Ron Paul’s bid for the GOP presidential nomination has entered a new, scaled back phase that may signal the practical end of his campaign. In a letter to his supporters, Paul explained the position of his campaign moving forward: “Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that Liberty is the way of the future. Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted. Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have.”

The letter is entirely consistent with Paul’s larger message of fiscal responsibility. Rather than continuing to spend the campaign funds provided by his supporters on contests that he doesn’t deem winnable, Paul is choosing to focus on continuing his campaign without the massive overhead of direct campaign spending. The chances of Paul actually winning the GOP nomination are as remote now as they were a few months ago.

The reality is that the GOP nomination is going to Mitt Romney and the Vice Presidential running mate that he selects. Paul’s role at this point will be to force an acknowledgement of his message by the GOP establishment, and perhaps from the Romney campaign as it tries to mount a challenge to President Barack Obama’s bid for re-election.

Ironically, it will probably not be until after the upcoming election that people start to understand exactly what Ron Paul was trying to tell them for the better part of the last year. By then it won’t really matter, of course, but Paul’s message may be even more important in 2013 than it is in 2012.

After Vice President Joe Biden declared his support for same-sex marriage over the weekend, President Barack Obama and his aides felt like he should address the issue sooner rather than later. So, in an impromptu sit-down interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, Obama explained that the evolution of his position on gay marriage was complete – and he now supports same-sex marriage. He phrased it in this manner: “At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

The President did acknowledge that he believed the Vice President had gotten a bit “over his skis” on the issue, implying that Biden should have kept quiet until the President could better frame his own announcement. And while the announcement has drawn the expected responses from Mitt Romney’s camp and constituent groups on both sides of the issue, many analysts are viewing it as a non-issue in the long term.

Of course, expecting the issue to go away before November is highly unlikely, and it’s safe to assume that Obama is going to be forced to expand greatly on his position in the months to come. But, the fact is that he is not proposing or attacking any legislation with his “new” position on the matter. Instead, he can claim that he is making an honest and non-political statement about his personal position on an issue that is extremely sensitive for many Americans.

The President’s team is counting on the fact that the economy is going to be the make-or-break issue of the upcoming election, so they will remain focused there. Of course, if the election turns out to be as close as many are predicting, the gay marriage issue could tip the scales in one direction or another.

Substitute teachers who work in one of the largest inner city public school districts in Alabama earn only $ 60 a day, but they are eligible to receive full teacher union benefits at substantially reduced dues. Subs in the Birmingham City Schools, the fourth largest public school district in this state, can join the Alabama Education Association (AEA) and Birmingham American Federation of Teachers (BAFT).

Subs can join AEA for $ 50 a year and receive up to 50 percent off purchases and programs at major retailers and organizations such as AAMCO, GOODYEAR, FIRESTONE, CAPTAIN D’S, PAPA JOHN’S, OMAHA STEAKS, JENNY CRAIG, LENSCRAFTERS, REGAL THEATERS, CINEMARK, SEAWORLD, DISNEYLAND,RAMADA, LAQUINTA, HYATT, DISH NETWORK, SPRINT,PROGOLF, SEARS,PROFLOWERS,FOOTLOCKER,DELL,TARGET,OFFICEMAX,ETC.

Subs who join BAFT receives $ 2 million occupational liability coverage in case they get sued by students, $ 25,000 accidental death insurance, representation in grievances which is especially important since subs are at-will employees, rental car discounts, amusement park discounts, free legal consultation, mortgage loans and refinancing at special rates, discounts on prescription drugs, eyewear, dental, personal loans and much more. Dues for subs in BAFT are only $ 10 a month, less than the cost of a bucket of chicken.

At one point many school districts closed their substitute teacher rolls because so many displaced and unemployed professionals were dabbling as subs to earn a living. Today, it is not an anomaly to find subs with advanced degrees subbing.

Jim Politis, President of the National Substitute Teachers Alliance (NSTA) said, “Today, the subs are suffering the same indignities that I suffered when I started teaching decades ago. All substitute teachers deserve living wages commensurate to the challenges they face everyday in public classrooms across this country, and respect. More than 274,000 substitutes teach more than 5 million students a year. This school year (2011-2012), subs can join NSTA for only $ 5 a year!”

