Archive for April, 2009

28 AprWhat is also so galling is that this is a viable conversation topic AT ALL

organic mama
October 22, 2006 at 5:14 pm

What is also so galling is that this is a viable conversation topic AT ALL. Will they train the students on effective blocking and/or throwing techniques? What about the counseling for those students who worry about A. whether it will ever happen and B. what if they don’t do it right. Doesn’t this sound like satire? Why not body armor? How about we stop the GUNS in this flipping country!! Apologies for soapboxing, but this is INSANE!!

Reply

More Musings About Current Events.
Jump to Comments
The superintendent of our school district called my cell phone Monday morning and left a message inviting me to watch the school board meeting on public access cable on Monday night. The first thing I have to say is DAMN! School board meetings are BORING!

As promised, the superintendent spoke about school security, and rather early in the meeting (thank heaven!). While he talked a lot about locked doors and security cameras, crisis preparedness and how closely the school district works with the city’s police and fire departments, he didn’t mention anything about EDUCATION.

I really think many of our current school violence problems can be alleviated through education. We need to TEACH kids how to deal with their stress just like we teach them language, mathematics and how to avoid drug use. We need to show children that it’s not okay to cope with your problems with violence. As responsible adults in schools and other child-rich environments, we need to be aware of which of our students come from homes and family situations that may be prone to pass, shall we say, less-than-ideal social skills to the students. We need to know which students share their homes with guns.

Let me say that again: We need to know which children share their homes with guns.

Why do I want to invade the general privacy of some families by knowing whether the household owns a gun? The same superintendent who spoke about door locks and security cameras wrote to me last week in response to my email. He told me that, when he was principal of my daughters’ school about ten years ago, a fifth grader brought a .375 to school, and that the weapon had been discharged in a classroom by accident. Locks on school doors and security cameras would have done nothing to prevent this.

When I was strolling up and down our city’s main street during the annual autumn festival this past weekend, I saw that our police station had a tent set up along side the merchants and service companies. An officer stood in full uniform behind a bin of trigger locks. A bin of FREE trigger locks. A bin of free trigger locks standing behind a sign that essentially said “please take one – no questions asked.” While no one was hurt in the .357 incident, a trigger lock could have prevented the punchline of the whole story (though it could be argued that a nine year old having access to a gun in the first place should be a felony offense on the part of the parents).

It’s all about education. We need to teach parents to be responsible with the care and keeping of whatever weapons they feel they need to possess. We need to teach children to deal with their feelings in socially acceptable ways. We need to teach everyone to see themselves in others and to do no harm.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

26 AprPlease remind your husband that some people

Kizz
November 18, 2006 at 12:39 pm

Please remind your husband that some people, usually people not in the sciences, do actually pay for their doctoral degrees. What you’re being quoted from the online is about what I paid for my undergrad degree, an amount that many would say was out of the question for that, too. I have no idea how one finds funding for grad degrees. Let me know if you find out.

Reply

7 Comments.
Sassie Cassie Blaine
November 17, 2006 at 3:07 pm

More grammar?!

-Further and farther. Is there a difference?

-Then and than. How and when are these used?

-”That”. Ex: I know that I should know the difference.
Is this sentence still proper without “that”? Why do we use it if we don’t need it?

-Who and whom….I can never have this explained enough.

-Agreement of amounts. Ex: If someONE is getting bullied THEY should tell the teacher.
(I had to listen to a 25 minute presentation in class today that included grammar mistakes like this one.)(that one?)

I think if you only do one a week, those examples take us well into December!! There’s just so much to know.

Thanks for being the awesome teacher you are! (There’s something wrong with that sentence isn’t there?)

Reply

6 Comments.
feather
November 16, 2006 at 3:49 pm

Ooh! Oooh! Lay/lie? I’ve had this explained to me several times by a fabulous teacher, but I am unable to make it stick in my mind. I blame Bob Dylan. I think I’ve got it, but then I start humming “Lay Lady Lay” and I begin to second doubt myself.

Reply

17 AprI heard the failing story I immediately blamed it on the teacher

Kizz
January 30, 2007 at 9:29 am

I’d also like to know what it is about us that when I heard the failing story I immediately blamed it on the teacher/school (how did he get where he is without passing, why weren’t they helping him?) and you immediately blamed it on the student (why did he choose to fail over and over and why is he looking forward to it again?). We could both be right, there’s nothing in the story that indicates either way, we both jumped to conclusion, but why did we jump to such polarly opposite ones?

