"It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most
intelligent, but most responsive to change." -Charles Darwin
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Science Barge
How do we city folk get our food?
The answer today is grim: our food is grown far away, mass produced on giant industrial farms using harmful chemical pesticides, and transported at a great cost to our environment.
The good people at New York Sun Works are trying to change that paradigm by building a prototype urban farm called "The Science Barge."
The Science Barge grows tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce with zero cost to the environment -- the farm is completely sustainable, wasting no energy, using no chemical pesticides, and producing no carbon dioxide.
You can visit the Science Barge at Riverside Park South throughout the summer.
Images from the Hubble Telescope
Check out Harvard Magazine's "Eye on the Universe," an interesting article accompanied by amazing photographs taken from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Jake Beckman
I checked out the website of an acquaintance from college today and was really impressed. Jake Beckman is an incredibly gifted artist. I love his artwork: well-executed, fun, and thoughtful.
NYC's Top 10 Ice Cream Sandwiches
Time for your first homework assignment of the summer: Read this article. Choose a destination. Grab a friend and get a bite. Take pics and write a food review. Publish. I want to know what's good!
Goodbye, MH3!
My four year tenure at Mott Hall 3 ended yesterday with little pomp and circumstance. I moved a few things from my room, handed out yearbooks to 8th graders, and turned in my keys to Ms. Rose. Quiet, just the way I like it.
A few words I wished I told you...I leave Mott Hall 3 feeling blessed. Blessed that I had the opportunity to teach awesome kids, work with cool colleagues, and grow as a teacher and human being. Certainly, MH3 has seen the best and worst of me -- things I never knew I had in my me.
I leave knowing that I have learned, taken, and given so much, and I hope that whatever I do next will afford me the same opportunity.
A million thanks to all of you!
A few words I wished I told you...I leave Mott Hall 3 feeling blessed. Blessed that I had the opportunity to teach awesome kids, work with cool colleagues, and grow as a teacher and human being. Certainly, MH3 has seen the best and worst of me -- things I never knew I had in my me.
I leave knowing that I have learned, taken, and given so much, and I hope that whatever I do next will afford me the same opportunity.
A million thanks to all of you!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Central Park Summerstage
Check out the 2008 calendar for Summerstage, the free summer concert series at Central Park.
A few highlights:
1) Friday, July 11, 2008 | 8-10 p.m.
Rennie Harris / Pure Movement
Francesca Harper Project
Rennie Harris Pure Movement is a hip hop dance company out of Illadelph (Philly). They do a lot of exciting and athletic dancing -- if you like ABDC (America's Best Dance Crew), then you'll probably enjoy this free show.
2) Thursday, July 17, 2008 | 7-10 p.m.
Junot Diaz
Junot Diaz is a Dominican-American writer who wrote this year's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. He also wrote the popular short story collection Drown. If you haven't read his stuff yet, then do yourself a favor and go to the library, find these books, and read them. Thank me later.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Largest Rodent in the World
The capybara is the largest rodent in the world. Its extinct ancestors were once the size of grizzly bears! Discover more about capybaras on Wikipedia.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
"Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me.)
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")
Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!
I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.
Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."
The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.
O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.
(America never was America to me.)
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.
(It never was America to me.)
O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.
(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")
Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?
I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.
I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!
I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.
Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."
The free?
Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.
O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!
O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!
Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
Dry or Wet Earwax?
When I was young, I always wondered why they called the gunk in your ear "wax." My ear wax has always been powdery, and today I discovered that I'm not alone.
Unlike other ethnicities, most East Asians have a mutation that make their ear wax dry and flaky. Eureka.
Read the Live Science article here and the New York Times article here.
Unlike other ethnicities, most East Asians have a mutation that make their ear wax dry and flaky. Eureka.
