techLEARNING.com | Technology & Learning - The Resource for Education Technology Leaders

techLEARNING.com | Technology & Learning - The Resource for Education Technology Leaders

techLEARNING.com | Technology & Learning - The Resource for Education Technology Leaders

techLEARNING.com | Technology & Learning - The Resource for Education Technology Leaders

This applies to the staff I work with!

And below is what I would like to open on a few of them! :)

Thanksgiving Turkey Bird Flu Prevention Tips

Thanksgiving Turkey Bird Flu Prevention Tips
By Ion Zwitter, Avant News Editor Duckbill, Wyoming
November 14, 2009

A comprehensive study performed by the American Turkey Council has concluded that Thanksgiving turkeys are "unlikely carriers of the avian flu, or bird flu, virus." According to the council, the chances of contracting avian flu by eating traditional Thanksgiving turkey are "probably less than one in four. At a typical eight-person family Thanksgiving gathering, that means that no more than two, Grandpa and Aunt Gertrude for example, will probably come down with the disease." Despite the relatively low risk, the United States Bureau of Consumer Alarm together with the Centers for Disease Control offer a few measures that can be taken to reduce one's chances of contracting bird flu from turkey:

Ten Tips for a Bird-Flu-Free Thanksgiving from the CDC and the Consumer Alarm Bureau

1) Begin your Thanksgiving turkey preparations by microwaving the bird for at least one hour at the maximum setting. The microwaves will destroy up to seventy percent of the avian flu virus. If your microwave is small, the Consumer Alarm Bureau recommends plunging it into the machine with a standard household toilet plunger. (Take the precaution of boiling the toilet plunger for three hours to kill any bacteria prior to using it on the turkey).

2) Some viruses can be eliminated with a standard shotgun blast. If you own a shotgun, prop the turkey up outside by, for example, impaling it on a tall pole, and blast it with both barrels. Be sure to extract any shotgun pellets with tweezers prior to cooking the turkey. (Note: When shooting in populated areas, please have the courtesy to warn your neighbors to duck first).

3) Cook the turkey in a standard or convection oven at 450 degrees for at least 22 hours. This will help kill off many of the remaining flu viruses that survived the microwave and the shotgun.

4) Some strains of the avian flu virus can be subdued through harmonious singing. If you believe the bird may still be infected by active viruses, sing gentle lullabies to the bird before serving. That will soothe the viruses to sleep, rendering them harmlessly inert until they have safely passed out through the digestive tract.

5) Tamiflu stuffing can be just as effective as it is delicious! (Be sure to purchase Tamiflu early and avoid the Thanksgiving rush).

6) Begin your Thanksgiving meal with a prayer to the Lord of your choice for protection from avian flu. (Note: Not applicable for residents of Dover, Pennsylvania). The ready.gov website provides several suitable prayers, or you can compose your own at home.

7) Offer non-essential guests or family members "first dibs" on the turkey. Watch carefully to see if they exhibit signs of avian flu before continuing with the meal.

8) When eating, chew each bite of turkey at least 30 times. Thorough and vigorous chewing can help destroy some of the larger remaining bird flu viruses. (Note: denture-wearers are advised to seek mastication assistance from the less dentally-challenged).

9) Disguise yourself and your Thanksgiving dinner guests as fish. There has as yet been no proof of successful bird-fish avian flu transmission.

10) Why not ostrich? Ostrich can make a delicious and economical alternative to Thanksgiving turkey. Try it with mint jelly and mashed potatoes. (Reminder: the head is suitable for use only as garnish).

We hope these simple consumer tips will help make your Thanksgiving a memorable, bird-flu-free success. And remember, if you do contract avian flu, contact your local National Guard citizen relocation/incineration center immediately. Bon appétit!

GEORGIA TECH TRADITIONS

RealAudio Files:
"The Ramblin' Wreck"
"Up With the White and Gold" -->
It was September 30, 1961. The opponent was Rice University for the home opener. For the first time, the official Rambling Wreck car was unveiled to 43,501 fans at Grant Field, leading the Georgia Tech football team onto the field. It has happened at every home game since.
The event did not establish a new tradition at Tech, but it cemented one. The vehicle, a restored 1930 Model A Ford Sport Coupe, was Tech's first official Rambling Wreck car, and it was an instant success.

