PARTY'S OVER?

Slow to get it; now it's overkill

After being slow to recognize the anti-government, anti-Obama rage that fueled the Tea Party movement last year, the U.S. media now is overstating the movement's magnitude and influence. So concludes the website Politico, which analyzes the issue under the headline “;The tea party's exaggerated importance.”;

Given the website's success in “;driving”; political discourse lately, perhaps we'll see fewer Tea Party stories starting today.

DOUBLE TAKE

Something we learned about teachers

Add another study to the growing body of evidence bolstering the importance of effective teachers.

The latest research followed more than 800 sets of twins in first and second grade in Florida, and concluded that those children whose instructors were deemed more effective in teaching reading posted higher scores on oral literacy tests than siblings who had less effective teachers. The study was published yesterday in the journal Science.

WILD 'N' WINDY

Never take the weather for granted

When it was chilly and the winds kicked up last week, people weighing less than 100 pounds were jokingly advised to hang on to nearby sturdy structures. Don't get blown away—ha, ha, ha.

Such advice, oddly, came in handy Wednesday when a freak “;dust devil”; at Makaha Elementary School whipped more than two dozen kids off their feet.

“;Several students were lifted 2 feet off the ground,”; said school principal Lynn Okamura. “;One child was holding onto the fence, his legs were flying.”;

Fortunately, aside from a few scrapes, no one was seriously injured by the unexpected winds, estimated at more than 50 mph. Winds today were forecast to be in the usual, mild 10 to 15 mph range. Still, small people, stay alert ...