How to Buy a Master Franchise & what you must do before you sign ...

Almost all companies that want to expand into newer geographies or into global markets, generally have a Franchise Model or Business Plan configured to work within that market with large local players, (High Net worth Groups, Large Business Houses, Senior Professionals within an Industry or for that matter investors who are seeking large investments in tested franchise business models) of that country and get access to the markets and immediate penetration. ?Master Franchise Wanted?, is a common message that you will come across while you are on your How to Buy phase and researching several Franchise Lists.

There are several franchises for sale, from across the globe. The more developed American, European and Australian franchise markets have on offer several master franchise opportunities for almost all countries of the world. Franchise Dubai, Franchise in India, Franchise in China is gaining tremendous predominance, as a way of business growth in these countries. In fact, you have franchise specialists in most countries who will guide you with the options that are available for your country as there Franchise broker networks, where these franchise consultants, socialize and exchange franchise information. It is very important to make the right first impression, when you are contacting these master franchise companies, and what these franchise consultants would do is, help you make the right first moves.

In a given area, a Franchise has the obligation and right to open a certain number of sub-franchises within a given period, generally through a pre-agreed master franchise development schedule. The Franchise also has the right to sell unit franchise ownership rights to people or organizations who are looking to become sub-franchisees. As a franchisee, you could be given rights to recruit/appoint other franchisees, which can then open and operate at more locations. These other franchisees are called the sub franchisees or Unit franchisees. Often a Franchise license system works with the appointment of a unit master franchise license with the required Franchise profile approval. Most interested prospects generally go through a Franchise Questionnaire which has several questions linked to their backgrounds and which then goes deep into a verification stage. The Franchise Questions are generally linked to ascertain the ability of the franchisee to execute the Franchise Respons ibilities, Role and Functions and to ensure that the Brand gets the right momentum within a prescribed period.

You have to sign a Franchise agreement and complete all other formalities, laid out by the company, to become a franchisee. The Franchise contract will clearly have you pay a Franchise fee to the parent company (franchisor) for this. A franchise fee and ongoing Franchise royalties have to be paid by the sub franchisees and the master licence to the franchisor, which is usually shared between the franchisor and the master franchise. Depending on the nature of master relationship you have entered into, the percentage of profit is shared. The total Franchise cost is generally a calculation of the initial investment and the ongoing investments as per the Franchise development plan. The franchisor clearly outlines their investments in the country and the support system that they will have including the Franchise training, unit master franchise training, Franchise manuals, and other Franchise support systems that they would have in place. Thereafter, they would expect the franch isee to invest in the Franchise system and make headway into the local markets.

If you want to take Franchise of any kind of business model then you should know both the operational and management aspect of that particular kind of business model. Even though you are not from the same industry or you are not proficient in doing the business, the franchisor will train you and have the right support, checks, and balances to ensure that you are functioning in line with what the business warrants you to. It then becomes extremely important, in order to make profit out of your master franchise, that you appoint efficient sub-franchisees under your assigned area/region. Apart from controlling the sub-franchisees, it is your responsibility to educate them and support them in all aspects of running the business successfully.

Normally, the master franchisee receives continuous support and training from the parent company rather than being alone in a business venture. It is the duty of the Franchise to pass on the knowledge to further down the line. You are the bridge between the company and the unit franchises. You need continuous support of your sub-franchisees if you want your Franchise to be a successful venture.

The initial costs are usually a bit higher than investing in a regular franchise, which is one of the drawbacks of entering into master franchising. You need to devote a great deal of extra time and resources in setting the Franchise organization up and running. You need some time to bring this kind of business model on to an auto-run mode. Several Business houses or high net worth individuals take up the Franchise and hire skilled employees to manage the Franchise business while they continue to work at another position or operate another business. Once the network is set, as in most cases, the parent company shares a part of the business profit with its master franchises, so you have the advantage of earning continuous unit master franchise royalty payments from the sub-franchisees. This is one of the many advantages of owning a master franchise.

Before opting for a master franchise, research the possibility thoroughly before investing. Working with a Franchise specialist in your country is a very vital necessity as they will know exactly the entire process and help you properly with the entire negotiations. They will also connect you with the right financial and legal professionals, who will work parallel with you for all documentation, research and feasibility. Ensure to pay visits to several of the master franchise locations to see how they operate. It is better to speak with other franchisee owners to understand how the entire concept works in their countries. It is also important to study the fine print and understand the entire Franchise terms. Generally, understanding the exit parameters and knowing the Franchise termination consequences, are also critical to making the right choice. You have to be very clear, how much you would lose, if the Franchise failed and how will you bring in the exact resources to m anage the same. Certain limiting clauses, post termination have to also be studied very carefully, just to ensure that your future is not impacted by the failure or success of the franchise.

As a whole, a good Franchise could make you popular instantly in your country. We have seen that several business groups have driven on Franchise international brands and have gained very good recognition in their country. Additionally, it creates quite a decent income, as master franchising can be a very solid business opportunity expansion strategy. However, in order to get the highest chance for success, it is tegy. However, in order to get the highest chance for success, it isimportant to find the best match for your skills and interests and choose brands and businesses that have a higher chance to succeed. It is not necessary that it some Franchise has been successful in some country, it will be in yours too. So, do your entire Franchise pros and cons with the right amount of research, have adequate resources ready, hire a competent Franchise specialist and get started with your search for a reputed, profitable Franchise business.

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

bernie fine matt leinart cyber monday 2011 cyber monday 2011 turkey pot pie turkey pot pie southern university

Folk musician Doc Watson dies at age 89

By Jane Sutton, Reuters

Grammy-winning U.S. guitarist and folk singer Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson died on Tuesday in a North Carolina hospital at age 89, his management company said.

Watson died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, following abdominal surgery last week, Folklore Productions International said in a statement.

"Doc was a legendary performer who blended his traditional Appalachian musical roots with bluegrass, country, gospel and blues to create a unique style and an expansive repertoire," the statement said. "He was a powerful singer and a tremendously influential picker who virtually invented the art of playing mountain fiddle tunes on the flattop guitar."

