In my last post I mentioned that I had gotten a job at a grocery store to make ends meet when no one else would hire me. Due to other circumstances, I will not be at this job for much longer. Before I do leave my position as a check out clerk I thought I would share some observations about my job which might help other people in my position.
Through my few months on the job I began to realize what it was that made some days so terrible and other days slightly bearable (others had more positive experiences than I did, so don't take my word as the ultimate truth). I had this feeling that customers were all mean and demanding and not very kind to myself and my coworkers. Then I paid more attention to who was nice, who was neutral and who was just plain nasty. I found that the majority of people didn't cause me any stress or make me feel bad about myself. It was a select few. The problem was that it takes many smiles to make up for one memorable frown (this I should have figured out earlier with my experience as a teacher). So even if 10 people are super kind to me, one person can ruin my day. I also do realize most of the people who aren't kind to checkout people are not likely to read this and the ones who do read this are probably the kind ones I see every day.
So here are some tips to make your checkout people more enjoyable:
1) Acknowledge their existence. Yes I know this sounds trivial, but not a day goes by when I don't get a customer who does nothing but talk on their cellphone through the whole transaction. It makes cashiers (at least me) feel dehumanized. We are people too.
2) Don't take your problems out on them: they likely aren't the reason for them. And if you're kind, we might be able to help you out. Kindness can help you solve your problems. Believe me, I'll look harder for something on the shelves if someone asks kindly. I'm not saying you should be all smiles all the time, and I don't even mind listening to what's bothering you, but when you get upset at us, it just passes the anger/upsetness along to more people (and since we are human, it will likely get passed on to more customers).
3) If you can help, please do. Nothing makes me feel worse than rushing to ring through a huge order while the customer is just standing their tapping their fingers waiting for me to bad everything. I realize some customers are unable to bag and I have no problem doing it for them. That is my job after all. What is difficult is the people who think they can order other people around just because they have money. Yes, the big corporations are getting profits from you shopping there, but the workers are getting paid very little and if you're able to help them out, it makes everyone's lives easier.
I'm sure I could give more tips, but those are three big ones. I do realize not every cashier is in a cheery mood (and those that are are most likely faking it), but if you are nice to us, we tend to be nicer to the public.
So next time you're in a grocery store or a department store, give the people working their a smile. You never know what difference you might make in their lives.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Filling in the gaps
Before I start talking about new things, I thought I should share with you what has been going on in my life the last few months.
In June I graduated from University with my B.Ed. and was happy as could be. I decided not to worry too much about jobs for at least a week or so. When I did start looking I had no success. All summer I looked for jobs and applied for those I thought I could do. Most did not get back to me. It was a depressing time for me and writing for a blog didn't seem to important at the time (though in retrospect, it may have kept my spirits up and helped me get through some tough times).
During this time I was running quite a bit with the run clinic I had joined. This was quite different than I was used to and I had good weeks and bad. The bad weeks did not help my disposition. In early August I finally got a small breakthrough on the job front. I got about 6 or 7 hours a week working with children but at a lower wage and with a long commute. It helped a bit both to the self esteem and the money shortage I was experiencing. I applied for many other jobs in the teaching field (including for the Victoria school district) and got a few interviews that didn't really go anywhere (except for one job that led me on for over two weeks only to tell me they wanted someone more experienced working on their own) so I had to make some drastic moves.
It was about the same time that my running went downhill. I had trained too hard through August and was burnt out in September. The combination of poor running and no job success made me do something I am not proud of, but something that did keep me afloat until now. I applied and got a job at a grocery store (I won't say which one because I don't want to give any free advertising). I got a few hours (many at odd times and not consistent week to week) at a low pay so when I got a call to take on a third job (which paid much better) at a library, I took that up.
So here I am now, working three jobs, and between 42 and 54 hours a week making barely enough to survive. And that's why I haven't really had time to write anything thoughtful and inspiring. But like I said below, there are some major changes coming.
For starters, I'm going to try to write occasionally on here to help get me through the tougher times. At least this will allow me to speak my mind (and maybe someone will actually listen and maybe even think about what I write) about things that I think are important (or interesting).
But what is really big is that I do have a good job - just not for a few more months. I've actually known for a while, but it hasn't seemed real (hard to imagine greener pastures working three jobs). I (with a good friend) will be teaching English in Korea (the South, not the North) starting probably in March. No travel dates (or even a city) have yet been confirmed, but I have been accepted by an agency that does placements in Korea and have been told I will have a job there.
I have started to get excited about this trip and thus I felt the need to start speaking to the masses again. So I've set up another blog to detail the trip. I've mostly done this as a resource for anyone who wants to go to Korea in the future, but it will also be used as a way to keep track of what I'm doing there and how it's going. This blog will also still exist to talk about non-Korea things (so that anyone using that one as a guide won't have to wade through all of my odd-flavoured posts here).
So that's what's been going on. I hope to get back into the swing of things here shortly (perhaps even as soon as tomorrow - though I'm not making any promises) so look for something soon.
Thank you for continuing to check this blog!
In June I graduated from University with my B.Ed. and was happy as could be. I decided not to worry too much about jobs for at least a week or so. When I did start looking I had no success. All summer I looked for jobs and applied for those I thought I could do. Most did not get back to me. It was a depressing time for me and writing for a blog didn't seem to important at the time (though in retrospect, it may have kept my spirits up and helped me get through some tough times).
During this time I was running quite a bit with the run clinic I had joined. This was quite different than I was used to and I had good weeks and bad. The bad weeks did not help my disposition. In early August I finally got a small breakthrough on the job front. I got about 6 or 7 hours a week working with children but at a lower wage and with a long commute. It helped a bit both to the self esteem and the money shortage I was experiencing. I applied for many other jobs in the teaching field (including for the Victoria school district) and got a few interviews that didn't really go anywhere (except for one job that led me on for over two weeks only to tell me they wanted someone more experienced working on their own) so I had to make some drastic moves.
It was about the same time that my running went downhill. I had trained too hard through August and was burnt out in September. The combination of poor running and no job success made me do something I am not proud of, but something that did keep me afloat until now. I applied and got a job at a grocery store (I won't say which one because I don't want to give any free advertising). I got a few hours (many at odd times and not consistent week to week) at a low pay so when I got a call to take on a third job (which paid much better) at a library, I took that up.
So here I am now, working three jobs, and between 42 and 54 hours a week making barely enough to survive. And that's why I haven't really had time to write anything thoughtful and inspiring. But like I said below, there are some major changes coming.
For starters, I'm going to try to write occasionally on here to help get me through the tougher times. At least this will allow me to speak my mind (and maybe someone will actually listen and maybe even think about what I write) about things that I think are important (or interesting).
But what is really big is that I do have a good job - just not for a few more months. I've actually known for a while, but it hasn't seemed real (hard to imagine greener pastures working three jobs). I (with a good friend) will be teaching English in Korea (the South, not the North) starting probably in March. No travel dates (or even a city) have yet been confirmed, but I have been accepted by an agency that does placements in Korea and have been told I will have a job there.
I have started to get excited about this trip and thus I felt the need to start speaking to the masses again. So I've set up another blog to detail the trip. I've mostly done this as a resource for anyone who wants to go to Korea in the future, but it will also be used as a way to keep track of what I'm doing there and how it's going. This blog will also still exist to talk about non-Korea things (so that anyone using that one as a guide won't have to wade through all of my odd-flavoured posts here).
So that's what's been going on. I hope to get back into the swing of things here shortly (perhaps even as soon as tomorrow - though I'm not making any promises) so look for something soon.
Thank you for continuing to check this blog!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Changes, changes changes!
It has been a while since I found the time or the energy to write a post. There have been good reasons for this and over the next few weeks I will hopefully be able to relate those reasons to my viewers who have been checking this site occasionally.
The last few months have been filled with some big changes to my life and it has been hard to adjust and survive in this new life that has been formed around me. Further and bigger changes are coming in the next few months (and if you're really savvy you can probably figure out the biggest one) so this space will likely be much different than it once was. All changes will be revealed in due time.
So what does all of this cryptic talk mean to you? Well, for starters it means that I'm back, though different. I have decided to make the format a bit looser for my blog. I will no longer adhere to the strict guidelines I set out at the beginning, though I will try to keep my posts to the subjects that started with (with perhaps a few exceptions).
I will probably be posting with less frequency than I was before (I think the intensity was too much for me at the time, and now I have even less free time), but I will do my best to make quality posts.
Look for a brand new post in the next few days...
The last few months have been filled with some big changes to my life and it has been hard to adjust and survive in this new life that has been formed around me. Further and bigger changes are coming in the next few months (and if you're really savvy you can probably figure out the biggest one) so this space will likely be much different than it once was. All changes will be revealed in due time.
So what does all of this cryptic talk mean to you? Well, for starters it means that I'm back, though different. I have decided to make the format a bit looser for my blog. I will no longer adhere to the strict guidelines I set out at the beginning, though I will try to keep my posts to the subjects that started with (with perhaps a few exceptions).
I will probably be posting with less frequency than I was before (I think the intensity was too much for me at the time, and now I have even less free time), but I will do my best to make quality posts.
Look for a brand new post in the next few days...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Countdown of My Favourite Children's Books: Honourable Mentions
About a month and a half ago, I finished a countdown of my ten favourite children's books. Then I promised I would give you some that are good, but just missed the list. After a long wait, here they are (in no particular order):
Stephanie's Ponytail (Robert Munsch): a great story about individuality - and a really funny ending! Check out the link it has a cute story in it. Also, as a side note, I have a friend (maybe she reads my blog) who was given a copy of this book but someone replaced all the "Stephanie"s with her name.
Curious George Series (Maragaret and H.A. Rey): If you haven't heard of Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat, I suggest you go to the library. If you have heard of them, you know why this is here.
The King's Stilts (Dr. Seuss): Not one of his better known books, but one that was read to me a lot in childhood. Moral of the story: if you're going to work hard, make sure you take some relaxation time (and don't build your city where the only thing holding back the ocean is a bunch of trees that birds like to eat).
Babar Series (Jean de Brunhoff): Originally from France, Babar is an elephant who has wonderful adventures. How can you not like that? Well, though the stories are great, check out the section "Criticism" in the Wikipedia article I linked to above. Apparently Babar is about more than just elephants...
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel (Virginia Lee Burton): I only put this here because I remember this book from my childhood. Reading this as an adult, this seems to promote development of the land (without any concern for the animals, environment, etc.). But the story does redeem itself with it's ending (sort of).
That's all I could really think of off the top of my head. Does anyone out there have any other great children's books they want to share? If so please do...
Stephanie's Ponytail (Robert Munsch): a great story about individuality - and a really funny ending! Check out the link it has a cute story in it. Also, as a side note, I have a friend (maybe she reads my blog) who was given a copy of this book but someone replaced all the "Stephanie"s with her name.
Curious George Series (Maragaret and H.A. Rey): If you haven't heard of Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat, I suggest you go to the library. If you have heard of them, you know why this is here.
The King's Stilts (Dr. Seuss): Not one of his better known books, but one that was read to me a lot in childhood. Moral of the story: if you're going to work hard, make sure you take some relaxation time (and don't build your city where the only thing holding back the ocean is a bunch of trees that birds like to eat).
