What are 21st Century Skills?

(Recently published on the Newton Parent's List serve)

Common sense is not so common.
-Voltaire

Many years ago when hiring for entry-level public relations roles I found the "best employees" to be those college graduates that had a liberal arts background and interestingly not a communications or PR degree. The main reason: those with a liberal arts degree were critical thinkers that were capable of writing a complete sentence, didn't mind stuffing envelopes, and were pleasant and interesting people to work with. Many of our employees had English, history, political science and economic degrees. The only employee with a "communications degree" had studied for a semester in Spain and was fluent in Spanish. When talking with college administrators about this phenomena, I heard on more than several occasions, "it's the parents that are paying the bills and they want a degree in something. What kind of job can an Art History major get?" That was 20 years ago.

My 8th grade educated grandfather read the daily newspaper, was a teamster, and when I was a junior at Newton North High School experiencing the pressure of "what will I do next," he gently suggested that I pursue what I love because I'll change my path several times during my lifetime anyway, and "I might as well enjoy what I'm doing."

My definition of 21st Century skills: realizing that 70% of Sports Center on ESPN is opinion, 5% is fact and 25% is entertainment and you can defend your opinion (verbally or written) by presenting the facts without offending or embarrassing the other person. (Insert any topic of course...it doesn't have to be sports.)

I would like to encourage everyone to subscribe to the school committee newsletter at www.newton.k12.ma.us/schoolcommittee/

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
-T shirt on a Newton Centre teenager

Boston Book Festival on 10/24

Save the Date: Boston Book Festival on 10/24

Newtonville Books has partnered with the Boston Book Festival 2009, presented by State Street Corporation, which will take place on Saturday, October 24 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. in Copley Square.

More than 70 top authors and presenters will be on hand for this FREE inaugural event. It's a great excursion for book groups, families, and anyone who loves to read.

The list of authors includes Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, Richard Russo, Anita Diamant, John Hodgman, Dennis Lehane, "Heroes" creator Tim Kring, Cornel West, actor Alicia Silverstone, Michael Patrick MacDonald, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Jill Lepore, and children's book author and illustrator Chris van Allsburg, and more. There is something for everyone:

Book Signings and More
And, it's FREE and open to the public!

Read all about it at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102722425268&s=5457&e=001UVldNi2yZfGR95WizU_LB-u_hU-ceM6rgB0TWKEAEM4lvMqsevfPztYGNfcDOkb8MY6Ci7nAyHPQukfZRAvt0ecs_mov8NGSh6sE5xIS9-7HDix3-6WcyuyMseXnyAj_.

Boston Book Festival events have no fee or reservation requirements with the following exceptions:

There will be two special ticketed events in the evenings.

The Festival will open with a song and word-filled kick-off event on Friday night, October 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Church (tickets $12 available 10/1).

On Saturday, October 24 at 6 p.m., the Boston Book Festival will go out with a bang with the launch party for Boston Noir, a new collection of short stories edited by Dennis Lehane (tickets $15, 21+, available now). There will be a juice and cookies event for children with the Fairmont Copley Plaza's canine ambassador Catie Copley and author Deborah Kovacs. Free. Reservations open 10/1. Grub Street is leading two events for writers that require pre-registration: Jumpstart Your Writing and Writer Idol. Free. Reservations open 10/1. Visit the Boston Book Festival site at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102722425268&s=5457&e=001UVldNi2yZfGR95WizU_LB-u_hU-ceM6rgB0TWKEAEM4lvMqsevfPztYGNfcDOkb8MY6Ci7nAyHPQukfZRAvt0ecs_mov8NGSh6sE5xIS9-7HDix3-6WcyuyMseXnyAj_ for more information or to buy tickets and make reservations for ticketed events.

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102722425268&s=5457&e=001UVldNi2yZfEtoIlbEV0dq0_pIW2AjwmR9MRtjn4KyXTmKBbHlx8_wqY2ZXaW-NvepR6jK8LNzaKA_v563CIQ6CpH9Z4dOtOp5pX3pKb6rztqRcPKZzLanfso06rIh_aI

Today is 5% Day at Whole Foods Market to support the Newton Boys & Girls Club

5% Day At Whole Foods Market

Save up your shopping because the Boys & Girls Club is going to get 5% of all of the revenue generated by Whole Foods Market - Newtonville on this day!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

www.newtonbgc.com

Farm for those in Need

Farm for Those in Need in Waltham
Saturday, September 19th
Waltham, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Mulch, weed, and harvest at Waltham Fields Community Farm, a community farm distributing produce to local people in need.

Don't Vote! Can't Argue! Vote tomorrow...

On TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th, Newton will hold its preliminary election. It is imperative that you get out and VOTE on Tuesday. This election will determine the final two candidates for Mayor of Newton, as well as the final two candidates for the Ward 8 School Committee member.

The preliminary candidates for Mayor are:
Ruth Balser
Paul Coletti
Bill Heck
Ken Parker
Setti Warren

The preliminary candidates for Ward 8 School Committee member are:
Margie Ross Decter
Linda Green
Tom Mountain
Thomas White

Regardless of what ward you live in, you may vote in ALL School Committee elections.
Please take the time to get to know a little about the candidates. The following website provides direct links to all candidates websites:
http://www.lwvnewton.org/votersService.php

Thanks - and again, please VOTE on Tuesday. (And thanks to the Horace Mann PTO for sending out this reminder.)

Big Food vs. Big Insurance

Why do we (Americans) find it so hard to accept the fact that what we are eating and feeding our children is making us sick?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three-quarters of health care spending now goes to treat “preventable chronic diseases.” Not all of these diseases are linked to diet — there’s smoking, for instance — but many, if not most, of them are. The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html

Op-Ed Contributor
Big Food vs. Big Insurance
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Published: September 10, 2009

Favorite Political Quote ...

We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt....If we run into such debt, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our calling and our creeds...[we will] have no time to think, no means of calling our miss-managers to account but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers...And the fore-horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression.

- Thomas Jefferson

Surprised at the TAB's Endorsement for Mayor?

TAB Endorsement: Best choices on Sept. 15: Balser or Warren - Newton, Massachusetts - Newton TAB

"I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month, and I feel myself infinitely the happier for it."

-Thomas Jefferson

Does a newspaper's endorsement change your mind (positive or negative)?

Last debate before election to be held this evening!
Today, Thursday, Sep 10th at 7:30pm
at Congregation Mishkan Tefila, Chestnut Hill, MA
Congregation Mishkan Tefila will be hosting Newton’s 2009 mayoral candidates in the last scheduled debate before the primary election. All five candidates will participate: State Representative Ruth Balser, Alderman Paul Coletti, Alderman Ken Parker, and Candidates, Bill Heck and Setti Warren.