| Catholic school closures, vouchers are in national spotlight
When President George W. Bush gave his State of the Union address Jan. 28, he briefly mentioned something Catholics know all too well: Their inner-city schools are closing. Although the president did not specifically name Catholic schools, the reference to "faith-based schools" that are "disappearing at an alarming rate in many of America's inner cities," clearly described what has been happening to the nation's inner-city Catholic schools. According to the National Catholic Educational Association, enrollment in Catholic elementary schools has dropped 15 percent nationwide since 2001-02, and more than 212 U.S. Catholic schools were closed or consolidated during the 2006-07 school year. In response to the steady decline of inner-city "faith-based schools," the president said this spring he would "convene a White House summit aimed at strengthening these lifelines of learning." Sister Dale McDonald, a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the NCEA's director of public policy and educational research, has attended some of the planning sessions for the summit, scheduled to take place in late April.
Turn Off Market's Noise And Tune In To Your Goals
A challenge for the dividend investor is separating one's self from all the market noise. Forget the market's daily rumbles. Forget every throat-clearing of the Federal Reserve chief. Most of all, forget about keeping pace with the market on every lap. "As an individual investor, what difference does it make whether you beat the S&P 500 this year?" writes Josh Peters in his newly released book, "The Ultimate Dividend Playbook." If you're making progress toward your investment goals, there's no reason to feel insecure because an index did better the past six months or because a fund manager had a dazzling, breakaway yearly performance and you didn't. The income investor can't afford to get sucked into that game.
Skybus Gary's ticket to U.S.
In two months flights will start up from Gary/Chicago International Airport to Greensboro, N.C. and ten other U.S. cities.Skybus Airlines and airport officials stressed that fact on Wednesday, as they touted the connections "savvy travelers" can make from Greensboro to places like Boston, Los Angeles and New Orleans."We don't come in just for the short haul," said Skybus Vice President of Operations Bud Sittig, standing at a podium at the airport administration building Wednesday morning. "We don't just stick our toe in the water. We're coming to stay."Airport and local officials hope the ultra-discount airline sticks to those words, just eight month's removed from the SkyValue debacle. SkyValue ceased all flights after just five month's of flying. The airport made a last-ditch effort to save the airline by extending a $325,000 loan that has yet to be paid back.The airport has been without an airline since then, as it was when Hooters Airways ended all flights a year before.
What's the best way to improve developing world health?
Ensure two square meals a day," suggests Mushtaque Chowdhury, director of the research and evaluation commission of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee. "I believe for the poorest food is the most effective first intervention for health improvement." Ugandan television reporter Rosebell Kagumire suggests educating women is key. "An educated woman will know what a child needs to eat for nutritional purposes, and their income level is mostly higher than that of illiterate mothers," he says. Others are more political, calling for free trade to enhance household incomes in poor countries or even outright revolution to bring in governments with greater commitment to uplifting the poor. Liberian health minister Walter Gwenigale says he knows what would make a real difference in his country -- and it is the one thing Western donors will not fund.
Some Cases Of Autism May Be Traced To The Immune System Of Mothers ...
We're very interested in understanding the underlying causes of autism," said Cindy Lawler, scientific program director at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. "This finding, in combination with other new research findings coming from NIH-funded studies, demonstrates the complexity of this disorder and underscores the importance of understanding how the mother's immune system can influence early brain development." The study, "Maternally Derived Antibodies Specific for Fetal Brain Proteins," is to be published in the March 2008 issue of Neurotoxicology. It was funded by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the M.I.N.D. Institute. Adapted from materials provided by University of California - Davis - Health System.
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