Monday, May 27, 2013

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Girl's suicide after alleged attack troubles town

SARATOGA, Calif. (AP) ? One evening last Labor Day weekend, 15-year-old Audrie Pott walked up the driveway of a classmate's home alongside other teenagers. She'd told her parents she was spending the night with a friend. The friend claimed she was sleeping at Audrie's. Instead, the girls were having a party. A classic teenage ploy.

By all accounts, Audrie was a gorgeous girl. Her lush brown hair framed a heart-shaped face. Light makeup outlined her sharp brown eyes, but round cheeks gave her a childlike charm. She was a soccer player, a painter, a girl who at age 4 had the gumption to stand in front of 1,000 people in church and belt out a solo.

On that Sunday night, she was just another kid pushing the limits as she celebrated the last days of summer, getting drunk with her friends on vodka and Gatorade.

Police and a civil lawsuit outline allegations of what happened next: Three boys came into a room where Audrie had passed out. When she awoke the next morning, her shorts were off. Pictures were doodled on her body with a Sharpie. On one leg was the name of a boy, followed by the words "was here."

"My life is ruined," Audrie would tell a friend in a Facebook message over the coming days. "I can't do anything to fix it."

Soon Audrie learned about a photograph apparently making the rounds ? of an intimate part of her body, taken, a family lawyer says, while she was passed out. "I have a reputation for a night I don't even remember," she wrote in another Facebook message, "and the whole school knows."

Eight days after the end-of-summer party, the sophomore who dreamed of traveling the world took her own life, hanging herself in a bathroom at home. Now the three boys, only 16 themselves, stand charged with sexual battery.

If the story of Audrie Pott rings familiar, it's because, tragically, it is. The federal government last year released data showing a rise in cyberbullying and youth suicide, including cases such as the 2010 death of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old Irish immigrant who hanged herself after bullying by classmates in South Hadley, Mass. Five students later accepted plea deals.

In Ohio, the rape of a 16-year-old girl last year was recorded on cellphones and gossiped about online. Two high school football players were convicted in the incident. And last month police in Canada reopened the case of Rehtaeh Parsons, a Halifax, Nova Scotia, teen whose family said she was photographed while being sexually assaulted in 2011 and bullied after the photo circulated online. Parsons died in April after hanging herself.

"How can our society provide a safe haven for young girls? Why do young men feel that young girls are but objects for their sexual fantasies and pleasure? Why do teenagers avoid seeking help when they are depressed and suicidal?" asked the pastor who delivered the eulogy for 17-year-old Rehtaeh.

Such questions come easily in the wake of these cases. Answers? Less so.

Now another community is left grappling with the loss of another girl, and Saratoga is asking its own questions. About blame and morality ? but also what, if any, lessons can be learned from losing Audrie.

___

Saratoga is a bastion of calm tucked on the western edge of the Silicon Valley against the redwood-studded Santa Cruz Mountains. Baskets of geraniums dangle from streetlamps in the historic town of 30,000. Electric car-charging stations are installed in front of 130-year-old limestone buildings.

It's a community with some of the highest housing costs and incomes in the country, and it's known for its parks, its wineries ? and its highly rated public schools. It's not a community that typically grapples with crime, let alone teen suicide.

"So many of us have lived here for years, and nothing like this has ever happened here before," said Mayor Jill Hunter, whose four sons graduated from the same school Audrie and the three suspects attended, Saratoga High. "We're terribly sad. We're having to bide our time to find out what the courts say, what justice says."

Today sorrow flows in a quiet undercurrent through town. Friendly conversations and noisy cafes grow silent at the mention of Audrie's name. But at the high school and online, teenagers are speaking out ? calling for more dialogue about what's right and wrong, and for more kindness among peers.

"Things have got to change," junior class president Anup Kar said in a story published by the Saratoga High student newspaper. "Students need to start helping other students. Someone needs to step up, and it can't just be the same people. It has to be every single student on our campus, making an effort to make our campus a better safer place."

Like so many schools in a cyber-saturated age, Saratoga High was trying to tackle these difficult topics.

Six months before Audrie committed suicide, a psychologist spoke about cyberbullying at the Saratoga High library. Earlier this year, the school held a "Just be Kind" week to encourage respect among classmates. And in March, art teacher Leah Aguayo gathered 85 girls for an empowerment workshop, at which teal-colored balloons ? Audrie's favorite color ? were released in her memory.

School Superintendent Bob Mistele said student assemblies and parent-staff meetings are held regularly to address bullying, and that his staff receives training about mandated reporting requirements when a student brings a complaint.

"Keeping our schools safe and free from bullying is a high priority for all of us," Mistele said in a statement last month in response to Audrie's case. "We share a common responsibility to stand up to and speak out about inappropriate, harassing behavior whenever we see it, hear about it, or view it on the Internet."

Mistele's office declined further interview requests, citing privacy and legal concerns.

Nationally, anti-bullying statutes and programs have proliferated since Georgia became the first state to pass a measure in 1999. Forty-nine states now have bullying laws on the books, while documentaries about tragic cases and national campaigns such as Stop Bullying Now! have brought increased attention to the problem.

In Audrie's case, like the incidents in Ohio and Canada, a sexual assault is also alleged, however ? something experts said mothers and fathers must talk to their children about, just as they might discuss drug and alcohol use.

"Parents, when they sit down and talk to their kids, it's about drinking, not sexual assault," said Rosalind Wiseman, an author of books focusing on the lives of teenagers and an expert in bullying. Wiseman suggested that parents reinforce the idea that it's OK for children to go to them when they think something inappropriate has occurred.

"I would like for parents to include when they talk to their kids, 'If something bad happens to you or one of your friends, please know that is more important to me than if you got drunk or did something else you shouldn't have,'" she said.

Cyberbullying expert Nancy Willard said adults need to focus on positive norms, "recognizing that the vast majority of teens ... have an extremely low regard for anyone who distributes a nude image of a peer," she said.

Teens also need to know that if they are involved in a bullying situation ? or something worse ? it's safe to tell an adult, Willard said.

"Even if an image has been distributed, this is something that they can recover from," she said. "So let an adult they trust know what is happening. If a friend is being exploited in this way, they should reach out to let their friend know they are there for support and advise their friend to tell a trusted adult."

