"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." -- William Faulkner
The real key to fulfilment lies in ONGOING transformation: building our awareness of daily opportunities to change our perceptions and raise our consciousness. Life is about dissolving the old and creating anew. The more we open to accepting and learning from every life experience, the more our lives transform.
"Enlightenment must come little by little -- otherwise it would overwhelm." -- Idries Shah
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Leadership and innovation
Thirty-five years ago, Bob Rosenfeld was a young, energetic, impatient chemist — brimming with ideas and working at Eastman Kodak. Today, he is a leading authority on innovation, founder of Idea Connection Systems and Innovator in Residence at the Center for Creative Leadership. Along the way, he founded the first Office of Innovation for Eastman Kodak and worked with numerous organizations to foster the ideas and enthusiasm needed for sustaining innovation. The key to innovation, according to Rosenfeld, is to "make the invisible visible."
Rosenfeld's first foray into intentionally grooming organizational innovation came while working at Eastman Kodak. He writes in his book, Making the Invisible Visible: The Human Principles for Sustaining Innovation, "I noticed that people at all levels within the company had ideas that could benefit both themselves and the company ... a few of these ideas found a supportive ear, but most of them did not ... I was convinced that if there were some way to infuse these ideas into the organization, they would be of value to the company." Rosenfeld saw that his company wanted ideas, and employees had ideas they wanted to share, but that there were no effective mechanisms to connect individuals' ideas to the larger organization.
The barriers to innovation at Eastman Kodak at that time are still common in organizations today:
Lack of language. Organizations don't have effective ways to talk about the innovation process.
Limited scope. Existing innovation processes often encourage small, incremental changes rather than new products, breakthrough ideas or unusual concepts.
Isolation. Departments and groups may be isolated, creating subcultures that are different from the rest of the organization and limiting exchange of ideas and information.
Comfort with the status quo. People are often dependent on the familiar, leaving little room or tolerance for anyone with wildly different ideas and behaviours.
A deficit of trust. Innovation requires structures that are supported by bonds of trust, confidence and respect for those involved.
To address these problems Rosenfeld, along with others at Eastman Kodak, set up the first Office of Innovation. Later, Rosenfeld was asked to help other companies establish similar systems for innovation. Over time, he began to see that the measure of success was tied less to the mechanics of innovation and more to the human dynamic.
"All new products and services come from ideas, and all ideas come from people," says Rosenfeld. "That sounds simple, but it requires innovation leaders to stimulate, motivate and encourage people in specific ways." Another crucial element for innovation is the need for sustained commitment at a high level within the company. "A high-ranking officer needs to understand the difficulties involved and be committed to the ongoing and long-term success of the program," Rosenfeld explains. "Lacking that, it will fail no matter how much compelling evidence is produced to show its value."
Finally, leaders must look beyond the mechanics, techniques and even results of innovation to the underlying — and usually unseen — principles of sustained innovation. "The most important aspects of innovation are not readily apparent," says Rosenfeld. "To become successful, the invisible must be made visible."
Rosenfeld's first foray into intentionally grooming organizational innovation came while working at Eastman Kodak. He writes in his book, Making the Invisible Visible: The Human Principles for Sustaining Innovation, "I noticed that people at all levels within the company had ideas that could benefit both themselves and the company ... a few of these ideas found a supportive ear, but most of them did not ... I was convinced that if there were some way to infuse these ideas into the organization, they would be of value to the company." Rosenfeld saw that his company wanted ideas, and employees had ideas they wanted to share, but that there were no effective mechanisms to connect individuals' ideas to the larger organization.
The barriers to innovation at Eastman Kodak at that time are still common in organizations today:
Lack of language. Organizations don't have effective ways to talk about the innovation process.
Limited scope. Existing innovation processes often encourage small, incremental changes rather than new products, breakthrough ideas or unusual concepts.
Isolation. Departments and groups may be isolated, creating subcultures that are different from the rest of the organization and limiting exchange of ideas and information.
Comfort with the status quo. People are often dependent on the familiar, leaving little room or tolerance for anyone with wildly different ideas and behaviours.
A deficit of trust. Innovation requires structures that are supported by bonds of trust, confidence and respect for those involved.
To address these problems Rosenfeld, along with others at Eastman Kodak, set up the first Office of Innovation. Later, Rosenfeld was asked to help other companies establish similar systems for innovation. Over time, he began to see that the measure of success was tied less to the mechanics of innovation and more to the human dynamic.
"All new products and services come from ideas, and all ideas come from people," says Rosenfeld. "That sounds simple, but it requires innovation leaders to stimulate, motivate and encourage people in specific ways." Another crucial element for innovation is the need for sustained commitment at a high level within the company. "A high-ranking officer needs to understand the difficulties involved and be committed to the ongoing and long-term success of the program," Rosenfeld explains. "Lacking that, it will fail no matter how much compelling evidence is produced to show its value."
Finally, leaders must look beyond the mechanics, techniques and even results of innovation to the underlying — and usually unseen — principles of sustained innovation. "The most important aspects of innovation are not readily apparent," says Rosenfeld. "To become successful, the invisible must be made visible."
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
8 Principles of Innovation
Bob Rosenfeld describes eight principles that underlie the human aspect of innovation:
Innovation starts when people convert problems into ideas.
Innovation needs a system.
Passion is the fuel, and pain is the hidden ingredient.
Co-locating drives effective exchange.
Differences should be leveraged.
The elements of destruction are present at creation.
Soft values drive the organization.
Trust is the means and love the unspoken word.
Innovation starts when people convert problems into ideas.
Innovation needs a system.
Passion is the fuel, and pain is the hidden ingredient.
Co-locating drives effective exchange.
Differences should be leveraged.
The elements of destruction are present at creation.
Soft values drive the organization.
Trust is the means and love the unspoken word.
What type of minds to nurture?
By Mike Baker, Education correspondent, BBC News 13 October 2006
It is the biggest question for teachers and parents: what sort of minds should we be trying to develop in our children?
Is it the traditional educated mind, able to master an academic discipline? Or should we be nurturing the "creating mind", encouraging young people to "think out of the box"?
According to the world-renowned psychologist, Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University, there are at least five kinds of minds that we should be developing. Gardner has already had a huge influence on educators with his theory of the multiple intelligences that exist among different children. This underpins theories such as "personalised learning" that are rooted in the belief that different children learn best in different ways. This week, in a lecture at the Royal Society of Arts in London, he outlined the five minds that he believes future generations will need if society is to flourish. The lecture was based on a book, Five Minds For the Future, due out next year.
Internet age
When applied to education policy and practice, his theory raises some difficult questions. To oversimplify his thesis, the five minds are characterised as: disciplined, synthesising, creating, respectful, and ethical. The "disciplined mind" covers the conventional approach of developing an ability to master an academic subject, a craft, or a profession as well as, in the other sense of "discipline", the ability to apply oneself to the business of learning.
The "synthesising mind" is the ability to absorb, sift, select, and make sense of the vast and indigestible amounts of data that surround us in the internet age. This could be the most important of the five minds for survival in everyday and working life as we flounder in ever-higher tides of data.
The "creating mind" is Gardner's third category. This is the mind that "forges new ground" and discovers new ways of doing things. This raises the question: "can creativity be taught?" Is creativity inhibited, rather than encouraged, by traditional education with its focus on learning the best of what has been thought and said in the past?
Gardner says he now believes that personality and temperament, not education, are perhaps the most important factors in developing the would-be creator. This is a challenge to teachers who like to think their role is about encouraging creativity.
Policy difficulties
If Gardner is right, it may be counter-productive for schools to try to develop creative minds. Moreover, he argues, the creative mind needs repeatedly to come up against obstacles and to experience failures. Are schools willing to put children, quite deliberately, through the experience of repeated failure?
The fourth category is the "respectful mind". This is about recognising the "otherness" of people different from ourselves and respecting the differences of, for example, traditions, religion, and ethnicity. Schools clearly do believe in developing respectful minds, even though they cannot be measured or included in league table performances. But how easy is it to develop the "respectful mind" if children rarely meet peers from other religions, ethnic groups, or social classes? This is where we start to run into difficult policy issues. Should governments be forcing integration? Should they continue to encourage faith schools when those schools tend to isolate children of one religious and ethnic group from others? If children grow up apart, and are educated apart - as happens in Northern Ireland - how much chance is there of developing respect for each other's religions?
Segregation
In an interesting coincidence, this week also saw a reopening of the debate about ethnic quotas for schools. The head of the Local Government Association, Lord Bruce-Lockhart, said it was unacceptable that non-white pupils should form 90% of the population of one school when white pupils form 90% of another school just down the road. He suggested it might be time to introduce ethnic quotas to school admissions to end this segregation. This follows the decision by the Church of England to take 25% of its intake at all its newly-opened schools from families of other faiths or no faith at all. This issue carries a lot of historical baggage. The practice of bussing pupils from one district to another in the USA, to overcome racial segregation, proved unpopular and problematic. Quotas do not go that far. They are not about trying to overcome the fact that racial and ethnic groups sometimes choose to live apart or are forced apart by housing costs. The concern of Lord Bruce-Lockhart and the Church of England is, more modestly, to ensure that schools better reflect the religious, ethnic and social composition of the neighbourhoods they serve. But by highlighting the importance of the "respectful mind", Gardner raises a challenge to current policies such as the state funding of faith schools and the emphasis on parental choice.
Tricky lesson
Gardner's final category is the "ethical mind". This goes beyond simply respecting others towards actively striving to do good, trying to make the world a better place. The "ethical mind" encourages us to do what is right even when it clashes with self-interest. This is difficult in a highly competitive age. Should a school accept, or retain, pupils whom it knows will damage its results, its truancy record and its league table position?
Moreover, should it do so when it knows that the school down the road is excluding pupils, or framing its admissions policy, to improve its league table standing? In my experience, teachers are very ethical people. Yet we hear more and more cases of teachers, and head teachers, who have cheated in coursework or national tests in order to protect their job or their school's reputation. At a less extreme level, many teachers feel pressured into narrowly drilling pupils for exam success rather than teaching them the broader aspects of subjects. They are therefore putting self-interest, or self-preservation, ahead of what they think is right. Perhaps the lesson of Gardner's lecture is that it is time that more teachers found the confidence to exert their professional sense of what is right and wrong over what they feel external pressures are forcing them to do.
It is the biggest question for teachers and parents: what sort of minds should we be trying to develop in our children?
Is it the traditional educated mind, able to master an academic discipline? Or should we be nurturing the "creating mind", encouraging young people to "think out of the box"?
According to the world-renowned psychologist, Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University, there are at least five kinds of minds that we should be developing. Gardner has already had a huge influence on educators with his theory of the multiple intelligences that exist among different children. This underpins theories such as "personalised learning" that are rooted in the belief that different children learn best in different ways. This week, in a lecture at the Royal Society of Arts in London, he outlined the five minds that he believes future generations will need if society is to flourish. The lecture was based on a book, Five Minds For the Future, due out next year.
Internet age
When applied to education policy and practice, his theory raises some difficult questions. To oversimplify his thesis, the five minds are characterised as: disciplined, synthesising, creating, respectful, and ethical. The "disciplined mind" covers the conventional approach of developing an ability to master an academic subject, a craft, or a profession as well as, in the other sense of "discipline", the ability to apply oneself to the business of learning.
The "synthesising mind" is the ability to absorb, sift, select, and make sense of the vast and indigestible amounts of data that surround us in the internet age. This could be the most important of the five minds for survival in everyday and working life as we flounder in ever-higher tides of data.
The "creating mind" is Gardner's third category. This is the mind that "forges new ground" and discovers new ways of doing things. This raises the question: "can creativity be taught?" Is creativity inhibited, rather than encouraged, by traditional education with its focus on learning the best of what has been thought and said in the past?
Gardner says he now believes that personality and temperament, not education, are perhaps the most important factors in developing the would-be creator. This is a challenge to teachers who like to think their role is about encouraging creativity.
Policy difficulties
If Gardner is right, it may be counter-productive for schools to try to develop creative minds. Moreover, he argues, the creative mind needs repeatedly to come up against obstacles and to experience failures. Are schools willing to put children, quite deliberately, through the experience of repeated failure?
