End of grade test scores have been studied, and results are looking good for Forsyth County Schools. The system showed improvement in every subject in every grade level, and narrowed the gap between white and minority students, a great accomplishment that deserves some accolades, and much congratulations for all the hard-working students and teachers.

It might seem hard to think about end of grade tests on a great summer weekend like this. But the news seemed important to spread, especially after the recent reporting of AYP scores, where Forsyth only got a 53% passing rate, which was good, but maybe seemed low. A lot of factors made a difference on that AYP score, and also it's important to keep in mind they're an all or nothing score.

I admit, I'm not a huge fan of EOGs. I hate the fact that teachers teach to the test, and worry about how stressed out our kids get about these tests. But it's still nice to see the scores rising, and I can only hope that means that in some way, hopefully, our teachers are helping prepare all of our kids to be successful in their futures. In the meantime, I have a little hope that what goes on at schools isn't all just reading and math preparation for the EOG after reading the "Multiculturalism in our Schools" article from the August issue of Piedmont Parent. It's an interesting look at how teachers help prepare our kids for life in a global society through technology and multicultural education.

So pat yourself on the back for all the help you gave with homework, congratulate your kids and maybe write a note to their teacher. Then head out to the pool or go biking with the kids, there aren't that many more weekends left before school starts back!

Haggling over cellphone cable service rates could pay off, according to this USA Today article.

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Sun Could Set Suddenly on Superpower as Debt Bites

…what if history is not cyclical and slow-moving but arhythmic, at times almost stationary, but also capable of accelerating suddenly, like a sports car?

Can non-random events cause random effects?

What if collapse does not arrive over a number of centuries but comes suddenly, like a thief [...]

6. The only sound basis for sound government and just human relations is “Natural Law”.

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2.08
We support the definition of manure as a natural fertilizer.

7.19
We call for the reintroduction and ratification of the original 13th Amendment, not the 13th Amendment in today’s Constitution.

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State.

If any citizen of the United States shall accept, claim, receive or retain, any title of nobility or honour, or shall, without the consent of Congress, accept and retain any present, pension, office or emolument of any kind whatever, from any emperor, king, prince or foreign power, such person shall cease to be a citizen of the United States, and shall be incapable of holding any office of trust or profit under them, or either of them.

I sure picked a bad year not to attend the National Association of Black Journalists convention in San Diego.

But Shirley Sherrod did.

And she had a lot to say, reports Richard Prince.

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From Ginia Bellafante at the NYT:

Perhaps nowhere is the cultural confusion surrounding the larger woman more pronounced than in the clothing industry’s efforts to dress her. According to a 2008 survey conducted by Mintel, a market-research firm, the most frequently worn size in America is a 14. Government statistics show that 64 percent of American [...]

Details from our latest  Bargain Sense show including what's eligible during tax-free weekend that might surprise you (click here to watch the video or scroll to the bottom).

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North Carolina AG Roy Cooper might know how Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer feels.

Both got slapped down by a federal court this week for overstepping their bounds.

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Specials this week at Greensboro Downtown Farm Market:

Local tomatoes are $1.99 a pound, or six pounds for $10. Yellow squash or zucchini is $1.99 a pound. Peaches are $1.99 a pound or three pounds for $5.

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NPR reports today that the father of American-born al-Qaida terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki is trying to challenge the U.S. kill-or-capture contract on his son, who is in Yemen.

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The Whitehouse just sent notice that President Barack Obama have nominated Judge Ripley Rand to be U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. From the release:

WASHINGTON, DC- Today, President Obama nominated Ripley Eagles Rand and M. Scott Bowen to serve as U.S. Attorneys.

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Ø Officer AJ Blake is once again suspended WITHOUT PAY AND RECOMMENDED FOR TERMINATION.

Ø We reiterate the call by NAACP State President Dr. William Barber for Federal and State investigations of the Greensboro Police Department (GPD).

Ø The Beloved Community Center, Spirit of the Sit-in Movement Initiative, the Greensboro Branch NAACP and the Pulpit Forum have launched “Greensboro Justice Summer 2010, an intense campaign to engage and root out the sub-culture of corruption and double standards within the Greensboro Police Department (GPD).

If most Americans are no longer needed by the American rich, then perhaps the United States should consider a policy adopted by the aristocracies and oligarchies of many countries with surplus populations in the past: the promotion of emigration. The rich might consent to a one-time tax to bribe middle-class and working-class Americans into departing the U.S. for other lands, and bribing foreign countries to accept them, in order to be alleviated from a high tax burden in the long run.

Where would a few hundred million ex-Americans go? The answer is obvious: to the emerging markets where the work and investment are found. That will show all those American union members who complain that their jobs have been outsourced to China. Let them move to China themselves and compete, instead of complaining!

