The mother of an 8-year-old Arizona girl who was presented with a "Catastrophe Award" for apparently having the most excuses for not having homework believes her child was humiliated by her teacher. Christina Valdez said her daughter, Cassandra Garcia, came home one day from class at Desert Springs Academy in Tucson, Ariz., with the paper award. The document, which looks like a colorful card, contained the following message: "You're Tops! Catastrophe Award. Awarded to Cassandra Garcia. For Most Excuses for Not Having Homework." The teacher signed the card "Ms. Plowman," added the date - May 18, 2012 - and even included a smiley face. The teacher announced the award in front of the entire class, and the other students laughed at her daughter, Valdez said in a Thursday interview with ABC TV affiliate KGUN-TV in Tucson. When she contacted the school to complain, the principal "blew me off," Valdez added. "She said it was a joke that was played and that the teachers joke around with the children." But Valdez told KGUN that she didn't find any of it funny. "I think it's cruel and no child should be given an award like this. It's disturbing," she said, adding that she was not aware her daughter had a problem with homework, and that the girl had been enrolled in an after-school homework assistance program. Desert Springs Academy's principal declined to comment to a KGUN reporter, the affiliate reported.
The good: The 2012 Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 has more RAM, an improved Chrome OS, and a faster processor than the previous version. The bad: A relatively high price, the need to always be online, and the general limitations of the Chrome OS make it tough to recommend this Chromebook over a less expensive laptop or tablet. The bottom line: Despite solid hardware and a slightly improved Chrome OS, the Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 comes with far too many caveats and compromises compared with similarly priced but more capable tablets and laptops. Pricing is currently unavailable. Set price alert What is a Chromebook? One year after the debut of the first wave, most people still don't know what they are. The concept sounds cutting-edge: instead of Windows or Mac OS, just run a light browser-based "operating system" that offers access to the full range of cloud-based applications and services, including those of Google's own capable ecosystem (Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive, Calendar, and the like). And do it all on a thin and light 12-inch laptop that swaps features (no hard drive, no CD drive) for good battery life. A look at Samsung's Series 5 550 Chromebook (pictures) 1-2 of 6 Scroll Left Scroll Right Indeed, the name "Chromebook" comes from the fact that the laptop is running the so-called Chrome OS -- basically an embedded version of Google's Chrome Web browser. If you've used the Chrome browser on Windows or Mac, you know that it asks you to log in, and then it syncs your bookmarks, Google identity, Google Docs, and Google Drive files. The Chromebook works the same way, except there's no way out of that browser. Apps can run on a Chromebook, but they're Web apps: they load through the browser. (Credit: Sarah Tew) That's not to say the Chromebook can't do anything offline: it can read files and play movies and music anytime. And Chrome OS has gotten better at file compatibility PowerPoint, Word docs, Excel files, ZIP files, and PDFs all load well and look great. You can't edit documents without first uploading to Google Docs, though. Photos can be viewed and even lightly edited with brightness and contrast adjustments, rotation, and cropping. The files can be resaved or uploaded to Picasa. Our experience with the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook last year left us underwhelmed: it had smoothly running hardware and a clean operating system, but with such a limited set of uses compared with Windows, a high sticker price of over $400, and the requirement of being online to use most apps like Google Docs, the Chromebook didn't add up to a logical choice for anyone other than a Google cloud devotee. A year later, the new Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550 has slightly improved hardware and improved Chrome OS software, but its price -- a whopping $449, or $549 with a Verizon 3G wireless antenna -- is flat-out crazy.
Hundreds of thousands of jobless Americans are losing their federal unemployment benefits earlier than they expected due to new rules passed in February that make it harder for states to qualify for extended jobless aid, the New York Times reports. At the height of the recession, Congress passed a law to boost unemployment assistance to up to 99 weeks: The unemployed would receive federal money instead of state funds if they continued to be jobless past the traditional period of six months. In February, Congress extended this law, but added rules that would draw down the number of weeks the government would pay for, based on whether a state's jobless rate had decreased and other factors. Now, only three states still offer 99 weeks of assistance, and all three will stop doing so in September. [Related: Florida the stingiest state for jobless benefits] More than 5 million Americans have been out of work for more than six months, down from a high of more than 6 million two years ago. Supporters of extending benefits say they stimulate the economy and provide a crucial safety net for vulnerable workers, but those opposed say they discourage people from finding work. Meanwhile, some states, independently of the federal government, have made it more difficult for people to receive jobless benefits. The National Employment Law Project (NELP), a nonprofit that advocates for more support for unemployed people, filed suit against Florida, saying it wrongfully denied people jobless benefits. The group says only 15 percent of eligible people are receiving unemployment assistance in the state, the lowest rate in the nation. This is due in part to a new law passed last year that requires unemployed people to take an online "skills test" before qualifying to receive the roughly $275 per week in benefits, the Miami Herald reported. The state's unemployment rate has fallen to 8.7 percent from 10.6 percent a year ago. [Related: 4 degrees with 0% unemployment] On the state level, unemployment insurance is paid for by a tax on employers, and only people who were let go through no fault of their own are eligible to receive the funds.
