Hasta La Gadget!

I will start this article with a bit of a disclaimer. I am a liberal arts student; I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. I fully support the liberal arts and the education afforded to so many of our students. However, we must address our country’s need for graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Our country is not producing enough graduates from STEM programs to fuel the innovation economy. India is far outpacing the United States in engineering graduates. Many developed countries are graduating more technology students than the U.S.; and, far too few students pursue science or mathematics as majors and career options. This is not a new problem – it is one that we have faced for years.

Why is it so difficult to attract students to these programs? I believe that there are several reasons. First, many students think of STEM programs as “hard” and liberal arts as “easy” – and we have conditioned many students to take the easy way. Second, parents often believe that students should take liberal arts programs so that they will be prepared for a variety of careers. This may be true, but studies will show that education in STEM programs will also prepare students for many careers. Third, a large number of students fear math. We seem to teach students early that math is difficult. Colleges, like FM, have put numerous support mechanisms to help students conquer math – there is no reason to fear it.

So what can we do to attract more students to STEM programs? As I don’t have all of those answers, I do have ideas of some things we can do. First, when a child is interested in science, technology, engineering and math, we should always encourage it, regardless of their gender. If he/she likes to take things apart to see how they work, provide him/her with toys and tools that foster that sense of discovery. Second, appeal to what students like. For example, when approaching a topic in science, why not base it on questions like “do you know how your cell phone works?” or “how can we run a car with sunlight?” Third, we should expose students to technology in new ways. When we bring young students to FM and they see all of the technology in the labs and experience it hands-on, they are very intrigued.

There is a role for our area companies as well. We should work together to develop media that highlights today’s technology jobs and share them with students. Media has a tremendous influence on students’ choice of study. When “Hotel” and “The Love Boat” were popular shows, enrollments in tourism programs increased. When “L.A. Law” was popular, applications to law school increased.

Employers need to tell students what it takes to work in these high tech careers – education in STEM fields. If employers tell students, they listen. If there is a job attached at the end, they will understand. We need to share the excitement of designing new products, developing new drugs, creating new technologies, etc. I know that local employers and employers across the state need employees. It will take a lot of work, but the reward will be great.

I’m not going to die, I’m going home like a shooting star. Sojourner Truth

A radiant light escaped earth when a woman named Efua Dorkenoo, fighting cancer, took her last breath in her husband’s arms on October 18, 2014. The “mother” of the international movement to end female genital mutilation, Efua’s life journey offers human rights activists a roadmap of eagle-eyed vision and revolutionary impact.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a 5,000 year-old harmful cultural practice that affects over 130 million women and girls, mostly from Africa, but also in some countries in the Middle East, Asia and in every nation to which FGM-practicing communities emigrate. FGM, which causes lifelong health consequences, is the removal of parts or all of a girl’s genitalia, including her clitoris, for the purpose of controlling her sexuality and ensuring her virginity until marriage.

I first met Efua in 1992 when we were building the international human rights organization Equality Now and FGM was only under a few people’s radar. Efua was the leading expert on the issue and had already spearheaded decade-long efforts to eradicate FGM through FORWARD, the group she founded in 1983.

Then deemed taboo, FGM was largely an unknown practice categorized by anthropologists as a mere ritual to observe. Trained as a midwife, Efua recounted her horror and helplessness when she watched an infibulated Somali woman unspeakably suffer in labor, her vaginal passage sewn shut and scarred. A Cesarean saved her. Most women would not be as fortunate, such as the teenager in rural Ethiopia whose baby’s head pierced through her belly after three days of protracted labor, killing them both. Potentially deadly birthing is just one of the myriad effects of FGM; if a girl survives the rite without hemorrhaging, tetanus or septicemia, infections or worse often persist throughout the years. To this day, no agency has taken it upon itself to find out how many girls die from the practice.

Maintaining a regal gaze, a dazzling smile and a heart on fire, Efua fought for society’s lowest rung: the African girl. Efua was their champion. She would recount the early days when she and her colleagues lectured on FGM and were whisked through back doors to avoid stone and spit-throwing crowds infuriated that this African woman was exposing their secret rituals imposed on young girls. The Westerners remained largely indifferent.

Undeterred, her groundbreaking efforts led to including FGM onto the agenda of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, recognizing the harmful practice as a human rights violation. With her guidance, we developed one of the first public campaigns that led UNICEF to invest in FGM as a violation against girls and created a fund for grassroots groups across Africa that work to end the practice in their communities. Efua also campaigned for the World Health Organization to issue a statement against the medicalization of FGM. Her book, “Cutting the Rose. Female Genital Mutilation: the Practice and its Prevention,” remains a definitive and influential source on tackling FGM.

The adoring mother of two sons and a grandson, Efua carried the African girl in her heart. She connected the devastating effects of politicized misogyny in the name of “culture” or “religion” that ensures the subordination and obedience of women. She understood that our lack of political will and investment to protect girls from child marriage, sex trafficking, sexual violence, domestic servitude, denial of education or food were sides of the same coin. Efua forced in people’s consciousness that girls mean more than grains of sands crushed under the weight of burning suns; they are owed a life free of violence and discrimination.

