Reuse Your Stuff and Revamp Your Mindset

Can’t bring yourself to toss that ultra-soft, threadbare T-shirt you’ve had since the early 80s? Does your throat catch when it comes time to check out at the grocery store and you’ve forgotten your cloth bags? Do you feel a sense of dread that teeters on compulsion when faced with having to buy retail? Then just relax, because you’re in some pretty awesome company with Alex Eaves. The mastermind behind Stay Vocal’s principle has been inspiring people to reuse and regenerate since he was a kid; if he could influence folks to pay attention at that age, it’s no wonder how he’s become a go-to guy for the growing reclaim movement, collecting awards and accolades along the way.

"Every day, I live and breathe reuse. It's how I dress: from vintage USA made Chuck Taylors to used jeans to the shirts that I sell. It's how I cut my hair: I donate it to charities who reuse it, like Matter of Trust. It's how I shop: I never leave home without my reusable bag and mug (which is good, because I drink A LOT of coffee)."

Alex’s long-time obsession with sports, music, skateboards and T-shirts created an amalgam of reuse potential that eventually spawned the popular Green America certified ReUse apparel company known as Stay Vocal, whose mission has recently spread to redirecting young minds toward embracing this philosophy. His soon-to-be kids workshop will seek to change how children think about product regeneration (not so much toward recycling since that’s still the act of throwing things away). The “Reuse Pro” will drive home his message by having his young audience craft reusables like toilet paper tubes into animals, puppets, presents, etc. they can easily make with or without their parents.

Homeless dogs have also firmly planted themselves on Alex’s radar as he incorporates animal adoption in his mission to reach and teach about giving products and pets a second chance.  I guess you can say Alex is somewhat of a magician the way he breathes new life into what others throw away. But he’ll be the first to tell you that what he does has nothing to do with illusion and everything to do with awareness. Some immediate campaigns Alex is undertaking include encouraging Dunkin’ Donuts to offer discounts to patrons who bring their own reusable cups to reduce ever-increasing environmental damage from polystyrene foam cups; and marketing his “Water Saver” T-shirts as a way to offset the 400 gallons of water it takes to grow the amount of cotton used for a single new T-shirt.

All this only scratches the surface of Alex’s penchant for pioneering the reuse concept until it becomes commonplace rather than innovative. See what else he has up his reproduced sleeve on Stay Vocal’s Facebook page (where there’s a 10% off purchase coupon waiting for you), Alex’s Facebook page (where you can see him make more amusing faces) and Twitter.

Shelter Pets + December Adoptions = Holiday Cheer

The huge global movement encourag-ing people to reuse rather than discard isn't limited to clothing and plastic shopping bags, because restoring the health of this planet and its inhabitants isn't just about saving inanimate objects.

Sure, the need to repurpose nonliving things is vital to sustaining the world's dwindling resources, but there is an even greater call for recycling the millions of domesticated animals whose sentient lives are considered more disposable than an aluminum soda can. It is for this reason that many organizations like Best Friends Animal Society are spotlighting December as an especially good time to spread good cheer by adopting dogs and cats from local shelters and rescue groups.

The abundance of tangible benefits that comes with adoption typically includes animals who are fully vetted (spay/neuter and vaccinations at a minimum) and a basic knowledge of personality/disposition. Organizations whose dogs and cats are fostered with families offer greater insight to each animal's behavioral and medical issues (if any), as well as determine the best home dynamic to fit every canine and feline personality. The intangible benefits, however, are innumerable yet best summed up as a second chance to find the right fit.

Whether considered hand-me-downs, previously owned or castoffs, rescuing a salvaged pet instead of purchasing from a store or breeder advocates the drive toward sustainability, both locally and ethically. Plus these gently used dogs and cats come in a wide variety of sizes, ages and breeds (did you know purebreds make up 25% of all shelter dogs?), making it effortless for you to connect with just the right furry companion.

Originally written for and published by Best Friends Animal Society

Gifts for People Whose Dog has Died

Honoring the memory of a deceased dog is a loving way to help friends and family with the mourning process. For some, pet-loss bereavement can be as emotionally devastating as losing a human. Being mindful of and compassionate toward the owner's grief is a gesture she will long appreciate.

