If you need a vacation but can't afford one, here are some sweepstakes you can enter. I found most of these in the Sweepstakes section of flyertalk.com, which is a great travel website. Some of these can be entered only once, some every day. A few expire later this month, some go until the end of the year. If you win the trip to Belize, invite me along!
Enter to win a trip for two to LA to see Cirque du Soleil's Iris courtesy of Cooking.com. Enter once a day.
AARP is having a "Great Escape" sweepstakes - 7 night carib cruise on Royal Caribbean plus money for flights. Enter daily until Oct 18. You don't have to be retired; any age 18 and over may enter.
Twix Pick Your Pause Win a Trip ($50,000)
Rule the Runway Sweepstakes! Vote for your favorite design and enter up to five times a day for a chance to win $1,000, an HP ELITEBOOK 2760 TABLET PC and an HP ENVY! Plus $1,000 cash prize each week!
Lifetime's Make the Most of Your Color Today Sweepstakes. Play our match game up to 10 times a day for a chance to be the $100 daily instant winner and be entered into the Grand Prize Sweepstakes for a chance to win $3,000 in cash and prizes!
Back to School, Back to Me Sweepstakes. Now that the kids are back in school, put the focus on you! Enter up to 5 times a day to win $1,000 to stock up on "Moms Supplies!"
SWA and Aloft: Trip to Napa Live Concert in Vineyard. Enter Once.
Enter May Media Group's "Family Getaway" sweepstakes by January 31, 2012, for a chance to win a four-day trip for four (two adults, two children) to the winner's choice of Beaches Resorts (Turks & Caicos or Jamaica), including deluxe accommodations, all meals, unlimited premium brand beverages, daily and nightly entertainment, all land and water sports, gratuities, airport transfers, and $500 per person for airfare. You can enter once per day, but more than that disqualifies you. So don't forget and enter twice in one day!
Dr Pepper / Popeye's: Trip to Championship football game. Enter every day.
Enter Glamour Magazine's "Getaway to Belize" sweepstakes by September 30 for a chance to win a six-day trip for two to Dangriga, Belize, including air, five nights at the Thatch Caye Resort, some meals, massage, and two Nook Color e-readers with Wi-Fi. Enter only once, but you get additional entries for inviting your friends. Contest ends Sept. 30.
Belize is one of the greatest vacation spots in the world, but it costs a fortune to get there. I want this one!!!
Vogue: Trip to St. Mortiz Switzerland. Enter once.
Saveur: Trip to CA Wine Country + $5,000. Enter once a day.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Judicial performance ruling may change Mississippi DUI law
Buried in a Mississippi Supreme Court judicial performance decision is a ruling that could make a big change in Mississippi's DUI laws.
The case is Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance v. Steve Little. Little is a justice court judge in Alcorn County, and has apparently had an outstanding record over the years.
Little was accused of allowing the prosecutor to retire 16 DUI cases to the file in violation of state law. He had cooperated with the investigation, admitted his wrongdoing, and agreed to a 90-day suspension without pay.
NOT SO FAST Said the Supreme Court. They said the judge shouldn't be punished at all because he didn't violate the law. The plain language of Section 63-11-39 states that “[T]he court having jurisdiction or the prosecutor shall not reduce any charge under this chapter to a lesser charge.” “Passing to the file” charges of DUI on recommendation of the county prosecutor does not, in and of itself, constitute willful misconduct, nor does it constitute a reduction of a charge. Accordingly, we respectfully disagree with the Commission’s findings.
"Because Judge Little did not act without the authority of law, the Commission’s reference to this case as one of “ticket-fixing” is unfounded."
The reason this may be big news is that pursuant to this ruling it is apparently neither unlawful for a prosecutor to retire a DUI case to the file, nor for a judge to allow it. It returns to the judges and prosecutors some of the discretion they had in the past.
Whether you agree or disagree, it's unusual to see such a big change in state law showing up in a judicial performance decision.
The case is Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance v. Steve Little. Little is a justice court judge in Alcorn County, and has apparently had an outstanding record over the years.
Little was accused of allowing the prosecutor to retire 16 DUI cases to the file in violation of state law. He had cooperated with the investigation, admitted his wrongdoing, and agreed to a 90-day suspension without pay.
