Villa Augustus, Dutch Garden Hotel

Photo by: Walter Herfst/Courtesy Villa Augustus

Grand old buildings—particularly sturdy brick ones that outlived the industries that built them—are repurposed with some regularity. But find a late-19th-century water tower sitting on nearly four acres of open land and you have the ingredients for something truly exceptional. In Dordrecht, 15 miles southwest of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, that is just what Daan van der Have and his partners, Dorine de Vos and Hans Loos, created. Villa Augustus, their six-story folly of a tower, opened in 2007 as a funky 37-room hotel. The space formerly occupied by four massive filtration basins became a formally laid-out organic garden that mixes color and form, flora, and fodder with stylish abandon.

“We thought how nice it would be to be sleeping and eating in a garden,” says van der Have.

“We thought how nice it would be to be sleeping and eating in a garden,” says van der Have. Indeed, the garden is very much at the heart of the hotel, both spiritually and physically. Several of the rooms open directly on to it, and guests walk along gravel paths—past beds of gorgeous flowering perennials, fan-trained fruit trees, and orderly rows of vegetables—to reach the restaurant. In the former pump building, guests sit on a terrace overlooking some of the evening’s ingredients. Though the plot doesn’t produce enough to feed every mouth in the restaurant, it serves as an inspiration to the cooks and keeps them in touch with the seasons.
In contrast to the main garden, the north side of the tower is a coolly formal Italianate box parterre, which leads to a dock on the Dordrecht waterways; a shrubbery and orchard join the two main gardens. “We like the combination of chaos and order; it puts you in very different worlds but still they connect to each other,” says van der Have. “It should be beautiful to look at, should smell nice, and should also be surprising.” From the moment guests enter the grounds through a door in a salvaged brick-and-stone garden wall, Villa Augustus offers one wonderful surprise after another.
To learn more about visiting Villa Augustus, visit their website: villa-augustus.nl.
Caroline Donald is a gardening editor at The Sunday Times in London.

Read More

Dwell on Design in Los Angeles

Dwell on Design, America’s largest design event, returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 20 through 22, 2014. Perhaps the most popular space at the show is the Dwell Outdoor section, and this year Dwell Outdoor promises to be bigger, better, and more inspiring than ever! With hundreds of trees, flowering plants, and real turf, the show floor transplants the outdoors into the convention center—it's a Garden Design reader’s dream oasis. Read on for eight products and installations that you won’t want to miss.
1. Sunbrella Half Yurt—Yurts are becoming a popular way to extend a home’s living space (Nieman Marcus has even included one in their ‘Fantasy Gift’ list), so be sure to stop by to see Sunbrella's amazing Half Yurt at the show.

2. Bella Builders Living Wall—Vinny Fazzino of Los Angeles–based Bella Builders conceptualized a closed-loop, active hydroponic scheme for his Living Wall systems, one of which he’s creating exclusively for Dwell Outdoor. The highly customizable walls include waterproofing systems, a tank, a pump, and felts designed to sustain growing plants for years and to protect the structure beneath. Fazzino and his team select plants according to the light and pH levels of the different environments.

3. Beer Garden—Open all three days of the event, the beer garden is a great place to relax. It is the meeting and concession hub for the show, and it is also the site of the opening reception on Friday, June 20th.

4. Bend Furniture—Michigan-bred Gaurav Nanda grew up in what is arguably America’s most car-crazed state, cutting his design teeth as a sculptor in the automotive sector. Nanda eventually translated that training into furniture design, establishing Bend in 2010. Nanda's Lucy chair, which he calls the “proverbial zany redhead,” is available in bright hues such as Neon yellow, peacock blue, gold, and orange. Look for Lucy and her wacky yet more subdued counterpart, Ethel, in Bend’s mini lounge, located near the beer garden.

5. Blu Homes prefab cabanas—With sizes ranging from 120 to 300 square feet, cabanas often do not require building permits, providing a simple, fast way to add space to a property without the headaches of the traditional building process. This year, they will be giving one away to a lucky winner who enters in a drawing at their booth!

6. Fiberon Decking—Decks are often the most used space of a home, and Fiberon is bringing some great composite decking options to this year's event.

7. Living Homes—Be sure to stop by the Living Home at Dwell Outdoor—with the first ever certified LEED Platinum home, their green, modular prefabs are made with natural, non-toxic, and sustainably-derived materials.

8. Airstream 2 Go—With rental locations in Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and now in Bozeman, Montana, Airstream 2 Go provides the perfect gateway to the great American west. Airstream 2 Go is the exclusive, factory-authorized source in North America to rent current model Airstream trailers, custom-matched to dedicated GMC Yukon Denali tow vehicles. The company provides rental customers with a premium, turnkey vacation experience, including a custom itinerary and activity planning.

