Megan's Musings

Christmas in Textbooks?

konyndykme — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:43:46 +0000

The article “State Board of Education Restores Christmas to Social Studies Textbooks” by Shirley Jinkins dated September 18, 2009, describes the painstaking work that goes on behind the scenes to develop and re-write new public school textbooks.

Public testimony and writing committee’s explanations before the board examine such questions as, “Should Christmas be taught in the public schools?” What about the liberty bell? Which historic figures are worthy of the cut? The divide between liberal and conservative views of history and government in Texas appears to be vast.

Well, Christmas made the cut, as well as a complete list of all religious holidays Christian and non-Christian. Who knew there was such debate about history. I guess I always thought history was history: the facts of what happened in the past. But in our politically correct society nothing is black and white, and anything Christian is deemed biased to the point that it should be omitted from public school textbooks. After all, we wouldn’t want to offend any of those people of other faiths. It seems unfair that it’s ok to teach their perspectives but omit the Christian perspective. Isn’t that the ultimate double standard? So, you go Texas. At least Christmas made it back into your textbooks.

Revising Social Studies

September 21, 2009

by Penna Dexter

http://www.christianpost.com/blogs/opnion/2009/09/revising-social-studies-21/

Olympic Medals

konyndykme — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:54:28 +0000

According to an article titled “Meet the Medals” dated October 15, 2009, posted on the Vancouver 2009 website, creating the medals for the 2010 Winter Games was a two year project. Designing the medals took this long because of their uniqueness, and because of the collaborative effort between artists Connie Hunt, Omer Arbel, the Royal Canadian Mint, Teck Resources Limited, and VANOC’s in-house design team.

They are among the heaviest Olympic medals ever designed, weighing between 500-576 grams. As for size, the Olympic medals are 100 millimeters in diameter and about six mm thick.

Each medal is unique. Key artist, Corinne Hunt, a Canadian aboriginal designer/artist chose the orca, a creature that represents strength and community as the motif for the Olympic medals, and the raven, a symbol of rising above adversity, as the symbol for the Paralympic medals.

Each medal has been carefully coated for protection against fingerprints, dents, and scratches and is intended to be shared. The committee “hopes that the medals will be shared with children, families, and the watching world.” Olympic accomplishments “symbolize life’s accomplishments and are a dream come true forever.”

I found this article to be very interesting not only because I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics, but also because the introductory paragraph drew me in. It describes how the scenic views of Canada- Mountains and ocean snow- are mirrored in the curvy shape of the medal. The rest of the article is very well organized and each new paragraph includes a clear, concise topic sentence that makes it very easy to read and follow.

http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/meet-the-medals_170520rk.html

Now a Recovery Mission

konyndykme — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:44:27 +0000

The artical published by Christopher Weber on November 1, 2009, describes the sad results of the search for nine people missing when a U.S. Coast Guard plane collided with a Marine Corps helicopter over the Pacific Ocean. Officials said Sunday that the search has now become a recovery mission. The two aircraft collided Thursday evening. The Coast Guard was out searching for a missing boater and the Marine Corps were running a nighttime training exercise when they collided. Air crews searched more than 60 hours over a 644-square-mile patch of ocean in waters about 2,000 feet deep. There is still no sign of the missing crew members. But, the mother of missing Coast Guard co-pilot Lt. Adam W. Bryant has not givin up hope yet.
“Miracles do happen,” she said Sunday. “Miracles every day.”

Well, I can only hope and pray that a miracle does happen for these nine Coast Guard and Marine members. This story was very hard to read. These young men were just out doing their jobs when the collision occured. I can’t help but wonder, why did this happen? How could 2 aircraft flown by highly trained airmen collide while doing routine drills? This story reminds me that there are a lot of people out there who dedicate their lives to the protection of our country and fellow citizens. These men and women often pay the ultimate price in the line of duty. We don’t give them enough recognition or respect.