NOT SO FAST Said the Supreme Court. They said the judge shouldn't be punished at all because he didn't violate the law. The plain language of Section 63-11-39 states that “[T]he court having jurisdiction or the prosecutor shall not reduce any charge under this chapter to a lesser charge.” “Passing to the file” charges of DUI on recommendation of the county prosecutor does not, in and of itself, constitute willful misconduct, nor does it constitute a reduction of a charge. Accordingly, we respectfully disagree with the Commission’s findings.
"Because Judge Little did not act without the authority of law, the Commission’s reference to this case as one of “ticket-fixing” is unfounded."
The reason this may be big news is that pursuant to this ruling it is apparently neither unlawful for a prosecutor to retire a DUI case to the file, nor for a judge to allow it. It returns to the judges and prosecutors some of the discretion they had in the past.
Whether you agree or disagree, it's unusual to see such a big change in state law showing up in a judicial performance decision.
Hello! Texas A & M is not in the Southeast!
I'm not the world's biggest sports fan, so I suppose those who are more knowledgeable about these things can declare that I don't know what I'm talking about. But can anybody make a good, honest case for bringing Texas A&M into the Southeastern Conference?I'm aware that it's a fine school with a very competitive football program. On paper its additional makes the SEC a more competitive conference.
But there are some obvious problems, the most glaring being that Texas isn't in the Southeast. A quibble, I know, but if the SEC is going to add Texas A&M, why stop there? Why not go for UCLA? Or Ohio State? Michigan, anyone?
Thirteen isn't just an unlucky number, it's also a bit unwieldy for a football conference. At some point a conference has enough teams. The idea is that the conferences are supposed to compete against one another. That's hard to do when all the teams are in a single conference.
Supposedly there are plans to expand the SEC to 16 schools. Candidates include West Virginia, Missouri, North Carolina State, Virgina Tech, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Clemson. West Virginia and Missouri generally aren't thought of as being in the Southeast, and as such shouldn't be in the SEC. The rest of the teams would be fine were it not for the need to limit the number of teams at some point.
This is a done deal as far as the SEC is concerned. They've voted and Texas has accepted. The only stumbling block now is that Baylor is threatening to sue to keep A&M in the Big 12. I wish Baylor the best of luck.
Texas is a fine state, but it needs to keep Texas A&M right where it is, and we need to keep the SEC just like it is.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Ron Paul put his trust in Reagan; Perry put his in Gore
You've got to love the new Ron Paul commercial. Early in his political career, Ron Paul was one of only four congressmen to support Ronald Reagan for president.
Rick Perry, while still a political babe, was out supporting Al Gore for president. Al Gore! Mr. Ozone Himself.
If there's one thing we know for sure about Rick Perry, it's that he can be trusted to float with the political winds. But he can't be trusted to lead our nation.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Software product review: Boost Your Score! The Unofficial Software Guide to the Real ACT
In my last post I reported on the ACT prep books that I was purchasing to help Ash get ready for the ACT test in February. Although he's only in the seventh grade, he's taking part in the Duke TIP program, which gives seventh graders a chance to take a spin on the ACT test.
To go with my book purchases I bought a software program called Boost Your Score! The Unofficial Software Guide to the Real ACT. This program is designed to work with The Real ACT, the College Board's official guide to the ACT which contains five sample tests.
Currently the software is keyed to the older edition of The Real ACT, which only has three tests. They are publishing a new version of the software in a couple of weeks which will be emailed free to recent customers. This version will cover all five tests, plus the online test the College Board offers. (Note: I just got an email with a link to a download of the new software. So the new six-test program is now available).
So this software and The Real ACT offers students a chance to take six full practice tests. I would suggest spacing these out for three to six months for a long-term program of study. Personally I don't think it's important to take the tests in one long sitting until one gets near the actual testing date.
I decided to take part of the ACT and ended up taking the whole test, although not in one sitting. Ash took only the math portion. Although I took both the English and Reading tests sitting at the computer, I do not recommend this. Sit at a table and use an answer sheet and then bubble in your answers.
Boost Your Score is worth the $15 price just because of the convenience of scoring the tests. You input your answers onto an onscreen bubble sheet and the program automatically figures you score. You can then print out the scoring sheet to go over the problems you got wrong.
In addition the program breaks down your answers into the types of problems asked and the percentage you got right. I did quite well on the English, Reading and Science, and I'm not sure the diagnostic report was very helpful. But in math I made a 22, and the diagnostic report reflects my lack of math skills. I correctly answered 87 percent of the pre-algebra questions, 60 percent of the elementary algebra questions, 56 percent of the intermediate algebra questions, 33 percent of the coordinate geometry questions, half of the plane geometry questions, and nary a one of the trig question. If I were really and truly studying for the ACT, I suppose my first order would be to brush up on elementary algebra.
