Thursday, June 28, 2007

Activity Ideas for Week One: Celebrate Diversity Month

Activities for the first week focus on the family of companies



Our month-long theme is “Diversity . . .  the possibilities are endless.”  Activities for the first week focus on our family of companies -- learning more about the organization as a whole and recognizing how diversity plays a role in making us a successful business.

Pick one (or more) activities to get involved.  Or create your own to get started on your Celebrate Diversity Month activities.

Let’s explore: Participate in the Online, Virtual Scavenger Hunt using information found on various XYZ Web sites.

We will award prizes (such as movie tickets and restaurant coupons), with the 10 winners drawn from the pool of correct entries. July 23, 2007, is the deadline to turn in entries to xyz.  You will be able to find the scavenger hunt questions by clicking here. So everyone has a chance to participate, please print a copy of the questions for team members who might not have easy access to a computer.

Let’s post it: Create a Diversity Month bulletin board to announce all the upcoming events in the area planned by the different groups (team, department, divisions, etc).

Place the board in the break room or another common gathering area.  Add items to the board, like invitations or fliers, to encourage other team members to join some of your group events or activities.

Let’s reflect: Examine where we started and where we currently are around our workplace diversity.

Periodically this month we will circulate a “Did You Know?” quiz or a fact sheet that covers an important aspect of diversity.  Use the sheet as part of your weekly team meeting or post the sheet on your bulletin board so that everyone can read it (including those without access to our intranet sites.

This week’s sheet “Did You Know?” covers some of the basic demographics of our company and our workplace.

You can link here for a copy of the quiz, or you can obtain a “Did You Know?” sheet by e-mailing xyz.

Let’s get creative: Use the diversity of your team to brainstorm together and develop an activity that fits your group and ties in with the weekly focus.   Remember, the possibilities are endless!

Did You Know: How Diverse Are You?

Take this quiz and learn more about yourself and your team


This week’s sheet asks a range of questions to help you begin to understand exactly how diverse you are and to show how much diversity impacts your daily life – at work, at home, and in the community. 
 
Like snowflakes, there is probably no one that has the same combination of experiences that you have.  That’s what makes you so unique and helps you bring a different perspective to your relationships with others. 
 
Many people have a basic understanding of diversity but don’t realize that simply by knowing a different language, having travelled to different countries, or knowing people who follow religions different to their own helps to increase how diverse they are. 
 
The aim of the quiz is to encourage you to think about these factors and understand more about your own diversity and possibly about the diversity of others.  This 20 question list is not all inclusive – it is really only a start.  At the end, think of other questions you could ask to explore your personal diversity.

"Did you Know?"
How Diverse Are You?

[my answers in these kinds of brackets]

1. What country do you live in?  Have you ever lived in a different part of the country (more than 100 miles from where you live now) or another country? [7 different states]

2. Have you travelled to other counties?  How many? [5 different countries]

3. Can you speak 2 or more languages?  If so, how many?

4. Do you have friends or family from a different ethnic background? [y]

5. Do you have family or friends of different races? [y]

6. Do you have friends with a 15 or more year age difference? [y]

7. Do you have friends or family with a disability?

8. Do you have friends or family with religious beliefs that are different to your own? [y]

9. Do you have friends or family with a different sexual orientation than yourself? [y unfortunately]

10. What is your mix of male and female friends? Married and single friends?

11. Are you married or single? [y]
 
12. Do you have children?  If so, how many and what ages. [2 that I remember]

13. Do you have friends or family with caring responsibilities (for children, elderly, or someone with a disability)?

14. Do you have siblings (brothers or sisters/older or younger) Where are you in the birth order? [eldest]

15. Are you left handed, right handed, or ambidextrous? [y]

16. What kind of schools did you attend – public, private, home school? [y]

17. How do you learn best – seeing, hearing, touching/doing? [I thought it was a felony to learn by touching -- all that is legal is looking -- and some spouses get upset at that]

18. Have you worked at a company for more than ten years?  If so, for how many companies (and years). [9 companies, longest employer 9 yrs, longest palce of employment 12 yrs]
 
19. Have you worked in other departments or divisions at your current company? [does that count having your department going away?]

20. Do you work better/are you more productive in the morning, afternoon, or evening?

Note: Our definition of diversity at work (taken from the training class Valuing Differences) is far ranging and includes many elements in three broad categories.  Many of the questions above reflect elements in these categories.
 
