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Al's Morning Meeting reader Bryan Garner, a reporter for WPTV in West Palm Beach, Fla., sent me a story idea to pass along. It has to do with the blossoming sales of masks that are being marketed as protection against bird flu. Bryan wrote:

One company, Emergency Filtration Products out of Nevada, makes a product called the NanoMask, which many of its distributors are marketing as the "bird-flu mask," supposedly "ideal" for home use. The company's CEO told me he did not authorize his distributors to market it that way. He says he tested the mask against the avian flu virus, but the results aren't back from the lab. 

Health officials don't recommend running out to buy masks to protect your family against bird flu. They say your time and resources would be better spent coming up with a family plan that involves staying home for an extended period. Plus, they say a rush on masks could deplete the supply for first responders who will need them.

Here are some links:

Bryan's story, with video and text.

A story by WPTV's companion paper, The Stuart News.

The Associated Press reported last month that Department of Health and Human Services has ordered 150 million single-use face masks for a national stockpile. The AP added that France, a country with far fewer people, has already ordered 50 million more masks than the U.S. has. American health planners say focusing on masks gives the public a false sense of security.

Here is more about masks, from an ABC News report last year.
 
The Institute of Medicine says masks for people who get sick in a flu epidemic might be useful for keeping germs from spreading. Of course, the mask has to fit right (tightly) and it has to be of a high enough filtration quality to filter out the germs. 

The U.S. government does not recommend that individuals buy masks. Here is what the feds DO recommend. 

"Officer Down" Memorial Page

Here is an amazing Web site that lists thousands of names, photos and case information for police officers who have died in the line of duty over the past 100 years. The index lists officers by state, department, year and date.   

Muslim Scouts

Al's Morning Meeting reader Duff McFadden spotted this story and passed it along. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that there are Muslim Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops springing up around the country. The story said:

The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have for years been reaching out to Muslims and other religious groups, working with them to offer patches or medals tailored to their faiths. The Girl Scouts has made it known that the word "God" in its oath can be substituted with Allah (God in Arabic) or other words to fit one's beliefs.

"The Girl Scouts appreciates diversity. That's very important. It's important to teach our girls to accept our diversity, our differences," said [Lallia] Allali, [a devout Muslim and] mother of three daughters, one a Brownie, [who founded three Muslim Girl Scout troops at the Islamic Center of San Diego].

Muslim Girl Scout troops have formed in Phoenix, Nashville, Washington, D.C. and Santa Clara, [Calif.,] but the organization does not track how many exist. The Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting in Connecticut estimates almost 1,000 Muslim girls participate in scouting. The Boy Scouts of America has counted nearly 2,000 Muslim Boy Scouts in 104 units affiliated with mosques and Islamic schools. 

Half of All New Teachers Quit

During their first five years in the classroom, half of all new teachers quit, according to the National Education Association, a teachers group.

The Washington Post quoted some expert as saying the percentage has "hovered around 50 percent for decades."

The question, I suppose, is why teachers are not better prepared for the realities of the classroom. The cost of such a high turnover has to be huge. As the academic year comes to a close, what are the new teachers saying about their first year in the profession?

The Post also said:

Teachers are more educated than ever before, with the proportion of those holding master's degrees increasing to 50 percent from 23 percent since the early 1960s.

Only 6 percent of teachers are African American, and 5 percent are Hispanic, Asian or come from other ethnic groups. Men represent barely a quarter of teachers, which the association says is the lowest level in four decades.

The NEA survey also found:

• More teachers of color are needed. Nearly four out of every 10 students is a minority (40.5 percent), yet the teaching profession is overwhelmingly white (90 percent). Some 40 percent of all public schools have no minority teachers on staff. Additionally, fewer than half of teachers participate in professional development related to managing diversity in the classroom.
• The percentage of African-American teachers is the lowest since 1971 (6 percent). Only five percent of the nation's teachers are Hispanics, Asians or are from other ethnic groups.
• Classroom success depends on cultural diversity.  Some research suggests students of color perform better -- academically, personally and socially -- when taught by teachers from their own ethnic groups.  

The survey added that "male teachers are a dwindling breed": 

• A few good men. Just 24.9 percent of the nation's 3 million teachers are men.
• Slow extinction of the male teacher. The percentage of male elementary teachers (9 percent) and male secondary teachers (35 percent) has fallen gradually since 1961 and now is at the lowest level in four decades.
• More money, more male teachers. States with higher teacher salaries tend to have the most male teachers. Michigan ranks first in the percentage of male teachers (37 percent), and ranks in the top five nationally in teacher pay. Mississippi ranks 50th in the percentage of male teachers (18 percent), and ranks 49th in teacher pay.