Ira Glass instructional video

Lifehacker has Ira Glass on Getting Creative Work Done. In instructional video about the crative process.

LaPorte, Indiana book

Jason Bitner's new collection of found portrait photographs from the Midwest's Frank Pease. LaPorte, Indiana is a major cultural excavation and an opening into these lives, into this town, and into the heart of our nation.

The book is here.

Some photos are here.

Driveway moment in the Niles Star

Marcia Steffens, associate editor of the Niles Daily Star and editor of the Cassopolis Vigilant and the Edwardsburg Argus, wrote a lovely column in last Wednesday's paper about listening to "This I Believe" on WVPE.

You can read it here.

The "This I Believe" segment is here.

Notre Dame prof on Fresh Air

From the Fresh Air website:

Stock and bond funds in 401(k) accounts took a hit this past quarter, and many are worried about their retirement funds. Economist Teresa Ghilarducci addresses financial concerns about retirement and offers her own solution to the pension problem.

Ghilarducci is a professor of economic policy analysis at Notre Dame, where she specializes in pension benefits. She is also the director of the Higgins Labor Research Center and a Wurf fellow at the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School.

Her latest book, When I'm Sixty-four: The Plot Against Pensions and the Plan to Save Them, proposes that pensions should be managed by the federal government rather than Wall Street.

Living with Less

This is a green challenge that Oprah suggested. I know I don't miss paper towels, but no iPod?
Adapted from Oprah.com:
· Eat at home every meal. No more eating out, no more takeout. And you have to eat your leftovers.
· Give up the bottled water habit.
· No more disposable plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. Try cloth—you might like it!
· Give up your iPods and video games, and your computers only get turned on for homework. TV is limited to one hour per night—one TV only.
· In winter set your thermostat at 69 degrees. Make that 78 degrees in summer.
· Wash only clothes that are TRULY dirty.
· When you leave a room, lights out. Ditto for fans. When you're done using an appliance, unplug it. Don't forget your computer and cell phone chargers too.
· Limit showers to eight minutes.
· No clothes shopping.
· No buying anything other than food for seven days.