The Death Of Kenneth Lay; North Korea Fires Missiles; Public Hearings On Immigration Reform; Does The Internet Encourage Cheating?; Boffo!
The Death Of Kenneth Lay
Enron Corporation founder Kenneth Lay, who was convicted of helping perpetuate one of the most sprawling business frauds in U.S. history, died Wednesday in Aspen, Colorado of a heart attack. He was 64. Ted Chen talk about Lay's life and passing.
North Korea Fires Missiles
North Korea test-fired a seventh missile Wednesday, intensifying the furor that began when the reclusive regime defied international protests by launching a long-range missile and at least five shorter-range rockets earlier in the day. The missiles, all of which apparently fell harmlessly into the Sea of Japan, provoked international condemnation, the convening of an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council and calls in Tokyo for economic sanctions against the impoverished communist regime. Ambassadors from the 15 nations on the U.N. Security Council met in an emergency meeting to discuss a response. Japan said it was considering calling for sanctions against North Korea in a U.N. resolution, while China's ambassador indicated that Beijing would favor a much weaker council statement.
Public Hearings On Immigration Reform
Border Patrol agents and law enforcement officials will testify on border security Wednesday at Imperial Beach, an oceanfront city sandwiched between San Diego's naval installations and the Mexican border. This will be the first in a series of congressional field hearings on immigration reform sponsored by the House International Relations Committee. The House and Senate immigration bills have stalled, and the House has taken the unusual step of holding public hearings in an attempt to break the gridlock.
Does The Internet Encourage Cheating?
The value of the internet as a research resource is undeniable, but is this smorgasbord of information being used as a tool for cheating? Software programs designed to catch plagiarism reveal that as many as 30% of papers these days are plagiarized, and the proliferation of companies that sell term papers to lazy students suggests a growing problem. What are teachers doing to prevent students from using the internet as a cut-and-paste encyclopedia? Guest host Ted Chen talks with Randal Cummings, Director of Online Instruction at Cal State Northridge; John Barrie, CEO of iParadigms, which makes Turnitin and other anti-plagiarism systems; Yasha Harari, Partner, SchoolSucks.com; and takes listener calls.
Boffo!
Guest host Ted Chen discusses Peter Bart's new book Boffo! How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster and Fear the Bomb (Miramax Books), that takes a look at Hollywood's biggest hits and flops of the last 100 years.