Audrie, it seems, confided in few. In the week following the alleged assault, she instead did what so many young people do: She shut down and suffered in silence ? reaching out to only a few friends with increasing desperation.

___

Before that Labor Day weekend, Audrie was a bright girl dealing with normal teen challenges. She spent summers at horse camp, played viola and piano. On winter slopes, her parents recalled, she sang as she skied. On hikes in the local hills, she marched her friends until they had blisters. At 11, Audrie beamed as she strode, without gloves or jacket, on a frigid day with her middle school color guard in President Barack Obama's first inaugural parade.

When Audrie started Saratoga High as a freshman, the school paper interviewed her. She was excited about playing soccer, eager to go to a dance, concerned about homework. Her optimism was palpable.

Question: "Would you rather fly or be invisible?"

Audrie: "Fly any day."

But as freshman year got underway, Audrie was picked on by some classmates, her parents said, prompting them to ask for a meeting with school officials. Her parents said they raised concerns about Audrie being bullied. School officials have countered that "the issue of bullying was not the subject covered in those conversations."

"She was picked on because she was pretty, because she was popular, because she was nice," her father, Larry Pott, told the San Jose Mercury News. "It was: You're not as good as you appear to be. We're going to drag you down a bit."

Her stepmother, Lisa Pott, said in the same interview that Audrie was neither depressed nor on medication.

"She had no more teen drama than I did," Lisa Pott said.

One week after the Labor Day party, Audrie called her mother from school and asked to be picked up. "She said, I can't deal with it, please take me home," recalled Sheila Pott, who brought her daughter to their Los Altos home and begged her to share what was going on. But Audrie couldn't put words to her pain. That same day, she hanged herself.

As they buried Audrie, her parents had no idea about an alleged assault, let alone that school officials, alerted by students about the party and the picture, had already gone to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, which launched an investigation.

Then the Pott family began getting phone calls. "There was information some of the children had that they felt would be vital for us to find out," Larry Pott said.

The three boys accused in the case were charged in the fall but remained in school (one transferring elsewhere) until April 11, when sheriff's deputies arrested them on charges of sexual battery and distribution of child pornography. Attorneys representing the teens, whose names have not been released because of their ages, urged the public to withhold judgment.

"Much of what has been reported ... is inaccurate. Most disturbing is the attempt to link (Audrie's) suicide to the specific actions of these three boys," said a statement from attorneys Eric Geffon, Alan Lagod and Benjamin Williams. "We are hopeful that everyone understands that these boys, none of whom have ever been in trouble with the law, are to be regarded as innocent."

The Pott family has sued the boys and their families, and filed an administrative claim against the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District, alleging that administrators were slack in responding to bullying against Audrie. "With no assault, with no cyberbullying, Audrie is in art class right now," Larry Pott said at a news conference last month, his voice breaking.

The Potts also have launched the Audrie Pott Foundation to support local music and art scholarships in Audrie's memory, as well as youth counseling. And they are pressing for a change in state laws to stiffen penalties for cyberbullying and assault.

At Saratoga High, meantime, students went through an all-too-common cycle of grieving: A candlelight vigil and counseling sessions were held. Flowers piled up outside the library. Students wore clothing in Audrie's favorite color.

Now, months later, questions remain, but their young lives go on. Springtime at the high school means prom, college acceptances, final exams. There are track meets and pancake breakfasts.

This week the students have Memorial Day off, a rare three-day weekend before the rush of finals. If Audrie were alive she probably would have celebrated on that school-free Monday. It would have been her 16th birthday.

___

Associated Press writer Lisa Leff in San Francisco contributed to this report. Follow Martha Mendoza at https://twitter.com/mendozamartha

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/girls-suicide-alleged-attack-troubles-town-134103899.html

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7 Ways To Sleep Better Tonight

7 Ways To Sleep Better Tonight

SparkPeople:

I'm a married woman, but there's a guy I've been chasing after for months: the Sandman. I want him desperately some nights -- and then other evenings I push him away. It's completely my fault that he's turned his back on me in bed. Our always-too-short encounters are rarely satisfying because I'm constantly thinking about an errand I forgot to run or a form I need to fill out for my son's school. (Even Overstock.com and Candy Crush Saga come between us.) Yes, in terms of sleep time, I could -- and should -- do better.

Read the whole story: SparkPeople

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I'm a married woman, but there's a guy I've been chasing after for months: the Sandman. I want him desperately some nights -- and then other evenings I push him away. It's completely my fault that he'...

I'm a married woman, but there's a guy I've been chasing after for months: the Sandman. I want him desperately some nights -- and then other evenings I push him away. It's completely my fault that he'...

Filed by Sarah Klein ?|?

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    2. Healthy Living
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    Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/26/sleep-better-tonight_n_3332651.html

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    Sunday, May 26, 2013

    Forex Trading In Islamic Finance | ICM

    Since receiving as well as paying of interest is Haram in Islam, Muslims therefore require a special kind of forex trading account. Conventional forex accounts charge (or pay) interest to the account holder, determined by rollover positions held over the weekend ? on a currency pair that has a positive/negative interest rate differential between the currencies. Islamic Forex Accounts negates the interest costs receivable (or payable), and in fact can still function as effectively as any other conventional forex accounts. It is important for a Muslim trader to partner with the right broker in order to make your investments as shariah compliant as possible. Below, we discuss some of the issues surrounding forex trading within the Islamic Finance domain:

    The Trading of Currency with Currency

    Fursa FX recognizes that only spot forex trading is considered halal as the transaction is done on a spot basis, meaning both price and delivery of the asset are settled at the same moment in time. Currently, we refrain from trading in currency options, swaps, futures, forwards and other derivative contracts as the conditions for which trading of these instruments are permissible depends on a case to case basis (for example, Islamic Scholars and Experts have claimed that swaps are not allowed in the manner they are practiced in the commodity exchange, defined under the AAOIFI Syariah Standard, hlm 358). However, buying and selling of currencies is permissible and is termed Bai Sarf in Islamic banking, and Muslims are allowed to exchange Silver with Gold, buy Gold with US dollars and buy US dollars by selling Euro. The mechanics of Bai Sarf is halal but it has to be done on the spot. We do our best to ensure that all the transactions that we provide or conduct are according to the principles of Halal, or Islamic permissibility.
    Leveraged Investments

    Current Islamic banking & finance practices do not completely rule out the use of leverage in investments. If we consider the example of Islamic REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) in Malaysia, these instruments operate at a maximum leverage of 33 %. Debt ratio below or equal to this level is deemed acceptable by governing authorities in Malaysia. (Muhammad Ayub, 2007 and Jawad Ali, 2007). In addition, Fursa FX does not invest in anywhere that has high excessive leverage of 1:500, as this would promote excessive speculation and incur unnecessary risk for the investor. Our manual trading accounts are thus limited to a 1:100 leverage configuration.

