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By Barbara Stachelski @Barbstachelski | March 06, 2018
As a middle school STEM teacher in Tustin, CA, Mrs. Stachelski, has embedded technology into her special needs classroom to engage her students in more depth. She recently took an on-line professional development course to further her ability to teach coding and robotics.
My students have special needs ranging from speech and language to autism. The majority of my students are also English language learners and come from low socio-economic families. Our school, Columbus Tustin Middle School, has a large magnet robotics program, however, my students do not qualify for this program due to their special needs.
Incorporating technology has become an effective and authentic instructional tool in my classroom and I believe engaging with technology is vital for my special needs students as they progress towards adulthood. My method of teaching is project based and I work on exposing my students to a multitude of experiences such as gardening, robotics, and coding to help make learning math and science more meaningful. Technology embedded into my curriculum engages my students in more depth.
Last spring, I sought out computer science professional development (CSPD) in order to dive deeper into my teaching of coding and robotics and better serve my students. It was important to me to find a high quality on-line course and be able to access the material during the summer months so I could give it my undivided attention, and not take away time from my students during the busy school year. I developed a project via DonorsChoose.org to crowdfund an on-line UTeach CSPD course. To my delight, in less than three weeks, I received donations from seven California donors, along with matching funds from Infosys Foundation USA, to fully fund my course.
I took the course and since I have incorporated the CSPD into my special needs classroom this school year, my students are learning even more about coding and programming. They are thoroughly enjoying it! Teaching coding in the classroom is very engaging for my students. It teaches them real world skills while engaging them in story creation, writing, sequencing and math. My students cannot thank you enough!!
I personally enjoy watching the students become alive in their learning. Four of my autistic students are particularly excited to learn programming. At times, these students can display behaviors which impede the learning of others. The side benefit of our coding classes is that these students do not act out nearly as much when they know that the last period of the day will be spent doing a preferred activity. I know that the training I have received and share with my students is already making a tremendous difference now, as well as for years to come. It is my belief that being able to understand and program computers will help my students with autism become more employable once they have graduated from high school.