“I didn’t jump to conclusions. I took a small step, and there conclusions were.”
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Reply

3 Comments.
nhfalcon
January 28, 2007 at 9:13 pm

Maybe this says something about me and my qualifications (or lack thereof) as a teacher, but are you a teacher or a drill sergeant? It is your job to do everything you can to impart knowledge, not motivate a bunch of lazy-ass time wasters. If some of your “learners” – and I use that term loosely, based on what I’ve read about this bunch – choose not to absorb that knowledge, then that’s their fault and their problem, not yours. They’re in college now, not grammar school. They’re supposedly adults. If they choose to fail, then fail ‘em. It’s their money (or more than likely Mommy’s and Daddy’s) they’re wasting, not yours.

I could understand your concerns if they were grammar or junior high students, maybe even high school students, but these are allegedly mature adults – let ‘em deal with the consequences of their actions.

Reply

17 AprI completely understand your frustration and amazement about their lack

Dingo
September 8, 2008 at 10:33 pm

Sounds as if you are off to a great start. I completely understand your frustration and amazement about their lack of knowledge of basic U.S. history. I once asked my class about McCarthyism. Blank stares. What are they teaching these kids in high school?

Reply

4 Comments.
Mrs. Chili
August 22, 2008 at 7:19 pm

Parking on THIS college campus is especially so. We joke (in a not so joking way) that our parking permits are really just hunting licenses – there’s no guarantee whatsoever that you’ll actually be able to kill yourself a spot on any given day. This is why I keep my car packed with quarters during the school year; sometimes the only places to park are at city meters, and believe me, they check those bad boys on a REALLY regular basis….

Reply

7 Comments.
Julia
July 23, 2008 at 1:24 pm

LOL! Maybe they only like 20% of EACH lab. “We like the head and shoulders, but the rest of the dog has to go!”

If I had a lab I’d be a little afraid to take her there since they have sharp objects. They might decide to remove the parts they don’t like!

Reply

2 Comments.
Chatty
July 21, 2008 at 6:49 am

Yes, it is definitely time for vacation. Our last unit of the year is on Dafur and genocide in general. Luckily it’s how we end the year so we can decompress and start all over.

Does your cottage have a dock?

Reply

07 AprMVU Symposium Keynote Videos

This was an e-mail about the symposium and keynote videos, but I’ve tried to edit out the stuff about the evaluation while still publicizing the keynote videos.

Dear Symposium Attendee,

Thank you for participating in Michigan Virtual University’s® Fifth Annual Online Learning Symposium on Dec. 3. We hope that you found the event engaging, informative and thought-provoking.[stuff deleted] Videos of the symposium’s keynote addresses are also posted at the same site.Link to Symposium [stuff deleted] Keynote Videos: http://www.mivu.org/symposium/ More than 350 people like you attended this year’s symposium. We hope that you will be able to take the discussion about disruptive innovation and the future of online learning back to your schools and offices, recruiting more partners in the mission of promoting and improving online learning.Again, thank you for taking part in this year’s symposium. Because of people like you, we believe this year’s event was one of the best we’ve ever hosted.Sincerely,Jamey FitzpatrickPresident & CEOMichigan Virtual University

Why Copyright? Canadian Voices on Copyright Law (Annotated Edition).

While not exclusively about K-12 online learning, an important issue for all of those involved in K-12 online learning – particularly in Canada

Thanks to D’Arcy Norman dot net for pointing this out (see why copyright? ).

Friday Funnies.

Late in the day again, but at least I made it on Friday this week. As usual, these are courtesy of Darren over at Teaching and Developing Online .

- A thought

- I never want to hear

- Profanity

- High School Training

Until next week…

02 AprSoybeans: part of solution to make Philippine education reforms work?

If you think our milk and dairy supplies can alleviate our malnutrition problem, especially in the rural areas, think again. And unlike soybeans that may be harvested within a year, dairy livestock have to grow over a number of years before they produce milk. Read the following report:

http://www.thecattlesite.com/articles/1779/philippines-dairy-and-products-annual-2008

Philippines Dairy and Products Annual 2008

Despite continuing government and industry efforts to increase dairy production, Philippine milk production remains at less than one percent of total dairy requirements with import filling most of the supply, reports USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service. A link to the full report is also provided.

Executive Summary

Despite continuing government and industry efforts to increase dairy production, Philippine milk production remains at less than one percent of total dairy requirements with import filling most of the supply. Imports of milk and milk products are expected to slowdown this year due to continuing high world prices. Dairy products are the country’s second largest agricultural import.

