Ok, we really sucked at trivia tonight, but we had a ton of fun. And that's the whole point, so we are pretty happy. At each trivia night, there are some questions that we are able to answer that I just can't believe that any of us remember. Like the following (answers are at the end)
1. What one hit wonder did the Tokens have in 1961?
2. Who was the father of the US constitution?
3. What product advertisement states: Once you pop, you cannot stop?
4. How did David Halberstam die?
5. Who has the most division I A titles in wrestling? (answers could be: Iowa State, Oklahoma State, or Oklahoma)
6. What author wrote about vampire Edward Cullen and his girlfriend Bella Swan?
7. What airline uses the following slogan: You'll Love the Way We Fly (1994)?
8. What rapper's real name is Sean Carter?
9. What Dicken's book contains the character Uriah Heap?
10. What 2008 Disney movie is about a dog who lives in a movie studio and thinks he is a superhero?
Answers:
1. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
2. James Madison
3. Pringles
4. vehicle crash
5. Oklahoma State
6. Stephanie Meyer
7. Delta
8. Jay Z
9. David Copperfield
10. Bolt
I hope you did better than I did with some of these.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Just Venting
Ok, its been a long week. Even though I was only at work for four days, it felt like it was about two weeks long. I just need to vent. See if you share my annoyances.
1. Heinz road guardrail. I worked for over a year and a half to get a guardrail installed on Heinz road where the stupid Cambridge Hills subdivision never materialized. The problem that occurred there was initiated when the trees that used to line the road, and therefore protected us from going over the embankment there (40 foot sheer drop) and possibly killing someone, were removed for the non-existant subdivision. So the guardrail was finally installed, and it is too short. How incredibly stupid.
2. Kids who routinely don't bring something to write with to school. How stupid is this?
3. Teachers who don't post grades. My son and a friend's son thought they were doing ok in one class until the teacher posted lots of grades on SIS. At the last minute. And I couldn't follow along with what had happened and intervene to kick him in the butt and help this from being a critical situation. HOW annoying.
4. Friends who won't listen. (Not you moms.) No matter what. Or how reasonable and factual you are, they are right and you are wrong. No amount of logic will sway them. Emily has also found this out when discussing environmental issues or social issues with friends. Crazy.
5. Men who don't go to the doctor no matter how bad they feel, like my husband. I guess it is better to spread the infection to the rest of the family and whine like a puppy. Lord help me.
6. Kids who, when papers are due at school, continually think I'm so stupid as to believe for the fourth time that their printer ran out of ink so they couldn't print it. Sorry, it's late this time. ANNOYING.
7. My dogs. Ruining house, constantly wanting to go out, begging for food, interrupting sleep. Love them, but almost not worth it.
8. Mortgage companies. Some work with you, some are just darn rude.
9. Girls who call. Late in the night. Giggly goofballs with excess hormones wanting to talk to my son. Should know better. Geez.
10. Old men at the grocery store. Stand in front of items I want and won't move. Send a woman, we know how to shop and help each other out.
Ok, done venting. Now I feel better.
1. Heinz road guardrail. I worked for over a year and a half to get a guardrail installed on Heinz road where the stupid Cambridge Hills subdivision never materialized. The problem that occurred there was initiated when the trees that used to line the road, and therefore protected us from going over the embankment there (40 foot sheer drop) and possibly killing someone, were removed for the non-existant subdivision. So the guardrail was finally installed, and it is too short. How incredibly stupid.
2. Kids who routinely don't bring something to write with to school. How stupid is this?
3. Teachers who don't post grades. My son and a friend's son thought they were doing ok in one class until the teacher posted lots of grades on SIS. At the last minute. And I couldn't follow along with what had happened and intervene to kick him in the butt and help this from being a critical situation. HOW annoying.
4. Friends who won't listen. (Not you moms.) No matter what. Or how reasonable and factual you are, they are right and you are wrong. No amount of logic will sway them. Emily has also found this out when discussing environmental issues or social issues with friends. Crazy.
5. Men who don't go to the doctor no matter how bad they feel, like my husband. I guess it is better to spread the infection to the rest of the family and whine like a puppy. Lord help me.
6. Kids who, when papers are due at school, continually think I'm so stupid as to believe for the fourth time that their printer ran out of ink so they couldn't print it. Sorry, it's late this time. ANNOYING.