Human Diversity (Who or how we are): There are aspects of ourselves that, for the most part, we cannot change.  And many (but not all) of these aspects are physically visible to people when they meet us. 

Age
Differently-Abled
Ethnicity
Gender    
Physical qualities
Race    
Sexual Orientation

Cultural Diversity (How we think): This dimension contains aspects of ourselves that we have some power to change.  We also have the choice of whether to disclose this information or not or whether to conceal it or not.

Education    
Geographic location
Income
Language
Learning Style
Marital status
Parental status
Religious beliefs
Work Style

Systems Diversity (How we organize to do work): These aspects relate to the work environment.  The organizational structure and its management systems characterize this dimension.

Business alliances
Corporate acquisitions
Innovation
Quality
Teamwork
Function

The human and cultural areas contain most elements we commonly associate with the word diversity.  But, as you can see, the concept of diversity is more complex and more far-reaching.

Did You Know: 100 People

Take this quiz and learn more about yourself and your team


The sheer size of the task hinders us from truly understanding the world population.  We can measure numbers and statistics, but the reality of 6.5 billion people is infinitely more difficult to comprehend. 
 
While no project could accurately portray the life experiences of each one of us, looking at a representative sample of 100 is a more manageable place to begin, and is a figure we can actually visualize. 
 
The 100 People Foundation (100people.org), created the list below to educate, entertain, and inspire participants to learn more about world geography, culture, language, religion, music, and our shared resources.  It is their hope that the foundation’s work will inspire others to see the world in a new way.  Who are the people each of us shares our neighborhood, community, town, school, and country with?  Where does each of us fit in? 
 
The following statistics are an abbreviated version of the research that the foundation commissioned from the University of Wisconsin in 2006.
 
"Did you Know?"
100 People

If 100 people made up the world's population:
50 would be female
50 would be male
20 would be children
80 would be adults,
14 of whom would be 65 and older
 
17 would speak Chinese
8 would speak Hindustani
8 would speak English
7 would speak Spanish
4 would speak Arabic
4 would speak Russian
52 would speak other languages
 
There would be:
61 Asians
12 Europeans
13 Africans
14 people from the Western Hemisphere

31 Christians
21 Muslims
14 Hindus
6 Buddhists
12 people who believe in other religions
16 people who not be aligned with a religion
 
75 people would have some supply of food and a place to shelter them from the wind and the rain, but 25 would not
 
1 would be dying of starvation
17 would be undernourished
15 would be overweight
83 would have access to safe drinking water
17 people would have no clean, safe water to drink
82 would be able to read and write; 18 would not
1 would have a college education
1 would own a computer

Did You Know: The Customs Quiz

Take this quiz and learn more about yourself and your team


Our workplace is truly more global.  Many people have the opportunity to travel on business.  Many others travel for pleasure.  When traveling, though, it is important to remember that the world is a very diverse place. 

While we may view some business and social interactions as customary or acceptable in the United States, when traveling or doing business in other countries, people might view things very differently. 
 
To help you start to understand those differences, we have taken some questions from the Web site for “Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands” (www.getcustoms.com), a site dedicated to providing information for international travelers. 
 
Keep in mind that the answers refer to a culture in general and may not always apply to every individual from that culture. But that’s what makes each individual so unique. 
 
At any rate, this will be a fun way to start to learn and make you aware that there are very diverse perspectives when traveling throughout the world. The answers appear at the bottom of the quiz.
 
"Did you Know?"
The Customs Quiz

1. United States executives are generally comfortable standing with about two feet of space between them.  True or false: The normal speaking distance in much of Latin America is less than one foot.
 
2. Linguists have catalogued an astonishing 192 living languages used in Brazil.  True or false: Spanish is the official language of Brazil.
 
3. True or false: In India, it is important to thank your host at the end of a business meal.
 
4. "You're never fully dressed without a smile" is a familiar phrase in the United States.  True or false: A smile is a universal expression of genuine pleasure.
 
5. True or false: A gift should always be wrapped in its country of origin.
 
6. Because the Russian Federation is so vast, when making calls to a Russian client it is important to remember in what part of Russia that client lives.  True or false: Russia spans eleven time zones.
 
