Thursday, March 25, 2010

Links -- Natural Disaster

Ten Deadliest Natural Disasters

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

Feature articles on natural disasters:  http://www.naturalnews.com/natural_disasters.html


Natural Disasters Up More Than 400 Percent in Two Decades

6/5/2008 - (NaturalNews) The number of natural disasters around the world has increased by more than four times in the last 20 years, according to a report released by the British charity Oxfam. Oxfam analyzed data from the Red Cross, United Nations and researchers...





Earthquake and Cyclone Victims: How Can We Help End Suffering Now and In the Future?

5/16/2008 - (NaturalNews) I've struggled all week with the question of how I can best help the victims of the recent natural disasters that have devastated populations in China and Myanmar. It is not a simple matter to ponder. How can people in North America (or...





How to better prepare yourself and your family against climate change, natural disasters and the post-oil economy (opinion)

7/20/2007 - I've been a proponent of personal preparedness for many years. "Preparedness" simply means having some backup supplies on hand to help you get through unexpected events or hard times, and over the last decade, we've seen numerous examples of why preparedness...





BetterLifeGoods.com introduces a travel safety tool with LED light, radio, cell phone charger, seatbelt cutter, glass break and more

6/22/2007 - Unlike most of our product reviews, this one isn't about your health or nutrition. It's about your personal safety. Better Life Goods (a company I own, see full disclosure below) has just finished a large production run on an new, unique safety and preparedness...





Humanity cannot live without nature, but nature can live without humanity

1/23/2005 - Just after Christmas Day, 2004, the Earth experienced one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history (a 9.0) under the waters of the Indian Ocean. We also witnessed a barrage of unusual hurricanes during the summer of 2004 off the coast of Florida...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Speed Reading Link

http://www.spreeder.com/


Tutorial

Spreeder is an online speed reading utility to help train you to read faster. It does this by flashing words at a rapid rate, which helps in three ways:
  1. Reduce subvocalization
  2. Increase chunk comprehension
  3. Eliminate backreading
You can read more about it here. To read more about spreeder's specific settings, a good blog post is here.

Training Strategies

There are quite a few settings you can play around with to optimize your reading, but the two most important are the wpm and chunk size.

1. Increase wpm

When training, set the wpm to multiples of what you're comfortable reading at. For example, if you achieve 100% comprehension at 300wpm, try setting the wpm to 900wpm. Run through some text, and see how much you can absorb. Try this a couple times, making sure to really concentrate on the text that is flying by. Now reduce the wpm rate to 600wpm, and 400wpm. Chances are at the end of this activity, 300wpm will start to feel "slow", and you'll start comprehending at higher wpm's.

2. Increase chunk size

Once you start maxing out on how fast you can go in wpm's, another variable you'll want to toggle is the chunk size. Chunk size is the number of words that are flashed at a given time. Doubling the chunk size (i.e going from 1 to 2) will effectively halve the rate at which words are flashed, since you're showing twice as many words at once.
A tip on chunk size - look into setting the window width and font size accordingly. You'll want to be able to process a chunk in one eyeful, which means you won't want to have a 5 word chunk scroll across the entire screen, but rather in a tight little paragraph at the center of the screen.