Watson, who was blinded before his first birthday, won seven Grammy Awards, in addition to the Grammy for lifetime achievement he received in 2004. In 2006 he won in the category of best country instrumental performance for his playing on "Whiskey Before Breakfast."

Watson was born on March 3, 1923, in Deep Gap, N.C., to a banjo-playing father, General Watson, and a mother who sang traditional secular and religious songs, Annie Watson.

Blinded by an eye infection as a toddler, he learned to play the banjo first, then taught himself the chords to "When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland" on a borrowed guitar at age 13, his managers said.

He picked up some chords from a fellow student at the Raleigh School for the Blind and began to incorporate music he heard on the radio with familiar Appalachian melodies.

Watson became a full-time professional musician in the 1960s and played everywhere from folk festivals to Carnegie Hall.

For much of his career, he toured and recorded with his son, Merle Watson, who died in a tractor accident in 1985. Doc Watson's most popular recordings include the songs "Tom Dooley," "Shady Grove" and "Rising Sun Blues."

"There may not be a serious, committed baby boomer alive who didn't at some point in his or her youth try to spend a few minutes at least trying to learn to pick a guitar like Doc Watson," President Bill Clinton said when he awarded Watson the National Medal of the Arts in 1997.

Watson is survived by his wife, Rosa Lee Carlton Watson, and their daughter Nancy Ellen, his grandchildren Richard Watson and Karen Watson Norris, several great-grandchildren, and his brother David Watson.

Which of his songs were your favorites? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Related content:

More in msnbc Entertainment:

jeff fisher van der sloot heather locklear mlk memorial mlk memorial heather locklear hospitalized joplin tornado

Felipe Adan Lerma - Nurses Doctors & Medical Health Specialists ...

May 28, 2012 by Greg B.

Title: Nurses Doctors & Medical Health Specialties

Author: Felipe Adan Lerma

ISBN: asin: B006GP0JUO

Page count: eBook

Genre: Nursing, Poetry

Price: $3.99

?

Author Bio:

Born and raised in Texas, and now a young senior living in Vermont, his wife Sheila?s home state, Adan brings a gentle infusion of yoga and fitness to bear on life long interests in writing, painting, dance, photography, and the arts in general.

Determined to learn about the ideas of Western Culture that have informed our civilization, Adan put himself through college with the help of his GI Bill benefits. More recently, he has added certifications in fitness and yoga.

His self stated mission on his website, reads, ?a Beginner?s View : Integrating Yoga Fitness and the Arts.?

*

M.A. Humanities, University of Houston Clear Lake

M.A. English Lit, University of Houston Clear Lake

B.A. Theatre Arts, University of Houston Clear Lake

AFAA ? Group Fitness Certification

CPR/AED ? American Heart Association

Zumba ? Zumba & Zumba Gold Licensed

SilverSneakers ? MSROM (Muscular Strength & Range of Motion); Cardio Circuit; Yoga Stretch ? Stress Reduction

Yoga 200 Hr CYT ? Lex Gillan, The Yoga Institute

?

Tell us about your book:

Nearly twenty years of poetry writing is represented in this full edition of six dozen nursing, doctors, and medical / health specialists poems.

Though not in the direct healing arts myself, after graduation from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, I started work as an arts / recreation person, helping patients on a locked nursing floor.

University of Houston Clear Lake was a great college, where I was able to build my own arts and humanities program. Then, in Galveston, in my first job after college, in helping people through the arts at UTMB, I gained an invaluable unique creative learning experience.

My own degrees, from the University of Houston Clear Lake, and other studies in the arts and fitness, have added much I have enjoyed integrating and blending in my work.

Humor and appreciation alternate and permeate in many my poems, such as in the sample poems below, ?Home Health Nurse? and ?xxxxxxxx?

My dad needed a lot of care at home his last few years, and the various nurses and therapists that came by were always a welcome warm sight. A very needed sight.

Other titles include, Nursing, School Nurse, Family Practitioner, M.D., Caregiver, E.M.T., Respiratory Therapist, and Volunteer.

A small group of inspirational poems are also included.

?

How long did it take to write the book?

As with my other collections of poems dating from the 90s through today, I feel my description for my other two books highlighted here on the Indie Spotlight equally applies :

It almost feels like cheating, but, almost two decades? That?s because there are many poems from the early 90s, a few in the 2000s, and newer work continuing today.

But most poems, individually, would range from a few hours, to through-out the day, to sometimes more rarely time over several days.

Of the poems I like best, from years ago to now, most but not all of them were written very quickly.? Some in one draft.

I feel those paragraphs apply to almost everything I?ve written, in any field or topic, in the past, and today.? I?m not sure if that?s ?good? or not, but it?s the way I create.

?

What inspired you to write the book?

In the 90s, when my wife Sheila and I were doing our Mall and Arts shows, setting up booths or kiosks, it wasn?t long before someone asked if I had a nursing poem, usually for a daughter or mom.

Once I had one nursing poem, I realized that, like my other poems, I would need variations.? Humorous, serious, and eventually, more poems more specific to specialized nurses, like Home Health Nurses.

Empathy can take a person a long ways in life, and in writing, much the same is true.? Plus I?ve always felt a kinship between the teaching and nursing fields, so that made it easier to talk with people in the nursing fields and write a variety of poems.

In the samples at the end of the Spotlight, I?ll post both the Home Health Nurse poem, which has always been well liked, plus another.

?

Talk about the writing process. Did you have a writing routine? Did you do any research, and if so, what did that involve?

Since I wrote all topics of poems side by side, the human spirit being the same spirit whether bowling or teaching or acting or helping another person, I think it?d actually be an injustice to not say some of what I?ve said about other collections of my work.

During the 90s, when we were very active in setting up booths and kiosks in malls and other selling events, I would write between customers.? After a few years (for nearly a decade) this got to be a really pleasant routine I looked forward to.

But the shows became harder and harder to do physically, due to some injuries and just slowing down with age i guess.

So writing new work suffered in the 2000s, though a few pieces, mostly either in the family or love categories, still got written.

Then, as we entered 2010, and the kindle came out, and the ability to present work opened back up for us, new work started pouring out again, like floodgates being carefully re-opened.

