Adoption at the Movies : Adoption Movie Guide: The Croods

Eep is a prehistoric teenager with modern problems. Her father wants to protect her, but she views his protection as smothering. She introduces the movie by saying, ?With every day comes a new beginning- a hope that things will be better. But not for me.? She explains that ? to keep her safe ? her father has her spend much of her life in a cave.

What Does This Have To Do With Adoption?

Grug and his family are cavepeople. Their world is dangerous. They?ve witnessed horrible things. Grug has responded by sheltering his family behind a wall (actually, within a cave) so that they can?t be hurt by the outside world. Many children in foster care, and many children in adoptive families have also created an emotional wall to protect their feelings from anticipated hurts. Grug?s wall was forcibly removed, and that might be meaningful to some viewers. As Grug learns to look for a better future, children may also be able to lower their walls and hope for better experiences. The movie encourages viewers to not hide and not fear the future.

Grug is overly-cautious with his daughter; some writers have theorized that adoptive parents are often extra-careful because they?ve waited so long to be parents and because they feel judged by the system and their peers.

There?s plenty to like in this movie:

Grug is a strong and selfless father who obviously puts his family?s needs over his own. He is the last to enter the cave, the last to eat at a meal, and the one to ensure others are safe, even at risk to himself. He does not complain about this, but seems to view it as a natural part of life as a father. His selflessness as a father is a rarity in movies; it stands in sharp contrast to the selfishness of Gru in Despicable Me.

Grug?s family has a strong cohesive identity. The difficulties of prehistoric life make them bond together. They defend each other, hunt together, and they travel together.

Grug is affirmed for ?keeping us all alive.? Although he has struggled to express emotions, Grug invents the hug to show Eep that he loves her. Grug and Eep are also eventually able to verbally express their love for each other.

Grug?s wife encourages him to be patient with Eep as she works through her feelings.

When a new acquaintance tries to get her to leave with him, she replies, ?I don?t even know you.?

Eep defends her new friend from her family, but also defends her family from her new friend?s judgments.

Eep?s new friend, Guy, encourages her to believe that the future will not be frightening.

Grug says that everything is dangerous. There might be a lesson here for parents, kind of in line with The Boy?

Who Cried Wolf? If you caution your kids away from too many things, your words might start to bear less weight.

There is a bit of a challenge with regard to the message the movie sends.

Grug?s selflessness is shown, but not really mentioned. The turning point of the movie is that old-fashioned, sensible, and cautious Grug becomes wise enough to relinquish his leadership to a young man with innovative ideas. Grug is selfless, but the focus of the movie is that Eep is right, and Grug needs to change his old-fashioned overly-cautious ways. I find myself wishing that the film also made room for Eep to more fully acknowledge her father?s goodness; as it is, the movie seems to come alongside tweens and say, ?You?re right. Your parents are a bit slow.?? Parents might also not appreciate the movie?s message that Eep?s more-or-less boyfriend is smarter than her father. At least, that?s one way that the movie can be interpreted.

And here?s the challenge: The first interpretation comes if a viewer identifies with Eep. The second comes if the viewer identifies with Grug. But kids watching the film might be more likely to identify with the teenager than the parent.

A pivotal moment in the film occurs when Eep sneaks out of her house at night. This actually helps bring about the film?s happy ending. As a foster care social worker, I often worked with kids who were ?runaway threats.? This film presents running away in a positive light.

Grug has a difficult relationship with his mother-in-law. Although he protects her, he also appears to be gladdened by the thought of her dying.

A character mentions being traded to her new husband.

There is a lot of good to draw from The Croods. Families can watch it with young foster or adoptive children ? the film will probably appeal most of all to kids between the ages of 5 and 12. The movie should be helpful to start discussions about a fearful or pessimistic view of the future, the ?walls? that we sometimes build up, and the right role of a father. ?

Questions to talk about together after the movie:

Why did Grug want his family to live in a cave? In what ways do people today sometimes make caves for themselves?

What?s good about living in a cave? What do you miss out on by living in a cave?

Grug wasn?t ready to leave his cave right away. His cave kind of got taken from him. Have you ever felt like your cave was taken away?

