[Controversial thread #2....]

I know Christian homeschooler moms are SUPPOSED to love this book but i didn't. I'm sorry. I'll turn my membership card back in.

 

Never heard of her, her blog, or her book. Do I have to turn in my Christian homeschool mom card too? :D

[Spent the day looking for an apt...]

Aubrey, don't discount homeless shelters. I've worked at two and both of them had apartments for families. It wouldn't hurt to check them out.

[A fee to open a savings account?]

I heard on NPR that it is becoming more and more common.

 

From Untangling What's Next For The U.S. Economy

CONAN: Here's an email from Edward in South Portland, Maine: I just read something about banks charging fees for large depositors who add cash to their accounts, presumably from stock market selloffs and that this has pushed wealthy investors into T-bonds. If that's the case, are banks afraid of temporary deposits for some reason or cashing in on the crisis, or is something else going on? Louise Story, is that accurate?

 

STORY: Yes. The Bank of New York Mellon came out last week and said we're not going to pay you, investor, for putting your cash with us. You know, normally the bank will pay you, you know, a 10th of a percent of something, it used to be a lot higher, to hold your cash there. But they said you've got to pay us. And the reason banks are starting to react like that is because the banks also have to reinvest their money. All the money the depositors put in, they've got to put it somewhere.

 

And we're talking about how there's nowhere good to go, treasuries or gold, that's about it. The banks themselves have a problem. Where do they put all the money to get a return to be able to pay the interest rate to the depositors? And they're running out of places, so they're starting to say it's a privilege to bank with us, and you should pay us.

 

I guess it's trickling down to common savings accounts.

[So have you ever seen a really, REALLY great price drop in your Amazon cart?]

I have only seen small price drops, but I've only just learned this trick! Sounds like it's worth watching.

 

Can you explain this trick to me?

[Facebook, is there a way to hide all posts without unfriending?]

I have a cousin that I finally unfriended. I tried to hide her posts, but I would find myself going to her profile every so often and getting upset all over again. I hope you have more will-power than me!:D

[Would anyone see this quick youtube of my stepson and pass it on?]

Thanks for sharing this with us! I shared it on facebook and google+.

 

Your step-son might be interested in Capernaum. It's a Young Life ministry to disabled teens and young adults. There are several groups in Colorado.

[Paying for college, revisited: "This ugly partnership of deceit"]

Writing in Friday's Chicago Tribune, Walter V. Wendler, director of the School of Architecture and former chancellor of Southern Illinois University, argues that the college loans are often akin to academic welfare.

 

 

Low-cost housing is available to students. Day care is provided. Food is cheap on meal plans. All students need to do is enroll to have access to student loans, with new loans available every year, so long as they don't leave the university community.

 

 

 

Pressured to maintain enrollment, many institutions allow students to remain on campus with grades that do not meet a reasonable standard of progress. It is sad that the National Collegiate Athletic Association requires steps toward academic progress for student athletes that may exceed general university requirements for satisfactory performance.

Wendler suggests that when universities lower or overlook academic eligibility requirements and lenders continue to extend credit, they are motivated less by the desire to provide a student with "opportunity" and more by the need to meet enrollment goals and the profitability of bankruptcy-proof loans at above-market rates, respectively. He writes:

 

The sole purpose of attaining a degree should not be the utility it provides for a person to earn a living. However, uncollateralized education loans are reminiscent of the housing loans that ravaged the economy in the name of "opportunity." It is not the role of government to provide each person a decent place to live, but, instead, to ensure their right to pursue one. Likewise, it cannot be the role of government to provide a university education to all.

 

 

 

To lend to those incapable of attaining a degree or to allow students to continue to borrow when the chances of success approach nil is indefensible without a "buyer beware" warning. The travesty being played out in a recklessly managed lending environment will haunt people for the rest of their lives. Ask anyone who has an "underwater" home mortgage. Was that opportunity a gift or an albatross?

 

 

 

Vast multitudes of people own underwater education mortgages too — in the name of opportunity.

 

 

 

Students under subsidy are in triangular collusion with universities and lenders to gain access to resources that will never yield fruit.

