Latest news with #ABCs
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Boy, 3, Found Dead After Falling into Backyard Pool: ‘There Are No Words for the Pain'
A 3-year-old boy died on Saturday, May 24, after falling into a pool in his backyard Officials pronounced Kaseyn Clifton dead soon after he arrived at a hospital 'Though his time with us was far too short, Kaseyn filled each day with so much joy," his obituary readA 3-year-old boy has died after falling into a backyard pool in Illinois on Saturday, May 24. According to the Macon County Sheriff's Office, while his mother was out running errands for about 15 minutes, Kaseyn Clifton was home in Decatur with his siblings and an aunt when he opened a back door, wandered outside and fell into the pool, per the Bradenton Herald. When his mom came home, she found him in the pool and a family member called 911. First responders took him to Decatur Memorial Hospital, but officials pronounced him dead soon after, per ABC affiliate WICS. 'Our hearts are broken, and there are no words for the pain we are feeling,' his mother, Jessica Lee Mares, posted on Facebook on Monday, May 26, adding, 'Life is so unfair!!! This world will never be the same without you!' Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Macon County Sheriff's Office has completed an investigation and did not find signs of criminal activity, according to local news station, WAND. 'Though his time with us was far too short, Kaseyn filled each day with so much joy. Full of life and energy, he had a smile that could light up any room and a giggle that will echo in our hearts forever,' his obituary read. 'He loved playing with blocks, doing puzzles, watching Cocomelon, blowing bubbles, playing at the park, learning his ABCs/counting and cuddling with mommy and daddy,' the obituary continued. A public information officer from the Macon Sheriff's department was not immediately available to provide additional information about the fatal incident. Drowning is the leading cause of death for kids between the ages of 1-4 years old in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read the original article on People
Chicago Tribune
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Heidi Stevens: Texas' Ten Commandments mandate doesn't square with attempts to keep ‘individual beliefs' out of classrooms
In the campaign to keep discussions about race and identity out of classrooms, there's a common refrain: Schools should stick to the basics. 'Teach ABCs + 123s, not CRTs & LGBTs,' campaign signs read in one Texas school board race. (CRT refers to critical race theory, a catchall phrase for lessons that explore how race has shaped America's systems and policies.) 'They're focused more on the LGBTs than the ABCs,' Corey DeAngelis, American Federation for Children senior fellow, said on a Fox Business segment last summer. 'I want our kids to learn about A-E-I-O-U instead of L-G-B-T-Q,' South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on X in April. In January, when Meridian, Idaho, middle school teacher Sarah Inama was forced to remove an 'Everyone is Welcome Here' poster from her classroom, school officials cited a district policy against signs that distract from students' education. 'School property shall not be used by personnel for the advancement of individual beliefs,' the policy reads. 'It is the desire of the District that the physical environment of District facilities be content neutral, conducive to a positive learning environment and not a distraction to the educational environment.' Stick to the basics. These are straw man fallacies, falsely implying that acknowledging and celebrating the full range of backgrounds, identities and family structures kids bring to the classroom will somehow crowd out instruction time. But it's not an either/or. There's plenty of time to help kids tap into their humanity and still learn to spell. It's why we weave music and art and assemblies and sports and clubs and field trips into children's days. Schools, ideally, teach students the skills they need to survive and thrive. But they also, ideally, help children understand who they are, who they want to become and who they share the world with along the way. I suspect the stick-to-the-basics crowd knows this though. I suspect the movement to keep LGBT and CRT and DEI out of classrooms has less to do with protecting instruction time and more to do with creating a climate where only certain backgrounds, identities and family structures are welcome — or even acknowledged. I suspect 'the advancement of individual beliefs' is fine on classroom walls, in fact, as long as those individual beliefs are shared by the stick-to-the-basics crowd. Otherwise, I'm not sure how you explain the Texas legislature just passing a bill that requires every public school classroom in the state to display the Ten Commandments. The bill, which, as of this writing, was set to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, requires every school to 'display in a conspicuous place in each classroom of the school a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments.' Displays must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall. 