ROBERT SIEGEL, Host:
Well, I spoke yesterday with Tony Carnevale, who said that one reason for the skills deficit is that here in the U.S. we don't really have vocational secondary programs anymore.
SIEGEL: This is incorrect, at least for Boston and the surrounding areas. In Haverhill, there is Whittier Regional Vocational High School. We also have one in nearby Lawrence, Billerica, et cetera - they are alive and well and numerous.
MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
Also yesterday, I talked to Kevin Fail. He lives in the village of Woodland in northern England, where people have been hearing a mysterious hum in the middle of the night. Well, a few of you found Mr. Fail's way of speaking as compelling as that hum.
KEVIN FAIL: I got to mention, too, and I spoke to the wife. I says, Michelle(ph), like, have you heard this noise? And she said no. She started laughing, just thinking I was taking the Mickey.
BLOCK: Mr. Noble says he played the interview for his kids to remind them what they would've sounded like if they had stayed home.
SIEGEL: Please keep the letters coming. Just go to NPR.org and click on Contact Us. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.