Mountain Music (beautiful Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss) --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15937551

 

In April 2007, wind shears in these mountains took off half the shingles of my relatively new roof and uprooted
countless trees in the White Mountain National Forest. Roofers temporarily covered our roof and commenced to put
on new architectural shingles in June. The above picture shows Mike putting on new lead flashing around a chimney before nailing down new shingles. We're still waiting to repair our dining room ceiling . It was leak-damaged by water in this Nor'easter.

Mostly I show you pictures of these mountains on sunny days. Actually while I'm sitting at my computer,
I prefer to watch the storm clouds move across the mountains. Sometimes they are dark, fast moving,
and ominous overhead. At other times it can be a nice day on our hill when we are looking down at
clouds in the valley where, sometimes, it is even raining under those clouds on villages along the
rivers --- like Franconia down below on the Gale River and Littleton on the Connecticut River and
Ammonoosuc (Wild) River.

The pictures below were taken mostly from behind my windows and at different times. Sometimes
the camera flash and raindrops reflect on the glass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stormy Weather
Fred Astaire once called this performance "the greatest dance number ever filmed."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBb9hTyLjfM

Stormy Weather
As only Ella could sing it --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teXOPAFMOp0

Stormy Weather
Lena Horne's Rendition --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUd8V7G8t0c

 

Tidbits on November 15, 2007
Bob Jensen

For earlier editions of Tidbits go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm
For earlier editions of New Bookmarks go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm 

Click here to search Bob Jensen's web site if you have key words to enter --- Search Site.
For example if you want to know what Jensen documents have the term "Enron" enter the phrase Jensen AND Enron. Another search engine that covers Trinity and other universities is at http://www.searchedu.com/.


Bob Jensen's past presentations and lectures --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/resume.htm#Presentations   

Bob Jensen's Threads --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/threads.htm

Bob Jensen's Home Page is at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/

You can read about Erika's surgeries and see her pictures at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Erika2007.htm
Personal pictures are at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/PictureHistory/
Some personal videos are at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/EdTech/Video/Personal/ 

Bob Jensen's blogs and various threads on many topics --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/threads.htm
       (Also scroll down to the table at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ )

Set up free conference calls at http://www.freeconference.com/  

If you want to help our badly injured troops, please check out
Valour-IT: Voice-Activated Laptops for Our Injured Troops  --- http://www.valour-it.blogspot.com/

Online Video, Slide Shows, and Audio
In the past I've provided links to various types of music and video available free on the Web. 
I created a page that summarizes those various links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm

VIDEO -- Now Playing on WSJ.com Al-Zawahiri's Version of Islam Editorial page writer Bret Stephens speaks to Dr. Tawfik Hamid, an Islamic scholar, about his experience with Ayman al-Zawahiri, an influential al-Qaeda leader.
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/8_0004.html?bcpid=86195573&bclid=212338097&bctid=1305005070

B-29 Model Airplane --- http://users.skynet.be/fa926657/files/B29.wmv

From UC Berkeley --- Scroll down at http://www.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=ucberkeley

FORA.tv (video and podcasts) brings together content from the Hoover Institution, the Global Philanthropy Forum, the World Affairs Council, the American Jewish Committee, and dozens of other organizations --- http://www.fora.tv/

"The Viral Video Hall of Fame" From crooning politicians to a grocery store manager who can crush windpipes with his mind, these are the greatest hits of the YouTube Age," PC World via The Washington Post, November 12, 2007 --- Click Here

The Trippiest Optical Illusions on the 'Net --- http://www.switched.com/2007/10/15/the-trippiest-optical-illusions-on-the-net/

Free music downloads --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm

"After two hours, I looked at my watch," a reviewer of Wagnerian opera is said to have written. "I found that 17 minutes had gone by."
As quoted in PhysOrg, November 12, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news114010680.html

Mountain Music (beautiful Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss) --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15937551

Mahler's First Symphony (full concert) --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16013157

Nickel Creek Farewell Concert (Hear the Full Concert) --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15731658

Near the end of Miles Davis' career, he gave young Wallace Roney the gift of a trumpet. That blue horn — yes, silvery blue — has engaged in a lot of serious music-making, first with Davis and now with Roney as a solo act.
Hear a Full Concert by Wallace Roney at the Kennedy Center Jazz Club --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15863011

Pepe Romero and the Art of the Spanish Guitar --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15203122

Bill Bojangles Robinson (I Can't Give You Anything But Love)--- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmcpGe1j-W0

Stormy Weather
Fred Astaire once called this performance "the greatest dance number ever filmed."...Tap Nicholas Brothers Fayard Harold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBb9hTyLjfM

Stormy Weather
As only Ella could sing it --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teXOPAFMOp0

A Tribute to the Incredible Gilda Radner --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scSpb6Q949o

Britney Spears singing Everytime on Saturday Night Live --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMccA6IxDdM
I want them to play Britney Spears at my funeral. This way I won't feel so bad about being dead, and everyone there will know there is something worse than Death.
Gary Numan

Stompin' Tom Connors - Sudbury Saturday Night (Live 2005) --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw7rzpvDvS0

 

Country Music Legend Hank Thompson Dies:  Hear the NPR Announcement on November 8, 2007 --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16112454
Read about Hank here --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Thompson_%28music%29

Piano Tutorial #20 Wild Side of Life Honky Tonk Angels --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoV-wKbqJzA
Kitty Wells - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3ysK0zfGc
k.d. lang - Honky Tonk Angels Medley --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Cq50myLZs
Honky Tonk Angel (Elvis) --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKlqSYEXPe4

Photographs and Art

NASA Space Walk Pictures forwarded by Lynn --- http://www.texasjim.com/NASApix/NASA pix.htm

Beautiful Winter Photographs and Music (PowerPoint Show) --- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/temp/Debussy.pps

Léman Lake Switzerland Ice Storm Photographs --- http://www.hoax-slayer.com/ice-storm-photos.shtml

West Coast Lightning and Storm Photographs --- http://electricskies.com.au/index.html?contents.html&banner.html&Galleries/WCoast/WCoastP3.htm 

Strom in Western Kansas --- http://backingwinds.blogspot.com/2006/05/may-26th-chase.html

Van Gogh (PowerPoint Show) --- --- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/temp/DutchVanGogh.pps 

Animal pictures (PowerPoint Show) --- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/temp//AnimalPictures.pps

Edward Hopper Gallery - 138 items --- Click Here
Also see "Edward Hopper's Land of the Loner" --- http://chronicle.com/subscribe/login?url=/weekly/v54/i11/11b01601.htm

Joseph Cornell: Navigating The Imagination --- http://www.pem.org/cornell/

From the University of Wisconsin
Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture: Image and Text Collections ---
 http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/DLDecArts/

 

Online Books, Poems, References, and Other Literature
In the past I've provided links to various types electronic literature available free on the Web. 
I created a page that summarizes those various links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm

Bentham Open Access --- http://www.bentham.org/open/
Bentham Publishers recently launched over 200 peer-reviewed open access journals (heavy on science, engineering, and medicine)

Hemingway Archives --- http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Hemingway+Archive/

The Legend Of Scotland by Lewis Carroll --- Click Here

The Door In The Wall by  Herbert G. Wells --- Click Here

Boston Public Library
100 Most Influential Books of the Century Booklists for Adults ---
http://www.bpl.org/research/AdultBooklists/influential.htm

University of Michigan Internet Public Library --- http://www.ipl.org.ar/ref/QUE/FARQ/bestsellerFARQ.html

Logos Free Books --- http://www.logosfreebooks.org/ 

University of Adelaide Library’s collection of Web books --- http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/

Find over 500 biographies of the most important writers --- http://litweb.net/

Internet Book List --- http://www.iblist.com/list.php?type=book&key=A&by=genre&genre=4

The Internet Classics Archives from MIT --- http://classics.mit.edu/

The Free Library --- http://www.thefreelibrary.com/

Eye on Europe: prints, books & multiples / 1960 to now --- http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2006/eyeoneurope/

That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.
Aldous Huxley --- Click Here

The easiest way for your children to learn about money is for you not to have any.
Katharine Whitehorn

One thing's for sure, in the war between freedom and fear, our side is going to have better t-shirts.
Dave Winer

When you hear "ecosystem" instead say "egosystem" and see if it still works.
Dave Winer

I want them to play Britney Spears at my funeral. This way I won't feel so bad about being dead, and everyone there will know there is something worse than Death.
Gary Numan

Why don't you turn on your toys and watch them play with each other.
Mother to Young Boy, The Wall Street Journal Cartoon, November 13, 2007

Surfer Todd Endris needed a miracle. The shark — a monster great white that came out of nowhere — had hit him three times, peeling the skin off his back and mauling his right leg to the bone. That’s when a pod of bottlenose dolphins intervened, forming a protective ring around Endris, allowing him to get to shore, where quick first aid provided by a friend saved his life. “Truly a miracle,” Endris told TODAY’s Natalie Morales on Thursday.
Mike Celizic, "Dolphins save surfer from becoming shark’s bait," MSNBC, November 8, 2007 --- http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21689083/?GT1=10547
You can read aboutbottlenose dolphins at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottlenose_Dolphin

Pass the smelling salts; someone in Brussels has discovered the Laffer Curve. Peter Mandelson, the EU Trade Commissioner and erstwhile British Labour minister, crossed over to the supply side during a speech at the European Parliament on Monday. Explaining why trade liberalization would benefit poor countries, Mr. Mandelson addressed developing nations' claims that they might lose government revenues if they reduced tariff levels. "The evidence," Mr. Mandelson said, "is that when tariffs come down, tariff revenue tends to go up." Arthur Laffer couldn't have said it better himself. When you tax something you tend to get less of it, and a tariff is just a tax on imports. Lower tariffs, and you'll probably get more imports -- and taking a smaller portion of a bigger pie often is better than taking a larger hunk of a tinier pie.
"The Mandelson Curve," The Wall Street Journal, November 9, 2007 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119456220037387152.html

The big world of classical physics mostly seems sensible: waves are waves and particles are particles, and the moon rises whether anyone watches or not. The tiny quantum world is different: particles are waves (and vice versa), and quantum systems remain in a state of multiple possibilities until they are measured -- which amounts to an intrusion by an observer from the big world -- and forced to choose: the exact position or momentum of an electron, say. On what scale do the quantum world and the classical world begin to cross into each other? How big does an "observer" have to be? It's a long-argued question of fundamental scientific interest and practical importance as well, with significant implications for attempts to build solid-state quantum computers.
"The world's smallest double slit experiment," PhysOrg, November 9, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news113822439.html

In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said. "These cheap and colourful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ... threatening the health of local people," it said. Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said. "People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns," the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying . . .
Yahoo News, November 12, 2007 --- http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071113/hl_afp/chinahealthcondomsoffbeat_071113034834
Jensen Comment
It was quite a stretccch to come up with this Tidbit. It must be very macho to show up at the recycling center weekly with a trash can filled only with your own used condoms.  Celebrity-sourced  hair bands supposedly will be in great demand.

Starbucks, the Onion once reported, "continued its rapid expansion Tuesday, opening its newest location in the men's room of an existing Starbucks." In real life, it hasn't come to that--yet. But Starbucks has seemingly caffeinated the U.S. and the world. There are now 10,000 stores spread across North America (more than 170 in Manhattan alone) and an additional 4,000 in more than 40 countries, stretching from Bahrain to Brazil. Starbucks stores have become a retail icon, a daily habit and a late-night punchline. "The only way the oil companies could make more money," Jay Leno quipped a couple of years ago, "would be if they were drilling for oil and struck Starbucks coffee." In "Starbucked," Taylor Clark sets out to explain such scorching success. He offers, along the way, an entertaining, instructive and refreshingly even-handed account of the company's life so far.
Mathew Rees, "The Fresh-Roasted Smell of Success How Starbucks has become part of American culture," The Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2007 --- http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110010831

This pacifistic stance appeals to the left wing of the democratic electorate, which may have some influence on the outcome of democratic primaries, but which is far less likely to determine the outcome of the general election. Most Americans -- Democrats, Republicans, independents or undecided -- want a president who will be strong, as well as smart, on national security, and who will do everything in his or her lawful power to prevent further acts of terrorism. Hundreds of thousands of Americans may watch Michael Moore's movies or cheer Cindy Sheehan's demonstrations, but tens of millions want the Moores and Sheehans of our nation as far away as possible from influencing national security policy. That is why Rudy Giuliani seems to be doing surprisingly well among many segments of the electorate, ranging from centrist Democrats to Republicans and even some on the religious right.
Alan Dershowitz, "Democrats and Waterboarding," The Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2007; Page A23 ---
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119439827396084663.html
Jensen Comment
When I spent a year in a think tank with Alan, he was a Jewish Democrat.


"The Path of Respectful Engagement," by Pat Hostetter Martin, Inside Higher Ed, November 9, 2007 ---
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/11/09/martin

To be sure, there are numerous issues between Iran and the United States that deserve very serious scrutiny. No one is served by naiveté or ignoring those concerns. One of our Indonesian Muslim students raised concerns about Mennonites interacting with Iranian officials in this e-mail message to me:

“I’m writing this e-mail just to ‘remind’ the Mennonites to be careful in building networks and relationships with the Iranian government. Who takes benefit from this ‘peacebuilding project’: Iranians, Mennonites, Muslims, the United States? I am afraid there is a ‘hidden agenda’ behind the meeting.

“They just use the Mennonites to send their ‘peaceful message’ to the American public, while at the same time they produce uranium, discriminate against non-Shi’ite communities and non-Muslims, massacre members of the Baha’i faith, and so on and so forth.

“Last, but not least, hopefully what I was thinking does not happen. Hopefully, by the Mennonites’ intervention, justice and peace will greet Iran, like in the Harrison Ford movie ‘Witness.’”

