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policy, we want our side to win, and we increasingly see that it’s the best show that gets the plaudits and the prize. It can’t be a surprise that politics |
has become so defined by theater. When something is presented as a story, it feels more true than the facts. Theater has a strong gravitational pull, which politicians have long |
recognized and which the excess of media outlets allows them to further exploit. There is a wealth of information sources available to the public, but with so many of them |
presented so as to be entertaining, the drama drowns out the facts. It is harder than ever to decipher the truth beneath the props—and the propaganda. Bizarrely, it is shows |
like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, which have no compunction about classing themselves as pure entertainment, that achieve the presentation of pure fact more readily than actual news |
sources. It should not be this way. Education and access to information are supposed to help us withstand the power of entertaining propaganda. Many politicians have understood that, which is |
why some have sought to suppress dissemination of facts. One of the first politicians who attempted instead to educate and inform the people he governed was none other than Richard |
III. During his short reign, he promoted the book trade and encouraged heavy importation of books from Europe. He also ordered that laws be printed in English as well as |
Latin, so that ordinary people might understand the laws of the nation in which they lived. It’s likely that this expedition of printing and information promulgation was part of what |
allowed the maligning of his character to spread so rapidly and with such completion. Shakespeare’s cheerful villain might have appreciated the irony, but the real king would probably not be |
amused. The play Richard III, is Shakespeare’s most performed for many reasons—delicious main character, riveting action, sex, murder, corruption—you really can’t ask for more. But it also presents a political |
situation that is, sadly, timeless. Its story is that of how fascism rises, with a clever man making use of opportunities, preying on weaker minds, using cunning to achieve his |
ends. Even the proudest, white-rose carrying Yorkist can acknowledge it is fine drama. But it should also give us pause as we consider the power of storytelling. We can’t enter |
into such entertainments lightly. Political theater—and film—can shape beliefs more certainly than any extant documents. When bodies are uncovered, so are stories. The draw of Richard III is so powerful, |
it is absolutely certain that this discovery will prompt a deeper discussion of his life and character. He might even finally receive redemption, presumably because there is some willingness to |
be more flexible once someone is dead over 500 years. What is less likely, but to be hoped for, is that as this reexamination and reclassification of Richard III takes |
place, we might also take stock of our current affairs. We are more easily seduced by political theater than Shakespeare’s version of Anne Neville was by Richard—a mesmeric scene that |
is an utter fabrication. For the sake of the health of our body politic, it would be applause-worthy if we could set aside the drama and recognize that the truth |
is always going to be far more complicated—but often more fascinating—than fiction. That would make for a truly glorious summer. Sarah-Jane Stratford’s work has appeared in Salon, Guernica, and The |
Guardian. Her short story was selected for the inaugural Liar’s League New York reading series and she is an occasional contributor for the Broadway Green Alliance. She is the author |
Spatial thinking is a cognitive skill that can be used in everyday life, the workplace, and science to structure problems, find answers, and express solutions using the properties of space. It can be learned and taught formally to students using appropriately designed tools, technologies, and curricula. This report explains the |
nature and functions of spatial thinking and shows how spatial thinking can be supported across the K-12 curriculum through the development of appropriate support systems. A geographic information system (GIS) is an example of a support system that, with recommended redesigns, can foster spatial thinking across the curriculum. The report |
calls for a national initiative to integrate spatial thinking into existing standards-based instruction across the school curriculum such as in mathematics, history, and science classes; it does not require the development of a new, separate course focusing solely on spatial thinking. The goal of this initiative is to create a |
Around the time the Hundredth Monkey story had begun being spread via Ken Keyes book, a British biologist Rupert Sheldrake proposed a theory called Morphogenic Fields put forth in his book, A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Morphic Resonance,first released by J.P. Tarcher in 1981. Sheldrake is an academic researcher who sides with a theoretical school of biology, currently in disfavor, which |
holds that heredity in living organism is not dictated by DNA alone. Instead, morphogenetic fields established at the time first organism of a particular type takes form provides a template for the form that all future organisms take. Sheldrake extends the concept of these theoretical morphogeneic fields in biological cells are particular case of a phenomenon he dubs morphic fields. According to Sheldrake, the |