7. A distinguished Hispanic executive hands you a business card that looks like this: Miguel Eduardo Cela y Banderas.  True or false: You should call him Señor Banderas.
 
8. You are at a social gathering in Italy.  True or false: To make conversation, it is appropriate to ask someone you have just met about his or her profession.
 
9. True or false: It is a social mistake to arrive on time for a dinner party in Mexico City.
 
10. Suffering from a miserable cold, you travel to Japan.  True or false: It is appropriate to use a handkerchief as discreetly as possible during your meetings.
 
11. True or false: In China, your host at a business meal expects you to start eating first.
 
12. True or false: In Germany, it is good business to compare your products to a competitor’s product in your advertisement.

Answers:

1. True.  In many South American countries, some executives will stand approximately six inches away from each other when speaking.
 
2. False.  Portuguese is the official language.  Most Brazilians do not consider themselves to be Hispanic and do not appreciate being spoken to in Spanish.
 
3. False.  Do not thank your host at the end of the meal.  Saying “thank you" for a meal is often viewed as insulting because the thank you is considered a form of payment.  Returning the meal by inviting the host to dinner shows that you value the relationship.
 
4. False.  In much of Asia, a smile can be used to cover up embarrassment, shock, or fury.
 
5. False.  It is the wrapping paper of the recipient's native country that is important.  And, airport security may ask that you unwrap the package.
 
6. True. 
 
7. False.  Many Hispanics have two surnames: one from their father, which comes first, followed by one from their mother.  Sometimes the two surnames are separated by "y," which means "and" in Spanish.  Miguel Eduardo Cela y Banderas' father was Señor Cela, so you would call him Señor Cela.
 
8. False.  To do so is considered tacky, even insulting.
 
9. True.  Guests commonly arrive an hour late for dinner.
 
10. False.  The Japanese find the custom of preserving mucous in a carefully folded handkerchief to be grotesque.  Use disposable tissues.
 
11. False.  Never begin to eat or drink before your host.
 
12. False.  Like many things in Germany, advertising is highly regulated.  It is illegal in an advertisement to compare your product to that of a competitor’s product.

Celebrate Diversity: Jelly Bean Personality Test

Take this quiz and learn more about yourself and your team


Jelly Bean Personality Test
(This is a non-scientific test)


Equipment:
A large selection of each color of jelly bean in the list below.

Instructions:
Ask each person to take one jelly bean, considering the color and not the flavor of the jelly bean.  Tell the group to hold the jelly bean and not eat it.  Explain that the jelly bean color you have chosen tells us something about you as a personality.  Read through each explanation below.
 
WHITE / BLACK:
 This individual is highly structured and organized
 Keeps a neat work area
 If given an assignment, wants to know how many pages, exact requirements
 Always wants to know the rules
 Memorizes things well
 Can’t stand sloppy, unorganized people
 Deliberates before making decisions
 
YELLOW:
 Not usually outspoken
 Always in a state of transition, whether they are 8 or 80
 Usually smart and innovative, often artistic
 Sometimes confused in making decisions, unsure where they’re supposed to be
 Hard workers
 Exciting to be with – will try anything as long as it’s safe
 Spiritual aspects usually important to them
 They look at things with perspective and respect others’ opinions
 
ORANGE:
 Cheerful and good-natured
 Have the ability to get along well with almost anyone
 They are friendly and have a ready smile
 Usually have a quick wit
 Fluent, often eloquent and profound in speech
 Do not like to be left alone
 Enjoy life and inspire others to reach their highest potential
 
RED / PINK:
 Are courageous and their energy seems boundless
 Smile much of the time
 If they see someone not smiling, will ask what the problem is
 Genuinely care about people and become involved in others’ problems
 Highly influenced by others, share their sadness or grief
 Make their decisions with feelings, act on impulses of the heart
 Spend a great deal of time on the phone, usually listening to others
 Sensitive, enthusiastic friends and lovers
 
BLUE / PURPLE:

 Flirty and passionate
 Highly creative and highly excitable
 Have new ideas and are visionaries
 Short attention spans – can’t stay put for long at a time
 Disorganized, often choosing to close doors rather than deal with the organization
 Procrastinators who thrive on chaos, enjoy the challenges of different problems
 Have a problem dealing with highly structured time
 Questioning – when given an assignment, asks why it must be done a certain way, want to do it differently
 Set high standards for themselves and those who work for them
 
GREEN:
 Usually love recognition
 Are seen as leaders, usually in highly visible positions
 Are respecters of authority and tradition
 Are decisive, directed, and focused
 Love black and white jelly bean people to organize their projects for them
 
After reading all the descriptions, ask for a show of hands of those who think the color description of the jelly bean they chose is valid for them as they perceive themselves.  This is statistically 80% valid (about ¾ of the participants should raise their hands).
 