We in the peacebuilding field cannot know whether eventually “justice and peace will greet Iran,” just as we cannot know whether eventually the United States will choose the path of equitable peace in the world instead of military and economic dominance. But we are certain that to transform conflict and lay the groundwork for a better future, one must treat others the way – yes, to borrow from our holy book (but not the only book to say this) – one would want to be treated. In our conflict transformation program, we teach our students to move toward differences of opinion without fear, dealing with it open-heartedly, rather than trying to suppress or avoid conflict. Iran’s president undoubtedly has his own agenda for promoting exchanges with American colleges and academics, but our agenda is to promote respectful talking and listening, knowing that none of us has a corner on the truth and that each of us views matters through a particular lens. The more effort we make to peer through the lens of the “other,” the less likely we will end up in violent conflict.

Seeking to “practice what I preach,” I was one of about 120 people from a dozen religious groups and institutions who met with Ahmadinejad two days after his speech at Columbia University. Requested by Iranian officials, the meeting was organized by the relief and service agencies of the Mennonites and Quakers, but included Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, Christian university leaders, and many others.

During the two-hour session, Ahmadinejad addressed the audience for 20 minutes. Five panel members, selected for their range of perspectives, responded to his speech and asked their own questions. The dialogue covered the differences many of us have with Ahmadinejad, but it was conducted with respect and civility on all sides.

I believe this model is a better one for encouraging positive change – on both sides – than verbal attacks. I agree with the petition circulated by Columbia students, which was signed by 660 people online as of this week, in which the petitioners expressed distress that “inflammatory words were delivered at a time when dialogue with Iran is of the utmost importance in an effort to forestall war.”

One petitioner who identified herself as Alena, class of 2009, in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia, wrote: “As someone who grew up in the U.S. State Department world, I was often exposed to how difficult it was for my father to dialogue with leaders with whom he deeply disagreed. However, it was always his imperative to treat others with human dignity and respect and that U.S. Foreign Policy is best served by always having a platform for dialogue. There is always room for decorum and respect – even if you are faced with your worst enemy.”

We in the academic world must always be open to dialogue, which means respectfully listening as well as frankly speaking in a civil manner. I often disagree with positions that President Bush takes, but I would never presume to change his views and behavior through refusing to speak to him or insulting him.

Instead of limiting our choices to, on one hand, treating Ahmadinejad hatefully or, on the other hand, inviting him to speak without rebuttal in the interests of academic freedom, we advocate a third way: respectful, but active, engagement with those with whom one disagrees. This is what Martin Luther King did and wrote about in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” It’s what Gandhi did in India with the British. And it is what Nelson Mandela did with the leaders of the South African regime that jailed him for 27 years.

We advocate this third way both for intellectual and spiritual growth, as well as for combating injustice and achieving peace. Nothing is ever gained by pouring fuel onto a simmering fire.

Pat Hostetter Martin, who holds a masters degree in conflict transformation, is one of the administrators of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University, in Harrisonburg, Va., and director of its 13-year-old Summer Peacebuilding Institute.

A 13-year-old junior high school student was given two days of detention after school officials spotted her hugging friends after school last Friday. Megan Coulter, an eighth-grade student at Mascoutah Middle School, was hugging her friends goodbye after school Friday when vice principal, Randy Blakely, saw her and told her she would receive two after-school detentions. Blakely had previously warned Coulter that she was in violation of the school's policy on public displays of affection after she was seen hugging a student at a football game. The school's policy says that "displays of affection should not occur on the campus at any time."
Mascoutah Middle School, November 8, 2007 --- http://mascoutah.il.schoolwebpages.com/education/school/school.php?sectionid=5871
Jensen Comment
I found it amusing that this school also bills itself as the "Home of the Braves."
Can these children bravely hug each other in church?
In California male and female school children can share the same bathrooms and locker rooms. The California law permits hugging or other displays of affection.

NCLB = No Child Left Behind Law
A September 2007 Thomas B. Fordham Institute report found NCLB's assessment system "slipshod" and characterized by "standards that are discrepant state to state, subject to subject, and grade to grade." For example, third graders scoring at the sixth percentile on Colorado's state reading test are rated proficient. In South Carolina the third grade proficiency cut-off is the sixtieth percentile.
Peter Berger, "Some Will Be Left Behind," The Irascible Professor, November 10, 2007 --- http://irascibleprofessor.com/comments-11-10-07.htm

Have schools in the U.K. stopped teaching about Holocaust?
Mixed Answer:  See http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/holocaust.asp

The war being waged by the quasi-establishment and quasi-government Left in Britain against the nation's own traditions, values, identity and, perhaps most of all, religion, has been escalated and its battle-lines redefined with a report by a leading Labour Party-aligned think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, recommending that Christmas, which cannot be obliterated, should be down-graded to promote multiculturalism. Now, the Institute is not some unimportant relic of communist days clinging to existence in a squalid slum attic. On the contrary, it has very close links with the government. The report was commissioned when Nick Pearce, now head of public policy in the Prime Minister's Office, was its director. He was described in an interview on the Australian Broadcasting Commission's "Sunday Profile" recently as "One of the leading policy-makers in Great Britain." . . .  The same day that news of the report leaked out, there was news of another pedagogical flowering of multicultural understanding: a school had compelled teachers dress up as Asians for a day to celebrate a Muslim festival. Children at the school were also told to don Muslim garb even though most are Christians. . . The report also proposes an end to "sectarian" religious education -- it is hard to know what this means, or whether it is proposed to go as far as actually banning Christian schools, but it seems likely that it at least means that government support for religious schools would be banned (despite the fact that, apart from anything else, many religious schools provide a far better, and now physically safer, education than many of Britain's ghastly sink-comprehensives).
Hal G.P. Colebatch, "Britain's Escalating War on Christianity," The American Spectator, November 8, 2007 ---
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12285
Jensen Comment
Since Christian children and teachers were required to "don Muslim garb" to "celebrate a Muslim festival," it would seem counterbalancing to require Muslim children to wear crosses on Good Friday. That would be a fearsome requirement that, I'm certain, will never happen since there are so many militant extremists in the United Kingdom.

(Meanwhile)
Tony Blair will convert to Roman Catholicism within weeks when he is received into the church by the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, according to the Catholic magazine the Tablet.There has been speculation for months that the former prime minister would be received into the church following his resignation from office. A report by the magazine's editor, Catherine Pepinster, says the ceremony will take place during a private mass in the cardinal's official residence behind Westminster Cathedral in Victoria, London.Mr Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy, was baptised as an Anglican but has been known to be interested...
Stephen Bates, Guardian, November 9, 2007 --- http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,2208165,00.html

The University of Maine is backtracking on a classroom teacher's suggestion that students would get extra credit for burning a flag, or a copy of the U.S. Constitution . . . "Leftists seek sanctuary in the ivory tower of higher education where they can feel free to impose their liberal moonbattery on hapless college students. The less control they have over the country, the tighter their grip over academia becomes. And nothing runs more rampant on college campuses than anti-Americanism." "Perhaps the most telling quote from Professor Grosswiler was this one: 'If they don't tolerate thought that they hate, they don't believe in the First Amendment,'" the editorial said. "So not tolerating a professor asking students to burn the United States flag is equal to not believing in free speech? Your tax dollars at work, folks."
"University vetoes extra credit for flag-burning," WorldNetDaily, November 8, 2007 --- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58553
Bob Jensen's threads on political correctness and free speech are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm#PoliticalCorrectness

The Chinese government announced late Saturday that it had confirmed the presence of poison on toy beads exported around the world, while in the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said that seven more children had been sickened. The Chinese government’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine also identified the factory that manufactured the beads, the Wangqi Product Factory in the southeastern Chinese city of Shenzhen, and said the factory’s export license had been suspended.
Keith Bradshire, "China Confirms Poison Was on Toy Beads," The New York Times, November 11, 2007 --- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/world/asia/11china.html?_r=2&ref=business&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Modern farm bills are really about buying votes.Perhaps it's beneath the dignity of Members of Congress to shop at a grocery store, but if they did they'd know that food prices are rising faster than at anytime in 17 years. Milk now costs $3 a gallon in many states. Eggs, oranges, peas, tomatoes and rice are selling at or near all-time highs. The biggest winners have been corn producers, as corn prices have doubled in two years -- thanks in part to new mandates for ethanol. All of this is translating into the best gains in farm wealth in decades. Total farm income is expected to leap by 44% to $73 billion this year, according to the USDA. The average income of full-time farmers hit $81,420 last year, with large corporate farms earning in the millions of dollars. Meanwhile, farmland prices in the past five years have increased by $200 billion a year, or an average asset gain of $100,000 per year per full-time farmer.
"The No Farmer Left Behind Act,," The Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2007; Page A16 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119500379205092116.html

But controversial they were. Finally, another guest, a man I had long admired, an incisive thinker and a political moderate, cleared his throat, and asked if he could interject. I welcomed his intervention, confident that he would ease the tension by lending his authority in support of the sole claim that I was defending, namely, that Bush hatred subverted sound thinking. He cleared his throat for a second time. Then, with all eyes on him, and measuring every word, he proclaimed, "I . . . hate . . . the . . . way . . . Bush . . . talks." And so, I told my Princeton audience, in the context of a Bush hatred and a corollary contempt for conservatism so virulent that it had addled the minds of many of our leading progressive intellectuals, Prof. Starr deserved special recognition for keeping his head in his analysis of liberalism and progressivism. Then I got on with my prepared remarks.
Peter Berkowitz, "The Insanity of Bush Hatred," The Wall Street Journal,  November 14, 2007; Page A17 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119500487725192231.html 

Hating the president is almost as old as the republic itself. The people, or various factions among them, have indulged in Clinton hatred, Reagan hatred, Nixon hatred, LBJ hatred, FDR hatred, Lincoln hatred, and John Adams hatred, to mention only the more extravagant hatreds that we Americans have conceived for our presidents.

But Bush hatred is different. It's not that this time members of the intellectual class have been swept away by passion and become votaries of anger and loathing. Alas, intellectuals have always been prone to employ their learning and fine words to whip up resentment and demonize the competition. Bush hatred, however, is distinguished by the pride intellectuals have taken in their hatred, openly endorsing it as a virtue and enthusiastically proclaiming that their hatred is not only a rational response to the president and his administration but a mark of good moral hygiene.

Continued in article

Studs Terkel, whose new book Touch and Go: A Memoir (The New Press) appears just a few months after his 95th birthday, has often been called an oral historian for his collections of interviews with “ordinary people,” to use a term he despises for its implicit condescension. I take it from a look through JSTOR that some of the oral historians in academe dispute that label. They have their methods, while Terkel has his . . . Studs Terkel is one of the greatest products of the Popular Front era. He shared its yearnings, but transcended its limitations; for Terkel could hear except that “the people” have, in fact, many voices. What he took from the history and the organizations he himself passed through — how he absorbed influences, and broke with them, and transformed them — merits a book. It is a story worth telling. But this late in the day, some other author will probably need to tell it.
Scott McLeMee, "Talking to Himself, Inside Higher Ed, November 14, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/11/14/mclemee

Last month, the National Academy of Sciences reported on the impact of ethanol production on water supplies. A University of Iowa professor chaired the report committee, so Big Corn might have hoped for a home-court advantage. But NAS reported that, "in some areas of the country, water resources are already significantly stressed . . . Increased biofuels production will likely add pressure to the water management challenges the nation already faces as biofuels drive changing agricultural practices, increased corn production, and growth in the number of biorefineries." When ethanol is criticized by scientists at Iowa's two largest state universities, you have to wonder who is for it.
"Ethanol Backlash," The Wall Street Journal, November 12, 2007; Page A16 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119482533176389532.html

"The Health Cost Myth," by John R. Graham, The Wall Street Journal,  November 13, 2007; Page A25 ---
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119492465851790988.html

But what about the share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spent on health care, a metric of health system performance and value that some consider definitive? The United States leads the pack in this regard, spending far more on health than other countries. Surely this puts the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage, doesn't it?

No: It's the other way around. America's high productivity gives us the ability to spend more on health care, especially the latest treatments and technologies, than other developed nations that labor under forms of socialized health care.

Robert L. Ohsfeldt and John R. Schneider of the American Enterprise Institute have determined that health spending increases at a constant rate of about 8% for every $1,000 increase in GDP per capita. For example, if GDP rises from $30,000 per capita to $31,000, health spending increases by $232. But if GDP per capita rises from $40,000 to $41,000, health spending increases by $500.

Thus, because Americans earn so much more than people in other countries, it naturally follows that we spend more on health care.

Consider four countries whose health-care systems are often held up as admirable alternatives: Canada, Germany, France and Great Britain. Certainly, the U.S. spends significantly more on health care than those countries do, but these nations also earn significantly less income per person.

Look at it this way: Even after paying for our health care, Americans have far more money left over than their neighbors to spend on other goods and services. It works out to about $8,000 more than the average German or Frenchman, and about $4,000 more than the average Canadian or Briton.

Of course, averages obscure many harsh realities and hide the fact that many Americans are unable to afford health care.

To improve the state of American health care and lighten the burden on business and workers, policy leaders should push for portability of health benefits, transparent pricing for health services, tort reform and more competition among both insurers and providers.

Crusaders for "universal" health care allege that America's unique lack of government-mandated coverage is a handicap to the nation's competitiveness. Given America's superior economic performance, however, it is a uniqueness we should not rush to abandon.

VIDEO -- Now Playing on WSJ.com Al-Zawahiri's Version of Islam Editorial page writer Bret Stephens speaks to Dr. Tawfik Hamid, an Islamic scholar, about his experience with Ayman al-Zawahiri, an influential al-Qaeda leader.
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/8_0004.html?bcpid=86195573&bclid=212338097&bctid=1305005070


Scholarship in the Digital Age:  An Interview With Christine Borgman
It’s hard to meet academics these days whose work hasn’t been changed by the Internet. But even if everyone knows that the world of scholarship has changed, it’s not always clear just how or the way those evolutions fit into the broad history of scholarship. Christine L. Borgman sets out to do just that in Scholarship in the Digital Age: Information, Infrastructure and the Internet, just published by MIT Press. Borgman, a presidential chair in information studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, responded to e-mail questions about her book.
Scott Jaschik, "‘Scholarship in the Digital Age’,"Inside Higher Ed, November 14, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/14/borgman

One learning child. One connected child. One laptop at a time.
The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege. Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution ---
http://www.laptopgiving.org/
This link was forwarded by Aaron Konstam

November 12, 2007 reply from Aaron Delwiche [aaron.delwiche@trinity.edu]
Regarding a comment that developing nation children want desperately to get into MySpace and Facebook.

