tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28675248355689455892024-03-13T19:34:19.399-07:00Blogito Ergo Sum"E-musings"Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-2309720229506643052011-05-09T09:52:00.000-07:002011-05-09T09:58:33.491-07:00To read (in the summer), or not to read? That is the question.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs2ZzhjrDQiw00Mx8fcMwEt0Dm7flSwIBnNJFvBYgoXV5hquwOv79FjHIVZBfrBm7KCBLUMcBp0B3btVhtKopWIngKg8wTacUT_MLz_c8T86pHfGe_NmAZ5iGkZcT0Dtabo8we7T6U_z8F/s1600/Man+Vacation.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs2ZzhjrDQiw00Mx8fcMwEt0Dm7flSwIBnNJFvBYgoXV5hquwOv79FjHIVZBfrBm7KCBLUMcBp0B3btVhtKopWIngKg8wTacUT_MLz_c8T86pHfGe_NmAZ5iGkZcT0Dtabo8we7T6U_z8F/s200/Man+Vacation.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604761530711180386" /></a><br />As the final installment to my literacy series this year, I would like to outline some tangible ways to promote reading during the summer holidays.<br /><br />For most of us adults, one of the great joys of any vacation is to read a compelling book uninterrupted by the mundane tasks that normally occupy our lives. Although I am quite dogged about reading for pleasure every day, I realize many people simply do not make reading a daily priority. This leaves the holiday period for catching up on unfinished novels or tearing through the latest thriller or biography. However, I realize this is not always the case for all of our children.<br /><br />LCC is fortunate to have a strong core of students who are avid readers. Nevertheless, some of our students would prefer to do just about anything else than read. We are doing our best to promote reading through greater choice of texts in literature circles, the school-wide books selected by the LCC Reads Committee and the reading lists at every grade level. As English teachers, we understand that reading is based more on preference and interest than on proscription. This is why we are moving away from studying only core texts and in the direction of greater choice.<br /><br />In collaboration with the librarians and students, we in the English Department choose books for the reading lists that we feel are age appropriate and span a variety of reading interests and abilities. We strongly encourage students to consider carefully the choices they make by doing some Internet research and talking to older students about the books they enjoyed. Also, at the beginning of the school year, students share the books they have read over the summer, thereby promoting texts to their peers.<br /> <br />Although the choice of text is the single most important factor in a student’s successful completion of a book, there are other ways you can help at home to encourage your children to read over the summer. One idea you might explore is a technology- and activity-free hour every day. Set aside one hour when everyone in the family is quietly reading a book. This program, known more formally as “Drop Everything And Read” (“DEAR”), is an excellent way to promote reading. Parents model good reading habits and children spend more time in front of a book than they would normally in front of a screen. If you institute this regimen, you may encounter initial resistance. However, if you stick with it, I guarantee you will see positive results.<br /><br />Some parents have an aversion to rewards systems; nonetheless, I would encourage you to celebrate your children’s reading achievements. You could establish a rewards program, whereby when your child finishes a book or a certain number of books you reward him/her with something special. I do warn you to make sure your child has actually read the book by asking a few questions. If you are reading the same text, which I highly recommend, you will have knowledge of the contents. If you have not read the book, you can scan the text, read the blurb and do a little Internet research. Open-ended questions, like “What did you like/dislike about the book?” or “What did you learn from the central character?,” work best, as they allow your child to speak freely about what they have read.<br /><br />I have mentioned in previous articles that reading to your children is a very positive way to promote reading. Even teenagers enjoy listening to adults read books aloud. I would suggest you choose humorous or action-packed books for this activity. Reading a book in a serial fashion can create a desire for the next installment. Therefore, I would suggest you always try to read to a section in the book that will have your children craving more—a cliffhanger moment, for example.<br /><br />For long car rides, I strongly recommend talking books. Of course, you will need to choose texts that appeal to everyone in the family. If you need advice on appropriate texts, I would suggest you speak with librarians, teachers, family friends and book store employees. Listening to a great story will wile away the long hours you may spend traveling to your vacation destination.<br /> <br />Above all, as I have written before, make reading a fun and pleasurable activity in your family. Summer reading can enhance students’ skills and foster their appreciation for (and, ideally, their love of) the written word. However, if it is seen as a chore or something only to be “done for school,” resistance will mount. If all else fails, you may want to share with your child the immortal words of Groucho Marx: “I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book.” Enjoy the halcyon days, everyone.Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-58731352865354368952011-03-15T06:27:00.000-07:002011-03-15T06:39:17.500-07:00Death, Disaster and Warfare: Have a Nice Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0rVclfoq_Omv8Sn4-jTLhHuVM9RKPqpfcvM3qhAX10O1wHlft1iO7-w2chFCfVEoAXh8x02kw1MZm0vX2Yf7rI0cZ8lFCmThuA5X01FsjfCx88X52cOmg6ejuaH2cIHZdoCPPKP4YNSX/s1600/disaster_movie01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0rVclfoq_Omv8Sn4-jTLhHuVM9RKPqpfcvM3qhAX10O1wHlft1iO7-w2chFCfVEoAXh8x02kw1MZm0vX2Yf7rI0cZ8lFCmThuA5X01FsjfCx88X52cOmg6ejuaH2cIHZdoCPPKP4YNSX/s200/disaster_movie01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584300812371724114" /></a><br />In recent days, we have witnessed the devastation of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, intense socio-political upheaval in the Middle East and the absurd meltdown of Charlie Sheen. Of course, the latter is inane, not life-threatening to anyone but Sheen himself (and perhaps a few suicidal “Sheenites”) and a clear reflection of the madness of popular culture, Twitter, etc. However, the former two news items affect vast populations of people; their ripple effects are global and significant. At times like these, it is easy to lose perspective and think, “OMG, the sky is falling!” And for some the sky is falling—in the form of nuclear radiation; therefore, I do not intend to make light of their plight. <br /><br />In any event, curious to learn more about the relative human effects of natural disasters and warfare, I did a little Wikipedia research and discovered that Mother Nature and Father War have wreaked far greater havoc with lowly Humankind than we have seen in the past month or so. For example, the Shaanxi earthquake of 1556 killed an estimated 830,000 people. I’m not sure about the fidelity of record-keeping back then, but that’s a whopping big number any way you slice it. More recently, in 2004, the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami wiped out about 230,000 individuals—and it’s only sixth on the list of earthquake “genocides.” The current death toll in the Middle East conflicts in Egypt and Libya (and several other countries) is in the tens of thousands. It is no surprise that WWII, including the Sin-Japanese War, takes the laurel wreath for this one, with an estimated death toll of anywhere from forty to seventy million. These figures are staggering: double the current population of Canada!