A musical challenge to save water

A South African firm launched a campaign to get people to belt out short tunes in the shower.

Gabriela Bhaskar for NPR Students and administrators at a New York medical school take aim at a tradition they say perpetuates racial inequality At the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the custom of electing students to the honor society Alpha Omega Alpha is under fire for selecting a disproportionately low number of minority students. Entry to AOA can be a valuable career boost, making students more competitive for residencies and jobs. Icahn has put a moratorium on nominations after students presented data to school leadership; other schools face a similar problem with their AOA chapters. LA Johnson/NPR Think you know what a modern college student looks like? You're likely way off the mark Today's college students are more likely to attend school part time, are financially independent from their parents, have a child or other dependents and/or are employed full time. Education experts suggest universities consider offering a wider variety of services like child care for student-parents, advising or tutoring after-hours (instead of the typical 9-to-5) and extra parking for commuters.  It's probably time to coin a new phrase for nontraditional students, considering they are the new normal. Claire Harbage/NPR When Cape Town struggled to save water, a campaign asked people to sing One of the South Africa's leading insurance companies pitched a billboard idea to a communications group to help get the word out that people needed to cut down on water use. Copywriter Susan van Rooyen and art director Moe Kekana had a very different idea. "What do people do in the shower?" van Rooyen says. "They sing." So, they launched the 2-Minute Shower Songs campaign. Beth Nakamura for NPR Are you raising a free-range kid? Giving children freedom to roam around unaccompanied may ensure they are less likely to be anxious and depressed. They may also discover skills they didn't know they had and discover what it's like to fail. One upside to failure: It's how kids learn to overcome obstacles, try out new ideas and become resilient. (It's also how adults learn as well — ask any CEO.) Jacquelyn Martin/AP So, what's the deal with those Supreme Court confirmation hearings?  NPR's Ron Elving, who has watched Capitol Hill for more three decades, writes in his analysis that the hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh "featured more disruption and distraction and less substantial value than any such proceedings in memory." For the Democrats, the sessions were not an exercise in shaping the Supreme Court, Elving writes. They were a series of appeals to their supporters to sympathize with the futility of their predicament. Correction The Sept. 2 Best of NPR newsletter misidentified the teen who plans to attend college while struggling with the unpredictability of his farmworker parents' schedules as Angel Ramirez. His name is Angel Benavides. You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002