Summing it Up: Teaching Turnover

Yep, I'd say this hits the nail on the head with the current state of the teaching profession and my generation's dashed hopes of really "making a difference" in the classroom.

"Schools Need Teachers Like Me. I Just Can't Stay."

The big takeaway, which the author quite effectively states, is the following:

"A teacher with experience is not always a good teacher, but a good teacher is always better after a few years of experience."

The public really needs to understand that the "token few years" that some bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Teach For America college grad with great SAT scores puts in in "the urban classroom" just ain't gonna cut it. Because, despite what everyone who's never done it firmly believes, teaching really is a profession. . . . not a stepping stone for outgoing, smart folks who've seen Stand and Deliver and Dangerous Minds too many times.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Climb: Check!

Well, I can't say I was too impressed with the Outer Banks, or "OBX", after spending this past week in mosquito-infested Nag's Head. However, at least I can say I climbed the tallest lighthouse in the United States now!

Word to the wise: Pop some Dramamine for the climb back down the stairs. 240+ narrow spiral stairs ain't much goin' up, but it's a vertigo extravaganza going down!

Return to Ann Arbor: Farmer's Market Bounty

A quick visit to the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market has made me feel like we never left! All is right with the world when you're eating fruit-battered donuts and fresh baked bread with homemade jam.

That's Amore: Best Friends @ C&O Trattoria

Having both lived and worked in the Marina del Rey/Venice area off and on for the past decade, I'm a loyal and adoring fan of C&O Trattoria on Washington Blvd. It's hard to go wrong with a place defined by jugs of Chianti served on "the honor system" and overflowing plates of garlic knots that awaken the inner glutton in even the most reserved of eaters.

But last night's dinner offered an additional bonus: Our server, after noticing the Best Friends Animal Society logo on my bag, proudly announced that he adopted a rescued pointer mix from Best Friends' annual Westchester Park spring adoption festival 6 years ago.

Enough said. Yes, your big bottle of wine, plate of garlic knots, and willingness to adopt a shelter pet will get you a bigger tip from us. That's amore!

Save a Drunken Duck

(Photo Credit: Bridget Jones/Associated Press)

I think my cynicism is getting to me this morning.

I know, particularly as a resident of Michigan, I should be more concerned about the financial and personal woes felt throughout the state and country as GM locations everywhere close, cutting thousands of jobs and creating a ripple that will be felt many times over in all types of industries.

However, I can't help but find the English version of this sad tale far more disconcerting: the loss of the local pub.

Henry Chu reports in the LA Times this morning,

Colorful and often iconic establishments that managed to survive civil wars, frowning Victorian teetotalism and tales of being haunted are increasingly buckling under to modern market forces, higher taxes and lifestyle changes.

Every week, 39 alehouses call for "last orders" one final time, according to the British Beer and Pub Assn. All told, more than 2,000 taverns have shut down since March of last year, at a cost of 20,000 jobs.

It's an especially distressing turn of events for those in the countryside, who warn that villages may eventually be reduced to little more than rural dormitories, stripped of the shops, services and gathering places that gave them a sense of identity and cohesion.

The Belfast Telegraph reports a similar scenario in Ireland as pubs cut hours and employees or close altogether.

I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that I have yet to visit either country. Maybe it's my already very Irish and English leanings . . . but I would most definitely consider giving up my own identity and exchanging my protein shakes for pints to help save theirs!

From "The Office" to "The Santuary"

So glad to see that one of the many celebrities that supports and visits Best Friends is a cast member from my beloved show, The Office.

Phyllis Smith (aka Phyllis Lapin) just recently visited with her mother: "The Office Visit"

(Photo credit: Molly Wald, Best Friends Animal Society)

Hydroxycut Recall

Gee, big surprise.

