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Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts

19 February 2014

A Truth Journal: Presidents Day: Weird Presidents and Fun Trivia







A Truth Journal: Presidents Day: Weird Presidents and Fun Trivia:

From Denny:  Presidents' Day comes and goes in a flash.  Some years it's wildly popular generating interesting articles and other years, well, no one cares.  Seems like this year is one of those off years for interest, especially with the winter Olympics in full swing in Sochi, Russia, garnering so much attention.

Poking around online I found some amusing - and downright weird - facts about the U. S. Presidents you may not know - just when you thought you heard it all.  Yeah, trivia kings and queens live at our house.

Let Good Times Roll 17 Inch Laptop Sleeve

Let Good Times Roll celebrates Mardi Gras all year long!

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Vintage Bicycle 17 Inch Laptop Sleeve

Vintage Bicycle, a curious blast from the past, to warmly decorate the present.

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06 November 2012

A Truth Journal: Will Your Kids' Mock Election Votes Influence Your Vote?






From Denny:   As a way to teach students the election process mock elections occurred across the country last week.  Right here in Louisiana, involving 88,600 students across the state from 280 public, private and home schooling, they voted President Obama into a second term.  Louisiana broke for Obama by a margin of 51.29 percent to Romney's 48.71 percent.

From Angie Franklin, the gifted program teacher at Peabody Montessori in Alexandria, Louisiana,  "Our objective was to make sure the kids here in the school knew what the election process was.  And why it's so important, every four years, to vote."

- - - To read more click on the title link - - -



Lulu Name Large Mug


Lulu feels special when you drink coffee with her in the morning! - check out more pet name designs!

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Louie Name Round Ornament

Funny Louie deserves his own Christmas ornament to show him how special he is!  - check out more pet name designs!

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11 August 2012

Dennys Funny Quotes: Scotland Govt Shut Down Child Food Critic of School Lunches But She Rebounds Anew




Dennys Funny Quotes: Scotland Govt Shut Down Child Food Critic of School Lunches But She Rebounds Anew: From Denny:  A couple of months ago this happened:  Can you believe this crazy stunt?  A precocious nine-year-old, Martha Payne, decides she is fed up with the poor standard of school lunches so she starts photographing them.  Then she put them up on her blog, Never Seconds.

She is quite the observant food critic too.  She spots ugly things like hair in her food.  Oddly enough, she actually liked this garbage on a plate in this photo.  Kids do love mac 'n' cheese and jello, and, to her, these were infrequent treats.

On Martha's blog school kids from other countries sent her photos of their school lunches.  They certainly don't look as bare as this plate.  Apparently, Scottish kids actually like - and will eat radishes - not so here in America.  Radishes are great for your sinuses and good for staving off colds.  Since she lives in a cold climate it's good she enjoys them.

This plucky little girl hails from a Scottish coastal town called Lochgilphead which is about 130 miles west of  Edinburgh.  She caused quite a stir in her area by revealing the awful food truth.

Normal is Boring iPhone 4 Slider Case


Throw out your funny challenge of the day - Normal is Boring... Step Aside

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13 October 2011

Dennys Funny Quotes: Funny Halloween Town Names in America

Scary PumpkinImage by solyanka via FlickrFrom Denny:  Want to scare your pants off with a new address?  Who knew that a town's name could be so creepy - just in time for Halloween.
Dennys Funny Quotes: Funny Halloween Town Names in America: From Denny: Want to scare your pants off with a new address? Who knew that a town's name could be so creepy - just in time for Halloween.
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11 March 2011

Memory Tricks For Your Brain: Visualizing



From Denny: When you are a student there always seems to be endless dates and quotes to remember. And you know you will probably never see those same inconsequential offenders ever again for the rest of your entire life - and that of everyone you know. :)

When I was a little girl I used to get yelled at for doing these short stories in my head to help me remember things. My parents thought me weird. OK, I even got yelled at in a play writing class when I was one of two juniors in a class with grad students. The professor was some miffed he needed two more bodies to fill the class or he wouldn't get paid that semester for the class.