Babar Series (Jean de Brunhoff): Originally from France, Babar is an elephant who has wonderful adventures. How can you not like that? Well, though the stories are great, check out the section "Criticism" in the Wikipedia article I linked to above. Apparently Babar is about more than just elephants...
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel (Virginia Lee Burton): I only put this here because I remember this book from my childhood. Reading this as an adult, this seems to promote development of the land (without any concern for the animals, environment, etc.). But the story does redeem itself with it's ending (sort of).
That's all I could really think of off the top of my head. Does anyone out there have any other great children's books they want to share? If so please do...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Movie Review: Cube
Ok, so despite having the day completely off and having a lot of things to post about (I watched so many movies this week I'm not sure I could remember them), I didn't get to posting until I needed to get to bed. So unfortunately this is going to be a bit short.
I had never heard of Cube until my sister told me about it and lent me a copy to watch (as with many great things I talk about on here, my sister is once again the source). I was actually pretty excited to watch what some would call a horror movie.
Cube starts with us meeting several people (it ends up that we see 7 in total) who awake to find themselves in cubed rooms of different colours. They find each other and try to find a way out of this cubed prison. There is a small catch though: some of the rooms are booby trapped. Using skills they all have, they work together to try to find a way out.
You can bet that things don't go exactly as planned and some gory things happen. I'll be honest about the gore: it's not that bad. Yes there are some gross things, but there is definitely much worse out there. So if you're looking for gore, look elsewhere.
Where Cube is brilliant is the way in which the characters act. The whole situation is absurd, but they do what they can to try to get out. We are never told why they are in the cube, who made the cube, or anything else. All we know is that they need to get out.
What makes the movie even better is that, not only was it made in Canada, but it was also filmed on a single fourteen by fourteen foot set (with different coloured panels to show the different rooms). Very low budget but very scary nonetheless.
For anyone who wants a psychological thriller I would definitely suggest Cube. I give it a 3.25/4.
I saw some other good movies this week so perhaps I'll find the time to fit in reviews later in the week...
I had never heard of Cube until my sister told me about it and lent me a copy to watch (as with many great things I talk about on here, my sister is once again the source). I was actually pretty excited to watch what some would call a horror movie.
Cube starts with us meeting several people (it ends up that we see 7 in total) who awake to find themselves in cubed rooms of different colours. They find each other and try to find a way out of this cubed prison. There is a small catch though: some of the rooms are booby trapped. Using skills they all have, they work together to try to find a way out.
You can bet that things don't go exactly as planned and some gory things happen. I'll be honest about the gore: it's not that bad. Yes there are some gross things, but there is definitely much worse out there. So if you're looking for gore, look elsewhere.
Where Cube is brilliant is the way in which the characters act. The whole situation is absurd, but they do what they can to try to get out. We are never told why they are in the cube, who made the cube, or anything else. All we know is that they need to get out.
What makes the movie even better is that, not only was it made in Canada, but it was also filmed on a single fourteen by fourteen foot set (with different coloured panels to show the different rooms). Very low budget but very scary nonetheless.
For anyone who wants a psychological thriller I would definitely suggest Cube. I give it a 3.25/4.
I saw some other good movies this week so perhaps I'll find the time to fit in reviews later in the week...
Monday, June 18, 2007
Happy Father's Day
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, uncles and so on and so forth, including my own father!
Some interesting facts about Father's Day:
Some interesting facts about Father's Day:
- The first modern Father's Day was celebrated in West Virginia in 1908. If that date and place sound familiar it's because that was also the year and state where Mother's Day originated.
- In Thailand, they celebrate Father's day on the birthday of the King (which is currently December 5th).
- For more information check out Wikipedia.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Learning to Run All Over Again
I know I said I would try to keep this from becoming a "today I had toast with jam" blog, but I thought I might as well add this in and if you don't like it... don't read it (but read all the other interesting stuff I'm writing about.
Yesterday I did what I had in my mind for weeks now: I signed up for a Run Clinic. Yes. I did. This is not a joke. For those of you who know me, you're probably wondering why I would join a clinic after training with a University Program for the last 7 years (ok, two different University programs over that time). Well, it all comes down to having people to run with. Since my recent leaving of University (or more importantly, the ending of my eligibility - though that's a controversy and a half on it's own) I have no one to run with. I also got really out of shape during my practicum and thus had to wipe out my outdoor track season.
So, I decided to focus on the Royal Victoria Half Marathon in October. I probably could have trained for this on my own (even though the longest race I have ever done is less than half of a half marathon), but I thought it would be nice to train with people - even if I am fitter than they are (try not to read any cockyness from this - I could be wrong and not be the fastest in the group). If anyone out there wants to challenge me, I'm in the Half Marathon group at Peninsula Runners in Victoria, B.C. (the leaders are much faster than I am, so that makes me think they know their stuff).
Anyway, I have actually gotten excited about this and thought it would be a good idea to have weekly updates to how the clinic is going (to inspire some of you to do the same thing). I also think I can outdo my fellow UVic runner in his blogging about his training. Since it starts this Wednesday I don't have too much to say yet, but rest assured I will next week.
Yesterday I did what I had in my mind for weeks now: I signed up for a Run Clinic. Yes. I did. This is not a joke. For those of you who know me, you're probably wondering why I would join a clinic after training with a University Program for the last 7 years (ok, two different University programs over that time). Well, it all comes down to having people to run with. Since my recent leaving of University (or more importantly, the ending of my eligibility - though that's a controversy and a half on it's own) I have no one to run with. I also got really out of shape during my practicum and thus had to wipe out my outdoor track season.
So, I decided to focus on the Royal Victoria Half Marathon in October. I probably could have trained for this on my own (even though the longest race I have ever done is less than half of a half marathon), but I thought it would be nice to train with people - even if I am fitter than they are (try not to read any cockyness from this - I could be wrong and not be the fastest in the group). If anyone out there wants to challenge me, I'm in the Half Marathon group at Peninsula Runners in Victoria, B.C. (the leaders are much faster than I am, so that makes me think they know their stuff).
Anyway, I have actually gotten excited about this and thought it would be a good idea to have weekly updates to how the clinic is going (to inspire some of you to do the same thing). I also think I can outdo my fellow UVic runner in his blogging about his training. Since it starts this Wednesday I don't have too much to say yet, but rest assured I will next week.
Countdown of My Favourite Sports Movies: #'s 10, 9 & 8
More than a month ago, I suggested that I would do a top 10 countdown of my favourite sports movies. Keeping in mind there are a few sports "Classics" that I have not seen, here is the first three in the countdown:
10. Any Given Sunday. Why is it that some of the best sports movies are about Football? Any Given Sunday tells the story of a fictional football team. An aging quarterback is hurt in a game and is replaced by the second string quaterback who is also hurt. This sets the stage for the third string quaterback (Jamie Foxx) who fills in more than adequately. The story follows many different members of the team (Al Pacino as the head coach, Cameron Diaz as an owner, James Woods as the team doctor, etc.). Directed by Oliver Stone this football movie is definitely worth a watch if you have the time.
9. Chariots of Fire. It's not often that a sports movie will win Best Picture at the Oscars (the only one I was sure of was Rocky - and I haven't even seen it), so I thought Chariots of Fire should be on the list. Set in 1924, the movie tells the story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two British Sprinters who ran in the Paris Olympics that same year. I won't give away the ending, but I will say that it is a movie that should be seen. This movie has probably the best opening of any movies I've ever seen (and the music lives on forever in my head - especially when we ran through Willow's beach in Victoria as a group on a cloudy Sunday morning).
8. Rudy. Admittedly I have only seen this once, but include it on my list because it is a classic and it has a good message (work hard and your dreams can come true). Starring Sean Astin (funny, I've been compared to two of his characters...) and Charles S. Dutton, this is a great movie to watch if you're in need of some sports inspiration. In it, Rudy (Astin) is always told he is too small to play football. He never stops trying and tries to make the Notre Dame football team as a walk-on. Like Chariots of Fire, this is also based upon a true story (you may notice a trend...)
Check back next week when I'll go through #'s 7, 6 and 5.
10. Any Given Sunday. Why is it that some of the best sports movies are about Football? Any Given Sunday tells the story of a fictional football team. An aging quarterback is hurt in a game and is replaced by the second string quaterback who is also hurt. This sets the stage for the third string quaterback (Jamie Foxx) who fills in more than adequately. The story follows many different members of the team (Al Pacino as the head coach, Cameron Diaz as an owner, James Woods as the team doctor, etc.). Directed by Oliver Stone this football movie is definitely worth a watch if you have the time.
9. Chariots of Fire. It's not often that a sports movie will win Best Picture at the Oscars (the only one I was sure of was Rocky - and I haven't even seen it), so I thought Chariots of Fire should be on the list. Set in 1924, the movie tells the story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two British Sprinters who ran in the Paris Olympics that same year. I won't give away the ending, but I will say that it is a movie that should be seen. This movie has probably the best opening of any movies I've ever seen (and the music lives on forever in my head - especially when we ran through Willow's beach in Victoria as a group on a cloudy Sunday morning).
8. Rudy. Admittedly I have only seen this once, but include it on my list because it is a classic and it has a good message (work hard and your dreams can come true). Starring Sean Astin (funny, I've been compared to two of his characters...) and Charles S. Dutton, this is a great movie to watch if you're in need of some sports inspiration. In it, Rudy (Astin) is always told he is too small to play football. He never stops trying and tries to make the Notre Dame football team as a walk-on. Like Chariots of Fire, this is also based upon a true story (you may notice a trend...)
Check back next week when I'll go through #'s 7, 6 and 5.
Photo Feature: Blue Jay Fans
Proof that I've been a Blue Jays fan for a long time. Me and my cousins in our Blue Jay uniforms sometime back when they were actually good. Taken by Sharon Davidson.If you have any photos you think are good, send them in to pieceofdust@gmail.com and they will get posted in this space.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Recipe Contest Announcement
Today has been a very frustrating day between my computer and myself... let's just say there is no easy (or quick) way to make 30 copies of a dvd I made for my students (especially since it took forever to get one good copy). Anyway, I finally got things sorted out and I want to get to my planned post. I've wanted to do this every Friday for months now, but I have always been up against a deadline. But today is different: I planned it out last night!
For my latest contest (I need to get interest in this blog up), I'm asking for your submissions of recipes. To make things clear, I have made some guidelines and criteria for judgement.
Criteria to win this contest:
Each recipe will be given a score (probably an average of the above 7 criteria - evenly weighted and out of 10 each). The winner will receive a Season One DVD of The Next Great Chef (I'm too sick of technology today to get a camera out and take a picture of it - perhaps in an update for this contest).
Entries are due no later than Thursday July 5th, 2007 at 11:59pm Pacific Time (that's a Thursday night and gives you three weeks). All entries are to be emailed to pieceofdust@gmail.com. Each individual may submit only one entry and must include their mailing address with their entry for it to be valid.
If you have any questions regarding rules or anything else, please post them as a comment so that everyone can see them and I will respond to everyone (so that it's fair).
Happy cooking!
For my latest contest (I need to get interest in this blog up), I'm asking for your submissions of recipes. To make things clear, I have made some guidelines and criteria for judgement.
