A post from NYC Private Schools Blog reports on a family that was granted political asylum based on the fact that their home country didn't allow home schooling. In fact, because the parents wanted to home their children, the authorities removed the children and forced them to attend regular school. The home country - where do you think it was? China, Iraq, or perhaps Iran? No, it was Germany and the year was 2008. It seems not all 'western' countries believe in educational choice.

It is a situation that is unusual for another reason. The US is fairly strict on their interpretation when it comes to political asylum. Generally speaking, it is only granted if the refugee can prove they were persecuted on the basis of race, political opinion, nationality, religion, or membership of a social group. The judge rules in this case that the family was persecuted because of their membership of a social group, that is, a group of parents wanting to home school their children.

Another story that caught my attention relates to dental health and how it may be connected to sleep apnea in some people. I can understand this to some extent. It seems if your jaw doesn't line up correctly it can fall back thus restricting the throat and your breathing. One of the more successful snoring devices is a mouth guard that actually pushes the top jaw forward. I can now see the connection between the two.

I have also heard that yoga and meditation can be good for easing the problems associated with snoring. They are both relaxation techniques and both do, to some extent, work on controlling breathing. I probably need both the meditation and the mouth guard, and, according to my family, a sound proof room as well.