LITTLE ROCK (KTHV) - Three out of every ten kids in the United States don't graduate from high school.

It's a national picture that's getting some Arkansas attention right now with a new program for the Boys and Girls Club. The Central Arkansas chapter will launch the program this fall with some early intervention, targeting middle school students.

The Central Arkansas chapter is among ten Boys and Girls Clubs nationwide that was chosen for the "Be Great: Graduate" program. It's focusing in on at-risk middle school students: a group club organizers say can often have a lot of stress in their lives and don't always get the attention they need.

"You're on and you do five questions and once you get five in a row correct, you get to do a video game of your choice for one minute and then it kicks back to the questions," Shelby Kriz says, describing an activity at the James Penick Boys and Girls Club on Tuesday.

These middle school girls are keeping education alive during summer break at a Little Rock Boys and Girls Club. Over in the gym, these middle school boys get some basketball time Tuesday; everyone enjoying a positive experience that will grow this fall.

"A lot of times in middle school you start developing the idea of what you want to be when you grow up, you're going through puberty, there are so many things happening to you in middle school," said Kriz, who is the Director of Education for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas.

To keep these kids on track to graduation, the Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas has a new program this fall, partnering with the University of Phoenix. The first part is a weekly mentoring program.

"Just to let that kid know that somebody cares about them and they're consistent, they come every week, they make promises and they keep those promises," Kriz said.

Education Director Shelby Kriz says relationships like that are key for at-risk students. Part Two of the program works with a student's school, closely tracking red flags.

"Making sure that if we see truancy several days in a row, let's address that issue, let's find out what's causing that," Kriz said.

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New Boys & Girls program targets middle school students

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Wednesday, July 11, 2012, 17:40

Sen Flynn, Education Editor

The online education provider Hibernia College is to offer degree courses in computing and business in association with the University of London, one of the worlds top ranked universities.

Students will pay 4,980 for the undergraduate degree courses which will be awarded by the University of London. The university has several constituent colleges including the London School of Economic and University College London.

The move by Hibernia will test the growing market for private third level education in the Republic and is a significant move.

Its director, Sen Rowland says the major benefit for students is that they can gain a much valued degree from a top ranked college - without incurring accommodation, travel and other costs.

While Hibernia hope to enrol about 250 students in the first year of the programme, some observers believe that student demand for the courses could increase dramatically over the next five years.

More students could opt for more flexible, on line courses as the student contribution fee for third level colleges is set to rise to 3,000 by 2015. There is also concern in some university circles that Irish students might see degree courses offered by top ranked international colleges as more attractive than those from under funded Irish colleges.

The three year degree programme on offer include a B.Sc. in Creative Computing; a B.Sc. in Computing and Information Systems; a B.Sc. in Management and a B.Sc. in Business. A one year diploma course in management for graduates is also available.

Hibernia is also offering 20 scholarships on the degree programmes to sports people from Gaelic games, rugby, soccer and tennis in Ireland. Todays launch was attended by several prominent sports stars including rugby international Tommy Bowe and Dublin footballer Bernard Brogan.

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Hibernia to offer business degrees

Students taking part in the mass aerobic exercise at Sekolah Wawasan USJ 15 in Subang Jaya yesterday. Pic by Sairien Nafis

About 3,000 students participating in the exercise at SMK Seri, Balik Pulau, Penang, yesterday.

Special needs students during the exercise at SMK Bukit Besar, Kuala Terengganu.

SUBANG JAYA: A NEW Malaysian record was created yesterday when more than 3.6 million students from 10,000 schools carried out a simultaneous aerobics exercise throughout the country.

Launched by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at Sekolah Wawasan USJ 15, the event was carried out under the Education Ministry's 1Malaysia 1Student 1Sport policy.

Muhyiddin, Education Department director-general Tan Sri Abd Ghafar Mahmud and senior ministry officials joined 2,500 students at the school field for the aerobic exercise lasting 45 minutes.

Muhyiddin said the policy hoped to create healthy students by getting them to participate in at least one sport.

"The policy also demonstrates the government's intention to make sports a major tool for unity because it has been clearly proven that sports can unite a multiracial community and make the 1Ma-laysia concept a reality."

Last year, the 1Malaysia 1Student 1Sport Simultaneous Run also made it into the Malaysia Book of Records. It was participated by 4.1 million students from 9,980 schools.

In Perak, 300,000 students and teachers from 1,092 schools took part in the aerobic session.

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An exercise in creating a record

AFP/Getty Images

File photo: A yoga teacher at Facebook was recently fire from her position.

