In article
,
Higgs Boson wrote:

On May 21, 6:44*pm, wrote:
* *Our Muslim heritage

* *Barack OBAMA, during his Cairo speech, said: "I know, too, that Islam
* *has always been a part of America 's story." '

He's turned out to be just another politician, kissing ass where he
deems
it expedient, especially to Big Oil, Big Coal, Big Pharma, Big
Insurance,
and Big Wall Street. The entities that are really runniing our
country.

Amazing, how a guy I thought was smart, doesn't realize you don't
extend your hand to mad dogs
who want to bite it off -- whether they're from hostile Muslims or
from the equally-hostile, destructive,
un-American far-far-far-Right wing Republican party (what's left of it
after it's been taken over by those
who openly said, from Inauguration Day onward, that they are working
to wreck Obama's presidency).
Note: I'm an Independent voter, but I really hoped for better from
Obama.

[...]

I'm with you on this. Still I think we get what we deserve and I do
not see ( in the media) few complaining intelligent voices. God I miss
Bill Moyers already and Keilor is getting there too. What to do?

Saw this (below) the other day. If being smart is a good thing with
all those Harvard folks going to wall street. Wonder I think not still
education of the heart is needed and it may be helped by example and
nothing else. Here is something else just to contradict myself I saw
the other day.

.............

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-05/uonr-bih052010.php

Public release date: 20-May-2010
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Contact: Claudene Wharton

775-784-1169
University of Nevada, Reno
Books in home as important as parents' education in determining
children's education level
University of Nevada, Reno, sociologist leads 20-year study of over
70,000 cases in 27 countries
RENO, Nev. * Whether rich or poor, residents of the United States or
China, illiterate or college graduates, parents who have books in the
home increase the level of education their children will attain,
according to a 20-year study led by Mariah Evans, University of Nevada,
Reno associate professor of sociology and resource economics.
For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor of attaining
high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated.
But, strikingly, this massive study showed that the difference between
being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with
a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a
child will attain as having parents who are barely literate (3 years of
education) compared to having parents who have a university education
(15 or 16 years of education). Both factors, having a 500-book library
or having university-educated parents, propel a child 3.2 years further
in education, on average.
Being a sociologist, Evans was particularly interested to find that
children of lesser-educated parents benefit the most from having books
in the home. She has been looking for ways to help Nevada's rural
communities, in terms of economic development and education.
"What kinds of investments should we be making to help these kids get
ahead?" she asked. "The results of this study indicate that getting some
books into their homes is an inexpensive way that we can help these
children succeed."
Evans said, "Even a little bit goes a long way," in terms of the number
of books in a home. Having as few as 20 books in the home still has a
significant impact on propelling a child to a higher level of education,
and the more books you add, the greater the benefit.
"You get a lot of 'bang for your book'," she said. "It's quite a good
return-on-investment in a time of scarce resources."
In some countries, such as China, having 500 or more books in the home
propels children 6.6 years further in their education. In the United
States, the effect is less, 2.4 years, than the 3.2-year average
advantage experienced across all 27 countries in the study. But, Evans
points out that 2.4 years is still a significant advantage in terms of
educational attainment.
For example, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community
Survey, Americans who have some college or an associate's degree, but
not a bachelor's degree, earn an average of $7,213 more annually than
those with just a high school education. Those who attain a bachelor's
degree earn $21,185 more each year, on average, than those with just
high school diplomas.
The study by Evans and her colleagues at Nevada, UCLA and Australian
National University is one of the largest and most comprehensive studies
ever conducted on what influences the level of education a child will
attain.
The researchers were struck by the strong effect having books in the
home had on children's educational attainment even above and beyond such
factors as education level of the parents, the country's GDP, the
father's occupation or the political system of the country.
Having books in the home is twice as important as the father's education
level, and more important than whether a child was reared in China or
the United States. Surprisingly, the difference in educational
attainment for children born in the United States and children born in
China was just 2 years, less than two-thirds the effect that having 500
or more books in the home had on children (3.2 years).

###
The study, "Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and
schooling in 27 nations," was published in the journal, Research in
Social Stratification and Mobility (online at www.sciencedirect.com).
Nevada's land-grant university founded in 1874, the University of
Nevada, Reno has an enrollment of nearly 17,000 students. The University
is home to one the country's largest study-abroad programs and the
state's medical school, and offers outreach and education programs in
all Nevada counties. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
What use one more wake up call?