<br /><br />As I was perusing these figures, I came across some other little tidbits that gave me pause. Did you know that the Aztecs are alleged to have ritually sacrificed upwards of 1.5 million of their own? The European colonization of Africa and Asia (from the late 1700s to the late 1900s) killed an estimated high of sixty million souls. And the European colonization of the Americas, apparently ongoing from 1492, has killed an estimated high of 200 million people.<br /><br />What is my point? Whereas Mother Nature is indifferent towards disasters and genocide, Father War has a vested interest in warfare and annihilation. Of course, this is the big difference: the former (Carl Jung’s anima) is natural and not pre-ordained; the latter (animus) is unnatural and willful. Will there always be warfare and natural disasters? I would be willing to wager heavily on the positive response to this question. No matter how much we would like to think otherwise, we cannot control Human or Mother Nature. Stuff happens. And if you don’t believe the facts, just look at Charlie Sheen…Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-28257751661604763762011-03-14T11:31:00.000-07:002011-03-15T05:39:47.264-07:00Air Canada Gets It...<span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif;font-size:11px;" ><div class="wrapper_0_20_0_0" style="font-family: arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 11px; float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><div id="storyheader" style="font-family: arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding: 10px 0px; width: 620px;"><div class="headline" style="font-family: arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding: 0px 0px 5px;"><h1 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 26px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;">Air Canada gets it</h1></div><div class="clear" style="font-family: arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 1px; clear: both; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; margin-top: -1px;"> </div><div class="subheadline" style="font-family: arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><h2 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;"></h2></div><div class="clear" style="font-family: arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 1px; clear: both; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; margin-top: -1px;"> </div><div class="byline" style=";font-family:arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><span class="name" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 15px 5px 0px;font-family:arial;font-size:11px;" >THE GAZETTE</span> <span class="timestamp" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-transform: uppercase; padding: 0px 15px 5px 0px;font-family:arial;font-size:11px;" >MARCH 12, 2011</span><span id="lblComment" class="comments"></span></div><div class="clear" style="font-family: arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 1px; clear: both; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; margin-top: -1px;"> </div></div></div><div class="clear" style="font-family: arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 1px; clear: both; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; margin-top: -1px;"> </div><div id="story_content" class="para14" style="margin-top: 5px;font-family:arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><div class="col_480" style="width: 480px; float: left;font-family:arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><div class="col_460" style="width: 460px; float: left; overflow: hidden;font-family:arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><div id="storycontent" class="para18" style="line-height: 20px; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); width: auto;font-family:arial;font-size:12px;"><div id="page1" style="line-height: 22px;font-family:arial,verdana,'Lucida Grande',sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><p style="text-align: justify; width: auto; line-height: 22px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span">Air Canada did what the NHL failed to do: send a clear message on head shots. If more corporate sponsors spoke up in this fashion, the league would be forced to take action. The beautiful sport of hockey is being marred by selfish, violent acts and, consequently, losing some of its best players, e.g., Sidney Crosby.</span></span></p><p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px;font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Brian Moore</span></p><p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px;font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:100%;">N.D.G.</span></p><p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px;font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For full text: http://www.montrealgazette.com </span></p><p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px;font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:100%;">search: "Air Canada gets it"</span></p><p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px;font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:100%;">© </span></p><p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px;font-size:14px;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette</span></p></div></div></div></div></div><span><br /><br /><br /></span></span>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-5702149541166872772011-02-11T21:44:00.000-08:002011-03-14T12:01:04.447-07:00The Right to Know<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><div class="wrapper_0_20_0_0" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; float: left; padding-right: 20px; "><div id="storyheader" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; width: 620px; "><div class="headline" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; "><h1 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 26px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; ">The right to know</h1></div><div class="clear" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 1px; clear: both; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-top: -1px; "> </div><div class="subheadline" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; "><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; "></h2></div><div class="clear" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 1px; clear: both; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-top: -1px; "> </div><div class="byline" style=" ;font-family:arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><span