The fourth category is the "respectful mind". This is about recognising the "otherness" of people different from ourselves and respecting the differences of, for example, traditions, religion, and ethnicity. Schools clearly do believe in developing respectful minds, even though they cannot be measured or included in league table performances. But how easy is it to develop the "respectful mind" if children rarely meet peers from other religions, ethnic groups, or social classes? This is where we start to run into difficult policy issues. Should governments be forcing integration? Should they continue to encourage faith schools when those schools tend to isolate children of one religious and ethnic group from others? If children grow up apart, and are educated apart - as happens in Northern Ireland - how much chance is there of developing respect for each other's religions?
Segregation
In an interesting coincidence, this week also saw a reopening of the debate about ethnic quotas for schools. The head of the Local Government Association, Lord Bruce-Lockhart, said it was unacceptable that non-white pupils should form 90% of the population of one school when white pupils form 90% of another school just down the road. He suggested it might be time to introduce ethnic quotas to school admissions to end this segregation. This follows the decision by the Church of England to take 25% of its intake at all its newly-opened schools from families of other faiths or no faith at all. This issue carries a lot of historical baggage. The practice of bussing pupils from one district to another in the USA, to overcome racial segregation, proved unpopular and problematic. Quotas do not go that far. They are not about trying to overcome the fact that racial and ethnic groups sometimes choose to live apart or are forced apart by housing costs. The concern of Lord Bruce-Lockhart and the Church of England is, more modestly, to ensure that schools better reflect the religious, ethnic and social composition of the neighbourhoods they serve. But by highlighting the importance of the "respectful mind", Gardner raises a challenge to current policies such as the state funding of faith schools and the emphasis on parental choice.
Tricky lesson
Gardner's final category is the "ethical mind". This goes beyond simply respecting others towards actively striving to do good, trying to make the world a better place. The "ethical mind" encourages us to do what is right even when it clashes with self-interest. This is difficult in a highly competitive age. Should a school accept, or retain, pupils whom it knows will damage its results, its truancy record and its league table position?
Moreover, should it do so when it knows that the school down the road is excluding pupils, or framing its admissions policy, to improve its league table standing? In my experience, teachers are very ethical people. Yet we hear more and more cases of teachers, and head teachers, who have cheated in coursework or national tests in order to protect their job or their school's reputation. At a less extreme level, many teachers feel pressured into narrowly drilling pupils for exam success rather than teaching them the broader aspects of subjects. They are therefore putting self-interest, or self-preservation, ahead of what they think is right. Perhaps the lesson of Gardner's lecture is that it is time that more teachers found the confidence to exert their professional sense of what is right and wrong over what they feel external pressures are forcing them to do.
Aussie Cobras
With the demise of the GT nameplate in 1976, Edsel Ford II, then managing Director of Ford Australia, suggested reintroducing one of Ford's most famous names on a limited edition V8 coupe.
"Cobra" was in the 60's, a name which became known worldwide on the fabulous Shelby cars. These Shelby Cobras were dominant in major motor sports events, including LeMans and Daytona.
Also, to make the new Falcon an instant classic, it was decided to manufacture a limited run of 400 cars, resplendent in the Blue and White colour scheme of racers from the United States.
200 of the cars came out with the 302 cubic inch motor (4.9 litre) with varying gearboxes and accessories. The other 200 came out with the big 351 cubic inch motor (5.8 litre) and while most (120) were automatic with all the upmarket filaments like power steering, air conditioning and power windows, the other 80 came with 4 speed manual gearboxes.
But the ones of interest to followers of motor sport and particularly bathurst, were the 30 of these manuals, which came with all the "goodies" to enable them to become winners on the race track. The extras on these cars were aimed at overcoming the punishment that a race car has to endure, particularly over 1000kms around Mount Panorama. Twin belts to drive the ancillaries, air coolers, heavy duty radiators, close ratio gearboxes, bonnet air scoop and special front spoiler, wider rear wheel arches, suspension tower supports and braces plus twin thermatic fans and Sheel racing seats were among the more obvious additions.
The XC Cobra, was in essence, a plain hardtop model. It was based around the Falcon 500 series coupe, unlike the pedigree of the GT Falcons, which were based around Fairmont specifications. What sets the plain Falcon coupe and the Cobra apart is the following: Cobra's were fitted with a limited slip disk brake diff, giving the car four wheel power assisted disks all around. All Cobra's were fitted with 15" x 7" Bathurst Globe Mag Wheels on 70 series radial tires. They also had tinted rear windows, twin exhaust pipes, quartz halogen headlights, cut pile black carpet, AM push button radio, power assisted heating & ventilation, Front and rear fiberglass spoilers and colour coded front and rear bumpers.
The Cobra's were all painted Bold Blue first (colour code L1127A) with the White (Snow White) added afterwards to create the GT stripes. The Blue Stripes were bordered by pale blue edging. This unique look was finished off with the Cobra Motif being added on each side behind the front wheel arch above the engine capacity badges (4.9 or 5.8) and also on the rear spoiler.
The first 200 cars built were 351 equipped. The second 200 were 302 equipped. Only one exception to this is known of, car 351 was factory fitted with a 351. No special body number prefixs were given to the Cobra. The Body numbers are usually JG65UM00XXXK. [XXX being the build number].
Ford shipped only two cobras to each premium dealer, which resulted in the demand exceeding the supply. The front spoiler was not fitted at the factory, but shipped to the dealers in the boot of the cobra, complete with the hardware required for fitting it, this to be done by the dealers.
A couple of other Ford vehicles received the Cobra treatment too. They were:- One short wheelbase F100; One Transit van; and Four Falcon utilities. These were all produced at the factory for promotional purposes, nobody appears to know where these vehicles are today. (See the Photo).
Building of the cobras commenced on August 1, 1978, and final shipments were scheduled for September 15, 1978. The price for the Falcon Cobra in 1978 was $9,405 [RRP] for the base model. The Options 97 Pack (Bathurst Model) was priced at $11,166 [RRP].
Prices for the Falcon Cobra in 2001 were between $15,000 and $28,000. The Bathurst Model values ranged between $33,000 and $42,000 depending on the vehicles condition.
Of the 400 cars produced, there are between 250 & 300 still hissing out there today, of which a couple have migrated and are now roaming other parts of the world. There is one in the United Kingdom, and another in the United States.
Pure Aussie Muscle taking on the world.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Opportunity... or crisis?
The Chinese symbol for opportunity is the same symbol as that for crisis. In every challenge there is opportunity for positive change. We may add knowledge to our brain through books and classes, but it is through the fire, through the difficult situations in life we grow and truly learn.
Abolish homework
After years of teachers piling it on, there's a new movement to ... Abolish homework
Vicki Haddock, Insight Staff Writer - Sunday, October 8, 2006 (San Francisco Chronicle)
High school teacher Phil Lyons has become a heretic: He refuses to assign homework. At Palo Alto's Gunn High School, where he teaches world history and advanced-placement economics, his no-homework policy leaves many new students anxious and their parents aghast, at least initially.
"At back-to-school night every hand goes up, and they bombard me with various versions of the same question -- 'What are you doing?' " Lyons says. "This year I pre-empted it by opening with an explanation of why homework is a failed approach, and why their kids will actually learn more without it."
He also noted that his students achieved a 94 percent pass rate on the advanced-placement test, one of the highest in the country -- and a success rate that has risen since he jettisoned homework assignments. Like Lyons, a growing minority of educators and researchers are calling for an end to homework as we know it -- and some are out to abolish it altogether.
Vigorous scrutiny of the research, they argue, fails to demonstrate tangible benefits of homework, particularly for elementary students. What it does instead, they contend, is rob children of childhood, play havoc with family life and asphyxiate their natural curiosity. Learning becomes a mind-numbing grind rather than an engaging adventure. In an era of more rigorous academic standards and vertebrae-straining backpacks, most American schools seem to be assigning more homework in earlier grades. For two decades, experts have propelled this trend with dire warnings that students in nations such as Japan are besting Americans because they diligently do more homework.
Even the youngest students have begun sweating over worksheets. In Prince George County, Md., a school superintendent famously suggested that preschools were frittering away time better spent on academics by having their little ones nap. In the Bay Area, tutoring companies began tailoring services to a new pool of clients who had just mastered tying shoelaces.
An AP-AOL Learning Services Poll released earlier this year showed that most parents and teachers say children are getting the "right amount" of homework -- an average of from 79 minutes per night in elementary school to 105 in high school. And those who were dissatisfied said they preferred not less but more.
The perceived failures of creative spelling and "there-is-no-right-or-wrong-answer" math have made Americans wary of any newfangled educational fad that seems to encourage slacking. No homework, indeed. Yet a rebellion against homework is brewing.
"The preponderance of research clearly shows that homework for elementary students does not make a difference in student achievement. It is hard to believe that a strategy used so extensively has no foundation," principal David Ackerman of Oak Knoll Elementary in Menlo Park wrote in a letter to parents this autumn as he put the brakes on homework. Two new books read like manifestos against what authors consider an avalanche of unproductive take-home assignments. Their titles lay their beliefs on the line: the research critique "The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing" by Alfie Kohn, and the more anecdotal "The Case Against Homework: How Homework is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It" by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish.
At the same time, an international comparison by two Penn State professors has concluded that junior high students who scored highest in math tended to come from countries where teachers assign relatively little homework -- including Denmark, the Czech Republic and (take note) Japan. Conversely, the lowest-scoring students came from countries where teachers assign tons of homework, such as Iran, Thailand and Greece.
Vicki Haddock, Insight Staff Writer - Sunday, October 8, 2006 (San Francisco Chronicle)
High school teacher Phil Lyons has become a heretic: He refuses to assign homework. At Palo Alto's Gunn High School, where he teaches world history and advanced-placement economics, his no-homework policy leaves many new students anxious and their parents aghast, at least initially.
"At back-to-school night every hand goes up, and they bombard me with various versions of the same question -- 'What are you doing?' " Lyons says. "This year I pre-empted it by opening with an explanation of why homework is a failed approach, and why their kids will actually learn more without it."
He also noted that his students achieved a 94 percent pass rate on the advanced-placement test, one of the highest in the country -- and a success rate that has risen since he jettisoned homework assignments. Like Lyons, a growing minority of educators and researchers are calling for an end to homework as we know it -- and some are out to abolish it altogether.
Vigorous scrutiny of the research, they argue, fails to demonstrate tangible benefits of homework, particularly for elementary students. What it does instead, they contend, is rob children of childhood, play havoc with family life and asphyxiate their natural curiosity. Learning becomes a mind-numbing grind rather than an engaging adventure. In an era of more rigorous academic standards and vertebrae-straining backpacks, most American schools seem to be assigning more homework in earlier grades. For two decades, experts have propelled this trend with dire warnings that students in nations such as Japan are besting Americans because they diligently do more homework.
Even the youngest students have begun sweating over worksheets. In Prince George County, Md., a school superintendent famously suggested that preschools were frittering away time better spent on academics by having their little ones nap. In the Bay Area, tutoring companies began tailoring services to a new pool of clients who had just mastered tying shoelaces.
An AP-AOL Learning Services Poll released earlier this year showed that most parents and teachers say children are getting the "right amount" of homework -- an average of from 79 minutes per night in elementary school to 105 in high school. And those who were dissatisfied said they preferred not less but more.
The perceived failures of creative spelling and "there-is-no-right-or-wrong-answer" math have made Americans wary of any newfangled educational fad that seems to encourage slacking. No homework, indeed. Yet a rebellion against homework is brewing.
"The preponderance of research clearly shows that homework for elementary students does not make a difference in student achievement. It is hard to believe that a strategy used so extensively has no foundation," principal David Ackerman of Oak Knoll Elementary in Menlo Park wrote in a letter to parents this autumn as he put the brakes on homework. Two new books read like manifestos against what authors consider an avalanche of unproductive take-home assignments. Their titles lay their beliefs on the line: the research critique "The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing" by Alfie Kohn, and the more anecdotal "The Case Against Homework: How Homework is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It" by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish.
At the same time, an international comparison by two Penn State professors has concluded that junior high students who scored highest in math tended to come from countries where teachers assign relatively little homework -- including Denmark, the Czech Republic and (take note) Japan. Conversely, the lowest-scoring students came from countries where teachers assign tons of homework, such as Iran, Thailand and Greece.