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American Pharoah records first North American winner with Maven
by NYRA Press Office
- Haikal records half-mile breeze for Kentucky Derby
- Maragh looking for Derby triumph with Haikal
- Runhappy Travers winner Catholic Boy breezes over Belmont training track
- Franco searching for first Kentucky Derby win with Spinoff
- Irad Ortiz, Jr. excited to get Kentucky Derby mount on Improbable
- Brisset relishes Wednesday triumph with Abounding Joy
- Morley delighted with new Aqueduct track record holder Psychic Energy
- NYRA Bets offering 'Double Win' bet this Saturday in Charles Town Classic
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah recorded his first winner in North America when Richard Ravin's Maven took the Friday opener at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Westly Ward trainee, sent to post as the odds-on favorite in the 4 ½-furlong maiden sprint, went straight to the lead under jockey Dylan Davis. The chestnut colt marked the opening quarter-mile in 22.55 seconds and the half-mile 46.10 under pressure from Lebda.
At the top of the stretch, Maven was confronted by Lebda but the chestnut comfortably kept his foe at bay to graduate first out, winning by a half-length in a final running time of 52.82 over a main track labeled fast.
"It's definitely big for breeding in North America," Davis said. "A big thank you to Wesley Ward for continuing to use me. He's had a big impact on my career as a bug boy and continues to do so.
"With the horse being by American Pharoah, everyone expects a lot and he ran really well," continued Davis. "I was jogging and galloping him in the mornings, so I got a good feel for him. A huge thanks to the connections, I'm sure they're looking for bigger and better things."
Ward sent out filly Tesorina, American Pharoah's first starter in North America on Wednesday afternoon at the Big A, to a third-place finish.
Ward was ecstatic following Maven's triumph and said that American Pharoah's first North American winner will target the Group 2 Norfolk at Royal Ascot on June 20.
"I'm getting texts from everyone watching the race," Ward said. "It's fantastic for racing, for Coolmore, for owner Richard Ravin and most importantly, for me. What I see is that he's going to be a good sire. The dam [Richies Party Girl] was a turf sprinter and I think this one is going to be a turf sprinter as well. He's had outstanding works over the Polytrack at Turfway which translates to turf. We'll run him in the Norfolk at Royal Ascot and hopefully we can put American Pharoah on the big scale as a sire."
The 2015 Triple Crown winner's first overall starter was Peter Brant's Monarch of Egypt who graduated at first asking at Naas Racecourse in Ireland for trainer Aidan O'Brien.
Bred in Kentucky by Ward, Maven is the first progeny out of three-time turf stakes winning Any Given Saturday broodmare Richies Party Girl.
* * *
Haikal records half-mile breeze for Kentucky Derby
With weather calling for a good chance of rain in the Elmont area this Easter weekend, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin altered the work pattern for Shadwell Farm's Kentucky Derby hopeful Haikal, breezing the graded stakes winning son of Daaher on Friday morning.
Haikal took to the Belmont Park main track at 9:30 a.m. to record his first serious move since a third-place effort in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by NYRA Bets on April 6, posting a half-mile drill in 47.59 seconds. The four-furlong workout was the fastest of 48 recorded works at the distance.
The sophomore finished tenth on the leaderboard for the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby with 70 points. In addition to running third in the Wood Memorial, he won the Grade 3 Gotham on March 2 at the Big A.
"We called an audible because a lot of rain is coming [Friday night] and things are closed on Easter. I didn't want him tearing the barn down, so we worked him today," McLaughlin said. "We'll probably work back next week. We were only scheduled to work once but we changed our mind. He worked very well this morning."
McLaughlin has sent a total of eight horses to Churchill Downs for the Run for the Roses, the best result of which came when 71-1 longshot Closing Argument ran second in 2005 behind fellow longshot Giacomo. Two of his previous Derby starters were for Shadwell Farm, including eventual Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil [2006] and Mohaymen [2016], both of which ran fourth in their respective Derby efforts.
"It's hard to put in words, we just hope we get there," McLaughlin said of the Kentucky Derby. "It's great just to be there for Shadwell because I've been with them for 25 years. It's great to hopefully get there. We're still two weeks out. A win would be priceless."
* * *
Maragh looking for Derby triumph with Haikal
With his best finish in the Kentucky Derby coming aboard Mucho Macho Man, who ran third in 2011, jockey Rajiv Maragh remains in search of his first Kentucky Derby victory and he hopes to accomplish the feat aboard Haikal in this year's 'Run for the Roses.'
"Obviously, the Derby is a tough race," said Maragh. "With 20 horses, it makes it a bit challenging for everyone, but it's the most fun you can have riding. All year you look forward to having a chance to riding in the Derby and when you make it there it's very exciting. It's very difficult to win, so it makes it more rewarding if you can and thankfully I'll be there this year with Haikal."
Maragh, a native of Kingston, Jamaica with 1,867 career wins through the end of Thursday's card at Aqueduct, is no stranger to winning big races, notching four Breeders' Cup wins. He picked up the mount on Haikal following his debut in which he finished second by a neck on November 10 at Aqueduct.
The tandem of Maragh and Haikal was immediately successful winning their first three starts together including a maiden score, a first stakes win in the Jimmy Winkfield and an impressive rallying effort to win the Grade 3 Gotham.
"When I got the mount he came highly regarded," said Maragh. "He finished second in that first race and he's also a well-bred horse, so I was very excited to ride him. He delivered with a strong late kick [in the maiden win] which was impressive."
The Gotham score, at a mile, provided Haikal his first graded stakes and an important 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Sent off as the 3-1 second choice last out in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by NYRA Bets, Haikal trailed early but finished with a sustained run to finish third, picking up an additional 20 Derby qualifying points.
"I thought he ran a good race in the Wood," said Maragh. "He lost nothing in defeat. It was actually a very promising run because it was his first start at two turns and he showed that he could still be effective closing. He answered all the questions we had of him to give him a chance to enter the field which I think he deserves."
Maragh said winning the Derby for McLaughlin and Shadwell Stable, who are also each in search of their first Derby triumph, would be extra sweet.
"Kiaran is someone who I've always looked up to as a father figure and has always given me good advice and guidance," said Maragh. "It would be great to be able to win our first Derby together along with Shadwell Stable. With Haikal, I really think we have a good chance to do just that."
* * *
Runhappy Travers winner Catholic Boy breezes over Belmont training track
Following a trio of works at trainer Jonathan Thomas' base at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Florida, multiple Grade 1 winner Catholic Boy returned to Belmont Park for his most recent serious work.
Owned by Robert LaPenta, Madaket Stables, Siena Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables, Catholic Boy went to the track at 7:45 a.m. on Good Friday with Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano aboard and worked a half-mile in company with Osare, a stakes winning half-sister to 2016 Eclipse Award winner Arrogate.
Both Thomas trainees completed the four-furlong journey in 50 seconds flat.
The highly versatile son of More Than Ready boasts Grade 1 triumphs in last year's Belmont Derby Invitational over the turf, as well as the Runhappy Travers at Saratoga on the dirt. He has not started since running 13th in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic on November 3 at Churchill Downs.
"It was really well executed," Thomas said of the work. "It was our first breeze here at Belmont in quite some time and we were just looking for an easy maintenance breeze. I loved how he moved and he showed good energy. His gallop out, as usual, was above average.
"He shows a lot of enthusiasm and enjoys his work," continued Thomas. "Those are things we look for and we hope he continues to do so."
Catholic Boy's workmate Osare has not raced since taking the Dueling Grounds Oaks on September 12 at Kentucky Downs and will likely make her comeback around the same time.
"She's on the same schedule from a time perspective, so we're just trying to have them breeze together and be on the same trajectory," Thomas said.
Thomas was unsure as to when Catholic Boy's anticipated 2019 debut would take place and is keeping his options open.
"He's about four to eight weeks away," Thomas said. "We'll let him breeze another time or two and we'll huddle up with Javier [Castellano] and John Panagot [Racing Manager for owner Robert LaPenta] and Mr. LaPenta and see where a good starting point is for the year. We're open to the condition book here at Belmont and also some stakes in the mid-Atlantic region. We'll wait and see what feels right."
Bred in Kentucky by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding, Catholic Boy is out of the Bernanrdini broodmare Song of Bernadette.
Thomas also spoke of a newer addition to his barn, two-time Grade 1-winning multi-millionaire Diversify, who also is on the comeback trail.
"Diversify has settled in great," Thomas said. "He's probably about three weeks away from his first breeze right now. We're happy with him. We hope to have him ready sometime around the end of June to early July."
Previously conditioned by the late Rick Violette, Diversify is a New York-bred son of Bellamy Road and won last year's edition of the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga as well as the 2017 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.
He is owned by Ralph and Lauren Evans, who purchased the horse for $210,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale.
* * *
Irad Ortiz excited to get Kentucky Derby mount on Improbable
Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. has enjoyed a highly prosperous start to 2019, leading all North American jockeys in wins [126] and earnings [$9,066,500], as well as winning the Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park this winter.
The veteran rider will guide Improbable for the first time in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.
Owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and Starlight Racing and trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Improbable was recently second in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby behind Omaha Beach, where he was guided by Ortiz's brother, Jose Ortiz.
Ortiz has ridden in the Kentucky Derby three times having guided Uncle Sigh [2014, 14], My Man Sam [2016, 11] and Hofburg [2018, 7].
"He's a nice horse, he has a good trainer, so we'll see what happens. It's very exciting. I've got a lot of good support from the owners and trainers," Ortiz, Jr. said.
Already a Grade 1 winner when taking the Los Alamitos Futurity in December, Improbable was second in the Grade 2 Rebel at Oaklawn Park behind Long Range Toddy in his sophomore debut.
* * *
Franco searching for first Kentucky Derby win with Spinoff
At the very least, Kentucky Derby time will bolster jockey Manny Franco's airline rewards account. The 24-year-old picked up the mount on the Todd Pletcher-trained Spinoff, who is pointing towards the "Run for the Roses" on May 4 at Churchill Downs.
After riding a full card Thursday at Aqueduct, Franco traveled to the Sunshine State to work Spinoff at his training location in Palm Beach Downs in Del Ray Beach, Florida.
Spinoff breezed five furlongs in 59.99 on Friday morning with Franco up. The veteran rider then flew right back to New York, where he has mounts in six of the day's nine races Friday at the Big A.
"I'm supposed to leave tonight [Thursday] and head down there and work at Palm Meadows Friday," Franco said on Thursday afternoon. "I'm trying to know the horse. You have to do what you have to do. If you want to ride these types of horses and these types of races, you have to do whatever they ask. They called me to work the horse, so I have to go."
Jet lag might be the only thing that can slow Franco, who won the Aqueduct winter meet's riding title with 98 winners. Entering Friday, Franco has 15 wins, one more than second-place rider Jose Lezcano, as he seeks to notch another title for the 12-day Aqueduct spring meet that concludes Saturday.
Wertheimer and Frere's Spinoff has 40 qualifying points to the Derby, ranking 19th on the leaderboard. His point totals are the same as Bodexpress, but Spinoff has the edge in non-restricted stakes earnings with $224,000.
The Hard Spun colt earned a personal-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure following a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 23 at Fair Grounds, finishing three-quarters of a length behind By My Standards in his best career stakes performance.
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez was aboard for both the Louisiana Derby and the third-place finish in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special in August, but Velazquez is slated to ride Fountain of Youth-winner Code of Honor for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.
That allowed Franco to pick up the mount, which would be his second career Kentucky Derby start.
"I've watched the replays of him and saw the way he runs," Franco said. "From the races I've seen, I think he has speed. I don't think he'll be too far out of there, because he puts himself close. We'll see how the race develops."
Franco's previous Derby experience came with Tencendur in 2015, where the 52-1 longshot ran 17th for trainer George Weaver.
"Because I broke the ice and rode in my first Derby before, I think I'll be a little more relaxed," Franco said. "It won't be a surprise. Man, when I came in off the paddock and I saw all the people screaming and the race started, it was unbelievable. It was a dream come true."
The sights of more than 150,000 people jamming Churchill Downs was a special moment, Franco said, and having the chance to win the Triple Crown's first leg remains a goal of almost every rider who sits in the irons.
"It's the goal for all jockeys is to ride in the Derby and try and get the win," Franco said.
* * *
Brisset relishes Wednesday triumph with Abounding Joy
In her second race off a layoff, Abounding Joy returned to the winner's circle in style when notching her third career victory in a one-mile allowance event over the main track on Wednesday at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Owned by WinStar Stablemates Racing, the 4-year-old daughter of Quality Road was making her first start since a fourth-place effort in the Minaret on February 16 at Tampa Bay Downs. In Wednesday's triumph, she tracked just one length off the pace, made her winning move at the eighth pole and drew off to win by three lengths under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.
"It's been an eventful past 10 days with her," trainer Rodolphe Brisset said. "We entered her in one spot that didn't go. We entered her back in a race at Keeneland and she drew post twelve, so we scratched. We didn't feel that bringing her back in a race with such a wide post was the right thing to do. We'll see how she comes back. I think she showed up and the race really showed people what she has displayed in the mornings."
Abounding Joy finished second behind stable mate, and eventual graded stakes winner, Talk Veuve To Me in her career debut at Fair Grounds last March. In her follow-up effort at Keeneland, she graduated in style by 2 1/4-lengths and doubled up against winners in her next start at Churchill Downs going seven furlongs.
The Brisset barn will be a busy one this spring with graded stakes winners Positive Spirit and Quip preparing for their next starts.
Positive Spirit, runner-up in the Grade 2 Gazelle on April 6 behind Always Shopping, is 13th on the leaderboard with 50 points for the Grade 1 $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks. The 3-year-old daughter of Pioneerof the Nile and half-sister to 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming could target the 'Run for the Lillies' on May 3.
"We're going to take a strong look at the Kentucky Oaks," Brisset said. "She's doing very well and could possibly breeze at Keeneland on Saturday or Sunday."
Owned by Michael Ryan, Positive Spirit won the Grade 2 Demoiselle at the Big A last December which is her lone graded stakes triumph to date.
Last Saturday, Brisset sent Quip to Hot Spring, Ark. where he held off a late charge from Lone Sailor to win the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap. The son of Distorted Humor could possibly target the Grade 2 $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap on June 16 at Churchill Downs.
"I think we have to space his races," Brisset said. "He's back with us at Keeneland and has been training well this week. A race like the Stephen Foster would be a possibility. It's not a Grade 1 anymore but the purse is good and it's a Breeders Cup 'Win And You're In'."
Owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing, Quip scored his second graded stakes victory in the Oaklawn Handicap. As a 3-year-old, he won the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby.
* * *
Morley delighted with new Aqueduct track record holder Psychic Energy
Robert Murray's Psychic Energy broke Aqueduct's track record for six furlongs on the outer turf in Wednesday afternoon's seventh race, where he swiftly set the pace and drew off to win by 2 ¾ lengths while stopping the clock in 1:07.69.
Trained by Tom Morley, the son of Freud picked up his fourth career victory in his first start in his native state of New York after wintering at Fair Grounds, where he recorded four starts.
"He was running over 5 1/2 [furlongs] down there and there's a big difference in the dynamics of five and a half and three quarters and seven eighths, so we couldn't wait to get him back to New York and couldn't wait to go three quarters," Morley said. "I thought he had a live shot [Wednesday]. We know he loves the course. He won this time last year going three quarters at Aqueduct.
"He was a sharp horse [on Wednesday afternoon], there were a lot of horses in the race coming off layoffs," added Morley. "We went in there with a sharp horse who had been running a bit short of that. Javier gave him a super ride and the stall position probably helped us as well. He doesn't like to be crowded but with the stall being on the outside of the course going three quarters, it gave him an open space to break into. He had a lot of trouble at Fair Grounds getting clattered into big fields coming out of the gate. It was a lovely ride, I have to say that I was surprised to see him go 44 and change and then draw away from the horses. He had won that race before so he was entitled to come back and win it."
Owned by Robert Murray, Psychic Energy was bred in New York by Thomas/Burleson and is out of the stakes winning Mutakddim broodmare Go Ask Daisy.
NYRA Bets offering 'Double Win' bet this Saturday in Charles Town Classic
On Saturday, April 20, NYRA Bets customers will be able to double their win bet in the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic.
Any NYRA Bets customer who wagers a minimum $5 win bet on the NYRA Bets App in this Saturday's Charles Town Classic [Race 11] at Charles Town Races will have their winning payout doubled with a bonus capped at $50 dollars per player.
The Grade 2 Charles Town Classic with a post time of 5:37 ET features a field of 10 with one also-eligible entrant. The 1 1/8-mile race will see defending titleholder Something Awesome against talented rivals including Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Discreet Lover, multiple graded stakes winners Imperative, and graded stakes winner War Story.
Only win wagers placed on the NYRA Bets App will qualify for the 'double win' bonus and customer accounts will be credited in player accounts within 72 hours of race day. NYRA Bets Customer accounts must be in good standing to receive the bonus.


