C Twiggs Run

I'm not sure what to make of this short article about the homeless presence online, except to say that if this in any way helps them get back into the mainstream, then I'm all for it.

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for this link.

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When I was an undergraduate, one of my friends left for a semester and studied in England. It was an excellent experience for her, and she returned much changed - in a positive way. Unfortunately, as the story linked below reveals, not all study abroad opportunities turn out as well.

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for this link.

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So I was talking to a 3rd grader yesterday, trying to convince her that Florida State University would be a better choice in the next 10 years than that other university south of here. "I like the Gators," she said, "because they have a homeschooler on their football team." Well, people have certainly chosen their post-high school home for worse reasons, and perhaps more will be in the position to follow in Tim Tebow's footsteps, at least academically, in the future.

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for this link.

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Need your own personal bail-out? Trying to find a way to cash in on the economic crisis? Think this might be a good time to put some stimulus money toward a new car?

Well, probably not.

Thanks to Josh Buckler for this link.

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The strange thing about this article is I think there will be at least four types of responses: those who think this guy is right - and hate it; those who think this guy is wrong - and hate what he is saying; those who think this guy is wrong - but love what he is saying; and those who think this guy is right - and love it.

What I think is scariest is the potential 5th response: "Eh, who cares?"

Thanks to Richard Boettger for this link.

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Midterm tests are over, and it's time to start seeing the first grades of the term - soon, but not quite yet.

Apparently, VPK makes children ready for school. That's what this article claims, anyway. I don't mean to cast doubt on this article, but since it doesn't tell us who conducted the test, where, when, and how, it's a bit difficult to give it my full trust.

Essentially, voluntary pre-kindergarten (a term the article fails to spell correctly) is a great thing for parents who need but can't afford childcare. I worry that this sort of "research," however, might me used to remove the V from VPK, and that would be tragic.

Thanks to Chelsea Stokes for this link.

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I am sure one of my students who has taken a law class more recently than I could explain to me why a man who was "shot in the face by guards who returned his fire" is still considered a "suspect."

Thanks to Tina Rhiles for this link.

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Yes, that would be a great name for a band, but it's also what researchers at the University of Edinburgh are calling for in light of the H1N1 influenza outbreak.

Thanks to Tina Rhiles for these links.

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Twitter is, well, you know what Twitter is, and either you get it, use it, and like it, or you don't get it, don't use it, and don't like it. Me? I like it! In fact, you can read my tweets right here on my blog.

According to the article liked below, some teachers are using Twitter in the classroom, and others think it's a bad idea. William Kist at Kent State University is quoted as saying, "I'm very nervous about students following professors such as myself." Well, so don't follow professors such as him - follow professors such as me!

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Bodies, some as far as 53 miles apart, are still being recovered after the crash off the Brazillian coast on May 31st. The cause of the crash is still unknown, and time is running out to recover the flight recorders.

Thanks to Tina Rhiles and Michael Kalvig for these links.

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I have to admit this is not something I thought very much about before receiving this link, but I do find it interesting the angle this writer took in her intro. She posits that egg donation is needed because of women choosing to wait until later in life to have babies.

What was it someone told me earlier today about decadent Americans?

Thanks to Chelsea Stokes for this link.

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If you happen to be in Louisville on June 27th and you're looking for a quiet church service, this may not be it.

Thanks to Gina Camp for this link.

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Deborah Kotz has an interesting blog post using the recent late-term abortion doctor killing as an opportunity to run down the status of abortion funding and availability.

Thanks to Lester Mays for this link.

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This is a fascinating article about the life and death of the world's longest-serving president, Omar Bongo of Gabon. Interesting fact #1 - we share a birthday.

Thanks to Chelsea Stokes for this link.

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Stefanie Teixeira sent in this link along with the following comments, which I think express my sentiments exactly.
"I found this article very interesting, and thought it would shed some light for other classmates on the laws in other countries. I think that many Americans tend to forget how other countries have stipulations and regulations that we could never stand by. It is hard to imagine your child being sick and not having your legal system behind you in support of his life."

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You may also be interested in the following links about organ donation in Northeast Florida: Donate Life Day and Katie Ride for Life

This idea is really neat! Take used shipping containers and turn them into houses - very cool! Don't miss the video to see some of the designs.

Thanks to Nicole Frankhouser for this link.