In addition to these eight features, hundreds of trees and plants will be brought in by Arizona-based Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, and FormLA Landscaping will build and install the thriving oasis. A custom living wall created by Bella Builders will be featured, and show veteran Ive Haugeland of Shades of Green will also lend her expertise to the green scene. You can find the latest in prefab models, and discover modern accessories and furnishings that will inspire you to transform your outdoor space.
Also, if you're stumped by a landscaping dilemma or unsure what to do with that tired old yard, Dwell will be hosting "The Landscape Designer is In," which provides on-site landscape consultations with experts from The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) to help you sort out nagging questions. Throughout the weekend, you can attend presentations and panels on sprucing up the outdoors—from water-efficient planting to regreening our cities—with pioneering thinkers and renowned designers.

Read More

Unity Farm Journal - First Week of June 2014

As Spring begins to transform into Summer, everything on the farm is a sea of green.

As Paul Simon wrote in 1973 

Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's
a sunny day

All of the guinea fowl are in crazed Summer mating mode, with males chasing females all over the property and communal nests appearing in the forest, with clusters of 30-40 eggs.   On some nights a “designated layer” sits on the nest and sometimes does not survive the prowling foxes, coyotes and fisher cats.    We lost one guinea this week, so we’re down to 27.

I’ve lined all our trails and pastures with bird houses.   Since we cleared 2 acres for the orchard, large numbers of tree swallows and barn swallows have arrived.   As I walk the dogs in the large meadow, tree swallows peek out of their nesting boxes at me.   A mated pair of barn swallows  has created a nest in the rafters of barn.

Every day we’re harvesting vegetables from the hoop house and dinner includes fresh Unity Farm kale, spinach,lettuces, peas, and garlic, pictured below.

With all the growth of late spring, we've had to mow the orchard and meadows.  Now that I'm mowing 5 acres, I've had to retire the push mower and use an exMark commercial mower.   The orchard is a 20 degree hill so mowing takes a lot of upper body strength.   I use a brush cutter around the blueberries and apple trees then use the mower to trim the 2 feet of clover to 4 inches high.   I've tried to save as much clover as possible since the bees are beginning to harvest clover nectar for our  light, fragrant spring honey.

Trail maintenance continues and I completed the mulching of the Orchard Trail and portion of the Marsh trail.    My work was very timely since Kathy walked the trails with a local historian this week, pointing out the Revolutionary War era hand dug well, the Sherborn Powder House, and the grave of James Bullard, the powder house keeper, all of which are part of Unity Farm.

We pulled another ton of fallen poplar out of the forest and are busy inoculating logs with mushroom spawn.   We have a few visitors from California at the farm this weekend and I'll recruit them into mushroom permaculture.

Finally, we’re continuing our honey extraction.  This weekend we will spin the honey from an additional 22 frames - likely getting another 10-11 quarts of late season honey from last Fall.

Every night the sounds of Unity Farm become more Summer-like with crickets, bull frogs, and the gobble of wild turkeys climbing to their roosts in the tall pine trees.   Next week, I’ll post the sounds of approaching Summer from Unity Farm.

Read More

AMA, Doctor Allies Push CVS Rivals To End Tobacco Sales

The American Medical Association and allied physician groups this week are exacting added pressure on pharmacies and others that sell health products to join CVS’ move to cease peddling cigarettes and other tobacco products. Earlier this year, CVS grabbed international kudos that included acclaim from the White House for the giant pharmacy chain’s decision to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products in all of its more than 7,600 stores by October 1, according to its parent company, CVS/Caremark (CVS). Public health advocates said CVS’ move was particularly notable given its drugstores would be sacrificing $2 billion in annual sales for public health and future growth. Now, the largest doctor group in the U.S. and affiliated state and national medical societies are voicing a more unified chorus against retail sales of tobacco products at the AMA’s annual policy-making House of Delegates meeting that runs through Tuesday in Chicago. Several doctor groups said Sunday that they want the AMA to push pharmacies and “providers of health services and products” to stop-selling cigarettes and tobacco products or work to pressure them to limit sales of such products. An AMA reference committee Sunday considered two resolutions urging the organization to step up the pressure on pharmacies and other retailers. The American College of Cardiology, for example, said even limiting tobacco has led to its reduced use. “We urge retailers that sell health related products to follow the example set by CVS Caremark CVS +0.38% and discontinue the sale of all tobacco products,” said Dr. L. Samuel Wann, an AMA delegate representing the American College of Cardiology. “Selling both prescription medicines and cigarettes in the same store is hypocritical. Large pharmacy chains that continue to sell cigarettes appear irresponsible to society. The ACC supports all possible action to reduce tobacco access and use, especially when it comes to our nation’s youth.” The resolutions before the AMA didn’t name retailers specifically. CVS rivals Wal-Mart (WMT) and Walgreen WAG -0.75% (WAG) continue to sell tobacco products. The AMA reference committee ultimately reaffirmed the organization’s existing policy which opposes “the sale of tobacco at any facility where health services are provided.” The AMA’s annual House of Delegates’ meeting serves as more of a bully pulpit for health issues than anything. “The power of the AMA is in its role as a single umbrella organization that covers all physicians, across specialty, geography, practice type or career stage,” Dr. Robert Wah, the incoming AMA president, said in a statement at the meeting’s open. “We have the ability to convene all the parties that need to come to the table to work on solutions to the challenges physicians face today. It’s the bringing together of different perspectives that makes the organization stronger.” Wondering how Obamacare will affect public health? The Forbes eBook Inside Obamacare: The Fix For America’s Ailing Health Care System answers that question and more. Available now at Amazon and Apple. Marlboro Cigarettes Marlboro Cigarettes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Read More

Too-Clean Homes May Encourage Child Allergies, Asthma: Study

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) — Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but a home that’s too clean can leave a newborn child vulnerable to allergies and asthma later in life, a new study reports.