Ashes Pendant and Wind Chimes
While some pet parents can't bear daily reminders of their departed dogs, others are empowered by their ever-present spirit. Those who choose to cremate or bury their dogs can keep a tangible piece close to their hearts with a small pendant that holds ashes, crushed flowers, fur clippings or soil from a special resting place. Wind chimes, too, are a thoughtful remembrance. Their sounds can make the bereaved feel as if the dog's spirit gently floats on the breeze that moves them, offering a soothing peacefulness.

Customized Gifts
There's no shortage of opportunities to create a personalized memory keepsake. Some of the many heartfelt options include an urn sculpture, photo collage, portrait (on glass, canvas or as a clay-like photo sculpture), engraved frame, etched garden stone, Christmas tree ornament and scrapbook. Myriad online shops and brick-and-mortar stores offer extensive options for creating a unique keepsake; with personal photos so readily available on social media sites, it's relatively easy to surprise the recipient with a warmhearted gift.

Living Memorial
Let your creativity run wild with thoughts of rejuvenation: Help the owner plant a tree or bush in her yard, scatter flower seeds over the dog's favorite outdoor spot or surround the pooch's photo with a small indoor garden where the grieving friend or family member can take solace. Also check the policies of local parks to see if a tree may be planted there for everyone to enjoy.

Donation to an Animal Organization
Saving another life can be one of the most cathartic experiences for someone in the throes of pet-loss grief. Whether public operation or private shelter, all animal-related organizations have ongoing needs, things they require to help keep their charges happy and healthy. Many groups have a wish list of specific items necessary for everyday operations and for their special-needs residents. Cash donations also help -- and they allow the shelter's staff to determine how to best utilize your generosity -- from veterinary costs to daily expenses. Consider giving locally so you're better able to track how your donation is used.

Originally written for and published by Demand Media
English springer spaniel image by Jeff Dalton from Fotolia

Top 10 Dog Breeds With Bad Reps

Breed specific legislation in states and munici-palities across the country has targeted many types of dogs that, often through no fault of their own, are labeled as dangerous. Breeds classified under this law can cause an increase in insurance rates for homeowners or may face euthanasia.

Blackballed Breeds
Dogs of every breed respond to the stimuli presented to them, whether nurtured by love and trust or provoked by pain and fear. Certain breeds, however, are considered more dangerous than others, including the Akita, bulldog, bullmastiff, chow, Doberman, German shepherd, husky, Presa Canario, Rottweiler and pit bull, or any mix-breed combination thereof.

Size Matters?
Each of the dogs on this Top 10 list is considered large, extra-large or giant based upon breed size standards, which indicates that the bigger the dog, the more dangerous he is -- or is perceived to be. While dog breed statistics do reflect a higher number of incidents in association with the 10 breeds on this list, Dog Bite Law says that dogs of certain breeds are not born dangerous by default. "Any individual dog may be a good, loving pet, even though its breed is considered to be potentially dangerous."

Identifying a Pit Bull
The pit bull is branded as more dangerous than any other not only through misled perception but also because many people cannot identify the breed. Dogs with triangular jaws, muscular bodies and cropped ears are all lumped together as the generic "pit bull," when in fact the pit bull can be any of the following breeds: American Staffordshire terrier, English bull terrier, American bulldog, Presa Canario and Staffordshire bull terrier. The subtle differences of each one have cast them all into a much-debated single grouping based only upon how they look.

The Human Element
The common denominators among these 10 dog breeds are strength, size, independent attitude and intelligence, making them highly sought-after as guard and protection dogs, as well as combatants in the fighting ring. According to Dog Bite Law, any breed of dog is capable of biting when trained to do so; dogs whose physiques make them more popular sentries than their smaller, allegedly "non-dangerous" counterparts are often taught to attack, which brings more attention to incidents involving these particular breeds.

Originally written for and published by Demand Media

Job Description: Foster Care Coordinator for Shelter Animals

Pairing foster families with a pet in need of care is rewarding on several levels. The process is important because it moves one more animal from the shelter system into a loving, temporary home. While you don't need a license, degree or formal education to become a foster care coordinator, you have to possess certain communication skills to make and maintain the right matches.

Assessment
The individual's desire to foster a shelter animal is an important first step, but there are a number of other factors you must also take into consideration before approving an applicant. Because shelter animals can harbor residual fears from past trauma, it's essential to determine a potential carer's lifestyle and commitment level. A casual interview with open-ended questions gives you a clear understanding of the applicant's expectations, experience and boundaries, while references and a background check help to corroborate those claims.

