Giant prehistoric insects: don't bug out on me!

Ambergris: the expensive ingredient for perfume

 She called, crying: "Help! I found your web site--and I have to do a scholarship essay statement--no more than 30 words! What do I do?"
I thought about it: she needs a thesis--and replied, "It's worth $20/gram. That's $25,000 for five pounds. You must report it if found in the U.S. or Australia. And it's sperm whale digestive garbage--or ambergris." Twenty-seven words.
She replied, "How much? Where? It's what? Ewww--but that works! Thank you."

(I wanted to tell her she wears it--but she would have hung up on me. That is, she would have--unless she knew it's used in fine perfume. Oh well.)

https://ambergrisconnect.com/identification.html#two

Why Animals Get Creepier the Deeper You Go in the Ocean

The Creative Classroom PowerPoint Video for a thesis

 So I've found that a PowerPoint can be tough for some people to see--but they can watch a PowerPoint video instead. With that in mind...here's something I crafted for students and instructors on how to brainstorm an idea for a thesis. Enjoy!

Oh. So someone asked, "What's that 'Double-Dutch Twist/Irish Treat' idea regarding Money? Is that a new form of coffee?"

I saw this while teaching in China: my students were furiously studying a paper in MY class that was for their NEXT class in finance. (I was teaching public speaking.) So I asked to see what was so interesting: and they showed me the article with that title--and begged me to help. So I read it in a few minutes and then translated the idea, although I don't know finance:

The article stated that Apple, Inc., was sending pre-tax profits to two banks in the Dutch West Indies in the Caribbean. It was then re-routed (after a lower tax rate for deposits) to a bank in Ireland--and then sent back to Seattle as a means of--shall we say--"legal money laundering"?

PS: I told the students, "Don't tell your instructor that I figured it out. YOU take credit for it and pretend like you had the idea down cold and impress him for it."

My point: If you can READ something, you're likely to understand it if you know how to "think outside the box". 

"HSBC ad for learning foreign culture"

I had fun at Jiangxi University in China when I showed this to my business English students. They got the point that THEY also had to learn the culture of the country where they were assigned in graduate school. I also show this to my MBA students who are learning in a module about international business culture--and why it matters to know it.

I DID know how to use chopsticks because I had been to Japan 40 years earlier, but the difference in food styles between central China and southern China is quite remarkable. And I was served sea worms--twice at one banquet--as an "honored guest."

And yes, I ate them. I also think I ate stir-fried Godzilla because I had NO idea what it was, but I know it came out of the ocean.

How to Negotiate Your Job Offer - Prof. Deepak Malhotra (Harvard Busines...

Take a Seat in the Harvard MBA Case Classroom

Ball's Pyramid - an ocean-volcano remnant

 

Oh. My. Gosh. If I was a captain of a ship in a heavy fog and saw THIS, I'd be screaming "Reverse engines and get us out of here!" It's absolutely incredible--and it's real. Sometimes the magnificence of Nature is beyond belief when we realize how many amazing places exist on Earth. It's really part of an ancient shield volcano that has eroded away.

Ball's Pyramid - Pacific Ocean near South Wales, Australia

Explainer: Why these women woke up with a foreign accent | 60 Minutes Au...

The Mystery of the Octopus

On speaking a foreign language for business or travel

 One of the questions I asked as a judge at a masters degree contest at an international business university: "What three languages would you learn that you do not speak now--and why would you use them for international business?" (My answers, just for the record: "Spanish, Portuguese, and French." (I chose Spanish and Portuguese for South America, and French because it is spoken in so many other countries.)

I've also recommended for college-university credits that if someone is already fluent in a foreign language and it is offered by their college-university of choice, take it at the basic level and ace the class for elective credits.

The Creative Classroom Kitchen: food that prepares itself on command!

 (Sigh. THIS totally makes my efforts look like I'm out of my league in the kitchen.)

Panda punctuation: Eats, Shoots & Leaves book

 

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."
The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots & leaves."

It's available on Amazon.com and also abebooks.com. Go get a copy.

This is also my defense of the Oxford comma. But in this case, the first comma is wrong and should not have been included.

Crafty commas cause commotions in creative classrooms

In a commotion over a comma? I agree that the comma is a VERY hard thing to understand, but try and be calm about it. (Just ask Grandpa, who has now realized that he's been invited for dinner instead of finding himself AS dinner.)
Try these rules (and spare the old man's life and your error in meal choice!)

Between words or word groups in a series
  Example: Medical supplies, food, blankets, and clothing were rushed to the flood area.

To separate parts of a compound sentence
 Example: Many homes were flooded, and owners had to be rescued by police. (You can make two sentences: the comma helps split them apart.)

  To separate a direct quote from the rest of a sentence.
  Example: “We’re going home,” said Nick. She answered, “No, I’m staying.”

  When you speak to someone, use a comma to set apart their name.
  Example:  “Alicia, please come and help me.” 

 IF YOU BEGIN A SENTENCE WITH “Yes,” “No,” “Well,” “Oh,”…..

1.  “Yes, I want to get better grades!” “No, I did not forget!”
2.  “Well, I’ll just try it again.”
3.   “Oh, I did my work yesterday.”

     * The “Oxford” Comma

 Used with three items:
Example:  “Peter, Paul, and Mary were a folk group during the 1960s.”
 *(This often appears as “Peter, Paul and Mary.”)
  (But this is the reason for the Oxford comma: otherwise, how do we separate the 2^nd and 3^rd members or items?)

 Transition phrases get help from commas

1.  Example: Generally, one can see a transition phrase followed by a comma.
2.  Example: Moreover, they are at the head of a sentence.
3.   Example: However, there’s always someone who forgets them!
4. Example: Therefore, use them with a comma!
5. Example:  In fact, they work much like transitions.
6. Example: On the other hand, they lend a big hand to a sentence.
7. Example: For that matter, they handle the work of a smaller phrase.
8. Example: All things considered, they are useful.

 BIG intro phrases get commas

1. Example: As far as I’m concerned, it’s just about obvious that a comma makes a difference.
2. Example: In spite of the best intentions, students still argue and fuss that they don’t understand them.
3. Example: After all the presentations are done, I’m sure everyone grasps the idea—or else.

If two or more adjectives describe or modify the same noun, make sure they work separately if appropriate:

1.   “He was a bashful, sleepy kid.”
2.   “The eager, radiant princess kissed the slimy, vile frog.”

  (Each adjective works by itself)

  Other uses of commas
In addresses, to separate smaller from larger units: Washington, D.C.
 Albertville, Alabama

 Date (if day/month/year is used. NO if only month-year):
 June 14, 2006, was a very good day for a wedding.

Rescuing Vietnamese refugees at sea: 1980 with the U.S. Navy

 Yesterday marked the anniversary 46 years ago when I raised my hand and entered military service. This is one of my best and most meaningful memories.

History lesson for anyone born after 1980 and for those who ask "what is freedom?" It is the right to choose and make decisions for the well-being of oneself and one's family. It is the opportunity to find success by the efforts that are made by the individual. It is the acceptance of one's beliefs, values, and standards as long as they are in harmony with society and one's chosen country, provided that there are no significant and unbiased restrictions on those beliefs or values. It is the ability to be accepted regardless of one's skin color, even though it may be disliked or not welcomed by those with shallow minds. It is the chance to live in the United States of America.

I was aboard the USS Blue Ridge, the 7th Fleet flagship, the day these people in the movie were rescued. It makes my throat close up with memories of how hard we searched for the people who fled Vietnam in 1979-1980 in these small boats. They crammed aboard with limited food and water, and some did not make it safely to rescue efforts. On my first ship, the USS Oklahoma City (CG-5), we worked 20-hour shifts in flag administration to get the logistics and coordinated efforts of the officers who were involved in planning these rescue operations, especially in planning the P-3 Orion planes who were sent out on reconnaissance missions. 

I remember the public address call that asked us for clothing donations. I gave up some dungaree pants, and I remember seeing them on one of the men who was rescued. I am so thankful that I was a sailor in the U.S. Navy.

Creative Easter eggs!

I know some teachers (and parents) like to do creative things for Easter. Just remember: if you want to eat the eggs, just swap out shaving cream with whipped cream--and enjoy the fun!

National Geographic Documentary - Prehistoric pig: the Enteledont

Fluid Learning as a way of creative thinking-organizing

 

I am a Fluid Thinker and Learner; this is my style of Intelligence. It's a phrase I've coined to identify how I think out-of-the-box; to be creatively original and yet be very detail-oriented and analytical. It's the upside of ADD, and it does work well for those who are very active up to hyperactive. It may also involve abundant mental and physical energy and ambidextrous abilities.

It is not one of the standard measurement systems; my intellect is extraordinarily higher than most people, but I don't test well. Yet I have an encyclopedic-photographic memory. I consume information with a left-brain format, but I'm very Creative & Quick with words, wit, and sound-images. 

 Fluid Thinkers use tangible and intangible ideas together in ways that are not always bound by structure: we extrapolate and juxtapose. This also reflects the dual-brain at work; with theatrical personalities that pop up in teaching skits. Teaching on multiple levels at once comes up with different ideas. For a demonstration, listen to the post with guitarist-military advisor Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on this site. (He is a legendary musician as well as a consultant to the Pentagon on missile defense.)

Jung would say I'm an Action-Intuitive, and I am very ethereal and empathic. I'm a medium (the ability to communicate with deceased entities; no, not "psychic"): sometimes when I've read heavily from an author and then start to mentally mimic his/her style. It gets complicated when I've found via reading that writers who passed away use my mediumship to get through ideas in writing. Some comics have also borrowed me: Groucho Marx, for one. O. Henry and Mark Twain--and Oscar Wilde, by birth claim of mine from a VERY recognized-by-friends past life association--have "taught" with me.

Not every Fluid Thinker is understood in his/her own land or time. It's because we can mentally travel in time. H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and Ray Bradbury, among others, yes? Want a really wild and twisted great book: The Man Who Folded Himself. Wait until you meet time travel with yourself--as both male and female.

    

     I think with images and sound too; as a music journalist for classic blues, rock, jazz, and other styles, I wrote reviews that were filled with similes and metaphors that evoke the imagination. And I teach psychological astrology because the symbols are visual words that I can understand: like chess pieces that carry energy dynamics in their exchanges with personality and the psyche, and the board is the chart wheel.

    

     We're the New Students many of you are meeting in the classroom now--and our way of responding to and exchanging our awareness of ideas will be exciting and unique. We are Fluid Learners & Thinkers--and we are ready to share new methods of Understanding and Teaching with the world. We're Fluid Learners.

Academic sources need authenticity

 If you're in high school or enrolled in college or at a university:

Academic sources are important because they show research and proof of validation that the source is reliable. Better yet: https://nmsu.libguides.com/sources/types

By the way: NO, "Mailchimp" is not a reliable source. 

Neither is Wikipedia.

Types of Sources

Scholarly publications (Journals)

Popular sources (News and Magazines)

Professional/Trade sources.

Books / Book Chapters.

Conference proceedings.

Government Documents.

Theses & Dissertations

books and encyclopedias.

websites, web pages, and blogs.

magazine, journal, and newspaper articles.

research reports and conference papers.

interviews and surveys.

photographs, paintings, cartoons, and other artworks.

TV and radio programs, podcasts, movies, and videos.

Nudibranches - the beautiful and toxic (to other creatures) sea slugs

Something for the science-minded crowd (and your kid who is now begging you for one):  

the deadly colorful nudibranches 
(sea slugs) "(nudi-brinks")

The toxic snails of the sea.