http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/motility-center Somehow the link didn't show up in my post. Having a family member who has dealt with this, I don't have any easy answers, but I know it can be extremely frustrating for parent and child to deal with. Feel free to PM me for more info.

Encopresis is often associated with constipation. Children with this problem often do not know that they have soiled. It can be hard as a parent to understand how they cannot smell or feel this, but it is just like you get used to certain odors or feeling a shoe rub and a particular place and no longer notice it. It can be a frustrating problem for parent and child. Some of the best information about this issue is available from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH:

The article states: "Similar to the flipped classroom model, assigning the earning of badges prior to a class meeting presumably would ensure a standard level of prior knowledge about the content being covered that day." Are students who don't earn the badge not going to be allowed to come to class that day? I surely don't see how the opportunity to earn a badge will make sure that students do it. I can assign homework to students to turn in for a grade to prepare for a class meeting and some don't do it; would a badge make such a difference. The university where I teach adopted a new Learning Management System (LMS). Faculty were able to earn badges for completing various levels of instruction for using the LMS. We would be able to display them on our websites, syllabi, etc. A huge marketing campaign surrounded this. I haven't seen a single faculty member display one of these badges.

I would check with Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and Scottrade to see what the minimum amount they require to open accounts for a child; often there will be a lower amount for these accounts than for regular accounts. If you have an account at an institution (IRA, etc.) check and see what they provide. Once he has an account he can look into specific mutual funds; the major institutions will have research tools he can use once he has an account to find funds that meet his specific goals. Another option is for him to purchase ETFs (exchange traded funds). These often allow smaller purchases than a mutual fund allows, but he will still need an investment account.

My grandfather committed suicide when I was 3 years old. I did not understand that at the time. My other grandfather died when I was 4 from cancer as did several other family members. So, death was not an unusual event to me as a preschooler. It wasn't until I was in my teens that I heard my mom say, "When X committed suicide..." during a phone conversation until I knew what had happened. I wasn't happy that I found out that way, but I did understand why I didn't know earlier. I don't think it had occurred to me to ask why my grandfather had died, and I am not sure if my parents thought I knew or didn't know. I recently found out that some of my cousins do not know even though they are now in their 50s. Hopefully, when your children are old enough to know the truth about their uncle they will also be old enough to realize that it is not their information to share with their cousins. I know that it can be a fine line, but I think kids can understand that they are not to lie but that they have been trusted with information that isn't appropriate to bring up or share with others.

My colleagues at work were complaining earlier this week. They had been to the school orientation for their 6th and 7th graders and the parents were told that the teachers wanted the students to bring their smartphones to school so that they could use them in class. When one of the parents said, "My child does not have a smartphone." the teacher's response was "Well, he can use his ipad instead." (Which the parent quickly pointed out that the child did not have either.) This was a middle-class, not overly affluent, neighborhood and the expectation of the school was that middle school students would have smart phones.

At the PS my kids attended, parents had lunch with their kids--some parents on a DAILY basis. These parents often brought lunch to their kids--McDonald's happy meals, pizza, etc. They would even bring some to share with their kids' friends. Having 60 parents on a given day would have been a slow day! And it wasn't only parents--grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings who could leave high school during lunch, etc. A number of problems occurred: a parent would bring pizza or another treat for their kid and several other children to share at lunch to encourage their child's popularity with certain groups of kids; divorced parents would both show up at lunch on the same day, etc. Twenty or more students in the class would have a birthday party during the school day (this often meant pizza, cake, ice cream, a special craft, and games organized by the child's parent). Add to that the teacher's birthday, the teacher's aide's birthday, the music teacher's birthday, the librarian's birthday, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Cinco de Mayo, the day after standardized testing, the list went on and on. There were weeks in which a party happened every day at school. It was really out of control and I often wondered how any teaching and learning was happening.

I would check with Korean air to see if there is some way you can add your domestic portion with one of their partners. You are more likely to get assistance if there is a delay with one flight that impacts the other leg of your trip. Also, if you are checking a bag, you would want to see if you can check it through to your destination. This is more likely if the flights are on the same itinerary. I would be more likely to check a bag than go with just a carry on. I can travel fairly lightly, but I find the less that I have to worry about carrying through multiple screenings that are common on international flights, the easier the trip is.

We have traveled throughout Europe and have run into difficulty because what we considered standard bed sizes and the terminology used to describe those in the US are not universal. On top of that, there are translation issues. Usually, a "twin room" refers to a room with two single beds. "King size" beds are rare. Often, two twin beds are pushed together to make a double room. Each of those twins will have its own comforter (and no top sheet). We have only seen rooms with "two double beds" or "two queen beds" in newer, chain hotels.

