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Showing posts from June, 2014

Book Review: Beyonders A world without hereos by my son (10 yrs old)

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Book review of: “Beyonders A world without heroes” by my son (a 10 yr. old). It’s summer and my son has been reading up a storm. Being the type of parent that I am I wanted to run a test – you know, see if my son really was reading, understanding as well as enjoying the books he was reading. I also wanted to take the time to sharpen his writing skills (or at least have him practice his writing skills). So what I did was simple, I asked him to write me a review of his latest book. Of course I had to give him some tips on how and what I wanted but he happily went to work. No he wasn’t happy that I asked him for a two word review but, after a bit of coaxing he did what needed to be done. Below is and image of his hand written review and I have typed out his review (now that I think about it – I should have had him type this out). Book Title: Beyonders - A world without Hereos Author: Brandon Mull Review By: Isaac Beyonders is about a boy named Jason that meets another person

Broken no other choice - ebook introduction

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Broken – no other choice 1980 I am sitting at my desk desperately hoping the school day flies by. I really don’t like it here, things haven’t been going well and being the class outcast once again is taking its toll on me. There’s a knock at the classroom door, one of the office administrators walks in and calls the teacher over to the side. Soon two large men dressed in dark suits walk in and one of them whispers something into the teacher’s ear. The classroom is silent; everyone is trying to listen in on what is being secretly said between them. We are all anxious, curious about what is happening. The entire classroom turns to look at me in shock when the teacher calls out my name and motions me to come forward. “Take all your stuff with you.” She says with this tense ring in her voice. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I couldn’t help but smile on the inside, do you see me, that’s right look at me, I am important. As I put everything I had into my bag, all

Broken no other choice - introduction pt 2 free ebook chapter

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Broken – no other choice I’ve never been to the movies, I wasn’t sure how to respond but if this was an added bonus to getting out of school early – I am all in. As the men in the front seat quietly talked to each other I spent my time looking out the window. I was thinking about how great this would be for me, tomorrow I would be back in school telling all the kids how I spent the day at the movies. I would finally have something that would make me special, make me important and something that will make them all very jealous of me. They parked the car and quickly walked me into the theater, they didn’t even pay for a ticket, they just flashed their badges and continued to walk me right in. The room was dark, they directed me to a seat three rows up from the front and smack dab in the middle of this humongous brightly lit screen that showed dancing cartoon popcorn and candy characters. This was the best day of my life. The movie started and the title popped onto the screen – Ai

Broken no other choice - new ebook / true story

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Broken – no other choice Broken, a small boy faces a grave decision all on his own. Life has been a series of hardship, horrific circumstances and unbearable heartaches. The decision is obvious - the only way out is to end it all. The choice is clear; in order to escape this life of sorrow there can only be one inevitable course of action. What do you do when you are broken? When hope, is all but a shattered dream that has long ago slipped through your fingers like shifting sand. Tired of the pain, the sorrow, the desire to give up can overwhelm you. Who do you call when there is no one to call, when the person who should have protected you – abandons you? Based on a true story The flood of memories overwhelmed me. My heart begins to sink, my entire chest increasingly hurts with every pounding heartbeat. Tears begin to flow, streaming down my cheeks. I was having difficulty breathing; I was struggling to hold back the endless waves of emotions. My mind ran back and forth as it r

Broken no other choice - chapter one (part one)

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Broken – no other choice 1 Happiness, everyone wants it but so few seem to truly find it. The definition of happiness is what exactly? Is happiness when you have everything you want? Is happiness when you feel good about something, someone or about yourself? If happiness is a feeling then isn't it just fleeting, like the wisp of the wind it is here now and gone before you even know it? Is happiness something you decide on, like my mother who likes to say "you choose to be happy and you choose to be sad". What does that even mean? Do I really have a choice in the matter, because if I do, who do I talk to? Where can I write and mail a letter to? But most of all, to whom do I address my grievances? Happiness, now that may well be an utter and complete foreign concept to me. I wouldn't know what happiness looked like even if it came up hit me in the face and said "hello, here I am you loser". After all I live in a world made not of my own choosing,

How a tiny superhero saves a dieing factory - dreams and success

Who doesn’t like a David and Goliath story – where the little guy against all odds comes out winning in the end? No one, everyone loves these kinds of stories. But what if it were a bit different? What if it was more like a dream shatters and a superhero saves the day! I love stories about success – especially the ones that show and prove that when one person succeeds – other people benefit as well. A dream was formed and it became successful, time past and hard times destroyed the dream. Hundreds of people were put out of work and a business had to close – but fear not! A superhero was in the horizon. Look in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane no it’s… A small child in a cape! Fall River Apparel Company saved by unlikely hero By Sarah Lybrand Fall River Apparel is a cut and sew contracting business that has gone from a $3 million company in its heyday, to shuttered and bankrupt after the manufacturing bust, to back in business more than a decade later. Remarkably it and owne

