Oops and thoughts about the future...

Yeah, so I just realized that I posted the Friday article Wrap-up on Thursday and my sense of time is all off. I thought last night was Friday, but then I thought today was Thursday or Wednesday while I was driving to work. Oh well.

So the post yesterday had something to do with a hint that I'm contemplating teaching again. I am. It'll probably be years down the road. I'm looking into programs. I should get my degree in it this time at some point. There's a fast track program which would be more my speed, but it looks like I'll have the same problem as last time because I won't get classroom management or grade assessment skills until after I'm already in the classroom... but I've found some good resources on my own this time and may look into that down the road. I do need to figure out what prereqs I need though because while I could be fully competent going into the fast track program in Physics and maybe Math, That's not all I want. I'd also like to have the necessary reqs. for health and Phys. Ed.

Why?!? Why would someone who HATED Phys ed want to teach it? How could I teach phys ed if I still have an innate loathing of volleyball? Well, I don't know the answer to the third question, but to the first and second I put this: through my work with MovNat & Exuberant Animal this past year and by being exposed to SPARK (the book) and stuff like this, I think I can best apply my knowledge and positively impact people by applying my science at an early age... It's so empowering when someone tells you WHY you should move and move a lot, rather than when someone tells you that you SHOULD move a lot. It's also better getting the education in WHY and the experimenting and learning it for yourself. I think I can do the most here. That is why. : )

This is why: Physically Active Play and Cognition

Friday Article Wrap-up & Teaching Commentary

• 7 Step Model to (some) cancer
• The Fundamentals of Bodyweight Strength Training

• Clock Ticking on 100,000 teacher jobs
• How Should We Teach our Future Teachers?

OK, I normally refrain from adding commentary on the Friday Article Wrap-up, but this one is near and dear to me since I'd wanted to teach since 7th grade, taught for a year (hellish) and am considering going back to it someday. It's especially near to me because I had an opportunity to be one of those people who gets left behind in school at an early age and I also (thanks to a wonderful teacher who pulled me back from the abyss) went on to excel in school.

Long story short: the more I hear about education cuts, the more I feel ill. I hear people complain about jobs going overseas and worries about the US staying competitive in the marketplace, etc, etc. Then people go on and complain about bipartisanship & spending and we're spending too much, so let's cut education. OK, I admit that's a very simplistic view of what people are expressing, but those sentiments exist. I really WANT people to start thinking about teaching and education the same way they think about doctors and engineers. They are critical. They get paid alot because they are critical. But you don't get doctors or engineers without the teachers teaching them first. Teachers and kids are the building blocks of all other industries. How much they succeed dictates how much our country and industry succeeds later. You can't have an educated voter participating in the democratic process without an initially educated student. And engineering jobs and innovation jobs will continue to go overseas if the better educated people are overseas. Just think about it. END of rant.

Friday Article Wrap-up

• But I Like My.... - whether or not about nutrition, I think this principle applies to a lot of life.
• The War on Children's Playgrounds
  
• How to Store Fresh Produce

New Swamp-Water Smoothie

Ingredients:

• ~ 2 cups washed & loosely loaded spinach
• ~2/3 c. shredded carrots (or the equivalent whole carrots)
• ~1/2 standard pkg blueberries
• 1 medium red apple
• ~2 Tbsp. Almond Butter

Directions:

Put in blender. Blend until ready, put in glass & enjoy.

Nutrition for the whole thing.

Mango Chicken

Made a yummy dish yesterday and thought I'd write it down & post it before I forgot... : )

Ingredients:

• 1 small super ripe mango
• 1 small onion or 1/4 medium/large onion
• 1 Orange pepper (red or yellow would work too)
• 1-1.5 Tbsp. Coconut oil
• 0.5 - 0.75 lb. Chicken
• 2/3 pkg. frozen artichoke hearts
• ~1/4 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut
• ~1-1.5 tsp. cinnamon
• ~.5 tsp. Tummeric
• ~ 1 pinch ground ginger

Directions:

Using a large skillet... Slice onion and pepper into strips & sautee in Coconut Oil with cinnamon, tummeric, and ginger over medium heat until soft. Add frozen artichoke in about half-way through. Cut Mango into small strips. Cut chicken into bite sized bits, & toss into pan to cook. Make sure to mix it around so as to coat chicken in oil & spices. When chicken looks within 5 minutes of being done, add in mango & shredded coconut.

