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The Fractal Prince
Books are magic: the only kind of magic that we know of in this universe. By "magic", I mean, literally: the ability to act on reality by manipulating symbols that describe this reality. Cervantes, Borges, Terry Pratchett knew that books were magic; all those who wrote about stories, about reading and inventing stories, knew it. The Fractal Prince demonstrates that Hannu Rajaniemi knows it too.
The Fractal Prince is the brilliant sequel to the Quantum Thief, second novel in a planned trilogy. The plot revolves around the master thief and conman Jean le Flambeur – flambeur being a French name for the ones who live the high-life, spending lots of money, fast, in exciting and dangerous gambles. It is set in a distant future, where mind uploading is a common technology that has dramatically reshaped the solar system. Most of Earth and of the inner planets are under the control of the Founders, a gang of replicated personæ whose goal is to get rid of the matter boundaries and to build an information paradise for themselves. Their immense computational and technological power has made them, literally, gods – the gods of the virtual realities (the virs) that they have created. But they have antagonists: the Zoku, who have evolved from our contemporary gaming guilds, and the Oortians, who live in the outer boundaries of the system, trying to preserve their enhanced humanity in the cold depths of space.
In this world Jean le Flambeur is a mixture of Loki and Arsène Lupin. In the first novel Jean was in search of his past; in this one, the stakes are not so easily discovered. Let me just say that this is a novel about seductive lies, and pretty well aware that, as a novel, it's a seductive lie itself. In that world where the frontiers between software and hardware have been disturbed, there are stories that come alive; when hardware and software melt, any sufficiently advanced form of meta-narration is indistinguishable from magic. There are, like in a lost and found manuscript, stories within stories, virs within virs, deceptions within deceptions, lies within lies. Read it and be abducted.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Peanut-Free/Nut-Free Directory
Our directory is intended as a resource for people with peanut and nut allergies. It contains foods, helpful products, and much more.
Shifting away from earlier, common advice, doctors and allergists are now saying that introducing children to allergenic foods early may help to reduce the risk of developing a severe allergy later on.
A committee of experts from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology is saying that evidence is pointing towards early exposure being a risk reducer.
The guidelines the Academy introduced Thursday are flying in the face of what many parents have been told by their pediatricians and the popular press. The shift, however, comes thanks to new evidence the AAAAI says shows that withholding exposure may increase risks.
The committee cites seven studies that, though preliminary, suggest that delaying food introduction beyond 4 to 6 months of age could increase risks of allergies or eczema. They suggest introducing new allergenic foods at a rate of one new food every three to five days (or more) in such a way that the food can be quickly removed and treatment sought if a reaction occurs.
The new guidelines have been published in a January paper by allergist David Fleischer of National Jewish Health and will be presented officially in October at a national meeting of pediatricians in Florida.
The new guidelines are similar to those introduced by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008, but take them a step further by advising more introduction rather than focusing purely on the evidence showing that delaying does not reduce risks.
Peanut-Free/Nut-Free Directory
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Sign up for our newsletter and receive a free peanut-free snack guide.
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The Libertines were a very popular English rock band, originally from London, England. Centred around the extraordinary song writing talent of Carl Barât and Pete Doherty, the band started gaining success and attention in the early 2000s. The relationship between Carl Barât and Pete Doherty, though very intimate, also proved to be very volatile. Many people believe The Libertines breaking up had to do with Pete Doherty's excessive drug use, a habit Pete tried to give up by checking in to rehab multiple times. His behaviour became increasingly fickle due to the drugs, and The Libertines had to play their gigs without Pete Doherty from June 2004 until the unofficial split of The Libertines in December 2004, when Carl Barât decided to no longer tour under the name The Libertines without Doherty. Since the split was never made official, fans around the world are hoping for a The Libertines reunion! There has been talk of a reunion, and every now and then there has been a surprise performance of Barât and Doherty together, but right here you will first hear news of a real The Libertines concert at Worldticketshop.com - Your Ticket to Fun!
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SMOLENSK, RUSSIA—An aging Russian airliner carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski and members of his country's military, political and church elites crashed in thick fog Saturday as it took them to a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the slaughter of thousands of Polish military officers by Soviet secret police.
Poles wept before their televisions, lowered flags to half-staff and taped black ribbons in their windows after hearing that the upper echelons of the establishment lay dead in woods a short drive from the site of the Katyn forest massacre, one of Poland's greatest national traumas.
Twenty monks rang the Zygmunt bell at Krakow's Wawel Cathedral - the burial spot of Polish kings - a tolling reserved for times of profound importance or grief.
The crash also shocked Russia. Sensing the depth of the tragedy for Poland, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally took charge of the investigation and very quickly and publicly offered condolences, along with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
"On this difficult day the people of Russia stand with the Polish people," Medvedev said, according to the Kremlin press service.
Chunks of the plane were scattered widely amid leafless trees and small fires in woods shrouded with fog. A tail fin with the red and white national colors of Poland stuck up from the smoking debris. Early indications pointed to pilot error in heavy fog as a factor in the crash, officials said.
On board were the national bank president, deputy foreign minister, army chaplain, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, Olympic Committee head, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers, the Polish foreign ministry said. Kaczynski's wife, Maria, also died.
"This is unbelievable - this tragic, cursed Katyn," Kaczynski's predecessor, Aleksander Kwasniewski, said on TVN24 television.
It is "a cursed place, horrible symbolism," he said. "It's hard to believe. You get chills down your spine."
The Polish military suffered the deepest losses. Among the dead were the army chief of staff, the navy chief commander, and heads of the air and land forces, who were all making the emotional trip to honor the Polish officers slain by the NKVD, the acronym for the Soviet secret police at the time of the murders in 1940.
Some on board were relatives of the officers slain in the Katyn massacre. Also among the victims was Anna Walentynowicz, whose firing in August 1980 from the Lenin Shipyards in Gdansk sparked a workers' strike that spurred the eventual creation of the Solidarity freedom movement.
"This is a great tragedy, a great shock to us all," former president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa said.