Oh, and to answer regarding research ? most of our poems are self-expressive from our own personal experience, but two things allowed a broader range of poems to be written.

One, simply empathy.? Learning to extrapolate our own experiences to variances similar but not exactly like ours.? Such as from the point of view (pov) of a younger or older person, or different gender.

Two, and here i diverge a bit, if a person asked us for a writing for someone close to them, and that person was, say, a nurse practitioner, we talked with that person then and there, and were able to get immediate feedback about how they felt about that type of nursing, and how it both differed or was the same as other types of nursing.

So now, we have hundreds of poems, on many many topics and occupations.? Nursing poems have been among our most satisfying to create.

?

What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?

With my nursing, doctors, and medical specialist poems, a couple of important things.

One, of course, an appreciation, a sincere deep celebration, of the human spirit to help, of the effort to learn and apply such vital precise knowledge, with an artistry for the uniqueness of each person.

Two, a recognition, by the reader, that one does not need to be of an activity or profession directly, to find the point of empathy that enables, I think, anyone who wishes, to be able to tap into what people have in common, and write, not only poems for a profession like nursing, but most anything that we as people seem to enjoy doing.

How well, those efforts by any one of us are, including myself, succeed, will vary, but also indicate to ourselves, where and how we may want to grown and expand within.

?

Where can we go to buy your book?

?Nurses Doctors & Medical Health Specialists? is available at :

Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006GP0JUO

?

Any other links or info you?d like to share??

http://twitter.com/yoga_adan

https://www.facebook.com/yoga.adan

http://www.youtube.com/user/adanlerma?feature=mhee

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/felipe-adan-lerma/37/109/771

Amazon Books Author Page

eBook Page ? All Available Titles

?

Excerpt from book:

Two poems, ?Home Health Nurse? and ?Nursing? give a nice view of a specific and a general nursing poem from the collection.

A third poem, ?Medical Unit Coordinator? is popular example from the Medical Health Specialists section.

I hope you enjoy them. Thank you much.

**

Home Health Nurse

Patient advocate

par excellence -

teaching

each person

whatever?s needed

to remain independent

within one?s home.

Organized in time -

Knowledgeable in technique -

Braving all

weather, pets and relatives

to deliver

the best

of home care nursing.

?? 1997-2012 adam light creations / adan lerma

?

*************

?

Nursing

Your career in nursing has

brought out all the best in you.

You?ve bloomed into a complex

caretaker presenting so simply

the heart to care plus a mind to

understand and instruct us.

Yours, is a dexterity of touch -

swift and sure to heal when needed.

Lingering and warm when requested.

Even if silently asked for with open

or shut eyes.? And you lavish on us

that most precious of life?s

commodities, the one that

cannot be bought or sold ?

your quality time.

?? 1994-2012 adam light creations / adan lerma

*************

?

Medical Unit Coordinator

A balancing act-

in the middle of it all.

Following doctors? orders,

responding to patients? needs,

helping friends and family,

with courtesy and care.

Going from phone to computer

to wherever needed

?in a whirl of constant change.

The unit coordinator is the focal point,

from which it is all pulled together

with efficiency and ease-

tending to the all-important ?details?

that make a health care facility run smoothly

and turn a group of trained individuals

into a productive team of professionals.

?? 1998-2012 adam light creations / adan lerma

george lopez bedtime stories micron susan g komen kenyon martin kenyon martin big miracle

Top 5 most dangerous states for driving (Americablog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

whitney houston funeral live pat buchanan slither slither chris christie naacp glen campbell

Major economies need more skilled workers, engineers: study

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

2012 sports illustrated swimsuit same day flower delivery valentines day westminster dog show valentines day cards hallmark grammy winners

Well: Diabetes Death Rates Show Steep Fall

Death rates among people with diabetes have declined substantially in recent years, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

Since 1997 the C.D.C. has done five surveys of people with and without diabetes, each sampling about 107,000 adults. Compared with the 1997-98 figures, 2006 death rates from cardiovascular disease had declined 40 percent and all-cause mortality had declined 23 percent among people with diabetes, even after the researchers controlled for age and other health factors. Death rates also declined among those who did not have diabetes, but the decline was not as steep.

The study, in the June issue of Diabetes Care, attributes the progress to advances in medical care and self-management.

But every silver lining has a cloud.

?The good thing is that people with diabetes are living longer,? said one of the authors, Sharon Saydah, a senior research scientist with the C.D.C. ?But people with diabetes are at risk for a number of complications ? cardiovascular disease, lower leg amputations, kidney disease, eye problems, dementia and other kinds of disability. Preventing all of these complications means that we will have greater health care expenses for people living with diabetes.?

john dillinger carlos zambrano clemson pellet gun clay aiken zambrano orange bowl

Texas Supreme Court hopeful cites probate experience as candidacy motivation

May 25, 2012

Ahead of the May 29 Texas primary, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram offers some?interesting insight?in?Candidates duke it out in races for Texas Supreme Court.??Texas Supreme Court Place 4 candidate Joe Pool Jr. (who shares his?name with a Tarrant County lake named after his?father, a former north Texas congressman)?offers this motivation for seeking office:

Pool, general counsel for an inflation-adjustment financial firm in Dripping Springs, said he was motivated to run after his wife was denied a jury trial in probate court. He said his research found that jury trials were scarce elsewhere.

When courts deny a request for a jury trial, he said, citizens are denied an important right. Pool accuses judges of being influenced by hefty political contributions. Some incumbents have raised more than $1 million, records show. If elected, he said, he would push to reform the court as a ?constructionist, constitutional court as much as I would make it that.?

?As attorneys, we want certainty in the law,? he said. ?We would like to know that this precedent has been upheld 100 times.?

From an Estate of Denial^? standpoint, that indeed is?motivation.

pink martini times square 2012 predictions new years eve ball drop new years eve times square 2012 2012 holidays prosperity

Wall-Breaking Pod Cars - The MiniNORRIS EV is as Strong as Walker Texas Ranger (TrendHunter.com)

With name like the MiniNORRIS EV, it may be only a matter of time before designer Milos Paripovic?s ultra-strong concept car makes it to market. Paripovic is a quirky designer known for creating humorous (and fake) products. He was the man behind the iPoo, an Apple toilet and the Zugo (a 21st century version of the Yugo).

