
want to be this way but
I am. So don't be mad;
be understanding.

Those are the words that appear on the computer screen of a 13 year old autistic girl named Carly. The computer uses text-to-speech functionality to talk for Carly. I came across a video about Carly's use of technology on CNN tonight. It was heartwarming.

In a world where the news is nonstop war, death, controversy, corruption and disaster, this was an excellent change of pace. A little more research turned up a few more variants of the story and some interesting sites.

People in the United States of America have been "asleep at the wheel" while their airwaves, traditional media, education and political discourse have been perpetually "dumbed down" to the point where the average citizen is often unaware and indifferent of major people, places and events of the world and from history.

If you don't think education matters, and that news like the latest pop-glam scandal are more important than knowing what goes into our food, our environment, our foreign and domestic policies and what's happening around the world, then you'll probably fail to grasp the significance of the following video:

Note: suspected spoof video