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WITandWISDOM(tm) - July 29, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action." - Benjamin Disraeli (E-zine: INSPIRATION A DAY! Mailto:jhinds@technologist.com) ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: When I was little, Dibby's cousin had a dog, just a mutt, and the dog was pregnant. I don't know how long dogs are pregnant, but she was due to have her puppies in about a week. She was out in the yard one day and got in the way of the lawn mower, and her two hind legs got cut off. They rushed her to the vet and he said, "I can sew her up, or you can put her to sleep if you want, but the puppies are okay. She'll be able to deliver the puppies." Dibby's cousin said, "Keep her alive." So the vet sewed her backside and over the next week the dog learned to walk. She didn't spend any time worrying, she just learned to walk by taking two steps in the front and flipping up her backside, and then taking two steps and flipping up her backside again. She gave birth to six little puppies, all in perfect health. She nursed them and then weaned them. And when they learned to walk, they all walked like her. (Carol Blum) ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: MATH TESTS, THEN AND NOW . . . 1960's ARITHMETIC TEST: A logger cuts and sells a truckload of lumber for $100.00. His cost of production is four-fifths of that amount. What is his profit? 1970's NEW MATH TEST: A logger exchanges a set (L) of lumber for a set (M) of money. The cardinality of set (M) is 100. The set (C) of production costs contains 20 fewer points. What is the cardinality of set (P) of profits? 1980's "DUMBED DOWN" VERSION: A logger cuts and sells a truckload of lumber for $100.00. His cost is $80.00, his profit is $20.00. Find and circle the number 20. 1990's VERSION: An unenlightened logger cuts down a beautiful stand of trees in order to make a $20.00 profit. Write an essay explaining how you feel about this as a way to make money. Topic for discussion: How did the forest birds and squirrels feel? (Scott Alvord) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Teacher: What is actually used as a conductor of electricity? Johnny: Why...er? Teacher: Wire is right. Very good. Now tell me, what is the unit of electrical power? Johnny: The what? Teacher: That's absolutely correct, the watt. Now class, you should all study diligently like Johnny here. (E-zine: KITTY'S DAILY MEWS http://www.katscratch.com) ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: What kind of bird can untie knots? . . . Ravens and their smaller cousins, crows, are among the smartest birds. Not only can they untie knots, they can also unzip zippers and unfasten velcro. Ravens have a highly sophisticated language with hundreds of distinct sounds. They are highly social birds, who mate for life and play complex games with each other. Ravens are the largest perching birds. They can have up to a four-foot (1.2 meter) wingspan, and they are powerful fliers with tremendous endurance. They live all around the northern hemisphere, from tropical jungles to the snowy wastes of the high Arctic. Their high intelligence and endurance give them the ability to adapt to many conditions and eat a wide variety of foods. For years ravens were thought of as pests in the United States. They were seen as thieves of eggs and small barnyard animals, and shot on sight. Their numbers declined steadily until recently, but now they are recovering across the western and northern states, learning to coexist with the humans who were once their main enemy. Crows and ravens have an enthusiastic following among humans: http://www.shades-of-night.com/aviary/ http://www.well.com/user/cro w/corvids.html (E-zine: THE LEARNING KINGDOM http://www.tlk- lists.com/join/) |