Thanksgiving Food

I didn't want to gross you out before this year's big meal, but I found this post over at Wired Science about the food we eat to be fascinating. First, check this chart out:


The post gives a variety of examples about how the food we eat today is different than the food our grandparents ate. As you can see on the chart, turkeys are significantly bigger. One reason? Artificial insemination. Turkeys over 30 pounds are physically unable to mate which results in a virtual ceiling for turkey size. Once the biggest turkeys could artificially inseminate all the hens, their offspring sprouted (pun intended).

The article goes on to talk about how other foods have changed through the years. It's worth a read.

Last Mention... I Think

I almost promise this will be the last time I mention the "Name as many countries as you can in five minutes" website, but one more thought came to mind. Since my first attempt, I've actually spent time studying maps in order to score higher... and it's worked. As of my last try I named 128. More importantly, I can honestly say the world map in my mind's eye is more complete and accurate. I mention this in relation to teaching: If I can find ways to motivate my students just as this mini competition has motivated me, then I will be a good teacher. It's been fantastic to be both the teacher and the student on this country-naming project as it has highlighted the importance of intrinsic motivation.

Plus, I learned a few new countries. Who knew Comoros, Nauru, and Kiribati are countries?

Ze Snuggieeee

My brother and I couldn't stop laughing when we saw this infomercial:

Or you could join a monastery.

Apparently there is a cult of bad parody on Youtube surrounding the Snuggie. Ooohhh, my poor hands are bold and caught under my blanket.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, with all the family and friends and without the rabid consumerism, is my favorite holiday of the year. Last night we made pies and cinnamon rolls and the turkey is already in the oven this morning. In just a few hours we will be hosting a dinner with exchange students from around the world, providing a home to those who, at least tonight, have none. I wish you all the best, especially safe travels, and may you all have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Wish you were here T, T, and L!

UPDATE: And Ms. S... wish you were here too

Language Reclamation

LOL: Laugh Out Loud

Most people use the acronym independently. A simple, clear response with universal meaning. Me? "I'm lolling." I just can't leave out the subject.
It's a subtle push back against the "txt tlk" that is creeping into the lexicon. My friend Niki beautifully explained the irony:

I actually think that making it "I'm lolling" is sort of reclaiming the whole thing for grammar snobs, because you make it longer thereby defeating the purpose of the word to begin with, you capitalize your "I," you use an apostrophe... etc.

I could not have articulated it better myself.

LOL

Landscaping at Home

Last spring I created a growing space on the east side of our front lawn. We grew potatoes, turnips, and the most successful leeks and carrots we have ever grown. It looked like this:
We decided this is the best garden space we have and it was worth extending for next year.
After adding a bit of compost the spot is ready to go!

Gardening Wrap-Up

It's been a few weeks since gardening gave way to winter weather, but I haven't put any finale photos up until now. Enjoy!
A final photograph before "turning over" the garden.
This little lady is the daughter of a fellow community gardener. At this point, with a little help from her, I had torn out everything except the corn.
And the year is over. It's a beautiful cycle.

I did end up getting a bit of corn, but the big crops were beans, squash, and zucchini. The big surprise was tomatillo, a relative of the tomato that is used to make green salsa and a vegetable with which I was previously unfamiliar. It was a fantastic experience at the community garden and I urge all of you to find a gardening opportunity near you.

Name That Country, Part II

I've found the "Name as many countries as you can in five minutes" immensely satisfying and worthy of another mention. Since my first attempt of 69 countries, I have incrementally improved with 85, 92, and finally 101. My dad, who reads maps at night, got 90 on his first try. Impressive! After the quiz you are able to see how often each country is correctly identified, which provides a fascinating glimpse into where people focus their attention. This may be a fun tool to use in the classroom, although I'm not sure if the five minute time limit is helpful other than to create a bit of competition.

If you haven't already, go check it out and see how you do. Leave your score in comments (anonymously if you aren't happy with your results!). It only takes five minutes!

Animal Videos

Recently I added Wired's science blog to my reading list and was treated to a wonderful blog about lawnmowing goats and, now, a list of ten awesome animal videos. They are fantastic. Here is one, for your viewing pleasure, that blew my mind:

Fun Five Minutes

Here's a fun five minute activity for this Friday afternoon. Thanks to Margot for the tip. I scored 69 (holllller), but felt inept the entire time. Going to try again now. Leave scores in comments!

UPDATE: 85 the second time. When looking at the list I recognize nearly all of the countries, but when the clock is ticking they don't roll off my fingers!

Auto Company Bailout

The big question on Capitol Hill is whether or not the government should provide billions of dollars to the big three American motor companies--Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler--in order to keep them out of (probable) bankruptcy. The basic argument is as follows: The three car companies directly employ about half a million workers and indirectly employ about two million. If they go out of business the national unemployment rate would quickly go up a few percentage points. Yikes, right? The argument against the bailout is that these are three poorly run companies, dinosaurs of the past who have not changed with the times, and should therefore die just as any business would that doesn't offer a good product.

Both arguments have merit. In a recession, conventional wisdom goes, the government should increase spending and fuel the economy while it's down. Of course, there is also basic capitalistic theory that says companies must offer a good product or die. So where do I fall on the auto bailout? Not sure.

