Watercooler Stories

SENATOR WANTS BOOK BAN

A New York state senator wants state Education Commissioner Richard Mills to remove a book about a family living in a car from a list of "suitable" textbooks.

Sen. Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican, calls the book "This Is My House," by Arthur Doris, "objectionable," the New York Post reports.

"Young children should not be led to believe that this (living in a car) is the norm," he says.

Golden also objects to one of the book's illustrations that shows boarded-up buildings behind the car with the accompanying text, which reads, "This is my hows."

"Urban stereotypes and illiteracy should not be tolerated in schools," Golden says.

TEENS CHOOSE BUSINESS OVER MEDICINE

While mothers and fathers may dream of their son or daughter as "the doctor," a poll by Junior Achievement finds 13 percent of teens dream of being in business.

That's double the 6.5 percent of teens who themselves dream of being a doctor.

Twice as many girls -- 8.3 percent -- compared to 3.9 percent of boys surveyed want to be a doctor, but 8 percent of girls want to be teachers compared with 1.6 percent of boys. Seven percent of boys dream of being a pro athlete while less than 1 percent of girls do.

Eight percent of the high school students polled expect to make $1 million in income by age 40, down from 14 percent in 2002.

SINGLE BIGGEST U.S. BUILDING OPENS

After more than 17 years of plans, politics, high finance and construction, the massive $1.8 billion Time Warner Center near New York's Central Park is set to open.

The 80-story building includes 50 stores, 195 condominiums, Time Warner's broadcast facilities and headquarters, a hotel, office space, seven restaurants, a market and a health club, the New York Daily News reports.

"It is the biggest single building in America and the most complex," says Stephen Ross, chairman of the Related Companies, the lead developer.

The least expensive flat costs $2.4 million, while the largest 12,000-square foot condo runs for $42 million.

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY SERVICE

For hundreds of thousands of people living in the United States, Martin Luther King Day is not just a day off, but a day dedicated to service.

Citizens in every state will join together to tutor children, build homes, clean parks, paint classrooms, deliver meals and perform countless other acts of service.

"We encourage all Americans to make the King holiday a day on, not a day off," says David Eisner, head of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which, along with the King Center for Non-Violent Social Change, has led the effort to transform the holiday into a day of service.

The corporation awarded $500,000 in grants to support nearly 100 King Day service projects across the country.