Parents Outraged Over Teacher Removing Word ‘Gay’ from ‘Deck the Halls’

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Christmas carols help us get in the mood to celebrate the holidays. But would they have the same meaning if we changed a few words? Parents of students at an elementary school in Michigan say, "No." A music teacher at Cherry Knoll Elementary School in Traverse City decided to change the word "gay" to "bright" in "Deck the Halls" for the children's Christmas concert. Her reasoning for the switch? First- and second-graders would not stop giggling when they sang the word "gay." Several parents were so upset about the change they went to the school's Facebook page to express their opinions. One parent said, "By taking the word 'gay' out of 'Deck the Halls,' you are making it a big deal. One word can have different meanings." Another parent voiced, "Can one word in a 150-year-old classic Christmas carol really offend someone?" The negative comments have since been deleted from the school's Facebook page, and wall posts have been disabled. Cherry Knoll Principal Chris Parker is on the parents' side, saying, "This would have been a great opportunity to teach that 'gay' has more than one meaning and is not a bad word." In response to the controversy over the word change, the original lyrics have now been restored.

Going to law school is a demanding endeavor that can cause a never-before-experienced amount of stress in an individual. And, it can get even more intense during finals. Students at George Mason Law School, located just a few miles from downtown Washington, D.C., are finding a new way to cope during exam time. GMU teamed up with animal rescue organization A Forever Home to bring puppies that need attention to its campus as a stress reducer. According to the Washington Post, studies show that the legal profession has above-average rates of depression and problems with substance abuse. So now, many law schools are not only teaching students about the course material, they're also showing students how to balance their school and life and preparing them for the legal profession. Administrators and faculty agree that law school is stressful and competitive, but say it's important to find an outlet for stress, such as exercise and other hobbies. The dogs help students relieve their stress by providing a calming effect. The puppies brought in for Puppy Day from Chantilly, West Virginia, were recently spared from euthanization. One law student said, "They are sensing our stress." Another student added that being with the puppies gives them a chance "to feel human again." On social media, people think Puppy Day should not be limited to law schools, tweeting, "It should be a thing everywhere in life." The Trending Now team could not agree more.

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Lauren Scruggs Tragedy: Parents Speak Out After Model's Propeller Accident

The parents of model and fashion blogger Lauren Scruggs said today that their daughter is responsive and making a slow recovery after she suffered severe injuries from accidentally walking into the propeller of a small plane.

Scruggs, from Plano, Texas, edits an online fashion magazine and had also worked in the wardrobe department of the TV show "Gossip Girl." The 23-year-old suffered horrific injuries including the loss of her hand Saturday night after had just finished riding in a single-engine plane to get an aerial view of Christmas lights with a friend.

The pilot had landed at a private airport north of Dallas when Scruggs exited the plane and walked directly into its propeller. The blades sliced the left side of her face and shoulder and severed her left hand. She is now stable at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.

"Yesterday was a good day, there was a lot of really positive progress," Jeff Scruggs, Lauren's father, said on "Good Morning America" Tuesday. "They took out her tube in the afternoon. She didn't speak right away … I said Lauren will you say 'hi' to Daddy, and she goes, 'hi.' Later she told one of Cheryl's sisters that she loves her. It's so encouraging to us. She's really uncomfortable as you can imagine."

Lauren underwent several surgeries over the weekend and is now in stable condition. The extent of her brain injury is still not known, family spokesperson Janee Harrell told ABCNews.com.

Scruggs, who started a fashion website Lolo, was not drinking at the time of the accident, according to her parents. While it was dark out, investigators aren't sure why Scruggs didn't see the propeller. Her family thinks she may have turned back to thank the pilot when she walked right into it.

"It was a really horrible accident," Jeff Scruggs said on "GMA." "I've been told she got out of the plane afterwards. And I'm guessing she went up to thank the pilot. She would have been grateful for him taking her up to see the Christmas lights around Dallas."