In spite of her passionate generosity, Efua did not suffer fools. She abhorred the neo-colonialist term ‘female genital cutting,’ or FGC, which we knew was invented in the United States to placate FGM-practicing governments and assure them the boat would not rock too fast. Efua forcefully insisted with other African grassroots activists that the so-called cultural and religious tenets of their villages must not overshadow the urgency to abolish FGM. It was mutilation, as set forth by the laws of nations and the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.

Efua was publically recognized from time to time, notably with the Order of the British Empire for her extraordinary contributions to end FGM in the United Kingdom and was featured in documentaries, but she nevertheless remained an unsung hero. But not to all. Among those who follow her footsteps are young survivors of FGM and child marriage, who are bucking tradition at great personal cost to ensure the knife will spare their daughters. Efua’s brilliant legacy now lives in dauntless leaders like Leyla Hussein in the United Kingdom and Jaha Dukureh in the United States, whom Efua nurtured along with dozens of other young women.

“With love and determination and up until the last days of her life, Efua guided us in ensuring the world would be a safer place for the African girl-child,” says Dukureh who recently founded the group Safe Hands for Girls in Atlanta. “We miss Efua dearly and will work tirelessly to see her dream come true.”

By Morgan Quinn, Feature Writer

Keeping up with the Joneses is a phrase we are all familiar with but can’t seem to avoid. We tend to look at what others have to determine whether or not they are successful. The problem is, those external signs have nothing to do with actual measure of wealth and they can be incredibly misleading. We used to look at our neighbors for comparison — it was easy to tell what they had and what kind of lifestyle they were living. (Cue audio of your grandfather talking about Bob’s new lawnmower and color TV.)

Now we get these cues from television, the internet and social media. We are inundated with messages of what we should be trying to achieve, how we should be living and what we should be buying. Credit cards, lines of credit and loose borrowing terms make it easy for consumers to spend money they don’t have and display wealth that doesn’t exist.

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Keeping up with the Joneses isn’t about a lack of financial literacy or the result of our consumer culture — it’s actually deeply rooted in human psychology. Conspicuous consumption is the term used for buying luxury goods and services as a display of economic power and social status. Human beings are all susceptible to conspicuous consumption. Just as a peacock parades its tail or a lion flaunts its mane, humans show off their stuff. Our brains tell us to look for signs others are thriving and to strive for those traits — or risk falling behind the pack.

Most of the time our brains tell the truth, but when they tell lies, they are whoppers. These lies come from the subconscious part of the brain that lacks awareness. This part of the brain has a will and a way and is a force to be reckoned with. It’s so powerful you are probably engaging in conspicuous consumption without even realizing it.

1. You Pay Attention to What Your Favorite Stars Are Wearing or Using

Did you see the tweet Kim Kardashian sent out about Eos lip balm? It rescued her from pregnancy lips. What are pregnancy lips? That’s a bad thing, right? OMG. I think I have pregnancy lips and I’m not even pregnant. Good thing they sell it at the drugstore and not some exclusive celebrity lip balm boutique. We can all be saved from pregnancy lips — phew!

Did you know it’s likely Kim Kardashian was paid more than $20,000 to send out that tweet? Glowing recommendations from celebrities are all over social media: Justin Bieber loves to get his mom flowers from 1800 Flowers and Hilary Duff drinks Fiji Water when she’s thirsty. Are these organic and genuine endorsements? Maybe, but question everything.

2. You Hate on Your Facebook “Friends”

I don’ t know a single person who doesn’t struggle with this. It’s the voice we hear in our heads when Amy from junior high posts a picture of her in Hawaii wearing a string bikini, flanked by her four kids while you are sitting on the couch in a beanie and scarf because you’re too cheap to turn the heat on. “Whatever Amy. Don’t make me start posting pictures from 6th grade camp. Spandex wasn’t always a good look on you.”

Hey, it’s cool that Amy is on vacation and good for her for looking so great after having four kids. But maybe Amy maxed out her credit card to take her family on that trip and her anxiety over money is making her so stressed she can’t eat. Or maybe Amy’s grandmother just died and she used a small inheritance to fulfill her lifelong dream of going on a tropical vacation. Or maybe Amy has a great job and saved all year to take this vacation.

Comparing ourselves to others robs us of our own happiness and judging others diminishes our accomplishments and successes. Let’s just be happy for Amy, remain grateful for what we have and move on to watching videos of cats attacking printer paper.

3. You Look for Stores With Low Prices Instead of Merchandise With Low Prices

Our consumer culture teaches us that buying something marked down is actually saving money, but the truth is buying things on sale is an awful way to save. So-called “bargain hunting” isn’t actually the act of seeking out a particular item you need — it’s about acquiring stuff in the name of saving money. Have you ever bought a pair of designer jeans because they were on sale? What did you end up doing with all that money you saved? Buying an item on sale that you didn’t need or really want is still a waste of money.

Bargain hunting makes sense when you do it with purpose — you have a specific item in mind before you even start looking for a sale. If you’ve decided with your own free will that you need something, then go seek out the lowest price with the best value.