Infants are much less likely to suffer from allergies or wheezing if they are exposed to household bacteria and allergens from rodents, roaches and cats during their first year of life, the study found.

The results stunned researchers, who had been following up on earlier studies that found an increased risk of asthma among inner-city dwellers exposed to high levels of roach, mouse and pet droppings and allergens.

“What we found was somewhat surprising and somewhat contradictory to our original predictions,” said study co-author Dr. Robert Wood, chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore. “It turned out to be completely opposite — the more of those three allergens you were exposed to, the less likely you were to go on to have wheezing or allergy.”

About 41 percent of allergy-free and wheeze-free children in the study grew up in homes that were rich with allergens and bacteria. By contrast, only 8 percent of children who suffered from both allergy and wheezing had been exposed to these substances in their first year of life.

The findings support the “hygiene hypothesis,” which holds that children in overly clean houses are more apt to suffer allergies because their bodies don’t have the opportunity to develop appropriate responses to allergens, said Dr. Todd Mahr, an allergist-immunologist in La Crosse, Wis., and chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Allergy & Immunology.

Prior research has shown that children who grow up on farms have lower allergy and asthma rates, possibly due to their regular exposure to bacteria and microbes, the researchers noted in background material.

“The environment appears to play a role, and if you have too clean of an environment the child’s immune system is not going to be stimulated,” Mahr explained.

As many as half of all 3-year-olds in the United States suffer from wheezing illnesses, and recurrent wheezing and allergies are considered a risk factor for asthma in later life, researchers said. According to the American Lung Association, asthma remains one of the most common pediatric illnesses, affecting about 7 million American children.

The new study involved 467 inner-city newborns from Baltimore, Boston, New York and St. Louis. Doctors enrolled the babies in the study while they were still in the womb, and have been tracking their health since birth, Wood said.

Investigators visited the infants’ homes to measure the levels and types of allergens. They also collected dust in about a quarter of the homes and analyzed its bacterial content.

They found that infants who grew up in homes with mouse and cat dander and cockroach droppings in the first year of life had lower rates of wheezing at age 3, compared with children not exposed to the allergens.

Wheezing was three times as common among children who grew up without exposure to such allergens, affecting 51 percent of children in “clean” homes compared with 17 percent of children who spent their first year of life in houses where all three allergens were present.

Household bacteria also played a role, and infants in homes with a greater variety of bacteria were less likely to develop allergies and wheezing by age 3.

Children free of wheezing and allergies at age 3 had grown up with the highest levels of household allergens and were the most likely to live in houses with the richest array of bacterial species, researchers found.

“The combination of both — having the allergen exposure and the bacterial exposure — appeared to be the most protective,” Wood said.

Both Wood and Mahr cautioned that these findings need to be verified, and that parents shouldn’t make any household decisions based on them.

For example, parents shouldn’t adopt a dog or cat assuming that its presence will help immunize their kids against allergies and asthma, Wood said. At the same time, they shouldn’t ditch their family pet, either.

“We would not take any of this as information we could use to give advice,” Wood said. “Please don’t get an intentional cockroach infestation in your house. There’s no reason to think that would help.”

There are a number of other factors that could influence the likelihood that an inner-city kid will develop asthma, including tobacco smoke, high levels of household stress, or even exposure to the same sort of potentially beneficial allergens too late in life, past their first birthday, Wood said.

“This is by no means a simple story,” he said. “There could be a lot of factors going on.”

Mahr said the findings could someday lead to treatments that would help infants build up resistance to allergies. “I can see someone coming up with a spray. You’d spray the crib that the kid sleeps in every so often, and let the kid crawl around in it,” he said.

More information

Find out more about indoor allergens at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Read More

PEP Report: Teachers, Parents Make Demands on Farina; ATRs, Etc To Hold Rally at Tweed, Tues., June 10, 4:30PM

Just back from the gym and heading back outside soon. The last 2 days of wake, our anniversary, and a day of funeral have been crazy and tough. I'll try to blog about these remarkable 2 days if I can get it together. But first, back to business at hand.

Lots going on.

Below is the report from Lydia Howrilka, who was discontinued in her first year by an abusive principal who picked on the wrong person. Lydia has picked up the Portelos mantra and is going like gangbusters. Imagine an army of Lydias and Francescos marching on Tweed? Well-----

Lydia is part of the group formed by  Francesco Portelos, currently an ATR after winning his case. An illegal ATR since he was not sent back to his school where he was chapter leaders. The UFT has allowed the DOE to abrogate the rights of the teachers to choose their chapter leader at the school, thus leaving the staff there defenseless.

