The Caffeinated Carbivore

I find it interesting that, of all the campaigns, support for the New York City libraries is by far the smallest. I believe this is for a few reasons. 1. Many Americans are taught "rich guilt", or that we should feel guilty for having while others have not. This mentality is supported, and fostered, by charities looking to support children in other countries. They create the image that the suffering in other countries is greater than the suffering in our own country. Children in America need to read just as much as children in Africa. 2. The American Dream. Our American culture teaches us that if we work hard enough we can achieve anything. Thus, we assume that those who have not achieved have not worked hard. The truth is the American Dream is still not equal. Our nation's poverty, homelessness, and hunger are often similar to those countries we seek to help, and yet the support Americans give to other countries far outnumbers the support given to our own citizen...

Penguin Books has begun its "Read a book, Give a book" campaign this month. How can you give books to needy children? By reading a book to your children. Log on and read a book online with your child. Then, you can donate that book to children in New York City, Haiti, or Africa. There are many separate campaigns this year: 1. Jumpstart Reading Libraries . This campaign helps create libraries in preschools across the USA. 2. The Million Word Challenge. 3. Tinga Tinga Tales: East Africa: 4. Conspiracy for Good: A teacher in Zambia reaches out to seek books for her students. 5. Books for Asia. 6. Family Story Power: Books for New York City libraries: All of these campaigns offer you the chance to share literacy with children across the world, while also sharing a story with your child!

Were you a fan of Pillars of the Earth? This Ken Follett novel took history, religion, and architecture to a whole new fictional level. Readers were able to experience the lives of the cathedral builders. You can get it on your Kindle In the car Or on your TV as a mini series I recently read Cathedral of the Sea, which was similar in all the good ways. Stories of architects, the Catholic church, feudal lords, and arranged marriages, all set in Spain. Beautifully written with characters I actually missed when the book was done! it reminded me of Pillars of the Earth because of its original focus on architecture, but it soon took a turn of its own, focusing on wars and the Inquisition. Totally worth the read! You can also get this book in its original Spanish format

What child would understand this? None. But all of their parents do. I often find myself being taught new things (or reminded of the things I forgot) by children. I also often find that I enjoy children's movies more than children do. Like the original Shrek, and all of its references to music and yes, to brawdy humor.

In the past year, a great deal of media attention has been devoted to the increasing cost of education. College education costs more now than ever, and so do text books. Recently, however, media focus has moved to basic education: failing schools, low test scores, and firing teachers. While the NCLB debate falls to the wayside, we begin to focus on fixing the schools themselves: teachers, bullies , and school security. Is Obama's Educate to Innovate a big deal? This blog talks a lot about how to make lesson plans more interesting or teaching tools. This entry is going to be devoted to the students. John Stewart and Steve Colbert focus on National News. It's no surprise that they too have turned their attention to schools. This week, The Colebert Report interviewed the director of "Waiting for Superman", a documentary about our education system, and the few who have access to its good side. The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Davis Guggenheim www.col...

Growing up in poverty and constantly on the move, she used her troubled childhood to bring her success as an adult. Author of "Amazon Top 10 Book of the Decade," The Glass Castle has remained on the New York Times best-seller list for more than three years. Soon you can see it on screen-it is being made into a movie by Paramount! Another book to movie and back . The book describes her life growing up with her family. She had a unique childhood where she spent a long period without indoor plumbing and went hungry on a regular basis. However, her parents still encouraged her to read Shakespeare and dream of the glass house they would one day live in. Walls moved to New York City at the age of 16 to enroll in Barnard College. After graduation, she become a popular columnist for New York magazine and eventually MSNBC.com. The follow up to this book is titled " Half Broke Horses: A True Life Novel ", which is the story of her maternal grandmother's life in the ea...

Can't get to sleep at night? Some would say that's a direct result of all the stress we're under these days. Others suggest it's the result of our lifeline connection to technology-the constant blinking of lights keeps us up. With allergies swarming the air, some of us may be having trouble sleeping. Have you tried to combat your allergies ? What if you can't afford an air purifier? There's a cheaper solution: your pillow. First, find out if you're using the right pillow. People who sleep on their stomachs should use a different type of pillow than persons sleeping on their sides. Find your ideal pillow type by taking this test . Your pillow can act as a dust mite haven, too-you don't want to breathe all of that in!