Since that time, the Rambling Wreck car has joined a much older tradition-the Yellow Jacket-as the official school mascot.The current Wreck is the latest in a line of distinctive white and gold cars on campus. While there was no official Rambling Wreck before 1961, several fraternities took turns driving various such vehicles.

The first reference to a Rambling Wreck vehicle on campus was applied to a 1914 Ford owned by Floyd Field, Dean of Men. The Technique student newspaper was the first published reference to the car as the "Rambling Wreck" in 1927. The paper spoke out against Field when he considered trading the car that year, but he disposed of it anyway.

The Technique, however, continued the tradition by sponsoring a yearly collegiate auto race from Atlanta to Athens, beginning in 1929, known as the "Old Ford" race or the "Flying Flivver" race. As the years went by, though, the race became too dangerous, and it was discontinued.
In its place, the school instituted the familiar Rambling Wreck Parade, which is still held every year on the campus during Homecoming Weekend festivities. The event challenges students to produce outlandish "mechanical monstrosities" capable of transversing a short course on campus.

Tech officials decided in the late 1950s that the school needed an official car that would be known forever as the Rambling Wreck.

Vice President and Dean of Students James Dull began a search for a pre-1940 vintage model, and finally found one-parked in front of his apartment building. The owner, Capt. Ted J. Johnson, a Delta Air Lines pilot, had just finished restoring the 1930 Ford Cabriolet Sport Coupe, which he intended to give to his son as a gift.

Johnson decided to let Tech have the car for $1,000 in May, 1961. He later returned the purchase price of the Wreck to the Athletic Association in the form of a contribution to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund, fulfilling a desire to go on record as having given the Rambling Wreck to Georgia Tech. The Wreck was completely restored again in 1982, under the supervision of Tech alumnus Pete George, manager of the Ford assembly plant in Hapeville, Georgia.

Ramblin' Wreck Song

It is doubtful that anything has ever meant as much to an American college as has this Georgia Tech fight song, a curious mixture of words and music that grew out of an old folk ballad, "The Sons of the Gamboliers." Since the early 1900's, it has been one of the most important vehicles in making Georgia Tech's name known around the world and in the development of the school as one of the most cosmopolitan institutions of higher learning in America.

Howard D. Cutter, a member of the first four-year graduating class who earned his mechanical engineering degree in 1892, wrote in the November-December 1942 issue of the Georgia Tech Alumnus that the "Ramblin' Wreck" had its beginnings during the first two years after Tech opened in 1885, specifically inspired when almost the entire student body traveled to Athens to see Tech's baseball team defeat Georgia. By the early 1900s, "Ramblin' Wreck" was an established tradition. The earliest existing published version of the song appeared in the Blueprint, the Institute's yearbook, in 1908.

In 1910, Michael A. Greenblatt, Tech's first bandmaster, discovered the band playing "Ramblin' Wreck" to the tune of "Sons of the Gamboliers," and made his first arrangement of the song in the form of a handwritten manuscript. When Frank Roman succeeded Greenblatt as bandmaster in 1911, he wrote a new adaptation of "Ramblin' Wreck," accompanied by many trumpet flourishes, that was played by every name band in the country and became nationally known on radio. His is the version that continues to be popular today.

The fame of the song spread to such proportions that in 1959 it was sung by Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev at their historic meeting in Moscow.

In 1984, the law firm of Newton, Hopkins & Ormsby investigated the copyright situation as it applied to "Ramblin' Wreck" and found that a number of people have various versions of the song that have been copyrighted. The original version of the song, however, is in the public domain and can be played by anyone without the payment of royalties.

