Glenn’s Christmas Sweater For Kids
Glenn’s Christmas Sweater For Kids
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
October 30, 2009
If you loved Glenn’s Christmas Sweater, you will love this one just for kids. As he described on his radio show that he read it to his kids, when he first wrote it without the pictures. His two kids kept on requesting it over and over.
I decided to test his words, not that I didn’t believe him. I took it to a group of children in my neighborhood. I couldn’t leave; I had to read it over and over again. I was there for three hours. It brought tears to my eyes that there was a book that kids wanted to hear. And they didn’t even know that it was teaching them a lesson. Some of the kids even ask me to help them learn how to read it themselves.
If you have not got it, I am telling you that it is a must book to read to your children. This is one that kids will want to hear every night over and over again. You don’t have to read it just for Christmas. It can be read anytime.
I am going to let Glenn describe what the book is about in his own words:
We would like to know how your children reacted and learned from it. You can contact us at dan@goldcoastchronicle.com . And we will publish them.
by Glenn Beck
On Christmas Eve, Eddie shook his snow globe one last time and placed it on the dresser beside his bed. He watched the snowstorm swirl and thought about the one gift he wanted most for Christmas—a new bicycle.
Adapted from the #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Glenn Beck, The Christmas Sweater shares a young boy’s story of hope and redemption as he searches for the true meaning of Christmas. With the whimsical Grandpa by his side, Eddie takes a magical journey reminiscent of A Christmas Carol and The Polar Express that leads him to appreciate the simple things in life: family and love.
The picture book edition of The Christmas Sweater is a beautiful holiday treat from Glenn Beck that you’ll share with your family again and again.
Source: Glenn Beck
Teachers Say Texting Can Be Good for Teens
October 30, 2009 by Kim
Filed under One Person's View
By Jeff Elder
October 30, 2009
Texting, a favorite and seemingly instinctive activity for teens, has loomed over education and parenthood for several years. Many adults felt like it would mash proper English into the ground and was a distraction from serious learning.
The average number of texts by U.S. teens 13-17 has reached 2,900 a month, according to Nielsen, the media and marketing information company. And The New York Times reported in May that physicians and psychiatrists fear texting is taking a toll on teens’ sleep patterns and ability to think for themselves.
But now some teachers in Charlotte and nationwide are seeking to harness its power and making peace with it. Researchers back this new approach with new evidence that texting teaches some positive language skills, and pragmatists argue that a war on texting is unwinnable.
Make a place for the giant thumb, these experts argue. In the words of teacher Annie McCanless of Providence High School, “It’s here to stay.”
McCanless, a civics teacher and swim coach, believes texting has become “an established part of teens’ lives” and can be used as “a real tool as opposed to a hindrance.”
Alan Vitale, who teaches journalism at Renaissance School at Olympic High, says, “Some teachers are actually embracing it,” and “the students really appreciate you meeting them at their level.”
None of the teachers, experts or even students interviewed by the Observer disputes the dangers presented by obsessively sending text messages on mobile phones: Some students text too much, text in inappropriate places (like the classroom), text in troubling ways (such as suggestive “sexting”) and text at times that are unhealthy (such as all night). But some teachers see positive aspects of texting.
One long-held fear about texting has been that its shortcuts such as OMG (for “Oh My God”) seep into teens’ language use, along with mangled, abbreviated and simplistic syntax. Yet despite much coverage of this in the press, researchers and teachers dispute it.
“Writing is good. Writing is expressing thoughts. Expressing thoughts is good. We just don’t like their modality,” argues Larry Rosen, an author and researcher at California State University Dominguez Hills whose upcoming book is titled “Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn.” Rosen and four colleagues surveyed more than 700 teens and aggregated multiple studies in the new study “The Relationship between ‘Textisms’ and Formal and Informal Writing Among Young Adults.”
The study found that texting may actually help teens’ writing in informal essays and many other writing assignments. In a conversational essay about happiness – which asked “what does it mean to be happy?” – teens who used more texting shortcuts performed better than colleagues who did not.
The popular press has reported much on “textisms” entering students’ schoolwork, Rosen says, “but research shows it’s very, very rare.”