Criteria to win this contest:
- Ingredients must be widely available. If it's not in my regularly used grocery store you will be penalized - and moreso if I can't find it in a few others.
- Cost should be as minimal as possible. It shouldn't cost me $30 for one serving. I'll rank them from most expensive to least expensive (barring no sales - I'll do the math. Math makes me happy).
- The dish should be easy to make. I will actually be making these and ranking them based on how easy they were to make (which also means your instructions should be clear).
- The dish should be creative. That means no ripping it off from the internet (though I admit it will be hard to catch). If you give me a recipe to make hot dogs or rice crispie squares I will be a bit suspect of your efforts - though why anyone would submit that as their recipe is beyond me.
- The dish shouldn't be too simple or too complex. Basically I'm talking about the number of ingredients here. It shouldn't be one thing (I'd say 5 is probably the minimum) and it shouldn't be 30 ingredients. Use your common sense when judging this. I'm more concerned about things being too simple than too complex (see above points about complex dishes though).
- Is the dish tasty? I'll be sharing my cooking with others so I won't be the only judge on this matter.
- Is the dish healthy? Lots of sugar (or other chemicals) is probably not a good idea. Natural foods are best (though I will accept pastes, sauces, etc. - don't go overboard with stuff like that though).
- The dish can be anything you want it to be (though don't think that you can bribe me with desserts).
- Please use measurements that I can understand. Cups/tablespoons/etc. or L, mL, etc. (including both would make my life easier).
Each recipe will be given a score (probably an average of the above 7 criteria - evenly weighted and out of 10 each). The winner will receive a Season One DVD of The Next Great Chef (I'm too sick of technology today to get a camera out and take a picture of it - perhaps in an update for this contest).
Entries are due no later than Thursday July 5th, 2007 at 11:59pm Pacific Time (that's a Thursday night and gives you three weeks). All entries are to be emailed to pieceofdust@gmail.com. Each individual may submit only one entry and must include their mailing address with their entry for it to be valid.
If you have any questions regarding rules or anything else, please post them as a comment so that everyone can see them and I will respond to everyone (so that it's fair).
Happy cooking!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Pimping Your Firefox Part VIII: Weather in Your Browser
It's been a while since I talked about all the great things you can do with Firefox. For a quick reminder, you'll need Firefox to use these great things (and you can read all my previous Firefox talk here).
Follow this link to download Firefox.
Today I am going to talk about two Firefox add-ons that are weather related.
The first is Forecast Fox. This extension gives you the current weather as well as a few days (mine gives me 3 days) in advance. All you do is open your browser and it's there. The extension even updates itself. So for those of you who are too lazy to bookmark your local Weather Network forecast page (or if you're from Victoria, this awesome page - maybe more on that another day) you don't have to. A couple of caveats though. I would tend to think that the other two pages would be much more reliable (though as you can see on the Victoria Weather page, within a city there can be huge variations - so a home thermometer would be best). The second is that the other pages are way more detailed. I use Forecast Fox, but only as a guide.
A second extension (which is more cool than useful) is Sun Cult. This extension will give you sunrise, sunset, moon rise, moon set information for your city and day (as well as some more information). This could be useful if you need to know how light it will be out (the end of twilight is one of those extras you get). Anyway, I think it's cool and it goes well with Forecast Fox so I threw it in there.
Hope you're all enjoying Firefox. If you haven't at least tried it yet, I suggest you go here and download it for free (as it always is) and try it out!
Follow this link to download Firefox.
Today I am going to talk about two Firefox add-ons that are weather related.
The first is Forecast Fox. This extension gives you the current weather as well as a few days (mine gives me 3 days) in advance. All you do is open your browser and it's there. The extension even updates itself. So for those of you who are too lazy to bookmark your local Weather Network forecast page (or if you're from Victoria, this awesome page - maybe more on that another day) you don't have to. A couple of caveats though. I would tend to think that the other two pages would be much more reliable (though as you can see on the Victoria Weather page, within a city there can be huge variations - so a home thermometer would be best). The second is that the other pages are way more detailed. I use Forecast Fox, but only as a guide.
A second extension (which is more cool than useful) is Sun Cult. This extension will give you sunrise, sunset, moon rise, moon set information for your city and day (as well as some more information). This could be useful if you need to know how light it will be out (the end of twilight is one of those extras you get). Anyway, I think it's cool and it goes well with Forecast Fox so I threw it in there.
Hope you're all enjoying Firefox. If you haven't at least tried it yet, I suggest you go here and download it for free (as it always is) and try it out!
Bus Story: The Lively Man
For those of you who have seen Cocoon this story sounds like something right out of the movie. Here's what happened:
Last night I was taking the bus home late in the evening (about 9:45 or so). There was an elderly gentleman on my bus who was standing up at the front of the bus (there were seats he could sit in, but he seemed to enjoy standing there). At first I thought he was talking to the bus driver (to be honest I had music in my ears) but then he started to get a bit active. He walked from side to side.
Soon he was holding himself up on the bars that run the length of the bus. Soon he started doing chin-ups (at least what I thought were chin-ups, he didn't really pull his chin over the bar - but considering there is not much room above the bar and his age, I was pretty impressed). I looked around and didn't really see anyone paying attention to him (at this point what he was doing wasn't that obvious).
So I started thinking that maybe he's got a bit of energy and was excited about something. But it didn't stop at the chin-ups. He eventually started holding on to the bar and then bringing his feet up as high as he could. At first it wasn't high, but eventually it got to about the height of the bar. Again, I looked around (with a noticeable grin on my face) and saw a few people pay attention (though many were obviously making an effort to ignore it - an interesting bit of social interactions - makes me think of some interesting social experiments I could do...).
It wasn't until he started swinging back and forth (with each arm on different bars) that I realized I had my cell phone - which has a camera - on me. I took it out to try to get a picture (which drew at least one grin from a fellow passenger), but he got off as soon as I got it picture ready.
So that's my story. To make things even weirer, the guy kind of resembled Don Ameche in Cocoon (in actions and in appearance).
I think I could start a blog writing about my bus experiences (I think I should post my poem about buses that I wrote as an example for my class.... perhaps another day).
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed seeing it. Isn't life full of wonderful things?
Last night I was taking the bus home late in the evening (about 9:45 or so). There was an elderly gentleman on my bus who was standing up at the front of the bus (there were seats he could sit in, but he seemed to enjoy standing there). At first I thought he was talking to the bus driver (to be honest I had music in my ears) but then he started to get a bit active. He walked from side to side.
Soon he was holding himself up on the bars that run the length of the bus. Soon he started doing chin-ups (at least what I thought were chin-ups, he didn't really pull his chin over the bar - but considering there is not much room above the bar and his age, I was pretty impressed). I looked around and didn't really see anyone paying attention to him (at this point what he was doing wasn't that obvious).
So I started thinking that maybe he's got a bit of energy and was excited about something. But it didn't stop at the chin-ups. He eventually started holding on to the bar and then bringing his feet up as high as he could. At first it wasn't high, but eventually it got to about the height of the bar. Again, I looked around (with a noticeable grin on my face) and saw a few people pay attention (though many were obviously making an effort to ignore it - an interesting bit of social interactions - makes me think of some interesting social experiments I could do...).
It wasn't until he started swinging back and forth (with each arm on different bars) that I realized I had my cell phone - which has a camera - on me. I took it out to try to get a picture (which drew at least one grin from a fellow passenger), but he got off as soon as I got it picture ready.
So that's my story. To make things even weirer, the guy kind of resembled Don Ameche in Cocoon (in actions and in appearance).
I think I could start a blog writing about my bus experiences (I think I should post my poem about buses that I wrote as an example for my class.... perhaps another day).
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed seeing it. Isn't life full of wonderful things?
The Facebook Phenomenon
So unless you've been hiding under a rock lately, you've likely heard of Facebook, the internet social networking site. Originally started at Harvard for it's students, the creator of Facebook - Mark Zuckerburg - eventually opened Facebook to everyone. The site has been going through a rather lengthy and rapid evolution. To read more about what Facebook was and where it came from, check out Wikipedia.
Facebook has become huge, almost overnight (I first heard about it in December 2006) and is frequently making news headlines here, here and here. Seemingly almost everyone I know is on Facebook and those who aren't are only holding out for personal reasons (these are the same people that didn't get MSN Messenger or ICQ when they were "all the rage" - but Facebook is so much more).
I want to talk about what Facebook is right now and why it can be a useful - if used properly - tool. For starters, my big appeal for Facebook is to keep in touch with friends I don't normally see. I was actually enticed to join it to stay in touch with my fellow classmates while we started our final practicums in January. We even created a group for our graduating year and as of today we have more than two thirds of the grads in the group. As teachers, having a social network like this could be extremely useful.
A second useful thing about Facebook is it's ability to have public or private message boards for groups, and for sharing pictures, planning events.
Some used Facebook for "internet stalking" and for posting pictures of themselves drinking to excess. Let me address both of these one at a time. Stalking isn't that cool, but if you don't want the general public to see pictures of you, then don't make them public. The posting of drunken - or otherwise unflattering - pictures to Facebook is not quite the smartest move. There have been many stories of companies checking out prospective employees on Facebook. I know I have checked potential roommates on there and that some parents of students I have in class are on Facebook. But before this turns you off of Facebook, you can easily change your privacy settings so that your pictures are only viewable to people you confirm as your friends (and the privacy settings can go beyond that - but that will be a future post!).
Lately I have noticed many adults joining Facebook (including one of my mentor teachers - and yes I did add her as a friend) and many people are finding those long lost friends from Highschool (and those people you just didn't want to see again - you gotta deal with the good and bad unfortunately).
Every day things seem to be changing on Facebook. As one of the articles I linked to above mentions, there have been many applications added to Facebook in recent weeks. Some of these are small, but interesting and have helped out several other businesses in the process.
What seems to be happening is that Facebook is playing a big role in making those distances between people much smaller. We can now share our lives with people far away with very little effort. Can this be a bad thing? I suggest those non-Facebook users out there at least give it a look over.
Many issues come up with internet applications like this one and I feel like I ought to explore them in depth in future posts. Please comment on any questions you have about Facebook to help me direct what I'll talk about in the coming weeks.
Facebook has become huge, almost overnight (I first heard about it in December 2006) and is frequently making news headlines here, here and here. Seemingly almost everyone I know is on Facebook and those who aren't are only holding out for personal reasons (these are the same people that didn't get MSN Messenger or ICQ when they were "all the rage" - but Facebook is so much more).
I want to talk about what Facebook is right now and why it can be a useful - if used properly - tool. For starters, my big appeal for Facebook is to keep in touch with friends I don't normally see. I was actually enticed to join it to stay in touch with my fellow classmates while we started our final practicums in January. We even created a group for our graduating year and as of today we have more than two thirds of the grads in the group. As teachers, having a social network like this could be extremely useful.
A second useful thing about Facebook is it's ability to have public or private message boards for groups, and for sharing pictures, planning events.
Some used Facebook for "internet stalking" and for posting pictures of themselves drinking to excess. Let me address both of these one at a time. Stalking isn't that cool, but if you don't want the general public to see pictures of you, then don't make them public. The posting of drunken - or otherwise unflattering - pictures to Facebook is not quite the smartest move. There have been many stories of companies checking out prospective employees on Facebook. I know I have checked potential roommates on there and that some parents of students I have in class are on Facebook. But before this turns you off of Facebook, you can easily change your privacy settings so that your pictures are only viewable to people you confirm as your friends (and the privacy settings can go beyond that - but that will be a future post!).
