http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/us/26levine.html
Pediatrician in Abuse Case Kills Himself
by Tamar Lewin
February 25, 2011
Dr. Melvin D. Levine, a nationally known pediatrician who was found dead last week, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a medical examiner said on Friday.
Dr. Levine, 71, was found in the woods near his Rougemont, N.C., home with a gunshot wound to his forehead. His death was reported a day after a class-action sexual abuse and malpractice suit was filed against him in Boston.
A report by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina said officers went to Dr. Levine’s home the night of Feb. 17 after his wife reported finding a suicide note, but they were not initially able to find his body. The contents of the note have not been released.
The Boston lawsuit charges that Dr. Levine performed unnecessary genital exams on 40 boys while at Children’s Hospital Boston from 1966 to 1985.
Although Dr. Levine, a Rhodes scholar, had long been dogged by charges of sexually abusing young male patients, he had maintained that he was innocent. He was never convicted on any abuse charge, and never faced criminal charges.
On Friday The Boston Globe reported that several men who said they had been molested as young boys had described encounters in which they said Dr. Levine groped, fondled or performed oral sex on them. One recalled a trip on which he and Dr. Levine were in the same bed, saying that when the doctor took off his clothes, he put his arm around the boy and fondled him.
Christopher Dean, now a 50-year-old architect in Roslindale, Mass., said Friday that for four years, starting when he was 9, he went twice a year to Dr. Levine’s office for a “checkup” that was simply an occasion for molestation.
“It started when he came to my school in Brookline, saw me in the nurse’s office, fondled me, and then said he would like to see me as a private patient,” said Mr. Dean, a plaintiff in the Boston suit, which will proceed against Mr. Levine’s estate. “I came out in tears and in shock, but didn’t tell anyone.”
Several plaintiffs said that Dr. Levine’s abuse had clouded their lives, and that they hoped for resolution in the lawsuit.
“It left me feeling very awkward; I never forgot it, and I always kept track of Dr. Levine,” said Donald Roy, now 46, who said he was abused by Dr. Levine at age 10, when he was having surgery at Children’s Hospital. “My mother knew what was going on because Dr. Levine invited me to visit his house, and I said I just wasn’t going to go, and I explained why. But she didn’t know what to do with it.”
Carmen Durso, a Boston lawyer for the plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit, filed his first suit against Dr. Levine in 2005, and followed with four more complaints before holding a news conference in 2008 at which he announced the charges. Those charges were resolved, but last week Mr. Durso held a news conference announcing the new complaints.
Until the sexual abuse charges, Dr. Levine was a leading advocate for children with learning disabilities whose fame spread through his books, including “A Mind at a Time,” as well as through a PBS documentary, “Misunderstood Minds,” and a nationwide schedule of lectures.
With Charles Schwab, Dr. Levine founded a nonprofit group, All Kinds of Minds, that has trained thousands of teachers. Dr. Levine’s approach stressed that whatever their learning disabilities — learning differences, he called them — all children also had strengths to build on.
In 2004, the New York City Department of Education gave All Kinds of Minds a $12.5 million contract to train 20,000 teachers, without the normal competitive bidding process, because, it said, there were no comparable programs.
In 2005, Scholastic Press named Dr. Levine the most admired person in education.
While some experts criticized Dr. Levine’s work as depending on observation and anecdote instead of replicable scientific investigation, teachers and parents flocked to his entertaining, multihour lectures.
“He brought optimism into the world of families by helping to demystify learning, helping kids put borders around their learning issues, so they no longer felt pervasively damaged,” said Claire Wurtzel, who worked with Dr. Levine and is now director of professional development at Churchill School and Center in New York.
Dr. Levine contributed to a paradigm shift, she said, getting teachers to explore what stopped children from learning, rather than just dismissing them.
“Before Mel, it used to be, for most teachers, ‘Why is this lazy kid in my room? He’s not learning and he doesn’t belong here,’ ” she said.
A basic tenet of Dr. Levine’s was that no child should ever be humiliated.
“From the moment a child gets out of bed until she is tucked in at night, she has one central mission: avoiding humiliation at all costs,” Dr. Levine often said in his lectures.
Some former colleagues, including Dr. William B. Carey of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said they could not reconcile that Mel Levine, their “brilliant, honest, kind, caring” friend, with the doctor charged with humiliating so many boys.