They have helped organize a rally at Tweed this Tuesday June 10 strarting 4-4:30 to call for a clearing out by Farina of DOE legal which scours facebook looking for teachers to persecute so they can justify the massive expense of their jobs, created by Joel Klein to go after teachers.

They're also calling for more cleanout of BloomKlein slime that pushed through every bad policy with gusto like it was religion. At least Farina lost heart with some of the crap they were doing and left/was pushed out for lack of enthusiasm. Give her that -- look, I'm not saying every single person should be fired -- but to keep some of the visible people who people had to deal with is a slap in the face -- like Kathleen Grimm - the grim reaper of closing schools. If she is useful, keep her behind a curtain instead of us having to watch her grin and shaker her head YES like a fool every time Farina trashes her predecessors' policies.

 -- people should come to support them, especially if you are an ATR or undergoing harassment. But every teacher should support this.

Meanwhile, here is the video and report on last week's PEP meeting from Lydia, along with videos of her speech and also see Sean Ahern's (standing behind Lydia) speech here:Video: Sean Ahern at the PEP on Diversity.

May 29^th PEP Night at Murray Bergtraum HS

“Teacher Voice in Critical Times”

Guest Blogger: Lydia A. Howrilka

“The educator has the duty of not being neutral.”

― Paulo Freire, We Make the Road by Walking: Conversations on Education and Social Change
 

While waiting for my turn to speak at May’s PEP meeting at Murray Bergtraum HS, I couldn’t help but sense a shift in public tone from Chancellor Farina’s first PEP which in retrospect seemed like an outright love-fest. The mood was anxious and the public speakers were phenomenal: Sean and Michelle of MORE, DTOE, and the Teacher Diversity Committee; inspiring parents from the Mott Hall School and P.S. 184 Shuang Wen; veteran teachers from LaGuardia High School; and activists from Change the Stakes. I encourage everyone to go to the live-stream and listen to the public comment portion of PEP (especially Ms. Roman’s speech, just after mine. Evelyn Roman, PTA president at Mott Hall, is an honorary member of DTOE—we applaud her for her charisma, courage, and fire).

I spoke for three minutes regarding my unique situation. I’ll let the video speak for itself. However one thing I have noticed, both as a viewer and participant in PEP meetings, is the sheer lack of young teachers who choose to participate and speak up. Young teachers are all too frequently denied tenure and/or are discontinued for a myriad of reasons, not simply because they are “ineffective” in the eyes of their administrator. 

Readers of Ed Notes, DTOE.org, NYC Educator, and other blogs realize and understand that public education and teachers are under attack nationally. In the Northeast, teachers are being gagged from speaking about state exams, mocked by union delegates, discontinued when they advocate for student services, bullied publically by politicians, and (in the case of myself and my colleague only, so far, thankfully) arrested if they accuse their principals of being unethical or corrupt. The goal of all these actions is to stifle teacher voice, to spook teachers so they are too scared to speak up and advocate for themselves, their colleagues, and (most importantly of all) the students. If teaching is a political act in which we help our students strive to overcome poverty and oppression, how can teachers accomplish this if they are too frightened to speak up, if not in the newspaper or a rally, then in PEP? 

We do have protection by the First Amendment… surely you didn’t forget 11^th grade civics?

It is for these very reasons that teachers need to be vocal. Teachers, especially the “young ones” like me, need to show their faces at PEP and speak up. I’m not deluded to think that my speech will change the policy of the Office of General Counsel; but one thing I do know is that because I did speak up, twice, more educators are inspired to fight back and advocate for themselves and their students. The countless emails I’ve received and the conversations I’ve had with educators is proof of this. If you cannot find the courage to speak up to advocate for yourself and your students, who will? Time is too precious to be neutral and not stand up. Since PEP is live-streamed and the videos are posted publically, imagine whom your speech can inspire.

Don’t tread on educators!

*drops microphone*
 

Read More

Video: Sean Ahern at the PEP on Diversity

Read More

EARTHING: THE HOLY GRAIL OF MEDICINE?

 

Photo Credit:www.undergroundhealth.com

'A key factor that has medical professionals intrigued is Earthing’s reported effects on inflammation. Currently, inflammation is linked to nearly eighty chronic illnesses including major diseases like cancer and type 2 Diabetes. Dr. William Meggs from East Carolina University claims that ‘inflammation may turn out to be the elusive Holy Grail of medicine – the single phenomenon that holds the key to sickness and health.’

Although science continues to play a game of catch up with nature, Earthing seems to be a valid and definitely low-maintenance approach toward living a healthy lifestyle. If possible, simply find a patch of earth, kick off your shoes and spend some time in contact with the Earth. Even 20-30 minutes can make a remarkable difference.' 

Read more...

Read More

New Research Confirms Multiple Benefits of Yoga on Your Body and Mind

 

'Lower impact exercises such as yoga can not only give you the physical benefits of exercise, but may also help to alleviate pain or stiffness in such cases. Many yoga teachers offer routines specifically designed for certain conditions, such as arthritis or back pain, so you can look for a program that fits your specific needs.