I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer,A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer,Like all the jolly good fellows, I drink my whiskey clear,I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an engineer.Oh, if I had a daughter, sir, I'd dress her in White and Gold,And put her on the campus, to cheer the brave and bold.But if I had a son, sir, I'll tell you what he'd do.He would yell, "To Hell with Georgia," like his daddy used to do.Oh, I wish I had a barrel of rum and sugar three thousand pounds,A college bell to put it in and a clapper to stir it around.I'd drink to all good fellows who come from far and near.I'm a ramblin', gamblin', hell of an engineer.

White & GoldIn the fall of 1891, before Georgia Tech organized a football team of its own, a game was scheduled between Auburn and Georgia. Due to the rivalry established in baseball games between Tech and Georgia (which is still strong after more than 100 years), the Tech students were invited to the game to cheer, of course, for Auburn.

At a mass meeting, the students appointed a committee to recommend colors to be worn and cheers to be used at the game. The committee suggested white and gold, and about 200 students attended the game wearing school colors for the first time.

In 1893, when Tech's football team played its first official game against Georgia, a group of young women from the Lucy Cobb Institute for Girls, dressed in white and gold, attended the game to cheer for Tech. These ladies were some of the earliest Tech supporters to show their allegiance by wearing the now-traditional colors.

Oh well it's up with the White and GoldDown with the Red and BlackGeorgia Tech is out for the victoryWe'll drop the battle axe on Georgia's headWhen we meet her, our team is sure to beat herDown on the old farm there will be no soundTill our bow-wows rip through the airWhen the battle is over, Georgia's team will be foundWith the Yellow Jackets swarming around.

The Yellow Jacket

The Yellow Jacket nickname and mascot are two of the most beloved trademarks of Georgia Tech athletic teams, but many conflicting accounts exist as to the origins and beginnings of the Yellow Jacket. One thing that is clear, however, is that the nickname did not grow out of the familiar six-legged insect, but instead that the insect mascot, known as "Buzz," grew out of the nickname.

As far as can be determined, the first reference to Tech students as "Yellowjackets" appeared in the Atlanta Constitution in 1905 and came into common usage at that time.
Historians say the name, spelled as one word, was first used to describe supporters who attended Tech athletic events, dressed in yellow coats and jackets. The actual mascot was conceived at a later date, still undetermined.

Other common nicknames which have applied to Georgia Tech teams include Engineers, which is still used by some writers; the Techs, the first known nickname which was phased out sometime around 1910; and the Blacksmiths, which was common between 1902 and 1904 and is thought to be an invention of sportswriters at the time.

The Golden Tornado is another former nickname thought to be created by sportswriters when John Heisman led Tech to its first national championship in football in 1917. Tech was the first team from the South to earn the honor bestowed by the International News Service, and any team thereafter which approached the same level of excellence was referred to as the Golden Tornado. The nickname was used as late as 1929, when Tech defeated California in the Rose Bowl.

Rat Caps
Tech has several customs especially created for its freshman class members. One of the oldest and proudest freshman traditions, wearing Tech's gold-colored rat cap, originated with the ANAK society in 1915. The term rat, originally used for first-year military students, gradually expanded to include all freshmen.
The rat cap has been a distinctive symbol of membership in Tech's freshman class. Freshmen are to decorate their rat caps by writing winning football scores upright, losing scores upside down, and tie scores sideways. Co-ops circle the top button.

George P. Burdell
In 1927, a Tech tradition began when a mythical student named George P. Burdell appeared on class rosters, registration forms and grade reports, and he has since become one of Tech's most notable students.
The most accurate accounts claim that Burdell was the creation of student Ed Smith. While completing an application form, Smith was struck with the impish idea of enrolling a non-existent student. He even turned in separate exam papers for Burdell, convincing professors that George was a student in good standing. Burdell received a bachelor's degree from Tech and later earned a master's degree.
During the years since Smith's graduation, other students have kept George P. Burdell alive at Tech and elsewhere. In the spring of 1969, the first quarter that Georgia Tech used completely computerized registration, George beat the system by registering for every course the school offered-more than 3,000 credit hours!

