8. Michael Baker and War

Michael Baker, a high school teacher in Nebraska, was a celebrated teacher in his district and the state. In 2006, he was one of only 47 teachers in the state to win National Board Certification. A celebrated and beloved teacher, there were no complaints about him until he showed the documentary “Baghdad ER” to his geography class.

The film, which “captures the humanity, hardships and heroism of the US Military,” likely troubled a few students and led to parental complaints.  Some were displeased with the “unflinching and honest account of the realities of war,” and this was the cause of his firing. -Source

7. Abby Nurre and Atheism

Abby Nurre, an eigth-grade math teacher in Iowa, taught in a private Catholic school. On day, while on Facebook, she saw a survey asking if she believed in God. She answered “No.” Her profile was private, meaning that only her friends could view her information and activities. Somehow, the information found it’s way to the school officials. Her religious beliefs and her survey answer were called into question, and she stated that she was not an atheist.

A few months later, Nurre posted a link to a New York Times article on an online discussion forum, Atheist Nexus. The article indicated that the U.S. government had spent $2.3 million on prayer research in the last ten years. Five weeks later she was called into the Monsignor’s office and handed a letter of suspension for “making atheist statements in a public forum.” Yet she didn’t make a statement about the article. She only posted it. Nurre was fired simply for acting in ways that the Catholic Church does not approve of. It had absolutely nothing to do with her teaching ability, which was never mentioned. -Source

6. Seth Stambaugh and Homosexuality

Seth Stambaugh, a Beaverton School District student teacher in Oregon, was in the middle of teaching a fourth grade class when he was asked a very innocent question: whether or not he was married. Being an honest and openly gay 23-year-old, Seth replied that he was not. He then went on to explain that it would be illegal for him to marry in Oregon because he “would chose to marry another guy.” For this honesty, Stambaugh was fired.

When a parent heard of this conversation, a complaint was made to the administration that it was inappropriate.  In response to the complaint, school officials approached Stambaugh and told him he would have to teach in another school district.  Stambaugh was fired for his honesty. -Source

5. Karen Salazar and Activism

Karen Salazar, an English teacher at Jordan High School in California, liked to engage her students. She wanted them to observe and think about the world around them. She encouraged their political activism, telling them they were “part of the long legacy, the strong history, of fighting back.”

Her course materials include The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which is approved for students, the poetry of Langston Hughes and even some lyrics by the late Tupac Shakur. This lead to complaints that she was too “Afro-centric.” Salazar was even accused of brainwashing students. It was these complaints from the administration that led to her dismissal. -Source

4. Marianne Kearney-Brown and the Oath

Marianne Kearney-Brown, a California State University math teacher, was required to sign a loyalty oath before beginning her new teaching positions. She had signed it twice before, each time modifying it due to her Quaker beliefs.

When asked to “swear (or affirm)” that she would “support and defend” the US and state Constitutions “against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Kearney-Brown inserted revisions. She wrote “nonviolently” in front of the word “support,” crossed out “swear,” and circled “affirm.” She was not doing this out of malice. Kearney-Brown only wished to establish that she would defend the Constitution as long as it didn’t require violence.

She was fired for injecting religious beliefs which were incompatible and inconsistent with the oath. -Source

3. Sydney McGee and Art

Sydney McGee, an art teacher at Wilma Fisher Elementary School in Texas, lead her students through the Dallas Museum of Art. Accompanied by 89 students, 4 other teachers, 12  parents, and a museum docent, the large group observed and admired works of art that dated as far back as Ancient Greece. Everyone seemed to enjoy the trip.

Yet McGee received a memorandum from the principal the next day, citing complaints that the students were exposed to “nude statues and other nude art representations.” For this she was suspended and later fired, in spite of the fact that over the past decade, more than half a million students have toured the museum’s collection of 26,000 works spanning 5,000 years without a single complaint. -Source

2. Steve Bitterman and Genesis

Steve Bitterman, an instructor at Southwestern Community College in Iowa, was teaching his Western Civilization class the Old Testament from an academic standpoint. Like any good professor, he delved deeper into the story, much to the chagrin of some of his students.

“I told them it was an extremely meaningful story, but you had to see it in a poetic, metaphoric or symbolic sense; that if you took it literally, that you were going to miss a whole lot of meaning there.”  Then, in a private conversation with a student, he called the story of Adam and Eve a “fairy tale.” It was then that he discovered the students had threatened to see an attorney. He was fired over the telephone. -Source

1. Jim Piculas and Wizardry

Jim Piculas, a substitute teacher in Florida, likes to start off his classes with a 30-second magic trick in which he makes a toothpick disappear then reappear. He heard no complaints from his Rushe Middle School class in Land O’ Lakes. That is until the middle of the day, when he got a call from his supervisor.

The Superintendent of the school district claimed that there were other performance issues, but Piculas knew nothing of these issues and believes they were just added to cover his initial accusation. It looks like Piculas did his wizardry in the wrong part of Florida. -Source

Staying on top of all your classes at school isn’t easy at the best of times. Studying, writing papers, passing tests, keeping track of all those facts and figures from five or more subjects at a time — it’s all some students can do to keep up. So how much harder must it be to manage one’s studies when faced with the added task of sorting out fact from fiction in the textbooks themselves? And yet this is a problem in textbooks and other teaching materials at all grade levels, in every subject, all over the country. Below are some of the most disgraceful examples of textbooks publishing false, misleading, and otherwise objectionable information.

Science or Guesswork?

In 2002, CNN reported on the results of a study conducted by physics professor John Hubisz to ascertain  the accuracy of the information being presented in middle school science books.[1] Hubisz and a team of other professors examined dozens of textbooks and uncovered a startling amount of information that was unclear, contradictory, or blatantly incorrect. One textbook included a map that showed the Earth’s equator running through Florida and Texas, 1,500 miles north of its actual position. Another declared that humans were incapable of hearing sound below 400 hertz; in fact, the human hearing range is approximately 20-20,000 hertz.[2] A third textbook depicted the Statue of Liberty holding her torch in the wrong hand. After completing the study, Hubisz set up a website, www.science-house.org/middleschool/, where teachers can post errors they find in textbooks. But he also told CNN that while some publishers are receptive to the criticisms and willing to fix the errors, many are not.

Specious History

Some textbook errors aren’t merely inaccurate, they’re misleading and contentious. In October 2010, The Virginian Pilot reported that the book Our Virginia: Past and Present, an elementary school textbook used in schools throughout the state, contained some very uncomfortable misinformdation: a passage “claiming that thousands of black soldiers fought for the South during the Civil War.”[3] The error was found by Carol Sheriff, a professor at the College of William and Mary, who then pointed out that blacks weren’t allowed to serve in the Confederate army until the very end of the war. Professor Bruce Levine of the University of Illinois confirms this, saying

“Jefferson Davis barked this would ‘revolt and disgust the whole South.’ All of this stuff is easily documentable. The facts of the matter aren’t really murky.”