Polish Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, who became acting president, addressed his country on television: "Poland is in mourning, we have suffered a dramatically painful loss."
He said he would announce early elections within 14 days of the president's death, in line with the constitution. The vote must be held within another 60 days.
Russia's Emergency Ministry said there were 97 dead, 88 in the Polish state delegation. Poland's Foreign Ministry said there were 89 people on the passenger list but one had not shown up for the roughly 1 1/2-hour flight from Warsaw's main airport.
Poland called for two minutes of silence across the country Sunday and declared a week of mourning. Medevedev declared Monday a day of mourning in Russia.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk flew to Smolensk from Warsaw. The president's twin brother, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, headed to the area in a chartered plane along with relatives, according to his party.
In the village of Gorzno, in northern Poland, the streets were largely empty as people stayed home to watch television.


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The state will release the Georgia high school graduation rate tomorrow based on a new federal formula considered a more accurate reflection of what is happening. The new "cohort" formula also will enable us to compare states, something we could not do when each state had its own methods of figuring out graduates and dropouts.
Georgia's authentic graduation rate is open to debate. Independent research has placed it as low as 58 percent, although the state DOE places it above 80 percent.
Georgia has been using the National Center for Education Statistics "leaver rate," which defines a graduate as a student who leaves high school with a regular diploma in four years. This does not include certificates of attendance or special education diplomas. About half the states use the leaver method, but critics contend the leaver methodology is flawed because it relies on incomplete dropout data.
The cohort rate takes the number of students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma, and divides it by the number of students who entered high school four years earlier, adjusting for transfers in and out, deceased students and others. This method is expected to cause Georgia's rate to drop.
Here is a detailed primer the state Department of Education released today to address questions. Seems to me that DOE covered all the bases with this list. Please note, the state will release the data to the listed web sites on Tuesday.
Q. Why is a new graduation rate being reported?
A. The U.S. Department of Education is requiring all states to begin publicly reporting comparable high school graduation rates using its new four-year adjusted cohort rate calculation method. In October 2008, a regulation by the U.S. Department of Education [section 1111(h) of ESEA] was amended, which included a requirement for all states and local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving Title I funds (money for schools with a certain percentage of low-income students) to begin calculating and reporting the more uniform rate beginning with 2010-2011 data. Historically, states have calculated graduation rates using varying methods, creating inconsistent data from one state to the next. The transition to a uniform high school graduation rate requires all states to report the percentage of freshmen students who graduate in four years with a regular high school diploma. This rate will reflect a uniform method for reliable comparisons among states.
Q. How did the idea for a four-year rate get started?
A. In 2005, the National Governors' Association took the lead to recommend all states adopt and begin to take steps to implement a standard four-year rate consistent with that proposed by an expert panel convened in 2004 by the National Center for Education Statistics. All states signed the NGA compact to work toward producing a cohort graduation rate.
Q. How is the four-year graduation rate defined?
Number of cohort members who earned a regular high school diploma by the end of the 2010- 2011 school year
Number of first-time 9th graders in fall 2007 (starting cohort) plus students who transfer in, minus students who transfer out, emigrate, or die during school years 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011
Q. How does the "new" graduation rate calculation differ with Georgia's current rate?
A. The primary difference is defining the cohort. The four-year high school graduation rate defines the cohort when the student first becomes a freshman, and the rate is calculated using the number of students who graduate within four years. The current graduation rate defines the cohort upon graduation, which includes students who take more than four years to graduate from high school.
Q. When was the new four-year high school graduation rate first reported?
A. In Georgia, the new high school graduation rate was first reported on April 10, 2012.
Q. How will the new graduation rate be reported in Georgia?
A. The new four-year high school graduation rate is reported online at the Georgia Department of Education's website and on the State's Report Card.
Q. How will the new four-year high school graduation rate impact school districts' state and federal accountability requirements?
A. Use of the new rate for federal accountability purposes go into effect across the nation this school year (2011-12). Georgia is a state that has been granted permission to use a five-year rate for federal accountability purposes for 2011-12.
Q. Will a student who graduates early be counted as a graduate with the student's original freshman cohort?
A. Yes. In the current implementation, the early graduate is included in the numerator along with the rest of that student's ninth-grade cohort graduates.
Q. Will Georgia count graduates who complete their coursework in the summer of their senior year?
A. Yes. Georgia seniors who complete their credits during summer school can be reported as graduates and can therefore be counted as graduating on time.
Q. If a student is held back or repeats a grade, do they enter a new cohort?
A. A student who is held back will not enter a new cohort. He/she will be counted in the school's denominator and will not be in the numerator, unless that student accumulates enough credits and graduates within four years.
Q. What if a student transfers to a new school after three years of high school, but is still only a sophomore?
A. He/she will be counted in the new school's denominator and will not be in the numerator, unless that student accumulates enough credits and graduates within four years.
Q. What if a student transfers in from a private school, home school, or out-of-state school and it is not possible to accurately determine when the student first became a freshman?
A. The district that first enrolls the student will record the grade-level for that student. The student then enters that cohort.
Q. How will transfers-in and transfers-out be treated within a freshman cohort?
A. Students who transfer to another high school are entered into their new school's cohort, but transfers-out are removed from the cohort of the school they are leaving. So, depending on when those students graduate, it could have a negative or positive impact on a school's graduation rate.
Q. Are students who do not graduate within the four-year window considered dropouts?
A. No, they are not considered a dropout, but they are not counted in the four-year high school graduation rate.
Q. Will students who drop out and complete their GED be counted in the four-year graduation rate?
A. Students who drop out of school and receive a GED certificate are not considered high school graduates and will not be included in the numerator.
Q. If a student leaves for home school, will he/she count as a transfer?
A. A student transferring to home school is a transfer-out, if the student registers as a homeschool student with the state, so he/she would leave a school's cohort, and thus not impact its four-year graduation rate. If a student transferring to home school fails to register with the state, that student will remain as part of the school's cohort and count against a school's graduation rate.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
April 9th, 2012
12:38 pm
Some of that so-called "new math" it sounds like…………….