I must admit that on some of the algebra questions I "cheated," in that I plugged in numbers. For example, on a problem where I was supposed to find out where two balloons met in the air, I just said, "Well, let's see where they will be after three seconds." I was really close as the correct answer was 2.9 seconds. I was supposed to have used some obscure formula to calculate this. It's often possible to eyeball these algebra problems without knowing any algebra at all (I certainly know none!). Sometimes the ACT measures a particular skill only tangentially, in that it's possible to get the right answer without knowing the skill supposedly being tested.
After my last post a friend of mine sent me a text stating that he wanted to know whether or not the software was worth the purchase price. The answer is that it's not perfect and it takes a while to find all the information you may want (but it's there!). BUT, it's a great way to not only score your tests, but also to see your strengths and weaknesses, particularly in subjects with a score of say 26 or below. In my opinion the diagnostics aren't quite as useful for really high scorers; but even then, they are still useful.
For Pete's sake, it's a $15 program that will make studying for the ACT a lot easier. How can anybody NOT buy this?
To go with my book purchases I bought a software program called Boost Your Score! The Unofficial Software Guide to the Real ACT. This program is designed to work with The Real ACT, the College Board's official guide to the ACT which contains five sample tests.
Currently the software is keyed to the older edition of The Real ACT, which only has three tests. They are publishing a new version of the software in a couple of weeks which will be emailed free to recent customers. This version will cover all five tests, plus the online test the College Board offers. (Note: I just got an email with a link to a download of the new software. So the new six-test program is now available).
So this software and The Real ACT offers students a chance to take six full practice tests. I would suggest spacing these out for three to six months for a long-term program of study. Personally I don't think it's important to take the tests in one long sitting until one gets near the actual testing date.
I decided to take part of the ACT and ended up taking the whole test, although not in one sitting. Ash took only the math portion. Although I took both the English and Reading tests sitting at the computer, I do not recommend this. Sit at a table and use an answer sheet and then bubble in your answers.
Boost Your Score is worth the $15 price just because of the convenience of scoring the tests. You input your answers onto an onscreen bubble sheet and the program automatically figures you score. You can then print out the scoring sheet to go over the problems you got wrong.
In addition the program breaks down your answers into the types of problems asked and the percentage you got right. I did quite well on the English, Reading and Science, and I'm not sure the diagnostic report was very helpful. But in math I made a 22, and the diagnostic report reflects my lack of math skills. I correctly answered 87 percent of the pre-algebra questions, 60 percent of the elementary algebra questions, 56 percent of the intermediate algebra questions, 33 percent of the coordinate geometry questions, half of the plane geometry questions, and nary a one of the trig question. If I were really and truly studying for the ACT, I suppose my first order would be to brush up on elementary algebra.
I must admit that on some of the algebra questions I "cheated," in that I plugged in numbers. For example, on a problem where I was supposed to find out where two balloons met in the air, I just said, "Well, let's see where they will be after three seconds." I was really close as the correct answer was 2.9 seconds. I was supposed to have used some obscure formula to calculate this. It's often possible to eyeball these algebra problems without knowing any algebra at all (I certainly know none!). Sometimes the ACT measures a particular skill only tangentially, in that it's possible to get the right answer without knowing the skill supposedly being tested.
After my last post a friend of mine sent me a text stating that he wanted to know whether or not the software was worth the purchase price. The answer is that it's not perfect and it takes a while to find all the information you may want (but it's there!). BUT, it's a great way to not only score your tests, but also to see your strengths and weaknesses, particularly in subjects with a score of say 26 or below. In my opinion the diagnostics aren't quite as useful for really high scorers; but even then, they are still useful.
For Pete's sake, it's a $15 program that will make studying for the ACT a lot easier. How can anybody NOT buy this?
Friday, September 2, 2011
I'm getting ready for the ACT test!
I'm starting to get ready for the ACT test.
Okay, I'm not going back to college, and in fact I will not be personally taking the test. But Ash will be taking it in February as part of the Duke TIP program. While he can take the test almost anywhere, he's going to take it at Oxford Middle School, where there will be a special administration limited to seventh graders.
When it comes to academics, I'm a little bit like Charles Murray's first wife, who he describes as a half-Thai all-Chinese tiger mom:
The first and an absolute must-have book is "The Real ACT." This book is published by the folks who administer the ACT test, and it now contains five old tests instead of just three. Most other ACT books will refer to this book or advise the use of this book for diagnostic purposes, so you have to have this one.
