"Since the election of President Trump, Republican lawmakers in at least 18 states have introduced or voted on legislation to curb mass protests in what civil liberties experts are calling "an attack on protest rights throughout the states.""
"While this study focused on the international state of refugee access to education, there have been concerns about services in the United States, too. Dozens of school districts have been targeted by lawsuits arguing refugee children were denied access to public schools or directed to alternative, inferior programs. "
"Trump's margin from the election in Pennsylvania dropped significantly, the President-elect and his allies in the Republican Party sought to block the recount in all three states" Very interesting..............
""Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency," the report states. "We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.""
"The president's order also blocks the admission of refugees from Syria indefinitely, and bars entry into the United States for 90 days from seven predominantly Muslim countries linked to concerns about terrorism. Those countries are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen." And it is ILLEGAL
"Donald Trump's executive order to halt travel from seven Muslim-majority countries - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia - has provoked a wave of concern and condemnation from international leaders and politicians.
A spokesman for Angela Merkel said the German chancellor regretted Trump's decision to ban citizens of certain countries from entering the US, adding that she had "explained" the obligations of the Geneva refugee convention to the new president in a phone call on Saturday.
"The chancellor regrets the US government's entry ban against refugees and the citizens of certain countries," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
"She is convinced that the necessary, decisive battle against terrorism does not justify a general suspicion against people of a certain origin or a certain religion.
"The Geneva refugee convention requires the international community to take in war refugees on humanitarian grounds. All signatory states are obligated to do. The German government explained this policy in their call yesterday."
Seibert said the German government would examine what consequences the ban would have for German citizens with dual citizenship, and would "represent their interests, if necessary, before our American partners"."
"Canadian border officials are spotting a noteworthy trend: The number of people sneaking in from the United States and asking for asylum has gone way up."
oppose the Common Core. Although conservatives lead the way, in the bluest of states, California and New York, more people now disapprove than approve of the standards
Flimflam # 1: The Common Core standards are internationally benchmarked and grounded in research.
Ontario’s standards are far more in line with the research on early childhood development,
In 2010, when the standards were being rolled out, 500 early childhood experts –pediatricians, researchers and psychologists–found the early childhood Common Core standards to be so developmentally inappropriate that they called for their suspension in grades K-3.
where is the research to support: close reading, increased Lexile levels, the use of informational texts
Flimflam # 3: The Common Core will close the achievement gap.
According to a report by the Carnegie Corporation, the Common Core may double the drop-out rate
decrease the four year graduation rate to 53 percent
Flimflam #4: The problems with the Common Core standards can be fixed at the state and local level.
"15 Habits That Will Totally Transform Your Productivity
1/16 From decluttering your desk to letting yourself complain, these 15 easy behavior changes can change how much you accomplish each day.
BY STEPHANIE VOZZA6 MINUTE READ
Editor's Note: This article is one of the top 10 Leadership stories of 2015. See the full list here.
People who manage to get a lot accomplished each day aren't superhuman; they've just mastered a few simple habits. Some may be easy to guess: Keep your desk organized and aim for around eight hours of sleep a night. But others, like taking a mid-day nap or complaining, might surprise you.
Here are 15 easy ways to make every day more productive:
1. DECLUTTER YOUR DESK.
MESSY WORK SPACE:
Creativity may arise from chaos, but a litter-strewn office probably isn't helping you get stuff done. "Attention is programmed to pick up what's novel," says Josh Davis, director of research at the NeuroLeadership Institute and author of Two Awesome Hours. Visible files remind you of unfinished tasks. An unread book is temptation for procrastination. Even if you don't think you're noticing the disorder, it hurts your ability to focus.
TIDY WORKSPACE:
People with neat offices are more persistent and less frustrated and weary, according to a recent study in Harvard Business Review, which found that a clean desk helps you stick with a task more than one and a half times longer. "While it can be comforting to relax in your mess, a disorganized environment can be a real obstacle," says Grace Chae, a professor at Fox School of Business at Temple University and coauthor of the study.
2. BE PART OF THE 20%.
No matter how crazy your days get, make sure you carve out and ruthlessly protect just 90 minutes-20% of an eight-hour day-for the most important tasks. "Even if you squander the remaining 80% of the day, you can still make great progress if you have spent 90 minutes on your goals or priorities," says Charlotte, North Carol
question the entire premise of the education system, which is based on IQ as the single measure of intelligence and cognitive ability.
“People who scored really highly on our imaginative test show greater brain connectivity between these brain networks that are talked about a lot in the literature as being at odds
imaginative, creative people are good at disconnecting the attention network in order to enter a flow state when they generate ideas
“The ability to get important things accomplished in a way that honors commitments in an excellent way, respects my own time and that of others, and allows my body and psyche to focus and sustain the best mental state possible for emotional, professional, and personal well being and enjoyment.”