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Albert Einstein quote:

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them"
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Last modified:2006-05-15 23:00:08
Created on:2006-05-15 23:00:08
Views:169, Comments:0

It seems that public schools focus on teaching the subject matter material, but fail to teach why it’s important to learn the material.  How about spending more time teaching WHY it is important to learn the information in those required subjects.   If students understand why, they will learn faster and easier, and will retain information longer.  Students need to be shown and taught the benefits of learning each subject!  There are so many benefits to learning-- I just don’t think most people realize that until after high school, if ever.  Prior to college, besides my favorite subjects, I remember learning only because I needed to get good grades, not because I thought the material was interesting or useful or would benefit my future.  I know why it’s useful now; I just had to figure it out for myself.  Parents should teach their kids why it’s important to learn, but so should the public school system.   Based on rigorous research, the public school system should put together a program that teaches students why learning curriculum (that the schools system chose) is important.  Facts and numbers should be shown and this info should be drilled into students over and over again so that by 6th grade every student can articulate to an adult the reasons why math, science, history, social science, etc, are important to learn… and how learning those subjects will benefit their future.

 

If I were to test this hypothesis, I’d track 100 random 1st graders and use a well thought out program to teach to 50 of them.  I would track their grades over the next 10 years.  My prediction is that on average, the students who are in the program would get at least a half grade better in all subjects, if not a full grade.

 

As kids, we always did better in the subjects we enjoyed.

 

Teaching the benefits won’t necessarily ensure that a student will enjoy all classes as though they were all their favorite classes, but it will definitely be better than if they didn’t know any benefits of learning the material.  In other words it could only help.   I know that without having to do any research.

 

What do you think?

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Last modified:2006-05-01 06:13:08
Created on:2006-05-01 06:13:08
Views:341, Comments:0
I think when you're NOT tired enough when you want to go to bed, it's your bodies way of telling you that you didn't do enough for that day-- work harder!
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Last modified:2006-04-28 05:44:16
Created on:2006-04-28 05:44:16
Views:225, Comments:0
My friend Lisa introduced me to this awesome video!

Copy and paste this into your browser:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8610362188397291938
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Last modified:2006-04-27 06:09:14
Created on:2006-04-27 06:06:03
Views:232, Comments:2
I used to think people who didn't capitalize their letters when writing were lazy pricks.  It made no sense to me.  But now, sometimes I read long essay type writings that are done in all lowercase letters and I think it looks better and reads great.  When looking at the writing in whole without reading the words, it looks very clean.  And going from sentence to sentence is quite easy and smooth.  I think the dot and two spaces are good enough separations for sentences. 

So I understand why we capitalize Nouns, but perhaps there's no reason to use capital letters any where else.  (Or maybe just the first letter of the paragraph)

Anyway, I don't do it... yet.  I don't know if I will.  As of now, I think it's a bit rude.
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Last modified:2006-04-25 06:45:21
Created on:2006-04-25 06:45:21
Views:257, Comments:2
Some words worth differentiating:

Heritage
Practices that are handed down from the past by tradition

Ethnicity
An ethnic quality or affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties

Nationality
The status of belonging to a particular nation by birth or naturalization
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Last modified:2006-04-25 05:15:52
Created on:2006-04-25 05:15:52
Views:197, Comments:0
Blend various fresh fruit, milk, protein powder, and a tad apple juice and a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream for sweetness. 
No ice. 
Make enough so that the blender is completely full.  
Drink half. 
Put the rest in the freezer. 
Next day after work, take blender out of the freezer.
Go to the gym or excercise.
Blend half melted contents.
Enjoy pure greatness.
I don't like adding ice to my smoothies because it just doesn't come out as pure. Perhaps I can explore freezing orange or apple juice in those ice containers.
I like to mix it up with different fruit and juices, but it doesn't really matter becuase all flavors and variations taste great.


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Last modified:2006-04-17 23:08:38
Created on:2006-04-17 23:08:38
Views:214, Comments:0

She was in her early 30’s when she coached a soccer team for 2 years.  She didn’t know too much about the sport except that it involved a ball and that the only player who could touch the ball with their hands is the goalie.  She also knew that her son enjoyed the sport.  When it came to the skills and experience it took to play the sport, she probably would’ve been worse than the worst 12 year old player on the team.  At first, I don’t think she really understood the responsibilities of the different positions.  I don’t think I saw her kick the ball more than a few times throughout the 2 seasons.