Training
The success of any foster pairing rests upon the level of training each individual receives once being accepted into the program. Consistency of daily care protocols and adherence to shelter policies must be maintained by all foster families to guarantee a positive experience for animals and humans alike. As such, coordinators meet and evaluate all family members who will have a hand in caring for the animal, from children to grandparents, so everyone understands and appropriately executes their specific roles.

Foster Responsibility
Fostering is a free venture for those who can temporarily give their time and love in exchange. As coordinator, it's up to you to make sure foster families follow established guidelines such as feeding only shelter-provided food (some animals require special dietary formulas); seeking medical attention only through in-house veterinarians or approved external clinics (shelters often negotiate special rates); and refraining from making any changes to the animal's schedule without first consulting you for coaching and moral support.

Intrinsic Qualities
Foster care coordinators embody several personal qualities not typically required of other jobs. Three essential traits include having compassion and empathy when interacting with the foster families, harboring respect for both animals and people, as well as having an intrinsic concern and affection for animals.

Originally written for and published by Demand Media

The Benefits of Teenage Jobs

Parenting, much like an artist's blank canvas, is the opportunity to create something spectacular from scratch. Nurturing a child's development entails myriad facets that work together to form a well-rounded individual. Teens who are ready to step outside the family circle and get a job continue learning responsibility and gain independence as they take their first few steps out into the real world.


Fiscal Management
Teens are often eager to get their first job because they'll earn considerably more money than they get from a standard allowance. Many will also begin to appreciate the value of saving over spending when they've had to work for the money. When handed to them without having earned it other than mowing the grass or taking out the garbage, they may not associate much worth until they've invested a lot of time and effort to acquire it.

Punctuality
Showing up late is not an option in the workplace, so teens quickly learn the relationship between being punctual and receiving a paycheck. This also drives home the potential for losing a job when their time cards are consistently stamped late.

Wean Off Parental Support
Shifting away from mom and dad's wallet can be a painful transition. For example, parents who give their adolescents a car before they have a job may foot the monthly payment, insurance and gas bills with the understanding that once gainfully employed, the teen takes over these financial responsibilities. He will likely experience sticker shock when the fiscal burden shifts and every paycheck must be carefully budgeted to meet these new monthly responsibilities before allowing any personal spending.

Test the Waters
Teens are often pressed to decide on a career path without benefit of industry familiarity. One particular advantage of taking a job or two while still in high school is getting a hands-on feel for that business and its operational format, determining if it's interesting and challenging enough to be a future fit. Teens who click with a certain industry can then work toward upward mobility within the company.

Originally written for and published by Demand Media.

Yorkies as Service Dogs

Lucy - the world's smallest working dog

Characteristics such as temperament, physical ability and size distinguish a number of dog breeds as suitable for service animal work. While golden retriev-ers are one of several popular choices for people who need dogs to fetch large items or help with mobility, Yorkies have additional advantages that make them a better match for some disabilities.

Renting Policies
Having a Yorkie as a service animal has many size-related advantages, not the least of which is that they fall within the strict limitations of rental apartments' pet policies. Apartments typically have weight restrictions of up to 25 pounds, while private landlords who are on the fence about allowing pets at all may be more inclined to consider a small dog.

Medical Alert and Emotional Support

Service dogs perform myriad functions that make everyday life easier for people with various disabilities. Yorkies are especially valuable as medical alert service animals because they can be trained to detect epileptic seizures and subtle changes in a diabetic's glucose level. Yorkies are also valuable psychiatric service dogs, because their portability allows them to accompany their caregivers almost anywhere, which, according to the Psychiatric Service Dog Society, is a critical component of managing mental health symptoms.

Traveling and Lap Duty
Even though the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that service animals cannot be refused access to public transportation no matter their size, a Yorkie's small stature makes traveling more manageable than with, for example, a golden retriever. By the same token, lap duty is also a special task reserved for the tinier service animals, which provides caregivers the opportunity to physically embrace their canine companions rather than having just the dog's head resting on their laps.

Monk

Daily Tasks

While small, Yorkies are adept at helping around the house with easier projects such as pulling open cabi-net doors equipped with soft handles; fetching the television remote; retrieving clean clothes from the dryer; and alerting their owners to the phone, the doorbell or a crying baby. In an article for the journal "Interventions," Debi Davis proudly boasts that her service Yorkie enjoys pressing the automatic door remote with her nose and helping to change bed linens by tugging at the corners.