'By placing the Ten Commandments in our public school classrooms,' Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, according to NBC News, 'we ensure our students receive the same foundational moral compass as our state and country's forefathers.' The same forefathers, it's worth noting, who took care to separate church from state in the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the government from establishing or sponsoring a religion. In 1980, The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky state law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public school classrooms, ruling that Kentucky's law violated the First Amendment's establishment clause. Forty-five years later, Texas is poised to join Louisiana and Arkansas, both of which recently passed laws mandating that public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments. Will the U.S. Supreme Court hear another challenge to these new laws? It's hard to know. But what's increasingly apparent is that the push to place Christianity at the center of public education is gaining steam. And that's important context to consider when you hear folks insisting that classrooms should focus on the ABCs and 123s. That's important context to consider when a teacher is made to remove an 'Everyone is Welcome Here' poster because it advances individual beliefs. It doesn't add up. There's nothing wrong with schools shaping and engaging kids' hearts and values and beliefs, alongside language and literacy and math. Their humanity is an enormous part of their well-being. But when you restrict those values and beliefs to a single religion, you're not really protecting children's humanity. Not all children's humanity, anyway. You're protecting dogma. You're taking a public space, funded by and built for all, and making it only welcoming for some. Don't pretend it's about vowels. Don't pretend it's about addition and subtraction, when it's actually about exclusion. Our children deserve better.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ENGIE Energy Census Highlights Rising Prices, Volatility, and Shifting Strategies
HOUSTON, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ENGIE North America (ENGIE), announced today, in collaboration with Energy Research Consulting Group (ERCG), the release of the 2025 North American Business Energy Census. This third annual report offers valuable market insights and opinions from over 100 aggregators, brokers, and consultants (ABCs), representing approximately 760,000 end-use customer locations. "During uncertain times, our role as a retail energy supplier provides a critical link between supply and demand," said Anne-Laure Chassanite, chief executive officer at ENGIE Resources. "Through our steadfast commitment to renewable energy and recognizing voice of customer, we navigate market volatility and help assure a sustainable and resilient future." Drawing insights from over 100 survey respondents, ENGIE's Business Energy Census report highlights the evolving energy sector and the growing importance of strategic energy management for organizations of all sizes. Survey participants include a spectrum of energy management advisor roles with a diverse client base across commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors. The 2025 Business Energy Census identifies several trends that indicate heightened volatility and uncertainty in the energy market, including: Energy's Strategic Role: A slight shift in priorities, with 10% of respondents reporting that energy had become less strategic among their end-user clients. Forecast of Rising Prices and Volatility: Expectations of increased volatility in natural gas and power prices. Green Premium Acceptance: A softening in demand for renewable energy with price premiums. Strengthening Regulatory Support: Increasing awareness among ABCs regarding the need for more advocacy and efforts to improve regulatory frameworks. Energy's Impact on Mergers and Acquisitions: Intensification to secure reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy sources, setting the stage for strategic consolidations and investments. Addressing Market Information Challenges: A slight decline in the perception of the availability of quality market information among ABCs. Based on the 2025 Business Energy Census results, customers and partners can find observations that highlight the evolving complexities and strategic importance of energy management across diverse business sectors. The report underscores the need for agile and forward-thinking strategies to navigate increased volatility and geopolitical tensions and support the development and delivery of green energy solutions for power and gas customers. To view the complete survey report, please visit: As an affiliate of ENGIE North America, ENGIE Resources aims to deliver journey-specific insights from diverse firms across various geographical locations, revenue brackets, and business models. Based