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Oh boy! It's my boy's birthday today. Happy birthday, Birthday Boy.
Oh boy! It's my boy's birthday today. Happy birthday, Birthday Boy.
Not to you, dear reader – I'm two weeks late for that – but to just one dear reader…
…yes, Spud is 23 today! Happy birthday, Spud.
To celebrate, here's some of your greatest hits:
And a little song to celebrate:
Not a birthday song, but one of my favourites by Alex and, let's be honest, when I found out I was pregnant twenty-three years ago, I felt like dancing. Now I dance like felt.
Happy birthday, sweetie pie!
Whether you believe in God or not, it is a good habit to count your blessings. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that being thankful for what you have is good for your health and mental wellbeing. I know this because I saw it in a Twitter meme, so it must be true. For it to work, it is recommended that you find at least five things to be thankful for.
I record daily thanks in a notebook and I've been doing it for about six years. I only have bad moods on non-recording days but this might be because I don't record my thanks because I'm in a bad mood. Science has to get back to me on that one.
Thanks should be personal to you because it's unrealistic to be thankful for the neighbour a few doors down with the flawless skin and gleaming hair when you're going through age-mandated repuberty and you look like Dorian Gray's older, less attractive sister. They don't need to be big things, though we ought to be thankful for them also. On days when I'm almost in a bad mood and can't be bothered to be grateful that my fingernails look fabulous, I use my big things as default thanks: husband, kids, grandson, dogs, health, wealth, outstanding personality. More often than not, though, I'm thankful for small things like cheese & onion crisps, panty liners, invites to dinner at friends' homes=no cooking, etc., and I have been thankful for as many as 23 separate things on Malteser days.
Today, to put my money where my mouth is, I'm going to share my thanks with you.
I am thankful for:
Happy birthday, darling!
Thank goodness that's over with.
Oops! Did I say that out loud? Thank goodness he didn't read me. And that he has a great sense of humour…
Excluding what we have established is the boring (family/pets/health/etc.), what are YOU thankful for?
Taking an inadvertent blogging break due to all of the studying I'm doing, I came across a post I wrote (hey, poets need downtime, too, you know), about a deliberate blogging break I took in 2013:
When I have time on my hands like this, I start thinking about myself. Always a mistake. Last time I had nothing to do, I set a few rules and general guidelines to make Tilly Bud Tilly Blooming Lovely, Inside And Out. Tilly Blooming Lovely IAO is, I am sure, well-groomed, relaxed, affable, clean, and at peace with herself. Everyone will love her. Tilly Bud: The Menopause Years, not so much.
Forgive the use of an old photo; I wanted to look my best for you.
This post first appeared five years ago. Tilly Bud has since learned that the rules only work if you adhere to them.
I've been absent for a month because things changed fast around here. When I get a spare five minutes, I'll tell you about it (and reply to your comments). In the meantime, here's a post that first appeared in 2012.
Saturday. The scene: dinner time in the Bud House.
Spud: What's for dinner?
Tilly: Bacon eggs pork sausages beans tomatoes leftover potato croquettes I found in the bottom of the freezer from when the kids were here in August because I've run out of hash browns and bread to soak it all up.
Spud: Bacon? But we had gammon yesterday. Why are we having what is effectively the same meat again?
Tilly [Not bothering to put up a fight she knows she'll lose]: Fine. What do you want instead?
Spud: Sandwiches. Got any ham?
Sunday. The scene: dinner time in the Bud House.
Spud: What's for dinner?
Tilly: Bacon eggs sausage beans tomatoes leftover potato croquettes I found in the bottom of the freezer from when the kids were here in August because I've run out of hash browns and bread to soak it all up.
Spud: Do I have to have bacon? I had ham yesterday and gammon the day before.
Tilly: [Previous bracketed comment refers]: Fine. No bacon. Just the pork sausages?
Spud: Great!
When we were kids, my brother owned a copy of The Book of Narrow Escapes. Aimed at children, it was full of stories about people who survived experiences like falling out of planes (as you do), or getting lost in the Amazon: always follow a river downstream to civilization was the advice, though how a child – or this adult – knows the difference between upstream and downstream escapes me, and not narrowly, either. Come to think of it, I'm not sure that book, full of horror stories along the lines of Alive! was suitable reading for kids. Unless I'm thinking like a be-fair-everyone-has-to-come-first-and-be-safe millennial. Or a mum.
This morning, I was humming the tune to the seventies' show Black Beauty because of a Facebook meme I'd seen, and that got me thinking that I read Black Beauty as a child and found it tedious, but loved The Book of Narrow Escapes – me, who never took a risk in her life unless it involved eating my weight in chocolate and thus the possibility of an obese, diabetic future.
As I was on the loo while all of this thinking was happening, that naturally reminded me of my own narrow escape, about twenty years ago: I went to the loo one day, finished, stood, turned around, and there were two wasps, flying around the neck of the bowl! Talk about a squeaky bum moment. To this day, I can't sit on the loo without first inspecting it. Thoroughly. So if I visit your house and you catch me at it 1) I'm looking for stinging insects, not dirt and 2) why are you in the bathroom with me?
Do you have your own squeaky bum moment to share?
I Looked At Evil
I looked at Evil: it wore a suicide vest
My cause is just, it claimed
your murdered children my price
Kill me, and a thousand martyrs fall in behind
You cannot kill me, it smiled
for I am dead by a tug of this cord
You cannot kill me, Evil declared
You cannot buy me off
You cannot reason with me
Don't bother to plead with me
for my ears are closed
my mind bankrupt
my heart already a corpse
You cannot kill me
for I am already dead
You cannot defend your children
for I am Evil
and I wear a suicide vest