Read the Live Science article here and the New York Times article here.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Ben Kingsley on Adolescence
"I think youth has become very tangled up with consumerism. And I think the very extraordinary years that we call adolescence, moving from childhood to adulthood, they're very fleeting. And, I don't recall my adolescence being so consumer driven, so constantly invaded by peer pressure, fashion, gossip, uhhh very transient musical fashions and tastes, clothes, uh umm role models. It seems to be very cluttered, and adolescence is hard enough without a whole multibillion dollar consumer industry jumping on the backs of adolescence and making them, and squeezing them, squeezing dollars out of them. Well in fact, the reverse should be happening, that we should as an adult society, be squeezing encouragement into them and decent values into them and beautiful thoughts and ideas into them. No, we just want their money. It's pathetic, and I think somewhere in this story and in the dynamic, in the essentials of adolescence being a necessary time for experiment...But at the heart of it is, in order to grow, you have to make mistakes, you must be reckless, you cannot follow the herd, you have to follow your heart, you have to, to quote my crazy character, end up face down in the gutter, get your heart broken, make a mess of things because that is what adolescence is. And it's self healing. We make a mess as adolescents and it's self healing. Unless of course we stray into narcotics which will kill us or into alcohol which will kill us or into any kind of very compulsive destructive behavior but we are constantly, adolescents are constantly invited to be constant consumers. So it's a little unfair to expect adolescents to be free of certain substances, eating disorders, drug disorders, alcohol disorders and at the same time say but you do have to consume. It's very unfair of them, you know."
Watch the video of Ben Kingsley on the June 17, 2008 taping of the Tavis Smiley Show here.
Watch the trailer for Ben Kingsley's new movie The Wackness here.
Watch an example of rampant childhood consumerism here.
Watch the video of Ben Kingsley on the June 17, 2008 taping of the Tavis Smiley Show here.
Watch the trailer for Ben Kingsley's new movie The Wackness here.
Watch an example of rampant childhood consumerism here.
NYC Waterfalls
This summer's fun new public art project is almost here: four waterfalls created on the East River by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson. More info here.
Entertaining Review of the Incredible Hulk
Movie review of the Hulk. Written in the voice of the Hulk himself. Review funny. Movie not. Read here.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Lupe Fiasco's Album "The Cool"
Lupe talks about the concept behind his newest album, "The Cool" on the Tavis Smiley Show:
Suicide Prevention Workshop
When students have a half day, teachers have to stay after school and attend class. Today, we had a suicide prevention workshop. A well-respected physician from Montefiore Medical Center came in and talked about suicide among adolescents. Certainly a grim but important topic.
A few highlights from today's lecture:
1. Suicide rates increase with age. There are virtually no suicides among children younger than 10 and very little among middle schoolers. The suicide rate begins to climb steadily from high school onwards. Senior citizens have the highest rate of suicide -- it's just not publicized because it's the 25th leading cause of death among the elderly. On the other hand, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States among those aged 15-24 (behind accidents and homicide).
2. Suicides can happen in waves. A single suicide can spark copycats throughout a community. Therefore, it's very important how leaders in the community handle these crises -- drawing lots of media and community attention may be unhealthy for others going through problems of their own.
3. Boys are four times more likely to succeed in a suicide attempt than girls. The common perception is that girls are more dramatic than boys and attempt suicide to not kill themselves but to draw attention. This, at best, is a partial truth. Rather, girls are much more likely to attempt suicide by digesting pills and boys are much more likely to use more violent and effective methods. It's much easier for a physician to save a patient who overdoses on drugs than it is to save a patient who shoots him/herself.
4. Girls are four times more likely to attempt suicide than boys. The risk factors leading to suicide among teens -- family disruption, substance/sexual abuse, gay/lesbian sexual orientation -- lead to feelings of powerlessness in our society. Girls, I believe, have less avenues to excise these feelings and are therefore more likely to act out on their own bodies (e.g., cutting, anorexia, bulimia, and suicide) than boys.
So, what do we do? The support system in the Bronx is woefully inadequate -- our speaker today acknowledged that the medical system here does "triage" -- since there are an overwhelming number of individuals who need help, doctors attend only to the worst cases. Really, it's up to the rest of us -- friends, family, teachers, etc. -- to look out for our own.