The MiniNORRIS EV was created to show people just how strong those ridiculous looking, pod-shaped EVs could be. As shown in the video, the MiniNORRIS is able to smash through a brick wall, all while seating two in total comfort and quiet. The MiniNORRIS EV may be as real as the Loch Ness Monster, but it could inspire automakers to advertise their upcoming EVs different. GM seems to be semi-serious about their EN-V concept, but its doubtful the public would take it seriously without some reassuring crash test footage.

chrome for android hatchet leah messer freedom riders 9th circuit court of appeals gisele bundchen tom brady randy travis arrested

Syria 'massacre' raises pressure for international response

Syrian artillery attack that apparently killed more than 90 people, including many children, brought French condemnation, while the UK said it would call for urgent UN Security Council meeting.

By Joseph Logan,?Reuters / May 26, 2012

A Syrian artillery barrage killed more than 90 people, including dozens of children, in the worst violence since the start of a UN peace plan to staunch the flow of blood from Syria's uprising, activists said on Saturday.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "off"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

The bodies of children were shown in footage posted to YouTube purporting to show the victims of the shelling in the central town of Houla on Friday. The sound of wailing filled the room.

The reports of the carnage, which could not be confirmed independently, underlined how far Syria is from any negotiated path out of the 14-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned the violence as a "massacre," and said he wanted to arrange a meeting in Paris of the Friends of Syria, a group that brings together Western and Arab countries keen to remove Mr. Assad.

Syrian state television aired some of the footage disseminated by activists, calling the bodies victims of a massacre committed by "terrorist" gangs.

A British-based opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said residents of Houla were fleeing in fear of more shelling.

It said one person was killed in the northern town of Saraqeb when security forces opened fire on a protest against the killing. Activists distributed footage appearing to show similar protests in Aleppo, the largest city in the north.

FAMILIES KILLED

A member of the fragmented exile group that says it speaks for Syria's political opposition said Assad's forces had killed "entire families" in Houla in addition to the shelling.

"The Syrian National Council (SNC) urges the UN Security Council to call for an emergency meeting ... and to determine the responsibility of the United Nations in the face of such mass killings," SNC spokeswoman Bassma Kodmani said.

Opposition activists said Syrian forces had opened fire with artillery on Friday after skirmishing with insurgents in Houla, a cluster of villages north of the city of Homs, itself battered by shelling.

Although Annan's six-week old ceasefire plan has failed to stop the violence, the United Nations is nearing full deployment of a 300-strong unarmed observer force meant to monitor a truce.

college board pasco county rooney mara solstice x factor results x factor results the hobbit movie trailer

Cops: Naked man shot while chewing victim's face

By Jim Gold, msnbc.com

A Miami police officer fatally shot a naked man chewing the face of another man Saturday afternoon on a downtown causeway off-ramp, officials said.

The Miami Herald reported that the naked man chewed?off half the face of his victim, who is struggling for his life.

---

The violence started at 2 p.m. on the MacArthur Causeway off-ramp, just south of the Herald?s offices, the newspaper said.

Witnesses said that a woman saw two men fighting and flagged down a police officer, who came upon the naked man mauling the other man, the Herald reported.

The officer, who was not identified, ordered the naked man to back away, but when the man continued the assault, the officer shot him, the Herald said. Witnesses told the Herald the wounded attacker continued to eat his victim, so the officer continued firing.

Witnesses said they heard at least a half-dozen shots, the Herald said.

The naked man was later seen lying face down on the pedestrian walkway just below the newspaper?s two-story parking garage, the Herald said.

The naked man?s victim was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital Ryder Trauma Center?and had?critical injuries, police told the Herald.

Neither man was identified.

Watch US News videos on msnbc.com

?Based on the information provided, our Miami police officer is a hero and saved a life,?? Javier Ortiz, spokesman for Miami police?s Fraternal Order of Police, told the Herald.

A?police department?news release about the?shooting?did not include many details provided by witnesses to the newspaper.

Police requested surveillance video that had been obtained by the newspaper, the Herald reported.

The shooting and investigation tied up causeway traffic as crowds were arriving at South Beach for an annual Urban Beach Week hip-hop festival.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

gary carter dies oolong tea survivor one world lil kim progeria what will my baby look like gary carter died

Apple iPhone 5 Release-Date Announcement Predicted in 2 Weeks

Anticipation for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, June 11-15, is starting to ramp up, and so is talk of a possible iPhone announcement at the annual event.

The Silicon Valley computer giant focused on software rather than hardware at last year's WWDC, and has promised more of the same this year; most analysts expect we'll get some info on iOS 6 coming out of the conference, slated for San Francisco's Moscone Center.

But Apple has always been mum about new hardware announcements, and speculation is once again growing that WWDC will feature an iPhone-related announcement, much as it has in the past. Last year was an exception ? the company didn't unveil the iPhone 4S until the fall, a couple of weeks before it went on sale in October. Of course, the company was a little preoccupied earlier in the year, releasing a version of the device compatible with Verizon's network for the first time. And the iPhone made its Sprint debut later in the year as well.

Many analysts and other industry-watchers have taken Apple's comments about a software-focused WWDC at face value, but some this year, including Asian financial services firm Daiwa Securities, have predicted that the company will indeed make news with an iPhone release date at the event. Other reports from manufacturing lines in Asia have backed that up.

That being said, the prevailing opinion is for a fall launch, roughly one year after the debut of the iPhone 4S. Click here for a roundup of all the latest rumors surrounding the device. The latest speculation is that Apple has applied for a patent for what will be dubbed the "iPen," a stylus that would accompany the iPhone and iPad, Patently Apple reported.

Has Apple permanently shifted its iPhone hardware updates to the fall? Time will tell.

conversion disorder the chronicle spinal stenosis the forgotten man mike jones just friends chronicle

Obama Online Tool Targets Volunteers (WSJ)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

4 20 george zimmerman sheree whitfield weather dallas pat summitt real housewives of atlanta colton

Sony Online Entertainment Melds the Worlds of Entertainment and ...

