Array callingâfocus my mind on the paradox and the mixed metaphor of teaching where I may actually uncover something, show it to myself, and, by writing it down, show it more broadly as well.At this moment, I am reflecting on the teaching and more specifically that I am actively teaching the college essay to students learning online at the University of Phoenix (UOP). Granted, four years may not seem like so much of a milestone in a career of my 30 years of teaching, but when I consider how much I have learned and how much I have changed in these few years of teaching on-line, I consider the milestone significant however relatively short the timeframe.All of this is to say that I feel more strongly than usual the need to pause and reflect, and in reflecting seek respite from that noisy den of daily life.But even as I pause, breathe, let thought sink below the noise and find the quiet place beneath the surf, associations, intuitive leaps, beg.And so, as I reflect, I begin with examples of three kinds of mature essays– journalistic, scholarly, literaryâand their distant, younger cousin–âcollege.âJournalisticI just re-read an interesting and insightful article by two colleagues from the University of Virginia, Ed Ayers and Charlie Grisham. These realizations that learning is lifelong and that they are both in charge of and empowered to accomplish it is a huge pedagogic achievementâone that my undergraduate students at UVa do not regularly, reliably make, despite the fact that they are extraordinarily gifted students attending what is regularly recognized as one of the best public higher educational institutions in the country. The UOP students learn this all-important lesson, as well as the content of the course, online in a class of no more than 20 students who enroll from all over the world. 51.)The understandable impatience that we all feel with why instructional technology has not done more (an impatience that is beautifully articulated in their article) distracts us from at least two related facts:Firstly, the âNo Significant Differenceâ body of work has proved that there is no significant difference in student learning between instruction that is delivered online and that which is delivered on grounds (as we say in the local jargon of the University of Virginia, where I also work and teach). To understand what is happening with scholarly writing and research we need to stay firmly planted in a known point of view even as reality seems to be reinventing itself all around us.LiteraryCynthia Ozick in her introduction to the Best American Essays of 1998 argues that the literary essay is the best means yet devised to capture the âfluid, intuitive, creative, focused workings of the human mindâ. And all of this bears on the teaching of the college essay, the young, unwashed, redheaded stepchild of these mature and magical forms.CollegeSo what have these mature, expansive, inspiring essays to do with the traditional college essay, that plodding, formulaic thing that states its thesis, proves it in three paragraphs and marches inexorably to a firm conclusionâre-stating in no uncertain terms that it got where it meant to go? And even when they do come, when a student in an end of course evaluation says what Iâd want him or her to say, or even better, when I learn something from students or feel inspired by a breakthroughs theyâve made, I, being thoroughly academic and skeptical myself, can immediately doubt the truth of their assertion, the validity of their breakthrough, the longevity of progress or even its trajectory.But for moments the rewards are just as palpable, just as intoxicating, and just as reliable as the rich, subtle ecstasy of those local, amazing lumps of chocolate love.As I opened with my not so veiled reference to Alcoholics Anonymous, I hinted both at the need I have to confess my addiction, my need to manage it by withdrawing from it and my acknowledgement of the spiritual nature of both the addiction and the benefits of confession and community.As if for the first timeâ¦A quest ends well at home. But more than that, I pray that my students may some day write such an essay, and that I may be fortunate enough to follow it in the contours of their thinking, their lives, to the center of their being and out again to know them, and myself, as if for the first time.
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After 30 minutes on this thing, I now know why former world-record marathoner Alberto Salazar has been raving about it - Alter-G presents a whole new approach to distance training.(Ticking off the miles at 60% my body weight in the Alter-G G-Trainer)The G-Trainer uses air pressure to support your body weight while you run. It couldn’t replace the long run, but I could certainly increase my mileage by supplementing it.After my run, I talked with the Alter-G team - Sean Whalen, Brent Looney, Fritz Moore, and Eric Edelson - about the implications of such a system. In fact, this is why the Oakland Raiders and Golden State Warriors both have one.Speed training - much like I experienced, you can train your body to know the turnover and stride length required to hit your top speed.High mileage - If supplemented, one could add considerable weekly mileage. Drop your weight by 10%, you can add 10% more mileage (actually, Alberto Salazar has his runners training at 90-97%, and swears it allows 10-25% more volume, on average - check his video testimonial)Obesity aid - can you imagine letting an obese person feel what it is like to be 50 lbs lighter as a start to their conditioning?
