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Do we really need the additional space at the elementary schools?View Answer
It is important to note that even though some of our elementary schools have room for their current enrollment, we now use four trailers to serve the needs of seven classrooms. Three of the four trailers are very old and do not have appropriate insulation, lighting, and heating systems. In addition, electrical and other infrastructure elements in all of the buildings are strained for their current populations. Reducing the number of students in the buildings will provide some relief and also will provide space to grow.
There is a need for additional K-Plus programming in the district. Each year, multiple families are denied the opportunity because of current space limitations. Additional space in each school would provide this needed programming in the student's home school without bussing to different buildings as is done now.
Individual school information is included below:
- West Park currently utilizes all of the available spaces. Some of these shifts of space usage have been due to resolving issues noted on safety inspections. One example is moving some people or programs that had people housed in closets into shared classroom space.
- McDonald currently is completely out of space and desperate for more. McDonald should have three classrooms at each grade level from kindergarten to sixth grade, but there is only room for three classes in each grade level up to fifth grade. In sixth grade only two classrooms are available this year. Unfortunately, this situation of being short a classroom results in the need to turn away some students (even hard-zone students) who have been McDonald Ducks since kindergarten. Each and every year we need to eliminate a class at one grade, and this is very difficult on students, their families, and the staff. Incidentally, one of our classrooms is not in the regular building–it is housed in a very dated modular. In terms of enough space for special needs and gifted/talented students, we have developed available spaces into mini-classrooms that were initially designed to be closets or offices. We have students working in every nook and cranny in the halls, doorways, etc. when they need additional help. The small spaces we create are crowded and without windows.
- This is a very broad topic at J. Russell Elementary as space is a commodity that depends on the area in which it is being addressed. Outdoor space for anything other than short recess times is inadequate and this space is also "hard" space, most of it is covered by asphalt. Classroom space is adequate with housing for up to 220-230 students, special education, specialists, and other areas, but that leaves no space for a computer lab, GT, and possibly other needed classes. Our library space is small. Our gym is barely adequate for a whole class. We cannot house students with physical disabilities that require an elevator. Disability access is limited to use of the front door and only those rooms on the main floor.
- Lena Whitmore has adequate space for all regular education, special education, and g/t classes, kindergarten through sixth grade. There are two classes of each grade level, K-6. As far as a K+ Program at Lena we currently do not have the space available to house it.
How do you plan to accommodate the needs of 6th grade students struggling in the areas of reading and math knowing that some of our students now receive Title I support?View Answer
It is correct that the Junior High School (JHS) does not currently qualify for Title I services, However, there is always a possibility that any school can qualify and this is determined annually each spring. We have 6th grade students every year who receive Title I services at three of our elementary schools, who go on to the JHS and do not receive Title I services there, but who are able to do well academically for a number of reasons:
- The JHS has a very effective screening process to identify students who are struggling in specific academic areas. After being screened, students who are identified as needing extra support in Math & Reading are placed into classes that meet their needs. This process will continue to remain in place for students entering 6th grade if the JHS would shift to a 6-8 grade configuration.
- As needed, students receive extra support through the JHS' Language! program which addresses Reading and Language Usage skills. The JHS also provides before and after school study/help sessions, tutorial classes, and the Access period. Having seven to eight 6th grade teachers in the same building would also allow for multiple opportunities for differentiation in all academic areas. Classes in 7th and 8th grade for math have multiple levels to assist all students.
- The JHS has a very strong and highly qualified teaching staff. All of the teachers are committed to meeting all students' needs regardless of the classroom.
- Our teachers who currently teach at the 6th grade level are familiar with teaching the 6th grade curriculum and are able to effectively adapt it to accommodate for the needs of all learners. Those teachers who move to the JHS will continue such efforts there.
- JHS students who struggle in the areas of reading and math are already monitored regularly and that process will continue as well.
- Principal Kevin Hill's plan is to incorporate teams back into the middle level. All teachers (6th, 7th, 8th) would have a common planning time which would allow for student meetings, team activities, and individualized discussions regarding student progress.
How will you adjust for the music electives at the junior high school and high school?View Answer
MJHS would redesign the level of our elective programs to meet a 6-8 model, but that would not require extra staffing. It might look slightly different, but each grade level would still have similar opportunities. We do not expect an increase in staffing needs to serve students in this model. Moscow High School will continue to offer and have courses based upon student enrollment. This will include the elective areas. All decisions are made based upon the registration process. Student interest drives the master schedule at MHS. While it is certainly complicated through high school redesign, a new bell schedule and additional credit requirements, moving to a 9-12 grade configuration only eases the complications and expands opportunity for all high school students.
What about the need for additional counselors, special education teachers, GT teachers, and support staff?View Answer
The number of students in the JH building would be similar to our current enrollment. I do not expect an increase in staffing and we have worked under the guideline that there would be no additional FTE in the secondary setting.
Moscow High School as a 9-12 grade school will be able to meet the high school specific needs of the student body far more effectively through having the freshmen on the same campus. All high school students will benefit by moving these students to the high school campus. It is an educationally sound decision and the staffing needed to have this happen will be done through existing district FTE.
What about parking at the current MHS site? Where will the additional students and staff park?View Answer
No student parks on campus. All students who drive to school park in the community at street parking locations, and this will remain the case. We currently have enough parking for our existing staff and faculty, and we would have a shortage of parking slots available upon becoming a 9-12 grade school. We plan to work with the city and county to attempt to gain parking slots to solve this issue.
Many different teaching models exist in middle level schools throughout our country. How will the model be set up in our current JH building for 6-7-8 grade students.View Answer
We would have grade levels assigned to common teams and common areas of the building. We would block grade levels into common lunches and Physical Education Classes, as well as common elective classes at the 6th grade level. This would allow all three grade levels to be assigned to teams with common core teachers. It also allows core teachers on each team to have common preparation periods. This would provide us the opportunity to expand current projects already taking place at MJHS.
What are your plans for the "Highly Qualified" teacher requirements needed at the 6 – 12 level? Many of our current 6th grade teachers do not have separate subject area endorsements. At all three elementary schools the 6th grade teachers do some sharing of subject area teaching. Will they have to give that up and teach all subject areas to their own homeroom class?View Answer
We envision 6th grade remaining as a self-contained classroom setting very similar to its current setting in the elementary buildings. This would allow all 6th grade teachers to design instruction to meet the needs of all students in that grade level. We would run a two in one school setting, meaning that 7th-8th will require a single subject endorsement, 6th grade would require a K-8 Elementary Specialist. Their highly qualified status as 6th grade teachers at elementary schools will continue with their placement at a middle school and will not affect the opportunities to exchange students for certain subjects, just as they do now.
Budget cuts in recent years eliminated the teaming that was such a positive aspect of our JHS. If 6th grade is kept at the elementary schools, they will continue to have the equivalent of teaming. Will the 6th graders have that same level of teaming at the JHS, or will it be the same as the current 7th & 8th grade with no consistent teachers for a given set of students?View Answer
The plans that we are putting forward all contain teams at all grade levels 6-8.
The elective choices available for 6th graders at the JHS are a nice bonus over what they currently have at the elementary schools. But what about state standards for PE and Music? Will you be able to accommodate those? How will you staff it?View Answer
We currently meet all state standards for all areas and grade levels with our current staffing in the district and would continue to meet all state standards in any configuration chosen.
What about school sports? Will 6th graders have the option of participating in sports activities? How will you staff that additional need and what will it cost the district?View Answer
We would maintain current 6th grade sports (track meet) that are offered and allow 6th grade students to take part in a variety of intramural activities. We have an Activities Coordinator who would be in charge of coordinating the activities which would not require additional staff.
What about other activities such as future problem solvers, environmental club, etc. How will you staff the additional needs for those activities?View Answer
We would strive to maintain all activities that are offered in the elementary setting for 6th grade students.
Why a 6-8 middle school? Moving our 6th graders to a middle school pushes them out of a more nurturing environment (nothing against middle school – elementary is a seen as a different stage of childhood than middle school and therefore handled differently) and one more year makes a difference academically and personally.View Answer
The connotation between a Middle School setting and a Junior High setting is just as diverse. We would take every step to ensure that students are supported socially, emotionally, and academically.
Sixth graders are still kids with much emotional and social development ahead of them. They need time to be kids. They benefit from associating with kids younger than themselves as well as having the responsibility of being positive role models for others. At a K-6 elementary school, students interact with a small peer group with fewer outside influences and less peer pressure. How will you provide the same types of interaction for sixth graders when they are moved to a middle level setting?View Answer
We are confident that we are able to meet the needs of 6th Grade students. We plan on keeping a close connection with the elementary schools and having 6th Grade students be leaders in a middle level school and interaction would be provided to still remain role models for the elementary.
Students in the sixth grade have many leadership opportunities in the elementary school setting. They chair in-school committees such as the Talent Show, Student Council, peer tutoring, and recycling, just to name a few. Will those opportunities be available in a middle level setting?View Answer
We plan to maintain all supports and activities that are currently available to 6th Grade students. If the proposal moves forward and is accepted by the Board of Trustees, teachers, administrators, and parents would be involved to develop programming appropriate to each grade level.
Sixth grade students have opportunities for many family connections in the elementary school. Parents are actively involved in the elementary schools, which gives teachers and parents time to connect and meet the needs of each student. There are first-sixth grade buddy program where the sixth graders teach, play, read, share, etc. with their first grade buddies on a weekly basis. This is a positive interaction for both age groups. Families get together to celebrate together, including our Christmas concert and at the track meet. How will this opportunity be continued in a middle level setting?View Answer
We are confident that we will be able to meet the needs of 6th Grade students. We plan on keeping a close connection with the elementary schools and having 6th Grade students be leaders in this building and role models for the elementary. We completely understand the need to keep kids as kids. By keeping 6th grade as a self contained program, blocking PE classes, and having grade level electives as well as a common lunch, it is our belief that we can meet the needs of all of our 6th, 7th, and 8th students. We also plan to offer a well-rounded music education for all students that will include multiple opportunities for family and community involvement. At MJHS, we have classes that visit elementary schools, but we would like to increase our involvement working with elementary teachers and students. This would not be limited to 6th grade alone and we would also incorporate the Moscow Community into our plan. A school wide goal/focus for this building regardless of configuration is to increase community and parent involvement. Parents and community are essential to a positive school environment and promoting involvement helps establish quality traditions within the school.
The elementary setting for sixth graders allows them to grow emotionally and socially with loving support from a small staff of people they know very well. Some students have been here since kindergarten and know all the teachers and staff by name. We are all there for these students, and each of us can also hold them accountable by knowing them well and setting clear expectations for them.View Answer
We plan to maintain all supports and activities that are currently available to 6th Grade students. Currently at MJHS, we offer multiple opportunities for leadership and involvement in activities. We have many ideas that are tentative, but we plan developing a community based program that will expand roles for all students. If our proposals become reality, we will meet with teachers, parents, and students to develop detailed plans that will meet the needs of all learners. MJHS is a community, and in a 6-8 configuration, we would design our sense of family to include everyone. We understand that a K-6 setting is different than a 6-8 setting and we are confident that we would be able to provide a supportive and enriched program to meet all students' needs. It is our sincere hope that the individuals who currently support our students in the elementary setting would continue to be active in developing a quality setting for students in the middle level if a 6-8 school is recommended.
Will the 6th grade science camp continue in some form?View Answer
Yes. Dependent on district and state funding there will be a science camp experience.
Will the 6th grade part of assemblies at JHS?View Answer
Yes, the 6th grade students will become an integral part of a nurturing middle level culture whether it be assemblies or other important school-wide activities.
I am not aware of any empty classrooms, where do you propose to place the 9th grade teachers? Will they have to be roving teachers, using different classrooms each period?View Answer
A thorough facility and classroom space analysis was completed long before a recommendation was made to move this project forward. This analysis made it quite clear that classroom space is more than adequate to house the incoming teachers and students. All teachers would have their own teaching environment. MHS currently has empty classrooms as well as classrooms which are only used a portion of the day. In addition, ability level classes are very common in the high school and would be of great benefit to 9th grade students. Many of these classes are not offered at MJHS at this time and 9th grade students would be able to take remediated and accelerated experiences along with other ability leveled students.
How will you accommodate the additional needs for Physical Education? That is an area that is already overstrained with the lack of facilities at the current location. Bussing PE classes is not cheap. How much more will bussing 9th graders for PE add to the cost?View Answer
The gymnasium at Moscow High School is currently inadequate; this certainly will only become an additional area of concern. The Physical Education graduation requirement will have continued support, but it will no longer be a 9th grade requirement. In short, students will have the flexibility of completing this requirement during any of their four years on the MHS campus. We will continue to utilize district transportation to MSD owned property as well as using community facilities to have Physical Education take place. We are also adding an additional class period to the bell schedule and this will allow our Weight Room and Gymnasium to be available for an additional class period. The busing costs will increase, though it is impossible to determine as the number of course sections that students will mandate is not known at this time.
What about lunch at MHS? The current kitchen/lunchroom cannot accommodate the needs of students. Adding on another grade level will overstrain an already overstrained system. Will another 200 students have to eat downtown?View Answer
The Moscow High School cafeteria is already inadequate. We will continue to have an open campus for lunch. We plan to utilize a satellite food service location on campus and provide additional seating for those who choose to eat lunch on campus.
How do you plan to accommodate a full grade level of science in an extremely outdated, ill equipped science wing?View Answer
The Science laboratories at Moscow High School are outdated and inadequate, but it is not a space issue. We have one lab which sits idle and would be used for science instruction.
District enrollment is down, but do we really have space for the 9th graders at the current location?View Answer
Over the past four years, district enrollment is down about 130 students at all grade levels. There is no "bubble grade" and for the first time, district-wide enrollment is markedly below 2300. In addition, the district has reduced staffing by attrition which aligns with reduced enrollment. Reduced staffing means that classrooms are available for teachers and students at the high school. It is also important to note that 9th grade students in a high school setting are able to take more than those courses designated "9th grade only". Many courses at MHS are designed as ability-leveled courses instead of age leveled courses, which means that students can take courses along with other students of like ability level to fit their needs instead of having grade level only specific classrooms for 9th graders.
What will the physical moving costs be to move 6th and 9th grade teachers? When and how will the physical movement take place?View Answer
Multiple teachers moved between buildings with their classrooms in 2002, and many lessons were learned from the move. The move was not staged correctly, it was done without planning, and there was not appropriate assistance for teachers who moved. We anticipate approximately 16 teachers who will need to move to a new building. It is anticipated that the teachers who will move to their new building will receive extra time after school releases in 2012 to pack and then extra time in the fall of 2012 before school begins to unpack. Extra packing/unpacking assistance for the teachers will be available and teacher rooms will be moved professionally during the summer and aligned with our summer cleaning process. Costs will be budgeted in two years over the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school year. The expense will be a one-time expense spread over two years that will be funded from the district's plant and facilities budget. The administrators were directed to provide a plan that has no additional ongoing costs. This proposal stays within the guidelines and actually will reduce ongoing costs because of the reduction of travel for current teachers and other staff who have to move between buildings.
What will you do about the PE/Music/Elective positions? Will they have to travel between buildings to meet the needs of students?View Answer
Finding a way to reduce the number of teachers who travel between buildings was a priority during the initial Feasibility Study. Currently, eight classroom teachers and multiple other counselors, psychologists, and other specialists move from building to building each day. Initial plans include a major reduction of roving teachers which will be a cost-savings to the district. Almost one complete teaching position is lost for every six teachers who have to move between buildings. All of our specialists are needed in each of our schools. A well-balanced education is one of the district's cornerstones and current programming is crucial for our students. In addition, our district-wide School Improvement Plan will call on every teacher and specialist to assist with an added emphasis on achievement efforts for all children.
Are there other costs to the district such as personnel or added staffing?View Answer
At the outset of the Feasibility Study, the administrators were directed to come up with a plan that did not add on-going expenses. No extra staffing is necessary and no extra ongoing personnel costs will be incurred. In fact, the district will save money by reducing the number of teachers who now move from building to building.
How will the District handle the change in services for Special Services personnel with one less class at each elementary school?View Answer
As always, our special needs population will drive how staffing is allocated. Title I, Special Education, Gifted-Talented, and other support teachers will be allocated by student need as has been done in the past.
How will the District handle the change in services necessary for building aides, nutrition staff, and other non-certified personnel?View Answer
Our support services staffing have always, and will continue to be allocated in the best manner possible to meet the needs of our student population. It will be necessary to review and re-define some staffing to provide the best service we can give. It is our intent to use the year ahead to plan with all components of our support staff to define and meet student needs in a responsible manner.
How would this impact West Park with the Kindergarten classes off campus? Would the kindergarten kids move to WP?View Answer
Based on the following initial recommendation, it is of vital importance that parent and teacher input continue to be taken during the next 3 months in order to provide the best opportunity for all students and families while considering this configuration. Following additional time for input, the administration will make a final recommendation to the Superintendent to forward to the Board of Trustees in April.
After completing an analysis of multiple options, it became clear that a more robust teaming atmosphere is available for all students in grades K-5 with a K-2 setting all at the West Park campus and a 3-5 configuration at Russell School. If two K-5 schools were to be formed, one of the schools would have only one teacher for each grade level and attendance zone lines would have to be redrawn in the process. Currently students have three teachers per grade level and student learning is optimized through the three teachers teaming each and every day. Multiple teacher teaming expertise is a huge benefit to the students in the current configuration. In addition, classroom balancing is much better served when there are multiple classrooms in each grade level. A school with only one grade level classroom has a more defined space limit and students over and above that limit would be transferred to other district schools with room instead of remaining in the same school. It is also important to consider the cost of additional staffing needed in a configuration with two K-5 schools. Additional staff such as specialists, support personnel, and bussing would need to be provided along with the need to rezone the two elementary schools.
Has the Moscow School District considered changing the zoning areas to distribute elementary attendance more equally?View Answer
The MSD is anxiously awaiting the official release of the recently completed census study to provide us with an up to date population distribution in our community. In addition, our trustee zones will be analyzed along with the attendance zone research. Following the official release of the census data, all of the regional school districts will work together to complete any rezoning necessary.


