Troy

If you read the Washington Post article it did not shed any light on the situation. Which is pathetic reporting. I did see some conversation where someone familiar with the common core said this was more meant to replace the "old way" of doing subtraction, but was meant to help students understand numbers and calculate larger figure in their heads. I don't know if that is true either, but all of the information I got just seems to be stoking controversy rather that shedding light. In today's world you can't depend to newspapers to help you understand issues. This is why we are so confused about the most basic things.

I would explain the accuracy of the reading as a coincidence augmented by my desire to see it work. Again I was impressed by the reading I just don't consider one reading proof that astrology is real. I don't think the woman is psychic, nor did she profess to be. She simply pointed to concrete things in my sisters natal chart that "explained" her personality/nature. Del, and I appreciate this may be a stretch to do, but what characteristics would you ascribe to someone, in general, who does not have any fire in their chart?

Cynique, was your relationship with the moon consistent throughout your life, or has it changed as you've aged? The mysteries of the universe are absolutely mind-boggling. I would love to know what preceded it and what is beyond its boundaries. The idea that the universe is finite in size is just as amazing as the research they are pursing in understanding sub atomic particles. Apparently were are approaching or actually in the age of Aquarius which is supposed to correspond with a period of enlightenment, transcendence, spirituality, or just a period of people being nice to each other for a change. The current period, Pieces is most often associated with Christianity. This is the reason fish is an important symbol of both the age and religion. I may be butchering the whole concept, perhaps Del can clarify. At any rate, Cynique your perspective may be shared with more people than you expect as we all are living during the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

Curated by Albert “Prodigy” Johnson of Mobb Deep INFAMOUS BOOKS LAUNCH EVENT! FEATURING: JaQUAVIS COLEMAN - K'WAN - MIASHA AND PRODIGY WED., MAY 28, 6:30PM THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP 58 WARREN STREET MANHATTAN Free Refreshments Provided

Cynique you may also be prejudiced because you largely avoided the problem for the bulk of your adult life. You grew up in a world where people cooked their food--as did I. I'm perhaps more sensitive to it because as a parent raising children I was duped into falsely believe what I was giving my kids was good for them. I consider orange juice which I wrote about in my blog post: 8oz has 22g of sugar. I might as well have been giving them Kool-aid or soda for breakfast. So while I agree there is some level of personal responsibility, if we are misled and lied to by our government it is much harder to do the right thing in a ideal enviroment. Pile on the stress and hardships of poverty, poor living conditions and services and doing the right thing becomes damn near impossible. As a child I rarely went to a fast food restaurant. Today some families, in the same community, eat at a fast food restaurant several times a week Then we call all the over weight people in the ghetto lazy?! And lets be clear, obesity skews toward the less educated and people with lower incomes--which includes a lot of us.

Hey Del I've been answering all your questions but you not answered mine. Do you consider the single incidence of the teacher describing my sister as I have described it proof? If so why, if not why not? Consider the possibility that I may have interpreted the Astrologers reading as accurate, but my sister would probably disagree with it. Who is right? How do you prove who is right? Since Astrology is open to interpretation by both the one who reads the chart and the one being read. It is more difficult to prove--there simply is no objective measure that I'm aware of. Perhaps if a scientist published proof in a peer reviewed journal and it withstood review by the rest of the scientific community I would then believe in Astrology. But that is no more likely to happen than the publication of a scientific proof of Christianity. But most people who believe in Astrology, don't need proof. Like religious people it is a question of faith "proof" is irrelevant.

I was impressed too, I just don't consider it proof. Do you?

Check out the film Fed Up

No Del, the one incident is not proof, but again it got my attention and as I said I no longer dismiss this practice. If a stranger asked you to pick a number from 1 to 20 and she was able to say what your number was would that proof she is psychic? More likely our female stranger made a lucky guess. Now if that female stranger was in a room with 100 different people, and was able to get everyone's number, I would consider that proof of psychic ability. The odds of guessing one person's number correctly is 5% The odds of guessing all 100 correctly are so fantastically small it is indistinguishable from impossible.