Originally written for and published by eHow

Decisions, Decisions

As kids, we're forever thinking about what we want to be when we grow up, never quite committing to any one idea as we waffle back and forth with such vocations as firefighter, ballerina and veterinarian. The thing with these more popular choices, though, is there is rarely a time when we, as children, can test drive potential careers before pledging our undying loyalty to a single calling.

Sure, we can shadow adult professionals to get a better feel for the work they do, but the honest-to-goodness chance to fight a fire, dance in a professional company or perform surgery on the family dog just isn't feasible for a youngster.

Then we begin the mental, emotional and hormonal under-taking of high school where we have 36-48 months to decide on and plan for a career that's supposed to engage us for the next 50 years. Since we're barely at the point in our maturity to decide if we want fries or onion rings with our burger, it seems sort of backwards to expect teens to be fully aware of the path they want to take.

In reality, the first few years out of school are spent in the service industry just to garner a paycheck. So if we haven't yet experienced life beyond 12 years of classroom education, how can we possibly know what direction to choose?

This question is especially valuable now at a time when, as Jennifer Lee of The New York Times points out, "highly educated 20-somethings, whose careers are stuck in neutral, [are] coping with dead-end jobs and listless prospects."

Sooner or later, says Nona Willis Aronowitz, "we're going to have to accept that not every-one going to college will be using their degree to get a job. In a way, this is depressing. But in another, it's Utopian." Given this new reality of a broken economy, it's becoming apparent how "on-the-job" life lessons can prove more relevant for making important life decisions than aimlessly wandering through the academic maze.

Career Choices graphic from "What Color Is Your Parachute?"

Increase Your Chances of Becoming a Custodial Parent

Many chall-enges are associated with getting divorced; establishing custodial rights may be the most painful. Children can too easily become pawns when a couple wants to exact re-venge upon each other. For this reason, the court pays close attention to how the mother and father fulfill their respective parental responsibilities, as well as their personal lifestyle choices. In the end, it all comes down to what's in the best interest of the child, so do everything possible to present yourself as the better parent.

Realize that judges don't automatically give mothers custodial rights. Each parent must prove why he or she offers a better living arrangement.

Educate yourself on what criteria the court uses to determine which parent is more fit. These criteria include finances, physical and mental health, professional stability, the child's age and where he or she is currently schooled, along with the relationship each parent has with the child. According to the Separated Parenting Access & Resource Center, the older the child is, the more input he or she has in determining which parent receives custody.

Hire a lawyer with extensive family law experience to help avoid the potential for judicial prejudice. While judges are supposed to be impartial, the American Bar Association points out that some will silently impart their personal biases. Expect your attorney to be skilled enough to know which evidence works in your favor and which detracts from it.

Refrain from dating while involved in a custody battle. The court is not supposed to consider this behavior when making a decision, but judges often look upon it as a distraction from the child's best interest. A parent already living with a new partner will carry the burden of proving this new relationship doesn't negatively affect the child.

Accept that your religious beliefs and practices may play a role in whether you're granted custodial rights. Legally, the court's only concern with a parent's chosen religion should be how it may affect the child's care. However, children raised in a particular faith may be placed with the parent who more closely continues the religious tradition.

Originally written for and posted on eHow

Deciding to Drop Out of College

College preparation begins at a very young age as parents instill the importance of higher education. Yet, while a degree has long been the springboard to solid career placement, this conventional mindset has come under scrutiny of late. The advent of new technology has restruc-tured the prerequisites for good-paying jobs to focus more upon life experience, making the standard college education a less likely mandate for success. The decision to quit college, therefore, encompasses more than just the academic aspect.

Turn your passion into a secure livelihood. Recognize that you do not need a college degree to start your own company, according to entrepreneur Nathan Lee. Take a few community college courses to provide you with the right business foundation.

Gauge whether your earning potential justifies paying skyrocketing tuition fees as administrators struggle to offset declining attendance with increased costs. Consider how much of an impact a $30,000 to $50,000 degree will have upon your ability to pay off student loans, advises Lee.

Assess if you're attending college because of social conditioning or because you see higher education as a stepping stone to a desired career. Re-evaluate your perspective if more time is spent struggling than achieving, especially when it comes to meeting financial needs.