The opportunity to participate in social networking environments such as MySpace and Facebook is important for people who are otherwise excluded from participation in the global information economy. We laugh about these social networking sites -- often because of the funny and silly things that people use them for -- but on-line social networks are tangible manifestations of privilege and connectedness. Currently, these networks function as exclusionary "lunch counters" at which only certain types of people are allowed to take a seat.

Initiatives like the $100 laptop are not a miracle solution, but they at least make it possible for a new generation of youth to start plugging into conversational networks from which they were formerly excluded. So, yes, exactly. We should support the laptop giving program mentioned by Aaron K. because there just aren't enough children from developing nations on MySpace. :)

Aaron

One learning child. One connected child. One laptop at a time.
The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege. Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution ---
http://www.laptopgiving.org/
This link was forwarded by Aaron Konstam

November 12, 2007 reply from Aaron Delwiche [aaron.delwiche@trinity.edu]
Regarding a comment that developing nation children want desperately to get into MySpace and Facebook.

The opportunity to participate in social networking environments such as MySpace and Facebook is important for people who are otherwise excluded from participation in the global information economy. We laugh about these social networking sites -- often because of the funny and silly things that people use them for -- but on-line social networks are tangible manifestations of privilege and connectedness. Currently, these networks function as exclusionary "lunch counters" at which only certain types of people are allowed to take a seat.

Initiatives like the $100 laptop are not a miracle solution, but they at least make it possible for a new generation of youth to start plugging into conversational networks from which they were formerly excluded. So, yes, exactly. We should support the laptop giving program mentioned by Aaron K. because there just aren't enough children from developing nations on MySpace. :)

Aaron

November 14, 2007 reply from Bob Jensen

The easiest way for your children to learn about money is for you not to have any.
 Katharine Whitehorn
Possibly the easiest way to make children to want to learn is not to have any scholarly education opportunity whatsoever.

Certainly education and worldwide communications can be a bad thing for preserving ancient cultures and isolated religions/superstitions. But people who do go deep into Africa or other parts of the world discover that there is usually tremendous enthusiasm for learning --- sometimes learning anything. This makes isolated tribes extremely vulnerable to biased and/or incompetent teachers and learning materials.

In fact computers may be a way of overcoming questionable teaching such as teaching from overly zealous missionaries who are strong on doctrine and shallow on scholarship. 

Certainly there are risks of bad scholarship such as when any person goes to Wikipedia. But there is a tremendous amount of great scholarship available in Wikipedia and other scholarly databases accessed via computers.

Knowledge wants to be shared and will find cracks in the barrier walls of any type in society. The MIT experiment (along with the ensuing effort by Intel) to open these cracks a bit wider with cheap computers will have a whole lot of direct and indirect (i.e., externalities) that are good and bad. As educators we know we have to take chances, even those of us who frequently go to Wikipedia.

*******************************************

BH: My last question : How would you define the ideal digital society in a few words?

MJ: Equality of communication. Equality of information. Environmentally sustainable design. Low cost and high quality. Technology guided by the needs of people and not by trade and governments. Finally education technologies should be accessible to all.
Interview with Mary Joyce by Ben Heine --- http://snipurl.com/mjdigitalsociety

Bob Jensen

Electronic Wall Street Journal Will Soon Be Free
News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said Tuesday he intends to make access to The Wall Street Journal's Web site free, dropping subscription fees in exchange for anticipated ad revenue. "We are studying it and we expect to make that free, and instead of having 1 million (subscribers), having at least 10 million to 15 million in every corner of the earth," Murdoch said. News Corp. has agreed to acquire Dow Jones & Co. for about $5 billion, and the deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. A special shareholders meeting is scheduled for Dec. 13 in New York.
PhysOrg, November 13, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news114174612.html

Question
How can you cut the cost of your students' textbooks in half and customize them for your own course at the same time?

On Wednesday, the Arizona community college announced a partnership with Pearson Custom Publishing to allow Rio Salado professors to piece together single individualized textbooks from multiple sources. The result, in what could be the first institution-wide initiative of its kind, will be a savings to students of up to 50 percent, the college estimates, as well as a savings of time to faculty, who often find themselves revising course materials to keep pace with continuously updated editions.
Andy Guess, Inside Higher Ed, November 15, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/15/textbooks
 

Question 1
What's "time dialation?"
Hint:  It's based on Einstein's theory of relativity?

Question 2
Is John Travolta ceteris paribus getting better financing or worse financing deals than John Madden (football commentator who refuses to fly)?

Answer --- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dialation

"It's a century late, but Einstein's still right on time," PhysOrg, November 12, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news114010680.html

"After two hours, I looked at my watch," a reviewer of Wagnerian opera is said to have written. "I found that 17 minutes had gone by."

In 1905, Albert Einstein wrote his own treatise on the relativity of time, famously theorising that time speeds up or slows down according to how fast an object is moving in relation to another object.

Thus, according to his hypothesis, a clock which is in motion ticks more slowly than an identical clock which is at rest -- a phenomenon that Einstein called time dilation.

In a study published on Sunday, the most accurate experiment yet into time dilation has proven the great German physicist to be bang on target.

An international team of researchers used a particle accelerator to whizz two beams of atoms around a doughnut-shaped course to represent Einstein's faster-moving clocks.

They then timed the beams using high-precision laser spectroscopy and found that, compared with the outside world, time for these atomic travellers did indeed slow down.

"We were able to determine the effect more precisely than ever before," said lead researcher Gerald Gwinner of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.

"We found the observed effect to be in complete agreement."

The experiments, said Gwinner, confirm the technology aboard US military satellites that provide the signals for the Global Positioning System (GPS) -- the "satnav" network that is used as a navigational aid around the world.

Continued in article

Jensen Comment
By extrapolation, we can then assume that some interest rates contractually states at, say, 11.368% per annum really vary for fast moving investors compared with stick-in-the-muds. Question 2 Is John Travolta ceteris paribus getting better financing or worse financing deals than John Madden (football commentator who refuses to fly)?
Hint:
Time moves somewhat slower for high flying John Travolta (a pilot).

It would seem that airline crews are getting a heck of a deal on their mortgages!

Dental School Alleged Cheating at Loma Linda University, New York University, and UCLA
The American Dental Association is investigating allegations of possible cheating by students at four dental schools on an exam that leads to licensure for dentists, the Los Angeles Times reported. The probe involves students at Loma Linda University, New York University, the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.
Inside Higher Ed, November 14, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/14/qt

Bob Jensen's threads on cheating are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Plagiarism.htm

Buzzword Bingo

Before reading this module, read about Buzzword Bingo at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzzword_bingo
David Albrecht pointed out that the testimonials at this Wikipedia site are hilarious!

From the Unknown Professor of finance who writes the Financial Rounds Blog (October 8, 2007 ) --- http://financialrounds.blogspot.com/

A while back, I came across the game called "Buzzword Bingo." For those who aren't familiar with it, in the game of BB you get a Bingo card filled with common business buzzwords. You take it to a meeting, and when you hear an overused buzzword, you mark it off on the card. That way, what had been an irritating, overused phrase becomes something you get excited hearing.

I'm convinced there's a niche market for an academic version of BuzzWord Bingo that can be played at faculty meetings (particularly in committee meetings). Here's a sampling of things I'd put in the various squares:
  1. A senior faculty member brings up the same sore point that he's been harping on for the last 10 years. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand.
  2. A spirited discussion breaks out about changing ONE word on a document that (at most) two people will ever read. The discussion goes around and around for an hour or more.
  3. The word "Rubric" (our new word du jour) is used. And I always thought Rubric was the character Steve Martin Played in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
  4. Someone (usually the guy in #1) complains about how things have changed (i.e. students are so much worse, they used to have a 5/5/ load, it was much harder to publish in top journals, etc...) since they they were starting out.
Any suggestions for other entries? I'll add them in as they come (with credit, of course).
These were added later on.
  1. Don't forget the ever-exciting "Let me give a little institutional background" guy. He is worth 20 dead minutes in every gathering. (also from Cynical Prof)
  2. Someone frets about how any disagreement will reflect badly upon the program / department / institution's 'mission. Bonus points for being in a very secular setting or campus while muttering about the same. (HT: Ancarett)
  3. The tired old hand who tells everyone that whatever's decided doesn't matter because nobody has any real power here, anyway. (HT: Ancarett)
     
  4. #s 11-16 are complimnets of Mike Munger: When I was at [name of previous job university], we always....[what they did].
     
  5. I hear that in [name of department], they just got [n new positions, a budget increase, new space]. Why don't you get that for US?
     
  6. The "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" guy. Committee chair reads proposal, clear that everyone agrees, if you voted now. But the Snatcher prepared a talk, and by golly he's going to give it. Starts by talking about how 25 years ago he proposed something like this (not MUCH like it, though), and was turned down. So, it's really time that anyone opposed then explains how they could have been so stupid. 7 or 8 people raise hands to respond. Vote is finally taken, an hour later, and it's 15-9. The 9 people, who were ready to support the proposal, end up sabotaging it because they are so angry at the Snatcher. After meeting, Snatcher congratulates self on "victory", since vote was positive.
  7. The by-laws guy. Either we are doing something not in the by-laws, or the by-laws need to be revised to reflect what we are doing.
     
  8. They guy who starts out with, "I'm going to support this, but..." and then runs down the proposal, or candidate, for ten minutes. Finishes with, "But I'm going to go along, and vote yes."
     
  9. The Dean's mouthpiece. "I don't think the Dean is going to like that. We need to think strategically!" This same person is perhaps the least strategic, and most politically inept, person in department.
  10. #s 17 & 18 are from Mike Barry: At our faculty meetings, there's always at least one blatant suckup. The dean will start the meeting off and the suckup will loudly thank the dean for all of his support (in something that made the suckup's job easier).
     
  11. We also have a social issues person. We could be talking about something like upgrade cycles for our computers and she'll somehow try to weave in a socially responsible angle. There are always a few faculty who, as soon as their hands go up, the rest of us groan. Of course, we have students like that!
  12. David Tufte contributed #s 19-23: The guy who insists that everything has an ethical angle that is in conflict with how we should present ourselves to stakeholders.
  13. The person who is secretary or otherwise in charge of documents who doesn't seem to be able to use Word, PDF or e-mail properly (usually you see this one on campus-wide committees
  14. The person who makes copies for the committee, but never makes enough - as if they had to type them all by hand.
     
  15. The former administrator who views the committee as a forum to perpetuate the views and continue the actions that got his butt booted out of the previous position.
     
  16. The student representative who never shows up for meetings.
  17. #s 24-25 are compliments of David Hammes: There's the "Oh, so what you're saying " or "Let me see if I understand you" guy who restates everyone's previous comments (oft times incorrectly), thereby dragging the meeting out even longer.
  18. The guy who "debates" himself out loud, changing his position with every comment he makes (kind of like Colin "Bomber" Harris

November 7, 2007 reply from Bob Jensen (you can add comments directly to entries in the Financial Rounds blog).

  1. "A senior faculty member brings up the same sore point that he's been harping on for the last 10 years. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand."

    Never rise to speak till you have something to say; and when you have said it, cease.
    Witherspoon

    Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.
    Jack Nicholson, As Good As it Gets

    If novelty was the essential ingredient of modern art, then repetition is the hallmark of postmodern craft.
    Joel Achenbach

    Don't confuse arrogance with chronic correctness.
    Steve Williams

    Ben, I threw food at you to make you shut up. It hasn't worked. If you don't shut up, I want my food back.
    Dale Newfield

    Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
    Leo Tolstoy

     
  2. "A spirited discussion breaks out about changing ONE word on a document that (at most) two people will ever read. The discussion goes around and around for an hour or more."

    There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about.
    John Von Neumann

    Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing.
    Mark Twain

    The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.
    James Nicoll

    Don't pay attention to a word the press says     (or a committee writes). Wrap yesterday's fish in whatever they say tomorrow.
    Jack Welch

    I think you should rework that statement. A much more useful version is: "From now on, anyone gets smacked.
    Kristiina Wilson

     
  3. "Someone (usually the guy in #1) complains about how things have changed (i.e. students are so much worse, they used to have a 5/5/ load, it was much harder to publish in top journals, etc...) since they they were starting out."

    I found myself making pissy comments about all their pissy comments. It was pretty dumb.
    Kristiina Wilson

    I'd like to make a motion that we face reality.
    Bob Newhart

    Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
    Mark Twain

    The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.
    Mark Twain

     
  4. If you say Rubric again I'm going to puke.
    Dave Winer
     
  5. Here we have a game (read that Committee) that combines the charm of a Pentagon briefing with the excitement of double- entry bookkeeping.
    Cecil Adams
     
  6. If you can't convince them, confuse them.
    Harry S. Truman
     
  7. We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office (and faculty committees).
    Aesop
     
  8. I'm the misfit of the committee, and I think they need me like a beauty pageant needs a Nosferatu.
    Jordan Wolbrum
     
  9. The confusion of a committee member is measured by the length of his memos.
    New York Times, January 20, 1981
     
  10. Haven't you heard our committee motto - 'United we sort of come apart at the seams, but Welded we stick together pretty well' ? -
    tabron@brandeis.bitnet
     
  11. Academics get paid for being clever, not for being right.
    Donald Norman
     
  12. The woman of my dreams makes a motion to adjourn.
    Doug Tygar

November 8, 2008 reply from Unknown Professor [unknownprofessor@hotmail.com]

Bob:

Thanks for putting it out there. I think there;'s a merket for this. At least it'll make faculty meeting more interesting.