School officials maintained that their textbook reviewing process is typically quite reliable, and this mistake was an unfortunate but unusual exception. But many teachers and other academics, including many who have been a part of the reviewing process, disagree, saying that the sheer length of the many textbooks they have to review prohibits them from catching every error or even, in some cases, arriving at an informed decision about a given book.

It’s Not Fallacious; It’s Tradition

There is no excuse or explanation for some textbook errors (like the one that showed a picture of a compass with East and West on the wrong sides[4]), but sometimes the misinformation stems, very obviously, from the fact that the book’s author didn’t do his or her own research. There are a lot of myths floating around in the popular culture, and many of them find their way into textbooks as facts. Fearon’s Biology, a high school science book, has quite an impressive collection of myths-presented-as-science, from describing the first life on earth not as microscopic bacteria, but as “tiny green specks,”[5] to promulgating the false belief that all organisms can move on their own. Most outrageous of all, however, is the book’s lesson about “a biologist named Frankenstein.” According to Fearon’s Biology, “Frankenstein pieced together the parts of dead bodies. Finally he brought a creature to life. But Frankenstein’s creation was an eight-foot monster. Eventually the monster destroyed the biologist.”[6] It is left to the readers to discover on their own that Frankenstein is the eponymous character of Mary Shelley’s novel, and that there is no real biology to speak of in that work of fiction. But all of these ideas — tiny specks, mad scientists — are part of the popular imagination, errors that go back so far that they’ve become traditional.

Not Exactly

Science, and biology in particular, seems to be a frequent victim of flagrant misinformation in the textbook industry. Apparently no lesson plan is safe from the vague wording, bizarre leaps of logic, or downright incorrect presentation of facts. In 2005, The Weekly Standard reported: “several centuries ago, some ‘very light-skinned’ people were shipwrecked on a tropical island. After ‘many years under the tropical sun,’ this light-skinned population became ‘dark-skinned,’ says Biology: The Study of Life, a high-school textbook published in 1998 by Prentice Hall, an imprint of Pearson Education.”[7] The Standard interviewed Nina Jablonski, a professor of anthropology at the California Academy of the Sciences, who called the passage from the book “downright bizarre” and explained that it takes at least 15,000 years for the change in skin color described in the book to manifest. “Many years” may not be technically incorrect, but it is also less than scientifically precise or academically  helpful. Wendy Spiegel, a spokesperson for Pearson education, admitted that the book’s depiction of evolution was misleading, but went on to assure the reporter that the teacher’s lesson guide explained the process accurately.[8] Half-right is better than entirely wrong, but it does leave one wondering if the students were held accountable when they got that question wrong on the test.

Historically Confusing

Another common problem in textbooks is that the authors have had to cater to a number of demanding, sometimes conflicting directives from state curriculum boards, while also organizing and presenting the material in a way that is as innocuous as possible. Textbook authors and publishers alike have learned hard lessons about offending ethnic, religious, or affirmative action groups or upsetting special interest organizations. As a result, factual errors in the text sometimes come about due to an overzealous process of watering down the truth to the point of losing important points of interest. For example, a review of the high school world history textbook Patterns of Interaction found that “The book’s suggestion that the Iroquois Federation was crucial to America’s founding is an example of political correctness”; that “The summary of the causes of the French Revolution is inadequate, and it is ‘ludicrous’ to say that Marie Antoinette was a major cause”; that “the description of September 11, 2001, does not ‘hint who the terrorists were, or what they were trying to accomplish,’” and that it “incorrectly describ[es] the pre-World War II emperor of Japan as ‘an absolute ruler whose divine will was law,’”[9] among other complaints. These are mistakes born not of a lack of research or understanding of the material, but of the authors’ and publishers’ fear that writing the whole truth might get them in trouble.

I Was Told There Would Be No Math

The study of mathematics is supposed to be nothing if not precise. The entire point of any mathematical equation is to get the same answer every time; consistency is what makes math the most reliable way to measure, well, everything. So when the Texas State Board of Education found a total of 109,263 errors in the  math textbooks being reviewed for use in the 2008 school year, it was seen as a pretty serious problem. The Board went back to the publishers and told them that they had until spring to fix the errors, after which point each publisher would be susceptible to a fine of up to $5,000 per error found.[10] Of course, not all of the errors were in the arithmetic; some textbooks had accidentally printed the answers to the quizzes at the end of each chapter, while others had incorrect translations from the English to the Spanish versions. But, a hefty number of the errors were in the numbers themselves. All of the publishers’ books had errors, but leading textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin took the cake: 86,026 errors across its series of books, accounting for 79% of the total discovered by the Board. “It looks like one publisher won the sweepstakes,” said Board member, Bob Craig. “How can you make 86,000 errors in your textbooks? How do you do that?”[11]

Sources:

[1] http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/11/03/badbooks/

[2] http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/ChrisDAmbrose.shtml

[3] http://hamptonroads.com/2010/10/error-sparks-concerns-over-textbook-selection-process

[4] http://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/11/03/badbooks/

[5] http://www.colleges.com/Umagazine/articles/campusclips/textbooks.html

[6] http://www.colleges.com/Umagazine/articles/campusclips/textbooks.html

[7] http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/563mgsyh.asp

[8] http://mathforum.org/kb/thread.jspa?forumID=66&threadID=191067&messageID=713878

[9] http://www.edexcellence.net/doc/Historytextbooks[02-06-04].pdf

[10] http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/111607dntextextbooks.268c6c7.html

[11] http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2002/12/22/2002-12-22_schoolbooks_flubbing_facts_t.html

As education becomes more available throughout the U.S. and the world at large, illiteracy rates are steadily declining. Still, an inability to read is an incredibly widespread and common problem, even in the United States. Additionally, reading literacy is not the only issue. Many Americans can not perform mathematical tasks required be even the most basic job positions. It is clear that there are issues in the educational system that are allowing students to pass through without having adequately learned what should be required. The following infographic takes a look at literacy in the U.S. and around the world.