    It is worth to note that, at the end of the day, traders should take personal responsibility and not to over-leverage and be exposed to unnecessary risk.

    Haram vs Halal

    Religion is a personal relationship between self and God and each is responsible for his own choices and decisions. Islamic finance is always evolving and that there are risks and dangers of being trapped in the Im right and youre wrong mentality. Even among the various recognized Shariaah scholars, their opinions may differ in many aspects of Islamic finance, including the topic of forex trading. The beauty of Islam is that it has many different points of view and dynamism, so that we can learn from each other for everyones benefit. Diversity is our strength and that Islam is meant to be suitable for everyone in this world. The most important thing is to respect others beliefs and not to miss out on the bigger purpose and objective of the laws to benefit the community and provide an ethical and fair trade for all. Fursa FX does not claim to be the ultimate authority on the permissibility on Islamic Forex trading, but we strive to provide the best Shariah-compliant trading platform possible and we are always on the lookout to improve and keep up to date with the latest developments.

    Source: http://www.icm2010.com/forex-trading-in-islamic-finance.asp

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    Students Build Self Esteem To Improve Grades! | AdvSecret.com

    By Darrel Mitchell

    Students ought to study different ways to make up their minds if they want to increase their GPA. What?s more, students these days ought to know that making this commitment will need some changes in their life. These changes will be the way they study, think, and behave.

    For students take control of their own lives they must first depend on themselves and not depend on others. Students that don?t plan ahead and study for a test are more likely to fail than those that do plan and study. It?s up to the student to decide on what is more important, studies or going out with friends. It is a hard choice to make, but your effort will be well rewarded with some awesome grades.

    When students advance their particular study skills, it will be easy to pass all exams and quizzes. Students should at the very least plan on studying three days ahead of the test to get good grades as opposed to some that may only study one day ahead of the test. To get these good grades, you should give up some of your playtime and put more focus on your studies.

    If you feel optimistic, you should note that education is the best reason you can do for yourself. Learning is ongoing and is a necessity for most of us. Continuous learning will also reward us. Learning will help us reap benefits like living longer, healthier living, and a lot more. Students reap benefits because once they have their education degree they will go out and get a high paying career in a good working surroundings.

    Once you figure out the things that need changing, you are off to a great start. The next time you review your progress after taking an exam, you can pat yourself on the back, because you just breezed through the test. Since you are applying these steps, the only thing you need to do now is to keep up the good work. You have to continue looking at things positively, and avoiding the things that caused you to have those bad grades. If you continue all these steps, you will be sure to look forward to grades that will make you say it was all worth it.

    Here Are Some Helpful Tips:

    Study groups are a great way to keep your focus on your homework assignments. These study groups help to stay motivated and inspires you to do your homework. Something you may want to do when studying, keep it quiet. Studies have shown that it is better to study in a quiet place that it is to study with music playing in the background. Study in a well light place, this makes it easier for you to see what you are studying and you will not have to strain your eyes. With strained eyes, it is more likely that you will stop studying.

    Maintain a clean study area. A clean study area will save you time by unnecessary searching for your papers and textbook. By being organized you will know where everything is. When you?re preparing for a test, you will be comfortable and confident when the test day arrives. College students get anxious before examines for a couple of factors. 1) They did not do enough research. 2) They did not ask questions in class. 3) They may have a learning disorder.

    Some other issues may occur, but one must try to stay away from by creating a backup plan. Because, no one knows when an urgent situation will happen, it is very important to have a backup strategy. Backup plans give us other options when times get difficult.

    When you get into the habit of finishing your studies first, you will build self-worth while producing constructive changes that will drive you to do well.

    For more information on how to improve your mind, check out Good Grades Guide Review. I?m sure you will like it!


    Source: http://www.advsecret.com/students-build-self-esteem-to-improve-grades/

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    Saturday, May 25, 2013

    Don't let strangers in, even in Paris

    When a man in work clothes showed up at her door, the Monitor's Europe bureau chief let him inside. But fortunately, he didn't get a chance to pull off a well-known Parisian scam.

    By Sara Miller Llana,?Staff writer / May 17, 2013

    People walk in the business district of La D?fense, Paris, Wednesday. The Monitor's Europe bureau chief learns not to let strangers through the front door, even in Paris.

    Christophe Ena/AP

    Enlarge

    I let a stranger into our apartment.

    Skip to next paragraph Sara Miller Llana

    Europe Bureau Chief

    Sara Miller Llana?moved to Paris in April 2013 to become the Monitor's Europe Bureau?Chief. Previously she was the?paper's?Latin America Bureau Chief, based in Mexico City, from 2006 to 2013.

    Recent posts

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    I suppose that in moving from Mexico City to Paris, and feeling a sudden burst of elation for not having to worry so intently about drug and gang violence and, worst of all kidnapping, I went to the extreme.

    A man knocked on the door of our temporary apartment saying he needed to check on something and asked if he could come in. He must have said what he was checking but my French, only now on its way back after lying dormant for over two decades, missed the details. He was dressed in work clothes, and I let him in.

    He first said he was looking for the heater panel, then started asking all kinds of questions about who we were and how long we?d been in France. I thought this was a bit bizarre, but didn't think much of it.

    Then he spotted the chimney. He opened the screen: ?Oh no, look at all of this soot.? (I had to look up the word for soot, suie, on my laptop.)

    ?You have a small child,? he went on. ?If she breathes this in, it could be the end. I am obligated to fix this.?

