Technorati Tags: download movies, free movies, movies, online movies

The following video evidence is under the ownership of the Gotham City Police Department and strictly for their viewing only. Any unauthorized use or copying is subject to fine and or imprisonment. Please contact Detective J. Corrigan at the GCPD if you come across any leaked videos.

And if you want answers...
http://www.facebook.com/theJokerblogs

Duration : 0:10:56

(more...)

Technorati Tags: Batman, Dark, Heath, Joker, Knight, Ledger, Nolan, Sequel, Ted

check the rhime

Duration : 0:3:44

(more...)

Technorati Tags: atcq, called, check, quest, rhime, The, tribe

The joke's on Wink Bingo this week online bingo fans.

This week you could win £2,000 in their one-off, 90 ball bingo game April Fools 2k.

No its not a trick on April 1st head to Wink Bingo at 9.45pm to be in with a chance of winning all that lovely dosh! Cards cost a measly 1p so what are you waiting for?

One line will win you £350, two line £650 but get a full house and youll pocket a grand!

Plus from Thursday to Sunday this week tell us about the best practical Jokes youve played on people on our Wink Facebook Wall and our 5 faves will win 5000 points each!

Click on the tab below to play now!

Duration : 0:0:48

(more...)

Technorati Tags: News

Duration : 0:5:27

(more...)

Technorati Tags: com, from, metacafe, www

RUNNING HEAD:  DIFFERENTIATION AND THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP

Differentiation and the Achievement Gap

 

Debra Isenberger

 

Argosy University

Abstract

 

Teachers are faced with ever-increasing pressures of closing the achievement gap across the nation. While schools struggle to meet AYP and teachers get creative, some question the fairness of targeting low-achieving students while higher-achieving students remain stagnant. The primary focus of this paper is on one school district that is achieving success and providing incentives for merit students as well as lower levels.

Differentiation and the Achievement Gap

 

Differentiation” is the new terminology that is flooding the market in the education arena. In spite of its challenges, it is not going to go away anytime in the near future. Research abounds and data supports it. It holds many advocates and like any new strategy or change, it will be faced with opposition. Administrations promote it and professional development opportunities are made available for development of staff.

 

            Traditionally, teachers “taught to the middle.” Faced with growing numbers of students with more diverse backgrounds and abilities, the attitude was that if teachers focused on the majority of the population, most of the students would “get it.” With a new view that required teachers to focus on a wider range of students, teachers became frustrated at the impossibility of assuring success to all concerned while keeping the “powers that be” happy. Special education teachers are overwhelmed with caseloads so that their efforts are becoming strained. While the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) raises expectations, budgets are being lowered. High poverty schools already face populations that are not as well prepared for school as more affluent ones, so the readiness gap is increased. The “middle” is smaller. If teachers continue to focus on that group, the majority of students will be left out. The students who are performing at the highest levels will be the ones who get left out. While lower-performing students demand more time and attention, the higher achieving students’ needs to be challenged could become ignored. How do administrators and teachers meet the array of needs in a regular classroom that continues to grow in size? Is it fair to the students at the top end of the spectrum?

 

            Tomlinson says it is “unfair to assume there is only one way to differentiate....there is no recipe for teaching. Teaching requires ‘broader brushstrokes as opposed to paint by number’ methods” (Tomlinson, 2000). She believes that it is not fair to create standardized tests under these circumstances. We need to adjust the content, process, and the product of teaching and learning. There are many ways of doing this through creating small groups of various abilities, preteaching, reteaching, scaffolding activities, previewing, and varying our expectations for various students.

 

            Teachers need to increase levels of motivation, and students need to be excited about learning. Instructors are faced with the challenge of creating a desire within the students to enter the classroom and then keep them engaged once they arrive. This can be done by providing more hands-on, relevant activities and open-ended questions to make them think. The days of memorization and recalling facts are gone. With the advent of technology, students need more stimulation. Their experiences demand it. Surrounded by technology at home through the use of television, electronic games, computers, and the Internet, students are accustomed to having access to information at their fingertips. Competition-driven companies encourage students to seek newer and better products that propel the educational arena into the future. Pressures from the NCLB legislation and the threat of ever-decreasing funding adds tension to otherwise struggling administrations.  More demands are placed on teachers who are struggling to keep up with the students as they try to meet AYP in their classrooms.