So, he was no fan of the Undergrad Two and rode us constantly. He was thoroughly exasperated as to how I was not crumbling up wads of paper and throwing them in the waste can (pre-computer days) or thoroughly frustrated while going through the supposedly torturous writing process.

I told him I write in my head. He looked at me like I was from Mars. I told him when the movie was finished in my head, after re-writing the scenes, then I would put it down on paper. And I did. He liked the little one-act play and was forever silent on what to him was a very foreign and unorthodox writing process.

I sure do love technology. It's as if I was born for tech. The keyboard can almost keep up with my flying fingers and rapid thoughts. However, since I'm a right-brained type who figured out how to live in a left-brained world, I also know there are a lot of left-brain types who struggle with visualization. It's downright torturous for them.

You might be one of those people who never learned well or easily how to do this for yourself. While I don't expect you to write a movie in your head, you may find this short video quite useful for improving your memory under pressure.

Right-brained people can profit from this video as well.  You might be someone who thinks in pictures but has problems sounding coherent in a left-brained environment.   This process can help organize your thoughts to come out of your mouth in a more efficient way for people to be able to relate to what you are discussing.

You probably already know about how to take a word or phrase you want to remember - but it's so damned dull your brain starts to snooze - so you have to come up with a memory trick to make it exciting for your brain to retain it. This video shows you the basic process to get going on it. The rest is up to you to experiment with it, adjusting it to your personality to create a great fit. Have some fun and Happy Writing In Your Head! :)


08 November 2010

Is That A UFO In The Sky Or A Planet?

Check out the unusual night to early morning sky this month.



From Denny:  Talk about funny. At our house when we were star gazing off the back porch early in the morning this past week we sure were wondering what was going on in the sky above us. Was there actually a UFO sighting? It sure looked bizarre.

Turns out that the planet Venus is low in the sky on the morning horizon, shining brightly its light due to the extended daylight savings time. So, do try to resist the urge to run on down to your local police station to report your very first UFO sighting. :) Oh, well, so much for debunking the fun speculation at our house - and now yours.

Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss. It sure is more fun to speculate. Of course that isn't going to stop the heavy call volume at local planetariums, observatories, weather offices and, yes, maybe even police stations that will be getting peppered with excited or anxious inquiries. Venus will be low in the sky for a couple of weeks so enjoy the planetary version of a UFO sighting.

The UFO sighting idea stemmed from viewing this dazzling silvery-white star-type object that suddenly made an appearance in the sky about 30 minutes before sunrise on 3 November. It was located just above the east-southeast horizon. Since then it has climbed higher in the sky on following mornings.

I have to admit the late sunrise combined with Venus so low on the eastern horizon is a real jolt to what usually is considered normal. Did you know that since daylight savings time extended into the first week of November 2008, sunrises at this time occur later - than even in the dead of winter? In some parts of the country sunrise does not occur until as late as 8 A.M.

Did you know the simple way to judge a 10 degree difference of how a planet rises in the sky is to hold up your clenched fist at arm's length? The portion of the sky that your clenched fist covers is about 10 degrees.

By 16 November Venus will have climbed about 20 degrees higher in the sky. By 25 November Venus will climb about 27 degrees. By the end of November the beautiful shining planet of Venus will hang up in the sky by about 30 degrees higher at sunrise. Venus will rise a good three hours before the sun by then. If you think Venus is bright now just keep looking up. On your morning commute to work you will find that Venus shines brighter and brighter during the month for quite an impressive early morning show.

Venus is closer to Earth this month - about 25 million miles - and moving much faster across the background stars. That's probably why so many people thought it was a UFO sighting since Venus is moving at such a rapid rate in comparison to the rest of the stars.

This photo was taken on 16 May 2010 with a  crescent moon and planet Venus in Mudanjiang City, in northeast China.