“I definitely concur,” says Jim Scott, an English and journalism teacher at Myers Park High School. “They’re thinking in language terms,” he says, noting the positive aspects of texting. “Kids are far better at mode-shifting. People talk about texting abbreviations seeping into the language. I hear it in the press. I think that’s fear. I don’t think it’s research-based.”
The education blog www.edu topia.org reported in May 2008 that some instructors, including former N.C. Teacher Of The Year Cindi Rigsbee of Orange County, have asked students to translate passages from classic literature to texting-speak to demonstrate a comprehension of language and the differences in context. This is in line with one of the findings of Rosen’s research: Texting-speak is not a mangled form of English that is degrading proper language, but instead a kind of “pidgin” language all its own that actually stretches teens’ language skills.
There are negative impacts of too much texting, including a finding in Rosen’s research that it can hurt students’ performance in the most formal types of essay writing, a key component of some testing.
Joe Ehrman-Dupre, a Myers Park senior, echoed the thoughts of other Charlotte students on texting: “I think teachers are worried that cell phones are a distraction from learning, but I think they can be an important tool as well…. Texting encourages homework completion, because I get at least two or three texts each night from friends asking what the homework for ‘x’ class was.”
The Observer asked Ehrman-Dupre and other Charlotte teens on Facebook for their thoughts about texting.
Emily Moore, a senior at Northwest School of the Arts, agreed, posting: “I think texting can be very helpful when it comes to homework. It’s an easy way to know if something is due if you forgot, or to ask questions about something I don’t understand. I have had many texting conversations over homework before.”
Source: Charlotte Observer
Editor’s Note : We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Kids Watch too much TV
October 30, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Parent's Advice
By Matea Gold
October 29, 2009
More than an entire day — that’s how long children sit in front of the television in an average week, according to new findings released Monday by Nielsen.
The amount of television usage by children reached an eight-year high, with kids ages 2 to 5 watching the screen for more than 32 hours a week on average and those ages 6 to 11 watching more than 28 hours. The analysis, based on the fourth quarter of 2008, measured children’s consumption of live and recorded TV, as well as VCR and game console usage.
“They’re using all the technology available in their households,” said Patricia McDonough, Nielsen’s senior vice president of insights, analysis and policy. “They’re using the DVD, they’re on the Internet. They’re not giving up any media — they’re just picking up more.”
The increase in consumption is in part the result of more programming targeted at kids, she said, including video on demand, which is particularly popular among young children who like to watch their favorite shows over and over again.
“When I was a kid, I had Saturday morning cartoons,” McDonough said. “And now there are programs they want to watch available to them whenever they want to watch them.”
The findings alarmed children’s health advocates, who warned that increased television watching is linked to delayed language skills and obesity. A 2007 study by researchers at the University of Washington found that babies who watched videos geared to them learned fewer vocabulary words than infants who never watched the videos.
When kids are plunked in front of a screen, they’re also missing out on critical opportunities to learn from their parents and develop imaginative play, experts said.
“I think parents are clueless about how much media their kids are using and what they’re watching,” said Dr. Vic Strasburger, a professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The biggest misconception is that it’s harmless entertainment,” said Strasburger, who has written extensively about the effects of media on children. “Media are one of the most powerful teachers of children that we know of. When we in this society do a bad job of educating kids about sex and drugs, the media pick up the slack.”
The academy recommends no screen time for children younger than 2 and less than an hour or two for those older than 2.
“There are some extraordinarily good media for kids,” he said. “But even the best — ‘Sesame Street’ for 5-year-olds — kids shouldn’t be watching five hours a day. They should be outside playing. They should be having books read to them.”
The new data from Nielsen comes on the heels of the news that the Walt Disney Co. expanded its refund offer for its “Baby Einstein” videos after pressure from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which complained to the Federal Trade Commission about claims that the videos are educational. On Monday, Susan McLain, general manager of the Baby Einstein Company, issued a statement saying the company does not make such claims and that the refund offer is not an admission that the company misled parents in its marketing.
Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, said the way infants are exposed to media shapes their future relationship with television.
