"I know my way around a breakup‚ for sure‚" he tells Taste of Country. Continue reading…

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL – A Missouri school district’s procedure on overnight trips stipulates that students will be assigned to room with others of the sex they identify with‚ meaning that biological males who identify as female will be assigned to sleep in the same room as girls. Room assignments for field trips should be same-sex‚ with sex being “determined by how the student identifies‚” Webster Groves High School Assistant Principal Dwight Kirksey said in an email‚ according to public documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and obtained by The Daily Signal.   Shane Williamson‚ director of the school’s diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion office‚ asked Kirskey how to handle the room assignment for a student whose “gender identity and sex assigned at birth do not match” for an overnight trip to retreat center Camp Wyman in September 2022.  Webster Groves School District‚ located in the suburbs of St. Louis‚ has taken students on trips to Camp Wyman in Eureka‚ Missouri‚ for 75 years. The retreat center provides a “DEI Word Bank” on its website with terms including “antiracist‚” “intersectionality‚” “unconscious bias‚” “homophobia‚” and “transgender.”  Camp Wyman did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.  Other school districts with similar rooming policies have led to male and female students being told to sleep in the same bed. Jefferson County Public Schools in Colorado assigned an 11-year-old girl to share a bed with a male student who identifies as a transgender girl while on a cross-country school trip. Her parents filed a lawsuit on Dec. 4. When asked about the practice revealed in the emails‚ Webster Groves Communications Director Derek Duncan told The Daily Signal the district seeks to maximize inclusivity. “We do not have a policy regarding situations such as that‚ but we have processes in place that prioritize inclusivity while respecting personal privacy‚” Duncan said. “Our goal is to create a safe and supportive environment for all students.” Webster Groves School District‚ which enrolls almost 4‚500 students‚ applied its room assignment policy in February 2023 regarding a high school trip abroad.  Social studies teacher Betty Roberts said in an email that she spoke with Kirksey about the sexual identity-based policy‚ but she wondered how to know how students identify.  “I am looking for guidance on how to know how students identify‚ how to collect that information‚ and how to protect student privacy in the process‚” she said in the email to Kirksey and Williamson.  Williamson replied with suggested wording for a Google form to determine students’ preferred sex to room with.  “I reworded the gender identity question because I do not want transgender students to feel like they will be forced to stay based on their gender identity‚” Williamson said.  Questions on the revised roommate questionnaire include “Student last and first name‚” “Preferred name‚” and roommate requests. Williamson’s recommended form asks students to “Please share your gender identity because this information is also taken into consideration for room assignments.”  Kirksey and Williamson did not respond to The Daily Signal’s requests for comment.  Webster Groves has no board-approved policy on transgender roommate assignments‚ so most parents are not aware that biological males and females could be forced to share a room on an overnight field trip.  Martin Bennet‚ secretary and treasurer of the St. Louis County Family Association‚ the education advocacy nonprofit which conducted the Freedom of Information Act request‚ told The Daily Signal that parents should be alarmed about the district’s policies.   “Most any parent does not want their child sleeping with a child from the opposite biological sex and would recoil at the thought‚” he said. “I advise parents to no longer assume that common sense practices prevail in suburban schools since many suburban school districts have fully embraced Critical Theory and social justice ideologies.” Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post EXCLUSIVE: Missouri School District Would Assign Boys to Bunk With Girls on Field Trips if They Identify as Girls appeared first on The Daily Signal.

“Make America Great Again Inc.‚” a Super PAC that supports Donald Trump‚ released a statement on the Florida GOP primary as it’s the last day for Ron DeSantis to withdraw his name from the ballot in the Sunshine State. “Ron DeSantis is going to regret ever running for president. Today is the last day DeSantis can remove himself from the Florida presidential primary ballot‚” Make America Great Again Inc. said in a press release. “A new poll from Victory Insights shows that President Donald Trump is leading DeSantis and the Republican primary field by 40 points‚” it added. “In our latest survey‚ Floridians’ support for DeSantis’ presidential bid has now dropped into the teens. Not only is this the lowest we’ve seen him since we began tracking this race over a year ago‚ it’s the lowest support recorded for him in Florida from any pollster at any point in the race. The DeSantis campaign appears to be in free fall‚” Ben Galbraith‚ senior pollster for Victory Insights‚ wrote in a memo. “Today is the last day DeSantis can remove himself from the Florida Presidential primary ballot. He is currently losing his home state by 40%‚” Alex Bruesewitz wrote. “He will be a lame duck‚ WEAK Governor when he returns to Tallahassee once his failing campaign comes to an end. I have never seen someone destroy their political career the way Rob has‚” he added. Today is the last day DeSantis can remove himself from the Florida Presidential primary ballot. He is currently losing his home state by 40%. He will be a lame duck‚ WEAK Governor when he returns to Tallahassee once his failing campaign comes to an end. I have never seen… pic.twitter.com/7AyIWFJ2Wb — Alex Bruesewitz (@alexbruesewitz) December 12‚ 2023 2024 FLORIDA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY • Trump — 60% (+41)• DeSantis — 19%• Haley — 8%• Christie — 5%• Ramaswamy — 1%~~H2H:• Trump — 57% (+31)• DeSantis — 26%@VictoryPolling | 1‚220 LV | 12/8-9https://t.co/7GtqqPRZz8 pic.twitter.com/I7GEc6FXQU — InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) December 12‚ 2023 “Trump boasts a more than 40% lead over any of his challengers‚ and even if the race came down to only Trump and DeSantis‚ Trump still leads by more than 30 points. DeSantis’s decline since our last poll in August could be attributed to Nikki Haley’s rise — the former UN Ambassador has picked up 6 points while the Florida Governor has lost 4‚” Galbraith noted. Florida Politics writes: There is one bright spot for DeSantis: The more money a voter has‚ the more likely they back the Governor. “DeSantis does great with the wealthy and horrible with the poor. (In the head-to-head in this poll‚ Trump leads the lower class by 44% and the upper class by only 23%. Every poll we do we find a similar trend)‚” Galbraith noted. This is just the latest Florida poll to show Trump leading by roughly 40 points. A Florida Atlantic University survey from November showed Trump leading DeSantis‚ 61% to 20%. The University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab in a November poll showed Trump had 60% support while DeSantis had just 21% backing. Florida’s March 19 Primary is a winner-take-all contest‚ in which 125 delegates to the Republican National Convention will be allocated. Galbraith’s take is that it’s basically a done deal. “With just over a month to go until the 2024 Iowa Caucus‚ the Republican primary for President of the United States seems to be shaping up to be a blowout. Though the DeSantis campaign has outwardly expressed confidence in a viable path to victory‚ the poll numbers tell a very different story.”