April 9th, 2012
12:44 pm
To me, the saddest thing is that the DOE has to list some of these questions because we as a country are always looking for ways to circumvent the system. The graduation rates are going to be lower than people think and Georgia will be closer to the bottom than the top. Any arguments for or against the DOE grad rates Maureen? I'd love to hear your opinion….
April 9th, 2012
1:13 pm
My fear, though, is that once a child misses his opportunity to graduate, the school will drop him or her like a hot potato, disregarding that student in an effort to work with the others who are in the following years' cohort.
Sometimes a goal earned is a goal earned, and the timeline is irrelevant.
April 9th, 2012
1:16 pm
I thought the GOSA reports already reflected the new grad rates?
April 9th, 2012
1:27 pm
So, if I understand this right, under the old method, graduation rates were determined based on seniors who were still enrolled on the last day on their senior year?
April 9th, 2012
1:31 pm
While I'm working on my understanding, the new methodology must be used by any HS receiving ANY Title 1 funds, not just Title 1 high schools.
April 9th, 2012
1:37 pm
With all the cheating going on for so long, how many of these diplomas are actually worth anything? When these kids get into the workplace, their employers will quickly realize how little education they actually have. There is no point in raising the graduation rate if many of these diplomas are essentially worthless.
April 9th, 2012
1:53 pm
"My fear, though, is that once a child misses his opportunity to graduate, the school will drop him or her like a hot potato, disregarding that student in an effort to work with the others who are in the following years' cohort."
Nah – they will just follow the Hall County method and move them to a warehouse school/career academy. This method is endorsed 100% by GOSA, the GADOE and Dr. Barge. Hide them and they won't count, dontchaknow.
April 9th, 2012
1:55 pm
April 9th, 2012
2:09 pm
I may be getting my hopes up naively, but I hope that the new cohort method (which, really, any of us 'non-educators' would think that was what they were using in the first place) shows just how much the systems have been manipulating numbers. For instance, APS loses about 50% of its kids before they are seniors, yet claims a graduation rate of around 70%. To do that, the system classified all those no-shows not as drop-outs, but as transfers. Transfers to where is never answered. (The AJC did a great series a few years ago about the incredibly shrinking numbers.)
I know this new criteria will only invite a different fudging of the numbers, but a man can dream, can't he?
April 9th, 2012
2:29 pm
Several thoughts:
(1) Georgia has had the capacity to determine a fairly accurate 4 year rate since 2002, given they started a longitudinal student data collection in 1998 (actually 1997, but back then DOE did a superb job of cleaning things up when it was passed to them in '98).
The data facilitate a fairly effective grad rate determination because while there are issues tracking students with SSN, the collection enables dependence on the SSN rather than district reporting of transfers and dropouts. If a student "reappears" the following year, they're retained regardless of the district they enroll in, and if not, they're gone. That simple. Could also "spot" them if they returned a year or two later. I presume they're finally using the data this way in their new approach.
(2) There are some pretty interesting issues reporting only a four year rate, one of them being the large "retention" rate in 9th grade: many studens do not earn enough credit to be classified as sophomores the following year and hence are very unlkely to graduate in eight semesters. Many of those students do eventually graduate, yet a four year rate gives no credit for that success. The four-year rate implies yet another "one size fits all" assumption about public education.
April 9th, 2012
2:54 pm
@Whats Best, What you are talking about already happens, particularly in regards to special education students who are eligible to be educated until age 21 (sometimes 22) or high school graduation. Once it becomes clear they won't graduate in 4 years, they are often counseled out (i.e. encouraged to drop out, join the military if able, et cetera) unless they are sports stars. I don't work at the high school level, but have friends who do and have seen this happen at more than one high school. The other big problem? With GA's current math model, increasing numbers of students are failing to earn enough credits to move from Freshman to Sophomore, Sophomore to Junior, and so they get stuck in 9th or 10th grade. Once it is clear they won't graduate in 4 years, the counseling out begins. I do wonder how students who transfer to other high schools will really be treated in this new system–I transferred from one GA system to another between my Sophomore and Junior years, so I know it happens.
I'm surprised no one is freaking out on here about how this is the Feds usurping local control. Remember, GA came up with the original model (the one that is definitely not working) and now has to go to a nationally approved model, whether it is any better or not.
April 9th, 2012
3:36 pm
I like this new formula and the fact that is applied uniformly across all states so that parents and citizens and companies know what that state is producing in terms of education.
Here is something else I'd like to see:
Caution – what will prevent a state from "transferring out" those who will likely not graduate in order to make the stats look better? isn't that a problem now?
What about social promotions? This will likely encourage more social promotions so I think a test should be given too, to pinpoint just how good are the graduates of high school — are they graduating reallly educated students or just handing out the diplomas in four years to make the stats look better?
I want to find out the REAL drop out rate. The gov't should track all kids by their social security number to ensure when they get "transfterred out" of one school, they are actually "transferred in" to anohter school and not conveniently "transferred out" to the black hole in space just to make the school look better.
I agree we should keep kids in school until their 18th birthday. Without an education, they are doomed. No one can drop out at 16 and make a living for themselves and their families. Drop outs cost themselves a life well lived and likely cost their children and grandchildren a life well lived.
April 9th, 2012
3:37 pm
Note: In 2005 the governors of every state had a meeting and agreed to this. Nothing about the federal government taking control. Under the reauthorizing of ESEA of 1965, any state and/or LEA receiving Title I funds must now follow up on what the National Governors Boards agreed to.
This is what should have been the the formula for graduation rates long ago. No extras just the facts. how many entered, how many transferred out-those who died, and how many are left at the end of four years. Cut and dry. Now the problem will remain as to what happens to the "transfers" even though they can be followed with the mandated GTID assigned to every student in GA.
April 9th, 2012
4:51 pm
I love the way the stat folks look at all this………..they can put in any program, stats, etc. but the APS is not going to look like much regardless of what they do……….too many issues that have NOTHING TO DO with education have gotten in the way!!!!!! DOE stands for "Department Of Everything that should NOT be done in any educational system! Get on my case..get on the blogs, blah blah blah. Lets just see where this system is ten years from now!