7. My dogs. Ruining house, constantly wanting to go out, begging for food, interrupting sleep. Love them, but almost not worth it.
8. Mortgage companies. Some work with you, some are just darn rude.
9. Girls who call. Late in the night. Giggly goofballs with excess hormones wanting to talk to my son. Should know better. Geez.
10. Old men at the grocery store. Stand in front of items I want and won't move. Send a woman, we know how to shop and help each other out.
Ok, done venting. Now I feel better.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Science of Deception
My family is hooked on the new Fox show "Lie to Me". The show is a new drama series inspired by the scientific discoveries of Dr. Paul Ekman, a real-life specialist who can read clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose both the truth and lies in criminal investigations.
The great part about the show is that it is all based upon a field of scientific study that has been around for a long time, the Science of Deception. This is the science that studies nonverbal communication which is often referred to as body language. This involves facial expressions, gestures, touching (haptics), physical movements (kinesics), posture, body adornment (clothes, jewelry, hairstyle, tattoos, etc.) and also the tone, timbre and volume of the voice. Spoken content is ignored.
For greater understanding, you have to study the part of the brain called the "limbic system". The brain, including this system, controls all behaviors, whether conscious or subconcious. The limbic is where we need to focus to understand nonverbal behavior, as it is the part of the brain that reacts to the world around us reflexively and instantaneously, in real time, and without thought. So this area actually gives off a physical manifestation that is a TRUE response to stimuli coming in from the environment. The limbic is also the center of our emotions, and it is from this area that signals ro out to other parts of the brain, which then direct our behaviors as they relate to our emotions or our survival.
Big explanation, small take home: The limbic system is responsible for our survival and reacts without thought. If is like a reflexive behavior. For this reason it is also referred to as the "honest brain". These behaviors can be observed and decoded as they appear in our faces, our hands and feet, and our bodies.
The manifestations of these behaviors are called "tells" since they tell us about the person's true stste of mind. People usually aren't at all aware that they are communicating non-verbally so the speaker doesn't try to control them the way he/she does verbally in order to persuade the listener to accomplish the speaker's goals.
Anyway, back to "Lie to Me". On the site you can test yourself to see if you can spot the tells, and tell whether or not someone is lying. On the show, which you can watch on www.fox.com my favorite part is when the tells are revealed, and are compared to pictures of famous people, like politicians, who are shown exhibiting the same behavior. Funny funny stuff.
Here is a link to the show. Try the tests, they are really fun. www.fox.com/lietome/
An excellent book written by a former FBI Agent named Joe Navarro called "What Every BODY is Saying" goes into excellent detail explaining how to read a multitude of emotions using nonverbal behavior. His research is excellent, I've paraphrased information concerning the limbic system above,and there are many examples and pictures shown. If you are interested in this area of science, I most highly recommend his book.
The great part about the show is that it is all based upon a field of scientific study that has been around for a long time, the Science of Deception. This is the science that studies nonverbal communication which is often referred to as body language. This involves facial expressions, gestures, touching (haptics), physical movements (kinesics), posture, body adornment (clothes, jewelry, hairstyle, tattoos, etc.) and also the tone, timbre and volume of the voice. Spoken content is ignored.
For greater understanding, you have to study the part of the brain called the "limbic system". The brain, including this system, controls all behaviors, whether conscious or subconcious. The limbic is where we need to focus to understand nonverbal behavior, as it is the part of the brain that reacts to the world around us reflexively and instantaneously, in real time, and without thought. So this area actually gives off a physical manifestation that is a TRUE response to stimuli coming in from the environment. The limbic is also the center of our emotions, and it is from this area that signals ro out to other parts of the brain, which then direct our behaviors as they relate to our emotions or our survival.
Big explanation, small take home: The limbic system is responsible for our survival and reacts without thought. If is like a reflexive behavior. For this reason it is also referred to as the "honest brain". These behaviors can be observed and decoded as they appear in our faces, our hands and feet, and our bodies.
The manifestations of these behaviors are called "tells" since they tell us about the person's true stste of mind. People usually aren't at all aware that they are communicating non-verbally so the speaker doesn't try to control them the way he/she does verbally in order to persuade the listener to accomplish the speaker's goals.
Anyway, back to "Lie to Me". On the site you can test yourself to see if you can spot the tells, and tell whether or not someone is lying. On the show, which you can watch on www.fox.com my favorite part is when the tells are revealed, and are compared to pictures of famous people, like politicians, who are shown exhibiting the same behavior. Funny funny stuff.