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by Meredith O'Brien
*Warning: Spoilers from Mars Needs Moms.*
At least this was one Disney movie where the mom wasn't dead and there was no "evil" step-mom who harassed the hero of the film.
Instead, when I took my 9-year-old son to see Mars Needs Moms [1], I was surprised to find that main point, driven home with the finesse of a sledgehammer, was that not only did Mars need moms, but everybody does, specifically a "good" mom.
What did the film consider to be a "good" mom? A woman who held her 9-year-old son accountable, made sure he did his chores and didn't slack off. The mom actually followed through with her threat about what would happen if her son disobeyed her. What was considered a "bad" mom? The moms who indulge their children and allow their offspring to throw temper tantrums and reward their kids in the face of said tantrums in an attempt to get them to stop.
Okay, so far so good. It was a great message for my kid to absorb, that a mom who says you can't watch TV unless you eat your vegetables and actually sticks to her guns, is considered a good, thoughtful parent. (In the movie, when the mom learned that her son lied to her about eating his broccoli – he fed it to the cat who then puked it up -- she didn't let him watch any more TV and sent him to his room. This is the chief reason why I think my son wasn't too keen on the flick.)
But when the "good" mom was kidnapped by Martians, this is where things got a wee bit confusing as far as what messages about mothers the movie was sending. The "good" human mom was considered by the Martians to be so good at being a mother that they wanted to extract all her maternal skills from her brain (a process which would inevitably kill her) and transfer that knowledge to "nanny-bots" that the Martians would use to raise their newborn female Martians while the newborn male Martians were discarded into a landfill with the trash . . . wait . . . what?
That's right, the Mars of Disney's writers' imagination is one run entirely by a matriarchy, in particularly, a screechy, evil shrew named The Supervisor who so disliked childrearing and was so angry that the male Martians never helped with any of it, that she decreed that all the female baby Martians be raised by robots (programmed by the brains of "good" human moms) and that all the males be banned from proper Martian society. The animalistic males, living amidst the trash heaps deep beneath the ground, were unkempt though happy-go-lucky dudes.
In the end, as you might expect, this societal construct was repudiated. The notion of parents – mothers and fathers – raising their own children wound up being embraced by the Martians. (It's worth noting that the one human dad in the film was away on a business trip until the very end of the movie.) The human mother did have a moment to shine when she showed her son that she was willing to sacrifice her life for him, even though for most of the movie she was lying in some kind of a coma and her son Milo was the one who had to free her from the Mommy Memory extraction machine. Sure, she was a good mom, but she was inactive for most of the duration as the action centered on Milo's attempts to save her.
Now this is where I scratched my head. Milo's mom -- I don't recall anyone ever mentioning her name other than "Mom" -- was held up as a role model mother and had a single heroic moment at the climax of the movie, but she was mostly tied down to a gurney. The Supervisor, who reigned over all the other compliant Martian females with a violent, iron fist, was patently evil. The only other positive female role model was a Martian gal named "Ki" who liked to illegally plaster colorful flower graffiti everywhere and who helped Milo. Kind of a mixed message if you ask me.
While I was happy to have witnessed a theatrical reinforcement of the notion that being a good mom includes teaching a child to do his chores and eat a well balanced diet, I wasn't sure what my son would make of the demonization of a society run by women and how the motivation for banning all the males to the trash heap was female anger over the fact that they didn't help out with the childrearing.
"So, what didja think?" I asked my son as we walked out of the theater.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Was that supposed to be a comedy or something?" he asked.
"You know, I'm not sure," I replied.

