When we fold our American flag we fold the stripes toward the stars, for whereas the stripes represent the 13 original colonies that founded our republic and they are now embodied in the 50 sovereign states represented by the stars so that the stars cover the stripes on the flag.

The 1st fold of our American Flag is a symbol of life.
The 2nd fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrances of the Veterans who have departed their prospective ranks who gave a portion of their life for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world, not to have been in vain and shall never be forgotten.
The 4th fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, for it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for his divine guidance.
The 5th fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of the immortal Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong”.

The 6th fold of our flag represents where our hearts lie – andn it is with our hearts that we pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of American, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The 7th fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through these same armed forces that our country is protected and our flag protected against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the Valley of the Shadow of Death, that we might see the light of the day, and this fold is made to honor a Mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.
The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyality and devotion that the characters of men and who have made this country great have been molded.

The 10th fold is a tribute to fathers, for they too have given of their sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were his first born.
The 11th fold of our Flag , for in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, this represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies in their eyes the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
The 12th and final fold, for in the eyes of a Christian Citizen, this represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies in their eyes God the Father, God the son and God the Holy Ghost.

When our American Flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, which reminds us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”
When the American Flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on an appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, and they, followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, have preserved for us the rights, Privileges and Freedoms that we are enjoying today.

Denny Knutson, LPN,EMT, Maa
Emergeny Room Nurse
Bellin Health - Bond Health Center

Schools/Organisations/Conference organisers

It can be so difficult to find the right speaker for a
particular topic. A new section of the QEd website
(http://www.qed.uk.com) will make this job easier for you.

I have years of experience organising conferences, training days
and courses and am so frequently asked to recommend speakers, I
thought that it would make sense to bring it all together in one
area and make it accessible to whoever needs it.

You will be able to get details on a wide range of topics,
speakers and their charges, contact numbers etc.

Just some of the topics include behaviour management, speech and
language difficulties, ADHD and attention difficulties, autism,
Asperger’s syndrome, dyspraxia, dyslexia, maths, dyscalculia,
PSE, inclusion, education in the early years and many, many more.

I have only recently started developing this part of the site
and will be adding more details over the next few weeks and
months.

Some of us fill a page with a wall of words, with no paragraph indentations, no transitions, and no clearly defined topic sentences. Some of us have the appropriate indentations, but within each paragraph our sentences are out of order. Francis Christensen [1] devised a brilliant trick for paragraphing, one you can use at (and not before) the revising stage:

First, let’s imagine we are creating a couple of “outlines” for paragraphs about places in the world. [2] Fill in the blanks for the two paragraphs below, by pretending each word or phrase is a sentence, with the first word (1) the topic sentence:

(1) WORLD

…..(2) COUNTRY___USA______ (2) COUNTRY____________

……..(3) CITY___San Francisco__ (3) CITY_____________

……….(4) STREET__Haight______ (4) STREET___________

………….(5) BUSINESS_Amoeba Music_ (5) BUSINESS______

For this paragraph, we can see how each entry (sentence) refers back to (1), but is also a more specific reference to the place directly before it. So the sequence is tight/orderly.

But what if we tried to put another (2) next in this sequence, after the (5)? Would bringing in another country in the city, on the street, and at the business there work logically for our reader? Or would it throw our reader?

It would throw our reader.

So we need to start a new paragraph, a new (1), an ALSO/BESIDES/IN ADDITION…. For, this paragraph is of the kind Christensen calls the SUBORDINATE PARAGRAPH, and it must have an order and sub order of 1, 2, 3, 4, …. It cannot have 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, and it cannot have a 1, 5, 2, 3, 4 order.

***** SUBORDINATE paragraphs are good for telling stories, showing a process (or how-to) order, or moving from general to specific descriptions. They are one of three types of paragraphs in the writing world.*****

This brings us, then, to the next type of paragraphing. Fill in each of the blanks below with a phrase:

(1) What is truth?

(2) Truth is_____________________________________.

(2) It is________________________________________.

(2) It is________________________________________.

For this kind of paragraph, called a COORDINATE PARAGRAPH, each sentence that follows the topic sentence–the (1)–cooperates with the others to define and redefine a term or terms. Once you complete your own statements defining truth, note how musical, poetic, or symmetrical (matching) the paragraph is because of the effective repetition.

***** COORDINATE paragraphs are good for–as you likely guessed–definitions, reinforcing meaning in a delivered point, and re-defining a topic.*****

This brings us to the last of the paragraphing types, called the MIXED PARAGRAPH. This includes all other logical and reinforcing paragraphs that contain a combination of the SUBORDINATE and the COORDINATE, while it still keeps order. That is, for example, it can be a 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, pattern, but should not have a new 1 thrown in or an oddly placed sentence like another 2 after the 3, 3, 3, part.