<br /> <img src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ILLITERACY.png” mce_src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ILLITERACY.png”><br /><small>Created By DegreeScout <a href=”http://www.degreescout.com” mce_href=”http://www.degreescout.com”>Online Schools</a></small><br />

<br /> <img src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ILLITERACY.png” mce_src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ILLITERACY.png”><br /><small>Created By DegreeScout <a href=”http://www.degreescout.com” mce_href=”http://www.degreescout.com”>Online Schools</a></small><br />

Most Universities rely heavily on their Alumni and other supporters to give them money and other assets. Known as endowments, these gifts provide the lifeblood of the University education system in the United States. The following infographic gives some interesting details that illuminate the interesting world of University Endowments. Enjoy!

<br /> <img src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ENDOWMENTS.png” mce_src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ENDOWMENTS.png”><br /><small>Created By DegreeScout <a href=”http://www.degreescout.com” mce_href=”http://www.degreescout.com”>Online Schools</a></small><br />

<br /> <img src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Educational_War_Zones2.png” mce_src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Educational_War_Zones2.png”><br /><small>Created By DegreeScout <a href=”http://www.degreescout.com” mce_href=”http://www.degreescout.com”>Online Schools</a></small><br />

<br /> <img src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Spending_Final.png” mce_src=”http://www.degreescout.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Spending_Final.pngg”><br /><small>Created By DegreeScout <a href=”http://www.degreescout.com” mce_href=”http://www.degreescout.com”>Online Schools</a></small><br />

When we think of the world’s potential, we tend to only think of the world that we know. We often consider the contributions of so called “first world” countries as being the most important and most significant motivators for progress.  Indeed, it sthas historically been these countries that have made the most significant contributions. Below are two maps, distorted to show their contributions to scientific research and patents.

Scientific Research

Patents

Images such as these clearly show the disparity between the contributions made by developed nations vs. developing nations.  Of particular interest though, is that several of the countries with the largest populations contribute only a very small amount to the global knowledge and talent pool.  As these countries continue to develop, as their educational systems, economic systems, and governments evolve and become modern, the true potential of the populations of these countries will begin to be more fully realized. The idea of these populous developing countries reaching “developed nation” status, allowing for their populations to realize their potential is truly exciting. To give an idea of the scope of untapped talent in developing countries, let’s take IQ as an example.

In general, the breakdown of IQ is as follows:

Over 140 – Genius or near genius (1 in 261 has this IQ or better) 120 – 140 – Very superior intelligence (one in 11 has this IQ or better) 110 – 119 – Superior intelligence (1 in 4 has this IQ or better) 90 – 109 – Normal or average intelligence (3 of 4 has this IQ or better)

Based on this, we can estimate that:

The United States has:

1,176,270 people with IQs above 140 (genius level)

27,909,686 (very superior intelligence level)

76,751,637 (superior intelligence)

India has:

4,367,681 people with IQs above 140 (genius level)

103, 633,176 (very superior intelligence level)

284,991,233 (superior intelligence)

China has:

5,075,306 people with IQs above 140 (genius level)

120,423,182 (very superior intelligence level)

331,163,750 (superior intelligence)

The World has:

25,659,977 people with IQs above 140 (genius level)

608,841,276(very superior intelligence level)

1,674,313,510 (superior intelligence)

To put this in perspective, it is possible that there are more people in China with IQ’s that designate them of “superior intelligence” than there are Americans.   Additionally, between India and China, there could be almost ten times as many people of a “genius level” IQ as there are people in the US.

“as manypeople of a “genius level” IQ as there are people in the US.”  It is not just China and India that have these incredible individuals. All 48 underdeveloped countries have something special.  In a world of nearly seven billion people, there are untold numbersc of incredibly smart and talented individuals who simply do not have the resources or means to achieve their full potential – or whose development could have been stunted due to poor nutrition or resources.

The example of IQ has been given because it is an easy way to quantify a volume of hidden talent, but the contributions waiting to be made individuals in undeveloped nations reach far beyond just those who could contribute their above average intelligence. In fact, the unique talents that are going unnoticed is the saddest part of this story. The following are a few extraordinary examples of talent so great, that it managed to overcome the giant obstacles presented by being born in a developing nation. Just imagine the number of incredible people who could have also contributed their talents, had they only been given the opportunity.

PRABAL GURUNG

Unless you are a die hard fashionista or a celebrity, you may not be familiar with Prabal Gurung  just yet, but you likely will be. Gurung grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Nepal is a very stunning and visually captivating country, but it is also very impoverished. However, poverty and meager beginnings did not put the brakes on  Gurung’s plans. At his earliest opportunity, Gurung left Nepal for nearby India where he ingratiated himself to famed designer, Manish Arora, and didn’t stop there. He continued pursuing his dream, traveling to London and Australia, eventually settling in the Big Apple where he attended Parsons School of Art and Design. Gurung won Best Designer at the Parsons/Fashion Institute of Technology design competition in his first year there and then interned under the famed Donna Karan. Soon after, Gurung took a leap of faith and launched his own line with great successful. His line is sold at Bergdorf Goodman and has been praised by Editor in Chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour. His gowns are worn on red carpets and by famous figures like Michelle Obama. He has even been featured on Oprah. Prabal Gurung is a true testament to the talent that exists even in impoverished and remote locations in our world. Below is a video of his collection at New York’s Fashion Week.

REGGIE FILS-AIME

Reggie Fils-Aime is considered by many to be the god of the gamers, pizza, and beer.  Fils-Aime has done great things in the world of food, beverage and media.  He is the marketing wiz who helped Pizza Hut to become cool again with his Bigfoot pizza campaign and helped VH1 gain a 30% viewer increase by refocusing the network’s content to appeal to a younger demographic. His position was so anticipated at Nintendo, it was dubbed “Reggielution.” He also worked at Guinness Beer Co. where he helped cement Guinness as a staple in college dorms all over the world.  Despite his acclaim and beloved status, Fils-Aime’s rise to corporate mogul status wasn’t a likely one. Fils-Aime wasn’t born in a land of video game, beer, or pizza ubiquity;  he was born in Haiti, considered to be the poorest country in the Americas. Fortunately for Fils-Aime, his parents moved him to the United States, where he was able to get a quality education. Through his academic talent, he was accepted to Cornell University. After earning a degree in Applied Economics, Fils-Aime launched his career in business, where he’s excelled ever since.