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Maine Teen Leaves Life on the Streets
The streets of Bangor, Maine offer little in the way of comfort for a homeless teen in winter. Jess found herself trying to attend school without the benefit of a permanent home at the age of 15. On average, 7,500 youths a year will spend at least one night homeless in the state of Maine. Of those youth, 1 in 3 is likely to try prostitution within the first 48 hours of leaving home. 70% of young people that live on the streets become victims of sexual exploitation. Many cannot keep up with school and struggle against a cycle of abuse, neglect and poverty.
In 1991, the Shaw House Shelter in Bangor opened to provide a safe place to be during overnight hours. Over the years with funding from the Administration for Children and Families, the state of Maine and private donors, other programs and services were added to fully meet the needs of runaway, homeless youth and their families.
Jess's story is heart wrenching, but not unique. After her parents' marriage ended, she found herself emotionally bereft with a sense of loneliness that never seemed to recede. Feeling unsafe in a chaotic environment, she left home and stayed with an older brother for a while, but he was unable to keep the apartment. She started couch hopping, a term many homeless use to describe sleeping on floors, couches or a spare cot at the homes of friends or acquaintances. Jess tried to maintain her studies and keep up her attendance in school despite her lack of a stable environment. Without money for shoes, she helped herself to a pair and got in trouble with the law for shoplifting.
An experienced juvenile corrections officer understood Jess' dilemma and got her connected with the Shaw House. She eventually moved to the transitional living program that offered a longer-term placement for young people to attend school, get a job and prepare for the day they leave and take their place in the community. Jess was able to graduate from high school and found a job afterwards. She plans to further her education and is saving money for a car and a place of her own.
Through the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, ACF's Family Youth Services Bureau supports street outreach, emergency shelters and longer-term transitional living and maternity group home programs to serve and protect these young people.


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What I do wonder is how many of these moms don't come out to an event because they are shy and nervous? Nervous of what you may ask? Well, of fitting in. Of acceptance. Of the unknown. See, I understand because I was a new member too at one time.
|My daughter when we just moved to Burlington. I spent a lot of time taking pictures of her to pass the time.
I'll take you back 2 years ago. We moved to Burlington, Ontario. Me, my husband and my 6 month old daughter. I didn't know anyone there. I was scared of being lonely but excited for our next adventure. I knew in order to survive I would have to join classes with my daughter. And lots! So I Googled mom and baby activities around the Burlington / Halton area. I was prepared to drive anywhere so I could get out of the house and keep busy. I joined swimming. I wasn't too nervous about this. It's swimming. We listen to the instructor but don't have to really worry if we aren't talking to other moms. We're there to to swim, not socialize. But when I arrived I felt the urge to talk to the other moms. I was so lonely I just needed to talk, to anyone! So I'd strike up a conversation and they'd talk back to me. We'd smile, say "I'll see you next week," and go on our day. After the last class I never saw those moms again. How do you pick up another mommy friend? It's not that easy. "Do you want to be my friend?"
So I Googled more activities. I stumbled upon momstown. It sounded like an interesting concept. So I signed up. $45! What do I have to lose. I signed up for a few events. I think I canceled the first few. I chickened out. Go to a playdate where I don't know anyone?!?! So I built up courage and I signed up for another. I clicked on each mom's profile who was signed up. I studied it like I was preparing for an exam. I didn't want to forget anyone's name or their kid's name. My first event was at Sharkey's. The Goldfish Playdate. It was a public place, so not as awkward as going into a strange mom's home. This I can handle. I chatted with the other moms. My daughter looked around and smiled at the other moms and babies. I went home and looked at their profiles again. I liked them. I think I may have found some friends. And I don't have to ask them to be my friend! I can see the next playdate they are signed up for and go. It will just come naturally.
Next up, a playdate at someone's home. I remember going to our first playdate at a mom's home. Ringing the doorbell and introducing myself. "Hi, I'm Ester. I'm here for your playdate." Again, another new and awkward situation. But I overcame it. Was I nervous? Yes! But each and every mom at that playdate had been new at one point too. They went through those same feelings I went through. You won't make friends unless you put yourself out there. It's like dating. Mr. Right won't come along while you're sitting at home.
|A group of moms that I became friends with. All our kids turned 1 around the same time so we celebrated together.
I realized that it wasn't so bad to go to a playdate and not know anyone. I was nervous but I also wanted to teach my baby not to fear the unknown. To be sociable. I'm a pretty shy person but as I get out there, forcing myself to meet other moms, I am overcoming my shy nature. You probably won't hear me stop talking now. I also think reading the message board helped too. You start to feel like you know these moms before you even meet. It was nice to find a message board that was with local moms, not moms across the country.
Going to a playgroup is so much more valuable then we realize. It provides moms and their babies with activities that get them out of the house. You can make new friends and enjoy adult conversation. It helps moms from feeling isolated, which is essential in fighting postpartum depression. Socializing is important in order to be happy, healthy moms. Your baby is socializing too. Even if you think he or she is just lying there. They are watching other babies. Processing what is going on. These babies do get older. Eventually they'll be crawling and walking! Playing with the other babies that they have essentially grown up with. Making friends too!
So you shy moms, get out there! Come to a playdate. If you are lucky to have a mom group in your community like momstown, join! And come out to an event. Those heart racing, sweating palms will eventually go away. The dreaded playdate isn't as bad as you think it will be. And it sure beats trying to pick up a mom at the playground.


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03 Jun Yummiest Ice Lollipop Recipes
There are plenty of warm days ahead. I had an otter pop a little while ago with my children but I couldn't finish it. It was full of so much fake sugar, I just couldn't! Then I was wondering how the children can eat one after another so easily. That is when I started exploring different healthier options for Ice Lollies. These are a few of my favorite flavors so far. I love the last one because it is so simple to make, like really really simple. So here they are, for you and for your kids! XO -Kaylee
Frozen Berry & Ginger Nut Yogurt Pops
2 cups ginger nut cookies
1 cup can light condensed milk
2 cups red berries, we used strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants
1 pot 0% fat natural Greek yogurt
2 cups purple berries, we used blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants
You will also need
8 paper cups
8 wooden lolly sticks
Place the cookies in a food processor and blitz into crumbs. Add 2 tbsp condensed milk and blend again until the crumbs start to clump together. Divide the cookie crumbs between 8 paper cups, pressing down with the back of a spoon. Make sure you scrape out every last crumb, then you won't have to wash the processor before the next step.
Roughly chop any large berries. Put half the red berries, half the remaining condensed milk, and half the yogurt in the food processor and blend until smooth. Remove the blade from the processor and stir through the remaining chopped red berries. Divide the mixture between 4 of the paper cups. Repeat with the purple berries and remaining ingredients.
Place a lolly stick into each cup, pushing down into the biscuit base to help it stand up straight. Freeze for at least 4 hrs before serving. To remove the lollies from the cups, tip upside down, and gentle squeeze the cup until the lolly slips out.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2014
BBC GoodFood Magazine
3-4 couple cups of strawberries
4 cups skim milk
1 can of light condensed milk
Place strawberries in blender and blitz until smooth. Mix in milk and condensed milk.
Pour the mixture into 12 ice-lolly molds and attach the tops. Freeze for a minimum of 4 hrs until solid.
Warm the molds with your hands or under warm water to release the pops. Will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Fruit Salad Ice Pop
Grape Juice
Variety of fruit
This is a no bake ice pop and these are so easy make! Plus they are really healthy, you could even have one for breakfast.
You chop and slice you choosen fruit. Then add the grape juice to to the fruit that is already placed in the ice pop molds.
freeze for a few hours! Done!


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Nasi Lemak literally means Fat Rice. Although it is high in calories, the dish is not cooked entirely out of fat. The rice is in fact cooked with coconut milk. Pandan leaves are added to give an added fragrance. The dark gravy beside the rice is what we call sambal. Some prefer extra hot sambal and some prefer it with a little sweet taste. Besides boiled egg, nasi lemak is eaten with fried anchovies and peanuts and slices of cucumber.
The photo was taken at a cafe where fried chicken and keropok is added as well. Nasi lemak is one of the top 5 favourite breakfast of Malaysians. If you happen to meet any Malaysians in your country, try asking them which home food they missed the most. I'll bet Nasi Lemak will come out top of the list.