universe is a nested hierarchy of natural units of organization, which include biological cells and also molecules, crystals, plants, animals, patterns of instinctive behavior, social groups, elements of culture, ecosystems, planets, planetary systems and galaxies, that he calls morphic units. Each of these has its own morphic field. Once this morphic field is established in one member of a morphic unit, it extends its |
influence to every other member by a principle he calls morphic resonance. Morphic resonance, according to Sheldrake is, . . . the basis of memory in nature….the idea of mysterious telepathy-type interconnections between organisms and of collective memories within species. Sheldrake’s theory received a mixed reception from the scientific community This included one harsh review in September 1981, Nature published an editorial written by |
You would probably have to search for a very long time to find anyone who would not agree that the most precious commodity transported on the nation’s highways are our children. They are among our most vulnerable passengers. Motor vehicle |
crashes are the leading cause of death for children from 2 to 14 years old. What is more disturbing is the number of school bus crashes which occur in the United States.safeguard4kids , proponents of seat belts for school buses, |
lists these NHTSA statistics: Since different organisations have their own ways of reporting, tracking and calculating school bus accidents and injuries, it is difficult to know how many children are actually injured in school bus accidents. The National Transportation Safety |
Board (NTSB) determined that school bus crash data is incomplete and that injuries cannot be reliably estimated.1 We do know, however, that lap-shoulder belts can make a significant impact on injury reduction. * According to the April 2002 NHTSA Report |
to Congress, every day there are over 144 school bus accidents (26,000 per year) in America and more than 9,500 children are injured in school bus accidents each year. * According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), there were |
an estimated 51,100 school bus-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2001 to 2003, which averages to approximately 17,000 children injured in school bus accidents each year. This is the first study to describe nonfatal school bus–related injuries to |
U.S. children and teenagers treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments using a national sample. This study identified a much greater annual number of school bus–related injuries to children than reported previously. * Data from the General Estimates System2 indicates that |
13,000 people are injured annually in school bus crashes. Of those injured, 46 percent (5,980) were school bus occupants, 8 percent were school bus drivers, 38 percent were occupants of other vehicles, and fewer than 0.05 percent each were pedestrians, |
pedal cyclists and non-motorists. According to 2005 data from NHTSA, an average of 21 school age children die in school transportation-related traffic crashes each year. Six of those deaths occur in school transportation vehicles. This number applies only to daily |
school routes and does not account for extracurricular activities that take place outside of normal school hours. When I began posting headlines related to school bus incidents and accidents, I went very quickly from concern to shock at the number |
of school bus accidents occurring every day in this country. I have read follow up stories of drunk driving arrests among bus drivers and wondered why such stories do not elicit the sort of nationwide outrage that other media stories |
do. Not only are children the most precious cargo on the road, shouldn’t we trust those responsible for their safety to be beyond reproach character-wise? What baffles me as well is reading over and over of school-buses being rear-ended by |
drivers who do not seem to pay much heed to those flashing lights or FREQUENT STOPS warnings, not to mention that a school bus should raise within in all of us a heightened sense of caution and care. I cannot |
even deliver an analogy as I can not imagine anything more fragile and valuable than our children. There are plenty of stories of pickups and SUVs colliding with school buses in icy weather. Living in the midwest, I have myself |
observed the invincible driving attitudes of some of these drivers when road conditions are dangerous. They may think they can tackle an arctic storm without slowing down, but headlines say otherwise. I don’t know about the rest of you, but |
it is a fact of life that certain times on week days, we can expect that school buses are out on the road. Before we get behind the wheel of our cars and stick the keys in the ignition, we |
should take a moment to confirm in our minds that there is precious cargo out on those roads and it is the responsibility of each and everyone of us to make sure that cargo is safely delivered to its destination. |
Again and again, seat belt regulations for school buses fall through the cracks in state legislation. That means that the burden of the responsibility lies on the shoulders of all of us. thelegaltimes.net staff article ©2009 Attorney Gordon Johnson Past |
Helicobacter Pylori Bacteria Helicobacter pylori is a type of bacteria that is a major cause of stomach (gastric) and upper small intestine (duodenal) ulcers. Infection with H. pylori may also |