Capricorn - the car that never was
IN the petrol crisis days of the late '70s and early '80s, Ford was ‘having a few bob each way’ on the design for the XD Falcon replacement. In a case of bad timing, it had introduced the full-size XD at the same time as Holden had ‘downsized’ with the new Commodore.
Ford’s engineers and stylists set about designing a smaller ‘Commodore-sized’ Falcon in both sedan and hatchback styles.
Code-named ‘Capricorn’, the car reached full clay and fibreglass model stage. The interior had been designed and, by late 1981, all it needed was final approval before going to the next stage of driveable prototypes.
At the same time, Ford was revamping the Falcon range of engines and introduced the alloy head and other improvements that kept the Falcon’s fuel economy on a par with the smaller Commodore. Falcon sales soared, Ford became No.1 in the market place and the Capricorn died!
So what did it look like? No pictures were kept. thanks to Ford corporate philosophy that any still-born project simply ceases to exist and all related materials are destroyed. But more than three years after this article was originally posted, we receive this from a mate...
It's an old pic, but the Ford badge is unmistakeable on something that could have worn any number of badges in the `80s. Wonder what a current Capricorn would look like...
Monday, November 27, 2006
Guilt
"When guilt rears its ugly head confront it, discuss it and let it go. The past is over. It is time to ask what can we do right, not what did we do wrong. Forgive yourself and move on." --Bernie S. Siegel
"I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy . . . you can’t build on it; it’s only good for wallowing in." -- Katherine Mansfield
"If we don't forgive ourselves for our mistakes, and others for the wounds they have inflicted upon us, we end up crippled with guilt. And the soul cannot grow under a blanket of guilt, because guilt is isolating, while growth is a gradual process of reconnection to ourselves, to other people, and to a larger whole." -- Joan Borysenko
"Light burdens borne far become heavy." -- French proverb
"I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy . . . you can’t build on it; it’s only good for wallowing in." -- Katherine Mansfield
"If we don't forgive ourselves for our mistakes, and others for the wounds they have inflicted upon us, we end up crippled with guilt. And the soul cannot grow under a blanket of guilt, because guilt is isolating, while growth is a gradual process of reconnection to ourselves, to other people, and to a larger whole." -- Joan Borysenko
"Light burdens borne far become heavy." -- French proverb
Eunice Customer Buys a Used Car Loaded with Hemp
Sunday Nov 26 2006, 12:30am PDT Atul
Off late many people have been stressing on the advantages of buying a second hand car over the new ones. Each time you set out to buy a new car you do ponder over buying a second hand one too . If the latter thought prevails in your mind, I have a serious suggestion for you people, along with scrutinizing other facets of the second hand car you opt to buy , do check the area under the back seat because you never know what might be in store for you .
A Eunice customer bought a used car and to his surprise, found $28,000 worth of marijuana buried under that cars’ back seat. He had many options to choose from, but he chose the right way and contacted the police with immediate affect.
The buyer of this Hooch’ie car revealed that he bought it from Hobbs. The Lea County Drug Task Force has started investigating the matter and refused to conjecture as to why the ‘stuff’ was found in the car.
The authority also appreciated the purchaser for taking a correct action under the circumstances. He may have taken a correct action but, the next time around , if any of you maps a used car deal , make sure you show that dexterity at the very first go instead of realizing later that you bought a wagon loaded with Hemp .
Via : TopSpeed
Sunday, November 26, 2006
The 25 Funniest Analogies (Collected by High School English Teachers)
I have to share these “funniest analogies” with you. They came in an e-mail from my sister. She got them from a cousin, who got them from a friend, who got them from… so they are circulating around. My apologies if you have already seen them.
The e-mail says they are taken from actual high school essays and collected by English teachers across the country for their own amusement. Some of these kids may have bright futures as humor writers. What do you think?
1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a ThighMaster.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.
5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.
9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.
10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.
14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth.
16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long it had rusted shut.
19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
The e-mail says they are taken from actual high school essays and collected by English teachers across the country for their own amusement. Some of these kids may have bright futures as humor writers. What do you think?
1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a ThighMaster.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.
5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.
9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.
10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.
14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth.
16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long it had rusted shut.
19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.
A brief history of the Falcon's 40 years (to AU)
THE initial decision to launch an Australian-built Ford was made in 1955, when it was decided that Ford Australia would build the Zephyr locally from the ground up, rather than simply assemble kits that arrived by ship from Dagenham in the United Kingdom.
But in 1958, after a trip to the USA to view the Zephyr that was being redesigned for Australia, Ford Australia managing director Charles Smith decided that the car was not right for the local market.
He was then shown a mock-up of the Falcon that was being designed for the Canadian and American markets and decided that it was the car for Australia.
The Falcon made its debut with the XK in September 1960. At the time it was described as a "compact", as it was smaller than the popular family cars of the period.
The car and its successor, the XL, were based on a Canadian design, with some minor modifications for Australian conditions.
With the launch of the XM in 1964, the Falcon had more serious claims to being a car designed and engineered by Australians for Australian conditions.
Changes were made to the front and rear suspension, the braking system, clutch, rear axle, engine mounts and exhaust - all as a result of extensive research on the open road, the track and the dirt.
Ford Australia management went one step further with the launch of the XP Falcon in 1965. In an attempt to convince local fleet buyers of the robustness and durability of the Falcon, deputy managing director Bill Bourke conceived the XP Durability Run.
The bold scheme involved pushing five standard Falcons and a group of racing drivers to the limit around the demanding You Yangs Proving Ground. The goal was to clock 70,000 miles at an average speed per car of 70 miles per hour. Four of the five cars rolled, but after nine days driven at the limit, the five cars averaged a speed of 71.3 miles per hour.
That same year, the Falcon was named Wheels Car of the Year.
The first Falcon GT arrivesThe following year, the bigger, more powerful XR Falcon was launched with an entirely new shape. The new model incorporated more Australian design input than previous models and featured a V8 engine for the first time. The XR Falcon also was the first model to carry the legendary GT badge.
The XT Falcon saw more powerful V8s, a synchromesh gearbox, dual circuit brakes and a choice of two automatic transmissions. It was followed by the XW and XY, remarkable for the eminently collectable GTHO Phase II and III.
In 1971, with the launch of the XA, the Falcon became a uniquely Australian car. There was no longer a US equivalent, the car was designed specifically for the local market.
Three years earlier, local Ford designers traveled to the US and spent most of the summer of 1968 working on the Falcon clay model. The design impressed
Detroit, which soon after gave the go-ahead for a design centre at Broadmeadows, Victoria.
With the XB and XC came four-wheel disc brakes, four-barrel carburetors and an all-time classic Falcon, the Cobra. The XC also brought a famous 1-2 victory for Allan Moffat and Colin Bond at Bathurst in 1977.
The XD Falcon was the first to be designed in Australia from a clean piece of paper. Efficiency, interior space and weight reduction were the key elements of the new design. The car also featured a number of innovations, including a plastic fuel tank and plastic bumpers. Bucket seats were optional.
The following model, the XE, marked the introduction of electronic fuel injection and a Watts link coil-sprung rear-end. The car took Ford to number one in the market in 1982.
The XF was notable for the introduction of Ford’s engine management system, EEC-IV, which managed the spark timing and air-fuel mix of the engine more efficiently.
A new shape for Falcon came with the EA, which also boasted an all-new front suspension and geometry, similar to that used in the S-Class Mercedes. The new suspension was more durable than previous systems. Other advances included a four-speed automatic transmission, the high-security Tibbe locking system and a more fuel-efficient engine.
The EB and subsequent EB II offered handling improvements, the return of the V8 and ABS brakes for the first time on a mainstream Australian sedan. Security also was enhanced with the introduction of Smartlock.
The final facelift for the EA shape came with the ED, which offered more modern exterior colours, better side-impact crash protection and a host of under-the-bonnet changes to continue the refinement of the car’s handling.
August 1994 saw a new shape and an Australian Design Award for the EF Falcon in recognition of several engineering advances. The modified engine was smoother running, with improved torque and power and a new EEC-V engine management system developed through Formula One racing. A standard airbag, better ride and handling and significant safety advances completed the upgrade. The car also featured the world’s first airbag-compatible bull-bar.
The final facelift before the AU, the $40 million EL program, brought further ride and handling improvements, latest generation ABS and an improved steering feel.
The $700 million AU Falcon saw the introduction of Computer Aided Design and Engineering, allowing for significant advances in chassis stiffness, aerodynamics and directional stability.
The AU program also saw the debut of a sophisticated double wishbone independent rear suspension and variable cam timing on prestige models. The AU was also the first car in its class to offer air-conditioning and automatic transmission as standard features.
The AUII continued the Falcon tradition of innovation and value for money. When launched, it was the only car in its class to feature a standard passenger airbag, standard CD player, standard 16-inch wheels and ‘Scheduled Servicing’ to 60,000km included in the cost of the car.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
B series panels
I've just come across this site:
If you have a B Series Falcon, there's some great stuff!
DE-CLUTTER (PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY)
We've all heard about the bonuses of having a spring-clean. But what about the emotional baggage we all carry, too. Both physical and emotional clutter can drain your energy levels. Beyond what the Feng-Sui people have to say, there are studies that show that hanging on to clutter or relationships that subtract rather than add to our lives is unhealthy.
It can also make us feel incompetent. For example when we look into our garages or sheds and see stuff we bought because we thought it may make us happy, but we don’t have the time to use it, or we have to keep going to work to pay it off. Or we look into our wardrobes and see things we rarely wear. Or we look at the relationships we hold onto that white-ant our self esteem or the pain we get from frustrating obligations. However, the answer to de-cluttering is the same whether you're getting rid of physical or emotional baggage. First, you need to decide to deal with one type of clutter at a time and second, pick a small area first.
Physical
Don't be overwhelmed by how big the task is. Decide which room you are going to deal with first. Then start small; maybe a drawer in the kitchen, or if you start in your wardrobe – perhaps just look at winter clothes. Set aside a specific amount of time; for example half hour to an hour is a great starting point.
Emotional
Set aside time to identify the things that you do that drain you emotionally. Are there obligations you can reduce, associations you don’t get satisfaction from anymore, or relationships that you are hanging on to? Once you have identified them, the process of de-cluttering is the same. Start in one area and start small.
It can also make us feel incompetent. For example when we look into our garages or sheds and see stuff we bought because we thought it may make us happy, but we don’t have the time to use it, or we have to keep going to work to pay it off. Or we look into our wardrobes and see things we rarely wear. Or we look at the relationships we hold onto that white-ant our self esteem or the pain we get from frustrating obligations. However, the answer to de-cluttering is the same whether you're getting rid of physical or emotional baggage. First, you need to decide to deal with one type of clutter at a time and second, pick a small area first.
Physical
Don't be overwhelmed by how big the task is. Decide which room you are going to deal with first. Then start small; maybe a drawer in the kitchen, or if you start in your wardrobe – perhaps just look at winter clothes. Set aside a specific amount of time; for example half hour to an hour is a great starting point.
Emotional
Set aside time to identify the things that you do that drain you emotionally. Are there obligations you can reduce, associations you don’t get satisfaction from anymore, or relationships that you are hanging on to? Once you have identified them, the process of de-cluttering is the same. Start in one area and start small.
High speed crash
I've always wondered about the safety of electric carts, or more precisely the safety of those who use them. If you can't drive a car, then perhaps you shouldn't be driving at all.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Why? Why? Why?
Asking ourselves 'why?' helps us delve deeply into our main motives -- why we do what we do. This process helps us go deeper into our reasoning, habits and unconscious beliefs. Once we become aware of our underlying motives, we can choose to change them, if we wish. Regularly ask yourself, "Why am I ...?" Listen closely for the answer that surfaces in your mind, and write it down. Now look at your answer and ask why again. Continue with this process to reach the true source of your motivation.
Fingerprint verification
The UK Police authorities are testing a new system that could help them save a lot of time that could be conducively used for other important tasks. Ten forces in UK and Wales are testing a handheld device that accumulates database of 6.5m prints ultimately storing millions of fingerprints.