After Dr. Levine moved to North Carolina, sexual abuse complaints arose there, too. In March 2009, as the North Carolina medical board was investigating such charges, Dr. Levine agreed that he would never again practice medicine. At the time, the state medical board said it was prepared to show that Dr. Levine had conducted examinations that were not medically indicated or properly documented.
Mr. Dean said that when Dr. Levine moved to North Carolina, his mother told him that Dr. Levine had molested two young sons of a friend of hers, who believed he had left Massachusetts to flee complaints.
“My mother asked if he’d ever done anything to me,” Mr. Dean said. “I was 25, but I was still so humiliated that I said, no, he never touched me. The shame was so great that I didn’t tell my mother about it until last week, and I still haven’t told my father.”
End of article
I was shocked to find this article this morning while I was searching for something else. I never heard Dr. Levine speak, but I know he has been a highly respected voice in the LD community for years. We have his book "A Mind at a Time" in our reference center, and his approach was one of the reasons why I titled the publication I created "A Guide to Learning Differences" instead of "A Guide to Learning Disabilities."
How do you reconcile the two sides of Dr. Levine...the respected professional with the apparent child molester? Can someone be both good and evil? I mean, I believe that we all have good and bad within us, but can someone have the degree of polar opposite within him as Dr. Levine apparently did? When I really think about it, the answer is easy, given the fact that other doctors, men of the cloth, teachers, etc have been convicted of such crimes. It just still seems shocking to me, given all the work he did on behalf of children. This sentence from the article is especially jarring: "A basic tenet of Dr. Levine’s was that no child should ever be humiliated."
His emphasis was that children who struggled with learning were not disabled, they simply learned in different and sometimes uncoventional ways. And those learning styles should be explored and nurtured. And yet if the allegations are true, Dr. Levine humiliated his patients in the worst possible way.
So do I remove Dr. Levine's book from the reference collection? The work he did continues to be important and relevant and I think his findings have the capability of changing the lives of children for the better. But will parents and educators say to me, "How can you have a book in your center that's written by a child molester?" How do I feel about having a book in the reference center that's written by an apparent child molester?
librarinintx
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Idol: Elton John nite
It was another night of very good performances on American Idol. Once again, everyone sang well, but some of the performances were more dynamic than others.
For the third week in a row, James was tops for me. He sounded great, and his performance absolutely blew me away. How did he run around like that and not run out of breath? Down the stairs, around the judges table, up the stairs, up the piano, jumping off the piano - WOW! Very impressive. James owns the stage every time, and as Randy said, he looks like he's having the time of his life. Go James! You rock!
Just like last week, Jacob was second for me. I know a lot of people think he's overly dramatic, but I like the passion and the emotion he brings to his performances. Just like on Motown nite, he was able to reign in the drama just enough so he didn't crash and burn. His voice is amazing, so rich and powerful. Great work, Jacob.
Third place was a surprise this week. Lauren raised her game and delivered her best performance since her audition. Her rendition of "Candle in the Wind" was lovely and I really enjoyed the emotion she put into the performance. I still wish she would sing more like Kelly Clarkson and less like Carrie Underwood, but I really really enjoyed her tonight.
So those were my top three of the night. Pia, Haley, Casey, Naima, and Stefano would be the middle of the pack for me. Once again Pia's vocals were stellar, but I felt next to no emotion in her peformance. She is the LaToya London of season ten. Haley sounded quite good, but there were a few spots when the song seemed to stagnate. I think her voice is very good though. Casey redeemed himself with a lovely, restrained version of "Your Song," although without all the growling and stomping I found his vocals a bit lacking. Naima sold her reggae version of "I'm Still Standing" with her enthusiasm and strong performing skills, and it worked for me, but I don't think it worked for the audience as a whole. Stefano worked hard on fixing some of his bad habits; he kept his eyes open for most of the song, and didn't oversing. He has a very good voice, but he's still middle of the pack for me.
My bottom three would be Scotty, Paul, and Thia. Again, with Scotty and Paul its a matter of taste. I don't care for Paul's voice; he's too "Bob Dylan" for me. Scotty is very talented and will be highly successful as a country recording artist, but he's not my cup of tea. Thia is a sweet girl with a lovely voice, but the talent on Idol this season is overpowering her.
