Niemat’s worry about Darfuri people in the camps

Dear Shannah,  All the talk of progress in Sudan masks a horrific truth: Unprecedented levels of rape and sexual violence threaten women and girls on a daily basis. Next year’s elections could spark more instability and violence, and our contacts inside Darfur and Sudan tell us women and girls may pay the highest price. Help Save Darfur speak out for the silenced victims of genocide by making a generous tax-deductible donation right now. Save Darfur works directly with activists like Niemat Ahmadi to monitor events on the ground and get information. Niemat told me, “The enemies are everywhere, the terror is unrelenting, and the tragedy of these awful years has fallen especially heavily on both the women of Darfur—and, with more horror than my words could possibly convey—the girls.”  In the weeks leading up to Sudan’s first elections in over 24 years, we urgently need your help to speak up for the women and girls of Darfur. Your donation will give Save Darfur the resources we need to:   Give activists on the ground a megaphone so that their voices cannot be ignored;  Donate now so that we can be that megaphone the people of Darfur and all of Sudan so desperately need. https://donate.savedarfur.org/08/electionsndNiemat wanted to make sure I told you—your efforts are working. She talks of the indictment of President Bashir, of the global pressure on his regime, and of the increased number of UNAMID peacekeepers in the region.But then she says, “These are not the greatest measure of your impact. Hope is. That is the gift you are giving to the women and girls of Darfur.” Don’t let these women and girls down. Please make a generous contribution to support this movement today. On behalf of Niemat and the rest of the amazing activists whose outreach your donations are supporting—thank you for standing by Save Darfur at this critical moment in our fight for peace. My best, Jerry Fowler President, Save Darfur Coalition Petition, rally, and lobby the U.S. government and the United Nations to increase peacekeeping forces in Darfur, to help protect the millions of women and girls there; Develop and distribute reports and benchmarks for fair elections in Sudan; and Pressure the world to isolate and ultimately arrest indicted war criminal Sudanese President Bashir.

Recipe of the day

Louisiana Citrus Crepes

Classroom Projects for Cold Winter Days

Classroom Projects for Cold Winter DaysCome in from the cold! Students can make plenty of snowy projects while warm and toasty inside! Celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a creative lesson plan about this famous civil rights leader. Learn about penguins. Kids are sure to enjoy creative lessons about these amazing flightless birds. Visit Crayola.com for more winter project ideas and check out the Crayola Dream-Makers® 2009-2010 Annual Children’s Art Exhibition—the submission deadline has been extended to January 31, 2010. Crayola has also joined the Partnership for 21st Century Skills—learn more about this initiative at www.21stcenturyskills.org. Let it Snow!   Visual Voices: Speak Up for Creativity This year’s Crayola Annual Children’s Art Exhibition is the perfect way to showcase students’ imaginations. We want students (K-12) to take the theme “Visual Voices: Speak up for Creativity” and create artwork inspired by the importance of speaking up for creativity in the world. A select sample of submitted artwork will be exhibited at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and its offices around the country. For more thought starters, rules, prize information and more, visit www.Crayola.com/artexpo. Deadline for submissions has been extended to January 31, 2010. Crayola Joins the Partnership for 21st Century Skills The partnership for 21st Century Skills is a national organization that advocates the integration of knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the 21st century community and workplace. Skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication are integrated into core academic subjects such as mathematics, reading, science and history. The results ensure that every child graduates prepared for life and work. Find out more about the Partnership for 21st Century Skills at www.21centuryskills.org. Spotlight on the Crayola Glow Dome™ Your wildest creations come to life with Crayola Glow Dome! Create a cool space scene, a fiery volcano or a dangerous undersea mission! Make it spin! Make it glow! You can get cool tracing guides or draw whatever you can dream up! Click here to learn more. More Playful Learning! The Crayola Dry-Erase Activity Center has a clear writing and drawing surface that allows you to slide in preprinted pages underneath the window. Click here for more information and hundreds of activity sheets for hours of playful learning!     Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — January 18 Martin Luther King Milestones Speaking Up for What’s Right   Winter Salty Snow Silhouette Winter Weather Wonders Winter Moves   Penguin Awareness Day – January 20 Penguin on the Ice Triarama Penguin Parade Penguin Species         CRAYOLA CREATIVE WORKSHOP Let Alison and Liana show your students some creative science with supplies from your art box and mom’s kitchen cabinets. Click here to watch the video and start experimenting. For written instructions, click here.     MORE CREATIVE ACTIVITIES Build your own coloring pages on Crayola.com with Create & Color! Print out these craft sheets for more seasonal fun. Winter Day Mini Book Coloring Page Snowman Coloring Page Sledding in the Snow Wonderful Winter Coloring Page Spokesperson for Freedom Coloring Page Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Coloring Page Penguins Coloring Page Hot and Cold Coloring Page/a> #10 Blizzard Blue Coloring Page       THE CRAYOLASTORE.COM SPECIAL OFFER Restock your classroom inventory and take advantage of cool winter savings! Take 15% off your entire purchase at CrayolaStore.com. Enter TEACH15 at checkout for savings. Hurry, because this offer expires January 31!       Colorfully yours,     The Crayola.com Team P.S. We hope you enjoyed receiving this message. However, if you’d prefer not to receive future mailings from Crayola.com, visit our passport update center to modify your newsletter preference and click the Submit button to no longer be a part of our mailing list.Crayola® 1100 Church Lane, P.O. Box 431, Easton, PA 18044 | Privacy Policy | Chevron® |