Here is a link to the show. Try the tests, they are really fun. www.fox.com/lietome/
An excellent book written by a former FBI Agent named Joe Navarro called "What Every BODY is Saying" goes into excellent detail explaining how to read a multitude of emotions using nonverbal behavior. His research is excellent, I've paraphrased information concerning the limbic system above,and there are many examples and pictures shown. If you are interested in this area of science, I most highly recommend his book.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Please help Tiger Bands!!!
Recently, a proposal was placed on the www.donorschoose.org website for the Oakville High School bands called "Equipment Needed to Mobilize Tiger Bands!" To see the proposal, click on the title above.
For those of you not familiar with DonorsChoose.org, it is a charity organization started in 2000 by Charles Best, a former social studies teacher from Bronx, NY. He noticed that teachers often were providing basic supplies like paper and pencils for the kids, yet couldn't afford to do science projects or anything that needed special materials. He thought that people would want to help if they could choose a project to support (like the giving tree with the apples at Oakville Elementary). So, he created a website and invited his colleagues to post requests for materials they needed. His students volunteered to send 2000 letters to people around the country, explaining that $10 can make you a philanthropist. They received $30,000.
Teachers, like me, in public schools around the country submit requests for anything they need. I posted a request last summer while I was lying around after surgery, and in November I received the funding ($400 in equipment for my science olympiad team).
Once the proposal is funded, they buy the materials requested withing 1-2 days of receiving a donation, and they compile thank you letters from the class or group. In that way, ordinary folks get the choice and feedback usually reserved for millionaire philanthropists. Your $10 gets the same transparency as Bill Gates' $1 million. If you choose, your name and a quote will be posted on the proposal page showing your support of the program.
So far we have three people who have donated to the band proposal. Anyone with a small amount of money to donate can make a HUGE difference as "citizen philanthropists."
Please consider helping us out, and donate a few bucks. Every donation is tax exempt and you will immediately receive a letter you can use to take the donation off of your taxes. You can pay online with a credit or debit, or you can send a check. The info you need to send the check is on the site.
You can click on this link: Donors Choose to go right to the proposal.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Doctor Who?
I often wonder about the meaning or origin of certain words. It cracks me up that some of the kids at school call me "Mrs. Doctor Mehigh". The word "doctor" is used in our culture for a medical practitioner (m.d.) as well as someone who is an expert in their field of study (PhD like me). Some kids actually think that since my handle is "doctor" that I am somehow competent to treat their ills, sprains, and other boo-boos.
So where does the term "doctor" come from?
I used the "The Oxford English Dictionary" [OED] which is kind of like the Bible for those of us interested in etymology (meaning of words). Here is what I found.
The earliest use of "doctor" in WRITTEN English was in 1303, but the term applied to "doctors of the Church," meaning "learned men in the scriptures."
It was not until 1377 that it was used in the sense of "medical doctor," or one who treats illnesses or diseases.
The entry from the OED above traces the word's origin -- from the Old French "doctor" from the Latin "doctor," meaning "teacher." And that noun came from the verb "docre" which meant "to teach."
So if we go with the original Latin, it seems like all of my teacher colleagues should be called "doctor". Wonder if we did call teachers this if we'd make more money? Or get the respect we deserve? hahahahahah
I think if you put the m.d. together with the "teacher" you will probably have the best type of medical practitioner. One who listens to a patient and teaches them how to stay healthy. Just my opinion.
So where does the term "doctor" come from?
I used the "The Oxford English Dictionary" [OED] which is kind of like the Bible for those of us interested in etymology (meaning of words). Here is what I found.
The earliest use of "doctor" in WRITTEN English was in 1303, but the term applied to "doctors of the Church," meaning "learned men in the scriptures."
It was not until 1377 that it was used in the sense of "medical doctor," or one who treats illnesses or diseases.
The entry from the OED above traces the word's origin -- from the Old French "doctor" from the Latin "doctor," meaning "teacher." And that noun came from the verb "docre" which meant "to teach."
So if we go with the original Latin, it seems like all of my teacher colleagues should be called "doctor". Wonder if we did call teachers this if we'd make more money? Or get the respect we deserve? hahahahahah
I think if you put the m.d. together with the "teacher" you will probably have the best type of medical practitioner. One who listens to a patient and teaches them how to stay healthy. Just my opinion.
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