The second book is Cracking the ACT by The Princeton Review. This book comes highly recommended on various college prep forums and I must say I like the format.
Cracking the ACT has lots of test-taking tips, but it is also a teaching book. It presents each type of problem that is likely to be given on the ACT and then provides the solution in easy to an easy-to-follow format, which, given the title of the book, is always appropriately labeled "Here's how to crack it." The instructions are easy to follow. I wish textbooks did as good a job of explaining things.
Ash is in seventh grade. He had a bit of geometry in pre-algebra and is taking algebra this year, but there are simply going to be things on the ACT that he hasn't been taught yet. If he will tolerate a little Daddy-tutoring and will use this book he will be able to learn and master at least a few of these additional skills. In fact, I think you could just give this book and a stack of 50 great works of literature to every junior high student and tell them, "Master this and we'll give you your high school diploma." But I suppose that makes too much sense.
I have to confess that the third book feels a little like cheating; but it isn't. It's Boost Your Schore: Underground Calculator Programs for the ACT Test.
Students taking the ACT are allowed to use a Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 programmable calculator, and yes, the calculator may be programmed. This books lists a number of problems that are likely to be on the test and gives programs that can be pre-loaded on the calculator. As one Amazon reviewer reports:
And I must say I don't think it's going to stop Ash from actually learning the formulas. He was merrily programming them last night and in so doing was actually learning or refreshing himself on some of the material.
My final purchase was by the same people: Boost Your Score: The Unofficial Software Guide to the Real ACT. I haven't received this yet, but the reviews are good. I think this is supposed to provide good diagnostics as to where students need to spend their time studying. And everyone loves something they can do on the computer.
There are additional ACT prep books. Barron's has one, for example, for students who are aiming to make a 36 on the ACT. A noble goal, but one we will postpone until Ash's junior year!
The Duke TIP programs offers a great chance for serious students to take a test that will have a pretty important impact on where they will attend college and what they may do for the rest of their lives. The program is not nearly as elite as many think. Any student scoring in the 95th percentile on any subsection of any a number of standardized tests is eligible for TIP. For example, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills has something like nine subtests. A student might have a composite score in the 80-85th percentile range but still be in the 95th percentile for just one of the subtests. That child is eligible.
If your child is eligible, by all means get signed up. It can be both fun and educational. And it can give you an idea of your child's strengths and weaknesses.
Last year Ash and Lucy took the Explore test as part of Duke TIP. Ash did well, but we thought his reading score would have been one of his highest. It wasn't. By taking this we've identified a problem and can now work on a solution. That and putting forth a little extra effort is what it's all about.
Addendum added 7 p.m., 9-02-11: The software program arrived today. It is absolutely tied to The Real ACT book and the sample tests it contains. So you must buy this book for the software to be any good. BUT, I think the program looks to be a very good program. You input your results from the sample tests and then it shows you your strengths and weaknesses. Also, since the new Real ACT book has two additional sample tests they are going to update the software at no charge. They will email the update.
Also, I mentioned that Ash did well on the Explore test as he is through with it and going on to the ACT. Lucy did just fine as well, but she will be taking Explore again in February before going on to take the ACT in seventh grade.
Okay, I'm not going back to college, and in fact I will not be personally taking the test. But Ash will be taking it in February as part of the Duke TIP program. While he can take the test almost anywhere, he's going to take it at Oxford Middle School, where there will be a special administration limited to seventh graders.
When it comes to academics, I'm a little bit like Charles Murray's first wife, who he describes as a half-Thai all-Chinese tiger mom:
[T]he mother of my first two children was half Thai and all Chinese, and it was all so familiar. The subject heading of the email attaching the Chua article to my elder two daughters was “Bring back memories?”Getting ready for the ACT means ordering books. I spent a bit of time figuring out which books to order and came up with three books plus a software program.
My own archetypal memory is when my eldest daughter, then perhaps eight years old, came home with her first Maryland standardized test scores, showing that she was at the 99th percentile in reading and the 93rd percentile in math. Her mother’s first words—the very first—were “What’s wrong with the math?”
The first and an absolute must-have book is "The Real ACT." This book is published by the folks who administer the ACT test, and it now contains five old tests instead of just three. Most other ACT books will refer to this book or advise the use of this book for diagnostic purposes, so you have to have this one.