 

But, I feel sorry for the men, the fathers in the league who coached the other teams.  She was the only female coach in the league.  I suppose I should feel sorry for my coach, since she was the only female.  I didn’t think about that too much when I was 12.  I just wanted to win!  But looking hindsight, I now feel sorry for the other coaches. 

 

I feel sorry because they lost to a coach who had never really played the sport before.  And they lost to a girl.  (Not that there’s anything wrong that! But this was a male’s league.) 

 

This woman took a team of 12 and 13 year olds to the playoffs and won for two seasons in a row.  Quite an accomplishment considering the facts I mentioned above.

 

It was her brilliant leadership ability that enabled her and the team to pull off the accomplishments.  It was her charisma and ability to build a special respect that turned 15 wacky boys into a strong and indestructible team.  Her motivation and optimism about her team gave us expectations that were later proven correct.  Her intuition was right.  1st place in year 1, and then 1st place again, year 2.   

 

All of the kids on the team are grown up now- they are my age.  Whether or not they realize, I’m sure they all are at least a pinch better for having this women as their coach and mentor, leading them to success for 2 years.  It’s always a good idea to be around unique/good people, because some of that good stuff will rub off on you.  Those kids are lucky!   But not as lucky as me, since that soccer coach many years ago is also my Mother.

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Last modified:2006-03-28 04:21:46
Created on:2006-03-28 04:21:46
Views:229, Comments:0
You know those online job sites?  Monster, Hot Jobs, Career Builder, etc. 

I saw a Yahoo! Hot Jobs ad that said: "Find the right job."

It's interesting how these job sites play both sides of the ballgame, don't you think?  They advertise to entice potential job seekers to find a new job... and at the same time, they advertise to skill seekers to find the right people.  In reality, initially, the more opportunity and the easier it is for a job seeker to find more opportunity, the more often employee turnover will occur.  Picture the flow chart... it's a circle.

It's sort of like fishing... you use the worm to get what you really want.

But, maybe people should find the right job and then search again if necessary, for the right job, and again, until they find it. 

Comment
Last modified:2006-02-23 04:28:14
Created on:2006-02-14 06:19:45
Views:445, Comments:4
If I don't watch a Seinfeld episode for 2 or 3 days in a row, I start feeling a little uneasy.  It seems as though my feelings about the show are beyond what I am consciously aware of.  Becuase as soon as I watch a show again, after a 2 or 3 day break, I feel a relief of some sort.
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Last modified:2006-02-10 22:40:07
Created on:2006-02-10 22:40:07
Views:272, Comments:2

Success is a result of the percentage of time you dedicate to being lazy. If the percentage is low, then you will be more successfull than if the percentage is high.

If I were to make a graph, I would have % productive on the vertical axis and % lazy on the horizontal axis. Then I would put a label called success pointing up; and a label called failure pointing to the right. The higher you are, the more successful you are or will be, and the more to the right you are, the more likely you are a failure or will be a failure.

Now this isn't constant for everyone... this is just based on each individules capacity to be successful or not.

I haven't said anything about financial. And the reason is becuase I wasn't talking about financial- yet.

But now I will.

Financial success comes when you are productive and the things that you are productive at doing also generate money.

If you are productive, but mostly with non-money generating hobbies, then although you may be successful, your bank account may not reflect your capacity.

If you are productive and your hobbies are money generating, then you will of course be successful and your bank account is likely to reflect your success.

There are many more variations, I'm just tossing out a couple at the moment.

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Last modified:2006-02-10 22:04:24
Created on:2006-02-10 22:04:24
Views:269, Comments:0

Are the lives of non-human animals less valuable than human lives?

Are lives of animals more valuable if they are used to benefit the world- such as for food, companionship, labor, etc.

What makes humans different than animals? (besides the way we give birth and our warm blood)

What are other characteristics that make us human? Our ability to reason... what else?

Are there characteristics of some humans that make you think they are more like animals?