Police Minister Tony McNulty cited:
The new technology will speed up the time it takes for police to identify individuals at the roadside, enabling them to spend more time on the frontline and reducing any inconvenience for innocent members of the public
The officers will scan the number plate of the vehicles using a special camera to confirm whether the car is subjected to any illegal stipulation. If any hiccup is detected , the drivers fingerprint will then be taken on this device for identity confirmation. In a normal course, the offender is arrested and taken to a police station for identity confirmation, which means the former is a much better and time saving option.
The police have confirmed that this device is accurate upto 95% and it will be solely used for the identification purpose. Until now, it has been used on a trail basis as no rules have been passed decreeing them as obligatory. Considering the time saving advantage of this device, I doubt the UK govt. will deny it , as it will give their officers more time to check their swelling Drug Trade, What say?
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Ford All Wheel Drive
Ford all-wheel drive vs. four-wheel drive
With the addition of the all-wheel-drive (AWD) Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, Ford Motor Company is now offering affordable AWD technology to a whole new group of customers, bringing it to one of the largest volume segments in the industry.
With the addition of the all-wheel-drive (AWD) Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, Ford Motor Company is now offering affordable AWD technology to a whole new group of customers, bringing it to one of the largest volume segments in the industry.
Many of these new customers may wonder why they need AWD on their midsize sedan, especially if they live in a climate where the roads are never icy or snow covered.
“Many people think about the AWD system on the Ford Edge the same way they think of the four-wheel-drive (4WD) system on their F-150,” says Ashok Rodrigues, 4WD technical specialist for Ford Motor Company. “There’s been a lot of confusion in the industry as to how manufacturers use the terms 4WD and AWD.”
Rodrigues says there are three basic types of AWD/4WD systems, regardless of whether they’re based on front-drive or rear-drive vehicles. Those are part-time, center differential and on-demand.
Part-Time Four-Wheel Drive
Part-time systems are what most people commonly think of as 4WD. These rugged, traditional systems, found on trucks including the F-150 and Super Duty, feature a simple lock and unlock mechanism that locks the front wheels to the rear wheels. Four-wheel drive is engaged by the vehicle’s operator, usually by flipping a switch or pushing a button on the dash.
Part-time systems are almost always marketed with a low-range gear that’s used when maximum torque is needed, for such activities as extreme off-roading or for moving a heavy object.
“It’s pretty much a black or white operation,” says Rodrigues. “You either want four-wheel drive or you don’t.”
The benefits of this system are its ruggedness and the fact that it’s inexpensive. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are at their best pulling a boat out of the water or hauling a Bobcat back in the woods. The downside is that the system isn’t really adaptable to everyday driving.
“With a part-time system, you will inherently bind up when you go around corners,” says Rodrigues. “When cornering, the front wheels want to track a wider arc than the rear wheels. Because all four wheels are locked together physically, you simply can’t do that with part time. It is an inherent part of the design and is fully intended.”
Center Differential
The V-6 Mercury Mountaineer uses a center differential that constantly splits torque 40 percent to the front wheels and 60 percent to the rear wheels. Unlike the part-time system, the wheels themselves turn at different speeds, eliminating the binding that part-time systems exhibit when cornering.
Center differentials need some sort of clutch or limited-slip mechanism to control slip. For example, when the rear wheels begin to slip, the clutch mechanism applies brake torque to the rear axle, sending drive torque to the front axle and keeping the vehicle moving forward. Rodrigues says that traction control can also serve as the clutching mechanism, providing a cost-effective means of applying brakes to the spinning axle.
“The nice thing about a center differential is that it’s always sending that torque,” he says, “so you have a very nice refined driving performance. Some people really like those kinds of systems. But they can be heavy, expensive and, as the devices are generally purely mechanical, there simply aren't many tuning options.”
On-Demand All-Wheel Drive
The third type is the on-demand system. An on-demand system is always driving one axle and then drives the other axle as conditions demand. In the case of the Ford Fusion or Ford Edge, the front axle is the primary drive axle. For the Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer, the rear axle is the primary drive axle.
Simple mechanical systems use a clutch to send torque to the secondary drive axle when the primary axle starts to slip. Today’s electronic systems — like those found on all Ford Motor Company cars as well as Ford Explorer and Expedition, the Lincoln Navigator and the V-8 Mercury Mountaineer — use a computer controller that monitors such things as steering angle, accelerator pedal position and engine speed to provide the precise amount of torque, front to rear, as needed.
“What’s really impressive about these systems is that they don’t just react to slip,” says Rodrigues. “They usually prevent that slip from occurring in the first place. By predicting slip and preventing it, the driver doesn’t feel the vehicle slipping and responding. The operation is seamless.”
He says on-demand systems create a smooth, confident driving feel in all weather conditions with much better traction. The systems also help balance and improve driving dynamics by sending torque to the secondary axle when it’s most appropriate for handling.
“On a normal front-drive vehicle, the front wheels have a limited amount of traction available to them,” says Rodrigues. “That traction has to be used for moving the car forward and for steering. If you use all of the torque to drive forward, you don’t have anything left to steer with, and vise versa. An AWD system off-loads some of that drive torque to the rear wheels. The harder you accelerate, the more of that torque that’s going to be redirected to the rear wheels, restoring the ability of the front wheels to steer the vehicle while providing an even higher level of acceleration.”
But he cautions that while these sophisticated AWD systems do help with acceleration, they won’t make the car stop any faster.
“Your traction is much better and your handling is much better,” says Rodrigues, “but AWD does not give you more braking power.”
Increased workload, double the stress
Posted on: Sunday, October 30, 2005 in the Honolulu Advertiser.
Alexis Kane is speaking for herself, but the sentiment is widespread. "When I step out of my office and I'm at yard duty, or I go into classrooms, then I know it's all worth it," said the principal of Pu'ohala Elementary in Kane'ohe. "But when I'm up at 1 or 2 in the morning trying to refine an academic plan or read my e-mails, it's 'What's wrong with this picture?' " Hawai'i's public school principals are stressed out. They're on the verge of the biggest change in education the state has seen in three decades, and a huge part of it rests on their shoulders.
These educators, long used to 10- and 12-hour days, are now also responsible for everything from their school's spending and performance scores to the creation of enhanced academic lives for students lagging in national tests, to creating a powerful and passionate presence for their school community councils. Under the Weighted Student Formula that's part of the Reinventing Education Act passed in 2004, principals will control their own funds next year under new lump-sum budgeting practices. That means adding a whole new level of expertise to careers already weighed down with giant expectations.
Add to that new performance contracts, scheduled to go into effect in the 2006-07 academic year, making principals personally responsible — with sanctions — for student achievement. "There's no question that the stakes are much higher than they've ever been," said Catherine Payne of Farrington High, a principal for 20 years. "There's so much uncertainty about what we're about. And the people leading us are still confused about what's going to happen. "And the performance contracts for principals, that's a big mystery. That's what we worry about. We're going to be evaluated on things we don't really have control over."
Budgeting. Academic planning. Leading school community councils. Most of all, thinking outside the box they've been trained to stay inside their whole careers. Not to mention trying to have a life. "Our principals are human, too," said Pu'ohala's Kane. "They need to have their own lives, too. I know we're burning the midnight oil ... I was doing that before all of this (change) so I can't imagine (the future.) I do need to sleep." Some say it could drive more principals into retirement. "I left two years ago, and it's getting a lot more difficult," said Glenn Nakamoto, a former principal who is now a personnel specialist with the DOE. "It's overwhelming now."
DOE personnel specialist Brian Mizuguchi, another former principal, said none of those in the principal ranks have yet applied for retirement this year. However, within the next three years, 51 percent of the state's principals will reach retirement age, which is as low as age 55 with 30 years of service. "It's a hard job," said Randy Moore, DOE program manager for the Reinventing Education Act. "And the bench is not deep. There are some schools where they had to bring back retired principals because nobody wanted the job." Kalei Napu'elua, chair of the 24-member Farrington School Community Council, worries that the new demands will also keep bright, ambitious younger teachers from going into school administration. As for whether the changes will cause more veterans to retire?
"I think it's too early to tell," said Napu'elua. "But those principals who will be finding it difficult to make ends meet (under the new student formula) might find it easier to opt out." On the plus side, principals just received large salary increases in moving from 10-month to 12-month contracts, and there also are changes coming to the State Retirement System that will benefit those who stay for several more years. Meanwhile, school budgets are due in the next few weeks, and financial training sessions by the state Department of Education are ongoing, with principals getting crash courses in how to mesh academics with money. "We're going to run the numbers for the first time," said Kapolei Middle School principal Annette Nishikawa of an imminent meeting with the school's administrative services assistant.
Nishikawa has more than 30 years of service to the Department of Education, including years as a teacher, then vice principal in some of the most underperforming schools. But she's now sleeping poorly, stressed by the additional demands of her job, and working till after 10 at night on paperwork from a day that began at 7:30 a.m.
"There are many nights when I get up in the middle of the night and I can't go back to sleep because I'm thinking about issues I have to deal with," she said. In Kalihi, Farrington's Payne often gets to school around 7 a.m. and is still there 11 hours later when a now-empty parking lot locks up at 6 p.m. Two or three evenings each week can also see a night meeting. Though she used to be a runner, that pastime is long gone. With more than 30 years in the DOE, Payne could retire in a year. She said she doesn't yet know what she'll do, but she's passionate about her job and the children she serves.
Alexis Kane is speaking for herself, but the sentiment is widespread. "When I step out of my office and I'm at yard duty, or I go into classrooms, then I know it's all worth it," said the principal of Pu'ohala Elementary in Kane'ohe. "But when I'm up at 1 or 2 in the morning trying to refine an academic plan or read my e-mails, it's 'What's wrong with this picture?' " Hawai'i's public school principals are stressed out. They're on the verge of the biggest change in education the state has seen in three decades, and a huge part of it rests on their shoulders.
These educators, long used to 10- and 12-hour days, are now also responsible for everything from their school's spending and performance scores to the creation of enhanced academic lives for students lagging in national tests, to creating a powerful and passionate presence for their school community councils. Under the Weighted Student Formula that's part of the Reinventing Education Act passed in 2004, principals will control their own funds next year under new lump-sum budgeting practices. That means adding a whole new level of expertise to careers already weighed down with giant expectations.
Add to that new performance contracts, scheduled to go into effect in the 2006-07 academic year, making principals personally responsible — with sanctions — for student achievement. "There's no question that the stakes are much higher than they've ever been," said Catherine Payne of Farrington High, a principal for 20 years. "There's so much uncertainty about what we're about. And the people leading us are still confused about what's going to happen. "And the performance contracts for principals, that's a big mystery. That's what we worry about. We're going to be evaluated on things we don't really have control over."
Budgeting. Academic planning. Leading school community councils. Most of all, thinking outside the box they've been trained to stay inside their whole careers. Not to mention trying to have a life. "Our principals are human, too," said Pu'ohala's Kane. "They need to have their own lives, too. I know we're burning the midnight oil ... I was doing that before all of this (change) so I can't imagine (the future.) I do need to sleep." Some say it could drive more principals into retirement. "I left two years ago, and it's getting a lot more difficult," said Glenn Nakamoto, a former principal who is now a personnel specialist with the DOE. "It's overwhelming now."
DOE personnel specialist Brian Mizuguchi, another former principal, said none of those in the principal ranks have yet applied for retirement this year. However, within the next three years, 51 percent of the state's principals will reach retirement age, which is as low as age 55 with 30 years of service. "It's a hard job," said Randy Moore, DOE program manager for the Reinventing Education Act. "And the bench is not deep. There are some schools where they had to bring back retired principals because nobody wanted the job." Kalei Napu'elua, chair of the 24-member Farrington School Community Council, worries that the new demands will also keep bright, ambitious younger teachers from going into school administration. As for whether the changes will cause more veterans to retire?
"I think it's too early to tell," said Napu'elua. "But those principals who will be finding it difficult to make ends meet (under the new student formula) might find it easier to opt out." On the plus side, principals just received large salary increases in moving from 10-month to 12-month contracts, and there also are changes coming to the State Retirement System that will benefit those who stay for several more years. Meanwhile, school budgets are due in the next few weeks, and financial training sessions by the state Department of Education are ongoing, with principals getting crash courses in how to mesh academics with money. "We're going to run the numbers for the first time," said Kapolei Middle School principal Annette Nishikawa of an imminent meeting with the school's administrative services assistant.
