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Can You Spell ‘Stromuhr’? Ohio Student Did to Win National Spelling Bee
By AP
June 4, 2010
No theatrical flourishes for Anamika Veeramani. She kept her hands behind her back and rattled off the letters of every word she was given — until she was crowned the spelling bee champion.
The 14-year-old girl from North Royalton, Ohio, won the 83rd Scripps National Spelling Bee on Friday, acing the word medical word “stromuhr” to claim the winner’s trophy and more than $40,000 in cash and prizes.
Anamika became the third consecutive Indian-American bee champion, and the eighth the last 12 years.
It’s a run that began when Nupur Lala won in 1999 and was featured in the documentary “Spellbound.”
Anamika was one of the favorites among the 273 spellers who began the three-day competition, having finished tied for fifth last year.
She stood deadpan while the audience cheered, not cracking a smile until the trophy was presented.
There was a three-way tie for second. Adrian Gunawan, 14, of Arlington Heights, Ill.; Elizabeth Platz, 13, of Shelbina, Mo.; and Shantanu Srivatsa, 13, of West Fargo, N.D., were all eliminated in the same round.
Anamika survived the round by spelling “juvia” — a Brazil nut — and then had to wait for a nerve-racking 3 1/2-minute commercial before spelling the championship word.
The finals were preceded by an unpopular move that had some spellers and the parents claiming the bee was unfair and had kowtowed too much to television.
Concerned that there wouldn’t be enough spellers left to fill the two-hour slot on ABC, organizers stopped the semifinals in the middle of a round Friday afternoon — and declared that the 10 spellers onstage would advance to the prime-time broadcast, including six who didn’t have to spell a word in the interrupted round.
Essentially, the alphabetical order of the U.S. states helped determine which spellers got to move on the marquee event.
“I would rather have five finalists, than five who didn’t deserve it,” said Elizabeth, the finalist from Missouri and one of the four spellers who spelled a word correctly before the round was stopped. “I think it was unfair.”
Elizabeth’s remarks were greeted with applause from parents in the hotel ballroom where the bee is held.
It’s one of the pitfalls of the growing popularity of the bee, which has to yield to the constraints of its television partners.
There were 19 spellers left at the start of the round, which was too many for prime-time. But when the round turned out to be brutal — nine of the first 13 misspelled — ABC was on the verge of having too few.
“I don’t feel bad at all for giving these children the opportunity,” bee director Paige Kimble said. “Do I wish we could give it to 19?
Yes, certainly, but that’s not practical in a two-hour broadcast window.
We know it’s unpopular and we don’t like to do it, but sometimes you can get into a position where that’s exactly what you have to do.”
Kimble stressed that the move was within the rules and that the round would pick up where it left off.
Only the spellers remaining at the end of the round would officially be declared finalists.
Still, the episode renewed the debate over whether the bee has come too close to selling its soul to television.
“They already have,” said 14-year-old two-time bee participant Sonia Schlesinger, who represented Washington, D.C., last year and Japan this year and was eliminated in an earlier round.
“It kind of seems like the bee should be more about spelling. We’re just here to spell words — not about TV.”
Even Shaquille O’Neal unintentionally got caught up in the furor — in the name of TV footage.
The NBA star created a buzz when he walked onstage and challenged last year’s winner, 14-year-old Kavya Shivashankar, to a spell-off for his “Shaq Vs.” reality show.
Afterward, O’Neal posed with the 10 remaining spellers who were unofficially being billed as “finalists” — adding more fuel to the debate over whether it was fair for all of them to be there.
“Just because one person lives in California and another person lives in Wisconsin, it doesn’t mean the person from California deserves any less attention,” Sonia said.
During the actual competition, the event continued to display its newfound funny bone. Only at a spelling bee could one hear sentences like these:
“Lauren gently informed her father that the exploding fist bump had fallen out of consuetude” and “The phillumenist had a hard time obtaining fire insurance on his storage unit.”
A consuetude is an established custom, while a phillumenist is a matchbook collector.
Source: Fox News
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Obama Dishonoring Vets Skipping Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery
By RJ
YC/Staff
May 26, 2010
In a highly unusual move, President Barack Obama is going to skip the traditional Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery to return home to Chicago for the long holiday weekend.
Obama sees it as addressing one of the great broken promises of his administration: his early pledge to return home to Chicago every six weeks or so, according to The Washington Post.
On Monday, Obama will make remarks at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and miss the usual tradition of presidents speaking at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day.
Instead, Vice President Biden and his wife will appear in Obama’s place, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as holding a breakfast for Gold Star families — families whose loved ones died in military service — at the White House earlier that day.
See the entire story at The Washington Post.
Source: Paul Reveres Riders
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Obama Out to Change TX Textbooks to Socialism
By Fox Nation
May 22, 2010
Should history books refer to the president as Barack Obama, Barack H. Obama or Barack Hussein Obama?
Who’s more important: Christopher Columbus or John Smith?