I'm leaning toward letting them fend for themselves simply because there are lots of innovative businesspeople out there who will fill the void. Who doesn't think there will be brilliant people who step up and create a big, successful auto company to fill the "American-made" slot? Perhaps, instead, the big three auto companies will step up to the tough situation and get better. Novel thought? My guess is that either option will result in better cars. The worst option? Give them unconditional money. My fingers are crossed.

Pirates

I can't remember if I blogged about pirates before (my gut says yes, but my tags say no), but if I haven't, it is a shame. Commence Pirate Blogging:

Those of us who thought pirating on the high seas no longer exists were wrong. Like slavery, pirating is alive and well in parts of the world. The danger area, you can probably guess, is off the East African coast. In this case Somalian pirates have highjacked a Saudi Arabian oil tanker.

Yes, you read right, a hundreds of feet long oil tanker. You might be thinking, "A bit much guys?" And we'd be thinking the same thing. Apparently they take over ships large and small and demand ransom. Impressive, no?

Goaties

About two years ago Serena introduced me to the beauty of goats. Not only are they super super cute, but they are highly functional too. According to this story from Wired Magazine, goats are used as lawnmowers in areas where lawnmowers or herbicides are inappropriate of unfeasible (ie landfills, industrial areas, park space, etc).

Goat stomachs, for all intents and purposes, can digest anything carbon-based. I remember there was nothingness in the desert of northern Chile, but sure enough there were goats wandering around subsisting on dead twigs. Truly remarkable.

SPAM

Last week a major server was shut down that hosts email spam. Apparently after it stopped churning out junk mail the "worldwide volume of spam dropped by two-thirds." Wow.

Education Funding

While reading comments on a post about teachers unions, one commenter reminded me of a fantastic bumpersticker about government funding priorities in the United States:

IT WILL BE A GREAT DAY WHEN SCHOOLS GET ALL THE MONEY THEY NEED AND THE AIR FORCE HAS TO HOLD A BAKE SALE TO BUY A BOMBER!

Who Knew?

Last night at teacher karaoke night Bill captured this gem of a photo.


On to more important musing in life: Did you know that EMF's Unbelievable (which is what I am singing in this photo) has two completely different versions? I knew most of the lyrics to one, but then something completely different (same instrumentals, changed lyrics) came on. Is it standard to have one version and then another for karaoke? Inquiring minds want to know.

Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day to you all. I am sure that today is not the only day we think of our current and former soldiers, but it is a day where we can take a moment to publicly say thank you. Our soldiers, past and present, do a lot of difficult work, including the impossible task of risking one's life for others, and they deserve heroic treatment for their heroic acts. Today is our chance to give a very public thank you.

Thank you veterans!

Squirrels, Squirrels, Oh My

This morning I went into the room where I keep my work clothes and noticed some movement on the floor. It was a bit startling, but I soon realized it was just a cute baby squirrel. I got my dad and we headed upstairs armed with a fishing net and gloves. We cornered the little fella and made a move, but he scampered into... wait for it... the refrigerator duct. Into that abyss he disappeared. My dad and his friend Ralph just set a trap including some delicious nuts to lure him in. Don't worry animal lovers, it's designed to keep him alive.

This reminds me of the time my friend Travis told me that Washington, DC has weird mutant squirrels that, rather than a smooth brown, are nearly black. Black squirrels!!!! Unnerving.

These, however, are not the only squirrel stories to share. Last night while sitting upstairs using the computer I heard thunderous commotion from the roof. It sounded as if two squirrels had fallen out of the tree and commenced World War III. Maybe they were black, impostor squirrels beating up our cute local browns.

HOLY SHIT. As I finished this post I saw a squirrel jump off our roof onto the driveway below. Am I in a Hitchcock film?

Letters to God

One of my teacher friends from Elon sent me a forward titled "Letters to God" which was a compilation of short letters from kids to god. You may have seen these, but if you have not, I have included my two favorites.


If you wrote a letter to god, what would you say?

Status Update

My favorite post-election quip so far, found on Facebook as someone's status update:

So and so is "really regretting that McCain/Palin tattoo."

Yeah, me too.

You Win Some

Barack Obama wins.

Phew. To be honest, my greatest emotion is that of relief. Relief that Americans demonstrated some academic rigor by stepping through all the muddy waters, looking at what Bush's policies have done to our country in the last eight years, and seeing that, on policy, McCain and Bush are nearly identical.

So many things could have happened to abruptly swing this election into McCain's favor, not the least of which was latent racial fears, but Americans restored a man of intellectual vigor back into the White House.

Armed with greater majorities in the House and Senate, I think we can all expect the American ship to be righted.

And You Lose Some

Yesterday we lost our 2nd round playoff match against Astoria High School by the score of 2-1. They scored five minutes in, we equalized 20 minutes later, and they popped another in 10 minutes before half. The rest of the game we spent pounding away at their door, but nothing came to fruition. It was heartbreaking for many reasons, but most of all because I will miss this excellent group of seniors. Bravo to them for fighting hard to the end.

Hooray!

We won our playoff game 3-1! The guys played well, including an unreal shot from 35 yards for our first goal. We broke the "Sisters Curse," after they beat us two years ago and our volleyball team in the state championship game last year.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Astoria, Oregon to play the Cowapa League champions. One of the team goals was to get a road playoff game, so we can check that off the list.

Tuesday is Election Day, so it has the making of an incredible day (Obama and we win), an okay day (Obama loses and we win or vice versa), or the worstest day ever (we both lose).

Wish us luck!