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Product Description
Compassionate Certification Centers CBD Muscle Gel contains full-spectrum cannabinoids and is made using organic herbal plant extract. For transdermal use – simply rub the gel on muscles and joints to target areas as needed.
- Full-Spectrum Profile
- Pharmaceutical Grade
- Non-GMO
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- Made in USA


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Over the years, we have been honored to be invited to be part of the Pine Point Powwow in various ways. Mostly, we go to spend time with friends and because, as our statement of belief says, "We believe that God hears the honest and sincere praises of His people, whether in a cathedral with organ music and quiet prayer or in an open field with drum music and joyous dancing."
Meantime, read blog posts about powwow.
Pine Point Community Council, Pine Point, Minnesota
Trip coordinator
Emily Miller, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Reviews and Kind Words
"Will is an amazing photographer and it was such a brilliant experience having him visit us and do a documentary family life shoot on our farm. He captured some heartwarming moments that we will treasure forever. His write-up about his experience on the farm brought a tear to my eye. What lovely words they were – and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts Will. It's not only your amazing photography that makes you so great, it's your attention to detail and your take on life is refreshing, heartwarming and beautiful. Thank you for capturing such a brilliant portrayal of life on the farm. Love from The Blackburns. X"
"A massive thank you, Will! As someone who is very uncomfortable in front of the camera, I was put at ease very quickly and the results were fabulous. I needed some updated headshots for my LinkedIn profile/career development and was shocked at the increase in connections made on LinkedIn immediately after using the photos Will took. I would thoroughly recommend Will to anyone seeking professional photos. I had previously used Will to take photos of my family and the results were stunning – so many beautiful photos taken I couldn't choose between them. Thank you again, Will."
"Will is so talented! The photos from our family photo shoot are absolutely perfect. He captured our family looking natural & relaxed, at home and on a trip to the park. The photos are the antithesis of a "white background" family photo shoot which is exactly what we wanted! Can't recommend Will highly enough."
"We couldn't be happier with Will's photos of our wedding day. He captured so many beautiful, emotional and sometime hilarious moments and we have had endless comments from our friends and family over how stunning the images are. Will was also a pleasure to work with, so unobtrusive we forgot he was there most of the time (sorry about all the girl talk you were subject to in the morning Will!), we really could not recommend him highly enough."
I can't recommend Will Bazlinton enough! Having seen Will's portfolio I knew I was going to get great pictures but the finished product still managed to exceed my extremely high expectations. Not only do the pictures look beautiful but they capture our children's personalities and really represent our family life! Will was so easy to work with, we all felt totally relaxed and the children were able to be completely natural which really shows in the pictures. I will definitely be using Will again and will treasure the photos forever.
"We had a great afternoon when Will came over to photograph us. We were made to feel completely at ease and comfortable. There was no stage setting or posing and we were just left to get on with having a fun afternoon. We are over the moon with the pictures that Will took and we will treasure them. I cannot recommend him highly enough."
"Will was amazing when he came to our home, he made us feel at ease even with a hyper little 5 year-old jumping at the camera every 2 minutes! The images we received were fantastic capturing the children's personalities in every shot. Couldn't be happier, thank you!"
"Not only are you an incredible photographer, you're an amazing person too. I'm blown away by our family photos. The pictures perfectly reflect the emotions and beauty on the day, as well as all the fun, laughs and smiles. You are truly an artist! Thank You!"
"If I could give 10 stars I would! Will captured our wedding day so perfectly, and has given us precious memories that we can keep forever. Nothing was too much trouble, and it helps that Will is a top guy too! Always happy and just a genuinely lovely man! Thank you Will so much for all your time, effort and talent xxx"
"We LOVE our pictures – Will is an incredibly skilled craftsman, he is thoughtful, creative, careful and really went many extra miles to make our memories special and personal to us."
"So pleased with the photos that Will took for me. He really did capture the essence and depth of who I am and the feedback on the photos has been amazing! I asked for my photos to be shot outside in the freezing cold (I know crazy!) and he managed to make the whole thing feel fun – even though he was cold himself! If you want a genuinely nice guy to take your shots and make you feel at ease….Will is your guy!"


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It's no surprise to read that without good content there is no competitive search engine optimization (= no SEO). Any chance of competing for visibility in search results begins with content, so let's define a type of content you may not have heard about called 'evergreen', 'geographic tree' or even 'anchor' content'. Really just buzzwords in content strategy, the practice has proven to be a key factor in the battle for search visibility. 'Evergreen content' is a page (or post) that is NOT necessarily timely so much as it is informative; this content should remain relevant to a degree that it stands the test of time!
What Does Evergreen Content Offer?
Because it will always be considered up-to-date, in theory, 'evergreen content' will always be of primary interest to visiting readers. With detail, it should define authority for subjects your company is the leader for. In cases where being relevant in a particular area ( i.e. county, town or city ) is important, evergreen content will define authority for that area or geography.
In contrast, "Current Pay Per Click Advertising Best Practices" is not a good example because it's meant to be relevant right now. In this case, a blog post might be better suited due to its date- stamp or timely emphasis. Current, by definition, is about things going on NOW and so, for instance, "Current Link Building Best Practices" have become less relevant as platforms & strategies advance or change.
Top Evergreen Content Examples Might Include:
- Defining A Product or Service
- Frequent Question & Answers
- Tutorials Or "How To" guides
- Useful Resource Lists
- Support With Related Laws
- Industry Terminology Definitions
- Geographic Authority For A Product or Service In A Particular Area (i.e. if you vie for business in the city of Kalamazoo, you must have content saying so)
Be careful! Even an evergreen topic can change ever so slightly, so periodic reviews in order to be sure they remain 100 percent correct is recommended.
Evergreen Content Does Not Include
- Evergreen content is not news
- Evergreen content is not statistics
- Evergreen content is neither seasonal
- Evergreen content is no trend
- Evergreen content is NEVER a bunch of random subjects sprayed all over one page
- Evergreen content should always be comprehensive coverage & subject specific, so it can stand the test of time!
The chance of competing for visibility in search engine results pages begins with content. When it's capable of remaining useful to many, if not most, visiting readers for a great deal of time then the likelihood it will motivate signals (i.e. time spent on page, links to the page, bookmarks, likes, shares, pins) search engines use to rank content is much greater.
Needless to say, evergreen content has become an important competitive content strategy that will improve your SEO! Get thinking about what you are authoritative for ( for support see Copywriting | Blogging Services ) and if SEO Services are necessary. Contact Kinetic Knowledge for a consultation!


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Samsung HMX-U20 Ultra-Compact Full-HD Camcorder (Red)
by Samsung
Date first available at Amazon.com: February 20, 2010
Buy new:
$199.00 $169.00
2 used & new from $169.00
(Ranking is updated hourly. Visit the Hot New Releases in Camcorders list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.) BUY IT
Technical Details
– Full HD Recording
– Built-in USB Arm
– 3x optical zoom
Product Description
Marketing description is not available.
[ Product Details | Technical Details | All Customer Reviews | All Offers ]


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It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
I keep getting this.. ____"Something went wrong configuring your app. Please check your configuration and try again. If the problem persists contact us and reference publish request...."____
Worked fine last week and haven't made many changes to my app so wondering if this is issue on other side.
I published an iOS universal game with the RC button about an hour ago. No issues. What platform was it, and did you use RC or Generate?
Contact me for custom work - Expert GS developer with 10 years of GS experience - Skype: armelline.support
Hi. I used Generate for just a MAC build. I'm actually not even sure what the RC option does lol.
@sinbot the RC button wouldn't really matter for Mac at this point. You should be able to publish again. We made some changes to created loading screens for iPhone Xrs but I forgot to exclude mac from running that code in one place.
Looks good!


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The Clippers introduced rookie C.J. Wilcox to the Los Angeles media and presented him with his No. 30 jersey on Monday. Wilcox answered questions about working his way into the team's deep backcourt rotation, what he'll learn from J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, attending Clippers playoff games this past season, and more.
Peep the press conference below, courtesy of Clipper Nation:
For more coverage of Wilcox, check out my breakdown of his game at ESPN Los Angeles and Fred's draft-day reaction.


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With the first day of Spring behind us, it's time for some start thinking about ways to refresh their homes for the new season. These 5 tech gagdets aim to help with the process and minimize the amount of elbow grease needed to get your space in its best shape. Like my product reviews of the past, I tested each item in my own home. Keep in mind that my experience is based on a "cleaning-for-one" basis, and that I used these items for less than 2 months. Other peoples' experiences may vary.
Leave a Reply.
All Great Vacuums is your source for the Best Canister Vacuums and other vacuum cleaner types. We provide impartial and thorough reviews so you can find a great vacuum to get your cleaning done sooner and more efficiently.
August 2019


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I know it happens on forums, but why is it that most of the time when I provide an answer ( which I think is correct) to help someone, and someone else gives about the same answer in the following post ( after a long interval), the OP doesn't even acknowledge my answer?
I can't get used to the lack of respect
It's so frustrating I wonder why I'm investing my time.
I think I'll leave forums be for a couple of months to cool off and invest efforts in more rewarding occupations


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April Update: We have now returned from our trip to Morocco and have completed our write-up. Not everything went according to plan as you will discover. Morocco was great, not quite the weather we were expecting, certainly during the first week. We enjoyed the company of our fellow travellers and despite a few problems we all made it home safely.
Following this trip we intend to spend some time in the summer re-visiting North Western France or even re-visiting the Alsace and Rhineland interspersed with some time travelling around UK. Watch this space….
November update: Almost as planned we made our trip to Germany, and went along The Mosel, visiting places new and old. We also returned to Belgium and spent time at Brugges. This trip was however shorter than planned as the weather and the imminent arrival of our granddaughter persuaded us to return home early.