April 9th, 2012
4:57 pm
"NEWLY CONFIGURED"! Gotta love it. This sounds like yet another "governmentesq" for…"let's tell the public some nice stories…RATHER THAN REALITY"!
No matter what stories…what "official" reports the gov cooks up, the reality remains unchanged: PUBLIC EDUCATION REPRESENTS ONE OF THE BIGGEST WASTES OF PUBLIC MONIES. Nothing is gonna change until certain parties develop some professional spheroids.
Do you read, TEACHERS?
April 9th, 2012
5:16 pm
I never gave the school system my children's Social Security number until the last semester senior year (had to be in the records for HOPE). I had no reason to believe they would/could protect that number from being hacked or otherwise distributed.
April 9th, 2012
5:30 pm
These new numbers are still flawed and will give the taxpayers the feeling that we have a huge problem in graduation. There are many SED students that will never get to the point that they can pass a EOC test or a graduation test and now they will be counted against a district and the state.
Maureen, Do you know the % of Special Ed students we have in the state now that get certificates or participation diplomas?
April 9th, 2012
5:43 pm
I'm telling you — my son's (class of 2010– "best in DCSS" high school — had an "official" 88% graduation rate… I'm pretty sure figured from who began senior year to who actually graduated. When he left said school mid-way through jr. year — he was kid no. 304 — dropped the class to 303 — they graduated 272 — they began wtih 525. That's much closer to a "real" graduation rate of 50% — now they left middle school with appx. 375 so maybe it's a 75% rate — at least a handful of them who left are now in college. The "real" rates are very hidden.
April 9th, 2012
5:53 pm
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What percentage of the diplomas issued by GA public high schools are worth the paper upon which they are printed?
April 9th, 2012
7:05 pm
OOPS: what percentage…is worth.
April 9th, 2012
7:12 pm
A graduation rate based upon a course-completion versus an knowledge-/skill-demonstration standard is misleading, at best, and duplicitous, at worst.
Of what value to society or to him-/herself is a young person who can march across a stage and grasp a piece of paper but who lacks the knowledge, skills and attitudes that s/he will need to function as a responsible member of society?
April 9th, 2012
7:17 pm
Hi ATL mom! Yes, there were a few thousand (out of 1.65 million) students who had alternate IDs in the data collections. If they seemed to matchfrom year to year with name, gender and ethnicity I would use them in my analyses – which did NOT have to do graduation rate – my research had to do with other issues.
April 9th, 2012
8:49 pm
Ahh…….once again, the fascination with 'data' in this world of 'data-driven' drivel……..The massaging of educational statistics once again results in a focus on our attempts to make tangible the intangible……I'm not sure that we should even exert the time nor spend the money to attempt to assess objectively the full impact of a well-rounded education on any individual. I don't want to read about any more 'numbers' in reference to academic progress. I don't trust most of this data, whether it reflects well or poorly on the students whose performances are being reduced to numbers in a grid. What a huge waste of time…………………let's focus instead on the value to society of the maximization of individual human potential…………..it's not just the student who benefits when he becomes all that he can be……………the numbers game is a futile, meaningless distraction………..
April 9th, 2012
10:21 pm
Perhaps, just perhaps, this will discourage systems from socially promoting 8th graders who aren't in any way prepared to succeed at the high school level.
But I doubt it.
April 9th, 2012
10:57 pm
@Timeout – It's THESE data – - -. And THIS datum.
Adjective-noun correction aside, for the most part, yes, but I'd argue that graduation rate is a necessary but certainly not sufficient indicator. Unfortunately it's so easy to quantify relatively simple stuff and incredibly difficult to measure the important – and so we ignore it and delude ourselves into believing we're measuring all we need to. I dearly hope we will make some progress away from minimum competency factoid recognition and toward learning how to fairly assess such things as reasoning and character in efforts such as Common Core. Sadly, we learned 20 years ago in a national effort how hard – and VERY expensive – it is to measure higher order constructs; I hope that even though we may have forgotten that lesson of the 90's we don't revert to the limited view of learning and schooling NCLB required.
April 9th, 2012
11:53 pm
I'll admit I don't understand all these numbers and the methodology, what about somebody who takes 5 years to graduate? Where do they fall?
April 9th, 2012
11:56 pm
data……..datum……….got it. …………just another example in support of our efforts to persuade students of the benefits of 'peer-editing'……….
April 10th, 2012
3:05 am
Did you see the story about the recent $10M contract dealing with the use of mega-computing to harness "big data" in the solution of social problems? Am unsure of particulars but believe the contract involved UC-Berkeley.
Have been fascinated by the power of computing since seeing Joe Wisenbaker's "crunching" 197K of data instantaneously in the course of his performing a mutiple-regression analysis in 1993 in his office in Aderhold Hall at UGA.
April 10th, 2012
7:43 am
I still feel parents and society are the main problem in dropouts and low grad rates. Anonmom, though her point is about graduation rates, allowed her son to drop out. We have to start early encouraging our children's education and holding schools accountable. Most importantly, be PARENTS!
April 10th, 2012
7:52 am
I really like that there will be uniformity across states and that the new graduation rate will have less/no loopholes (e.g. withholding some students from taking the GHSGT).
Who said a child HAS to graduate in 4 years and why should a school be penalized for doing so? No all students can/will finish High School in four years but if they do finish ,.. it should be celebrated!
April 10th, 2012
8:02 am
and then you have systems with large numbers of migrant students who move in and out of the COUNTRY – how is it correct to say a student who withdrew from a Georgia school and moved back to Mexico, where he/she never enrolled in a school because they don't have to attend high school, is a drop-out that counts against the Georgia high school? That's how it is viewed unfortunately…
April 10th, 2012
8:08 am
Why is four years the magic number? Are systems to be rewarded if a student accelerates and is able to graduate in three years? How are schools going to be rewarded when they have students who decide to dually enroll full time at a college for his/her final one or two years of high school? With all of the emphasis placed on differentiated learning and "what's best for the child," you'd think the graduation rate would be calculated on who graduates, period. So what if it took a student five or six years to graduate…did they graduate? How many college students graduate in four years? Life circumstances beyond the control of the student may affect when s/he graduates. Or are policy/lawmakers also going to dictate what those are?