Christopher Weber
November 1, 2009
“Search for Calif. crash survivors now recovery”

http://my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=7814&eeid=6908572&_sitecat=1522&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=3&ck=&ch=ne&ch=ne

New Moon Rocket

konyndykme — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:11:15 +0000

In an article entitled, New Moon Rocket Makes First Test Flight dated October 28, 2009, author Marcia Dunn (AP) reports on NASA’s newest rocket, the Ares I-X, which successfully completed a brief 2 minute test flight on Wednesday, October 28. This is the first step in a back-to-the -moon program which does not necessarily have the full support of President Barack Obama.

The Ares I-X rocket is 327 feet tall and resembled a giant white pencil as it took the to the sky. The rocket carried no passengers or payload on its’ maiden flight.
Cost for this experiment, which NASA deemed a raging success, was $445 million.

Wednesday’s launch was three years in the making and according to NASA officials it will be 2015-2018 before Ares I is ready to carry astronauts to the international space station. Travel to the moon aboard Ares I would not be possible for years beyond that.

With all of the economic trouble our country faces, I wonder about the wisdom of spending millions of dollars on space exploration. In a perfect world, I believe that there are many things to be learned through space exploration, but I question whether this is the time to be spending such a huge chunk of our nation’s budget in space when we have plenty of Americans right here on earth suffering and in need of assistance.

This article caught my attention because it had a catchy introduction and also catchy and specific descriptions that got right to the point. He used interesting statistics that were easy to follow and relate to.

By Marcia Dunn

October 28, 2009
“New Moon Rocket Makes First Test Flight”

http://my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=7820&eeid=6899633&_sitecat=214&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=1&ck=&ch=ne&ch=ne

Minneapolis Missed

konyndykme — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:49:58 +0000

Joan Lowy of the Associated Press reported on Monday, October 26, that two pilots who overshot the airport at Minneapolis by 150 miles, claim that they were distracted because they were studying scheduling using their laptop computers. The use of laptop computers in the cockpit during a flight is strictly forbidden by the airline.

The pilots testified before the National Transportation Safety Board that the first officer was the instructing the captain on monthly flight crew scheduling. Neither the of the pilots claims to have been fatigued, and neither of them slept during the flight. They did fail to communicate with the tower for over an hour, and did not realize they had over shot the airport at Minneapolis until a flight attendant reported their error.

This story is really shocking. Whenever someone hops on a plane to go somewhere, they put their life in the hands of the “experts”, the pilots, in the cockpit. These experts literally hold the lives of their passengers in their hands. It is their job to behave in a responsible manner. I can’t even imagine that two seasoned pilots could be distracted for an hour, allowing the plane to fly on autopilot. It is scary to think of what could have happened to the passengers on board this flight if the flight attendant hadn’t reported their mistake.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/national/midwest/wayward_pilots_were_working_on_their_laptops_1256584444618

By Joan Lowy

October 26, 2009

“Wayward pilots were working on laptops”

Balloon Hoax

konyndykme — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:25:44 +0000

The helium balloon flying away with 6 year old Falcon Heene trapped inside was a hoax. The article by Dan Elliott gives the facts of the incident that was viewed by thousands this past Thursday October 15, 2009. Sheriff Jim Alderden said that parents Richard and Mayumi Heene “put on a very good show for us, and we bought it.” No charges have been filled yet, but in the most extreme case there could be a $500,000 fine and up to 6 years in prison. Authorities further questioned the Heene family after Falcon turned to his dad during a CNN interview and said what sounded like, “you said we did this for a show” when asked why he didn’t come out of his hiding place. It is probably also important to note that the Heene family appeared on an episode of ‘Wife Swap’ and that parents Richard and Mayumi met at an acting school in Hollywood.

I think that parents Richard and Mayumi should face charges for what they did. It was completely irresponsible to go through with the hoax. They’re teaching their young children that its ok to deceive the public for entertainment and publicity. At the very least I think that the parents should have to attend family counseling or maybe even loose custody of their children until they can prove that they can be responsible adults.

Shot or Not?

konyndykme — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:49:20 +0000

The article by Amanda Gardner, talks about the common fears that the American people have about the newly produced H1N1 swine flu vaccine. The Associated Press-GfK poll found that only about half of Americans said they are planning to get the vaccine. Although experts say fears unnecessary, Americans are still worried about the possible side effects. Dr. Anthony Fauci encourages people to receive the vaccine by stating that the H1N1 vaccine is no different from any other seasonal flu vaccine that is given to millions of Americans each year. In fact, had it been produced just a bit earlier, it would have been included in this years regular flu shot.