Lately I have noticed many adults joining Facebook (including one of my mentor teachers - and yes I did add her as a friend) and many people are finding those long lost friends from Highschool (and those people you just didn't want to see again - you gotta deal with the good and bad unfortunately).
Every day things seem to be changing on Facebook. As one of the articles I linked to above mentions, there have been many applications added to Facebook in recent weeks. Some of these are small, but interesting and have helped out several other businesses in the process.
What seems to be happening is that Facebook is playing a big role in making those distances between people much smaller. We can now share our lives with people far away with very little effort. Can this be a bad thing? I suggest those non-Facebook users out there at least give it a look over.
Many issues come up with internet applications like this one and I feel like I ought to explore them in depth in future posts. Please comment on any questions you have about Facebook to help me direct what I'll talk about in the coming weeks.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Photo Feature: Hamilton Sunset
Sunset over Hamilton Harbour. Taken by Sharon Davidson.
If you have any pictures you think are good send them to pieceofdust@gmail.com and I will post them.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Problem of the Day Part X
It's been a while since I asked any questions. Before I give out new questions I have to give some answers to the last two problems.
Part VII
1. A notable doctor had no table and was therefore, not able to operate
2. My lighter is lighter than my wallet.
Carly G. got both for 9 points.
Part IX
I'll be honest, these were vague and pretty hard. You kind of had to know the answers as it would have been hard to figure them out.
1. Elijah Wood was first seen on the screen in Back to the Future II (playing a video game in the future) and later appeared in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
2. Tim Robbins appeared in Top Gun after Goose (Anthony Edwards of ER) dies in an accident. He replaced Goose as Maverick's (Tom Cruise) flying navigator.
No one even attempted these. Guess they were too obscure.
There has been a lead change in the points race. It's not too late for anyone else to jump in the fray...
I'm going back to patterns this week. I'm hoping they are more difficult than the first ones I gave. Each one will be one point for each blank that I have and one point for the way you found it out:
1) 3, 3, 5, 4, 4, 3, 5, ___,___
2) 77, 49, 36, 18, ___
3) 3, 3, 1, 2, 4, 3, ___, ___
That's 8 points in total up for grabs. Email pieceofdust@gmail.com with your answers.
Part VII
1. A notable doctor had no table and was therefore, not able to operate
2. My lighter is lighter than my wallet.
Carly G. got both for 9 points.
Part IX
I'll be honest, these were vague and pretty hard. You kind of had to know the answers as it would have been hard to figure them out.
1. Elijah Wood was first seen on the screen in Back to the Future II (playing a video game in the future) and later appeared in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
2. Tim Robbins appeared in Top Gun after Goose (Anthony Edwards of ER) dies in an accident. He replaced Goose as Maverick's (Tom Cruise) flying navigator.
No one even attempted these. Guess they were too obscure.
There has been a lead change in the points race. It's not too late for anyone else to jump in the fray...
I'm going back to patterns this week. I'm hoping they are more difficult than the first ones I gave. Each one will be one point for each blank that I have and one point for the way you found it out:
1) 3, 3, 5, 4, 4, 3, 5, ___,___
2) 77, 49, 36, 18, ___
3) 3, 3, 1, 2, 4, 3, ___, ___
That's 8 points in total up for grabs. Email pieceofdust@gmail.com with your answers.
A School Without Deadlines...?
As I said in my previous post, I wanted to talk about two articles I saw in the Globe and Mail this past weekend. The second article concerns deadlines - or rather a lack of them - in schools these days. Basically, the idea is that students can no longer be penalized for handing in assignments late - if they turn them in at all.
This is a tough issue to tackle. On one hand, students need to be held accountable for their learning. Though I am unaware of a similar rule in B.C., I've been in many classrooms here where it feels like pulling teeth to get assignments in from students (though admittedly, that could be due to my relative inexperience). I find it hard to justify passing a student who hands in a quarter of the work they are supposed to do. What values are we teaching children by allowing them to "do what they can?"
That being said, since we do push students faster than their abilities, it is much harder for some students to do all the work in the given time. Should we be asking students to do more than they are able to do? What about home situations? Some students have help at home, while others have other things on their minds at home (and I don't mean XBOX).
Like the last post, it seems like the system does not offer any satisfying solution to this situation. We can either teach children about deadlines (the fact that we have deadlines in the first place could be debated - why does a paper about World War II (or whatever topic you choose) have to be finished by Friday? The war is not going anywhere), or we can frustrate many of them by giving them too much.
I find it interesting that the article briefly mentions rubrics, and in a way, dismisses them. Without getting into a big debate about marks and the difference between a 79 and an 80% I will say that I think that rubrics are fairer to students and a better measure of their progress.
So in closing, I have a lot more issues to look into in the future, including: Marks, Deadlines, and the segregation of students in Gifted programs (or otherwise).
I hope this didn't confuse you too much. I think the purpose of me writing this is to expose the issues facing our schools today (of which I saw many the last few months).
This is a tough issue to tackle. On one hand, students need to be held accountable for their learning. Though I am unaware of a similar rule in B.C., I've been in many classrooms here where it feels like pulling teeth to get assignments in from students (though admittedly, that could be due to my relative inexperience). I find it hard to justify passing a student who hands in a quarter of the work they are supposed to do. What values are we teaching children by allowing them to "do what they can?"
That being said, since we do push students faster than their abilities, it is much harder for some students to do all the work in the given time. Should we be asking students to do more than they are able to do? What about home situations? Some students have help at home, while others have other things on their minds at home (and I don't mean XBOX).
Like the last post, it seems like the system does not offer any satisfying solution to this situation. We can either teach children about deadlines (the fact that we have deadlines in the first place could be debated - why does a paper about World War II (or whatever topic you choose) have to be finished by Friday? The war is not going anywhere), or we can frustrate many of them by giving them too much.
I find it interesting that the article briefly mentions rubrics, and in a way, dismisses them. Without getting into a big debate about marks and the difference between a 79 and an 80% I will say that I think that rubrics are fairer to students and a better measure of their progress.
So in closing, I have a lot more issues to look into in the future, including: Marks, Deadlines, and the segregation of students in Gifted programs (or otherwise).
I hope this didn't confuse you too much. I think the purpose of me writing this is to expose the issues facing our schools today (of which I saw many the last few months).
To Fail or Not To Fail
This past weekend, the Globe and Mail published two articles about teaching and I thought I would try to devote a post to each of them. The first article concerns failing students. The article, by Jill Mahoney, goes through many reasons for not failing students, but does provide some of the arguments for failing students.
Let me first explain that in my last few classroom experiences this has been an issue with which I have fought with sleepless nights. I'll out line the arguments for both sides (both of which I agree with) and then I'll offer up my suggestions for a better way.
Arguments for Failing Students:
Well, it's clear that in the current system, there are great reasons to both fail and to not fail students. Personally I think the system is broken. We are the ones that have placed this stigma on failing by not failing students (I realize that I put way more effort into one of my practicums - that I failed - while many of my students didn't lift a finger in class and were guaranteed to go on to the next grade), and to solve this problem and satisfy all parties we could use a major overhaul of our educations system.
I propose grouping students by abilities and not by age. Students must meet certain standards and criteria to move on to the next grade. I need to explain a few things with this. Does this mean standardized testing? Yes and no. It means a set of standards. There are certain outcomes that students need to demonstrate. They ought to actually have to demonstrate them all before they can move on to the next set. I don't think these should be kept secret from students. They should know what is expected and how to meet each expectation. The second thing I want to make clear is that there should not be this big high stakes failure. If you fail a grade in this system you lose a whole year. In my proposal you could move up and down grades whenever you completed the outcomes for a grade. Students would work with a teacher that helps them meet those expectations and gives them the support they need. In theory everyone in each class would be at the same ability level (more on this below) so students would be able to work on the same thing at the same time.
To make sure students had interaction with their peer group, they would also have a few periods a week (probably at least one a day) where they are with their peer group. I honestly think having students work with students of other ages is more beneficial than having students work with the same group year after year. But what do I know?
One last thought I have for my solution is this: what if a student does really well in Math and poorly in Language Arts? Well, in theory, the school could be set up so that students could go to different classes for each subject depending on their level (though I think this could be difficult if the gap between subjects was very large - as reading is important to EVERYTHING!). I'm sure my system is not perfect and could use some adjustments, but the current system is not exactly perfect.
Thanks for reading all of that.... what do you think???
Let me first explain that in my last few classroom experiences this has been an issue with which I have fought with sleepless nights. I'll out line the arguments for both sides (both of which I agree with) and then I'll offer up my suggestions for a better way.
Arguments for Failing Students:
- If passing is automatic, then why should students try? If a student doesn't feel like working, failing is one thing that can be hung over students heads. It can be a motivating factor.
- Failure happens in real life. Students may as well get used to it at an early age. If we give them things without an effort, they will expect it later in life.
- Eventually, at some level of school (High School) students will need to do work to pass, and they will need skills to pass. If they didn't learn how to add or multiply in elementary school, then who will teach them in highschool? Teachers are expected to be accountable, but I have seen many grade 5 classes where MANY students (not just some) are functioning at grade 3 and 4 levels (and some at grade 1 and 2 levels). These students must be taught these grade 3 and 4 things before they can move on to grade 5 things. (I concede this could also be a problem with curriculum - but more on that one later).
- If you promote students based on age (and not ability), you end up with a wide range of abilities in a classroom, which makes it much more difficult to teach. Sure it makes a teacher's job easier (and I might sound like I want it easier with this, but that is only a secondary benefit) but it also allows teachers to do more for ALL students.
- Self Esteem. I'll accept this argument as long as it applies to the current system. Imagine you are the only one in your whole school who gets held back. Not so fun. Under the current system failing a student can be disastrous.
- Peer Groups. Students apparently need to be with their peers to develop properly. I can accept this argument in the current system where the failed student would be the only one who is older.
Well, it's clear that in the current system, there are great reasons to both fail and to not fail students. Personally I think the system is broken. We are the ones that have placed this stigma on failing by not failing students (I realize that I put way more effort into one of my practicums - that I failed - while many of my students didn't lift a finger in class and were guaranteed to go on to the next grade), and to solve this problem and satisfy all parties we could use a major overhaul of our educations system.
I propose grouping students by abilities and not by age. Students must meet certain standards and criteria to move on to the next grade. I need to explain a few things with this. Does this mean standardized testing? Yes and no. It means a set of standards. There are certain outcomes that students need to demonstrate. They ought to actually have to demonstrate them all before they can move on to the next set. I don't think these should be kept secret from students. They should know what is expected and how to meet each expectation. The second thing I want to make clear is that there should not be this big high stakes failure. If you fail a grade in this system you lose a whole year. In my proposal you could move up and down grades whenever you completed the outcomes for a grade. Students would work with a teacher that helps them meet those expectations and gives them the support they need. In theory everyone in each class would be at the same ability level (more on this below) so students would be able to work on the same thing at the same time.