Bush, Cheney can't let Libby go to trial

Al Neuharth

We'll never know whether I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is guilty of lying to a grand jury as charged.
Despite Libby's not guilty plea at Thursday's preliminary hearing, President Bush and Vice President Cheney can't afford to let him go to trial. So they'll offer him the moon to plea bargain for the best deal he can cut.
Testimony in a trial likely would show that Bush, Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld were hell bent to invade Iraq, reasons be damned. When their phony cover that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction was blown, they hunkered down against anyone who told the truth about their trickery.
Joseph Wilson, a former ambassador, did that. So, possibly coached by his boss Cheney, Libby told reporters that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA. "Outing" a covert CIA operative is against the law. She had once served in that role and was still a CIA employee.
Those leaks and the administration's persistent deceptions put Bush and his crowd in company with these other recent presidents:
• Republican President Richard Nixon.
• Democrat President Bill Clinton.
Nixon lost his job for trying to cover up a break-in at Watergate by his cronies. Clinton lost his reputation when he lied about uncovering himself for Monica Lewinsky. But both were minor-league Pinocchios whose lies hurt mostly themselves.
Bush, Cheney and company are major league make-believers who have brought immeasurable and irreparable harm to innumerable others with their Iraq misadventure. Cost: Tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars.
Every day they continue their deceptive game, à la Libby, adds to their shame.

FEMA Director Michael Brown e-mails

MOST OF THE EMAILS DON'T BOTHER ME!

In fact the #2 with tater tots is funny. But email one on the following link is unaccepable. Plus, email like blogs are public. Its amazing how many people don't get that. Especially with public $ funded accounts.

The first email though shows he really was a bad cronnyistic pick. It turned my stomach.

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/brown_emails.pdf

Cale and Bill will love this!

Ford to debut pickup truck with mobile office - Automotive - MSNBC.com

Samuel Alito’s America

Someone asked my concerns about Alito. These are some of them in addition to the Republicans view the W ignored that advice part of the advice and consent clause.

ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE: In his dissenting opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito concurred with the majority in supporting the restrictive abortion-related measures passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in the late 1980’s. Alito went further, however, saying the majority was wrong to strike down a requirement that women notify their spouses before having an abortion. The Supreme Court later rejected Alito’s view, voting to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1991]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION: Alito dissented from a decision in favor of a Marriott Hotel manager who said she had been discriminated against on the basis of race. The majority explained that Alito would have protected racist employers by “immuniz[ing] an employer from the reach of Title VII if the employer’s belief that it had selected the ‘best’ candidate was the result of conscious racial bias.” [Bray v. Marriott Hotels, 1997]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION: In Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, the majority said the standard for proving disability-based discrimination articulated in Alito’s dissent was so restrictive that “few if any…cases would survive summary judgment.” [Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1991]

ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) “guarantees most workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a loved one.” The 2003 Supreme Court ruling upholding FMLA [Nevada v. Hibbs, 2003] essentially reversed a 2000 decision by Alito which found that Congress exceeded its power in passing the law. [Chittister v. Department of Community and Economic Development, 2000]

ALITO SUPPORTS UNAUTHORIZED STRIP SEARCHES: In Doe v. Groody, Alito agued that police officers had not violated constitutional rights when they strip searched a mother and her ten-year-old daughter while carrying out a search warrant that authorized only the search of a man and his home. [Doe v. Groody, 2004]

ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS: In two cases involving the deportation of immigrants, the majority twice noted Alito’s disregard of settled law. In Dia v. Ashcroft, the majority opinion states that Alito’s dissent “guts the statutory standard” and “ignores our precedent.” In Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, the majority stated Alito’s opinion contradicted “well-recognized rules of statutory construction.” [Dia v. Ashcroft, 2003; Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, 2004]

Bush Consultation on Alito: “Zero, Nothing”