Are humans that enjoy eating other humans, or those who kill their own family, etc., less of a human and more of an animal.

Are the lives of those people worth less than the lives of people who help others, who take care of their family, and who are good citizens?

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Last modified:2006-02-08 17:20:26
Created on:2006-02-08 17:20:26
Views:259, Comments:1
I find it interesting that we can use wind to put out small fires, while wind also makes large fires bigger.
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Last modified:2006-01-29 20:48:12
Created on:2006-01-29 20:48:12
Views:378, Comments:0

I've been in this situation twice in my lifetime.  I'm in a public place, I look down and see a sock near my feet.  Sort of an odd thing to see in a public place.  You know that split second when you turn your focus away from something and realize that what you were looking at is either familiar or attractive.  Well, I would never be attracted to a sock, of course.  But my curiosity forced me to do a double take.  So, I look back and immediately have that odd feeling as I realize that it was my own sock.  Damn it!  Why would my own sock be off of my feet in public?  And why wouldn't my own sock be in my hamper at home.  We all lose socks, but they are lost in the washing machine or dryer, right?!  They don't follow you around when you leave your house, do they?  I've made a discovery ladies and gentlemen.  You know the socks that mysteriously disappear in your washing machine or dryer?  Guess what, they never even made it there.  We all wear pants at least 2 times before washing them.  I've recently realized that sometimes a sock gets stuck in your pant leg somehow.  You put your pants back on for a second wearing and in some magical way, one may stay lodged somewhere inside a pant leg without noticing.  And then inconveniently, your sock appears on the ground somewhere in a public place.  I wonder how rare this occasion really is.  Although I've caught myself in this situation only twice in my lifetime... I wonder how many times this has happened without me noticing.  I’ve lost 1 of the pair of my socks many many times over the years.  Where are they?  Do I make my mark on this earth by leaving 1 of my socks in my path?  

 

My 2 realized occasions:

1)      At work in 98’- sitting at my computer.

2)      Last week at the gym- standing bicep curl.

Comment
Last modified:2005-10-19 02:15:57
Created on:2005-10-19 02:15:57
Views:287, Comments:0
Two years ago many families in Iraq wouldn't let their daughter out of the house in fear that Saddam's men or sons would rape her.  Today, those same families feel safe letting their daughters out of their house.
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Last modified:2005-10-17 17:51:44
Created on:2005-10-17 17:51:44
Views:260, Comments:0

If you’re like me, you can poor the perfect amount of milk in your cereal bowl every time.  No matter the size of the bowl, the type of cereal or the amount of cereal,  I have the ability to create a perfect cereal to milk ratio from the beginning of the serving, that remains perfect all the way until the very last spoonful. 

 

From the hundreds and possibly thousands of cereal preparations, I’ve developed the skills that have now moved to my subconscious mind.  Unlike our conscience mind, we are able to process numerous thoughts at one time.  After so much repetition, our subconscious mind is trained, and then those skills automatically perform without any conscience thought.  At that point, we basically “just know”.  It knows 3 things:

 

1)      Approximately how much milk to poor no matter the bowl size or cereal amount.

2)      At what milk / cereal ratio tastes the best to us.

3)      How to adjust the milk / cereal ratio as the bowl is being eaten, in order to ensure that the very last bite still gets a desirable milk / cereal ratio.

 

Not every person likes the same milk to cereal ratio, which is why there is no one else on this planet, besides maybe my Mother, who can make me the perfect bowl of cereal.

 

There are two important lessons that I’ve learned from this realization:

 

1)      I want to make a cereal restaurant  (Plans will be in the future)

2)      I want to realize the importants of repetition and practice.  Pros are real good at what they are doing because their skills are engrained in their subconscious.

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Last modified:2005-10-17 17:09:43
Created on:2005-10-17 17:09:43
Views:381, Comments:0

If you are my age and if your ancestry has been in America for the last couple hundred years, your Grandparents Grandparents were born sometime near the American Civil War.  You see the close connection that we still have to those times in America... to Lincoln, to the Old West, to the Gold Rush.  And think about the Grandparents, Grandparents, Grandparents.  There must be some interesting stories still being passed down from grandparents to grandchildren about our Country.  From Civil War times to now, that may only be 2 or 3 lines of communication.   If I remember correctly from grade school, the messages communicated during the telephone game don’t really get altered too much at that point.

