You’ve heard of helicopter parents? Now meet free range parents. They let their kids go to the park on their own, ride the subway by themselves. They say they are preparing their kids for the real world by letting them do their own thing. While your kids will be scared of the guy in the rickety van, she says her kids will know to just knee him in the groin and go on with their day. Worst parent on the planet or heroic teacher of Ayn Rand-style self reliance?
An elementary school in Louisiana with close to 1000 is looking to streamline lunch payments by implementing a palm vein scanner program. Scanning the kids palms makes paying a lot easier, and also gives parents the option to see what their little tax break is eating on a daily basis. Great idea, right? Some parents are freaked out, saying that the palm scanner amounts to the Biblical mark of the beast.
More and more companies are offering technological ways to keep tabs on your teen driver. They can tell you everything from where the car is at a given moment, to how fast the car has been going. Some car companies even offer some built-in gadgets to keep an eye on where they are and what they are doing. Is that good parenting or just plain creepy? Trust but verify?
I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE YELLING ABOUT!!1!: The McLaughlin Group devolved into a 5 minute shout-fest when discussing Paul Ryan. I hate it when old people fight.
Big John & Amy Journalism Clinic: President Obama hasn’t taken questions from reporters in a couple of months, but he did take time to talk to the morning show on KOB-FM in Albuquerque, NM. They asked him such hard hitting questions as “what’s your favorite food” and “If you could have one super power, what would it be?” The GOP has already made an ad out of the interview. Stephanie Cutter was asked about the softball interviews on CNN’s State of the Union and said that ET, People and KOB-FM are just as important as any other news source.
Governor Quinn has signed the new tax on strip clubs into law. It’s expected to generate about $1 million a year. Funds from the tax will be used to help fund programs to prevent sexual assault and counsel victims. Is it fair to target a legal business? Do strip clubs lead to sexual assaults?
The Illinois House voted to expel State Rep Derrick Smith for taking $7,000 in bribes. That’s the first time the Illinois House has expelled someone since 1905.
TIGHAR says that they may have found a debris field exactly where they believe Amelia Earhart’s plane would have settled in the Pacific Ocean. The debris field was found in video from their expedition to Nikumaroro Island earlier this summer.
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