A few highlights from today's lecture:
1. Suicide rates increase with age. There are virtually no suicides among children younger than 10 and very little among middle schoolers. The suicide rate begins to climb steadily from high school onwards. Senior citizens have the highest rate of suicide -- it's just not publicized because it's the 25th leading cause of death among the elderly. On the other hand, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States among those aged 15-24 (behind accidents and homicide).
2. Suicides can happen in waves. A single suicide can spark copycats throughout a community. Therefore, it's very important how leaders in the community handle these crises -- drawing lots of media and community attention may be unhealthy for others going through problems of their own.
3. Boys are four times more likely to succeed in a suicide attempt than girls. The common perception is that girls are more dramatic than boys and attempt suicide to not kill themselves but to draw attention. This, at best, is a partial truth. Rather, girls are much more likely to attempt suicide by digesting pills and boys are much more likely to use more violent and effective methods. It's much easier for a physician to save a patient who overdoses on drugs than it is to save a patient who shoots him/herself.
4. Girls are four times more likely to attempt suicide than boys. The risk factors leading to suicide among teens -- family disruption, substance/sexual abuse, gay/lesbian sexual orientation -- lead to feelings of powerlessness in our society. Girls, I believe, have less avenues to excise these feelings and are therefore more likely to act out on their own bodies (e.g., cutting, anorexia, bulimia, and suicide) than boys.
So, what do we do? The support system in the Bronx is woefully inadequate -- our speaker today acknowledged that the medical system here does "triage" -- since there are an overwhelming number of individuals who need help, doctors attend only to the worst cases. Really, it's up to the rest of us -- friends, family, teachers, etc. -- to look out for our own.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sustainable South Bronx
Majora Carter is one of those few brilliant people trying to make a difference. See what she has to say about "greening" the South Bronx.
Majora, I love you.
Majora, I love you.
Floating Pool at Baretto Point Park
According to online local news sources Curbed and Gothamist, a 260 foot long barge with a full-sized swimming pool, AKA The Floating Pool will be docked at Baretto Point Park this summer.
Baretto Point Park is a relatively new NYC Park located in Hunts Point, a neighborhood located in the South Bronx. It's part of the community's plan to "green the ghetto." Although there have been complaints of foul odors emanating from nearby industrial plants, the Floating Pool should help draw thousands of locals this summer to the area.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
NYC Bridges
Even though I hate sitting in traffic and polluting the environment, I will miss driving to work every day across the Whitestone Bridge. The views of both Manhattan and the Long Island Sound are spectacular.
"Man Made," an interesting and informative series on the National Geographic channel, had a great episode on NYC bridges earlier this year. The combination of science, engineering, and history makes for irresistible television!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Steve Jobs' Commencement Speech
A few years ago, Steve Jobs, the current CEO of Apple, gave an inspiring commencement speech at Stanford University. He had three personal stories to share, with three simple lessons:
1) Your life is a random assortment of events that you can't (completely) control. Even though you may have no idea how these 'dots' will connect, you just have to believe that they will, somehow. "You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
2) Do what you love. "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
3) Be in control of your own life. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become."
Thanks for the advice, Mr. Jobs.
Read the full transcript of his speech on Stanford's website.
1) Your life is a random assortment of events that you can't (completely) control. Even though you may have no idea how these 'dots' will connect, you just have to believe that they will, somehow. "You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
2) Do what you love. "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
3) Be in control of your own life. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become."
Thanks for the advice, Mr. Jobs.
Read the full transcript of his speech on Stanford's website.
What Funky Body Odor Says About You
With temperatures rising above 100 degrees this week in New York City, it's inevitable your olfactory nerves are going to be impinged upon by another person's body odor. Even though you may not enjoy the experience, you can learn something about your neighbor just by taking a whiff.
For one, body odor can indicate a person's health. For example, people who give off the scent of ammonia may be suffering from kidney or liver disease. And for those who smell sweet -- while it may sound great in theory, it may mean that you're developing diabetes. So...not so great.