Quit Monkeying Around

Given that I work on the UCLA campus, I've been loosely following the recent string of news stories regarding the battle between animal rights activists and researchers on campus who use animals to research conditions such as schizophrenia and methamphetamine addiction. Fire bombing researchers' cars and sending personal threats of bodily harm are among some of the actions that have been taken by a group known as the North American Animal Liberation, and that have resulted in a two-sided mass demonstration scheduled for this Wednesday between those for and against the research.

I am not a fan of extremist tactics (for the most part), nor do I think destroying personal property or threatening personal violence ever really sinks into the thick head of your average neuroscientist who views all things (human or otherwise) sans PhD or M.D. as simple tools to further their own lives and careers . . ahem, pardon the bias. I tend to prefer the Morgan Spurlock approach to that of Michael Moore, and the philosophy of Best Friends Animal Society to that of PETA.

HOWEVER . . . extreme measures do play their part, and an important one at that. If it wasn't for the inroads made by the extreme ends of the spectrum, the middle ground on either side of whatever moral line is being drawn would seem far less palatable, and ultimately less attainable. I also respect the fact that, regardless of how much I may disagree with certain aspects of PETA's work, at the end of the day they are still the ones responsible for swaying multimillion dollar designers like Calvin Klein and Donna Karen to stop using fur in their fashion lines and they're the reason that a high school kid such as myself was able to connect the dots with the way my dissection rabbit looked in 11th grade anatomy class and the evidence of the torture inflicted on said rabbit in order to get him or her to look that way. It's full disclosure and it left an impression.

But aside from the differing perspectives and tactics and who's right or wrong, I gotta say that I was sort of dumbfounded by the arrogance and unsupported logic displayed in the following argument offered by one of the neuroscientists at the center of this work. Larry Gordon of the LA Times writes of Dr. David Jentsch:

"At a North Carolina facility shared with Wake Forest University, Jentsch works
with a colony of more than 450 vervet monkeys in what he described as
noncoercive and painless memory tests, DNA samples and scans. He said 10 or
fewer of the animals are put to death by injection each year, so that
researchers can conduct postmortem exams. At a UCLA lab, he administers
methamphetamine to about two dozen monkeys and then withdraws them from it;
about half a dozen are killed each year for postmortems. He contended that the
animals suffer no pain from the work."The pain in addiction is when you lose
your relationships, lose your children, lose your job, when your health goes
down. Animals don't suffer those things," he said. "They suffer none of the
psychosocial pain that is what addiction is all about."

Is it me or did he actually just ground his entire argument in the context of the human experience rather than that of the monkey experience? Animals don't suffer those things, sir, because they're not human and don't define their lives via their job with a large pharmaceutical company or the number of privileged kids they have in private school. But to say that they don't suffer simply because those very human, superficial elements are absent strikes me as bordering on the absurd. It's also kind of important to remember that your lab rat's experience is not defined by or limited to the specific focus of your study.

The fact that, as an educational researcher, I'm sitting in the back of the classroom only concerned with how little Jimmy & Co. are solving an algebra problem, doesn't negate the fact that they may have been sent to school hungry and without breakfast that morning or the kid sitting behind them may be assaulting them in the hallway after class. Just because I ain't studying it, doesn't mean it ain't there.

And by the way, I'm thinking that the whole "lose your relationships, lose your children" aspect was a very large part of being torn from their natural environment and put in a cage in a lab. I'm also pretty sure that losing their lives (i.e. "about a half dozen are killed each year for postmortems") still registers on that whole "suffering" scale thing. Ya think?

Do We Have to Call It "Brown" Fat?

I've been catching bits and pieces of an ongoing NPR story this week about some recent research on what scientists refer to as "brown fat". More of the details can be found in this CNNHealth article.

Essentially, this type of fat is brown adipose tissue most commonly found in infants and small children, as well as animals, that helps burn calories by activating in colder temperatures to keep the body warm. (Imagine the workout trend that this will set off--perhaps a Groovin' to the 80s Pilates class out in the gym parking lot in the dead of winter? The possibilities are endless.)

However, what I think would be really cool, is if we could possibly come up with a better label than "brown fat." I mean, come on. Nobody wants brown anything.