SAN DIEGO, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that it will be challenging gamers to battle to the death in Bullet Run, the online game company's upcoming new free-to-play first-person-shooter (FPS). Developed by ACONY Games and available later this summer for the PC, Bullet Run?is a team-based multiplayer game that puts players in the ultimate reality TV game show, where contestants showcase their deadly talents in the name of fame.

"While our games portfolio continues to grow across many different genres of online gaming, the addition of Bullet Run brings an entirely new level of entertainment to the gameplay experience for both the free-to-play community and fans of first-person-shooters," said Christopher Sturr, Executive Director of Business Development and Corporate Strategy, Sony Online Entertainment. "The game promises a high-energy persistent combat experience that few FPS games have obtained, while also lowering the barriers of entry for more casual players looking for a unique gaming experience."

Set in the near future, the game features the hottest new reality TV game show, Bullet Run, where performance is everything - simply gaining the kill does not win your character fame. Style and attitude, combined with a hair trigger and cat-like reflexes, will bring contestants the fame they crave.?Players, also known as "Contestants," battle to the death with ammo, weapons and attitude. With fame on the line, an array of customization options will allow players to create unique looks for their characters and ensure the style system spotlight is on them. Matches take place in a variety of settings, each of which provides a different mix of tactical options, play styles and equipment options. Through a revolutionary "Synth" technology, these reality stars will die, re-incarnate into a new body and jump right back into the action until the match is complete. Death becomes a mere setback as players compete for fame and glory.

"We are excited to bring players what we think will be the best FPS experience in the PC free-to-play market," said Andre Herbst, Founding Partner and Marketing Director, ACONY. "We designed Bullet Run with the same quality and attention to detail as a AAA retail product but focused on making it a great game experience for a full range of players regardless of their skill level."

"We believe the sexier, media-driven storyline sets it apart from other FPS games and will continue to attract new players who might be tired of the same military shooters," added Frank Trigub, Founding Partner, ACONY.

Bullet Run brings the best elements of the FPS genre together with unique levels of immersion and character progression, creating a fully-customizable, persistent gaming experience. With six Synth Arenas ? from oil rigs and jungles to abandoned shanty towns ? the game focuses on individual character and weapon advancement and progression. Through their showmanship, players will have the opportunity to unlock and/or purchase new weapons, weapon modifications and attachments, wardrobe items, accessories, and custom weapon decals ? all contributing to thousands of possible combinations for individualization of their characters.

?

KEY FEATURES:

• FPS Meets Free-To-Play ? Free for download for the PC. Additional content is available for purchase in the in-game marketplace.
• Reality TV Game Show Storyline ? Players will have to fight for stardom or settle for 15 minutes of fame. Cameras and commentators capture all the intense FPS action, where style and showmanship earn "Heat" and fame on the road to stardom.
• Eight Kill Skills ? Unique abilities can be trained and unleashed during combat. Each brings in cutting-edge technology for players to use in their match and are unlocked as contestants earn Heat. These include damage heals, berserker mode, enemy-trapping robots, aerial ammo attacks, devastating mini-gun action and more.
• Active Reload ? Bullet Run moves fast, and your guns need to load even faster.? The game offers an Active Reload feature.? When you hit 'reload,' a circular interface appears. If you hit it just right, your weapon loads much faster.? But be precise, if you don't hit the mark, your gun will jam.
• Six Killer Arenas ? A thrilling assortment of game maps for players to explore and dominate including industrial landscapes, tropical islands, desert wastelands, and more.
• Fast-Paced Multiplayer Combat ? Up to 20 contestants can battle on each episode in one of two game modes: Team Deathmatch or Dominion.
• Character Stylization ? Players have access to hundreds of 'vanity' items to customize their characters and style, earning boosts and experience points in the in-game Style system.
• Weapon of Choice ? Thousands of potential combinations per weapon from silencers and muzzle brakes to scopes, stocks and more allow players to fine-tune their weapon to match their game play preferences. Additionally, weapons decals and paint jobs will provide players true personalization.
• Bring on the Heat ? In-game progression is rewarded through exciting play; the more Heat, the more fans. The more fans, the more players level up their Fame. Taunt, slay, and humiliate opponents, increasing Heat and unlocking new skills and weapons.
• Character Progression ? Gain access to unique items and weapons as your character advances to new levels of fame (experience); you can also earn in-game currency to help improve and learn new skills.
• Killing Community ? Add friends, join them in matches, and chat privately via the ComCenter.
• Additional Features ? Nemesis System to identify the contestant constantly blocking your path to stardom; Taunt System with custom animations to help pump up the crowd; Quickplay option; Reload minigame, and more.

Bullet Run is currently in development by ACONY Games and will be available for the PC later this summer. To register for the beta and for more information, please visit www.bulletrunthegame.com.

Media assets are available here: http://bhimpact.gamespress.com/pics.asp?i=2715.

ESRB Rating: Rating Pending. May contain content inappropriate for children. Visit www.esrb.org for rating information.

About SOE

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games.? Best known for its blockbuster hits and franchises, including EverQuest?, EverQuest??II, Champions of Norrath?, PlanetSide?, Free Realms?,Star Wars?: Clone Wars Adventures?, and DC Universe?Online, SOE creates, develops and provides compelling online entertainment for a variety of platforms.? SOE is building on its proven legacy and pioneering the future of online worlds through creative development and inspired gameplay design for audiences of all ages.? To learn more, visit www.soe.com.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest, Champions of Norrath, Free Realms and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

About ACONY Games

ACONY is a financially independent developer studio for online games that was founded in 2004 by Frank Trigub and Andre Herbst. Its offices are located in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. ACONY develops brand-new Multiplayer FPS (First-Person-Shooter) games for Europe, North and South America, Australia and Asia. The team of developers is composed of more than 50 games experts from more than 12 different countries. ACONY has set itself the goal to redefine the First-Person-Shooter (FPS) genre by launching online multiplayer titles displaying the highest quality standard in order to offer unique gaming experiences. More information at www.ACONYgames.com.

