Moments of Awareness

What do teacher contracts have to do with laptops and mandatory online classes for high schoolers? And what does the teacher-student ratio have to do with merit pay? Not much on the surface, but state schools Superintendent Tom Luna says its time to revamp the entire system. But the complicated slate of reform proposals have another connection, too: in these tight budget times, if you want to spend extra money on technology and pay-for-preformance, you have to save it somewhere else. 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM $62.8 million [...] Full article at  idahostatesman.com I'm not sittin' down to do the math. There are people who get paid to do that and people who would be far better at it than I. I don't know if I agree with their choices or not (although skimming this I see things I really like and things I'm iffier on; my opinion's not what's important here). I'm thrilled to see someone with the clout to get stuff don...

BOISE -- Two students at Timberline High School in Boise want to see part of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna's "Students Come First" plan changed. In an attempt to make that happen, the 16-year-old girls made petitions and are passing them out to fellow students. But it's going beyond that.  These petitions are already at one other school and plans are to get them to eight junior high and high schools in the Boise School District. The two high school juniors say they value their education and fear that online classes won't educate them as well as a teacher in a classroom. When it comes to learning and education, the traditional classroom, desks, black or white boards, pencils and paper has been the norm.  But technology is changing and so is the classroom. [...] Full article at  ktvb.com It's great that they're taking this kind of initiative. When they've got a little world experience under their belt and a...

Too funny, Paul. I'd love to post the Denmark Speed Control one but all those pretty titties might get my account closed. :D See and download the full gallery on posterous Posted via email from Peace Jaway

Life Changing Fitness For A Made Up Mind -  Chicago Boot Camp Fitness Training ,  Kettlebell Fitness Training ,  Kickboxing Aerobics , more...  Posted via email from Peace Jaway

Posted via email from Peace Jaway

W/ KARIN COMES KILLING Saturday, February 12, 2011 7:00 PM-12:00 PM Knitting Factory Concert House 416 South 9th St Boise, ID 83702 Posted via email from Peace Jaway

Delta IV rocket takes flight Washington (CNN) -- The largest rocket ever launched from the West Coast went into space Thursday afternoon carrying a secret "national security" satellite, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California announced. The 23-story tall Delta IV rocket blasted off on schedule at 1:10 p.m. PT (4:10 p.m. ET). With 2 million pounds of thrust -- 33 times the output of the Hoover Dam -- it delivered into orbit a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. government agency that oversees the nation's satellites. The NRO is staying mum about the satellite but noted this is the third in a series of six satellite launches happening over a seven- to eight-month period. The next launch is scheduled for February 5. [...] Full article at  cnn.com   Posted via email from Peace Jaway

Screenshot of the Google Maps Aflockalypse maps of mass bird deaths. You have to admit, the news is a little weird: 5,000 blackbirds falling dead from the sky in Arkansas; tens of thousands of dead fish in Chesapeake Bay; 50-100 dead birds found strewn in lawns in Sweden; 40,000 dead crabs washed up on England’s shores; 530 penguins, numerous other seabirds, five dolphins, and three giant sea turtles dead in Brazil; 200 American Coots dead on a Texas bridge; hundreds of snapper fish dead in New Zealand. And the list keeps growing. Eerie coincidence? Or just a symptom of the digital age where news travels faster than you can say “The End is Nigh?” You can now keep track of what is being called “Aflockalypse” on Google Maps. [...] Full article at  universetoday.com Okay, we're often asked how we feel about 'the end times', or 2012, or the Apocalypse, etc. We are of the opinion that a planet is alive, but with a 'consciousnes...

Susan Mitton knows so much about Bon Jovi, she feels like the rock band is a member of her family. The group’s music has been the soundtrack of her son’s life. Justin Mitton, who was born with the genetic disorder Down syndrome, took a shine to Bon Jovi when its first album debuted in the early 1980s. The 39-year-old, who never let his hair grow wildly long like his idols, has played their music every day since. Every day? Even now? “Yeah,” he said with little hesitation. He listens to music on his iPod now. But sometimes he can’t help singing out loud, and he finds meaning in the lyrics — all of which he knows by heart. [...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Katy Moeller: 377-6413 Full article at  idahostatesman.com Thanks, Denise. Cool story. :) If you want to add your voice on Justin's behalf you can do so here ( http://on.fb.me/g5CpT4) or via the link posted with the Statesman article. Posted via email from Peace Jaway

PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE CREATOR OF THE“ZEITGEIST FILM SERIES”, PETER JOSEPH: RE: THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ASSOCIATION CREATED BETWEEN “ZEITGEIST” AND THE TUCSON MURDERS. It has come to my attention that various mainstream news organizations are beginning to run an association between my 2007 performance piece/film, “Zeitgeist: The Movie” and the tragic murders conducted by an extremely troubled young man in Tucson, Arizona. They are also slowly beginning to bleed the obvious line between my 2007 documentary work, my film series as a whole and The Zeitgeist Movement, which I am the founder. Frankly, I find this isolating, growing association tremendously irresponsible on the part of ABC, NBC and their affiliates - further reflecting the disingenuous nature of the America Media Establishment today. It appears to have begun with a comment on NBC news referencing my film along with other “influent...