 

            Two teachers from urban, poverty schools developed a plan of action that meets the criteria for differentiation. They developed an acronym of REACH to outline the plan. REACH stands for “reflection on will and skill, evaluation of the curriculum, analyze the learners, craft research-based lessons, and hone in on the data” (Rock, Gregg, Ellis, and Gable, 2008). They identify benchmarks with five quality indicators to describe their efforts. The five benchmarks are the teacher, learner, content, instruction, and assessment.

 

            In regards to the teacher, he or she should be appreciative and recognize the plethora of abilities in the classroom. He or she needs to be committed to the process and dedicated to the students and to the willingness to change his or her methodology. The first question that should be considered is “What about me?” The teacher needs to assess current content knowledge and skills before moving forward. “What are my current practices?” and “What are my available resources?” The teacher needs to reflect often and collaborate with colleagues. He or she needs to be flexible enough to change plans or change direction.

 

In Washington County, Maryland, benchmark assessments are given three times per year. These benchmarks follow the same guidelines as the Maryland State assessment (MSA). At the beginning of the year, the first benchmark test is a diagnostic assessment. At this point, teachers are able to determine the levels of performance of each of his or her students. It is crucial for the teacher to examine his or her own practices at this time to match teaching with learning. It is advantageous at this juncture to assess multiple intelligences and learning styles so that students can demonstrate mastery in their most comfortable format and learn in their most natural style, whether it be auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, or visual. It is up to the teacher to vary his or her methodologies to meet theses individual styles. The second benchmark is formative. The results are used to adjust lessons and to make arrangements for individual or small-group intervention strategies. Teacher use a district-wide Classroom-Focused Intervention Plan (CFIP) at this time to incorporate reteaching and objective-centered lessons to increase performance on the upcoming MSA. The third assessment is the evaluative assessment. This assessment is often given after the MSA and is used as part of the students’ final marking period grade, giving it purpose and relevance to the students at a point in time when they know the all-important state assessment is over. It is important to note that all assessments are formative; they can be used to adjust instruction throughout the year and beyond.

 

            Rock, et al identifies the second avenue, which is the content variable. “What content is there? Why should they care?” Although the curriculum may be guided by the state, it is important that the teacher and the students have some choices so that they can feel like they have ownership in the lessons and in their own teaching and learning. Students need time to internalize the content before rushing on to the next objective to meet the demands of a calendar. Schumm et al (1994) provides a triangle that REACH utilized. The triangle demonstrates that the base contains the information that all students know, the middle contains the information that most students know, and the top contains the information that some students know. By preassessing students, a teacher can determine where to start teaching in the content area. Informal and formal assessments throughout a unit will help to place students in the triangle.    

 

Another step of REACH is to analyze the learner. “Who are they?” Gather specific information about each child. Spend time talking to the kids and getting to know them personally but more importantly, learn “how they think.” What are their Individual Education Plans (IEP’s)? What cultures are represented in the classroom? How should they be grouped? Who are the highest-level performing students and the lowest-level? Would it be beneficial to pair up higher level with lower level students for an activity? Some cultures have differences of which we are not aware.  

 

            Lessons should be research-based. “What methods are best suited to the students?” A variety of teaching strategies and tools should be utilized—direct instruction, graphic organizers, whiteboards, choral responses, Think-Pair-Share opportunities, and immediate feedback are very useful.  

 

Lastly, there is a need to examine the data. “How did it go? How do I know?” Through reflection, teachers can discover which methods worked, which ones need to be tossed or modified, and which students were more engaged and successful. One fifth grade teacher used a “windshield” analogy. The first level was “clear as glass; the second level had bugs; the third level was covered with mud.” Stations were set up in the classroom where students could refer to each station for help.

