I know you have all been waiting desperately for this, so here it is, our newest School Assembly Dog of the Month. I must confess to a shortage of School Assembly Dog of the Month entries at present, so this month we give the award to not a specific animal but rather to a kind of animal. May we have a drum roll please .... The Mobile Ed Productions Dog of the Month Award for January 2012 goes to ....  The Family Dog!

This morning we all woke to news of the results of the Iowa Presidential Caucuses which took place last night. 

Actually, this story has nothing to do with school shows or science assemblies, so if you are seeking ideas for school assemblies or a science assembly, well ... today (just today!) you have come to the wrong place!

We are now well into December and the Holidays are right around the corner! To one section of the population that only means one thing! Time is running out before the Blue And Gold Banquet season is upon Cub Scout Troops everywhere!

What makes a person a good person? This question has puzzled philosophers since the earliest ages of mankind and continues to produce debate today. But there are certain virtues we commonly agree upon today and we also agree that teaching these virtues to our children is a good and desirable thing.

Here is something current. In Queensland, Australia, recent flooding caused massive evacuations and covered an enormous area with deep water. The water damage will run into the millions of dollars, and was responsible for some loss of life. Overall, it has been a huge and unprecedented tragedy. An early article from the NASA Earth Observatory (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=48420) shows some amazing photos of the affected area. All this reminded me of the mind-boggling technology available providing these simply awesome satellite images and how they contribute to our being able to understand the magnitude of our planet in ways previously unimaginable while at the same time bringing everything closer. Google Earth alone stands as one of the most incredible tools I have ever seen for teaching about our planet. Even your aging writer continues to marvel away hours with that toy!

How do you know which programs and how many presentations to do for your school? This is a question which comes up with any Elementary school or Middle School looking for ideas for school assemblies. Well, as famous detective Sherlock Holmes used to say: “Elementary, my dear Watson!, Elementary!”

There is a bit of a debate going on here in Michigan. A few years back, as Michigan watched countless manufacturing jobs disappearing, the state government decided to try and entice new, growth industries into Michigan with generous tax credits. One of the industries they tapped was Film.

Michigan joined forty some other states in competing for film work by offering the most generous film tax credit incentives in the country. The idea was that film is still a thriving US industry which exports product all over the world, and that it employs many people in jobs that are ideal for retrained auto workers. But in addition, it is a very attractive industry for young, creative people, and Michigan has been watching a steady exodus of young people for years, all heading to more creative environments elsewhere.

So I was watching a commercial recently, and they had a Polar Bear walking slowly from somewhere out in the snow.
He came all the way into the suburbs of some city to give a hug to some guy who drives an electric car. It was cute. But I got to thinking... does an electric car really help the environment? Or does the manufacturing of the car create enough pollution
to offset the gains from not burning gas? Or does it make any difference at all? I am no expert so I really don't know the answers to these questions, but I know someone who can give me some really good information on the subject!

I sit tonight watching the beginning of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. The New York Yankees are tied one game apiece with the Texas Rangers, and tonight’s game is in Yankee Stadium.
The place is packed and the excitement is so thick you can cut it with a knife (well, almost!). It is so easy for all of us to be excited and motivated by the competition of sports.