April 10th, 2012
8:19 am
How sad. One of the few things we know about learning is that different people learn at different rates. If it takes a child 5 years to graduate, they are still a graduate! This is not a graduation rate, it's a four year completion rate.
April 10th, 2012
8:23 am
Maybe the reason I'm still a teacher after all these years and not an administrator is because I choose to view students as people, not numbers. If one child drops out of high school, then the graduation rate for that kid is 0%. This is more mumbo jumbo from the state. I compare it to the unemployment rate which can be individually figured like this: if a person is working full time, the unemployment rate is 0%, and, if you can't find a job, the unemployment rate is %100. These statistics are useless. If people want to help more students graduate, they should stop gathering statistics and spend some time tutoring one of them.
April 10th, 2012
9:09 am
Folks, tell me……"Does anybody out there still believe anything coming out of D.C.? Silly People!!!!!!
April 10th, 2012
9:47 am
IMHO, the "drop out" rate isn't the problem and all this statistical analysis means little. The real problem is that in our society, it is increasingly difficult to "drop into" anything productive without that piece of paper. That hasn't always been the case, even as recently as eighty years ago. There is nothing magic about graduating in four years at age eighteen. Some people mature later. Some people need to experience the harsh reality of low level work. And, some people simply are not "academic."
Though alternative paths to high school graduation exist, we make little effort to promote them. How many twenty-year old drop-outs have ever received a phone call inviting and encouraging them to join a realistic night school program to get their diploma? I would bet that we could reduce the real drop-out rate by 25% if we did so.
I for one would be very dismayed if the four-year, done at 18 drop-out rate was very low. That would mean that academic standards were VERY low.
We need to address the very real reasons why people leave school before graduating and promote alternative paths to receiving diplomas
To illustrate the point, my Dad "dropped-out" of Brown University in 1942 to go fight WWII. Returned in 1946 and needed to make money. Took an entry level job and worked his way up to industrial engineer. His company sent him to Georgia Tech in 1956. He became chief industrial engineer for a major manufacturing plant. Probably couldn't happen today. Was he a "drop-out?"
April 10th, 2012
10:31 am
[...] DOE will release newly configured grad rate Tuesday. Here is a … This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged count, department, ged, national, national-center, school, state, student, students, years by admin. Bookmark the permalink. [...]
April 10th, 2012
10:44 am
[...] You can read how the new rate was calculated in this DOE primer, which is quite thorough. [...]
April 10th, 2012
1:13 pm
The new graduation rate may seem like it's a bad thing, but it will help make better apples-to-apples comparisons with other states. Check out our latest blog about it and find more information about stemming the dropout epidemic at NoDropouts.org.


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very nice boots. great quality, thy were send very fast. the size is perfect, same as shoes. the lace system is great.
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I didn't believe the price when I saw it. It is a great deal, very nice goggles. And it was delivered very fast, and the best thing, shipping was free!
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Pandora Silver Butterfly Charm 790285
SKU: p1177 Manufacturer: 790285 by Pandora
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The Pandora Silver Butterfly Charm is a pretty addition to any Pandora collection. Crafted from sterling silver, the butterflies link to create the bead. Hand finished, the butterflies have wing, body and antenna detail. Pandora beads are designed for you to remember your special moments, celebrate events and mark occasions. Wonderful beads for any occasion, show, commemorate and celebrate your love with Pandora.
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Summary of My Discontent
[Jim Welp is on vacation. This column originally appeared in LEO in January 1971. -ed.]
Don't Ask, I'm Telling
Bring the change
Happy holidays to all! As we bid adieu to 2009 and welcome 2010, it seems like a good time to reflect, take stock, and figure out where we stand concerning matters that are important to us.
Fables of the Deconstruction
O come, all ye faithful
Last weekend, I engaged a clever bit of counter-programming.
Summary of My Discontent
A Christmas miracle
The man — grizzled, disheveled — sat down heavily on the leather mall couch and looked lovingly at his unlikely companion, a small bespectacled girl with blond pigtails.
Editor's Note
Some kind of happiness
This is my last column for LEO Weekly. As of Jan. 1, News Editor Sarah Kelley will take the reins as I move on to a new job as editor of The City Paper in Nashville.
Keeping Up with the Jones
Reflections of an ex man-whore
I usually don't get into the tabloid stuff, but I've got to weigh in on the revelation that Tiger Woods is a man-whore. Wow!
Don't Ask, I'm Telling
Family ties
How do you know if animals in the ocean are boys or girls? What is a mind? Why is the top of your hair dark when the rest of it is blond?
Fables of the Deconstruction
Nothing is over, not yet
My 9-year-old son Oden came home from school the other day talking about a puzzle involving dots and lines.


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Don't get fooled by Tiffany's sparkle
The iconic luxury retailer is regaining some luster on Wall Street, but it's a value trap investors are better off avoiding.
Although it was hurt by the economic downturn, some of Tiffany's woes were self-inflicted. For instance, analysts have criticized the company for not updating its designs frequently enough. Tiffany has also been slow to expand into the watch business as it tries to resolve a legal dispute with former partner Swatch.
Wall Street, though, is taking a shine again to Tiffany after its most recent earnings, pushing the stock up more than 18% this year. And while the latest results were better than what analysts had expected, they weren't great. Earnings rose 0.7% to $176.9 million, and revenue lifted 4% to $1.2 billion. Gains in China helped boost Tiffany's Asia-Pacific revenue to $254 million, a 13% increase. North American sales rose 2% to $620 million.
Tiffany also expects stronger sales growth for the rest of the year as its China business rebounds and it offers better designs of lower-priced silver jewelry. But others aren't so sure, and U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly fell in March because of the continued battles over the federal budget in Washington.
Even investors who expect the economy to continue improving will find plenty not to like about Tiffany's stock. With a price-to-earnings multiple of 20.98, Tiffany's valuation is at a five-year high. The shares also trade at a premium to peers such as Coach (COH), another luxury retailer that has been hurt by poor earnings.