Nishikawa has more than 30 years of service to the Department of Education, including years as a teacher, then vice principal in some of the most underperforming schools. But she's now sleeping poorly, stressed by the additional demands of her job, and working till after 10 at night on paperwork from a day that began at 7:30 a.m.
"There are many nights when I get up in the middle of the night and I can't go back to sleep because I'm thinking about issues I have to deal with," she said. In Kalihi, Farrington's Payne often gets to school around 7 a.m. and is still there 11 hours later when a now-empty parking lot locks up at 6 p.m. Two or three evenings each week can also see a night meeting. Though she used to be a runner, that pastime is long gone. With more than 30 years in the DOE, Payne could retire in a year. She said she doesn't yet know what she'll do, but she's passionate about her job and the children she serves.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Determination
Taken from Inner Beauty :A Book of Virtues by Anthea Church,
Determination is an unbroken line, a backbone. It is when every situation is anchored to an unseen aim that keeps everything together. Without determination, life becomes scattered. Determination makes you sit up straight and love everything, because it's all part of moving forward. Day and night you have the feeling that you only have to seek and you can touch the hard core of wisdom that rests inside each moment. You can focus on that, let the toughness be in seeking that and then action is automatically as it should be. Gently right. Battering at life from the outside, trying to change what's visible is inverted determination. It makes your face hard and unyielding and though it may bring visible success, there can be a floundering inside. Determination is not, therefore, a matter so much of action as of stillness. When a quality of mind-peace, happiness, depth, purity-can remain still and uninterrupted by the bumps of life, that is true determination. Such stability, maintained for long enough penetrates the surface of life anyway and it changes. The bumps go. You have to feed determination, to nourish the qualities you wish to keep with you constantly. How? By understanding adversity, we can learn and grow. They are a part of your nature anyway, but it's been winter for so long that they've gone underground. Sometimes you have to burrow to find them and coax them to the surface. Silence can be the best antidote. Silence brings the strength to go on, the steadiness to succeed, the softness to slip past difficulties unnoticed. If determination breaks, it's best stop for a few moments, be silent and find value again, or else what you do will be spineless. Feel the bones of the situation, then fall in love with the task.
Determination is an unbroken line, a backbone. It is when every situation is anchored to an unseen aim that keeps everything together. Without determination, life becomes scattered. Determination makes you sit up straight and love everything, because it's all part of moving forward. Day and night you have the feeling that you only have to seek and you can touch the hard core of wisdom that rests inside each moment. You can focus on that, let the toughness be in seeking that and then action is automatically as it should be. Gently right. Battering at life from the outside, trying to change what's visible is inverted determination. It makes your face hard and unyielding and though it may bring visible success, there can be a floundering inside. Determination is not, therefore, a matter so much of action as of stillness. When a quality of mind-peace, happiness, depth, purity-can remain still and uninterrupted by the bumps of life, that is true determination. Such stability, maintained for long enough penetrates the surface of life anyway and it changes. The bumps go. You have to feed determination, to nourish the qualities you wish to keep with you constantly. How? By understanding adversity, we can learn and grow. They are a part of your nature anyway, but it's been winter for so long that they've gone underground. Sometimes you have to burrow to find them and coax them to the surface. Silence can be the best antidote. Silence brings the strength to go on, the steadiness to succeed, the softness to slip past difficulties unnoticed. If determination breaks, it's best stop for a few moments, be silent and find value again, or else what you do will be spineless. Feel the bones of the situation, then fall in love with the task.
Shelby’s Personal Cobra for sale
Carroll Shelby’s personal 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Supersnake (Lot #1301), which was designed and built solely for the racing legend, will be sold at No Reserve during the 36th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event from Jan. 13-21, 2007, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Hailed as “The World’s Greatest Collector Car Events™,” the auction will feature more than 1,100 of the world’s finest collector automobiles, attract over 225,000 visitors and be featured on SPEED with 40 hours of live coverage.
“When I built this dual supercharged 427 Cobra in 1966, I wanted it to be the fastest, meanest car on the road,” said Shelby. “Forty years later, it will still kick the tail of just about anything in the world. It’s the fastest street legal Cobra I’ve ever owned.”
Shelby plucked CSX3015 from a line of 19 production Competition Cobras and molded it into one of the most impressive automobiles ever built. It has a monstrous 427cid, 800hp twin Paxton supercharged V8 with a super three-speed automatic transmission. In addition to use as his personal automobile, Shelby drove the Cobra in a running of the “Turismos Visitadores” in Nevada. In February 1968, Road & Track referred to CSX3015 as “The Cobra to End All Cobras.”
“This is conceivably one of the most significant and valuable automobiles to ever cross an auction block,” said Craig Jackson, president of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “Carroll Shelby not only poured his automotive wisdom and racing pride into this vehicle, he also personally gripped the wheel of this American legend.”
“This incredible Cobra personifies Carroll Shelby, and the maverick he is,” adds Steve Davis, senior executive vice president of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “CSX3015 embodies the spirit that defined a generation and is as impactful today as it was some forty years ago.” Shelby built a similar Twin Paxton-enhanced 427 Cobra (CSX3303) for close friend and famed comedian Bill Cosby. CSX3303 was later wrecked, leaving CSX3015 as the only one of its kind in the world.
“CSX3015 speaks volumes about the genius in Carroll Shelby,” said Harley E. Cluxton III, owner of CSX3015. “His Cobra is the benchmark that defines the American Muscle car. His baby does it all, and without the help of ASR, ESP, ABS, engine management ECU’s, carbon fiber, titanium or the United Nations. How cool is that.”
Barrett-Jackson continually reaffirms its leadership position in the collector car market by elevating consignment standards, challenging annual records and serving as the barometer for market trends. Last year, more than 300,000 attendees and millions of television viewers from around the world witnessed over 1,600 cars being auctioned off for approximately $135 million at the two 2006 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Events held in Scottsdale and Palm Beach, Fla.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Profit From Life's Losses
by John Chappelear, Author of “The Daily Six”
Ever notice everyone’s on a low fat diet after the heart attack? Everyone has time for their kids after the divorce? Everyone’s a financial genius after a bankruptcy? As managers, supervisors and executives, we’re trained to judge our success on the size of our departments, budgets, sales, profits, bank accounts and the deals we make. When I had my own $50 million-a-year business, that’s what I thought, too. Being a successful CEO, I figured if I just worked hard enough, I’d wind up on top. Failure is something that happens to the other guys.That’s when it happened to me. I lost everything. Everything I thought was important. Money, power, prestige. Gone. My position as CEO? Gone, too. Although I didn’t know it then, I had been given a gift, a “Gift of Desperation” that changed me, and my outlook for the better. In the end, it made me a more successful person, too. We can all recognize a “Gift of Desperation”. It’s the “a-ha” that comes at the darkest of times. Speak with anyone who has had a life-changing experience, and they’ll tell you how much it has led them to appreciate each and every day. They have a higher sense of awareness and focus on living each day with joy.
Still need convincing? Look how people in the US pulled together after 9-11-01. People actually started talking, connecting--and not just friends and family, but strangers on the news or at the corner store. I had clients all over the country remarking something like this: “I never really appreciated just how important (blank) was, until now,” they’d say. The way that (blank) got filled in varied from person to person, and organization to organization, but suddenly I could tell they had begun to notice that there was more to life than profits and possessions. The horror of that experience became a gift to many who chose to see the lessons.
When I received my “Gift of Desperation” I began to notice, FINALLY, something was missing in my life. It wasn’t success that was missing. It was significance. Most CEOs have the same symptoms I did: We have a gorgeous house, but are hardly around to enjoy it. We eat at private lunch clubs, but we’re still hungry inside. Our expensive watches can’t keep our time from slipping away. We have kids, but we may never really appreciate them. I didn’t, either--until involuntary unemployment kept me home instead of frantic and at the office. “Pick me up, Daddy!” my three-year-old son kept saying. “It’s good for you.” Now how did he know that? But you know what, he was right.
Here I had been rushing, rushing, rushing--because I needed everything to be perfect. And then I would finally get back to my family and friends. I just needed to get all my ducks in a row. People, have you ever tried to get a duck in a row? I finally realized that I had to stop waiting for my life to get perfect to be happy. I’ve discovered that we can all change our lives dramatically for the better--and we can do it before the gift of desperation. It takes a new sense of focus, and it also takes acting on a few new thoughts:
Start each day with an awareness that you are here for a purpose other than to satisfy demands to add stuff to your life. I do this with a few morning minutes of meditation; other people read a book or take a walk. After a while, you’ll find your own path to peace and self-awareness.
Make serving others a primary focus.
Help someone in your office be more successful.
Hold the door for someone.
Start a mentoring program, be a big brother or sister, or call a local volunteering program.
Slow down. I was always so busy pushing for the next big break that sometimes I ran right past it. So take a few minutes to take a deep breath, step back and enjoy life a bit, and you’ll be surprised how many opportunities personally and professionally just show up.
Start now. You don’t have to remake your whole life overnight. Small changes when practiced consistently will create dramatic results. Remember, you’re choosing to act--before a "Gift of Desperation" is forced on you. Keep at it and soon you will look back and be amazed how far you’ve come, and so will your co-workers and loved ones. And while I may believe in deathbed conversions, acting ahead of time is a whole lot more satisfying
Ever notice everyone’s on a low fat diet after the heart attack? Everyone has time for their kids after the divorce? Everyone’s a financial genius after a bankruptcy? As managers, supervisors and executives, we’re trained to judge our success on the size of our departments, budgets, sales, profits, bank accounts and the deals we make. When I had my own $50 million-a-year business, that’s what I thought, too. Being a successful CEO, I figured if I just worked hard enough, I’d wind up on top. Failure is something that happens to the other guys.That’s when it happened to me. I lost everything. Everything I thought was important. Money, power, prestige. Gone. My position as CEO? Gone, too. Although I didn’t know it then, I had been given a gift, a “Gift of Desperation” that changed me, and my outlook for the better. In the end, it made me a more successful person, too. We can all recognize a “Gift of Desperation”. It’s the “a-ha” that comes at the darkest of times. Speak with anyone who has had a life-changing experience, and they’ll tell you how much it has led them to appreciate each and every day. They have a higher sense of awareness and focus on living each day with joy.
Still need convincing? Look how people in the US pulled together after 9-11-01. People actually started talking, connecting--and not just friends and family, but strangers on the news or at the corner store. I had clients all over the country remarking something like this: “I never really appreciated just how important (blank) was, until now,” they’d say. The way that (blank) got filled in varied from person to person, and organization to organization, but suddenly I could tell they had begun to notice that there was more to life than profits and possessions. The horror of that experience became a gift to many who chose to see the lessons.
When I received my “Gift of Desperation” I began to notice, FINALLY, something was missing in my life. It wasn’t success that was missing. It was significance. Most CEOs have the same symptoms I did: We have a gorgeous house, but are hardly around to enjoy it. We eat at private lunch clubs, but we’re still hungry inside. Our expensive watches can’t keep our time from slipping away. We have kids, but we may never really appreciate them. I didn’t, either--until involuntary unemployment kept me home instead of frantic and at the office. “Pick me up, Daddy!” my three-year-old son kept saying. “It’s good for you.” Now how did he know that? But you know what, he was right.
Here I had been rushing, rushing, rushing--because I needed everything to be perfect. And then I would finally get back to my family and friends. I just needed to get all my ducks in a row. People, have you ever tried to get a duck in a row? I finally realized that I had to stop waiting for my life to get perfect to be happy. I’ve discovered that we can all change our lives dramatically for the better--and we can do it before the gift of desperation. It takes a new sense of focus, and it also takes acting on a few new thoughts:
Start each day with an awareness that you are here for a purpose other than to satisfy demands to add stuff to your life. I do this with a few morning minutes of meditation; other people read a book or take a walk. After a while, you’ll find your own path to peace and self-awareness.
Make serving others a primary focus.
Help someone in your office be more successful.
Hold the door for someone.
Start a mentoring program, be a big brother or sister, or call a local volunteering program.
Slow down. I was always so busy pushing for the next big break that sometimes I ran right past it. So take a few minutes to take a deep breath, step back and enjoy life a bit, and you’ll be surprised how many opportunities personally and professionally just show up.