So I would like Scotty, Paul, and Thia to be in the bottom three, with Paul and Thia going home. But I think it will be Naima, Paul, and Thia in the bottom three, with Naima and Thia going home.
librarianintx
For the third week in a row, James was tops for me. He sounded great, and his performance absolutely blew me away. How did he run around like that and not run out of breath? Down the stairs, around the judges table, up the stairs, up the piano, jumping off the piano - WOW! Very impressive. James owns the stage every time, and as Randy said, he looks like he's having the time of his life. Go James! You rock!
Just like last week, Jacob was second for me. I know a lot of people think he's overly dramatic, but I like the passion and the emotion he brings to his performances. Just like on Motown nite, he was able to reign in the drama just enough so he didn't crash and burn. His voice is amazing, so rich and powerful. Great work, Jacob.
Third place was a surprise this week. Lauren raised her game and delivered her best performance since her audition. Her rendition of "Candle in the Wind" was lovely and I really enjoyed the emotion she put into the performance. I still wish she would sing more like Kelly Clarkson and less like Carrie Underwood, but I really really enjoyed her tonight.
So those were my top three of the night. Pia, Haley, Casey, Naima, and Stefano would be the middle of the pack for me. Once again Pia's vocals were stellar, but I felt next to no emotion in her peformance. She is the LaToya London of season ten. Haley sounded quite good, but there were a few spots when the song seemed to stagnate. I think her voice is very good though. Casey redeemed himself with a lovely, restrained version of "Your Song," although without all the growling and stomping I found his vocals a bit lacking. Naima sold her reggae version of "I'm Still Standing" with her enthusiasm and strong performing skills, and it worked for me, but I don't think it worked for the audience as a whole. Stefano worked hard on fixing some of his bad habits; he kept his eyes open for most of the song, and didn't oversing. He has a very good voice, but he's still middle of the pack for me.
My bottom three would be Scotty, Paul, and Thia. Again, with Scotty and Paul its a matter of taste. I don't care for Paul's voice; he's too "Bob Dylan" for me. Scotty is very talented and will be highly successful as a country recording artist, but he's not my cup of tea. Thia is a sweet girl with a lovely voice, but the talent on Idol this season is overpowering her.
So I would like Scotty, Paul, and Thia to be in the bottom three, with Paul and Thia going home. But I think it will be Naima, Paul, and Thia in the bottom three, with Naima and Thia going home.
librarianintx
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Idol: Results
Well, I don't think anyone saw THAT comin'!! Wow!! Casey almost going home. Definitely shocking. No, I didn't think he was great on Wednesday night, but he did not deserve the lowest number of votes. I really find it extremely hard to believe that he actually did get the lowest number of votes. But supposedly Idol is not rigged, so...
I understand why the judges used the save, but I think they used it way too early. Casey has been a front runner, but I think his Nirvana gamble really hurt him, and he didn't do well enough on Motown nite to redeem himself. But now this means the judges have lost their save opportunity. So in a week or two a talented frontrunner could wind up in the bottom and that's it...they're gone. I guess there is that danger every season though. is this only the second season for the save option?
librarianintx
I understand why the judges used the save, but I think they used it way too early. Casey has been a front runner, but I think his Nirvana gamble really hurt him, and he didn't do well enough on Motown nite to redeem himself. But now this means the judges have lost their save opportunity. So in a week or two a talented frontrunner could wind up in the bottom and that's it...they're gone. I guess there is that danger every season though. is this only the second season for the save option?
librarianintx
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Idol: Motown Nite
Motown Nite is often a hit on Idol, and this year was no exception. I think the Top 11 did Motown proud. At least everyone sang well. But some had better performances than others.
Picking a bottom three this week is going to be very difficult because I think basically everyone did well. My personal bottom three would be Thia, Paul, and Scotty. Paul and Scotty are just not my cup of tea. But I know Scotty is very popular, so he will be safe.
My top three for Motown nite were Jacob, Naima, and James. Jacob and Naima really listened to the judges this week. Jacob was the most restrained he’s ever been, and Naima was able to control her breathing without sacrificing her performance level. Both of them picked very good songs that showed off their strengths. And James is consistently great in my opinion. His song choice was excellent, and I loved how comfortable he was on stage. He got the crowd going before, during, and after the song.