Cool site for our little cello players

http://www.littlecellist.com/page/index

Recipe of the day

Candy Cane Cake

Recipe of the day

Chunky Chocolate Brownies

Recipe of the day

Apple-Gingerbread Cobbler

Recipe of the day

Chocolate and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Recipe of the day

Peach French Toast

Recipe of the day

Pound Cake French Toast

Household Toxics Reach Babies Even in Womb, Researchers Find

It is one of the worst nightmares for a mother-to-be: She’s poisoning the baby in her belly, and there is little she can do about it.

Now new research out Tuesday has put hard numbers to those fears, showing that chemicals from everyday products contaminate women’s bodies, and that their children enter the world already exposed to known toxics.

Nine women from California, Oregon and Washington participated in the first-of-its-kind study and had blood and urine samples taken during their second trimester of pregnancy. Read More

China Investigates Deaths After Swine Flu Shot

China Investigates Deaths After Swine Flu Shot.

Help Stop the Alaska Wolf Massarce

Wolf packs in Alaska again face savage slaughter from death squads using helicopters and airplanes to kill these helpless animals.

Please help Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund win the Congressional votes we need to end this unnecessary and cruel practice once and for all.

More than 1,000 wolves have been shot dead by aerial shooters who chase the poor animals to exhaustion in the deep snow. The animals are shot from the air and left wounded to die a slow and agonizing death or pursued and shot at point-blank range after the plane has landed.

We’ve had success telling this horrible story to more and more representatives and senators and securing their votes for the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act — H.R. 3381 and S. 1535 — federal legislation to end Alaska’s awful, unscientific and unnecessary aerial wolf killing and prevent this brutal practice from spreading to other states.

Our vote count stands at 121 representatives and 4 senators. But with another deadly aerial wolf killing season on the horizon, we must redouble our efforts to get the votes to stop it.

Donate today to help save the lives of wolves from Alaska’s aerial wolf-killing programs.

Your donation today will help us convince Congress to pass the PAW Act and educate more Americans about the awful practice championed by former Governor Sarah Palin. 

Palin’s handpicked Board of Game has escalated the aerial killing of wolves, and we need your help to mobilize more citizens (we’ve already generated tens of thousands of messages to senators) to win passage of the PAW Act and stop brutal and unnecessary aerial wolf killing.

To make sure these voices are heard, our staff will be collecting messages from constituents and delivering them in personal meetings with representatives and senators. We will dedicate literally hundreds of work hours in the coming weeks to this important effort.

Will you help support our work to save these magnificent wolves?

Our wolves don’t have a voice, but Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund does. With your help, we can ensure that the story of these magnificent animals is heard on Capitol Hill. Please make your contribution to save wolves today. 

For the wild ones,

 

Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund

P.S. Aerial gunners will soon be taking to the sky in helicopters and airplanes to slaughter defenseless wolves. With your help, we can end this cruel and unnecessary killing by passing the PAW Act. Please make a secure donation online now. 

Thanksgiving Printables

Thanksgiving Printables

Dads and Homeschooling

I am wanting some advice. Maybe some of the veteran homeschoolers can help me. I have been homeschooling my boys for 4 years now. I have loved every minute of it. My only problem is trying to get my husband involved. I have asked for his input on what he wants for our boys (course of study, activities, future plans, etc.). His answer is always “You are doing a good job. I trust you.”. While I appreciate the vote of confidence on his part, I would love to have his input on what he wants. He never asks what they are learning or how is their work going. So how do you all get your husbands involved in homeschooling? I especially think with sons that his involvement could help me. Any suggestions?” – Dena Read More