To make sure students had interaction with their peer group, they would also have a few periods a week (probably at least one a day) where they are with their peer group. I honestly think having students work with students of other ages is more beneficial than having students work with the same group year after year. But what do I know?
One last thought I have for my solution is this: what if a student does really well in Math and poorly in Language Arts? Well, in theory, the school could be set up so that students could go to different classes for each subject depending on their level (though I think this could be difficult if the gap between subjects was very large - as reading is important to EVERYTHING!). I'm sure my system is not perfect and could use some adjustments, but the current system is not exactly perfect.
Thanks for reading all of that.... what do you think???
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Movie Review: Jarhead
I never really had that much desire to see Jarhead, but I thought I should (for some reason I thought it was a good movie). To be fair, I don't think it is a bad movie. I have heard that it portrays a realistic view of the gulf war (but then again, I could be mistaken).Jarhead follows Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) through boot camp, time in the Saudi Arabian desert and fighting (briefly) in Kuwait during the (first) Gulf War. Also included in the cast are Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard. The movie doesn't appear to have any purpose other than to show the almost pointlessness of the war - but even that comes more from me wanting to find that in the movie than it actually being there. Sure there are the comments about only being there to protect the oil fields, and about not taking pills to act against the potential chemical attacks, but I think those are more a documentation of what happened as opposed to a statement about it.
Some scenes are fairly brutal, but I didn't find anything to be too graphic (but keep in mind my generation has been completely desensitized to violence). I found the psychological issues to be scarier than the threat of physical danger in this movie.
There's not much else to say about this movie. I would certainly suggest it to get a glimpse of what the war was like (though I would much rather see Black Hawk Down for that same purpose - maybe I'll watch/review that some day). I give Jarhead a 3/4. It's not a great movie, but it is something that I would recommend to most people - though some may find the actions of the characters immature (albeit realistic). Check it out if you can...
On another note, I am going to try to get another streak of blog posts going so it's not just every once in a while. Look for some stuff about teaching and (FINALLY!) an updated problem of the day...
Movie Review: Paycheck
I find it fitting that my last post was about a Philip K. Dick novel and this next post (after a one week layoff) is about a movie based on a Philip K. Dick story.Paycheck, starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman, tells the story of a reverse engineer (Affleck) who has his memory erased after each big job. We first see him copying a monitor that projects out towards the viewer. He is quickly offered a very big job for a very big sum of money ($92 million). When his memory is erased three years later he is told he forfeited his payment and he is given a new set of personal belongings. It is through these items that he tries to figure out what went on.
Compared to other Dick stories turned movies (granted I have only seen a few) this one has the same feel (I felt like I was watching Totall Recall at points) of a person who is unsure of what the truth is. Unfortunately we are given information as to what is really going on and who is behind everything. This lack of suspense truly hurts the movie and degrades the quality of the film. The acting is not that great either, but what can you expect with Ben Affleck? The movie also features Aaron Eckhart and Paul Giamatti.
The one thing that stands out is the premise. This movies shows the world as we know it but with a few minor adjustments here and there (the memory wiping for one and the computer monitors for another). It is fully believable (well, some of the science is questionable, but keep in mind that Dick died before I was even born - 1982 for those of you who don't know me well) and the human reactions are what are most interesting.
If you're a Sci-Fi fan (or just a fan of Philip K. Dick), then I would definitely recommend this movie. If you hate Sci-Fi and action chases then I would not recommend watching this movie - you're not missing anything important. I give this movie a 2.75/4: good for fans, but nothing special.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Book Review: Time Out of Joint
So I bet many of you are wondering what this book is. It's not exactly a well known book. The author, Philip K. Dick, may not be that well known to all of you either. Well, not exactly. Philip K. Dick is the author behind such movies as Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and Screamers. He has written some great Science Fiction books (it was actually the release of another movie based on his books - one point in the problem of the day for anyone who emails me the name of that movie - that got me interested in him again) and I've read a few of them.
Time Out of Joint follows the story of Ragle Gumm. He lives an ordinary life in 1959 (the year the book was written). He is a longstanding winner of a newspaper contest and lives with his sister, his brother-in-law and his nephew. But something's not quite right. The book traces Gumm as he tries to figure out what exactly is going on.
So how good is the story? Well, I thought it was well written and kept me wanting to come back for more. Dick doesn't focus on big details. He writes as if from the perspective of the regular people and explains things in ways that makes sense to them. About halfway through the book we start to get clues as to what is going on (I won't give it away in this review, so don't worry).
These clues give us just enough information to keep us wanting more.
As far as being a Science Fiction book this one is great (though keep in mind, I'm not talking Star Wars or Star Trek Sci-Fi, but real Sci-Fi, like Dark City). I give this book a 3.5/4. There are some things that could change, but is a believable story and tells the tale of a chilling situation. If you like Sci-Fi books, I definitely recommend this (and other Dick stories, which will no doubt be reviewed in the future in this place).
Time Out of Joint follows the story of Ragle Gumm. He lives an ordinary life in 1959 (the year the book was written). He is a longstanding winner of a newspaper contest and lives with his sister, his brother-in-law and his nephew. But something's not quite right. The book traces Gumm as he tries to figure out what exactly is going on.
So how good is the story? Well, I thought it was well written and kept me wanting to come back for more. Dick doesn't focus on big details. He writes as if from the perspective of the regular people and explains things in ways that makes sense to them. About halfway through the book we start to get clues as to what is going on (I won't give it away in this review, so don't worry).
These clues give us just enough information to keep us wanting more.
As far as being a Science Fiction book this one is great (though keep in mind, I'm not talking Star Wars or Star Trek Sci-Fi, but real Sci-Fi, like Dark City). I give this book a 3.5/4. There are some things that could change, but is a believable story and tells the tale of a chilling situation. If you like Sci-Fi books, I definitely recommend this (and other Dick stories, which will no doubt be reviewed in the future in this place).
Movie Review: Idiocracy
For starters let me apologize for my long layoff. I have been very busy lately and I'm trying to get things settled in my life. I figured now was a good time to get back into things. I may or may not have a book review to follow this movie review (we'll see how I feel).My sister gave me Idiocracy recently and I only had a vague recollection of what it might be about. I read up on it in IMDb and was interested so I popped it in the DVD player last night.
The premise is simple: Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson) is frozen as part of an army experiment. Unfortunately the experiment does not go as planned and Bauers wakes up 500 years in the future. Apparently, due to stupid people breeding more than smart people, the average IQ has dropped quite a bit and everyone is stupid. The movie follows Bauers as he tries to get back home and solve the world's problems all at the same time.
Though not the best made movie, the premise is quite interesting and there are many hilarious moments throughout the movie. I wonder though, if the silliness and stupidity of the movie is on purpose. It has been surmised (on IMDb message boards - though I have to say I agree with the line of thinking) that perhaps the movie is a reflection of our current society in which big jocks and rock stars are more valued than intellectuals.
Directed and written by Mike Judge (Office Space), this is one of those movies that I would recommend. My high standards won't allow me to give this anything higher than a 3/4. I struggled with this rating as all the attributes of the movie that drag it down appear to be done on purpose - for example, the stupidity of the characters, and even the ending).
At the very minimum this movie is worth a few laughs and at under 80mins (the credits started rolling at about 78mins on my dvd player) it's not too big a time waster (like King Kong for instance).
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Photo Feature: Cherry Blossoms
One of the first Cherry Blossoms in Victoria, B.C. this spring - sometime in March (taken by Michael Davidson)If you have any pictures you would like to submit, please email them to pieceofdust@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Weird Coincidences
When I started this blog I swore to myself this wouldn't be one of those feelings type blogs where I write that I had a piece of toast for breakfast. While this is not quite a mundane part of my day, it is probably registering high on the "Who the eff cares" factor. Read on if you interested in weird things...
Today I was riding the bus home from my school. I am a fairly observant person and I happened to notice a man beside me (well, I was behind him, but my seat was facing sideways - ahhh, the weirdly arranged bus seats) was reading a book and he was just starting Chapter 6 (yes I realize this is really boring - keep reading). Across the aisle from him was another woman reading a book and since my mind was already on the sight of books I looked a bit closer. I noticed she too was starting a chapter. I looked a bit closer and saw that it was Chapter 7. A simple coincidence you might say.... well it gets a bit weirder.
I had seen another lady (she was in the back corner of the bus, which was in front and to the left of me) reading and I thought after I saw the chapter 6 and 7: wouldn't it be funny if she was starting chapter 8. Well I could see the page she was on by the reflection in the window. I looked and I stared. Could it be? This was really starting to get to me. I almost got up and asked her, but I saw it. The letters: E..... I..... G.... H.... T. I kid you not. I just started to think to myself: Am I in the matrix? Is this some sort of computing error where the random number generator breaks down and goes in order? Surely the odds of three people on a bus all starting a chapter are astronomically small. The factor in the fact that they were on successive chapters. Then what are the odds they would all be sitting near me and I would look at them IN THE ORDER of the chapters. Truly mind boggling...
I hope that didn't bore you to death.
If you have any crazy and weird stories like that, please send them to pieceofdust@gmail.com and I'll publish them... geez, I'm still a bit spooked from this.
Today I was riding the bus home from my school. I am a fairly observant person and I happened to notice a man beside me (well, I was behind him, but my seat was facing sideways - ahhh, the weirdly arranged bus seats) was reading a book and he was just starting Chapter 6 (yes I realize this is really boring - keep reading). Across the aisle from him was another woman reading a book and since my mind was already on the sight of books I looked a bit closer. I noticed she too was starting a chapter. I looked a bit closer and saw that it was Chapter 7. A simple coincidence you might say.... well it gets a bit weirder.
I had seen another lady (she was in the back corner of the bus, which was in front and to the left of me) reading and I thought after I saw the chapter 6 and 7: wouldn't it be funny if she was starting chapter 8. Well I could see the page she was on by the reflection in the window. I looked and I stared. Could it be? This was really starting to get to me. I almost got up and asked her, but I saw it. The letters: E..... I..... G.... H.... T. I kid you not. I just started to think to myself: Am I in the matrix? Is this some sort of computing error where the random number generator breaks down and goes in order? Surely the odds of three people on a bus all starting a chapter are astronomically small. The factor in the fact that they were on successive chapters. Then what are the odds they would all be sitting near me and I would look at them IN THE ORDER of the chapters. Truly mind boggling...
I hope that didn't bore you to death.
If you have any crazy and weird stories like that, please send them to pieceofdust@gmail.com and I'll publish them... geez, I'm still a bit spooked from this.
Movie Review: Half Nelson
Yes, I realize today is supposed to be teaching on Tuesday. Luckily I saw a movie this past weekend about teaching.... sort of.Half Nelson tells the story of a friendship between a teacher and a student that has many drug overtones. Don't worry, I wouldn't be writing this if the teacher were selling the student drugs. What actually happens is that Drey (played by relative newcomer Shareeka Epps) happens to witness her coach and teacher - Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling - yes, the one who we all watched go to highschool on a cruise ship) - having a bad reaction to some drugs - in the girls locker room long after a game no less. This starts a friendship between the two. Complicating the mix is a family "friend" named Frank (most likely this is a friend of Drey's older brother who is in prison. It is assumed that that Frank is the reason or part of the reason the brother is in jail - though it is never said). Frank (played by Anthony Mackie of 8 Mile and Million Dollar Baby) befriends Drey as well and also tries to influence her life.