Serves 2. This dish paired well with steamed Asparagus drizzled in lemon juice & seasame seeds.

Friday article Wrap-up

It's been a while, but I want to bookmark this for myself, so here goes...

• Kids, Paleo and Nutrient Density - the name says it all. Read only if it interests you.
• Study Finds that Low-quality child care has lasting effects into adolescence - I'd like to actually look up the study later, but I've long said that I want to stay home with my kid at least until it goes to school because I don't feel comfortable trusting someone else to form them as a person. I'm sure there are good providers out there, but I want to laythe groundwork myself.
• New "Roadrunner" Dinosaur Found in China - cool!
• Free Portal - also cool
• Virgin Mobile $25 for unlimited text, email & internet - SWEET!
• Nutrition and health in agriculturalists and hunter-gatherers - bookmarking this again so I can find it later.... one day I did find a writeup of the study and that was far more interesting to read, but oh well
• Postpartum depression: When moms feel out of control - I really want to find out more about this "brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A)" so I can see if anyone knows by which pathways it occurs & works. That could be helpful someday...
• For once I agree with Dr. Phil...

Project Reminder

I want to put this out there so I can remember to make it and to hold myself accountable, but in addition to making the pieces listed at the end, I hope to make a suit like this:

• Jacket from Vintage Vogue #V1019
• Skirt from Butterick #B4859

This will come sometime after:

• the pseudo regency maxi dress made out of a printed red & white mesh
• retro butterick bolero, halter, skirt & shorts set made out of white Pique & a peach beach print pique
• red lace skirt from Amelie
• Black liquid satin infinity gown
• orange & brown crushed stretch velvet fan-tailed victorian skirt
• a victorian suit made out of a blue-teal sharkskin fabric made from these patterns: 1 and 2
• another walk-away dress
• remake my 1950s cocktail dress that's self-destructing
• make a 50s 2-piece wrap dress

So many things to make, so little time. *sigh *

Copyright updates...

Some of you may remember a post that I had in November of 2008 discussing my exploits with trying to control the use of a Binghamton at Night photo that had gotten used by various sources.

And if anyone is interested, here's a link to the wikipage that discloses the license.

I spoke with Broadway Binghamton and they were totally cool and if you watch the banner ad, when my picture comes up (third frame) it says Photo by Laura Roth in the lower right (YAY!).

Nyseg Solutions originally took the picture down, so I dropped my complaint and left it at that. The picture is now, however, back up and I've contacted them again. [UPDATE: as of 4:27 PM, they've taken it down again...?] This time I will be following up with their photo supplier to see where he got it and why he believed it to be free to use in any manner at all.

This update comes after discovering JUST how viral the use of my photo has gone. *sigh * If I had only known, I could have... I dunno... made $5 or something? eh. Here's a listing of other places that are currently using it:

• Greater Binghamton Airport: contacted & not heard back yet [UPDATE:5/6/10 - they contacted & offered to name me! Yay!]
• Live Music in Binghamton FB page: I contacted them and supposedly they'll work with me on it. The Admin was really nice.
• Binghamton Nightlife FB Page: Contacted, but no response yet
• Binghamton Nightlife, RMC: (beware, has a zillion graphics to download) contacted, not heard back yet, and am completely concerned since it states that it's a FreeArt license which is wrong.
• Scranton Alumni Association of Greater Binghamton: contacted & not heard back yet
• Binghamton, NY FB Page: has the photo in the "around town" album... trying to contact
  

Well, we'll see what happens.... it's coming out of the woodwork now. : )