    In my daze of jetlag, living out of suitcases, with a mountain of bureaucracy to tackle each day, I actually thought this man might be from the city government, and he was doing his municipal duty, for free, to make sure no Paris residents ? even foreigners, God bless France! ? breathe contaminated air.

    I almost let him get to work ? until my more rational husband said, ?Let?s call the owner first.?

    The owner's response was immediate: ?Get that guy out of the house now.?

    I learned later that it?s a well-known scam in Paris that plumbers or electricians and other workers will come in, and tell you you need X, Y, and Z fixed. A colleague told me one man entered her house, broke a pipe, and then tried to get them to pay to fix it. I told the guardian downstairs about our visitor, and she said any communal or municipal work to be done will always be posted in the building.

    Some of these scams are actually done by thieves, she said, who might rob you ? or worse. ?Don?t let anyone in your house. It could be very dangerous.?

    I did learn back in elementary school not to talk to strangers, and most definitely not to let them through the front door.

    But I had a momentary lapse of judgment, a good reminder that you have to be careful anywhere ? even in Paris!

    Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/t71YicIf93A/Don-t-let-strangers-in-even-in-Paris

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    Amnesty: Israel, Hamas committed war crimes in Gaza assault

    BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law during Israel's assault on Gaza in November 2012, Amnesty International said Thursday.

    In the London-based rights group's annual report, released Thursday, Amnesty said the Israeli air force carried out bomb and missile strikes on residential areas, including strikes that were "disproportionate and caused heavy civilian casualties."

    It said that in most cases, Israel did not present evidence that these specific sites had been used for military purposes, while the Israeli navy launched "indiscriminate attacks" on populated coastal sites.

    The group also said the military wing of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups fired rockets and other weapons into Israel, killing civilians and damaging civilian property.

    It also said armed groups were responsible for the deaths of at least two Palestinians after rockets fell short of their targets in Israel.

    The report accused Hamas as well as the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority of abuses including arbitrary arrests of political opponents and torture in Palestinian prisons.

    Hamas denies

    A Hamas spokesman dismissed the report as unfair.

    In a statement, Fawzi Barhoum said the report was ?unfair and lacked objectivity as it equaled between legitimate resistance which defended Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupier who deliberately targeted and murdered Palestinian civilians.?

    Amnesty International forgot that it was Israel who started that war, Barhoum added.

    The way the report described the situation in the blockaded Gaza Strip and in the West Bank, according to Barhoum, and the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody only scratched the surface of the reality, he added.

    Barhoum highlighted that the Palestinian people and prisoners have been suffering endlessly in light of the siege on Gaza, the ongoing settlement expansion in the West Bank and settler assaults on the Palestinians.

    Barhoum also dismissed Amnesty?s allegations about torturing opposition supporters. These claims, he said, have no credibility, nor were they based on real information. The organization has not met with Gaza officials to verify its information, he charged.

    The report, according to Barhoum, contradicted reports prepared by local and international human rights groups which visited the Gaza Strip and met with officials and civilians.

    An Israeli army spokesman had no immediate comment on the report.

    Source: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=598421

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    Sew a Straight Line: play it smart: Creative Writing

    Good morning!? I am so happy today? to be playing it smart with Delia from Delia Creates and her series:playitsmartbuttonDelia is one of my most-admired bloggers.? She?s the real deal, total package.? She?s sweet and genuine, insanely talented, and always coming up with amazing things to do for yourself and with your children.? One of the first posts I ever remember seeing of hers was a little outdoor table and chair set made of ice she made for her boys to have a winter picnic.? I knew then I wanted to follow her blog to be inspired to do more things like that with my own children.? She?s amazing.??

    So let?s play it smart!

    I like my kids.? They?re pretty much some of the best people I know.? I share a lot of the things I sew for my kids, but I?m really excited today to get to share some of the fun things I do with my kids.? When Delia invited me to participate in this series, I immediately knew what I wanted to share with you all.? My boys and I had just finished working on some fun creative writing, and we had such a great time doing it. I think it?s the perfect way to work a little learning into your child?s playtime, and record some of what comes out of their amazing imaginations.

    playitsmart123abc
    First off, I have to give credit to my kids? Nana, Linda, who inspired this recent creative writing spree.? She is an amazing doll artist.? I wish I had pictures of some of her other creations.? They?re mind-blowing.? We recently visited her and my dad for a week.? Shortly after our return home, the boys received a package from Nana in the mail.? Inside were three friends she?d created and a note explaining who they were, with a little back story on each and a request for the boys to write more of the dolls? stories and send them back to Nana.

    playitsmarta

    Seriously, what a great idea!? And how incredibly easy would this be to do with any of your kids? favorite toys?!? Just write up a brief paragraph, or list of characteristics on the toy, and encourage your child to add to it.? You could designate a specific notebook for the stories, like Nana Linda has her Book of Dolls, and have your child record all sorts of adventures and details of their most-loved playthings.?

    My boys wanted to dive into their stories of Mr. Meeps, Captain Bomback and Voodoo Daddy as soon as I?d finished reading the note to them.? Using the note as a jumping off point, all three boys spent an afternoon coming up with stories to accompany the stuffed friends.? My four year old dictated his to me, but my ten- and seven year olds were able to work independently on theirs.?

    1
    Later that night, we had a really awesome family night where the boys shared their stories with all of us, and then called Nana Linda to read them to her over the phone. Another afternoon, they illustrated their stories.

    playitsmartb
    I need to scan their stories and illustrations for us to have copies , and then send them off to Nana Linda for her Book of Dolls.

    playitsmartc
    All three boys have been playing with the stuffed toys, and acting out the stories they wrote.? Toys inspiring story telling inspiring more play.? So fun!?

    My oldest decided he wanted to add to the characters, and has started a sewing project to make a pet armadillo, Arrmy.? We haven?t had a chance to finish it up yet, but hopefully we can get to it once school is out next week.

    ?IMG_20130425_104515via my instagram @sewastraightline

    ?

    We haven?t done it for these stories, but another idea would be to have your kids write and perform a short skit based on the stories they come up with. When I was a little girl, I had a friend who was always organizing us to put on plays she?d written for her family. I?m hoping to have my boys do something like that this summer. I doubt they?ll need much prompting, they love to put on ?Silly Shows? frequently for each other, and love it even more when my husband and I record them so they can watch them later. Performing skits, especially ones they?ve written, is a great way to teach communication and public speaking, memorization, organization and follow-through, and working with others. And they?re fun.