IMMACULEE ILIBAGIZA

Immaculee Ilibagiza has endured more brutality and trauma than most could ever imagine. During the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, Ilibagiza survived 91 horrifying days in a 3’x4’ bathroom with seven other women. During this traumatic time,  she also lost all of her family except for one brother. Most people would not be able to live through such  heinous experiences, but Ilibagiza not only survived, she used them as a tool to better herself. Ilibagiza put her experiences into a book titled,  Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust recounting her experience. Since then, the Rwandan National University graduate has written 2 other books and has become a world renowned motivational speaker. She holds honorary doctoral degrees from Notre Dame and St. John’s University, has a foundation to help orphans and is an ambassador for the United Nations. Below is a video of Ilibagiza speaking at Villanova University:

IMAN

Easily one of the most recognized faces in the world, Iman is the poster child for grace and extraordinary beauty. As a Supermodel, Ambassador, CEO and the wife of David Bowie, no one can deny that she has done amazingly well for herself. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Iman had no plans of becoming a supermodel. She was discovered while working on a degree in political science by famous fashion photographer, Peter Beard. Through his connections, she went on to model for Versace, Yves St. Laurent, Halston and many others. Her beauty has changed the face of fashion, helping to emphasize exotic and mysterious beauty. Iman didn’t stop with her initial success as a model. In 1994 she launched her own cosmetics line that appealed to women of all different shades. She is also a humanitarian and is involved with many foundations targeted toward helping children. Iman’s life could easily have been confined to Mogadishu Somalia, where the success she has achieved would have been an impossibility. She is a true testament to the untapped beauty and potential that lies hidden in the undeveloped world. Here is an interview with Iman on her early life.

EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR

Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a very well known U.K.  soccer striker for Manchester United. Before Adebayor was a sport celebrity, he was just a boy growing up in the poor country of Togo in Africa. His unlikely opportunity to move beyond the impoverished country of his birth came when he was spotted by a French soccer club recruiter while playing in his country’s capital city of Lomé.  After a trial, he was signed to French club Metz. From here Adebayor’s talent got its chance to shine, and he became a quickly rising star. In 2006, Adebayor helped his home country of Togo qualify for the 2006 African Cup of Nations by scoring eleven goals in the qualifiers. This feat set a record and won African Footballer of the Year in 2008. Adebayor also helped Togo to qualify for the World Cup 2006 and started all of Togo’s group matches in Germany. Although Togo faired poorly during the 2006 world cup,  Adebayor continued to perform well. So well, in fact, that he was later picked up by Arsenal and then Manchester. Adebayor is proof of the wealth of undiscovered talent just waiting to be found. His athletic prowess and dedication are an inspiration to those who hope against the odds for a chance at greatness. Below is a video compilation of some of his goals:

DJIMON HOUNSOU

Born in Cotonou,Benin, Hounsou moved to France with his brother when he was just 13 years old.  At 23 he began a career modeling, relying on his captivating looks and fit body to get him work. He was a year shy of obtaining his college degree when his career began to take off. He started out in meager roles on television shows like ER and Alias. His big break came as eye candy in Janet Jackson’s “Love will never do (without you)” music video. Shortly after, Hounsou caught the attention of super director Steven Spielberg and was cast in the critically acclaimed “Amistad”  for which he was nominated for his first Academy Award. This made him the first Benin native to hold this honor. His second Oscar nomination came with his incredible role in the 2006 film “Blood Diamond.” He was also nominated for a SAG award and won the NAACP image award that year. It is interesting to imagine just how many wonderful actors might exist, still undiscovered, never given the lucky opportunity afforded to Hounsou.

Images:

wikipedia.org

worldmapper.org

1. RECESS

Running around like a wild animal with no inhibitions, playing Skip It!, Nerf Football, eating ants and watching the boys punch each never lasted long enough. Recess was probably where you learned your first curse words and tackled your crush to the ground. Recess was a release from sitting and having to behave all day. It was the place where you could let it all hang out with no regrets, kind of like happy hour minus the Jack Daniels on the rocks. More like Juicy Juice from a box.

2. PICTURE DAY

Picture day, a child’s first foray into the world of narcissism and also one of the best things about grade school. Mom would put her baby boy in a sailor suit jacket, shoulder pads and all. Mommy’s little princess would have her side pony tail ready with the poufy bangs to match, and if you were lucky you even got to wear some coral lipstick with some Lip Smacker gloss over it. The best part about picture day? The sweet gratis comb you got. The only picture you take now is the miserable yearly id picture, free neck chain included.

3. NAPTIME

Talk about easy living. We all long for the days when, in the middle of a hard day, you could curl up on a blue plastic foam mat that reeked of feet and finger paint, suck your thumb and pass out into dreamland for an hour or so. Imagine trying that in your cubicle now. You wouldn’t wake up in your cubby, but you would wake up at the nearest unemployment office.

4. SHOW AND TELL

Remember the days of yore when it was so simple to impress your friends, the days where you brought in a Mickey Mouse key-chain that read “I explored the world at Epcot” and rambled on about how cool it was and how your keychain is magical because it has a special chain that attaches it to keys. Or if you forgot to bring anything in you could put a few boogers on looseleaf paper, call it your alien booger collection and the whole classroom would cheer. Now it takes a stellar benefits package and a summer home in the Hamptons to even get a response of “that’s cool.”

5. FIELD TRIPS

Petting zoos, museums and aquariums brought joy and ecstasy into our lives especially when it meant a whole day of not having to spell and color in pictures of the White House. The best part of the trips was the adventure on the big yellow cheese bus with its luxurious seats where the springs poked your butt, listening to your Walkman and writing bad words on the seats with crayons. Now your lunch time Starbucks run seems like a first class trip to Bora Bora.

6. COOTIES

“Circle circle, dot dot, now you got the cootie shot” is a chant that everyone is familiar with. It was so scary to know that as soon as you held Bobby’s hand in line, you were going to be infected with billions of boy germs and vice versa. Thank goodness for a Bic Pen, which could be used as a syringe. We still deal with cooties today, except our cooties are real and only sometimes treatable…

7. TRAPPER KEEPERS

You weren’t part of the playground elite if you didn’t own one of these bad boys. It was so dynamic, stylish and held everything. Pens, paper and a lot of Lisa Frank unicorn and butterfly folders. It was a personal filing cabinet for an 8 year old. Things were so simple before Steve Jobs came along with his fancy iPads and things.

8. THE M.A.S.H GAME

This game was like your own personal psychic. It told the future so precisely with its counting and eliminating, and it gave hope to all of us that we would live in a mansion in Connecticut, drive a Mercedes and marry Luke Perry or the pink Power Ranger.  This was kind of misleading since we now live in overpriced studio apartments, have zero time for significant others, and driving? Ha! We are lucky we can afford to take the train.

9. DUNKAROOS

Graham crackers shaped like basketball-playing kangaroos plus confetti frosting to dip them into: whoever came up with this idea is a genius. If you had these at lunchtime, chances are kids were begging to trade with you, even offering their right arm or a half-eaten bologna sandwich. Thank goodness in our day parents weren’t as health conscious, otherwise we would be eating hummus and granola for lunch, and what kid wants to eat that crap? You would probably give it away…to the garbage pail.