Gardner uses the passive voice very strategically in this article. She often refers to people in large groups instead of specifically stating who they are. It seemed to me that she generalized Americans too much and should have narrowed it down to certian age groups making it clear who exactly didn’t want the vaccine.

“Many Americans Still Leery of Swine Flu Vaccine”

By Amanda Gardner

October 13, 2009

http://my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=7809&eeid=6872975&_sitecat=666&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=0&ck=&ch=ne&ch=ne

No More Tummy Aches

konyndykme — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:22:42 +0000

Lead study author Miranda van Tilburg, an assistant professor in the gastroenterology and hepatology division of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, recently found that children who experience frequent stomach aches can use their imiganation to ease the pain. 19 of the 34 participants received guided Imiganary Therapy. These therapy sessions consisted of 10 minute daily audio recordings telling them to imagine things such as, placing a hot melting metal object on your stomach in order to provide a protective barrier from anything that would irritate the stomach. Miranda is very excited about the new findings and says “Such self-administered treatment is, of course, very inexpensive and can be used in addition to other treatments, which potentially opens the door for easily enhancing treatment outcomes for a lot of children suffering from frequent stomach aches.”

I think this is a wonderful discovery. Imiganary Therapy provides a solution to a simple yet very irritating problem that affects many children. When I was little I would have loved to know about this technique. I would have been helpful on those days when I was upset or worried about something. Maybe in the future this technique could also help children with long term diseases.

“Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain”

By Miranda van Tilburg

Tuesday October 13, 2009

http://my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=7809&eeid=6872977&_sitecat=666&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=2&ck=&ch=ne&ch=ne

Lobster and the Good Stuff

konyndykme — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:55:22 +0000

In the article “Hold the Mayo not When it Comes to Astute Pilots,” author Dave Kolpack reviews research on diet and its effect on fighter pilot performance. Contrary to popular belief, a high protein diet is not the most effective way to maximiZe performance. Instead, researchers found that a diet high in fat improved the pilot’s concentration in challenging flight simulation drills. Jeremey Ternes, who participated in the study, stated, ” I think that a lot of people felt they did better when they got the lobster and the good stuff.” Data supported this statement, and researchers hope to use these findings to decrease the number of aviation accidents due to pilot error especially in war settings.

The author uses the passive voice in this essay most of the time because it would be repetitive to repeatedly state the names of those being researched. This is a short piece and Kolpack gets right to the point, avoiding unnecessary information.

“Hold the Mayo not When it Comes to Astute Pilots”

By Dave Kolpack

October 6, 2009

http://my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?bfromind=8376&eeid=6859207&_sitecat=1527&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=2&ck=&ch=ne&ch=he

Sweet Treat?

konyndykme — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:27:16 +0000

The article by Dr. Simon Moore states that children who eat sweets and chocolates almost every day while growing up are more likely to lead violent life styles as adults. Studies show that 69% of 10 year olds who eat confectionary sugar daily are more likely to be convicted for violence by the age of 34. Lead Researcher Dr. Simon Moore from Cardiff University said ”Our favored explanation is that giving children sweets and chocolate regularly may stop them learning how to wait to obtain something they want. Not being able to defer gratification may push them towards more impulsive behavior, which is strongly associated with delinquency.” Researches continue to study the link between diet and violence in hopes of giving advice to parents which would lead to a decrease in aggression in adulthood.

I found this article to be very interesting because it amazes me that a simple thing like keeping less candy in the house could reduce aggression in adults. However, I can’t help wondering if there are other factors involved in this issue that contribute to eating candy whenever you want as a child and aggressive behavior as an adult. It seems to be such a simple answer to such a complex problem.

“Adults Who Ate Sweets Every Day In Childhood Are At Increased Risk Of Aggression”

Dr. Simon Moore- Cardiff University

October 2, 2009

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165907.php