The first pose for students of yoga instructor Alice Van Ness: putting their cell phones in the off position.

But after a Facebook employee snuck in some phone time in between downward dog poses and Van Ness expressed her displeasure, the yoga teacher is now in the fired position.

Van Ness received a termination notice from Plus One Health Management, which provided yoga classes on the Facebook campus, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. She was fired because "saying 'no' to Facebook employees is a no-no," the newspaper reported.

Van Ness begins every class -- at Facebook or anywhere else -- by asking students to turn off technology and focus on the yoga for the duration of the class. The offending student was asked to turn off her phone but was tuned into her device during class. Van Ness "shot her a look," the newspaper reported, but the student later complained.

The firing cost Van Ness a yoga teaching position at Cisco, the newspaper reported. She had also asked a Cisco employee not to take a photo during class.

Can tech employees be asked to tune out of technology during yoga classes -- and if so, can they be expected to listen? The jury's still out. But so is Van Ness.

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Yoga Teacher at Facebook Fired For Smartphone Ban

A yoga teacher at Facebook says she was fired after she objected to a company employee using her cell phone in class.

How are you supposed to do this while checking your cell phone?

Yoga is about relaxation. It's about forgetting the corporate world and focusing on the corporeal world.

It's not about peering down at your cell phone and, say, updating your status or replying to an email.

Yet word reaches me of disturbing circumstances that appear to have occurred during a yoga class at Facebook.

You didn't think Facebook employees had time for yoga? Oh, come. They don't work that hard there. They're open, spiritual beings, don't forget. Well, mostly.

As the San Francisco Chronicle tells it, Alice Van Ness is a yoga instructor contracted to lead classes at Facebook's Fitness Center in Menlo Park. Or rather, was.

She has a principle in her teachings, one that is embraced by theaters, churches and libraries the world over: please turn off your cell phone.

It seems, though, that one Facebook employee couldn't quite stretch to this stricture. Indeed, she allegedly took her phone out at the beginning of the class and then again half way through.

Van Ness claims in a blog post that she offered a stern look of disapproval. No words, not even a hiss.

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Facebook yoga teacher objects to cell phone, gets fired

By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune Published: July 11, 2012 Updated: July 11, 2012 - 12:00 AM

When yoga studio owner Francine Messano first organized "Yoga in the Park," a free one-hour class Sundays in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, the event drew about 10 people.

That was about two years ago, and momentum has been building gradually through word of mouth. Now, roughly 150 people show up rain or shine well, unless there's a tropical storm.

Classes begin at 6 p.m. Sundays. Attendees stretch their hamstrings and quadriceps, rotating hips out, relaxing necks, rotating upper bodies.

Their view: Tampa's signature park, the Hillsborough River and the minarets atop Plant Hall. Everyone loves the location, Messano said.

"Looking up at the sky, there's something powerful with just moving with the energy of nature," she said.

Added Melissa Carroll, who typically teaches the class: "It takes yoga out of its typical realm in the studio and certainly makes it more accessible to people."

The class is open to people of all ages and skill levels. Sometimes children participate in poses. Sometimes people in their 80s will give yoga a shot.

"People don't feel intimidated," said Messano, who runs Yoga Downtown Tampa at 206 E. Cass St.

Ellen Dominic of Riverside Heights and her husband came for a recent class. Dominic said it was her sixth yoga class in the park.

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Yoga enthusiasts take poses to the park

A yoga instructor reportedly lost her job teaching classes on Facebook's campus, because of her overly "strict" policy of insisting that students not use cellphoneswhile trying to stretch.

According the San Francisco Chronicle, until last monthAlice Van Ness worked for a "fitness contractor" teaching yoga classes to employees at Silicon Valley tech companies. She says that during a recent class on Facebook's Menlo Park campus, a Facebooker stretching in the middle of front row picked up her cellphone halfway through the class, even after the entire class was asked to turn them off at the beginning. Van Ness says that she didn't even admonish the student, but merely shot her a dirty look. After class, the students still complained to her bosses and two weeks later Van Ness was fired.

The company that contracted her said in her termination notice that it was a "pattern of strict behavior" that led to the dismissal, including aseparateincident when she asked a Cisco employee not to take photographs of a class in session. (She's a regular Professor Snape.) Thecompanybasicallyadmits that their goal is "to say yes wheneverpossible," which means clients can do whatever they want including ignoring the entire point of a yoga class as long they're paying for it.

