08.08.07
Posted in Children at 12:40 pm by Valentine
So many people pontificate on the evils of television. Behavioral psychologists are concerned about teens and pre-teens learning violence and inappropriate sexuality from television. Health researchers tell us that people eat more when the TV is on, contributing to obesity. Educators worry that excessive TV viewing cuts into study time. Why so much fuss? Television is intended as mindless entertainment, no more. There is a role for escapism, in moderation, but surely nobody would ever confuse it with reality? Or education? Or use it as their primary source for news and knowledge about the world?
Then again, I might be overestimating people. This recent study by pediatric researchers from the University of Washington analyzes the viewing habits of children ages 2 to 24 months. A surprising 29% of parents feel the most important reason for their children watching the babble box is that it “teaches my child something” or “is good for their brain”. Another 9% believe that they benefit because “it is time spent with another sibling”. More than a third of parents believe the viewing is beneficial for the child. Read the rest of this entry »
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06.05.07
Posted in Children, News at 4:03 pm by Valentine
Surprise! Congress is once again preparing to squash a gnat with a sledgehammer. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “In 2005, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median weekly earnings of $585, or 81 percent of the $722 median for their male counterparts.” (Click here for the report.) Cait Murphy, assistant managing editor of Fortune, reports on this issue and the proposed legislative remedy. I highly recommend reading her article, as it is both thorough and balanced. Read the rest of this entry »
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05.04.07
Posted in Children at 11:09 pm by Valentine
In this recent Globe article, Sacha Pfeiffer writes, “Female lawyers continue to face intractable challenges in their attempts to become partners, causing them to abandon law firm careers — and the legal profession entirely — at a dramatically higher rate than men, according to a local study to be released today.”
The article could almost be a reprint of a dozen similar stories over the past years. While overt discrimination has been greatly reduced (not eliminated), the most prestigious, powerful, and lucrative positions remain largely empty of women. Partner in a law firm? Tenured professor at Harvard? Nationally prominent politician? Corporate officer of a Fortune 500 company? Forty years after the Women’s Liberation movement in the 1960s brought some semblance of workplace equality, we still see no more than 20% female representation in the upper echelons of our leadership. Read the rest of this entry »
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04.16.07
Posted in Children at 6:49 pm by Valentine
Spring can be a frustrating time for a New England gardener. The sun hangs in the sky until well past dinner, but the temperature holds in the forties and the ground is perpetually soggy. Having earlier planted two fruit trees, today I am widening the beds to accommodate a couple dozen dry-root strawberries. “You must be an optimist,” comments a passing driver. “That I am,” I reply, while wondering whether he refers to the building nor’easter or the faith required to envision the twisted roots I am sticking in the ground bearing fruit in a mere sixty days. I finish and clean up ahead of the downpour.
Yet for every packet of seeds that I sow, three more turn up that insist they want to get started “as soon as the soil can be worked in the early spring”. Is it time, they question? I’ll get to you soon, I promise. I opened the wrong cabinet in the basement this weekend, only to encounter questing tentacles from the seed potatoes. Where is our soil, our sun? Inside their winter bags I hear whispers from the gladiolus, importuning me with pleas for a gentle burial in a warm plot of soil. Patience, patience, I reply.
After six months of cold and damp, I too am ready to stretch my arms in the garden sunshine. To finally clear the detritus from last year’s crops, rake the planting beds into fresh mounds, then plant seeds while dreaming of what they might become. I gaze out the window through the rain, wondering if my attempts last fall to overseed a patchy portion of the lawn will have any lasting effect? Coming up behind me, R. intones, “April showers bring more flowers.”
He’s right, of course. We’ll get the chard in tomorrow.
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04.10.07
Posted in Baseball, Children at 8:07 am by Valentine
Curt Schilling threw a real stinker on Opening Day. By the time he hit the showers, the lowly Royals had tagged him for eight hits and five runs in a mere four innings of work!
Some quotes from Curt’s blog entry: http://38pitches.com/2007/04/02/game-1-4207-kc/
- “Can’t remember a game where I couldn’t make adjustments but today was certainly one of those.”
- “Walking off the mound I knew my FB command was crap, and that I’d need to get it right fast.”
- “I had more than ample chances to make this a game, and never did. Inconsistent command and horrific execution cost us the game.”
Put simply, Schilling knew the game stank and accepted full personal responsibility for creating the stench. Contrast this to the following assessment by a BOSOX list contributor:
Read the rest of this entry »
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04.02.07
Posted in Baseball, Children at 7:21 pm by Valentine
The Red Sox lost today. The great Curt Schilling losing to the lowly Royals and the much-maligned Gil Meche?!? Tobin time? Nah… It’s a long season. The Royals are a better team than recent history suggests, and baseball is too random a game to get worried in early April.
Besides, that’s not me. I still spend hours rehashing the State of the Team on the Bosox Listserv (and more hours managing my rotisserie team — aiming for a third straight pennant!), but children truly put your world in perspective. My 7 month old son P. is sleeping peacefully on my chest as I type, so how bad can things be?
I’m still not certain I understand what “Baba time” means to R. , my four-year-old son. Our exciting excursion today was a trip to the garden center to inspect their newly-arrived fruit trees. Joy of joys! We found a Bartlett Pear and a 4-in-1 cherry. “What a strange thing!” Simple pleasures suffice when you are young: a toy backhoe, a child-sized wheelbarrow, and a large hole in the front yard.
Now, R. tells me, I am old. I spend my days with children, leaving in the late afternoon to “chat” with those who desire a little extra help in math, chemistry, or introductory physics. Tutoring is good employment for a math geek who can no longer afford the time to hold a regular teaching job. I miss being part of the broader school community, but still enjoy sharing my talent and experience with those who (truly!) want to learn. I’ve mastered any mathematics kids are likely to encounter in high school, though I realize how much I’ve forgotten when I peek past first-year calculus to more advanced material.
Such is my life… I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Red Sox (or MLB in general), and I’ll happily take a stab at any math problems you dig up. In between I’ll blog on anything that crosses my plate. Hope to see you around!
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