"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."
--James M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and dramatist
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Dear John
Dear John,
I have been unable to sleep since I broke off our engagement.
Won't you forgive and forget? Your absence is breaking my heart.
I was a fool, nobody can take your place. I love you.
All my love,
Belinda. xxxxoooxxxx
P.S. Congratulations on winning this week's lottery.
I have been unable to sleep since I broke off our engagement.
Won't you forgive and forget? Your absence is breaking my heart.
I was a fool, nobody can take your place. I love you.
All my love,
Belinda. xxxxoooxxxx
P.S. Congratulations on winning this week's lottery.
Compliance plates mistakes
Compliance plates would be quite straightforward you would have thought, but as we have seen before with Australian Fords, sometimes there can be slight anomalies, like below.
This is the single plate from a November, 1972 XA GT. But if you look carefully you can see that the cowl has the holes drilled for the twin plates, and the four holes not covered by the single plate have rivets in them. It appears that new twin plate cowl panels may have become available for fitting to cars, before the actual twin plate requirement came into force.
Note too the single plate is displaced towards the driver’s side to centralise the plate within the eight hole spread..
In comparison with the early style XA plate a seen in the photo at the top of the page, and again here.
Of interest too is that the description of the XA is ‘FALCON GT SED.’ when it is a hardtop.
This is the single plate from a November, 1972 XA GT. But if you look carefully you can see that the cowl has the holes drilled for the twin plates, and the four holes not covered by the single plate have rivets in them. It appears that new twin plate cowl panels may have become available for fitting to cars, before the actual twin plate requirement came into force.
Note too the single plate is displaced towards the driver’s side to centralise the plate within the eight hole spread..
In comparison with the early style XA plate a seen in the photo at the top of the page, and again here.
Of interest too is that the description of the XA is ‘FALCON GT SED.’ when it is a hardtop.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Marriage, Family, and the Principalship: Making It All Work
The demands of the principal’s job can’t help but take a toll on marriages and families.
When they entered the profession, most principals knew their lives were about to change. But many entered their new positions with a pretty "fuzzy" understanding of all that is really involved. They didn’t realize that if they were not careful or organized or able to say no, the work hours might consume them. If the guilt of missing family events to tend to school business didn’t eat them alive first, that is.
The demands of the job -- internal and external -- can affect marriages too. In the blink of an eye, the school family’s needs can take precedence over the immediate family’s. And that can lead to Divorce Court. It happens more often than many people care to admit. In spite of the stress and the demands of the job, many families manage to hold it all together. But none of them says that happens easily. It doesn’t happen without effort and planning.
MAKING TIME FOR FAMILY
The entire family pays a price when one of the parents is a principal, said one principal who asked not to be named in this article. "As I look back at the years when my own children were young and in school themselves, I have guilt and regret for time I spent away from home helping other people’s kids and parents," she said. "The job can eat you up in terms of both time and emotional reserves," she added.
For many principals, a family calendar is a key ingredient in keeping things on an even keel. That calendar often becomes a family project. Some families even hold Sunday night meetings to review the calendar for the week ahead.
When they entered the profession, most principals knew their lives were about to change. But many entered their new positions with a pretty "fuzzy" understanding of all that is really involved. They didn’t realize that if they were not careful or organized or able to say no, the work hours might consume them. If the guilt of missing family events to tend to school business didn’t eat them alive first, that is.
The demands of the job -- internal and external -- can affect marriages too. In the blink of an eye, the school family’s needs can take precedence over the immediate family’s. And that can lead to Divorce Court. It happens more often than many people care to admit. In spite of the stress and the demands of the job, many families manage to hold it all together. But none of them says that happens easily. It doesn’t happen without effort and planning.
MAKING TIME FOR FAMILY
The entire family pays a price when one of the parents is a principal, said one principal who asked not to be named in this article. "As I look back at the years when my own children were young and in school themselves, I have guilt and regret for time I spent away from home helping other people’s kids and parents," she said. "The job can eat you up in terms of both time and emotional reserves," she added.
For many principals, a family calendar is a key ingredient in keeping things on an even keel. That calendar often becomes a family project. Some families even hold Sunday night meetings to review the calendar for the week ahead.
RIP
A man visiting a graveyard saw a tombstone that read: “Here lies John Smith, a lawyer and an honest man.”
“How about that!” he exclaimed. “They’ve got three people buried in one grave.”
“How about that!” he exclaimed. “They’ve got three people buried in one grave.”
Compliance plates continued
Below are the plates from a September, 1973 LTD Landau.
Note that the description is ‘LANDAU SEDAN’ and again that the ‘sedan’ could be confusing, bearing in mind that the Landau was a two door hardtop car.
Note that the description is ‘LANDAU SEDAN’ and again that the ‘sedan’ could be confusing, bearing in mind that the Landau was a two door hardtop car.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Create Dream-Team Relationships for Success
by Mark Victor Hansen
Success is not a solo project - it is something that needs to be shared. And success is not a competition. There's plenty of it to go around. We just have to work together - with the same goal in mind - to ensure success.
It's all about synergy - the concept of adding one plus one and getting eleven - not two. It's the idea that people working together can accomplish far more than they could working separately. Incredible power can be released when people work together. Associating with like-minded, success-oriented, joyful individuals - or Dream Teaming - is the most amazing success tool that exists.
Anyone who achieves great success - anyone - must have a Dream Team. Instant solutions exist in Dream Teaming. They help you to take your ideas and expand them into greatness. A Dream Team will help you focus on your goals - whatever
they may be. What characteristics should your Dream Team possess? In order to have a successful Dream Team, you'll need at least one more person with whom you have a common purpose. You have to have a partner to think through situations and circumstances.
These people should have limitless vision and work together for a single goal. Both your hearts and your heads have to be in harmony with one another. You may even have several Dream Teams for different goals - that's okay. Always be on
the lookout for the best people and then ask them.
Lastly, remember this: All of us have self-doubt, but remember that your Dream Team sees more in you than you see in yourself. You're there to cheer each other on, to encourage one another when you become weary, to identify bad habits and help change them. The members in your Dream Team tell you the truth so that you can be all that you can be. Together, you and your Dream Team can master and conquer anything.
Action Step: In closing I'd like to offer one simple exercise from "How
To Think Bigger Than You Ever Thought You Could Think" that I'd like you to complete in the week ahead: When you envision your dream life, with whom do you see yourself working and associating? Who are your friends? What characteristics do your Dream Team members possess? It is necessary for you to visualize the kind of people you plan to bring into your life, because these are the people you will attract to you.
This exercise is simple. Sit in your favourite chair, in a quiet room with your favourite inspirational music playing. Have a pen and notebook handy. Now sit back, close your eyes and see your life as you want it to be.
Who's there with you at work and at play? Who are the people in your industry that you admire most? Who do you want to learn from? Who do you want to laugh with? Who do you want to call "friend?" What attributes would these people have? Would they be joyful, funny, talented, positive, unselfish, energetic?
Make a list of 50 prestigious, influential, and powerful people, with whom you want to work, play, grow and do business. This may take a while, but it is one of the most important stepping-stones to achieving the life you envision.
Success is not a solo project - it is something that needs to be shared. And success is not a competition. There's plenty of it to go around. We just have to work together - with the same goal in mind - to ensure success.
It's all about synergy - the concept of adding one plus one and getting eleven - not two. It's the idea that people working together can accomplish far more than they could working separately. Incredible power can be released when people work together. Associating with like-minded, success-oriented, joyful individuals - or Dream Teaming - is the most amazing success tool that exists.
Anyone who achieves great success - anyone - must have a Dream Team. Instant solutions exist in Dream Teaming. They help you to take your ideas and expand them into greatness. A Dream Team will help you focus on your goals - whatever
they may be. What characteristics should your Dream Team possess? In order to have a successful Dream Team, you'll need at least one more person with whom you have a common purpose. You have to have a partner to think through situations and circumstances.
These people should have limitless vision and work together for a single goal. Both your hearts and your heads have to be in harmony with one another. You may even have several Dream Teams for different goals - that's okay. Always be on
the lookout for the best people and then ask them.
Lastly, remember this: All of us have self-doubt, but remember that your Dream Team sees more in you than you see in yourself. You're there to cheer each other on, to encourage one another when you become weary, to identify bad habits and help change them. The members in your Dream Team tell you the truth so that you can be all that you can be. Together, you and your Dream Team can master and conquer anything.
Action Step: In closing I'd like to offer one simple exercise from "How
To Think Bigger Than You Ever Thought You Could Think" that I'd like you to complete in the week ahead: When you envision your dream life, with whom do you see yourself working and associating? Who are your friends? What characteristics do your Dream Team members possess? It is necessary for you to visualize the kind of people you plan to bring into your life, because these are the people you will attract to you.
This exercise is simple. Sit in your favourite chair, in a quiet room with your favourite inspirational music playing. Have a pen and notebook handy. Now sit back, close your eyes and see your life as you want it to be.
Who's there with you at work and at play? Who are the people in your industry that you admire most? Who do you want to learn from? Who do you want to laugh with? Who do you want to call "friend?" What attributes would these people have? Would they be joyful, funny, talented, positive, unselfish, energetic?
Make a list of 50 prestigious, influential, and powerful people, with whom you want to work, play, grow and do business. This may take a while, but it is one of the most important stepping-stones to achieving the life you envision.
Fore!
Barely twenty minutes after teeing off a woman walks into the clubhouse and she's grimacing in pain.
"What's the matter?” The club pro asked
" I got stung by a bee!" the woman replied.
"Where?" The club pro asked.
"Between the first and second holes!" answered the lady golfer.
"Hmmmmm," The pro said, " Sounds like your stance is a little too wide."
"What's the matter?” The club pro asked
" I got stung by a bee!" the woman replied.
"Where?" The club pro asked.
"Between the first and second holes!" answered the lady golfer.