The Unknown Professor http://financialrounds.blogspot.com 
"Back away slowly from the article with your hands up and your mind open, and with luck nobody gets hurt"

November 8, 2007 reply from David Fordham, James Madison University [fordhadr@JMU.EDU]

Bob, you can easily adapt a version of buzzword bingo for application to faculty meetings. I combined ideas from several folks and put one together way back in 2003. It is, of course, appropriately named "BS Bingo". It can be found at:

http://cob.jmu.edu/fordham/bsbingo2.htm 

Enjoy.

David Fordham
James Madison University

November 8, 2007 reply from Ed Scribner [escribne@NMSU.EDU]

Bob,

The Unknown Professor of Finance may not realize there have been versions of academic buzzword bingo on the web for some ten years.  Some do not use a word as kind and acceptable as “Bingo.”  For faculty meetings here we simply update the cards for new buzzwords as they come along.

David,

Now that I see the one you put together, I realize that's the one we've been using!!! I had forgotten about that.

Ed
New Mexico State University

 

 

Question
How can your cell phone receive calls from other telephones in your household and vice versa?

"Extending Cellphones' Reach With VTech System, Calls Are Channeled To Home Handset," Katherine Boehret, The Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2007; Page D8 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119439465387884550.html

It's fair to say that cellphones can induce laziness. They enable effortless directory assistance, mobile Web access and the ever-important luxury of calling someone in the next room so you don't need to get up. But this laziness can be reversed in an instant: Just misplace your cellphone at home, hear it ring and note how quickly you move -- running, climbing stairs or flipping couch cushions -- to find the phone before a caller hangs up.

VTech Communications wants to put an end to this mad phone dash with its new $150 Expandable Cordless Phone System with Bluetooth, the LS5145. This device synchronizes with your cellphone and redirects incoming cell calls to ring wherever the VTech phones are placed in the house. It works with your landline and up to two Bluetooth-linked cellphones, and can be expanded using additional handsets that cost $80 each.

. . .

Bluetooth technology isn't incapable of transmitting data: My BlackBerry Curve even tried to transfer its contacts to the 5145, but couldn't. VTech chose to use headset Bluetooth synchronization on the 5145 rather than hands-free synchronization. Hands-free is the same technology used in most Bluetooth-equipped cars; it provides more access to the Bluetooth device, such as phone-book integration.

I also missed other features on my cellphone when it wasn't by my side, such as text messaging and voice mail. Incoming text messages were sent to my cellphone unbeknownst to me since I wasn't near it, and when I didn't answer incoming calls through the VTech, I had no way of knowing if the caller left a voice mail on my cellphone.

The 5145 includes a base station and primary phone; the 5105 additional handset includes a small stand just big enough to hold it upright. I set up the base station near where I drop my work bag after coming home each night. After the initial pairing during setup, phones automatically link to the VTech, meaning I never had to take my cellphone out of my bag.

Continued in article

 

Certificates for Distance Education Teachers and Related Matters on Asynchronous Learning

November 10, 2007 message from Denise Nitterhouse (Condor) [dnitterh@CONDOR.DEPAUL.EDU]

Has anyone taken an excellent online Certificate program you can recommend for learning how to design, develop and teach asynchronous online Accounting, MIS and other business courses? I prefer a time-structured course with a lot of peer as well as instructor interaction (not a self-paced one where interaction is primarily with an instructor or TA).

After hours of searching & reading, I found the alternatives overwhelming, and quality impossible to determine, so I'm turning to you for personal experiences & recommendations. Reply either to the list or to me individually, as you think most appropriate. Thanks!!

Denise Nitterhouse, MBA, DBASchool of Accountancy & Management Information Systems
DePaul University
dnitterh@condor.depaul.edu
 http://condor.depaul.edu/~dnitterh/

 

November 10. 2007 reply from Bob Jensen

Hi Denise,

In the beginning God created distance education without specifying that distance education has to eliminate synchronous learning. My best example of this is a distance education course on international accounting designed and delivered by Sharon Lightner at San Diego State University. Students met at the same time in six (sometimes five) nations at the same time and could see/hear each other as well as their instructors and invited standard-setting experts also present in the widely separated classrooms. You can read more about Sharon's herculean effort at C:\Webjen\000aaa\lightner\255light.htm

Since the invention of the Web in 1989, major universities have been putting masters and doctoral programs into place in the discipline of education technology. I suspect Depaul probably offers such degree programs, and most certainly these are available at the University of Illinois.

One of my best examples of a very serious comparison of asynchronous and synchronous learning in controlled experimentation was the generously-funded SCALE program at the University of Illinois --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/255wp.htm#Illinois
Dan Stone (when he was still at Illinois) put together a CPE workshop module for me some years back for an American Accounting Association annual meeting. Dan has since moved to the University of Kentucky --- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/000cpe/00start.htm

Having said this, we know that in practice over 99% of the distance education training and education courses do eliminate most of the traditional synchronized learning components.

First I will discuss your question about "certificates." Actually you may be more interested in online teaching certificates or e-learning certificates since "certificates" worth their salt in "asynchronous learning" per se are probably few and far between. I would begin your investigation with the Sloan-C site --- http://www.aln.org/workshop/index.asp

Take advantage of incredible savings on workshops by becoming a Sloan-C College Pass Member.

By becoming a Sloan-C College Pass member, you can enroll your faculty and staff in 2007 Sloan-C workshops for less than the price of a book! College Pass is a cost effective way to give your staff and faculty access to the full range of Sloan-C online workshops.

Sloan-C Online Teaching Certificate Now Available

After considerable development, Sloan-C is announcing the Online Teaching Certificate. Find out how you or your faculty and colleagues can receive a certificate from the leader in online education.

Sloan-C 2007 Online Workshop Listing

Following is a preliminary list of planned workshops for 2007. These plans are tentative and subject to change, there are also many workshops currently in the process of being added to this list. The majority of Sloan-C workshops, including workshops that are not yet listed here, are planned to be offered in the Sloan-C College Pass™, however we reserve the right to produce workshops for special purposes that are not included. For workshops not included in the College Pass, we will note in the workshop description when the workshops are listed on the home workshop page. Sloan-C College Pass™ does not cover additional fees that might apply with Sloan-C Certificates or Certification.


Jensen Comment
However, in general I view "certificates" as far less important than narrowing that part of asynchronous learning that you want to study. Alternatives range from learning theory itself to assessment theory to techie/geek distance education software and hardware.

As you indicate, it's pretty easy to be overwhelmed by distance education topics alone. Note that distance education, like on-campus traditional courses, is heavily asynchronous (such as when students learn from a textbook as well as attend lectures). Even when synchronous lectures and case analysis classes are replaced by asynchronous alternatives, there may be synchronous components such as chat rooms and Meebo. You can learn more about these alternatives at the following sites:

 

If you're looking for veterans who've taught accounting asynchronously for years (even for resident on campus students) with amazing enthusiasm, skill, and bootstrapping innovation I recommend Tony Catanach (financial and managerial) from Villanova, Amy Dunbar (tax) from the University of Connecticut, and Norm Nemrow (basic accounting) from Brigham Young University. If you want a great veteran of with experience in designing, funding, tweaking, administering, and delivering a complete asynchronous distance education masters program, there's probably none better than Don Carter who instigated the Chartered Accountancy School of Business for all of Western Canada. Last year Don won the Chartered Accountants Outstanding Educator Award. All these outstanding teachers have become experts on asynchronous learning, because they've bootstrapped themselves up from the bloody trenches. Don faced, and still faces many skeptics of the luddite variety, but this CASB venture into asychronous learning has been successful. The primary complaint is that it's too tough. Case closed!

 

Note in particular the Sloan-C link --- http://www.aln.org/

Our Mission:
The purpose of the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is to help learning organizations continually improve quality, scale, and breadth of their online programs, according to their own distinctive missions, so that education will become a part of everyday life, accessible and affordable for anyone, anywhere, at any time, in a wide variety of disciplines.

Created with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Sloan-C encourages the collaborative sharing of knowledge and effective practices to improve online education in learning effectiveness, access, affordability for learners and providers, and student and faculty satisfaction. Find out more…

What We Do
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Now if you want to learn more about the techie/geek side of things, you probably want to study software alternatives for comparative advantages and disadvantages.

e-Learning --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web-based_training#E-Learning_2.0

 

Now Denise, do you want to learn more about learning and the human brain or do you want to know how to best meet your needs in delivering a distance education degree program like CASB? Personally I like the human brain research --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/265wp.htm

However, the Sloan-C program may the answer to what your goals are at the moment --- http://www.aln.org/workshop/index.asp

Hope this helps!

Bob Jensen

 

Professors of the Year
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching announced today winners of their annual U.S. Professors of the Year award, given to instructors who show dedication to undergraduate teaching and mentoring.
Elia Powers, Inside Higher Ed, November 15, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/15/topprofs
Jensen Comment
Although "professors of the year" are chosen by peers are often teach popular courses, there are possibly more popular courses that are taught by instructors who will never win awards given by peers.

It is somewhat revealing (a little about the professor and a lot about the RateMyProfessor site) to read the student comments on RateMyProfessor. The "hottest" professors at RateMyProfessor generally have many more evaluations submitted than the four Professors of the Year" listed below. You can find a listing of the "hottest" professors (Top 50) at http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/top50Profs.jsp?from=1&to=25&tab=hottest_top50


For Trivia Buffs and Serious Researchers
Thousands of College Instructors Ranked on Just About Everything

November 13, 2007 message from David Albrecht [albrecht@PROFALBRECHT.COM]

There is a popular teacher in my department. When this fellow teaches a section of a multi-section course, his section fills immediately and there is a waiting list. My department does not like an imbalance in class size, so they monitor enrollment in his section. No one is permitted to add his section until all other sections have at least one more students than his.

I'm concerned about student choice, about giving them a fair chance to get into his section instead of the current random timing of a spot opening up in his section.

Does anyone else have this situation at your school? How do you manage student sign-ups for a popular teacher? Any practical suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

David Albrecht
Bowling Green

November 14, 2007 reply from Bob Jensen

Hi David,

I think the first thing to study is what makes an instructor so popular. There can be good reasons (tremendous preparation, inspirational, caring, knowing each student) and bad reasons (easy grader, no need to attend class), and questionable without ipso facto being good or bad (entertaining, humorous).

The RateMyProfessor site now has some information on most college instructors in a number of nations --- http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/index.jsp  The overwhelming factor leading to popularity is grading since the number one concern in college revealed by students is grading. Of course there are many problems in this database and many instructors and administrators refuse to even look at these RateMyProfessor archives. Firstly, student reporting is self selective. The majority of students in any class do not submit evaluations. A fringe element (often outliers for and against) tends to provide most of the information. Since colleges do know the class sizes, it is possible to get an idea about "sample" size, although these are definitely not a random samples. It's a little like book and product reviews in Amazon.com.

There are both instructors who are not rated at all on RateMyProfessor and others who are too thinly rated (e.g., less than ten evaluations) to have their evaluations taken seriously. For example, one of my favorite enthusiastic teachers is the award-winning Amy Dunbar who teaches tax at the University of Connecticut. Currently there are 82 instructors in the RateMyProfessor archives who are named Dunbar. But not a single student evaluation has apparently been sent in by the fortunate students of Amy Dunbar. Another one of my favorites is Dennis Beresford at the University of Georgia. But he only has one (highly favorable) evaluation in the archives. I suspect that there's an added reporting bias. Both Amy and Denny mostly teach graduate students. I suspect that graduate students are less inclined to fool with RateMyProfessor.

Having said this, there can be revealing information about teaching style, grading, exam difficulties, and other things factoring into good and bad teaching. Probably the most popular thing I've noted is that the top-rated professors usually get responses about making the class "easy." Now that can be taken two ways. It's a good thing to make difficult material seem more easy but still grade on the basis of mastering the difficult material. It is quite another thing to leave out the hard parts so students really do not master the difficult parts of the course.

If nothing else, RateMyProfessor says a whole lot about the students we teach. The first thing to note is how these college-level students often spell worse than the high school drop outs. In English classes such bad grammar may be intentional, but I've read enough term papers over the years to know that dependence upon spell checkers in word processors has made students worse in spelling on messages that they do not have the computer check for spelling. They're definitely Fonex spellers.

Many students, certainly not all, tend to prefer easy graders. For example, currently the instructor ranked Number 1 in the United States by RateMyProfessor appears to be an easy grader, although comments by only a few individual students should be taken with a grain of salt. Here's Page One (five out of 92 evaluations) of 19 pages of summary evaluations at http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=23294

11/13/07 HIST101 5 5 5 5   easiest teacher EVER
11/12/07 abcdACCT 1 1 1 1   good professor
11/11/07 HistGacct 3 2 4 1   Good teacher. Was enjoyable to heat teach. Reccomend class. Made my softmore year.
11/10/07 HISTACCT 5 5 5 5   Very genious.
11/8/07 histSECT 3 5 4 4   amazing. by far the greatest teacher. I had him for Culture and the Holocust with Schiffman and Scott. He is a genius. love him.

Does it really improve ratings to not make students have presentations? Although making a course easy is popular, is it a good thing to do? Here are the Page 3 (five out of 55 evaluations) ratings of the instructor ranked Number 2 in the United States:

12/21/05 Spanish 10
2		 3 5 5 5   One of the best professors that I have ever had. Homework is taken up on a daily base but, grading is not harsh. No presentations.
11/2/05 SPA 102 4 5 5 3   Wow, a great teacher. Totally does not call people out and make them feel stupid in class, like a lot of spanish teachers. The homework is super easy quiz grades that can be returned with corrections for extra points. You have to take her for Spa 102!!!! You actually learn in this class but is fun too!
10/27/05 Span 102 4 5 5 5   I love Senora Hanahan. She is one of the best teachers I ever had. She is very clear and she is super nice. She will go out of her way just to make sure that you understand. I Love Her! I advise everyone to take her if you have a choice. She is great!!
9/14/05 SPA 201 4 5 5 5   I am absolutly not suprised that Senora Hanahan has smiley faces on every rating. She is awesme and fun.
8/25/05 SPA 102 4 5 5 5 envelope I LOVE her! Absolutely wonderful! Goes far out of her way to help you and remembers your needs always. She will call you at home if you tell her you need help, and she will do everything possible to keep you on track . I have no IDEA how she does it! She really wants you to learn the language. She's pretty and fun and absolutely wonderful!