In 2007, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley stated in the 2007 State of the State address that, “Each year, Alabama adds approximately 4,000 new teachers. Yet, 50 percent of them will leave teaching by their fifth year.”

Who will replace these fleecing new teachers? Substitute teachers and new teachers of course. In Effective Discipline For Student Success, the authors assert that, “the constant pressure of dealing with school discipline issues is pushing too many teachers out of the classroom.” One main benefit of subbing is that you choose daily when and where you desire to work.

The National Education Association states that, “Substitute teachers perform a vital function in the maintenance and continuity of daily education. They are called early in the morning, take over lesson plans with short notices, and ensure that quality education is maintained in the classrooms.”

In 2007, Geoffrey Smith, Director, Substitute Teaching Institute at Utah State University said that, “Formal training of substitute teachers has been shown to improve the quality of education, lower school district liability, reduce the number of student and faculty complaints, and increase retention rates of substitute teachers. No training is given to substitute teachers in 77 percent of school districts in the United States. As much as one full year of a child’s elementary and secondary education is taught by substitute teachers.”

The number of Americans who filed for jobless aid dropped last week, giving some who rely on such statistics a glimmer of hope about what’s going on in the employment market. The number of claims for state unemployment benefits dropped by 27,000 to a seasonally adjusted 365,000, according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). What should be noted, however, is that seasonal adjustments, in and of themselves, can sometimes be inaccurate, and this inaccuracy is multiplied when warm weather occurs during the winter, as happened in 2012.

Also worth noting is that unemployment numbers are released and then revised about a week later – the headline number that is released is on the front page of business sections, while the revisions are the equivalent of 25th-page retractions, so that not much attention is paid to the fact that things are as bleak as they are.

Add to this the fact that the independent employment numbers of ADP, a private company, indicated that April saw the fewest jobs created in 7 months, and you have a bit of a mixed message, at best. Since ADP doesn’t benefit from fudged employment numbers (as politicians benefit when BLS mis-reports and “massages” their numbers), one must generally consider the ADP numbers to be more accurate. Such is life in the world of economic indicators – those controlled by the government cannot generally be trusted. The same, of course, is true of inflation numbers put forth by the Fed, but that’s a story for another day.