Learning points:
Remember, no one is just “one color,” but one color is usually dominant.  All of us have some of the various traits associated with other colors.  This is important to realize when dealing with others.  We should be able to empathize with those who see things differently and deal with problems differently than we do.

Celebrate Diversity: The Dessert Personality Quiz

Take this quiz and learn more about yourself and your team


The Dessert Personality Quiz
Instructions:
If you could only pick one out of all of these desserts which would you choose? After everyone has chosen a dessert, read from the list below to describe what that dessert says about a person. (Note: The exercise is more enjoyable if you actually get to eat your dessert!)

The Dessert List:
  • Angel Food Cake
  • Brownies
  • Lemon Meringue Pie
  • Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Icing
  • Strawberry Short Cake
  • Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing
  • Ice Cream,
  • Carrot Cake
What Your Dessert Says About You

Angel Food Cake
Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.


Brownies
You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons.  When tempers flare up, you whip out your saber.  You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction.  You tend to be very loyal.

Lemon Meringue Pie
Smooth, sexy, and articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher.  But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time.  A bit of a diva at times, but you have many friends.

Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Icing
Fun-loving, sassy, humorous.  Not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lack motivation.  Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker.  Others should be cautious in making you mad.  However, you are a friend for life.
 
Strawberry Short Cake
Romantic, warm, loving.  You care about other people and can be counted on in a pinch.  You tend to melt.  You can be overly emotional and annoying at times.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing
Always ready to give and receive.  Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate.  You have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside.  Not afraid to take chances.  Will not settle for anything average in life.  Love to laugh.

Ice Cream
You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer.  If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports.  You don't like to give up the remote control.  You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.

Carrot Cake
You are a fun loving person, who likes to laugh.  You are fun to be with.  People like to hang out with you.  You are a very warm-hearted person and a little quirky at times.  You have many loyal friends.

Celebrate Diversity: The Ice Cream Personality Test

Take this quiz and learn more about yourself and your team

The Ice Cream Personality Test

A national manufacturer of ice cream, Edy's Grand Ice Cream, commissioned an ice cream flavorology study to determine how ice cream preferences relate to personality.

The study, conducted by author Alan R. Hirsch, M.D., revealed that distinct personalities correspond with ice cream flavors.

According to the official taster for Edy's Grand Ice Cream, the flavorology research is fun "food for thought" to discuss around the break-room table. Before serving dessert, ask your co-workers to name their favorite ice cream flavor, and then give them the scoop on their personality.

Instructions:
Pick your favorite ice cream flavor from the list below and find out what it says about your personality.

The Flavor List:
  • Vanilla
  • Chocolate
  • Butter Pecan
  • Banana
  • Strawberry
  • Chocolate Chip
The Flavorologist's Analysis

  • If you like vanilla, you are colorful, impulsive, a risk taker who sets high goals and has high expectations of yourself. You also enjoy close family relationships. Gregarious, lives a hectic life. Easily suggestible, expressive, idealistic; a private person.(Prototype: stay-at-home mom or dad.)


  • If you like chocolate, you are lively, creative, dramatic, charming, and enthusiastic and the life of the party.  Chocolate fans enjoy being at the center of attention and can become bored with the usual routine.  Seductive, well-dressed, extroverted, easily influenced, a follower, intuitive, enjoys intimate relationships.(Prototype: feminine woman, macho man.)

  • If you like butter pecan, you are orderly, perfectionist, careful, detail-oriented, conscientious, ethical, and fiscally conservative.  You are also competitive, aggressive in sports and the take-charge type of personality.(Prototype: executive, secretary.)

  • If you like banana, you are easy going, well adjusted, generous, honest, and empathetic.(Prototype: the perfect husband, wife, parent, or child.)

  • If you like strawberry, you are shy, yet emotionally robust, skeptical, detail-oriented, opinionated, introverted and self critical.  Easily made to feel guilty; cranky, pessimistic, low self-esteem.(Prototype: bureaucrat, journalist.)