?

?

SOURCE Sony Online Entertainment LLC

jon hamm kim kardashian law school rankings jon hamm heather morris ncaa bracket predictions jeff foxworthy

Video: SportsTalk: Lloyd is wrong about hitting QBs

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

ny giants ok go peyton manning super bowl go daddy nsx chad ochocinco roman numerals

Kate Gosselin: I've Made Peace With Jon!

Are the years of public feuding between Jon and Kate Gosselin finally a thing of the past? She certainly hinted as much on the Today show yesterday.

Kate, who's still being stalked by some freak, told Ann Curry that she and her ex have made peace and are working together to raise their children.

"I can honestly say it's more peaceful than it's ever been," said the 37-year-old. "I feel that a really big weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

Kate Gosselin on Today Show

Despite all the bad blood - just last month, she hammered Jon for flaking on child support - Kate had nothing but praise for him this time around.

"He's really been positive and more available and it's just less stressful. I feel like he's been working with me more, and the kids notice," she said.

"And that's good. Because I've always just wanted that peace, not just for me, but for them and we're finally to a point where it's happening.”

To think, all the time and energy that Kate spent dragging Jon's name through the mud on TV and Twitter can now be saved for her huge brood.

“I can take that emotional energy that was so wasted in that area and put it back towards the kids and taking care of them," she told Curry.

A novel concept. Let's just hope it lasts more than a week.

celebration church new york auto show 2012 tulsa easter eggs pineapple upside down cake free ecards flying car

Number theory grant could lead to advances in wireless communications

Public release date: 21-May-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: EPSRC Press Office
pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk
01-793-444-404
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has awarded a 1.6 million grant to two of the country's leading mathematics researchers, Professor Sanju Velani, Head of Pure Mathematics at the University of York and Professor Victor Beresnevich, also at the university.

The grant will help Professor Velani and Professor Beresnevich establish new frameworks in number theory that could solve long-standing problems in mathematics and have potentially far-reaching benefits for the real world. Spanning six years, the funding will be used to make significant contributions to topical and challenging problems in the theory of Diophantine approximation, in particular to Littlewood's Conjecture, the Duffin-Schaeffer Conjecture and the generalised Baker-Schmidt problem. In the past, these three problems were thought to be unrelated. However recent advances have shown that there are substantial links, meaning that progress in one problem will have impact on others. Exploiting the links is a key feature of the programme.

Diophantine approximation is a branch of number theory that dates back to the ancient Greeks and Chinese who used good rational approximations to the number pi (3.142...) in order to predict the position of planets and stars accurately.

Today the theory is deeply intertwined with other areas of mathematics such as ergodic theory and dynamical systems. It continues to play a significant role in applications to real-world problems including those in the rapidly developing areas of electronic communications, antenna design and signal processing. For example, advances in Diophantine approximation within the last decade have been used to investigate the potential of multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technologies. These technologies have attracted attention in wireless communications for their high efficiency and reliability.

Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of EPSRC said: "EPSRC's grant will help the University of York attract outstanding researchers and extend its research network, hopefully leading to enhancements in number theory. Furthermore, the wider mathematical community in the UK and beyond will also benefit since the programme will provide valuable training for early career researchers and help their professional development."

Professor Velani said: "This programme is ambitious. Significant progress in any of the research challenges would be a major success. Six decades ago the UK became a world leader in this area. The novel nature of the proposed research will build upon the Diophantine approximation expertise in the UK and enhance the UK's leadership in the field."

Internationally-leading researchers at a number of institutions are active in similar or closely related research including those working at Brandeis, Minsk, Moscow, Mumbai, Princeton, Penn. State, Stanford, Strasbourg, Texas, Yale and Zurich. Many distinguished researchers plan to visit York in support of the intellectual aims of the programme. The diversity of the expertise they represent, together with the envisaged collaborations, will play a crucial role to its overall success.

###

Contact details

EPSRC Press Office on 01793 444404 or pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around 800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. www.epsrc.ac.uk

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 21-May-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: EPSRC Press Office
pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk
01-793-444-404
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has awarded a 1.6 million grant to two of the country's leading mathematics researchers, Professor Sanju Velani, Head of Pure Mathematics at the University of York and Professor Victor Beresnevich, also at the university.

The grant will help Professor Velani and Professor Beresnevich establish new frameworks in number theory that could solve long-standing problems in mathematics and have potentially far-reaching benefits for the real world. Spanning six years, the funding will be used to make significant contributions to topical and challenging problems in the theory of Diophantine approximation, in particular to Littlewood's Conjecture, the Duffin-Schaeffer Conjecture and the generalised Baker-Schmidt problem. In the past, these three problems were thought to be unrelated. However recent advances have shown that there are substantial links, meaning that progress in one problem will have impact on others. Exploiting the links is a key feature of the programme.

Diophantine approximation is a branch of number theory that dates back to the ancient Greeks and Chinese who used good rational approximations to the number pi (3.142...) in order to predict the position of planets and stars accurately.

Today the theory is deeply intertwined with other areas of mathematics such as ergodic theory and dynamical systems. It continues to play a significant role in applications to real-world problems including those in the rapidly developing areas of electronic communications, antenna design and signal processing. For example, advances in Diophantine approximation within the last decade have been used to investigate the potential of multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technologies. These technologies have attracted attention in wireless communications for their high efficiency and reliability.

Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of EPSRC said: "EPSRC's grant will help the University of York attract outstanding researchers and extend its research network, hopefully leading to enhancements in number theory. Furthermore, the wider mathematical community in the UK and beyond will also benefit since the programme will provide valuable training for early career researchers and help their professional development."

Professor Velani said: "This programme is ambitious. Significant progress in any of the research challenges would be a major success. Six decades ago the UK became a world leader in this area. The novel nature of the proposed research will build upon the Diophantine approximation expertise in the UK and enhance the UK's leadership in the field."