To clarify and to try the numbering on already written paragraphs (if, for example, you draft first and then check order second), let’s look at the following. Try to decipher the numbering pattern in each:

A

___I am mindful that only yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama, our children, crying out for brotherhood, were answered with fire hoses, snarling dogs and even death. ___I am mindful that only yesterday in Philadelphia, Mississippi, young people seeking to secure the right to vote were brutalized and murdered; and only yesterday more than 40 houses of worship in the State of Mississippi alone were bombed or burned because they offered a sanctuary to those who would not accept segregation. ___I am mindful that debilitating and grinding poverty afflicts my people and chains them to the lowest rung of the economic ladder.
–from Dr. Martin Luther King’s Nobel
Prize acceptance speech, Dec. 10, 1964 [3]

The above is a sample of a _____________________paragraph.

B

___There’s nothing quite so risky as a parody movie. ___Some of them work out wonderfully, and examples like “Blazing Saddles” and “Airplane!” are two of the funniest movies ever made. ___On the other hand, sometimes you get examples like “High School High,” the new film starring Jon Lovitz and Tia Carrere. ___It’s supposed to be a spoof of the “Dangerous Minds” type of movie, where a teacher comes into an inner city high school and changes everything around. ___Lovitz plays a teacher named Richard Clark — get it, Dick Clark? — who quits his job at a posh private school and takes a position at the worst public high school in the district, Marion Berry High. ___He meets the beautiful administrative assistant, played by Carrere, and the hard-nosed principal, played by Louise Fletcher. ___Yes, former Oscar-winner Louise Fletcher. Can you say, “tragic waste of talent”? I knew you could….
–from Alex Lau’s Movie Magazine International review,
October, 1996

The above is a sample of a _____________________paragraph.

C

___Technically, Carlito’s Way is a combination of the innovative and the banal. ___The camerawork is invigorating, if sometimes too exotic. ___DePalma makes good use of the steadicam during the chase sequences, and this heightens whatever tension is present. ___Jellybean Benitez, a former DJ and club manager, is the music supervisor, and his choice of about a dozen mid-seventies hits helps to establish the time-frame. ___Patrick Doyle’s score, however, is horribly out-of-place…. –from James Berardinelli’s Colossus review, 1993

The above is a sample of a _____________________paragraph.

D

___Describing Tupac…. ___Shit, he was real. ___I’ma be real for a minute, because I can’t describe someone so real without being real myself: [Tupac] was everything and nothing. ___He was dreamful, hopeful, a leader, a rebel, a thug, a friend, a role model. ___Just everything he did was, as Tupac once said, “a calculated step to bring me closer to my death.” ___He was the hip hop Jesus.
–from Luis Camacho’s journal entry, June 16, 2004

The above is a sample of a _____________________paragraph.

What kind of paragraph do you find A is? If you see it as a COORDINATE, you are absolutely right!

How about B? Yep, a (well-written) SUBORDINATE.

My students are divided on C, with general consensus seeing it as either a COORDINATE, with each sentence after the first reinforcing the writer’s topic sentence or as a MIXED, with the final sentence (a 3)—or…possible a new 1?

And paragraph D? Looks like a rich MIX of details, doesn’t it? And the writer of D hadn’t yet done this paragraphing experiment!

End Notes

[1] Christensen, Francis. A Generative Rhetoric of the Paragraph. CCC 16 (October 1965).

[2] This part of the experiment is a modified version of that used in Graduate Composition Teaching courses taught by Deborah Swanson at SFSU.

[3] All paragraph samples taken from and/or modified for English 880, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA. Passage D is a selected piece written by a student who has granted his permission for my use of it here and elsewhere. RM.

N.H.-born prize-winning poet, creative nonfiction writer, memoirist, and award-winning Assoc. Prof. of English, Roxanne is also web content and freelance writer/founder of http://www.roxannewrites.com, a support site for academic, memoir, mental disability, and creative writers who need a nudge, a nod, or just ideas…of which Roxanne has 1,000s, so do stop in for a visit, as this sentence can’t possibly get any longer…….

Peter Drucker, one of the most influential people in the innovative management age passed away on November 11, 2005, at the age of 95. The world will never be the same because of him.

While I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Drucker, I think it’s safe to say that his style had a huge impact on my life and the way I manage and lead. He stressed the importance of treating non-management as highly valued individuals, something that to most of us now is a no-brainer, but years ago, this was an amazingly innovative idea.