Start now. You don’t have to remake your whole life overnight. Small changes when practiced consistently will create dramatic results. Remember, you’re choosing to act--before a "Gift of Desperation" is forced on you. Keep at it and soon you will look back and be amazed how far you’ve come, and so will your co-workers and loved ones. And while I may believe in deathbed conversions, acting ahead of time is a whole lot more satisfying
US Ford offerings
Ford offers an all new Navigation system for most of their 2007 models with a 6.5 inch touchscreen.
You can get it on the Fusion/Milan and even the Mustang. (The 500/Montego and the F150 too...). Their new radio comes standard with a plug for an MP3 player.
Hopefully this finds its way into the Frods in Oz.
Monday, November 20, 2006
THINGS TO KNOW
1. Beer conditions the hair.
2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish.
3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes.
4. Mayonnaise! will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair.
5. PVA Glue - paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads (if any).
6. Shiny Hair - use brewed Lipton Tea.
7. Sunburn - empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water.
8. Minor burn - Colgate or Crest toothpaste.
9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!
10. Arthritis? WD-40 Spray and rub in, kill insect stings too.
11 Bee stings - meat tenderizer.
12. Mosquito bite - Preparation H.
13. Puffy eyes - Preparation H.
14. Paper cut -chap stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals).
15. Stinky feet – jelly.
16. Athletes feet – cornstarch.
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails - Vicks vapor rub.
18. Cordial to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Cordial can be used as a dye in paint also cordial in plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper.
21. Sticking bicycle chain - no-stick cooking spray.
22. Cooking spray will also remove paint, and grease from your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls.
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on.
25. Heavy dandruff - pour on the vinegar !
26. Body paint - Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27. Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of cordial in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak.
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping - large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia, soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years! !
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD's!
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste.
31. Wine stains, pour on the baking soda and watch it absorb into the salt.
32. To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter !
34. Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets, soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall - Colgate toothpaste and brush it!
36. Dirty grout – Listerine.
37. Stains on clothes – Colgate.
38. Grass stains - Karo Syrup.
39. Grease Stains - Coca Cola , it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet? Borax - sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add 2 Bayer aspirin, or just use 7-up instead of water.
42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you "squeeze" for freshness or softness? Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie. They are: Monday = Blue, Tuesday = Green, Thursday = Red Friday = White and Saturday = Yellow So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie; not white which is Fridays (almost a week old)! The colors go alphabetically by color Blue- Green - Red - White - Yellow , Monday through Saturday.
2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish.
3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes.
4. Mayonnaise! will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair.
5. PVA Glue - paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads (if any).
6. Shiny Hair - use brewed Lipton Tea.
7. Sunburn - empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water.
8. Minor burn - Colgate or Crest toothpaste.
9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!
10. Arthritis? WD-40 Spray and rub in, kill insect stings too.
11 Bee stings - meat tenderizer.
12. Mosquito bite - Preparation H.
13. Puffy eyes - Preparation H.
14. Paper cut -chap stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals).
15. Stinky feet – jelly.
16. Athletes feet – cornstarch.
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails - Vicks vapor rub.
18. Cordial to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Cordial can be used as a dye in paint also cordial in plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper.
21. Sticking bicycle chain - no-stick cooking spray.
22. Cooking spray will also remove paint, and grease from your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls.
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on.
25. Heavy dandruff - pour on the vinegar !
26. Body paint - Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27. Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of cordial in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak.
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping - large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia, soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years! !
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD's!
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste.
31. Wine stains, pour on the baking soda and watch it absorb into the salt.
32. To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter !
34. Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets, soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall - Colgate toothpaste and brush it!
36. Dirty grout – Listerine.
37. Stains on clothes – Colgate.
38. Grass stains - Karo Syrup.
39. Grease Stains - Coca Cola , it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet? Borax - sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add 2 Bayer aspirin, or just use 7-up instead of water.
42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you "squeeze" for freshness or softness? Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie. They are: Monday = Blue, Tuesday = Green, Thursday = Red Friday = White and Saturday = Yellow So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie; not white which is Fridays (almost a week old)! The colors go alphabetically by color Blue- Green - Red - White - Yellow , Monday through Saturday.
Another Top Gear Official ‘Goes Crashing’
Sunday Nov 19 2006, 7:36am PDT Atul
As if the Richard Hammond Incident was not enough, another Top Gear Driver met with a car crash in a Lamborghini Murcielago. The degree of injuries received was not as severe as the Hammond Incident but it does put the Top Gear programs relay under jeopardy.
Hammond met with a similar fate as he lost control of the car, this time though over-speeding was not an issue. The reportedly Professional Driver overturned the car on a rain-drenched runway in Dunsfold Park, Surrey.
People who witnessed this incident mentioned that the driver lost control in bad weather, which made the car spin heavily, ultimately landing on the ground and coming to a halt. Luckily, the Driver survived without any major injury as confirmed by BBC officials.Incidentally, a similar Lamborghini model crashed during the pre-production process, which raised a question about the cars reliability, back in June. Was it the Cars fault or the Drivers is another issue, the focus here should be on the risk at which these officials are pelting these cars.
No hard Feelings, but why is Top Gear so desperate to Shoot these cars hitting high velocities with so much risk involved? If at all it was a rainy day, any driver be it a professional or not , will know that Pelting a Car on High Speeds could spell Doom for him.This incident leaves copious questions unanswered!
Image Credit : AllCarWallpapers
Via : Motorauthority
Sunday, November 19, 2006
BE THANKFUL......... for so much…
FOR THE WIFE…………..WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT, BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.
FOR THE HUSBAND, WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO,BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.
FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.
FOR THE TAXES I PAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED.
FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.
FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.
FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE.
FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING, BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.
FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENTBECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH..FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOTBECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.
FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.
FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.
FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.
FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURSBECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.
FOR THE HUSBAND, WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO,BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.
FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.
FOR THE TAXES I PAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED.
FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.
FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.
FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE.
FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING, BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.
FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENTBECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH..FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOTBECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.
FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.
FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.
FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.
FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURSBECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.
The Falcon convertible?
Yes, it did exist(HRB 333, where are you?!)
LEWIS Bandt, Ford's famous designer who was the father of the coupe utility, was also famous for having produced a Falcon convertible with a steel retractable top.
This little-remembered milestone occurred when he was given the task of producing six special cars for the Miss Australia Quest of 1964.
Working in conjunction with Geelong bodybuilding company, Bodycraft, Lew designed the convertible using a Falcon utility as the base.
The utility back was ideal for storing the steel roof which folded in two and slid back into the tray. This was then covered by a steel panel which was hinged at the back.
But the electrics division obviously wasn’t called in for such a limited production run, because the roof was raised and lowered manually, quite a task considering the weight of the steel top.
As the utility only had the front bench seat, Lew designed a panel to separate the rear section which held the top and installed a rear bench seat from the sedan.
Unfortunately, no-one knows exactly what happened to these six very special Falcons. The only existing photos show one had the Victorian registration number HRB 333.
Perhaps someone knows where one of these unique convertibles is today!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Take Hold of Every Moment
A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:
“This,” he said, “isn't any ordinary package." He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box. "She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on; was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is it.”
He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothing he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:
”Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion".
I still think those words changed my life. Now I read more and clean less.I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.
I spend more time with my family, and less at work.
I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through.
I no longer keep anything.
I use crystal glasses every day.
I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like it.I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to.
The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now. I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favourite food. It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come. I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I would meet, letters... letters that I wanted to write "one of these days".
I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brothers and sons, daughters and sisters, not times enough at least, how much I love them. Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives.
And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day.
“This,” he said, “isn't any ordinary package." He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box. "She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on; was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is it.”
He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothing he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:
”Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion".
I still think those words changed my life. Now I read more and clean less.I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.
I spend more time with my family, and less at work.
I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through.
I no longer keep anything.
I use crystal glasses every day.
I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like it.I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to.
The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my dictionary. If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now. I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favourite food. It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come. I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I would meet, letters... letters that I wanted to write "one of these days".
I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brothers and sons, daughters and sisters, not times enough at least, how much I love them. Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives.
And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day.
Positive Imaging
One of the most effective ways to prevent rumination is to replace it with positive self-talk, together with imaginal thinking or 'image-ination'. Imaginal thinking involves constructing a desired future model of a situation you would like to experience and then running that model several times over so that it is programmed into your mind. The 'movie' you create should also have a sound track containing the words you would like to hear yourself saying. The trick is to become your own 'Steven Spielberg' and create the blockbuster movie of all time, starring yourself! As well as vision and sound, your internal movie must also create a feeling for you. You need to decide how you would like to be feeling during the future event you are creating. Do you want to feel relaxed, confident, powerful, happy, forceful etc? If you want to be confident and relaxed throughout the 'movie' then you need to edit into your sound track a repetitive 'feelings' track where your movie-self repeats over and over again, "I am relaxed. I am confident…."
Ford Mods
Cunningly devoted to Ford modifications, the Ford Mods site is called exactly that. If you can't find something interesting at this site and you're a Ford fan, check your pulse...
http://www.fordmods.com/forums/portal.php
http://www.fordmods.com/forums/portal.php
Friday, November 17, 2006
Teacher's PAY rates
I, for one, am sick and tired of those highly paid teachers. Their hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year!
It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do, Baby sit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. That's right! I would give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked, not any silly planning time. That would be $15.00 a day. Each parent should pay $15.00 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.
Now, how many do they teach in a day? Maybe 25?
Then that's 15 x 25 = $375.00 a day.
But remember they only work 200 days a year! I'm not going to pay them for any vacations. Let's see? That's 375 x 200 = $75 000.00. (Hold on, my calculator must need batteries!)
What about those Leading Teachers or the ones with Masters Degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage just to be that fair. Let's round it off to $6.00 an hour. That would be $6.00 times five hours times 25 children times 200 days =$150 000.00 per year.
Wait a minute, there is something wrong here!
THERE SURE IS, HUH?
It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do, Baby sit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. That's right! I would give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked, not any silly planning time. That would be $15.00 a day. Each parent should pay $15.00 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.
Now, how many do they teach in a day? Maybe 25?
Then that's 15 x 25 = $375.00 a day.
But remember they only work 200 days a year! I'm not going to pay them for any vacations. Let's see? That's 375 x 200 = $75 000.00. (Hold on, my calculator must need batteries!)
What about those Leading Teachers or the ones with Masters Degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage just to be that fair. Let's round it off to $6.00 an hour. That would be $6.00 times five hours times 25 children times 200 days =$150 000.00 per year.
Wait a minute, there is something wrong here!
THERE SURE IS, HUH?
Knowledge vs Wisdom
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit,
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Ford to eliminate gas caps…
Mark Fields, Ford’s president of American operations, announced at a Center for Automotive Research meeting that Ford will begin eliminating gas caps on all production vehicles. No it is not some bizzare strategy to save on fuel costs, but rather an engineering and design upgrade. The tried and true twist off gas cap design will be replaced with a “capless fuel filler “. This first appeared in 2005 on the GT supercar but will go mainstream beginning with the 2008 Lincoln MKS sedan.
The idea has practicality in addition to elegance. It is said to eliminate the potential of losing the gas cap, but also offer a more secure seal and prevent fume emmisions into the environment. When the nozzle of a conventional gas pump is put into the fuel filler point, it pushes on two tabs that open a spring-loaded metal flap. That allows the pump to sit in the tube that delivers gas to the tank, just as a pump does after the cap is unscrewed. After the nozzle is removed, the spring-loaded door seals the pathway shut.
Apparantly Ford’s marketing research has shown that people of all ages and drivers of all makes and models dislike touching their fuel cap and the potential of gasoline smell on their hands. It also eliminates the hand pain for arthritis sufferers.
Ford may likely be the first auto-maker to put this technology on all production vehicles in the near future.
Ford may likely be the first auto-maker to put this technology on all production vehicles in the near future.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Out of the mouths of babes
If you haven't worked it out from the blogs on education, that's the profession I have chosen. When you work with kids, they often surprise you with what they say. Two things caught me by surprise yesterday:
One seven year old student was referred to me by a teacher for swearing at other students. She told me that he was using the two "b words". He said, "No I wasn't! I was calling them bastards and bitches."