Internationally-leading researchers at a number of institutions are active in similar or closely related research including those working at Brandeis, Minsk, Moscow, Mumbai, Princeton, Penn. State, Stanford, Strasbourg, Texas, Yale and Zurich. Many distinguished researchers plan to visit York in support of the intellectual aims of the programme. The diversity of the expertise they represent, together with the envisaged collaborations, will play a crucial role to its overall success.

###

Contact details

EPSRC Press Office on 01793 444404 or pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around 800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. www.epsrc.ac.uk

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

adastra holocaust remembrance day chesapeake energy dick clark death yom hashoah yolo liquidmetal

Numeracy: Easing Mathematics for Kids

Children, when taught with fun and games, find things easy to learn. They take interest in learning, if it is complemented with entertainment. If there arrives something boring, it allows them to wander their minds. The idea of ?play and learn? allows a rapid brain development at an early age. 5-10 years of age is one, when a kid can grasp a lot of things which he finds attractive and interesting and store in his memory. So it is this time that should be utilized mostly in making them learn continuously.

Some children find it difficult to grasp the mathematical concepts and formulas and deal with mathematical calculations. For this, the parents and teachers must avail them with resources that introduce them with basic concepts and tricks. These resources can be a kind of puzzle, toy or game that would enhance his numeracy power. The sensory toys of this type are good source of increasing numerical abilities of children, such as sorting, counting and subtracting. This will develop their confidence with numbers. They can then, easily deal with measures as well.

Numeracy involves representation of data in the form of diagrams, charts, graphs and tables and learning calculation skills using them. Some class room activities help children in understanding this ability. Some of them are, singing rhyming songs and poems that contain all necessary knowledge and information in an interesting style, sorting colorful pencils, recognizing and learning colors and shapes, sequencing numbers in order, classifying fruits and vegetables according to colors and sizes and playing with activity cards.

Learning mathematics through numeracy is very interesting and easy. It has two parts. First one is using it in daily life, while second one is to think, solve and practice the problem. As far as, teaching a child is concerned, he should be taught with everyday examples. Parents should make them understand the importance and use of the subject in day-to-day life. They should relate things with calculations and sorting, so as to make it easy and interesting for their child. Some of these activities can be, measuring the child?s height and showing him his growth, taking them to vendors and showing the weighing and pricing activities, making them learn how measure time in clock or temperature in an oven. Once he gets used to this environment, he will start applying the concepts in his everyday life, which will not only make him think and solve but also practice. Practical application of any knowledge is important to get expertise in it.

Writing about childrens educational resources, Zoe Robinson aims to provide readers with informative knowledge into her experience gained within this area and offer readers the chance to view a website she has experienced positively. Take a look at a collection of numeracy learning resources today.

arsenic and old lace leslie varez ward solar storms uganda the parent trap invisible children kony 2012

Storm'n Norm'n: Every Child Left Behind

By Ya?l Ossowski | Florida Watchdog

TAMPA ? Even after hours of cramming mathematical formulas, composing rough drafts and tracking down ever-elusive No. 2 pencils, there was no more excruciating experience than having to complete a state-mandated standardized test.

The teachers, worn out from their recent intensive lessons on math, reading and writing expected on the next standardized test, would arrive on test day with the latest Mary Higgins Clark novel in hand.

Anxious students entered the classroom knowing all-too-well that failing the test, which had been drilled into their heads, would mean repeating the grade ? risking total social shame.

Throughout my primary and secondary education, this was the essential feeling tied to standardized tests.

For our class, they represented a barrier to future goals and dreams, not the rubric used to measure them, whether they were yearly writing exams to pass to the next grade or the SAT and ACT to be accepted into college.

It was no surprise to hear, therefore, that 66 percent of students failed the writing portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test this year.

That led the Florida State Board of Education to do what has been done all too often ?avoid admitting failure and pass an emergency rule lowering the standards of the standardized test.

This has been met with cries of outrage from the teachers and the parents, and they have every reason to be upset with the status quo.

?Every Child Left Behind?

As a survivor of this form of standardized testing, I can attest to the fact that it is both narrow-minded and wrong.

Students with divergent strengths and passions, such as history, art or science, are made to conform to predetermined standards that simply cannot be met by the majority, evidenced by the 1.3 million students who dropped out of high school in 2010, according to the Department of Education.

It was no coincidence that friends of mine called the mandatory tests ?Every Child Left Behind,? skewing the federal program of a similar named passed into law by President George W. Bush in 2001.

For example, we look to my 10th grade writing examination question, administered by North Carolina: ?Write an article for a school newspaper about the meaning of individuality as it relates to being a member of a group.?

Now for some, this may seem quite simple. But to the majority of students, who are separated into academically gifted, remedial or sub-par ?regular? classes, the writing subject requires much more focus and detail, one that cannot solely be achieved by a standard teaching style mandated in the school curriculum.

To that end, I did not do so well on that writing exam, scoring in the lower portion of the average tier of my peers ? a sad fact for someone now paid to write.

This inspired me to reach out to a friend of mine now working as a high school English teacher in North Carolina, a studious chap who received a perfect score on the 10th grade writing test.

As a fellow survivor of the standardized testing scheme, he knew all too well the pitfalls of this method of grading students.

?What is the point of original thought if you must adhere to a standard that some administrators, far away from the classroom, have set?? he exclaimed, lamenting that teachers are required to ?teach to the test? so that students will succeed.

?What we?re doing now is filtering an entire education and way of interpreting language down to such a narrow view,? said the English teacher.

He emphasized that more than 90 percent of his students passed the latest mandatory state tests, but he could not say the same for his colleagues in the teaching faculty.

?The bubbles on the paper don?t say more than the teacher who actually spends time with the students in the classroom everyday.?

Testing the test

A similar conclusion was reached by Rich Roach, a former teacher and 15-year member of the Orange County Board of Education, who decided to conduct a standardized testing experiment later featured in the Washington Post.

Roach took the FCAT himself last year and failed dismally, getting wrong 84 percent of the math questions and only scoring 62 percent on the writing portion, which would get him a ?mandatory assignment to a double block of reading instruction,? according to Roach.