class="name" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: bold; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; font-family:arial;font-size:11px;">THE GAZETTE</span> <span class="timestamp" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); text-transform: uppercase; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 15px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; font-family:arial;font-size:11px;">FEBRUARY 10, 2011</span><span id="lblComment" class="comments"></span></div><div class="clear" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 1px; clear: both; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-top: -1px; "> </div></div></div><div class="clear" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 1px; clear: both; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; margin-top: -1px; "> </div><div id="story_content" class="para14" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px; "><div class="col_480" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; width: 480px; float: left; "><div class="col_460" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; width: 460px; float: left; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><div id="storycontent" class="para18" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); width: auto; "><div id="page1" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; "><p size="14px" style=" width: auto; line-height: 22px; "><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">(“Secret Society” series) Thank you to Peggy Curran and the editorial staff for addressing mismanagement of public monies. As taxpayers, we should have the right to access information on the allocation of all public expenditures. Without transparent accountability in Quebec, corruption will continue to flourish, our hard-earned salaries will continue to be ravaged by increased taxes and the average person will not be able to sustain the mounting tax burden. The province’s privacy and access to information laws should protect the individual taxpayer, not corrupt politicians and those who benefit from their lust for power and greed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p><p size="14px" style=" width: auto; line-height: 22px; ">Brian Moore N.D.G.</p><p style="font-size: 14px; width: auto; line-height: 22px; ">For full text: http://www.montrealgazette.com</p><p style="font-size: 14px; width: auto; line-height: 22px; ">Search: "The right to know"</p><p style="font-size: 14px; width: auto; line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><br /></span></p><p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette</span></p></div></div></div></div></div><span><br /><br /></span></span>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-3961258665552968902011-01-15T08:31:00.000-08:002011-01-15T08:42:16.988-08:00Happy Reading in 2011<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;text-indent: 36pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; ">Now that the excitement of the holidays has abated and we settle back into our normal routines, we have an opportunity to re-establish the daily reading practices we might have cast aside during the pressure-packed social season.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;text-indent: 36pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; ">Parents ask me about creating a reading climate in the home—an invaluable asset for personal and intellectual growth. Although there is not one tried and true approach, I can offer some suggestions that will assist you in fostering and, in some cases, re-kindling (pardon the pun) your child’s interest in reading.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri">I have mentioned in previous articles that it is imperative to begin by focusing on your child’s passions. If your son or daughter is an avid hockey fan, for example, you can start with the Sports section of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Montreal Gazette</i>. You can share with your child articles that you find interesting, whether they be Red Fisher’s “Red Line” on Saturdays or Stephanie Myles’ daily column that gleans entertaining items from other sources. You may want to give your child a subscription to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Sports Illustrated for Kids</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Sports Illustrated </i>or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Hockey News</i>. Sports biographies and autobiographies are also excellent resources for stimulating young fans’ interest in reading. Of course, I am referring only to the world of hockey. However, you can find print material and online resources for any hobby or activity your child finds fascinating.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri">To adapt Ernest Hemingway’s famous phrase, all one needs is a “clean, well-lighted place” to cozy up with a good book, magazine, newspaper or e-reader. In fact, you don’t even need light if you have an Apple iPad. Create attractive spaces in your home away from the television where you and your children can read either alone or together. As reading is usually a private act, reading nooks tend to be the most desirable areas for snuggling up on a cold winter’s evening to enjoy the pleasures of an alluring story. In any event, a comfortable chair or sofa and light are the bare necessities.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri">As e-readers become more popular, books and bookshelves may eventually disappear. Although this reality makes me sad, as I am an avowed bibliophile with a personal library of about two thousand books, I realize that technologies change. After all, we are no longer reading papyrus scrolls. However, creating a home library over time is a wonderful way to foster reading. Not only is a wall of books attractive, but it also contains millions of words and ideas that may be absorbed by your family. A library is a sanctuary, a physical space that cannot be replaced by an electronic screen.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:36.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri">Finally, show your children that reading is a worthwhile activity. Once they are beyond the age of bedtime stories, continue to model good reading habits. Read on a daily basis. Talk about the books you are reading. Leave good books lying around for your children to pick up in a casual way. Take your children to the local library and bookstore. Above all, show them that reading is a positive, fun activity. Readers tend not to be bored or lonely, as they can always find stimulation and companionship in the printed word. In the immortal words of Groucho Marx, “</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt;font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia; color:#260001">Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”</span><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-46239160174146545032010-10-19T08:40:00.000-07:002010-10-19T08:51:13.844-07:00How to Combat Reading Lags<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JIy0v5eyZ_qZrxLkJIFwLVoJZR2HrBW3AeRigkV8M67Lwwio5XtIFaKCuUK2BvVXemPdVrCO8Sr2tuRsH4eR2lXcJQeeOGLN1cNWJOGZZR6xZd1-jjNhzN28RL7QqxGayMZGG9aCQrV_/s1600/Reading.