Originally written for and published on eHow

I Dare You Not to Drool

Cheezy Mushroom Melt w/ Homemade Mayo

How's this for a tantalizing testimonial to vegan comfort food? It's actually a struggle to avert your eyes because of the warm, homey feeling this image conjures, so you can only imagine the sensory overload you'll experience when this mushroom burger and sweet potato fries combo is placed directly in your face. It's like that for all of the kick-ass food Nature's Express serves up to its appreciative Berkeley clientele.

Oncologist-turned-restaurateur Dr. Carl Myers has fought the effects of poor nutritional choices all his professional life, helping patients make the connection between good health and unadulterated food. Seeing the difference this understanding brought to his limited audience, he eagerly sought to spread this knowledge on a grander scale by introducing the public to the very menu items he urged his patients to consume. Together with the passionate expertise of Chef Joel Daniel, a stellar support team in Molly Patrick (Chief Customer Officer), Brenda Cross (Manager) and Regan Maher (Project Coordinator), and the emotional support of a 40-year marriage to his high school sweetheart, nutritionist Jean Myers, Dr. Myers has cultivated a life force environment that makes it easy for the public to be vegan and healthy.

When Dr. Myers was asked to host a meeting of local AZ medical professionals on behalf of the Obama health care transition team, the focus was simple and straightforward: get back to basics. "We can't afford to pay to fix things that can be prevented through things such as exercising, not smoking and better nutrition." Organizations like Berkeley Vegan Earth Day (BVED) is proud to carry on the legacy of this prudent principle by having Nature's Express as a 2012 event sponsor.

Not Your Grandma's Rummage Sale

There's no rapture quite like unearthing a barely broken-in pair of Sorel hiking boots for $30 (and yes, they're also the right size, so no need to stuff socks in the toes). And the bliss that comes with locating a favorite pair of Rider's comfort fit jeans the company no longer makes is beyond compare; you smile with suppressed giddiness as they swing happily on the hanger, while your eyes are drawn to the dangling tag that reads "$5."

The "gently used" quality of vintage and secondhand clothes punctuates the value of thrift shopping: while there is always the potential to come home empty-handed, that mad anticipation of what prized possessions may await makes the hunt as thrilling as the find. Sure, there's a big difference between junk stores and potential treasure troves, but don't be too quick to write off the smaller, independent shops just because they don't have as much eye appeal; since many people avoid these little gems in favor of more popular names, the inventory is not nearly as picked over.

Unleash Your Inner Philanthropist
Scoring some of your best threads is only one benefit of shopping thrift stores, because the money you spend supports many different charitable organizations from animals and abuse victims to feeding the hungry and housing the homeless. Some non-profit groups rely solely upon selling donated goods as the financial lifeline that keeps them operating, so remember to ask for a tax receipt when you contribute to your local resale shop.

Teach Your Children Well
We all strive to impart our kids with a sense of social responsibility, yet they're constantly bombarded with conflicting outside influences that can counteract our efforts. Introducing them to the world of recycled apparel not only gives the opportunity to budget without compromise, but it also broadens their worldview. Supporting thrift and secondhand shops with consumer dollar power is a surefire way to spark community spirit while giving a good turn to local groups doing good. And who knows -- teens may even want to volunteer their time behind the counter after finding out they get benefits like a great discount and first dibs on incoming merchandise. :)

Find a shop near you with the National Thrift Store Directory.
Here are 12 how-to tips to make your shopping excursion more successful.

Can You be an Herbivore and Not Love Vegetables?

"I'm not vegetarian because I love animals, I'm vegetarian because I don't like vegetables." - A. Whitney Brown

It does sound like an oxymoron, but there are folks who, while not wanting to eat flesh foods, have to be more creative with their nutritional preferences. Oftentimes they don't actually dislike veggies, but their taste buds have only been exposed to the standard salad bar fare; what they crave -- but don't yet know it -- is a stroll through the local farmer's market where they'll discover a cornucopia of extraordinary flavors and textures.