"Hmmmmm," The pro said, " Sounds like your stance is a little too wide."
Twin compliance plates continued
The twin plate took the following form.
Note that the plate now explicitly defines the car range, the model and a fuller description - ‘XBFALCON 4DRSED’.
Similarily the XB hardtop
And the XA hardtop, when fitted with the twin plates.
Hardtops now had as a description ‘2DRSED’.
Note that the plate now explicitly defines the car range, the model and a fuller description - ‘XBFALCON 4DRSED’.
Similarily the XB hardtop
And the XA hardtop, when fitted with the twin plates.
Hardtops now had as a description ‘2DRSED’.
Quotable quotes
“Look for all the positives and negatives of a situation, and then go back to one thing – what your heart tells you” Chris Weinke – football player
That hurts!
A young woman went to her doctor complaining of pain.
"Where are you hurting?" asked the doctor.
"You have to help me, I hurt all over", said the woman.
"What do you mean, all over?" asked the doctor, "be a little more specific."
The woman touched her right knee with her index finger and yelled, "Ow, that hurts." Then she touched her left cheek and again yelled, "Ouch! That hurts, too." Then she touched her right earlobe, "Ow, even THAT hurts", she cried. The doctor checked her thoughtfully for a moment and told her his diagnosis, "You have a broken finger."
"Where are you hurting?" asked the doctor.
"You have to help me, I hurt all over", said the woman.
"What do you mean, all over?" asked the doctor, "be a little more specific."
The woman touched her right knee with her index finger and yelled, "Ow, that hurts." Then she touched her left cheek and again yelled, "Ouch! That hurts, too." Then she touched her right earlobe, "Ow, even THAT hurts", she cried. The doctor checked her thoughtfully for a moment and told her his diagnosis, "You have a broken finger."
The move to two compliance plates
During production of the XA, to comply with new regulations effective from January, 1973, Ford changed to twin plates, which carried on to the XB.
A 1973 XA RPO
A 1975 XB GT
A 1973 XA RPO
A 1975 XB GT
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Before "Lightning" Strikes
Please answer honestly, and pay attention -- the questions are tricky. Answer yes or no.
1. Have you ever disciplined a student at school?
2. Have you ever disciplined the same student more than once?
3. Do you feel like you spend the majority of your discipline-time handling the same group of students… over and over again?
4. Do you have these students’ parents’ phone numbers on speed-dial on your phone?
5. Does the sight of these students in the hallways induce some sort of an involuntary physical response in you, perhaps gastrointestinal?
6. Have you had serious chats with your spouse, children, neighbours, neighbours’ children, and other faraway acquaintances and asked them to not name their unborn children the same names as these students?
If you answered “Yes” to any (or, more likely, all) of the questions above, congratulations! You’re officially a principal.
If you answered “No” to any (or all) of the questions above, there’s only one question left: How’s the weather there in Lake Wobegon?
A widely acknowledged reality in education is that children, on occasion, misbehave. This is no big deal, as we have structures set up in schools to handle misbehaviours and the students responsible for them. Most schools have a set of consequences, a formal behaviour gradient, and/or a progressive discipline plan. And to administer the lion’s share of this discipline, most schools have… a principal. Well, discipline is a funny thing. When we take a good look at the data, in most of our schools we find that a striking minority wreak the majority of the havoc. So we principals spend an inordinate amount of time on the phone with a few students’ parents, chasing the same runners down the hallway, supervising them in the office, holding them back from a tantrum, blocking them from leaving the building, ushering them away from conflicts, counselling them against their bad choices.
It’s an exhausting cycle: students cause mischief, we react to misbehaviours, we punish the students, we restore order and wait for the students to cause more and greater mischief. Around and around we go with the Frequent Fliers. The Repeat Offenders. The Office Boomerangs. The Detention Crew. These are the students that have difficulty, for one reason or another, playing by the rules, following directions, and keeping themselves out of trouble. These are the Lightning Club. Because lightning can strike at any time, virtually without warning. But why wait for the lightning to strike? Why not act in a proactive manner? Benjamin Franklin didn’t invent the lightning rod in 1752 for fun, people -- he did it to help dissipate safely underground the electrical charge from lightning, thereby sparing tall buildings and other structures from certain damage. It was a proactive approach.
THE LIGHTNING CLUB IN ACTION - The Lightning Club consists of four real-life steps.
Identify the students that have the highest need for support. You might think this is the easiest step, since the children in question might be lined up outside your office door right now. Teachers and Guidance Officers might have some good input, so a key to this step is to be collaborative. Not every student that throws a pencil in class, shoves a classmate in line, or fills the urinal with Tic Tacs warrants membership -- the model can become unwieldy if the list grows too long. Keep it to the highest-need, highest-risk, highest-frequency lightning bolts.
Create a plan of success for each individual student. In collaboration with the teachers, parents, and student, sit down and isolate the top behaviour (or two) that are most negatively impacting the student’s (and/or classmates’) educational experience. Write the detailed expectations of behaviour, short-term and long-term goals, and include a series of small, sequential rewards… together. This success plan is the backbone of a productive collaborative relationship between all the stakeholders in the equation.
Make frequent, intentional positive contact with each individual student. According to the Search Institute, there are 40 developmental assets critical to the growth and success of healthy adolescents. Included in this list: support from three or more non-parent adults. These children, even more than any others, truly need to bond with key adults. So talk to them, ask how their weekends went, give them high-fives in the hallway, smile across the lunchroom at them, make a special point to ask about their schoolwork while you are conducting classroom walk-throughs, play tag on the playground with them… whatever contact you can make, make it. Then call their parents and tell them how much you enjoy seeing them smile at school. When we build those strong relationships, the positive behaviors will follow.
Follow through with the success plan faithfully, consistently, and devotedly. If you need the push, ask the Guidance Officer, another teacher, or paraprofessional to log positive-contacts with you (in a friendly, child-focused competition). Set goals for yourself to make three positive-contacts with each Lightning Club member every day. Set aside time to debrief each week’s results with the teacher and the child (and the parent, if possible) -- this can be as simple as a short “How’d the week go?” form and a quick phone call home. Of course, it is also essential to provide the small rewards on schedule. Celebrate successes and reinvigorate the stakeholders as often as possible -- again, success begets success: positive behaviours will follow. No one likes being struck by lightning. But remember, Harry Wong fans, these are misbehaviors, not mischildren.
1. Have you ever disciplined a student at school?
2. Have you ever disciplined the same student more than once?
3. Do you feel like you spend the majority of your discipline-time handling the same group of students… over and over again?
4. Do you have these students’ parents’ phone numbers on speed-dial on your phone?
5. Does the sight of these students in the hallways induce some sort of an involuntary physical response in you, perhaps gastrointestinal?
6. Have you had serious chats with your spouse, children, neighbours, neighbours’ children, and other faraway acquaintances and asked them to not name their unborn children the same names as these students?
If you answered “Yes” to any (or, more likely, all) of the questions above, congratulations! You’re officially a principal.
If you answered “No” to any (or all) of the questions above, there’s only one question left: How’s the weather there in Lake Wobegon?
A widely acknowledged reality in education is that children, on occasion, misbehave. This is no big deal, as we have structures set up in schools to handle misbehaviours and the students responsible for them. Most schools have a set of consequences, a formal behaviour gradient, and/or a progressive discipline plan. And to administer the lion’s share of this discipline, most schools have… a principal. Well, discipline is a funny thing. When we take a good look at the data, in most of our schools we find that a striking minority wreak the majority of the havoc. So we principals spend an inordinate amount of time on the phone with a few students’ parents, chasing the same runners down the hallway, supervising them in the office, holding them back from a tantrum, blocking them from leaving the building, ushering them away from conflicts, counselling them against their bad choices.
It’s an exhausting cycle: students cause mischief, we react to misbehaviours, we punish the students, we restore order and wait for the students to cause more and greater mischief. Around and around we go with the Frequent Fliers. The Repeat Offenders. The Office Boomerangs. The Detention Crew. These are the students that have difficulty, for one reason or another, playing by the rules, following directions, and keeping themselves out of trouble. These are the Lightning Club. Because lightning can strike at any time, virtually without warning. But why wait for the lightning to strike? Why not act in a proactive manner? Benjamin Franklin didn’t invent the lightning rod in 1752 for fun, people -- he did it to help dissipate safely underground the electrical charge from lightning, thereby sparing tall buildings and other structures from certain damage. It was a proactive approach.
THE LIGHTNING CLUB IN ACTION - The Lightning Club consists of four real-life steps.
Identify the students that have the highest need for support. You might think this is the easiest step, since the children in question might be lined up outside your office door right now. Teachers and Guidance Officers might have some good input, so a key to this step is to be collaborative. Not every student that throws a pencil in class, shoves a classmate in line, or fills the urinal with Tic Tacs warrants membership -- the model can become unwieldy if the list grows too long. Keep it to the highest-need, highest-risk, highest-frequency lightning bolts.
Create a plan of success for each individual student. In collaboration with the teachers, parents, and student, sit down and isolate the top behaviour (or two) that are most negatively impacting the student’s (and/or classmates’) educational experience. Write the detailed expectations of behaviour, short-term and long-term goals, and include a series of small, sequential rewards… together. This success plan is the backbone of a productive collaborative relationship between all the stakeholders in the equation.
Make frequent, intentional positive contact with each individual student. According to the Search Institute, there are 40 developmental assets critical to the growth and success of healthy adolescents. Included in this list: support from three or more non-parent adults. These children, even more than any others, truly need to bond with key adults. So talk to them, ask how their weekends went, give them high-fives in the hallway, smile across the lunchroom at them, make a special point to ask about their schoolwork while you are conducting classroom walk-throughs, play tag on the playground with them… whatever contact you can make, make it. Then call their parents and tell them how much you enjoy seeing them smile at school. When we build those strong relationships, the positive behaviors will follow.