Shutterstock A new trend in weightlifting and fitness claims that your workout routine should only last a half hour -- any longer than that and you’re not doing it correctly.  Intrigued?  Well, so are we. Kettlebell routines are the rapidly growing workout that’s catching the attention of individuals looking to hop off of that hum-drum weight bench and shape up with the help of kettlebells.  The iron weight comes in the shape of a cannon ball, with an attached handle, and combines cardiovascular, flexibility and strength trainings for an engaging, full body workout. The kettlebell, which links its roots back to Russian tradition, comes in a variety of sizes.  The conventional Russian kettlebell weighs 1 pood, or 35 pounds, but is available in lower weight increments. [...] Full article at  nbcwashington.com Thanks, Julie! I love yoga because in requiring balance as well as strength it engages all t...

   Download now or listen on posterous 01_Temptin_Me.mp3 (3939 KB) Actual Depiction Posted via email from Peace Jaway

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Editor’s Note: The U.S. public’s fear after the 9/11 attacks enabled the Bush administration to dismantle many of the civil-liberties safeguards that had been developed in reaction to disclosures in the 1970s of government assaults on dissent and freedom of speech. As many Americans embraced the illusion of “perfect security” – even at the cost of their freedoms – government agencies stepped in with ambitious “counterterrorism” programs that soon were targeting innocent citizens, a problem that former FBI officer Coleen Rowley says must now be addressed: Who has not yet awoken to the fact that we have been sailing since the 9/11 attacks into a perfect storm? Here are just some of the turbulent winds blowing and pushing officials in the wrong direction:   --Politicians who constantly stoke the fear of terrorism while forcing underling officials to promise they can protect the public by “pre-empting” all t...

To the Editor: Two million Iraqis have already left their country, including 600,000 of the estimated 1.2 million Christians in Iraq in 2003. The new wave of violence against Christians in Iraq (“ Under Siege ,” editorial, Jan. 6) makes clear that the Iraqi refugee crisis will worsen before it improves. So far, the international community has fallen short on assisting vulnerable Iraqis. Instead of providing an expedited route to safety, the United States refugee system includes redundant and onerous documentation requirements and forces Iraqi families to wait for months or years. The United States must expedite the evacuation of Iraqi minority groups at imminent risk of death or torture, including Christians. [...] Full article at  nytimes.com I'm not sure the US government *should* be involved in any of this stuff. I do find it to be a double standard that our nation, which has of late prided itself on being 'Christian' (despite having been founde...

For states that are serious about trimming deficits, out-of-control prison costs are a good place to start cutting. The expenses of housing and caring for more than one million state prison inmates has quadrupled in the last decade from about $12 billion a year to more $52 billion a year. This, in turn, has squeezed budgets for essential programs like education. Governors seeking wisdom on how to proceed could start by looking at what Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, is trying to accomplish in Indiana. The centerpiece of Mr. Daniels’s approach is a set of reforms governing sentencing and parole. Judges would be allowed to fit sentences to crimes and have the flexibility to impose shorter sentences for nonviolent offenses. A poorly structured parole system would be reorganized to focus on offenders who actually present a risk to public safety. Addicts would be given drug treatment to try to make them less likely to be rearrested. And there would be incentives for towns...

LONDON — Is Tunis the Arab Gdansk? Big things start small. In Poland, the firing in 1980 of Anna Walentynowicz, a shipyard worker, led to strikes and the formation of the grassroots Solidarity movement that set in motion the unraveling of the Soviet empire. Walentynowicz, who was killed in a plane crash last year, once told me all they sought at the outset was “better money, improved work safety, a free trade union and my job back.” All Mohamed Bouazizi wanted was a job, some means to eke out a living. Like many of Tunisia’s university graduates, he found himself unemployed while the coterie of the now-ousted president binged on the nation’s riches and titillated themselves with large felines. When police shut down Bouazizi’s informal vegetable stall in the central town of Sidi Bouzid, he killed himself. His self-immolation a month ago ignited an Arab uprising. Now, the Tunisian dictator of 23 years, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, has fled to the ...