Coach, though, also has a bigger upside than Tiffany. Shares of the maker of high-end accessories are forecast to hit $60.94 over the next 52 weeks, a gain of more than 23% from current levels. The price target on Tiffany is $67.08, below where it currently trades.
Though some pundits have speculated that Tiffany might make an attractive buyout target given its iconic brand, that's not a good enough reason to buy the stock because theoretical deals often don't happen in the real world. Besides, Coach has more growth potential -- analysts expect its revenue to increase 7.6% in the current quarter.
The rewards for investors in Coach far outweigh the risks. A Coach purse may not sparkle like a Tiffany diamond, but as the economy rebounds many customers will find it as alluring.
Jonathan Berr is among the least fashionable people he knows. He doesn't own shares of the listed stocks. Follow him on Twitter@jdberr.
Tiffany depends on the middle class to buy it's products. The middle class buys it's products to pretend to be in the rich class. However the super rich have squezzed the middle class into being poor class so their are not too many people wanting to buy Tiffany products.
Perhaps Tiffany should make things for the Walmart crowd now.
Anyway the BRICS are going to start up their own International Bank and the World Bank and the IMF are now history as is the US dollar.
So things are going to start falling apart very fast now folks. Expect chaos to rule by summer.
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Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Morningstar Inc. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Morningstar Inc. Quotes delayed by up to 15 minutes, except where indicated otherwise. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by Morningstar Inc.
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This is made with a 3 cell AA box. It has a master on/off switch. The voltage output is regulated 5v fixed. Can be made with a 510 or 901 connector. Price is for the mod only. This mod uses 2 14500 3.7v LI batteries
Posted by johneric704 on 13th Jun 2013
I came to Ken's because Mad**** (another company) just is always out of what I want or need. I have lots of vaping wares but I actually saw a compliment about Ken's on THEIR website from a customer, so I followed his advice & yes- Ken's 5v rocks the other companies' out of the contest. Get one here- you won't regret it
Posted by Eric on 4th Jun 2013
I have tried more than 20 different ecigs and mods in the past 4 years. The only ones I use on a regular basis are Ken's 5v mods and the original Prodigy's. The rest have been a waste of my time and money.
Posted by Unknown on 15th Aug 2012
I've been through 2 of those cheap plastic 5v boxes you get for $30. They would always fall apart after a month or two because the person that built the thing couldn't take 2 extra seconds to make sure the master switch, wiring or trigger was crafted properly.
You get more than your money's worth from this device. Superb quality and attention to detail. This box will last because it was made with care and integrity.
Posted by arthur on 8th Jul 2012
great vapor tons of throat hit, i am yet to get 3.2 ohm carto's or lr carto's and its still working with my 2.5-2.9ohm carto's and i couldnt be happier, yes i have to pick and choose with carto's some burn but im getting higher ohm carto's and a low res tank so i cant wait to see the true performance
Posted by CM on 25th Jun 2012
I've owned a lot of similar box mods. No bells or whistles here. However, the build quality on this model is much better than sloppy mods I've received from other sellers. You can tell the wiring inside was done with care. The battery slots are perfectly sized and the case closes smoothly. A great simple mod that I will last a long time. Highly recommended. A+


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Start your day with a roundup of top defense news.
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2Here's 4 key lessons all the best infantry squads should learn
3A gym & a prayer: Marine vet's CrossFit business draws on personal ties
4U.S. to assign 3,000 military personnel to fight Ebola
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Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin Gets No 'Respect' From Worker At Johnny Rockets
Looks like someone needs to be taught a little lesson on r-e-s-p-e-c-t!
Aretha Franklin's Next Album Includes Andre 3000-Produced Tracks, Possible Adele Cover
Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, but she's calling in some heavy hitters — and drawing on some classic material — to make her next album one to remember.
Aretha Franklin Receives Honorary Degree From Harvard
Plus, she sang the National Anthem in her cap and gown! Watch her performance here.
Aretha Franklin Throws Star-Studded 72nd Birthday Bash, Reveals Details On New Album
Over the weekend, the Queen of Soul proved she has no signs of slowing down anytime soon as she celebrated her 72nd birthday (which isn't until March 25th) in style with some of Hollywood's biggest […]
Aretha Franklin, Berry Gordy Named 2014 BET Honorees
With the 2014 award season well under way, it was announced Thursday that legendary singer Aretha Franklin and famed Motown founder Berry Gordy will receive a special tribute as this year's honorees at the BET […]
Today In 1987: Aretha Franklin Becomes First Woman Inducted To The Rock Hall
Flashing back 27 years ago today (Jan. 3rd) in music, Aretha Franklin received a major honor that solidified her titled as the Queen of Soul and one of the greatest voices in music. On Jan. […]
Aretha Franklin to Cover Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer on New Album
The Queen of Soul is gearing up to pay tribute to other female singers who have achieved royal status in the pop world.
Aretha Franklin Ready To Record New Album, Says Health Is 'Fine Now'
The Queen of Soul is feeling "fine now" after undisclosed health issues forced her to take the summer off touring, and now she's ready to hit the studio. In a recent media event, Aretha Franklin […]
Aretha Franklin Healthy & Ready to Work on New Album
After suffering from an undisclosed illness, Aretha Franklin says she is feeling "85% better" and ready to work on new music.
Aretha Franklin To Be Honored At MLB Civil Rights Game
Though Aretha Franklin has been dealing with unspecified health issues as of late, the Queen of Soul received a dose of good news this week after being named the honoree for the 2013 Major League […]


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A 90-minute TeleConference
1:00-2:30 pm ET / 12:00-1:30 pm CT / 11:00 am-12:30 pm MT / 10:00 am-11:30 am PT
Mary Ellen Signorille, AARP Foundation Litigation, Washington, DC
John P. Elwood, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Washington, DC
Kevin Russell, Goldstein & Russell, PC, Washington, DC
Linda R. Mendel, Vorys, Salter, Seymour and Pease LLP, Columbus, OH
Two well-respected Supreme Court practitioners will analyze the Supreme Court Decision on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act along with the impact on other laws and future challenges to health care legislation. An employee benefits practitioner will discuss the consequences for group health plans.