A dazzling Venus could prompt a flurry of UFO sightings. Since 3 November the planet is now fully visible and is not quite so scary just shining a mysterious light. For exact locations in the night sky you can check out this Sky Map for Nov 2010.


Skywatching Tips: Observing Venus Without Staring at the Sun

Moon Appears to Eat Venus in New Photos

Sky Map for Nov 2010


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*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

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Beautiful Illustrated Quotations - spiritual quotes, philosophy
Poems From A Spiritual Heart - poetry
The Healing Waters - health news
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Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes - humor

09 January 2010

Most Popular Posts 2009 at The Soul Calendar

Check out the most popular posts this year that concentrated on news about the brain and astronomy.



From Denny: Thank you for your support this year! So many interesting articles to write about science news and so little time to produce them... This year it was fascinating to write about the strides science has made in understanding more about the brain. Illusions are always great fun to ponder too. Astronomy is the universe without and the brain is the universe within. :)

Check out these popular posts too:  Most Popular Posts 2010 at The Soul Calendar


Here's the most popular posts for 2009:


Fun Cartoon Review: Happy New Year!

Video: How Weird Would Earth Look with Saturns Rings?

Rare Blue Moon Shines on New Years Eve, Origin of 6 Meanings

Check Out Cosmic Generator Producing Energy at Rate of 100K Suns

Slamming Low-Ride Satellite Maps Earths Magnetic Field

Funny Halloween Quotes, Halloween Cartoon

Brain: Free Printable Brain Teasers Are Used In Business As Motivational Tools

10 Funny Quotes, Late Night Show Funnies, Spiritual Thought of the Day, Why Obama Deserves Nobel Peace Prize

Astronomy: Butterfly Nebula

Fingerprint Science Project for Kids

5 Funny Quotes That Spit on Death

Astronomy: Hand of God Nebula

Just How Do You Store All That Sun Power From the Solar Panels Anyway?

Brain: Relationship of Thinning of Brain's Cortex Linked to Depression


Video: Test Your Moon Trivia, Learn Whats in Your Night Sky

Can You Really Separate the Liars from the Truth-Tellers?

Astronomy: Photo of Our Galactic Center!

How Senator Ted Kennedy Affected Your Life in America

3 Octupi Videos: Escape of the Shapeshifting Octupus

Video: Who Lives in the 11th Dimension?

Millions Watch Solar Eclipse: Awe and Fear

10 Things You Didn't Know About the Apollo Landing

40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing

Video: Nuclear Weapons, Who Has Them and How Much?

CNN: Japanese Fishermen Brace for Giant Jellyfish

Brain: Our Culture Influences How Our Brains Function

Brain: Can Science Rekindle Romantic Flames?

Brain: Synchronized Brain Waves Focus Our Attention

Cool Optical Illusion: Rotating Circles

3 Abstract Optical Illusions

Coming Soon: Photographic Memory in a Pill?

Did an ice age boost human brain size?

Video: Children Who Are Spanked Have Lower IQs

Brain: Creative Problem Solving with SCAMPER - over at Lite Mind blog that looks for ways to use our minds efficiently

18 November 2009

7 Funny Quotes About Reading Habits



Reading Upside Down Photo by garryknight @ flickr

From Denny: Today, and every Wednesday, is Cheeky Quote Day over at The Social Poets, one of my many blogs where I dance on the airwaves. Here's a sampling of what's going on today:

Quotes

* A classic is something that everybody wants to have read
and nobody wants to read. ~ Mark Twain ~

* Never lend books, for no one ever returns them;
the only books I have in my library are books
that other folks have left me. ~ Anatole France ~

* I read the newspaper avidly. It is my one form of continuous fiction. ~ Aneurin Bevan ~

* Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore? ~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

* Outside a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside a dog, it's too dark to read.
~ Groucho Marx ~

* Books are the blessed chloroform of the mind. ~ Robert Chambers ~

* Never judge a book by its movie.
~ J. W. Eagan ~


*** To read a bonanza of funny quotes like this, hike on over to The Social Poets for Cheeky Quote Day to get some more grins, go here.