Van Ness decided not to fight for her job after realizing that teaching tech people to relax is essentially an, um ... exercise in futility. People who take their cellphones into a yoga class don't want to be disconnected for even an hour and the people of Silicon Valley in particular are big fans of not playing by "the rules." If they want to check email while trying to pull off a warrior pose, Van Ness says that's their business from now on:

"The culture of these places is to let them do whatever they want," she said. "And I'm just not really OK withanarchy."

Image by Poulson's Photographyvia Shutterstock

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dashiell at dashiellbennett dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

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Yoga Teacher Fired for Wanting Facebook Employee to Turn Off Her Phone

When the former owner of a yoga studio in Powell pulled out recently, yoga teachers and students decided to combine their efforts to keep the studio operating.

Under its new name, the Yoga Center now is a cooperative venture spearheaded by five certified yoga instructors and eight students at the center.

A grand opening will take place at 5 p.m. Friday at the center, located 163 N. Clark St.

The students stepped up and wanted to keep it open, said Helena DeFina, one of the teachers at the center. We have each agreed to pay a certain amount each month to keep it open ... Its been a breath of new life.

They would like to extend that concept to make it a community-owned center. Theyre making it easy; anyone interested can join the center for $5. The first class is free; after that, classes cost $7 each, or $50 for 30 days of unlimited classes.

The center offers a pleasant, relaxing environment in which teachers and students can tune out the world while they focus on body, breath and mind.

To me, yoga brings in the breathing element, and that just sort of separates it from regular exercises, said Rowene Weems, one of the eight students who spearheaded the partnership.

Yoga is not a religion; its a system of health, DeFina said.

Its not just physical, she said. Whatever helps you calm the mind is what you need. (The Yoga Center) is an environment to help put you in the right place.

Thats why it was so important to keep the center open, she said.

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Yoga Center re-opens as community partnership

By Josh Robbins, Brian Schmitz and Megan Walsh, Orlando Sentinel 8:09 p.m. EST, July 9, 2012

Add two more names to the list of candidates for the Orlando Magic's head-coaching vacancy.

The Magic are expected to interview Utah Jazz assistant coach Jeff Hornacek and Phoenix Suns player development coach Lindsey Hunter soon.

Hornacek's candidacy was reported first by The Salt Lake Tribune. Hunter's candidacy previously was reported by WKMG.

The Magic also are considering four others, league sources have told the Orlando Sentinel.

They are: Golden State Warriors lead assistant coach Michael Malone, Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Jacque Vaughn and Quin Snyder, who has decided to leave his position as a Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach for a similar position with CSKA Moscow.

Hornacek and Shaw were at Amway Center on Monday for the 2012 AirTran Airways Orlando Pro Summer League.

Hornacek told the Sentinel that he would speak to the Magic if given the opportunity.

Shaw said he has been interviewed for the job.

Shaw said he is "playing the waiting game" and doesn't have any idea when the Magic will make a decision. Shaw played three seasons for the Magic during the mid-1990s.

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2 more candidates considered for Magic coaching job

A few weeks ago I was out clubbing with a friend, Sam, and a very attractive homosexual caught his eye.

Oh My God, hes SO beautiful, Sam said, admiring the boy.

Go and talk to him, I advised.

No, hes out of my league. And just like that Sam gave up. But an hour later the beautiful homosexual was making out with a guy whom one might describe as a hobbit! It got me thinking, if the attractive guy and the Hobbit hooked up, did that mean they were in the same league?

Sam went home that night confused and frustrated. If he had gone up to talk to the hot guy he may have had a chance, but because Sam believed he wasnt good enough for him based on looks, he would never know what could have been.

I told Sam that if he thinks he can only date guys who are the same attractiveness as him, it would really limit the number of people he could date. Who decides these leagues anyway? The actuality is, there are no leagues, just preferences.

If hed gone up to talk to the hot guy he may have had a chance, but Sam believed he wasnt good enough for him.

Sam was attracted to the guy at the club so much that it intimidated him. In fear of rejection and possibly a lack of self-esteem, Sam chose not to make a move. The attractive man however found the Hobbit attractive, so the two of them hooked up. Just because Sam didnt think the hot guy and the Hobbit were in the same league, didnt mean they thought they werent.

No one really knows what other peoples preference for a partner is until they get to know someone. Though with some brutally honest dating profiles out there stating only into fit young guys or not into [insert racial group here] or no one over 30, its easy to see how some people might feel dejected by the gay community and assume they are not many peoples type.

Just because some people dont fit the classically attractive stereotype that fed to us by the media, does not mean they are not in the same league as those who are considered as handsome. No matter who you are or what you look like, someone out there will find you attractive! I can say this confidently as I dont know any gay virgins.

Excerpt from:
Sex / Health / Fitness: "He's out of my league." What league?