Seaweed, sweet potatoes, and kimchi were other favorite pizza toppings.

There were also a lot of Outback Steakhouses. There were big protests about US beef while we were there, so everyone wanted to eat Australian beef--or at least beef that was not from the US. We saw a number of large protests against the US beef industry, but we never felt uncomfortable; like places I have been in Europe, the Koreans seemed to take the stance of "we don't like this particular US policy--but it is not you as an American we do not like."

The degree of culture shock will probably depend upon where you are going. Outside of Seoul, you will probably feel that you do stand out somewhat. I was surprised that it was not more "Americanized." Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin Robbins, and KFC were the main western food chains that we saw. I was surprised, also, at how little English was spoken. We were staying at a university campus--so everyone around us had studied English, but we would have trouble communicating with people because they had little practice speaking English. We stayed in university housing, so I cannot tell you about housing costs. Food seemed reasonably priced, both in restaurants and grocery stores. However, much of the food was very different from what I was used to. Even going to the store and trying to purchase items I was familiar with was difficult. I was surprised at the amount of packaging and processed foods in the stores; many items were packed in individual servings. Koreans tend to eat the same food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My husband had been about 10 years ago and said the traffic was so bad that he would not feel comfortable driving there. However, when we went about five years ago it was much better and we did drive. We had little problems driving, but we had locals who helped us with maps. Taxis were plentiful. High school is grueling. Students spend long days (we knew some who were at school 7:00am-12:00 midnight) at school in high school. We would see small children out and about in public--but by the time kids are in middle school, it appeared that all they did was go to school. (My kids felt odd being the only non-adults in public day after day and we were there during summer break). Adults seemed to work long hours and tended to eat meals with coworkers rather than the family. (The university employees would drop their kids off at school by 7:00 am and stay at work until late that evening in time to go pick up their kids between 10:00pm and midinight.) Modern conveniences (cell phones, air conditioning, etc.) were plentiful. I always felt very safe in Korea. The popularity of Christianity in South Korea seemed to parallel the use of neon lights; many of the churches had neon crosses on their steeples. Two cultures/economies appear side-by-side in South Korea. You would see a woman squatting on the sidewalk with her basic of greens from her garden that she was bringing to market to sell right in front of a department store selling $1000 designer golf bags.

Or want to be offered free food... My husband has extremely dark hair, so he blended in somewhat. My daughter and I have brown hair--we stuck out. My son who has red hair was constantly stopped, especially by teenage girls, who wanted their picture taken with him. They would offer him candy and all kinds of treats. Once, we were at a gas station and a woman even came up with corn on the cob for him. He decided he could eat fairly well in South Korea without ever working.

I spent five weeks in Gwangju which is in the more southern part of South Korea several years ago and my husband has been there several times teaching at the university. Are there particular things you have questions about?

You can to much smaller villages in Europe with many community athletic activities. I am amazed at how I can go to a village of a few thousand people that has a wonderful year-long swim facility with indoor and outdoor pools, etc. I live in one of the largest cities in the US with 100 degree temperatures still in September and there is no public swimming facility open. Yes, there are a few large high schools with swimming facilities for their swim teams, but once you graduate from high school, you can't use those. Having sports tied to the schools may prevent a lot of opportunities that would exist otherwise.

From what I have seen in other countries, I think both academics and physical activity improve when athletics is disentangled from the school system. The school is able to focus on academics. Physical activity tends to be more of a lifestyle rather than competition. Young people are involved in more physical activities within the community exposing them to a broader age range and group of people than just other high school kids. Young people participate along side their parents and other community adults. They see a much healthier version of competition. Most US high school and college programs I have seen are focused on team competition among a few star athletes--not overall healthy living and lifelong physical activity.

http://oyc.yale.edu/economics/econ-252-11 This is a link to a Yale open course on the financial markets by Robert Shiller (one of the developers of the Case-Shiller housing index). He has some good sessions on risk in the financial markets in general, the housing market collapse, and behavioral finance

Keynes said that a major contributor to business cycles (and the depression) was "animal spirits." A term that Akerloff and Shiller now use to describe how human behavior impacts the economy. These behavioral economists are picking up on some of the ideas of Keynes. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/books/review/Uchitelle-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

DH is a Baylor grad. Check and see who the admissions counselor for your state is. Then, contact that counselor and ask about submitting personal information. I have heard that Baylor pays a lot of attention to how much "interest" a student has shown in attending Baylor in it admissions process and that the better you know your state's counselor (or the better the counselor knows you), the greater the chances of being admitted.