Maybe something like awesome fat or super fat or . . . perhaps, Anti-fat!

Aerobic Origins

Interesting article on Dr. Cooper's 1968 book, Aerobics, and the 40 year history and development of aerobic trends.

It notes:

In the book he argues that aerobic exercise is the best way to condition the body -- better than (then-popular) calisthenics, weight lifting or better anaerobic exercise such as sprints and drills. He wrote that aerobic exercise like jogging or swimming, done frequently and with enough duration, "improves the overall condition of the body especially its most important parts, the lungs, the heart, the blood vessels, the body tissue, building a bulwark against many forms of illness and disease."

What troubles me about a quote like this is what will most likely be (and probably has been) the average reader's "take-away"--that aerobic exercise is better for you than weight lifting and anaerobic work like "sprints and drills." However, the key here is "done frequently and with enough duration" + "overall condition of the body" such as "lungs . .heart . . tissue" etc.

In other words, aerobics (or any other of its myriad offspring noted in the article, like yoga ballet or karaoke spinning) really only has the noted effect when maintained for long enough blocks of time and frequently enough. So, that once a week Sizzlin' Salsa Jazz class that you go to in the middle of an otherwise sedentary life at the office ain't gonna cut it health wise, although it may be doing wonders for personal enjoyment and mental well-being, which are certainly important too. And, believe it or not, that once a week Sunday morning marathon training run isn't going to do all that much for you either, that is, other than get you ready to run a marathon!

The reality is that occasional and brief aerobic activity is a bit of an oxymoron when we're talking about the physical benefits, and at the end of the day, if what you're really interested in--even more so than overall health--is scoring that Angelina Jolie body in all of it's slim, muscular perfection, then weight-lifting and anaerobic activity . . like sprinting . . is precisely what you need to do.

Everything is contextual, and tied to goals and purpose. If you want to get lean and mean, and Hollywood starlet sculpted (and you're not already an athlete), go learn how to lift weights and start cranking up the quick, high octane workouts like interval running or cycling. If you want to start progressively improving your general health and well-being and eventually lose a little weight, start hitting the yoga dance classes or the elliptical machine for 40-60 min several times a week.

Of course, more than anything, if you really want to lose weight and improve your overall health, you better take a look at your diet. ;)

Good Post on Reproductive Health and Education

I thought this was a really well-written piece by Kirsten Moore addressing women's reproductive health.

She concludes with the following:

For me, the value of this work is not solely about reducing abortions, or even unintended pregnancies. It is about creating a sense of ownership among women and men -- old and young -- about their own body and their relationships with others because this ownership is a key to healthy bodies -- bodies free of substance abuse; healthy relationships -- relationships free of coercion or violence; and healthy children -- children who are born to parents who are ready to commit to their obligations as providers, caretakers and role models.

Yes, we all should be more thoughtful and deliberate about our sexual and reproductive lives. Speaking for myself, though, I'm not motivated to do this when some elite white male points his finger at me and says, "What is wrong with you? Why don't you see the world the way I do? If you would only do what I think is right we could all be in Oz." So Tin Man, don't forget to ask for that heart. And maybe a little humility.

Whoa. That's a pink dolphin.

I just saw this story through the Tattle Tails blog feed and I honestly thought it was some sort of hoax until I read the actual news story behind it.

Holy cow, it's a bright pink (albino) dolphin in Louisiana. I think that this is WAY cooler than the idea of a black swan.

Gimme that stimulus check! I want my cookies!

In these trying times, it seems quite reasonable that people are cutting back and dropping what might be considered luxury items from their shopping lists and kitchen pantries.

HOWEVER, I'd bet every dime of Obama's stimulus package that even the most strapped of folks are eagerly awaiting that annual opportunity to drop $4 on a box of Thin Mints or Samoas. That's right, folks! It's a certain special cookie-selling season, the joys of which rival even the Guinness and soda bread filled revelry of St. Patty's day!