    If your child, or you, are having a hard time organizing thoughts and details to write the stories, you can make a simple spider diagram.? Below is one I made for my oldest son to use on another creative writing assignment.? I?m currently homeschooling him, and I had given him the assignment to come up with a superhero and then write about the character he came up with.????

    ?

    ?superherospiderdiagramOver the course of a week, we worked on this particular project.? The first day, I had him fill in the bubbles on the diagram.? Then over the next few days, he?d take a couple of bubbles and write a paragraph for each using what he?d written in them the first day.? By the end of the week, all he had to do was come up with an opening paragraph and conclusion, and he had a two-page story.? He?s my kid who is very easily overwhelmed, and has a hard time because he only sees the big picture.? Telling him to write a five-paragraph assignment is enough to send him into full on panic.? But by breaking things down, he wrote the whole thing without a fuss.? It was so fun when he was done, and I was able to point out he?d written as much as he had.? He told me that day maybe he?d like to be a writer when he grows up, he had so much fun doing it and the process was so much easier than he?d been expecting.?

    Kids have great imaginations. Mine are always coming up with imaginary friends and alter egos, and silly stories to go along with them. I mentioned last week my oldest son?s long-time alter ego, Jellyfishman.? We?ve had Crap, Loco, Door Nog, Mummy Guy and more over the years between the three boys.?? If your child has an alter ego or imaginary friend, encourage them to sit down and record the details that are floating around in their heads.? Illustrate the story, make a small toy or a molded-clay action figure for them to play out their writing.? Maybe even help them put together a costume they can wear to more fully act out their story through a fun little skit or just impromptu play.? Having something tangible they can hold and read and share with others reinforces your child?s ideas, and validates their creativity.? Plus, it?s just fun to see what they come up with!

    Creative writing and story-telling, smart play for kids of all ages!?

    Be sure to check out the rest of Delia?s Play it Smart series, including Christie?s awesome science experiment
    playitsmartbutton

    the end

    Source: http://www.sewastraightline.com/2013/05/play-it-smart-creative-writing.html

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    Friday, May 24, 2013

    Birth control coverage up for federal appeal ? Artesia News

    Customers are seen at a Hobby Lobby store in Denver on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.  A challenge to the federal health care law faces its most prominent test yet in a full 10th Circuit hearing in Denver on Thursday. Hobby Lobby stores is challenging a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morining-after birth control pill.  The Oklahoma based arts and crafts chain says the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its owners.  (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

    Customers are seen at a Hobby Lobby store in Denver on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. A challenge to the federal health care law faces its most prominent test yet in a full 10th Circuit hearing in Denver on Thursday. Hobby Lobby stores is challenging a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morining-after birth control pill. The Oklahoma based arts and crafts chain says the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its owners. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

    DENVER (AP) ? In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is asking a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill.

    The Oklahoma City-based arts-and-crafts chain argues that businesses ? not just the currently exempted religious groups ? should be allowed to seek exception from that part of the health law if it violates their religious beliefs.

    ?They ought to be able ? just like a church, just like a charity ? to have the right to opt out of a provision that infringes on their religious beliefs,? said Kyle Duncan, who will argue before the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of the Green family, the founders of Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. and a sister company, Christian booksellers Mardel Inc.

    The Greens contend that emergency contraception is tantamount to abortion because it can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb. They also object to providing coverage for certain kinds of intrauterine devices.

    Lower courts have rejected Hobby Lobby?s claim, saying that for-profit businesses aren?t covered by an exemption added to the law for religious organizations. That exemption applies to churches themselves, but not to affiliated nonprofit corporations, like hospitals, that do not rely primarily on members of the faith as employees.

    In a decision issued late last year, a federal judge concluded simply, ?Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations.?

    But U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton in Oklahoma City also wrote that ?the court is not unsympathetic? to Hobby Lobby?s dilemma and that the question of compelling employer health coverage for certain procedures ?involves largely uncharted waters.?

    Other businesses in multiple states are challenging the contraception mandate, too. Hobby Lobby is the most prominent company making the claim. Two smaller companies based in Indiana and Illinois made similar argument in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Tuesday.

    As in Chicago, the U.S. Justice Department will argue for the government that the contraception mandate should stay.

    The 10th Circuit opted to hear the case before eight active judges, not the typical three-judge panel, indicating the case?s importance.

    In December, the 10th Circuit denied Hobby Lobby?s request for an injunction to prevent it being subject to fines while its argument was on appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court also denied an injunction, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing that it was not ?indisputably clear? that Hobby Lobby needed immediate protection.

    In response, the company restructured its health insurance, Duncan said. But Hobby Lobby, which is self-insured, will face fines by July 1 if it does not provide the coverage, he said.

    Hobby Lobby calls itself a ?biblically founded business? and is closed on Sundays. Founded in 1972, the company now operates more than 500 stores in 41 states and employs more than 13,000 full-time employees who are eligible for health insurance.

    The Hobby Lobby case has attracted broad interest from health groups and religious groups. A panel including reproductive rights organizations and the American Public Health Association banded together last year to ask the court to reject Hobby Lobby?s claim. The groups argued it would be dangerous precedent to allow for-profit private businesses to use religious beliefs to deny coverage.

    In a brief to the court filed last year, the health groups argued that allowing businesses not to cover some contraceptives would be like allowing businesses to tell employees they can?t use wages to buy morning-after pills or other products that offend the employer?s religious belief.

    ?Of course, no one would argue that (Hobby Lobby owners) could seek, on religious grounds, to preclude their employees from spending their wages on contraception. This same rationale requires rejecting employers? demands to impose their religious views on employees through restrictions on the use of health insurance benefits,? the health groups argued.

    Susan Polan, associate executive director of the American Public Health Association, said the Hobby Lobby case is an important test of how far businesses can go in seeking to exempt coverage of health procedures they don?t like.

    ?We?re talking about women?s access to reproductive health. That should be a decision between a patient and her health care provider, not a patient and her employer,? Polan said this week.