Follow through with the success plan faithfully, consistently, and devotedly. If you need the push, ask the Guidance Officer, another teacher, or paraprofessional to log positive-contacts with you (in a friendly, child-focused competition). Set goals for yourself to make three positive-contacts with each Lightning Club member every day. Set aside time to debrief each week’s results with the teacher and the child (and the parent, if possible) -- this can be as simple as a short “How’d the week go?” form and a quick phone call home. Of course, it is also essential to provide the small rewards on schedule. Celebrate successes and reinvigorate the stakeholders as often as possible -- again, success begets success: positive behaviours will follow. No one likes being struck by lightning. But remember, Harry Wong fans, these are misbehaviors, not mischildren.
What was that for?
A guy is reading his paper when his wife walks up behind him and smacks him on the back of the head with a frying pan.
He asks, "What was that for?"
She says, "I found a piece of paper in your pocket with 'Betty Sue' written on it."
He says, "Jeez, honey, remember last week when I went to the track? 'Betty Sue' was the name of the horse I went there to bet on." She shrugs and walks away. Three days later he's reading his paper when she walks up behind him and smacks him on the back of the head again with the frying pan.
He asks, "What was that for?"
She answers, "Your horse called."
He asks, "What was that for?"
She says, "I found a piece of paper in your pocket with 'Betty Sue' written on it."
He says, "Jeez, honey, remember last week when I went to the track? 'Betty Sue' was the name of the horse I went there to bet on." She shrugs and walks away. Three days later he's reading his paper when she walks up behind him and smacks him on the back of the head again with the frying pan.
He asks, "What was that for?"
She answers, "Your horse called."
Compliance plate gaffes
Sometimes they get the body style code number - the third and fourth digits - in the VIN completely wrong!
Considering the two plates from yesterday are both July, 1972 and are only separated by 16 digits in the VIN sequential number, the guy stamping the plates must have been having a bad day.
Note also that the layout of the 1970 data plate - below - is different from the 1971/72 plate, as shown immediately above.
Considering the two plates from yesterday are both July, 1972 and are only separated by 16 digits in the VIN sequential number, the guy stamping the plates must have been having a bad day.
Note also that the layout of the 1970 data plate - below - is different from the 1971/72 plate, as shown immediately above.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Seek the inner cause of problems
"When you arrive at your future, will you blame your past?" -- Robert Half
What holds you back from being and doing more? In your journal, list what you believe is holding you back.
Have you blamed people or factors outside of yourself? It's important to understand that ALL problems are rooted inside us. Even the blocks that appear to be outside of us are only reflecting back an issue we have inside that we have not yet owned. Once we address our inner issue, the outer situation no longer troubles us.
The buck always stops with us. We step into our power when we accept responsibility for our lives.
"The most self-destructive thought that any person can have is thinking that he or she is not in total control of his or her life. That's when, ‘Why me?’ becomes a theme song." - Roger Dawson
"...look at that word blame. It's just a coincidence that the last two letters spell the word me. But that coincidence is worth thinking about. Other people or unfortunate circumstances may have caused you to feel pain, but only you control whether you allow that pain to go on. If you want those feelings to go away, you have to say: ‘It's up to me.’" - Arthur Freeman
"Don't make excuses -- make good." - Elbert Hubbard
What holds you back from being and doing more? In your journal, list what you believe is holding you back.
Have you blamed people or factors outside of yourself? It's important to understand that ALL problems are rooted inside us. Even the blocks that appear to be outside of us are only reflecting back an issue we have inside that we have not yet owned. Once we address our inner issue, the outer situation no longer troubles us.
The buck always stops with us. We step into our power when we accept responsibility for our lives.
"The most self-destructive thought that any person can have is thinking that he or she is not in total control of his or her life. That's when, ‘Why me?’ becomes a theme song." - Roger Dawson
"...look at that word blame. It's just a coincidence that the last two letters spell the word me. But that coincidence is worth thinking about. Other people or unfortunate circumstances may have caused you to feel pain, but only you control whether you allow that pain to go on. If you want those feelings to go away, you have to say: ‘It's up to me.’" - Arthur Freeman
"Don't make excuses -- make good." - Elbert Hubbard
Oldie, but a goldie
A man found a magic genie who would grant him one wish. The man said to the genie,” I wish that I had a non-stop bridge from here to Hawaii."
The genie said,” I’m sorry, but that's going to be very hard. Do you have another wish?"
The man answered, "Of course! I want the power to understand all women."
The genie thought for a minute. He replied, "How many platforms did you want on that bridge?"
The genie said,” I’m sorry, but that's going to be very hard. Do you have another wish?"
The man answered, "Of course! I want the power to understand all women."
The genie thought for a minute. He replied, "How many platforms did you want on that bridge?"
Compliance plates 6
There could, however, be anomalies, like this early March, 1972 car described in full - very unusual for an XA - as a ‘FALCON XA GT.’
Or this July, 1972 XA four door GT which is described as a ‘FALCON 500 GT..’
Or this May, 72 XA GS four door.
Or this July, 1972 XA four door GT which is described as a ‘FALCON 500 GT..’
Or this May, 72 XA GS four door.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Quotable quotes
"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment." - Henry David Thoreau
How much?
On the first day of college, the Dean addressed the students:
"The female dormitory is out-of-bounds for all male students, and the male dormitory to the female students. Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $20 the first time. The second time you will be fined $60. A third time will cost you a fine of $180. Are there any questions?"
A male student inquired, "How much for a season pass?"
"The female dormitory is out-of-bounds for all male students, and the male dormitory to the female students. Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $20 the first time. The second time you will be fined $60. A third time will cost you a fine of $180. Are there any questions?"
A male student inquired, "How much for a season pass?"
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Backwards Day Party
Most all your students have walked backward, or worn their baseball caps backward, but have they ever done everything backward? They’re sure to have a giggling good time on Backwards Day! Plan a Backwards Day party. It's a fun activity for a rainy day, April Fool's Day, or any day. On Backwards Day, invite your students to wear their clothes backward. Greet them at the door by saying, "Good-bye."
Have everyone use crayons to print or trace their names on a piece of paper. Then hold the piece of paper in front of a mirror. What do students notice? (Their names appear backwards.)
Have everyone use crayons to print or trace their names on a piece of paper. Then hold the piece of paper in front of a mirror. What do students notice? (Their names appear backwards.)
I don't feel a thing
A married couple rushed to the hospital because the woman was in labor the doctor asked the couple, "I have invented a new machine that you might want to try, it takes some of the labor pains away from the mother and gives it to the father."
So the married couple decided that they would try this. So the doctor hooked the machine up and put it on 10% of pain switched from the mother to the father and the husband said, "I feel okay turn it up a lot more," so the doctor turned it up to 50% and the husband said, "why don’t you just put it all on me cause I’m not feeling a thing," but the doctor warned them, "this much could kill you if your not prepared."
The husband replied, "I am ready," so the doctor turned the machine up to 100% but the husband didn’t fell a thing so they went home happy with a pain free labor, but when they got home the mailman was dead on the front porch.
So the married couple decided that they would try this. So the doctor hooked the machine up and put it on 10% of pain switched from the mother to the father and the husband said, "I feel okay turn it up a lot more," so the doctor turned it up to 50% and the husband said, "why don’t you just put it all on me cause I’m not feeling a thing," but the doctor warned them, "this much could kill you if your not prepared."
The husband replied, "I am ready," so the doctor turned the machine up to 100% but the husband didn’t fell a thing so they went home happy with a pain free labor, but when they got home the mailman was dead on the front porch.
Compliance plates 4
Here, for comparison, is a plate for a ‘FALCON GT’ of the XY model range. Being only four door cars ‘SED(an)’ would appear to be implied.
Or, you could describe it as a ‘FALCON G.T’
Or, you could describe it as a ‘FALCON G.T’
Quotable quotes
“Look for all the positives and negatives of a situation, and then go back to one thing – what your heart tells you” Chris Weinke – football player
Genie
A man and an ostrich walk into a restaurant. The waitress asks, "What will it be?"
The man replied "a burger and a coke."
"And you?"
"I'll have the same," the ostrich replies.
They finish their meal and pay.
"That will be $4.50," The man reached into his pocket and pulled out the exact amount. They do this every day till Fri.
"The usual?" she asked. "No, today is Friday. I'll have steak and a coke."
"Me too." says the ostrich.
They finish and pay.
"That will be $10.95"
The man reached in and pulls out the exact amount again just like all week.
The waitress was dumb-founded. "How is it that you always have the exact amount?"
"Well," says the man. "I was cleaning my attic and I found a dusty lamp. I rubbed it and a genie appeared."
"Wow!" said the waitress. "What did you wish for?"
"I asked that when I needed to pay for something, the exact amount would appear in my pocket."
"Amazing! Most people would ask for a million dollars. But what's with the ostrich?"
"Well," said the man. "I also asked for a chick with long legs."
The man replied "a burger and a coke."
"And you?"
"I'll have the same," the ostrich replies.
They finish their meal and pay.
"That will be $4.50," The man reached into his pocket and pulled out the exact amount. They do this every day till Fri.
"The usual?" she asked. "No, today is Friday. I'll have steak and a coke."
"Me too." says the ostrich.
They finish and pay.
"That will be $10.95"
The man reached in and pulls out the exact amount again just like all week.
The waitress was dumb-founded. "How is it that you always have the exact amount?"
"Well," says the man. "I was cleaning my attic and I found a dusty lamp. I rubbed it and a genie appeared."
"Wow!" said the waitress. "What did you wish for?"
"I asked that when I needed to pay for something, the exact amount would appear in my pocket."
"Amazing! Most people would ask for a million dollars. But what's with the ostrich?"
"Well," said the man. "I also asked for a chick with long legs."
More compliance plates
This plate is from a later period, November 1972.