10. FIRE DRILLS

Fire drills were a guaranteed 20 minutes away from learning the multiplication tables. Every time a drill would take place, every kid would get crazy. You got to ditch work, chit chat with your posse who were in other classes, feel like you were on some secret mission and check out all the other cool London Fog jackets. Try calling one of these babies in to work on Monday, and your only friends will be the ones you meet in Guantanamo Bay.

11. THE OREGON TRAIL

What better way to teach kids the harsh reality of life than a floppy disk computer game about pioneer life on the trail? Sitting in front of what the teacher called a Macintosh computer, we got to fire single shots at bison with the weapons and ammo we collected. You could also watch your family and animals die of dysentery or typhoid, have a brief funeral, write an epitaph and then mosey on down the road alone. Then they wonder why our generation needs Prozac.

12. GOOSEBUMPS

The scariest thing about grade school was Goosebump books by R.L Stine, hands down. When we were given silent reading time, everyone would pull out the colorful books with titles like “Say Cheese and Die!” , “The Haunted Mask” and “Piano Lessons Can Be Murder.”  The logo was amazing. You can feel the word goosebumps and it looked like slime oozing all over. These books were page turners and were the source of many nights sweating under the covers hoping your dolls wouldn’t turn on you.

13. MR. SKETCH SCENTED MARKERS

Markers are cool. They are even cooler when they smell like cinnamon, mint, black licorice and grape. In retrospect, they really didn’t smell all that great. They smelled like markers with extra chemicals to make them smell, well, different. At the time, the scent of lemons while coloring in the sun  was as close to euphoria as one could get. Now we have liquor flavors to make us happy and reminisce on scented markers. Maybe soon there will be vodka scented markers, you know kids these days!

14. FLUFFY PENS

When the movie “Clueless” came out, every girl wanted to be Cher Horowitz. Unfortunately, most parents wouldn’t allow their 9 year old daughters to run around in mini skirts, thigh highs and Mary Jane’s while talking into cell phones . The closest you were going to get to being like Cher was her signature fluffy pen. Having one (or six) colorful fluffy pens earned you major “snaps” amongst your fellow prepubescent clueless worshippers. Spraying some perfume like Loves Baby Soft onto the feather area made all the boys swoon. No ugly losers please! As if! Whatever!

15. HALL MONITORS

Give a kid a badge and some authority and watch them become a brown nosing, over zealous, friend snitcher. There was no escaping the self importance of the hall monitor. He would rat you out for running, hanging out, or soaking wads of toilet paper and throwing them on the bathroom ceiling. Probably a bit older than you, he always felt the need to impress and enforce with his title and belittle the younger ones. He now works at the local police department giving out parking tickets and summons to kids. Oh the glory of authority.

Inspiration comes in a variety of forms. Many of us look to famous artists, intellectuals, entertainers and world leaders in search of ways to help us think, create, problem-solve and achieve. Yet, even the most famous and respected figures rely on personal mentors and heroes who are often a friend, family member, or teacher—an ordinary person whose wisdom, guidance and support has inspired them to achieve the extraordinary. The following are a few such examples.

A Music Teacher Inspires a President

As the 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton is widely considered to be one of the most influential people of the 20th century. During his administration, the United States enjoyed more peace and economic well-being than at any other time in its history, and he was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term. Clinton was often thought of as the “People’s President,” thanks to his down-to-earth demeanor and blue-collar appeal. One of his most memorable moments happened when he appeared on the “Arsenio Hall Show” while on the campaign trail. Clinton dazzled the world by showing off his saxophone skills, which he learned from one of the most influential people in his life: Virgil M. Spurlin.

An early influence on a teenage Clinton, Spurlin was the band director at Hot Springs High School. According to Clinton, Spurlin taught him more than just music, and their relationship was part of the reason Clinton decided to go into politics. In interviews, Clinton praises his teacher for always trying to find things that people were good at and for teaching him how to get organized and allocate resources while on yearly band trips. “I really felt that my early years with him convinced me that I could organize and run things. That I could do whatever I wanted to do and that I could actually marshal other people in a common effort, and of course if you’re in politics that’s very important,” said Clinton.

Clinton remained close to Spurlin until he passed away, and their relationship is just one example of how a teacher can inspire a future leader to hit the right notes.

Oprah Winfrey Learns Her Greatest Lesson

Oprah Winfrey is without question one of the world’s most celebrated personalities. She has inspired millions with her television show, magazines, movies and humanitarian efforts. Though, Oprah wasn’t always the strong woman she is today. As a child, she was very insecure but found strength in her fourth grade teacher, Mary Duncan.

Duncan instantly recognized something special in Winfrey and could tell that something was holding her back, so she encouraged her to read aloud for the class, which helped Winfrey overcome her nerves and gain self-confidence. Duncan also stayed after school with Winfrey on a regular basis, taking her under her wing and asking her to help out with classroom tasks. “She helped me choose books and let me help her grade papers,” recalls Winfrey, stressing the importance of their relationship. “A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. A mentor is someone who allows you to know that no matter how dark the night, in the morning joy will come. A mentor is someone who allows you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes it becomes hidden to your own view. I don’t think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship. And we are all mentors to people, even when we don’t know it.”

Many years later, Winfrey’s producers surprised her by bringing Mary Duncan onto the show, something which she describes as one of the most memorable experiences of her life. “My eyes filled with tears, and I said, ‘Mrs. Duncan had a name! Her name is Mary.’ As a child, I hadn’t even considered that Mrs. Duncan might have had a life beyond our class. It was in her class that I really came into myself. After all these years, I could say ‘thank you’ to a woman who had a powerful impact on my early life.”

A Professor Helps Bring a Dream to Life

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an iconic and heroic leader in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world and one of the most inspiring individuals to ever live. Like many others, he developed ambitions for social change as young adult, ambitions that were nurtured and supported by his mentor, Dr. Benjamin Mays, a distinguished African American minister and scholar. The two met when Dr. King was only fourteen years old and attended Morehouse College, where Dr. Mays was president.

After meeting Dr. King and his family, Dr. Mays took an immediate liking to the young student, instantly recognizing something special in him. The feeling was mutual, as Dr. King looked forward to attending Mays’s Tuesday sermons to the student body and oftenstuck around to chat with Mays afterward.

The two formed a close bond, allowing Mays to share many ideas that would heavily influence King’s activism. He taught him about Gandhi’s principles of nonviolent protest and stressed the importance of upholding the dignity of all human beings despite unfair social practices. They remained close for the duration of Dr. King’s life, and Dr. King would come to refer to Dr. Mays as his “spiritual and emotional father.”