My prediction for bottom three this week are Haley, Thia, and Paul. But honestly, it’s really hard to know. I don’t think Haley belongs in the bottom; I think her lack of a fan base will put her there. If we are strictly judging last night’s performances, I think Thia does belong in the bottom three. She was okay, but not up to the caliber of the other performers. I actually did like Paul last night more than I did the other weeks, but not by much. I think he could be in trouble. Lauren might be too. I think Haley will go home, but if it were up to me I would send Thia home.
Here’s how I would rank the performances last night:
James
Jacob
Naima
Pia
Casey
Haley
Stefano
Lauren
Scotty
Paul
Thia
librarianintx
Picking a bottom three this week is going to be very difficult because I think basically everyone did well. My personal bottom three would be Thia, Paul, and Scotty. Paul and Scotty are just not my cup of tea. But I know Scotty is very popular, so he will be safe.
My top three for Motown nite were Jacob, Naima, and James. Jacob and Naima really listened to the judges this week. Jacob was the most restrained he’s ever been, and Naima was able to control her breathing without sacrificing her performance level. Both of them picked very good songs that showed off their strengths. And James is consistently great in my opinion. His song choice was excellent, and I loved how comfortable he was on stage. He got the crowd going before, during, and after the song.
My prediction for bottom three this week are Haley, Thia, and Paul. But honestly, it’s really hard to know. I don’t think Haley belongs in the bottom; I think her lack of a fan base will put her there. If we are strictly judging last night’s performances, I think Thia does belong in the bottom three. She was okay, but not up to the caliber of the other performers. I actually did like Paul last night more than I did the other weeks, but not by much. I think he could be in trouble. Lauren might be too. I think Haley will go home, but if it were up to me I would send Thia home.
Here’s how I would rank the performances last night:
James
Jacob
Naima
Pia
Casey
Haley
Stefano
Lauren
Scotty
Paul
Thia
librarianintx
"Dancing with the Stars" week 1
I wasn’t going to watch “Dancing with the Stars” this season. Other than Kirstie Alley, I didn’t have a big interest in any of the contestants. And I am already watching WAY too much tv.
But the show is just too much fun; I couldn’t stay away. I love to watch dancing, and Tom B. is such a great host. I enjoy watching people step out of their comfort zones and bravely learn to do something new in front of millions of people.
Obviously Kirstie and Ralph Macchio were the best this week, but overall it was a pretty good start to the season. Bruno, Len, and Carrie Ann were in fine form as well. Bruno “scared” Len at least twice, which always makes me giggle.
I know it’s only the first week and anything can happen, but I think we could be headed for a Karina v Maks showdown in the finale. How interesting that would be! It’s definitely time for Maks and one of his partners to snag that mirrorball trophy!
librarianintx
But the show is just too much fun; I couldn’t stay away. I love to watch dancing, and Tom B. is such a great host. I enjoy watching people step out of their comfort zones and bravely learn to do something new in front of millions of people.
Obviously Kirstie and Ralph Macchio were the best this week, but overall it was a pretty good start to the season. Bruno, Len, and Carrie Ann were in fine form as well. Bruno “scared” Len at least twice, which always makes me giggle.
I know it’s only the first week and anything can happen, but I think we could be headed for a Karina v Maks showdown in the finale. How interesting that would be! It’s definitely time for Maks and one of his partners to snag that mirrorball trophy!
librarianintx
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Idol: Results
I got two of the bottom three correct. Hayley was in the bottom three instead of Thia. But Karen still went home.
librarianintx
librarianintx
Idol: Year of Their Birth
Rough night on Idol for me. I know several of the contestants were sick; some played that up more than others. Sick or not, pitchy was the word of the night.
James, Pia, and Jacob were my top three. I know Jacob went wildly off at least once, but I really like his intensity. I like that song a lot too, and thought it was a bold choice for him. I also liked the dance remix of "Where do broken hearts go" by Pia. James was consistently good in my opinion. I liked his interaction with the audience.
My bottom three is a tough choice; there are many contenders. Thia has a lovely voice but her performance was quite snooze-worthy. Karen is not a strong enough singer to tackle Taylor Dayne. Naima was VERY pitchy. And sick or well...I'm sorry, I just don't get the appeal of Paul's voice. Casey was one of my favorites...and still is for now...but his version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a disaster. It sounded like he was trying to butcher it, like he was mocking the song. It sounded like a joke version, and I don't think it was supposed to.