Production

Data from the Philippine National Dairy Authority (NDA) shows that in terms of volume, domestic milk production grew 3.44 percent from 12,870 metric tons in 2006 to 13,320 metric tons last year. Value of dairy production in 2007 amounted to P387.11 million ($7.9 million at current exchange rate1). Local milk production is projected to continue to increase due to the growing demand for fresh milk. The country produces less than one percent of its total annual dairy requirement and imports the balance.

As of January 1, 2008, there were an estimated 28,191 dairy animals, an increase of about 8 percent from the previous year, comprised of dairy cattle (13,864), water buffalo (13,416) and dairy goats (911). Dairy cattle numbers, in particular, increased by nearly 15 percent due mainly to the on going herd build-up programs of the NDA. Dairy animal numbers are expected to continue increasing by 500-1,000 annually, due to this government program as well as increasing farmgate prices for milk.

Female breeders or dams accounted for about 58 percent of total cattle and carabao (water buffalo) population, respectively. The rest were bulls, heifers, yearling and calves. On the other hand, goat female breeders comprised 52 percent of total dairy goat inventory, and the rest classified under kids and bucks.

Despite an increase in the number of dairy animals, the average milking capacity per animal remains low due mainly to inadequate feeding and poor animal management practices. Milk production of NDA-assisted dairy projects in 2007 was estimated at 9.27 million MT or 70 percent of national milk production.

The average farmgate price of raw cow’s milk rose by 11.76 percent to P19/liter ($0.42/li) in 2007 from P17/liter ($0.33/liter) in the previous year, while the price of raw carabao’s milk increased slightly to P45.50/liter ($0.99/li). The price of raw goat’s milk increased by 6.06 percent from P33/liter ($0.64/li) in 2006 to P35/liter ($0.76/li) last year.

According to trade sources, retail prices of local fresh milk increased by about 4.4 percent per year from P45/liter2 ($0.87/li) in 2002 to P55/liter ($1.19/li) in 2007. Retail prices of UHT milk on the other hand grew by as much as 10.3 percent per year from P39/liter ($0.76/li) in 2002 to P63/liter ($1.36/li) in 2007.

Basically, there are four farm types in the Philippine producing raw milk: unorganized smallholder producers, cooperative smallholder producers; government and commercial farms. Both smallholder and cooperative producers allocate for home consumption and home-based processing. Milk from smallholder producers and are members of cooperatives is usually consolidated in a collection center and then delivered to a processing plant. There are at least 16 dairy processors in the country. The bulk of raw milk produced in government farms are processed in government-owned processing facilities and are sold to rural consumers. Fresh milk from commercial farms is sold to commercial processors for processing. Among the major suppliers to the coffee shops are milk processors from Batangas and Laguna. Other milk suppliers are importers of UHT milk, mostly coming from Australia and New Zealand. Large dairy companies have milk processing facilities but do tool packaging of their UHT milk from New Zealand. These companies use their known milk brands in the local market but use imported milk (Food and Agribusiness Monitor, University of Asia and the Pacific).

Consumption

The Philippines, with an estimated population of 86 million, growing annually at 2.36 percent, is a large market for milk and milk products. Dairy products are the country’s second largest agricultural import after wheat. The country’s dairy industry, which sources 99 percent of its inputs from abroad, is estimated to generate sales of up to $1 billion annually. The Philippines is now the 3rd largest market for U.S. dairy products, after Mexico and Canada. Total dairy exports last year reached $152 million, up nearly 58 percent from 2006. The top US dairy exports to the Philippines in 2007 were: nonfat dry milk powder ($100 million), whey ($23 million) and cheese ($4.3 million).

In 2007, NDA estimated total domestic dairy requirements to be about 2.635 MMT, growing at about 2 percent yearly. According to the latest Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) survey, per capita milk consumption increased from 16 kg/year in 2002 to 19 kg/year in 2003.

Over the last few years, numerous dairy cooperatives have sprung up in various regions of the country. About half of local milk production, according to NDA, is absorbed in the local communities where it is produced. The other half goes to school and community milk feeding programs co-funded by local government units. With dairy production in the country being more community-based, maintaining the quality of fresh milk becomes a major concern due to the lack of dairy processing facilities and milk delivery vehicles.