But the benefits of yoga are by no means limited to those who may not be able to participate in more strenuous or high intensity types of activity. While I do believe you need to incorporate anaerobic exercise (high intensity interval training) for optimal health, there’s no doubt that yoga can be an important part of a comprehensive exercise program.' 

Read more...

Read More

Emotions in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Photo Credit:emotionalcoaching.org.uk


'In traditional Chinese medicine, emotions and physical health are intimately connected. Sadness, nervous tension and anger, worry, fear, and overwork are each associated with a particular organ in the body. For example, irritability and inappropriate anger can affect the liver and result in menstrual pain, headache, redness of the face and eyes, dizziness and dry mouth.

A diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine is highly individualized. Once an organ system is identified, the unique symptoms of the patient determine the practitioner's treatment approach.' 


Read more...

Read More

7 Ways to Use Activated Charcoal

'I always make sure to have plenty of activated charcoal on hand.

This fantastic compound deserves to be part of both your natural first aid kit and your natural medicine cabinet. As far as I’m concerned, it is another one of nature’s most wonderfully made substances. For hundreds of years, activated charcoal has been used medicinally and is also frequently used to filter both water and air. Most known to absorb chemicals, poisons and toxins, activated charcoal is something you most definitely need to stock up on.'


Read more...

Read More

How I reversed my son’s ASTHMA

 

It took me a while to get up the courage to write this post.  'I didn’t quite want to say my son is CURED of asthma even though we haven’t had to use any inhalers or steroids for over a year now. Saying any chronic illness is “CURED” is pretty bold and I felt like “REVERSED” was a much better word.  Could my son still have the tendency for asthma?  Will he have a flare-up in the future?  Maybe.  But right here, right now he’s doing amazing.  And I wanted to share his story…'

Read more...

Read More

Why Am I Tired All the Time?

 

Photo Credit: Renegade Health


'In the 1980s, the entire medical profession was in outright denial that chronic fatigue existed. The consensus was that clinical depression was associated with tiredness, which was a result of apathy. Was the patient truly too tired to get out of bed, or was he just too lazy to exercise? 

It wasn’t too long before another complaint joined the growing list of symptoms associated with chronic fatigue. Those with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), not recognized as a medical condition until the late 1980s, had trouble sleeping. They also had reduced daytime alertness, called “brain fog.”'

Read more..

Read More

Day By Day

This past Tuesday we went to the doctor thinking we still have two weeks until this baby arrives and it turns out we are day by day at this point.

There is still a lot to be done and the race to the finish reached a new level this week, but if there is one thing I have learned over the years it is that rushing is never a good thing and patience really is a virtue. A virtue I must continually work towards.

This week I was able to "see" progress on some projects and that was a great gift as the clock winds down. For example... this wallpaper went up and once the rest is done you are going love this before and after!

Read More

Fred Smith Calls Farina on Field Test Waste of Learning Time

From Schoolbook. Go Fred. No time now but I will add to this later about the Bronx teacher who was fired years ago because 4 of his 8th grade classes refused to take the field tests. Search ed notes for Doug Avella if interested. I've been too busy with the contract stuff so have neglected the great work Fred and CTS people have been doing around this absolute waste of time where kids and teachers in essence work for Pearson.

Opinion: Chancellor Should Take a Stand on Field Testing

Friday, June 06, 2014 - 04:00 AM

By Fred Smith

• Recommended Links

  • Why My Family is Boycotting the Tests
  • Fewer Than One Third NYC Students Pass State Tests

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña missed a crucial opportunity this week, as field tests started in schools across the city. She should have told parents and school leaders that they could choose whether to let their children participate or not.
This is the third straight June that the New York State Education Department and test publisher Pearson have made children from third through eighth grade face field testing instead of field trips in the 10-day period of June 2-11. They affect 3,619 schools statewide, including 1,427 in New York City.
To clarify, field tests contain multiple-choice questions that Pearson is trying out on children to see how they perform. Not they the children but they the test items.
Think of it as research. The test results are reviewed to see how difficult each item was and how it worked to separate high- from the low-scoring children.
The aim is for Pearson to develop and sell a product, in this case New York’s testing program. The better field test items will be selected for next year’s English and math exams—where children’s performance on them will count.
Entering her sixth month on the job, the field tests pose a challenge to the chancellor and will in part define what she stands for.
The tests give her an opportunity to advance two stated goals: 1) To reduce the over-emphasis that has been placed on testing and the amount of time and resources devoted to test-related activity; and 2) To respect parents, listen to their concerns and foster involvement in their children’s education.
Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez wrote about other New York school districts that simply returned the unopened box of tests back to the publisher. He also quoted a Department of Education spokeswoman saying the chancellor may re-consider the city’s position for next school year. But what about now?
Here are some arguments the chancellor could use:

• Because students know the stand-alone field tests don’t count and are of no consequence to them, they are not motivated to do well, especially in lovely June weather. This skews the data and fails to provide Pearson with reliable “intelligence” needed to furnish good exams.
• Proof that stand-alone field testing is an unworkable approach to test development lies in the poorly constructed ELA and math exams that were given in 2012 and 2013. Witness the criticism from teachers and parents across the state on both exams.
• The field tests have proceeded because the state has created a top-down system that inhibits principals and teachers from telling parents about them or seeking permission for their children to take them.
• A definitive analysis of federal legislation and state rules and regulations has found no legal basis requiring schools to give, or parents to go along with, the tests.