My prediction for the bottom three: Thia, Karen, and Naima. Hayley may escape the bottom three this week because she was so close to going home last week, and her effort was passable. Maybe. Naima's pitch was really bad, and I'm not sure she has the fan base to keep her out of the bottom three. Casey will not be in the bottom three because his fan base is too big. Paul will probably be okay as well. I predict Karen will go home.
librarianintx
James, Pia, and Jacob were my top three. I know Jacob went wildly off at least once, but I really like his intensity. I like that song a lot too, and thought it was a bold choice for him. I also liked the dance remix of "Where do broken hearts go" by Pia. James was consistently good in my opinion. I liked his interaction with the audience.
My bottom three is a tough choice; there are many contenders. Thia has a lovely voice but her performance was quite snooze-worthy. Karen is not a strong enough singer to tackle Taylor Dayne. Naima was VERY pitchy. And sick or well...I'm sorry, I just don't get the appeal of Paul's voice. Casey was one of my favorites...and still is for now...but his version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a disaster. It sounded like he was trying to butcher it, like he was mocking the song. It sounded like a joke version, and I don't think it was supposed to.
My prediction for the bottom three: Thia, Karen, and Naima. Hayley may escape the bottom three this week because she was so close to going home last week, and her effort was passable. Maybe. Naima's pitch was really bad, and I'm not sure she has the fan base to keep her out of the bottom three. Casey will not be in the bottom three because his fan base is too big. Paul will probably be okay as well. I predict Karen will go home.
librarianintx
Friday, March 11, 2011
Idol Results
Wow, I was totally right! The bottom three were Hayley, Karen, and Ashton, and Ashton went home.
Wow, that is quite a mansion those kids are living in. I bet they don't have a whole lot of time to enjoy it though.
The first group medley of the season wasn't terrible. It definitely wasn't good in places, but I've heard worse in other seasons.
librarianintx
Wow, that is quite a mansion those kids are living in. I bet they don't have a whole lot of time to enjoy it though.
The first group medley of the season wasn't terrible. It definitely wasn't good in places, but I've heard worse in other seasons.
librarianintx
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Idol Top 13 performances
Okay, I promise, I have been out to dinner tonight and have not seen the results show or read anything about it. I'll keep it extremely short this time:
My top 3: James, Casey, and Pia
My bottom 3: Ashton, Karen, and Hayley
My prediction for who will go home: Ashton
librarianintx
My top 3: James, Casey, and Pia
My bottom 3: Ashton, Karen, and Hayley
My prediction for who will go home: Ashton
librarianintx
Friday, March 04, 2011
Idol Top 13
Well, I had better luck predicting the girls than the guys this time. I was right on 6 of the girls, but I didn't know there would be a 7th. I correctly predicted Lauren Alaina, Naima, Pia, Thia, Karen, and Ashton, but Hailey wasn't on my radar. For the guys, I guessed right on Scotty, Casey, James, and Jacob. I also thought Paul would make it, but I don't think I included his name in my blog, so ya'll probably don't believe me on that one. :) Stefano wasn't on my radar. And I was surprised that Brett didn't get to try for a wildcard position.
For the most part there were few surprises, and I think America and the judges got it mostly right. My roommate wanted the other Lauren instead of Ashton, but I want to see what Ashton can do. She's no Jennifer Hudson, but her "And I'm Telling You" was still pretty good. I like her intensity.
Its a long season, and anything can happen. I would say my hopes (but not necessarily my prediction) for top 3 would be Casey, James, and Pia. I would be happy at this point if any of those three won.
librarianintx
For the most part there were few surprises, and I think America and the judges got it mostly right. My roommate wanted the other Lauren instead of Ashton, but I want to see what Ashton can do. She's no Jennifer Hudson, but her "And I'm Telling You" was still pretty good. I like her intensity.
Its a long season, and anything can happen. I would say my hopes (but not necessarily my prediction) for top 3 would be Casey, James, and Pia. I would be happy at this point if any of those three won.
librarianintx
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Survivor Week 3
Hallelujah, Russell was voted off! Of course, he's not gone yet, he's been banished to Redemption Island for now. Hopefully Matt can put us out of our misery and boot that big-headed fool off the show for good.
