GREAT EXPERIENCES
For the past two weekends I've had the pleasure to speak on behalf of Gideons International (Fort Walton Beach Camp) at two different churches - First Baptist in Destin and. The Gideons International is the organization that places bibles in motels, hotels, hospitals, doctors' offices, attorneys' offices, and distribute to students in colleges and universities as well as fifth grade students in schools when permitted.

At the Destin First Baptist, Re. Bob Boon delivered an outstanding sermon and I can see why that church continues to grow and expand. I appreciate his support of the Gideons ministry over the years.

Rev. Tucker Aplin at the Glendale Springs Baptist Church was also extremely supportive of the Gideon ministry and he and his congregation showed extreme warmth and friendship to me.

I've been a part of the Gideons for many years and can truthfully say it is a great organization with a great purpose. Membership is open to Business and Professional Men who are members of an evangelical protestant church. Anyone interested just give me a call or an email.

GENERAL HESTER HAD KIWANIANS LISTENING AND ASKING QUESTIONS
Lt. Gen. Paul V. Hester, Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, was the guest speaker for the Fort Walton Beach Kiwanis today at noon at the Fort Walton Beach Yacht Club. He was given a standing ovation and many members asked questions pertaining to Hurlburt's participation in the Iraqi conflict. Gen. Hester said he sees a bright future for Hurlburt in the next decade as new airplanes come on line and he praised the area communities for their support of Hurlburt and its people.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHALLENGES
The Southern Regional Education Board has published a document titled, "Improving the Middle Grades: Actions That Can Be Taken Now" that should be required reading by individuals connected with school systems. This publication and others by SREB can be extremely helpful to those facing the challenges. Anyone interested should go to www.sreb.org to find this and other publications. Through the Making Middle Grades Work initiative, the SREB is involved with 150 middle grades schools in 15 states. They have several publications relating to the initiative's work, so go to their website and click on those that interest you.

JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE HAS GREAT INFORMATION 
I am a great supporter of The James Madison Institute which is headquartered in Tallahassee. It's a research and educational organization engaged in the battle of ideas. The Institute's ideas are rooted in the U.S. Constitution and in such timeless principles as economic freedom. limited government, federalism, traditional values, the role of law, and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility.

The Institute's mission is to keep Floridians informed about their government and to shape our state's future through the advancement of practical, free-market ideas on public policy issues.

I've just finished reading Policy Report #38, "The Living Wage Movement and Its Implications For Florida", written by Gary Landry, Policy Analyst. I highly recommend the article for a better insight to the issues dealing with minimum wages and the term "living wage". If you're interested, go to www.jamesmadison.org and click on publications. If you'd like to know more about the organization than you find on the web page, their e-mail address is jmi@jamesmadison.org. They'll be glad to hear from you.

I'd really like to know how you feel about the conclusions reached in "The Living Wage Movement and Its Implications for Florida" policy report.

SOME EDUCATION INFORMATION OF INTEREST The Public Education Network has a couple of articles that I thought might interest you:

The Bottom Line Is About Learning: One of the most important freedoms Americans enjoy is the freedom to educate their children in the manner they think best. For the past half-century, the great majority of Americans have chosen to send their children to their neighborhood public school, an institution that in its basic outlines has changed remarkably little over the years. As we begin a new century, however, more and more parents are seeking out alternatives to the traditional form of schooling familiar to them from their own childhood. Magnet, charter, private, and even home schools have become the preferred options for a small but growing number of families. Yet relatively few of these options are open to the children of low-income parents. The reality is that choice in education is a function of purchasing power. Middle and high-income parents enjoy a much wider range of opportunities to secure a good education for their offspring. Except where parochial schools are plentiful and affordable, low-income parents have had no choice but to send their children to a local public school, regardless of its quality. Read a new magazine created by Public Education & Business Coalition in Denver, a local education fund, that presents numerous views on educational alternatives and effective strategies for improving traditional public schools. http://www.headfirstcoloradp.org/adm/view_qarticle.php?story_id=15.

Ten Myths of Reading Instruction: It has long been argued that learning to read, like learning to understand spoken language, is a natural phenomenon. It has often been suggested that children will learn to read if they are simply immersed in a literacy-rich environment and allowed to develop literacy skills in their own way. This belief that learning to read is a natural process that comes from rich text experiences is surprisingly prevalent in education despite the fact that learning to read is about as natural as learning to juggle blindfolded while riding a unicycle backwards. Simply put, learning to read is not only unnatural, it is just about the most unnatural thing humans do. In this article, Sebastian Wren details ten common myths of reading instruction. http://www.sedl.org/reading/topics/myths.html.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Igor Cassini, the society columnist, asked Bernard Baruch how he managed the seatings for all the notables who attended his dinner parties. "I never bother about that," Baruch answered him, "Those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter." (Bennett Cerf, Shake Well Before Using)

QUESTION OF THE WEEK
What is your take on the current problem facing Florida with reference to Insurance costs? Who carries the most blame for medical insurance costs? Doctors, Insurance Companies, or Trial Attorneys?

Comments should be sent to:  jmelvin@gulf1.com