This nominee concerns me - Clay

When President Bush nominated John Roberts, the White House repeatedly highlighted the level of Bush’s consultation with the Senate:
I think you heard from some long-time serving members of the Senate who said that this level of consultation was unprecedented.
The same occured during the lead up to the Miers pick:
We have consulted with over 70 United States senators. That matches the level of consultation that we held for the first vacancy. The level of consultation that we engaged in was unprecedented; we have now matched that.
With Alito’s nomination, however, the White House disregarded the process:
[Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid’s tongue was firmly in cheek when describing consultation with the White House about the Alito nomination.
“I really am impressed with the consultation of this nomination. Let me tell you what it consisted of. I was at the Rosa Parks event last night, which was a solemn occasion and very nice. [White House Chief of Staff] Andy Card walked up to me and said I am going to call you at 6:30 in the morning. I said, ‘That is too bad,’ because I knew by then they had already picked someone…. He didn’t call me at 6:30 [but at] about quarter to 7. The conversation lasted maybe 10 seconds. He said, ‘You have already heard?’ I said, yup, and that was it. That is the consultation. With [Judge John] Roberts we had consultation, with [White House Counsel Harriet] Miers we had consultation, with Alito zero, nothing.”
It’s not that President Bush didn’t have the time — he spent last weekend “contact[ing] prominent conservatives to test the reaction to various candidates.”

Great Quote

President Carter said in his 2002 Nobel Peace Prize lecture, "The most serious and universal problem is the growing chasm between the richest and poorest people on earth, and the results of this disparity are the root causes of most of the world's unresolved problems."

All Hallows Eve

Halloween has now come and gone. They had a ball and the Cherokee County School System was smart enough to give them the next day off. Brittany was Kim Possible from the Disney Channell and Sydney was a great Minnie Mouse. They went as a group with family and friends which made it even more fun. They got lots of candy and I haven't even taken a piece yet. Of course I THINK THEY BURRIED IT LIKE HIDDEN TREASURE AROUND THE HOUSE. Alas though I live there and will eventually stumble upon it. Hopefully it will be something good like a Reece's or Twix and not some fruit plastic thing.

Favorite Hymns of Different Professions

The Dentist's Hymn ... Crown Him With Many Crowns
The Weatherman's Hymn ... There Shall Be Showers Of Blessing
The Contractor's Hymn ... The Church's One Foundation
The Tailor's Hymn ... Holy, Holy, Holy
The Golfer's Hymn ... There Is A Green Hill Far Away
The Politician's Hymn ... Standing On The Promises
The Optometrist's Hymn ... Open My Eyes That I May See
The IRS Agent's Hymn ... I Surrender All
The Gossip's Hymn ... Pass It On
The Electrician's Hymn ... Send The Light
The Shopper's Hymn ... In The Sweet By and By
The Realtor's Hymn ... I've Got A Mansion Just Over The Hilltop
The Pilot's Hymn ... I'll Fly Away
The Paramedic's Hymn ... Revive Us Again
The Judge's Hymn ... Almost Persuaded
The Psychiatrist's Hymn ... Just A Little Talk With Jesus
The Architect's Hymn ... How Firm A Foundation
The Credit Card Telemarketer's Hymn ... A Charge To Keep I Have
The Zoo Keeper's Hymn ... All Creatures Of Our God And King
The Postal Worker's Hymn ... So Send I You
The Waiter's Hymn ... Fill My Cup, Lord
The Gardener's Hymn ... Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
The Lifeguard's Hymn ... Rescue The Perishing
The Criminal's Hymn ... Search Me, O God
The Baker's Hymn ... When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
The Shoe Repairer's Hymn ... It Is Well With My Soul
The Travel Agent's Hymn ... Anywhere With Jesus
The Geologist's Hymn ... Rock Of Ages
The Hematologist's Hymn ... Are You Washed In The Blood?
The Men's Wear Clerk's Hymn ... Blest Be The Tie
The Umpire's Hymn ... I Need No Other Argument
The Librarian's Hymn ... Whispering Hope

Learning Focused

Today I spent the day at a faculty mini-retreat focused on Learning Focused Schools. The day was long but good. So what is a Learning Focused School?

The LEARNING-FOCUSED SCHOOLS MODEL is a comprehensive school improvement model that provides schools with consistent vernacular for learning, exemplary strategies for learning and instruction, higher level thinking, and extending and refining skills all organized in a framework designed explicitly for raising student achievement through embedded research-based exemplary strategies.