 

            Differentiation is a goal-directed approach to learning. It relies on a positive environment with choices, and requires change. With economic constraints in schools and a dynamic population of technologically dependent students, administrators and teachers are faced with an ever increasing challenge of meeting the needs of today’s students. It is truly an educational revolution. By examining goals and reflecting on practices, teachers can change with the demands of this society.

 

Data Supports NCLB and Research-Based Instruction

 

            In support of NCLB’s efforts to reform the education arena, The U.S. Department of Education released a Strategic Plan For Fiscal Years 2007-12 to outline their “high expectations for America’s schools and students, and for ourselves. “We [Dept. of Ed.] are committed to giving our students the skills they need to succeed in a highly competitive global economy” (US Department of Education, 2007).

 

            The plan focuses on three areas: (1) student achievement and rewards for qualified teachers, (2) more rigorous coursework, and (3) improvement of “access, affordability, and accountability of universities” (US Department of Education, 2007). Lastly, the goals include raising the expectations within the Department, as well. In the introductory letter of the plan, Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings writes,

 

“No Child Left Behind (NCLB) provides a strong foundation on which to build these positive results. Data show that the law is working to improve student achievement and close the nation’s achievement gap. We must now work together to reauthorize and strengthen the law. Children who were in grade three when the law was passed will soon be entering high school. They deserve to be taught to high standards by qualified teachers in schools that are held accountable for results” (US Dept. of Education, 2007).

 

As a result of the NCLB Act, schools across the nation outlined standards, collected data, and created a more rigorous curriculum. As each year the bar is raised for percentages of students to meet “proficiency” ratings for Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), the data is used to make improvements in specific areas and compare schools to each other, to their respective counties, and to the state as a whole. For example, in Mapping Maryland’s Educational Progress 2008, the results are charted in the following core principles:

 

o       High Standards

 

o       Annual Assessments

 

o       Accountability for Results

 

o       Highly Qualified Teachers in Every Classroom

 

o       Information and Options for Parents

 

o       All Children on Grade level by 2014 (US Department of Education, 2007).

 

Maryland schools enrolled 860,000 students in 2007. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data, 2005-06 School Year, 31.6% were low-income (FARMS), 3.7% were Limited English Proficient (ELL), and 12.8 % were students with disabilities (SWD).  Out of 1,430 students across the state, 1050 (77.2%) made AYP. Ninety-six schools were in “needs improvement” status, while 53 are in the process of being “restructured,” according to the Consolidated State Performance Report, 2006-07 and NCES CCD, 2005-06.

 

            In Maryland schools, highly qualified teachers taught in 94.8% of classrooms in low poverty elementary schools and 66% of the classrooms in high poverty elementary schools. In low-poverty high schools, 89.1% of the classrooms were taught by highly qualified teachers, with 63.4% in high poverty high schools. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, achievement trends in grades four through eight have increased from 2002-2007. Maryland’s high school graduation rate was 85.4% in 2006; the freshman graduation rate was 85.4%. Across the nation, the rate was 75%, demonstrating a higher graduation rate in Maryland compared to the rest of the nation.

 

            Washington County, Maryland reports high ratings. Very active in its attempts to meet the requirements of the NCLB, the county provides ample opportunities and incentives for professional development, including a competitive salary scale and salary ladder for salary increases. The county meets to share best practices and scores and to celebrate school and individual successes. The Maryland Report Card, Boonsboro Middle, Washington County 2007 Performance Report demonstrates that all students of Boonsboro Middle School met AYP in reading, math, and attendance. In 2007, 96.5% met AYP compared to 95.1% in the county, and 94.4% in the state. For 2006, the school’s attendance rates were 96.7% in the school, 96% in the county, and 93.9% in the state, showing improvement for the county and the school.

 

            The county’s graduation rate for 2007 was 90.09%, while for the state, it was 85.24%. The graduation statistics for 2006 were 90.48% for the county compared to 85.43% for the state, again an improvement for the county. The attendance and graduation rates prove AYP for 2007.

