Chicago public schools will start sex education in kindergarten

The Daily Caller – Fri, Mar 1, 2013

The dismally low graduation rate for students who attend Chicago Public Schools is barely over 60 percent – substantially lower than the national rate of roughly 75 percent. Nevertheless, citizens of the Second City will surely take heart, because the Chicago Board of Education just passed a new policy that requires sex education to begin in kindergarten.

The new policy, which was passed on Wednesday, according to ABC News, is part of a broader makeover of the school district’s sexual health program,
Sometime within the next two years, students in every grade, including kindergarten, will be required to spend a certain amount of time on the birds and the bees.

Mandated sex-ed for Chicago kindergartners will include instruction about male and female anatomy and reproduction. It’s not clear exactly how much detail five- and six-year-olds will be taught concerning the more sophisticated uses for their genitals.

By the time students get to third and fourth grade, the focus will include appropriate and inappropriate touching, as well as puberty and HIV/AIDS.
Coursework from fifth grade to 12th grades will concentrate on sexually-transmitted diseases and contraception. Abstinence will reportedly be presented as a possible method of birth control. Sexual orientation, gender identity and bullying related to those things will also be part of the curriculum at some point from fifth grade to 12th grade, as well.
One of the stated goals of the policy is to bring the Chicago Public Schools into accord with the national HIV/AIDS strategy of the Obama administration, notes ABC.
“It is important that we provide students of all ages with accurate and appropriate information so they can make healthy choices in regards to their social interactions, behaviors and relationships,” Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said in a statement.
Response from parents who have children in the Chicago Public Schools was mixed, reports Fox News.
“I don’t think its age-appropriate,” parent Melissa Diebold told MyFoxChicago.com. “They have no concept of anything like that at that stage in life.”
Mikkel Nance, another parent, is more optimistic.
“[T]he only concern is how they implement it, and if they involved parents in that process and if they do so they’ll make that transition smoothly,” Nance told the local Fox affiliate.

Parents can remove their children from the sexual health education program if they want, but the apparent default is for kindergartners to learn about sex.

Chicago’s public school system is the nation’s third-largest school district, with approximately 431,000 students.

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 http://news.yahoo.com/chicago-public-schools-start-sex-education-kindergarten-073943468.html

1 of nation's oldest teachers retires in LA at 94

By CHRISTINA HOAG | Associated Press – Fri, Mar 1, 2013

• 
  Associated Press/Damian Dovarganes, file - FILE - This Feb. 6, 2007 file photo shows Octogenarian teacher Rose Gilbert, 88, in her Advance Placement English Literature class at the Pacific Palisades High School …more 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rose Gilbert wanted to be a schoolteacher since she was in the first grade and was inspired by the teacher who taught her to read and write.

Gilbert carried out that childhood dream with a rare commitment — she retired last week at the age of 94 after a 63-year teaching career in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"I'm going to be 95. I looked in the mirror and said, 'I better do it now before I get too old,'" she joked. "I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to be carried out on a stretcher."
It's unclear if Gilbert is the oldest fulltime classroom teacher among the nation's teaching corps of more than 3 million, but she certainly ranks among the most senior. She started teaching in the 1940s, took a break and then returned to the classroom in 1956.

In 1961, she joined the staff at the brand new high school opening in the well-heeled Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles and remained there until Feb. 22, passing along her passion for poetry and literature to generations of students. Some of her former students are now teachers at Palisades Charter High School, who say she'll be sorely missed.

"She is utterly unique," said English teacher Holly Korbonski, who had Gilbert as her English teacher in 1978. "We're all sort of bereft, honestly."