And has the same description as used for the four door sedan G.T. as below.
And has the same description as used for the four door sedan G.T. as below.
Monday, May 21, 2007
The Case of the Silent Loudspeaker
By Jay Mathews
Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, March 6, 2007;
If D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and other big city leaders want to know what is missing from their plans to remake their schools, they might ask Colleen Dippel why she popped open a ceiling tile and cut the wires to her classroom loudspeaker while trying to teach low-income Houston fifth-graders 10 years ago. She didn't tell anyone what she had done. When asked why she had not responded to some broadcast instruction, she looked puzzled and said her loudspeaker seemed to be broken. It was an urban school, so no one bothered to fix it. She used the extra bits of uninterrupted learning time to focus on math word problems and reading novels and several other techniques that captured her students' interest, and raised their achievement levels significantly. The amount of time taken up by loudspeaker announcements each day is small, but it adds up. It also reinforces the notion that classroom time is not so important that it can't be interrupted for trivialities and sugary entertainment.
A new study by Elena Silva of the D.C.-based think tank Education Sector says although the movement to increase the length of the school day may help raise student achievement, particularly in urban districts like D.C., it is at least as important to focus on how we use each minute of the current standard school day -- six and a half precious hours. This is the view of people like Dippel, who as an educational consultant has told her loudspeaker story many times. Thousands of teachers across the country like Dippel are gathering the courage to say "I needed that time to teach" when scolded for disabling or ignoring the most irritating administrative distractions.
It would be nice to hear these important people say that the best administrators are the ones we never hear about, the ones who do most of their work in classrooms rather than at press conferences, and who might actually help their teachers remove those loudspeakers so their students would have more time for Harper Lee and quadratic equations and the life of Martin Luther King Jr..
Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, March 6, 2007;
If D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and other big city leaders want to know what is missing from their plans to remake their schools, they might ask Colleen Dippel why she popped open a ceiling tile and cut the wires to her classroom loudspeaker while trying to teach low-income Houston fifth-graders 10 years ago. She didn't tell anyone what she had done. When asked why she had not responded to some broadcast instruction, she looked puzzled and said her loudspeaker seemed to be broken. It was an urban school, so no one bothered to fix it. She used the extra bits of uninterrupted learning time to focus on math word problems and reading novels and several other techniques that captured her students' interest, and raised their achievement levels significantly. The amount of time taken up by loudspeaker announcements each day is small, but it adds up. It also reinforces the notion that classroom time is not so important that it can't be interrupted for trivialities and sugary entertainment.
A new study by Elena Silva of the D.C.-based think tank Education Sector says although the movement to increase the length of the school day may help raise student achievement, particularly in urban districts like D.C., it is at least as important to focus on how we use each minute of the current standard school day -- six and a half precious hours. This is the view of people like Dippel, who as an educational consultant has told her loudspeaker story many times. Thousands of teachers across the country like Dippel are gathering the courage to say "I needed that time to teach" when scolded for disabling or ignoring the most irritating administrative distractions.
It would be nice to hear these important people say that the best administrators are the ones we never hear about, the ones who do most of their work in classrooms rather than at press conferences, and who might actually help their teachers remove those loudspeakers so their students would have more time for Harper Lee and quadratic equations and the life of Martin Luther King Jr..
Tactics
A tactical wife is one who makes sure she spends so much on herself that her husband can't afford another woman.
Compliance plates 2
The information on the plate took the following form.
Note that description on the tag is ‘FAIRMONT SED(an)’ which implies a four door car, whereas, in fact, it decodes to be a Fairmont hardtop or coupe.
Similarily, an XA GT hardtop has the description ‘FALCON GT SED’.
Note that description on the tag is ‘FAIRMONT SED(an)’ which implies a four door car, whereas, in fact, it decodes to be a Fairmont hardtop or coupe.
Similarily, an XA GT hardtop has the description ‘FALCON GT SED’.
If You Can't Find Time For Recreation, Sooner Or Later Your Body Will Make Time For Illness
You may be proud of how hard you work and how much work you accomplish. I know I am. But I also know there's a limit. You and I can't keep on working, day and night, five-six- seven days a week forever. Eventually, the body will say "enough is enough".
Years ago there was a saying that "all work and no play makes a person dull. Today, it's probably more accurate to say that "all work and no play makes a person dead. "In fact, Japan has a special government program to compensate widows and widowers whose spouses literally work themselves to death.
Unfortunately, it's not easy to find time for recreation. We're all so busy these days. There's more work than ever and fewer people to do it. And, to make it even more difficult, companies tend to reward people whose lives are totally out of balance. They're given more respect and bigger pay cheques.
So what should you do if you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, burned out, or off balance? First, realize you'll never be finished, and that's okay. No matter how hard you work, you'll never get it all done. Even on the day you die, there'll still be a few things in your in box you didn't get to.
Perhaps you were raised like I was. My father always said "First you work, then you play. Get all your work done, and then you can relax. "While that's not bad advice, it is irresponsible advice in today's world. You and I will never be done, and we must realize that's okay. It really is.
Once you accept that, the second thing you must do is schedule some recreation. It sounds strange to put some free time or fun time on your calendar, but I've learned if it's not on the calendar, it doesn't happen. So plan some time and then take some time for recreation before you end up with "wreckreation".
And finally, refuse to be proud of your busyness. As Lee Iacocca said, "Over the years, I've had many executives come to me and say with pride: 'Boy, last year I worked so hard that I didn't take any vacation. 'It's nothing to be proud of.
I always feel like responding: 'You dummy. You mean to tell me that you can take responsibility for an $80 million project and you can't plan two weeks out of the year to go off with your family and have some fun...?'"
Action on work-life balance:
This week put an hour of recreation on your calendar. Schedule an activity that you will do just for the health of it. The only criterion you must follow is that whatever you choose, it must be something that will make you feel re- created or re-energized afterwards. Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame.
Years ago there was a saying that "all work and no play makes a person dull. Today, it's probably more accurate to say that "all work and no play makes a person dead. "In fact, Japan has a special government program to compensate widows and widowers whose spouses literally work themselves to death.
Unfortunately, it's not easy to find time for recreation. We're all so busy these days. There's more work than ever and fewer people to do it. And, to make it even more difficult, companies tend to reward people whose lives are totally out of balance. They're given more respect and bigger pay cheques.
So what should you do if you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, burned out, or off balance? First, realize you'll never be finished, and that's okay. No matter how hard you work, you'll never get it all done. Even on the day you die, there'll still be a few things in your in box you didn't get to.
Perhaps you were raised like I was. My father always said "First you work, then you play. Get all your work done, and then you can relax. "While that's not bad advice, it is irresponsible advice in today's world. You and I will never be done, and we must realize that's okay. It really is.
Once you accept that, the second thing you must do is schedule some recreation. It sounds strange to put some free time or fun time on your calendar, but I've learned if it's not on the calendar, it doesn't happen. So plan some time and then take some time for recreation before you end up with "wreckreation".
And finally, refuse to be proud of your busyness. As Lee Iacocca said, "Over the years, I've had many executives come to me and say with pride: 'Boy, last year I worked so hard that I didn't take any vacation. 'It's nothing to be proud of.
I always feel like responding: 'You dummy. You mean to tell me that you can take responsibility for an $80 million project and you can't plan two weeks out of the year to go off with your family and have some fun...?'"
Action on work-life balance:
This week put an hour of recreation on your calendar. Schedule an activity that you will do just for the health of it. The only criterion you must follow is that whatever you choose, it must be something that will make you feel re- created or re-energized afterwards. Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame.
Perspective
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a man below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The man below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 42 degrees north latitude and between 58 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the man, "but how did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."
The man below responded, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "how did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are exactly in the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."
The man below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 42 degrees north latitude and between 58 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the man, "but how did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."
The man below responded, "You must be a manager."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "how did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are exactly in the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."
Compliance plates
Early XA Falcons followed on from the previous XW and XY’s and used a single compliance plate, fixed to the cowl and visible from under the bonnet on the passenger side.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
7 Ways to Be a Confidence Builder
Helping people stay energised and engaged is one of the key challenges for leaders. And every interaction we have with others whether, one to one or one to group, can erode or strengthen this.
Here are some of the actions and approaches, identified from that research, that help build confidence:
• Get results on the board. Success does build success. While talking optimistically and positively are important, achieving what you set out to achieve is a great confidence builder. That is why setting achievable goals and going for initial small wins are so helpful in creating positive momentum. And it is why measuring progress on goals helps to create that sense of success. The old thermometer for measuring charity fund raising initiatives illustrates how important it is to see clear progress.
• Be Clear. If the direction and priorities are clear, if communication is open, vagueness and confusion are banished. Lack of focus and lack of clarity lead to confusion, procrastination and lack of results. When people are clear about where they are going energy and effort can be clearly channelled.
• Be inclusive. Helping people be 'in' on what's happening builds trust and grows confidence. Confidence that they can be trusted with perhaps sensitive information and confidence because their opinion on issues is invited and welcomed.
• Be fair. When people are treated with consistency, when performance management issues are addressed fairly confidence grows. When they are ignored in the hope they go away confidence in the leader is eroded.
• Know your Stuff. You build confidence if you demonstrate technical 'know how'. Not being across your brief will undermine confidence fast.
• Accentuate the Positive. Be confident and positive yourself. Enthusiasm is contagious and attractive and your positive voice and body language draws others into an upward spiral. And when things go wrong, learn your lessons and move on, not ignoring problems but keeping a focus on the future and what you can change and influence. The past never gets any better, or worse, but some people linger there too long. Keep things moving forward.
• Say Thank You. A colleague once shared his simple rule for success in the world of work... Show up on time. Do what you say you will do. Say 'please' and 'thank you'. And for leaders this last piece is particularly important, easy to do... and somehow forgotten. When your team members feel respected and appreciated positive feelings are generated and they grow. When people are growing they are more likely to be enjoying what they do and giving more of their discretionary energy to their roles. Everyone benefits from this.