The competing forces are interesting in this story. Drey is being torn between a drug addict and a drug dealer. As the movie goes on it appears that both Drey and Mr. Dunne are helping each other out. The ending doesn't really clarify much, but it did leave me with a good feeling.
One of the first things I noticed was the grainy feel of the movie. I'm assuming this was done on purpose and gives a realistic feel to the movie (so does the vulnerability of Mr. Dunne and his addiction).
Since this was one of two movies I saw this weekend that were actually good (there were three not so great movies), I give this a 3.5/4. This is an interesting movie that tackles a difficult subject without resorting to preaching about not doing drugs.
Just a disclaimer: I know of very few teachers like Mr. Dunne. Most teachers I know drink to get rid of their problems and alcohol is completely legal here.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Movie Review: Blood Diamond
About a year and a half ago, everyone in my program was getting engaged and showing off their rings in class. When I saw Blood Diamond, I wish I had the knowledge that movie gave me at that time. I would have asked them if their diamonds are conflict free. (You must be thinking I like to stir the pot. I sure do.)The issue that envelops Blood Diamond, is that of conflict diamonds (also known as war diamonds). These are diamonds that come from war zones. The money "earned" from selling these diamonds helps fuel the wars and contributes to people killing more people.
The three main characters (well, two really) are played by Leonardo DiCaprio (sporting a South African accent) and Djimon Hounsou (of Amistad, Gladiator and The Island). DiCaprio plays a diamond smuggler and Hounsou plays a fisherman who has discovered a rather large diamond. Somehow the two cross paths and finding the diamond becomes a priority for them together. Jennifer Connelly (Labrynth) plays a journalist who helps them out.
This movie is full of scenes that will make you wonder how people could be capable of such things. The scenes with the child soldiers are terrifying and will definitely take some of your innocence (ignorance?).
Blood Diamond is definitely a must see. It will definitely make you think twice about buying diamonds. I give this a 3.75/4: near perfect (the romantic interest takes a bit away from the whole message of the movie, but otherwise it is a well made film).
As a side note, I realize I missed posting for the first day since I started yesterday. I actually have about 5 more movie reviews to do from this week, but things have been very busy and when they've not been busy I've been exhausted. Soon my busyness will be over. And then I can really work on this blog...
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Photo Feature: Pickup Basketball
Pickup basketball on Caye Caulker, Belize (taken by Alexandra Gillett)
If you have any pictures you would like to submit, please email them to pieceofdust@gmail.com.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Problem of the Day Part IX
So I have still not really caught up with the good posts. I promise a lot are coming really soon!
To start today's problem, let's take up the problems from last Thursday:
1. The letter M occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, but never in a thousand years?
2. The man does not get any hairs wet because he is completely bald.
3. All wise men, regardless of their religion or politics, agree that the word "AND" is between heaven and earth.
Alex G., Heather D. and Carly G. all get three points for their correct answers.
This installments questions are movie trivia, but the answers are not easily found (note actor could mean actress, I just used actor and assumed you realized it could be a male or a female):
1. What actor got his start playing an extremely minor role in one movie of a trilogy and then later went on to play a much bigger role in another trilogy? You get one point each for naming the actor, the first trilogy, which movie of the first trilogy and the second trilogy (4 points total).
2. This well-known actor played a lesser role in a well-known movie. The character replaced another character when the original character was unable to continue their duties. The original character also played a doctor on tv. For one point each, name: the movie, the two actors, and the tv show in which the actor played a doctor (4 points total).
As always, email your responses to pieceofdust@gmail.com with "Problem of the Day Part IX" as your subject line. I encourage those people who have yet to respond to give it a try as anything can happen...
Good luck!
To start today's problem, let's take up the problems from last Thursday:
1. The letter M occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, but never in a thousand years?
2. The man does not get any hairs wet because he is completely bald.
3. All wise men, regardless of their religion or politics, agree that the word "AND" is between heaven and earth.
Alex G., Heather D. and Carly G. all get three points for their correct answers.
This installments questions are movie trivia, but the answers are not easily found (note actor could mean actress, I just used actor and assumed you realized it could be a male or a female):
1. What actor got his start playing an extremely minor role in one movie of a trilogy and then later went on to play a much bigger role in another trilogy? You get one point each for naming the actor, the first trilogy, which movie of the first trilogy and the second trilogy (4 points total).
2. This well-known actor played a lesser role in a well-known movie. The character replaced another character when the original character was unable to continue their duties. The original character also played a doctor on tv. For one point each, name: the movie, the two actors, and the tv show in which the actor played a doctor (4 points total).
As always, email your responses to pieceofdust@gmail.com with "Problem of the Day Part IX" as your subject line. I encourage those people who have yet to respond to give it a try as anything can happen...
Good luck!
Friday, May 18, 2007
The First Step to Solving Any Computer Problem
Before I relate this true story from today, I thought I should mention that due to circumstances beyond my control I have not had the time to make the posts I had wanted to make today. If time allows this weekend I may make posts on days that they're not supposed to be on. I have the next few days off of school (4 day weekend! - sort of, I still have to go in tomorrow) and will be able to write a lot then.
In the meantime I shall relate a story to you from school today (that is related to technology):
I had sent my grade 5's to the computer lab to write their good copies of poems we had been working on this week. I was talking with some students in the class when two students returned to tell me and my host teacher that several of the computers weren't working. My host teacher followed them to the lab to solve the problem, while I stayed back and helped the students I was helping. When I was done, I went to the lab to check on the students and found my host teacher looking all around the tables to see what was unplugged. I walked to one of the computers and looked at the screen. It had some bouncing boxes on it saying the monitor was plugged in but to check the cables. I looked closely..... and taught a few people a very valuable lesson: Often the problem is much simpler than it looks. I turned the computers on and the problem was solved. I had a grin that must have stretched ear to ear at this point.
Moral of the story: if you're computer isn't working, always check to make sure it's on before you get help.
In the meantime I shall relate a story to you from school today (that is related to technology):
I had sent my grade 5's to the computer lab to write their good copies of poems we had been working on this week. I was talking with some students in the class when two students returned to tell me and my host teacher that several of the computers weren't working. My host teacher followed them to the lab to solve the problem, while I stayed back and helped the students I was helping. When I was done, I went to the lab to check on the students and found my host teacher looking all around the tables to see what was unplugged. I walked to one of the computers and looked at the screen. It had some bouncing boxes on it saying the monitor was plugged in but to check the cables. I looked closely..... and taught a few people a very valuable lesson: Often the problem is much simpler than it looks. I turned the computers on and the problem was solved. I had a grin that must have stretched ear to ear at this point.
Moral of the story: if you're computer isn't working, always check to make sure it's on before you get help.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The Earth is Running Out of Earth!
You may have noticed that during the last two days my posting has slowed down a bit. I've been very busy, but most of that is over now so I'm going to try and make a good post here.
I read an article in the Globe and Mail Focus section this weekend that I thought was rather interesting. The article was called "Planet Earth has a dirty little secret" (unfortunately it is not available for free on the Globe website, but you can purchase it if you like).
The main idea of the article is that we are destroying or degrading the usable soil faster than it can regenerate. We are doing this by building on top of the soil, by poisoning the soil and by growing crops too often in the soil. The author, John Allemang, and the scientist he talks to, David R. Montgomery, say that even if we can solve all of the other environmental problems, we will eventually run out of soil and be unable to grow the food we need. Problems with dirt can easily cause famines which have, in the past, killed many people (100 000 people in West Africa in 1973). Dr. Montgomery suggests that we have between 200 and 2000 years until we get into real troubles. It is estimated that we lose 1% of our usable land worldwide each year.
I don't want to paraphrase the article completely, but I will give some points that I thought were important:
I guess this post could come off as another warning to the masses to go along with global warming (climate change), pollution, etc. I think this is just another sign that we need to rethink the way we live. All of our environmental "issues" these days stem from the same attitude many of us have with regards to the planet. That is the real issue. This latest idea is but one symptom of a bigger problem. I'm at a loss myself, but obviously if this is right, we do need to start making some changes...
I read an article in the Globe and Mail Focus section this weekend that I thought was rather interesting. The article was called "Planet Earth has a dirty little secret" (unfortunately it is not available for free on the Globe website, but you can purchase it if you like).
The main idea of the article is that we are destroying or degrading the usable soil faster than it can regenerate. We are doing this by building on top of the soil, by poisoning the soil and by growing crops too often in the soil. The author, John Allemang, and the scientist he talks to, David R. Montgomery, say that even if we can solve all of the other environmental problems, we will eventually run out of soil and be unable to grow the food we need. Problems with dirt can easily cause famines which have, in the past, killed many people (100 000 people in West Africa in 1973). Dr. Montgomery suggests that we have between 200 and 2000 years until we get into real troubles. It is estimated that we lose 1% of our usable land worldwide each year.
I don't want to paraphrase the article completely, but I will give some points that I thought were important:
- since World War II approximately 40% of global cropland has degraded.
- our ancestors were much fewer in number and would often farm an area dry and move on to the next. We do not have that luxury any more.
- people are more likely to get behind issues related to water than issues related to dirt.
I guess this post could come off as another warning to the masses to go along with global warming (climate change), pollution, etc. I think this is just another sign that we need to rethink the way we live. All of our environmental "issues" these days stem from the same attitude many of us have with regards to the planet. That is the real issue. This latest idea is but one symptom of a bigger problem. I'm at a loss myself, but obviously if this is right, we do need to start making some changes...
Photo Feature: Morning Fog
A foggy May morning just outside of my house in Victoria B.C. (taken by Michael Davidson).
If you have any pictures you would like to submit, please email them to pieceofdust@gmail.com. I have very few pictures lined up for these and would like to have more than one a week - they don't have to be nature related, but just interesting pictures.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Problem of the Day Part VIII
First off, lets get to the answers from last week:
1. Strengths is the longest word in the English language with only one vowel.
2. Words I accepted with no vowels and at least 6 letters: crypts, crwths, rhythm, rhythms, syzygy, trysts, and nymphs
3. A word with 9 "O"s and 6 "C"s: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. See here for a definition.
Carly G. earned 11 points and Heather D. earned 10 points with their efforts.
This week's problem is as follows:
Fill in a series of letters to finish the sentence. Each blank has the same letters in the same order, but the letters are broken up with different spaces each time. What is the completed sentence?
A ________ doctor had ________ and therefore, was ________ to operate.
If you get this difficult problem, you'll get 6 points.
Here's an easier one, worth 3 points. This one has the same word in each space. The word is exactly the same each time with no spaces.
My _______ is _______ than my wallet.
Good luck!
P.S. As a side note to get more people motivated to answer this, I've noticed my sister (Heather D.) has been bragging on her blog (I will talk about this more later once she's had a few more posts since her hiatus).
P.S.S. Don't forget there's still another set of questions to be answered. You have until Thursday to answer these ones!
1. Strengths is the longest word in the English language with only one vowel.
2. Words I accepted with no vowels and at least 6 letters: crypts, crwths, rhythm, rhythms, syzygy, trysts, and nymphs
3. A word with 9 "O"s and 6 "C"s: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. See here for a definition.
Carly G. earned 11 points and Heather D. earned 10 points with their efforts.