 

Do our Four Fathers have descendants that are still around?  Where are they?  Do they know who they are?  You’d think they would be in the spot light more.  I mean, how much more interesting would their stories be compared to Brad and Jen’s divorce.

 

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Last modified:2005-10-06 07:40:18
Created on:2005-10-06 07:36:54
Views:291, Comments:0
The sound my expensive designer black dress shoes make when I walk on hard surfaces is like music to my ears.  I have a variety of different slacks for work.  I don't have more outfits that require black shoes, nor do I like my outfits that are black more than the ones that are brown.  The reason why I wear black outfits more often, is simply so that I can wear my black symbolic shoes.

I should get a pair in brown, huh.  I'll have those someday too.
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Last modified:2005-10-04 04:11:43
Created on:2005-10-04 04:11:43
Views:278, Comments:0

The more money you have, the more further away you are from violent crime.

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Last modified:2005-10-02 04:40:15
Created on:2005-10-02 04:40:15
Views:328, Comments:0
I wonder if it's possible to build an ocean or a sea.  Can we duplicate it's ecosystem. Where would we put it.

Bridges and tunnels are amazing.

Resoviours are too.

Is the Earth alive?

Starfish don't have brains.  Is there anything living that doesn't have a heart.  I guess so-- trees.  Or wait, maybe they do have something similar.  I can't remember.   Shoot, I shouldn't have passed notes with Larissa as much in Botany class in college.


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Last modified:2005-09-29 05:52:26
Created on:2005-09-29 05:52:26
Views:307, Comments:0
Movie Stars go on talk shows to convince you that the topic of the week is exactly what their movie is about.  On the show, the Stars explain just enough of the story to get you thinking about it over the next couple of days.  You then are convinced that you have to learn more about the topic or story, so you then desire to watch the movie and of course you just have to see the ending.  So, you wind up going to the  movie. 

You see, movie stars are just excellent salesmen.
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Last modified:2005-09-24 05:29:19
Created on:2005-09-24 05:29:19
Views:416, Comments:0
I wonder if the more established you are, the less you have look forward to.  Or is established just a perception by some people or a figure of speech.  Established means settled or secure.  But does settled and secure mean the same thing.  I am secure now and I have been for some time, but I don't see myself as settled.  I never want to be settled though.  Even when I have my wife and kids and all the money that I want I still don't want to be settled..  I want to always progress.  

I may be way off.  This is just me trying to understand words better.
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Last modified:2005-09-21 05:57:28
Created on:2005-09-21 05:57:28
Views:302, Comments:0

Okay so I haven't told anyone this before and I've never done this in front of anyone.  I am now ready to come out with it.......................When I eat popcorn at home, I pore it into a bowl and eat it with a soup spoon.  I know it sounds weird, but, for some reason, it makes so much sense to me.  Your hands don't get greasy AND the perfect 1 mouthful fits perfectly on the spoon.  Why do we eat popcorn with our hands anyway?  Perhaps because the movie theater didn't want to buy everyone a spoon?  Or maybe because it became a standard before we the people put butter on it?

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Last modified:2005-09-08 01:23:21
Created on:2005-09-08 01:23:21
Views:266, Comments:0

I need to learn more about certain words in the English language.  In this book, I will accumulate and define words that I am interested in.

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Last modified:2005-09-01 04:47:11
Created on:2005-09-01 04:38:56
Views:457, Comments:0

If you can relate to Jerry Maguire's quotes below, then you should use Mind Deposit:

"I had so much to say but no one to listen."  (a reason to make public posts)

"The things we think and do not say." (a reason to make private posts that may eventually go public)

 

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Last modified:2005-08-28 02:37:59
Created on:2005-08-28 00:54:22
Views:312, Comments:0
I know that a lot more people go from having liberal views in their younger years to having conservative views in their older years as opposed to the opposite.  I wonder if this is because after years of watching liberal backed Utopian-like social programs fail, people start realizing that a different approach needs to be taken.
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