“Once you start hooking babies on media, it’s harder to limit it,” she said. “If we start children early in life on a steady diet of screen time and electronic toys, they don’t develop the resources to generate their own amusement, so they become dependent on screens.”
Networks that program specifically for children discounted the potential negative effects from the report’s findings.
“Our programming for 2- to 5-year-olds is totally educational programming, and has been widely praised by advocates, widely praised by educators,” said Dan Martinsen, a spokesman for Nickelodeon, the network behind such popular kids’ shows as “Dora the Explorer,” “Wonder Pets,” and “Blue’s Clues.”
Kids ages 2 to 5 spent an average of 3 hours and 47 minutes a day watching television in the fourth quarter of 2008, up from 3 hours and 40 minutes in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to Nielsen. Older children watched an average of 3 hours and 20 minutes a day, up from 3 hours and 17 minutes.
In 2008, children spent 97% of their screen time watching live TV, although those ages 2 to 5 are increasingly watching shows through digital video recorders or DVDs. Younger kids also watch more commercials in playback mode, viewing 50% of ads, compared with the 44% watched by children ages 6 to 11. The data is based on Nielsen’s national sample, which includes 6,700 kids ages 2 to 11.
Editor’s Note : You can contact her at matea.gold@latimes.com. Times staff writer Dawn C. Chmielewski contributed to this report.
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Copyright © 2009,
Source: The Los Angeles Times
Who Were Our Presidents? Part 13
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Oct. 30, 2009
Editor’s Note: How many of us along with our children? Know who our Presidents were and what they have done in Office.
Each week we will pick a President and tell you about them and their Accomplishes.
We hope that you will enjoy this series. And let us know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
13. Millard Fillmore 1850-1853
In his rise from a log cabin to wealth and the White House, Millard Fillmore demonstrated that through methodical industry and some competence an uninspiring man could make the American dream come true.
Born in the Finger Lakes country of New York in 1800, Fillmore as a youth endured the privations of frontier life. He worked on his father’s farm, and at 15 was apprenticed to a cloth dresser. He attended one-room schools, and fell in love with the redheaded teacher, Abigail Powers, who later became his wife.
In 1823 he was admitted to the bar; seven years later he moved his law practice to Buffalo. As an associate of the Whig politician Thurlow Weed, Fillmore held state office and for eight years was a member of the House of Representatives. In 1848, while Comptroller of New York, he was elected Vice President.
Fillmore presided over the Senate during the months of nerve-wracking debates over the Compromise of 1850. He made no public comment on the merits of the compromise proposals, but a few days before President Taylor’s death, he intimated to him that if there should be a tie vote on Henry Clay’s bill, he would vote in favor of it.
Thus the sudden accession of Fillmore to the Presidency in July 1850 brought an abrupt political shift in the administration. Taylor’s Cabinet resigned and President Fillmore at once appointed Daniel Webster to be Secretary of State, thus proclaiming his alliance with the moderate Whigs who favored the Compromise.
A bill to admit California still aroused all the violent arguments for and against the extension of slavery, without any progress toward settling the major issues.
Clay, exhausted, left Washington to recuperate, throwing leadership upon Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. At this critical juncture, President Fillmore announced in favor of the Compromise. On August 6, 1850, he sent a message to Congress recommending that Texas be paid to abandon her claims to part of New Mexico.
This helped influence a critical number of northern Whigs in Congress away from their insistence upon the Wilmot Proviso–the stipulation that all land gained by the Mexican War must be closed to slavery.
Douglas’s effective strategy in Congress combined with Fillmore’s pressure from the White House to give impetus to the Compromise movement. Breaking up Clay’s single legislative package, Douglas presented five separate bills to the Senate:
1. Admit California as a free state.
2. Settle the Texas boundary and compensate her.
3. Grant territorial status to New Mexico.
4. Place Federal officers at the disposal of slaveholders seeking fugitives.
5. Abolish the slave trade in the District of Columbia.
Each measure obtained a majority, and by September 20, President Fillmore had signed them into law. Webster wrote, “I can now sleep of nights.”
Some of the more militant northern Whigs remained irreconcilable, refusing to forgive Fillmore for having signed the Fugitive Slave Act. They helped deprive him of the Presidential nomination in 1852.
