8.27.14: The Case For Later School Start Times & Why Artists Should Get Paid

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently stated that a later start time could improve the sleeping patterns and grades of middle and high school students. On today’s show: what sleeping in could do for budding minds.

Then, we’ll sleep in a bit longer to take a look at lucid dreaming, the phenomenon of being aware that you’re in a dream, even while asleep.

Plus: from La Boheme to the musical Rent, ”the starving artist” has been romanticized in popular culture. We strip away the rose-colored glasses to make the case for paying artists.

Listen to the full show and Read more for individual segments.

Sleep Late(r) for Success!

• Could later start times for school kids improve their quality of life AND help them get better grades?Jessica Lahey is an educator and contributing writer for “The Atlantic”, where she recently wrote about the debate over school start times: "Students Aren't Getting Enough Sleep--School Starts Too Early."

Lucid Dreaming

• Dorian Rolston is a freelance writer covering cognitive science, mental health, and the mind. His article on the work of Stephen LaBerge, and new efforts to understand lucid dreaming appeared in the online publication, Matter.

Busking For Change

• For some musicians, busking - or playing music on the street - is just the first step toward a music career. For Marcia Mello, it's a life-long dream come true...and something she's had to fight for. Mallory Falk brings us her story.
• Listen to the story at PRX.

What If Starving Artists Weren't Starving?

• Michelle Aldredge is the creator of the arts website, Gwarlingo, where she recently wrote a meditation on the relationship between creativity and cash – it’s called “If Other Professions Were Paid Like Artists”.

Grown-up Girl Scouts

• Currently there are 3.2 million Girl Scouts across the U.S. But did you know some of those girl scouts are…well…grown women? Intern Molly Donahue shares her personal experience as an adult Girl Scout.
• Molly answers your questions about being an adult Girl Scout in her exclusive blog post.

History of Ice Cubes

• Yes, indeed, we are entering the age of artisanal ice.  But like all things small-batch and hand made, it’s a retro thing, hearkening back to the advent of the cold cocktail and its essential ice cube.  The writer Camper English followed the chilly, alcohol-soaked history of the ice cube. Camper English wrote “Freezer Harvest: A History Of Ice Cubes” for modernfarmer.com.
• Last year, NHPR's Sam Evans Brown visited camp Rockywold-Deephaven for their 115th annual ice harvest.
• Check out the intense artistry of cocktail ice here.