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JIy0v5eyZ_qZrxLkJIFwLVoJZR2HrBW3AeRigkV8M67Lwwio5XtIFaKCuUK2BvVXemPdVrCO8Sr2tuRsH4eR2lXcJQeeOGLN1cNWJOGZZR6xZd1-jjNhzN28RL7QqxGayMZGG9aCQrV_/s200/Reading.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529783355589292386" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;">According to reading specialist Paul Kropp (Canadian author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">How to Make Your Child a Reader for Life</i>), children tend to experience reading lags as they begin elementary school, again around grade four and, finally, when they enter high school. Although the reasons for these lags are not absolute, severable variables are at play.</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;">When children undergo significant transitions, e.g., parent-child separation upon school entrance or moving to a new school, daily routines like reading at bedtime may become disrupted. In the case of boys, peer influences may supersede activities like reading. Around ages eight to ten, boys begin to view reading as “uncool” and prefer to engage in physical and tactile activities, like sports and video games. In early adolescence, when boys and girls are going through puberty, their interests turn to one another and away from books.</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;">Parents often ask me what they can do to combat these reading lags. Rest assured, children who live in literate households where the printed word is valued will pass through these reading lulls and return to their love of books with very little prompting from their parents. If your child falls into this category, I would recommend patience, some gentle prodding, like recommending books, and continuing to practice the literate approach you have already cultivated. Trust me, they will come around in mid- to late-adolescence. Forcing the issue too much may backfire, as teenagers are more likely to do the polar opposite of what their parents suggest. As a father of four and a teacher of many over the years, I can also advise you against reverse psychology. Our children are far too smart to be taken in by our legerdemain.</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;">The following concrete suggestions should help you combat the dreaded reading lag.</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;">The first step is to create a home atmosphere where books, magazines and newspapers are the norm, not the exception. Even though all newspapers are available online, subscribe to a daily paper. The newspaper is often the only print our children see us reading for pleasure during the day. Eventually, they will become curious enough to read the paper themselves. Doing the daily puzzles and reading the cartoons, especially <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">with</i> your children, are also fun ways to interact with the paper. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Gazette</i> offers a weekly page for young students that includes word games and puzzles. In addition, subscribe to magazines for yourself and your children. Just as you may be fascinated by current events and read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Economist</i>, your child may be passionate about sports and read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Sports Illustrated</i>. (There is even a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Sports Illustrated for Kids</i>.)</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;">Engaging in literate activities outside the home is also extremely important. The cheapest and easiest way to do this is to take advantage of your local library. Going to the library with your child on a regular basis is a great way to cultivate the love of reading, not to mention a very pleasant parent-child experience. Libraries also offer cultural activities, reading clubs and competitions that may stimulate your child. Although they may be more expensive, occasional trips to a bookstore are imperative. Letting your children purchase their own books indicates that you value books and respect their interests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As teenagers often do not want to be seen with their parents, you may want to just make sure their library card is current and give them gift certificates to Chapters on an annual basis, for example.</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;">Although this may seem odd to you, continuing to read with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">and</i> to your children throughout adolescence is a positive way to combat the reading lag. Share the books you are reading, but do not foist them on your unwilling children. When you are commuting or going on family road trips, listen to audio books. Talk about books, current events and popular culture at the family dinner table. Show your children that you are interested in their passions. Above all, be an active reader yourself and leave plenty of reading material lying around the house.</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: justify;">Knowing and cultivating your children’s interests will reap life-long benefits. Supplementing their passions through reading, whether it be books about the sports they play or their favorite singer or actor, is an excellent way to show them you care about what they care about and to get to know your children on a deeper level. If you sense a reading lag, do not despair or overreact, simply follow the guidelines I have outlined above. However, whatever you do, do not tell them I said so. Remember, they are intelligent beings who sense overt attempts to improve them. Nonchalant subterfuge is often the best approach.</p> <!--EndFragment-->Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-88175889282293645502010-09-20T07:19:00.000-07:002010-09-20T07:29:26.005-07:00The Importance of the "Gateway" Book<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gSlNhM3fKA4/StyRdlJBRwI/AAAAAAAAHG4/URJYNIGSDdM/s320/magic+gate+art+blank+leather+book.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gSlNhM3fKA4/StyRdlJBRwI/AAAAAAAAHG4/URJYNIGSDdM/s320/magic+gate+art+blank+leather+book.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Book that Changed my Life</i>, seventy-one writers reflect on the texts that had the biggest influence on them when they were children, adolescents or young adults. Some, like novelist Elizabeth Berg, whose life was changed by reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Catcher in the Rye</i>, cite a single volume: “I couldn’t sit still after I read that book. It was the literary aphrodisiac to end all literary aphrodisiacs.” Others, like Yale University’s Harold Bloom, cannot nominate just one book. The closest he can get is the complete works of Shakespeare. Regardless, all fledgling writers have literary epiphanies that compel them to create their own works, whether they are poems, essays, plays, novels, articles or blogs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even if one does not become a professional writer, the pleasures of reading engender the enduring benefits of learning about the human condition, experiencing the lives of others, both real and fictional, and gaining knowledge about the myriad mysteries of life, our world and the universe. Whether one is reading in print or online, the experience gives one the comfort that no one is alone and the awareness that knowledge is limitless. As the poet Billy Collins observes, “We read in order to travel, or be borne, to that other place [beyond our own reality] and thus interrupt the curse of having only one life to lead.