Here are some of the actions and approaches, identified from that research, that help build confidence:
• Get results on the board. Success does build success. While talking optimistically and positively are important, achieving what you set out to achieve is a great confidence builder. That is why setting achievable goals and going for initial small wins are so helpful in creating positive momentum. And it is why measuring progress on goals helps to create that sense of success. The old thermometer for measuring charity fund raising initiatives illustrates how important it is to see clear progress.
• Be Clear. If the direction and priorities are clear, if communication is open, vagueness and confusion are banished. Lack of focus and lack of clarity lead to confusion, procrastination and lack of results. When people are clear about where they are going energy and effort can be clearly channelled.
• Be inclusive. Helping people be 'in' on what's happening builds trust and grows confidence. Confidence that they can be trusted with perhaps sensitive information and confidence because their opinion on issues is invited and welcomed.
• Be fair. When people are treated with consistency, when performance management issues are addressed fairly confidence grows. When they are ignored in the hope they go away confidence in the leader is eroded.
• Know your Stuff. You build confidence if you demonstrate technical 'know how'. Not being across your brief will undermine confidence fast.
• Accentuate the Positive. Be confident and positive yourself. Enthusiasm is contagious and attractive and your positive voice and body language draws others into an upward spiral. And when things go wrong, learn your lessons and move on, not ignoring problems but keeping a focus on the future and what you can change and influence. The past never gets any better, or worse, but some people linger there too long. Keep things moving forward.
• Say Thank You. A colleague once shared his simple rule for success in the world of work... Show up on time. Do what you say you will do. Say 'please' and 'thank you'. And for leaders this last piece is particularly important, easy to do... and somehow forgotten. When your team members feel respected and appreciated positive feelings are generated and they grow. When people are growing they are more likely to be enjoying what they do and giving more of their discretionary energy to their roles. Everyone benefits from this.
Bad camping
Two young idiots were camping out in the forest one night. But the mosquitoes
Were so fierce that the boys had to hide under their blankets to keep from getting bitten.
The one of the boys saw some lightning bugs. “We may as well give up,” he told his friend. “Now they are coming at us with flashlights.”
Were so fierce that the boys had to hide under their blankets to keep from getting bitten.
The one of the boys saw some lightning bugs. “We may as well give up,” he told his friend. “Now they are coming at us with flashlights.”
Winged sump mark 2
With the cancellation of the Phase4, Ford still wanted to be able to use the winged sump in their race cars, but had to prove it was a factory part, so they fitted them to production cars. This fitment appears to have been a bit hit and miss, as popular speculation says they were not just fitted to GT’s, but also to ordinary 351-equipped Falcons, and even F100 pickups. What can be stated as fact is that the winged sump was not part of the RPO83 option, as fitted to late - August/September, 1973 - XA GT’s.
Here is the original ‘4 dot’ headed, square block, CK617 engine being removed from an RPO83 car.
No wings.
Here is the original ‘4 dot’ headed, square block, CK617 engine being removed from an RPO83 car.
No wings.
The Infamous ‘Winged’ Sump
There is a whole controversy of comment and conspiracy about the infamous winged sump, and what it was fitted to. To the best of my knowledge it was originally designed by Ford to be fitted to the XA Phase4, as an attempt to help some of the oiling problems that cropped up when Ford racers began racing the XA Falcons under Group C rules. With the allowance of bigger, and hence grippier, tyres it was found that the oil in the sump was sloshing about too much, and the pump pickup was being exposed. As a solution, and also to get more oil into the sump, Ford came up with the winged sump, as shown.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
British school to offer happiness lessons
One of Britain's leading fee-paying schools is to offer classes on happiness to combat the malaise in society caused by materialism and celebrity obsession, its headteacher announced.
"We are introducing classes on happiness," said Anthony Seldon, master of Wellington College, in Crowthorne, Berkshire, west of London. "We have been focusing too much on academics and missing something far more important."
A psychologist will oversee a pilot project teaching "happiness lessons" -- or "well-being" as it is being called -- from the start of the next academic year. Pupils aged 14 to 16 will be given one lesson a week, learning skills such as how to manage relationships, physical and mental health, negative emotions and how to achieve one's ambitions.
The college's religious education staff will teach the course as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, conventional RE classes, said Seldon, who is also a political commentator and author. "To me, the most important job of any school is to turn out young men and women who are happy and secure -- more important that the latest bulletin from the Department for Education about whatever," explained Seldon.
"Celebrity, money and possessions are too often the touchstones for teenagers and yet these are not where happiness lies. "Our children need to know that as societies become richer, they don't become happier -- a fact regularly shown by social science research."
"We are introducing classes on happiness," said Anthony Seldon, master of Wellington College, in Crowthorne, Berkshire, west of London. "We have been focusing too much on academics and missing something far more important."
A psychologist will oversee a pilot project teaching "happiness lessons" -- or "well-being" as it is being called -- from the start of the next academic year. Pupils aged 14 to 16 will be given one lesson a week, learning skills such as how to manage relationships, physical and mental health, negative emotions and how to achieve one's ambitions.
The college's religious education staff will teach the course as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, conventional RE classes, said Seldon, who is also a political commentator and author. "To me, the most important job of any school is to turn out young men and women who are happy and secure -- more important that the latest bulletin from the Department for Education about whatever," explained Seldon.
"Celebrity, money and possessions are too often the touchstones for teenagers and yet these are not where happiness lies. "Our children need to know that as societies become richer, they don't become happier -- a fact regularly shown by social science research."
Two brothers
Two brothers were raised on a farm, one brother moved to town. Every year, the city brother would come out to visit the farmer brother. Every time he came out, the farmer brother was complaining about his crops. It was too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry, prices were low, the crops looked bad. As the city brother was driving out one year, he noticed the crops looking great. He had the radio on and crops were hitting an all time high. As he got out to the farm, here was the farmer brother sitting in a rocking chair with a grumpy looking on his face. The city brother asked why he was in a bad mood. The crops looked great, the right amount of rain, temp., and prices were setting records highs. The farmer brother said, you know what a crop like this takes out of the soil?
Friday, May 18, 2007
Quotable quotes
"The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense." - Thomas Edison, inventor and businessman
Help!
A man was walking down the street when he came across a body lying on the sidewalk. He ran to a phone and called 911.
The operator asked him where he was and the man replied, “I’m on Sycamore Drive.”
“How do you spell that?” the operator asked.
“S-i-c-k…” the man began. “No, s-i-c-a…..” no, s-i-k-a…. oh heck, let me drag him over to Lake street and I’ll call you back.”
The operator asked him where he was and the man replied, “I’m on Sycamore Drive.”
“How do you spell that?” the operator asked.
“S-i-c-k…” the man began. “No, s-i-c-a…..” no, s-i-k-a…. oh heck, let me drag him over to Lake street and I’ll call you back.”
Carbs continued
The Phase cars - XW Phase2 and XY Phase3 - were fitted with four barrel Holley carbs as seen here.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
More bang for your technology buck
How some school CIOs are wringing more efficiency from technology solutions
Across the country, school technology chiefs face a difficult challenge: Confronted with the reality of shrinking federal budgets and growing technology demands, they must do more with fewer resources at their disposal.
Though few people today dispute the notion that technology, when deployed effectively, can have a profound effect on learning, many districts still struggle to provide regular access to classroom computers for all students. And yet, by taking innovative approaches to their deployment of computers, some districts have achieved remarkable success. In South Carolina's Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4, for example, district officials have leveraged the processing power of 250 existing computers to create 750 additional student workstations--at a cost of only $250 per seat.
Ohio's Green Local School District reportedly saved about $135,000 in hardware expenses when it recently added some 300 new computer terminals. And administrators at Pennsylvania's Woodland Hills School District say they saved $460,000 when they replaced half the district's aging fleet of computers just a few years ago.
Even more remarkable than these substantial savings in hardware costs is the ease of deployment and maintenance that each district reports from its solution, which could result in significant cost savings over time. How did each school system achieve these results? Read on to find out.
Cutting costs
Randy Johnson is the director of technology for Orangeburg School District 4. Tired of constantly trying to squeeze extra years out of an already overextended crop of school computers, he agreed to test a system from California-based startup NComputing Co. last year.
NComputing aims to deliver high-end computing to more users at a fraction of the cost of buying traditional PCs, by turning a single computer into a shared network of several machines. Each additional user shares the central processing unit (CPU) and memory of the host computer. Depending on the configuration they choose, schools can support up to 30 students on a single host computer, the company says. "To be frank, I was sceptical at first about how well the product would work," said Johnson. But the system worked better than he anticipated. After a brief trial period, Johnson purchased enough of the devices for him to turn 250 desktops into 1,000 fully functional workstations.
NComputing was started by former eMachines founder and CEO Stephen Dukker. After spending most of his career developing low-cost personal computers through his eMachines brand, Dukker sold the company to Gateway Inc. and decided instead to move in another direction--a direction he believes "will revolutionize the way [schools] use computers."
Dukker's idea was to develop a chip that taps into the unused or dormant processing power on an existing CPU. Not unlike the human brain, Dukker says, most personal computers employ only a very small portion of their overall processing power when in use. Rather than increase production costs by purchasing expensive processors from leading chip makers such as Intel and AMD, he said, the company found it could reduce its costs to users dramatically by designing a device that simply borrowed its processing power from existing PCs
Across the country, school technology chiefs face a difficult challenge: Confronted with the reality of shrinking federal budgets and growing technology demands, they must do more with fewer resources at their disposal.
Though few people today dispute the notion that technology, when deployed effectively, can have a profound effect on learning, many districts still struggle to provide regular access to classroom computers for all students. And yet, by taking innovative approaches to their deployment of computers, some districts have achieved remarkable success. In South Carolina's Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4, for example, district officials have leveraged the processing power of 250 existing computers to create 750 additional student workstations--at a cost of only $250 per seat.
