Haiti's president expected at NAACP convention in Orlando

The Associated Press

Published: July 12, 2013

ORLANDO - Haiti's president is expected to attend the NAACP's national convention at the Orange County Convention Center.

The nation's oldest civil rights organization will mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers at the convention.

The convention opens Saturday and continues through Wednesday. About 4,000 delegates are expected to attend.

Haitian President Michel Martelly and his wife are expected to join other U.S. elected officials joining NAACP members for the convention.

The convention theme is "We Shall Not Be Moved."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tbo/pasco/~3/OW9SIaSpom0/

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Miami Beach mayor launches new push to save historic homes

'Real Housewives of Miami' cast member Lisa Hochstein and her husband, plastic surgeon Leonard Hochstein, want to tear down their Star Island mansion.

C.W. Griffin / Miami Herald Staff

The fight to save historic homes in Miami Beach got a boost this week, with the city?s mayor proposing a six-month moratorium on the demolition of architecturally significant homes and preservationists taking to court their battle to save an 88-year-old mansion.

All of this is happening while proposals to provide more protections for historic homes snake their way through various city processes.

Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower has called for the city?s planning board to temporarily stop issuing demolition permits for homes that were built before 1942 and that have notable architectural features. She placed the issue on Wednesday?s regular commission meeting as a referral to the Planning Board.

?I believe this moratorium is important to allow for the review of current and proposed ordinances that would protect against demolition of our historic single-family-home neighborhoods, while allowing time for further incentive programs to be developed in order to preserve more of our existing housing stock,? she wrote in a July?9 memo.

Various city departments and boards have been tinkering with the city?s development laws to come up with ways to encourage people to restore potentially historic homes, rather than tear them down. The city?s Land Use Committee has proposed an ordinance that would provide incentives for retaining architecturally significant homes and limit the kind of construction allowed when such a home is torn down. Commissioners on Wednesday will decide whether to send the proposal to the Planning Board for further review, and to allow that board to make recommendations.

Meanwhile, the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) has appealed the demolition approval of a celebrity couple?s Star Island home to circuit court.

The home, at 42 Star Island, has been at the center of a months-long battle. Owners Leonard Hochstein, a plastic surgeon known as ?The Boob God,? and his wife, Lisa, a cast member of Bravo?s The Real Housewives of Miami, have gotten city permission to tear down the mansion. Preservationists have fought the demolition approval, given by the city?s Design Review Board (DRB.)

MDPL has also filed an application to have the 1925 home, designed by Florida?s first registered architect, historically designated.

Preservationists recently lost an appeal to a city special master and are now asking the courts to weigh in.

The city ?did not adequately evaluate whether it was practical and feasible to repair and retain the home at 42 Star Island,? said MDPL attorney Kent Harrison Robbins. ?If the building can be saved, then that has to be analyzed and considered by the DRB and a new hearing has to be granted.?

An attorney for the Hochsteins didn?t immediately return a request for comment.

Follow @Cveiga on Twitter.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/11/3495704/miami-beach-mayor-launches-new.html

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Stretch Your Child's Brain: Summer Fun with Executive Functioning ...

?Our doctor just told me that my son has ?executive functioning? disorder,? a mother recently commented. ?What is it? What can I do??

Executive function disorder is an unofficial diagnosis characterized by challenges in following directions, difficulties with planning, organization, and goal-setting, and poor follow-through. Executive functioning challenges are common among people with ADHD, and some experts, including Thomas E. Brown, author of Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults now think that ADHD is, in fact, primarily a disorder of executive functions.

Helping a child with executive functioning challenges works best when expectations are clear and tasks are taught gradually in a step-by-step fashion. The Smart but Scattered books by Dawson and Guare are an excellent guide to this process.

But building executive functioning skills in your child with ADD is not all hard work. Hey, it?s summer! Let?s explore how building executive functioning skills can also be lots of fun!