  • If you like chocolate chip, you are generous, competitive, and accomplished.  You are charming in social situations, ambitious and competent.  A visionary, a conqueror, enjoys being catered to, a go-getter, intolerant of defeat.(Prototype: Industry leaders, voted most likely to succeed in school.)
  • July is Celebrate Diversity Month

    Oh joy joy.

    Articles to follow in separate posts.

    Celebrate Diversity: The Ice Cream Personality Test

    Celebrate Diversity: The Dessert Personality Quiz

    Celebrate Diversity: Jelly Bean Personality Test

    Did You Know: The Customs Quiz

    Did You Know: 100 People

    Did You Know: How Diverse Are You?

    Activity Ideas for Week One: Celebrate Diversity Month

    Tuesday, June 26, 2007

    Friday, June 22, 2007

    another blast from the past

    A New Mom took her baby daughter to the supermarket for the first time. She dressed her in pink from head to toe. At the store, she placed her in the shopping cart and put her purchases around her. At the checkout line a small boy and his mother were ahead of them. The child was crying and begging for some special treat. He wants some candy or gum and his mother won't let him have any, she thought. Then she heard his mother's reply. "No!" she said, looking in her direction. "You may not have a baby sister today. That lady got the last one!" - Robert J. Elkins @ juno.com

    Parables for today from yesterday

    LESSON NUMBER ONE:

    A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?" The crow answered: "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

    Management Lesson: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

    LESSON NUMBER TWO:

    A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, " but I haven't got the energy." "Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. "They're packed with nutrients." The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fortnight, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.

    Management Lesson: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

    LESSON NUMBER THREE:

    When the body was first made, all the parts wanted to be the Boss. The brain said, "I should be Boss because I control the whole body's responses and functions." The feet said, "We should be Boss as we carry the brain about and get him to where he wants to go." The hands said, "We should be the Boss because we do all the work and earn all the money." And so it went on and on with the heart, the lungs, and the eyes until finally, the asshole spoke up. All the parts laughed at the idea of the asshole being the Boss. So the asshole went on strike, blocked itself up, and refused to work. Within a short time, the eyes became crossed, the hands clenched, the feet twitched, the heart and lungs began to panic, and the brain fevered. Eventually they all decided that the asshole should be the Boss, so the motion was passed. All the other parts did all the work while the Boss just sat and passed out the shit!

    Management Lesson: You don't need brains to be a Boss-any asshole will do.

    LESSON NUMBER FOUR:

    A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold, the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung and promptly dug him out and ate him!

    Management Lessons:

    1) Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy.

    2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.

    3) And when you're in deep shit, keep your mouth shut!

    All Time Dumbest Questions Asked By Banff Park Tourists, Eh?

    Yes, they're ALL TRUE as heard at the information kiosks manned by Parks Canada staff!

    1. How do the elk know they're supposed to cross at the "Elk Crossing" signs?

    2. At what elevation does an elk become a moose?

    3. Tourist: "How do you pronounce 'Elk'?"

    Park Information Staff: "'Elk.'"
    Tourist: "Oh."
    4. Are the bears with collars tame?

    5. Is there anywhere I can see the bears pose?

    6. Is it okay to keep an open bag of bacon on the picnic table, or should I store it in my tent?

    7. Where can I find Alpine Flamingos?

    8. I saw an animal on the way to Banff today -- could you tell me what it was?

    9. Are there birds in Canada?

    10. Did I miss the turnoff for Canada?

    11. Where does Alberta end and Canada begin?

    12. Do you have a map of the State of Jasper?

    13. Is this the part of Canada that speaks French, or is that Saskatchewan?

    14. If I go to BC, do I have to go through Ontario?

    15. Which is the way to the Columbia Rice fields?

    16. How far is Banff from Canada?

    17. What's the best way to see Canada in a day?

    18. Do they search you at the BC border?

    19. When we enter BC, do we have to convert our money to British pounds?

    20. Where can I buy a raccoon hat? ALL Canadians own one, don't they?

    21. Are there phones in Banff?

    22. So it's eight kilometers away... is that in miles?

    23. We're on the decibel system, you know.

    24. Where can I get my husband really, REALLY, lost??

    25. Is that two kilometers by foot or by car?

    26. Don't you Canadians know anything?

    27. Where do you put the animals at night?

    28. Tourist: "How do you get your lakes so blue?"
    Park staff: "We take the water out in the winter and paint the bottom."
    Tourist: "Oh!"