Ohio's Green Local School District reportedly saved about $135,000 in hardware expenses when it recently added some 300 new computer terminals. And administrators at Pennsylvania's Woodland Hills School District say they saved $460,000 when they replaced half the district's aging fleet of computers just a few years ago.
Even more remarkable than these substantial savings in hardware costs is the ease of deployment and maintenance that each district reports from its solution, which could result in significant cost savings over time. How did each school system achieve these results? Read on to find out.
Cutting costs
Randy Johnson is the director of technology for Orangeburg School District 4. Tired of constantly trying to squeeze extra years out of an already overextended crop of school computers, he agreed to test a system from California-based startup NComputing Co. last year.
NComputing aims to deliver high-end computing to more users at a fraction of the cost of buying traditional PCs, by turning a single computer into a shared network of several machines. Each additional user shares the central processing unit (CPU) and memory of the host computer. Depending on the configuration they choose, schools can support up to 30 students on a single host computer, the company says. "To be frank, I was sceptical at first about how well the product would work," said Johnson. But the system worked better than he anticipated. After a brief trial period, Johnson purchased enough of the devices for him to turn 250 desktops into 1,000 fully functional workstations.
NComputing was started by former eMachines founder and CEO Stephen Dukker. After spending most of his career developing low-cost personal computers through his eMachines brand, Dukker sold the company to Gateway Inc. and decided instead to move in another direction--a direction he believes "will revolutionize the way [schools] use computers."
Dukker's idea was to develop a chip that taps into the unused or dormant processing power on an existing CPU. Not unlike the human brain, Dukker says, most personal computers employ only a very small portion of their overall processing power when in use. Rather than increase production costs by purchasing expensive processors from leading chip makers such as Intel and AMD, he said, the company found it could reduce its costs to users dramatically by designing a device that simply borrowed its processing power from existing PCs
Going out
A man and his son walk into a shoe store when the sales man asks, "How can I help you?"
The man says he has a dinner to go to and is looking for the right type of shoes. The salesman asks if he is looking for dress shoes, the little boy pipes up and says, "but my dad doesn’t wear dresses."
The man says he has a dinner to go to and is looking for the right type of shoes. The salesman asks if he is looking for dress shoes, the little boy pipes up and says, "but my dad doesn’t wear dresses."
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
10 Tips For Remembering Names
From Don Gabor's, How to Start a Conversation & Make Friends
Dale Carnegie said, "A person's name is the sweetest sound in any language." These tips will get you started on the road to remembering names. With practice, you'll discover how easy it is to master this great conversational tool.
1. Give the introduction your complete attention.
2. Establish eye contact, smile and shake hands during the introduction.
3. Don't think about what you are going to say next.
4. Listen carefully for the name and immediately repeat it aloud.
5. Associate the new person's name with someone you know or know of with the same or similar name.
6. Associate the person's name with a physical or personal characteristic.
7. Picture the letter of the first name on the person's face.
8. Use the person's name periodically and especially at the end of the conversation.
9. If you forget the name, say: "Tell me your name again." Then repeat it and think of someone you know with the same name.
10. Associate some additional detail with the person's name to help you recall it at a later date.
Dale Carnegie said, "A person's name is the sweetest sound in any language." These tips will get you started on the road to remembering names. With practice, you'll discover how easy it is to master this great conversational tool.
1. Give the introduction your complete attention.
2. Establish eye contact, smile and shake hands during the introduction.
3. Don't think about what you are going to say next.
4. Listen carefully for the name and immediately repeat it aloud.
5. Associate the new person's name with someone you know or know of with the same or similar name.
6. Associate the person's name with a physical or personal characteristic.
7. Picture the letter of the first name on the person's face.
8. Use the person's name periodically and especially at the end of the conversation.
9. If you forget the name, say: "Tell me your name again." Then repeat it and think of someone you know with the same name.
10. Associate some additional detail with the person's name to help you recall it at a later date.
French lessons
A boy was having a lot of difficulty in French class. To encourage him, his teacher said, "You'll know you're really beginning to get it when you start dreaming in French."
The boy ran into class all excited one day, saying, "Teacher, teacher! I had a dream last night and everyone was talking in French!"
"Great!" said the teacher; "what were they saying?"
"I don't know," the boy replied; "I couldn't understand them."
The boy ran into class all excited one day, saying, "Teacher, teacher! I had a dream last night and everyone was talking in French!"
"Great!" said the teacher; "what were they saying?"
"I don't know," the boy replied; "I couldn't understand them."
Autolite 4300 carby part 2
The exception to the previous post was the XW GT which was fitted with an open element air cleaner, and the choke heat shield wasn’t fitted.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Recognizing Potential
How do you recognise the potential of all the folk in your school community?
A New York businessman dropped a dollar into the cup of a man selling pencils and hurriedly stepped aboard the subway train. On second thought, he stepped back off the train, walked over to the beggar and took several pencils from the cup.
Apologetically, he explained that in his haste he had neglected to pick up his pencils and hoped the man wouldn't be upset with him. "After all," he said, "you are a businessman just like myself. You have merchandise to sell and it's fairly priced." Then he caught the next train.
At a social function a few months later, a neatly-dressed salesman stepped up to the businessman and introduced himself. "You probably don't remember me and I don't know your name, but I will never forget you. You are the man who gave me back my self-respect. I was a 'beggar' selling pencils until you came along and told me I was a businessman."
A wise person said, "A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could." How do you see others? The greatest good we can do for anyone is not to share our wealth with them, but rather to reveal their own wealth to them. It's astonishing how much talent and ability rests inside a human being. Just as the first step to success is knowing your own potential, the second step is knowing the potential of others.
Fortunately, as we recognize our own ability, it's easy to recognize the ability of others. Once we see it, we can help them discover it for themselves.
( from Zig Ziglar’s book "See You At The Top." )
A New York businessman dropped a dollar into the cup of a man selling pencils and hurriedly stepped aboard the subway train. On second thought, he stepped back off the train, walked over to the beggar and took several pencils from the cup.
Apologetically, he explained that in his haste he had neglected to pick up his pencils and hoped the man wouldn't be upset with him. "After all," he said, "you are a businessman just like myself. You have merchandise to sell and it's fairly priced." Then he caught the next train.
At a social function a few months later, a neatly-dressed salesman stepped up to the businessman and introduced himself. "You probably don't remember me and I don't know your name, but I will never forget you. You are the man who gave me back my self-respect. I was a 'beggar' selling pencils until you came along and told me I was a businessman."
A wise person said, "A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could." How do you see others? The greatest good we can do for anyone is not to share our wealth with them, but rather to reveal their own wealth to them. It's astonishing how much talent and ability rests inside a human being. Just as the first step to success is knowing your own potential, the second step is knowing the potential of others.
Fortunately, as we recognize our own ability, it's easy to recognize the ability of others. Once we see it, we can help them discover it for themselves.
( from Zig Ziglar’s book "See You At The Top." )
Autolite 4300 carburettor
Most four barrel equipped Fords, up until the XC range, and excluding some of the HO or Phase cars, were fitted with Ford’s own Autolite 4300 carburettor. There are conflicting opinions regarding this carb, but it is now generally accepted to have been a far better carb than most Holley-holics ever gave it credit for. Here are a couple of photos.
Note the Autolite tag on both carbs at the front attached by one of the carb top screws, and the vertical heat shield for the choke heat mechanism; parts that can easily get lost over the years.
Note the Autolite tag on both carbs at the front attached by one of the carb top screws, and the vertical heat shield for the choke heat mechanism; parts that can easily get lost over the years.
Don't Quit
by Vic Johnson
"Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without." -- As A Man Thinketh
For many years I have carried around a poem called Don't Quit. One of the lines says, "stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit." In our darkest hour it's hard to see the end of our circumstance. All we can think of is our conditions worsening. But it's usually at this time that our greatest growth can occur if we'll see the moment as a growth opportunity. If we'll see it as a time to learn how to control our thoughts toward an ideal that we cherish.
Remember in Science class when we learned that "a body at rest tends to remain at rest or a body in motion tends to remain in motion." This is especially true when overcoming circumstances because "paralysis" usually keeps us in the condition longer than we'd like.
But even more important, is that once we've started in motion, even though it may not seem like much, know this - it's now only a matter of time before you're out, totally out, of the situation that has got you down today.
My long-time favourite poem by an anonymous author is worth remembering today:
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill.
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
And that's worth thinking about.
"Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not remain so if you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without." -- As A Man Thinketh
For many years I have carried around a poem called Don't Quit. One of the lines says, "stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit." In our darkest hour it's hard to see the end of our circumstance. All we can think of is our conditions worsening. But it's usually at this time that our greatest growth can occur if we'll see the moment as a growth opportunity. If we'll see it as a time to learn how to control our thoughts toward an ideal that we cherish.
Remember in Science class when we learned that "a body at rest tends to remain at rest or a body in motion tends to remain in motion." This is especially true when overcoming circumstances because "paralysis" usually keeps us in the condition longer than we'd like.
But even more important, is that once we've started in motion, even though it may not seem like much, know this - it's now only a matter of time before you're out, totally out, of the situation that has got you down today.
My long-time favourite poem by an anonymous author is worth remembering today:
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill.
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
And that's worth thinking about.
Water
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
Cleveland blocks 2
The pillow block was used in XD and XE Falcon/Fairmonts and came about due a perceived need to increase the cooling capacity and capability of the Cleveland block. It was felt that as more and more cars were fitted with accesories, and specifically air-conditioning, it would be better to make some modifications to the block. These took the form of adding bulges, or pillows, to the casts to allow extra water jacket capacity.
There again seems to be some doubt about the provance of the ‘pillow’ block. Was it fitted to XD and XE’s ? Was it restricted to air-con cars only ? Was it just used on F100 trucks ?
There again seems to be some doubt about the provance of the ‘pillow’ block. Was it fitted to XD and XE’s ? Was it restricted to air-con cars only ? Was it just used on F100 trucks ?
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Why Mum is a Cheesecake
Special bonus Mothers' Day blog.
At no extra cost.
:)
She’s made from a solid base
That holds the rest together
She’s made of cheesy goodness
Concentrated, for our pleasure.
She’s chock full of melted butter
Full-flavoured and quite rich
Topped off by many fruits -
Variety, or completeness – you choose which.
And now we’ve reached the end
But I could have said it at the start
She’s includes a bit of lemon
Just a little tart.
At no extra cost.
:)
She’s made from a solid base
That holds the rest together
She’s made of cheesy goodness
Concentrated, for our pleasure.
She’s chock full of melted butter
Full-flavoured and quite rich
Topped off by many fruits -
Variety, or completeness – you choose which.
And now we’ve reached the end
But I could have said it at the start
She’s includes a bit of lemon
Just a little tart.
Can you read these correctly the first time?
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
Yippee!
There once was a man who went on a job interview. His resume was very impressive, and the interviewer was ready to hire the man. There was one problem.
“There is a period of five years missing from your resume. What were you doing then?" the interviewer asked.
The man replied, “Oh... I was in Yale" (jail)
The interviewer was quite impressed. “That’s excellent! You're hired!"
The man exclaimed, “Yippee... I got the yob!"
“There is a period of five years missing from your resume. What were you doing then?" the interviewer asked.
The man replied, “Oh... I was in Yale" (jail)
The interviewer was quite impressed. “That’s excellent! You're hired!"
The man exclaimed, “Yippee... I got the yob!"
Cleveland blocks
If my understanding is correct, as the U.S. had long ceased production of Clevelands and they were very keen to still use them in Nascar racing, they approached Ford Australia and asked them to cast up a series of blocks which had additional metal in them, which would allow some extra machining of the block, specifically some over-boring. In standard form the Cleveland was a thin wall casting which limited its over-bore capability. By casting in extra metal, there was a hope that some jiggery-pokery could be achieved. These blocks carried the casting number XE192540.
There appears to be little correlation between the XE in the cast number and the XE Falcon model except that the two appeared concurrently on the scene. Apart from thicker bore walls, the XE blocks had thicker pan rails. Unfortunately, there was a problem and the casts suffered from core shift, to such an extent that Ford U.S. rejected them as unsuitable and left Ford Australia with them. Now Ford Australia, never being ones to miss an opportunity simply used the blocks and stuck them into passenger cars and trucks where the core shift problem was not noticable under normal driving conditions. These blocks have acquired some mythical status, but some accounts show that, as proved by Ford U.S, while the extra metal may be handy, actually benefitting from its presence while building a hi-po engine can be problematic.
There appears to be little correlation between the XE in the cast number and the XE Falcon model except that the two appeared concurrently on the scene. Apart from thicker bore walls, the XE blocks had thicker pan rails. Unfortunately, there was a problem and the casts suffered from core shift, to such an extent that Ford U.S. rejected them as unsuitable and left Ford Australia with them. Now Ford Australia, never being ones to miss an opportunity simply used the blocks and stuck them into passenger cars and trucks where the core shift problem was not noticable under normal driving conditions. These blocks have acquired some mythical status, but some accounts show that, as proved by Ford U.S, while the extra metal may be handy, actually benefitting from its presence while building a hi-po engine can be problematic.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Secret to slim kids?
Just a little running around Reuters…… Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:03pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just 15 minutes a day of kicking around a ball or swimming might be enough to keep children from becoming obese, British and U.S. researchers said on Monday.
A study of 5,500 children who agreed to wear a motion sensor device showed that those who exercised more were less likely to be obese -- and that short bursts of intense activity seemed to be the most helpful.
Children who did 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise -- equivalent to a brisk walk -- were 50 percent less likely than inactive children to be obese, the researchers reported in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.
"Our data suggest that higher intensity physical activity may be more important than total activity," Andy Ness of the University of Bristol and colleagues wrote.
"This study provides some of the first robust evidence on the link between physical activity and obesity in children," Chris Riddoch of Britain's Bath University, who worked on the study, said in a statement.
"We know that diet is important, but what this research tells us is that we mustn't forget about activity. It's been really surprising to us how even small amounts of exercise appear to have dramatic results."
Obesity is on the rise in many countries, including the United States, where 60 percent of the population is overweight or obese, Britain and elsewhere in Europe.
It is clearly a matter of people eating more calories than they burn off, but experts cannot agree whether diet or exercise is more important -- and which kind of exercise might be best.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just 15 minutes a day of kicking around a ball or swimming might be enough to keep children from becoming obese, British and U.S. researchers said on Monday.
A study of 5,500 children who agreed to wear a motion sensor device showed that those who exercised more were less likely to be obese -- and that short bursts of intense activity seemed to be the most helpful.
Children who did 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise -- equivalent to a brisk walk -- were 50 percent less likely than inactive children to be obese, the researchers reported in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.
"Our data suggest that higher intensity physical activity may be more important than total activity," Andy Ness of the University of Bristol and colleagues wrote.
"This study provides some of the first robust evidence on the link between physical activity and obesity in children," Chris Riddoch of Britain's Bath University, who worked on the study, said in a statement.
"We know that diet is important, but what this research tells us is that we mustn't forget about activity. It's been really surprising to us how even small amounts of exercise appear to have dramatic results."
Obesity is on the rise in many countries, including the United States, where 60 percent of the population is overweight or obese, Britain and elsewhere in Europe.
It is clearly a matter of people eating more calories than they burn off, but experts cannot agree whether diet or exercise is more important -- and which kind of exercise might be best.
Doctor?
A man came to the emergency room with a series of long, jagged tear marks on his cheek and neck, as though he had been clawed by some large animal.
"What happened to you?" asked the doctor who was examining him.
"Chain saw accident," the man replied.
"Well, you're lucky," the doctor said; "I've seen worse."
"It wasn't turned on," the man replied.
"What happened to you?" asked the doctor who was examining him.
"Chain saw accident," the man replied.
"Well, you're lucky," the doctor said; "I've seen worse."
"It wasn't turned on," the man replied.
Engine schemes 2
The XD and XE engine, both 302C and 351C had black painted blocks and silver rocker covers and air cleaners.
While it could be easy to dismiss the later Clevelands as fitted to XD and XE’s as mere shadows of their former selves, and not worth much merit, we actually find that they can throw up as much controversy as the earlier U.S. versus Australian engines, or 4V versus 2V. Welcome to the world of ‘Nascar’ blocks and ‘pillow’ blocks.
While it could be easy to dismiss the later Clevelands as fitted to XD and XE’s as mere shadows of their former selves, and not worth much merit, we actually find that they can throw up as much controversy as the earlier U.S. versus Australian engines, or 4V versus 2V. Welcome to the world of ‘Nascar’ blocks and ‘pillow’ blocks.
Grasmick urges expanded use of comics in reading
BY LIZ BOWIE, BALTIMORE SUN REPORTER, MAY 3, 2007
Maryland's top education official is recommending that Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse start sharing the limelight with classic fiction in classrooms throughout the state. Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, an Archie fan in her youth, tried out comics in third-grade classrooms in eight elementary schools across the state last year. The experiment was so well-received that she will announce today that she wants to expand the use of graphic novels and comic strips to middle schools.
"We never said this program would supplant ... our regular basic reading program," Grasmick said, "but it could provide a huge motivation for some of our students."
Teachers have long seen comic books peeking out from a backpack or the corner of a desk or tucked between the pages of a textbook. Bringing them into the light, Grasmick hopes, will grab the imagination of boys and give teachers another way of enticing reluctant readers into good literature.
The state has worked with Disney Publishing Worldwide and Diamond Comic Distributors to put together kits for 200 classrooms in the state. Maryland teachers looked through dozens of comic books and picked those that were not violent and did not contain inappropriate language. Supporters of the concept say that comics can attract students of any age or ability, and work particularly well with those who do not enjoy reading and would rather be out playing basketball in the driveway or sitting at a computer with a video game. But experts disagree on whether using comic books to teach is a good idea.
"I don't think that is where I want my 9- or 10-year-old child spending their time in school," said Timothy Shanahan, president of the International Reading Association. Young students need practice in reading, he noted, and comic books have fewer words. "It might be a choice of reading 1,000 words versus 300 words," Shanahan said. "You don't want it to replace more substantial reading." Others see comics as just another genre, like poetry or nonfiction.
"I wouldn't want to replace books with comic books, but why is it either or?" said Susan Sonnenschein, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who studied the use of comics in the eight schools. For the pilot project, Disney took the state's standards for reading in third grade and created comics-based lesson plans that incorporated skills already being taught, such as how to understand plot and character. So when Logan Walker, 8, a third-grader at Clarksville Elementary, read comic books this month, he learned onomatopoeia and identified the traits of characters just as he had with other literature this year.
But the part of the lesson that was most fun, according to Clarksville students, was creating their own comic books. They drew the pictures and wrote the text, then pasted them into a book. "I liked thinking of the characters, like how they would act," said Natalie Ryan, 9. Many of the students' comic books tell a story that ends with a lesson. In Katie Rozier's, one girl tries to tease another, but learns a lesson when a book she placed above a door falls on the principal's head. "Oops," her comic reads. Another Howard County student wrote a comic about a pupil who doesn't do his homework and - surprise - gets bad grades. Jeremy Kaplan, 8, said that long before the comics lessons, he loved reading Calvin and Hobbs. "It impressed me that they let me read comics in school," he said.