increase the risk of stomach cancer. H. pylori bacteria can cause ulcers by growing in the lining of the stomach, producing inflammation and causing the stomach and intestinal lining to |
be more easily damaged by stomach acid. But most people infected with H. pylori do not develop ulcers. An additional factor—one that cannot always be identified—may be needed to cause |
an ulcer to form. Such factors may include: - The use of certain medicines, such as aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). - Excessive alcohol use . - Other |
illnesses. H. pylori bacteria can be eliminated by taking certain antibiotics that are specifically directed at this bacteria. People who have had a peptic ulcer and are infected with H. |
pylori need treatment to cure the infection to lower their risk of getting another peptic ulcer. Treatment with a combination of medicines is highly successful at curing an H. pylori |
infection.1 Sometimes H. pylori bacteria are resistant to certain antibiotics, which can keep the medicine from killing the bacteria. For some people who have taken medicine to treat the H. |
From My Side of the Desk: Teachers: Education’s Pushmi-pullyus For those who need a mind jog, the Pushmi-pullyu was a llama-like character in the 1967 musical film, Doctor Doolittle. Sporting |
a head on each end of its body, it experienced great frustration when it tried to move because each head wanted to trot the creature off in a different direction. |
Oh, what dilemmas it faced: This way or that? Forwards or backwards? Into the future or back to the past? Decisions, decisions, decisions. What was it ever to do? Teachers |
epitomize the educational equivalent of this animal often during their careers, but especially when faced with the Teaching Values vs. Developing Character conflict. Some parents want schools to offer curriculum |
that deals with the issues of drugs, alcohol and sex or to emphasize morality and values. Others want educators to just teach their area of certification: Math, Science, Social Studies, |
English and Foreign Language-and if they are elementary age instructors, all of the core areas. The clamor is enough, sometimes, to make the Pushmi-pullyu educators reach for two bottles of |
Extra-Strength Tylenol. Should teachers add lessons on morals and values to their planning? No, because which religious, cultural or community values would they choose? Talk about a Pushmi-pullyu situation! That |
one takes the (oat) cake. Should they guide their students to develop character traits such as: Respect, responsibility, reliability, integrity, and self-direction? Yes, because school would be total chaos without |
them and not the safe learning zones parents and faculties desire. Just imagine a few hundred to a few thousand young people strolling up the down staircases, meandering down the |
up staircases, coming to and leaving classes when the mood suited them, violating personal space in the halls, and talking, texting and tattling during lessons. I don’t even want to |
attributes that determines a person’s moral and ethical actions and reactions; a distinguishing feature or attribute; a moral or ethical strength,” and Values are-“(the) beliefs of a person or social |
group in which they have an emotional investment either for or against something; a principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable; worth in usefulness or importance to the possessor.” |
Note the fine line these terms cross as they swirl together and move away into separate entities. Teachers that I encountered during my 30+ years in the classroom never professed |
a desire to teach moral or ethical values to their charges. That was and will always be the parents’ job. What they did want was to instill an understanding of |
the character attributes mentioned above and reiterated here: Respect, responsibility, reliability, integrity, and self-direction, along with the lessons they taught. They hoped that their students would step off the curb |
and join them on the educational journey, their backpacks full of the lessons, skills and materials needed to think, to analyze and to comprehend the courses taught while they nurtured |
their characters by adopting the positive traits their teachers emphasized. They still do, because they know that Skills+ Knowledge+ Character equals academic success. Too many parents, though, when teachers add |
these five character attributes to their curriculum, feel the instructors are dipping their children into the values vat. And they balk against what they see as a clash of beliefs. |
I can see their point. According to religious, cultural and ethnic tenets, each trait has a different meaning that can be construed by some to be of vital importance, but |
to others means diddlysquat. Respect whom? Why? Responsible for what? To Whom? Reliability, integrity and self-direction all don shades of gray, depending on the situation. This conflict keeps the Pushmi-pullyu |
to teach ‘strict standards of right and wrong,’ and 85 percent want schools to teach values.” Why? What I derived from my research on parents who want schools to plunge |
into the values vat, some feel too overworked and stressed to deal with the ethical dilemmas their children face, while others lack the confidence and understanding to do so. This |
just boggles my mind. Like all parents, my husband and I weren’t blessed with a Parents’ Perfect Guide to Raising Morally Upright Children handbook at each one’s conception. When our |