Within a few years it was apparent that although the Compromise had been intended to settle the slavery controversy, it served rather as an uneasy sectional truce.
As the Whig Party disintegrated in the 1850’s, Fillmore refused to join the Republican Party; but, instead, in 1856 accepted the nomination for President of the Know Nothing, or American, Party. Throughout the Civil War he opposed President Lincoln and during Reconstruction supported President Johnson. He died in 1874.
Source: White House
Editor’s Note: Todays’ homework: We would like to know some of President Millard Fillmore’s accomplishments as President.
If you can give us some, you can win a prize. You can contact us at dan@youngchronicle.com
VACCINES KILL INNOCENT CHILDREN! -Thousands of Children are Murdered Each Year by Vaccines
Medal of Honor Recipient – U.S. Army Major William E. Adams
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Oct. 28, 2009
Each week we at the Chronicle will be honoring one of these true heroes.
We will call it Medal of Honor Recipient of the Week.
We hope you will join with us to honor these true heroes. Who have given us the greatest sacrifice that one could give their life, to save their fellow soldiers?
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
This Week’s Hero: U.S. Army Major, A/227th Assault Helicopter Company, 52d Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade, William E. Adams
Place and Date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 25 May 1971
Entered Service at: Kansas City, Missouri
Born: 16 June 1939, Casper, Wyoming
Citation:
Maj. Adams distinguished himself on 25 May 1971 while serving as a helicopter pilot in Kontum Province in the Republic of Vietnam. On that date Maj. Adams volunteered to fly a lightly armed helicopter in an attempt to evacuate 3 seriously wounded soldiers from a small fire base which was under attack by force.
He made the decision with full knowledge that numerous anti-aircraft weapons were positioned around the base and that the clear weather would afford the enemy gunners an unobstructed view of all routes into the base.
As he approached the base, the enemy gunners opened fire with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. Undaunted by the fusillade, he continued his approach determined to accomplish the mission.
Displaying tremendous courage under fire, he calmly directed the attacks of supporting gun ships while maintaining absolute control of the helicopter he was flying. He landed the aircraft at the fire base despite the ever-increasing enemy fire and calmly waited until the wounded soldiers were placed on board.
As his aircraft departed from the fire base, it was struck and seriously damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire and began descending. Flying with exceptional skill, he immediately regained control of the crippled aircraft and attempted a controlled landing. Despite his valiant efforts, the helicopter exploded, overturned, and plummeted to earth amid the hail of enemy fire.
Maj. Adams’ conspicuous gallantry, intrepidity, and humanitarian regard for his fellow man were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of the military service and reflected the utmost credit on him and the U.S. Army.
Source: US Military
What Do You Do Fire in Your Home?
October 29, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Safety Tips
By Arthur
Oct. 29, 2009
Editor’s Note: We hope you will sit down with your kids amd watch Arthur on PBS. As he gives helpful tips for you and your kids. We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
On April 9th, there was a fire at my school. It was pretty scary, but everything turned out okay.
Have you ever wondered what you would do if there were a fire in your home? I have. Here are some important prevention and safety tips I learned.
Be Smart
- Don’t touch matches. Stay away from lighters and candles, too.
- Don’t touch radiators or heaters. Ask a grown-up to turn a heater on or off for you. Don’t stand too close to a fireplace or wood stove, either.
- Don’t play with electrical cords. And don’t stick anything into an electrical socket.
- Don’t play around in the kitchen. If you want to cook something, be sure to check with a grown-up first.
- Don’t put anything over a lamp. Things thrown over a lamp (like blankets or clothing) could catch fire.
Be Prepared
- Make an escape plan. Work with your family to plan how to get out of your home if there is a fire.
- Plan two ways out of every room. The first way out should be a door.
- Choose a meeting place. Pick a safe and easy-to-remember spot outside your home where you will meet your family after you get out.
- Practice! Every escape path needs to be planned and practiced with grown-ups.
- Test smoke alarms. Help grown-ups remember to test smoke alarms monthly and to put in new batteries twice a year when the clocks change.