Cheryl Scruggs, Lauren's mother, told "GMA" that she was at the small airport at the time of the accident.

"I was inside, and someone came in and told me she had gotten hit," she said, holding back tears. "I was there until the care flight got there. I was just able to hold her and … that's the toughest part of it all, just seeing her waiting there and waiting for the help. All I could do was tell her that I love her."

ABC News aviation consultant John Nance said incidents such as Scruggs' are extremely rare and underscore the need for pilots to be especially clear in issuing safety directions.

"It sounds like this is a combination of a bad procedure by the pilot and the passenger not properly realizing her proximity," Nance said. "One of the things I'd have to look at is why in the world a pilot permitted a passenger to board or deboard while a propeller was turning."

For her fashion blog, Scruggs has interviewed celebrities and taken her followers behind the scenes of "Gossip Girl." Her family says they believe will only be a matter of time before this young communications major is back doing what she loves.

"They're telling us it's going to be a long recovery," Jeff Scruggs said. "Obviously she's had a lot of trauma to her head, and she lost her left hand and her left eye is questionable. We're praying she'll regain her sight."

"What she'd tell you is her relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing in her life. Even though she cannot talk I know she's relying on Jesus right now."

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Continue Reading... Labels: Accident, after, Lauren, model's, Parents, Propeller, Scruggs, Speak, Tragedy:

Ancient Whale Bones Discovered in Desert, Parents Outraged by Hooters Waitress’s Visit to Special-Needs School

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Paleontologists in Chile have made a surprising discovery in the desert. Scientists uncovered what appears to be a massive graveyard of whale bones in

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Copiapo, more than a half-mile from the ocean. More than 80 whales, including 25 complete skeletons, were found in one of the driest deserts in the world. There is currently a construction project to widen the highway near the Atacama Desert, where the bones were found. Scientists believe the bones could be between 2 million and 7 million years old. So how did the whales make their way from the ocean to the desert and end up so close to one another when they died? Scientists have many theories: Maybe the area was once a lagoon and it dried up, maybe there was a giant wave that flung the whales onto shore, or maybe a giant earthquake sealed them off. Whale bones were not the only find for the paleontologists. A dolphin carcass with walrus-like tusks was also uncovered. Scientists say this discovery gives them a glimpse of ancient sea life. One paleontologist said, "The fossils are exceptionally well preserved and quite complete--a rare combination in paleontology and one that will likely shed light on many facets of the . . . ecology and evolution of these extinct species." People on social media are debating creationism vs. evolution theories. Some people are just waiting for a scientific explanation. Still others are saying they should "accept the biblical account of the flood."

Parents in Clearwater, Florida, are upset after a certain speaker was brought in to talk to their kids at school. Brittany Morgan, a Hooters waitress, spoke during "the Great American Teach-In," a career event at the special-needs school. Morgan discussed looking presentable at work, tipping, and Hooters charity work with the students at Calvin A. Hunsinger School. She did not wear the Hooters uniform (skimpy orange shorts, low-cut white tank top, flesh-toned hosiery, white socks, and white sneakers) to speak in front of the kids. One parent was still disturbed, saying, "It's just the wrong message . . . like we're telling them that you're the bad kids and this is all you'll be in life." Some people on Twitter agree, saying, "Can we raise the bar for kids' aspirations?" Morgan said she understands why the parents might be upset, but that there was nothing inappropriate about her speech. Morgan added, "Most of us are going to school. We're aspiring to do other things in life. This isn't our career." The principal of Hunsinger, Stephani Bessette, defended Morgan's appearance, saying "Working as a waiter or waitress to achieve higher goals should be commended." Hooters states that its mission is "to provide a family of hospitality and services that achieves excellence and enhances lifestyles of all who come in contact with the Hooters brand."

Continue Reading... Labels: Ancient, Bones, Desert, Discovered, Hooters, Outraged, Parents, School, Special-Needs, Visit, Waitress’s, Whale