Korbonski remembers Gilbert customizing reading lists for each student. She assigned Korbonski to read "The Great Gatsby," among other works. The F. Scott Fitzgerald novel is now Korbonski's specialty.
"She was prophetic," Korbonski said. "Her gifts to students continue to grow and magnify through life."
Some of Gilbert's fondest memories date from the 1960s, when a spirit of rebellion was rife at high school and college campuses across the country. In one protest she recalled, students and teachers declared a strike and walked out to protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Another demonstration occurred over a reason that was another sign of those heady times: the length of boys' hair.
"We had a very strict principal and he said all the boys had to cut their hair or be suspended," she recalled. "All of them were suspended, and we all walked out — students and teachers."
Today's kids are more self-centered, noted Gilbert, whose students call her "Mama G." She calls her students her "bubbelahs."
"It's the entitlement generation," she observed. "'I'm entitled to an A, I'm entitled to go to Harvard.' I think it emanates from their parents."
Still, it was the love of children that kept Gilbert teaching through the years, even when her wealthy developer husband died in 1987 and left her a fortune.
Sam Gilbert was an unbridled devotee of the UCLA men's basketball program whose influence on players caused the NCAA to order the team to disassociate from him in 1981. He died four days before he was indicted on federal racketeering and money-laundering charges in connection with his business activities.

Rose Gilbert has plowed much money back into education. She funds scholarships for high school and college students and has donated a pool complex, auditorium and small theater to the high school.

Her retirement promises to be as active — she's volunteering at a health clinic and a domestic violence shelter, and plans to keep her hand in education by interviewing high school and college students for scholarships and honors programs.
"I have loads of energy," Gilbert said. "I want to devote it to good causes."
___
Contact the reporter at http://twitter.com/ChristinaHoag .

 http://news.yahoo.com/1-nations-oldest-teachers-retires-la-94-192923918.html

Tuesday, March 5, 2013 10:57am PST

Scientists tag 2,000-pound great white shark near Florida surf spot

By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

Florida surfers who ride waves at Mayport Poles might find this news a little unsettling, but scientists sure were delighted to have tagged and released a large great white shark Sunday afternoon immediately beyond the popular surf spot, in only 25 feet of water.

It's the first time a great white has been tagged in the Jacksonville area, Chris Fisher, founder of Ocearch, told the Florida Times-Union. Mayport Poles is named after the nearby Mayport Naval Station.

The shark measured 14 feet, 6 inches, and weighed 2,000 pounds. It was given the name Lydia and, after its tag was fitted and tissue samples and a blood work were taken, the shark was lowered from the research vessel's tagging cradle and turned loose.

Ocearch stated on its Facebok page: "After days of relentless determination, the OCEARCH team was able to successfully tag and release the first great white shark off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. Meet Lydia, weighing in at approx. 2,000 lbs at 14 ft, 6 in!"

The same researchers tagged a much larger great white, weighing nearly 3,500 pounds, last September off Cape Cod. That shark, named Mary Lee, appeared close to the Jacksonville coast last January and is presently much farther offshore, southwest of Bermuda.

It's hoped that the long-term tracking study will enable scientists to learn more about the movements of white sharks off the East Coast.

Of Lydia's close proximity to shore Sunday, Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries told the Times-Union: "These sharks have probably been doing this for eons."

Skomal, who is part of the Ocearch effort, added that despite the great white's fearsome reputation, "the sharks have been pretty much going undetected."

People can check on the movements of sharks tagged by Ocearch via its website, and receive updates via its Facebook page. They can read more about the capture of Lydia via the expedition blog.

--Images showing the shark during Sunday's tagging process are courtesy of Ocearch

--Find Pete Thomas on Facebook


 http://www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/51221/scientists+tag+2000-pound+great+white+shark+near+florida+surf+spot/

Five facts about sink holes

By Claudine Zap | The Lookout – 20 hrs ago

Aerial view of the sinkhole in Seffner, Fla. (AP Photo/ABC Action News-WFTS TV)

A gaping, 50-foot sinkhole that took the life of a Florida man, Jeff Bush, whose bedroom was swallowed up, made for scary headlines worldwide. But sinkholes, it turns out, are not as rare you would think. The phenomena, for instance, are common in Florida, if only occasionally deadly. Here, with help from sources including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Geological Survey, sinkholes explained:

How does a sinkhole form? "Cover-collapse" sinkholes occur when groundwater causes underground gaps that grow so big the ground above can’t support them. These can be dramatic events, since the holes can grow big enough to swallow a house, a road, a field or a swimming pool, even as those above ground go about their lives completely oblivious to the growing danger.
Are there other types of sinkholes? There are two other kinds: "solution" and "subsidence" sinkholes, which don't make the nightly news. That's because the changes to the topography happen slowly over time without catastrophic results.
Which states have sinkholes? The entire state of Florida is prone to sinkholes since it sits on top of a layer of limestone rock known as karst, which can be dissolved by acidic groundwater, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), other vulnerable states include Texas, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
Are sinkholes common? Unlike hurricanes or earthquakes, sinkholes aren’t tracked. But CNN reports that from 2006 to 2010 in Florida alone, there were 24,671 insurance claims for sinkhole damage, totaling a whopping $1.4 billion.
Can humans cause sinkholes? Yes. According to an interview with Randall Orndorff a U.S. Geological Survey supervisory geologist, human activities like drilling for a well or mining, which lower water levels underground, can cause sinkholes. So can putting up buildings and parking lots, he added, which changes where water drains. “Instead of the water naturally soaking into the ground, it's now running off and being concentrated—being put into the ground at one point," he said.
The massive sinkhole in Guatemala that was created in June 2010 is an example of one that was probably caused by human activity.


http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/five-facts-sinkholes-214013987.html

Saturday, March 2, 2013 9:45am PST

Utah's nature-made subway ride is Bucket List worthy

By: Shannon Dybvig

While Zion National Park has no train, it does have a subway, and the lottery to visit this subway has just opened up for the year. This cylindrical slot canyon is so popular only 80 permits are issued per day, and a lottery reservation system is enacted between March and November to handle peak demand. Getting to this curvy canyon is no small task. The 9.5-mile round trip hike is strenuous and requires technical skill. But if popularity and beautiful images are anything to go by, the journey is well worth it. Take a ride on nature's subway below.

While the subway itself is only a quarter of a mile long, getting there is a somewhat difficult 9.5-mile hike round trip. Image by Stephanie

Only 80 permits are issued per day and they can be difficult to get during peak times in spring and summer. Image by Terra Trekking

If you want to bring your friends you'll have to be selective; groups of more than 12 are not allowed.
Image by Terra Trekking

Getting to the subway does require some route-finding and rappelling, so it's not for the inexperienced. Image by Terra Trekking

Algae thrive in the low light deep in the subway tunnel, causing the vibrant greens seen in these pools. Image by Mike Henderson

The subway is located between two peaks named North and South Guardian Angels.
Image by CCharmon

As swimming is required in some areas, going in the warmer months is advised.
Image by WikiCommons

Heavy snow melts and spring runoff can flood and shut down the subway, so make sure you check the train schedule before heading out. Image by Jeremiah Roth

Scientists say baby born with HIV apparently cured

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

WASHINGTON (AP) — A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2½ and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection.

There's no guarantee the child will remain healthy, although sophisticated testing uncovered just traces of the virus' genetic material still lingering. If so, it would mark only the world's second reported cure.

Specialists say Sunday's announcement, at a major AIDS meeting in Atlanta, offers promising clues for efforts to eliminate HIV infection in children, especially in AIDS-plagued African countries where too many babies are born with the virus.

"You could call this about as close to a cure, if not a cure, that we've seen," Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, who is familiar with the findings, told The Associated Press.

A doctor gave this baby faster and stronger treatment than is usual, starting a three-drug infusion within 30 hours of birth. That was before tests confirmed the infant was infected and not just at risk from a mother whose HIV wasn't diagnosed until she was in labor.

"I just felt like this baby was at higher-than-normal risk, and deserved our best shot," Dr. Hannah Gay, a pediatric HIV specialist at the University of Mississippi, said in an interview.

That fast action apparently knocked out HIV in the baby's blood before it could form hideouts in the body. Those so-called reservoirs of dormant cells usually rapidly reinfect anyone who stops medication, said Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins Children's Center. She led the investigation that deemed the child "functionally cured," meaning in long-term remission even if all traces of the virus haven't been completely eradicated.