 

Students, however, are somewhat inconsistent about grading and exam difficulties. For example, read the summary outcomes for the instructor currently ranked as Number 8 in the United States --- http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=182825
Note this is only one page out of ten pages of comments:

10/31/07 hpd110 5 3 2 4   she is pushing religion on us too much... she should be more open minded. c-lots is always forcing her faith based lessons down our throats. she makes me wanna puke.
10/14/07 PysEd100 1 1 1 1   She is no good in my opinion.
5/22/07 HPD110 5 5 5 5   Dr. Lottes is amazing! it is almost impossible to get lower than an A in her class as long as you show up. her lectures are very interesting and sometimes it's almost like going to therapy. the tests and activities are easy and during the test there are group sections so it'll help your test grades. she is very outgoing and fun! so take her!
12/7/06 HDP070 2 5 5 2   Grades the class really hard, don't take if you are not already physically fit. Otherwise, she's an amazing teacher. You can tell she really cares about her students.

Read the rest of the comments at http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=182825

 

It's possible to look up individual colleges and I looked up Bowling Green State University which is your current home base David. There are currently 1,322 instructors rated at Bowling Green. I then searched by the Department of Accounting. There are currently ten instructors rated. The highest rated professor (in terms of average evaluations) has the following Page One evaluations:

4/9/07 mis200 4 5 5 1 i admit, i don't like the class (mis200) since i think it has nothing to do with my major. but mr. rohrs isn't that hard, and makes the class alright.
4/5/07 mis200 3 4 4 1 Other prof's assign less work for this class, but his assignments aren't difficult. Really nice guy, helpful if you ask, pretty picky though.
4/4/07 Acct102 2 5 5 2 Easy to understand, midwestern guy. Doesn't talk over your head.
12/14/06 mis200 4 5 5 2 Kind of a lot of work but if you do good on it you will def do good...real cool guy
12/10/06 BA150 4 5 5 4 Mr. Rohrs made BA 150 actually somewhat enjoyable. He is very helpful and makes class as interesting as possible. He is also very fair with grading. Highly Recommend.

 

Your evaluations make me want to take your classes David. However, only 36 students have submitted evaluations. My guess is that over the same years you've taught hundreds of students. But my guess is that we can extrapolate that you make dull old accounting interesting and entertaining to students.

In answer to your question about dealing with student assignments to multiple sections I have no answers. Many universities cycle the pre-registration according to accumulated credits earned.. Hence seniors sign up first and first year students get the leftovers. Standby signups are handled according to timing much like airlines dole out standby tickets.

It is probably a bad idea to let instructors themselves add students to the course. Popular teachers may be deluged with students seeking favors, and some instructors do not know how to say no even though they may be hurting other students by admitting too many students. Fortunately, classes are generally limited by the number of seats available. Distance education courses do not have that excuse for limiting class size.

 

PS
For research and sometimes entertainment, it's interesting to read the instructor feedback comments concerning their own evaluations of RateMyProfessor --- http://www.mtvu.com/professors_strike_back/

You can also enter the word "humor" into the top search box and investigate the broad range of humor and humorous styles of instructors.

Bob Jensen

Also see the following:

Question
What topic dominates instructor evaluations on RateMyProfessors.com (or RATE for short)?
"RateMyProfessors — or His Shoes Are Dirty," by Terry Caesar, Inside Higher Ed, July 28, 2006 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2006/07/28/caesar

Bob Jensen's threads on the dysfunctional aspects of teacher evaluations on grade inflation --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Assess.htm#GradeInflation

 

For Trivia Buffs and Serious Researchers
"101 Cities Ranked on Just About Everything," Reason Magazine, November 7, 2007 --- http://reason.com/blog/show/123365.html

Data geeks rejoice. Or kiss your afternoon goodbye. Particularly interesting are the little Google Maps mashups that accompany each list. A few of my favorites, after spending way too much time poking around the lists last night:

• You can find native-born Czechs all over the place. Not so much with the Portuguese.

• Eight percent of people in Palo Alto, California have a doctoral degree. No one in East L.A. does.

• If you're looking for women, try St. Joseph, Minnesota. If you're looking for fat women, try St. Louis, Missouri.

• The map showing the places where people are most likely to drink alcohol looks a lot like the map showing the healthiest counties. And the map showing the places were people were least likely to drink looks a lot like the map showing the least healthy counties.

• I suspect that the word legal is missing from this list. Also interesting to note how many cities from this list are located in the counties on the other one.

• Flagstaff, Arizona is one of the 101 coldest cities in the country.

• If you like to drink, move to Austin.

• New Orleans is getting safer. Flint, Allentown, and Oakland are getting scarier.

• Seattle isn't actually among the 101 rainiest cities, but it is one of the cloudiest.

• African immigrants seem to settle in and around Washington, D.C. (which also boasts the most delicious Ethiopian restaurants in the world). The odd exception is Clarkston, Georgia, which has the highest proportion of native-born East Africans in the country.

• One in four of the 88,000 people in Westminster, California is native-born Vietnamese.

Some of the comments are interesting:

Taktix® | November 7, 2007, 9:40am | #

Uhh, so Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach county are on the list for the least number of firearms?!?

Yeah, they must be referring to legal firearms, because there is no fucking way any county in South Florida should be anywhere close to making a list of least # of firearms.

That's why I love it here. You'd have to run over a cop, then back up and run him over again, to get pulled over...

ed | November 7, 2007, 9:43am | #

Boca Raton, Florida has the highest number of McDonalds disguised as posh boutiques.

robc | November 7, 2007, 9:49am | #

Okay, Im going to call bullshit on one of those. My county, Jefferson Co. KY, was #14 on lowest drinking counties. While I will accept the 40% number, and I realize that lots of people in dry counties drink (heck, I know a couple of bootleggers in my Mom's home county), I refuse to believe that some of the dryest counties in KY have a higher percent of people that drink. Im thinking they failed to survey all 120 KY counties.

For one thing, we have catholics in Jefferson Co. The rest of the state doesnt.

Timothy | November 7, 2007, 9:55am | #

I'll bet that the rainfall category is measured by number of inches per year rather than number of days of precipitation.

robc | November 7, 2007, 9:56am | #

Error the 2nd:

Their 101 biggest cities list includes Lexington, KY but not Louisville. Before the city/county merger in Louisville, that might have been okay, but after the merger (which was in 2000? 2002?, way before 2006), we are "bigger than Boston".

JPB | November 7, 2007, 9:59am | #

1. Gilberts, IL (housing, pop. 5,245): 0.0%
2. Gretna, NE (housing, pop. 5,970): 0.0%
3. Rensselaer, IN (housing, pop. 6,259): 0.0%
4. Pana, IL (housing, pop. 5,501): 0.0%
5. Prosper, TX (housing, pop. 5,158): 0.0%
6. New Franklin, OH (housing, pop. 15,013): 0.0%

All places with the same homosexual population as Iran...riiiiight.

Johncjackson | November 7, 2007, 10:03am | #

Just a couple observations from areas I am familiar with.

I am not surprised to see Dundalk,MD on the "low Doctorate" list. Nice to see it right up there with Compton.

And I guess Princess Anne has a large African population because of UMES.

Overall not too surprised to see MD and OH ( the 2 states where I live) towns high on the "'bad" lists.

I didn't see my hometown on there anywhere but I don't think there is a category for " top resort beach towns where every business bulldozed to build luxury condos but many couldnt sell 1 unit, and mothers keep dead fetuses in their apartments."

VM | November 7, 2007, 10:18am | #

great fun! Thanks!

Reinmoose | November 7, 2007, 10:26am | #

huh? oh, what did you say? I was too busy looking at the pretty ranking lists

zig zag man | November 7, 2007, 10:44am | #

Denver just joined the ranks of "coolest cities". Excellent!! In your face prohibs!!!!

J sub D | November 7, 2007, 10:48am | #

Way cool, Radley. Way cool. Many thanks for the link.

wayne | November 7, 2007, 10:56am | #

Radley,

Somebody is bound to call you a racist on this. Prepare to grovel.


Eight percent of people in Palo Alto, California have a doctoral degree. No one in East L.A. does.

New Orleans is getting safer...
 
de stijl | November 7, 2007, 10:58am | #

If you're looking for women, try St. Jospeh, Minnesota.

St. Joe is a otherwise tiny town that is also the home of the College Of St. Benedict which is an all women school.

Speaking of all womens private schools in the midwest (Hello, Penthouse Forum!), if you're looking for sluttier Catholic school girls I'd highly recommend the College Of St. Catherine in St. Paul. Bennies usually only date Johnnies (or themselves) and are kind of boring, plus St Joe is like an hour away from the Twin Cities. Caties used to only date Tommies, but if you were a handsome, suave Hamline guy like me you were in too.

The hottest private school girls though go to the fascist / baptist Bethel. No smoking, no drinking, no dancing, etc. rules make those folks go crazy with repressed desires after a while.

G | November 7, 2007, 11:11am | #

"The map showing the places where people are most likely to drink alcohol looks a lot like the map showing the healthiest counties. And the map showing the places were people were least likely to drink looks a lot like the map showing the least healthy counties"

Yeah and I bet if I tried real hard I could find some sort of data demonstrating that people with brown shoelaces live longer than those with white shoelaces. Sound stupid? Yes, but no more stupid than your attempt to show that alchohol consumption, absent a discussion of the myriad of other factors, is what is leading to the increased longevity.

Kolohe | November 7, 2007, 11:12am | #

Wow, the richest zip code in the United States

10004 (New York, NY), pop. 1,225: 1192091

looks like its actually be the lost city of Atlantis. Plato would be pleased.

Chavez is a thug | November 7, 2007, 11:14am | #

"Okay, Im going to call bullshit on one of those. My county, Jefferson Co. KY, was #14 on lowest drinking counties. While I will accept the 40% number, and I realize that lots of people in dry counties drink (heck, I know a couple of bootleggers in my Mom's home county), I refuse to believe that some of the dryest counties in KY have a higher percent of people that drink. Im thinking they failed to survey all 120 KY counties. "

As a fellow resident of this county, I totally agree with what you say on this one.

Neu Mejican | November 7, 2007, 11:18am | #

Wayne,

Somebody is bound to call you a racist on this. Prepare to grovel.

Do you walk around afraid of people calling you a racist all the time?

What perspective on the world makes you automatically look at issues through this lens?

Fascinating.

coyote | November 7, 2007, 11:21am | #

Every man, woman, and child in Cambridge MA spends $3,532 a year towards the salary of a City of Cambridge government employee.

Rhywun | November 7, 2007, 11:24am | #

Not going to click... Not going to click... This sort of thing is way up my alley. Maps, lists, cities, oh my!

OK, I see most of the factoids are based on city rather than metropolitan populations, which--given the total arbitrariness of city boundaries--results in bizarre facts such as the one I saw a couple years ago calling the "city" of Amherst, NY (it's really a suburb that adjoins crime-ridden Buffalo) the safest in the US.

Still, fascinating stuff.

Shawn | November 7, 2007, 11:25am | #

I live next to a man with a doctoral degree in East Los Angeles.

lunchstealer | November 7, 2007, 11:25am | #

If you're looking for fat women, try St. Louis, Missouri.

For some reason this leads me to picture Stevo Darkly photoshopped onto David St. Hubbins' head singing "Big Bottom" for all he's worth.

Rhywun | November 7, 2007, 11:26am | #

10004 looks like its actually be the lost city of Atlantis

I saw that too. The map shows Governors Island (where nobody lives) but neglects to make it clear that the ZIP code happens to include the NYSE and many of its many hyper-wealthy traders who live nearby.

Kolohe | November 7, 2007, 11:26am | #

What is also interesting , but not really surprising, is that most of the 'poorest' zip codes are college campuses.

de stijl | November 7, 2007, 11:28am | #

It's interesting to see the effects of college campuses and military bases on a lot of this data. Like lowest average AGI, for example, you'd think you'd be seeing a lot of neglected inner city and rural areas, but you see stuff like zip codes for student housing at large universities, etc.

de stijl | November 7, 2007, 11:28am | #

What Kolohe said.

VM | November 7, 2007, 11:30am | #

Rhywun - you said it - maps, facts, figures - AWESOME!!!!! And Lunch - talk about a graphic image :)

And for that, you have given STEVO a big win on the internets. :)

Rhywun | November 7, 2007, 11:32am | #

you see stuff like zip codes for student housing at large universities

Which should be factored out in a "serious" study.

Colin | November 7, 2007, 11:34am | #

As for the best place to go drinking, the Austin thing is a little skewed. It's listed with one zip code at 80 places.

My own neighborhood is split up into three zip codes (10002, 10003, 10009) which all sort of bump into one another and is listed as 52, 73, and 53 respectively. That would make for a grand total of 178 places to drink just in the East Village-Lower East Side area of Manhattan. If you include the "greater" Village area, it would be twice that number.

Anyway... Just doing my part to parse the numbers a little.

Comments continued in article

 

Scholarly Communication Education Initiatives --- http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/spec299web.pdf

Association of Research Libraries 21 Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036-1118 P (202) 296-2296 F (202) 872-0884
 http://www.arl.org/spec
pubs@arl.org 
ISSN 0160 3582 ISBN 1-59407-792-4 978-1-59407-792-0 Copyright © 2007

"The Great Debate: Effectiveness of Technology in Education," by Patricia Deubel, T.H.E. Journal, November 2007 ---
http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21544

According to Robert Kuhn (2000), an expert in brain research, few people understand the complexity of that change. Technology is creating new thinking that is "at once creative and innovative, volatile and turbulent" and "nothing less than a shift in worldview." The change in mental process has been brought about because "(1) information is freely available, and therefore interdisciplinary ideas and cross-cultural communication are widely accessible; (2) time is compressed, and therefore reflection is condensed and decision-making is compacted; (3) individuals are empowered, and therefore private choice and reach are strengthened and one person can have the presence of an institution" (sec: Concluding Remarks).