Do you feel like you live in a cave sometimes?

What makes Grug a good dad? What parts of him aren?t so great?

You might also want to read:

Source: http://www.adoptionlcsw.com/2013/04/adoption-movie-guide-croods.html

warren buffett 2012 nfl schedule dishonored april 18 delonte west vanessa williams nicklas backstrom

Google changes Android dashboard numbers to count active users, not just pings

The Android device dashboard has been providing a picture of OS version distribution since before Froyo pushed aside Eclair, but now it's seeing some changes. A post on the Android Developers Google+ page indicates that starting this month, numbers are based on devices whose users actively checked Google Play during the reporting period. Previously, it counted all devices that pinged Google servers. The latest stats, updated today, show a jump in the amount of actives (previously devices, now users) on Jelly Bean (Android 4.1 or higher), up to 25 percent from 16.5 percent last month when it counted the old way. The number of devices recorded running Froyo and Gingerbread have taken the biggest hit, down 3.6 and 4 percentage points, respectively.

There are a few ways to react to this, particularly remembering that these numbers are meant to help developers figure out how many users are available to target on the various versions of Android and types of hardware. It may give a clearer picture of what the active users that developers may have some hope of reaching without being muddied by little-used zombie devices. On the other hand, it could be seen as a way to juke stats which have been used against it by its competitors like Apple. Whichever side of the line one finds themselves on, more data is available by clicking on the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google

Comments

Source: Android Developers (Google+), Android Dashboard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/02/google-changes-android-dashboard-numbers-to-count-active-users/

herniated disc luke scott tom benson royals nicole richie lyme disease symptoms esperanza spalding

Biz Stone's New Startup Jelly Sounds Like A Home For Do-Gooders On The Go

AllThingsD reported last week that Twitter co-founder Biz Stone was working on a new mobile startup called “Jelly.” Today, a company blog post has emerged that gives us a few more details as to what Jelly might focus on, but it’s still hazy on details. In the post, Biz Stone, who is co-founder and CEO of Jelly Industries, Inc., says it will be for “everybody,” and will be mobile focused. Yes, it doesn’t sound like much, but Stone also said that the company is named after the jellyfish, which sheds light on the type of application he might be working on: We are inspired by this particular animal because neurologically, its brain is more ?we? than ?me.? Also, for the past 700 million years, this decentralized structure has been wildly successful. To us, it sounds like Jellyfish might have something to do with social good, or helping others out. By calling out the “we” vs. “me” aspect, it’s clear that Stone won’t be working on another social network that lets you express yourself in 140 characters, set up a bio or otherwise peacock about how amazing you are and why you’re interesting, all over the Internet. Doing “good” is another ballgame, though. You might be a generous person trying to change the world for the better, but can you prove it? Jelly sounds to us like a way to connect you to social causes and show off your contributions. The Twitter co-founder explained that “People are basically good?when provided a tool that helps them do good in the world, they prove it.” The service will be free, but won’t be available for “a while.” Additionally, Stone says that Jelly will be taking up a good part of his time, save for some of his advisory roles at companies like Branch and Fluther. Jelly is self-funded and based in San Francisco. Much like Ev Williams’ publishing service Medium, Stone is in no hurry to become a big company he says. There aren’t many central homes for philanthropy and volunteering on the web other than a site like Causes, which piggybacked Facebook’s success and open graph. The site never took off as a standalone service, lacking helpful discovery tools to connect you with causes that you might care about. For the most part, you donate here, sign a petition there, but there’s no scorecard. If you had a public-facing profile highlighting your

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ZCG4K5RVI_4/

jim jones tony stewart kurt busch kurt busch nba dunk contest 2012 act of valor woody guthrie

Immigration deal at hand, focus turns to details

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Big business and big labor have settled on a political framework for an immigration overhaul. Now, the lawmakers writing bipartisan legislation need to resolve the nitty-gritty ? and keep their parties' political flanks mollified.

Business and labor negotiators late last week agreed on a deal that would allow tens of thousands of low-skilled workers into the country and pay them fair wages. It was a last major sticking point before the deal goes to the eight senators ? four Democrats, four Republicans ? to sign off on the details and propose legislation. They are looking to set in motion the most dramatic changes to the faltering U.S. immigration system in more than two decades.