?It seems to me something is seriously wrong. I have a bachelor of science degree, two masters? degrees, and 15 credit hours toward a doctorate. I help oversee an organization with 22,000 employees and a $3 billion operations and capital budget, and am able to make sense of complex data related to those responsibilities.

?It might be argued that I?ve been out of school too long, that if I?d actually been in the 10th grade prior to taking the test, the material would have been fresh. But doesn?t that miss the point? A test that can determine a student?s future life chances should surely relate in some practical way to the requirements of life. I can?t see how that could possibly be true of the test I took,? wrote Roach.

If the highly-educated people responsible for drafting the tests cannot even pass them, what hope is left for our nation?s children?

Related (from the Washington Post)

??The math section had 60 questions. I knew the answers to none of them, but managed to guess ten out of the 60 correctly. On the reading test, I got 62%...?

When an adult took standardized tests forced on kids

Update 12/12:
QUIZ: Take part of the test that the local school board member took in the story below: Reading Quiz | Math Quiz. Questions come from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) for 10th grade.
Update 12/6:
Revealed: The school board member who took standardized test

Original post:
This was written by Marion Brady, veteran teacher, administrator, curriculum designer and author.

By Marion Brady
A longtime friend on the school board of one of the largest school systems in America did something that few public servants are willing to do. He took versions of his state?s high-stakes standardized math and reading tests for 10th graders, and said he?d make his scores public.
By any reasonable measure, my friend is a success. His now-grown kids are well-educated. He has a big house in a good part of town. Paid-for condo in the Caribbean. Influential friends. Lots of frequent flyer miles. Enough time of his own to give serious attention to his school board responsibilities. The margins of his electoral wins and his good relationships with administrators and teachers testify to his openness to dialogue and willingness to listen.
He called me the morning he took the test to say he was sure he hadn?t done well, but had to wait for the results. A couple of days ago, realizing that local school board members don?t seem to be playing much of a role in the current ?reform? brouhaha, I asked him what he now thought about the tests he?d taken.
?I won?t beat around the bush,? he wrote in an email. ?The math section had 60 questions. I knew the answers to none of them, but managed to guess ten out of the 60 correctly. On the reading test, I got 62% . In our system, that?s a ?D?, and would get me a mandatory assignment to a double block of reading instruction.
He continued, ?It seems to me something is seriously wrong. I have a bachelor of science degree, two masters degrees, and 15 credit hours toward a doctorate.
?I help oversee an organization with 22,000 employees and a $3 billion operations and capital budget, and am able to make sense of complex data related to those responsibilities.
?I have a wide circle of friends in various professions. Since taking the test, I?ve detailed its contents as best I can to many of them, particularly the math section, which does more than its share of shoving students in our system out of school and on to the street. Not a single one of them said that the math I described was necessary in their profession.
?It might be argued that I?ve been out of school too long, that if I?d actually been in the 10th grade prior to taking the test, the material would have been fresh. But doesn?t that miss the point? A test that can determine a student?s future life chances should surely relate in some practical way to the requirements of life. I can?t see how that could possibly be true of the test I took.?
Here?s the clincher in what he wrote:
?If I?d been required to take those two tests when I was a 10th grader, my life would almost certainly have been very different. I?d have been told I wasn?t ?college material,? would probably have believed it, and looked for work appropriate for the level of ability that the test said I had.
?It makes no sense to me that a test with the potential for shaping a student?s entire future has so little apparent relevance to adult, real-world functioning. Who decided the kind of questions and their level of difficulty? Using what criteria? To whom did they have to defend their decisions? As subject-matter specialists, how qualified were they to make general judgments about the needs of this state?s children in a future they can?t possibly predict? Who set the pass-fail ?cut score?? How??
?I can?t escape the conclusion that decisions about the [state test] in particular and standardized tests in general are being made by individuals who lack perspective and aren?t really accountable.?
There you have it. A concise summary of what?s wrong with present corporately driven education change: Decisions are being made by individuals who lack perspective and aren?t really accountable.
Those decisions are shaped not by knowledge or understanding of educating, but by ideology, politics, hubris, greed, ignorance, the conventional wisdom, and various combinations thereof. And then they?re sold to the public by the rich and powerful.
All that without so much as a pilot program to see if their simplistic, worn-out ideas work, and without a single procedure in place that imposes on them what they demand of teachers: accountability.
But maybe there?s hope. As I write, a New York Times story by Michael Winerip makes my day. The stupidity of the current test-based thrust of reform has triggered the first revolt of school principals.
Winerip writes: ?As of last night, 658 principals around the state (New York) had signed a letter ? 488 of them from Long Island, where the insurrection began ? protesting the use of students? test scores to evaluate teachers? and principals? performance.?
One of those school principals, Winerip says, is Bernard Kaplan. Kaplan runs one of the highest-achieving schools in the state, but is required to attend 10 training sessions.
?It?s education by humiliation,? Kaplan said. ?I?ve never seen teachers and principals so degraded.?
Carol Burris, named the 2010 Educator of the Year by the School Administrators Association of New York State, has to attend those 10 training sessions.
Katie Zahedi, another principal, said the session she attended was ?two days of total nonsense. I have a Ph.D., I?m in a school every day, and some consultant is supposed to be teaching me to do evaluations.?
A fourth principal, Mario Fernandez, called the evaluation process a product of ?ludicrous, shallow thinking. They?re expecting a tornado to go through a junkyard and have a brand new Mercedes pop up.?
My school board member-friend concluded his email with this: ?I can?t escape the conclusion that those of us who are expected to follow through on decisions that have been made for us are doing something ethically questionable.?
He?s wrong. What they?re being made to do isn?t ethically questionable. It?s ethically unacceptable. Ethically reprehensible. Ethically indefensible.
How many of the approximately 100,000 school principals in the U.S. would join the revolt if their ethical principles trumped their fears of retribution? Why haven?t they been asked?

QUIZ: How would you do on this same test taken by a school board member? Find out: Reading Quiz | Math Quiz. Questions come from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) for 10th grade. Or try your hand at questions from the National Assessment of Education Progress for fourth and eigth graders.

squirrel appreciation day billy beane kathy griffin road conditions newt gingrich wives weather gina carano