Trade

Dairy products are the country’s second largest agricultural import after wheat. In 2007, imports of milk and milk products declined by about 2 percent in liquid milk equivalent (LME), from 1,733 MMT in 2006 to 1,740 MMT last year. While the value of total milk exports grew by as much as 43 percent last year due mainly to the significant rise in world market prices of dairy products which started in 2006 and a slowdown in global milk production. The major country suppliers by volume were New Zealand with 42 percent share of the total imports; followed by the United States with 18 percent and Australia at 13 percent.

Non Fat Dry Milk (NFDM) and Whole Milk Powder (WMP) imports comprise about 58 percent of total milk imports. NFDM and WMP imports declined by about 4 percent and 6 percent, respectively in 2007. Liquid milk imports, on the other hand, increased by about 17 percent by volume in 2007 as a result of increasing domestic demand for fresh milk and liquid milk particularly by specialty coffee shops. Imports of butter and other dairy spread also increased by about 26 percent while imports of cheese increased by nearly 20 percent in 2007. Imports of dairy products in the first half of 2008 have fallen by as much as 14 percent and are expected to continue to slowdown for the rest of the year due to high world prices.

Total dairy exports increased by 8 percent in 2007 with exports of whole milk powder comprising about 95 percent of the total volume . The main countries of destination were Indonesia (51 percent) and Malaysia (26 percent); other export markets include Thailand and Vietnam in 2007.

Exports of dairy products from January to June 2008 grew by 12 percent by volume and as much as 47 percent in value. The re-export of dairy products to other Asian countries is expected to remain strong.

Policy

The Philippine DA continues to prioritize the development of the Philippine dairy industry, recognizing the growing demand for fresh milk by the specialty coffee shops, hotels and restaurants as well as by the local government units for their milk feeding programs. While the DA accepts that Philippines cannot compete in the powdered milk ma rket, it believes that it can focus on supplying fresh milk to the market.

The National Dairy Authority, an attached agency of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, is mandated to ensure the accelerated development of the Philippine dairy industry through policy and program implementation. The NDA aims to accelerate dairy herd build-up and milk production, enhance dairy business through the delivery of technical services at farm and enterprise levels, increase the coverage of milk feeding programs to reduce malnutrition and mobilize broad support for local milk consumption. The NDA implements the following four main programs:

1. Dairy Business Enhancement – inculcates enterprise orientation along the supply chain from farm to market. Includes training programs to establish effective business models to assist participants to think business and profits and not merely productivity

2. Herd Build-up Program – increase local dairy stocks and ensure good animal performance. Supervises animal infusion from importation, compliance with quarantine procedures, distribution and provision of technical services, as well as strengthening of the animal loan program of Quedancor. In 2006, 615 dairy animals were imported by NDA from New Zealand for distribution to various dairy associations

3. Milk Feeding Program – the NDA Milk Feeding Program (MFP) provides a steady flow of income to local dairy farmers and cooperatives as well as used to address the problem of malnutrition in children. In cooperation with dairy cooperatives, partnerdonors such as local government units and other entities, the NDA undertakes milk feeding projects to raise the nutritional level of malnourished children. Improvement rates are monitored accordingly. Local Milk Trusts are created to facilitate payment to the farmers. A Philippine Milk Fund has been established through a public -private effort to widen the coverage of the NMFP.

4. Milk Quality – in June 2005, the NDA’s Central Milk Testing Laboratory was accredited the Bureau of Food and Drug (BFAD) to conduct testing for milk quality and animal health. Following accreditation, the NDA began charging fees for its laboratory services and milk quality assistance and milk formulation standardization for milk feeding programs. The NDA Quality Assurance department was also created to disseminate quality standards and closely monitor quality procedures at the milk collection centers, milk plants and distribution points.

Marketing

Metro Manila remains as the major market for fresh milk classified into business and consumer markets. The business markets include the institutional markets and the retail sector such as coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and small retailers. Meanwhile, the consumer markets include households and schools through the milk feeding program of the government.

The main target of local milk processors are the institutional buyers like coffee shops. Specialty coffee shops are good markets because of the continuing trend towards coffee consumption as a lifestyle in the country. Local suppliers are enjoying this market as most coffee shops demand local fresh milk for their coffee concoctions because of its superior taste and ability to promote foaming compared to UHT milk.

The specialty coffee shop industry is seen to sustain its growth of 20 percent for the next five years. Players attribute this to the growing awareness of specialty coffee among consumer and the improving image of coffee in general. (Food and Agribusiness Monitor, University of Asia and the Pacific).

-