"There are a few details yet. But conceptually, we have an agreement between business and labor, between ourselves that has to be drafted," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

The so-called Gang of Eight's plan would provide a new class of worker visas for low-skilled workers, secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here.

"With the agreement between business and labor, every major policy issue has been resolved," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat who brokered the labor-business deal.

But that effort hasn't taken the form of a bill and the senators searching for a compromise haven't met about the potential breakthrough. They plan to introduce their framework when they return from recess the week of April 8 and move quickly to schedule a vote.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said the hard part is done.

"That doesn't mean we've crossed every 'i' or dotted every 't,' or vice versa," Flake said.

But even as the final stages of talks begin, one member of the group urged colleagues not to get too far ahead of themselves. Just before lawmakers began appearing on Sunday shows to discuss the breakthrough, Sen. Marco Rubio warned he was not ready to lend his name ? and political clout ? to such a deal without hashing out the details.

"Reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature," said Rubio, a Florida Republican who is among the lawmakers working to write the legislation.

Rubio, a Cuban-American who is weighing a presidential bid in 2016, is a leading figure inside his party. Lawmakers will be closely watching any deal for his approval, and his skepticism about the process did little to encourage optimism.

Rubio, who is the group's emissary to conservatives, called the agreement "a starting point" but noted 92 senators from 43 states haven't yet been involved in the process.

That's where figures such as Rubio and assistant Democratic leader Dick Durbin of Illinois come in. Both will be able to give political cover to ? or coax ? members of their party who were not involved in drafting this agreement that could allow an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants to earn U.S. citizenship.

"As to the 11 million, they'll have a pathway to citizenship, but it will be earned, it will be long, and it will be hard, and I think it is fair," Graham said.

A week ago, such a compromise seemed impossible.

Then the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO labor coalition reached its deal late Friday to allow tens of thousands of low-skilled workers into the country to fill jobs in construction, restaurants and hotels.

Schumer negotiated the deal between Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue and AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka during a late Friday phone call. Under the compromise, the government would create a new "W'' visa for low-skilled workers, who would earn the same wages paid to Americans or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so it would vary from city to city.

The detente between the powerful business lobbying group and the nation's leading labor federation still needs senators' approval, including a nod from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican whose previous efforts came up short. He has returned to the negotiating table yet again.

The immigration debate already has President Barack Obama's attention.

"This is a legacy item for him," said David Axelrod, a longtime political confidant of Obama. "There is no doubt in my mind that he wants to pass comprehensive immigration reform."

Graham was interviewed Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." Schumer, Flake and Axelrod appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/immigration-deal-hand-focus-turns-details-070801141--politics.html

world peace elbow kevin love think like a man world peace world peace lakers colorectal cancer metta

How To Run A Successful Internet Online Marketing Business | jcis ...

These days, more and more businesses are aspiring to succeed in internet online marketing. This means that a large group of people?have become interested in brushing up on internet online marketing techniques. The tips in this article will help you get up-to-
speed, quickly, in learning how to sell online.

1.The first tip is how to find the best niche for you. Choose the niche that you are familiar most and at the same time you have an idea about it. Perform a?market research about it. Use the Google keyword external tool in collecting low competition with a large quantity of search traffic per?month. The excellent?amount of traffic is 3,000 searches per month and less than 50,000 competing web pages.

2. Find your niche product in marketplaces like Clickbank. To sign up with Clickbank as an affiliate and as a vendor is free. You are not required to have your own product to earn an income in the internet. Clickbank gives you a unique affiliate id which is?connected to the product?s link or URL. As a clickbank affiliate you can promote as many goods as you want. Select the product that?has a gravity rating of not less than 10. Gravity rating is a measurement of how many products were sold in the last two weeks.?Clickbank also provides other stats such as percentage of commission and percentage of refund rate. Choose?the one with low refund rate and at least 50% commission rate.

3. Creating your own website is not mandatory but it has an advantage to have your own. You have full control over your content and web page appearance.?Select?a domain name that is connected to your niche product. The recommended domain names are those ending in ??.com?s. If it is not?available, the next best alternatives are those ending with ?.org?s and ??.net?s.