subset: commoncrawl


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If you have decided to separate or divorce, family mediation can help you make arrangements for joint property, finance and children.
If you are separating you need to make a number of vital decisions about the future. Family mediation can help you.
Family mediation can help you maintain a civil relationship with your ex, and communicate well with your children to meet their needs.
If your parents are splitting up you'll want to know how it will affect you, and what you can do about it. Meeting with a family mediator is an option.
If you want to support a friend or relative whose family is going through separation, family mediation is a good place to start.
Family mediation can help Grandparents who are worried that a break-up means their relationship with their Grandchildren can't continue.
Head office opening hours:
9am - 5pm, Mon - Fri
Charity No: 1074796
(c) 2016 National Family Mediation


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DIRECTV Socials are coming to SXSW and showcasing their cutting edge technology known for transforming the TV experience.
Join them March 8th and 9th at Clive Bar, 601 Davis St. for exclusive demonstrations and executive speakers digging into top-tier TV innovations and showcasing music talent! Stay tuned for all the details for DIRECTV Socials. #TransformTV
Image courtesy of DIRECTV


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Written on: 03/06/2009 by jimmymckay (1 review written)
Good Points
it has the SLEEP MODE
it is LEATHER
the Pull Strap idea is excellent
Bad Points
packaging was abit boring but hey the package goes in the Bin anyways :)
General Comments
i have just bought a case for my blackberry 8900 its excellent its made by some company called dc i was searching on google for a slimline pull strap case and then i came across pdahut.com on their website it says new! excellent value for money. so i thouhg its cheap imports but when you look at the pictures you can see its not but for that price i was still not sure. i though what da hell its only 9.95 so i try it out i recived it this morning and well the leather is soft and nice and the phone doesnt go bulky and it has the sleep mode heyyyyyyyyyy so over all i think its an excellent case
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Written by TanyaK
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Written by Bof49


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The most endearing label put on Boston players is that of the "Dirt Dog". Fans adore and admire those guys that get the uni dirty, take an extra base, run into walls and play with reckless abandon. Trot Nixon is the prototypical player for this genre and certainly Dusty and Youkilis were in the same mode. Is everything the fan perceives it to be? If a guy can't stay healthy, how much does he help the team? The following guys are dirt dogs:
Pedroia, wow, he's been injured a lot lately, can't see him in the running for another MVP, can you?
Youkilis, three seasons of injuries and it's off to Chi town.
Ellsbury, one full season in three, not a good ratio.
Lackey, tough guy pitched his arm off it's socket.
Dice-K, same thing as Lackey, too tough for his own good.
Varitek, so tough he lingered for too long.
Kalish, running into walls, and diving all over the place has given him what? Nothing.
Ryan Sweeney, concussion from diving, just stop already, it's a long season.
Carl Crawford, he works so hard he gets hurt re-habbing, nuff said.
Players who are not Dirt Dogs;
A-Gon, he cant run, so he doesn't, but stays in the line-up, doesn't he?
Big Papi, gets his 4 AB's a day, and takes about 7 games in the field per year, the anti dirt dog, and at 37, their best offensive force.
Salty, stops what he can, doesn't push it and he leads AL catchers.
Cody Ross, gets turned around on fly balls, doen't kill himself out there, the one injury he had was from fouling a ball off his foot, no purple heart for that.
Mike Aviles, ready to play everyday, hasn't had to change his uniform in a week now.
With the trade deadline approaching let us hope we get more slackers and fewer Dirt Dogs to make the team heathier and well, better.


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Recent winners:
2015 - Silvia Southwick
Southwick was honored for her scholarly work in the Linked Data field. While Silvia has a history of scholarship with linked data, in 2014 she outdid even her previous accomplishments by producing ten scholarly works including peer-reviewed journal articles, a book chapter, contributed talks, and a variety of presentations.
2014 – Marianne Buehler
Buehler was honored for publishing a peer reviewed article, a co-authored book chapter, and a book on scholarly communication, Demystifying the Institutional Repository for Success, a significant and important contribution to the conversation in scholarly communication.
2013 – David Schwartz
Schwartz was honored for publishing a substantially updated edition of Roll the Bones in addition to two chapters on casinos in forthcoming hospitality textbooks, two refereed articles, one non-refereed article, two books reviews, and close to 70 opinion pieces, articles, and feature stories on gaming.
2012 – Paula McMillen
Paula was honored for both the productivity and quality of her scholarship. In particular, her publication of five referred journal articles, two book chapters and a refereed conference presentation in 2011 alone. Also mentioned was her work as a reviewer for five scholarly publications and her service on the editorial boards for four scholarly journals.
2011 – Jason Vaughan
Vaughan was honored for his extensive contributions to library scholarship. In 2010, he published a book, Library Technology Reports: Library Web Scale Discovery Services. In addition, Vaughan published three refereed journal articles, and was the sole author for two of the articles. He was the sole author for another journal article published in American Libraries. Vaughan presented four refereed presentations at national and state conferences. In collaboration with Peter Michel and Cory Lampert, Vaughan wrote two successful Library Services and Technology Act grants to provide funds for the digitization of library collections – "Menus: the Art of Dining" and "The Historic Landscape of Nevada."
2010 – Cory Tucker
2009 – Jeanne Brown
2008 – Cory Lampert


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Los Angeles-based WebMessenger, a provider of software for connecting business applications with mobile devices, said Friday that it has acquired Apptix WebMessenger, a subsidiary of Apptix, Inc. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Apptix had acquired WebMessenger in April of last year in a $7M acquisition. The firm said that the original founders of WebMessenger--Val Babajov, Joe Naylor, and George Emilov--reacquired the firm and will continue to lead the company. Reasons for the the buy back of the firm were not given. WebMessenger provides companies connect their enterprise applications to BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Palm mobile devices.
Top NewsFriday, February 8, 2008
WebMessenger Re-Acquired By Founders
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socaltech on Facebooki