    ___

    Kristen Wyatt can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/APkristenwyatt

    This entry was posted on May 23, 2013, 9:42 am and is filed under United States. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

    Source: http://www.artesianews.com/2013/05/23/ap-news/united-states-ap-news/birth-control-coverage-up-for-federal-appeal/

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    A False Claim of Blame in Mass. Senate Race

    Republican Gabriel Gomez falsely claims his opponent in the Massachusetts Senate race blamed him for the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and compared him to Osama bin Laden:

    • Democratic Rep. Ed Markey did release a TV ad saying Gomez ?is against banning high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Newtown school shooting.? But that?s all it said about the December shooting.
    • The Markey campaign also produced a Web video that displays an image of Gomez while simultaneously playing part of a controversial film that includes a photo of bin Laden. The Markey video makes the point that Gomez championed a film that ?swift boated? President Obama. It does not directly compare Gomez to bin Laden.

    Gomez and Markey are competing for the Senate seat left open by former Sen. John Kerry when he became secretary of state. The special election is scheduled to be held on June 25.

    Gomez?s TV ad, announced on May 21, responds to two ads released earlier this month by Markey?s camp. It says ?dirty Ed Markey? is ?smearing? him in ?negative ads.?

    Gomez campaign TV ad, ?Something New?: Negative ads from dirty Ed Markey. Smearing Gabriel Gomez. Comparing him to bin Laden. Now, Markey actually blames Gomez for the Newtown shooting. Disgusting. Thirty-seven years in Congress. Dirty Ed Markey.

    In claiming Markey ?blames Gomez for the Newtown shooting,? the Gomez campaign is referring to a Markey TV ad on gun control called ?Clear Differences.? The Markey ad said that Gomez ?is against banning high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Newtown school shooting.? And that is true.

    The Markey ad features a clip of Gomez, during an April 21 appearance on WCVB?s ?On The Record? TV show, saying, ?I?m against an assault weapons ban? and ?I don?t believe that you should have a limit on the high-capacity magazines.? (See the video here at around the 5:03 mark.)

    It is also true that a rifle with a ?high capacity 30 round magazine? was used ?to murder 20 children and six adults inside the school,? according to the Connecticut State Police.

    As for the bin Laden claim, a Markey Web video called ?Meet Gabriel Gomez: Just Another Republican? doesn?t make a direct comparison between Gomez and bin Laden. In the video, images of bin Laden appear alongside one of Gomez for about seven seconds ? about as long as the image of Gomez appears next to one of the president.

    Gomez, a former Navy Seal, called the ad a ?disgrace? and ?a textbook despicable political attack to attempt to connect me with Osama bin Laden in the minds of voters.? Such visual associations are powerful. But, if viewers listen to the full Web video, it was an attempt to tie Gomez to the tea party and ?Swift Boat? attacks used against Kerry in 2008. It featured a clip of an MSNBC anchor describing Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund as an ?anonymously funded group with tea party and GOP ties.? And it also included a Christian Science Monitor headline asking, ?Are Obama critics are using ?Swift Boat? tactics??

    The images of bin Laden used in Markey?s Web video were pulled from a 22-minute film produced by the OPSEC group that accused Obama of leaking classified information, jeopardizing national security and politicizing bin Laden?s death. At the point in the Markey video where the images of bin Laden are featured, the film?s narrator says ?killing bin Laden had been a goal for years, but the politicians turned that victory into an intelligence disaster.? The image of Gomez came from a 2012 MSNBC interview where Gomez appeared on the group?s behalf in order to defend the controversial film.

    ? D?Angelo Gore

    Also Read

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/false-claim-blame-mass-senate-race-152109053.html

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    Artist Ai Weiwei uses music to mock state power in China

    BEIJING (AP) -- Two emotionless prison guards watch Ai Weiwei as he eats, sleeps, paces, showers ? and even sits on the toilet ? in the Chinese artist's new obscenity-filled, metaphor-rich music video mocking state power.

    The video accompanying the visual artist's single "Dumbass" ? released Wednesday but blocked online in mainland China ? is meant to reconstruct his 81-day detention in 2011, which was part of an overall crackdown on dissent. Ai's subsequent conviction for tax evasion has been seen as punishment for his activism.

    "People who are detained suffer traumas, and those who detain us know this very well," Ai said at a video premiere ceremony in Beijing. "This is why we are secretly detained, blindfolded, cuffed, not allowed to meet with lawyers and relatives.

    "I had been thinking about how to recover from the trauma. And I came up with the idea of using music to convey a sentiment that is tremendously secret, and private, to the public," Ai said.

    After his release, Ai's design firm was slapped with a $2.4 million tax bill, which he fought unsuccessfully in the Chinese courts.

    Ai has irked Beijing by using his art and online profile to draw attention to injustices in China and the need for greater transparency and rule of law.

    His music video, screeching with heavily distorted guitars, depicts an insensitive, overbearing state power that tramples on individual rights. The Chinese-language lyrics are full of obscene insults, and the video images include animals that have become euphemisms for defiantly circumventing strict censorship.

    "This video was not shot for me, and this song, I am not singing for myself," Ai said. "This is dedicated to all those people who do not have the opportunity to raise their voice, who will never be able to raise their voices. This is not just one generation. In the past 60 years there have been innumerable amounts of people who have been killed or sent away from their homes, even tortured to death."

    However, web surfers in China are unlikely to see it.

    During the premiere, Ai and his assistants posted links to the video on social media and file-sharing sites that are blocked in China, including Twitter and YouTube. They also tried ? in front of reporters ? to post to Chinese sites including tudou.com, but those attempts weren't successful, apparently because censors who review the content before it becomes public rejected the video.

    The music video has Ai himself singing the song's explicit lyrics.

    "Dumbass" is the first single from Ai's forthcoming music album "The Divine Comedy."

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ai-weiwei-uses-music-mock-135539526.html

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    Chilly Morning, Great Afternoon

    Good morning! ?After yesterday?s severe weather threat that didn?t pan out to be much, today we are rewarded with Chamber of Commerce weather. ?Here?s the email weather update I sent my morning show team this morning. ?Thought it would make a good read for you.

    ?

