Some juicy tidbits from the last few days include an article about the not-so-bad real life experiences of ELLs taking English exams (As Tests Begin, English Learners Have Troubles but Few Tears Wash Post). At the same time, apparently year-end exams are going the way of the Dodo in some schools (More schools are ditching final exams LA Times). Then there’s a coupla pieces about schoolgirl gossip (Grade-School Girls, Grown-Up Gossip NYT) and weed-laced yearbook photos (Yearbook photos ignite storm MSNBC). A refresher on science basics (The Known World NYT), plus yet another NYT thing on elite colleges (Elite Colleges Open New Door to Low-Income Youths). Last but not least, a piece about inventions to help the poor -- including a luminescent map, a safe drinking straw, a rolling water jug (pictured), and the supercheap laptop (Design That Solves Problems for the World’s Poor NYT). I wish that there were more such inventions and ideas coming out for education -- are there?