Hasta La Gadget!

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The largest teachers’ union in Kansas filed a lawsuit Monday against a new state law that ended guaranteed tenure for public school teachers, arguing that legislators violated the state constitution by folding the new policy into a larger education funding measure.

The legal challenge filed in Shawnee County District Court by the Kansas National Education Association alleges that the Republican-dominated Legislature violated a provision of the state constitution requiring most bills to contain only one subject. The 23,000-member union is asking a judge block only the anti-tenure provision. The measure approved by legislators in April boosted state aid to poor school districts by $129 million for the new school year to meet a Kansas Supreme Court mandate in an education funding lawsuit filed in 2010 by parents and school districts. But conservative GOP legislators insisted on tying the new funding to other, policy provisions, including the one on tenure.

“We cannot in good conscience allow extremists to wilfully bypass the constitution without challenge,” union President Mark Farr said in a statement issued as the lawsuit was filed.

The lawsuit names the state and Republican Gov. Sam Brownback as defendants.

The anti-tenure measure took effect July 1. It repealed a law that gave teachers who faced dismissal after three years in the classroom the right to an independent review of their cases.

The KNEA argues in the lawsuit that the former policy protected teachers from arbitrary or unjust firings. Union officials said such protections allowed teachers to be strong advocates for their students.

But conservative GOP legislators argued that ending guaranteed tenure makes it easier to fire incompetent or abusive teachers. They also said the change left decisions about tenure to locally elected school boards.

The KNEA has said repeatedly that it supported the additional funding for poor school districts, which is designed to end unconstitutional gaps in aid between poor and wealthier districts.

The education funding measure also provides tax credits to corporations bankrolling private-school scholarships for at-risk children and permits professionals with science, math or technology expertise to become teachers without completing college teacher-preparation programs. But the KNEA’s lawsuit doesn’t seek to block those provisions.

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Online:

Kansas National Education Association: http://www.knea.org/

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Follow John Hanna on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna .

A baby humpback whale had to be rescued after it became entangled in a shark net near Southport, Australia on Monday. Staff from the Gold Coast Sea World park worked quickly to reach the calf and immediately began cutting the net away.

The whale’s mother never swam more than a few meters away from her baby, according to rescuers. Trevor Long of Sea World said in the video that it was clear the mother would never leave her calf. “There’s a very very strong parental bond between these animals.”

7 News reported that this was the fourth whale to become trapped in a shark net this year on the Gold Coast. Shark nets are submerged around beaches to reduce the number of shark attacks, and are supposed to include sonic “pingers” to deter dolphins, whales and sharks from approaching the mesh.

In July, Sea World rescued another baby whale from a shark net. Long told the Gold Coast Bulletin that it is quite common for young whales to get caught. “Their mums bring them in close to the beach on their southern migration so they’re the major animals we deal with in the nets.”

Other groups, including the Australia Zoo and conservation group Shark Savers have questioned whether shark nets are effective and criticized their impact on marine life.

The baby whale was able to swim away with its mother after being set free.

With Republicans and Democrats divided on so many policy issues, it is gratifying to see the parties agree on an approach to a serious public health problem — traumatic brain injury (TBI). In June, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 1098, the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act (TBIRA), legislation to reauthorize programs that will provide resources for those with traumatic brain injury while also affording an investment in education and research around traumatic brain injury prevention. The bill now moves to the Senate, where we hope it will receive equally favorable treatment.

Traumatic brain injury affects nearly 2 million Americans each year, of all ages and all walks of life. Those with TBI include our nation’s war fighters, children and teens injured while playing sports or in car crashes, and seniors hurt in a fall.

Now is an especially auspicious time to focus attention and resources on issues related to brain injury. The science is advancing quickly, giving those diagnosed with TBI and their families new reason for hope.

Here’s why. Until recently, the conventional wisdom among scientists was that the brain had, at most, one year to recover from a traumatic injury. After that, it was thought, a person could no longer continue to make progress improving their brain function and regaining lost skills.

But our research at the Center for BrainHealth shows that this idea is outdated and should be abandoned. The brain is remarkable for its plasticity, or ability to be changed, modified and repaired. The brain makes new cells, forms new connections, and strengthens old connections every day.

It is important to monitor individuals who have been diagnosed with TBI longitudinally, like we monitor those diagnosed with cancer to make sure they stay in remission. However, simply studying the later-emerging consequences of concussions is only part of the solution. We now know the brain can continue to recover for months — even years — after injury with the right interventions. The Center for BrainHealth in Dallas is developing strategies that teach people how to manage and use information more effectively — what we call “brain training.” These strategies show promise in strengthening overall brain function in many of those affected by TBI. We are finding that cognitive losses can be regained, or at least mitigated.