If there is a fire:
Be Safe
- Get out fast! When you hear the loud beep of the smoke alarm, get out of the house. Never hide or take time to grab your belongings or pets.
- Follow your escape plan. After all, you’ve been practicing!
- Feel a door before you open it. If it is hot, there may be fire on the other side. Try to get out another way.
- Stay low to the floor. Since smoke rises, the safest air for breathing is down low.
- Call 9-1-1 or the fire department. Be sure to do this after you get out of the house. Remember: Only call 9-1-1 if there is a real emergency.
- Stay out! Once you’re out, stay out. Don’t go back for anything!
Stop, Drop, and Roll. If your clothing catches fire, remember to stop where you are and drop to the ground. Cover your face and mouth with your hands, and roll over and over until the flames are out.
I got most of this stuff from the United States Fire Administration’s Kids Page, and some from the National Fire Protection Association Web site. You can talk to your parents or teachers about fire safety, too.
I also learned a lot from some third graders who interviewed four of their local firefighters. They even sent me some great pictures. Check them out!
Source: Arthur
MITCHELL ROMERO
October 29, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Missing Kids
| Case Type: Family Abduction | |
| DOB: Dec 31, 2005 | Sex: Male |
| Missing Date: Oct 16, 2009 | Race: Hispanic |
| Age Now: 3 | Height: 3’0″ (91 cm) |
| Missing City: DENVER CITY | Weight: 50 lbs (23 kg) |
| Missing State : TX | Hair Color: Black |
| Missing Country: United States | Eye Color: Brown |
| Case Number: NCMC1133494 | |
| Circumstances:The photo on the left and the photo in the center are of Mitchell. He may be in the company of his father, Mario Romero. A felony warrant was issued for Mario on October 16, 2009. They may be traveling in a 2004 maroon GMC Yukon sport utility vehicle with Texas license plates 43WFX6. CAUTION IS ADVISED. | |
MARIO ROMERO
Companion
| Case Type: Family Abduction | |
| DOB:Dec 27, 1975 | Sex: Male |
| Missing Date: Oct 16, 2009 | Race: Hispanic |
| Age Now: 33 | Height: 5’7″ (170 cm) |
| Missing City: DENVER CITY | Weight: 205 lbs (93 kg) |
| Missing State : TX | Hair Color: Black |
| Missing Country: United States | Eye Color: Brown |
| Case Number: NCMC1133494 | |
| Circumstances:The photo on the left and the photo in the center are of Mitchell. He may be in the company of his father, Mario Romero. A felony warrant was issued for Mario on October 16, 2009. They may be traveling in a 2004 maroon GMC Yukon sport utility vehicle with Texas license plates 43WFX6. CAUTION IS ADVISED. | |
JEFFRE WILLIAM FEW
October 29, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Missing Kids
| Case Type: Family Abduction | |
| DOB: May 4, 1999 | Sex: Male |
| Missing Date: Oct 19, 2009 | Race: White |
| Age Now: 10 | Height: 4’6″ (137 cm) |
| Missing City: MC DONOUGH | Weight: 70 lbs (32 kg) |
| Missing State : GA | Hair Color: Blonde |
| Missing Country: United States | Eye Color: Blue |
| Case Number: NCMC1133670 | |
| Circumstances: Jeffre was last seen on October 19, 2009. He may be in the company of his mother, Jennifer Cook. A felony warrant is on file for Jennifer. She may go by the alias name Jenna Miller or Jenna Few. | |
JENNIFER JOANNE COOK
Companion
| Case Type: Family Abduction | |
| DOB: Dec 30, 1977 | Sex: Female |
| Missing Date: Oct 19, 2009 | Race: White |
| Age Now: 31 | Height: 5’2″ (157 cm) |
| Missing City: MC DONOUGH | Weight: 140 lbs (64 kg) |
| Missing State : GA | Hair Color: Blonde |
| Missing Country: United States | Eye Color: Blue |
| Case Number: NCMC1133670 | |
| Circumstances: Jeffre was last seen on October 19, 2009. He may be in the company of his mother, Jennifer Cook. A felony warrant is on file for Jennifer. She may go by the alias name Jenna Miller or Jenna Few. | |