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If Earth Day offers a moment to reflect on how we're treating the planet, then it's critical to use this moment to rethink our approach to agriculture. For more than twelve millennia, humanity has employed agriculture to appropriate the Earth's productive capacity for its own growth. And boy have we been successful! So successful, in […]Read More
Farmland LP is honored to participate in the first-ever Impact and Sustainability Trade Mission organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Watershed Capital. Farmland LP was the first company selected for the Trade Mission, in recognition of our award-winning focus on both investment and sustainability goals. Craig Wichner, Managing Partner of Farmland LP, will be […]Read More
Posted by Jason Bradford | November 8, 2013
Farmland LP's agricultural practices are based on good science and agronomic principles, and a 9-year research project from America's heartland continues to support what we do. "Increasing Cropping System Diversity Balances Productivity, Profitability and Environmental Health" is the title of a research paper by scientists from Iowa State University, University of Minnesota and the USDA […]Read More
Posted by Jason Bradford | October 29, 2012
Or, What You See from Space (and What You Don't) Part 2 of 2 In the first post of this series, I explained how rotational grazing quickly builds soil organic matter (SOM). In this second part I discuss the importance of SOM for organic farming. Mineralization for Organic Farming Mineralization is the process by which […]Read More
Posted by Jason Bradford | September 30, 2012
Or, What You See from Space (and What You Don't) Part 1 of 2 A key to the success of Farmland LP is having great livestock managers to make the most out of our high quality pasture. In Oregon, Mac Stewart of Vitality Farms runs sheep on over 900 acres of Farmland LP property. And […]Read More
Posted by Jason Bradford | September 24, 2012


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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says lawmakers will need to take "tough positions" to reach a compromise on legislation allowing the carrying of concealed weapons.
The Senate Executive Committee on Thursday endorsed a concealed-carry measure that would require permit applicants be of "good moral character." It would also create a separate local police endorsement for people who want to carry a gun in Chicago.
That differs significantly from proposals in the House -- one of them a National Rifle Association-backed bill that fell short of passage last month.
Madigan says compromise on the issue by a June 9 federal court-ordered deadline will be difficult. He says the deeply divisive issue will require lawmakers to compromise and do things they typically oppose.
The Senate bill is HB183.
Online: http://www.ilga.gov


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Unfortunately after a long day searching I couldn't find anything useful for me.
My Problem is that I couldn't use "extend MapActivity" or rather import the libary. I tried to use "Google API" insted of "Android API" like recomended in some other threads but the problem is that I have no "Google API" in my SDK Manager to download or choose.
My Android SDK Manager So, I have in my "Android SDK Manager" just the Android Apis from "Android 1.5 (API 3)" to "Android 4.0.3 (API 15)" and no "Google API".
Here is an example where the "Google API" is available inside the "Android 4.0.3 (API 15)" Installing the Google APIs...
Is there any posibility to download or import the "Google API" in a different way or am I doing something wrong?


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Clear the highways! This lil' guy was born to be a speed demon.
Judging by the driving habits of Lorenzo LaValle's dear mother, Nicole, may we recommend that you travel on foot for a while now that the kid's a motor vehicle operator? Snooki tweeted a photo of her son ripping up the roads (or, her living room floor) recently, and we couldn't help but imagine a potentially lucrative future in NASCAR. He sure is cute now, but you may want to steer clear of the Jersey Turnpike in 16 years.
Elsewhere on Twitter, Evan Starkman of "The Challenge" and Sara Schaefer of "Nikki & Sara LIVE" got in on the chatter about "Catfished" college football star Manti Te'o, while Pauly D was basking in praise (from Mike Tyson, no less!) after the release of his new song, "Back To Love." And, as expected, Jenelle
Rogers was forced to defend herself after catching criticism about her second pregnancy. Wonder what Babs is saying?
+ Check out what MTV's standouts were talking about on Twitter this week!
Dig Remote Control? Follow us on Twitter, like, now.
Photo courtesy of @SnookiNic


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Polyamory: Married & Dating follows two polyamorous families living in Southern California. New to the show are Chris, his wife Leigh Ann, and their girlfriend Megan, a threesome living in Hollywood, CA. We also pick back up with our Season 1 San Diego family of Michael, Kamala, Jen, and Tahl and meet their newest lovers joining their Pod.
To get up to date on storylines, check out episode summaries and show scenes.


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LC24 Tower
From Grand Theft Wiki
The LC24 Tower is a skyscraper at Bunker Hill Avenue in East Island City, Dukes, Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV. The building is the tallest building in the entire Broker/Dukes island.
The LC24 Tower is the headquarters for the LC24 news and lifestyle magazine and is featured in the website www.peepthatshit.com. Due to its tall stature in a relatively low rise neighbourhood of Liberty City, it can be seen from most areas of the Broker/Dukes island, in addition to some areas across the river in Bohan and the eastern coast of Algonquin. The tower is based on the Citicorp Building in Queens, New York.
The building has no prominent use in GTA IV. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, however, it is one of the base jumping points.


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All the cases so far have been in birds or pools of mosquitoes. No humans in Illinois have been infected so far this year.
The state Department of Public Health says 27 birds in 17 Illinois counties have died of West Nile this year. Another 13 pools of mosquitoes, ten of them in DuPage County, have tested positive for the virus.
On June 1, only five birds had tested positive. Health Department spokesman Tom Schafer says the numbers are not surprising, but he says officials don't know yet whether the state will see a major outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease this summer.
The mosquitoes that most often carry West Nile are most active in hot, dry weather.
West Nile in Illinois
States With Birds Testing Positive in 2002:
Source: http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/wnv.htm (Illinois Department of Health Web site), and http://westnilevirus.nbii.gov/ (National Biological Information Infrastructure Web site) contributed to this report.