My opinions on Astrology are bit different. I took one class and the additional knowledge changed my opinion a great deal. I was much less dismissive of it. The instructor of the class happened to be the daughter of one of my grade school teachers. Ya'll would call that synchronicity, I'd call it a small world any who, because of the connection we became friendly and she cast a chart for my sister, a person she did not know. I did not describe my sister either, other than to provide the detail of her birth. When she interpreted that chart the instructor pretty much nailed my sister's personality and nature. I was pretty impressed. Some would call that proof. In my opinion this it is not proof, but I do consider it is pretty strong evidence. That experience and many other changed my opinion of Astrology. I used to dismiss it as nonsense when my experience was based solely upon the newspaper daily readings. Again, I questioned and ultimately adjusted my belief. Keep in mind, I was raised to believe Astrology was the work of the Devil, practicing it would be a ticket to Hell. I was told in no uncertain terms not to mess with it. I never believed that. Indeed all the practitioners I've meet (including Del) seem to interested in understanding and helping people much more than the people who condemn the practice. Most scientists I've heard speak on the subject pretty much dismiss it straightaway.

LOL, sure given all the intrigue I completely understand why people would care. I'm just not really one of them. I have enough drama in my own life to spare the brain cycles wondering about Solange and Jay-Z. I don't look up to them, they don't reflect anything I strive to be. Sure I could use their money... but that is about it. Yes I did wonder how much TMZ paid for the footage. I know the video alone was viewed by more people in three days than visited this site in two years. Posting the video generated a boat load of money for TMZ. I also wondered how the video got out. It is wild that Jay-Z has no expectation of privacy even when he is alone with is family in an elevator. It was interesting that Jet Magazine seemingly invested more effort in sharing information about the Solange meltdown that they did about the death of their own publication. This whole situation, including our collective reaction, is nothing to be proud of...or anything that should be shared publicly.

With 700K subscribers was the magazine nonviable? It seems to me a significant portion of Jet readers don't use aps and are not constantly connected to the web. Perhaps they are trying to reach a younger demographic. Young people spend their mobile time on social media, playing games and listening to music. Jet was the magazine you picked up while waiting your turn at the barbershop or dentist office, you read it while you were on the can. As more and more magazines transition to digital only format, they may was well just go away altogether. A cursory look at the Jet website reveals a mashup of the wire stories already available everywhere else on the net. There does not appear too many original or exclusive stories; nothing to drive you to that particular site. While I still consider myself very technically oriented. I do not believe the digitization of everything leaves us better off. We are reading less, what little remains of what we own, on-line, languishes in obscurity. The management of every digital asset we own from books, music, videos, photos has become a technical nightmare. Corporations already have many of us paying $150 per month for TV, $100 per month for a phone, and now they are salivating waiting for us to pay them a recurring fee to store our personal photos, videos, whatever in some stupid "cloud" that you have to pay them yet another fee to access! We have become perpetual victims of the 'ole okie doke.

JET Magazine Goes From Print to Digital Only The historic Johnson Publishing Company title changes format after nearly 63 years CHICAGO, (May 7, 2014) — Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), announced today that JET magazine, founded in 1951, will transition to a digital magazine app at the end of June. JPC is making the proactive decision to adapt to the changing needs of its readers as their desire to get information quickly and easily increases. JET, the number three magazine in the African-American market, with a rate base of 700,000, started as a publication for Black-Americans to get weekly news on issues central to their community in a quick and easy to read format. The new weekly digital magazine app will leverage a variety of storytelling tactics, including video interviews, enhanced digital maps, 3D charts and photography from the JPC archives. Breaking news will be updated daily. The app will be available on all tablet devices and mobile platforms. In addition, JET will publish an annual special print edition. “Almost 63 years ago, my father, John Johnson, named the publication JET because, as he said in the first issue, ‘In the world today, everything is moving faster. There is more news and far less time to read it,’” said Linda Johnson Rice, chairman of JPC. “He could not have spoken more relevant words today. We are not saying goodbye to JET, we are embracing the future as my father did in 1951 and taking it to the next level.” “The JET magazine online presence is continuing to grow, and JPC feels strongly we can provide great and timely content to our readers with the first weekly digital magazine app in the African-American space,” said Desiree Rogers, CEO of JPC. This JET online content will feature strong entertainment news along with politics, pop culture and social issues that impact African-Americans, as well as a new EBONY/JET digital store. Kyra Kyles, formerly a senior editor of JET magazine and digital managing editor of JETmag.com, has been appointed the digital editorial director for JET online. -###- Read more at EBONY

