Reality check or just plain humiliating?
"I don't do my homework and I act up in school, so my parents are preparing me for my future. Will work for food." That's what was written on the cardboard sign that Tasha Henderson made her 14-year-old daughter Coretha hold on at a busy Oklahoma City intersection. It was an unconventional response to Coretha's poor grades, her chronic lateness to class, and her mouthiness toward her teachers.

Someone called the police to report "psychological abuse."

I'm not sure I'd call it "abuse." Especially if it isn't part of an ongoing pattern of humiliation. Sometimes you just have to do things out of the ordinary to get the attention of kids. Not all kids -- but some -- will respond well, especially if they are secure in the knowledge of their parent's love.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Coretha and her mother will be best of friends when she gets into her 20's -- and that they'll both giggle a bit as they tell the story of their hour together on that corner.

I am trying to figure out how Tasha managed to force her daughter to stand there with the sign for that long. I suspect that most truly sassy teens would have just walked (or run) away.


Krumping
Rudy is trying to educate us on Krumping -- the latest dance craze. The video clips linked at the bottom of the Wikipedia article suggest that it has something to do with being urban, playful, perhaps a little angry, and creative. I'm exhausted just watching them.


My Web
I finally figured out why I was having trouble adding tags to My Web (Yahoo's new social search engine). Somehow my settings had reverted back to an earlier version of the beta. I fixed it by editing the preferences so that the default version is 2.0. I'm a happy customer again.


Dia de los Muertos
The Dockters have added photos and reflections on their experience in Mexico on the Day of the Dead.


Bible handbooks
Michael Spencer is all pumped up over Ryken's Bible Handbook. After glancing at the first chapter (.pdf) I'm ordering a copy. It is so hard to find good material. The Bible introduction books tend to be either dumbed down beyond value or overly technical. This appears to strike a healthy balance.