Another defense against veggie aversion is to trick yourself by hiding the offending produce with other, more tasty options. So you'll never be a raw foodist, but you will successfully incorporate nutrient-rich plant matter into your daily diet without gagging. Art Gib offers some simple disguises that are as delicious as they are easy:

• Dip, Dip, Dip! Raw veggies are so much more endurable if you have some sort of dressing for them. To pack an extra nutritional punch, use peanut butter instead. Its strong flavor also helps mask the veggie taste you may not like.
• Green Smoothies. You can cram several cups of fresh spinach in your blender along with the traditional fruits, (non-dairy) yogurt, and ice when making smoothies. You still get the flavor of a fruit smoothie with an added tang. Drink it up in a minute and you can check several servings of fruits and vegetables off of your daily list in no time!
• Sundried Tomatoes. These are sweet and can kick up a salad the same way dried cranberries do, but without the added sugar. They also are a great addition to pasta, and tasty straight out of the bag!
• Hate 'Em Raw? Roast 'em! Coarsely chop sweet bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini, and toss with garlic and olive oil. Roasting them in the oven brings out some delicious flavor, and the softer texture will help you to consume them faster.
• Add Them to Foods You Eat Normally. Fresh or frozen green beans, broccoli, and carrots can be added easily to pasta dishes, disguised by the pasta sauce.

Steaming, stir-frying and pureeing are additional ways to soften textures and draw out greater flavor. Adding herbs and spices (other than salt) takes the focus away from the taste you don't like, while flavor-packed spreads like hummus and olive tapenade dare you to stop munching those veggies. Sure, there will still be some you may never be able to stomach, but Reed Mangels, Phd, RD says you'll be well ahead of the nutritional game if you just find a "deep orange-colored vegetable or two, a green leafy vegetable or two, and a few other vegetables that you could eat regularly."

Sandbagging the Innocent: False Conviction and Eyewitness Testimony

Can you remember what you had for lunch yesterday? Does it take a bit of effort to recall your mother-in-law's birthday? Are you comfortable trusting your life to an eyewitness who struggles to remember crucial details while testifying against you?

Kids play an entertaining game called Telephone where one child whispers a short phrase to the next child, who then whispers it to the third one. Once the last child in line finally hears the sentence and recites it back to the group, it has been retold with so many errors that it's completely distorted. This phenomenon of human nature, which illustrates how differently people perceive the same situation, also holds true when relying upon eyewitness testimony and false memories as irrefutable courtroom evidence.

Blind Trust
The inherent fallibility of eyewitness testimony has been the focus of myriad debates, with research illustrating how first-hand observers are easily distracted by certain lines of questioning: their recollection becomes skewed and the answers they provide meld into what they perceive to be the truth. Elizabeth Loftus has spent much of her life tracking this particular phenomenon, noting how details surface more readily with repeated and exhaustive questioning; as such, eyewitness answers no longer pertain to the events that occurred, but rather to the leading questions being asked.

Employing recovered memories as an eyewitness proves even more dangerous for getting at the truth, given the trend toward psychotherapy that compels individuals to "remember" things that either did not happen or whose facts have been so altered that only a smattering of truth remains. The techniques by which this often erroneous information is extracted have come under considerable scrutiny, standing accused of instigating the repressed – if not faulty – memories that too easily put innocent people behind bars.

"Therapists' accounts, patients' accounts, and sworn statements from litigation," says Loftus, "have revealed that highly suggestive techniques go on in some therapists' offices." Loftus, who has spent an entire career pointing out the dangers of blind trust particularly when dealing with the fate of an individual on trial, claims "the most horrifying idea is that what we believe with all our hearts is not necessarily the truth."

The Lie That Ruined A Life
The Gerald Amirault case presents a particularly disturbing example of the feeding frenzy that develops from false accusation. Based solely upon the coerced testimony of young children who claimed the Fells Acres Day School attendant sexually abused them, a wholly innocent man was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison; his mother and sister, both of whom were teachers at the day care, were given 8-20 years under the same umbrella of erroneous accusation and false witness. 

The real story of what occurred bears no resemblance to the one that spread like wildfire: Gerald -- whose job was to perform odd jobs around the facility such as repairing, cooking and driving –- changed clothes on a 4-year-old boy who had wet them during nap time. A completely acceptable action was turned into an flagrant lie by a child with a history of behavioral issues including dishonesty and hostility. The story that forever ruined Gerald's life had him taking the boy into a secret room where he molested and raped the child.

Gerald was granted a release in 2004, 18 years after being convicted of a crime he did not commit, but his nightmare was far from over. Branded a level three sex offender, saddled 24/7 with an electronic tracking device and forced to abide by strict curfew, he's hardly a free man. As Damian Penny duly points out, "a justice system is only as good as the flawed human beings who run it, and the system has failed Gerard Amirault miserably. Witch hunts tend to backfire in the long run, as people start to assume the witches never existed in the first place."

