Photo of GOP debate by Huffington Post

Last night many Americans tuned in to watch the second televised GOP debate on MSNBC. The debate was moderated by Brian Williams and John Harris. It featured eight candidates: Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Jon Huntsman, and Herman Cain.

The debate premiered at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT. What else was on TV at that time? There was a new Big Brother on CBS and an all-new Minute to Win It on NBC. There were, as always, countless reruns including America’s Next Top Model and Modern Family. Easy to watch, entertaining, funny, exciting TV. So why tune in to a debate between cheesing politicians that promises to be less than satisfying?

Ideally in a debate, actual arguments unfold. Candidates would use logic, facts and a pinch of emotional appeal to score points and to show a clear advantage over each other. They would call each other out for issues that relate to the questions at hand instead of sneaking in cheap shots at each other for matters completely unrelated to running for president.The cream of the crop would be able to be extremely specific and not speak in vageries. (I immediately dock candidates for re-using tired media phases like “a bureaucrat in the examining room,” for example.)

Watch the entire GOP debate on MSNBC here.

Of course, as last night and pretty much every large debate like it demonstrates, the reality is far from the ideal. Last night in the Reagan Presidential Library, there were noble moments and there were complete eye-rollers. When asked about his job creation record, Romney was prepared with plenty of specific facts about his experience that put his history in the private sector in a good light. On the other hand, Perry’s fumbling answer regarding global warming, saying that it is “more and more being put into question” by scientists that he could not name, was an obvious appeal to profit-minded business folks who are looking for a candidate who is not going to add any green taxes or additional regulations to their overhead. (A statement Politifact.com rated false.)

The GOP debates are worth watching if what you want is a lively intellectual challenge instead of watching fifteen young women compete to be a “top model” that is never seen or heard from again in the fashion world. Or whatever. Of course, that “intellectual challenge” is not going to be what you actually see and hear during the debate. Rather, the challenge comes from your interaction with the debate. If you pause and think about what the candidates are saying, why they are saying it, who it appeals to, the veracity of their statements, etc.– that is a real learning exercise.

I definitely recommend Politifact.com as a great fact-checker for these events. For extra credit, read up on opinions about the debate the next day and try to put your response to it into words, whether you blog them, talk about them over coffee or just post a simple Facebook or Twitter update. If this type of thinking really appeals to you, consider taking a course in Public Policy or Political Science.

Photo by HBuzacott

One of the hands-down best education resources I’ve ever stumbled upon online is OpenCulture.com. I get their RSS feed sent to my Google Reader. The reason I can confidently say it’s a great resource is because I haven’t yet deleted it from my RSS feed. A lot of times I’ll add a new blog to my Google Reader, because it’s intelligent and seemingly interesting. But then I’ll catch myself skipping over it every single day when reading blogs. And I’ll know: this is totally boring. And I delete it.

OpenCulture’s blogs are full of cultural references, links to incredible videos and documentaries, interesting tidbits of knowledge you’d otherwise never learn, and they are a great resource for snooping out free online courses. They’re a treasure trove of free stuff, actually. Free courses, audio books, movies, textbooks, lectures, language lessons, podcasts. I will probably be sourcing a lot of content for The Lifelong Learner from Open Culture because it is just that rich.

Check it out. I promise it’s not all boring stuff. There’s something for everyone. Not too long ago they posted a video that someone created that showed tons and tons of film clips of people saying, “You just don’t get it, do you?” Now that’s funny. Philosophy, religion, science, technology, social media, social phenomenons, etc.– all here.

It’s easy to gravitate to meaningless online content. Sometime you need the mental break. But I implore to find something stimulating that actually interests you online and visit it regularly. If you need a little more structure than simply reading free online educational content, consider enrolling in an online class. Do it just for you. You don’t even have to seek credit toward a degree. Whatever you can do to keep that craving to learn alive– do it!

I just prefer to get my daily dose of informative content through funny videos. Humor can be incredibly educational!

Photo by: Bosdos

This week in an open letter to her little sister Alexa, Ashley Spivey (from Brad’s season on The Bachelor) advised the new Chapel Hill freshman to avoid her mistakes and follow a few rules and guidelines in college. It’s a sweet gesture and the advice is relevant to pretty much anyone going to college for the first… or second… time.

Check out the post here on Ashley’s tumblr, Say No to Cosmo.

Here are a few of my favorites, perfect for anyone going back to school this fall.

“Avoid 8am classes at all costs.”– So true, unless you are simply extraordinary at waking up on time you are going to miss SEVERAL sessions of your 8 a.m. class just due to sleeping in. Since you’ll already be tempted to cut classes here or there to finish homework or drive to the beach, it’s best not to have already missed say… five classes already because you were slamming the snooze button.

“Always study in the library.” –With wireless internet access you can pretty much study anywhere, but it really is a brilliant idea to study in the library (any library!) if you can. Not only is it quiet and a wealth of information to surround yourself with, but you’ll see other people digging into their textbooks, too. It can be inspiring in a way.

If you’re going to school online, try studying somewhere either private or very quiet (i.e. not Starbucks unless it’s the middle of the day). Read more about what your personal study space should be like by reading this article.

Oh, here’s one more that is worth it’s weight in gold, “Be kind to your roommate.  For all I know she could be the devil but life is so much easier if you can co-exist with your roommate in college.”

So true!!! College roommates can end up being your best friends or your worst enemies. Shooting for a neutral cohabitation somewhere in the middle should be your goal. Maybe you’ll end up with a friend but at least you won’t end up with the roommate from hell that eats on your bed and hacks your computer and steals your shampoo and turns the lights on at 3 a.m. when she comes home.