All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

Some of the words kids use today are off the "hezzie," and totally "presh."

Now, if you're scratching your head, you are probably not currently a college student.

UCLA has just published its sixth edition of college slang words - the turns of phrase that students there and all over the country are using these days.

I was pleasantly relieved to hear that the word "biznatch" actually refers to business - as in stay out of my, what we old schoolers may have called "beeswax." The word "recessionista" is a sign of the times. It's a "fashionista," on a budget. "Schwa" means "wow," and thanks to a recent movie "I Love You, Man" - we know all about "bromances" - not that there is anything wrong with that...

It'll be fun to see how many of these words are still around twenty years from now, and how many go the way of "gnarly" and "rad."

And it's good to know that "cool" is still a part of the lexicon - a word we all understand - whether we are, or not.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

New regulations are in effect which will force credit card companies to give consumers 45 days notice of any rate increases or changes, giving cardholders the option of opting out and paying their balance down at their current lower rate. Companies must now also send out statements 21 days before payment is due instead of the current 14 day requirement.

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Will the city of brotherly love also come to be known as the city of second chances? Shortly after Michael Vick was named an Eagle, fans were already enraged that their favorite team could stand by a man who had exhibited such cruelty to animals in the past. Some are ticked off at the NFL for allowing a person to hold a job after a felony conviction when most other employers would not allow them back on the premises. You don't have to follow football to realize why this story becomes the "water cooler" story of the weekend and perhaps the biggest story of the NFL heading into this season. Do you believe in second chances and that prison sentences wipe the record clean for past crimes or do you think that Michael Vick's actions were so egregious that there is no repentance possible? Do you believe in redemption?

This post was written by CBS News producer Amy Birnbaum, to accompany a Kelly Wallace piece on Friday's Evening News with Katie Couric.

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As college seniors get their diplomas this month, there’s the usual excitement and the obvious relief. But this year more than any, the seniors we spoke with are worried, because so many of them are leaving college without a job.

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Every year I vow to improve myself in some way, shape or form, and every year I fail spectacularly. I never ran that marathon. I never learned to speak Russian, or Arabic, or Icelandic. I never sponsored an endangered animal or a politician, and I have yet to ride a unicycle.

It is a mathematical certainty that if I vow to do something, it is not going to happen. In fact, usually the complete opposite occurs. So in that defeatist and antithetical spirit, I resolve to do the following things in 2009:

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Every year I vow to improve myself in some way, shape or form, and every year I fail spectacularly. I never ran that marathon. I never learned to speak Russian, or Arabic, or Icelandic. I never sponsored an endangered animal or a politician, and I have yet to ride a unicycle.

It is a mathematical certainty that if I vow to do something, it is not going to happen. In fact, usually the complete opposite occurs. So in that defeatist and antithetical spirit, I resolve to do the following things in 2009:

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Our nation's attention is focused here on the Gulf Coast today as residents cope with Hurricane Gustav. Millions of people have moved inland, hoping and praying that what they left behind will still be there when they return. They remember all too well what happened three years ago during Katrina.

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Katie Couric's Notebook: Political Storm

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It's bad timing for Republicans who thought they'd be getting all the attention this week. Instead, only essential business is going ahead at their convention in St. Paul. For now, no pomp, no partying, no prime-time speeches. But it does give John McCain a chance to look presidential. He travelled to Mississippi to see storm preparations first hand ... and that fits his campaign theme of "country first."

Politics has to take a back seat right now. But both candidates are watching the situation very closely - and voters are watching Tthem, judging how they respond and determining who would make the better leader.

Jeff Greenfield is senior political correspondent for CBS News.

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As a lifelong New Yorker, I’ve taken for granted many of the iconic symbols of my town: the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Central Park are each part of my extended neighborhood, and rarely stir the emotions.

But for nearly 60 years, every time I’ve walked into Yankee Stadium, my heartbeat begins to increase.

It happened the first time I went to a ballgame there, walking into the huge fortress, emerging from a tunnel into the startling blue sky and green outfield – having only seen baseball on a mid-century TV, I guess I assumed the real thing would be black and white. More than the physical power, it’s the power of memories that the stadium holds that make its last season so poignant.

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Dr. Jonathan LaPook is the medical correspondent for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

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The New York Post’s well-known history of clever headlines (“Headless Body in Topless Bar”) has earned it a daily glance from many New Yorkers looking for the latest news – if not an occasional smile. But yesterday’s headline, “TED IS DYING,” provided neither. As a physician, I was deeply offended.

Even if the paper’s editors turn out to be right, who are they to offer a medical prognosis? Do they know all the details of the case? Are they taking care of the senator? Even if they don’t care about the feelings of the senator, his family, his friends, or any of the rest of us, there’s no reporting in the article to justify the headline.

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Jill Jackson is a Capitol Hill field producer for CBS News.

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It's just two days before Superbowl Sunday, but Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Arlen Specter held a press conference today to rail against National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell. Specter is criticizing the NFL's investigation of the New England Patriots after it was discovered early this season that they'd taped the Jets' defensive signals during games.

Goodell did force the Patriots to hand over all their tapes and fined the Patriots $750,000. The number one team also lost a first round draft pick.

But that's not enough for Specter.

The senator's sent two letters to the NFL commissioner since the story broke. The first on November 15th asked if the NFL's investigation of the Patriots stealing Jets' defensive signals revealed whether the team had also done so in the 2005 Super Bowl when the Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

His second letter to Goodell was sent December 19, 2007. Specter was outraged over reports in The New York Times that the NFL had destroyed the Patriot's spying tapes and asked if there were still any copies.

Goodell finally wrote Specter back yesterday and said that was the first day he'd seen the senator's letters. The commissioner says the NFL found no evidence of spying at the 2005 Patriots-Eagle Super Bowl and that the tapes were destroyed to make sure no one could gain a competitive advantage in the future with those tapes.

But Specter's not buying any of it. At the press conference, Specter was skeptical that yesterday was really the first time Goodell saw those letters.

The senator is pushing for a meeting with Goodell soon to discuss the destroyed tapes and possibly notes. He also wants the names of individuals who did the taping at those games. Specter says at this point there is no need for a hearing, but would not rule out that possibility in the future.

And instead of watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, Specter says he might just play squash.