Deep Reading a Thing of the Past?

With the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media; there is a concern that children are not learning to "deep read."  What is deep reading, you ask?

"Deep reading," or slow reading, is a sophisticated process in which people can critically think, reflect and understand the words they are looking at. With most, that means slowing down -- even stopping and rereading a page or paragraph if it doesn't sink in -- to really capture what the author is trying to say. Experts warn that without reading and really understanding what's being said, it is impossible to be an educated citizen of the world, a knowledgeable voter or even an imaginative thinker.

I had to pause to contemplate why deep reading might becoming a thing of the past.  Are we too involved in social media and texting 24/7 to take the time to pick up a book worth reading?  Do we think that because we're adults and not enrolled in school that learning stops or is no longer necessary?  Do the teens and adults of today think that they know it all or know all they need to know? Are we raising mindless zombies that are incapable of deep reading? Deep reading surely requires deep thinking.  More than just reading the words on the page in front of you, it is necessary to comprehend them.  Deep thinking requires contemplating and pondering what you've read and "digesting" it if you will. As a student, I did a lot of learning because it was required.  I enjoyed most subjects.  Now, as an adult, I am able to study and learn at my leisure and on those subjects that I choose.  Learning has become enjoyable, a hobby even.  I have even found that some subjects that I absolutely did not like (history) can be interesting and that I probably had a couple of teachers that didn't do a very good job teaching the subject. Most importantly, I study the Bible (what I consider the handbook of life) on a daily basis.  This requires reading the same passage more than once, thinking, contemplating, taking notes, asking what I can learn from this passage, how it applies to me, and considering any changes I may need to make in my life.  I'm saddened to think that we might have a society of people unable to do this. Deep reading, deep thinking, and learning are very important.  We will become a country of mindless zombies controlled by the government if our children are not taught to do this.  How will they understand our Constitution and be able to defend it and their God-given rights?  How will they understand the Bible, God's plan of salvation, and His plan for their lives? via Experts worry deep reading becoming a thing of the past | The Post and Courier, Charleston SC - News, Sports, Entertainment.

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Homeschooling: The Most Effective Educational Choice

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Go to Work, Go to School, Quit Complaining, and Praise the Lord!

We got dumped on about 10 days ago, and we have several more inches of snow today.  It is not uncommon here to be stuck inside for a few days during the winter.  I can certainly sympathize with this woman.

Evidently, Atlanta had the same controversy over Martin Luther King Day as this area did.  After missing several days of school, some schools wanted to open on MLK Day because they did not have any snow days built into their school calendar.

I certainly like this lady's sense of humor.

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Couple Stopped From Helping Homeless

Bobby and Amanda Herring spent more than a year providing food to homeless people in downtown Houston every day. They fed them, left behind no trash and doled out warm meals peacefully without a single crime being committed, Bobby Herring said.

That ended two weeks ago when the city shut down their "Feed a Friend" effort for lack of a permit. And city officials say the couple most likely will not be able to obtain one.

[. . .]

Anyone serving food for public consumption, whether for the homeless or for sale, must have a permit, said Kathy Barton, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department. To get that permit, the food must be prepared in a certified kitchen with a certified food manager.

The regulations are all the more essential in the case of the homeless, Barton said, because "poor people are the most vulnerable to foodborne illness and also are the least likely to have access to health care."

Yah, right.  The kitchens this food is being prepared in is probably cleaner than any restaurant or soup kitchen.

Bobby Herring said those rules would preclude them from continuing to feed the 60 to 120 people they assisted nightly for more than a year. The food had been donated from area businesses and prepared in various kitchens by volunteers or by his wife.

[. . .]

City Councilwoman Wanda Adams, who has been an advocate for the homeless during her tenure, said she planned to review the ordinance. She reiterated the importance of the city's rules but applauded the efforts of the Herrings.

"I'm very passionate about what they're doing," she said. "Somebody needs to make sure our homeless people are being taken care of. ... We have to look as a city to see if there are other ways we can partner with people like this who are trying to help."

No, the government is not the solution.  The Herrings were doing just fine handing out food to the homeless without the help of the government.  The government has now become the problem and has stopped the Herrings from doing so.  Partnering with "people like this" will only add more bureaucracy, more red tape, more expenses and in the end less people will be helped.  Or, as it as right now, no one will be helped.  As often is the case, Houston's homeless would be better off if the government would get out of the way.

Houston permit rule stops couple's effort to feed homeless | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle.

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Safe Holiday or Any Day Sweeteners

In her December 2010 newsletter, Dr. Janet Starr Hull gave a list of safe sweeteners and sweeteners to avoid.  Even though this may be something we might need to be more mindful of during the holiday season, it's good information for us to have all year.

