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Jacqueline Edelberg was one of those more privileged Chicago parents - and she went from a skeptic on the sidelines to full-fledged activist.
Affluent moms
It all started in the park. That's where the moms in Chicago's affluent Lakeview neighborhood took their kids, and fretted about school options. Nettlehorst, the neighborhood public school, was clearly NOT an option.
"We knew it was horrible. Because everybody knew it was horrible. Either they'd tell you it was being made into condos, or they'd say, oh yes, that's terrible. There's gangs, violence, no no no no no, it's not a suitable choice."
But looking outside of her neighbourhood didn't suit Jacqueline either.
"I want a neighbourhood school. I don't want my kids to have to sit on a bus for an hour every day, I want them to have play-dates and snack with little neighbourhood kids, just normal."
Desperate
Desperate to stay in their neighborhood, Jacqueline and her best friend Nicole Wagner decided to check out Nettlehorst anyway. And they found a faded but charming grade-school with decent test scores that beat the city average.
But Lakeview parents had already written the school off. The principal, Susan Kurland, asked what it would take to change that. So Jacqueline and Nicole created a huge to-do list:
Bring in the best arts providers in the city, painting every classroom, painting every bathroom, fundraising and grant writing...
Principal Kurland looked at their list and said,"well girls, we're going to have a very busy year."
So Jacqueline went to the park, and started recruiting. She devoted months of work to the school, and Nettlehorst became a near obsession, making its way into most of the hours in her days, and even her nights. But her efforts eventually paid off.
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The entryway is decorated with maps and globes. Donated paint and volunteer painters have changed the basement level into a virtual underwater world. Community artists and museum quality displays have transformed other hallways, stairwells, and learning spaces in the school.
Academic improvements
These aesthetic transformations were accompanied by academic improvements. Test scores have risen and an arts and music program has been introduced and expanded. Other grants have introduced classical music in the cafeteria, a menu of healthy food, and a host of special programs and services.
Parents and community leaders continue to work together to raise funds and support the Nettlehorst school. Jacqueline can now marvel at how much has changed since her first conversations about the school with other parents in the neighborhood park.
"This wasn't an easy, given ride for us. And there were many naysayers along the way, and many, many things that went wrong. But at the end of the day, I think we have a lot to be proud of. And I think we have changed the fabric of this neighborhood for years and years and
years to come."(Radio Netherlands)

New Delhi, Nov 21
In a unique move, IGNOU has launched a scheme of 'walk-in-examinations' under which students can decide the date of their exams instead of waiting for completion of the six-month term.
Under the scheme, students can simply walk into any identified test centres of the university on the prescribed days and take the examination much before the completion of the (six-month) term, an IGNOU spokesperson told reporters, adding, the results will be processed on a monthly basis.
"Walk-in-examination will give learners the liberty to decide the dates of exams as per their suitability and convenience, thus lowering the exam pressure on them and also bringing down the fail percentage," he said. The new scheme was launched on the foundation day of the varsity yesterday by university vice chancellor Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai.
"The scheme will reduce the possibility of mal-practice in exams as each student will get different set of question papers and the examination will be conducted under camera surveillance," the spokesperson said. Registration of students, allotment of dates and issue of hall tickets will be done on-line, he said.
However, he said, initially the walk-in-examination will be conducted only in selected regional centres of the varsity once a week -- on Sunday. The frequency of such walk-in-exams will be increased thereafter depending on the need, he said.
The varsity also launched a programme on sustainable science on the foundation day celebration, open to graduates of any discipline. The appreciation programme on sustainable development has been designed in collaboration with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and was launched in the presence of Prof Swaminathan himself at the function.

With the growth of parliamentary authority during the 19th century and the rise of communism after the First World War, most monarchies have ceased to exist. Even where monarchs exist, they are in most cases just ceremonial heads of states, while the power to rule and hence make law is vested with elected legislatures. There are 43 or 44 countries that have monarchs as the ceremonial or the real head of the state, depending on whether or not the Vatican is counted among them. Of these, 7 (including the Vatican) are absolute monarchies, 16 are Commonwealth realms and the remaining 21 are constitutional monarchies. Which countries have absolute monarchies? In Vatican City, Brunei, Swaziland, Saudi Arab and Oman absolute power is vested in a single person and the monarch is the head of the state as well as the government. Qatar is also an absolute monarchy, but the head of state and head of the government are different persons. The UAE is a federal presidential elected monarchy, which is a federation of seven absolute monarchies or the Emirates. The ruler of Abu Dhabi is President or the head of state while the ruler of Dubai is the Prime Minister or the head of the government. A few former absolute monarchies like Morocco and Bhutan have turned into constitutional monarchies, but the monarch still retains tremendous power in forming national policies and passing laws. Nepal swung between absolute and constitutional monarchy for several years but in May this year, it has finally abolished monarchy altogether. While the powers vested in monarchs are being reduced by most countries, Liechtenstein has moved towards expanding the power of the monarch and the Prince of Liechtenstein was given expanded powers after a referendum that amended the constitution of the country. What is a Commonwealth realm? The Commonwealth realm is any of the 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations, which treat Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch. The realms which include Canada, several West Indian islands, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and a few small Pacific islands are completely sovereign states, but Queen Elizabeth II is their ceremonial head of state. As the queen lives in the UK, her constitutional functions are performed by the Governors General of these nations, who are appointed by the queen after consulting the elected head of the government. What are constitutional monarchies? A constitutional monarchy is the form of government in which a monarch is the head of state, but unlike in an absolute monarchy, not the only or even the main source of political power. Political power is vested in the head of the government who is elected by common citizens. Apart from the 16 commonwealth realms, there are 21 constitutional monarchies. There are 2 constitutional monarchies in Africa, 8 in Asia, 10 in Europe and 1 in Oceania. What are sub-national monarchies? A few countries have certain regions that are allowed to have their traditional monarch, kings or heads. For instance, Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu is the reigning king of the Zulu nation in South Africa, while New Zealand also has a traditional Maori king. Uganda, Nigeria, Indonesia and Ghana also have such traditional kings. France has three official chiefdoms, which have their respective kings. Are the monarchs treated differently from common subjects in constitutional monarchies? In most constitutional monarchies, justice is done in the name of the monarch and hence the monarch cannot be asked to give evidence in any court of law. Naturally, the monarch is considered above the law of the state. source: Learning with the Times,Times of India,10.11.2008 |