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7 Resources for Parents & Schools. Washington State Office of the Education Ombudsman . 2009. English Chinese Korean Russian Spanish Vietnamese Somali Cambodian . http://www.governor.wa.gov/oeo/publications/#resources
This collection of multilingual family guides includes:
A Guide to Your Children's Schools: A Parent Handbook. Adult Learning Resource Center 37 page s . February 2002. Arabic English Russian Spanish Vietnamese . http://www.isbe.state.il.us/bilingual/htmls/ellparents.htm
Presents general information about the school system in the United States for newcomers to the U.S. Parents and guardians of immigrant or refugee children can peruse a question-and-answer format to learn about: (1) the organization and types of schools in the U.S., including the relationship between school districts and school boards as well as alternative schooling for children who do not finish high school; (2) procedures for enrolling children in school, including required medical forms and examinations; (3) the school calendar and school day; (4) transportation options; (5) school procedures, including policies regarding illness, absence, and fees for activities such as field trips; (6) the roles of administrators, teachers, and support staff; (7) instructional programs, including English as a second language (ESL) and bilingual classes, basic curricula for elementary, middle, and high school, and special-needs programs; (8) parents' roles in their children's education and learning, including participating in parent-teacher conferences, parent workshops, family learning activities, and volunteer programs as well as engaging children in discussion about and helping them with their homework; and (9) adult education, including English and literacy classes. Parents and guardians who understand how the U.S. school system works are better able to help their children succeed.
A New Day: Refugee Families in the United States. Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) page s . 2006. English . http://coresourceexchange.org/portfolio-items/video-for-youth-and-families/?portfolioID=12310
Illustrates the challenges facing new refugee families as they adjust to the realities of living in the United States, by using a short video with scenes and conversations from their daily life. Families from Burma, Somalia, Liberia, Iran, Armenia, and Russia describe the oppression, violence, and fear they faced in their native countries. Each family expresses a tremendous desire to improve their children's lives by taking advantage of educational and economic opportunities. Yet, one man describes life in America as "better, but difficult". Resettlement professionals discuss the stress caused by changing roles that upset the traditional balance of power in the family, such as when the wife becomes the bread winner or the children learn English quickly and become translators for their elders. Learning to speak English is a dominant topic, and scenes from English as a Second Language classes are included. Teens emphasize that knowledge of the language is the key to academic and social success. Different Western parenting approaches, especially in the areas of discipline and physical punishment, as well as tolerance of clothing and hair style trends, are explained. The clash between the image of American life and the reality - with many refugees living in low-income neighborhoods with high crime rates - can be disheartening, but the families remain confident that their choices were correct and hold dreams for their future generations. (IP-CW)
Anna Goes to School. Teague, Kati 26 page s . 1991. Bengali Chinese English Greek Hindi Punjabi Somali Turkish Urdu Vietnamese This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.
"When it is time for Anna to start school, she is not too happy. But after her first day there, she is ready for more." - Publisher's description
Attending School in the Anchorage School District. Anchorage School District page s . 2010. English Hmong Nepali Nuer Russian Samoan Somali Spanish Tagalog . http://www.asdk12.org/depts/ELL/
This online video is shown to immigrant and refugee families when they register for school in Anchorage, Alaska. Their Web site also includes video success stories from students who attend their district's Newcomers' Center.
Be Who You Are: Refugee Youth in the United States. Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) page s . 2006. English . http://coresourceexchange.org/portfolio-items/video-for-youth-and-families/?portfolioID=12310
Presents a short video on topics for teen refugees and resettlement workers that focuses on the realities of integrating into American society and provides a snapshot of what to expect as a new member of the U.S. population. Teen refugees from several families and different cultures talk candidly about daily life. Not speaking English is described as a frightening and isolating experience, and each teen emphasizes that learning the language paves the way to educational achievement and new friendships. School settings make bright, interactive environments with helpful teachers and offer a variety of ways to learn such as through physical education, art, and music. Religious and cultural differences place high expectations on academic achievement as well as create different dating and friendships rules. One teen advises new refugees to just be themselves and they will find friends that accept them. Many teen refugees take on family responsibilities, such as helping with younger siblings and preparing meals. (IP-CW)
Bilingual Glossaries. The New York State Education Department page s . n.d.. Arabic Bengali Bosnian Burmese Chinese English French Haitian Creole Korean Polish Punjabi Romanian Russian Serbo-Croatian Spanish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese . http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/bilinged/bilingual_glossaries.htm
These glossaries were created for teachers, LEP students, test translators, and curricula developers. The glossaries are available in a number of languages; note that the math glossaries are available in Burmese. Glossaries include: U.S. History/Government; Global History; Math; Algebra/Trigonometry; Geometry; Earth Science; Chemistry; and Physics.
Child Abuse and Neglect: A Reference for Medical Professionals (2nd Edition). Office for Children and Families 178 page s . 2005. English . http://www.crin.org/docs/child%20abuse%20and%20neglect.pdf
In order to begin the intervention necessary to protect the child and help the family, the medical and health professional must be knowledgeable in recognizing cases of child abuse and neglect and the proper methods of handling evaluation and referral. This booklet has been developed to
address the most frequent child abuse and neglect issues which confront the medical and health
professional. (Description from source)
Clearinghouse for Multilingual Documents (Web site). California Department of Education page s . 2011. Albanian Arabic Armenian Bangla Bengali Bosnian Burmese Cambodian Chinese Croatian Dutch English Farsi Filipino French German Greek Gujarati Hebrew Hindi Hmong Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Khmer Korean Kurdish Lao Pashto Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Samoan Serbo-Croatian Somali Spanish Thai Tigrigna Tongan Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese . http://inet2.cde.ca.gov/cmd/search.aspx
This clearinghouse houses hundreds of resources that facilitate communication with immigrant parents. Within each topic is a list of currently available parental notifications related to that topic. By selecting a title, viewers will be led to a list of "Available Translations" for that title. These documents may be useful to others throughout the U.S. because the translations are provided in generic form so that schools and districts can modify them to suit local needs.
Creating a Refuge From Bullying. Swain, Lauren page s . 2006. English This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.
Provides examples of bullying experiences from teen refugees and explains steps they take to protect themselves while also sensitizing American teens to the struggles of their refugee peers. This 22-minute video was created by the Refugee Education for Awareness, Change, and Hope program (REACH), based in Colorado, as part of a curriculum designed to educate America's youth about refugee experiences and issues. Many young refugees experience trauma and fear in their native lands and then are taunted by their American classmates as they enter the schools because of their limited language skills, unique dress or food customs, and lack of knowledge about popular culture. Parallels are drawn between global leaders who oppress their people and school bullies who frighten classmates. Amjaad and Il Gude, an Iraqi boy and a Somali Bantu girl, describe being called a "terrorist" or "ugly" by classmates. American students provide dramatizations about bullying situations. Teachers and counselors describe steps for young newcomers to avoid situations where bullying can occur and encourage them to talk with trusted adult leaders if they feel threatened. (IP)
Educational Handbook for Refugee Parents. International Rescue Committee 82 page s . 2006. Burmese English French Somali Spanish . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/Educational-Handbook-English.pdf
Acquaints refugee parents with the U.S. school system; school grade levels; expectations of students at each level in terms of academics and personal conduct; and parents' responsibilities in ensuring that their children meet the school system expectations. The International Rescue Committee encourages parents to meet with their children's teachers and frequently talk with their children about their schoolwork, as well as urge their children to pursue college. Step-by-step instructions clarify the procedures for choosing a college, the application process, and securing financial aid. An appendix details resources that address parents' specific needs: finding an interpreter; scheduling meetings with teachers or administrators; obtaining permission for a child's absence or late arrival; requesting a fee waiver or free lunch; and requesting resources for families learning English.
The handbook is also available in Spanish, French, Somali, and Burmese.
Emergency and Community Health Outreach. Emergency and Community Health Outreach (ECHO) page s . 2004. English Hmong Khmer Lao Somali Spanish Vietnamese . http://www.echominnesota.org/tools/echo-tv/view-all-shows
ECHO is a collaborative Web site providing health and safety information during emergency and non-emergency times to people with limited English language skills. BRYCS audiences may be interested in topics covered such as: Back to School Immunizations, Calling 9-1-1 in an Emergency, Child Safety Seats, Early Childhood Screening, Lead Poisoning, Mental Health Help, How to Talk to Kids About Crisis, and more. Each topic is covered in video format and is available in multiple languages. Click the language of your choice at the top of the Web page and the whole page (including the videos) will be in the language selected.
Family Involvement Tools. . English Spanish Vietnamese Amharic Somali Tigrigna Cambodian Oromo . http://www.nhwa.org/gethelp/community-resources.php
This is a collection of multilingual audio clips for newcomer parents that address parent involvement in the schools. The clips discuss getting involved with children's education through volunteering, home school communication, learning at home, collaborating with the community, and parent/teacher conferences. Though they were created for Washington state, they may be useful in other parts of the country.
Guidebook for Parents of English Language Learners. Houston Independent School District 33 page s . 2007. Arabic Chinese English Farsi French Somali Spanish Swahili Urdu Vietnamese . http://www.houstonisd.org/portal/site/Multilingual/menuitem.048a2bcc8aa72ba27300dc10e041f76a/?vgnextoid=0a2b57ebf04ef010VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextfmt=default
This multilingual resource provides parents of English language learners in the Houston schools with basic information about school programs their children may be eligible for. It may also be helpful to other school districts seeking to create similar handbooks.
How to Navigate the Oakland Unified School District. Oakland Unified School District 49 page s . 2008. Arabic Burmese Cambodian Chinese English French Nepali Spanish Vietnamese . http://www.reftrans.org/community-resources/
This handbook for refugee and asylee families, service providers and support people includes the following sections:
Much of the information is applicable to those in other areas of the country.
Illinois' Refugee Children School Impact Grant Video Tool Kit. Illinois' Refugee Children School Impact Grant (RCSIG) Partnership, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), Illinois Department of Human Services, Chicago Public Schools page s . 2005. Arabic English Maay Maay Somali Spanish Swahili . http://www.isbe.net/bilingual/htmls/refugee_services.htm
This toolkit includes In Our Country: Educating Newcomers in America and Welcoming New Learners: A Professional Development Tool. Schools struggle with the challenge of welcoming and adjusting to this entering population. Teachers and administrators must search for ways to make these new students feel safe and secure while instilling the standards of behavior and achievement expected from all. The new arrivals and their parents have no understanding of the American educational process, the school policies and resources, or what to expect from the classroom experience. Both school personnel and refugees have a profound need to understand one another. In order to help facilitate the integration of refugees into the classroom, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Human Services/Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services have created these two videos.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Parent Involvement Project: A Guide for Connecting Immigrant Parents and Schools. Dixon, Janet 171 page s . 2001. Cambodian English Hmong Lao Russian Spanish Vietnamese . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/LEP-Parent-Involvement-Project-User-Guide.pdf