I think CC differ greatly in various parts of the country. I lived in a state in which they were virtually non-existent and moved to a state where they are an extremely popular option. Although I understand the logic of not spending a lot of money on a four-year school until the student knows what he or she wants to major in, I have seen many students flounder at CC. The four-year college provides students more than an experience of frat parties and dorm living. The clubs, organizations, senior students as mentors, etc. allow underclassman to explore majors and careers in ways that they can't at a CC. Students can begin to meet and know the professors who will be teaching upper division classes. I think it is harder for a student at a CC to get excited about a particular major or career path. Also, there may be agreements that a student will be admitted to a four-year college and that the credit will transfer, but it does not guarantee that the credit will count toward a degree in the field the student chooses. For example, if a student takes 6-hours of math at CC, that might transfer as credit on the transcript, but it may not be the 6-hours needed for a business degree. So, if a student doesn't know what he/she wants to major in, taking classes to get them out of the way at CC may not be accomplishing much because they may not count toward the eventual degree. (In my experience CC advisors are not good at explaining this.) It will also show on the students' transcript that those courses were taken at a CC, not at the four-year institution. I have seen that factor into the graduate school admission process and into scholarship awards, especially if the student's GPA at the CC tends to be higher than the GPA of the four-year institution courses.

A student who receives an undergraduate business degree at a AACSB accreditated school (the primary accrediting group for business schools in the US) would have a course in macroeconomics and a course in microeconomics. Once you get to MBA programs, the requirements will vary widely. Many will require a "managerial economics" course, which is primarily applied microeconomics. Many MBA programs will not list economics as a requirement for the MBA, but having macroeconomics and microeconomics is a requirement for admittance into the program.

You cannot assume that a CC professor does not have tenure. While it varies from CC system to CC system, many of the systems do have tenured professors. You also cannot assume that attending a 4-year school means that you will be taught by a tenured or a tenure-track professor. Universities are relying heavily on adjunct, non-tenure tracked instructors and graduate students to teach, especially lower level courses.

I agree with Regentrude that there can be good reasons to start out at a CC, there are also downsides that must be considered. Students who attend CC for two years and then a university for two years can miss out on opportunities because the teachers, advisors, etc. at the university do not know them as well. I teach (mostly juniors and seniors) at a university. A number of summer internships are available to students that can lead to great jobs after college. Some are available only to those between their sophomore and junior year. Or, companies want recommendations during the first few weeks of the junior year. We also have some scholarship opportunities open to students who are juniors; many of these require a particular number of hours completed at the university. Students who are new to the university in their junior year miss many of these opportunities. They also miss opportunities to be involved in student organizations for four years, working their way up into leadership positions in the club.

I am an economist who teaches Money, Banking, and Financial Markets courses at the university level. The economics curriculum has not changed that much in the past five years. The examples have changed. There were many academic economists who were warning of problems before the crisis; if you read Robert Schiller's work about the housing market that he wrote before the crisis, it is easy to forget that he wrote it BEFORE the crisis because his predictions are so on target for what happened. One of the main problems is that the academics and the practitioners in the fields of economics and finance do not interact as much as they should. No one wanted to hear the warnings of many mainstream economists before the crisis. This isn't something unique to economics. When people are enjoying selling their house for twice what they paid for it, they don't want to hear about the lurking financial problems. It isn't that the economic models were wrong or didn't work. Many people got overly confident that they could manage the risk in the market with sophisticated financial expertise. But, the risk never goes away. Financial crises are nothing new. Yes, five years ago we had the worst we have had since the Great Depression, but we have had a lot fewer financial crises over the past 80 years than we had over the 80 years before that.

"Hot" is a word children commonly hear, and not just necessarily from kids in public school. They hear it on TV, playing Apples-to-Apples at cub scouts, and even at church. We were attending Church 1, and the minister started talking from the pulpit about posting a picture of himself in his ministerial robe on the website am-I-hot-or-not.com to see what type of responses he would get. This was said by a new, young minister at an extremely, traditional, conservative church. (We no longer attend there). Church 2--I heard two different youth ministers talking to teenagers and make comments of "My lovely wife is a praying, Godly woman, but more important--she is REALLY HOT!" I didn't know if I was more upset for my teenage daughter to hear women being talked about like or for my son to hear men talking about women like that. (We don't go to church there anymore, either.) I think it is used inappropriately around children, but unfortunately it is not unusual. (and I have found the use of the word sexy to be almost as common).