 

            As for teachers, Washington County takes pride in meeting another goal of the NCLB. In 2006, 33.1% of the teachers held Standard Professional Certificates at the state level, with 34.2% at the county level and 28.9 % at Boonsboro Middle School (BMS). In 2007, the numbers increased. 32.6% held Standard Professional Certificates at the state level, 33.5% at the county level, and 34.2% at BMS, demonstrating a marked increase. In 2006, the certificates are described as follows: state (45%), county (51.1%), BMS (55.3%). In 2007, state (46.8%), county (49.1%), and BMS (50%), demonstrating another achievement of the goals outlined in the US Department of Education’s Strategic Plan for the Fiscal Years 2007-12.

 

            Washington County is stressing the importance of increasing student achievement and closing the achievement gap between the various subgroups within its boundaries. With focus on Students with Disabilities (SWD), Economically Disadvantaged students (ED) English Language Learners (ELL), and minority groups’ scores, efforts are made throughout the district to create and implement plans to reach these students. Departments collaborate within schools and schools meet across the county to discuss the results. At Boonsboro Middle School, teachers are set up in teams. These teams meet on a daily basis to discuss individual students and strategies to increase the chances of being successful. Student Achievement Specialists meet with their respective departments monthly to share strategies and devise plans to help students meet proficiency on benchmarks and state tests. Plans of action are developed through Classroom-Focused Intervention Plans (CFIP). These plans target specific students who are noted as “safe harbor”—students who are at a crux between scoring “basic” and scoring “proficient.” They are the most likely students to pass the next Maryland State Assessment (MSA) if interventions are put in place. This focus moves students from “basic” (low-performing) lists. They are removed from intervention classes according to these meetings. It will be interesting to note their progress from that point forward.

 

How the Political Process has Changed Schools

 

            Is it possible that the nation is doing a disservice to the students who maintain the highest scores? With focus on individual schools reaching AYP, it seems they are neglecting the “students at the top.” Interventions are in place; teachers are staying after school working with students and placing more one-on-one attention on struggling students to make sure they pass the state tests.

 

            Meanwhile, the students at the top of the nations’ scores are not making as much progress. They are still maintaining the highest scores but they are not making the achievement gains in the same growing percentages. “Tom Loveless, from the Brookings Institute, analyzes results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and concludes that the nation’s top pupils have ‘languished’ academically while the lowest performing youngsters have gained dramatically”....The question is, “Can we be equal and excellent too?” (Fordham Institute, 2007).

 

            When teachers were interviewed, most reported that they spend more time with under-achieving students than higher-achieving ones in an effort to meet whatever accountability factors affect them. Unfortunately, this is one of the pitfalls of the No Child Left Behind legislation. Teachers do believe that “all students deserve equal attention.” However, upon analysis of the data (Fordham Institute, 2007), it demonstrates growth of 3% in high achieving students and 16% in targeted students for 2007. The idea of offering incentives to high achieving students is one that will always be met with approval. Washington County, Maryland is once again meeting the demands of this area of importance by instituting “magnet schools” in their district. Boonsboro is a school district that attracts students with language abilities and interests while E. Russell Hicks Middle School and Emma K. Doub Elementary School maintain a technology focus. These are merit level programs for which parents only need to apply. North Hagerstown High School and its feeder schools are International Baccalaureate Schools, where students will have better chances of entering colleges of their choosing. Several students from the area have won the 2009 National Merit Scholarship (Washington County Public Schools, 2008).

 

While some may consider it a disservice to spend so much time and attention on low-performing students throughout the school year, the rewards of offering incentives to a motivated segment of the population will benefit them. It is up to the teachers to make these opportunities known. They should be posted and opportunities for growth in the required areas should be offered. More challenging activities should be implemented to encourage participation in all areas and to all groups.

 

 

References

 

Fordham Institute (2007). “In a Nutshell: High-Achieving Students in the Era of NCLB.” Retrieved November 13, 2008 from http://www.edexcellence.net/detail/news.cfm?news_id=732&id=92 

 

Mapping maryland’s educational progress, 2008.

 

Maryland state department of education. “Maryland report card.”

 

Rock, M. L., M. Gregg, E. Ellis, and R. Gable. “Reach: a framework for differentiating classroom instruction” (Report). Preventing school failure. 52.2 (Wntr 2008) p. 31 (17).