For example, we have developed a cutting-edge cognitive intervention called Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART) to teach individuals of all ages how to more effectively assimilate, manage and use information in health, after injury or disease diagnoses. These cognitive skills are crucial both to academic success in teens and to enhancing overall brain performance in professional careers and personal lives across the lifespan.

Our research has shown that the SMART program is extremely helpful to both teens and adults suffering from the lasting effects of a sports concussion or other injury. The National Institutes of Health and private philanthropists funded a research project to determine whether a month of the SMART program could help these kids regain their ability to think more deeply and meaningfully. What was found was that no matter the severity of the injury or the amount of time since the injury, cognitive performance improved when teens were taught how to strategically process incoming information in a meaningful way, instead of just focusing on specific mental processes such as memory.

Similarly, peer-reviewed research from the Center for BrainHealth has shown that guided brain training significantly improves higher-order cognitive performance in civilian adults with TBI. Through a Department of Defense-funded grant, we are now studying whether this training can benefit our young warriors returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq. We expect this program to enhance our veterans’ mental productivity and to improve their cognitive capacity, helping them feel more in control of their lives.

While we are excited by the potential of our research to improve the lives — and cognitive function — of those affected by TBI, we need and welcome allies at the federal level in this fight.

Those with TBI and their families need access to treatment, education and support throughout their rehabilitation period. Hospitals, rehab centers and medical providers need the capacity to deliver timely, appropriate and up-to-date interventions when faced with TBI cases. And research institutions need support as they continue to look for effective ways to diagnose and treat TBI and to prevent future cases.

That is why passage of TBIRA is so important, and why bipartisan cooperation on the House side is so heartening. The bill provides the needed framework for a national, coordinated approach to assist those with TBI and their families, to ensure that states have the capacity to deliver services to those affected by TBI, and to continue research into the causes of TBI and effective interventions.

We applaud the leadership of Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Tom Rooney (R-Fla.), co-chairs of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, for their hard work in getting TBIRA through the House of Representatives. They have shown that dealing with traumatic brain injury can transcend politics. Enactment of this bipartisan legislation would be a victory for both parties, and for all Americans affected by TBI.

This piece was originally published by The Hill on July 30,2014.

Many of you may know my “One Word” philosophy. I encourage adults and kids alike to find one word that can guide them, a word that when lived by, can help you navigate to your happiest and most fulfilled life; a word that guides your moral compass. My word is connect. Whenever I take the time to remind myself to connect, whether it’s to my work, my friends or my business, I find clarity and purpose. Connecting is why I started Nalini Method and NaliniKIDS, it’s why I write this blog and it’s why I will continue to teach for as long as I can.

I see words as one of the most important tools in pursuing a healthy life. Discovering words that can help you on both your fitness and emotional journey is a quick and easy way to reshape your life. Below are five simple words that can sculpt not only your day, but also someone else’s, into shape.

1. Yes: Yes can be one of the hardest words to say because saying yes can often mean putting yourself out there and taking a risk. Whether it’s skydiving, a date, a job, a marriage, saying yes propels you into change. We often fear yes because it leads us to commitment. But let’s take the pressure off of yes and think about what it means to us internally. Yes means “I agree” or “I will”; it means “I can” and “I do.” These are all incredibly active and exciting things to encourage in yourself. So the next time someone asks you to go on an adventure and you are on the fence, try saying yes!

2. No: In certain circumstances the word no can limit you. But, there are many instances where knowing when to say no can bring a sense of peace to your life. Example: About ten years ago I was offered an appealing contract by an awesome fitness studio. I thought this was a great move for me; I’d be able to make more money, teach and share the reigns of my business with someone I respected. It only took a few weeks for me to realize I was wrong. I decided I wanted to build Nalini Method on my own, so I (politely) said no. Since then I haven’t looked back. I needed to speak the word no in order to find the series of yeses that were soon to come.

3. Please: Please is a word you usually say out of habit, especially if you had a parent who enforced it. You often hear it come out at the dinner table, a store or in an email. However we use please so often (hopefully!), that we lose sight of it’s meaning. Please is symbol of two other words I like: acknowledgement and respect. Please is a sign that you acknowledge someone’s importance in your life. It lets someone know that what they are doing is helpful or a good deed. When we say please we show kindness and that’s a hugely important sentiment to have. So, the next time you use please think about what the person you’re talking to means to you and maybe add on a few additional kind words to show them how you really feel!