Next, Persaud's team is planning a study to try to prove that, with more aggressive treatment of other high-risk babies. "Maybe we'll be able to block this reservoir seeding," Persaud said.
No one should stop anti-AIDS drugs as a result of this case, Fauci cautioned.
But "it opens up a lot of doors" to research if other children can be helped, he said. "It makes perfect sense what happened."
Better than treatment is to prevent babies from being born with HIV in the first place.

About 300,000 children were born with HIV in 2011, mostly in poor countries where only about 60 percent of infected pregnant women get treatment that can keep them from passing the virus to their babies. In the U.S., such births are very rare because HIV testing and treatment long have been part of prenatal care.

"We can't promise to cure babies who are infected. We can promise to prevent the vast majority of transmissions if the moms are tested during every pregnancy," Gay stressed.

The only other person considered cured of the AIDS virus underwent a very different and risky kind of treatment — a bone marrow transplant from a special donor, one of the rare people who is naturally resistant to HIV. Timothy Ray Brown of San Francisco has not needed HIV medications in the five years since that transplant.

The Mississippi case shows "there may be different cures for different populations of HIV-infected people," said Dr. Rowena Johnston of amFAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. That group funded Persaud's team to explore possible cases of pediatric cures.
It also suggests that scientists should look back at other children who've been treated since shortly after birth, including some reports of possible cures in the late 1990s that were dismissed at the time, said Dr. Steven Deeks of the University of California, San Francisco, who also has seen the findings.
"This will likely inspire the field, make people more optimistic that this is possible," he said.
In the Mississippi case, the mother had had no prenatal care when she came to a rural emergency room in advanced labor. A rapid test detected HIV. In such cases, doctors typically give the newborn low-dose medication in hopes of preventing HIV from taking root. But the small hospital didn't have the proper liquid kind, and sent the infant to Gay's medical center. She gave the baby higher treatment-level doses.
The child responded well through age 18 months, when the family temporarily quit returning and stopped treatment, researchers said. When they returned several months later, remarkably, Gay's standard tests detected no virus in the child's blood.
Ten months after treatment stopped, a battery of super-sensitive tests at half a dozen laboratories found no sign of the virus' return. There were only some remnants of genetic material that don't appear able to replicate, Persaud said.
In Mississippi, Gay gives the child a check-up every few months: "I just check for the virus and keep praying that it stays gone."
The mother's HIV is being controlled with medication and she is "quite excited for her child," Gay added.

 http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-baby-born-hiv-apparently-cured-213124051.html

Whole Brain Teaching

Five Classroom Rules

The following are five classroom rules that will make your life amazingly easier. One of them is nuclear power in your hands!
If rules are only posted on your board they are not really a part of your class. You must have the rules running around in your students’ heads for them to be effective. It will also help you quiet extra talking in the class. Look for that as you read.

 
Teach them as follows:

Rule One: Follow directions quickly! (the gesture: make your hand shoot forward like a fish)

Rule Two: Raise your hand for permission to speak (the gesture: raise your hand, then pull it down next to your head and make a talking motion. This rule will be the most commonly violated. See below for how you stop this without criticism or negativity.)

Rule Three: Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat. (the gesture: raise your and, and then make a little walking figure with your index and middle finger.)

Rule Four: Make smart choices! (the gesture: tap one finger to your temple as you say each word.

Rule Five: Keep your dear teacher happy! (the gesture: hold up each thumb and index finger out like an “L” framing your face; bob your head back and forth with each word and smile really big!)

In elementary school, rehearse the rules first thing in the morning, after lunch and after each recess. When you call out the rule number, your students respond with the rule itself and the correct gesture. Make the rehearsals as entertaining as possible; use a variety of voices (happy, robot, froggy) and tempos, fast, slow, super fast. For additional fun, ask of your liveliest students to lead the rules rehearsal.
 

http://www.powerteachers.net/index.php/whole-brain-teching/first-steps/five-classroom-rules.html