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Official Website of the City of Milwaukee
CALL for Action (414) 286-CITY | Click for Action
Department of Neighborhood Services
After a permit has been approved by the Plan Examination Section, work may begin on a project. During the different phases of a building project, various inspections are required. The Construction Section is responsible for these required inspections:
The Construction Section also investigates complaints about work without a permit, illegal fences, and others.
Other sections in this department will have required inspections that may coincide with those of the construction section:
After you have applied for a permit, you might want to check to see if a license is required to operate in the City of Milwaukee.
The Construction Section consists of three disciplines:
All required inspections must be scheduled with the inspector in the various sections of the department. For general construction questions please call (414) 286-2513.
The City of Milwaukee adopts the the State of Wisconsin Building Code for Residential and Commercial Structures. A copy of this code is available electronically on the Wisconsin Department of Saftey and Professional Services (DSPS) website.
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Teaching measurement is so more fun when you use picture books. Check out this handy list of the BEST Children's Books For Teaching Measurement and get your kids hooked!
Are you teaching your kids measurement? Try introducing this math concept with children's books. Your kids will love learning about measurement and be fully engaged with these books that introduce measuring length, weight (mass), time, perimeter and area. Grab these children's books for your classroom to make the perfect classroom library!
Related Post: Children's Books For Teaching Capacity
Measurement can be really fun and hands-on but it can be quite tricky to teach conceptually. I sometimes find it difficult to explain the 'ins and outs' of measurement to my kids so these children's picture books are a perfect resource to help them build a deeper understanding of all things measurement! What's more there's research to prove it!
Using Children's Books for teaching measurement is a perfect tool to get kids interacting and engaged with learning the full range of measurement skills. It is also an excellent way to integrate literacy into the curriculum. Get started with our Math Picture Book List and put some JOY into Teaching Numeracy again!
We also added some extra in the book summary with links to some cracking teacher freebies. They're sure to get you started with classroom activity ideas!
If you're anything like us, when it comes to picture books I have to have my own copy, We just LOVE Picture books! This awesome list of children's books for teaching measurement contains our affiliate links if you want to buy your own! We will receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you use our links to make your purchases.
Here's our list of the best reads for your next standard or non standard measurement lessons.
Related Post: Must Have Children's Books For Teaching Adjectives
Children's Books For Teaching Measurement
Spaghetti and Meatballs For All – Mr. and Mrs. Comfort are having a family reunion! Mr. Comfort starts cooking up his famous spaghetti and meatballs, while Mrs. Comfort carefully arranges eight tables and thirty-two chairs so that everyone will have a seat. The tables look lovely, the food is ready, and here come the guests–with their own seating plans!
This delightful Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book uses wit and humor to draw children into thinking about area and perimeter.
Grab A FREE Lesson Plan here
Actual Size – An excellent book with illustrations drawn to scale, facts and measurements about the longest, smallest, largest, tallest and heaviest animals. A great story that develops units of measurement, comparing and ordering, scale, and the language of measurement in the animal world.
"How big is a crocodile? What about a tiger, or the world's largest spider? Can you imagine a tongue that is two feet long or an eye that's bigger than your head? Sometimes facts and figures don't tell the whole story. Sometimes you need to see things for yourself—at their actual size."
Grab Your Free Activities To go With This Book here
Prehistoric Actual Size – What is it like to come face-to-face with the ten-foot-tall terror bird? Or stare into the mouth of the largest meat eater ever to walk the earth? Can you imagine a millipede that is more than six feet long, or a dinosaur smaller than a chicken? In this "actual size" look at the prehistoric world, which includes two dramatic gatefolds, you'll meet these awe-inspiring creatures, as well as many others
Perimeter, Area, and Volume: A Monster Book of Dimensions – Grab your jumbo popcorn and 3-D glasses. You're invited to the premiere of a 3-D movie! The star-studded cast of monsters will help you calculate the perimeter of the set, the area of the movie screen, and the volume of your box of popcorn.
Learning about dimensions has never been so entertaining!
Grab Your FREE Lesson Ideas here
A Pig Is Big – Join Douglas Florian and a decidedly big pink pig as they travel around town, across a continent, and through the universe, taking a look at things that are big, bigger, biggest!
Millions To Measure– There are millions of things to measure . . . and almost as many ways to measure them! Marvelosissimo the Mathematical Magician is back — and ready to explore the invention of length, weight, and volume measurements. A fun book to explain the differences between standard and metric units of measurement.
After that, with another wave of his wand, the wizard introduces the world of metrics and makes it easy to understand the basic pattern of meters, liters, and grams. With Steven Kellogg's playful and delightfully detailed illustrations, measuring has never been such a blast.
Grab a FREE Lesson Plan here.
Is The Blue Whale The Biggest thing There Is?– The blue whale is the biggest creature on Earth. But a hollow Mount Everest could hold billions of whales! And though Mount Everest is enormous, it is pretty small compared to the Earth.
A blue whale is big, in fact it's huge – but is it really the biggest thing there is? A fun book exploring size and proportion.
Measuring Penny – Lisa has an important homework assignment–to measure something in several different ways. She has to use standard units like inches and non standard units like paper clips to find out height, width, length, weight, volume, temperature, and time. Such a relatable story for kids, they'll love it and measuring!
Lisa decides to measure her dog, Penny, and measures Penny's Nose, Tail and dog biscuits… and that's only the beginning! Lisa learns a lot about her dog and about measuring, and even has fun doing it. Grab a FREE Teacher Lesson Plan here
How Tall, How Short, How Far Away – If you think a yard is a place to play ball, feet are only good for wearing shoes, and a palm is just a tree that grows in Miami, think again! They are all actually units of measure–different ways of measuring how tall, how short and how faraway things are.
This is an excellent way to introduce kids to where measurement came from! This text covers the history of measurement from Ancient Egypt to Roman times, all the way up to present day metric and standard measurement. With hands on activities throughout the text this book offers so much and will span several lessons.
Grab your Free Lesson Plan ideas here
How Big Is A Foot? – Excellent book about non standard measurements and the need for standard units of measurement.
The King wants to give the Queen something special for her birthday. The Queen has everything, everything except a bed. The trouble is that no one in the Kingdom knows the answer to a very important question: How Big is a Bed? because beds at the time had not yet been invented. The Queen's birthday is only a few days away. How can they figure out what size the bed should be?
Free Teacher lesson plan and activities available here.
A Second Is A Hiccup -This lyrical poem that plays out the joys of childhood in seconds, hours, weeks and years is a wonderful choice for bedtime, playtime or anytime!
Happy thoughts on ever-longer periods of time spiral out in easy rhymes, as illustrations full of colour, light and energy reflect the perfection of childhood days.
A charming picture book that introduces children to the concept of time, units of time and estimation.
Related Post: Best Hands-On Activities For teaching Non Standard Measurement
Super Sand Castle Saturday– This is a great foundation book for building measurement skills and introducing the idea of standard units and the metric system. It features a story about kids entering a sandcastle building contest and how the winner is determined. If you're looking for a book to kick off your measurement unit, this is the perfect choice!
Juan, Sarah and Laura are building sand castles. But which one's tallest? Juan's is only two shovels high, while Sarah's is three. Laura's moat is one big spoon deep, while Juan's is two little spoons deep. Too bad their shovels and spoons aren't the same size.
Grab a FREE Lesson Plan idea from the author here.
How Tall– How many chipmunks equals the height of a redwood tree? Discover this comparison and more in this wacky, laugh-out-loud introduction to height.
Quirky illustrations and lyrical text help kids explore measurable attributes of a variety of things in a uniquely engaging way. A perfect read-aloud for young science lovers and budding mathematicians.
Get a Free lesson plan idea here
Inch By Inch – Introduce learners to measuring length and using units of measurement with this favorite classic picture book.
The story introduces children to a winning, winsome inchworm who can measure anything under the sun, from a robin's tail to a toucan's beak. When a hungry nightingale threatens to eat him for breakfast unless he can measure her song, the inchworm will have to cleverly solve the dilemma.
Grab your Free lesson plan here.
Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland– Join Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius for wordplay, puns, and problem solving in this angle-packed math adventure. A witty way to learn all about angles, protractors, degrees calculating angles and units of measurement.
In the third installment of the beloved Sir Cumference series, Radius must prove himself on his quest for knighthood by rescuing a king. Sent off with the family medallion for luck, Radius dodges dangers and dragons. The ultimate challenge lies in a mysterious castle with a maze of many angles.
Grab your Free Lesson Plan here
Related Post: 20 Children's Books For Teaching Numbers & Counting
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table – Join Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius for wordplay, puns, and problem solving in this geometry-packed math adventure.
Full of puns, wit and humor this is another excellent children's book for teaching measurement and geometry and introduces the math of circles to kids beautifully! A great way to cover the language of circles: radius, diameter, circumference, chord, tangent and formulae for circle calculations.
Download a Free lesson plan here.
A Second A Minute A Week With Days in It – Brian Cleary is back with his wonderful comical CATegorical cats introducing young readers to the concept of how time is measured.
First is a definition of time as a specific moment, as shown in the hour, minute, and second on a clock or in a day, month, and year on a calendar. Then each unit of a second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, and decade are explored using activities that children can easily relate to.
A must have teacher's resource for teaching units of time!
How Long or How Wide? – Brian Cleary and Brian Gable bring their trademark sense of humor to the subject of measuring length. Clever examples, rhymes and playful characters introduce kids to standard units of measurement, the metric measurement system. In fact everything about measuring length. Excellent!
The Librarian who Measured The Earth -This colorfully illustrated biography of the Greek philosopher and scientist Eratosthenes, who compiled the first geography book and accurately measured the globe's circumference, is just right for budding mathematicians, scientists, historians, and librarians! Filled with fascinating details about Eratosthenes's world.
On The Scale A Weighty Tale – Another gem in the Math is CATagorical series, kids just love this fun introduction to the standard and metric measurements of weight.
With playful, comical cartoon illustrations, rollicking rhymes, and real-life examples this book will hook even the most reluctant student into learning how to measure weight.
"In this wacky look at weight, Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable introduce essential measurement units–from grams to pounds to tons. The comical cats of the wildly popular CATegorical series show how to measure trucks, trains, ducks, cranes, and more."
Room For Ripley– Carlos pours cups, pints and quarts of water into his fish bowl, getting ready for his new puppy, Ripley. Readers can learn about capacity as they see just how much water it takes to make room for Ripley!
Math Teaching Resources
35 Children's Books About Counting & Numbers
Did we miss one? Let us know your favourite books for teaching measurement in the comments!