"Comparison between couples in which both people suppress their anger, and the three other types of couples, are very intriguing," Harburg said.
When both spouses suppress their anger at the other when unfairly attacked, earlier death was twice as likely than in all other types.
"When couples get together, one of their main jobs is reconciliation about conflict," Harburg said. "Usually nobody is trained to do this. If they have good parents, they can imitate, that's fine, but usually the couple is ignorant about the process of resolving conflict. The key matter is, when the conflict happens, how do you resolve it?"
"When you don't, if you bury your anger, and you brood on it and you resent the other person or the attacker, and you don't try to resolve the problem, then you're in trouble."
Of the 192 couples studied, 26 pairs both suppressed their anger and there were 13 deaths in that group. In the remaining 166 pairs, there were 41 deaths combined.
In 27 percent of those couples who both suppressed their anger, one member of the couple died during the study period, and in 23 percent of those couples both died during the study period.
That's compared to only six percent of couples where both spouses died in the remaining three groups combined. Only 19 percent in the remaining three groups combined saw one partner die during the study period.
The study adjusted for age, smoking, weight, blood pressure, bronchial problems, breathing, and cardiovascular risk, Harburg said.
The paper only looks at attacks which are considered unfair or undeserved by the person being attacked, said Harburg. If the attack is viewed as fair, say an abused child or woman who believes they deserved the attack, then the victim does not get angry, Harburg said.
Harburg stresses that these preliminary numbers are small, but the researchers are now collecting 30-year follow-up data, which will have almost double the death rate, he said.
Co-authors are: Niko Kaciroti, Center for Human Growth and Development; Lillian Gleiberman, Department of Internal Medicine; M. Anthony Schork and Mara Julius, both SPH emeritus.
The paper, "Marital Pair Anger Coping Types May Act as an Entity to Affect Mortality: Preliminary Findings from a Prospective Study (Tecumseh, Michigan, 1971-88) will appear in January in the Journal of Family Communication.
Adapted from materials provided by University of Michigan.
source: Science Daily


Good communication begins with listening
By Annette Richmond
Whether you're interviewing with a potential employer, meeting with a client or giving a project update to your boss whether you're successful or not depends in large part on your communication skills.
Unfortunately, most people think of communication as talking or writing. They think primarily about getting their message across to the other person. This is a big mistake.
The key to being a great communicator is to learn to listen. Understanding what the other person is thinking will help you tailor your message to their needs. This is the best way for you to succeed. Become a better listener by using these three techniques today.
Focus on the other person
Remember the last time you tried to carry on a conversation with someone who was looking around the room or checking his watch? Imagine what it's like for a potential employer.
Let's say Joe is interviewing with Susan the marketing manager at ABC Company. Joe is prepared. He carefully explains why he wants the job and what he can do for the company. Trouble is Susan notices that Joe frequently looks down or gazes out the window. She finds it difficult to take Joe seriously.
Naturally, you'll want to avert your gaze from time to time in order to avoid starring. Try to do this while still focusing on the other person. Practice maintaining eye contact with friends and colleagues. Soon you'll feel comfortable in any situation.
Stop thinking about you
I once read a quote from Ed Howe, "No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next." While this seems a bit harsh, I believe that there is probably an element of truth to it.
At one time or another, everyone has been guilty of planning a response while the other person is still talking. Maybe you're meeting with an important client, eagerly waiting to answer her question. Be careful. Don't be so eager to dazzle her with your knowledge that you miss what she's really asking.
Don't be afraid of silence. Practice taking a few moments to gather your thoughts once the other person has finished speaking.
Pay attention to the music
Make sure you listen to the music. You'll hear it in the other person's tone of voice. Do the words and tone agree? It's like seeing a fake smile. When someone truly smiles her eyes sparkle and her face lights up. When someone "puts on" a smile only the corners of her mouth turn up.
The next time you're in a meeting listen to the words AND the music. There's a difference between "OK, I'll take care of it" and "OK, I'll take care of it!" Make sure that you're getting the right message.
Many philosophers have suggested that we have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak. That's great advice for everyone who wants to develop better communication skills.
Being a good listener is more than being there while someone is speaking. Being a good listener means hearing and understanding the message that's being sent.