4. The next very important factor is the vendor?s affiliate support. Search for an affiliate product that has marketing promotional assistance.?Generally, a vendor supplies banners, e-mail ads, auto-responder letters, researched keywords and articles related to his product. In?
this method, it will be very easy for you to sell his product online.

5. The next step is ways to promote your niche product There are several ways to promote a niche product. One method is online marketing.?You can implement it by sending emails to your friends or to social media sites. Another method is buying a pay per click ads.?Another effective method is creating an opt-in list with the support of sending automatic emails using auto-responder software.

6. A very effective technique is to offer discounts and free gifts or bonus. This is a great strategy to use to have a successful?
internet marketing advertisement. People tend to buy an item that they know is less expensive than it normally was.

7. Use tracking code device to monitor the performance of your advertisement. By this method, you will find out which ads are getting?high traffic volume and good conversion rates. Optimize your ads campaign using these data then duplicate it. Do not expect a quick success online. There is a learning curve that each one us has to undertake. The most important thing to remember is not to?get discouraged and learn from your mistakes. Remain on focus and get organized. Follow the tips discussed in this article and apply it.?If other people can do it, you too can do it.

To know more about online marketing success you need a good coach. Allow me to share with you the secret to my online success, Adam?Short?s Niche Profit classroom course. Here is the video link that will explain to you what this course is all about.

http://AffiliateInternetMaster.ws/NPC/FreeInternetMarketingVideoCourse.html ?
?

Source: http://jcis-online.org/how-to-run-a-successful-internet-online-marketing-business/

sam young ramon sessions portland trail blazers blagojevich new mexico state kevin rose sessions

Indian court rules against drug maker's 'new' patent

NEW DELHI (AP) ? India's Supreme Court on Monday rejected drug maker Novartis AG's attempt to patent an updated version of a cancer drug in a landmark decision that health activists say ensures poor patients around the world will get continued access to cheap versions of lifesaving medicines.

Novartis had argued that it needed a patent to protect its investment in the cancer drug Glivec, while activists said the drug did not merit intellectual property protection in India because it was not a new medicine. In response to the ruling, Novartis said it would not invest in drug research in India.

The court's decision has global significance since India's $26 billion generic drug industry, which supplies much of the cheap medicine used in the developing world, could be stunted if Indian law allowed global drug companies to extend the lifespan of patents by making minor changes to medicines.

Once a drug's patent expires, generic manufacturers can legally produce it. They are able to make drugs at a fraction of the original manufacturer's cost because they don't carry out the expensive research and development.

Pratibha Singh, a lawyer for the Indian generic drug manufacturer Cipla, which makes a version of Glivec for less than a tenth of the original drug's selling price, said the court ruled that a patent could only be given to a new drug, and not to those which are only slightly different from the original.

"Patents will be given only for genuine inventions, and repetitive patents will not be given for minor tweaks to an existing drug," Singh told reporters outside the court.

Novartis called the ruling a "setback for patients," and said patent protection is crucial to fostering investment in research to develop new and better drugs.

Ranjit Shahani, the vice chairman and managing director of Novartis India, said the ruling "will hinder medical progress for diseases without effective treatment options."

He said the court's decision made India an even less attractive country for major investments by international pharmaceutical companies.

"Novartis will not invest in drug research in India. Not only Novartis, I don't think any global company is planning to research in India," he said.

The Swiss pharmaceutical giant has fought a legal battle in India since 2006 to patent a new version of Glivec, which is mainly used to treat leukemia and is known as Gleevec outside India and Europe. The earlier version of Glivec did not have an Indian patent because its development far predated the country's 2005 patent law. Novartis said Glivec is patented in nearly 40 other countries.

India's patent office rejected the company's patent application, arguing the drug was not a new medicine but an amended version of its earlier product. The patent authority cited a provision in the 2005 patent law aimed at preventing companies from getting fresh patents for making only minor changes to existing medicines ? a practice known as "evergreening."

Novartis appealed, arguing the drug was a more easily absorbed version of Glivec and that it qualified for a patent.