*** Thanks for visiting and come back often! :)

15 October 2009

Video: Meet the Human Calculator

From Denny: This guy, Scott Flansburg, is impressive. He's the Guinness World Record Holder of the fastest human calculator. What is more impressive is he says he has learned to see numbers in a new way than can revolutionize how we teach math to our children. Now that got my attention! He calls his just discovered new math trick The Nine Equation.

What he's talking about is that currently kids are taught math through rote memorization which makes no sense. He is teaching a technique of how to work math that it does make sense, turning on the calculator portion of our brains.

Flansburg is out promoting The American Math Challenge to get kids excited about math: AmericanMathChallenge and Mathletics. By the way, in this generation of girls, they have caught up statistically with their male peers in math!

27 July 2009

Video: Who Lives in the 11th Dimension? Parallel Universes

From Denny: OK, this was a cool little video of scientists discussing what kind of life we might find in the 11th dimension. Parallel universes are back in fashion again to dream about and wonder. Listen in on their speculations...

"Scientists discuss what sort of life could be found in the eleventh dimension. With talk of world of lightning bolts, electricity, unstable atoms and more, this video from BBC show 'Parallel Universe' is full of mind-bending theories to set your imagination racing."



BBC space Parallel Universe Science Physics Awesome Free Education Video Weird Wow Astronomy Einstein Formulas

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10 July 2009

Astronomy Video: Sipping Coffee from Unusual Mug in Weightless Space

From Denny: Did you see this video yet? An astronaut sips coffee from an unusually designed mug to accommodate weightlessness in space. He explains how the mug works to enable an astronaut to drink coffee without resorting to the old school way of sipping out of a plastic bag. They use this mug design for rocket fuel tanks too. Really interesting; take a listen!



NASA space weightless coffee mug fuel tanks rockets technology astronaut video

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25 June 2009

Happy Birthday to One Talented Trumpeter!



Jeanne "Gabriel" Pocius, left, with Haiti's Minister of Culture, Director of Music Programs, Florence Elie in June 2009

From Denny: Happy Birthday to a dear friend in Boston, Massachusetts by the name of Jeanne Pocius! She’s a classical musician, teaches and tutors trumpet to adults and children alike. Like a lot of public school music teachers she recently experienced the budget slashing of her music program - and their teachers. Goodbye job. To her credit and good character, she still went out there and performed for several charity benefits that raised money for her local school system because she believes that much in a quality public school education.

It's a shame to put our best teachers out on the street. Through music kids develop a personal discipline that will stay with them for a lifetime. A love of music will also help with the adult years ahead when they are feeling stressed during tough times.

The musician’s life can be a tough one and hers is no exception. They go from gig to gig to pay the bills, never able to put down roots any where. Again, to her credit - since she adores teaching children - she connected up with some missionaries in Haiti who were participating in the country’s culture program of teaching music to their children. Jeanne now goes to Haiti several times a year to teach: for free.

Haiti is one of the poorest nations on the planet and yet they have a Minister of Culture who has created a free program to teach music to children. “Do ya think?” that maybe America could take a page out of their playbook?

A few years ago my very talented friend wrote a wonderful book called “Trumpeting by Nature: An Efficient Guide to Optimal Trumpet Performance" [UNABRIDGED] (Paperback or Kindle edition) that is most useful for both beginning children and adults, full of lots of photos to help demonstrate technique.

I’m featuring this book in The Social Poets Amazon book store under Books on Music (just look above the posts area for the store banner in orange) as it is informative and practical teaching for both the amateur and professional alike. You may have a budding musician in the house or a relative who plays on the weekends and feels stuck on a plateau of playing ability and wants to advance, then this book is a great gift, easy to read.

