It's just a shame kids aren't encouraged to read at younger ages. In the high school English class I volunteer for, few of the kids have ever read a book. Most of them turn their text books in at the end of the year still plastic wrapped. ...and think that alone should make their teachers give them a higher grade....

But, I have found that it's easier to get them to read what they consider the unpleasant stuff by first giving them really great titles, such as 'Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom' (I had a girl of 15 who ran with a really tough group of kids and she would hide this on herself because while she loved the book, she didn't want any of her "friends" to know she could read), and also 'World War Z' (given to a boy who was glued to it for a month solid, and then started writing his own zombie stories). Kids have to have a chance to read stuff that appeals to their own tastes or reading will forever remain something that is negative in their minds.

Cry -

Yr qtng wstng wtr wth ncssry s. Whr d y vn cmpr drnkng wtr t wstng t by "pntng" th hs?

Yr nlgy s wk nd flwd.

Virtually nil? How many kids are there in America? In Canada? Britain? So, each of these kids get a gallon of water to waste and that becomes how much water used by lazy parents?

There are far better uses for water than this. Why not teach them about recycling paper by mixing a some shredded paper with water? Less than a cup of water is needed to make a single cookie cutter sized shape. You can even mix in seeds and teach kids about planting - the paper pulp nourishes the seeds as they start growing. Not only have they not wasted water, they've learned about recycling, planting, and making their own greeting cards.

Wow, what a waste of water. While your kid is busing wasting water, do you delightfully mull over the large population in the world who DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER?

I had the benefit of seeing the Capuchin tomb in Rome. It is beautiful the respect this order has for death.

@ suboptimal

You stated that: "They should have the choice of participating in modern society and adopting modern technology if they want to."

This smacks heavily of imperialistic righteousness. Who said our "modern" way of life is the only right way to live? Our modern methods are sucking this planet dry of resources, too many people live in poverty and can't get either food or medical treatment despite the gross wealth accumulated by a small percentage of the population.

And that: "I like to think that if I was one of those people I might be frightened at first, but later pretty glad to have been introduced to the entire world of possibilities outside my little rain forest territory."

You think these people are unhappy simply because they can't cruise through McDonald's for a burger and soda on their way home to watch hours of television with a house full of pointless consumer goods? Why exactly shouldn't they be happy with their lives just as they are? Is it because you couldn't be happy with that, so then no else has that right either?

People still care what celebrities say?

Does this mean she's undead now? She was dead. Rigor mortis set in. She came back to life. That means undead, I say we watch her for signs of rage infected monkeys or space radiation.

Not many people know that California led the witch-hunts for "Reds" way before McCarthy got that stick shoved up his rear. This isn't surprising it's taken this long, my state has long been led and ruled by very conservative people. And when those people get frightened about something it ends with stupid laws that never get repelled.

Deivantart? How pedestrian sirkowski, the real unnerving material is on Rule 34. ;)

I've always adored John Waters. Since I was a little girl (eh, my parents were pretty liberal about what I was allowed to watch and read) I've enjoyed listening to him. I wonder what his appeal is to other girls?

A coworker and I were caught out in the field and had neither money nor a lunch on us. The school we'd been called to was a private one and allowed one of these taco trucks to pull onto the campus so the kids could buy their lunch. When the owner of the truck saw my coworker and I (we're with an outreach program so we have a mobile van our program runs out of) we got to talking and when he realized our situation he told us he'd fix us up. When he came back he was carrying two plates heaped with the best lunch ever! And he gave it to us for free.

I hope for his sake, and others like him, this thing doesn't pass.