Anand Grover, a lawyer for the Cancer Patients Aid Association, which led the legal fight against Novartis, said the ruling Monday prevented the watering down of India's patent laws.

"This is a very good day for cancer patients. It's the news we have been waiting for for seven long years," he said.

Aid groups, including Medicins Sans Frontieres, have opposed Novartis' case, fearing that a victory for the Swiss drugmaker would limit access to important medicines for millions of poor people around the world.

Glivec, used in treating chronic myeloid leukemia and some other cancers, costs about $2,600 a month. Its generic version was available in India for around $175 per month.

"The difference in price was huge. The generic version makes it affordable to so many more poor people, not just in India, but across the world," said Y.K. Sapru, of the Mumbai-based cancer patients association.

"For cancer sufferers, this ruling will mean the difference between life and death. Because the price at which it was available, and considering it's the only lifesaving drug for chronic myeloid cancer patients, this decision will make a huge difference," Sapru said.

Leena Menghaney of Medicins Sans Frontieres said India would continue to grant patents on new medicines.

"This doesn't mean that no patents will be granted. Patents will continue to be granted by India, but definitely the abusive practice of getting many patents on one drug will be stopped," Menghaney said.

The judgment would ensure that the prices of lifesaving drugs would come down as many more companies would produce generic versions.

"We've seen this happening with HIV medicines, where the cost of HIV treatment has come down from $10,000 to $150 per year. Cancer treatment costs have come down by 97 percent in the case of many cancer drugs," she said.

"This decision is incredibly important. The Supreme Court decision will save a lot of lives in the coming decades," Menghaney said.

___

AP writer Kay Johnson contributed to this story from Mumbai, India.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/drug-maker-novartis-loses-india-patent-battle-092200333--finance.html

B H c mitt romney mark zuckerberg mark zuckerberg maurice jones drew

Exxon cleans up Arkansas oil spill; Keystone plan assailed

(Reuters) - Exxon Mobil on Sunday continued cleanup of a pipeline spill that loosed thousands of barrels of heavy Canadian crude in Arkansas as opponents of oil sands development latched on to the incident to attack plans to build the Keystone XL line.

Exxon's Pegasus pipeline, which can carry more than 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude from Pakota, Illinois to Nederland, Texas, was shut after the leak was discovered late Friday afternoon in a subdivision near the town of Mayflower. The leak forced the evacuation of 22 homes.

The company did not have an estimate for the restarting of the pipeline, which was carrying Canadian Wabasca Heavy crude at the time of the leak. An oil spill of more than 1,000 barrels into a Wisconsin field from an Enbridge (Toronto: ENB.TO - news) pipeline last summer kept that line shuttered for around 11 days.

The Arkansas spill drew fast reaction from opponents of the 800,000 bpd Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry heavy crude from Canada's tar sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast refining centre.

Environmentalists have expressed concerns about the impact of developing the oil sands and say the crude is more corrosive to pipelines than conventional oil. On Wednesday, a train carrying Canadian crude derailed in Minnesota, spilling 15,000 gallons of oil.

"Whether it's the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, or ... (the) mess in Arkansas, Americans are realizing that transporting large amounts of this corrosive and polluting fuel is a bad deal for American taxpayers and for our environment," said Representative Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat.

Supporters of Keystone XL and oil sands development say the vast Canadian reserves can help drive down fuel costs in the United States. A report from the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, put together by oil and gas consultancy Penspen, argued diluted bitumen is no more corrosive than other heavy crude.

CLEANUP

Exxon said that by 3 a.m. Saturday there was no additional oil spilling from the pipeline and that trucks had been brought in to assist with the cleanup. Images from local media showed crude oil snaking along a suburban street.

Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration were deployed to the scene.

"Cleanup efforts are progressing 24 hours a day," said Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers, who added the oil had not leaked into nearby Lake Conway.

"We were very fortunate that the local responders made sure the oil did not enter the water."

(Reporting by Matthew Robinson in New York and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exxon-shuts-oil-pipeline-major-005905765.html

superbowl time what time is the super bowl world war z groundhog day Ed Koch Groundhog Day 2013 What Time Is The Superbowl