We Got Our Kids in College by Age 12

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Kip and Mona Lisa Harding are just your average high school sweethearts … with 10 children. Oh, and seven of those 10 children have gotten into college by the age of 12 (so far), and the youngest three are well on their way to joining them. First, a little about our kids. Our three eldest daughters are Hannah, 26, an engineer since age 22; Rosannah, 24, an architect with her own practice; and Serennah, 22, one of the youngest doctors in the U.S. Navy. Some of our boys are currently studying to become a computer scientist; a musician/composer; and a scholar of the Middle Ages (who currently has the highest average in his college classes). Another child, also now in college at age 11, is considering a law degree. "How do you do it?" Since the release of our book "The Brainy Bunch," this has been the question we hear the most. People want to know how we get our children into college early — did we break or bend some sort of golden rule? They think it's imposs

Homeless Graduate valedictorian says – never give up.

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Homeless Graduate valedictorian says – never give up. This encourages me and should encourage all of us to continue forward, to struggle, to strive for greater achievements. Our students, our children need to learn this simple but important trait – a never give up attitude. Success is often attained by people who face turmoil, difficulties or hardship and refuse to give up. Homeless High School Student Inspires in Valedictory Address By MATTIE KAHN | Good Morning America Rashema Melson will begin her studies as a freshman at Georgetown University this fall after three years of living in a Washington, D.C., homeless shelter. And her tireless determination has paid off in the form of a full scholarship. "It hasn't hit me yet, to be honest," she said today of the realization that high school has come to an end. Melson, 18, says she has refused to let her family’s misfortune define her. Not only is the teen a dedicated athlete, but she has also maintained a sterl

10-Year-Old Boy Graduates From High School

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10-Year-Old Boy Graduates From High School, Aims to Cure Cancer By Elise Solé, Shine Staff | Parenting Tanishq Abraham graduated from high school on Sunday with a 4.0 GPA and a Mensa membership — he’s also 10 years old. The pintsize prodigy, who lives in Sacramento, Calif., with his parents and 8-year-old sister, Tiara (who is also a Mensa member), also received a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama just in time for his big day. “I sensed there was something different about Tanishq when he was 6 months old because he became very interested in clocks and numbers — he started counting and could point out numbers when he saw them in books,” Tanishq’s mother, veterinarian Taji Abraham, tells Yahoo Shine. “He would also stare very intently at photos and ask so many questions. I always wondered, ‘Why is he so curious?’” By the time Tanishq was 2, he was adding and subtracting numbers. “I told my husband that Tanishq was very smart, but he said I was just a proud mom,

15 yr boy creates shoes that charge your cell phone?

A 15 year old boy may have found the solution to charging that all electric energy hog – your smart phone and solved obesity issues as well. A 15-year-old boy’s thirst for science has helped him developed shoes that can charge your cell phone or any USB-powered device by simply walking. That is correct – walking! Generating Electricity By Walking - Google Science Fair 2014 Angelo Casimiro lives in the Philippines, a country still recovering from last fall's Typhoon Haiyan. "A lot of people are still suffering from poverty," he says in a YouTube video in which he demonstrates his invention. Some people have no access to electricity, he adds. For them, "a simple source of light is big," he says. Now Angelo is creating a new way to generate power. He placed two pairs of piezo-electric discs on the insole of each shoe. The discs produce energy when any type of pressure is placed on them. That energy is then channeled to a USB port, which an electronic de

Success: Dad and Mom - the defference they make to a child

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The Difference a good Dad (Father) makes can never be truly measured - but it has been proven to be incalculable and of great importance to the success of our children. "If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings." ~ Brian Tracy Some of the things that concern me most are the depictions of Dads being dumb, ignorant, and just plain stupid. You see it in sitcoms, commercials, movies and most anywhere you look. It may be part of the feminist movement or it may be a fad but in essence it’s a dangerous thing, in my opinion, to try to teach our children that one of the two (Mom and Dad) most important ingredients necessary in the formation of a child can be cast off, undermined or diminished. I grew up without a father, trust me, I know a child can survive without a father – but should a child be forced to endure such har

Teen success Madison Robinson entrepreneur - flip flops

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Teen entrepreneur is continuing her success with more great news. That news is that she is opening a clothing line. I love stories like this one, children who are proving that children, yes a child can achieve much more in life - these are the stories I use to inspire other children to succeed in life. Madison Robison is your average teenager who has gone the extra mile and found much success. Yes she has had a bit of help along the way but who hasn't - the important thing about this story is that she tried - she saw a need, she worked toward filling that need and she worked hard for what she has achieved. Her business was launched with financing provided by friends and family, but no worries the enterprise is doing well and is very profitable. She has even been working to open her own website FishFlops.com - but this not just a fly by night kind of business: More than 60,000 pairs sold in 2012, making for retail sales of at least $1.2 million. That's not all Fish Flops&#

Fun Water activities for children

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Children - Having fun water activities! It was an awesome time and the kids sure had fun, despite the fact that it rained in the morning. But hey, as the kids were saying: we're going to get wet anyway. It is fun to be a kid.