It’s amazing to think about how much times have changed because of this one fantastic individual. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electic, credits a conversation with Mr. Drucker as the reason for his strategy to get out of any business that GE couldn’t be number 1 or number 2 in, one of the reasons for GE’s resurgence in the 90s and for it’s continued success in this millenium.

He also wrote a slew of amazing books that have helped me become the leader I am, including the recently published Daily Drucker, which is great to get bite sized portions of insight. It’s a book I highly recommend for all leader and managers. It’s easy to read, and is quite impactful for leaders of all skill levels and experience.

In closing, I feel fortunate to have experienced much of Mr. Drucker’s richness by reading many of his outstanding articles and books. My wish is for the spirit of Peter Drucker live on in all of us as we manage and lead our teams, our lives, and ourselves. Thanks for the memories!

Phil Gerbyshak leads a team of IT help desk professionals in Milwaukee, WI, and finds that sharing his knowledge is a crucial component in his success as a leader and as a person. Phil’s personal philosophy is paraphrased from Tim Sanders’ fantastic book Love is the Killer App: “Share your knowledge, your network, and your love. The rest will follow.” Read more of Phil’s ideas at http://makeitgreat.org

Imagine an expedition to the Antarctic in 1914. There is no GPS, no world-reaching radio, and no satellite phone. Brutal conditions, rationed food, tight living quarters. Sounds pretty bleak. Now imagine that something goes horribly wrong. As days turn into weeks the rationed food is exhausted. As weeks turn into months hope is all that is left. When hope diminishes, all that is left is the will to live.
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 voyage turned into a disaster just before he and his crew of twenty-eight could reach Antarctica. Their ship The Endurance was held up by ice for ten months and then crushed by it’s frozen, unforgiving force, and that is just the beginning of this two-years long journey. It is amazing what he and his crew endure over this time period just to survive.

This is an excerpt from a diary kept by crewman Thomas Orde-Lees that recounts a very cold and desperate time some six months after the men abandoned the crumpled, mangled wreckage of their ship on three lifeboats.

“As the water splashed into the boats it froze instantly forming thick incrustations of ice on the inside of the boat and over all the gear freezing up the sail as stiff as a piece of corrugated iron. Fortunately the water which ran into the bottom of the boat did not freeze at once so that by frequent bailing we were able to keep pace with it and prevent the accumulation of ice along the keels, where, had it once formed, it would have been next to impossible to eradicate it on account of the cargo.

Much sleet covered us, and what with this and the sea spray we were all more or less wet through and our outer clothing was frozen stiff. Our time was largely occupied in picking the ice off each other’s backs. It would be a lie to say that we were at all happy under these circumstances but now and again we made a feeble effort to assume a cheerful, hopeful air in spite of ourselves. We were being sorely tried, indeed, though.”

Joey is a writer at film-documentary.com

For more on this event and to learn about a documentary film based on this event visit film-documentary.com/the-endurance.html

The San Jose Unified School District has enacted a unique plan to build relationships with the local community in order to overcome an old negative image.

The Past Negative Image of the San Jose Schools

A series of teacher strikes, bankruptcy, and changes in leadership gave the San Jose Unified School District a bad reputation among the local community. Students weren’t achieving state standards and many parents and teachers didn’t know what to do to fix the situations. The San Jose Unified School District faced the daunting task of regaining public trust and integrating itself into the needs of the community.

The Board of Education Driven Public Engagement Model

The solution that San Jose came up with was not an easy one, nor a quick one. It involved finding new ways to communicate with parents and other area residents in a way that allowed all voices to be heard and real data to be collected about the school district’s problems.

Focus Groups

The San Jose Unified School District organized a series of focus groups to identify what needed to be done. These focus groups were able to pinpoint the factors that bred mistrust and disinterest in the community. Eventually, the school district was able to say that the basic factors contributing to the problems in the district came from three sources: lack of school – community interaction, low student expectations, and uninvolved or uninformed parents. With this information, the Board of Education turned to business and civic groups to try to find ways to eliminate these factors.

The Goal

The Board of Education Driven Public Engagement Model has both short and long term goals. In the short term, the San Jose Unified School district sought to create a plan that would make the local community want to send their children there. In the long term, the school district hopes to engage the community in order to accomplish their goals of improving student performance while building up a network of tools and strategies for communication with the public. Superintendent Don Iglesias explained: “The program was developed to increase parent and community participation and understanding within our school district.”