 

US Department of Education. “Strategic plan for fiscal years 2007-12.” Released May 24, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2008.

 

           

 

Debra Isenberger
http://www.articlesbase.com/k-12-education-articles/differentiation-and-the-achievement-gap-675866.html

Back in 1925, Clinton Odell, whose family business produced the first brushless shaving cream, created a whole new way of advertising to newly mobile Americans. Precursors to the modern billboard, these advertisements were comprised of six signs, placed about 100 yards apart, with pithy slogans, Rhymes, and riddles about the newfangled shaving cream distributed across them.

 “Your shaving brush / Has had its day / So why not / Shave the modern way / With / Burma-Shave,” one of the early series teased from six roadside signs. Another proclaimed: “Within this vale / Of toil / And sin / Your head grows bald / But not your chin - use / Burma-Shave.” Still another was aimed at the wives: “Does your husband / Misbehave / Grunt and grumble / Rant and rave / Shoot the brute some / Burma-Shave.”

The Burma-Shave signs were not billboards as we know them today; they were small, red, T-shaped signs with bold white lettering. But Odell was onto something: His signs were easy for people to read and comprehend as they whizzed by – plus they were entertaining. Modern designers create similarly eye-catching billboards – ones that have both a powerful message and a format that makes the message “pop,” so that viewers can get the point quickly.

I think of billboards often when working on trial graphics, because both billboards and trial graphics benefit from a clear understanding of information architecture – the art and science of structuring and presenting material to make it easy to understand. And while billboards are for selling and trial graphics are for teaching, both are created to convey a message and convince the audience of a certain version of the truth. While most trial attorneys understand this general idea, too many trial graphics suffer because attorneys weren’t sure just which message should be presented – and how.

The first rule of information architecture is that you have to recognize the limits of time and space. A billboard’s time and space is limited by the size of the structure and the speed at which people drive by. A trial graphic’s time and space are limited by the court. Time is restricted because you get only so much of it before the judge gives you a warning.  Also a juror will look at a trial graphic for only so long before she loses interest. Space is limited because there is only so much information you can put on a graphic and still have it be legible and make sense.

Indeed, time and space are the most limited (and therefore precious) elements for any trial graphic. But that does not mean your hands are tied. Artists, journalists, copywriters, poets, billboard designers, and trial graphics consultants know that time and space limits force people to be more creative, not less. That is because the very limits of a canvas, newspaper column, 30-second radio ad, 17-syllable haiku, billboard – or 36” x 48” trial graphic – force us to identify the most important message.

The second rule of information architecture is that you have to simplify the content. And to do that, you have to include only the facts that are most relevant to the message you want your graphic to convey. This is a difficult task, but a necessary one.

The third rule of information architecture is that after you identify the facts to be included on the graphic, you allocate space and time to them according to their worth.

Say you are representing a plaintiff in a suit against a sign company whose sign crashed to the ground and broke the client’s windows. And you want to focus on one key phrase in a deposition transcript that shows the defendant’s claim that he had no idea this could happen is false.  You do not need to show a whole page of the transcript.  Instead, you might show a fragment of the transcript, and then highlight the operative phrase to get the jurors to focus on it – whether it is “I thought the bolts looked funny” or “yes, this has happened before.”  

 You will need to add some authenticating details – perhaps a picture of the relevant transcript page or a citation for the deposition. But give supporting details only a supporting role on the graphic, by putting them to the side or in a smaller font, for instance.  That helps jurors stay focused on the most important message.

The very most prime real estate on any trial graphic is the title. Why? This is your chance to tell the jurors why you’re putting up a graphic in the first place. Unfortunately, the titles on most trial graphics are less than inspiring. Many serve only as labels (e.g., “Stevens v. Sign Co., graphic #3) – not particularly useful as the jury already knows the name of your case. Other titles simply identify the document (“Trial Exhibit #4, Sign Hanger Deposition, 1/10/09”), again, not very informative.  

A title that summarizes the graphic’s point is far more effective. Try simply stating it outright: e.g., “Sign Co.’s signs have fallen before.” Or use a quote from the deposition: e.g., “It’s not the first time this has happened.” Optimize your space by putting the title in a larger font or different color than the rest of the text.