Children's photo from Wonder Time

Testimony photo from Kirk Garner
Puritan Witch Trial Notebook from BBC News

Integrative Learning

Reaching and teaching students in today's troubled academic climate, no matter their (in)capacity to learn, has presented a significant challenge for educators who are faced with teaching different types of learners within a single classroom. Various methods have been introduced to address how at-risk students fall through the cracks because they're not being taught in a way they understand; predictably, few have demonstrated an ability to overcome the struggle.

Four Blocks
Robin J. Fogarty, a prominent advocate of integrated learning, points out how the absence of such diversity prevents students from achieving any level of varied exposure or understanding of what's being taught, which typically leads to boredom and distraction. The Four-Blocks integrative approach helps teachers harmonize methods, curriculum, instruction and assessment to blend these otherwise independent entities and approach learning in a holistic fashion. Clearly, students are as much a part of the learning process as are instructors; however, this reality isn't always applied in environments where conventionality dictates that teachers talk and students listen. Four-Blocks overrides these traditional barriers by allowing educators to apply an integrated focus that encourages students to learn from their developmental vantage point.

Standardized Testing
The main problems facing instructional supervision today revolve around the fact that teachers are bound too tightly when it comes to choosing their own instructional approaches. The micromanagement of education has become a most damaging aspect of academia, with teachers lacking freedom to incorporate more appropriate learning methods according to specific classroom needs. Eliminating standardized testing will empower instructors to overcome this inequitable measure of academic prowess that forces all learners into a single, rigid classification.

The hotly debated trend of standardized testing has left many academically-challenged students in a wake of confusion and poor comprehension. The theory behind this academic assessment may have had merit when first implemented across the nation, but the extent to which it has turned into a platform for discrimination is both grand and far-reaching. Standardized assessments inherently place all students in the same category of ability, no matter their individual learning limitations or challenges, which speaks to a testing system that divides student populations rather than accurately and fairly evaluates them.

Reach, Teach and Prepare
Curriculum and instruction are no longer mutually exclusive with regard to the critical roles they each play in education; as such, the only truly effective way to reach, teach and prepare students is to adopt an integrative teaching strategy that successfully incorporates more than one learning style. Book and rote education is a thing of the past that many argue was never very effective to begin with; as such, these boundaries are being broken with the help of Four-Blocks so a more connected foundation exists for students to access their future.

Daycare Fosters Multiculturalism

A child's undeveloped sense of self and the world around him is often considered a disadvantage as he struggles to fit together the many confusing pieces of life. However, there are times when this naivete benefits the child's ability to disregard social stigmas and behave without prejudice, which is apparent when kids ignore different ethnic backgrounds and interact with the innocence and open-mindedness of an untainted worldview.

Watching children freely interact in the daycare setting without the slightest inclination toward cultural intolerance illustrates how the preschool environment is often the best place to learn about multicultural relationships and acceptance of other cultures.

Diversity Builds Bridges
The positive impact of diversity in the daycare setting is such that children don't learn to hate people because their skin is a different color, they have funny accents or they practice unfamiliar religious rituals. For example, a Muslim child who prays while at daycare will likely elicit curious glances from other children; once they are taught what their friend is doing and why, they accept it as being different but not something to fear or hate.

Children are blissfully ignorant of cultural intolerance; it's only when they're introduced to other mindsets from external environments that they start to form biased attitudes. Kids are not only products of their immediate environment (family) but also the highly influential elements that reside beyond their periphery (media).

Cultivating a Broad Worldview
Analyzing how children cultivate certain behaviors, have certain experiences and ultimately establish certain interactions with social networks speaks to the powerful force behind worldviews. The cross-cultural aspect of this reality lends itself to a number of implications that create harmful beliefs that prevent harmony among different populations.

The good news, however, is worldviews are not static; just as global society is a constantly changing entity, so too is the potential for people to modify their attitudes in a more positive and proactive way. In short, a child's social identity is inextricably connected to his level of cultural competence; if he doesn't cultivate a broad view of such aspects as race, color, religion, national origin and gender, he will struggle to embrace a multicultural worldview.

Cultural Aspects of a Spanish-Speaking Child Learning English