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Here is the Factor MiniQuiz. After you take it, come back and practice some more!

It’s getting pretty crazy in Kosovo. Ever since that country declared independence last week, their former country, Serbia, has been in chaos. The latest is a bunch of rioting and looting. Some are even saying the looting is patriotic and helping to defend their country; this is from a USA Today story:

Two women who took part in the Belgrade riots to protest Kosovo’s independence seem to think the two go hand in hand.

A video clip now on the Internet — entitled ” Kosovo for Sneakers” — shows two girls going from shop to shop with armfuls of looted items. Goods drip from their overburdened arms. They drop a sweater, but pick up a box of chocolates — and on and on.

“We came to Belgrade to defend Kosovo,” one of the girls, her face blurred to protect identity and identified only as Maja, told B92 television. “We started looting when they all did.”

The story goes on:

Rioters set the U.S. Embassy on fire and smashed several other Western missions before police chased them away. But they moved on, destroying and looting shops in the capital city’s shopping area.

“We looted because we are poor, not because we are rich,” Maja said.

“It was too much to issue a warrant for our arrest — as if we killed someone,” Jovana told B92.

So, according to these girls, I guess it’s okay to steal and loot if you are

• “defending” your country
• everyone else is doing it
• you are poor, not rich

Plus, it’s not like they killed anyone, that would be really bad.

So, do you agree with these girls? Do you think what they did was right? Did they have their reasons? Post some comments and let everyone know how you feel. Don’t forget to read the USA Today story and you can watch the YouTube clip from home.

We’re trying out doing Math Skills online. Practice these skills just like math skills.

Directions:

1. Do ten problems.
2. If you get a score of 70% or higher, go to the next skill.
3. If your score is less than 70%, do at least ten more problems until your score gets to above 70%. Then move on to the next skill.

Skills:

• Multiplying Tens
• Multiplying Hundreds
• Multiplication without Renaming 2 digit
• Multiplication of two digit numbers
• Multiplication without Renaming 3 digit
• Multiplication

We’ve been learning how drugs can be used in unhealthy and illegal ways, ways that can ruin your life. This week, read more about how drugs can kill your body.

Check out the sites below and see what new things you can learn. Write down important ideas in your internet journal.

Now it’s your turn!

Start here: 

What you need to know about drugs.Can you handle peer pressure?

Drug Facts

Search Google or Yahoo! to see if you can find more info about kids and drugs.  

Next year, our school will stop selling surgary snacks and drinks. But our school isn’t the only one; it’s happening all across the county. Read more about it in this week’s Internet task.

Here are some questions to answer in your Internet journal:

1. Three big pop companies just made a deal with schools…what are the companies?
2. What percent of schools are affected by the deal?
3. What kind of pop will be sold in high schools?
4. What kind of pop will be sold in elementary schools?
5. What kind of drinks might be sold at McGrath next year?
6. Why are schools taking away sugary drinks?

Now it’s your turn!

1. Post a comment to tell what you think about this issue. Is this a good idea? A bad idea? Why?
2. Later, read some of the other comments, pick one, and write a comment about it. Tell if you agree with what the comment said, or if you disagree.

Start here: 

Time for Kids 

The Flint Journal 

Detroit Free Press 

Other Yahoo! News articles