One of the most important techniques one can learn from the Burma Shave campaign is to pace the information. By that I mean deliver the complex information in small bits that build upon each other in sequence, rather than putting all of it up at once.

Pacing the delivery of complex information helps trial lawyers communicate more powerfully in several ways.  First, each time the lawyer reveals new information, he gets what I call the “6-second honeymoon,” that brief period when jurors see that something novel is being presented and renew their vow to pay attention.  Second, pacing information helps focus the lawyer’s story, so that she stays on point.  Finally, when information is introduced in stages, jurors have time to absorb the concepts, rather than being overwhelmed by seeing them at the same time.

In the courtroom, you can start with a base graphic, then layer new bits of information on top as you need them, until the final graphic has all the information you originally meant to present.  Need to show that Sign Co’s have crashed to the ground before? If you display a 100-field chart filled with the details of each accident, you’ll lose your jurors after describing five of the episodes. Instead, use overlays to add episode after episode to a simple timeline, choosing only the most dramatic ones to narrate orally.

Again, you only have so much time and space. And jurors can only remember so many details.  Your goal in creating courtroom graphics is to create tools that help the jury understand (and remember) your version of the truth. There will always be tension between your desire to provide more information and the need to limit how much you provide. From this tension comes creativity, and a more focused and powerful presentation.

G. Christopher Ritter
http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/what-i-learned-from-billboards-746542.html

As a "normal" girl of course I love shoes, shopping for them, trying them on and especially wearing them out. And also as every other "normal" girl I have a few favorite shoe designer's. So what is this story about, it's about a beagle and a beautiful pair of 120.00 Naughty Monkey shoes that I couldn't live without.

A few weeks ago I was reading up on fashionista magazines when I came across a pair of the most wonderful funky pair of shoes I had ever seen. They were perfect with their real wooden soles, leopard straps, turquoise detailing, bright red soles and stunning ankle wrapping buckles - I was in love for what I thought was life - but ended up seeming more like a bad blind date with a no show.

So after shopping around endlessly for hours (I wear a size 6 so shopping can be hard sometimes) on the internet to find my best bargain on the shoes I could I scored big time. An awesome website that had free shipping; my size and the shoes were only 60.00. So after I finished jumping up in down doing my touchdown dance, I flopped down in my chair and begun the vigorous task of ordering online (just Kidding it really only took like five minutes), I was finished, and now ready to begin patiently waiting for my shoes (yeah patient uh huh).

Sadly enough it took so long for the shoes to get to my house I almost forgot I was waiting until my boyfriend said between a few bites of chicken fajitas "Oh yeah you got some package on the door step today". My heart leapt I was so happy (yeah it's not a check from the publishers clearing house but it is a close call), I ran to the front door shrieking the whole way. I ripped off the packaging and there they were so pretty and nice and new. I immediately put them on and began strutting around the house in them to get a feel for them. They were perfect - even though I had to settle for a half a size bigger than usual I was in heaven. But that five minutes of love was about as long as it would last - like junior high romance or the equivalent of sharing a hot fudge brownie Sunday and having the other person take the last bite.

So maybe your wondering what happened. Like six months ago for my wonderful boyfriends Christmas present he really wanted a hunting dog - so as a wonderful nice girlfriend I got him a Beagle. For months we were happy Regal (yes her name is Regal Beagle) went everywhere with us except work and sometimes she even did that. What Beagle didn't like was when we got our other new puppy, which she's had no problem expressing at all by eating shoes, jeans trash. pretty much anything to make us mad no matter how much extra attention we tried giving her. So the morning after I got my shoes in the mail I left them on top of the dishwasher, while I went jogging with my best friend. I thought up there she wouldn't even attempt to try to get them. Well I was wrong. I came back from jogging plopped down on the couch and started hugging and playing with our babies (puppies) and that's when I saw it. My shoes. I stared down at the ground in disbelief there was a perfectly beautiful mangled teeth bitten shoe on the ground with the small words "Naughty Monkey" etched in every fine piece of the sole. So like any girl who doesn't know what else to do I started crying and freaking out, and that was when I looked up and saw the other one outside in the yard same teeth marks different part of the shoe.