    - Joke du Jour [not yet on snopes]

    Thursday, June 21, 2007

    now that's funny

    I know computer humor has limited popularity and undetstanding, but take my word for it, this from essentially an IBM press release is funny. Comparing computer memory to MP3 music and encyclopedias....
    Simplifies the management of large applications. IBM is enhancing the mainframe's renowned virtualization software, z/VM, by supporting ten times more virtualized memory and up to 256 GB of real memory, which is equal to approximately 192 days of MP3 music or 1,024 sets of encyclopedias.
    http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0269455.htm

    Monday, June 18, 2007

    Today is what?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autistic_Pride_Day

    You're too young to remember Mel Allen but

    Unpublished story:

    My grandparents lived next to the 'Isreals' and old man Isreal was trying to teach Melvin to back up the family sedan. "You's looks straight ahead and goes straight back" and knocks the corner off the front porch. Furious tries it the other direction and knocks the bumper off on the biggest druid oak on the block...Slams down his fedora-"anyways you gets the picture". My dad, uncle and aunt were peering over the balcony of the sleeping porch and didn't know whether to laugh or run for cover...after law school young Melvin took the stage name 'Mel Allen'.

    - Ed Finnell q.IBM Mainframe Discussion List

    See also wikipedia

    let's be careful out there

    Poor little Willie was a chemist.
    He isn't a chemist anymore.
    For what he thought was H2O
    Was H2SO4.

    Saturday, June 16, 2007

    requiescat in pace

    Trained as an English and science teacher, Don Herbert instead was attracted to theater, working as a stagehand. During World War II, he was a decorated bomber pilot. But after the war, he put his two loves together, education and theater, as "Mr. Wizard" on NBC TV, teaching children about science on his show "Watch Mr. Wizard" from 1951 to 1965. (The show was later reincarnated as "Mr. Wizard's World" by Nickelodeon from 1983 to 1990, bringing the concept to a new generation.) "Don has been personally responsible for more people going into the sciences than any other single person in this country," said George Tressel, a former National Science Foundation director. "When I talk to scientists, they all say that Mr. Wizard taught them to think." In his half-hour show, Herbert would explain how clouds produced rain, what makes dough rise, how glue works -- all with the help of an in-studio child that the audience could identify with. By the mid-1950s there were about 5,000 Mr. Wizard Science Clubs with more than 100,000 members. "Everything on the show I learned by doing it," he said. "But even when things went wrong, we would always explain why." He died 2007Jun12 from multiple myeloma. He was 89. - Honorary Unsubscribe archive

    bon appetit

    Pets: To Cook, or Not - Birmingham News headline

    Wednesday, June 13, 2007

    A PLACE WHERE THEY CARE

    Sam Rayburn was a Democratic politician who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for 17 years, and is regarded by many as the most effective Speaker of the House in American history. Allow me to share with you some of his most memorable statements:

    "Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations."

    "No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut."

    "You'll never get mixed up if you simply tell the truth. Then you don't have to remember what you have said, and you never forget what you have said."

    When Harry Truman was thrust into the presidency at the death of FDR, Sam Rayburn gave him some fatherly advice. "From here on out, you're going to have lots of people around you. They'll try to put a wall around you and cut you off from any ideas but theirs. They'll tell you what a great man you are, Harry. But you and I both know you ain't."

    Later on, when Sam Rayburn discovered that he was quite ill, he announced to the House of Representatives he was going home for medical tests. Some wondered why he didn't stay in Washington where there were excellent medical facilities. He supplied the answer when he told Congressman Jim Wright, "Bonham [Texas] is a place where people know it when you're sick, and where they care when you die."

    I like that last statement because I think it's true of the church. We live in a world where people often don't care what happens to others around them. Everyone is too interested in getting what they want to even notice what is going on in the lives of others. But the church is a place where people "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Rom 12:15) It's a place "where people know it when you're sick, and where they care when you die."

    God knew that we need a place like that -- a group of people who share the same commitment to God that we have, a place where we will be loved unconditionally, a place where we can find shoulders to lean on and arms to comfort us in times of trial.