Fariña could prove she means what she said about less testing and greater parental engagement by announcing the June tests are upon us and directing schools to spread the word to parents immediately, inviting them to consent to the field tests or to say one word: “No.”

Contributors:

Fred Smith

• Fred Smith

  Fred Smith, a testing specialist and consultant, was an administrative analyst for the New York City public schools. He's a member of Change the Stakes, a parent advocacy group.

Read More

Obamacare: watch out, here comes “predictive modeling”

 
Photo Credit:3.bp.blogspot.com

Modeling or programming?

A Medai.com article, “Why is Predictive Modeling Essential to Healthcare?” offers this quote:

“…the algorithms of predictive modeling can analyze hundreds of data points to make a diagnosis or a prediction of risk.”

This is the new thing in American medicine, and everyone is climbing onboard. The idea is to combine diverse sets of data, to diagnose a patient—and also predict what illnesses will strike designated sectors of the population by identifying what social, economic, gender, and behavioral groups they belong to.   

Read more...

Read More

Magnesium Supplements Improve Metabolic Syndrome

 

Photo Credit:purebulk.com

'The importance of magnesium to human health is under-appreciated.  This one essential mineral promotes heart health, normal blood pressure, healthy nerve and muscle function, a strong immune system, and a good memory. 

And magnesium is particularly important for regulating blood sugar and the metabolism.  In fact, magnesium deficiency can predict both diabetes and heart disease.  Studies show people who consume the most magnesium in their diet are least likely to develop type 2 diabetes.  And unfortunately, diabetics lose more magnesium than most people.'

Read more...

Read More

Over 10,000 American Toddlers Are Being Given ADHD Drugs

Photo Credit:healthimpactnews.com

'And once again, our country’s disadvantaged kids are being unnecessarily medicated nearly three times more often.

According to CDC officials, more than 10,000 American toddlers—children who are just 2 or 3 years old—are being medicated for alleged attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

There are few studies on the impact of psychostimulant ADHD drugs like methylphenidate (Ritalin) or amphetamines (like Adderall) in children this young. However, we do know that the side effects of ADHD drugs include stunted growth, insomnia, hallucinations, high blood pressure, involuntary movements, aggressive behavior, heart attack, brain hemorrhage, stroke, migraines, and seizures. Emerging evidence also suggests that Ritalin can cause long-term damage to developing prefrontal cortexes, resulting in “rigid behavior, difficulties with multitasking, or problems with short-term memory” later in life.'

Read more...

Read More

Matcha Health Benefits & Recipes

 

Photo Credit: Byzantine Flowers


'A variety of sites claim that just one cup of matcha tea is equivalent to 10 cups of regular steeped green tea. The health benefits of matcha tea far exceed regular green tea benefits. When you drink matcha you are ingesting the whole leaf, not just the brewed water. What is inside the leaves is very impressive and beneficial to our health. – MissOlive'

Read more...

Read More

Loretta Prisco

With a heart broken open with love, I let my community know that my mother, Loretta Elinor Prisco, transitioned to spirit side last evening. She was full of grace, light, intelligence, and a deep sense of justice. She taught me to see situations from multiple angles, and to consider others' points of view. She courageously chose life, while simultaneously grieving and facing a painful and difficult illness. She was taking photos of the flowers outside even at the end of her life.

For those who are able to attend, her wake will be Friday June 6, from 2 to 4pm and 7 to 9pm at Harmon Funeral Home on Staten Island, with a mass on Saturday June 7 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church is at 10AM Austin Place on Staten Island, burial to follow at Moravian Cemetery.

I think her and Gene are on a wonderful Celestial Cruise Ship, and I wish them the smoothest of seas and the happiest of voyages.

Thank you for your love and support during this long and difficult season. I would not be functioning without it.

With love,
Gabrielle Prisco, June 4, 2014

I've avoided posting this for the past 2 days. There are so many people out there who have been affected by Loretta and Gene, who died in November. She was the kindest and most caring person I knew. She always put children first and never failed to remind me when I drifted.

The good thing, if there is such a thing, was that to the very end she was as sharp and engaged in the issues of the day, wanting to be kept informed of everything going on in the education debates and in the union. In going through my post-Sandy cleanup I found an article she wrote exposing the evils of the use of standardized testing - in 1977.

Carol and I visited with Loretta for 3 hours last Thursday and, though bed-ridden, was engaged in the conversation every minute, wanting to know the updates on all that was going on.


She could have gone on but we had to leave when some medical people arrived. When we were leaving she said she might not be here for long. I told her I had so much more gossip to tell her she had to be around. Pancreatic cancer always seems to win in the end. Losing Loretta and Gene, real reformers, over the past 7 months is a great loss to everyone personally and to the education community.