in Boston, ERCG provides business intelligence and consulting services to energy market participants on entry strategies, investment opportunities, and market & policy dynamics. "Energy ABCs have a front row seat to the rapidly changing economic and political environment – and their impacts on end-use customers," said Young Kim, Principal. "The annual Business Energy Census gives us a powerful tool to analyze year-over-year changes in sentiment. We are proud to partner with ENGIE Resources to keep our fingers on the pulse of the business community." About ENGIE Based in Houston, Texas, ENGIE North America Inc. is a regional hub of ENGIE, a major player in the energy transition, whose purpose is to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy. With 98,000 employees in 30 countries, the Group covers the entire energy value chain, from production to infrastructures and sales. ENGIE combines complementary activities: renewable electricity and green gas production, flexibility assets (notably batteries), gas and electricity transmission and distribution networks, local energy infrastructures (heating and cooling networks) and the supply of energy to local authorities and businesses. Every year, ENGIE invests more than $10 billion to drive forward the energy transition and achieve its net zero carbon goal by 2045. ENGIE (ENGI), is listed on the Paris and Brussels Stock Exchanges. For more information on ENGIE in North America, please visit our website at or our LinkedIn page at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE ENGIE Resources Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Malay Mail
20-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Double duty, one heart: Celebrating teacher-mums on Teachers' Day — Azwatee Abdul Aziz
MAY 20 — As the echoes of Mother's Day tributes still linger in our hearts — breakfast in bed, handmade cards, and the annual outpouring of love — another equally important day arrives: Teachers' Day. While these celebrations may seem distinct on the surface, they share a deeper connection than most realise, especially when embodied in the figure of the working mother who is also a teacher. She is the one grading papers after bedtime stories. She's juggling lesson plans while packing lunch boxes. She's teaching the ABCs at school and life lessons at home. This Teachers' Day, it's time we shine a spotlight on these everyday superheroes — the teacher-mums — who are shaping futures on multiple fronts. In 2024, more than 70 per cent of women with school-aged children are active in the workforce, and teaching remains one of the most common professions among them. Globally, women make up over 80 per cent of primary school teachers, as highlighted in Unesco's 2023 report on gender dynamics in education. Many of these women are mothers, performing a double shift that merges nurturing at home with mentoring in the classroom. Consider the experience of a typical Malaysian teacher who is also a mother. After spending eight hours guiding students in the classroom, she returns home to continue her role — though the responsibilities may shift, the essence remains the same. Whether nurturing her students or raising her own children, her goal is constant: to help them grow into kind, smart, and independent individuals. Like countless teacher-moms across the country, she juggles syllabi and snack boxes, exam papers and bedtime stories — never quite clocking out, always giving, always nurturing. The mental load of being a teacher and a mum Motherhood is already a full-time job. Add teaching into the mix, and the hours in a day suddenly seem insufficient. A 2022 study by Carver and colleagues revealed that women in education experience significantly higher levels of burnout than their male counterparts, as well as women in other fields. The emotional labor they perform both at home and at school is immense — and often goes unnoticed. Furthermore, a 2023 study by Thompson et al. found that female teachers with young children were 40 per cent more likely to experience chronic stress compared to those without children. These women frequently juggle grading, lesson planning, parent communication, and domestic responsibilities all in a single day — a mental load that wears them down without visible scars. While the pandemic may feel like it's behind us, the impact on teacher-mums still lingers. When schools went online, living rooms became classrooms, and educators had to teach virtual lessons while supervising their own children's learning at home. According to a 2024 meta-analysis by Jain and colleagues, female teachers bore the brunt of remote education, experiencing significant levels of emotional exhaustion and professional dissatisfaction — a burden that led many to consider leaving the profession altogether. And while frontline workers were applauded globally, teacher-mums quietly carried the weight of two worlds, often without the recognition they deserved. As we celebrate Teachers' Day, we must acknowledge that the act of teaching extends far beyond the walls of a school. Decades