Earmark for what??

I was listening to Science Friday today, and heard an interesting conversation about the earmark that McCain keeps attacking Obama on. The request was for a new projector for the planetarium in Chicago. The entire interview was terrific, but I copied just the headline about it. Go to npr.org -talk of the nation - science friday for the whole thing.

In the recent presidential debates, Senator John McCain referred to "$3 million for an overhead projector" as an example of wasteful spending. The 'overhead projector,' however, was not the typical piece of classroom-style AV equipment one might imagine, but rather a state-of-the-art projector for planetarium presentations. The projector, which did not receive federal funding, would have been an update to the Adler Planetarium's 40-year old Zeiss Mark VI projector, used in the planetarium's Sky Theater. The planetarium is still attempting to raise money for the projector replacement project. We'll talk with the head of the Adler Planetarium about what the projector is and why the planetarium requested money for it. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.