Red Carpet Dress Code

Who were the good the bad and the ugly at this years Oscars?

Notice anything unusual about the men?

Should the Oscar's have a Dress Code like the Grammys?

How does this Dress code compare to Talawanda's:

Rule 14. Dress and Appearance 

Dress and grooming should be neat, clean, and appropriate. It should not constitute a safety or health hazard or be such that it might hamper the educational process. The faculty and administration will have the responsibility of deeming what is appropriate for the health and safety of all persons involved in all aspects of Talawanda High School.  

First Offense: verbal warning and student will be required to correct the infraction before returning to class. 

Second Offense: Discipline will be issued based on severity of the infraction and student will be required to correct the infraction before attending classes  

In order to promote an environment conducive to learning, the standard for personal appearance prohibits the following:

- Low-cut or see through clothing
- Skirts, skorts, and dresses shorter than mid-thigh, even with leggings worn underneath.    For skirts, skorts, and dresses with slits, the slit must meet the above standard.
- Pants with holes or tears above mid-thigh
- Pajama pants or house slippers
- Visible undergarments
- Spiked jewelry or long linked chains
- Exposed midriffs and/or lower backs
- Halter-tops, muscle shirts, mesh shirts, and/or spaghetti straps
- Spandex or spandex-like shorts or pants
- Hats, bandanas
- Items that display or allude to inappropriate language or graphics representing any type of alcohol, tobacco, violence, illicit drugs, sex, or deemed to be disruptive to the educational
process.

Would these 'Stars' be sent home from THS?

How about FLOTUS (First Lady of The United States)?

Retire or Rehire?

Pope Benedict XVI announced today that he would resign his position as the head of the Roman Catholic Church on February 28, shocking the Christian world and even those close to him. Benedict, 85, explained that because of his advanced age and diminishing strength, he didn't feel he could carry on the job.  The 265th Pontiff, Benedict will be the first leader of the Church to step down voluntarily in almost six centuries.

This begs the question:  How old is too old to keep working?

Millions of people in their 50s and 60s are unemployed; some have retired but many wish they were still working. Research shows that older people have much to offer, particularly as educators and child care providers.

How can the talents and experience of older workers be put to good use? Would it be smart for temp agencies and internship and fellowship programs to recruit more older people? 

Read what the experts say and you decide.

What Would Martin Do?

In his short lifetime, Martin Luther King Jr. was a model of nonviolence. We can only imagine now how he would have reacted to the random violence of the last year, what kind of leadership he would have provided as we struggle to respond to the mass murders in Sandy Hook, Aurora and elsewhere.

King, of course, was himself the victim of gun violence. His life was ended at the age of 39 by an escaped convict who bought a high-powered rifle under a false name without being required to show so much as a driver’s license.

He would have turned 84 this year and, if he had lived, would certainly have provided wisdom based on his chief principle of nonviolence. 

What would he have said? What would Martin have done?

What would he have said about allowing guns in school zones, as Rep. Thomas Massie of Northern Kentucky and others want to do?

What would he have said about posting armed guards at the doors of every school, as the NRA proposes?

What would he have said about the general availability of high-capacity, rapid-fire weaponry designed to kill people in large numbers?

Would you agree or disagree with Dr. King?  What do others say?

Gun Control and the 2nd Amendment

Amid discussion in Washington of new gun-control measures, the NRA releases an online ad that cites the Secret Service protection of Sasha and Malia Obama as an example of how President Obama is a 'hypocrite' on guns.

Is it wrong for NRA to drag Obama's daughters into gun-control fight?

Everything You Need To Know About Obama’s Gun Violence Prevention Proposals.

China Keeps Tight Grip On Media

A man buys the latest edition of Southern Weekly at a newsstand near the newspaper's headquarters in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, on Thursday. The staff at the influential weekly rebelled to protest censorship by government officials; the newspaper was published Thursday after a compromise that called for relaxing some intrusive controls.

Listen to the rest of the story.

Read more on how a feisty Chinese newspaper stood up for press freedom.

Write a summary of the News Article.

Year in Rap

• What makes one news story more “important” than another?
• What are the characteristics of a news story that might make it important for more than one day?
• What would be on your list of the top 5 to 10 news stories of 2011? Why?

Open my copy of The New York Times-

Suddenly I am feelin’ like Busta Rhymes!

From Casey Anthony winning her case,

to Charlie Sheen and his fall from grace.

— The first four lines of one of the winning raps from our 2011 “Year in Rap” contest.

Enter this years Rap Contest... Read the rules here.

Occupied Minds

Far from the safe shores of San Francisco, Dajani and Michaelis explore the possibilities of lasting peace in the Middle East by interviewing leading activists, government officials and civilians on both sides of the conflict.