A Grandmother Provides the Muse for a Singer

Gloria Estefan is one of the most successful singer-songwriters of all time. Along with the band, Miami Sound Machine, the Cuban-born Estefan has sold over 90 million albums worldwide and has won seven Grammy awards.

There was a time in her life, however, when Estefan had doubts about following the path of music, despite her natural abilities to perform–doubts that she overcame thanks to the help of her grandmother, Consuelo Garcia.

Garcia, according to her famous granddaughter, was a woman ahead of her time; someone who wanted to be a lawyer even thought it was unheard of for a woman to do so, and someone who could easily inspire others with her strong spirit.

“The most valuable lessons I learned from my grandmother were to discover what makes you happy, and do it with as much energy and joy as you can muster,” said Estefan. “And that success takes perseverance, determination, and an unwavering belief in what you have chosen to do. My grandmother always pointed out my strengths and filled me with hope for the future. She constantly nourished my inquisitiveness and shared many quests for seeking answers to my questions. She wasn’t afraid to let me see her vulnerability and made that intimacy an asset to be celebrated. Primarily through her example, I learned that we, as women, have limitless potential. I finally said yes to music because of her.”

A Drama Teacher Inspires an Oscar-Winning Performance

Anyone who has ever seen a movie knows the name Tom Hanks. The award-winning actor is one of the world’s most popular entertainers whose films have grossed over $4 billion worldwide. Though most people know him from movies and television, Hanks’s acting career began in the halls of Skyline Hills High School in Oakland, California, under the direction of drama teacher Rawley Farnsworth.

Eager to learn the craft, Hanks took all six of Farnsworth’s classes, during which Farnsworth immediately spotted a genuine comedic talent but encouraged Hanks to be a more dramatic and versatile actor. “Tom was very smart in that respect,” recalls Farnsworth. “I always knew he would go places.”

Indeed, Hanks did. In 1993, he won an Academy Award for his gripping depiction of Andrew Beckett, a lawyer infected with AIDS fighting against bigotry and homophobia in the film, Philadelphia. During his emotional Oscar speech, Hanks credited his experiences with Farnsworth as a major source of inspiration.

“Here’s what I know… I would not be standing here if it weren’t for two very important men in my life, two I haven’t spoken with in a while but I had the pleasure of just the other evening – Mr. Rawley Farnsworth, who was my high school drama teacher, who taught me ‘Act well the part, there all the glory lies’, and one of my classmates under Mr. Farnsworth, Mr. John Gilkerson. I mention their names because they are two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with, to fall under their inspiration at such a young age. I wish my babies could have the same sort of teacher, the same sort of friends.”

In thanking Farnsworth that night in front of millions of people, Hanks reminded us of the true value and inspiration that teachers bring.

A Journalist Learns the Importance of the Story

When it comes to journalists, they don’t come any greater than Walter Cronkite. Often called “the most trusted man in America,” Cronkite covered nearly every major news event in his sixty-year career. He liked to tell stories with great passion, a passion he learned from his high school journalism teacher, Fred Birney.

As a student at San Jacinto High School in Houston, Cronkite was inspired by Birney’s pioneering efforts and passion for journalism. During a time when few schools had journalism classes or student newspapers, Birney convinced the Houston Board of Education to allow him to teach a journalism class once a week at three local high schools.

“He was a newspaperman of the old school and taught us a great deal about reporting and writing. He also became a sponsor of the San Jacinto High School newspaper, the Campus Cub. Under his tutelage, we published it monthly, whereas it had previously been published in a casual manner, just three or four times a year. During my junior year, I was the sports editor of the Campus Cub and its chief editor in my senior year,” recalled Cronkite.

Upon nearing graduation, Cronkite was torn between pursuing a career in journalism and becoming a mining engineer. But thanks to Birney, the choice was clear.

“He taught me so much in those high school classes, and by securing me early jobs, he cemented my desire to be a reporter for the rest of my life. He was my major inspiration. I always credit Fred Birney for my career,” added Cronkite.

The Man Who Inspired Gandhi

There are few people who have had a more profound effect on the world than Mahatma Gandhi. As mentioned earlier, he was an inspiration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as for Nelson Mandela and so many others.

Gandhi also learned from someone, Dadabhai Naoroji, an Indian leader who helped to start the Indian Independence Movement in 1857. Upon learning of Naoroji’s intentions, Gandhi was eager to join in the efforts. In 1888, he wrote Naoroji a letter, which read, “…you will, therefore oblige me greatly if you will kindly direct and guide me and make necessary suggestions which shall be received as from a father to his child.”

Naoroji took Gandhi under his wing and instilled in him the importance of peaceful protests. Thanks to the teachings, Gandhi was able to hold the largest demonstration of nonviolent resistance in 1947, which handed the country of India back to its people. Upon describing their relationship further, Gandhi would later write, “The story of a life so noble and yet so simple needs no introduction from me or anybody else. May it be an inspiration to the readers even as Dadabhai living was to me. And so Dadabhai became real DADA to me.”

Images:

Oprah.com

images.askmen.com

makli.com

indianetzone.com

There are people who go through life playing by the rules, who work and strive and sweat to achieve the things they want — and then there are those who don’t. Some people lie, cheat, and steal their way to the top, and it’s quite amazing just how creative and audacious some of these crafty characters can be. What follows is a series of men and women who cheated the system in spectacular fashion by faking their education and credentials. From lying about a perfect academic record to get into Harvard, to assuming the identity of a Naval surgeon, these folks have defrauded their way into infamy.