children were growing up, we would discuss the, “Oh, oh, how do we handle this” situations, by listening to each other’s point of view as well as collecting suggestions from |
our parents, siblings and friends and occasionally our children’s teachers, by reading widely on the subject, by weighing the pros and cons, and finally, by making decisions that fit our |
values and belief system. Did this mean that we never second-guessed ourselves? Of course not. Many a night we tossed and turned, plagued by the woulda, shoulda couldas until we |
banished them by trusting the knowledge and understanding that we infused in our choices. We were comfortable that our children would navigate the road to adulthood fortified by our decisions. |
And our daughter and son? They turned out just fine. Educators should not be in the business of teaching values. What they are challenged to do is to open their |
students’ minds with material that will expand their world, their thinking and their repertoire of skills. Through literature, non-fiction and poetry, students will encounter a multitude of characters, ideas and |
themes representing a multitude of religions, cultures, ethnicities, and who reveal values, morals and principles that they agree with or abhor. When I taught Albert Camus’ The Stranger along with |
the philosophy of existentialism, I never pushed my seniors to accept the view that the world was a meaningless, absurd place, or to align themselves with my spiritual beliefs, which |
I never expressed, by the way. Neither did they need to know that the character Meursault’s apathetic response to his mother’s death (paraphrase: “Maman died today; or was it yesterday? |
I can’t remember.”) so inflamed me that I flung the book across the family room, narrowly missing my husband’s head. We read the book and discussed the thoughts and actions |
in it as well as the various choices Meursault made which exhibited his character and values. As for what the students chose to take from this study, to add to |
their own values and beliefs, or to refute as unacceptable? That was up to them. Hopefully, along the way they respected each other’s opinions, had the responsibility, reliability and self-direction |
to meet all deadlines, felt secure enough to ask for more clarity when needed, and had the integrity to come to class prepared, meeting all deadlines, and insuring that their |
work showed their thoughts, ideas, research and understanding. Family Values are given that title because that’s where they stem from and grow. As well they should. Schools have the responsibility |
to educate children by following a curriculum agreed upon by administrators, teachers and parents, and to create a safe and respectful environment. In a perfect world, teachers will teach their |
subject areas, parents will instill values, together they will raise the children to be intelligent adults with solid characters and the Pushmi-pullyus will graze serenely in fields of oatcakes. Believe |
me when I say, “Teachers do not want to be Pushmi-pullyus.” Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think |
How is glomerulonephritis diagnosed? In addition to a thorough physical examination and complete medical history, your child's physician may order the following diagnostic tests: - throat culture - urine tests - blood tests - electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) - a |
test that records the electrical activity of your child's heart, shows abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias or dysrhythmias) and detects heart muscle damage - renal ultrasound (also called sonography) - a non-invasive test in which a transducer is passed over your child's |
kidney producing sound waves that bounce off of the kidney and transmit a picture of the organ on a video screen. - chest x-ray - a diagnostic test which uses invisible X-ray energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, |
bones and organs onto film. - renal biopsy - a procedure in which a small sample of tissue is taken from you child's kidney through a needle. We conduct tests on the tissue to determine the specific disease. |
Children during the Black Death The Black Death was the first and most lethal outbreak of a disease that entered Italy during the end of 1347 and the beginning of 1348 and then spread across Europe in the following few years. It is generally accepted (despite recent arguments to the |
contrary) that this most famous medieval epidemic was caused by bubonic plague. This disease, which was identified in the late 19th century, is endemic among some rodent populations around the globe today, but does not pose a major health risk due to the efficacy of modern antibiotics. The situation, of |
course, was very different in the Middle Ages. The Black Death was brought on, it is believed, by an epizootic, or animal epidemic, among marmots in central Asia that caused the flea (Xenopsylla cheopsis) which passes the bacillus (Yersinia pestis) to leave its preferred host and search for new sources |
of food, that is, human blood. Rats brought infected fleas, the plague vector, into Europe on ships leaving the Black Sea and shores of the eastern Mediterranean. The plague entered European sea ports and traveled inland along trade routes. The effect was devastating. Historians estimate death tolls of between a |
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