Even though most of us try to mask our natural scents, scientists believe that we may be covering up a good thing -- these odors may be used to communicate information and emotions to others. We're more likely to recognize and feel comfortable around the smell of our kin, and feel fear around those who smell different than us.
And guys -- worried about sweating in front of your crush across the table from you? It turns out it may not work against you: women who are fertile pick up on certain chemicals found in men's sweat that women who are not fertile do not. So if you're interested in picking up a beautiful young lady, your best bet may be to work up a sweat! Just try not to sweat on the lady; I'm pretty sure they're not too keen on that.
Read the article here for yourself.
For one, body odor can indicate a person's health. For example, people who give off the scent of ammonia may be suffering from kidney or liver disease. And for those who smell sweet -- while it may sound great in theory, it may mean that you're developing diabetes. So...not so great.
Even though most of us try to mask our natural scents, scientists believe that we may be covering up a good thing -- these odors may be used to communicate information and emotions to others. We're more likely to recognize and feel comfortable around the smell of our kin, and feel fear around those who smell different than us.
And guys -- worried about sweating in front of your crush across the table from you? It turns out it may not work against you: women who are fertile pick up on certain chemicals found in men's sweat that women who are not fertile do not. So if you're interested in picking up a beautiful young lady, your best bet may be to work up a sweat! Just try not to sweat on the lady; I'm pretty sure they're not too keen on that.
Read the article here for yourself.
David Sedaris
David Sedaris has released a new book of essays entitled "When You Are Engulfed In Flames." I have been a fan of Sedaris since high school -- his writings are often both touching and funny -- and look forward to reading his new book.
You can watch Mr. Sedaris read one of his famous essays below:
You can watch Mr. Sedaris read one of his famous essays below:
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
"Cucurrucu Paloma" by Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso performs "Cucurrucu Paloma" in Pedro Almodovar's 2004 film, Talk to Her. You probably won't understand a single word in the song (it's sung in Portuguese), but you don't need to speak the language to understand the emotion Veloso is conveying in his performance. Beautiful!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Words to Live by
The superior man goes through life without any one preconceived course of action or any taboo. He merely decides for the moment what is the right thing to do.
- Confucius
- Confucius
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
nobody but you
by Charles Bukowski
nobody can save you but
yourself.
you will be put again and again
into nearly impossible
situations.
they will attempt again and again
through subterfuge, guise and
force
to make you submit, quit and/or die quietly
inside.
nobody can save you but
yourself
and it will be easy enough to fail
so very easily
but don't, don't, don't.
just watch them.
listen to them.
do you want to be like that?
a faceless, mindless, heartless
being?
do you want to experience
death before death?
nobody can save you but
yourself
and you're worth saving.
it's a war not easily won
but if anything is worth winning then
this is it.
think about it.
think about saving your self.
your spiritual self.
your gut self.
your singing magical self and
your beautiful self.
save it.
don't join the dead-in-spirit.
maintain your self
with humor and grace
and finally if necessary
wager your life as you struggle,
damn the odds, damn
the price.
only you can save your
self.
do it! do it!
then you'll know exactly what
I am talking about.
nobody can save you but
yourself.
you will be put again and again
into nearly impossible
situations.
they will attempt again and again
through subterfuge, guise and
force
to make you submit, quit and/or die quietly
inside.
nobody can save you but
yourself
and it will be easy enough to fail
so very easily
but don't, don't, don't.
just watch them.
listen to them.
do you want to be like that?
a faceless, mindless, heartless
being?
do you want to experience
death before death?
nobody can save you but
yourself
and you're worth saving.
it's a war not easily won
but if anything is worth winning then
this is it.
think about it.
think about saving your self.
your spiritual self.
your gut self.
your singing magical self and
your beautiful self.
save it.
don't join the dead-in-spirit.
maintain your self
with humor and grace
and finally if necessary
wager your life as you struggle,
damn the odds, damn
the price.
only you can save your
self.
do it! do it!
then you'll know exactly what
I am talking about.
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