Just 16 months ago we helped them celebrate their joint 70 birthday parties, along with their daughters Francesca and Gabrielle and their spouses Steven and Re and the always amazing granddaughter, Isabel, now 13. I have no words to describe this amazing child who was a force of nature in helping care for her grandparents in the midst of an unspeakable family tragedy.

Loretta and I met in 1971 when we worked with Another View, a group of teachers in District 14 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (a very different Williamsburg from today) that did grassroots organizing with teachers and the community and put out a monthly newsletter. We attended every local school board meeting and fought the local UFT-controlled machine running the district, never failing to speak on the issue of class sizes being high because so many political people were made supervisors. Loretta often had them quaking with fear and anger and became a target of their wrath, even being arrested for refusing to leave a school after we had stuffed the mailboxes of the school where the UFT district rep (who ironically, also died of pancreatic cancer 20 years later) was based. When she sued them she was represented by a young lawyer named Richard Emory. She dropped the suit when they agreed to allow us access to mailboxes with Another View. But of course they pulled them out the minute we left.

Loretta and Gene were amongst the founders of the Independent Community of Educators and attended almost every meeting until they became ill. Last July they were at my house to help plan one of the MORE summer sessions I was organizing on the history of the UFT and they were at that packed SRO event in mid-July - the last event they attended before going off on their final cruise (they were BIG cruisers). Three weeks later Gene went into the hospital and never came out until he went into hospice care shortly before he died. A few days after Gene entered the hospital in early August Loretta found out she had inoperable pancreatic cancer. She couldn't tell Gene because of his delicate situation.

You might wonder how she could maintain a wicked sense of humor through this family tragedy, but Loretta often managed to keep us in stitches, especially with her vivid email reports to the hordes of family and friends who surrounded this golden couple. I often told her those accounts could be a book.

While too busy with their many activities, political and personal to be much involved with MORE, over the last year or so she joined the Change the Stakes listserve and attended a few meetings. She found her kindred spirits in the group and so captured the group (with so many people who remind me of Loretta every day with their own spirit and kindness) who mostly got to know her through her incisive email commentaries.

Here are some tributes from members of CTS.

Dear Loretta,

Forgive me.  The last time I saw you was at Gene's service. You were as beautiful and gracious as ever, thanking me for coming to Staten Island and introducing me to some of your loving friends. The pictures of the special union you and Gene had from your very first days and throughout your lifetime gave meaning to the words: A marriage made in heaven.  And your family photographs over the years only added to that impression.  

But I couldn't help notice you were courageously fighting (as you always had done enormously for so many others)--but this time for yourself and for all of us who prayed you would pull through.  While I asked Norm a couple of times how you were, I should have gotten in touch with you. 

As inadequate as these words are now, I want to thank you for your support, wisdom, example and indignation at injustice from the time I first met you at an ICE (or was it GEM) meeting.  You immediately offered to help with a survey I was attempting--inviting some of your college students to participate.  I believe this act of generosity and faith sparked me to stay in touch with Norm and eventually get involved with CtS.  And I gained immensely from the perspective, observations, suggestions and fighting spirit you brought us in the name of doing what's right.

Your daughter Gabrielle's words also moved me.  She has your powers.  I'm sorry, too, that I'm out of town until Monday and can't be there to pay my respects this weekend.  But I know you are reading this and hope it is acceptable.  Just as I know that you and Gene once more are a timeless marriage in heaven.

Love,

Fred

====

I was not aware that Loretta was ill. Only knowing her for 3 years, I found her to be wise, passionate, funny, sensitive, lovely, lovely person. Full of activism from a place of grounded experience. I will miss her dearly, as I'm sure so many will. It seems she will be close to Gene again, and I suppose that is how it must be. We have watched many powerful women transition these past few weeks. Maybe their energy is being gathered to move some mountains from a higher level that we in this dimension are finding rather immovable....oh, wouldn't that be wonderful.
Loretta, sending you love from this small corner of Brooklyn!.. 
Janine

======

I feel so lucky to have gotten to know Loretta in the last few years through Change the Stakes. In my last phone call with her she was full of clear-headed, astute and funny observations on the battle for public schools, which she fought with such grace and caring.  .
.Jane

===
With tears in my eyes from such a beautiful statement by Lorettas's daughter, Gabrielle. She makes me feel Loretta in her. From the times I met her and read her correspondence she seemed fierce, brave and knowledgeable about education. I guess it's no wonder since she's been seeking justice from before I was even born. She will be missed by all, but her courage will stay and continue to be part of our collective inspiration. Sending love to her and Gene from this other little slice of earth in Upper Manhattan....
Diana

====
How sad. We have lost a beautiful, passionate person and an avid activist on behalf if our children. She is out of pain and with Gene. Her family and close friends are in my prayers. I knew her for a short time, but she and Gene just had you love and respect them.
Pat

There may be a memorial for Loretta at some point and I will post info, along with links to videos of that Jan. 2013 birthday party and of Gene's Jan. 2014 memorial.