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-ne CeasefireIsrael continues doing what it will:The ceasefire in Lebanon was holding by a thread last night after Israel sanctioned a commando raid in the east of the country.
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-ne A while back I wrote about a paper that explored the role of punishment in maintaining cooperation among unrelated people â currently one of the hottest topics in the human behavioural sciences. Now anthropologist Joe Henrich and colleagues have published a study that looked at punishment and cooperation in diverse societies around the planet.Henrich and other economists and anthropologists have previously studied how people play economic games in these same societies, and the results suggest that a propensity to punish those who donât cooperate with us, and instead try to rip us off, is part of human psychology. Using favourites of studies on human cooperation and altruism â the Ultimatum Game (UG) and the Third-Party Punishment Game (3PPG) â the globe-trotting research team collected results that need to be explained by any theory of human altruism, whether based solely on genetic evolution or on gene-culture co-evolution.In the UG, two players are allotted a sum of money, say 00 (or the local equivalent). This needs explaining, and the underlying reasons for this behaviour need to be incorporated into a larger theory of human cooperation, altruism and self-regard.So behaviour in the UG is a measure of whether people willing to engage in costly punishment, and because there are only two players in the game Henrich et al. Social norms for punishing cheats can co-evolve with a psychological propensity to engage in punishing behaviour, and as a consequence stabilise cooperation (because people want to avoid the costs of being punished, and so play ball).If this were true, then weâd expect to see that altruistic behaviour would correlate with punishing behaviour â and the results collected by Henrich et al.
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Place a small amount of gravel in the bottom of the tank and fill it with conditioned water from your community tank, heat it to the same temperature before placing your pregnant female or fry into it. After the female has given birth, transfer her to another tank, preferably away from the attentions of the male for several days rest and recuperation.Black Mollies give birth to 20-60 fry, time between mating and birth, 40-70 days. Sailfin Mollies give birth to 20-80 fry, time between mating to birth, 20-80 days. Velifera Mollies give birth to 30-200 fry, time between mating and birth, 60-70 days.Photo GalleyGot a photo?
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-ne 1 Paul Williams WR 6-2 210 SR Avenal, Calif. (Hart)3 Moses Harris SS 6-1 200 RS FR Stockton, Calif. (Hiram Johnson)5 Marlon Moore WR 6-0 180 RS FR Sacramento, Calif. (Clovis)13 Jason Crawley WR 6-2 185 RS FR Pittsburg, Calif. (South Hills)19 Marvin Haynes FS 6-1 195 RS FR Fresno, Calif. (Central)19 Seyi Ajirotutu WR 6-3 200 RS FR El Dorado Hills, Calif. (San Gorgonio) 25 Jay Reddick CB 5-8 175 RS FR Sacramento, Calif. (Bakersfield)27 Rich Owens RB 6-0 220 RS FR Chino Hills, Calif. (Glendale College)30 Will Smith LB 6-1 205 FR Fresno, Calif. (Golden West)35 Dustin Abrams K 6-0 170 FR Los Alamitos, Calif., (Los Alamitos)36 Lorne Bell SS 5-10 195 FR Simi Valley, Calif. (Clovis)45 Isaac Kinter FB 6-1 240 RS FR El Dorado Hills, Calif. (Burbank)47 Ryan Machado LB 6-0 210 RS FR Ripon, Calif. (Lincoln HS)48 Frank Manquero LB 6-1 190 RS FR Cutler, Calif. (Orosi)49 Todd Chisom LB 6-1 220 RS FR Beverly Hills, Calif. (Mission Hills)57 Tommy Gatta LB 6-1 215 RS FR Oak Ridge, Calif. (Hayward)82 Jamel Hamler WR 6-1 190 FR San Leandro, Calif. (Foothill)96 Wilson Ramos NT 6-4 270 RS FR Woodland, Calif., (Woodland)97 Jason Shirley NT 6-5 330 JR Fontana, Calif.
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