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I believe in the health benefits of a glass of wine, even if those benefits are only to my mental health. Ever since The French Paradox was first proposed, the prevailing wisdom seemed to be that the health benefits of red wine extend to many areas of the body as well. Now some scientists are calling that theory into question and asking if there really is a cause and effect relationship between moderate consumption of alcohol and good health.

Thanks to Philip Johnson for this link.

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It just doesn't make sense to smoke, folks. Even the President is pleased with this legislation, and he's a smoker!

Thanks to Mike Kavig for this link.

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So I've been spending the few hours between runs and bouts of paper grading this summer getting into the NBC series HEROES. I'm having a lot of fun, especially since I have 3 years' worth of episodes to watch, so there's no waiting when I reach the end of one, at least not yet. When I run out of video options, though, I may be able just to look out the door and see a real life superhero walking down the street!

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for this link.

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I'm thinking of a new game called "Workplace Bingo" that would use this top ten list to score points. Some days I am certain I run into all of these behaviors before noon!

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for this link.

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Parenthood is not for wimps!
Anyone who has followed my Twitter feed for more than 10 minutes knows the woes our kids put us through. Truth be told, though, anyone with kids can probably tell the same stories or worse. So it is not without some interest that I read about the introduction of new public military academies across the US. If anyone hears of plans for such a thing in Northeast Florida in the near future (our oldest is starting middle school in the fall) please spread the word!

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for this link.

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That's how much President Obama's health care plan will cost American taxpayers over the next ten years.

That's all I care to say on the matter.

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for this link.

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When I read these three articles, I got this horrible image of someone driving down the road being hacked by a sexual predator on Myspace.

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for these links.

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and Here

and Here

Burial practices vary from culture to culture. Here is an example of what the future may hold for our dearly departed.

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for another provocative link.

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Sanford, Florida, wants your sewage!

I'm starting to think Pamela Garrett is spending too much time on the computer, even for an online student.

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Surgical residents at, well, this article isn't clear exactly where, but anyway, surgical residents somewhere were asked to play, well, the article doesn't say what game or games, but still, they used a Wii before using some virtual surgery thing, and they did better than those who didn't do whatever it was the first group did - fascinating!

Who wants to bet Nintendo was behind this?

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for finding this link.

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This link submitted by Arielle Virgona is about a girl's dying wish to see the Disney-Pixar movie. If your eyes don't fill with tears reading this one, you have no heart.

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According to this article sent in by Pamela Garret, I'm not supposed to let anyone online know if I'm on vacation. So in case you're wondering, I never take vacations, and every time I leave the house, my pro-wrestling, sharpshooting, black belt neighbor comes over and works out with his Marine buddies, okay?

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Pet Airways is launching July 14th for those who have a need to send their pets (dogs and cats only, at first) on a trip across the country. Fares start at $149 one way.

Thanks to Pamela Garrett for another interesting link.

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Mexico's border clinics claim to house the secret to curing cancer, but the American Cancer Society warns that replacing conventional cancer treatment with alternative methods is a mistake.

Thanks to Nicole Frankhouser for this link.

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Here's another cancer-related link from Nicole Frankhouser. A large government-sponsored study is starting to ascertain the effects of vitamin D and fish oil on a person's chances of having a stroke or getting heart disease or cancer.

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In the 1980's, a generation of children born to HIV-infected mothers found themselves infected from birth. The world expected them to die young, but many have defied the odds, and some have grown up to have babies of their own.

Thanks to Nicole Frankhouser for this link.

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Stefanie Teixeira sent in this inspiring story along with these words about why she chose it: "I wanted to share this article with the class because the story is so touching and heart warming. At times we get discouraged with school and reading this article helped reinforce the value of education for me a bit. We get so accustomed to social norms and tend to forget how blessed we are to have access to education in our country. This article is of a young woman who beat the statistical odds and proved to many that one's potential is far beyond what others may generalize him or her to be."

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It's been way too long since I put out a new podcast. Here you'll see what I've been up to over the last two weeks. I'm training hard, but I haven't forgotten about my hard-working students!

There is no question our nation owes a huge debt to the veterans of our armed services. Unfortunately, according to this article submitted by Kelly Bushnell, far too often they are receiving much less than what they deserve.

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Pamela Garrett sent in this infuriating story about NYC teachers making money for doing nothing. It's bad enough there are teachers who are in the classroom accomplishing very little in some schools, but these jokers are actually paid just to sit in detention all day. Your history teachers will tell you unions were a good thing, but this story makes me think they have gone too far!

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