"The LEP Parent Involvement Project was developed to be used in various adult education settings such as ESL classes, community-based organizations and parent groups for the purposes of helping parents and caretakers with limited English see themselves as active participants in their children's learning. In designing the materials we had the following goals in mind: 1. To build on what people already know from their experience as parents and caretakers in their own countries. 2. To help parents restore their own vision of themselves as first and primary teachers. (This vision is often lost in the immigration process.). 3. To create opportunities for parents to explore similarities and differences between their new and native countries and to build bridges that will link the two experiences. 4. To encourage parents to define and keep values and traditions, which are meaningful parts of their culture." - Publisher's description CONTENTS User's Guide Module 1 Bridging Cultures Module 2 Schools are Part of the Culture Module 3 Parents are Teachers Module 4 Discipline Module 5 Life at School Module 6 Families
Needs Assessment and Planning for Asylum Seeking and Refugee Young People: A Good Practice Note. National Children's Bureau 16 page s . March 2006. English . http://www.ncb.org.uk/dotpdf/open%20access%20-%20phase%201%20only/arc_1_4needsassesspracnote.pdf
The following practice note is aimed at professionals who carry out needs assessments and create pathway plans for asylum seeking and refugee young people. The main aim is to highlight the additional areas that should be considered, and to compliment existing material that has been created for working with young people leaving care. (Description from source)
PACER Center's National Center for Bullying Prevention (website). Pacer Center, Inc. page s . 2007. English Spanish Hmong Somali . http://pacer.org/bullying/index.asp
This Web site provides free handouts for English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali speaking parents. Topics include talking to your children about bullying, talking with school administrators, record-keeping and bullying, and IEPs and bullying. Click on "Translated Content" at the bottom or on "Resources for Parents and Professionals" for many translated materials.
Parent Curriculum: Module 1. Cotton, Jessica , Lutheran Social Services of Michigan 34 page s . October 2007. English Arabic Bosnian - Serbian - Croatian . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/lssmparentorientationmanual.pdf
This manual was created by Lutheran Social Services of Michigan's Senior School Impact Specialist as a part of their Refugee School Impact Program. It was designed for refugee parents to provide them with information they need to prepare their children for school and to be involved in their education. It includes sections on: structure of the American school system, getting involved in your child's education, parent-teacher conferences, getting ready for school, understanding the American culture, federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, overview of the youth orientation/support sessions, LSSM ESL classes, and resources used and information available.
Parent involvement materials. Drum Publishing Group page s . 2010. English Karen . http://www.drumpublications.org/resettledownload.php
These materials are based on the Parent Institute for Quality Education Program (PIQE) in California and are available in Karen through Drum Publications. Lessons include home-school collaboration; home, motivation and self-esteem; communication and discipline; academic standards; how the elementary school system functions; and the road to college.
Parent Outreach Publications (Brochures and Handouts). PACER Center page s . 2008. English Hmong Russian Somali Spanish . http://www.pacer.org/publications/
Advises parents of young children to contact the PACER Center and their school districts to learn about districts' early childhood intervention and special education services. These services can help parents better understand their children and identify how to best meet individual children's needs. Services can also identify if a child has special needs, which parents should determine as soon as possible because early intervention will allow for the child to be better helped and more ready to learn upon entering kindergarten. Schools will provide service coordinators to individually plan with parents of special needs children for the support services and therapies their children will need, offer tips on how to help their children develop skills at home, and help locate effective community resources and services outside school systems. Lists benchmarks of typical developmental milestones and encourages parents to monitor their child's early development and to seek help immediately if concerns arise. Consultations are free and parents have final decision-making power in application and use of all services.
Raising Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) 36 page s . September 2007. Arabic Burmese English Hmong Karen Nepali Somali Spanish . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/RaisingChildren-Handbook.pdf
This booklet was created for agencies serving refugees and immigrants in order to support their efforts to ensure that newcomer parents have the basic information they need about U.S. laws and parenting practices. Although newcomers may find the booklet useful by itself, it is primarily intended for case managers and other service providers to use together with their refugee and immigrant clients. The booklet is targeted to newcomer parents with low levels of English proficiency and/or low literacy levels. Since the often complex concepts illustrated here are necessarily simplified, the resource section (pages 28-31) provides easy-to-access information for service providers to supplement the basic points in this booklet. For best results, BRYCS recommends using this booklet in culturally appropriate parent support groups, preferably run by at least one experienced newcomer parent of the same ethnicity and one U.S.-born parent, where refugee and immigrant parents can ask questions, try out new behaviors, and find positive support to help ease their transition. (See the BRYCS publication Parenting in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working with Newcomer Parents for more information on parent support groups, including curricula and other educational information).
This booklet has been translated into Arabic, Burmese, Karen, Nepali, Spanish, Somali and White Hmong by local refugee agencies and public schools. Contact BRYCS at email@example.com for more information.
Refugee Family Engagement Project DVD Set. Denver Public Schools . 2010. Arabic Burmese French Karen Nepali Somali . http://www.dpsk12.org/video/newcomer/index.shtml http://www.dpsk12.org/video/newcomer/professional_dev.shtml
This is a set of two DVDs. The first is a professional development DVD for educators, administrators, and staff and provides background information on the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Denver Public Schools staff describe their best practices and communication strategies to inform and engage refugee families, and identify resources for schools and families.
The second DVD is for newcomer families. It invites families to participate in school activities and informs refugees about American school culture. It covers attendance policies, health policies, after-school programs, parent-teacher conferences, and adult education opportunities. It describes services available at schools and in the greater community.
Registering Your Child For School. Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians 2 page s . 2008. Arabic Chinese English French Haitian Creole Russian Spanish Tigrigna . http://www.welcomingcenter.org/immigrants/obtaining-education
Provides parents with a brief overview of the records required to enroll a child in school and the time requirement that schools must adhere to, in order to register a child. Records include proof of a child's age; proof of address; and immunization records, and at the time of registration, parents must sign a sworn statement as to any disciplinary records. Schools may not require other records such as photo identification, Social Security numbers, or immigration documents.
Sam's First Day. Mills, David , Finlay, Lizzie 24 page s . 2000. Albanian Arabic Bengali Chinese Czech English Farsi French Gujarati Portuguese Somali Spanish Tamil Turkish Urdu Vietnamese This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.
Sam loved to talk. On his first day at school he talked and talked all the way there. But when Sam got to school, he stopped talking. Sam enjoyed writing. He enjoyed playing games. He enjoyed reading. But he just would not talk! Until... A gently told tale for all children new to school or the newcomer to the classroom. A delightful picture book... an excellent dual text. - Publisher's description reprinted with permission.
Tom and Sofia Start School. Barkow, Henriette , Lamont, Priscilla 32 page s . 2006. Albanian Arabic Bengali Chinese English Farsi French German Greek Gujarati Hindi Italian Japanese Kurdish Polish Portuguese Punjabi Russian Somali Spanish Tagalog Turkish Urdu Vietnamese This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.
This children's book goes through a school day through the eyes of two young children - including circle time, art, snack, bathroom, lunch, recess, games, and clean up. The illustrations are diverse and include Muslim and Jewish students as well as those with disabilities. Some of the English words used are British (such as "Mum"), but is otherwise appropriate for students in the U.S. Ages: 4-8.
ToolKit for Hispanic Families: Resources to Help Students Succeed in School. U. S. Department of Education page s . 2007. English Spanish . http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/2006toolkit/index.html
This tool kit was developed with guidance from over 1,800 Hispanic parents at Parent Information and Resource Centers across the country. Available in English and Spanish, these articles provide information and resources for parents of students.
Tukwila School District Parent Handbook. International Rescue Committee - Seattle 67 page s . 2007. English . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/parenthandbook.pdf
This handbook includes basic information about schools through simple text and photos. Though some pages are specific to the Tukwila School District, many pages include photos that would be useful to refugee parents with children in any school in the U.S.
Welcome to Our Schools Kit. New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (BRIA) page s . 2013. Arabic Burmese English Karen Maay Maay Russian Swahili Vietnamese . http://otda.ny.gov/programs/bria/wtos.asp
The Welcome to Our Schools Kit is designed to ease the transition of refugee children into the elementary and secondary schools of New York State, and to empower their parents to be effective partners in the education of their children. This kit includes: 1) Curriculum for the Refugee Academy, Parent Programs, Professional Development, and Mini-Academies; 2) Welcome to Our Schools posters for posting and distribution to students; 3) USA puzzles for use in Module 4; 4) Beach ball for use in Module 1; 5) Bus Number stickers for use in Module 3; 6) DVDs for use in all Modules; 7) Handouts for use in all Modules; and 8) Pencils, crayons, and colored pencils for use in all Modules. The DVDs include 5 segments: 1) A Day in Elementary School; 2) A Day in Middle School; 3) A Day in High School; 4) Student Interviews; and 5) Parent Interviews. Contact BRIA to order a copy.
Updated in 2013, the kit is designed to ease the transition of refugee children into the elementary and secondary schools of New York State, and to empower their parents to be effective partners in the education of their children. New resources include brochures for teachers, nurses, school counselors and parents, resources on domestic abuse, anti-bullying, and peer mentoring, as well as curriculum supplements.
Working with your Child's School. Christensen, Sandy 4 page s . 2000. English Hmong Spanish . http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/WorkingWithYourChildsSchool-Hmong.pdf
A short overview for Hmong parents on how to work with their child's school.
You Can Help Your Child in School. Minnesota Department of Education page s . 2001. Amharic Arabic English Hmong Nuer Oromo Russian Somali Spanish This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.
This instructional video is designed for schools, teachers, community groups, etc. as a tool for use with refugee and immigrant parents. The video serves as a brief overview to the many facets of school which might be new or different for refugees and immigrant parents, including suggestions for what parents might do at home to support school learning.
This video is available on DVD, along with its counterpart, "You Can Talk to Your Child's School." Both videos come on one DVD and each DVD holds three languages (English, Arabic, and Nuer; English, Hmong, and Oromo; English, Russian, and Somali). The Amharic and Spanish versions of the videos are only available in VHS. Order the videos from the Minnesota Bookstore.
You Can Talk to Your Child's School. Minnesota Department of Education page s . 2001. Amharic Arabic English Hmong Nuer Oromo Russian Somali Spanish This resource may be free from your local library or purchased from the publisher.
This instructional video is designed for schools, teachers, community groups, etc. as a tool for use with refugee and immigrant parents. The video focuses on the willingness of school personnel to talk with parents. Sample conversations between parents and school staff are portrayed.
This video is available on DVD, along with its counterpart, "You Can Help Your Child in School." Both videos come on one DVD and each DVD holds three languages (English, Arabic, and Nuer; English, Hmong, and Oromo; English, Russian, and Somali). The Amharic and Spanish versions of the videos are only available in VHS. Order the videos from the Minnesota Bookstore.