Successful Components of the Model

District communications are at the center of the Public Engagement Model and conferences between school and community members are held on a yearly basis. Called “community conversations,” these conferences have allowed the school district to hear the thoughts and opinions of over 6000 people. In addition, annual surveys for parents, teachers, and students help identify the issues to be resolved and help all members of the community feel a commitment to the success of the San Jose Unified School District.

Evidence That It’s Working

Improvements in student achievement across the board are clear in the 30 California Distinguished Schools and 11 National Blue Ribbon Schools in the district. In addition, the new relationship with the community has also had its rewards. First a $165 million bond issue and then a $429 million one have shown overwhelming public support for the San Jose Unified School District, as the local community shows the new found trust and high expectations it has for area schools. As Superintendent Iglesias puts it, “Through this project, we have learned what strategies work from a public standpoint, and parents feel heard and respected.”

Stacy Andell is a staff writer for www.schoolsk-12.com, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on San Jose schools visit www.schoolsk-12.com/California/San-Jose/index.html

According to Dr. Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences
determine how we process information, meaning, how we learn.
There are nine categories of Multiple Intelligences, as follow:

(1) Verbal/Linguistic, being the ability to understand syntax,
semantics and phonology of a language; the use of new, strange
or fun vocabulary words as well as humor; an appreciation for
academic debate. A person in this category would be word smart;

(2) Bodily/Kinesthetic, being the ability to control one’s
motions and the capacity to handle objects skillfully; and
appreciation for dancing, jogging, acting, sports. A person in
this category would be body smart;

(3) Visual/Spatial, being the ability to perceive the visual
world accurately; of using mind-mapping process; an appreciation
for puzzles, active imagination process. A person in this
category would be picture smart;

(4) Musical/Rhythmical, being the ability to understand and
express the components of music, sound, singing, drumming, and
beats; an appreciation for all forms of music manifestation. A
person in this category would be music smart;

(5) Logical/Mathematical, being the ability to understand and
use logical structures, patterns, and relationships; an
appreciation for mind-stretching puzzles, working to solve a
problem or new thinking patterns. A person in this category
would be logic smart;

(6) Intrapersonal, being the ability to access one’s own
emotional life; an appreciation of higher order thinking or
reasoning skills; possessing an awareness of feelings and
emotions. A person in this category would be self smart;

(7) Interpersonal, being an ability to notice and make
distinctions of moods, motivations, team spirit, good
person-to-person communication, and positive interdependence. A
person in this category would be people smart. This is, by the
way, a common characteristic presented by teachers;

(8) Naturalistic, being an ability to recognize and classify
nature and care for creatures and ecosystems as well as to
describe and analyze insects, animals, rocks, plants.
Discrimination by a teenager with regards to cars, sound
systems, sneakers, CDs, films, etc also fit in this category. A
person in this category would be nature smart;

(9) Existential, being the ability to ask “big” questions, to
look for the truth, beauty, goodness, and the meaning of life. A
person in this category could be called spirit smart.

So here, think about these descriptions and see where you fit
and remember that we all possess many of them. I speak more
deeply about them in another article. Enjoy, for now.

What are Masters Programs? Masters Programs are degreed programs that consist of a formal education and can be attained by individuals who have already earned a Bachelor’s Degree. However, as a prerequisite to enter into a variety of Masters Programs, students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and must have multiple recommendation letters; in addition to an educational and professional statement.

Having a time limit for program completion, Masters Programs are usually up to thirty-six (36) semester hours in length, and allow students to participate in financial aid programs including student loans; scholarships; grants and work study programs.

A variety of Masters Programs include Master of Arts; Master of Science; and dozens of other Masters Degrees (e.g. MAief; MAA; MASc or MEng; MAT; MBA; MHA; MPP: MPA; etc.) Individuals pursuing Masters Programs are eligible to enter into a doctoral program as well.

Furthermore, schools, universities and colleges offering Masters Programs will often provide career counseling services, which assist graduating students in finding suitable employment.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com

Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved
C. Bailey-Lloyd in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc. for SchoolsGalore.com

C. Bailey-Lloyd is the Public Relations’ Director for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find Masters Programs at SchoolsGalore.com; meeting your needs as your educational resource to locate schools.

King George III who suffered from porphyria, a maddening disease, was born in 1738 to Frederick, Prince of Wales and Augusta. In 1761 George married Charlotte of Mecklinburg-Strelitz and together produced fifteen children: nine sons and six daughters.

King George III came to the throne in 1760 and was determined to recover the power lost to the ministerial council by the first two Georges by systematically weakening the Whig party through bribery, coercion and patronage. Prime Minister, William Pitt the Elder was toppled by Whigs in 1763 after the signing of the Peace of Paris, and men of ordinary aptitude were then hand-picked by George as Cabinet members to become little more than yes-men. Bouts with madness and the handling of the American Revolution eroded his support and the power of the Crown was granted again to the Prime Minister.

