An old problem is getting new attention in the United States--bullying. Recent cases included the tragic case of a 15-year-old girl whose family moved from Ireland. She hanged herself in Massachusetts following months of bullying. Her parents criticized her school for failing to protect her. Officials have brought criminal charges against several teenagers.

Judy Kuczynski is president of an anti-bullying group called Bully Police USA. Her daughter Tina was also the victim of severe bullying starting in middle school in the state of Minnesota. She said,"Our daughter was a very outgoing child. She was involved in all kinds of things and had lots of friends. And over a period of time her grades fell completely. She started having health issues. She couldn't sleep. She wasn't eating. She had terrible stomach pains and didn't want to go to school."

Bullying is defined as negative behavior repeated over time against the same person. It can involve physical violence, or it can be verbal--for example, insults or threats. Spreading lies about someone or excluding a person from a group is known as social or relational bullying.

And now there is cyber-bullying, which uses the Internet, e-mail or text messages. It has easy appeal for the bully because it does not involve face-to-face contact and it can be done at any time.

The first serious research studies into bullying were done in Norway in the late 1970s. The latest government study in the United States was released last year. It found that about one-third of students age twelve to eighteen were bullied at school.

Susan Swearer is a psychologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and co-director of the Bullying Research Network. She says schools should treat bullying as a mental health problem to get bullies and victims the help they need. She says bullying is connected to depression, anxiety and anti-social behavior and bullies are often victims themselves. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. what is bullying connected to?
2. and what else?
3. according to who?
4. who is she?
5. how many students are bullied?
6. of what age?
7. what is bullying defined as?
8. where was the girl who died from?
9. where was the family from?
10. who else is mentioned as a victim?
11. when did her bullying start?
12. where was the first research?
13. when?
14. is it an old problem?
15. when was US study released?
16. what does cyber-bullying include?
17. who is Tina's mom?
18. is she involved in any groups?
19. which one?
20. what is that?
21. was anyone charged for the girl in Mass.?
Answer: 1. depression
2. anxiety and anti-social behavior
3. Susan Swearer
4. a psychologist
5. one-third
6. twelve to eighteen
7. negative behavior
8. Massachusetts
9. Ireland
10. Tina
11. middle school
12. Norway
13. late 1970s
14. yes
15. last year
16. Internet, e-mail or text messages
17. Judy Kuczynski
18. yes
19. Bully Police USA
20. anti-bullying group
21. yes

Susan was very happy to get some money from her grandmother. She spent all morning at her grandmother's house doing chores for her. Grandmother was getting older, and sometimes she needed help with small things around the house. The first thing that Susan did was clean the big window in her house. It was afternoon and the sun was shining, but it was hard to tell because the window was so dirty! Susan used water and soap to clean the window. It was very clean when she was finished. Next, she swept the front porch. She put all of the dirt and leaves into a big bin in the front yard. That was a lot of work. Susan was going back in the house for lunch when she saw that the light in the hall was out. She asked her grandmother to show her where the light bulbs were at so that she could change it. Since she was so short she had to get a stool to stand on. Her grandmother stood by to make sure she didn't fall. This was her last job of the day. After all of her hard work her grandmother made her a ham sandwich with no cheese. Susan did not like cheese. Then her grandmother gave her five dollars for helping. This was a whole dollar more than she got the last time! What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What did Susan get?
2. From whom?
3. And how did that make her feel?
4. What did she do in return?
5. What did she need help with?
6. Where?
7. What did Susan do first?
8. During what time of day?
9. And what did she use?
10. What did she do next?
11. What did she put the refuse in?
12. Where?
13. Why did she go back in the house?
14. What did she notice?
15. Could she reach it unaided?
16. Did she do any more work?
17. What did her grandmother fix her?
18. And how much was Susan paid?
19. Was that more than before?
20. What didn't Susan like?
Answer: 1. some money
2. her grandmother
3. very happy
4. chores
5. small things
6. around the house
7. clean the big window in her house
8. afternoon
9. water and soap
10. swept the front porch
11. a big bin
12. in the front yard
13. for lunch
14. that the light in the hall was out
15. No
16. No
17. a ham sandwich with no cheese
18. five dollars
19. Yes
20. cheese

We know the famous ones--the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells--but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper ? Shouldn't we know who they are?

Joan Mclean thinks so.In fact,Mclean,a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range,feels so strongly about this matter that she's developed a course on the topic.In addition to learning"who"invented"what",however,Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the"why''and''how"questions.According to Mclean."When students learn the answers to these questions,they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.''

Her students agree.One young man with a patent for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean's statement."If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper's invention,"said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major,"I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive."Lee is currently negotiating to sell his patent to an umbrella producer.

So,just what is the story behind the windshield wiper Well,Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City.The day was cold and stormy,but Anderson still wanted to see the sights,so she jumped aboard a streetcar.Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield,she found herself wondering why there couldn't be a built--in device for cleaning the window.Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham,Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions.One of her ideas,a lever on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside,became the first windshield wiper.

Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations.It's hard to imagine driving without Garrett A.Morgan's traffic light.It's equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J.Blodgett's innovation that makes glass invisible.Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses? What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. where does Joan Mclean teach?
2. in?
3. what subject does she teach?
4. what course is she running?
5. how many othr questions does she like students to answer?
6. what are they?
7. what does this do for the students?
8. and?
9. Who invented the traffic light?
10. what did Kaltherine Blodgett innovate?
11. which is used in what?
12. Do Prof McLean's students agree with her?
13. What patent is mentioned?
14. who designed it?
15. what inspired him?
16. and waht story?
17. who invented them?
18. when?
19. where had she visited?
20. what was the weather?
Answer:
1. Mountain University
2. Range
3. physics
4. learning"who"invented"what"
5. Two
6. the"why''and''how"
7. better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing
8. more motivated to give inventing a try.'
9. Garrett A.Morgan
10. making glass invisible
11. windows and eyeglasses
12. yes
13. an unbreakable umbrella
14. Tommy Lee
15. a bad experience during a rainstorm
16. the story of the windshield wiper's invention
17. Mary Anderson
18. in 1902
19. New York City
20. cold and stormy