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Tom Karpik, a computer science student at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, says he has identified a bug in Leopard that can cause you to lose data if problems occur while moving files between two different storage volumes, such as two different hard drives. Apparently, the problem is that if the source of the file crashes or is disconnected from the network while the move is under way, the contents of the file completely disappear from the source machine, and you're only left with whatever had already been copied to the destination machine.
Commenters on Karpik's blog, Slashdot, and others like Daring Fireball's John Gruber point out that you're asking for trouble if you opt to "move" files rather than copy them, notes CNET. An easy way to avoid any problems is to just drag the file from one volume to another without pressing any keys, and if you really want the file gone from the source machine, manually delete it after everything has been completed.


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March 3
Worked fingers to the bone ("as hard as I've ever worked"... did too!) trying to transmit emails last night. First time in a month and a half with no propagation on HF radio. Was OK this morning and no doubt will be tonight (he said with a confident smirk).
Spent early morning taping in preparation for varnish, then Charlyn, dockmaster's wife, gave a tour of Provo. Little damage from two hurricanes last year, as opposed, I hear, to Grand Turk. Lots of building, lots of empty buildings. Also toured hardware, IGA and liquor stores with devastating impact on wallet. Bought respectively: tape, groceries and rum (no, you cynics, the walletal (not a real word) plundering was for food). Squandered all afternoon until dark taping brightwork. Memory of length and difficulty for this activity had apparently been suppressed (self-preservation mechanism). Of course previous operandi was to pack five days work into three weeks. Previous eschewing of sloth now seems premature. Sanding is plan for tomorrow; could also begin varnishing (The triumph of hope over experience?). Hope to finish second coat Thursday in time for weekly cruiser's barbecue in the marina. Again, also hope for world peace.
News flash for residents of home state: For all you devotees of placing your feet into a vat of dead skin eating miniature carp (no, the carp are alive), the fun is over. Florida Board of Cosmetology (nothing to do with stars and planets) has cut you off. No animals, except the occasional customer, are allowed in any salon. Sorry, but one should always adjust one's life to the whims of a misanthropic, bureaucratic government, don't you think?
Simon & Charlyn
March 2
Liz planning to fly down, Astarte on the way, Windlass - maybe, so in Provo for awhile. Originally planned brightwork varnishing in Luperon, but after 5 months shouldn't wait. Moved to South Side Marina 3 NM east of Sapodilla for the work. Washed off salt with boat soap today, tape and sand tomorrow reference weather. Anybody jonesing to practice varnishing skills is welcome. It's way better than whitewashing fences.
Marina manager a 70 year old Brit. Delightful fellow with *stereotype alert* bad teeth (think Austen Powers). Five year live-aboard cruiser who came over with wife Charlyn from the Pacific, he engaged in fisticuffs with trespasser this afternoon. Went to help and attempted conversation with less dynamic of two interlopers, to wit "So, what's going on?". He was a bit taciturn. No real damage done by relatively harmless miscreants.
Forecast rain in the morning may allow avoiding work without guilt.
Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel.
- Homer Simpson
Stones Engraved by 19th Century Shipwrecked Sailors
March 1
Awoke and crept reluctantly out of bed, thanks to new alarm clock, at 0730 for the Southside Marina cruisers net on Channel 18 (USA). Discovered newly replaced VHF radio was set to Channel 18 (Int'l). For reasons likely known to only three perverse bureaucrats, there are three sets of channels, US, Canadian and international. Some commonality, but not on 18. Caught end of broadcast sans weather after locating manual for reset instructions. May or may not move boat for frontal passage sometime
soon, perhaps.
Even more reluctantly took dink to beach for walk to customs. Discovered, after arrival, that passport had not been returned to important papers satchel (paint me severely chastised). After round-tripping to boat, check-in for seven days was painless and the indicated $23. Cruising permit for 8 to 90 days is $75.
Spent rest of day-of-rest at rest. After moving boat further into shallow bay away from deep draft friends for protection from swell, slept until 1500, then read. Plan something more productive tomorrow... probably.
February 28
After arrival in Sapodilla Bay at 1530, pointlessly walked 1/4 mile to customs. No ship, no customs guy - no ship. Ship 0900 tomorrow. Check-in fee is $15. Overtime for weekends $8... but he's already there - SHIP! Can't complain, Bahamas is $300.
Friends, Dennis & Trudy, from Clarence Town on Rapscallion II still here after two weeks. Continuing to Luperon tomorrow. Dinner invite, lobster. Plans to vegetate until tomorrow temporarily on hold.
Sailed to within 25 NM of Sandbore Channel before term 'boat speed' became a misnomer, 1 Kt. Cranked evil noisy thing for concluding segment of trip. In fairness, Westerbeke 46, has become quieter and smoother of late. Of course this is not a good thing unless for some bizarrely recondite reason it has actually become quieter and smoother. Silver lining from recent ear infection?
- Later
After something like 30 hours since real sleep, being plied with lobster, lobster salad and, of greatest consequence, a regrettably massive amount of adult beverage, I have determined that any further attempt at communication is futile, so will retire.
Coral at Landrail Point
February 27
Early departure, Friday, ill advised, reference weather guy, so dove the wall again. Sweet. Possibly (unlikely) got a decent picture of the odd marine critter or two and/or the reef. Weighed anchor at 1100 to conditions, north side Aklins, worse than forecast (see previous comments on weather weasels). Eight foot seas did not lay down until late day with 20 knots true at 100 degrees (looking for no further right than 60). Beat what passes for brains out all day until starboard turn north of
Plana Cays at 2200. Apparent wind still in 20 - 25 range, but no longer needed bilge beast. Spent chuckle-free night watching and adjusting heaving, high mass dinghy due leaving motor on (Sloth. Note to self: Move on to another deadly sin). Seas calmed considerably southwest of Mayaguana, then winds finally eased to 10 - 12. Boat's still sailing, 3 - 2.5 knots, but not quite making entrance to Sapodilla Bay anchorage. May have to rethink passage strategies. Only second sail since February
Dive buddy, Dave, a grumpy SOB, but like a kid with a new bike about diving. His wife is a saint. Found locals on Crooked Island especially friendly. Found US visitors at Pittstown Landing Resort especially drunk. After last day found myself especially happy about impending arrival Providenciales. Special!
February 26
Weekly ship arrived today with lettuce, tomatoes, bananas and crunchy peanut butter, the necessities. Mostly spent day buying as indicated, visiting and preparing boat for possible departure mid-morning. Bob & Sherry from Tashiba 40, Shamal, came over for drinks and snacks. Just left.
Wind clocking east through south by sometime Saturday is a problem, so may travel to Provo over Friday night, arriving Saturday morning, with potential to sail much of the way - earlier departure increases chance. Also possible to stay Landrail for two or more days and dive the reef or may assume fetal position and finish second Tarzan book on Kindle. Hoping for easing seas early tomorrow. Wind currently blowing like stink. Anchor bridle adjusted and working well to mellow boat motion.
Civilization slipping away as XM radio starts to fade.
Inspiration zero today, so will leave you with this observation from George Carlin:
"The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to himself, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."
Wall by Anchorage at Landrail Point
February 25
Dang! Fat Tuesday passed unnoticed. Non-Catholics have the best of both worlds if they pay attention, an excuse to party without subsequent 40 day penance. Oh sure, suffering builds character, but you just shouldn't overdo. Highly moral people are no fun at parties. Excess is only appropriate when enjoyed and then, in the words of great friend, Phil Bowden, "anything worth doing is worth doing to wretched excess".
Drop off from 40 to a bazillion feet is about 300 yards from boat. Dove with Dave (Nadal. Claims no relation to deceased, unlamented Abu) down to 100 feet. Way cool! Tentatively plan dive again AM if local, Robby, can refill tank or provide loaner. Pizza on the beach at 1700. Definitely staying until Friday. This cruising thing could almost get fun.
Glad to see the market was so enthusiastically positive about the Prez's plan in his speech last night... What? It... Oh! Never mind.
- Later
2000 (twenty hundred) hours, after pizza and ride up to Pittstown Landing Resort (they have a bar) to visit friends of friends, clear sky, no moon, dark as a Siberian well digger's donkey. One mile ride back to boat in dinghy with bioluminescent sparklers shooting out along the wake was magic. This cruising thing could almost get fun.
February 24
Completely blew opportunity to become a productive member of this crew until mid-afternoon (the captain was quite disappointed). After listening to weather and Cruiseheimers net, napped and read most of the day. Too blustery and rough to dive, maybe tomorrow. Finally whipped slothful body into modest exertion around 1500. Jury-rigged gooseneck fitting (articulating connection between boom and mast) that had nearly come apart on Monday (Hoping for correct part in Provo) and adjusted dinghy motor davit operation (with obligatory loss of piece overboard).
Drove to small boat basin, cut into shore rock, for look around with freshly-motored dink (closed-vent gas tank was found crumpled in on itself due cool spell - oops). Chased out by returning bone fishermen. Rigged anchor bridle to stern for swell coming around Pittstown Point (mo bettah). Had dinner of sauteed potato, onion and scallops with fresh frozen grouper (from friends in Rum Cay) and leftover scratch-prepared red beans and rice (menu included for you culinary skeptics. I flaunt my spatula in your general direction).
Will probably remain here among friendly locals and habitues until Thursday or Friday.
PS Anybody know how to access diacritical marks with Windows XP, e.g. habitue, sauteed.
February 23
Dang! Leave for 10 days and the weather changes. How did that happen? Easier to maintain reasonable expectations when checking every day. Crooked Island will probably be home for a day or two due icky (esoteric nautical term) weather Tuesday. Enjoyed morning conversation on HF with another fool... er, cruiser in Landrail Point who claimed it's OK, rolly. Turns out, OK, not too rolly... yet.
Today is first of many, no doubt, requiring motor sail. Needed, didn't get, wind to back 20 degrees to eradicate irritating clatter from bilge, but long period 5 foot swell with 10 knot wind on the port bow made ride pretty good. Squall south of position backed wind enough to sail 15 minutes before it veered right to the bow for last hour and a half.
Got a tow into shore (motor still on davits) from other cruiser (Bob & Sherry on a pretty Tashiba 40, Shamal), accosted by large-toothed dog (unhappy, no doubt, that I'm a Libertarian) then hitched into the settlement for dinner at Gibson's Lunchroom (THE place to eat in town). Good crowd, good food, no alcohol (they're Seventh Day Adventists - like Jews who believe in Christ, I'm told). Got a ride back to a point further down the shore from irritable mutt. Way too dark for stumble down narrow
path, then along eroded beach and 1/4 mile row to yacht.
Fellow I stopped to converse with while walking around claims he'll take me to dive the reef in the AM. Cool! Let you know.
February 22
Off the dock; on the hook. Planning early departure for Landrail Point, Crooked Island, tomorrow. Depending on wind, Samana Cay or Atwood Harbour, Tuesday. Mayaguana Wednesday. North route (Samana) longer, but may allow sail. Mario gave a good discount for 10 day stay at Flying Fish Marina and allowed departure as late as this evening. Even in easy conditions, the anchorage is a little rocky.
In walking around, noticed banner proclaiming "Bahamas Agricultural, Marine Resource and Agribusiness Expo - Improving Food Scarcity". I was incensed. Why decrease the supply of food? Are Bahamians too fat? Even if true, reducing availability is just not right. A more meticulous reading seemed to suggest that it actually said, "Improving Food Security". Not helpful. Securing it from what? What else would one protect food from than being eaten by people? I think this is a wrong-headed concept
that can only lead to disaster.
Boy, sure miss the invigorating forty degree temperatures in South Carolina and St. Pete. Bracing winds that chill you to the bone are just great - make you feel alive Cursory thought might have you believe it's better here - Fahrenheit 78 with a ten knot northeasterly. Au contraire. Bright sun shining down from brilliant blue sky and sparkling off crystal clear blue and green water is fraught with untold peril. The soft, balmy breeze caressing your skin induces complacency and danger. I may
lay awake for minutes fretting about the menace that lurks at every moment, and yet, must take to heart the wisdom of a great philosopher:
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
- George Carlin