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Erectile Dysfunction Clinic Starrett City Brooklyn
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82000 Powerpoint Presentation Slides
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A Video Letter to Our Donor Child
Making the decision to tell your child about their conception is a topic that many parents struggle with. How old should they be? How honest should you be? Are you going to use the stork story or the real information about how babies are made? For couples using donor sperm and home insemination, the decision to tell their donor child(ren) how they were conceived can be even more complicated.
These two mothers from Barcelona share their beautiful video letter of how they plan to tell their daughter about how she was brought into this world. They learned about the ease of using Cryos International to do home insemination through friends who were sharing knowledge on how to find the perfect, safe sperm donor to simplify the already difficult journey to parenthood. The thoughts and emotions behind this video are real, and a loving example of one way to let your donor child(ren) know how they were created.
Watch this touching video from two mothers to their donor child:
Provided by ZoomIn.Tv with English subtitles.
More Information on Home Insemination
Cryos International Sperm and Egg Bank is proud to provide home insemination as an option for single mothers by choice (SMC), male infertility and lesbian couples all around the United States. Visit these helpful blog posts to learn more about home insemination.
- Home Insemination: The Step-by-Step Process
- Home Insemination: What are the Benefits?
- Your Home Insemination Questions Answered
- How Much Sperm to Order for Home Insemination
Interested in finding a donor for your home insemination, start here. Need help or have questions? Contact Cryos at 407-203-1175 or via email at [email protected]. Client services is also available on our live online chat system during regular operating hours on our website.
Want to share your story and photos of your beautiful donor child(ren)? Join our Facebook group called Family Dreams – Cryos USA to engage with others who have similar questions, stories to share and interesting paths to parenthood.


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Product 162/182
The beginning of history is given in the Bible's creation account, and this book uses the days of creation as a way of introducing a wide range of scientific concepts including the nature of light, energy conservation, the properties of air and water, introductory botany, our solar system, basic zoology, and some aspects of human anatomy and physiology. As the students learn about these scientific concepts, they are constantly reminded of the Creator who fashioned the marvels they are studying.
This product is the textbook for this course. The helps & hints book containing everything the parent/teacher needs to know for the subject is also recommended.
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I Rest My Case...
6 comments:
What a lovely picture of a beautiful animal. However, he would fit in well with any politics or organizations known for eating their young.
Could possibly be a great leader in nursing since she/he is already in white, just needs a cap. Nursing is notorious for eating their young.
It was a lovely picture. You certainly make me laugh and frown at the same time.Take care always Jean
- December 10, 2008 at 4:13 PM
- The Dragonfly said...
I'm sad about this story. I'm also suprised you haven't written or said anything about famous polar German polar bear "Knut" who is possibly going to be kicked out of the zoo he made famous.
- December 10, 2008 at 5:15 PM
- The Queen Vee said...
I'm barely able to keep up with all your bear stories, I know grin and bear it. But bear with me okay. I'm sure you feel that you have barely covered the subject of polar bears and you may be right. I pesonally feel that bear blog posts have pretty much run the course and it's time to take a bear break.
Bears eating bear babies at Christmas makes me beary sad.
How much can a bare bear bear ?
- December 10, 2008 at 6:52 PM
- Unknown said...
I have never laughed so much between your blog and the comments. I enjoy my polar bears in lights outside my front door. They never need to be fed and they DO NOT eat their young. The baby polar bears are sliding on the ice at my house. Maybe it is the 2huskies who are keeping everyone in line outside or maybe it is the cardinals,pelquin,deer or snowman. At my home everyone is happy together.
- December 10, 2008 at 8:34 PM
- Apis Melliflora said...
One of mine could have written his school report on the endangered polar bear, but he chose the endangered giant panda instead. Giant pandas can do headstands and somersaults!
Can't say much about the treacherous mama polar bear, but this: are they feeding her enough meat?
- December 11, 2008 at 1:39 PM
- Crazy Granny said...
Well all I have to say is that it's good that Rachelle wasn't hungry after the birth if the quints. It's also good that she isn't a polar bear, because then Jayson might be in danger.
- December 12, 2008 at 1:44 PM


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- mountain biking
- hiking
- whitewater paddling
- sea kayaking
- rock climbing
- ice climbing
- skiing
- fat biking
Why Go? Start listing the outdoor attributes of T-Bay and it quickly sounds like it should be located a few thousand kilometres to the west. Numerous rock-climbing crags range from city-centre top-ropes to multi-pitch epics. Sea kayaking along Lake Superior's north shore includes demanding crossings, empty coastlines and a wary eye on winds and waves. Hikes include lofty views and overnight trips.
Play: Dominating the city's skyline is the Sleeping Giant, a long peninsula that resembles a man lying down. Protected in a provincial park, it's full of hiking routes—none better-known than the Chimney Hike, a tiring route to the giant's chest, an isolated rock pinnacle backstopped by the lake. There is great sea kayaking along the peninsula's shore, but it gets better heading east. The remote chunk of island-rich coast between the peninsula and Rossport is wild and rarely visited. The canoeing is equally enthralling—try the many arms of Northern Lights Lake, in Arrowhead Peninsula Reserve. Off the water, T-Bay is a rock-climbing destination with no less than nine crags within an hour of town. One of the best is Centennial Bluffs, right in the city overlooking Boulevard Lake. And there's mountain biking too, on three networks. These become fat-biking trails in winter. (The sport is steadily taking over from the area's traditional winter activity, cross-country skiing.) Plus, there is a lot of great ice climbing in the area—if you can hack the cold.
Tourism Thunder Bay
Stay: As a city of more than 100,000 people, there are plenty of places to stay. Hike right out your door from the cabins at Rose Valley Lodge & Restaurant. Essentially in town, but feeling like wilderness, Trowbridge Falls Campground's sites back onto forest and the cascading Current River.
Eat: If your palate is as adventurous as your spirit, try the Uptown Cut's multi-course tasting dinner. A local secret, especially for vegetarians, is Bonobos. Try the veggie burger; you won't miss the meat.