FacebookTweetA year after their road to romance played out on television, The Bachelorette alumni Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum celebrated a year together over Memorial Day weekend. The couple jetted off to ME Cancun, a Mexican resort, where they hit the pool, sipped champagne and frozen cocktails, and partied with fellow resort goers to in-house disc jockeys DJ Ani Quinn and DJ Price. Hebert and Rosenbaum, who hope to marry soon, seemed happier than ever as they kicked back under a palapa cabana, ate chips and guacamole and took playful pictures of each other on their iPhones.
The Duchess of Cambridge navigated another royal first Tuesday when she joined Queen Elizabeth – and 8,000 other people – at a garden tea party at Buckingham Palace. Under sunny skies and an uncharacteristically warm 77 degrees, she wore a familiar outfit: the same $2,000 pink Emilia Wickstead coat dress first seen 11 days ago at the Windsor Castle lunch the Queen gave for visiting royals, and hat by Jane Corbett. Led by the Queen and Prince Philip, the royal party, including Kate, stood to attention for the National Anthem before stepping down onto the garden's lawns. Husband William, 29, was not able to attend – he's on duty in north Wales, where he is based with a Royal Air Force Search and Rescue squadron – but his grandmother did appoint him a new honor: with the title The Earl of Strathearn, he's to be a Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle. As for Kate, amid the sound of small bass bands and and some 400 staff members serving the invitees 27,000 cups of tea, 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 slices of cake, she told guests she was "slightly nervous" about walking into a sea of faces. "She congratulated us, and asked me how long I'd been in the RAF," Gareth Jones, 23, told PEOPLE about Kate's greeting to him and his brand new bride, Rebecca, just back from their honeymoon in Florida. "She seems to share a lot of empathy and genuine interest in people." Also there was Sarah Burton, designer of Kate's Alexander McQueen wedding dress. The garden party is a traditional highlight of the London spring-summer season, and Tuesday's event was the second of two being held at the Palace. The parties were started by Queen Victoria in the 1860s and have gradually evolved into a way of recognizing those who have played a role in public service. Joining the throng were the Prince of Wales and wife Camilla, the Queen's daughter Princess Anne and the Queen's youngest son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie Wessex.
After Cynthia Nixon revealed that she and Christine Marinoni tied the knot in New York City on Sunday, the newlyweds have released their wedding photo. Posing on a rooftop in the Big Apple, Nixon, 46, wore a flowing, pale green gown by Carolina Herrera and carried a bouquet of white peonies. Marinoni, 45, wore a suit with a darker green tie for the ceremony. The couple got engaged in 2009, but waited to marry until it was legal in New York state, which happened last summer. The Sex and the City actress and the education activist have a 1 ½-year-old son named Max together. Nixon also has two children from her previous relationship with photographer Danny Mozes.
Chris Hayes tried to explain his discomfort with calling our fallen military members heroes. Hayes is a very thoughtful man who now realizes that you don't mess with the characterization of the fallen during the fight against terrorism. His attempt to express his concern that tying the word "heroes" to those who lost their lives in the service of their country, puts their efforts into a context that makes it seem their sacrifice was for a worthy cause. "I feel… uncomfortable, about the word because it seems to me that it is so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war. " Hayes left room to be wrong, as he said at the end of his remarks."But it seems to me that we marshal this word in a way that is problematic. But maybe I’m wrong about that." Whether you agree or disagree with how he interprets the word "heroes", one cannot ignore the fact that Chris Hayes tried in an intellectually curious way to explore his discomfort on the air. He went on to identify how he views the use of the term. "I don’t want to obviously desecrate or disrespect memory of anyone that’s fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism, you know, hail of gunfire, rescuing fellow soldiers, and things like that. " In his apology of today he admonishes himself without justification, a rarity and one that demonstrates an understanding of how he unnerved and offended many as we celebrated Memorial Day. "On Sunday, in discussing the uses of the word “hero” to describe those members of the armed forces who have given their lives, I don’t think I lived up to the standards of rigor, respect and empathy for those affected by the issues we discuss that I’ve set for myself. I am deeply sorry for that." Full text of his remarks is linked below. It is unclear if MSNBC will take any action regarding Chris Hayes' contract with the network. He anchors his own show on weekends, "Up with Chris Hayes" on which he made his blunder as well as acting as an analyst and substitute host for the network's evening shows like "The Rachel Maddow Show" and "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell". Bill Maher famously got into hot water in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks when he disagreed with the use of the word "cowards" as it related to the terrorists who directed three airplanes into buildings and another that intended to do the same. Maher said at the time, "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building - say what you want about it. It's not cowardly." The program hosted by Maher at that time, "Politically Incorrect" was not renewed after its season ended and it put Bill Maher into the political maelstrom that surrounded the resulting invasion of Afghanistan and then the war with Iraq. Chris Hayes' discomfort as he called it with tying "heroes" to military action was really Maher's point turned 180 degrees. Maher was being precise and without emotion when he said that a suicide mission isn't cowardly, while watching bombs hit targets from a war room somewhere fits the bill better. That was not to be tolerated as the smoldering embers of the World Trade Center towers were being televised around the clock. Chris Hayes' choice of the Memorial Day weekend for examining the ties between heroes and government justification for war was bad timing as well. But, it's hard to see how anytime would be good for that intellectual exercise in the world today.