Weather Vocabulary



ThunderstormTornadoSnow flurriesUmbrella Sun
 
Word
Part of speech
MeaningExample Sentence
airconditioner/airconditioning
noun
an appliance that cools down the air in a home or buildingThe airconditioner keeps the office nice and comfortable even when it's very hot outside.
avalanche
noun
a dangerous slide of snow down a mountainThe skiers were warned about a possible avalanche.
below freezing
preposition/adjective
temperature less than 0 degrees Celsius/(32F)It's supposed to go below freezing before the weekend.
blizzard
noun
a storm with lots of snow and windThe airplane couldn't take-off because of the blizzard.
boiling hot
adjective + noun
common expression for describing a very hot dayIt was boiling hot, so we all jumped into the lake.
breeze
noun
light windDon't bother with a hat. There is always a breeze near the ocean.
Celsius
noun
measurement of temperature (0 degrees is freezing/100 is boiling)In the summer, the average temperature here is 20 degrees Celsius.
chilly
adjective
coldIt's a bit chilly today, so I think you should wear a coat.
clear
adjective
when the sky is blue because no clouds are blocking the sunOn a clear night you can see a lot of stars.
cloud/cloudy
noun/adjective
water in the sky that appears as a white or grey massIt may look cloudy in the morning, but the sun always comes out by afternoon.
cold spell
adjective + noun
a period of colder than average weatherThey're calling for a cold spell, so we put off our camping trip.
cool
adjective
temperature in between warm and coldThe days were boiling hot, but the nights were cool and comfortable for sleeping.
degrees
noun
measurement for temperatureI don't feel the heat until it's about forty degrees Celsius outside.
drizzling
continuous verb
raining slightlyI think I'll take the dog for a walk. It's only drizzling now.
drought
noun
a long period with no rainfallForest fires are a serious danger during a drought.
Fahrenheit
noun
measurement of temperature (32 degrees is freezing/212 is boiling)It was 100 degrees Fahrenheit when we got to San Francisco.
flood
noun
overflow of rain waterThe flood was so bad, our basement was full of water.
Snow flurriesflurries
noun
very light snowfallThere are a few flurries but the snow isn't sticking to the roads.
fog/foggy
noun/adjective
thick water vapor that blocks one's visionWe couldn't see the bridge because there was too much fog.
forecast
noun/verb
the expected weather for the futureAccording to the 5 day forecast, it's going to rain on our wedding day.
freezing cold
adjective + noun
common expression used to describe a very cold dayIt was a freezing cold day for the Santa Claus parade.
frost
noun
ice crystals on a frozen surfaceSome flowers are so strong they can withstand frost.
frostbite
noun
a skin condition caused by over exposure to the cold (typically reddish skin with white spots)I lost my hat while I was skiing, and I ended up with frostbite on my ears.
hail
noun
small pieces of ice that fall during a stormThere was so much hail that some of the trailer homes were destroyed.
heat stroke
noun
a flu-like condition one can acquire after spending too long in the sunBring lots of water and wear a hat to avoid heat stroke in this weather.
heat-wave
noun
extremely hot weather that is much higher than average--usually lasts a short timeDuring the heat-wave we cooled our beds down with ice packs.
humid/humidity
adjective/noun
moisture in the airIt feels a lot hotter than it actually is because of the humidity.
hurricane
noun
a tropical storm with very strong wind and rainHalf of the buildings on the island were flattened by the hurricane.
icy
adjective
slippery because of iceThe roads are icy so please avoid driving down any hills.
lightning
noun
electric flash caused by two clouds hittingThe outdoor pool always closes when the lifeguards suspect lightning.
mild
adjective
temperature that is warmer than average(in a cold season)It's quite mild out so I didn't bother with a hat or mittens.
meteorologist
noun
