Month: <span>November 2008</span>

al_jazeera
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CNN
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MSNBC
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Adam and I were fooling around with Wordle at the same time we were listening to the news about the Mumbia attacks in India. We’ve captured an article from each of the following news sites about the topic and ran them through Wordle to come up with the images below. You can see the relative size of words based on the number of times it is used in the article which could give you an idea of the ‘slant’ of the article.

One could use this an analysis tool in the classroom. We’ve discussed the concept and determined that it would be better to use the same design/color theme to make it more ‘scientific’ in approach. Let us know how you use the concept.

Gifted Education Random 'Munchings"

Adam (my 25 year old son) has soundly defeated all my attempts to teach him to put his socks in the laundry after taking them off at the end of the day. This has been an ongoing battle between him and I since he was in elementary school. Every day after school, he’d remove his socks in my living room. Now he has Pixel to help him! Apparently, Pixel loves having his socks strewn about. They are instant toys to her.

I stayed with Adam and Pixel for three nights while I attended the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented conference in Dallas. I arrived on Tuesday night to his apartment and was happily greeted by Pixel, she was a temporary distraction from the nearly 20 white athletic socks laying all over the front room floor.

Once I get over the shock, I’ll write some ruminations from the conference.

Gifted Education Random 'Munchings"

Today’s entries all have one thing in common. They were sparked by reading the front section of the Houston Chronicle (Nov. 9).

I noted that Obama runs in all the same social networks online as I do. The article relates his digital presence to President Kennedy and his televised conferences and Roosevelt’s radio presence. Another article uses texting terminology to connect Obama to his confidants (BFF) and creates a new one: FOB (Friends of Barak) It will be interesting to see what the history books will write about our time.

AC/DC is back! I have to check out their newest album. Yea, I know their lyrics in Back in Black could be offensive to some. To me it is the what I call “the musicality” of their work that I like. You’ll laugh because at this very moment, I’m listening to harp music. My selection of music has always been based on my mood and Sunday morning is a good time for harp music. Saturday night is a good time for AC/DC.

On the same page is the cutest picture titled, “Pesky Patriot.” The photographer, Dave Weaver was lucky enough to capture a squirrel grasping onto a small American flag, the kind that are placed at grave sites. Of course, the animal was more interested in eating the material, than respecting it. I wish I could find the picture on the Chronicle’s website.

Attention all teachers! Macys has a very interesting promotional ad going for Christmas. They have reprinted a letter from Virginia O’Hanlon from The New York Sun originally published on Thursday, Sept. 21, 1897. Macys is using the letter to jump start a campaign to encourage you to write a letter explaining why “you’re one in a million.” They’ll donate a $1 to Make-A-Wish Foundation for every letter they receive. Teachers can teach a lesson on the historical and social aspects, finalizing the lesson with writing a letter with a purpose.

Camp Pendleton in California had to stop their training because a herd of 147 bison wandered onto their training field. The bison are a protected species. Remember 20 to 60 million roamed the plains for hundreds of years. The top biologist was quoted as saying “they are a symbol of the American West.

I love when history becomes evident today!

Random 'Munchings"

Halloween was pretty much a disappointment in our neighborhood after living in Greenleaves in Mandeville. There I learned to buy 10-12 packages of candy to have enough. Our neighborhood was well-known throughout the area as the best place to go trick or treating. Families would park their car outside the neighborhood, load up their little red wagons with kids and drinks. It was so crowded several years in a row that the police had to come in to direct traffic! No kidding!

Now, we are in a neighborhood with families and little kids, mostly running around on their 3-wheelers, golf carts and skate boards, even horses. On Halloween night, though, we had exactly one group of trick or treaters. There were eight kids total and they rode in a trailer hooked to a tractor driven by our next door neighbor. There is still evidence in my circular driveway: hay and black tire tracks.

Since my kids and their friends are grown and most are still in college, I prepared several packages full of treats and small gifts and mailed them about two weeks before Halloween. I’m glad I did! I still have candy left over so stop by sometime. You don’t have to dress up.

Random 'Munchings"