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even though I lived in a literate household with plenty of printed material lying around for the taking, I would not have classified myself as a serious reader prior to my mid-teens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I like to share with my students that my life-altering book was Kurt Vonnegut’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Breakfast of Champions</i>. When I read this novel in 1974, at the impressionable age of fifteen, I had the sudden insight that reading can be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">pleasurable </i>activity, not a chore or something I had to do only for school. Vonnegut’s satirical and somewhat taboo sense of humour appealed to me in a way that no other writer’s sensibility had up to that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>From that book on, I was hooked. Thirty-six years later, words still transport my imagination to places and states of mind I may never experience otherwise. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">On some level, perhaps instinctively, I have come to realize that reading is highly personal and based entirely on one’s interests and personality. This is why I always counsel parents to find books that will appeal to their children’s passions. The fire of reading can be lit by a single text, so do your best as a parent to search out titles that will provide the spark. If you are having trouble locating this “gateway” book, contact, your child’s teachers and school librarians, your local library or bookstore. I maintain that every child can become an avid reader, but only if he or she associates reading with pleasure, not drudgery. If a person gets hooked on books, the habit of reading will become second nature and intellectual growth will be a matter of course. And, to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, who knows the places they will go…</p> <!--EndFragment-->Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-35544675259291955492010-04-05T08:23:00.000-07:002010-04-05T09:23:36.324-07:00"What's a Tie, Daddy?"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBRQZLJ0WHhBrjymfPmhidSr353fk4zGnfgEIPgshhCtLEhu_15AF22Jkrzj-lwZQaaS_IZ7EH6MSEIKVq-jdYNrfX6Gfle7aTpEypnNxCgw-ZcFDg8ZOmaDrbNoFKyi9IdRUVKZUBrwV/s320/12-7-08+Indy+(33)+Regulation+score+tied.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBRQZLJ0WHhBrjymfPmhidSr353fk4zGnfgEIPgshhCtLEhu_15AF22Jkrzj-lwZQaaS_IZ7EH6MSEIKVq-jdYNrfX6Gfle7aTpEypnNxCgw-ZcFDg8ZOmaDrbNoFKyi9IdRUVKZUBrwV/s320/12-7-08+Indy+(33)+Regulation+score+tied.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The other day my nine-year-old son asked, "What's a tie, Daddy?" A<i> tie</i>? What's a <i>tie</i>? He was referring not to a fashion item, but to an even final score score in sports. Initially flummoxed, I recovered by saying, "A tie is when the final score in a game remains even, like 2-2." My son, an otherwise observant and astute little man, did not possess the concept of <i>tie</i> in his capacious brain because in North American major league sports a tie score is rare. Overtime has replaced what was once the final outcome after regulation time. If two teams battle to a tie in hockey, basketball, football and, of course, baseball, they must resolve the deadlock with an overtime period, inning and/or shootout. This is not quite true, as NFL regular season games can remain tied after overtime. However, as these tie matches are few and far between, my son may never have witnessed one. Why is it that ties are no longer acceptable? Even in soccer, the world's most popular sport, matches can remain tied during the regular season. I can understand the necessity of tie-breaks in the playoffs, but what compels us to determine a winner of a regular season game? My inference is that North American society cannot abide the irresolution of a stalemate because of our increasingly Darwinian nature. There must be winners and losers; "tie-ers" are <i>verboten </i>(the word doesn't even exist). The terrorists must be defeated. We cannot accept that two teams played equally well. One team must be better; one team must be worse. One army must win; one army must lose. Like Newtonian physics, for every winner in society, there must be "an equal and opposite" loser. Ties were part of a kinder, gentler age, when sportsmanship and the quality of the match counted more than the outcome. The old adage "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" is no longer common parlance. A tie score is wishy-washy, namby-pamby; it is not acceptable in our winner-takes-all, Malthusian world. This is a shame, as tie scores say to humanity: "Ultimately, we can respect one another's will to play as well as possible without necessarily determining a winner and a loser." The simple concept of bringing back the tie in North American major league sports has far-reaching implications for restoring civility. But who's going to buy this? It's too late. Overtime is here to stay; ties are passé. "Whatever you do, son, do not walk away from a tie score."Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-43771706460166414362010-02-27T11:20:00.000-08:002010-02-27T21:28:00.568-08:00Pone the Odium @ the 2010 Vancouver Olympics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sfoi.org/images/2010%20Olympics.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 558px; height: 800px;" src="http://sfoi.org/images/2010%20Olympics.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>You may be aware, dear reader, of Canada's "Own the Podium" campaign (http://www.ownthepodium2010.com/) that has been gathering momentum and controversy since its inception. The funding generated by this unprecedented effort to support Canada's athletes has earned both praise and derision. The US Olympians joked about how they were going to "rent the podium" in Vancouver. At the time of writing (early on February 27, 2010: the penultimate day of the Games), Canada lies in third place of the medal count with the most golds--ten. Our population is about one-tenth that of the US and less than half that of Germany, the two leaders in the total medal count. However, Norway, with a population of under five million, is fourth, not far behind. Frankly, even though I have been patriotically watching many of the Olympic events, I am conflicted about the excessive commercialism and jingoism. If I see one more trite product billing itself as the official such-and-such of the 2010 Olympics, I may not be responsible for my actions. However, I did buy at The Bay a beautiful Canada winter hat with earflaps. The Olympic spirit, rooted in amateur athleticism for the joy of sports, has been tarnished over the years by performance-enhancing drugs, spoiled, wealthy professional athletes and commercial excess. Nonetheless, one catches glimpses of what is