a person who studies weather patternsThe meteorologist predicted that the cold spell would be over by now.
minus/negative
adjective
indicates that a temperature is below zeroIt was minus twenty degrees at the top of the skil hill.
overcast
adjective
no sun is visibleThe sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out by late afternoon.
partly cloudy
adverb + adjective
term often used in a weather forecast to indicate that the skies are sunny and cloudy at the same timeTomorrow's forecast is partly cloudy with clear skies by nightfall.
precipitation
noun
rain or snow that falls on an areaThere is very little precipitation in the desert.
puddle
noun
collection of rain waterChildren love to splash in puddles when they are wearing rubber boots.
rain/raining/rainy
noun/continuous verb/adjective
water that falls to earthMy hair is all wet and messy from the rain.
raindrop
noun
a single measurement of rainI love catching raindrops on my tongue.
rainbow
noun
a band of colours found in the sky after a rainfallAccording to legend you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
raining cats and dogs
idiom
raining heavilyThey cancelled the football game because it was raining cats and dogs.
scorching/a scorcher
adjective/noun
extremely hot temperature/a very hot dayIt was a scorcher, so the whole family slept in the cool basement.
season
noun
time of year characterized by certain weather
Winter,Spring,Summer,Fall (or Autumn)
My favorite season is Fall, because I love to watch the leaves changing colours.
shower
noun
quick/light rainstormThey've been calling for showers all week, but so far it's been dry.
sleet(similar to hail)
noun
rain that freezes as it fallsAll-weather-tires are best if you have to drive in sleet.
slush/slushy
noun/adjective
snow on the ground that has been rained onThe snow turned to slush as soon as it started to rain.
smog
noun
heavy,dark cloud cover caused by pollutionYou really notice the smog downtown in this type of humidity.
snow/snowy/snowing
noun/adjective/ continuous verb
frozen water that warms slightly as it falls to earthIt is already snowing up in the mountains, so the ski season should be great this year.
snowstorm
noun
large amounts of wind and snowAll of the schools were closed because of the snowstorm.
Sunsun/sunshine/sunny
noun/noun/adjective
the gassy star that warms the earthWe hope to have sunshine on the day of the beach picnic.
sunburn
noun
painful red/pink skin caused by being in the sun too longThe bald man got a sunburn on his head.
sunglasses/shades
noun
dark eyewear that protects you from the sunI forgot my shades and I was driving right into the sun.
suntan/tanned
noun(also verb)/adjective(also verb)
brown/golden skin caused by long periods of sun exposureI got a suntan on the cruise, but it has already faded away.
sunscreen/suntan lotion
noun
cream that protects your skin from sun damageDon't forget to reapply your sunscreen when you get out of the lake.
temperature
noun
how warm or cold the air isCan you check the temperature before we get dressed for our walk?
Thermometerthermometer
noun
instrument for measuring the temperature of the airWhen I checked the temperature this morning, the thermometer said it was already thirty degrees Celsius.
Thunderstormthunder/thunderstorm
noun
the crashing of clouds (often followed by a strike of lightning and heavy rain)Let's close all of the windows. It looks like a thunderstorm is coming.
Tornadotornado/cyclone
noun
violently spinning windstormThe tornado picked up everything in its path, including animals and cars.
Umbrellaumbrella
noun
held over one's head and body for rain protectionI always keep an umbrella in my car in case of rain.
UV (ultra violet) rays
noun
the damaging rays from the sunUltra violet rays can cause skin cancer if you don't wear sunscreen.
wind/windy
noun/adjective
blowing air outsideIt's too windy to play golf today.
wind chill factor
noun
when the wind makes the air feel colder than the actual temperatureIt's minus two, but with the wind chill factor it's minus fifteen.