This week's problem is as follows:
Fill in a series of letters to finish the sentence. Each blank has the same letters in the same order, but the letters are broken up with different spaces each time. What is the completed sentence?
A ________ doctor had ________ and therefore, was ________ to operate.
If you get this difficult problem, you'll get 6 points.
Here's an easier one, worth 3 points. This one has the same word in each space. The word is exactly the same each time with no spaces.
My _______ is _______ than my wallet.
Good luck!
P.S. As a side note to get more people motivated to answer this, I've noticed my sister (Heather D.) has been bragging on her blog (I will talk about this more later once she's had a few more posts since her hiatus).
P.S.S. Don't forget there's still another set of questions to be answered. You have until Thursday to answer these ones!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Movie Review: Raising Arizona
Raising Arizona is one of those movies that you never really hear about, but it's on a lot of lists of great movies, so I thought I would watch it and find out for myself. I was pleasantly surprised, though at times I found the movie difficult to watch.Starring Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter, Raising Arizona is about a couple (a paroled criminal and a police officer) who get married and find out they are unable to have babies. In a hysterical rage, H.I. (Cage) is convinced to steal one baby from a recently born set of quintuplets. A manhunt thus ensues.
I found it very hard to be sympathetic to any of the characters and I think the filmmakers did that on purpose. For a while I was trying to figure out what made this movie so good. Then came a ridiculous and hilarious chase scene through stores, houses and streets in an (unsuccessful) attempt to get "Huggies" (product placement is quite evident throughout the movie). There are several such sequences that are so unbelievable that they'll make you laugh. The movie does end with your typical Hollywood ending (though what that is, is hard to tell during the movie). Overall, this is definitely a good watch. Written and directed by the Coen brothers (Ethan and Joel of Fargo fame), the film also stars John Goodman and Frances McDormand.
I give this movie a 4.5/5. It doesn't seem like a great movie, but it will definitely make you laugh (and make you disgusted with the lengths some people will go to). Check it out and let me know what you think.
Book Review: My Friend Leonard
I'm sure you all heard about the controversy with Oprah and James Frey over Frey's "memoir" A Million Little Pieces. Personally, I don't care if he lied or not, I thought that was a great book. Anyone who thought it was completely true is living in a dream world. I'm sorry, but how many movies have you seen that are "based on actual events"? Rarely are those movies accurate. So take the first book as it is: a story.But my focus in this post is not A Million Little Pieces, but My Friend Leonard. MFL starts where AMLP left off.
Most of this book is absolutely ridiculous and lacks the urgency of AMLP (it's hard to top a guy who's trying to beat a drug addiction) and I actually was having a hard time believing that this book was actually good (it was recommended to me by a good friend). The beginning is great (although extremely gut-wrenching), but soon after the initial tragedy, the book takes a sharp turn downwards. Frey paints a picture of his friend Leonard as a man who lives to the excess. Always buying more food than people can eat, and just generally using his money and influence to please the characters it seems like a very shallow friendship. The books coasts like that for the middle 80%. It took me about a month to read this, partly because it just wasn't that interesting. However, the last 100 pages started to pick up and the last 30 or 40 make the whole experience worthwhile. I won't spoil any endings, but the friendship comes out as much much more in those last pages.
What Frey did (at least to me) is to give me a character that I didn't really like and that did things in a manner which is not necessarily the most honorable. He spent a whole book building this persona up. Then when you think there's no saving grace, he explains the character's actions.
It's definitely worth a read, especially if you liked AMLP.
I'll give this book 4/5. The middle that drags on is the reason I can't give it a 5, but the ending is why I won't give it a 2.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Making a Difference in Africa: Part I
A few weeks ago I shared a blog with you about a trip to Central America. I thought today I would share a blog with you of a friend of mine who went to Africa (Tanzania to be precise) to do some voluteer work. She went there with YCI (Youth Challenge International).
Read her blog if you want to hear more about her trip (I believe she's already back in Canada).
More on YCI and trips to Africa will appear in future posts.
Read her blog if you want to hear more about her trip (I believe she's already back in Canada).
More on YCI and trips to Africa will appear in future posts.
A Mother's Day Poem
This week with my class, I had my students write a poem for their Moms to give them today. I wrote an example for them so I thought I'd share that with everyone today:
My Mom
by M. Davidson
by M. Davidson
Thank you very much dear Mom,
Thank you for the work you did,
And all the time you spent with me,
I know I wasn't the best of kids.
Thank you for the meals you cooked,
That made me grow up big and strong,
For driving me to soccer practice,
And staying late when it went long.
Thanks for cleaning my scraped knees,
My pants were often ripped and torn,
But you cleaned up the icky blood,
And didn't even scorn.
Thanks for washing my dirty clothes,
I know it's hard to stand the stink,
I tried to make it up to you,
By washing dishes in the sink.
Thank you for the yummy cookies,
They often made my day,
I especially like the chocolate chips,
Before I ventured out to play.
Thank you Mom, thank you Mom,
I couldn't have done it on my own,
You truly helped me out a lot,
Now look at me: I'm here all grown.
You really made a difference Mom,
I can't say thanks enough,
So here is where I end my poem,
Without you it woulda been rough!
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Great-Grandmothers, Aunts and everyone else.
Enjoy your day and make sure someone else does all the work for you (easy for me to say living out here).
Some Mother's Day Facts (from Wikipedia):
More on Mother's Day later...
Enjoy your day and make sure someone else does all the work for you (easy for me to say living out here).
Some Mother's Day Facts (from Wikipedia):
- Has several origins
- The US origin came about after the Civil war with the Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe.
- It took 38 years for the first Mother's Day to be officially celebrated in 1908 in Grafton, West Virginia.
- First (American) National Mother's day was in 1914.
More on Mother's Day later...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The Best Sports Movies...
It was rough trying to come up with something to write about for Sports on Saturday. I have stopped watching sports on TV (for two reasons: 1. I don't have the time and 2. They're just not that exciting to watch right now). I recently counted down my top ten favourite children's books, so I thought I could do the same with sports movies. I just came up with this idea so I will take some time so that I think through my top 10 (I'm going to go with criteria for this I think and give points!). Until I get this done, I'll leave you with a couple of lists of top sports movies from:
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
Perhaps you can send me in suggestions of what I COULD include in my list. I'll do what I can, as I may or may not remember all the sports movies I've seen.
Enjoy!
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
Perhaps you can send me in suggestions of what I COULD include in my list. I'll do what I can, as I may or may not remember all the sports movies I've seen.
Enjoy!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Nutritional Data Revisited
A few weeks ago I talked about a site that gives you nutritional data for many different foods. I came across an article this week that was related.
Apparently, a Canadian researcher has found that some foods have more fat than some of their labels suggest. Read the article from CBC here. The researcher, Bruce Holub, has found that 15% of the foods he tested had more than the legal limit (the limit being based on what is printed on the packages). Though no brands were identified by Holub, the article says that frozen fish sticks and frozen waffles were the biggest offenders.
It seems as if this controversy comes from pre-packed food. Personally I would not be surprised to find out that the labels were innacurate. That's why I try (sometimes I'm not strong enough) to avoid prepackaged food. It's not really all that healthy for you (especially frozen fish sticks and frozen waffles), and it's more expensive (though organic food is pretty pricey too).
I'm not really sure the point I'm trying to make with this post. I guess I'm trying to make you aware of the possibility that nutrition labels might not always be accurate (the law allows for a 20% variation from the label - which is pretty large if you think about it). Always be mindful of what you eat though and don't always trust the label!
Apparently, a Canadian researcher has found that some foods have more fat than some of their labels suggest. Read the article from CBC here. The researcher, Bruce Holub, has found that 15% of the foods he tested had more than the legal limit (the limit being based on what is printed on the packages). Though no brands were identified by Holub, the article says that frozen fish sticks and frozen waffles were the biggest offenders.
It seems as if this controversy comes from pre-packed food. Personally I would not be surprised to find out that the labels were innacurate. That's why I try (sometimes I'm not strong enough) to avoid prepackaged food. It's not really all that healthy for you (especially frozen fish sticks and frozen waffles), and it's more expensive (though organic food is pretty pricey too).
I'm not really sure the point I'm trying to make with this post. I guess I'm trying to make you aware of the possibility that nutrition labels might not always be accurate (the law allows for a 20% variation from the label - which is pretty large if you think about it). Always be mindful of what you eat though and don't always trust the label!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Pimping Your Firefox Part VII: Getting Rid of Pesky Ads
Ever go to a website that's full of ads? Wish you could just make them disappear? Well, you can with Adblock Plus (if you use Firefox that is!).
Adblock Plus is an extension for firefox that allows you to block any elements of a page. Once you install it from the mozilla page (the last link), all you need to do is right click on an ad and select "adblock image." That ad will no longer appear in your browser. It's that easy.
One caveat though. Some websites and ads are pretty smart and frequently change things about their ads so that they will be shown. This can often be annoying because you may have to re-block the specific ads.
It's definitely worth a shot and really helps get rid of all that unwanted information that gets thrown at you on the web.
As always, if you have any questions feel free to ask them on here or email me at pieceofdust@gmail.com
Adblock Plus is an extension for firefox that allows you to block any elements of a page. Once you install it from the mozilla page (the last link), all you need to do is right click on an ad and select "adblock image." That ad will no longer appear in your browser. It's that easy.
One caveat though. Some websites and ads are pretty smart and frequently change things about their ads so that they will be shown. This can often be annoying because you may have to re-block the specific ads.
It's definitely worth a shot and really helps get rid of all that unwanted information that gets thrown at you on the web.
As always, if you have any questions feel free to ask them on here or email me at pieceofdust@gmail.com
Sunbird: The Firefox of Calendars
In continuing my look at Open Source Software that I find to be useful (and in many cases I can't live without), I've decided to talk about Mozilla Sunbird, a neat calendar you can get for your computer.
I first got it a while ago and didn't really start using it, but when I started my most recent practicum (the one I'm doing right now and the one that is making it harder for me to keep the posts at a high level of quality) I started using it much more. Teachers take note: this is a great way to make a day book. I have actually been using Sunbird to do all of my planning.
Some features that I find useful. You can make multiple calendars to put on the calendar. So what does this mean for you? You can make a calendar for Work, Home, School, etc. or for each of your family members, and each can be in a different colour. I have about 10 or 15 calendars for different aspects of my life and can click one or another off very easily.
The actual events that you put in the calendar have a lot of space to write a description (this is where I put my plans). I have barely begun to scratch the surface of what this program can do (and expect an updated version in a few months as well!).
Like Firefox, Sunbird can also be customized and is starting to get a nice assortment of extensions and themes. The pickings are slim right now, but once Sunbird goes through more development there will likely be a lot of enhancements.
Read more about it at Wikipedia if you're interested.
I first got it a while ago and didn't really start using it, but when I started my most recent practicum (the one I'm doing right now and the one that is making it harder for me to keep the posts at a high level of quality) I started using it much more. Teachers take note: this is a great way to make a day book. I have actually been using Sunbird to do all of my planning.