I saw this on social media this morning and thought it was a joke. This was reported by the Washington Post yesterday. As schools around the U.S. implement national Common Core learning standards, parents trying to help their kids with math homework say that adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing has become as complicated as calculus. They're stumped by unfamiliar terms like "rectangular array'' and "area model.'' They wrestle with division that requires the use of squares, slashes and dots. They rage over impenetrable word problems. Watch video on how to solve the problem: I see how the problems are solved; 45 - 17 = 28 17 + 3 = 20 20 + 10 = 30 30 + 10 = 40 40 + 5 = 45 3 + 10 + 10 + 5 = 28 I still find this hard to believe. Even if it is just a tool to help kids understand math. There are easier ways to do this...

I have deliberately not looked for more detail. This is what I heard so far just going about my business. Solange Beyonnce's sister went off in an elevator on Jay Z and Beyonnce. Apparently the rant was captured on the security camera. Start this video then scroll down to the 2nd video Now start this video and watch it while listening to the one above for an interesting experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWdhX9c_7FA It is too bad these people can't even go into an elevator without be watched. This was far worse that what I heard I though Solamge was just screaming at Jay Z. If looks like she was try to f-ck Jay up! I wonder what he did to deserve that?

A few... off the top of my head, Astrology, Christianity, The existence of a soul, the existence of extraterrestrials. How do I test these Ideas? I don't, at least I don;t test them in the sense I think you mean. It is not like I'm in a lab running experiments. I do however read the results of those do and have more knowledge on a subject. In the case of extraterrestrials, I believe they exist. No one can prove this, but based upon the best available data and given the countless other worlds that exist it seem perfectly plausible that the are other worlds with intelligent life. I know a couple who have both seen an alien space craft while driving down the NJ turnpike. They claim others were pulled over watching it too. I don't believe what they saw was an alien space craft but that does not mean I do not believe they can exist. I also read a book that cited many cases of alien abductions I don't believe any of those stories either. Now I have now way of knowing, on my own, that there are countless other planets. I know this because other folks have done the research and made the discoveries and I trust their results. I tend to disbelieve most things people say. So while a I believe aliens are real I can't prove it. Crop circles are not proof to me. A bunch of eyewitnesses in Roswell NM is not proof to me. An alien would pretty much have to show up to prove they exist. For many others their standard of proof is much lower. A silly story in the National Enquirer is sufficient proof.

The story has not changed from 10 years ago: Few cared then and fewer care now. The media has us all riled up over Donald Sterling, yet no one really cares about an increasingly ignorant population. I guess that is the problem we are too ignorant to know enough to care. Look, I'm not just talking from the perspective of someone whose livelihood is adversely effected because people are reading less. I'm not even speaking from the perspective of the target of corporations doing everything in their power to kill everyone who is doing what I do online and off. I'm talking from the perspective a person, a father, who is witnessing the wholesale marginalization of a people whose who have already suffered enough hardship in the country.

OK I see I have to look up what happened with Jay-Z and Solange... maybe later... maybe not... Can whatever the Carters are doing surpass the drama of taking away the billionaire's toy :-) Whoever Photoshopped the image should have made 'Hova's hands smaller

I do. I question and make adjustments to my beliefs all the time. Otherwise what is the purpose of seeking out new information and learning?