Cover of "Trumpeting by Nature: An Effici...Cover via Amazon



Reviews at Amazon

"Everything You Wanted To Know About How The Heck To Get a Note Out

P. Olguin (Whittier, CA) All I can say is WOW. This is a complete reference, with illustrations and thorough explanations of how to achieve the optimum set-up for yourself. As a working professional musician, I am always looking for tips on how to make my playing more efficient, more musical, more powerful. It doesn't matter what level you're on, you will learn a great deal here. The best part is, although this book is quite thorough, it is not some dogmatic, rigid, my-way-or-the-highway approach to playing. Jeanne's approach is a flexible (like one's playing should be) cafeteria-style menu of information, technique, philosophy and encouragement. This is destined to be a classic, and rightfully so.

Calling all trumpeters

Martin J. Rooney (Boston MA) This is a great book for any level trumpet player. This book will absolutely help any trumpet player improve their playing. Clear, concise, and best of all, IT WORKS! Text is excellent and the photos, which are top quality, illustrate her points very well.

I truly have seen everything :-}

Wilmer Wise (Brooklyn, NY) My copy of Jeanne G. Pocius "Trumpeting by Nature" came today. WOW! In clear English Jeanne has addressed every question a trumpet player may have. The fonts are great for the older comeback player. It's a sight for sore eyes.

I Wish I Had This 25 Years Ago!

Ralph Longo (Beverly, MA) For those of us who learned to play the trumpet incorrectly or inefficiently, this book is a revelation... What is in this book will help you learn to play at your highest level for a lifetime."

Jeanne is one of those child prodigies that can play over 10 instruments, though concentrates on the trumpet. Nothing is more fun than getting a phone call on your birthday and on the other end is this trumpet playing Happy Birthday like it’s a live concert! Now that’s unique! She is always serenading those close to her, blessing us with the sweet melody of her music. She is a fun and friendly person which is why children respond so well to her; she makes music fun!

Jeanne is available to play weddings for those of you in the Boston area. When other musicians run late (read that as they don’t show up on time when the wedding has started) she pitch-hits the other instruments to make sure the wedding is perfect; talk about a work ethic!

Jeanne also tutors both children and adults. She has tutored people from all over the world who visit regularly to brush up on their technique (and moral support). She can be contacted through Skype: (617) 326-7824 SKYPE ID: jeanne.gabriel.pocius. And Jeanne’s Email: jgpocius@yahoo.com.

Spread the word, folks, and let’s support the arts by supporting talented musicians and teachers!

Happy Birthday, Jeanne!


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07 June 2009

Education: How Gifted Children Are Assessed

IQ Brainy Toys for Brainy KidsImage by Kyle Jones via Flickr



How Gifted Children Are Assessed:

"It takes more than test scores that indicate whether or not a child is gifted. While IQ tests are certainly a factor in determining giftedness, they're not everything. It's also important to note than few professionals are specifically trained to assess gifted children. The gifted child has special education and emotional needs. If you suspect your child may be gifted, find a qualified professional with experience in working with gifted kids.

Testing involves administering standardized tests that report results in numbers. The information provided from tests is limited. Assessment is more interactive and requires a highly trained and experienced evaluator."

By Lela Davidson @ HubPages

From Denny: Useful information for every parent to understand how their child is evaluated. Just click on the title link to take you to the rest of the article.

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28 May 2009

Physics: How Does That Martial Arts Bed of Nails Really Feel?

From Denny: OK, these guys got MY attention with this nail bed demo. When I lived in Taiwan during high school I often saw interesting demos like this one from local martial arts experts during public festivals.

Here Popular Science breaks it down as to the physics and what they think it's all about. While part of what the science guys say is true there really is a spriritual component as well. Anyway you look at it, whew! Talk about an extreme sport!



"The Breakdown looks at the physics of a remarkable feat

Is this a death-defying demonstration requiring a level of mastery only arrived at after years of intensive martial arts training, or is it a theatrical display based more on physics than on chi? In order to answer that question, just take a look at the second video. Those guys haven't spent years in the dojo as far as we know, but they do know a little bit about fundamental principles of physics." - Popular Science

Just click on the title link to take you to Popular Science's article or go here.