LEGOs and blocks

On the Learning Works for Kids blog, Legos are discussed in detail as a tool for building ?the vital thinking skills that can allow them to focus better at school and during other non-play activities. In addition, Legos (like many other types of blocks and construction toys) can be a useful tool for practicing thinking skills such as focus, flexibility and planning. Lego play facilitates a need to adapt to the blocks you have, at some point plan out what you want to make, and have a willingness to persist on the task to completion.? Blocks can be used in a similar way.

Clay/Playdoh

Occupational therapist Kelly Balmer suggests that a parent ?build a figurine and have your child build an exact replica in size and color. This works on multiple skills, including initiation, breaking down tasks, sequencing, organization, and attention. If you are unable to build an example, or if you have an older child who enjoys playing independently, there are often ? images online that can be printed.?

Board games

?Board games, puzzles, quizzes and other parlour diversions have a number of common features [with neuropsychological tests] including being rule bound and subject to the play of chance, and requir[ing] various degrees of strategy, planning, and flexibility for their execution,? says neuropsychologist AJ Larner.

Balmer suggests that several games used in the therapeutic setting can also be used at home: Rush Hour, Mastermind, and Connect 4 Stackers, for example. Traditional games such as Monopoly, Clue, chess, puzzles, and Chinese checkers also promote executive skill development. For a wonderful variety of newer games review the list of American Mensa Mind Games winners.

Cooking

Additionally, Balmer recommends exercising executive functions by involving kids in planning, shopping and cooking a favorite recipe: ?Have your child choose a recipe, ? write a grocery list containing everything needed to prepare that dish, create a list of the necessary cooking supplies and, for older children, have them look up the price of each item at the store and create an estimated budget. If possible, ? take them with you to the grocery store. Older kids, [can] act as the ?head chef? and be responsible for completing most of the cooking. For younger kids, if there are safety concerns, assign specific tasks as their job in the cooking process.?

Outings

An anonymous parent on the online DC Urban Moms and Dads forum urges parents to use summer outings as an opportunity to involve kids in stepwise planning of activities: ?Want to go to the farm, let?s plan when a good time to go is, and what we need, and what we want to bake with afterward. Go to Kings Dominion next weekend? What rides should we go on??

Video games

The Learning Works for Kids blog suggests using video games such as Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii to exercise working memory skills, one of the key executive functions. Building working memory with these games is enhanced by ?repetition? duration? challeng[ing] yourself? and compet[ition].?

Online games

Video games aren?t the only way screen time can build executive functioning skills. Neurocognitive researchers have developed a number of computer games thought to help develop certain specific brain functions such as memory and attention. Here are some online sources of ?brain games? to consider:

Fit Brains

Lumosity

Mind360

Need more ideas? Learning Works for Kids suggests the following resources for more play activities provide an opportunity to improve thinking skills: Wired magazine?s Geekdad and Geekmom and Melissa Taylor?s Imagination Soup.

Looking for more support in how to help your child develop executive functioning skills? Consider working with an ADHD Coach.

References

Balmer, K. (2012, November 28). Executive functioning activities at home. [blog post]. Retrieved from http://nspt4kids.com/therapy/executive-functioning-activities-at-home/

?Dr. K.? (2012, August 13). Improving thinking skills with Legos. [blog post]. Retrieved from learningworksforkids.com/2012/08/improving-thinking-skills-with-legos/

Larner, A.J. (2009). The neuropsychology of board games, puzzles and quizzes. ACNR, 9(5), 42. PDF available at ?www.acnr.co.uk/ND09/ACNRND09_board_games.pdf

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Dr. Ahmann is an ADHD Coach specializing in work with students, parents, and women. Her blog, titled ADHD and Life Coaching is at www.lizahmann.blogspot.com. For more information about her practice, see her website at www.lizahmann.com. She is available for a free introductory consultation in person or by phone or Skype.

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Catch up on other posts by Elizabeth Ahmann, ScD, RN, ACC (or subscribe to their feed).

????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 10 Jul 2013
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Ahmann, E. (2013). Stretch Your Child?s Brain: Summer Fun with Executive Functioning. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 13, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/07/12/stretch-your-childs-brain-summer-fun-with-executive-functioning/

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/07/12/stretch-your-childs-brain-summer-fun-with-executive-functioning/

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