Resisting the urge to keep up with the Joneses and compare yourself with others is a tough habit to break. I know some of this is hard to hear and I’m not trying to hate on you — I’m too busy still hating on Amy. Let’s all take a page from the grade school playbook and stop worrying about what other people are doing and just worry about ourselves.

Photo credit: Classic Film

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A Washington state man is accused of swapping furniture with his neighbors while they were away.

The News Tribune reports (http://is.gd/8l5d4x ) the Lakewood man and a friend who is accused of helping him pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of residential burglary. Court papers say a couple who returned to their apartment Monday found their love seat, matching chair and other belongings gone. A recliner and TV stand were left in their place.

Information on a traffic ticket and pizza receipt pointed to the neighbor.

The man told police he thought the couple had moved and abandoned their furniture. Police say he told them he was drunk when he decided to switch furniture, calling his buddy for help.

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Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com

Whether you’re on a two-week vacation in the middle of the school year or embarking on a six-month sabbatical, if you have kids in tow, chances are you need a plan to keep up with their education. If you can survive traveling with your kids, you can survive schooling them, as well. Here are nine tips to keep in mind when homeschooling your kids away from home.

1. Don’t depend solely on the Internet.
No matter how thoroughly you’ve sussed out your digital capabilities, something will go wrong at some point. Your education plan for your child should not be based entirely on programs accessed via Internet. Even if your child is enrolled in an online school and you’re not embracing the role of teacher, make sure you supplement with workbooks or other hard-copy materials. Diversification will make it more interesting and, as an added bonus, cut down on screen time.

2. Don’t depend solely on materials you brought with you.
Workbooks alone won’t cut the mustard, either, unless you’re trying to get by with a little learning for a short trip. (But in that case, why not skip all work/school activities and embrace the sloth and gluttony of a true vacation?) If slogging through pages of a workbook day after day sounds like your personal version of hell, don’t expect your child to feel differently. Go for the trifecta: a balance of pen-to-paper assignments, digital learning, and hands-on projects.

3. Implement a schedule.
This one will likely hurt you more than it hurts your kids, but the benefit is worth it. Dedicate yourself fully to homeschooling for a set schedule. “Fully” means no email or Facebook while trying to answer the occasional question from your student. With a schedule in place, your child will be more focused and engaged than if you try to throw random assignments at them willy-nilly (also known as: when it best suits you).

4. Don’t tolerate what a teacher wouldn’t.
It’s true, your child will behave far differently with you leading the lesson than if they were in a classroom watching Mrs. M at the SMARTboard. But both scenarios have their positives. When things turn negative, remember that if your child was in a public school classroom, unacceptable behavior would merit a trip to the principal’s office. Figure out ahead of time what your equivalent to that will be, and make sure you follow through. Many kids are motivated (and frightened) by the prospect of losing their screen time. Save your digital learning or screen playtime for last, and take it away when necessary.

5. Remind your children that they have an amazing opportunity.
When your children complain about their situation, hear them out. Respect their point of view, but follow up with a reminder of all of the wonderful aspects of their temporary displacement. If they miss their friends and usual surroundings, encourage them to write down exciting points of the trip to share with classmates when they return home. Also let them know how envious their friends will be if they send back regular photos of their adventures. The exercise will stir an interest in photography, keep them regularly engaged with their social circles at home, and engender an appreciation for the gift of travel.

6. Expect more than the minimum.
If you’re basing your child’s studies from a set curriculum, don’t shy away from going beyond it. In a one-on-one teaching scenario, you may find that you complete a full day’s studies in just a few hours. If circumstances allow, that’s a great time to widen your child’s horizons by getting out and about in your host country. On a rainy day, use the time to tackle a future lesson. If you get ahead of schedule, you can bank a few free days for play and adventure to end your trip on a memorable note.

7. Use your environment.
This is easy to do if your family is in a culture different from your own. Special projects, depending on the age of your child, can be as simple as a conversation or as complex as illustrated reports and analyses. Focus on likenesses and differences between your home and new environments regarding currency, geography, climate, population, education, and wildlife. If you have a budding artist on your hands, have them draw the flag of your host country and learn about its origins in the process. As another example, enterprising journalists enjoy interviewing local business owners about their typical workday.

8. Have fun.
If the lesson plan feels stale, let it go. Your child will learn more from a field trip to the local market than a math worksheet. You also need to use fun to curb burnout. No matter how much you love your child and your child loves you, embracing homeschooling will add a new dynamic to your relationship. So as much as schedule and expectations are important, keep the element of fun part of the equation so that the added element isn’t a toxic one.

9. Teach more than you know.
One of the easiest ways to make sure that you have fun along with your child is for you to learn something yourself. Don’t be afraid to learn right along with them. Figure things out together. You may find that you begin learning from your child, an unexpected perk of the situation that will not only make the experience more rewarding for you as the teacher and parent, but also empower your child and pave the road for positive learning in the future, no matter where in the world that learning may occur.

A.K. Turner is currently traveling in Australia with her husband and two daughters, whom she is homeschooling with occasional success. Learn more at AKTurner.com.