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13 April 2009

Math: Comparison helps children grasp math concepts

Child In Time album coverImage via Wikipedia

From Denny: This is a great follow-up article to Saturday's.
Do you want your child to become a flexible problem-solver? According to this study the most effective way to achieve that goal is to teach a child to compare various ways to solve that math problem by comparing various drawbacks or benefits. Learning to solve a problem in more than just one way as is traditionally taught causes a mind to become more flexible.

They also found out that the children in the study were also more accurate in their solutions when they practised comparison solving, even when the problem involved estimation.

For more details in the article, just click on the title link.

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11 April 2009

Math: Explaining basic concepts behind math problems improves children's learning

MathScriptorImage via Wikipedia

From Denny: Whew! Well, it's about time to do the obvious if you want kids to really learn what's going on and why! What took the educators so long to figure out kids are capable of learning concepts?

Following is an excerpt. Just click on the title link for more of this very interesting study.

"New research from Vanderbilt University has found students benefit more from being taught the concepts behind math problems rather than the exact procedures to solve the problems. The findings offer teachers new insights on how best to shape math instruction to have the greatest impact on student learning...

In math class, teachers typically demonstrate a procedure for solving a problem and then have children practice solving related problems, often with minimal explanation for why things work."

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24 March 2009

Physics: Spooky Physics



Photo by mikeleary83 @ flickr

Spooky Physics: "Entangled particle research has largely been ignored and left unexplored by science because it shows a variance in the very theories of physics that we depend on in many fields of study. Einstein coined the term “spooky physics” in regard to entanglement because it defied his theories and though he knew it to exist he did not choose to understand it or to focus on that aspect of physics.

Some scientist believe entangled particles to be the basis of our memories or conscious mind. Some romantics believe it to be basis for 'soul mates.' What ever the relationship, it is a fascinating theory that will start to reveal itself more and more as we shift towards 'new age' thinking; a connectedness of the mind and mindful thinking."

By focus on living @ HubPages

From Denny: Fascinating subject! I'm always bemused at how scientists keep trying to redefine the spiritual as something else. It is engaging to watch the vocabulary dance as they rename and deconstruct a huge subject with infinite layers. So now the connectedness of spirituality is called "entangled particle physics."

This new vocabulary does suggest another article I read about how humanity is moving toward right brain dominance and away from left brain control. The right brain handles linking of many concepts and can synthesize disparate elements into an innovative new situation or object like art.

Maybe scientists are beginning to use their right brain thinking more to help understand many layered concepts that defy the plodding attitude of the left brain. It seems the science community is in a transition of sorts. Where it leads is still a mystery. I like a good mystery! The journey is the most fun part of all.

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15 March 2009

Bad News for Teachers: Research Says Doodling Boosts Concentration

Various doodles drawn during an afternoon math...Image via Wikipedia



"Doodling isn’t the distraction it’s commonly thought to be, researchers say–in fact, it aids concentration, and memory. A new study suggests that doodling takes up just enough attention to keep the brain from wandering further afield, explains lead researcher Jackie Andrade.

'If someone is doing a boring task, like listening to a dull telephone conversation, they may start to daydream. Daydreaming distracts them from the task, resulting in poor performance. A simple task, like doodling, may be sufficient to stop daydreaming without affecting performance on the main task' [BBC News], Andrade says."

From Denny: As a class "A" doodler I now hearby feel vindicated. These days it's called mind mapping. :) Seriously, it does make sense for people to doodle because of one thing: the brain thinks in pictures!

What's fun about doodling is that the images are symbols of detailed meanings specific to that one person. You have your own encrypted code! You have to know the person well in order to hack their internal computer.



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30 January 2009

Fingerprint Science Project for Kids




Fingerprint Science Project for Kids - For parents who enjoy or teach science this is an easy, informative and fun project to do with your children!

By Lela Davidson
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