"This ain’t Aruba, bitch." — Bunk

How Things Work in this Blog:

The Pop Culture Angle: Bit-and-piece comments/links on the Wire’s impacts on pop culture.

The Coast to Coast Connect: Think Baltimore’s drama is far from home? The West Coast has its healthy dose of misspent funds, bought-out politicians and twisted institutions, so read up on the latest news with links.

The News Angle: As an amateur journalist, the Wire’s fifth season hits close to home. Read up on insights into the newsroom, and how the Guardian operates similarly/differently to the Baltimore Sun.

The Coast to Coast Connect: All for the Kids

Want to grab votes? Focus on the kids! Southern California has had its share of educational shakeups

– Even in tight fiscal times, education remains a focus:

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-ed-yearofed12jan12,1,1550206.story

– San Diego reaches to North Carolina for someone to repair the sullied rep of its city schools:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20080120-9999-1n20search.html

– A Q&A with outgoing superintendent Carl Cohn

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2007/12/31/education/featured_stories/92cohn122207.txt