A carpet shark

 

The tasselled wobbegong is a species of carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae and the only member of its genus. It inhabits shallow coral reefs off northern Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands. Reaching 1.8 m in length, this species has a broad and flattened body and head.

Flight school = jobs & $$

 

(When I taught 6th grade in Las Vegas, middle school was the next option--or already a part of student coursework at other schools. This was one program I shared.) PS: Two high school classmates of mine became pilots and worked for airlines. 

https://www.slingpilotacademy.com

https://epicflightacademy.com/how-much-does-flight-school-cost

Flight School options

The largest Sequoia tree

 The General Sherman Tree stands in quiet majesty within California’s Sequoia National Forest, the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth.

Towering at over 275 feet tall and over 36 feet in diameter at the base, it’s not the tallest or the widest—but by sheer volume, it reigns supreme. Estimated to be over 2,200 years old, this giant has witnessed millennia of change, standing sentinel over the Sierra Nevada. Its reddish-brown bark is thick and deeply grooved, resistant to fire and insects, a testament to its survival. Visitors approach with awe, hushed beneath its towering limbs that stretch toward the sky like ancient arms.

The air around it feels sacred—heavy with stillness, history, and wonder. Here, you’re reminded how small we are, how ancient and enduring nature can be. The General Sherman Tree is more than wood and bark—it’s a living monument, rooted in the heart of time.

The botanist who saved 1,400 samples from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake

 (From a history (herstory) web page):

As flames engulfed San Francisco in 1906, one woman risked her life to save a treasure trove of botanical specimens.

That woman was Alice Eastwood, the self-taught curator of botany for the California Academy of Sciences.

On April 18, 1906, a massive earthquake followed by devastating fires threatened to destroy the entire city, including the Academy's priceless collection.

With the building in ruins and fires closing in, Eastwood knew what was at stake. She entered the unstable structure to rescue the most valuable items.

The main staircase had collapsed. Eastwood and her colleagues had to climb the ruined marble steps by clinging to the thin iron railing that remained.

From an upper floor, they managed to lower over 1,400 of the most important plant specimens, including many that were the very first of their kind ever discovered. They used whatever cords and ropes they could find to lower the collection to safety.

Among the rescued items was the definitive sample of the Franciscan manzanita, a species that would have been lost to science.

Alice Eastwood lost her home and all her personal belongings in the disaster, saving only a small lens and the clothes she was wearing. But she had saved the work of a lifetime.

She would go on to rebuild the herbarium and continued her work at the Academy until she retired at the age of 90, leaving an incredible legacy of dedication and courage.

Sources: Science, San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Nature #WomenInScience #AliceEastwood #CaliforniaHistory #fblifestyle

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College isn't 13th grade: Prepare for the Differences!

 

There is a huge difference between a high school environment and college. One of the first things I always said to my students was about the end of high school and the beginning of college life.  It went something like this:

  "THERE'S NO LOCKERS, NO HALL MONITORS, NO SCHOOL BUSES, NO GYM CLASS, NO DETENTIONS, NO SUSPENSIONS, NO LUNCHROOM, NO MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS, NO HAND-OUTS FOR PARENTS, NO LATE SLIPS, NO LATE BELLS, NO JANITORS, AND NO EXCUSES. NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE LABELS OR FASHIONS YOU'RE WEARING, AND THERE'S NO CLIQUES EITHER. NOR DOES THE FOOTBALL TEAM WEAR THEIR JERSEY TO SHOW TEAM PRIDE. YOU PAY FOR YOUR BOOKS, AND I EXPECT YOU TO GET THE ONES I WANT. YOUR PAPERS WILL BE DONE THE WAY I WANT, AND IF YOU'RE GRADE-PHOBIC, A 'D' IS A REAL THING. I CAN AND WILL CALL YOUR PARENTS IF I THINK YOU'RE WASTING THEIR MONEY OR WHEREVER YOU GOT YOUR TUITION.  AND YES: YOUR WORK IS DUE WHEN I SAY SO, AND I CAN AND WILL THROW YOU OUT OF MY CLASS. And welcome to college."

(Some students later confessed that they were terrified, especially the freshmen, and that they wanted to go as a group to the registrar to sign out immediately when I signaled for a break during the first day.)

But seriously:  college is not a privilege, nor is it to be taken for granted.  Now...I KNOW I could tell stories about the things I did...such as cutting a final exam...but that's not for this blog.  Instead, try this, which is the topic I have students do on their first assignment:  The Difference Between Ending High School Life and Beginning it at College.

Changes that make the difference in college

    The requirements and life changes that make for a successful transition from high school to college are extensive.  Students are often overwhelmed by challenges to class schedules, independent time management between academics and work obligations, instructors’ styles, financial limitations, and peer support.  Managing these factors must become part of the lifestyle for today’s young men and women and returning (older) students.

(Okay. What I just said there):

"Everyone in college today must learn various life management skills in order to be successful—and they are valuable growth opportunities. Each one must be resolved.  Too often, students enter the college environment totally unprepared for them. They include (a) freedom of choice for time management to handle obligations for work and study, (b) a much quicker turnaround response on assignments with much stronger rules and enforcement for grades, (c) tuition and scholarship decisions, and (d) hello-goodbye encounters with friends and classmates. They can lead to the building of a stronger person or the downfall of a weak one depending on personal choice.  And they are necessary steps to be taken if one is to be a successful college student."

(Now then.
There’s your first and last paragraphs. Let’s see you use the ideas you have heard me use and shown you in the syllabus—and build your paper.  And what I said was this):

"Wow. I have to handle a totally different way of living and learning. I’m responsible for the results—and not much room for slack. I have to juggle my job and class, get my assignments in on time (and they’re tough!), deal with much more serious teachers, and not have anyone to hang out with after class. Bummer! 

"Am I ready for this? How are they making a difference for me?  And what do I have to do to make it work? Why do these things matter?" (Answer: It’s your degree and your life skills for handling challenges and developing strength of character that you’re building by learning these lessons.)

Remember the “list” in the thesis sentence. Pull down each one (a-d), rephrase “how and what” it is that's important--the specific "I've got to do 'this' thing well," then take the “why and how it matters to {you}” apart in each. You’ve already got your opening and ending.  

And don’t you “you” me to death. I already know these things! Go find “people” and “students” so that “they” can learn from YOU. Or “someone” so that “he or she” understands. "Future students should learn these things so that they graduate."

(By the way, yes, that IS "Hahvahd" University.)

Scientists Observed Oumuamua... And It Did the Unexpected

George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (concert from movie); 1945

You should see this at least once in your life because it's so magnificent. Gershwin's brilliance as a composer was matched here by the skills of the musicians themselves. Credits to the cameramen: they really caught the best part of the performance along with the audience.

On the road again....

 JUST so you know:  the toughest test you ever had to take is NOT in college. No, you most likely already passed it (although you probably would fail it again if you were an older person).

IT WAS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE.

No matter how you worry about that upcoming exam, NO ONE is going to have the traumas that afflict someone who fails his/her driver's license. Think about it:  NO one will stop you on the street and harass you for your G.P.A. or make faces over your transcripts...but they WILL give you a fine (or a reprimand) if you can't drive well. (Or maybe you SHOULDN'T be driving if you're that bad!)

I promise: for all the licenses I have earned for all the business endeavors I have been employed in, NONE have had the impact on my life as having the privilege of being authorized to operate a motor vehicle.  Nor have my entrance tests, final exams, mid-terms, or other assignments had as much significance as my license to drive. So don't worry about that test coming up, or that paper due: put your energy into PASSING it instead of worrying!
It's guaranteed to be a lot easier than getting licensed to drive a car!!

Conjunctions (FANBOYs) and Semi-Colons

 Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?

F.A.N.B.O.Y.S.

    ,For

    ,And

    ,Nor

    ,But

    ,Or

    ,Yet

    ,So

And they’re preceded by a comma when they make up a complete thought in a sentence!

Conjunctions and comma splices

Normally, a complete sentence with two separate thoughts gets a conjunction.

•   Jack went to the movies, and Jane went to the skating rink.

(Each portion is complete by itself; they can form two separate sentences.)

   

If the conjunction is dropped along with the comma, a SEMI-COLON replaces it (see above).

   

FANBOY fakers! (boo! hiss!!)

•     However; moreover; therefore (when used in the middle of a sentence).

    (A complete thought/idea is needed before-and-after in the sentence.)

•     “Basketball is my favorite sport; however, I am also a track star.”
•     “I aced every paper; therefore, you could raise my grade accordingly.”

On the teacher's desk: the gradebook!!

 Some of my graduate business school students have been overlooking (or neglecting to remember) that a business brief is a short, to-the-point summary with details and problem-solving solutions that reflect the subject matter at hand. Sometimes, it's about a plan of action, or other times, a social dispute between two colleagues. Nevertheless, I have specified what my director wants: two full pages, single-spaced. 

With that in mind, the flurry of submissions I reviewed this morning, due yesterday, inspired this from me to the general population in both classes:

A business brief

Avoiding grief

Full pages numbered two

Would you please

See to these

And render just a few?

I wouldn’t mind

It’s really kind

A syllabus fulfilled

Would make me smile

For all the while

Instead of gradebooks drilled.

What's Really Under Antarctica's Ice?

A GREAT vocabulary (list)

 Yes, you need a good vocabulary, but you'll have an OUTSTANDING ONE if you can master these words.

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The size of the Sun is...well...

Think the Sun is big? Some stars make it look tiny — one could even swallow our whole solar system!

Our Sun might feel massive — after all, it can fit 1.3 million Earths inside — but in the vast arena of the cosmos, it's actually on the small side.

When compared to some of the largest and brightest stars in our galaxy, the Sun is more like a cozy campfire than a blazing inferno.

Betelgeuse alone is about 700 times the size of the Sun—and Antares is even larger, measuring around 883 times our star’s diameter.

To put that into jaw-dropping perspective: if Betelgeuse or Antares took the Sun’s place, they would engulf the orbits of planets all the way out to Jupiter. And the true titans of the universe go even beyond that.

Stars like Stephenson 2-18 are estimated to be over 2,150 times the size of the Sun, meaning it would swallow basically everything in our corner of the universe....and is also way too big to fit in this image.
 

"Dr. J." will operate on the basketball court for you

Once upon a time (when I was a little boy), doctors would come to your house to visit you if you were ill. Many years later, another man who was called "Dr." came to visit a lot of places, and he did some things that made people feel much better. He was 6'7" and had hands the size of a pizza (yes, he did). And he could jump too. He was Julius Irving, also known as "Dr. J."

 

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