When the going gets tough, the tough get Girl Scout Cookies.

Going Green, and probably feeling green while you do it

If this isn't classic save-the-planet, Birkenstock-wearin', granola-munchin' Californian conversation, I don't know what is.

Check out this article on the Composting Toilet!

In my opinion, I think that before our golden state has to honor any water rationing, that the Governator should have to use one of these himself for a month. I'm thinking that Arnold's Mr. Olympia breakfast of steak, eggs, chicken, and potatoes byproducts might take a wee bit longer to decompose than your average bowl of oatmeal topped with bananas and brown sugar, eh?

Actually, it's encouraging to see this article. I used to watch the show "It's Not Easy Being Green" which chronicled the green living pursuits of the Strawbridge family on their farm, and I must say that I was blown away by the composting outhouse they built on the property. I also think that a quaint, well-built green outhouse seems slightly less "gross" than a composting toilet sitting in your home.

Happy Birthday Charles and Abe!

In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. ~Charles Darwin

I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least moreunusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot. ~Abraham Lincoln

Today's Google Theme--Darwin's 200th Birthday

Love it!

Another good Suleman piece

Tim Rutten's got a great article in the LA Times today: The excesses of Nadya Suleman

The last couple paragraphs are worth reproducing in their entirety:

When the Nadya Sulemans of the world say, as she has in interviews, that they undergo these extreme, invasive, unpleasant, uncertain and expensive medical procedures because they "want children," that isn't really the case. If what people want is children -- and the incomparable experience of parenthood -- there are tens of thousands of children in our country and perhaps millions more abroad waiting for adoption. Thousands of others in our country are waiting for foster care.

The impulse that has made fertility medicine such a large and lucrative specialty in American medicine is about something other than children; it's about the narcissistic assumption that one is "entitled" to "the experience" of childbearing and, more to the point, the notion that, somehow, if your particular strands of DNA don't live on into another generation, the species will be poorer for it.

That sense of entitlement and its enabling delusion are about a lot of things -- but none of them really involve children.

Morality and Babies

The Morality of Eight Babies or, Sometimes, Even One

This post by Valerie Tarico is an excellent piece that offers some sincere balance to Holstein's post on the subject of 14-baby lady.

Unlike Tarico, I was not raised fundamentalist, or with any religion for that matter. But I have always felt a very deep sense of faith and spirituality, and I believe that ethics and morality have been central to my identity and actions throughout my life. I agree wholeheartedly with her that progressive minded people too often cower in the shadow of fundamentalist morality rather than championing their own, and that it's high time we stopped forgetting that morality happens to be at the center of our beliefs and actions too.

Where's Jonathan Swift when you need him?

I've been waiting for a good comedic slamming of Miss 14-Baby Bellflower for a few days now, and finally I've found one! I'm sure there will be many more to come, but this is a nice start.

SHUT THAT VAGINA DOWN

Emphasis on "High Definition"

The following is a brief blurb from the Associated Press about a cable debacle during yesterday's Superbowl:

Cable provider apologizes for Super Bowl porn
by Arthur H. Rotstein

TUCSON, Ariz (AP)-- A cable television provider has apologized to Tucson-area customers over a 30-second porn interruption during the Super Bowl. Philadelphia-based Comcast issued a brief statement Monday saying the company is "mortified" and is conducting a thorough investigation.

Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury says the initial investigation suggests that the interruption was an "isolated, malicious act."

The company says only customers in the Tucson area receiving the standard definition feed--not high definition--were affected.

Tucson media outlets reported that they received calls from irate viewers about the porn, which aired just after the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald scored on a long touchdown reception during the game's final minutes.

What got my attention is the sentence explaining that only customers "receiving standard definition feed--not high definition" had the problem. I don't know if the purpose of that sentence was a marketing push for viewers to start using high def, or to re-emphasize that at least those who were exposed to the porn didn't have to see it in high definition, but either way it gave me a good chuckle.