4. ____________: Yes, this one is blank. Now you’re probably thinking, “________” is not a word. It represents the lack of words, which is important. Sometimes words can flow so easily (especially when stressed and heated), so making the active choice to choose silence instead, can be very hard, but healthy. It’s great to speak your mind, but I also encourage you to take the time to be silent. Words are amazing tools but being an active listener is also important to your happiness, especially when it comes to relationships with others. Listen to the people around you and really try to hear them. I bet there are a lot of things you don’t know about your parents, friends or partners. Ask first, then be quiet and really listen as you choose the word silence!

5. Thank you: Saying Thank You is one of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned from my parents. Life is unpredictable and it’s important to thank the people we love for their support. I thank my mother every day for her kindness and unconditional love. As I’ve grown older it’s become so clear to me how much her nurturing words and acts have helped and shaped me and I will never stop being grateful for that. It’s also important to thank the numerous people who help us along life’s journey. Even the smallest act of kindness is worth an enormous amount of gratitude because you never know what that little moment will accumulate to. And, sometimes being genuinely thanked by someone can give you a priceless and surprising boost in your day, so why not share the love!

So I thank you for taking the time to read this blog and listening to my opinion on words. I hope you have a good day filled with easy yeses and empowering nos. Please say thank you to close friend or someone special in your life today too!

A Midwest supper club is gastronomically and physically rooted in the 1950s. A meal is likely to start with an assortment of cellophane-covered crackers and end with a brandy Alexander, all in a room where the bar features a missile-shaped leather-upholstered bumper.

Recently I dined at one called the HobNob in Racine, Wisconsin, with my husband and a long-time friend, seated near nine locals drinking strong martinis and barely glancing at their heavy, black rectangular menus. They seemed to have known each other for decades, simultaneously inhabiting the HobNob of today and decades of past fraternizing.

At our corner table, we ordered 12-ounce rib-eyes, duck and clam chowder and the question came up: If you could live in any movie for the rest of your life, which movie would it be?

Both my companions blurted out their answers immediately — The Godfather and My Big Fat Greek Wedding — as I struggled to remember the plot of the last movie I had watched, alarmingly aware that I had viewed it just 48 hours prior. It was about woodpeckers… it was called Woodpecker…

There are two kinds of people: Elephants (who effortlessly recall plots, themes, characters and endings, be they fictional or from their own life) and Goldfish (in honor of our patron saint, an animal whose memory span has been measured to be between three seconds and five months).

Elephants can remember several movies, or books, simultaneously, as if they were presented to them on a menu. The opening scene of The New World — Native Americans’ first glimpse of an approaching ship — perfect! The ending of The Great Gatsby — the decadent millionaire shot dead in his swimming pool — outstanding!

They do not confuse Crime and Punishment with War and Peace.

In addition, Elephants apply their enviable powers to personal-life. Every Goldfish has listened to an Elephant tell a story in which she, the Goldfish, allegedly was present. The Goldfish cannot recollect the event, not one bit.

Our clam chowder arrives and my dining companions press me for the name of the movie that I would most want to live in for eternity. My mind has been flipping not through movies, but through fears: early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, undiagnosed brain injury, shrinking brain (is there such a diagnosis?), stupidity and dullness.

I panic and say Castaway because I think it would be nice to be alone on a beach for a spell. At least no one would be quizzing me in ways that reveal a memory held together by Duct Tape. They say Castaway‘s a dumb choice because Tom Hanks has to pull out his own painfully rotten tooth. I had forgotten that part.

I’ve read that traditionally, groups of people worked as a unit to house memory. Mom — she’s the one who remembers he name of that backwoods cabin the family retreats to on occasion. Dad — he’s the only one who remembers how to get there. But as a Google Nation, we no longer turn to family but to devices to complete the loop. Forget memory! I should be cheered by this outsourcing, as it will level the playing field for us Goldfish. But I feel saddened. Do I want to live in a world of goldfish? I do not.

When our meal is over, the three of us order one Brandy Alexander. It’s delivered in a ridiculously inappropriate glass — a heaping mound of liquor-infused ice cream in a tall, stemmed glass, nearly toppling over like a fat lady in stiletto heels. We take up three spoons and dig in. It’s a beautiful shared moment and I hope I will remember it forever.