Earlier in the piece, Wendler suggests that one can "economize and achieve goals":

 

[E]nroll in a technical school or community college; subscribe to online courses; attend institutions deemed to be less prestigious and less expensive; and graduate with lower debt, maybe no debt at all; leave with a degree or certificate that will crack open a door, and then prove ability and value in the workplace so that an employer might pick up the tab for the next phase. These are economic decisions that cannot be made without regard to individual financial and academic circumstances.

In short, not every student belongs in college.

 

Tell the truth. Give potential students the odds. "With these high school grades, this test score and class rank, the probability of finishing the degree at this university is 30 percent. There is a 70 percent chance that you will have to pay back any loans you take out for school from a high school graduate's salary, rather than a college graduate's salary, and there's no bankruptcy that will allow you to get away from them." Then let people make informed decisions.

He concludes:

 

Students under subsidy are in triangular collusion with universities and lenders to gain access to resources that will never yield fruit.

 

 

 

This ugly partnership of deceit must be addressed through academic standards that honestly incorporate the probability of a student's ultimate success; otherwise a grievous abridgment of the public trust is created.

 

 

 

The return on investment of a college education, as opposed to mere college attendance, is the real question. Making decisions about who is qualified to borrow money needs to be central to the responsibility matrix of university leadership, not an afterthought.

You'll find the complete piece here.

 

Related entries

■ “Some of them could have bought a house for what they spent on their education.â€

 

■ “‘You are in deep doo-doo, little girl.’â€

 

■ Community college

 

■ Paying for college, revisited

 

■ Paying for college: A rant of modest proportions

 

■ About college

 

:hurray:

 

Now, how do we get this message out to a broader audience?

[Georgia in NC--clear out your inbox!]

I have my friend's contact info for you.

[s/o If you have cats, how many do you have?]

Two indoor/outdoor, though one is more outdoor and one is more indoor.

[Have you ever drugged a kid who didn't need it on purpose?]

Depends on how you define "need".

 

:iagree: I've given two of my boys Benedryl to help them sleep, both times when we were traveling.

 

Once, my then two year old cried (screamed is more like it) from 8pm to 11pm in a little hotel room. I also had a 3 year old and I was pregnant. We gave him Benedryl.

 

The other was just a couple of weeks ago. We were staying at a friend's lake house and were heading to Six Flags the next day. At 2am, my 11yo still wasn't asleep. He was crying because he was so exhausted. He was anxious because he knew he needed to get some sleep because of our big day coming up. I gave him Benedryl.

 

Both of those times, I think what I did was appropriate and necessary. Those boys needed sleep and because of the circumstances, Benedryl was the best option.

[Spoiler alert re:article in Memoria Press catalog]

I just read this and immediately thought of this thread:

 

New study shows that knowing spoilers doesn't ruin a story

 

I'm still not going to read the Memoria Press article.

[Is this Google book available for download if you're in the USA?]

Yes, it is. It is for sale as an ebook for $14.16.

[Spoiler alert re:article in Memoria Press catalog]

If you're talking about a movie that came out over a year and a half ago... I just don't see how you can get too distraught about it.

 

Well, sure. If someone writes an article and wants to reference the fact that Anna Karenina throws herself in front of a train, no one's going to be shocked and horrified. The book has been around for many years and the plot is well-known -- by people who have read it and by people who have not.

 

I really don't think you can expect to be protected from spoilers for long after a new book or movie is released.

 

But you're comparing a book that was published over 130 years ago with a movie that came out last year. Big difference there.

 

And to the OP--thanks for the warning. That's in my Netflix queue and I will not be able to remain spoiler free. :D

[Nook HELP]

As you suspected, they are previews. THis threw me in the beginning as well but it seems they have figured out how to hook you, or try to, with just a few pages and you don't know it's a preview till you download it...

 

Maybe they've changed something on newer versions, but I have to actually click "get preview" in order to get a preview. In order to get a whole book you have to click "buy this book for $x.xx." Even if the book is free it says "buy this book for free."