One little guy has a disability and part of helping him is going to the doctor and getting a prescription for medication. His mother was talking to him about me as someone else who could help him. He thought about if for a moment and said, "Mr Ymir is a bit cranky. I think he needs to go to the doctor too."
One seven year old student was referred to me by a teacher for swearing at other students. She told me that he was using the two "b words". He said, "No I wasn't! I was calling them bastards and bitches."
One little guy has a disability and part of helping him is going to the doctor and getting a prescription for medication. His mother was talking to him about me as someone else who could help him. He thought about if for a moment and said, "Mr Ymir is a bit cranky. I think he needs to go to the doctor too."
Quotable quotes
I say luck is when an opportunity comes along, and you're prepared for it." --Denzel Washington, actor
S197 Boss Mustang On The WayBy
(DEARBORN, MICHIGAN) StangsUnleashed.com -
Gear heads can prepare to rejoice - the dormant muscle car slug fest is about to be rekindled by Detroit’s Big Three. This coming January, The Chrysler Group (C.G.) will introduce the Dodge Challenger concept - complete with a 6.1L Hemi engine. Not to be left out, Chevy will bring out their Camaro concept, and even possibly a supercharged Corvette.Meanwhile, here in Dearborn, Ford will unveil the production version of the venomous 5.4L powered, 475 horsepower GT500.Yep, it is going to be a a muscle car blood match this January. Who ever said that history is not cyclical? Team Mustang likes history, especially that of their Mustang, of which they have successfully offered in various feature cars.
According to Team Mustang members, former Team Mustang boss Art Hyde (now with Ford’s quality office) laid much of the thought process for upcoming feature Mustangs. Thus far, those feature cars have included the Bullitt, Mach1 and the Shelby GT500. Each of those models have generated positive publicity for Ford and further enhanced the Mustang’s heritage.
Photographed in Dearborn with prototype graphics. Since the introduction of the S197 Mustang (2005+) and its subsequent success, Ford Executives have taken notice of the Mustang - especially the money it is putting into the company coffers. Ford figures that they might sell close to 200,000 Mustangs (1998-2005 Ford sales figures) this year - adequate plant capacity might be the only constraint preventing them from meeting that mark. Due to the upcoming competition from the C.G. and GM though, it might be difficult for Ford to continue that sales pace without resorting to cash rebates or frequent redesigns to keep the Mustang fresh. The problem with frequent redesigns is that they consume considerable resources (time + money) and rebates drastically alter the balance sheet.Team Mustang is keenly aware that they have to keep the Mustang on top of the game and they are doing just that with a slew of feature cars.
First, BlueOvalNews reported the existence of the Shelby Mustang back in 2001 and TheMustangSource first reported the California Special earlier this year. So what’s next? Maybe the question should be - what could even be better for the Mustang? How about a Boss in S197 clothing?Sources here in Dearborn familiar with the S197 Boss program told StangsUnleashed.com that a Boss Mustang feature program exists and a Boss is coming our way within the next few years.
Ford manufactured both a Boss 302 and a 429 from 1969-1970. The last Boss Mustang, a 351, was last available in 1971.While American muscle car nameplates have come and gone, the Boss Mustang has remained a constant facet among consumers and collectors. Take a stroll into any department store or hobby shop and count how many different Boss Mustang models line the shelves. Consumers like Cam Gillespie have not had the patience to wait for Ford to make a new Boss Mustang, so they are making their own - and Ford has taken notice.
Cam Gillespie's 2005 GT "Boss".The S197 BossSources familiar with the S197 Boss (S197 Boss Message boards) program said that the original plan was to use the 5.0L DOHC engine, however, Ford dropped plans to use that engine in regular production vehicles, such as F-Series trucks. While Ford does manufacture a 5.0L DOHC engine, it is costly and regulated for after-market use through their Motorsport catalog.It would be possible for Ford to use the 5.0L DOHC engine in an S197 Boss, but it is unlikely due to a wide array of issues. Some of those issues include emission certification, durability testing and warranty considerations. In order for Team Mustang and Ford to make the S197 Boss program feasible, it has to be cost effective.
Photo Ford: The 5.0 DOHC engine was introduced on 03 November 1999 with the introduction of the FR500 concept.
The 4.6L DOHC engine has proven to be more than capable of serving the appetite for horsepower for years, but that was before the Challenger and Camaro were on Dearborn’s radar screen. Consider that the Challenger will use the 5.7L and 6.1L Hemi engines while the Camaro will make use of the Corvette’s engine and it quickly becomes apparent that the entry price to performance is now rooted in cubic inches. This was a key factor as to why Ford chose the 5.4L for the upcoming GT500. View the GT500 message boards.Enter the Boss 329Due to the increased competition and the GT500, the 4.6L DOHC engine may have been essentially regulated to GT status only. Maybe even more importantly, Ford and Ford dealers simply won’t be able to charge a nice premium for a feature car unless it is something, well, special.
Unless Ford creates something other than a 4.6L DOHC Boss tape and paint package. . .i.e. road Mustang, it simply will not be enough to command a premium in the market or compete with Dodge or Chevy. . . .on the other hand, a solid Boss 329 package will. Aside from that, the 5.4L engine has already gone through the engineering and certification processes, so it is basically on "off the shelf" piece.As for the Boss Mustang name, according to Ford legal it is still the property of the Ford Motor Company. What’s next? 1) Wipe the drewl from your chin. 2) Don’t hassle your dealer, at least not too much.3) Check back for more Boss news and special announcements on the S197 Boss Mustang message boards.
COPYRIGHT 2005. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. STANGSUNLEASHED.com. DEARBORN, MICHIGAN.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Symbol of hope
N. Phila.’s Stanton Elementary wins a national honour for finding what students need and helping them succeed.
By Martha Woodall , The Philadelphia Inquirer : Inquirer Staff Writer - 30 October 2006
An elementary school in the heart of North Philadelphia has grabbed the national spotlight for dramatically improving its test scores. The initial jumps were so large the Philadelphia school district verified them by having some students retake the tests. Over four years, the number of fifth graders scoring at the highest level - advanced - soared from 1.2 percent in math and reading to 42.1 percent in math and 29.8 percent in reading.
How did M. Hall Stanton Elementary School do it? "It's all about challenging people to move to the next level," Principal Barbara Adderly said. Adderly inspired her staff to carry out her vision to boost student achievement using test data to identify struggling students and improved teaching methods to help them. The school, which was among the district's lowest-performers in 2002, has met the standards of the federal No Child Left Behind Act for the last three years. Stanton, where 86 percent of the students come from low-income families, challenges academic research that links family income with academic success.
For Education Trust, a nonprofit that seeks to improve education for minorities and low-income students, Stanton "is a symbol of urban educational promise." Stanton is "proof positive that through hard work and a laser-like focus on curriculum and instruction, schools serving even the most disadvantaged students can see dramatic improvement in student learning," said Daria Hall, senior policy analyst at the trust. "Stanton shows what's possible," Paul Vallas, the district's chief executive officer, said last week.
Adderly, a hands-on principal who is rarely in her office, was assigned to Stanton for the 2002-03 school year. The school was one of 21 of the lowest-performing schools selected by the School Reform Commission for extra help and money. Adderly made immediate changes. "The kids were out of control," she said. Adderly reorganized the school, dividing it into three academies, each with kindergarten through sixth grade.
To upgrade instruction, she tapped two of the school's best teachers to be math and literacy leaders and to coach other teachers. Every day, the coaches and Adderly work with teachers from a different grade and brainstorm how to help struggling students. Because many students also come to school with family, emotional and behavioural problems, Adderly set up three meetings a week to deal with them.
For those meetings, Adderly introduced videotaping to capture students' classroom behaviour. The tapes are shown when counselors, parents and teachers meet to devise plans to help. But a key component of the Stanton turnaround is using test data to determine whether students are learning. "You can't teach them if you don't assess," Adderly tells teachers.
There's nothing new about some of Adderly's ideas. Many are practiced in the district and across the country. But Adderly has elevated the use of data so it is now part of the school culture. On hallway and classroom walls, there are graphs and multicoloured bar charts showing test results. "Children need to know where they have to go," Kathleen Shallow, the school's literacy leader, said. "So if they are looking at the assessment line in their room and they see a star, they know this is where they need to be."
Christina Taylor, the math leader, said teachers also used the data to critique themselves. "If you taught it wrong the first time, and the kids didn't get it, you don't want to teach it the same way again," she said. Student Shakeeya Addison, 10, takes the testing in stride. "There are a lot of tests, and sometimes they're hard," she said. "But once you think about it, if the teacher has taught it before, then we get it right." The fifth grader says she likes to learn and especially enjoys spending 30 minutes every day reading. "School is also fun," she said. "My teacher is very nice. She helps us a lot."
One afternoon last week, Stanton's three first-grade teachers gathered in a first-floor room. Each teacher carried a plastic file case with test results for his or her class. Adderly came up with the idea for these "diagnostic tool kits" this year. She believes the ready information will help teachers focus on struggling students.
They gather in a large conference room, where colour-coded index cards on the walls show at a glance how well Stanton's 487 students are doing so far this year. The cards are placed on an assessment line showing reading levels. The cards will be moved as children advance. "These kids are going to be fine," Adderly said during last week's meeting, referring to first graders testing at grade level or above. But several cards were clustered at the low end of the line. "You have this troop of kids right here who are going to be struggling," Adderly warned.
The teachers talked about individual students who were having trouble connecting letters with their sounds. They brainstormed ways to help them, including using magnetic letters and a computer game. Teacher Andrea Boris described how she gets her students to review the sounds of letters even while they are eating breakfast.
"I'll just pick a random letter and say, 'What's this letter?' " she said. "I'll call on somebody. It takes not even a minute." Stanton's structured approach and its relentless focus on data and improved instruction can be daunting, especially for new teachers. "At Stanton, there is not a minute that is not covered by something," said Janet Sato, a first-grade teacher who joined the staff this fall. "They have certain ways to do things, and it is already set. It's like a game plan. You just go." Last week, two other new teachers wept in front of Adderly, saying they had doubts they could make it at Stanton. Adderly calmed them and told them she realized she demands a lot.
But she knows what Stanton is up against. From her office, Adderly has an unobstructed view of a neighbourhood with boarded-up homes and vacant properties. Fewer than half of the adults in the neighbourhood graduated from high school. "The children live the way they live, and some live in pretty dire circumstances," she said. "But we can't dwell on that because we can't change it. So when we come here, we have to dwell on that which is going to move our kids. I think that has made a tremendous difference, too."
By Martha Woodall , The Philadelphia Inquirer : Inquirer Staff Writer - 30 October 2006
An elementary school in the heart of North Philadelphia has grabbed the national spotlight for dramatically improving its test scores. The initial jumps were so large the Philadelphia school district verified them by having some students retake the tests. Over four years, the number of fifth graders scoring at the highest level - advanced - soared from 1.2 percent in math and reading to 42.1 percent in math and 29.8 percent in reading.
How did M. Hall Stanton Elementary School do it? "It's all about challenging people to move to the next level," Principal Barbara Adderly said. Adderly inspired her staff to carry out her vision to boost student achievement using test data to identify struggling students and improved teaching methods to help them. The school, which was among the district's lowest-performers in 2002, has met the standards of the federal No Child Left Behind Act for the last three years. Stanton, where 86 percent of the students come from low-income families, challenges academic research that links family income with academic success.
For Education Trust, a nonprofit that seeks to improve education for minorities and low-income students, Stanton "is a symbol of urban educational promise." Stanton is "proof positive that through hard work and a laser-like focus on curriculum and instruction, schools serving even the most disadvantaged students can see dramatic improvement in student learning," said Daria Hall, senior policy analyst at the trust. "Stanton shows what's possible," Paul Vallas, the district's chief executive officer, said last week.
Adderly, a hands-on principal who is rarely in her office, was assigned to Stanton for the 2002-03 school year. The school was one of 21 of the lowest-performing schools selected by the School Reform Commission for extra help and money. Adderly made immediate changes. "The kids were out of control," she said. Adderly reorganized the school, dividing it into three academies, each with kindergarten through sixth grade.