of educational research, including a recent meta-analysis by Fan and Chen in 2024, have shown that parental involvement is one of the strongest predictors of student success — even more influential than family income or school resources. Teacher-mums, therefore, carry a unique dual role: not only do they educate their own children at home, they also invest in the growth and development of dozens of others in their classrooms. This double impact is immeasurable — and often invisible. As we celebrate Teachers' Day, we must acknowledge that the act of teaching extends far beyond the walls of a school. — Picture from X Bridging the appreciation gap Gifts and thank-you cards are a wonderful gesture, but what working mothers in education truly need are policies that match the scale of their contribution. Affordable childcare, flexible work schedules, mental health services, and family-friendly school policies are not extras — they are essential. Without these supports, we risk seeing more teacher-mums burned out and walking away. As highlighted in several recent studies, institutional reform — not just annual celebration — is the only way to truly honor the value of these women. In many ways, the teacher-mum is the ultimate multitasker: equal parts nurturer, mentor, disciplinarian, friend, and guide. Her day begins before the sun and often stretches into late night lesson prep. She is correcting math homework with one hand and soothing a fevered forehead with the other. She is shaping minds in her classroom and shaping hearts at her dinner table. This Teachers' Day let's celebrate all educators — but let's also specifically honour those who are shaping lives in and out of the classroom. To every working mother who teaches, guides, comforts, and uplifts: thank you. You are not just teaching children how to read and write. You are teaching the world how to care. Happy Teachers' Day! • Azwatee Abdul Aziz is an associate professor at the Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Malaya, and may be reached at [email protected] ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Gen X patient feels ‘too old' after doctor's receptionist calls his writing a ‘different kind of English'. But what did he write?
A simple trip to the doctor's office turned into a startling epiphany for one self‑described Gen X Redditor. Filling out routine paperwork in neat cursive, he was informed by a young receptionist that she couldn't read his handwriting . 'They stopped teaching it in the early 2000s,' she admitted sheepishly, sending him home with his forms still blank. It was the moment he realized: cursive, once as common as the ABCs, has become a relic. The Day Cursive Went Extinct For decades, children practiced loops and flourishes until their wrists ached—and proudly penned letters and assignments in flowing script. But around 2010, schools nationwide began scrapping cursive from the curriculum, favoring keyboard skills and digital literacy . Our Redditor's shock wasn't just personal embarrassment; it was a wake‑up call that his generation's hallmark skill has vanished from the classroom. A Gen X Redditor discovered that cursive handwriting is now largely unreadable to younger generations after a doctor's receptionist admitted she'd never been taught it. 'Another Language,' Says the Receptionist At the heart of this discovery was a kindly receptionist who had never been introduced to cursive. 'Oohkaaay, I never learned that kind of English,' she confessed with a nervous laugh, prompting him to refuse a do‑over and trust his doctor's ability to decode his handwriting—luckily, a fellow cursive devotee. Her reaction summed up a profound shift: what once seemed mandatory now feels esoteric. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo A Divided Generation Online reactions poured in, revealing a patchwork of experiences. Late Gen Xers joked about being the office translators, decoding signatures and notes for coworkers in their twenties. In Canada, one parent celebrated cursive's revival—her nine‑year‑old now learning what her 14‑year‑old missed. Others confessed to abandoning their own cursive long ago, praising eighth‑grade typing classes as the more practical skill. The Legacy of Loops and Lines Cursive may no longer be a staple of school curricula, but its disappearance carries cultural weight. For Gen X, it symbolizes a bridge between eras—a time when penmanship conveyed personality and letters carried a human touch. As digital fonts dominate screens, the art of handwritten communication risks fading into history. MORE STORIES FOR YOU ✕ « Back to recommendation stories I don't want to see these stories because They are not relevant to me They disrupt the reading flow Others SUBMIT Yet, the viral Reddit post reminds us that some traditions still tug at the heartstrings. Whether viewed as an anachronism or a treasured craft, cursive writing remains a testament to the ever‑shifting landscape of education—and to the moment when an entire generation realized they weren't just changing with the times, they were growing up.