1. Frank Abagnale, legendary imposter and forger of checks.

Game:

Frank Abagnale is perhaps the greatest and best-known fraud in history. Rather than lying about his background once in order to land a job, Abagnale made a career of assuming one profession after another. Born in 1948, he began forging checks as a young man, collecting more than $40,000 in the course of a few years. He impersonated a pilot for two years before deciding to push the envelope a little further in faking a highly-educated and specifically-skilled background. He impersonated a pediatrician in a Georgia hospital under the name “Frank Conners” for 11 months, managing to become a resident supervisor on the merits of his made-up education and experience. He was fired, however, when he was responsible for the near-death of an infant due to his near-total lack of medical expertise. From there, Abagnale went on to his greatest con yet: he forged a Law degree from Harvard University, and passed the Louisiana State Bar Exam — he claims he passed it legitimately, rather than forging the results, by taking it over and over until he figured out how to answer the questions correctly. He then got a job at the State Attorney General’s office, although he didn’t stay long because a real Harvard graduate worked in the same office.  Abagnale resigned for fear of discovery. His next trick was to forge a degree from Columbia University, which he used to get a position teaching at Brigham Young University (although reports vary on whether he was a professor or a teaching assistant).
Outcome:

By 1969, Abagnale’s career of forgery and fraud had earned him Wanted posters in no less than 26 countries. He was finally arrested in France when a flight attendant recognized him from one such Wanted poster.   Abagnale served the first of three prison sentences — first in France, then in Sweden, and finally 12 years in a US federal prison. Upon his release in 1974, Abagnale began consulting banks on matters of fraud. This was so successful that he eventually founded Abagnale & Associates, a legitimate consulting firm, where he still works today. He also wrote a novel based on his exploits entitled, Catch Me If You Can, on which a movie was made starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

2.  Ferdinand Damarra, quack surgeon and psychologist.

Game:

Upon his release from the U.S. Army in 1941, Ferdinand Damarra stole the identity of an army buddy, Anthony Ignolia. For reasons best known to himself, he soon faked his own suicide and then adopted a new false identity, a religious psychologist named Robert Linton French. Both the army and the navy caught wind of his illegal activities, however, and Damarra served 18 months in prison. Upon his release, he exhibited no signs of remorse nor desire for honest work, preferring instead to continue assuming false names and trades. At various times and places, Damarra masqueraded as a civil engineer, a sheriff’s deputy, an assistant prison warden, a doctor of applied psychology, a hospital orderly, a lawyer, a child-care expert, a Benedictine monk, a Trappist monk, an editor, a cancer researcher, and a teacher. Most famously of all, Damarra stole the identity of Canadian naval surgeon Joseph Cyr, and worked as a surgeon aboard the HMCS Cayuga during the Korean War. He actually managed to perform numerous surgeries successfully, improvising techniques and administering penicillin to prevent infection. He wasn’t caught until the real Joseph Cyr’s mother discovered Damarra’s deceit and reported him.

Outcome:

Damarra seemed to be more interested in the thrill of the game than in becoming rich or famous; his exploits never got him much money, but they did lend him authority and respect while they lasted. He served a number of prison sentences for fraud, but he always returned to his old antics soon after his release. This pattern continued until his interlude as Dr. Joseph Cyr ended, at which point he returned to the U.S., and became a Baptist minister until his death in 1982. His life was the inspiration for the 1960 film The Great Imposter.

3. Adam Wheeler, fake model student and Harvard scammer extraordinaire.

Game:

Adam Wheeler made it all the way to his senior year at Harvard University before anyone found out that he’d faked his credentials to get in. He would have gotten away with it, too, if he hadn’t applied for a Rhodes Scholarship using an augmented transcript, fabricated letters of recommendation from numerous professors at Harvard, writing samples that were plagiarized from other professors, and a resume that included a list of books that he supposedly co-authored and lectures and courses he supposedly taught. One of the professors reviewing his application recognized the plagiarized writing and began digging.  The professor exposed Wheeler to school officials, who then scrutinized his student file. It was through the ensuing investigation that they found out that Wheeler had also lied on his application to Harvard, fabricating a perfect academic record from Phillips Academy in Andover and claiming to be a transfer student from MIT. In fact, Wheeler was an average student who’d attended a public high school in Delaware, then spent an unremarkable year at Bowdoin College before pulling his first great con on Harvard.

Outcome:

In May of 2010 Wheeler was indicted on twenty offenses, including identity fraud and larceny. Wheeler’s scam cost Harvard an estimated $45,000 in financial aid and grants. As of June 2010 he was awaiting his sentence. Here is video of his arraignment.

4. Marvin Hewitt, phony physicist.

Game:

Some people fake their credentials because they lack the intelligence, skills, or talent to earn their education legitimately. Others have intelligence and talent in spades, and simply lack the discipline or social adjustment to make it through the traditional system. Such was the case with Marvin Hewitt, who taught himself out of books from an early age and dropped out of school at age 17 because he was so bored and frustrated with his peers’ and teachers’ inability to keep pace with him. He was a manual laborer until 1945, when he won a job teaching eighth grade science by sending an application that claimed he held a degree from Temple University. The school was closed within a year, but by then Hewitt had decided that teaching was his calling in life, and no lack of training or education would stop him. For the next seven years, Hewitt adopted several different identities, all of established nuclear physicists, and taught at three colleges and four universities across seven states. No matter who he pretended to be or where he taught, he was acknowledged as a competent physicist and an effective teacher.

Outcome:

In 1953 Hewitt was teaching physics at the University of New Hampshire under the name Dr. Kenneth Yates when one of his students became suspicious and launched an investigation. It wasn’t long before the real Dr. Yates was discovered living and working in the Midwest, and Hewitt was asked to resign. Because he was a favorite among the students and had proven himself to be a knowledgeable scientist, however, the university did not press charges or pursue the matter any further. In fact, when the story got out, Hewitt was approached with several job offers, but he turned them all down and, as far as anyone knows, retired from academic life thereafter.

5. Lana Nguyen, fraud and lousy professor.

Game:

Lana Ngyuen had been divorced from her husband, Hien Nguyen, for six years when she decided to apply for a position teaching software engineering at the University of Regina — using his PhD. She submitted her resume under the name Lana H. Nguyen, leading the university to believe that she and Hien were the same person.  Nguyen taught at the university for two years, but there were consistent complaints from students about her teaching methods and her lack of understanding of the subject matter. A performance review in 2001 raised questions about her qualifications, and the resulting investigation revealed her fraud.

Outcome:

Nguyen was asked to resign and faced three charges of fraud, to which she pleaded guilty. According to her lawyer, Nguyen maintained that she deserved the credit for her husband’s degree, because “she feels that she earned her ex-husband’s PhD by doing the research for his PhD thesis.”

6. Gerald Barnbaum, aka. Gerald C. Barnes, quack doctor and impersonator.

Game:

It seems that Gerald Barnbaum, a pharmacist who lost his license due to Medicaid fraud charges in the mid-1970s, would do anything to be a real doctor. Or more specifically, he would do anything to be Dr. Gerald C. Barnes, a respected orthopedic surgeon living in Stockton, California. In 1976 Barnbaum legally changed his last name to Barnes, systematically contacted all of Barnes’s alma maters and licensors to obtain copies of his diploma and credentials, and embarked on a 20-year career of impersonating the real doctor.   The phony Barnes worked at clinics throughout Southern California, even conducting physicals on FBI agents under his assumed identity. In 1979, he was caught for the first time after being arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter when he failed to treat a diabetic man who died as a result. He served a three-year sentence, but upon his release he immediately resumed his false identity and found more work as Dr. Barnes.