SICK-DAY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS Your child is on the road to recovery and in the meantime, you are fed up looking at him/her sleeping in front of the television the whole day like a zombie. Agreed, that your child needs some much-needed rest, but that doesn’t mean making him/her highly inactive during the tenure of sickness. Enlisted here are a few activities that you can engage your child with; it will help keep his/her mind diverted as well as give you some free time. GET A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Kids love to play outdoors and having to sit at home all day will add up to their crankiness and irritability. Allow them some time daily to soak up some essential vitamin D and breathe in some fresh air; this will help make them feel better as well as speed up their recuperating process. CREATE A TREASURE COVE
Throw around a few pillows and create a treasure cove for you and your child to rest during the daytime. To make it more interesting for your child, stack the fortress with books, puzzles and movie DVDs. Dress up your child (only if he/she is feeling up to the mark) and treat him/her like a true prince/princess; just playing this game will definitely make your child feel better and will surely take away the sickness blues. BRING CHEER
Do not allow your child to get the sickness blues; instead keep boredom away with some games they will enjoy. Just to see your baby smile, try ‘horsing’ around. I can guarantee you that your child won’t show a hint of boredom with this activity. The mere presence of a smiling face can cheer up your sick child and keep the spirits soaring, by simply being there. COLLECT AND OBSERVE
A good move will be to get your child involved in your hobbies (the one’s you enjoyed as a kid!). Take out that old treasure box you have hidden in the attic and get your child to spot the different types of coins/stamps/pens that you have collected over the years. You never know your child may carry forward that legend one fine day. Probably, you could team up this activity with a gist of how you acquired the particular stamp or coin. BECOME A DUMMY
Children love toys for the mere reason that the toys allow them to try out stuff with them without complaining. For a change, play a dummy with your kid, and boost your child’s creative streak. So what if you end up looking like a clown who has run away from the local circus? At least you’d have brought cheer to your child’s face. PAPER SCISSOR ALERT
Snip, snip, snip. There you go; give your child some colorful papers and a scissor and let him/her unleash their apparently active minds. Help out with making paper men and lanterns and use it to decorate the house. Ask your child to help out with decorating the living room or any other room with these paper cutouts. It will keep your child engaged in the activity as well as keep their crankiness at bay. PREPARE GREETINGS
If your child’s not too comfortable with scissors and cutting, then simply hand some crayons and color pencils/pens and ask him/her to prepare greetings. After all, playing with colors makes the mood vibrant, and there is absolutely no harm if the child is sitting quietly and coloring his/her way to glory. PLAY WITH TOYS
Leave your child alone for a brief period of time and let him/her play with soft toys. One of the observations made by many parents is that, allowing the child to play with toys puts them on a faster road to recovery. Besides, there’s an unspoken comfort when it comes to cuddling up with soft toys even when you’ve surpassed the age limit to play with one. COOKIE IN THE KITCHEN
How nice to have your sweet little cookie help you out in the kitchen! With your child’s help, prepare something he/she likes to eat. This way, the food you prepare won’t go for a waste and the two of you will have a nice time together. Allow them to have the upper hand here, as that will ensure they do not get cranky. WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
Revisit some of your fondest memories with your child by taking out old albums and scanning pictures. You can even create a mosaic of the best pictures with his/her help and use it to decorate the house. Another activity that you can do with them around is, create a music CD or DVD with your child’s selection of songs. This will surely keep his/her spirit soaring for a long time. ENTERTAIN WITH MUPPETS
Bored, eh? We will see that you won’t be anymore. One fun activity you and your child can try is make dolls out of paper foil, wool and socks. Once you’re done, ask your child to narrate a story with these dolls. You will have a nice time making them and then listening to interesting stories of your child. PLAY WITH YOUR KID
Daddy dear, make some time for your precious little one and race a toy car please. Play with your child; it could be video games or simple car races, but your child will enjoy this activity the most. You can even build a rail at home; this way, you can deliver goods to your child and he/she can return some back to you. Indulge in some board games if your child is not feeling up to the mark to move around the house. LOTS OF PAMPERING
How very nice if someone sings, ‘You are my sunshine, my very sunshine …‘ Take a guess at what will happen; your child will begin feeling better almost instantly. Now for that little smile, you can indulge in excess pampering, can’t you? It worked for me though! TUCK ME TIGHT
Remember that your child needs rest; make it compulsory to keep time aside for rest time. During this time, you could tuck your child to bed with a nice little story or song. Cuddle up close with your child and give him/her your undivided love and attention; that’s one of the best activities your child will love doing.

By ADRIAN SAINZ

The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Priscilla Presley smashed a champagne bottle against a steamboat Friday, christening the American Queen as it resumed voyages along the Mississippi River.

“Just floating down the river brings back a lot of nostalgia for the heartland,” said Presley, the former wife of the late rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley, who lived in Memphis before his death in 1977.

The American Queen is the largest steamboat in the world, carrying 436 passengers. The 418-foot-long vessel is taking tourists on long-distance trips on the Mississippi for the first time since 2008, when its previous owner ceased operations.

The christening took place just before the boat left its home port of Memphis on a seven-day river cruise to Cincinnati.

The boat was purchased in August and has been refurbished and recommissioned by Great American Steamboat Company.

Presley thanked the boat’s owners for naming her godmother of the boat. “She’ll be bringing fun to families and friends from all over the world,” she said, adding that the American Queen represents a city her husband loved.

She also praised the company for creating more than 170 jobs with the relaunching of the cruises. The cruises are expected to have an $ 89 million impact on the area economy, with travelers spending on flights and hotel rooms before and after trips, and during shore excursions.

The boat will be traveling along the Mississippi and its tributaries to cities such as Vicksburg, Miss., Louisville, Ky., St. Louis, New Orleans and Pittsburgh.

Steamboats on the Mississippi represent a storied chapter in American history and folklore, harking back to the 19th century and the writings of Mark Twain.

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April 27, 2012 05:31 PM EDT

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.