Remember, these are the artificial sweeteners to avoid:

1. Sucralose (Splenda)
2. Aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal^®)
3. Acesulfame-K (Sunett^®)
4. Neotame^®

What are your safe natural sweetener choices?

1. Stevia*
2. Raw, unprocessed sugar (Sucanat^®)
3. Brown Rice Syrup
4. Barley Malt
5. Date Sugar
6. Honey
7. Maple Syrup
8. Molasses
9. Sorghum

*Safe for diabetics. Use Stevia sparingly or it is bitter - otherwise, it's naturally delicious and a much healthier choice! These are the secondary natural sweetener choices to use with discretion:

1. Fructose
2. Fruit Juice Concentrate
3. Juice Concentrate
4. Sugar alcohols (Polyols)
   • Isomalt
   • Lactitol
   • Malitol
   • Mannitol
   • Sorbitol
   • Xylitol
5. Turbinado Sugar
6. Tagatose

Safe Holiday Sweeteners.

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KCMO 2010 Top 20 Crash Sites

The Kansas City, Missouri police department has identified the top 20 crash sites for 2010.  If you live north of the river in Kansas City, you will be interested in this as there seems to be a high concentration of accidents in that area.

There is a simple solution:

A study conducted by Texas A & M University found that adding one second of yellow decreases crashes 35 to 40 percent and violations by 60 percent.

Image source:  http://kcpdchief.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-20-crash-locations-of-2010.html

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Nixon Urges Cooperation As Mo. Legislature Begins

You gotta love how the dems want to ram everything down your throat when they're in power.  But, now that they're not, we need to all learn "to get along."

The Missouri Legislature is convening with its largest Republican majority in decades and its largest freshmen class in several years. Lawmakers are to begin their 2011 session around noon Wednesday. And Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon says their first order of business should be simply learning to get along.

via Nixon Urges Cooperation As Mo. Legislature Begins - Kansas City News Story - KCTV Kansas City.

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Obamacare is Not About Healthcare

Dr. Susan Berry at Big Government does an excellent job explaining what Obamacare is really all about.

In reality, the Healthcare law is a liberal power grab that is gradually permitting the federal government to control more of our lives, making more people dependent upon the government and continuing the culture of dependency among minority groups who, up until now, have mostly voted liberals into power. The symbolism of the repeal will ring loud and clear.

[. . .]

For those who do not have adult children in the 21 to 26 age range, would it surprise you to know that these adult "children," who are now covered, are not required to even live with their parents to remain on their plans, and that they may even be married and still be covered under their parents' health plans? Through the new Healthcare law, liberal Democrats have gradually introduced the concept that adult children should remain dependent on their parents, and when their parents are not around, perhaps the government can take over in that parental role? Of course, this new rule comes at a time when the economic decline made it difficult for young adults to obtain jobs. This is how the gradual creep of dependency begins: introduce a law which creates dependency on the government at a time of crisis, so that uninformed Americans will see it as a caring and positive intervention to help them in their time of need. This is how every entitlement legislation begins, and why none has ever been totally eradicated thus far, mainly because people have come to expect these benefits.

[. . .]

In addition, as a result of the left's encouragement of this culture of dependency, those who are truly in need will no longer have to seek voluntary assistance from neighbors and communities. Conversely, neighbors and communities will not be encouraged to voluntarily reach out to others because the knowledge that the government will provide for their friends' needs may cause them to think twice. As such, dependency on the government creates more distance, and less connectivity, among members of a community.

» The Healthcare Law Is Not About Healthcare: It's About Making Us Dependent - Big Government.

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Rep. Giffords Fatally Shot at Public Event

Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was fatally shot in the head at close range by a gunman Saturday morning outside a grocery store in Tucson while holding a public event, Fox News has confirmed. via Rep. Giffords in Critical Condition After Being Shot in the Head at Public Event - FoxNews.com.

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41% of New York City pregnancies end in abortion

Eye-opening statistics about the rate of abortions in New York City have been released by the Health Department. [. . .] 41% of all New York City pregnancies end in abortion.

Ugh!  This is so discouraging and so disgraceful.  We're supposed to be civilized, moral, and the greatest nation on earth.  Yet, one of our largest cities is killing 41% of its babies. Another sad note is that the abortion rate is down from 46% in 1998. via 41% of New York City pregnancies end in abortion | 7online.com.

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NutraSweet: Pretty in Pink

We've all sat at the restaurant table with the container of various types of sweeteners:  white, sugar; pink, saccharin; yellow, Nutrasweet, blue, Equal.  We've all done it—reached for the packet we want based on color and poured it into our drink without even paying much attention to the label on the packet.

Artificial sweetener users beware!  Nutrasweet is now claiming to be the "new pink" and is now using a pink package!

Read more about this stunt from Dr. Janet Starr Hull.

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