Sometime early last week, a large slice of educated America decided that Amy Chua is a menace to society. Chua, as you probably know, is the Yale professor who has written a bracing critique of what she considers the weak, cuddling American parenting style. Chua didn’t let her own girls go out on play dates or sleepovers. She didn’t let them watch TV or play video games or take part in garbage activities like crafts. Once, one of her daughters came in second to a Korean kid in a math competition, so Chua made the girl do 2,000 math problems a night until she regained her supremacy. Once, her daughters gave her birthday cards of insufficient quality. Chua rejected them and demanded new cards. Once, she threatened to burn all of one of her daughter’s stuffed animals unless she played a piece of music perfectly. As a result, Chua’s daughters get straight As and have won a series of musical competitions. In her book, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother...

Click for larger image  • The deep end: Dan McGee and Gregg Levy are Spider Bags. Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World , the second album by Carrboro's Spider Bags, is a glorious mess. Each of its 10 tracks feels as if it fights from beneath a haze of distortion or gasps for air underneath a tide of tape hiss. On "Long White Desert Rose," frontman Dan McGee slurs his syllables, howling "Baby, baby, what's wrong with me?" as grimy guitars and madcap drums chase from behind. On the closer, "Here Now," the acoustic guitar is so loud it sounds electric, the tape groaning with the same resolute desolation as McGee. "We'll never get out of here now," he manages, singing as if he's watched the sun set and rise for three days straight. Spider Bags have been in these tangles before. In fact, across two LPs and one 7" single, it's where they've always lived. The band's name references packages of heroin beca...

   Download now or listen on posterous Niagara_Falls_Rain_Stereo.mp3 (2347 KB) OCTO Posted via email from Peace Jaway

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia took a step toward democracy and reconciliation Monday, promising to free political prisoners and opening its government to opposition forces long shut out of power — but the old guard held onto the key posts, angering protesters. Demonstrators carrying signs reading "GET OUT!" demanded that the former ruling party be banished altogether — a sign more troubles lie ahead for the new unity government as security forces struggle to contain violent reprisals, shootings and looting three days after the country's longtime president fled under pressure from the streets. "We're afraid that the president has left, but the powers-that-be remain," said Hylel Belhassen, a 51-year-old insurance salesman. Even before the new government was announced Monday, security forces fired tear gas to repel demonstrators who see the change of power as Tunisia's first real chance at democracy. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled Friday to S...

Posted via email from Peace Jaway

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16 January 2011 Last updated at 19:15 ET   By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News The scientists used a hi-tech submersible to study the trench The climate secrets of the deepest part of the ocean, the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, have been probed by scientists. The international team used a submersible, designed to withstand immense pressures, to study the bottom of the 10.9km-deep underwater canyon. Their early results reveal that ocean trenches are acting as carbon sinks. [...] Full article at  bbc.co.uk Of course the bottom of the ocean is teeming with life, and of course it's in forms both recognizable and incomprehensible. It's the birthplace of life, if nature followed it's usual course in the early days. Hot, wet, and moist has been it would seem for recorded time anyway the optimal formula for supporting growth and evolution. It's a hostile environment to life *as we know it*, but it's a great exampl...

13 January 2011 Last updated at 19:03 ET Breastfeeding is known to benefit babies Relying purely on breastfeeding for the first six months might not be best for babies, experts in the UK have warned. In the British Medical Journal , the team said breastfed babies may benefit from being given solid food earlier. Current advice suggests weaning should occur at six months, but the UCL team say it could happen as early as four. [...] Full article at  bbc.co.uk Little Dude expressed interest in gumming and sometimes swallowing food at five months and we let him try whatever he wanted of what we had though he continued breast-feeding for quite a while. So far it's worked for us to give him the best information we have about nutrition and let him make his choices regarding food. The guideline makes sense if it's not presented as a hard and fast rule. Around six months (which could mean as little as four or as much as eight months), most babies are ready ...

January 13, 2011 In one of the more amusing calls you’ll ever hear, a four-year-old Florida boy dialed 911 to report that his father had “been very bad,” and asked a police operator to write a message to Santa Claus to report his parent’s behavior. The January 2 call, handled by a Niceville Police Department operator, can be heard here . When the operator asked the boy what his father did, the child replied, “When you’re bad you get a big rock and you have to put it under your house.” [...] Full article at  thesmokinggun.com   Posted via email from Peace Jaway