Fingers crossed that I get to say "B-Bye Russell!" very soon!!
librarianintx
Fingers crossed that I get to say "B-Bye Russell!" very soon!!
librarianintx
Idol Top 24: The Girls
I don't know what it is about the girls this season. They're trying too hard? Trying to be sexy, trying to be cutesy, I don't know. I barely remember any of their names; some of them I don't remember seeing at all. Like some of the guys, the ladies also suffered from poor song choices. I think especially with the ladies, the song choices were bad because they didn't pick a song that fit with their style and/or range. Example: Julie. There was also too much Broadway, which caused Randy to channel Simon more than once.
I've liked Ashton since Hollywood week, but I didn't like her song choice. I also thought she was trying too hard to be sexy.
My best bets for top five are Pia, Thia, and Lauren Alaina. I would also like to see Ashton and Naima make it. Otherwise, I really don't have an opinion. I thought Karen Rodriguez did a decent job with "Hero" and singing part of the song in Spanish is something that's never been done on the Idol stage that I can remember, so kudos to her for that. But does that make her worthy of being Top 12?
librarianintx
I've liked Ashton since Hollywood week, but I didn't like her song choice. I also thought she was trying too hard to be sexy.
My best bets for top five are Pia, Thia, and Lauren Alaina. I would also like to see Ashton and Naima make it. Otherwise, I really don't have an opinion. I thought Karen Rodriguez did a decent job with "Hero" and singing part of the song in Spanish is something that's never been done on the Idol stage that I can remember, so kudos to her for that. But does that make her worthy of being Top 12?
librarianintx
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Idol Top 24: The Boys
I doubt I'll have time to comment every week about Idol, but I'm going to try. I almost decided not to watch this season, but now I'm glad I did. I like Jennifer and Stephen as judges, although I felt they were a little too happy with some of the contestants last night.
I won't go into details on each guy, but overall I think many of them suffered from poor song choices, most notably two of my early faves: Robbie and Brett.
My top three last night were James, Casey, and Jacob. I also find them the most interesting of the twelve.
Definitely there are some big personalities among the guys this season. And on Idol, personality counts just as much, if not more, than singing ability.
My prediction for the top 5 guys? Its tough, but I'll say Scotty, Casey, and James for sure. Hopefully Jacob as well. After that its a bit of a toss up. There's a wild card position too. I would like to see Brett make it. Also Tim. And maybe Clint?
librarianintx
I won't go into details on each guy, but overall I think many of them suffered from poor song choices, most notably two of my early faves: Robbie and Brett.
My top three last night were James, Casey, and Jacob. I also find them the most interesting of the twelve.
Definitely there are some big personalities among the guys this season. And on Idol, personality counts just as much, if not more, than singing ability.
My prediction for the top 5 guys? Its tough, but I'll say Scotty, Casey, and James for sure. Hopefully Jacob as well. After that its a bit of a toss up. There's a wild card position too. I would like to see Brett make it. Also Tim. And maybe Clint?
librarianintx
Stephen Abram
http://stephenslighthouse.com/
Had the pleasure of hearing a talk by Mr. Abram last week. I was already familiar with him because of a self-paced webinar series I did sometime ago about social networking tools and libraries.
Mr. Abram's talk was interesting, funny, and thought-provoking. I want to read more of his blog when I have time. It was so nice to be in a room full of librarians, listening to someone speak about the importance of libraries in society. I felt happy that for the most part I was able to follow most of what he said, because he is obviously extremely intelligent, and I am involved enough in social networking and technology that I was able to laugh at his jokes.
librarianintx
Had the pleasure of hearing a talk by Mr. Abram last week. I was already familiar with him because of a self-paced webinar series I did sometime ago about social networking tools and libraries.
Mr. Abram's talk was interesting, funny, and thought-provoking. I want to read more of his blog when I have time. It was so nice to be in a room full of librarians, listening to someone speak about the importance of libraries in society. I felt happy that for the most part I was able to follow most of what he said, because he is obviously extremely intelligent, and I am involved enough in social networking and technology that I was able to laugh at his jokes.
librarianintx
"R-word" Day
http://www.r-word.org/
Today is "Spread the Word to End the Word" Day.
