Archive for October, 2010

Halloween Highs From More Than Sugar

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Whatever you might think about the idea of legalizing marijuana use for adults — California voters will decide next Tuesday whether or not to do just that — you probably don’t approve of giving pot to children, especially pre-teens.  If you’re a parent who doesn’t want their kids trying weed until they reach adulthood (or something close to it, anyway), you might want to be extra careful about checking their treat bags when they get home from trick-or-treating tonight.

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Beer Cans Bad For Babies

Friday, October 29th, 2010

I’ve long been one of those snobs who simply won’t drink beer that comes in a can.  Heck, in many cases, I won’t even call it beer.  It turns out, now, that quality and taste of the beer is just one reason to avoid beer in cans.  According to a study of Chinese factory workers, drinking beer (or, for that matter, soda) from cans will do more than reduce your chances of getting laid — it affects your ability to make anything happen if you do.

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School Board Member Wants Students To Die

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

According to the Center for Public Education, school boards have one primary purpose: “first and foremost school boards look out for students.”  They do this, in part, by determining policies, selecting curriculum, and providing oversight and accountability for the schools in their districts.  So the last thing you’d expect from a member of a school board is to publicly and openly encourage people — including students from Midland School District which he represents — to kill themselves.  And yet, that’s what Clint McCance did.

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Pre-School Presents

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

So your precious darling has started pre-school and one day he or she brings home an invitation to a birthday party.  One of their little friends is turning a year older and, naturally, they want your brilliant and funny life-of-the-party to be, well, the life of their party.  But then there’s the dilemma of the present.  It’s not so much what to get as it is how much to spend.

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Religion In Schools, Fingers In Ears

Monday, October 25th, 2010

A Facebook Friend posted just the other day that he was shocked that his daughter’s teacher had given the class a list of the five pillars of Islam as part of a unit on the Middle East.  He felt that not only was this teaching the students about Islam but it was also teaching them how to convert.  He believed this was an inappropriate violation of the doctrine of separation of church and state.  To further complicate matters, the teacher had informed the students that she was a Muslim.  So a call was made to the school principal and a meeting has been scheduled to discuss the matter.

Well, Rhonda Thurman, a member of the Hamilton County Board of Education in Tennessee, has a solution.  If the teacher begins teaching the students about Islam or praying with them, my friend’s daughter and any other offended students can simply “put their fingers in their ears.”  Yep, she actually said that.

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Talking To Kids — Does It Work?

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

It seems that radio stations play the “talk to your kids about drugs” ads almost as much as they do music these days.  Aside from the fact that they aren’t music, that’s not a bad thing.  After all, I don’t think anyone would argue that parents shouldn’t talk to their kids about drugs or that doing so would lead to increased abuse.  Mind you, it’s certainly not foolproof prevention, but it also certainly can’t hurt.  So why is it that parents don’t feel the same way about sex?

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Suspended for a T-Shirt

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

The junior high and high school years are a time when kids are figuring out who they are and who they will become.  It’s important that we support them in that endeavor and make sure they know they are loved and accepted no matter what path they choose for themselves.  It’s also important that their school — teachers, administrators, and fellow students — take an active role in that support.  That’s why it’s especially heinous when a school does something like what happened in the Fort Smith School District in Arkansas.

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My Princess Boy — Lessons In Acceptance

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

When my oldest was in preschool, he used to run around singing “I Love Being A Princess,” a song from the Backyardigans TV show.  At school, he put on dresses and pranced about in heels.  In his case, however, it was simply a matter of a catchy tune and a lack of more traditionally male dress up items in the school’s dress up corner.  While he’s since moved on to other songs and other clothes, he sees nothing wrong with his younger brother repeating lines from a show about wishing to be a princess.  Thankfully, that sort of acceptance is no longer limited to San Francisco.

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The 20-Year-Old Baby

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

Imagine giving birth to a 20-year-old.  Sure, it lets you avoid changing diapers and those trying teenage years, but imagine the labor pains!  My middle child was so big that she got stuck on the way out; my youngest was even bigger.  Luckily for the 42-year-old mother, however, the 20-year-old baby boy she gave birth to was apparently of normal size.  But how, you ask, could a woman give birth to a 20-year-old, baby-sized or otherwise?

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Student Teacher Fired For Hanging Out With Guys

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Teachers teach their students a lot more than just the three Rs of reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic.  They teach kids to have confidence and to try new things.  They get kids to strive for excellence and accept loss gracefully.  Teachers teach kids how to interact with others, both by telling them directly and by setting an example.  In short, teachers teach kids about the real world.  Except, perhaps, in Beaverton, Oregon where the real world apparently must be cleaned up and sanitized before telling the precious little snowflakes about it.

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