...is part of the reason I've been so SLACK on the blog.  All this week, the staff of CNN Student News has been working with 104 Atlanta-area high school students, shining up their leadership skills and showing them firsthand what takes place behind the scenes at CNN.

It's awesome.  We're covering everything that goes into television journalism, from digital media to marketing to the decisions we're faced with daily.  And as the MC, I've been working to moderate panels, ask questions, and try to stay out of trouble.

It's a chance to get out of the office, meet personally with students who watch our show, and try to give an example of effective leadership.  And it's really cool that I'm getting paid for this.

What have you been up to?

Carl Azuz, Anchor

Our last show of the school year will be on Friday, June 5.  And while we're off the air for two months, I'll be mixing together a little vacation, paycation and staycation.  Here's how that breaks down:

Beachfront = vacation

Backyard = staycation

Job = paycation

Nocation = schoolcation

What's on your calendar?

Carl Azuz, Anchor

"The perfect storm of attentional problems...the worst situation to be in":  That's how one brain researcher describes texting while driving.  The last time our blog covered the subject, more than 100 of you logged on to say that it's a bad idea.

But it doesn't take a brain expert, a blog, or a bucket full of statistics to tell you that it's dangerous to text while operating heavy equipment.  So why do you think that people still do it?  Why can't we disconnect, even if it's only for long enough to get from A to B?

Carl Azuz, Anchor

Would any of you be interested in paying for premium, online news content?  It's hard for many folks to imagine, given sites like CNN.com that provide headlines, articles, analysis and video - all for free.

But the Reuters news service says professional customers need its premium content for their jobs.  And other news sites are considering doing the same thing so they won't have to rely as much on advertising to pay their bills.

So what's the verdict:  Is there any news content that you'd be willing to pay for?

Carl Azuz, Anchor

P.S.  Please note that here are NO plans to start charging for CNN Student News.  The show will remain cost-free and commercial-free!

We've noticed that a lot of you are writing in about swine flu, which shows how concerned you are.  There's no question that it's spreading fast, but as you saw on Monday's show, there are some steps you can take to stay safer: 

-Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze

-Keep your hands clean by washing or sanitizing them

-Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Many people who've gotten this virus have already recovered from it, like you recover from the regular flu.  But if you notice any symptoms like a fever, chills, exhaustion or achiness, be sure to go to the doctor.

And if you'd like to share your thoughts on this disease, feel free to comment right here.

Carl Azuz, Anchor

We give ours on Thursday's show, thanks to our writer, Jordan (and a little help from William himself).  Now it's YOUR turn.  In honor of "Talk Like Shakespeare Day," tell us your favorite Shakespeare line, or do what the man himself did:  Write your own!  It doesn't have to be in iambic pentameter, but I'll give you bonus points if you can work in the word "forsooth."

Carl Azuz, Anchor

You might not expect to find them all in the same place, unless you're ready for a trip Off the Beaten Path!  We take you on one of those in Friday's show - the news isn't ALL serious, after all – and we'd like to know which story you liked best:  Is it the roller coaster wedding, the racing rodents or the tough turkeys?  Vote here, leave a comment, and have a GREAT weekend!

Carl Azuz, Anchor

A few of you wrote on a previous blog that you could easily text more than 10,000 messages per month.  I have no idea how, but you either have unlimited texting on your phones, or you're about to get a punishment like the 13-year-old featured in Thursday's show!

Her parents disabled [smashed] the phone, reprimanded [grounded] the teen, and they're all learning [paying] a lesson:  Don't send thousands of texts without a texting plan.  And if your grades go down when texting goes up, it might be a good idea to wait until you're home before you light up the keyboard.

Here's what I wanna know:  Is texting even allowed in your classes?  If it isn't, could you still text 700 messages a day after school?

Carl Azuz, Anchor

I have a brother and a nephew serving in the U.S. military, and I grew up in a military town.  I have tremendous respect not only for those men and women in uniform but also for their families.  So this is one of those stories that is of great interest to me.

For many years – since 1991, to be exact –  when Americans lost their lives in the line of duty, TV cameras were not allowed at the airport when their bodies were brought back to the U.S.  But a new Pentagon policy has changed that. 

One important fact to note about the policy change:  In order for the cameras to be present, the family of the fallen serviceman or servicewoman must agree to allow media coverage. 

On Sunday, cameras were at Dover Air Force Base when the body of Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers returned home. 

Our production team thought it was important to tell you about this story, which we do in Tuesday's show, but to not show the actual video out of sensitivity to our audience.  We know a lot of you have parents and siblings serving overseas, and some of you are in the service.  But we do want to know your opinion of the new policy.  Do you think that the media should be allowed to show the caskets of fallen servicemen and women, or do you think that cameras should not be allowed?  

Donna Krache,  Executive Producer

That's what thousands of applicants to the University of California, San Diego just went through.

Imagine it:  You apply to a university and get rejected.  That's hard enough.  But then to receive an e-mail two weeks later saying you were accepted, only to find out you really weren't - that the acceptance e-mail was a mistake - that's got to be emotionally brutal.

For a lot of reasons, the university can't just go ahead and accept every victim of the mistake; there are simply too many who never qualified.  But how would you react if this had happened to you?  Could you just forget about it, cut your loss and get on with other college plans?

Carl Azuz, Anchor