If we consider thinking as both individual (internal) and social (external), as Rupert Wegerif (2000) suggests, then "[t]echnology, in various forms from language to the internet, carries the external form of thinking. Technology therefore has a role to play through supporting improved social thinking (e.g. providing systems to mediate decision making and collective reasoning) and also through providing tools to help individuals externalize their thinking and so to shape their own social worlds" (p. 15).

The new tools for communication that have become part of the 21st century no doubt contribute to thinking. Thus, in a debate on effectiveness or on implementation of a particular tool, we must also consider the potential for creativity, innovation, volatility, and turbulence that Kuhn (2000) indicates.

Continued in article

Bob Jensen's threads on education technology are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/0000start.htm

Bob Jensen's threads on assessment are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/assess.htm

"21st Century Learning: 'We're Not Even Close'," by Dave Nagel, T.H.E. Journal, November 2007 --- http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21543

Without incorporating technology into every aspect of its activities, no organization can expect to achieve results in this increasingly digital world. Yet education is dead last in technology use compared with all major industrial sectors, and that has to change in order for schools to meet the challenges of 21st century learning--this according to a paper released Monday by the State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills at the SETDA Leadership Summit and Education Forum in Washington, DC.

"How will we create the schools America needs to remain competitive?" the paper asks. "For more than a generation, the nation has engaged in a monumental effort to improve student achievement. We've made progress, but we're not even close to where we need to be."

The paper, Maximizing the Impact: the Pivotal Role of Technology in a 21st Century Education System, calls on education leaders to incorporate technology comprehensively in school systems in the United States to boost 21st century skills, support innovative teaching and learning, and create "robust education support systems."

The paper reported that there are two major conceptual obstacles preventing schools from taking full advantage of technology as a catalyst for improvements in teaching and learning: a narrow approach to the use of technology and an unfounded assumption that technology is already being used widely in schools in a comprehensive and effective manner.

According to the paper:

To overcome these obstacles, our nation's education system must join the ranks of competitive U.S. industries that have made technology an indispensable part of their operations and reaped the benefits of their actions. This report is a call to action to integrate technology as a fundamental building block into education in three broad areas:

1. Use technology comprehensively to develop proficiency in 21st century skills. Knowledge of core content is necessary, but no longer sufficient, for success in a competitive world. Even if all students mastered core academic subjects, they still would be woefully underprepared to succeed in postsecondary institutions and workplaces, which increasingly value people who can use their knowledge to communicate, collaborate, analyze, create, innovate, and solve problems. Used comprehensively, technology helps students develop 21st century skills.
 

2. Use technology comprehensively to support innovative teaching and learning. To keep pace with a changing world, schools need to offer more rigorous, relevant and engaging opportunities for students to learn--and to apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. Used comprehensively, technology supports new, research-based approaches and promising practices in teaching and learning.

Continued in article

Bob Jensen's threads on education technology are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/0000start.htm

"Accountability System Launched," by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, November 12, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/12/nasulgc

A new way for students and their families to compare colleges — and for legislators and others to evaluate them — was unveiled Sunday with the start of a campaign to get institutions to sign up to use it.
 
“College Portrait,” as the effort is called, is a template for information that public, four-year institutions will provide online in an easily comparable way. Some of the information — statistics on the student body, figures on college costs — is fairly commonly found (if not always in comparable ways) on colleges’ Web sites today. But the program also includes a new method for measuring graduation and retention rates and, controversially, a requirement that institutions that choose to participate conduct and release results from standardized tests as a means of measuring the learning that goes on at their institutions. Those tests would be administered to small, representative cohorts of students — possibly 100 or fewer freshmen and a similar group of seniors — and would not be generally offered or required of all students.

College Portrait was released at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, whose members – along with those of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities — developed the system. Association leaders have viewed the effort as a way to respond to the Spellings Commission and other demands for greater accountability for higher education, but to do so in a way that was more sophisticated than a legislatively designed system might be. And one emphasis of the effort has been the importance of such a system being voluntary (College Portrait is part of what the associations call the Voluntary System of Accountability) and designed from within higher education, rather than imposed by others on colleges and universities.

Peter McPherson, president of NASULGC and the prime mover behind the effort, was blunt in an interview about why colleges should embrace this process — or risk having federal officials come up with another system. “If we can’t figure out how to measure ourselves, someone else will figure out how to measure us,” he said. “It’s inevitable.”

A key part of the push for more accountability in higher education — at least as voiced by the Bush administration — has been on the need for comparative data and College Portrait would provide that. But one question mark about the effort has been whether any voluntary program would attract enough participation to enable comparisons to be made. At the NASULGC meeting, in New York City, organizers noted that they had pledges of participation — even before Sunday’s official invitation for participations — from such prominent and large higher education systems as the California State University, University of North Carolina and University of Wisconsin systems, as well as the Universities of Iowa and Tennessee.

But what NASULGC leaders didn’t announce was that the University of California’s nine universities have all decided not to participate, citing the testing requirement as something that “usurps the role of campus and departmental faculty in assessing student learning.”

California’s decision raises the question of whether a system that will allow for comparisons of Chapel Hill and Madison but not Berkeley or UCLA will have the national value that its supporters hope. McPherson said that in any voluntary effort, some colleges would opt out, and he predicted that in the end, participation would be “wide and deep.”

College Portrait has three parts: student and family information, student experiences and perceptions, and student learning outcomes.

Continued in article

November 12, 2007 reply from Peter Kenyon [pbk1@HUMBOLDT.EDU]

I've been asked (provost through dean through chair) to submit my senior strategic management students to the following assessment.

http://www.cae.org/content/pro_collegiate.htm 

With all the professional meetings and papers on the subject, it was inevitable that we'd see a growth industry of assessment tools.

Peter Kenyon |
Humboldt State (in California)

 

Full Disclosure to Consumers of Higher Education (including assessment of colleges and the Spellings Commission Report) --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm#FullDisclosure

Bob Jensen's threads on assessment are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Assess.htm


Are we Overworking Our Graduate Teaching Assistants?
As at many research universities, the bulk of grading is often left to teaching assistants, and the amount of effort that goes into tracking down potential plagiarism has some graduate students complaining that they could be making better use of their time. At Maryland, a recent survey of graduate assistants found that they were working (on the TA duties they have on top of the graduate education) an average of 29.1 hours a week, well over the expected 20. The Ph.D. completion rate is under 50 percent, which some partially attribute to workload.
Inside Higher Ed, November 12, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/12/safeassign
Jensen Comment
One of the problems is that graduate students might be afraid to complain about anything since they're so dependent upon letters of recommendation when they seek employment after graduation.
 

"More Foreign Students — Everywhere," by Elizabeth Redden, Inside Higher Ed, November 12, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/12/opendoors

The total number of international students enrolled in the United States climbed significantly in the last academic year for the first time since 2001-2. As for American students studying abroad, the number increased by 8.5 percent to 223,534 in 2005-6, with short-term programs and study in non-traditional destinations outside Europe particularly hot growth areas, according to the Institute of International Education’s annual Open Doors report, released today.

While survey results released by the Council of Graduate Schools last week found that the rate of enrollment growth of first-time international graduate students had slowed while total enrollment had risen more dramatically, the IIE survey found the opposite pattern, with enrollments of new international students up 10 percent and total enrollments up 3.2 percent in 2006-7. (While study abroad figures in Open Doors are from the 2005-6 academic year, international enrollment numbers are in reference to 2006-7). The finding, said Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president for IIE, points to the excess capacity and expanding international enrollments outside of graduate education.

...

Total Enrollment of International Students at Colleges in the U.S.
Year Total Foreign Enrollment 1-Year % Change
2000-1 547,867 +6.4%
2001-2 582,996 +6.4%
2002-3 586,323 +0.6%
2003-4 572,509 -2.4%
2004-5 565,039 -1.3%
2005-6 564,766 -0.05%
2006-7 582,984 +3.2%

Top 10 Places of Origin for Foreign Students in U.S., 2006-7

Rank and Country Total 1-Year % Change
1. India 83,833 +9.6%
2. China 67,723 +8.2%
3. South Korea 62,392 +5.7%
4. Japan 35,282 -8.9%
5. Taiwan 29,094 +4.4%
6. Canada 28,280 +0.3%
7. Mexico 13,826 -0.8%
8. Turkey 11,506 -1%
9. Thailand 8,886 +1.4%
10. Germany 8,656 -2%

For the sixth year in a row, the University of Southern California was the leading host institution, and business and engineering were the most popular fields of study, representing 18 and 15 percent of enrollments respectively. Community colleges had a 3.6 percent growth in overall international student enrollment, research universities 4.1 percent and master’s institutions 2.1 percent. Bachelor’s institutions had a 2.4 percent drop.

Top Destinations for International Students in the U.S., 2006-7

Rank and Institution Foreign Enrollment
Research universities  
1. U. of Southern California 7,115
2. Columbia U. 5,937
3. New York U. 5,827
4. U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 5,685
5. Purdue U., main campus 5,581
Master’s Institutions  
1. San Francisco State U. 2,496
2. California State U. at Northridge 1,963
3. San Jose State U. 1,889
4. California State U. at Fullerton 1,668
5. CUNY Baruch College 1,587
Bachelor’s Institutions  
1. Brigham Young U., Hawaii campus 1,201
2. SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology 1,046
3. University of Hawaii at Hilo 411
4. University of Dallas 405
5. Mount Holyoke College 403
Community Colleges  
1. Houston Community College 3,378
2. Montgomery College 3,055
3. Santa Monica College 2,851
4. De Anza College 2,155
5. CUNY Borough of Manhattan CC 1,841

Meanwhile, a “snapshot” survey of this fall’s international enrollment numbers conducted by eight different associations, including IIE and NAFSA: Association of International Educators, finds promising indicators for future growth, with 55 percent of institutions responding that new enrollments of international students increased this fall over last. “You’re seeing the gradual trend where the picture brightens marginally each time, but the overall reality remains, which is that we’re still not up to the levels we were four years ago,” said Victor C. Johnson, associate executive director for public policy at NAFSA.

Continued in article

Bob Jensen's threads on higher education are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm

Question
If you're tired of listening to the babel of cell phone users in public places, how can you get all those around you to stop?

Answer
It's not legal to use cell phone jammers in the U.S., but there is a way. It is, however, possible to buy cell phone jammers in the United States.

"Cell phone jammers raise question: who controls the airwaves?" PhysOrg, November 9, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news113839758.html

As more people go about chatting obliviously on their cell phones in public places, foreign companies have enjoyed increasing US sales of a new, albeit illegal, device: the cell phone jammer. When you turn it on and slip it in your pocket, the cell phone jammer blocks cell signals within 30 feet.

The jamming technology is not new, but it´s becoming increasingly popular on buses, in restaurants, and in movie theaters. The device works by sending out a powerful radio signal that overwhelms cell phones so that they cannot communicate with cell towers. The gadgets cost around $100 to $1,000 or more, with larger models that can be left on to create a no-call zone.

However, using the jammers is illegal in the US, since the radio frequencies used by cellphone carriers are legally protected by the government, similar to the protected frequencies used by television and radio broadcasters. Cell phone companies spend tens of billions of dollars to lease the frequencies from the government, and expect protection from infringement.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) warns that people caught using cell phone jammers could be fined up to $11,000 for a first offense. FCC investigators have special technology of their own that can detect the jammers. The commission has already prosecuted several US companies for distributing the devices nationally.

Continued in article

November 12, 2007 reply from David Fordham, James Madison University [fordhadr@JMU.EDU]

Bob, one clarification. It is NOT legal to sell such jammers in the U.S.A. Perhaps in Libya or North Korea, but not the U.S.

All radio transmitters in the U.S.A. are required by law to be "type accepted" by the FCC before they can be sold or imported, and the FCC has not, and probably will not, type-accept any such devices.

Even computers have to be type-accepted by the FCC. Yes, that's right. COmputers use electric pulses that switch more than 20,000 times per second, so by definition, that makes them a radio-frequency generator (e.g., transmitter), and makes them subject to the FCC rules. They have to meet stringent requirements to ensure that they release no RF energy that might possibly interfere with licensed radio services.

That's why you'll see stickers on all computers (including monitors that generate RF energy) rating the device as complying with FCC rules for either Class A or Class B computing equipment under Part 15 of the FCC rules. (Part 15 is the part that deals with radio-generating equipment that does not need to have its own individual license. Class A devices are certified for use in commercial and business environments, Class B are certified for use in residential environments.)

Computers have to be shielded to prevent the RF from escaping their cases. That's why modifying a computer by putting a window on its case (where you can see its innards) is illegal unless the window is a special kind that blocks RF energy. (You sometimes see these at computer shows, but if the computer is turned on, both the seller and the operator can get in big trouble if anyone complains about interference to a licensed radio service.)

Note the word "licensed" radio service. Unlicensed operations, such as 802.11 networks, baby monitors, garage door openers, cordless phones, etc. are not protected from any interference. Only licensed services, which includes broadcasters, police/fire/public service, railroads, aircraft, ships, cell phone services, etc. are protected from interference.

The FCC will come down hard on anyone who interferes with licensed services. A fellow by the name of Riley Hollingsworth at the FCC is famous for levying $15,000 fines (and more) against individuals (private citizens) who interfere with licensed radio services. Companies get even higher fines. A company can get fined up to $100,000 for each piece of equipment it sells that is not type certified. So I doubt you will find these for sale in the U.S. -- at least not for very long.