[Nook HELP]

Does she have her nook with her? All she has to do is hit the "shop" button, find the free book she wants, then click "buy for free." Then either it will download straight to her nook or she can go into "my library" and click on "check for new B&N content" and then it will load.

 

The only time she needs to use the computer is if she needs to side-load content she got from somewhere else.

[I saw something today that broke my heart]

I'm glad you are able to prevent yourself from being as upset as I was when you see a child almost choking on their crying, hoarse and distraught.

 

Yes, I am, because sometimes kids are "choking on their crying, hoarse and distraught" because they are throwing a plain, old-fashioned temper tantrum.

 

And I'm not unfeeling or uncaring. If I were in your shoes, I'd feel bad for the kid, I'd wonder why his mom had him out that late, but I wouldn't be so quick to lay blame on the mom and accuse her of abandoning him and putting him in danger.

 

If I *knew* that she had done what you *think* she did, I would call the police.

[I saw something today that broke my heart]

I looked across and it appeared that the child, who looked to be about 5 or thereabouts, was alone in the car.

 

But do you *know* the child was alone? Maybe there was an older sibling who was slouched down in the front seat because he was so embarrassed. Maybe the kid's aunt sat with him in the car and as soon as the mom walked out of the store, she went in to finish her shopping. Maybe the mom ran into a friend in the parking lot and *that* person was sitting in the next car over watching the child so mom could go back in and finish her shopping.

 

There are *so* many reasonable senarios that there is no way I would let this situation upset me so much.

[DD having troubles sleeping - melatonin?]

 

I have lots of tips on sleeping. There are many teas and other supplements (mostly minerals and teas, which, to me, are far safer and better than melatonin and that can work as well). I can share them if you or anyone is interested.

 

I'm very interested. My 11yob has always been my worst sleeper. Last week he went to bed at 9:00pm and didn't fall asleep until after I gave him some Benedryl at 2:00am (I don't think I've ever done that before, but we had a big day coming up and he really needed the sleep.)

[So, where would you keep your hypothetical (a la Dave Ramsey) emergency fund?]

We split it between two six month CDs, and staggered them to be available every three months. We did this *years* ago and have pretty much forgotten about them. I have no idea if this would be what we would do if we set them up now. We are looking into adding a bit more money into each CD since our living expenses have gone up over the years.

[Who's on Google+?]

That link isn't working :(

 

I shared it with "extended circles." Basically you have to be friends with someone on the list before you can get to it. I figured that was one of the best ways to keep it for WTM folks. I added you to my circles so the link should work for you now.

[Who's on Google+?]

I set up a place where we can all connect with each other over at google+

 

 

Leave a comment with your board name!

[Have you seen this guy's website?]

I've only seen the first two levels of Life of Fred. Would those books pass muster with this teacher?

[Have you seen this guy's website?]

Thank you for sharing!

 

And now a question: Is there a curriculum out there that teaches this way?

[iPad or some other tablet?]

My husband convinced me to get an iPad and I can't tell him often enough how much he was RIGHT. I got the basic one, but I have an Android phone that I can turn into a mobile hotspot, so I can pretty much get connection to the internet wherever I am, including in my van on a road trip. This is how I feel about it: :thumbup::party::hurray::001_wub::thumbup:

 

Ooo, I have an android. We could probably do this too! Thanks for the idea.

[iPad or some other tablet?]

My husband works in the software/tech industry, but usually he waits a while to jump on new technology until he's sure it's solid, prices come down, etc. But after a couple of months of seeing all his coworkers on IPads, he bought one. He LOVES it. After having to share it with me, he bought me an IPad2 for my birthday a month ago. I *LOVE* :001_wub: it. It fits in my purse, I'm finding free wireless all over the place, I've been using it as a book reader, we love the educational apps, and it's gotten me off my desktop more. Feels easier to pop on and off the ipad for a couple minutes at a time - when I sit down at my desk, I find I spend more time surfing. Anyway - we're PC users so I don't love everything about the IPad (some of the user interactions are off to me - did I mention I used to be a software engineer?), but it is wonderful anyway.

 

Good to hear a tech industry insider and PC user loves it!