inspiring about the Games: Alexandre Bilodeau's gold medal run in moguls skiing, with his disabled brother cheering him on; Joannie Frechette's bronze medal performance in women's figure skating only days after her mother's sudden death; Jon Montgomery's skeleton gold and subsequent partying in the Olympic village when he was drinking straight from a pitcher of beer; the "Snow Leopard" from Ghana, the first winter Olympian from his country, who finished 52nd in the slalom. Every two years, the world comes together to follow the Olympics, at least those who have access to cable and/or the Internet. We raise the flag, sing the anthem and tingle the old nerves when we support our country's athletes. And when one of our own wins a medal, we rejoice. With the billions of dollars, all the hype and politics that go into every Games, is it worth it? I am not sure we can accurately assess the Olympics' value to humanity. However, over the past two weeks, I have been moved by the tenacity of the human spirit. Okay, so it's not the gravity of the Haitian earthquake; but if you strip away the excessive commercialism and rampant nationalism, you can see the essence of what makes athletics uplifting. Odium aside and some downside, lest we deride, there is a podium upside--owned, rented, leased or merely over vied. </div>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-70141344250641494702010-01-09T09:04:00.000-08:002010-01-09T09:45:59.093-08:00The Apex and Nadir of Modernism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.corcoran.org/shop/images/Modernism_Feature.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 334px; height: 386px;" src="http://www.corcoran.org/shop/images/Modernism_Feature.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>If we agree that one of the prime tenets of Modernism is rooted in individual freedom of expression and freedom of choice, I would posit that we have actually reached simultaneously the apex and nadir of our approximately 500-year journey. On the up side, in the so-called free world, we do have the freedom to pursue our individualism in pretty much any way we please, as long as we do not contravene the laws of the land. On the down side, in the so-called free world, we have the freedom to pursue our individualism in pretty much any way we please, as long as we do not contravene the laws of the land. Has Modernism reached its <i>reductio ad absurdum</i>? In other words, are we now so fettered by our "freedom" that we no longer have the capacity to know we are free? With an iPod bud in every ear, an LCD image in every eye, the pervasive redolence of plastic, a touch of silicon for good measure and a soupcon of individual pleasure, do we not have all the ingredients to pursue our desires in any way we see fit? We stand on Everest, our flag of individualism planted firmly by one hand and our cell phone in the other, broadcasting to the world that we have reached the summit of our heroic lives; we wallow in Silicon Valley, our Facebook page controlled by one hand and our cell phone in the other, texting (or even worse, Twittering) to the world the most banal bumf of our trivial lives. Of course, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's dictum comes to mind: "Man is born free, but [or <i>and</i>, depending on the translation] everywhere he is in chains." What is our current <i>social contract</i> and does it come with an extended warranty? or no money down until January 2011? Frankly, I think the fine print has to be more closely scrutinized because our current far-sightedness (ironic, isn't it?) does not enable us to see the essential truths of decent human conduct in a caring world of compassion. Cast aside the frills and we are all the same species, governed by the same general rules, headed for the same fate and no better or worse than the other six billion of us inhabiting our planet or the billions who have trod here before. <i>Memento mori</i></div>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-79707082609425062102009-12-06T07:25:00.000-08:002009-12-06T07:50:21.325-08:00Signs of Christmas Abound<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/original/upside-down-christmas-tree.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/original/upside-down-christmas-tree.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Maybe it's the poor economy or people's poorer attention spans, but I don't think I've ever seen so much Christmas shilling. Of course, as soon as the Halloween pumpkins were smashed, the Christmas decorations, i.e., advertisements, began to blanket the horizon like a late fall blizzard. And just when I thought I'd witnessed the commercialism saturation point, I saw a Guinness sign in a certain establishment advertising St. Patrick's Day. Now, to be fair, I'm not sure if the sign is from last year's Celtic celebration or alerting us to 2010's frothy festivities. However, two thoughts sprang to mind when I saw the banner. The first one was the aforementioned observation on the sign's vintage; the second was, "Anyone who drinks Guinness does not need a reminder about March 17." I realize advertisers have only one goal: seducing the almighty consumer. Everyone is a potential spender. But I wonder if people can see the forest for the Christmas trees, so to speak. So many ads bombard our senses we have become desensitized. Do we really see the ads right in front of our faces? And even if we do, do we pay them any heed? Canada has suddenly adopted America's sacred "Black Friday." What's next? White Christmas? And I mean "white" in the sense of devoid of colour, as in I blanche in horror at the sight of my January credit card statement. Or Green Christmas, as in the American greenback, the currency of all currencies? When will it all end? Will we be consumed by our own insatiable desire for consumption? Has it already happened? And, as my good friend Dr. P likes to say, "Do one billion Chinese really give a damn?" (or words to that effect).Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-82452423042101153832009-11-29T09:18:00.000-08:002009-11-29T09:46:39.160-08:00Technological Imperialist Imperative<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/exhibitions/boland/images/memorabilia/images/typewriter_jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 528px; height: 550px;" src="http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/exhibitions/boland/images/memorabilia/images/typewriter_jpg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#551A8B;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span style="color:#003299;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Western society has accepted as unquestionable a technological imperative that is quite as arbitrary as the most primitive taboo: not merely the duty to foster invention and constantly to create technological novelties, but equally the duty to surrender to these novelties unconditionally, just because they are offered, without respect to their human consequences.”