The second book is Cracking the ACT by The Princeton Review. This book comes highly recommended on various college prep forums and I must say I like the format.
Cracking the ACT has lots of test-taking tips, but it is also a teaching book. It presents each type of problem that is likely to be given on the ACT and then provides the solution in easy to an easy-to-follow format, which, given the title of the book, is always appropriately labeled "Here's how to crack it." The instructions are easy to follow. I wish textbooks did as good a job of explaining things.
Ash is in seventh grade. He had a bit of geometry in pre-algebra and is taking algebra this year, but there are simply going to be things on the ACT that he hasn't been taught yet. If he will tolerate a little Daddy-tutoring and will use this book he will be able to learn and master at least a few of these additional skills. In fact, I think you could just give this book and a stack of 50 great works of literature to every junior high student and tell them, "Master this and we'll give you your high school diploma." But I suppose that makes too much sense.
I have to confess that the third book feels a little like cheating; but it isn't. It's Boost Your Schore: Underground Calculator Programs for the ACT Test.
Students taking the ACT are allowed to use a Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 programmable calculator, and yes, the calculator may be programmed. This books lists a number of problems that are likely to be on the test and gives programs that can be pre-loaded on the calculator. As one Amazon reviewer reports:
This book is really big at my school right now. The programs in this book are easy to program and good for two situations:These formulas are likely to be used on only five or six problems on the ACT, but if their use saves five minutes that's a huge amount of time that can be applied to other problems. This book is simply a must-have.
1) The formulas you never remember -- for me this includes distance formula, quadratic formula, how to find an equation of a line when given two points, etc.
2) The formulas you know, but want to save time on (or are afraid you'll mess up since you're rushing) --for me, this includes things like Pythagorean Theorem, area of a circle, circumference of a circle, etc. They also show how to store a formula 'cheat sheet' which I used to store other things I need for reference, like SOHCAHTOA, equation of a circle, etc.
And I must say I don't think it's going to stop Ash from actually learning the formulas. He was merrily programming them last night and in so doing was actually learning or refreshing himself on some of the material.
My final purchase was by the same people: Boost Your Score: The Unofficial Software Guide to the Real ACT. I haven't received this yet, but the reviews are good. I think this is supposed to provide good diagnostics as to where students need to spend their time studying. And everyone loves something they can do on the computer.
There are additional ACT prep books. Barron's has one, for example, for students who are aiming to make a 36 on the ACT. A noble goal, but one we will postpone until Ash's junior year!
The Duke TIP programs offers a great chance for serious students to take a test that will have a pretty important impact on where they will attend college and what they may do for the rest of their lives. The program is not nearly as elite as many think. Any student scoring in the 95th percentile on any subsection of any a number of standardized tests is eligible for TIP. For example, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills has something like nine subtests. A student might have a composite score in the 80-85th percentile range but still be in the 95th percentile for just one of the subtests. That child is eligible.
If your child is eligible, by all means get signed up. It can be both fun and educational. And it can give you an idea of your child's strengths and weaknesses.
Last year Ash and Lucy took the Explore test as part of Duke TIP. Ash did well, but we thought his reading score would have been one of his highest. It wasn't. By taking this we've identified a problem and can now work on a solution. That and putting forth a little extra effort is what it's all about.
Addendum added 7 p.m., 9-02-11: The software program arrived today. It is absolutely tied to The Real ACT book and the sample tests it contains. So you must buy this book for the software to be any good. BUT, I think the program looks to be a very good program. You input your results from the sample tests and then it shows you your strengths and weaknesses. Also, since the new Real ACT book has two additional sample tests they are going to update the software at no charge. They will email the update.
Also, I mentioned that Ash did well on the Explore test as he is through with it and going on to the ACT. Lucy did just fine as well, but she will be taking Explore again in February before going on to take the ACT in seventh grade.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Britain joins Robert Mugabe school of Economics
It seems the Rebels in Tripoli are having a hard time paying bills and providing basic services. And so Reuters reports the following:
Britain flew 40 tonnes of freshly printed bank notes, many bearing Gaddafi's image, into Libya on Wednesday to help pay public workers and replenish bank cash machines.Are there any more goods to buy? What exactly is backing this currency? How much faith would you have in a currency that featured the likeness of a man who had just been driven from power?
The 280 million Libyan dinars, officially worth about $234 million, is part of a consignment worth about $1.5 billion blocked by Britain in March after he cracked down on protests.
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