Clara Barton or Ruby Bridges?
Ruby Bridges or Dolores Huerta?
Is the story of Nathan Hale too gruesome for first graders?
Will history books refer to the 44th American president as Barack Obama, Barack H. Obama or Barack Hussein Obama?
Late into the night, the Texas Board of Education considered these and other questions for the state’s social studies curriculum.
The debate has set off a culture war, pitting conservatives against democrats in a battle that attracted 40,000 e mails from parents, teachers and academics from around the nation.
The curriculum covers grades kindergarten through high school, and yet after 12 hours of debate the board had only just begun talking about its biggest challenge – high school standards – at 9 p.m. Thursday.
All day long the board dropped, added and swapped the names of historical figures and events into and out of the standards.
It began with 1st graders. John Smith was dropped, as was Nathan Hale, not because he wasn’t important, but because, according to one teacher, ‘the kids couldn’t get past the hanging.’
Despite deep political differences, the debate remained polite until the topic focused on President Obama. Then it got personal. Lawrence Allen, a black former high school principal from Houston offered a motion to enter President Barack Obama’s name in a section of the curriculum that recognized significant dates in U.S. History.
David Bradley, a white businessman from Beaumont, motioned that the president’s legal name should be used, Barack Hussein Obama.
“I think we give him the full honor and privilege of his full name.”
“I am getting pretty fed up with this,” said Democrat Mary Helen Berlanger. “You don’t have to be derogatory.
We don’t always put in Jefferson in William Jefferson Clinton.”
“The intent behind what you are doing I think is pretty obvious,” said Republican Bob Craig.
ALSO:
Conservatives make changes to Texas curriculum
TX Textbook: Before We Tackle History, A Little Math
Texas Textbooks: Is America Exceptional?
Texas Textbook Debates Lead to Death Threats
Atheists Fight to Change Textbook Standards
Source: Fox Nation
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
Soldiers Surprising Their Loved Ones: The “Best of” Mix
For Those Who Believe or Don’t Believe A Must See Video
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
May 20, 2010
I received this video from one of my readers Earle Scott Bushnell and I would like to share it with you.
America is going through a lot right now and we need to pray for it. If we continue to go in the direction that we are in now, we might not be able to go back.
There is only one person that can stop this that is GOD, he is allowing this to happan because we have gotten away from him.
Chron. 7:14 Reads:
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Please pass this around it should be shown in every Church this Sunday.
In the video the screen fills up with words, than the words tumble to the bottom and new words start up again at the top of the screen.
It has a beautiful powerful message of TRUTH!
We hope you enjoy it and will pass it on to your friends the message needs to get out.
Please send us a line and let us know what you think. We will post your comment good or bad. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
A Great Story!
May 19, 2010 by Dan
Filed under Encouragement
By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
May 19, 2010
I love getting e-mails from our readers, I just wish they would leave their names that way I could give them credit.
I received this one yesterday; anyone who has pets will really like this. You’ll like it even if you don’t and you may even decide you need one!
As I was reading this it brought tears to my eyes, reminded me that I once had cancer and it my pet Sheppard Buddy was always there for me.
Here is the e-mail I hope you enjoy it.
We would like to know what you think. Please drop us a line so that we can post your comment. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named ‘Lucky.’ Lucky was a real character.
Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy.
Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky’s toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky’s other favorite toys.
Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease……in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky.
A thought struck her….what would happen to Lucky?
Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary’s dog through and through.
If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won’t understand that I didn’t want to leave him!
The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks.
Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital.
When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn’t even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap…
Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn’t come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn’t understand what was wrong. Shecouldn’t move her head and her body felt heavy and hot.
But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!
While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day.
He had covered her with his love.
It’s been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky. He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
Remember…..live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget….the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
They are the ones that care for us.
If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours!
Live simply… Love seriously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it is only to one more people, in memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still fighting their battle.
Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer.Amen
Michelle Obama Talks to Kids about Illegal Alien Mom
By Fox Nation
May 19, 2010
Democrats and Republicans continue to trade barbs over the Arizona’s new, controversial immigration law and federal reform efforts, but First Lady Michelle Obama today saw the personal side of the debate, from the perspective of a child.
Obama today traveled with Mexican First Lady Margarita Zavala to the New Hampshire Estates Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland, where a second-grade girl asked her about how immigration reform would impact her family.
“My mom… she says that Barack Obama is taking everybody away that doesn’t have papers,” the girl said, sitting cross-legged on the gymnasium floor with her classmates, while Obama sat in a folding chair next to them.
A large blue banner hanging behind them, adorned with the American and Mexican flags, read, “Welcome, Mrs. Obama! Bienvenidos, Sra. Zavala!”
“Yeah, well that’s something that we have to work on, right?” Obama said. “To make sure that people can be here with the right kind of papers, right? That’s exactly right.”
The little girl continued, “But my mom doesn’t have any papers.”
Source: Fox Nation
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com