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That's the premise behind the Paleo diet, a health and weight-loss trend that encourages people to eat modern-day versions of Paleolithic food.
"A lot of people at our gym were getting good workout results, but I knew they weren't supporting it with their diets," Larson said. Because other gyms in the CrossFit family have had success with the Paleo diet, Larson decided to test it at his gym. Fifteen people took the bait.
Like any diet, the hardest thing about the Paleo diet is what you can't eat.
Out is anything that humans began eating after the agriculture and animal husbandry revolutions, meaning no dairy, beans, grains or starches and absolutely nothing processed.
"If you can't eat it raw, then you shouldn't consume it," Larson said. (Although, since our Paleolithic ancestors did have fire, cooking food is permissible.)
The idea of the Paleo diet has been around since the 1980s, but it was popularized in the 2002 book "The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat" by Loren Cordain, a professor at Colorado State University.
Twenty years ago, Cordain read about the diet in a scientific journal and decided to try it.
"For the first time in my life, I started to feel quite healthy, I didn't get any respiratory problems, my arthritis problems went away, and I felt like I gained more muscle mass," he said.
He's been eating like a Neanderthal ever since.
"We are genetically made up with a Stone Age disposition, but we are living in a world of Space Agers," Cordain said.
The Paleo diet even clears up acne, he said.
Larson, the West Sacramento, Calif., gym owner, put his own twist on the Paleo diet. He combined it with the Zone diet, which centers on setting calorie intake parameters but doesn't forbid any kind of food. In Larson's Paleo/Zone diet, the Paleo diet determines what kind of food to eat and the Zone diet guides the quantity.
Following the diet is tough; Larson holds weekly social support sessions with participants.
On a recent Tuesday, Larson told the group they are allowed to have two vices: tea and coffee.
"But not sweetened, and with no dairy," he said.
He points to himself. He's been doing the Paleo/Zone diet for 11 weeks, and his body fat percentage is 2.7, he said.
"Come on! That's how much fat is in my finger," said Santinia Pasquini, 33. Pasquini said she has tried everything from Weight Watchers to diet pills, and in the week she's been doing the Paleo/ Zone diet, she has lost 8 pounds.


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- Andrea Morisette Grazzini
- Burnsville, MN
- United States
CEO, WetheP, Inc.
This conversation is closed.
Part II: When, How and Why have your most strongly held views changed?
A week ago I asked How, When and Why people have changed strongly held beliefs.
The answers were exceedingly rich, even as they were given embodied both personal and interpersonal examples of lived and, indeed "living," in-situ transformations. Far from detached or observational, discussants expressed deep nuance about themselves and persistently engaged with others of diverse ages, perspectives and geographies in vibrant co-reflections.
There were, as human conversations go, divergences and occasional disagreements. These and the sustained connective momentum throughout the thread demonstrated energy and passion for the topic – and, in many ways, each other as co-stakeholders of sorts in mutual self- and other discoveries.
As these unfolded seeds of this follow-up question were planted and coaxed. A call to continue, perhaps even deepen, the dialogue was made.
So, lets.
To orient this phase, consider these questions:
1. If you engaged in or observed the first conversation: Did your view of changes you've made evolve in any way due to the discussion? If so, what was the impact of others' voices you heard in the conversation on your changed views?
2. How, when and why do we notice our truths converging with others? And conversely: how, when and why do we notice our truths diverging from others?
3. How can self/other discoveries wherein both agreements and disagreements are dynamically engaged – as they emerge -- be meaningful, transformative or productive for both/all?
I'm eager to see where this "go-deeper" conversation goes.
Many thanks, again!
Closing Statement from Andrea Morisette Grazzini
When I posed this question I expected the momentum of the original conversation would carry-over a multidimensional chorus of "inner-voices," as participant Lindsay referred to it. Momentum was certainly achieved.
What of it was constructive is more complicated to discern.
Of the three questions I posed to orient the topic #2 elicited the most visible energy. What came though clearly was the effect of reactivity as a powerful conversational contagion. In this case, translated by much difference and divergence.
The evidence of this lies mostly in what can't be seen.
First is the absence of numerous comments that no longer remain, traces of which are hinted at only by notations they have been "Removed." These dialogic divergences featured escalating exchanges that catalyzed more, devolving into various and accumulating personal disparagements.
Second is the absence of unknowable comments. One wonders what might have been offered, were it not for ever-present off-topic tensions.
At several turning points various participants engaged with some success to redirect to the topic. As they did new, richly textured voices offered stories and fresh perspectives on how change has and can occur in transformative ways for themselves and with others.
By the broadest definition: what remains, what's been retracted and what hasn't been said all amount to relational change.
It's critical to note which have been reductive, rather than constructive to the ideals of the conversation. Herein lie complicated answers that are perhaps nearly as powerful as those so clearly expressed.
I'm grateful for those who persisted by modeling, inviting and engaging with diverse, dimensional dialogues here. Their presence was a powerful example of how counter-contagions of support can scaffold shared ideals and intent when unproductive behaviors threaten to topple progress. And give example to constructivist-style, dynamically construed paths to new views.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.
May 4 2011: Hello,
Firstly apologies for not responding to two responses to my post on the previous question. Here are answers to that:
@Debra Smith - The Landmark Forum (LF) is the flagship program of Landmark Education (LE). LE itself is a global training and development company that is in the business of transformation. If other training disciples add on to existing skill sets such that one can "improve" or "fix" or even "change" themselves, LE goes under all the knowledge that an individual has and works on whatever it is that is holding them back from achieving breakthrough results in areas of life that are important to people and in matters that people really care about.
Anywhere from a 150 to 250 people attend the LF, though this may vary depending on the country and location the LF is being conducted in.
The methodology used is an informal dialogue between the leader (facilitator/coach) and the participants - no videos are shown, no material given...there isn't even a need to take notes as all you're doing is working on yourself and applying the distinctions (main messages) shared to yourself and your life. The more you apply the distinctions in specific areas of your own life, the more the chances of a breakthrough in that area.
