Vote for the Top Story of 2009 so far

The year 2009 is half over. Time to think about the top stories for the first half of 2009.

Here's the most important 'news' stories about the transition from the Industrial Age to the Internet Age.

You vote below (make a comment) on which one you think is the most important.

A. High speed trains in the U.S. get $8 billion in funding.
B. The Higher Education financial model is now recognized as broken.
C. The government tries to save the car industry.
D. Socialism becomes an issue in the U.S.
E. Twitter becomes the hot new social media.
F. An education war breaks out over testing, grading and whether late work should be penalized.
G. Public ridership on trains hits a record high for the fourth year in a row.
H. The government's role in spending on infrastructure and investments for the new century become an issue.
I. Kids in Gen Y start a Do-it-yourself biology organization and advocate for amateur and citizen biology labs.
Photo: Map of routes proposed in U.S. for high speed rail.

Now you vote (make a comment) on which one you think is the most important.

Comments

[Michael Arbow]

While insignificant in amount the realization that high speed trains have a future is a big move for the US government. Thus it gets my vote for the main story with likely the greatest economic and societal impact.

[Leanne]

Trains and the biology students tie for first place.

[CB]

Without a doubt, the most exciting story is that Kids in Gen Y advocate for amateur and citizen biology labs. This bodes well for the future of scientific advancement all round.

[Anita Haynes-Ramundo]

Greeting William Draves – I still remember a 9 Shift program you gave several years ago in Maryland

What should I read about in the local Williamsburg press ( 7/11/09) on a recent visit but how the state of Virginia is pushing a proposal to get government to fund a high speed monorail line to run between Richmond and Norfork…to alleviate traffic congestion and expand mass transit .
Makes perfect sense to anyone who has travels the route 64 corridor -a two lane divided highway that is like a full cup of coffee and always susceptible to car breakdowns or accident (dangerous).
I would love to see our nation move in the direction of more mass transit and since I live in the Baltimore Washington corridor we could use more mass transit and less talk of building additional toll lanes on existing highways!

Anita Haynes-Ramundo

[John Berlin]

Newspapers are like wrist watches to the next generation. The need for the basic service remains (information and timekeeping) but the delivery system has changed (time is now viewed on your cell phone or laptop). And since punching a clock is not as important as accomplishing goals -it will matter even less in the future.

[Alison Toms]

I vote for Twitter AND Gen Y's starting their own Biology labs. This generation wants connection and learning on their own terms, and Web 2.0 has opened this up. Yes, we can all comment on how well one can actually communicate in 140 Twitter characters, but it's the fact that we can all "publish" to the web and someone out there will actually follow us. The internet age provides us more opportunities to connect with people we've never met, but share common interests (like reading Nine Shift!)

[Tim in San Antonio]

Sometimes a top story is not a beginning but and end of something. The four Baby Boomers who waltzed through the U.S. Executive Branch from 1989 to 2009 ended their dismal leadership Jan. 20. That's a top story for the year, because Boomers Quayle, Clinton, Gore, and Bush did a poor job addressing the need to grasp the cultural Shifts underway in our nation and the world.

[Gemi Powell]

It is hard to decide but I have to vote for the high speed trains. I live in a rural area so I don't expect the train to come here very soon but it would be nice to dive to the city, park and ride instead of navigating unfamiliar streets in heavy traffic complicated by road construction, tolls and accidents.