See James and Camille's tribute at the ICEUFT Blog

CAMILLE AND I VERY SADDENED BY LOSS OF 

LORETTA PRISCO

Read More

UFT Contract: Why Union Officials Owe Ellen Fox, Me and MORE

View from my deck

Oh, what I gave up to spend 2 days observing the vote count as a MORE rep. (I'm still redoing my ravaged garden from Sandy.) 

The UFT owes Ellen and me bigtime. Here's why.

A call came in last night (I'm paraphrasing): "Norm, if not for your ed notes piece on the count being honest the people in my school - almost 100% NO - would be ready to storm UFT HQ over what looks like a shady vote count."

So I assured him from what I saw there was no way. "What about Unity chapter leaders doing something funny (there is such trust in the Unity machine out there)?" We went over possible scenarios and nothing really made sense - that a vast conspiracy would have been needed and someone at some time would talk.



But he didn't quite give up. "My sister's elementary school is also all NO." "Come on," I said, "maybe she is just talking to a small subset." So he called up his sister and called me back. "Nope. She said they were overwhelming NO from the get-go."

There was no active MOREista in her school. So what explains this? I just don't know.

But the point of this piece is that if Ellen and I weren't there representing MORE, there would be a hell of a lot of suspicion.

When MORE first began negotiating with Leroy Barr about observers, his first response was that one observer from each caucus  would be allowed. MORE objected, demanding it be open to everyone, not just caucuses. (Info on Observing Contract Vote Count).

I urged MORE to threaten to boycott the observation with, "The UFT needs us more than we need them on this one because if we are NOT there they will be charged with stealing the vote no matter what happens."

My fellow MOREistas rejected my idea because they felt it important to have observers there -- and anyway, Leroy came back with a proposal to allow anyone who wanted to come to do so.

So how important was it for the UFT to have us there? And shouldn't they be sending Ellen and me a check for giving up 2 beautiful days?

Leroy, I'll take mine as per session. Make sure to add it to my pension.

Read More

Exposing the Charter School BS About Demographics

I saw this a few weeks ago and it reinforces the case that hook or crook, charters skim the cream despite claims all the kids in public and charters come from the same demographic and socio-economic status. Any teacher who works(ed) in public schools in certain neighborhoods, like I did in East Williamsburg (old-style) for 35 years saw how different kids from the same projects could be. Since classes were set up based on reading scores, the top class had more kids with two parents, a parent that worked (parents with school lunchroom jobs were like aristocracy), parents who came up open school night, kids that didn't move, etc. I was lucky to have two of these out of the 17 self-contained classes I taught and the difference between top and bottom - and even middle - was astounding. The kids in both classes had mostly been together since Pre-K (another thing we saw -- parents who put kids in pre-k made a difference).

Some teachers would kill for those classes and the principal faves were able to manipulate their way into getting them year after year despite the contract's call for rotation.

What happened under BloomKleinCott was that the classes were mixed and those protected kids were thrown into the general pool with all kinds of kids -- violent, unstable, etc. Charters here we come. Yes, those policies drove the top kids out of the public schools into the arms of charters.

The article below by Andrea Gabor confirms what we've known from the beginning.

But first see this charter scandals from Chicago:

Phillip Cantor posted this message on Basecamp.

More Charter Corruption in Chicago

Just for those keeping score concerning Charter Chain Corruption in Chicago... Uno was charged by the SEC with defrauding investors. http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/sec-charges-uno-defrauding-investors/mon-06022014-1106am

Fred Klonsky's post about it calling it the Enron-ing of education and wondering what Rahm, Governor Quinn and gubernatorial candidate Rauner have to do with it. http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2014/06/02/uno-charter-schools-charged-with-securities-fraud-all-of-chicago-is-not-surprised/

Why do schools have investors?

A Demographic Divide In Harlem: The Neediest Kids Go to Public Schools, Not Charters

Posted on May 9, 2014 by aagabor

Last month I published an OpEd in The New York Times, “Charter School Refugees,” which asked: “Is there a point at which fostering charter schools undermines traditional public schools and the children they serve?”
The OpEd looked at Harlem, where nearly a quarter of students are enrolled in charter schools, and the sizable demographic disparities between the students who attend  public schools and charter schools in that neighborhood. I argued that while “high-quality charters can be very effective at improving test scores and graduation rates…they often serve fewer poorer students and children with special needs.”
The OpEd focused on the reasons why “public open-enrollment elementary and middle schools have double, and several have triple, the proportion of special-needs kids of nearby charter schools.”
With the help of my research assistant Emma Kazaryan, I have now compiled the 2012/2013 data, published by the New York City Department of Education,** on each elementary and middle school in East Harlem into easy-to-read charts. (The city’s school map divides the neighborhood into North and South. So, we have done the same, showing the percentages of kids in poverty, with special needs and English language learners with separate charters for East Harlem North and East Harlem South.)
The data shows that the demographic disparities cut across the board. East Harlem public schools not only have disproportionate numbers of special needs kids compared to nearby charter schools…

 Link to rest of article with the charts.

Read More