Turned it on a little late… But I’ll publish on each of the commercial breaks. The newer portions will have spelling errors, and I’ll correct and add links on commercial breaks. I’m going to just post the things that strike me – not a rundown of every little thing.

Continue Reading

I’m going to try my hand at liveblogging the Oscars… I was too late to write it up for the sites I write for, but as an employee at a studio I definitely have my favorites. So I’m gonna do it anyway. 🙂 Stay tuned.

Holy Shit!

Anna Nicole Smith Dies In Florida

POSTED: 12:04 pm PST February 8, 2007
UPDATED: 1:19 pm PST February 8, 2007

A lawyer for Anna Nicole Smith says she has died.

Smith, 39, collapsed and was unresponsive while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Cafe Hotel and Casino in Hollwood, Fla., said the attorney, Ron Rale. She was rushed to nearby Memorial Regional Hospital just after 2 p.m. EST.

Full Story Here

On a personal note, I think this is a FABULOUS idea… I saw it in beta-launch, and was really, really impressed, both by the very idea and by the site itself. Here’s the press release. I suggest that if you’re a parent, you go check it out.

NEW WEBSITE OFFERS HONEST ADVICE ON FAMILY-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS, HOTELS AND MORE

Parentography debuts, allowing parents to share opinions and advice about family-friendly excursions across town or across the country

SAN DIEGO – February 7, 2007 – Parentography (www.parentography.com) today publicly debuted the beta version of its free online service for connecting families on the go. The Parentography community provides parents with honest opinions, advice and ideas to help discover and plan family-friendly excursions near home or when traveling.

Founded by parents Tim and Noelle Ludwig after a frustrating experience of trying to find advice online about destinations in Hawaii where they could take their infant daughter, Parentography provides a forum for families to interact with each other and gather honest opinions, reviews and ratings on fun excursions from families like theirs. “Think of it as a Zagat guide for parents… real advice from other families about things to do and places to go in your own neighborhood or around the country,” says co-founder Tim Ludwig.

At Parentography, families can:
• Join a Community of Families with Similar Interests
o Interact with other families through stories, suggestions and photos
o Receive up-to-the-minute information from other parents who have ‘been there’
o Review public profiles providing family information, photos and a Parentographer biography
o Receive member emails, news alerts and notices
• Share Honest Opinions and Ideas
o Hear comprehensive advice based on families’ true-life experiences
o Read unfiltered ratings and reviews of restaurants, hotels, attractions, parks & playgrounds, kids’ services and activities
o Find advice and ideas quickly by using tags or keywords (e.g., special needs, cold weather)
o Access favorite reviewers, places and excursions with personalized bookmarking
o Receive real-time updates on people, places and activities via RSS technology
• Discover and Plan Family-Friendly Excursions.
o Discover things to do in your own hometown
o Find family-friendly activities and establishments in other U.S. cities
o Search by season, time, age, activity type and proximity to other places
o Find places and suggested itineraries on a map to see other possible stops along the way and get driving directions to each location
o Review listings of millions of U.S. businesses and attractions

About Parentography, LLC
San Diego-based Parentography is a privately-funded online community connecting parents who want tools, advice and ideas for family-friendly excursions across town or across the country. Community members can explore the free site as well as share their own experiences. Founders (and parents) Tim and Noelle Ludwig believe that taking some of the labor and guesswork out of planning an adventure gives families more time to have fun together.

# # #
Contact:
Jen Wilbur
jen@rockstarcommunications.com
619.501.3949

A family in Pinellas County, Fla., whose son was put into a large “body sock” by teachers as punishment, is considering suing the school board after an investigation found the sack was used appropriately on the boy.

Full Article

No. NONONONONONO.

First of all, it’s an instrument meant for people with disabilites to shut off the world so to speak. Kids who have disabilities like autism and such, where there is a need to turn off stimuli. The other use, according to the article, is as a learning tool for kids to learn about 3D spacial lessons about the world around them.

It is not meant to be a tool of discipline.

Let me repeat – it is not meant to be a tool of discipline.

In my opinion it’s the equivilent of putting the child in the closet for bad behavior. Y’all know, with the problems we’ve had with Joseph, I’m all for radical & unusual discipline. I have to be, as my son has issues and doesn’t respond at all to the “norm.” He actually might benefit from this kind of thing. But that would be because my son IS disabled, and DOES have stimuli issues – it would be a calming down thing for him to benefit from it, NOT a discipline thing.

And to do it WITHOUT the parents consent or knowledge? Then the board decides it was used properly, however, they’ll put the use of it in the orientation next year?

OH HELL NO.

You do not do a thing to my child without informing me. I’m called everytime there’s an issue. And like I said Joseph needs different types of discipline for it to have an effect on him. For example – one day after an episode, he had to do his homework in the principal’s office. He doesn’t like her. It had an effect on him. In addition to that – they called me (Poe in that case) and informed us. If he even has a “bad” day – no specific incidents – the teacher will email me to give me the heads up.

But NO ONE is going to discipline my child by putting them in a a body sock.

I’ll say it again. In my opinion, this is the equivilent of putting someone in the closet for punishment. It’s wrong.