This interesting thing about this trend is that as a book seller for the better part of 20 years I've watched this happen right before my eyes. As someone who has cared about this issue for far longer I've seen the impact and it is ugly. Corporations profit MORE from people who don't read. So there is little incentive for them and the government the control do to anything about this terrible trend. Don't fooled by all the press and attention on charter schools--this is really a ploy for corporations to generate profit from education. Needless to say, the gap between Black children and white children has not closed--88% of Black 4th graders are not proficient at reading (I'm sure the standard for proficiency is not very high). The problem is generational, linked to poverty and festers in an country that has no concern for its people--other than the profit it can generate off of them. The information is there, but no one will read it... let alone do anything about it.

Report highlights how the nature of reading is changing; addresses a critical need for more research to understand new media platforms' impact on reading For immediate release Monday, May 12, 2014 SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Common Sense Media today announced the release of "Children, Teens, and Reading," a research brief that offers a unique, big-picture perspective on children's reading habits in the United States and how they may have changed during the technological revolution of recent decades. The report brings together many disparate studies on children's reading rates and achievement for the first time, summarizing key findings and highlighting where research is scarce, incomplete, or outdated, as well as offering suggestions for new areas of study. Society has reached a major transition point in the history of reading. From children's earliest ages, "reading" used to mean sitting down with a book and turning pages as a story unfolded. Today it may mean sitting down with a device that offers multimedia experiences and blurs the line between books and toys. At the same time, for older children, much daily communication is now handled in short bursts of written text, such as text messages, emails, Facebook posts, and tweets. All of this has led to a major disruption in how, what, when, and where children and teens read, and there is much we don't yet know. Though the report finds that reading is still a big part of many children's lives -- and reading scores among young children have improved steadily -- achievement among older teens has stagnated, and many children don't read well or often. Among the key findings: Reading rates have dropped precipitously among adolescents. The proportion of children who are daily readers drops markedly from childhood to the tween and teenage years. One study documents a drop from 48% of 6- to 8-year-olds down to 24% of 15- to 17-year-olds who are daily readers; another shows a drop from 53% of 9-year-olds to 19% of 17-year-olds. According to government studies, since 1984, the percent of 13-year-olds who are weekly readers went down from 70% to 53%, and the percent of 17-year-olds who are weekly readers went from 64% to 40%. The percent of 17-year-olds who never or hardly ever read tripled during this period, from 9% to 27%. A significant reading achievement gap persists between white, black, and Hispanic children. Government test scores indicate that white students continue to score 21 or more points higher, on average, than black or Hispanic students. Only 18% of black and 20% of Hispanic fourth graders are rated as "proficient" in reading, compared with 46% of whites. The size of this "proficiency gap" has been largely unchanged over the past two decades. There is also a gender gap in reading time and achievement. Girls read for pleasure for an average of 10 minutes more per day than boys, a gap that starts with young children and persists in the teenage years. It's also reflected in achievement scores, with a gap of 12 percentage points in the proportion of girls vs. boys scoring "proficient" in reading in the eighth grade in 1992 and 11 points in 2012. "Technology is playing an increasingly significant role in kids' lives, and it's changing the nature of how kids read and our definition of what is considered reading," said Jim Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media. "Used wisely, technology such as ereaders could help support ongoing efforts to reduce disparities, promote reading achievement, and fuel a passion for reading among all young people, but we need more research to better understand the impact of technology on kids' reading." "Children, Teens, and Reading" is part of a research effort directed by Vicky Rideout, a senior advisor to Common Sense Media, head of VJR Consulting, and director of more than 30 previous studies on children, media, and health. "This review brings together many different government, academic, and nonprofit data sets to reveal some very clear trends," said Rideout. "There has been a huge drop in reading among teenagers over the past 30 years, and we’ve made virtually no progress reducing the achievement gaps between girls and boys or between whites and children of color. The bottom line is there are far too many young people in this country who don't read well enough or often enough." This research brief reviews national surveys and databases for trends in children's and teens' reading and reading achievement. Studies covered include the National Assessment of Educational Progress by the National Center for Education Statistics, The Kaiser Family Foundation's Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, Scholastic's Kids and Family Reading Report (4th Edition), Northwestern University's Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology, Common Sense Media's Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America 2013, and The Joan Ganz Cooney Center's Learning at Home: Families' Educational Media Use in America. For the full white paper with details on studies reviewed, the methodology of the review, and other findings, visit: www.commonsense.org/research About Common Sense Media Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. We exist because our kids are growing up in a culture that profoundly impacts their physical, social, and emotional well-being. We provide families with the advice and media reviews they need to make the best choices for their children. Through our education programs and policy efforts, Common Sense Media empowers parents, educators, and young people to become knowledgeable and responsible digital citizens. For more information, go to: www.commonsense.org. Press Contact: Amber Whiteside awhiteside@commonsense.org 415-269-8127 Alexis Vanni avanni@commonsense.org 415-553-6728 ### Download the Report