You can read up the basics on www.landmarkeducation.com
@Andrea: Sometimes the LF can also be fairly confronting - esp. with deeply held beliefs. One of my most disempowering beliefs about myself (and i had a few :)) was that "I'm not good enough" and I did whatever came to me to compensate for that - ALL 34 years of my life. Proving, yelling, being autocratic - you name it. The impact was on my relationships and self esteem. As I confronted that and took responsibility for altering that, the anger and restlessness inside me subsided. The first people to notice it - of course my parents. They started enjoying this new me - to the extent that they enrolled in doing the entire curriculum as well!
Answering this question in another post.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.


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Home > PHOTOVOLTAICS > Solar-powered street lighting solution from Kaal Masten...
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Solar-powered street lighting solution from Kaal Masten
Kaal Masten is presenting the Spirit: the worlds first solar-powered lighting column that does not use mains power and is available in a complete series (up to 18 meters).
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Vulture is reporting that Kaling has been promoted to executive producer on the show. Kaling, who began her 'Office' career as a writer and became a co-executive producer last year, confirmed the news by tweeting: "excited to be back, lateral lisp and all!"
There had been widespread speculation that Kaling might leave her writing role on 'The Office' to focus on developing other projects of her own. In May, 'Office' executive producer Paul Lieberstein, who plays meek 'Office' HR rep Toby, told AOL TV he wasn't sure if Kaling would be coming back in a writing role.
"She's coming back as an actress, for sure," Lieberstein told AOL TV. When pressed as to whether that meant she wouldn't be writing for the show anymore, he said, "It doesn't look that way, but I don't think that's been ... We don't know yet," before hinting at her desire to work on new projects.
And Kaling is still is focusing on her own projects as well: her reps at United Talent Agency and 3 Arts Entertainment have structured the deal so that she will also be developing a new comedy series to both write and star in.
Kaling has written some of 'The Office''s funniest episodes, including 'The Dundies' and the Jim and Pam wedding episode 'Niagara,' in addition to writing and starring in the show's 'Subtle Sexuality' Web series.
Her book 'Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me? (And Other Concerns)' is due out November 1.
Read more http://www.aoltv.com/2011/09/15/mindy-kaling-gets-office-promotion-to-executive-producer/


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£14.68 per 100ml
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Fake Bake Radiant Golden Glow Lotion - Fair 170ml
Item No.1570599006
Fake Bake Fair Self-Tan Lotion has been specially formulated for people with fair complexions. The easy glide formula and subtle show where it goes cosmetic colour guide enables even the most inexperienced self-tanner to apply a self-tan with ease and confidence. A combination of cutting edge, naturally derived tanning agents DHA and Erythulose work with the melanin cells which lie in the top layers of your skin to develop into a tan that compliments your skin tones for a perfectly natural looking results. If you desire a darker tan, Fake Bake Fair Self-Tan Lotion can be reapplied over consecutive days giving you complete control of your colour development.
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Easy Green Resolutions
Last year, we made the relatively painless switch to reusable grocery tote bags, compact florescent lighting, and paying our bills online. This year, our list of realistic resolutions includes...
Paper Towels - We just can't stop using paper towels...not yet, anyway. We do plan on testing out a healthier option this year but, until we cut the cord completely, we're buying recycled. Switching to Seventh Generation's Unbleached 100% Recycled Paper Towels will save 1 million trees and 2.6 million cubic feet of landfill space.
Produce Bags - Since we've kicked the plastic grocery bag habit, it makes sense to banish plastic produce bags as well. A set of 5 organic cotton sacks can be purchased at EcoBags and the more more you buy, the cheaper they are.
More baby steps toward green after the jump...
Aluminum Foil - Another product we want to check out is 100% Recycled Aluminum Foil by If You Care. This product uses a whopping 95% less energy to produce than standard foil.
Lose the Paper Trail - We may already be paying our bills online but we still receive the paper notices. This year, we're making the jump to electronic billing and bank statements. We're looking forward to less paper clutter in 2008.
No More Junk - On that note, we're tired of our mailbox over-flowing with junk mail. This is the year that we opt out of the junk. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse website is full of helpful tips and directories on how to eliminate all those annoying pre-approved credit offers, undesired catalogs, and coupon flyers.
Originally posted by Jessica on AT: Chicago.
6 Comments
Ive made a lot of progress, but I have a lot more to do. Ive cut way back on my paper towel usage by using linen napkins.
i thought i was making great strides with cutting down the household paper towel usage and have even starting making my own cloth napkins, then i gut a puppy. housetraining has greatly increased our paper towel usage once again. hopefully he'll get it soon and we can get back on track.
i've signed up with greendimes and hope to see my volume of junk mail greatly reduced.
The only thing I use paper towels for is cleaning windows. I still haven't figured out a way to eliminate use of them entirely, although I cut it down to one towel per window pane by using a microfibre cloth for the first bit of cleaning. I'm hoping that a squeegee will replace the final wipe with the paper towel.
My other resolution is to replace my standard cleaning products with greener ones, starting with oven cleaner which I'll have to get soon.
I have a question...
What do you do for "green" garbage bags? I always just used old shopping bags before switching out to reusable totes... and now, I actually refrain from using the totes sometimes because I need some bags for the trash...
Produce bags have been a tough one for me. I'm finally getting the hang of always having a shopping bag, but carrying 2-4 extra bags for impromptu veggie shopping can be annoying. Sometimes I remember to bring along those weird cloth bags that my Earth shoes came in (individually bagged shoes?), which make nice bags for garlic and potatoes.
Until I kick the habit, I'm either re-using those old veggie bags or going bag-less all together. Cashiers usually frown at my free-range lemons, kale, lettuce and onions. I'll spare them the handful of green beans though.
I use net bags for my produce; their more compact. For windows, old newspapers work the best. They actually leave less streaks than the paper towels. My grandmother taught me this trick - that's how she saved money when working as a housekeeper. I try to pickup discarded newspaper for this purpose.


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