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Automating manufacturing processes is a complex issue, with no one-size-fits-all solution. Robots range from insect-like micro-robots to industrial robots powerful enough to move automotive chassis or airplanes. Toward the lower end of the spectrum is a class of robots whose manufacturers have coined the term "collaborative robots" (or "cobots") because the robots are designed to share a workspace with human workers. For many small and mid-sized companies, these cobots have helped bring the entry point for automation within range, allowing them to finally gain some of the competitive advantages of automation that had previously only been achievable for larger manufacturers. While cobots can't offer all the benefits of full industrial automation, they can be an effective first step.
Manufacturers need to explore all of their robotic options, however, and understand the pros and cons of different types of automation in order to make the best long-term decision. As with any major business decision, even equipment that appears to be low-risk and lowcost can become expensive when it doesn't perform as expected.
Cobots and Industrial Robots Compared
The term cobot has gained extensive visibility, but it is important to recognize that the industry as a whole does not acknowledge the concept of collaborative robots. Instead, the industry has established an industrial safety standard that defines collaborative applications using robots. This is an important distinction, as new robotics implementers may assume that any cobot is automatically safe for use beside humans, but that can only be determined by a risk assessment. (For the sake of clarity in this document, the term "cobot" will be used to reduce confusion in comparing these smaller devices to industrial robots.)
Cobots are designed to be used within a defined collaborative workspace with human workers, and typically have some built-in safety mechanisms to support this use. Cobots typically fulfil repetitive or injury-prone tasks such as machine tending or palletizing while the human worker performs higher-value upstream or downstream manual tasks. Cobots mimic human actions and carry out tasks at similar or slower speeds, with payload and reach that are also similar to a human's.
Industrial Robots
Industrial robots are automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulators that are programmable in three or more axes, and that may be fixed in place or mobile. They can automate an extremely broad range of processes. Multiple robots can be integrated for fully automated production lines that remove human operators entirely from unsafe environments and provide significant ROI for high-volume processes. Improvements in safety technologies are now allowing industrial robots to be used in collaborative operations, providing many of the same benefits as a cobot along with an increase in payload and speed and reduction in cost for traditional automation. New programming interfaces are highly intuitive and simple to learn and use.
Cobot Pros
Cobot Cons
|Can typically share a workspace with employees
|Risk assessment is required to define need for safety measures, and customers can be surprised by the need for expensive fencing if not prepared in advance
|If no safety cell is required, initial cost of integration and production floor disruption are reduced
|Safety precautions can result in very low operating speeds or multiple stops if human is detected in work cell. Other required safety precautions can significantly increase integration costs
|Relatively simple to program and integrate Limited reach, payload, speed and accuracy
|ROI typically in less than a year Collaborative work cells mean operators are still required
Industrial Robot Pros
Industrial Robot Cons
|Much faster and more accurate than a human, even with high payload
|High speeds and throughput may not be appropriate for low-volume processes
|Fully automated production lines can handle applications that are not conducive to humans at speed, removing operators from unsafe or unclean environments
|Fixed work cells may require changes to production floor layout
|Programming is intuitive and powerful, with extensive integration options
|More difficult to change processes, which can add costs if outside resources are required
|ROI is defined and usually achieved in 12-18 months
|May require specialized personnel or outside resources to set up, program and maintain
|Can be implemented in collaborative applications with appropriate risk assessment
|Robot can be similar in initial cost to cobot, but if a safety cell is required, it adds system integration costs
Three Collaborative Robot Misconceptions
Collaborative robots have captured excitement based on their promised advantages, but those can also be based on common misconceptions that are important to understand.
1. Cobots are the only collaborative robots.
While vendors are eager to claim the term "collaborative robots," the robots themselves aren't collaborative; it's the application that defines the ability for human and machine to collaborate. Almost any robot is capable of collaborative operation with the appropriate safety mechanisms in place. In February 2016, the technical standard ISO/TS 15066 was published to provide safety guidelines for the use of robots in collaborative applications. The standard explains collaborative techniques and provides force guidelines, maximum allowable robot power and speed, and design criteria for robot and robot tool manufacturers.
2. Cobots can always work without safety caging.
Every automated application where humans are present requires a risk assessment, and collaborative applications require a range of safety mechanisms to keep human workers safe. Cobot customers are often unhappily surprised to find that their application requires a safety cage, which can make the cobot cost similar to an industrial robot without the additional capabilities. Some applications require force limiters or reduced robot speed, which limits the robot's capabilities and output. Still others use sensors, cameras or light curtains to sense when a human enters the robot's workspace, with safety software that stops or slows the robot until the human moves safely out of range and restarts the robot. All of these requirements add cost and reduce output on what was initially intended to be a low-cost, low-risk cobot investment. If an accurate safety assessment is made up front, buyers can more effectively choose the robotic capabilities that are most important for their application—and often save time and money while better meeting their automation requirements.
3. Cobots operate faster and are more productive than human workers.
Because cobots are intended to work safely alongside humans, they are designed to manage processes at the same or slower speeds than human workers, with about the same throughput. Beyond safety, another reason for slower operation is the programming approach that most cobots use, in which an operator moves the robot arm in human-like motions and enters way points for each stop or action. The programming is simple, but it incorporates inefficient motion into the program. In contrast, industrial robots calculate all movement internally for, offering higher speeds and smoother, more efficient motion. Where cobots may increase output over manual processes is by running for longer shifts. However, because they're designed to be collaborative, they typically don't eliminate the need for human workers in those additional shifts, unlike industrial robots which can run full processes in lights-out operation without human workers.
Sample Application: Injection Molding
Injection molding machine tending is a common application for robotics. In this example, a collaborative robot is used much like a human would be to load or unload an injection molding machine in a repetitive process. The robot takes care of the repetitive part of the operation, leaving the operator to handle the complex part of the operation (in automation terms), such as inspection. The robot's function is humanoid, even to the point of opening machine doors and pressing the same buttons a human operator would, so speeds and payloads are low.
For a manufacturer of low-volume, highly changeable parts, the cobot can be an ideal automation solution, using a small injection molding machine for low production volumes of a few parts per minute. At a reasonably low cost, the manufacturer gains the advantages of highly repeatable processes and consistent output. And at low speeds, a risk assessment is likely to allow for close collaboration with human workers on upstream or downstream processes without expensive safety guarding. ROI is dependent on how much of a human worker's processes can be taken on by the cobot. It's not uncommon for a cobot to replace the equivalent of half a worker through a couple of workers.
The challenge for the manufacturer is when production volumes increase for a successful product line, requiring a significant increase in speed and accuracy and potentially interaction with other automated processes, or when high rigidity is required, such as with heavier payloads. For highvolume production, an industrial robot would be integrated into an injection molding line with an emphasis on productivity and cost-efficiency. A mediumsized six-axis or Cartesian robot unloads the molding machine to a conveyor or single-axis Cartesian, which passes the part onto a SCARA or six-axis robot to carry out another function such as quality control or assembly. A fully guarded system would allow significantly higher cycle times of up to 120 parts per minute, for an output of more than 63 million parts per year running three mostly unattended shifts. ROI in this case becomes much more defined, even before taking into account safety, work environment, and quality and consistency of the final product.
Examine the Options and Choose the Right Robot for the Job
For the manufacturer, it may be that a cobot is an ideal first step towards automated processes. If the risk assessment doesn't require safety guarding, the initial investment is low and employees gain experience and familiarity with robotic systems. But the approach must take into account the likelihood of the application growing past the cobot's abilities. If multiple cobots are required, the cost of the equipment (and the additional human workers) will quickly exceed the cost of an industrial robot—without the additional advantages of speed and unattended production. While cobots tout a low entry cost, making manufacturers feel like they can't make a wrong decision, not having all the facts can cause expensive missteps.
Questions to Ask before Automating
About TM Robotics
TM Robotics has installed thousands of robots in factories throughout the world, including North and South America, India, Russia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia.