Gleanings of the Week Ending November 01, 2014
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We had 4 large bags of candy ready for trick-or-treaters last night and handed out 2 --- no tricks. This Halloween was a low in terms of children in the neighborhood for the 20 years we've lived in our neighborhood. The rest of the candy will be given away next week at the places we work or volunteer. Maybe next year I’ll try to figure out what to give away rather than candy.
The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.
Tap into the Potential of Taproots this Fall - There are a lot of root vegetables to try. This article highlights jicama, parsnips, beets, carrots, and celery root. Carrots are a veggie I always have on hand. The CSA prompted me to try beets and no I have Fruit Beety in the freeze for a pretty and tasty dessert. The other three I’ll probably try this fall. What about adding turnips, radishes and sweet potatoes to the list?
Your Life on Earth - A web site from the BBC that explores what has changed in your lifetime.
New Energy Efficiency Ranks Released - How the states rank based on a score card. Massachusetts is the best, Maryland is 9th, Arizona is 15th, Texas is 34th.
The Chemistry of the Colours of Blood - Did you know that blood can be red, blue, green or violet? And all the molecules look complex. They all contain iron except for the blue bloods - which contain copper.
The Future of Lifelong Learning - I was a little disappointed that the infographic did not pick up on my demographic and learning rationale a bit more. I think people that are post-career are significant participants in the MOOCs particularly and they are motivated by personal interest primarily. They are often learning for the joy of learning something new. The application may be when they travel (i.e. taking an architectural course then noticing more architectural features when in a new location) or volunteer (i.e. applying ideas from an education course when leading a nature hike for children). But there may not be any application at all. It’s not about graduation or certification either. Educators need to internalize this when they are evaluating their offerings.
Does having children make us any happier? - My husband and I fit the ‘older parents’ and ‘more educated’ demographic....and we sustained the higher level of happiness after our daughter was born over 20 years ago just as the study found.
Interview with Janet Echelman - This is an recent interview. There is also a TED talk from 2011 by this artist available here that I had watched previously. It was good to get an update on what she has been doing since the talk.
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins - I collect pumpkin muffin recipes. I like this one because it has a lot of pumpkin…but maybe I’ll use honey or maple syrup instead of the sugar. Sometimes I substitute butternut squash or sweet potatoes for the pumpkin (it has to be something yellow/orange!). I bought another pie pumpkin at the grocery store this week since they all seem to disappear right after Halloween.
Is There A Limit To How Big Vegetables Can Grow? - And one more item about pumpkins - huge pumpkins. I can’t image one that would weigh 2,323 pounds! Are they edible? If they are that would be a lot of pies and muffins!
What School Should Be: The Strength of Student Voice - Results from a workshop for high school students about the way schools are/should be.