    This Morning:? 2 Items

    1. Boy, it?s chilly out this morning!? Skies have cleared and temps have dipped into the low 50s for much of Metroplex.? Parts of Dallas County & areas east will be in the upper 50s.
    2. And FOG.? Not thick enough for an advisory, but a few areas will get down to ? mile visibility.? Those would be the usual suspects like McKinney, along 75 in Collin County and along I-30 Grand Prairie or I-20 Arlington.? We won?t deal with low level clouds this morning, so Dallas tower cam shot should look pretty good over the fog layers!

    ?

    Today:? back to normal

    1. Sunny and mild with highs near or slightly above the normal 85 degrees.
    2. Today is going to be a BEAUTIFUL day because the humidity will be low and the breezes light!
    3. Humidity increases starting tomorrow.? The rest of the week and through next week temps should run in the upper 80s to low 90s.

    ?

    Pattern Ahead:

    I want to say the pattern looks dry and quiet, but there is a cold front to the north that could trigger storms THURSDAY to the north and with the front over us on FRIDAY and into SATURDAY more storms are possible with the heat of day.? Most activity looking like northern and western areas, so even if storms turn out it likely won?t impact Metroplex.

    ?

    Memorial Day Weekend:? looking like we are hot and humid SAT-SUN-MON with highs each day 91-92.? We may have to put storm chances in forecast for SUN-MON, but for now leaving out until better model agreement.

    Source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/05/22/chilly-morning-great-afternoon/

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    Thursday, May 23, 2013

    Ethicists' behavior not more moral

    May 21, 2013 ? Do ethicists engage in better moral behavior than other professors? The answer is no. Nor are they more likely than nonethicists to act according to values they espouse, according to researchers from the University of California, Riverside and Stetson University in Florida.

    In a study published in the journal Metaphilosophy -- "Ethicists' and Nonethicists' Responsiveness to Student E-mails: Relationships among Expressed Normative Attitude, Self-described Behavior, and Empirically Observed Behavior" -- philosophers Eric Schwitzgebel of UC Riverside and Joshua Rust of Stetson University found that ethics professors were no more likely than other philosophers or scholars in other disciplines to respond to student emails, even though a significant majority said that failure to do so is morally bad.

    While faculty -- particularly ethicists -- who placed a high moral value on responding to student emails also typically rated themselves high on their responsiveness, Schwitzgebel and Rust found that assessment to be generally inaccurate.

    "If professors have an obligation to respond to emails from students, then arguably they also have a further obligation to track whether or not they are meeting the first obligation, so that if they are not meeting the first obligation they can take corrective measures," the philosophers wrote. "If this is correct, then the present study offers not just one measure of morality, email responsiveness, but two: email responsiveness and meeting one's moral obligation not to be deluded about one's level of email responsiveness. Professors remain far short of ideal by either measure, ethicists no less so than others."

    Approximately half of American ethicists believe that professional ethicists behave at least a little morally better than nonethicists, Schwitzgebel and Rust said. In 2009 the two began a series of experiments to determine if that is so.

    One previous study found that philosophy books dealing with ethics were more likely to be missing from leading academic libraries than similar nonethics books in philosophy. Another found that ethicists and political science professors voted at the same rate as did nonethicist philosophers and professors in departments other than philosophy. Two other studies found that ethicists behaved no more courteously than nonethicists and were as likely to avoid paying registration fees as nonethicists at conferences of the American Philosophical Association.

    Does it matter if ethicists behave any better morally or act more consistently with their espoused values than nonethicists?

    If professional ethicists do no better at demonstrating moral behavior or greater consistency between attitude and behavior, that creates a challenge for those who advocate ethics instruction for its effects on behavior, Schwitzgebel and Rust wrote.

    This "boosterism" view of philosophical moral reflection -- articulated by Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Mill and others -- contends that moral reflection will improve moral behavior. Opponents of that view, whom Schwitzgebel and Rust describe as "scoffers," argue that people are going to do what they want anyway and that the role of moral reflection is to excuse their behavior after the fact.

    "That is not my own opinion," Schwitzgebel said.

    Moral reflection is important to contemplate not simply because it is part of the human condition, he added.

    "If we say that moral reflection has only abstract value we lose something huge. Part of the justification of teaching business ethics, medical ethics and personal values is the hope that we can have a positive effect on the behavior of you and me."

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/_8_-wzDIMQU/130521152500.htm

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    Wednesday, May 22, 2013

    TSX glides near two-month high as major sectors rally

    By John Tilak

    TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index jumped more than 1 percent to hit nearly a two-month high on Tuesday, fueled by gains in most major sectors and optimism following positive economic data from Europe.

    British inflation fell twice as fast as expected last month, giving incoming Bank of England Governor Mark Carney more leeway for stimulus. Another report showed that Germany is on track for a solid recovery due to a pickup in demand for its products from abroad.

    Investors also awaited minutes expected on Wednesday from the U.S. Federal Reserve's most recent policy-making meeting to look for clues about whether the central bank will continue its ongoing stimulus program.

    Stocks were supported by strength in resource groups, reflecting gains in the prices of some commodities on Monday, when the Canadian stock market was closed for the Victoria Day holiday.

    The resources-heavy Toronto market, up for the third straight session, has climbed 2.5 percent for the year to play catch-up with the S&P 500 <.spx>, which has recorded much steeper gains.

    "The gap between the U.S. market and the Canadian market will narrow as the year goes on," said Bob Gorman, chief portfolio strategist at TD Waterhouse, in Toronto.

    Gorman expects the Canadian index to end the year about 6 percent higher.

    He sees a rebound in the resource sector because of low expectations built into share prices.

    "If we get some modest pickup in economic growth as we get into the second half of the year, that will allay fears of further declines in commodity prices," he added.

    The materials and energy sectors have been hit hard this year by weak commodity prices.

    The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> climbed 129.38 points, or 1.03 percent, to close at 12,742.43. Earlier, the index reached 12,806.54, its highest point since March 22.

    Investors are starting to recognize the value in the TSX even though "it has been the ugly duckling and the red-headed stepchild all year," said Barry Schwartz, vice president and portfolio manager at Baskin Financial Services, in Toronto.

    "We've had a number of names that are blowing higher," he added. "You can make money in Canada if you avoid the commodities."

    Eight of the index's 10 main sectors were higher on Tuesday.