-- </span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="color:#003299;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Lewis Mumford (1934)</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;color:#979797;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span><span style="color:#979797;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Mumford wrote these words in his <i>Technics and Civilization</i>, a book about the historical and sociological impact of technology on culture. As we are currently living through a monumental paradigm shift, we tend to lose sight of previous technologies and their dramatic influence on humankind and the planet. The clock, the printing press, the steam engine, to name a few, transformed the way people live, work and play. What Mumford is implying in the above quote is critical reflection on technology, particularly in terms of its impact on humanity. Where are the contemporary voices of the people? Where are the critics? Are they out there and not heard? Are they quelled by the "mediaocracy"? Or are they, like the characters in Aldous Huxley's <i>Brave New World</i>, pacified by the <i>soma</i> of technology? Where are the Huxleys, the Orwells, the Mumfords? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-77025800347327698322009-11-06T11:01:00.000-08:002009-11-06T11:27:41.540-08:00To Purell, or not to Purell...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.boingboing.net/200709271436.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.boingboing.net/200709271436.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The threat of the H1N1 virus lurking on every surface has engendered a new word in our rapidly expanding lexicon of "verbified" proper nouns a la Google. To Purell, or not to Purell: that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the hand to suffer the germs and microbes of outrageous illness, or to take arms... . Alas, dear reader, I think you get the point. In our sanitized world, we often lose sight of the reality of disease and, G_d forbid, resulting death. Taking reasonable precautions against contracting common illnesses is one thing; becoming a manic, hysterical person exhibiting signs of OCD is quite another. How many people have you seen lately who "Purell" immediately after touching any surface or coming into contact with the flesh of another human being? Children are no longer allowed to shake hands after hockey games. Adults air kiss one another. Don't get me wrong. I am not keen to contract the H1N1 virus or any flu, for that matter. Yes, I will take the proper precautions, e. g., get the vaccination, if my turn ever comes up. However, I am not going to live in a hermetically sealed bubble until flu season passes. At this point, we are much more at risk of losing our common sense than our good health. My advice is to remain calm and not rush for the clinics at the first sign of illness. This too shall pass. And another flu strain, perhaps more virulent than H1N1, will come along next season, <i>ad infinitum</i>...Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-54120207957623164882009-10-31T11:14:00.000-07:002009-10-31T11:19:19.556-07:00"The Question Holds the Lantern"I came across the following piece in <i>The Sun</i> magazine, one of my favourite publications. The sentiments expressed by John O'Donohue are universal and prophetic. Take the time to read and digest his words: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px;font-size:14px;"><a href="http://www.jodonohue.com/reflections/">http://www.jodonohue.com/reflections/</a></span></span>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-26600726646257180862009-10-24T08:07:00.000-07:002009-10-24T08:28:56.481-07:00Tie One On...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.wonkette.com/images/tie%20me%20up.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 373px;" src="http://www.wonkette.com/images/tie%20me%20up.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Walking away from school on Royal Avenue, I overheard a mother ask her seven-year-old (?) daughter, "Have you been eating your tie?"; to which she responded, "Just a little bit." The mother then said, "I told you not to!"<div><br /></div><div>Surfing for a suitable picture for this post, I came across this one. The guys in this photo are obviously inebriated. I have no idea who they are, but I can tell the guy on the right is pretty strange. Not that the guy on the left isn't strange too, but at least he's not eating someone else's tie. Either the guy on the right has a bizarre tie fetish or the appetizers at the event he's attending are grossly inadequate. In any event, he looks like he could skip a few meals...or ties!</div><div><br /></div><div>I have worn a tie every workday for 23 years, and I have never felt the compunction to eat any one of my ties--even though some actually have pictures of food on them. Then again, I have never been inebriated at work. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lesson learned: Try to avoid ties when you're drinking. You never know what might happen. Someone might nibble on your tie. And if you ever feel the need to eat a tie, count to ten and let the urge pass. It's just not worth ending up on the Internet, looking like a complete fool.</div>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-46036445840123841532009-10-20T06:53:00.000-07:002009-10-20T08:28:44.518-07:00Writing takes Time; Time takes Writing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://disciplesworld.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/printing_press2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 312px; height: 328px;" src="http://disciplesworld.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/printing_press2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I teach a writing class to seventeen-year-old students. As they are handpicked for the course, they tend to be competent writers. Some are very good writers; others have the potential to be professional writers. I am not a professional writer, but I do know a thing or two about the craft of writing. Having been an avid reader most of my life and an English teacher for twenty-three years, I possess some relevant knowledge. Although I am not a fuddy-duddy grammarian, I do respect the conventions of writing and expect others to do so. I have my pet peeves, like the misuse of the appositive or "however;" however, dear reader, I have read Joyce and understand the rules are meant to be broken. The key, however, is knowing the rules. If one breaks the rules willy-nilly, with no conception of precision or accuracy, one is not James Joyce. Nor will one ever be, for that matter. There is only one James Joyce, though there are many imitators. In the email-blog-text age, individuals are taking less responsibility for their writing than they have since Gutenberg. If the medium is the message, the message is often swift, abbreviated and inaccurate. Some writing is meant purely for expedient communication; other writing is intended to last centuries, if not millennia. How would Homer or Shakespeare compose an email? How would Austen or Woolf blog? How would the Bronte sisters text one another across the moors? Would any of these writers embrace the current technologies? What would they think of Kindles? Although I suspect they would be circumspect in their appraisal or criticism, they could not help but be affected profoundly by the rapid innovation we are undergoing. The sea change in publishing, communication and networking is on a scale never witnessed by humanity; it is farther reaching than Gutenberg's press (pictured above) or Bell's telephone. So where does all this put my students? I am not entirely sure, but I am grappling with the issue and keeping them in mind as I continuously reinvent myself as a teacher of English. The implications for our profession are deep and broad; however, they are part of what makes teaching challenging and stimulating.Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-77505590173194859392009-10-19T11:28:00.000-07:002009-10-26T16:30:19.253-07:00Today is Yesterday and Tomorrow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITRUVINsLa81KnSjhL3weTw1pd23nAJSp5tudcIbQx4sbkES7Z-1-noI2N2y2VyrLHjzV-KO3qX3sbFR6NtWR4GHbew_XMfnoGpXm5sf0uAdm_t-zx33cRFManoKBLy1_ekhlaPfIgGyW/s1600-h/Mexico+Sunset.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITRUVINsLa81KnSjhL3weTw1pd23nAJSp5tudcIbQx4sbkES7Z-1-noI2N2y2VyrLHjzV-KO3qX3sbFR6NtWR4GHbew_XMfnoGpXm5sf0uAdm_t-zx33cRFManoKBLy1_ekhlaPfIgGyW/s200/Mexico+Sunset.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394383018645155170" /></a><br />We live in the continuous present, even when planning for the future or ruminating on the past. This moment, this now, though evanescent, lingers in the air like a fragrance stimulating memory: the proverbial <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Proustian</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">madeleine</span>. Most moments do not allow for reflection as they occur because we are hurrying from pillar to post in the diurnal pursuit of the delay of death. Photos capture moments; words freeze time; art allows us to remain in the present even as we flee to the future. <div>I took the picture above on March 18, 2009, from the beach of the El <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Presidente</span> Hotel, as the sun was setting off the coast of Cozumel. This photo captures the earth in flight and the illusion of the sun's dropping off the face of the earth. As we hurtle through the cosmos on our blue planet, we are not aware of the rotation of the earth or its movement around the sun. The only ways to perceive these phenomena with the naked eye are the movements of the sun, moon and stars. Urban inhabitants, we are far removed from this visible evidence of of our planet's velocity. The stars, our most profound connections to the past, are masked by ambient light and pollution. Stellar light brings us the origins of the universe; it reminds us we are all interconnected in the continuous present.</div>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-80572124542860753992009-10-18T06:29:00.000-07:002009-10-18T06:59:34.756-07:00Incivility in Transit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bus-passengers-400.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bus-passengers-400.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />About a week ago, I rode the 105 east to Vendome. When I entered the bus, I sat in the seat right beside the rear exit. After a couple of stops, I noticed across the aisle a woman standing with her infant in a stroller. Most passengers were oblivious, plugged into their music or phones, paying no attention to anyone, let alone a woman in need of a seat. I did the civil thing and gave the woman my seat: a small gesture easy to enact. She was happy; I felt good. After standing for a few minutes, I spied a vacant seat in the rear. Not seeing anyone else in great need of the spot, I took it. From that vantage point, I could see most of the passengers isolated in their cocoons of self-absorption. The words that ran through my mind were "incivility" and "lack of community." One day, one bus ride, a random group of passengers do not a society make. And a crowded bus doesn't necessarily bring out the best in people. Yet if this bus were a microcosm of our society, I would fear for our collective survival. If we lose our civility, we lose an integral part of our humanity. Show compassion for your fellow passengers on the bus ride of life because who knows when <i>you wi<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>ll</i> need a seat. Simply stand up and smile.</span></i>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-75542706814909840152009-10-17T10:24:00.000-07:002009-10-17T10:27:48.982-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6wJNMXTpO8PNjOjAE9hYbHkvirDb8AbfSvNrPoXP4u5foIRkBiRy7b6Eu4xn2afb64BNUNxKyoXEsXZlUYv709tnYjc-r7wiBNgHyZvC3W94w-Kmwyc2AapHivz1e_G4SEjF846xyFAA/s1600-h/Water+Drops.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6wJNMXTpO8PNjOjAE9hYbHkvirDb8AbfSvNrPoXP4u5foIRkBiRy7b6Eu4xn2afb64BNUNxKyoXEsXZlUYv709tnYjc-r7wiBNgHyZvC3W94w-Kmwyc2AapHivz1e_G4SEjF846xyFAA/s400/Water+Drops.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393621582117541186" /></a>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-26405960286747538362009-10-17T07:25:00.000-07:002009-10-17T10:05:19.516-07:00EducatorsI work in one of the most "blue collar" of white collar professions: education. What I do for a living is more like what I do for living <i>and</i> the living and the unborn. I also work with the ideas and thoughts of dead men and women: the giants on whose shoulders we stand (to paraphrase Sir Isaac Newton). My profession is timeless, timely and timed by bells; it is also priceless (to borrow the Master Card slogan). Undervalued, underpaid, (mis)understood, we rise above the madding crowd every day. The best educators bring light to humanity and hope to the desperate; the worst, darken the spirit and close doors of the imagination. Our work is important; our students are our inspiration. From Socrates to Anne Sullivan to the men and woman who passionately pursue this noble calling, educators are the life blood of society. "If you can read this blog, thank a teacher."Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2867524835568945589.post-53686931082879205622009-10-17T07:07:00.000-07:002010-10-19T09:14:10.314-07:00Blogito Ergo Sum<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/files/governance/image/blog%20board.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 326px;" src="http://blogs.worldbank.org/files/governance/image/blog%20board.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The dead white guy, philosopher Rene Descartes wrote: "Cogito ergo sum" (I think; therefore, I am), so I thought it would be "cute" to name my blog <i>Blogito Ergo Sum </i>(I blog; therefore, I am). Of course, I am probably not the first person to have thought of this clever connection. However, not being first has never been an obstacle for me. In fact, I am usually not first. And this is fine by me. How many bloggers have come before me? Millions? Billions? Too numerous to count on all the fingers I know, which is probably several thousand.<div><br /></div><div>Why have I undertaken this endeavour? I suppose "idle curiosity" is the apt response; a curiosity about the blogosphere; about "more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy." In any event, I have made a start and we'll see what turns up in this little patch of cyberspace. </div>Eroomnairbnhojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09925908724817698936noreply@blogger.com0