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I've been a Forum member for a few years but don't recall contributing to this particular forum. Haven't read many of the previous entries but I'll bet you guys are a pretty eclectic bunch. Wait while I get my dictionary and check my spelling.
I printed a copy of the first forum entry, the one with the questions. Will try to comply but feel that my answers will probably not be in the same order as the questions and in answering one question, I may actually answer multiple questions.
1. Age: I'll be 72 the first week in July.
2. Don't know what types of bikes other folks ride but when I retired 7 years ago, I pulled my old Peugeot PR-10 out of storage and proceeded to fix it up. I had bought the bike new in 1973, rode it sporatically for a few years and then put it up. Fifteen years later my son got his hands on it and rode it for a couple of years. Anyhow, it was in poor shape when I decided to clean it up and ride again. Got some help from a great LBS, taught myself a little about bike mechanics. Fixed it up pretty well. Then I bought a 91 ( I think) Lemond Zurich. Great bike. Had it powdercoated bright yellow. The Peugeot got a red powdercoat. Got some excellent Peugeot decals from a guy in Australia. Later sold both bikes. Both of the bikes were a little large for me. Got a hankering for a Surly LHT in dark cherry. Bought a frame and my LBS built it up. Very comfortable but a little clunky. Got a 1988 Panasonic PT3500. Hated the original paint job but love that bike. It's now a deep green. Still have it. Later got a real good deal on a 1972 PX-10 that fits perfectly. It's in fine shape too; chrome, paint, everything. Rides great. My last purchase was a Panasonic DX5000 that I bought in May. That 25 year old bike is almost time capsule cherry.
I like to walk and love to ride. My knees, however, don't cooperate very well. The area where I live, here in North Georgia, is lovely but very hilly. The older I get, the steeper the hills get. I need a lot of help from the drive train. I put a 34t freewheel on my PX-10. Looks terrible. I then talked myself into pulling the beautiful old Stronglight crank and installing a compact Sugino double. Doesn't look great but at least I can ride it! Put a 32t 7sp IRD freewheel and a compact Sugino triple on the Panasonic Tourer. I hated to change anything on the DX5000. It was all original Shimano 600. I pulled the jewel like rear derailleur and put on a 3X bigger honking Deore XT RD to handle the 34t 6sp IRD freewheel that I got for it. That really helped. I really want to keep the old Shimano crank but may switch it with a vintage triple later.
3. Any special supplements? Yes, but they don't seem to work very well.
Let's see, looks like I have already answered questions 3 and 4. If I answered questions 5 &6, I would probably lie. I'll just say that I don't ride as often or as long as I would like.
Anyway, now you know my bicycle history, probably in more detail than you'd like.


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When a film at a festival is labled "experimental," you're never quite sure what you're going to get. You might sit through 90 minutes of wild visuals, or you might get two hours of people sitting at a table having a conversation; it might be an intolerable waste of time -- but then again, you might just stumble upon something really cool. While I don't tend to fill my fest viewing schedule with experimental film, I always try to catch at least a couple of movies so-labeled. Apart From That, the first feature effort by Mount Vernon, Washington directing duo Jennifer Shainin and Randy Walker, was listed under the "experimental" category, and had I not happened to meet the filmmakers and heard them talking about it, I might not have added it to my schedule. But I did meet them, and we did talk, and I was intrigued, and -- most fortunately -- I enjoyed the film and am therefore grateful to the serendipitous forces of the film gods that led me to see it.
Apart From That opens at a party, where the camera moves through the crowd, giving us little snippets of conversation and glimpses of characters. Then the film splits off to follow three different stories connected by the narrowest of threads on the surface. In that sense, the movie is built around kind of an anti-structure; whereas we are more used to indie films that take what appear to be divergent pieces and then tie them together in some clever (or cloying) way, Apart From That simply unravels the threads of the party, letting us follow the three stories without worrying about being ever-so-smart or cute or giving us a nifty surprise twist at the end. It's kind of refreshing, and a lot like life. After all, if you went to a party, you wouldn't expect that everyone there would have connections to each other, which is why in films, that whole "and here's where we tie it all together" routine often feels a little forced. That's not to say the film lacks a theme. On the contrary, the lack of a forced effort to interweave the stories serves to better keep the focus on what lies beneath: The commonality among all these divergent people is their loneliness and desire to be loved, liked, appreciated, and needed.p>There are three main story lines in the film. In one, a banker (Toan Le) has to fire the father of his son's best friend, and then must deal with the effects of that decision on his relationship with his son. What rings true about this story is the interaction between hurting parent and hurting child: The father, like many adults, attempts to distract his son from the matter by taking him on a road trip. The son (Kyle Conyers), who is deeply distressed over the impact his father's decision will have on his relationship with his own best friend, isn't about to let dad off the hook that easily, though, and his persistence in wanting to know the whys and wherefores of his father's decision forces his father to address his own guilty conscience.
The second storyline concerns Leo (Tony Cladoosby), a Native American man living on a reservation with his family, and how he deals (or doesn't deal) with the impending death of his best friend. This storyline, as we learned at the post-show Q&A, came about after Cladoosby was cast in the role of Leo. As the directors talked with Cladoosby about real-life responsibilities on the rez, especially as they relate to death and dying, this part of the script evolved to focus more on the character of Leo and how he avoids dealing with the fact that his friend is dying. Cladoosby, like the rest of the cast, is not a professional actor, but you'd never know it from watching him onscreen.
My favorite storyline was the third, about Ulla (Kathleen McNearney), who rents a room from Peggy (Alice Ellingson), an eccentric older woman with a penchant for exhibitionism, in a house filled with knick-knacks and bric-a-brac. Throughout the film we hear Ulla whispering mysterious things like, "This is the sound of Peggy snoring" and "This is the sound her refrigerator makes." We come to understand that Ulla has made tape after tape of the sounds in Peggy's house. It's an interesting quirk that ends up revealing far more about Ulla's character and motivations than any bit of overdone exposition. Peggy, for her part, is a sad and lonely old woman, unliked and neglected by her grown daughter. Peggy reports fake fires to 911, so she'll have the company of the volunteer firefighting crew for a few minutes. It seems funny at first, until you realize how terribly sad it is. It takes until the end of the film for Ulla to really understand Peggy and her loneliness, and Peggy to appreciate Ulla as more than a roommate and source of income, but when the payoff comes it is beautiful, sweet, touching -- and real -- in a way that few filmmakers ever capture.
What most marks Apart From That as an experimental film is the filmmakers' style. Shainin and Walker worked both together and separately on the script until they had what they wanted. Then as they headed into production, they told their cast of mostly inexperienced actors that if a line of dialogue didn't feel right or natural, to throw it out or change it. They filmed on an two-days-on, one-day-off schedule, so that they could do rewrites of the script based on the direction the actors were taking the film. They shot each scene three times, not for redundancy, but to get three completely different takes on each scene so they could pick and choose their favorite bits. Because of this, the film has an organic, patchwork quality to it that works amazingly well. The stories and the characters feel real, as if you are a fly on the wall observing their relationships and interactions. There is some excellent storytelling going on here, and it will be really interesting to see what Shainin and Walker come up with next; this directing duo is worth watching out for in the future. In the meantime, if you get a chance to catch Apart From That -- don't miss it.


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Images: Fort Bliss Best Ranger Competiton [Image 1 of 10]
Photo by Sgt. Robert Larson
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Gee (left) and Capt. Patrick Mitchell (right), participants in the Fort Bliss Best Ranger Competition, cross the finish line of the last event, the Buddy Run, Jan. 17, 2013. Gee and Mitchell will be a part of the team that competes for Fort Bliss at the Army BRC later this year. (U.S. Army photo by SGT Robert Larson)
This work, Fort Bliss Best Ranger Competiton [Image 1 of 10], by SGT Robert Larson, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.
Date Taken:01.17.2013
Date Posted:01.22.2013 12:22
Photo ID:818068
Size:680.55 KB
Location:FORT BLISS, TX, US
Hometown:NEW ORLEANS, LA, US
Hometown:SAN ANTONIO, TX, US


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