Please don't use the word "retarded."
It's hurtful and offensive.
librarianintx
Today is "Spread the Word to End the Word" Day.
Please don't use the word "retarded."
It's hurtful and offensive.
librarianintx
Zach Anner
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/26/viral-victory-zach-anner-wins-his-own-show/
Viral Victory! Zach Anner Wins His 'OWN' Show
Step aside, Oprah: there's a new talk show host rolling into town.
An inspiration to us all, Zach Anner has been vying since June for his own show on Oprah's new channel. He quickly became an Internet sensation, and now Anner has been given the opportunity to become a television star.
The wheelchair-bound Anner has cerebral palsy – “the sexiest of the palsies,” he says. He entered Oprah's ‘OWN' show competition with dreams of hosting a travel show, and the Internet (along with his own hilarity) propelled him quickly through the ranks. Anner even overcame rumors that the competition was rigged, emerging with a very positive attitude. “No mountain is too high… and no Atlantis is too underwater or fictional!” he proclaimed in one of his audition tapes.
He found himself as one of the final two contestants on Friday night's finale – where Oprah gave both Anner and Kristina Kuzmic-Crocco their own shows. Anner will now head to production on his very own television show, titled “Rollin' Around the World with Zach Anner.”
Upon hearing the news late Friday, he tweeted: “Tonight, we made history. Tomorrow, we'll make a much sexier future! Onward to Atlantis!” NewsFeed predicts that'll be the first stop on Zach's world tour.
End of article
Three cheers for Zach!! SO excited that he won! I've only known about Zach for a few months. I watched the competition, and I know I'm biased because I like him, but Zach really was the best. He's got a fantastic personality, he's laugh out loud funny, he's smart, and he worked very well with everyone. I think he is an exceptional role model for the disability community and will do much to break down stereotypes and misconceptions that people have. Oprah's comments brought to light her own lack of knowledge about people with disabilities and individual abilities. She expressed concern about Zach's ability to travel and questioned whether he would have the strength for such a hectic lifestyle. Zach's reply? "I sit in a chair all day, that's not too strenuous." Gotcha, Oprah! LOL
Zach's show will debut on the OWN network sometime this summer. Can't wait!
And did I mention he's a Texas boy? :)
librarianintx
Viral Victory! Zach Anner Wins His 'OWN' Show
Step aside, Oprah: there's a new talk show host rolling into town.
An inspiration to us all, Zach Anner has been vying since June for his own show on Oprah's new channel. He quickly became an Internet sensation, and now Anner has been given the opportunity to become a television star.
The wheelchair-bound Anner has cerebral palsy – “the sexiest of the palsies,” he says. He entered Oprah's ‘OWN' show competition with dreams of hosting a travel show, and the Internet (along with his own hilarity) propelled him quickly through the ranks. Anner even overcame rumors that the competition was rigged, emerging with a very positive attitude. “No mountain is too high… and no Atlantis is too underwater or fictional!” he proclaimed in one of his audition tapes.
He found himself as one of the final two contestants on Friday night's finale – where Oprah gave both Anner and Kristina Kuzmic-Crocco their own shows. Anner will now head to production on his very own television show, titled “Rollin' Around the World with Zach Anner.”
Upon hearing the news late Friday, he tweeted: “Tonight, we made history. Tomorrow, we'll make a much sexier future! Onward to Atlantis!” NewsFeed predicts that'll be the first stop on Zach's world tour.
End of article
Three cheers for Zach!! SO excited that he won! I've only known about Zach for a few months. I watched the competition, and I know I'm biased because I like him, but Zach really was the best. He's got a fantastic personality, he's laugh out loud funny, he's smart, and he worked very well with everyone. I think he is an exceptional role model for the disability community and will do much to break down stereotypes and misconceptions that people have. Oprah's comments brought to light her own lack of knowledge about people with disabilities and individual abilities. She expressed concern about Zach's ability to travel and questioned whether he would have the strength for such a hectic lifestyle. Zach's reply? "I sit in a chair all day, that's not too strenuous." Gotcha, Oprah! LOL
Zach's show will debut on the OWN network sometime this summer. Can't wait!
And did I mention he's a Texas boy? :)
librarianintx
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