125 Books on 125th: Hand-to-Hand Lit Campaign with THE RESIDUE YEARS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mitchell S. Jackson, the author of the critically acclaimed debut novel THE RESIDUE YEARS will be giving away 125 free copies of his hardcover book on Harlem’s famous 125th Street on Monday, May 19. THE RESIDUE YEARS, which was published by Bloomsbury in August 2013 and will soon be released in paperback, was first conceived when Jackson was serving time in prison for drug-dealing. Once released, he vowed to take his scribbled stories that were based on his own experiences, and write a novel that would inspire others. Now, years later, Jackson will take to the streets that could have been his drug-dealing corners and dispense a wholly different substance: books. Jackson was born in Portland, Oregon to a teenage single mother, who in his youth became addicted to crack cocaine. In his early teens, Jackson began selling cocaine, a trade he practiced off and into his early twenties when he was arrested and convicted for drug distribution. Jackson spent sixteen months in an Oregon state prison. Upon his release, Jackson—who was already a college Junior—re-enrolled in college, eventually earning BS and MA degrees from Portland State University and later an MFA from New York University. "I wrote The Residue Years for the people I see walking up and down 125th, the people with whom I feel a deep connection. And if they have not yet come to the book, I feel compelled to bring the book to them. In another life, I would stand in neighborhoods filled with people who looked like me and sell crack hand to hand. In this life, I'm out among my people again, but this time giving them what I believe is 300-plus pages of hope. What I mean to say is this is also a form of penance," says Jackson. Sunday, May 18, 2014 3:00-5:00 PM Mitchell S. Jackson has been the recipient of fellowships from Urban Artist Initiative and The Center For Fiction. He teaches writing at New York University and tours the country speaking at colleges, universities, prisons, jails, and other criminal justice and social outreach institutions. He published the e-book Oversoul: Stories and Essays in to critical acclaim. His debut novel The Residue Years was praised by publications including The New York Times, The Times of London, and O, the Oprah Magazine, and The Paris Review. It was a finalist for the PEN Hemingway Award for first fiction and The Center For Fiction’s prize for debut novel of the year. The novel was short listed for the Sayaron International prize for Writing, long listed for the Chautauqua Prize, and named an “Honor Book” by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. For press inquiries contact: Summer Smith 212-419-5310 Summer.smith@bloomsbury.com -------------------- I'll be there to cover this event. Mitchell writes for all readers but young men will really "get" what he is saying because he speaks their language and shares their experience. Here is a video of Mitchell at a reading I attended last week.

Miami Dolphins defensive back Don Jones was fined and suspended from team activities after he wrote "OMG" and "Horrible" in reaction to the the kiss above. A million dollar slave unable to express his opinion on his own time. Some people don't like to see two guys kissing. Is it a crime to express that sentiment? I would be grossed out seeing a photo of Donald Sterling kissing his "so-called" mistress. Is there anything wrong with saying that? This is controversial?! My God we are in serious need of help in America.

Hey Pioneer, sure Black folks, like everyone else should obey they law. But you must understand the laws are not equally applies nor is punishment fairly given. Black people are criminalized very early. Do you know that many Black boys are arrested, by the police, for fighting in schools. This rarely happens in white schools and never when I was school age. Poor people of all colors live in a hostile environment here in the U.S. What you describe as criminal mentality is really a reaction to that environment, not the other way around. The key to fixing this is dealing with the underlying problems of poverty caused by system that caters to the rich at the expense of the poor.