David Fordham

November 12, 2007 added reply from David Fordham, James Madison University [fordhadr@JMU.EDU]

Bob, my humble apologies. I stand corrected.

It is not legal to sell these in the U.S., but my statement that "you won't find them for sale" is erroneous. I can, and did, find a couple of places selling devices they claim are cell phone jammers. I don't know how they are getting away with it, unless they have just not come to the attention of the FCC.

But I do have to admit, they are for sale. Whether they actually work as advertised (in which case they are clearly illegal to sell) is another question. I notice the ads don't give any brand names or model numbers.

http://www.methodshop.com/gadgets/reviews/celljammers/index.shtml

http://phonejammer.com/

See also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_phone_jammer

David Fordham

 

The California state auditor on Tuesday released a report calling for the California State University to tighten control over executive compensation.
The system lacks effective monitoring procedures and a clearly justified methodology for determining some salaries, adding that some employees had received “questionable compensation.” The system issued a statement noting that the audit did not identify violations of policy. However, the system also pledged to try to carry out the recommendations of the audit.
Inside Higher Ed, November 7, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/07/qt

Bob Jensen's threads on financial accountability in higher education are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/HigherEdControversies.htm#Accountability

Bob Jensen's fraud updates are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudUpdates.htm


How good are you at the Game of Humiliation?
I have not yet laid eyes on a copy of Pierre Bayard’s How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read (Bloomsbury USA), much less read it. Nor does it seem necessary to say another word about the book here. Once you have read one article about it, you’ve read them all, though the recent piece in New York magazine can be recommended for hitting all the basic points with some flair . The only thing worth adding might be a reminder that David Lodge got there first. In Changing Places, the first of his campus novels, Lodge did Bayard one better by inventing the game “Humiliation.” Rumor has it that Humiliation is sometimes played at faculty dinner parties. I have to doubt this: As with an urban legend, the report always comes from somebody who heard about it from somebody else. But the rules of Humiliation are simple enough, and it’s not impossible that people do occasionally start to play, though things probably don’t reach quite the extreme that Lodge describes. Players of Humiliation take turns naming a classic book they’ve never read. Things get interesting once the element of competition takes over and people try to outdo each other in making confessions. You get credit for being shameless. Admitting that you haven’t read “all” of Proust won’t count for much. But if you never finished the 50-page overture to Remembrance of Things Past, that’s potentially embarrassing. Even more so if you admit you never even tried. And so on, with one-upsmanship being the real driving force. The English professor in Changing Places who admits that he’s never read Hamlet is definitely playing a trump card. (He wins the game, but things turn out badly for him.)Someone ought to write a different sort of self-help work — one offering guidance for a situation exactly the opposite of that implied by Bayard’s title. I mean the experience of finding it impossible to talk about things you have read.
Scott McLemee, "Makin’ Bacon," Inside Higher Ed, November 7, 2007 --- http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/11/07/mclemee
Also see http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/books/review/McInerney-t.html

From the Board Game Geek --- http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/20069

Humiliation comes from David Lodge's novel "Trading Places". The rules are simple:

"(...) this game is won by humiliating yourself. The essence of the matter is that each person names a book which he hasn't read but assumes the others have read, and scores a point for every person who has read it."

We will play this game with games: put a single game on the list that you have never played, but that you every geek has played. Some rules: 1) Only one game per person 2) No game that is already on the list 3) You have to have a up-to-date list of games played 4) And of course the most important rule: it has to be a game you have never played!

Science, Engineering, and Medicine Tutorials

The World of Chemistry --- http://www.learner.org/resources/series61.html

 

Bentham Open Access --- http://www.bentham.org/open/
Bentham Publishers recently launched over 200 peer-reviewed open access journals (heavy on science, engineering, and medicine)

 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation tutorials in medicine, medical insurance, healthcare administration ---  http://www.rwjf.org/

 

LUMEN: Structure of the Human Body --- http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/meded/grossanatomy/index.htm

 

National Institutes of Health: History of Medicine --- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/
Includes books, reports, pictures, videos, etc.

 

From MIT
Introduction to Technical Communication: Perspectives on Medicine and Public Health (Open Courseware) ---
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Writing-and-Humanistic-Studies/21W-732-1Spring-2007/CourseHome/index.htm  
Bob Jensen's threads about open courseware are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI

 

 

Webmaster Resources (includes tutorials on making and maintaining a Web site) ---  http://www.boogiejack.com/index.html
Bob Jensen's technology links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookbob4.htm

The Center for International Earth Science Information Network --- http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/ 

40 + Years of Earth Science: The Landsat Program http://www.earth.nasa.gov/history/landsat/landsat.html

Utah Geological Survey: Teaching Geology Resources --- http://geology.utah.gov/teacher/index.htm 

USGS Learning Age: Geologic Age (teaching materials) ---  http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/geoage.htm

 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services: Fisheries and Habitat Conservation --- http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/

 

Disappearing Marine Iguanas: A Case of Population Collapse --- http://www.sciencecases.org/iguanas/iguanas.asp

 

Bob Jensen's links to free online science, engineering, and medicine tutorials are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#Science

 

Social Science Tutorials

Center for Digital Democracy --- http://www.democraticmedia.org/

FORA.tv (video and podcasts) brings together content from the Hoover Institution, the Global Philanthropy Forum, the World Affairs Council, the American Jewish Committee, and dozens of other organizations --- http://www.fora.tv/

Bob Jensen's links to free Economics, Anthropology, Social Sciences, and Philosophy tutorials ---
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#Social

Mathematics and Statistics Tutorials

Center for Digital Democracy --- http://www.democraticmedia.org/

Bob Jensen's links to free mathematics and statistics tutorials are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#050421Mathematics

Legal Studies Tutorials

The Center for International Environmental Law --- http://www.ciel.org/

The History of the Supreme Court --- http://www.historyofsupremecourt.org/

Employment Law  --- http://www.lawmemo.com/ 

FORA.tv (video and podcasts) brings together content from the Hoover Institution, the Global Philanthropy Forum, the World Affairs Council, the American Jewish Committee, and dozens of other organizations --- http://www.fora.tv/

Human Rights --- http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/humanrights/

American Society of International Law (ASIL) Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law http://www.asil.org/resource/home.htm

Bob Jensen's links to free legal studies tutorials are at
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#Law

From the Scout Report on November 9, 2007

Lightning 0.7 --- http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/lightning/ 

Jumping clogged calendars faster than a speeding T3 connection, this handy application from Mozilla will prove to be quite helpful. Lightning 0.7 is an extension for Mozilla Thunderbird that adds an integrated calendar to the email client. With Lightning, users can view both their inbox and their calendar at the same time and they can also perform detailed calendar searches. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 2000 or XP along with Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5.

IrfanView 4.1 ---  http://www.irfanview.com/ 

With an icon that resembles a red dog decked out with a bandit's mask, IrfanView is a graphic viewer with considerable staying power. This latest version allows users the opportunity to use a basic drawing palette, which contains several nice commands and customizable features. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, and Vista.

From The Washington Post on November 7, 2007

Which company in August had the largest tech IPO since Google?

A. SWsoft
B. VMware
C. XenSource
D. EqualLogic

From The Washington Post on November 12, 2007

Which company has paid the most for violating the Do Not Call list?

A. Alarm King
B. DirecTV
C. Guardian Communications
D. ADT Security Services
Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.

Updates from WebMD --- http://www.webmd.com/

The Neurological Roots of Aggression
Recent findings shed light on the brain deficits that underlie aggression and could aid in the development of preventative treatments. Everyone has probably witnessed at least one of the following: the guy at the bar who picks a fight at the slightest provocation, or the driver who explodes with rage at a tailgater. New research is beginning to more precisely locate the abnormalities in the brain that underlie this kind of violence and aggression. The findings could be used to help clinicians diagnose children and adolescents with behavioral problems, and to help clinicians tailor treatments to prevent the cycle of violence from starting. But the findings also raise thorny ethical issues: the ability to read the risk of violence in the brain could be used to stigmatize or even condemn youths before they've committed a crime. Alternatively, the findings could be used to make a case that criminals should not be held responsible for their behavior.
Emily Singer, MIT's Technology Review, November 7, 2007 --- http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/19679/?nlid=653

Eating your greens could prove life-saving if a heart attack strikes
A diet rich in leafy vegetables may minimize the tissue damage caused by heart attacks, according to researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Their findings, published in the November 12 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that the chemical nitrite, found in many vegetables, could be the secret ingredient in the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet.
PhysOrg, November 12, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news114110613.html

Cranberry sauce: good for what ails you
Cranberry sauce is not the star of the traditional Thanksgiving Day meal, but when it comes to health benefits, the lowly condiment takes center stage. In fact, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have found that compounds in cranberries are able to alter E. coli bacteria, which are responsible for a host of human illnesses (from kidney infections to gastroenteritis to tooth decay), in ways that render them unable to initiate an infection.
PhysOrg, November 13, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news114185231.html

Eating fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and veggies lowers risk of memory problems
A diet rich in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables may lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, whereas consuming omega-6 rich oils could increase chances of developing memory problems, according to a study published in the November 13, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
PhysOrg, November 12, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news114109578.html

Long-term beta carotene supplementation may help prevent cognitive decline
Men who take beta carotene supplements for 15 years or longer may have less cognitive decline, according to a report in the November 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
PhysOrg, November 12, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news114111702.html

Socialization May Be Key to New Treatment for Anorexia
Nervosa Understanding how individuals with anorexia nervosa interact with others may lead to entirely new approaches to treating the disease which affects up to 10 million adolescents. Current treatments focus primarily on managing symptoms like starvation and low body weight. Although that's important, it is not always enough to result in lasting health, says Nancy Zucker, Ph.D, Director of Duke University Medical Center's Eating Disorders Program. In a comprehensive review of data published in the November issue of Psychological Bulletin, Zucker pinpoints many patterns of social dysfunction among individuals with anorexia nervosa. She and her colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill believe treatment focusing on these areas may help patients engage better with their family, friends, and health care providers. Ultimately it may help them be more successful in treatment and prevent relapse. "Overlooking the importance of social functioning might hinder our progress with these patients," she says. "If we can help them develop skills to become more comfortable and effective in interpersonal interactions, this might be a critical step to improving the efficacy of the treatments we deliver."
PhysOrg, November 8, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news113761507.html

New paper on Oxytocin reveals why we are generous
Neuroeconomist Paul J. Zak of Claremont Graduate University has new research, and a paper, “Oxytocin Increases Generosity in Humans,” which will be published November 7, 2007 in PLoS ONE, the online, open-access journal from the Public Library of Science. This research extends his finding based on oxytocin and trust, which was published in Nature two years ago. According to Zak, this means that although we are inherently altruistic, we are also generous when we feel empathy toward one another. It is empathy that causes us to open up our wallets and give generously to help strangers. “Oxytocin specifically and powerfully affected generosity using real money when participants had to think about another’s feelings,” Zak explains. “This result confirms our earlier work showing that oxytocin affects trust, but with a dramatically larger effect for generosity.”
PhysOrg, November 7, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news113669224.html
Jensen Comment
I can vouch for this in terms of a sample of one --- my wife!

Cough medicine fights dyskinesias in Parkinson's
A cough suppressant and a drug tested as a schizophrenia therapy curb the involuntary movements that are disabling side effects of taking the Parkinson's disease medication levodopa, Portland scientists have found . Dextromethorphan, used in such cold and flu medications as Robitussin, Sucrets, Triaminic and Vicks, suppresses dyskinesias in rats, researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center found. Dyskinesias are the spastic or repetitive motions that result from taking levodopa, or L-dopa, over long periods . . . "These results were unexpected, but very exciting," said the study's lead author, Melanie A. Paquette, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU School of Medicine, and the PVAMC. "We have filed a patent for the use of BMY-14802 for dyskinesias and we hope to get funding to begin human trials very soon." The study, titled "Differential effects of NMDA antagonists and sigma ligands on L-dopa-induced behavior in the hemiparkinson rat," is being presented during a poster session today at Neuroscience 2007, the 37th annual Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego.
PhysOrg, November 7, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news113669976.html

"The Health Cost Myth," by John R. Graham, The Wall Street Journal,  November 13, 2007; Page A25 ---
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119492465851790988.html

But what about the share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spent on health care, a metric of health system performance and value that some consider definitive? The United States leads the pack in this regard, spending far more on health than other countries. Surely this puts the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage, doesn't it?

No: It's the other way around. America's high productivity gives us the ability to spend more on health care, especially the latest treatments and technologies, than other developed nations that labor under forms of socialized health care.

Robert L. Ohsfeldt and John R. Schneider of the American Enterprise Institute have determined that health spending increases at a constant rate of about 8% for every $1,000 increase in GDP per capita. For example, if GDP rises from $30,000 per capita to $31,000, health spending increases by $232. But if GDP per capita rises from $40,000 to $41,000, health spending increases by $500.

Thus, because Americans earn so much more than people in other countries, it naturally follows that we spend more on health care.

Consider four countries whose health-care systems are often held up as admirable alternatives: Canada, Germany, France and Great Britain. Certainly, the U.S. spends significantly more on health care than those countries do, but these nations also earn significantly less income per person.

Look at it this way: Even after paying for our health care, Americans have far more money left over than their neighbors to spend on other goods and services. It works out to about $8,000 more than the average German or Frenchman, and about $4,000 more than the average Canadian or Briton.

Of course, averages obscure many harsh realities and hide the fact that many Americans are unable to afford health care.

To improve the state of American health care and lighten the burden on business and workers, policy leaders should push for portability of health benefits, transparent pricing for health services, tort reform and more competition among both insurers and providers.

Crusaders for "universal" health care allege that America's unique lack of government-mandated coverage is a handicap to the nation's competitiveness. Given America's superior economic performance, however, it is a uniqueness we should not rush to abandon.

 

Question
Who's the last person to date to "win one for the Gipper?"
You can read about George Gipp at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gipp

Answer
Supposedly Mike Bynum, a sports author planning a book on the football legend who died in his senior year at Notre Dame ---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_3YZwL5IJM
However, I'm not certain this can be appropriately described as "winning."

