| Legislation would allow an appeal on graduation test
The House Education Committee took no action on a bill that would do away with many "frowny face" high school diplomas, which indicate that the student did not pass the state's basic skills test.
Lawmakers said they would like to see some changes in the language of the bill so that it would not defeat the purpose of Utah's high school graduation exam.
HB77 would establish an appeals process for those students not passing the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test, Utah's graduation exam. But some lawmakers said that it would defeat the purpose of the UBSCT a measure to indicate to colleges and businesses that students have attained basic skills.
Bill sponsor Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, said HB77 would allow students to show competency in alternative ways, particularly students who are learning English as a second language and special needs students.
A burning love for ?The King? and his style
Talent is ageless to a great degree. Although voices weaken and perhaps Depends lurk beneath tuxedo pants, geriatric entertainers continue dispensing quality performances.Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Bill Medley, Debbie Reynolds and Paul Anka are a few still drawing crowds. Had Elvis lived to blow out his 72 candles last Monday, I?m confident he would?ve also packed them in. I?d certainly be in line for front-row center seats. Knowing he?s that old is sobering. We sort of grew up together. He jumped out of our television set in 1954 on the Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey show. My cousin Carolyn called me from Texarkana telling me a new singer was going to be on CBS that night and for me to be sure to watch. I did. I wasn?t carried away with his singing but definitely liked his style. I wanted hair like his.
Tip of the day: Super Bowl snack attack
Some watch the Super Bowl for the game, some to see the advertisements. But research by the Calorie Control Council and the Snack Food Association indicates it's all about being able to snack. Americans will eat 30 million pounds of snacks Sunday during the big game between the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts. The snacks break down to 11.2 million pounds of potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn and 2.5 million pounds of nuts. The average armchair quarterback will consume 1,200 calories and 50 grams of fat just from snacking (not counting any meals). The Calorie Control Council's research also finds that potato chips, the snacking favorite, will account for 27 billion calories and 1.8 billion grams of fat.
Armed With History
It was on the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, in March 2003, that Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton sent a letter to President Bush. "There is no doubt that our forces will be victorious in any conflict," he wrote. "But there is great potential," he warned, "for a ragged ending to a war as we deal with the aftermath." He noted that then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld "frequently talks about the list he keeps of things that could go wrong in an Iraq war." Added Skelton: "I have kept my own list." He went on to outline some possibilities that would prove eerily prescient: Shiites attacking Sunnis, forcing U.S. troops to protect them. "Stabilization and reconstruction prove more difficult than expected," Skelton wrote. "This puts pressure on troop rotations, reservists, their families ...
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