Maryland's top education official is recommending that Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse start sharing the limelight with classic fiction in classrooms throughout the state. Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, an Archie fan in her youth, tried out comics in third-grade classrooms in eight elementary schools across the state last year. The experiment was so well-received that she will announce today that she wants to expand the use of graphic novels and comic strips to middle schools.
"We never said this program would supplant ... our regular basic reading program," Grasmick said, "but it could provide a huge motivation for some of our students."
Teachers have long seen comic books peeking out from a backpack or the corner of a desk or tucked between the pages of a textbook. Bringing them into the light, Grasmick hopes, will grab the imagination of boys and give teachers another way of enticing reluctant readers into good literature.
The state has worked with Disney Publishing Worldwide and Diamond Comic Distributors to put together kits for 200 classrooms in the state. Maryland teachers looked through dozens of comic books and picked those that were not violent and did not contain inappropriate language. Supporters of the concept say that comics can attract students of any age or ability, and work particularly well with those who do not enjoy reading and would rather be out playing basketball in the driveway or sitting at a computer with a video game. But experts disagree on whether using comic books to teach is a good idea.
"I don't think that is where I want my 9- or 10-year-old child spending their time in school," said Timothy Shanahan, president of the International Reading Association. Young students need practice in reading, he noted, and comic books have fewer words. "It might be a choice of reading 1,000 words versus 300 words," Shanahan said. "You don't want it to replace more substantial reading." Others see comics as just another genre, like poetry or nonfiction.
"I wouldn't want to replace books with comic books, but why is it either or?" said Susan Sonnenschein, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who studied the use of comics in the eight schools. For the pilot project, Disney took the state's standards for reading in third grade and created comics-based lesson plans that incorporated skills already being taught, such as how to understand plot and character. So when Logan Walker, 8, a third-grader at Clarksville Elementary, read comic books this month, he learned onomatopoeia and identified the traits of characters just as he had with other literature this year.
But the part of the lesson that was most fun, according to Clarksville students, was creating their own comic books. They drew the pictures and wrote the text, then pasted them into a book. "I liked thinking of the characters, like how they would act," said Natalie Ryan, 9. Many of the students' comic books tell a story that ends with a lesson. In Katie Rozier's, one girl tries to tease another, but learns a lesson when a book she placed above a door falls on the principal's head. "Oops," her comic reads. Another Howard County student wrote a comic about a pupil who doesn't do his homework and - surprise - gets bad grades. Jeremy Kaplan, 8, said that long before the comics lessons, he loved reading Calvin and Hobbs. "It impressed me that they let me read comics in school," he said.
The Substitute Tooth Fairy
I was leaving for a two-day conference, and my seven-year-old daughter, Katherine, was becoming overly clinging and teary. I was mystified at her emotional reaction until I heard her say to my husband, "Daddy, I have a loose tooth. If it falls out while Mommy is gone, do you know how to handle this tooth fairy thing?"
XB Globes
These Option 54, XC Cobra and the early 72 XY Globes, are also known as the ‘flat lip’ or ‘flat rim’ Globes. Take a look at the following photograph of a Bathurst Globe fitted to an XB GT.
Note that there is no lip to the outer circumference of the rim. The polished area runs right out to the edge of the wheel by the tyre. Note also the large diameter centre cap held on by the five screws.
Note that there is no lip to the outer circumference of the rim. The polished area runs right out to the edge of the wheel by the tyre. Note also the large diameter centre cap held on by the five screws.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Courage
Excerpt from, "Psychology of the Hero Soul," by Sharif Khan, author of "Psychology of the Hero Soul," an inspirational book on awakening the Hero within and developing your leadership potential.
"Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway." -- John Wayne
"Courage is the cliche hallmark attributed to the hero. I say cliche because people talk about courage as if it is some mysterious force only a hero is born with. Courage is a vague and fleeting concept for many people because they lack it themselves.
People lack courage because they lack knowledge. They have no idea where the true source of courage comes from. Even worse, they don't know it and continue to live in fear. As Socrates pointed out, 'People not only don't know, but they don't know that they don't know.'
This is why so many people on earth live in fear. Fear of death. Fear of life. Fear of living their nightmares. And fear of living their dreams. Most people are followers because they lack self-confidence and live in constant fear.
Anyone who is brave and can show them how to overcome fear, they follow and respect. But... anyone that reminds people of their own fear, they attack and abuse viciously! This is human nature in its lowest, animal form.
What is fear? Fear is the perception or misperception of the unknown. Perception of how we negatively view reality, but not reality itself. I once heard somewhere, a useful acronym for FEAR: False Evidence that Appears Real. The 'false evidence' being our own manufactured worries, doubts, and negative images often of events that haven't even taken place yet.
William Shakespeare understood this principle well when he said, 'Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.'
The cause of fear is lack of knowledge. Therefore, 'knowledge is the antidote to fear' according to the great American hero philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. That is why heroes are brave souls. They immerse themselves with knowledge, plus knowledge, plus knowledge.
Heroes know that they don't know, but are willing to learn. They are humble and learn from everyone regardless of rank or status. Leaders know their potential. Followers ignore their potential. Courage and self-confidence comes from knowledge and self-knowledge...
This being said, no human hero is entirely fearless. Great heroes are not born fearless and brave. Nelson Mandela had this to say about courage: 'I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it... I felt fear myself more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of boldness. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.'"
"Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway." -- John Wayne
"Courage is the cliche hallmark attributed to the hero. I say cliche because people talk about courage as if it is some mysterious force only a hero is born with. Courage is a vague and fleeting concept for many people because they lack it themselves.
People lack courage because they lack knowledge. They have no idea where the true source of courage comes from. Even worse, they don't know it and continue to live in fear. As Socrates pointed out, 'People not only don't know, but they don't know that they don't know.'
This is why so many people on earth live in fear. Fear of death. Fear of life. Fear of living their nightmares. And fear of living their dreams. Most people are followers because they lack self-confidence and live in constant fear.
Anyone who is brave and can show them how to overcome fear, they follow and respect. But... anyone that reminds people of their own fear, they attack and abuse viciously! This is human nature in its lowest, animal form.
What is fear? Fear is the perception or misperception of the unknown. Perception of how we negatively view reality, but not reality itself. I once heard somewhere, a useful acronym for FEAR: False Evidence that Appears Real. The 'false evidence' being our own manufactured worries, doubts, and negative images often of events that haven't even taken place yet.
William Shakespeare understood this principle well when he said, 'Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.'
The cause of fear is lack of knowledge. Therefore, 'knowledge is the antidote to fear' according to the great American hero philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. That is why heroes are brave souls. They immerse themselves with knowledge, plus knowledge, plus knowledge.
Heroes know that they don't know, but are willing to learn. They are humble and learn from everyone regardless of rank or status. Leaders know their potential. Followers ignore their potential. Courage and self-confidence comes from knowledge and self-knowledge...
This being said, no human hero is entirely fearless. Great heroes are not born fearless and brave. Nelson Mandela had this to say about courage: 'I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it... I felt fear myself more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of boldness. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.'"
I bet I can bite my eye
Two men are drinking in a bar. One turns to the other and says, "I bet you $100 that I can bite my eye."
The second fellow thinks to himself, I guess he's had about enough, so he replies, "OK, you're on."
The first man takes out his glass eye and bites it. So the second man has to pay. A while later the first man says, "I bet you $100 I can bite my other eye."
The second man thinks, well, he can't have TWO glass eyes; he obviously can see. So he says, "All right, you're on."
The second man promptly takes out his false teeth and bites his other eye.
The second fellow thinks to himself, I guess he's had about enough, so he replies, "OK, you're on."
The first man takes out his glass eye and bites it. So the second man has to pay. A while later the first man says, "I bet you $100 I can bite my other eye."
The second man thinks, well, he can't have TWO glass eyes; he obviously can see. So he says, "All right, you're on."
The second man promptly takes out his false teeth and bites his other eye.
Engine schemes
It is worth pointing out too, that from the XW to the XC, all of the Cleveland engines had their blocks painted dark Ford Corporate Blue. Four barrel equipped cars also had their rocker covers painted Ford Blue - as seen in most of the photos above - but two barrel carb’d 351C’s as fitted to XA and XB’s had their rocker covers painted orange, as seen below.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
What drives you?
"Your life has to do with the agenda that has been set for you by you, by that part of you that we’ve come to call, in our language, your soul." -- Neale Donald Walsch
Our purpose in life has a spiritual foundation. Our MAJOR LIFE ISSUES are usually of 3 types:
- physical and POWER-ORIENTED, like making our stand and being more courageous.
- emotional and LOVE-ORIENTED, like expressing and receiving love, compassion and nurturing others.
- mental and INTELLECT-ORIENTED, like developing our minds and creating new things and processes.
"Our prayers are answered not when we are given what we ask, but when we are challenged to be what we can be." -- Morris Adler
Our purpose in life has a spiritual foundation. Our MAJOR LIFE ISSUES are usually of 3 types:
- physical and POWER-ORIENTED, like making our stand and being more courageous.
- emotional and LOVE-ORIENTED, like expressing and receiving love, compassion and nurturing others.
- mental and INTELLECT-ORIENTED, like developing our minds and creating new things and processes.
"Our prayers are answered not when we are given what we ask, but when we are challenged to be what we can be." -- Morris Adler
I
TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with "I."
MILLIE: I is...
TEACHER: No, Millie.... . Always say, "I am."
MILLIE: All right... "I am the ninth letter of the alphabet."
MILLIE: I is...
TEACHER: No, Millie.... . Always say, "I am."
MILLIE: All right... "I am the ninth letter of the alphabet."
Air cleaners part 9
Then the engine size was now metricised, as below.
XD and XE Falcons fitted with the metricised 5.8 litre engine had their own unique design of air cleaner.
Here is the red displacement graphic on the XD-XE air cleaner.
XD and XE Falcons fitted with the metricised 5.8 litre engine had their own unique design of air cleaner.
Here is the red displacement graphic on the XD-XE air cleaner.
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