So I didn't know what to do I was to sad to be mad at the evil beagle, so I called my friend freaking out on her, about what the beagle did - then I started laughing uncontrollably - trying to picture the beagle climbing onto the kitchen table and then skying herself all the way over to the stove so she could get to the shoes. I wonder how long she had been planning this or was this something she did a lot when we weren't home....who knows - I may never know. All I can tell you is this story does have a happy ending - a few of them actually.

The first is that we moved the table far enough away from the stove so she can't jump up there anymore. The second I found a great place to buy shoes from with great deals. The Third is the best when my boyfriend came home and saw how sad I was he called the place from which I had ordered the shoes and asked how we could get another pair since quantities are limited. The lady was great she found me another pair (sadly though the same style but not the same color) a half size smaller and she gave them to us for 40.00 after hearing our story. I am hoping however that there can be a third happy ending where I take my shoes to a shoe repair place and they fix them then I can have both shoe colors....that would a perfectly hectic wonderfully happy shopping experience.

Sally Sue
http://www.articlesbase.com/fashion-articles/the-story-of-my-favorite-naughty-monkey-428853.html

Homage to American musicals of the 1920s, The Drowsy Chaperone is the second successful musical from Canada on Broadway – after Baker Street, and the first in 25 years. There have been three other musicals from Canada on the stages of Broadway - Rockabye Hamlet, Billy Bishop Goes to War, Anne of Green Gables – but none made past a two-week run, and so are not considered Broadway productions. Created as a skit for a stag party, it metamorphosed into a great musical on its way to Broadway, via Toronto and Los Angeles. It is one of those musicals, not based on a book, play or movie, which became great.

The Drowsy Chaperone previewed on April 3, 2006 at the Marquis Theater, and after 32 previews, opened on May 1, 2006. By November 19, 2006, it has had 232 well-acclaimed performances. This Casey Nicholaw directed and choreographed musical was nominated for 13 Tony awards, and won five, for: Book of a Musical, Score (Music and/or Lyrics), Actress (Featured Role - Musical), Scenic Design (Musical), and Costume Design (Musical). In addition, it is the winner of seven 2006 Drama Desk Awards, and four Outer Circle Critics Awards 2006.

The Profile

Dubbed as ‘a musical within a comedy,’ The Drowsy Chaperone has, as a host and a guide, a character that goes by the name Man in Chair. It is a story of a Broadway starlet – played by Sutton Foster, who wants to give it all up for marriage, and her producer (played by Lenny Wolpe) who goes about trying to sabotage the marriage. Then, there is the chaperone, a martini-swigging vamp played by Beth Leavel.

With the debonair groom, the ditzy chorine, the Latin lover and a couple of gangsters in the mix, The Drowsy Chaperone gives the audiences pure pleasure. This well written musical, with wonderful songs and music, had many raving about it by the time they left the theater. Many have claimed The Drowsy Chaperone to be the ‘best’ they have experienced on Broadway, in a long time. What has got the audiences going is the narration, the music, the lyrics, the dancing, and the Jokes. The sets and costumes are outstanding.

Tickets For The Show

You need to book well in advance for The Drowsy Chaperone tickets. Tickets are not easy to come by, especially if you are looking to procure them at a short notice. Many people visiting New York on a short visit find it difficult to arrange The Drowsy Chaperone tickets, as they are all sold out.

There are other means to obtain your The Drowsy Chaperone tickets for the show of your choice. Many licensed ticket brokers are in the business of providing tickets for you for the performances of your choice. Ensure that you approach reputed suppliers, and not unreliable people at the re-sale forums, and through eBay. Even buying The Drowsy Chaperone tickets through scalpers is quite risky, as the tickets may be fake.

Al Terry
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/how-to-procure-your-drowsy-chaperone-tickets-91306.html

Do you want your next President to be a man whose name Rhymes with a terrorist or a mentally unstable crazy man? Only 2 choices.

Why do you waste our time? Obama can't help his name. He didn't choose it. I can't wait to vote for him in November.