Shell. Let's Go.

Inspired by a link in GD, be sure to give it a kick and rec:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002825447

A satire site invites you to create your own Shell "Let's Go" poster, like the one I made below.



The website is here: http://arcticready.com/social

Play a cool game on their "Just for Kids" page:

http://arcticready.com/kids

I think the GD post: "Women: How feminine are you?" is a valid topic for discussion.

But the Poll and the terminology used to raise the topic were unacceptable, and the member probably not sincere and the poll is now locked.

I offer this link for context:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002810596

And my earlier Meta post was, IMO, misunderstood, so I am deleting it.

~

The discussion I find fascinating is a cultural one about the potential dissonance between femininity and feminism, the generational and regional and cultural aspects and nuances.

Similar gender-based discussions can be, and have been, had around male attributes and stereotypes; can a male be both masculine and sensitive? Is it feminine to be kind and masculine to be mean?

I was raised by women: a grandmother, mother, and sister, and without strong male role models, so these things interest me because I never fit the typical male role in this culture.

I am sorry that a few members mistook my earlier post of the same subject line to mean that I agree with that posting member or with the design of that poll, I agree with neither.

I will now delete that post and leave this one in it's place.

Thank you and have a terrific weekend.

Spring has "Sproing"!

~~~celebrating DU's new sexual freedom from prudish moderation!~~~





NB: We might have locked this as a sex thread back in the day....

Oh, LOL, it was unintentional, didn't realize you wrote what I read before I posted.

Who remembers this: "The Land of Make Believe".... Chuck Mangione and Esther Satterfield, 1973?

"Dreams are really
The thoughts that you
Have hidden in your heart.

When you start a brand new day
Let your heart show you the way
And make a dream or two
Come true.

How I love when my thoughts run
To the land of make believe
Where everything is fun
Forever."

"The Land of Make Believe"....
Chuck Mangione and Esther Satterfield, timeless, classis. Enjoy.

Charges dropped against Newton County homebuyers

Source: Atlanta Journal constitution

Charges have been dropped against a couple arrested at the home they had just purchased, the Newton County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

Jean Kalonji, an immigrant from the Congo, said that being confronted by armed neighbors brought back painful memories.

Jean Kalonji and his wife, Angelica, had just closed on a foreclosed home and were told by their real estate agent they should go over to the house and change the locks. But while they were at the home last week, they were confronted by gun-wielding neighbors who refused to believe the couple had purchased the home.

Instead, the neighbors called deputies to the home and the couple was arrested and charged with loitering and prowling. The Kalonjis didn't have the closing paperwork with them at the time deputies arrived and were forced to spend the night in jail after the arrest.





Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/charges-dropped-against-newton-1424231.html

I Would Like DU's Opinion Of the Film, "Race to Nowhere", if You All Would Be So Kind!

About the Film

Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.

"Race to Nowhere" is a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.

In a grassroots sensation already feeding a groundswell for change, hundreds of theaters, schools and organizations nationwide are hosting community screenings of the film nationwide. Tens of thousands of people are coming together, using the film as the centerpiece for raising awareness, radically changing the national dialogue on education and galvanizing change.

Featured in the film:

Dr. Madeline Levine, Clinical Psychologist and author of the best-seller, The Price of Privilege
Dr. Wendy Mogel, Clinical Psychologist and author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, Adolescent Medicine Specialist, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Dr. Deborah Stipek, Dean of the School of Education at Stanford University
Dr. Denise Pope, Co-Founder, Challenge Success, Stanford University
Sara Bennett, Founder, Stop Homework

"We Need to Test These Kids on What They Know; Not What We Want Them to Know"

"Ha Ha Funny" or prescient?

When I first watched this clipped I thought, "Yeah, there's a lot of truth here."

Kids are experts in their own experience and by high school know a LOT about what they need, even if we don't think they do.

If we (teachers, admins, schools, and others) think WE know everything that THEY need to learn, then we've failed from the start.

VERY cool!

wow!

One day after enrollment freeze, Cal State trustees OK pay hikes for 2 presidents

Hat tip to newsjock who posted this in GD.

One day after enrollment freeze, Cal State trustees OK pay hikes for 2 presidents
Source: Associated Press

The California State University trustees on Tuesday approved 10 percent pay hikes for two campus presidents after administrators outlined a grim financial forecast calling for sweeping cuts that will deny admission to thousands of students.

Students, faculty members and unionized employees criticized the board for the salary increases, saying they were excessive in light of a looming $750 million cut in state funding for the next academic year. Administrators are planning to halt most spring 2013 admissions to cope with the cut, a move that will affect some 16,000 students.

"They're forcing us to make cuts because they don't have the money to pay for academic services," said Antoine Wilson, a senior at Cal State Dominguez Hills. "But they're approving salary increases. It shows you where their priorities are."

CSU administrators say the increases are necessary to attract and retain top executive talent. The trustees approved a base salary of $303,660 for CSU East Bay President Leroy Morishita and $324,500 for CSU Fullerton President Mildred Garcia, as well as $12,000 car allowances and $60,000 housing allowances for each.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/20/4353407/cal-state-trustees-decry-enrollment.html