ThunderstormTornadoSnow flurriesUmbrella SunThermometer

Reading Comprehension Strategies

from 
http://www.readingquest.org/strat/
ABC Brainstorm
  [ instructions    |    print chart ]
brainstorming activity, using letters of the alphabet
Carousel Brainstorming
  [ instructions ]
brainstorm similar to graffiti strategy
Clock Buddies
  [ instructions    |    print chart ]
a quick partnering system
Column Notes
  [ instructions ]
a learning guide arranged in columns
Comparison-Contrast Charts
  [ instructions    |    print chart ]
often found in graphic organizer form, a chart for comparing two concepts by looking at the ways they are similar and how they are different
Concept of Definition Map
  [ instructions    |    print map ]
a visually organized word chart for expanding the concept of meaning and enriching one's understanding of an unfamiliar term
Graphic Organizers
  [ instructions ]
visual organization of information, whether for levels of information, sequence or ordering, or relationships; often called concept maps, webs, clusters, or pictorial organizers
History Frames/Story Maps
  [ instructions    |    print history frame    |    print story map    |    print story pyramid    |    print character/plot chart    |    print cross-disciplinary applications ]
based on the story maps that many students already use in English and Language Arts, the history frame is a graphic organizer that looks at key actors, time & place of events, problem or goal, key events, outcome, and larger relevance
Inquiry Chart
  [ instructions    |    print chart ]
a variation of column notes and learning guides, inquiry charts are used specifically to generate questions whose answers will come from combing through a variety of sources
K - W - L
  [ instructions    |    print K-W-L chart    |    print modified K-W-L chart ]
a three-column chart for approaching new content and actively engaging in it; contains components for before, during, and after reading activity
Opinion-Proof
  [ instructions    |    print chart ]
a two-column chart where students seek to provide support or evidence from the content to bolster an opinion they have put forward
Power Thinking
  [ instructions ]
an alternative system of outlining, power thinking involves assigning "Power" levels to information according to whether it is a main idea, subtopic, or detail
Problem-Solution Chart
  [ instructions    |    print chart ]
a two-column chart that is especially helpful for looking at cause and effect; its components invite students to consider consequences, causes, and solutions of problems
Question-Answer Relationships
  [ instructions    |    print chart    |    print QAR concept map ]
an strategy for understanding different levels of questions, from simple recall to more complex, and for recognizing the nature of given questions so that it is better understood what kind of answer is called for
Questioning the Author
  [ instructions ]
a protocol of questions for examining how clearly an author has communicated his or her ideas
Pattern Puzzles (a/k/a Mystery Pot)
  [ instructions ]
a sorting and manipulation activity for looking at the organization of ideas
RAFT Papers
  [ instructions    |    print blank form ]
a framework for approaching writing that can be especially good for encouraging expressions of empathy and understanding of another's perspective
Reciprocal Teaching
  [ instructions ]
a constructed activity for students to collaborate in understanding a selection of content (can also be done individually); students take on roles as Summarizer, Questioner, Clarifier, or Predictor
Selective Underlining/Highlighting
  [ instructions ]
emphasis on the word "selective"; a means for students to read for key ideas, essential vocabulary, cause and effect, etc.
Semantic Feature Analysis
  [ instructions ]
an attribute analysis tool; students can compare different ideas, concepts, people, events, etc. against a cross-referenced set of criteria
Story Maps
same as history frames; see above
Summarizing
  [ instructions    |    print Sum It Up sheet    |    print Sum It Up directions    |    lesson closure framed paragraph ]
a strategy for developing coherent but brief expressions of larger ideas by focusing on key words and main ideas; included are suggestions for various ways to teach summarizing, including an activity called Sum It Up
Thesis-Proof
  [ instructions    |    print chart    |    print pro/con chart ]
a variation of two-column charts where students use key ideas in their content to support a thesis; excellent for pre-writing
Think-Pair-Share
  [ instructions ]
a cooperative and structured discussion strategy
Three-Minute Pause
  [ instructions    |    print overhead master ]
a structured pause; a comprehension check
3 - 2 - 1
  [ instructions    |    print 3-2-1 master ]
good quick strategy for summarizing and questioning
Venn Diagrams
  [ instructions    |    Venn Diagram for 2    |    Venn Diagram for 3    |    Venn Diagram w/Summary    |    Venn Variations ]
the most common charts for looking at similarities and differences
Word Map
  [ instructions    |    print map v.1    |    print map v.2 ]
a vocabulary strategy for visually mapping associations of meaning for a new term
BACK

Monday, February 15, 2010

Workaholic Questions

Twenty Questions: How Do I Know If I'm A Workaholic?

  1. Do you get more excited about your work than about family or anything else?
  2. Are there times when you can charge through your work and other times when you can't?
  3. Do you take work with you to bed? On weekends? On vacation?
  4. Is work the activity you like to do best and talk about most?
  5. Do you work more than 40 hours a week?
  6. Do you turn your hobbies into money-making ventures?
  7. Do you take complete responsibility for the outcome of your work efforts?
  8. Have your family or friends given up expecting you on time?
  9. Do you take on extra work because you are concerned that it won't otherwise get done?
  10. Do you underestimate how long a project will take and then rush to complete it?
  11. Do you believe that it is okay to work long hours if you love what you are doing?
  12. Do you get impatient with people who have other priorities besides work?
  13. Are you afraid that if you don't work hard you will lose your job or be a failure?
  14. Is the future a constant worry for you even when things are going very well?
  15. Do you do things energetically and competitively including play?
  16. Do you get irritated when people ask you to stop doing your work in order to do something else?
  17. Have your long hours hurt your family or other relationships?
  18. Do you think about your work while driving, falling asleep or when others are talking?
  19. Do you work or read during meals?
  20. Do you believe that more money will solve the other problems in your life?

If you answer "yes" to three or more of these questions you may be a workaholic. Relax. You are not alone. Many have found recovery through the tools of this fellowship.

Appears as pages 4-5 in the W.A. Book of Recovery.This literature is also available as a downloadable file (in PDF)