Former presidents‚ comedians‚ international superstars ... if only Hollywood liked these people!

From edm veterans still delivering the goods to the next generation of exciting producers‚ it's been a fantastic year for electronic music

What does it mean if you see a spider on someone’s tree? The legend of the Christmas spider and tinsel is a beautiful reminder to be grateful to God! (If you’d prefer to listen to the audio version of this story‚ scroll to the end of this article to find the podcast version below!) The video below adorably shows how spiders may celebrate Christmas today. (It’s hard to believe ‘adorable’ and ‘spider’ can be used the same sentence!) WATCH: A Spider Christmas  There are so many holiday traditions that have their roots in different cultures and customs‚ but I’d never heard the story behind the Christmas spider and tinsel! As it turns out‚ if you see someone’s tree with a spider or spider web ornament hanging on its branches‚ there may be a hidden reason why that has nothing to do with the tree owners liking the creepy crawlers! Many people use tinsel to decorate their trees. It makes the tree look so sparkly and shiny! You can trace tinsel’s origins back to Germany in 1610. Originally‚ tinsel was made from silver‚ but when the candles on the tree smoked the silver and turned it black‚ manufacturers tested making it out of different metals like tin‚ lead and aluminum. In the 1950s‚ tinsel was more popular than lights for decorating Christmas trees because it was much less of a fire hazard. Eventually‚ the metal strands evolved into the filmy metallic plastic we know today. YOU MAY LIKE: Story Behind Willie Nelson’s Christmas Song ‘Pretty Paper’ Those are the facts about tinsel‚ but the legend behind the beloved decoration is much more interesting! There are many different versions of this story‚ which has its roots in Germany. But the basic version of the story is below. The Legend of the Christmas Spider and Tinsel Once upon a time‚ there was a poor widow living in her tiny home with her young children. One day‚ the children discovered a cast-off tree and pulled it into their home for the holidays. The kids were so excited to have their very own Christmas tree‚ and were so upset when their mother explained that they could barely afford food for dinner for the evening‚ much less decorations for the tree. The children understood‚ so they wiped away their tears as they climbed into bed that Christmas Eve. The tree stood bare in the corner‚ and the widow shook her head sadly as she herself turned in for the night. But household's spiders had seen the sadness of the children and their mother‚ so they climbed all over the tree that night‚ leaving intricate webs in their wake. Early that Christmas morning‚ the children called out to the widow‚ "Mother‚ mother! Come and see what has happened to the tree! It is beautiful!" Their mother rushed in to find that during the bitter night while they slept‚ spiders had spun magical glittery garlands all across the tree’s barren branches. As the family stood in wonder staring at the beauty before them they realized that they had everything they truly needed. They had each other‚ and that was more than enough! As their prayers of gratitude for their blessings reached God’s ears‚ he reached down and touched their tree‚ turning the dusty webs into magical strands of gold and silver‚ and the grateful family never wanted for their needs again! From that day forward‚ it became a tradition for many families to add tinsel to their trees as a way to show their gratitude to God for the many gifts he has bestowed upon them! –Author Unknown YOU MAY LIKE: Tragic Story Behind the Children’s Book‚ ‘Love You Forever’ Other Unique Christmas Traditions I had heard the story of the candy cane before and I found out why some people hide pickles in their trees‚ but I’d never heard this story behind the Christmas spider and tinsel before! I’ll definitely be reminded to say a prayer of gratitude whenever I see tinsel on a tree! credit: thelearningbasket.com h/t: simplemost Featured Image: Les Anderson on Unsplash The post The Story Behind Christmas Spider and Tinsel on Your Tree appeared first on GodUpdates.