Outcome:

Barnbaum was caught and imprisoned five times between 1979 and 2004. In 2000, during a transfer to another prison during his 4th sentence, he escaped and immediately resumed work as Dr. Barnes. He was found within a month and was made to finish the 12-year sentence, which ended in 2009. He is now serving his fifth sentence, a 10-year term on fraud charges and an additional 2 ½ years for the escape. The real Dr. Gerald Barnes, meanwhile, has been practicing medicine all this time, and has had to fight constantly to dissociate himself from the imposter and clear his name from all the fraudulent credit charges, criminal charges, and other trouble Barnbaum caused with his name.

7. Tang Jun, President Emeritus of Microsoft China and former President of Shanda Interactive Entertainment

Game:

In 2008, Tang Jun was crowned China’s “Emperor Employee,” the country’s highest-paid person with an annual salary of 14 million in US dollars. A hugely successful manager and CEO, Tang led first Microsoft China and then Shanda Interactive Entertainment to market leadership and enormous profit margins. In July of 2010, however, the celebrated businessman was accused of falsely claiming to have a PhD from the California Institute of Technology. Fang Zhouzi, a self-proclaimed crusader against academic fraud and scientific misconduct, cited passages in Tang’s autobiography where he claimed to have attended both Caltech and Nagoya University in Japan. In response to the accusation Tang admitted that he’d actually received his degree from Pacific Western University, but further investigation revealed that the school is not an accredited institution and had been sued for being a diploma mill.

Outcome:

Although Tang Jun has not faced criminal charges for his deception, he has endured a significant loss of standing both in China and in the international business community. Formerly a role model for domestic management and self-made success, Tang is now associated with the corruption and morally-relativistic competition inherent in emerging economies. Interestingly, the investigation into his credentials also uncovered an entirely unrelated scandal revolving around a real estate Ponzi scheme, for which Tang is now being investigated. Tang’s response to the outcries of the past few months has been unrepentant: “Losers cheat some people and get caught. Winners cheat the whole world all the time.”
Check out this video interview of Mr. Jun: Video Interview

8. Carolyn Myss, alternative medicine guru and bestselling author.

Game:

Carolyn Myss received her B.A. in Journalism in 1974 from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana. Rather than pursuing a career in journalism, however, Myss decided to pursue her calling as a medical intuitive and mystic. She earned a Master’s in Theology from Mundelein College in 1979, and from there she launched a career as an energy healer, spiritual guru, and New Age consultant. Throughout the 80′s and early 90′s she was very successful as a private alternative medicine consultant despite her lack of medical training. She collaborated with an actual M.D., Dr. Norman Shealy, to add credibility to her medical intuitive readings and energy medicine.

By 1996, however, she wanted to break out on her own, and began writing. She published her first book, Anatomy of the Spirit, in 1996. It was at that point that a new credential appeared on her resume: a PhD in Intuition and Energy Medicine. This degree lent her the authority and credibility to stand on her own as a leader in alternative medicine. Her book was an immediate bestseller, and with the publication of the following four books and audio CDs, she achieved international fame and fortune, even appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show several times.  With her fame came the end of her private consultations. In 2000 she stopped giving intuitive medical readings and advice on alternative medicine, and instead began speaking publicly — in seminars, lectures, radio shows, and workshops. It was right around this time that people began to point out that her PhD is from Greenwich University, an unaccredited institution based out of Australia, and that she’d received her degree from a correspondence-based branch of the school in Hawaii. A few people also noticed that Myss herself was the creator and head of the department of Energy Medicine.

Outcome:

In 2002 Greenwich University was exposed as a degree mill, and the Hawaii branch was shut down. Since that time, although she still refers to herself as a PhD, the title has been dropped from her website and from her publisher’s profile page. Other than that and the abrupt end of her private consulting, however, Myss has faced no real consequences for her fraudulent claim. She continues to speak and publish, and in 2003 she founded the Caroline Myss Educational Institute in conjunction with Wisdom University in San Francisco.

9. Charles Abell, former Assistant Secretary of Defense and phony MA holder

Game:

Accountability may be a low priority in professions like energy healing, but a 2004 investigation revealed that defrauding education is a rampant problem even in top-level federal bureaucracy. During the Bush administration, a study by the General Accounting Office found that 463 government employees had degrees from diploma mills, including a number of high-ranking government officials who had padded their resumes in order to get promoted in the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Energy, among others. Among these was Charles Abell, a decorated 26-year army man, who worked for the State Armed Services Committee under John Warner after his discharge. He then became a campaign donor for both Warner and George W. Bush.  When Bush was elected, Abell was appointed the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management Policy, and then Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in 2002. At some point between his army discharge and his high-ranking government appointment, Abell obtained a Master of Science degree from Columbus University, a degree mill in Louisiana that has since been shut down.  Even worse, many of the false degrees held by government officials were paid for with taxpayers’ money, although investigators do not know whether Abell’s is among these.

Outcome:

Amazingly, neither Abell nor the Bush administration faced any consequences for defrauding education. The Pentagon refused to allow reporters to interview Abell or the other officials revealed to have bogus degrees. They released a statement on the matter stating simply,  “We don’t consider it an issue.”

10. Rob Kalin, co-founder and CEO of Etsy.com

Game:

Sometimes a person is so talented that nothing can keep them from success, not even complete academic failure. Rob Kalin, for example, dropped out of high school with a D-minus average, but nevertheless won admission to a studio program at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts solely on the strength of his portfolio. Deeply ambitious despite his undisciplined and unorthodox approach to learning, Kalin wanted to move faster than the program would allow him to. When he learned of a program that allowed graduate students in his course of study to take design classes at MIT, Kalin forged graduate credentials and an ID card so that he could attend.

Outcome:

His professors were so impressed with his work that they helped him get into NYU, where he learned web design but eventually graduated with a degree in Classics. He went on to become the co-founder and CEO of Etsy.com, a wildly successful online hand-crafts marketplace, where nobody has ever asked him to present his credentials.

Images:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/13/smallbusiness/etsy_wars.fsb

http://www.defense.gov/photos/newsphoto.aspx?newsphotoid=6318

http://eng.sysu.edu.cn/others/news/campus/38533.htm

http://members.fortunecity.com/nguyennews/nguyennews/Archive/47.html

http://unhmagazine.unh.edu/w05/historypage.html

http://www.breakingnewsviews.com/05/adam-wheeler-harvard-got-caught-in-fraud.html

http://www.investmentfraudtimes.com/fame.html