Needless to say, the Chinese and Indians might resist the idea of an influx of vast numbers of downwardly mobile North American workers. But like American capitalists, Chinese and Indian capitalists might learn that ethnic diversity impedes unionization, while the mass immigration of North Americans to East and South Asia would keep wages in those regions competitively low for another few decades at least.

Once emptied of superfluous citizens, the U.S. could become a kind of giant Aspen for the small population of the super-rich and their non-voting immigrant retainers. Many environmentalists might approve of the depopulation of North America, because sprawling suburbs would soon be reclaimed by the wilderness. And deficit hawks would be pleased as well. The middle-class masses dependent on Social Security and Medicare would have departed the country, leaving only the self-sufficient rich and foreign guest workers without any benefits, other than the charity of their employers.

[alternatively]... restoring democratic nationalism in the U.S. would inconvenience America's affluent minority. So instead of making trouble, maybe most Americans should just find a new continent to call home.

cite

The Annie E. Casey Foundation just released it's Kids Count report, an annual, in-depth examination on the state of our children across the nation. North Carolina ranked 37th in this report, a little too low for my liking. The good thing is our state hasn't lost ground on the indicators, which include a variety of things such as end of grade test scores, infant mortality and low birthweight babies and how many kids live below poverty level.

It's a very interesting report, and one that we can use as a call for action. At first, you might feel helpless on how to help get so many kids out of the depths of poverty. We can't make jobs for their parents and give everyone money. But there are little things we can do to help. If you have the time to volunteer, become a Big Brother or Big Sister. This is a great way to make a difference in the life of a child, encourage them to stay in school, teach them the importance of good nutrition and just be a strong role model.  Find out more in Greensboro or Winston-Salem.

You can also help kids get enough to eat by donating food or time to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, which has some great summer programs for kids who are out of school and away from the free lunch program.

And help kids start the school year confident and prepared by donating school supplies. We've got a list of different ways to donate at our Back to School Central.

Have I told you the story of flying into Philadelphia and being pulled out of line at immigration, getting escorted to a small, windowless room and waiting to be interrogated by an INS agent so that I could get back into the country?

No? Well, I'm not going to tell it right now. But I will sometime on our new Travel page, which debuts Aug. 29.

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Fans of shrimp, bacon, and ice cream might want to take advantage of some buy two, get three more for free sales at  Harris Teeter this week.

That deal is good toward: 48-ounce containers of Harris Teeter-brand ice cream, Lay's potato chips, Smithfield bacon, and Harris Teeter alkaline batteries.

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Flash floods are a quick killer on highways and rural roads alike. Even when a driver conducts the automobile in a manner appropriate for road conditions at the time, hydroplaning is a real threat. Experienced drivers might know better how to handle a vehicle as it hydroplanes. At any rate, all passengers, regardless of age, are at much greater risk to sustain injury or suffer death if they are not properly restrained at the time of a collision.

A heartbreaking accident recently resulted in the death of a 22-day-old infant in Davidson County, North Carolina. His young mother, Amanda Green, 18, was driving. She survived the accident unharmed.

On the night July 13, 2010, Ms. Green was driving down Happy Hill Road near the town of Lexington in heavy rain. Due to the poor driving conditions, she was travelling 10 mph under the speed limit – 45 mph in a 55 mph zone. Despite her precautions, she lost control of her vehicle. The car struck a concrete culvert and fell into a creek, landing upside down and partially submerged in water, according to an article from myfox8.com.

Amanda’s newborn son was in a child restraint seat at the time of the accident; however, tragically, the child seat was pushed out of the car by the rushing waters of the creek.

As a parent myself, I remember the hectic days of caring for every aspect of my children’s life, including their safety in the car. Such a simple thing as buckling up—which big kids and adults do automatically—is impossible for an infant, so parents must be attentive and responsible for taking extra time to make sure they secure a baby in a child seat properly.

Many of the low prices as a result of this hysterical selling are not likely to be reached again in many years

R. W. McNeel Analyst New York Herald Tribune, October 30, 1929

American business has been diverting a substantial part of its attention, its energies and its resources on the speculative game.

…Now that irrelevant, alien and [...]

Hat tip to tarheez3.

Corporate Welfare Weekly (produced by the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law) doesn't think the state should subsidize violent video games:

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Jack Betts reports Elaine Marshall's allegation that Richard Burr is secretly "behind the curtain" holding up the confirmations of Jim Wynn and Albert Diaz to the federal appeals court.

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Here’s another deal you can take advantage of during North Carolina's tax-free weekend: Sam’s Club is hosting /www.news-record.com/blog/2010/07/27/entry/shop_at_sam_s_club_without_joining">read more