In 1763 The Peace of Paris brought an end to the Seven Years’ War with France and Great Britain emerged from the conflict as the world’s greatest colonial power. England thrived but King George III’s ongoing commitment to taxing the American colonies to pay for military protection led to conflict in 1775. The colonists declared their independence from England in 1776, but George stubbornly continued with the war until the final American victory at Yorktown in 1781. The signing of The Peace of Versailles in 1783 ensured British recognition of the United States of America. The stress of these events took their toll on George: his sanity was stretched to the breaking point and his political power decreased when William Pitt the Younger became Prime Minister in 1783. George clawed back some of his powers, driving Pitt from office during the years 1801 to 1804, but his condition worsened and he ceased to rule in 1811.

Ten years after the ending of war with France, England joined a continental coalition against French revolutionary forces who sought total French supremacy throughout Europe. By 1797, most of Europe was under French control, with England going at it alone against the oppressive French Republic. The British Navy again proved its worth by defeating French forces at Camperdown, Cape St. Vincent and the Battle of the Nile in 1797, and finally at Copenhagen in 1801. France sued for peace in 1802.

Napoleon Bonaparte came to power and in 1803 renewed attacks against England, which lasted until 1814. Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, led the army whilst Lord Horatio Nelson, who won the decisive battle off Cape Trafalgar, commanded the British navy. In addition to the war with France, England was also at war again with the United States during the period 1812-14, over the British practice of conscripting American seamen into service in the British Navy.

In 1814, both wars came to an end; Napoleon was defeated and England agreed not to press into service anymore-American sailors.

George’s madness ultimately left the fate of the crown in the hands of his eldest son George, Prince Regent. Prince George was put in the unenviable position of attempting to govern according to the increasingly erratic behaviour of his father.

King George III died blind, deaf and mad at Windsor Castle on January 29, 1820.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about King George III.

In my next article will learn about the life of King Ludwig II
Unitl then,

Best wishes and have a great day

Stuart Bazga

Guide to Castles of Europe

A Guide to Castles of Europe was born from childhood dreams and aspirations. It is my hope to educate and stimulate you into exploring these castles for yourselves.

This system can be adapted to any school using any set of text
books.

All that is required is a LAN with the capacity to host a shared
drive and a printer.

Foreign teachers will be able to use this program after
attending 1 x 2 hour introductory seminar. (Some teachers may
require additional one to one instruction.)

Brief overview

* One central directory that provides the long range plan,
syllabus, daily lesson plans and supplementary worksheets, for
all classes. (matching MOE scope and sequence) * Easily
maintained by one employee with limited computer skills and
basic English ability. * Minimizes additional tasks for foreign
teachers, allowing them to concentrate on lesson quality and
classroom management.. * Provides ongoing student and teacher
assessment. * Presents learning outcomes in a visual format that
non English speaking parents can understand. * Encourages
teacher self assessment and pre-planning lessons. * Improves
classroom management. * Monitors student behaviour. * Can be
continually updated from year to year while previous years can
be duplicated, thus minimizing additional duties and refining
course/program effectiveness. * Mid term and end of term
assessments are integrated with scope and sequence, thus
assuring consistency across all grades and years. * Easy
tracking of home work assignments, given and returned. *
Students having difficulties can be quickly identified and
attended to appropriately. * Easily auditable system that meets
all the requirements of the Thai MOE. System requirements *
Microsoft excel * Microsoft word * Schoolhouse technology
software * Shared drive on Local Area Network Legend: Primary
responsibilities Administrator Head of English department
Teacher The head of the English department would oversea all
stages of the program to ensure correct usage. The head of the
English department may request that teachers contribute to exam
preparation in the initial stages. The administrator will ensure
that teachers are provided with all record keeping documents
when needed, and ensure that teachers provide all completed
tests and record sheets by the necessary deadlines. Teachers
will ensure daily lesson plans are prepared at least one week in
advance. Teachers will mark all home work and work sheets, and
then give them to the administrator who will file then in
individual student folders; these will be presented to the
parents along with the mid term and end term reports.

Now is the ideal time to install this program and train key
staff members in its use. I am available at this time and can
offer to demonstrate the effectiveness of my system to you free
of charge! Should you decide to go ahead and have me install the
system and train your staff in its use I will be willing to
negotiate a suitable fee for my services at that time.

Yours sincerely

Bill Boyd 0522 09089 in Thailand +66 522 09089 from elsewhere
bill.boyd@esi.com.sg