    The materials sector index, which includes mining stocks, jumped 1.6 percent, helped by a 3.3 percent rise in shares of gold producers.

    Miner Barrick Gold Corp advanced 4.3 percent to C$19.88.

    An index of energy stocks climbed 1.3 percent.

    Financials, the Toronto index's most heavily weighted sector, added almost 1.5 percent.

    Royal Bank of Canada shot up 2.7 percent to C$63.86, and Bank of Nova Scotia rose 1.7 percent to C$59.74. They were two of the market's most influential gainers; both are among TD Waterhouse strategist Gorman's top picks.

    (Editing by Andrew Hay and Jan Paschal)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tsx-may-open-higher-catch-long-weekend-125841621.html

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    Best Home Based Internet Business ? Getting Started Is Easy ...

    What if you discovered the best home based internet business using a simple step by step system right here in this article. The purpose of this article is to show you how to get started easily starting today. Here are simple easy to follow steps to get you started.

    Step 1 ? Starting your own website in a particular niche is the key

    Step 2 ? Work from home anywhere in the world.

    Step 3 ? Have a completely automated system working for you 24/7.

    Step 4 ? Increase the intensity of the system through outsourcing.

    The purpose of this article is to help you to setup the best home based internet business using the massive power of internet that has created millions of millionaires in last few years. Make sure you get started today. Here are step by step details to get you started.

    Step 1 ? Starting your own website in a particular niche is the key.

    To start your own best home based internet business you have to make sure to have your own website with valuable content where you can display your products and services in a particular niche and get started making money online. Your top HOME BASED INTERNET BUSINESS should not exist on someone else?s blog or website, you should have control over your online business and have it up on your website only.

    Step 2 ? Work from home anywhere in the world.

    The main feature of the best home based internet business is to have the ability to work from the confort of your home. Therefore make sure to structure your best home based internet business in such a way that you can operate it from anywhere around the world.

    Step 3 ? Have a completely automated system working for you 24/7.

    The main feature of a best home based internet business includes automation. You have to focus in setting up automated systems so that most of the processes of your online business runs automatically and all you have to do is manage everything.

    Step 4 ? Increase the intensity of the system through outsourcing.

    To setup a great money making machine you have to use the power of outsouring. As soon as you have tested the efficiency of your best Home-Based internet business you have to increase the speed of your marketing processes by appointing freelancers and techies to work for your website.

    Discover How I Created a Killer Cash-Pulling-Machine that Attracts 23,883 Visitors and Earns $6665.49 on Autopilot from just 20 Days of Lazy Work. Download it here: http://www.howistartinternetbusiness.com/

    For starting an internet retail business your concept should be brand new and unique. Learn more about it.

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    A public education guarantee | Better Hawaii

    Hawaii Education - Guaranteed

    I recently read ?The Price of Paradise: Lucky We Live Hawaii?? (1992), a collection of 38 short essays discussing Hawaii?s underlying problems and challenges, edited by law professor and author Randall W. Roth.

    There was only one essay about public education, titled ?Public Schools: Why are the test scores of public school children so low?? written by University of Hawaii dean and professor of education John P. Dolly. But for me, it packed a big punch.

    Instead of focusing on standardized tests, Dolly declares that we should be asking, ?What can students do after they complete a certain level of education??

    ?The Department of Education must guarantee that students completing certain grade levels will be certified on the basis of performance rather than meaningless test scores and meaningless grades? (page 213), Dolly proposes.

    The idea of ?performance-based certification? of education made me think about my own school experience and what I hope that my 6-year old son can learn from me, from our family, and from his school.

    Before thinking about the things that schools need to teach children, I think that parents and families need to give children a solid foundation for learning. Here?s a short list of things that I want my child to exemplify:

    Character
    * Be confident in their strengths and be aware of their weaknesses
    * Exercise self-discipline and moderation
    * Show courtesy, empathy, and concern for others
    * Have a moral compass that shows them right from wrong
    * Take responsibility for their actions, words, and choices
    * Work with a team, while being able to express and defend their convictions
    * Be able to question authority and ?experts?
    * Can answer the question, ?What matters to me??

    Here?s a work-in-progress list of practical, useful things that I think students should be able to do, and that schools should be able to guarantee proficiency, in no particular order:

    Manners
    * Be polite and confident
    * Have good conversational skills
    * Use good table manners

    Reading, Writing, and Speaking
    * Read a novel and discuss major plot elements and themes
    * Read and understand instruction manuals and guides
    * Write a letter, newspaper article, and written testimony
    * Follow assembly and repair directions
    * Fill out a questionnaire
    * Understand legal contracts
    * Write and speak persuasively and intelligently
    * Speak comfortably on a telephone, cell phone, or video conference
    * Answer questions composedly on a job interview
    * Debate politely with well thought-out points

    Mathematics, Business, and Science
    * Add, subtract, multiply, and divide
    * Balance a checkbook and reconcile a bank statement
    * Make correct change
    * Calculate sales taxes, tips, discounts, sales prices, and interest
    * Read and understand a financial statement
    * Fill out a tax return
    * Understand credit cards and credit scores
    * Have experience starting and running a small business
    * Aspire to be an entrepreneur, not an employee
    * Use the scientific method to conduct experiments

    History, Politics, and Law
    * Have a basic understanding of world history, American history, and Hawaiian history
    * Understand the principles of democracy
    * Comprehend American civil rights and liberties?

    Computers, Technology, and Information
    * Use basic word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and graphic design programs
    * Find information quickly and accurately at the library and on the Internet

    Arts and Music
    * Appreciate music
    * Sing or play a musical instrument?

    Health, Nutrition, and Fitness
    * Cook a basic meal
    * Understand a nutrition label
    * Know how to grow fruits and vegetables
    * Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
    * Treat minor injuries
    * Run a mile
    * Swim 50 meters (an Olympic-sized swimming pool)

    Household
    * Sew a button and mend a rip in clothes
    * Drive a car
    * Change a flat tire
    * Jump-start a car

    What practical, real-world things do you wish you had learned in school? What do you want your children to learn?

    Like this:

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    Tags: Public Education, Public Education Guarantee

    You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.

    Source: http://betterhawaii.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/a-public-education-guarantee/

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