"DNA Tests Show Gipper Didn't Sire Child," by John Flesher, PhysOrg, November 11, 2007 --- http://physorg.com/news113973139.html

A paternity test shows college football hero George Gipp wasn't the father of a girlfriend's child born shortly after his death, a family member said Saturday, but bitterness persisted over the exhumation of the body.

. . .

Gipp died in 1920 during his senior year at Notre Dame, where he set a school career rushing record that stood for more than 50 years.

He is best known for the deathbed exhortation attributed to him years later by coach Knute Rockne, who inspired the underdog Fighting Irish by telling them Gipp had urged the team when the chips were down to "win one for the Gipper."

The phrase became a political slogan for Reagan, who played the part of Gipp in the 1940 movie "Knute Rockne, All American."

Gipp remains a hero in the adjacent villages of Laurium and Calumet, a one-time copper mining center where he was born in 1895. Calumet High School presents an award named for him to its top male athlete each year, and Laurium has a park in his honor.

. . .

The exhumation was filmed by an ESPN crew for an upcoming program about Gipp. Bynum, who contacted the network and attended the exhumation, said he and Frueh had no financial motivation.

"This was simply about the extraordinary willingness of the Gipp family to try and help another family," Bynum said.

Continued in article


LUMEN: Structure of the Human Body --- http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/meded/grossanatomy/index.htm

 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation tutorials in medicine, medical insurance, healthcare administration ---  http://www.rwjf.org/

 

National Institutes of Health: History of Medicine --- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/
Includes books, reports, pictures, videos, etc.

 

From MIT
Introduction to Technical Communication: Perspectives on Medicine and Public Health (Open Courseware) ---
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Writing-and-Humanistic-Studies/21W-732-1Spring-2007/CourseHome/index.htm  
Bob Jensen's threads about open courseware are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI

 

As many American soldiers died in 27 minutes in Romania as in 10 months in Iraq

"Hell at Low Altitude," by Daniel Ford, The Wall Street Journal, November 13, 2007 --- http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110010857

Whereas now we go into combat hoping for zero casualties and regard any loss whatever as proof of unforgivable incompetence, the history of warfare is mostly a chronicle of high casualties and terrible sacrifice. In the history of American warfare, there is little to compare, on this score, to the carnage of World War II--"worse than anything probably that ever happened in the world," in the words of Henry Stimson, the U.S. Army secretary. "Into the Fire" gives a fresh account of one particularly bloody mission from that war--an American bombing raid on Aug. 1, 1943.

The target was Ploesti (pronounced "ploy-esht"), a small city in Romania north of Bucharest. Its 12 refineries produced most of the petroleum that fueled the German war machine, so the Allies were eager to take them out. Alas, the city was 1,200 miles from the nearest Allied airfield, in Egypt--an impossible journey, or so it seemed, over water, mountains and neutral Turkey. Surely the Germans would assume that Ploesti was safe from attack and therefore scant its defenses?

Wrong. Unknown to the Americans, the refinery complex was guarded by fighter planes and "more flak guns than those protecting Berlin," as Duane Schultz tells us in his vivid chronicle. The Ploesti raid was small by the standards of the Anglo-American bomber offensive against Germany, involving only 178 heavy bombers. Still, each plane carried a crew of 10, meaning that the lives of more than 1,700 young men were at risk.

Ploesti's planners were under no illusion that the raiders would have an easy time of it. To increase accuracy and to lessen the chance that they would be spotted before reaching the target, the pilots were told to fly at treetop level. "We estimate," wrote an officer who would have preferred a high-altitude raid, "that seventy-five aircraft will be lost at low level. Fifty percent destruction [of refinery capacity] is the best we can hope for."

At 20,000 feet, a bomber crew would have needed to worry "only" about enemy fighters--and flak, the exploding shells from antiaircraft cannon, flinging shards of steel in a black cloud "so thick you could walk on it," as the saying went. At a lower level, menace would be multiplied by machine gun, rifle and even pistol fire. A single bullet could disable a plane's engine or pierce its aluminum skin to kill the man inside. The low flying created other hazards as well. A parachute requires a few hundred feet to deploy: Below a certain altitude, the crew of a crippled aircraft would almost certainly crash with their plane.

One airman assigned to the mission speculated that it had been dreamed up by "some idiotic armchair warrior in Washington." The planning went ahead regardless, under the code name of Soapsuds. Winston Churchill, the British prime minister, thought that the raid deserved a grander phrase, so the name was changed to Tidal Wave. It would prove no more appropriate.

When we think of American bombers over Germany, the plane that comes to mind is the tough, beloved B-17 Flying Fortress. But the U.S. Army Air Force acquired its planes in matched sets, and the alternative "heavy"--competing for use with the B-17--was a high-wing, slab-sided, twin-tailed flivver built primarily by the Ford Motor Co.: the B-24 Liberator. German pilots supposedly called it "the furniture van," and indeed the B-24 was little more than a cargo hauler--the cargo, in this case, being bombs. It leaked gasoline; it was exhausting to fly; and its wings, if hit by flak or fighter-borne cannon shells, had a distressing tendency to snap off. But the B-24 was cheap and easy to build, and it flew faster and farther, with a greater bomb load, than the doughty B-17. It would be the plane that went to Ploesti.

The cargo-hauling B-24 wasn't the only aspect of the mission that got in the way of success. The training had been unrealistic, against a mock-up refinery in the open desert that in no way captured Ploesti's urban grid. A trial run showed that gunners on the ground had no problem tracking the incoming planes and aiming their weapons in time--a surprise to the planners--but the higher-ups kept such information from the men who would fly the mission. En route to Ploesti, two group commanders disagreed about the proper engine speed. Their squabble, combined with towering clouds, caused the formation to split before it reached the Romanian frontier. Finally, the lead navigator took a wrong turn, which wrecked the Americans' chances of making a coordinated attack. The planes reached Ploesti piecemeal, giving ample warning to the defenders, and many of the planes failed to hit the targets assigned to them.

"We flew through sheets of flame," remembered one pilot, "and airplanes were everywhere, some of them on fire and others exploding. It's indescribable to anyone who wasn't there." It was a bloodbath, and the results were paltry. American officials optimistically put the damage at 40%--but 40% of what, exactly, Mr. Schultz cannot say. Within weeks of the raid, he notes, "oil production at Ploesti was higher than before." No doubt it was, given the German genius at recovering from setbacks, but the lack of detail is frustrating. What damage did the raiders manage to do? What sacrifice did repairing the refineries require of the Nazis? The information must exist, for the Germans were also good at keeping records. But to judge by Mr. Schultz's bibliography and chapter notes, he wrote his account without delving into German archives or any book not written in English.

So all we really know about the raid is what the survivors knew in August 1943. "The casualties were staggering," Mr. Schultz writes. "Of the 1,726 airmen on the mission, 532 were killed, captured, interned, or listed as missing in action." Most of the missing--imprisoned by the Germans or interned by the Turks--would return at war's end. In the meantime, that single, bootless, 27-minute raid cost the lives or freedom of as many young Americans as 10 months of combat in Iraq.

Mr. Ford is the author of "Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942," new from HarperCollins.

 


 

 

Hire Auntie Bev to be your home security guard --- http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8610/mooninggrans1jy.swf


Celebrities Without Makeup (video) --- http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=7335

Celebrities With Two Names --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/2007/CelebrityNames.htm

 

Saturday Night Live Clips from the 1980s --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDv7GLz1qyw

John McCain sings Barbara Streisand --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQeU4uvm40g

Gilda Radner -- Nadia Comaneci --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9uNsHrkr3g

Gilda Radner - Emily Litela: Substitute Teacher --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afi2xeM5ZSI

Gilda Radner - Lets Talk Dirty To The Animals --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SVmQMPaLMQ

Barbara Walters on Gilda Radner's Impression --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HOMtOzoVM8

A Tribute to the Incredible Gilda Radner --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scSpb6Q949o

Britney Spears singing Everytime at Saturday Night Live --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMccA6IxDdM
I want them to play Britney Spears at my funeral. This way I won't feel so bad about being dead, and everyone there will know there is something worse than Death.
Gary Numan

Saturday Night Live , Lohan / Hilary Duff / Avril Lavigne --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0bS3w8admY

Paul McCartney Saturday Night Live May 17, 1980 --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aOR-3WpTag

Stompin' Tom Connors - Sudbury Saturday Night (Live 2005) --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw7rzpvDvS0

 

Tidbits Archives --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm

Click here to search Bob Jensen's web site if you have key words to enter --- Search Site.
For example if you want to know what Jensen documents have the term "Enron" enter the phrase Jensen AND Enron. Another search engine that covers Trinity and other universities is at http://www.searchedu.com/.

World Clock --- http://www.peterussell.com/Odds/WorldClock.php
Facts about the earth in real time --- http://www.worldometers.info/
Interesting Online Clock and Calendar --- http://home.tiscali.nl/annejan/swf/timeline.swf
Time by Time Zones --- http://timeticker.com/
Projected Population Growth (it's out of control) --- http://geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm
         Also see http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Populations.html
         Facts about population growth (video) --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U
Projected U.S. Population Growth --- http://www.carryingcapacity.org/projections75.html
Real time meter of the U.S. cost of the war in Iraq --- http://www.costofwar.com/ 
Enter you zip code to get Census Bureau comparisons --- http://zipskinny.com/
Sure wish there'd be a little good news today.

Three Finance Blogs

Jim Mahar's FinanceProfessor Blog --- http://financeprofessorblog.blogspot.com/
FinancialRounds Blog --- http://financialrounds.blogspot.com/
Karen Alpert's FinancialMusings (Australia) --- http://financemusings.blogspot.com/

Some Accounting Blogs

Paul Pacter's IAS Plus (International Accounting) --- http://www.iasplus.com/index.htm
International Association of Accountants News --- http://www.aia.org.uk/
AccountingEducation.com and Double Entries --- http://www.accountingeducation.com/
Gerald Trite's eBusiness and XBRL Blogs --- http://www.zorba.ca/
AccountingWeb --- http://www.accountingweb.com/   
SmartPros --- http://www.smartpros.com/

Bob Jensen's Sort-of Blogs --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/JensenBlogs.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called New Bookmarks --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called Tidbits --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called Fraud Updates --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudUpdates.htm

Online Books, Poems, References, and Other Literature
In the past I've provided links to various types electronic literature available free on the Web. 
I created a page that summarizes those various links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm

Shared Open Courseware (OCW) from Around the World: OKI, MIT, Rice, Berkeley, Yale, and Other Sharing Universities --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI

Free Textbooks and Cases --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm#Textbooks

Free Mathematics and Statistics Tutorials --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#050421Mathematics

Free Science and Medicine Tutorials --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#Science

Free Social Science and Philosophy Tutorials --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm#Social

Free Education Discipline Tutorials --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Bookbob2.htm

Teaching Materials (especially video) from PBS

Teacher Source:  Arts and Literature --- http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/arts_lit.htm

Teacher Source:  Health & Fitness --- http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/health.htm

Teacher Source: Math --- http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/math.htm

Teacher Source:  Science --- http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/sci_tech.htm

Teacher Source:  PreK2 --- http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/prek2.htm

Teacher Source:  Library Media ---  http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/library.htm

Free Education and Research Videos from Harvard University --- http://athome.harvard.edu/archive/archive.asp

VYOM eBooks Directory --- http://www.vyomebooks.com/

From Princeton Online
The Incredible Art Department --- http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/

Online Mathematics Textbooks --- http://www.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html 

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives --- http://enlvm.usu.edu/ma/nav/doc/intro.jsp

Moodle  --- http://moodle.org/ 

The word moodle is an acronym for "modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment", which is quite a mouthful. The Scout Report stated the following about Moodle 1.7. It is a tremendously helpful opens-source e-learning platform. With Moodle, educators can create a wide range of online courses with features that include forums, quizzes, blogs, wikis, chat rooms, and surveys. On the Moodle website, visitors can also learn about other features and read about recent updates to the program. This application is compatible with computers running Windows 98 and newer or Mac OS X and newer.

Some of Bob Jensen's Tutorials

Accountancy Discussion ListServs:

For an elaboration on the reasons you should join a ListServ (usually for free) go to   http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ListServRoles.htm
AECM (Educators)  http://pacioli.loyola.edu/aecm/ 
AECM is an email Listserv list which provides a forum for discussions of all hardware and software which can be useful in any way for accounting education at the college/university level. Hardware includes all platforms and peripherals. Software includes spreadsheets, practice sets, multimedia authoring and presentation packages, data base programs, tax packages, World Wide Web applications, etc

Roles of a ListServ --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ListServRoles.htm
 
CPAS-L (Practitioners) http://pacioli.loyola.edu/cpas-l/ 
CPAS-L provides a forum for discussions of all aspects of the practice of accounting. It provides an unmoderated environment where issues, questions, comments, ideas, etc. related to accounting can be freely discussed. Members are welcome to take an active role by posting to CPAS-L or an inactive role by just monitoring the list. You qualify for a free subscription if you are either a CPA or a professional accountant in public accounting, private industry, government or education. Others will be denied access.
Yahoo (Practitioners)  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xyztalk
 This forum is for CPAs to discuss the activities of the AICPA. This can be anything  from the CPA2BIZ portal to the XYZ initiative or anything else that relates to the AICPA.
AccountantsWorld  http://accountantsworld.com/forums/default.asp?scope=1 
This site hosts various discussion groups on such topics as accounting software, consulting, financial planning, fixed assets, payroll, human resources, profit on the Internet, and taxation.
Business Valuation Group BusValGroup-subscribe@topica.com 
This discussion group is headed by Randy Schostag [RSchostag@BUSVALGROUP.COM] 

 

 

Professor Robert E. Jensen (Bob) http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen
190 Sunset Hill Road
Sugar Hill, NH 03586
Phone:  603-823-8482 
Email:  rjensen@trinity.edu