Some features that I find useful. You can make multiple calendars to put on the calendar. So what does this mean for you? You can make a calendar for Work, Home, School, etc. or for each of your family members, and each can be in a different colour. I have about 10 or 15 calendars for different aspects of my life and can click one or another off very easily.
The actual events that you put in the calendar have a lot of space to write a description (this is where I put my plans). I have barely begun to scratch the surface of what this program can do (and expect an updated version in a few months as well!).
Like Firefox, Sunbird can also be customized and is starting to get a nice assortment of extensions and themes. The pickings are slim right now, but once Sunbird goes through more development there will likely be a lot of enhancements.
Read more about it at Wikipedia if you're interested.
Problem of the Day: Part VII
As promised, here is a second set of problems for this week (after the set I gave you on Tuesday - which are still open to anyone who wants to try). I have still yet to figure out a prize, but there will be many opportunities to get back in the game sooner rather than later. I may set it up so that getting a certain amount of points entitles you to a prize. That may get more people answering.
I have found a more reliable source of problems so I will be using those. Here are a few "riddles" today. As always, I have certain answers in mind, but other answers will be considered on a case by case basis.
1. What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, but never in a thousand years?
2. A man is out for a walk when it began to rain. The man had no umbrella and no hat. His clothes were soaked, but not a single hair on his head got wet. How is this possible?
3. What is one thing that all wise men, regardless of their religion or politics, agree is between heaven and earth?
Each question is worth one point.
Good luck!
As always, send your answers to pieceofdust@gmail.com.
I have found a more reliable source of problems so I will be using those. Here are a few "riddles" today. As always, I have certain answers in mind, but other answers will be considered on a case by case basis.
1. What occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, but never in a thousand years?
2. A man is out for a walk when it began to rain. The man had no umbrella and no hat. His clothes were soaked, but not a single hair on his head got wet. How is this possible?
3. What is one thing that all wise men, regardless of their religion or politics, agree is between heaven and earth?
Each question is worth one point.
Good luck!
As always, send your answers to pieceofdust@gmail.com.
Photo Feature: Take the Bus!
Gas prices in Victoria B.C. on May 10th, 2007 (taken by Michael Davidson)If you have any pictures you would like to submit, please email them to pieceofdust@gmail.com. I have very few pictures lined up for these and would like to have more than one a week - they don't have to be nature related, but just interesting pictures.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Reducing the Impact of Plastic Bags
Ever since I wrote my list of things you can do to help the environment, I've wanted to follow it up with some in depth looks at a few of the ideas. Until now I have been a bit busy to do so, but an article I saw on Yahoo! News today prompted me to get writing.
As you may have guessed from the title, I'm going to talk about plastic bags - the ones you get whenever you go buy something at a store.
So what's the problem with plastic bags? Well, they're made from plastic for starters. Why is that bad? Plastics come from oil, and oil extraction creates many problems for the environment and for the people who happen to live in oil-rich countries. Oil is a non-renewable resource so using plastic bags reduces our oil supply. Plastic bags also take a long time to decompose. There are a few other hazards related to plastic bags, but the above two are the main reasons.
There are at least three options to help solve (or reduce) the problem:
1) Banning plastic bags: San Fransisco became the first city in North America to ban the bags and bans have followed in several cities, including Leaf Rapids, Manitoba. Other cities, like Tofino in BC have looked into a plastic bag tax. As seen in the above article, Ontario is making strides to reduce the number of plastic bags used in the province.
2) Personal choices: You can (or a business can) decide not to use plastic bags. I have not used a plastic bag in months and I have even been reusing my plastic bags for bulk things. A simple solution is to bring a cloth bag (or old plastic bags) to the grocery store and just tell the clerk you have your own bag (they like that because they usually don't have to bag the items!). Many stores, like Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Peppers Foods (in Victoria, B.C.) and Sainsbury's (a grocery store in the UK) have started using biodegradable bags (seel more on that below). Another approach stores can make is to start charging for plastic bags or to take money off of purchases if patrons use their own bags. These are all effective ways of encouraging environmentally friendly choices.
3) Biodegradable bags: As mentioned above, some stores have made the switch to biodegradable bags (that can just be thrown into the compost). For more information on these, check out Bio Bag. There site contains some good information on the bags the company makes.
So as you can see there are already many choices to dealing with plastic bags. Do what you can. Perhaps where you live, you can save money by not using plastic bags. Give it a try. You'll be doing a small part to help the environment. If enough people make the switch it makes a big difference!
As you may have guessed from the title, I'm going to talk about plastic bags - the ones you get whenever you go buy something at a store.
So what's the problem with plastic bags? Well, they're made from plastic for starters. Why is that bad? Plastics come from oil, and oil extraction creates many problems for the environment and for the people who happen to live in oil-rich countries. Oil is a non-renewable resource so using plastic bags reduces our oil supply. Plastic bags also take a long time to decompose. There are a few other hazards related to plastic bags, but the above two are the main reasons.
There are at least three options to help solve (or reduce) the problem:
1) Banning plastic bags: San Fransisco became the first city in North America to ban the bags and bans have followed in several cities, including Leaf Rapids, Manitoba. Other cities, like Tofino in BC have looked into a plastic bag tax. As seen in the above article, Ontario is making strides to reduce the number of plastic bags used in the province.
2) Personal choices: You can (or a business can) decide not to use plastic bags. I have not used a plastic bag in months and I have even been reusing my plastic bags for bulk things. A simple solution is to bring a cloth bag (or old plastic bags) to the grocery store and just tell the clerk you have your own bag (they like that because they usually don't have to bag the items!). Many stores, like Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Peppers Foods (in Victoria, B.C.) and Sainsbury's (a grocery store in the UK) have started using biodegradable bags (seel more on that below). Another approach stores can make is to start charging for plastic bags or to take money off of purchases if patrons use their own bags. These are all effective ways of encouraging environmentally friendly choices.
3) Biodegradable bags: As mentioned above, some stores have made the switch to biodegradable bags (that can just be thrown into the compost). For more information on these, check out Bio Bag. There site contains some good information on the bags the company makes.
So as you can see there are already many choices to dealing with plastic bags. Do what you can. Perhaps where you live, you can save money by not using plastic bags. Give it a try. You'll be doing a small part to help the environment. If enough people make the switch it makes a big difference!
Photo Feature: Halifax Harbour
Some boats in the Halifax Harbout (taken by Heather Davidson).If you have any pictures you would like to submit, please email them to pieceofdust@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Problem of the Day Part VI
Ok, so I'll admit I forgot last week and then it got closer to today so I waited a while. But I have some new stuff for you today.
First, the answers from two weeks ago:
Arrive on Time
Tricycle
Robin Hood
Three Degrees Below Zero (no one got this one)
Hi Ho Silver
Both Heather D and Carly G got 4 out of 5 and their points have been updated.
This weeks problems are fairly difficult and require a knowledge of the English language:
1. What is the longest word in the English language that has only one vowel? 2 points
2. Give as many examples as you can of words that don't have any of the traditional vowels (a, e, i, o u). One catch: they have to have at least 6 letters in the words. 1 point for each word
3. What word in the English language has 9 o's and 6 c's? 3 points
Good luck in your search!
Please email your responses to pieceofdust@gmail.com! Answers are due Monday May 14th at 11:59pm.
Since I missed last week I plan on giving another set of questions on Thursday. Keep your eye open for them.
First, the answers from two weeks ago:
Arrive on Time
Tricycle
Robin Hood
Three Degrees Below Zero (no one got this one)
Hi Ho Silver
Both Heather D and Carly G got 4 out of 5 and their points have been updated.
This weeks problems are fairly difficult and require a knowledge of the English language:
1. What is the longest word in the English language that has only one vowel? 2 points
2. Give as many examples as you can of words that don't have any of the traditional vowels (a, e, i, o u). One catch: they have to have at least 6 letters in the words. 1 point for each word
3. What word in the English language has 9 o's and 6 c's? 3 points
Good luck in your search!
Please email your responses to pieceofdust@gmail.com! Answers are due Monday May 14th at 11:59pm.
Since I missed last week I plan on giving another set of questions on Thursday. Keep your eye open for them.
Countdown of My Favourite Children's Books: #1
We've finally reached number one on my list after 4 long weeks, you finall get to know what my all-time favourite children's book is. Before we begin, here is a recap of the last four posts I've done: week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4.
A quick recap of the first nine:
10. The Berenstain Bears Series
9. Where the Wild Things Are
8. Matthew's Midnight Adventures
7. Princess Smartypants
6. Love You Forever
5. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
4. Oh, The Places You'll Go!
3. The Paper Bag Princess
2. The Lorax
1. The Eleventh Hour (Graeme Base): I said last week that it was my analytical mind that this is the number one book and anyone who has read this will understand why. The Eleventh Hour (note: this link contains a spolier!) is about Horace (an Elephant) who plans his 11th Birthday Party (on November the 11th no less). Eleven guests are invited to eat eleven dishes of food and play eleven games. The story focuses on this party but with a twist. At the end of the story, the big feast is stolen. No one knows who it is, but the book goes on to tell you that there are clues hidden throughout the book (and boy are there clues!). The first time I read this book I was in grade 5 and our class tried feverishly to figure out who did it (don't worry I won't spoil the fun). Recently I bought a copy of the book so that I could look through the pictures for the clues. Even as an adult (and I knew who did it) I had fun looking through the pages.
The pictures are amazing (as anyone who has seen Graeme Base's work - including Animalia, The Sign of the Seahorse, and many others - will know). I have fond memories of this book and it is one of the few I actually remember vividly reading when I was younger (though no doubt there are many I read over and over). For more information on Greame Base, check his website.
I hope this list has been enjoyable. Feel free to comment on your favourite books from your childhood. I will be adding some honourable mentions next week of books I enjoy and had a hard time not adding to this list.
A quick recap of the first nine:
10. The Berenstain Bears Series
9. Where the Wild Things Are
8. Matthew's Midnight Adventures
7. Princess Smartypants
6. Love You Forever
5. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
4. Oh, The Places You'll Go!
3. The Paper Bag Princess
2. The Lorax
1. The Eleventh Hour (Graeme Base): I said last week that it was my analytical mind that this is the number one book and anyone who has read this will understand why. The Eleventh Hour (note: this link contains a spolier!) is about Horace (an Elephant) who plans his 11th Birthday Party (on November the 11th no less). Eleven guests are invited to eat eleven dishes of food and play eleven games. The story focuses on this party but with a twist. At the end of the story, the big feast is stolen. No one knows who it is, but the book goes on to tell you that there are clues hidden throughout the book (and boy are there clues!). The first time I read this book I was in grade 5 and our class tried feverishly to figure out who did it (don't worry I won't spoil the fun). Recently I bought a copy of the book so that I could look through the pictures for the clues. Even as an adult (and I knew who did it) I had fun looking through the pages.The pictures are amazing (as anyone who has seen Graeme Base's work - including Animalia, The Sign of the Seahorse, and many others - will know). I have fond memories of this book and it is one of the few I actually remember vividly reading when I was younger (though no doubt there are many I read over and over). For more information on Greame Base, check his website.
I hope this list has been enjoyable. Feel free to comment on your favourite books from your childhood. I will be adding some honourable mentions next week of books I enjoy and had a hard time not adding to this list.
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