    I hope that each and every one of you have a church family that serves that purpose in your life.

    "We must continue to hold firmly to our declaration of faith. The one who made the promise is faithful. We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things. We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming." (Heb 10:23-25, God's Word)

    Monday, June 11, 2007

    the adventures of Action Item, professional superhero

    Swan house

    http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ktdt_1/album?.dir=/e922re2&.src=ph&.tok=phon04GBrZ6p3tCX

    tweeter tweets

    YOU might be a school employee if....
    • you believe the playground (cafeteria?) should be equipped with Ritalin salt lick
    • you want to slap the next person who says, "Must be nice to work 8 to 3:30 and have summers off
    • it is difficult to name your own child because there's no name you can come up with that doesn't bring high blood pressure as it is uttered
    • you can tell it's a full moon or if it going to rain, snow, hail ....anything!!! Without ever looking outside
    • you believe, "shallow gene pool" should have its own box on a report card
    • you believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today."
    • when out in public, you feel the urge to snap your fingers at children you do not know and correct their behavior
    • you have no social life between August and June
    • you think people should have a government permit before being allowed to reproduce
    • you wonder how some parents MANAGED to reproduce
    • you laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the "lounge."
    • you encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or home schooling and are willing to donate the UHAUL boxes should they decided to move out of district
    • you think caffeine should be available in intravenous form
    • you can't imagine how the ACLU could think that covering your students chair with Velcro and then requiring uniforms made out of the corresponding Velcro could ever be misunderstood by the public
    • meeting a child's parent instantly answers the question, "Why is this kid like this?"
    • you would choose a mammogram over a parent conference
    • you think someone should invent antibacterial pencils and crayons...and desks and chairs for that matter!!!
    • the words "I have college debt for this?" has ever come out of your mouth
    - Jeff Foxworthy

    Is this spamoni?

    Congratulations!!! This E-mail Just Won A Million Euro Contact Your Claims Agent.

    Sachsen Lotto-Gmbh
    Ufficio centrale
    Amministrazione e servizi centrali:
    Sachsen-Strasse 52, DE-13370 Postdam
    Germania.

    Numero di riferimento: SL/06-GmbH/4009:
    Batch SL/06-GmbH/3434

    Congratulazioni!!!

    Siamo soddisfatti di informarli che del risultato del finale annuale
    appena conclusivo disegna del programma Lotto-Gmbh di Sachsen.

    Sachsen Lotto-Gmbh disegna e stato condotto da una lista esclusiva di
    25.000.000 indirizzi di E-mail di diverse e societa selezionate da una
    ricerca casuale automatizzata avanzata della scheda elettorale del
    calcolatore dal Internet come componente del nostro
    programma internazionale di promozioni che conduciamo ogni anno. Nessun
    biglietto e stato venduto.

    Dopo che questa scheda elettorale automatizzata del calcolatore, il
    vostro indirizzo di E-mail fissata al numero di serie 06-3434 disegni i
    numeri fortunati 7-17-21-26-37-42 che conseguentemente e emerso voi
    come uno dei primi cinquanta (50) vincitori fortunati in questa
    categoria.

    Quindi siete stati approvati per un versamento di somma forfettaria di
    €1,000,000.00 (un milione di EURO) in denaro accreditato alla lima
    SL/06- GmbH/4009. Cio proviene da un premio totale dei contanti
    dell'euro €50 milione compartecipe fra i primi cinquanta (50) vincitori
    fortunati in questa categoria.

    Questo programma Jackpot di Lottery di anno e mai il piu grande per
    Sachsen Lotto-Gmbh. Il jackpot valutato €50 milione sarebbe il
    sesto-piu grande nella storia dell'Europa. Il piu grande era il jackpot
    €363 milione di che e andato a due vincitori in un'illustrazione del
    febbraio 2000 Predecessore il gioco grande dei milioni Mega.

    Il vostro fondo monetario ora e depositato in una banca in mare aperto
    con un'assicurazione del hardcover. dovuto la miscela in su di alcuni
    numeri e nomi, noi consiglio che mantenete questo premio dall'avviso
    pubblico fino a procedere il vostro reclamo ed i vostri soldi rimessi
    al vostro cliente di banca nominato poiche questo fa parte del nostro
    protocollo di sicurezza per evitare doppio sostenere o ingiustificato
    approfittare di questo programma da grande pubblico.