To upgrade instruction, she tapped two of the school's best teachers to be math and literacy leaders and to coach other teachers. Every day, the coaches and Adderly work with teachers from a different grade and brainstorm how to help struggling students. Because many students also come to school with family, emotional and behavioural problems, Adderly set up three meetings a week to deal with them.
For those meetings, Adderly introduced videotaping to capture students' classroom behaviour. The tapes are shown when counselors, parents and teachers meet to devise plans to help. But a key component of the Stanton turnaround is using test data to determine whether students are learning. "You can't teach them if you don't assess," Adderly tells teachers.
There's nothing new about some of Adderly's ideas. Many are practiced in the district and across the country. But Adderly has elevated the use of data so it is now part of the school culture. On hallway and classroom walls, there are graphs and multicoloured bar charts showing test results. "Children need to know where they have to go," Kathleen Shallow, the school's literacy leader, said. "So if they are looking at the assessment line in their room and they see a star, they know this is where they need to be."
Christina Taylor, the math leader, said teachers also used the data to critique themselves. "If you taught it wrong the first time, and the kids didn't get it, you don't want to teach it the same way again," she said. Student Shakeeya Addison, 10, takes the testing in stride. "There are a lot of tests, and sometimes they're hard," she said. "But once you think about it, if the teacher has taught it before, then we get it right." The fifth grader says she likes to learn and especially enjoys spending 30 minutes every day reading. "School is also fun," she said. "My teacher is very nice. She helps us a lot."
One afternoon last week, Stanton's three first-grade teachers gathered in a first-floor room. Each teacher carried a plastic file case with test results for his or her class. Adderly came up with the idea for these "diagnostic tool kits" this year. She believes the ready information will help teachers focus on struggling students.
They gather in a large conference room, where colour-coded index cards on the walls show at a glance how well Stanton's 487 students are doing so far this year. The cards are placed on an assessment line showing reading levels. The cards will be moved as children advance. "These kids are going to be fine," Adderly said during last week's meeting, referring to first graders testing at grade level or above. But several cards were clustered at the low end of the line. "You have this troop of kids right here who are going to be struggling," Adderly warned.
The teachers talked about individual students who were having trouble connecting letters with their sounds. They brainstormed ways to help them, including using magnetic letters and a computer game. Teacher Andrea Boris described how she gets her students to review the sounds of letters even while they are eating breakfast.
"I'll just pick a random letter and say, 'What's this letter?' " she said. "I'll call on somebody. It takes not even a minute." Stanton's structured approach and its relentless focus on data and improved instruction can be daunting, especially for new teachers. "At Stanton, there is not a minute that is not covered by something," said Janet Sato, a first-grade teacher who joined the staff this fall. "They have certain ways to do things, and it is already set. It's like a game plan. You just go." Last week, two other new teachers wept in front of Adderly, saying they had doubts they could make it at Stanton. Adderly calmed them and told them she realized she demands a lot.
But she knows what Stanton is up against. From her office, Adderly has an unobstructed view of a neighbourhood with boarded-up homes and vacant properties. Fewer than half of the adults in the neighbourhood graduated from high school. "The children live the way they live, and some live in pretty dire circumstances," she said. "But we can't dwell on that because we can't change it. So when we come here, we have to dwell on that which is going to move our kids. I think that has made a tremendous difference, too."
Quotable quotes
“Besides learning to see, there is another art to be learned -- not to see what is not.” -- Maria Mitchell
The Hammerhead Futuristic Flying Car Concept
Monday Nov 13 2006, 8:12am PDT Vishal
There is always less of roads for the ever growing traffic. There is only one alternative and that is to develop cars that leave the crowded roads and float in the sky.
Jeff Allen Case is hoping to make this Sci-Fi a reality with his Hammerhead prototype.
His prototype has a three fan configuration with the front fans delivering the thrust and lift. Case did not comment on the engine configurations of this flying car but hopes whooping speeds of 250 mph at 8,000 ft and a range of 300 miles.
The car will take off and land vertically and will be easy to operate and quite safe as well.The first prototype will have a one-seater cockpit.
Case is still waiting for some funding but it will be really interesting to see the car of the future!
Via: autoblog
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Optimism
In his book, Optimism: The Biology of Hope, Lionel Tiger (Tiger, 1995) argues cogently that optimism is not an optional characteristic in humans; it is as 'natural to man as his eyes that see, and as irreplaceable as hair.' Through evolution we have developed a species-wide tendency to overestimate moderately, the odds in our favour. In other words, optimism is a biological phenomenon. It seems that optimism has been central to the process of evolution. It has greatly influenced the way humans think, work, play and respond to fundamental issues such as birth and death. It is a force that has been used as a lever in the hand of politicians and a weapon in the hands of dictators. Both groups use optimism as a way of controlling people and harnessing them to a cause. If indeed, Tiger's belief that optimism is a biological phenomenon rooted in the genes is true, then it gives us another technique to use in people management processes.
Optimism appears to be socially desirable in all communities. Purveyors of optimism are generally accepted whereas those who spread doom and gloom, panic and hysteria, are treated with contempt. Many of the world's religions are adherents to the doctrine of optimism. The sufferings of this world, the vicissitudes of life, the pain of disease and death are all mitigated by the expectancy of some future favorable outcome, maybe not in this world but certainly in some other. Religions allow communities to organize their fears and their futures by establishing a set of rules and beliefs for everyone to follow. In this way earthly fears are relegated to the arena of trivia and society becomes more manageable.
Seligman (1991) has spent many years researching the concept of optimism and pessimism through his work on attributional styles. He has found that people with an optimistic attributional style will attribute negative events differently to those with a pessimistic explanatory style. When setbacks occur, pessimists blame themselves. 'I am just no good,' or 'Nobody wants me,' are phrases that soon flow from the lips of such people. They believe the cause of their misfortune lies within them rather than being due to external or extenuating circumstances. Pessimists also believe that misfortune is long lasting ('Things will never get better') or repetitive ('If I have failed once, it will happen again'). It is also global or 'pervasive', that is, 'If misfortune befalls me in one part of my life, then it will happen to my whole life.' These three characteristics of the pessimistic explanatory style for negative events are known as the three Ps – Personal, Permanent and Pervasive.
Optimism appears to be socially desirable in all communities. Purveyors of optimism are generally accepted whereas those who spread doom and gloom, panic and hysteria, are treated with contempt. Many of the world's religions are adherents to the doctrine of optimism. The sufferings of this world, the vicissitudes of life, the pain of disease and death are all mitigated by the expectancy of some future favorable outcome, maybe not in this world but certainly in some other. Religions allow communities to organize their fears and their futures by establishing a set of rules and beliefs for everyone to follow. In this way earthly fears are relegated to the arena of trivia and society becomes more manageable.
Seligman (1991) has spent many years researching the concept of optimism and pessimism through his work on attributional styles. He has found that people with an optimistic attributional style will attribute negative events differently to those with a pessimistic explanatory style. When setbacks occur, pessimists blame themselves. 'I am just no good,' or 'Nobody wants me,' are phrases that soon flow from the lips of such people. They believe the cause of their misfortune lies within them rather than being due to external or extenuating circumstances. Pessimists also believe that misfortune is long lasting ('Things will never get better') or repetitive ('If I have failed once, it will happen again'). It is also global or 'pervasive', that is, 'If misfortune befalls me in one part of my life, then it will happen to my whole life.' These three characteristics of the pessimistic explanatory style for negative events are known as the three Ps – Personal, Permanent and Pervasive.
Fast Lane
Recently I stumbled across a sire called Fast Lane. With forums for Ford and Holden that include build up stories, finished cars, buy swap and sell, as well as some excellent news, road and weather alerts, fuel prices and other features, this site is excellent.
Find it at:
http://www.fastlane.com.au/default.asp
Find it at:
http://www.fastlane.com.au/default.asp
Monday, November 13, 2006
Results that are recognized get repeated
Whenever you praise, be it work or at home, you will reinforce the behaviour and make it much more likely that it will be repeated in the future. In today's competitive world criticisms will nearly always outnumber praise and a shortage of time often leads managers and parents to give both praise and criticism at the same time. This is not an effective strategy to encourage or discourage a particular behaviour: e.g. "you did a great job on the dishes but your bedroom's a real mess!" However, we do need a mixture of both. Since there is no perception without contrast, praise is diminished without criticism and vice versa. Praise tends to have a motivating effect on people's performances as well as doubling up as feedback from which to learn
New initiative makes Ford dedicated LPG vehicles an even more attractive proposition
The Federal Government's contribution of $1000 towards the purchase cost of a new factory-fitted LPG powered vehicle for private use has made Ford's range of dedicated LPG models an even more attractive proposition.
"A new dedicated LPG Ford Falcon, with the grant, represents an outstanding offer for Australian families," said President of Ford Australia, Tom Gorman.
"At current fuel prices, motorists can expect to save approximately $40 per tank with an LPG vehicle versus an equivalent petrol model."
Falcon is the only Australian built car to offer a dedicated LPG system, and Ford recently expanded the LPG range to nine models, including ute, wagon and sedan variants. All come with Ford's full three year/ 100,000 km warranty as standard.
"Sales of our LPG Falcons have increased significantly since the first introduction of a dedicated option in 1999," said Mr Gorman.
In 2004 LPG Falcons accounted for 6% of annual Falcon sales. In 2005 it had risen to 11%, and so far this year, approximately 21% of all Falcon sales are LPG.
"An ever increasing number of Australians are coming to realise our dedicated LPG Falcon offers all the power and comfort of a large family sedan but with the fuel costs of a small car," said Mr Gorman.
Presently, Ford is participating in the 'Around Australia for around $1000' LPG challenge, which arrives in Darwin tonight.
The 23-day trial commenced on August 3 and will take in all mainland states, covering more than 13,500 kilometres in a dedicated LPG Falcon.
"The challenge will attempt to circumnavigate Australia for around $1000, and demonstrate LPG is a cheaper and readily available alternative fuel," said Mr Gorman.
As of this afternoon, the challenge had travelled more than 7700km from Melbourne to Darwin via Perth and the West Coast, for a total fuel cost of $562.
A dedicated website accessible via the Ford Australia homepage (www.ford.com.au) will follow the Ford LPG Challenge, and provide regular updates from around the country.
In addition to the LPG grant announcement, Ford Australia also welcomed the Government's new incentives to accelerate the distribution of E10 fuel. All new Ford passenger vehicles are suitable to run on E10 fuel blends.
"A new dedicated LPG Ford Falcon, with the grant, represents an outstanding offer for Australian families," said President of Ford Australia, Tom Gorman.
"At current fuel prices, motorists can expect to save approximately $40 per tank with an LPG vehicle versus an equivalent petrol model."
Falcon is the only Australian built car to offer a dedicated LPG system, and Ford recently expanded the LPG range to nine models, including ute, wagon and sedan variants. All come with Ford's full three year/ 100,000 km warranty as standard.
"Sales of our LPG Falcons have increased significantly since the first introduction of a dedicated option in 1999," said Mr Gorman.
In 2004 LPG Falcons accounted for 6% of annual Falcon sales. In 2005 it had risen to 11%, and so far this year, approximately 21% of all Falcon sales are LPG.
"An ever increasing number of Australians are coming to realise our dedicated LPG Falcon offers all the power and comfort of a large family sedan but with the fuel costs of a small car," said Mr Gorman.
Presently, Ford is participating in the 'Around Australia for around $1000' LPG challenge, which arrives in Darwin tonight.
The 23-day trial commenced on August 3 and will take in all mainland states, covering more than 13,500 kilometres in a dedicated LPG Falcon.
"The challenge will attempt to circumnavigate Australia for around $1000, and demonstrate LPG is a cheaper and readily available alternative fuel," said Mr Gorman.
As of this afternoon, the challenge had travelled more than 7700km from Melbourne to Darwin via Perth and the West Coast, for a total fuel cost of $562.
A dedicated website accessible via the Ford Australia homepage (www.ford.com.au) will follow the Ford LPG Challenge, and provide regular updates from around the country.
In addition to the LPG grant announcement, Ford Australia also welcomed the Government's new incentives to accelerate the distribution of E10 fuel. All new Ford passenger vehicles are suitable to run on E10 fuel blends.
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