    Notare prego che il vostro numero di vincita fortunato fa parte del
    nostro ufficio rappresentativo del libretto europeo a Londra.
    In considerazione di questo, il vostro €1,000,000.00 (un milione di
    euro) sarebbe liberato a voi dalla nostra banca della filiale in Europa.

    Il nostro agente immediatamente comincera il processo per facilitare il
    rilascio dei vostri fondi monetari a voi non appena gli stabilite il
    contatto con.

    Per cominciare il vostro reclamo metter in contatto con prego il nostro
    agente autorizzato ed accreditato assegnato voi:

    Il vostro agente di reclami non parla l'Italia, ma potete E-mail o fax
    Mr.Gray Armstrong
    Sachsen Lotto-Gmbh
    Ufficio di pagamento e delle informazioni:
    Ufficio del rappresentante de Londra.
    Telefono: +44-702-402-4687
    Fax: +44-870-478-3252
    E mail:- mr.gray_armstrong@strompost.com
    claims_agentgray@yahoo.de

    Il vostro agente di reclami li aiutera nell'elaborazione e nella
    rimessa dei vostri fondi monetari del premio nel vostro cliente di banca
    indicato.

    Si noti che tutti i fondi monetari premiati devono essere esatti non
    piu successivamente di 3 settimane. Dopo che questa data tutti i fondi
    monetari siano restituiti al MINISTERO DEL TESORO di LOTTERY come
    unclaimed.

    Per evitare inutile fa ritardare e le complicazioni, tentano prego di
    citare il vostro.

    Numero di riferimento: SL/06-GmbH/4009: e Batch SL/06-GmbH/3434

    Ancora, dovrebbe ci essere tutto il cambiamento nelvostro indirizzo,
    informa il vostro agente di reclami appena possibile.

    Ai membri delle agenzie della filiale non sono permessi automaticamente
    partecipare a questo programma.

    Congratulazioni ancora una volta da tutti i membri del nostri personale
    e ringraziamenti per fare parte del nostro programma di promozioni.
    Distinti saluti,

    Mrs.Julia Flo
    Responsabile di promozioni
    Sachsen Lotto-GmbH.

    Wednesday, June 6, 2007

    thoughts for the day

    If your cow had wheels, it would be a milk truck. - Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz [shmuel+ibm-main@patriot.net]q.[ibm-main@bama.ua.edu]

    thought on the meaning of words

    THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

    Haircuts -

    * Women's Version: *

    Woman 2: Oh! You got a haircut! That's so cuuuuute!

    Woman 1: Do you think so? I wasn't sure when she gave me the mirror. I mean, you don't think it's too fluffy looking?

    Woman 2: Oh no, it's perfect! I'd love to get my hair cut like that, but I think my face is too wide. I'm pretty much stuck with this style, I think.

    Woman 1: Are you serious? I think your face is adorable. And you could easily get one of those layer cuts - that would look so cute on you. I was actually going to do that except that I was afraid it would accent my long neck.

    Woman 2: Oh, now that's funny! I would love to have your neck! Anything to take attention away from this two-by-four I have for a shoulder line.

    Woman 1: Are you kidding? I know girls that would love to have your shoulders. Everything drapes so well on you. I mean, look at my arms - see how short they are? If I had your shoulders I could get clothes to fit me so much easier.

    Woman 2: Do you think so? Oh, you're just saying that!

    Woman 1: No! Really, I mean it...


    * Men's Version: *
    Man 2: Haircut?

    Man 1: Umm hmm.

    In case you haven't noticed, men and women truly are different. We think differently, we relate to one another differently, we express our emotions differently. It is those differences that often are the source of conflict in marriages (she wants to talk things out right now, he wants to sit and think about it without saying a word). Yet, ironically, it is those same differences that cause me to appreciate my wife. I admire the differences in her (when they aren't irritating me :-) , and I'm well aware that being married to someone just like me would be absolutely horrible.
    All this is to say that God obviously knew what he was doing when he created men and women. Eve truly was "suitable" for Adam as a mate. (Gen 2:18)

    The differences require a bit more patience and understanding on our part at times, but it's well worth it!

    "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered." (1Pt3:7)

    Give thanks to God for your mate today, in spite of (no, because of) the differences between you.

    - Alan Smith