Invasive Plants?

I am still not sure what an invasive plant would be besides weeds. In the article, on page four, it talks about how there is a difference between moving plants to other places and invading plants in other spaces. “The study suggests that invasive terrestrial plants are more threatening to native species than invasive plants because vertebrates are more likely to be predators.” In sum, the indigenous plants are more likely to cause extinction to the other plants than moved to that area. It seems kind of confusing to me because you would think that an indigenous plant would thrive until a strange new plant would be introduced. Then, there would be competition between those plants for survival. The stronger plant will survive.

Add a comment September 29, 2008

“The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend. ”
                               ~Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau is right. If you are to be friends with someone then you need to be a friend. Being a friend can mean many different things. This role gives one a chance to be a life-saver, a lover, a fighter, a supporter, a therapist, a “punching-bag,” a family, and many other things. Friendship is an important part of life; it gives everyone a sense of belonging to something that matters. It also gives us a reason to wake up every day and go to work and become successful. Without friendship, life would be pretty boring. I love to have friends. If I did not, I am not sure what I would do with myself, except, well, be bored all day and night. There are a few close friends that have gotten me through some tuff situations. I do not know what I would have done without their support

Add a comment September 24, 2008

Those are some “spiffy” looking text books you got there.

Spiffy: means fine looking

I thought that this word was only a made up slang term for something that was found to be cool but it is actually a word in the dictionary. Who would have thought? In fact it was created back in 1853. I can just see someone back then using this word with that high class accent, “Oh you look spiffy today.”  Then someone would reply,”oh thank you, you are pretty spiffy today yourself.”  I do not typically use this word in my vocabulary, unless I am being sarcastic or I am in a bad mood. I just thought it was an interesting word because of how it sounds. It does not seem to be a sophisticated word.

“spiffy.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008.Merriam-Webster Online. 23 September 2008
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiffy&gt;

1 comment September 24, 2008

Arctic Waves

site:chandrika-radhakrishnan.sulekha.com

<a href=”https://orchidslover.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/waves7.jpg”><imgclass=”alignnone size-medium wp-image-80″ title=”waves7″ src=”https://orchidslover.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/waves7.jpg?w=300” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”225″ /></a>

This beautiful sight was, by no means, man-made. On the web-site, chandrika-radharishnam.sulkeha.com, I found out that these frozen waves are formed when the water breaks through the ice and freezes once it hits the chilly air. True this sounds a little impossible, but it is really cool. Nature has always amazed me because of its creations. They are all very real and very much alive; something we as humans cannot create. Sure we can plant a seed and watch it grow, but we cannot create that seed. People are always trying to find ways to alter life in ways we may believe to be impossible. I suppose some only wish to discover new things and ways of creation but waves like the one in the photo above, could not be created easily, as least, by humans.

Add a comment September 24, 2008

I knew it………

In this Jan. 10, 2008, file photo, Clay Aiken is shown in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)

Clay is gay: Aiken comes out of the closet

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 7:21 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY AP Music Writer

 NEW YORK (AP) — Clay Aiken is finally confirming what many people already knew: He’s gay. The cover of the latest People magazine shows Aiken holding his infant son, Parker Foster Aiken, with the headline: “Yes, I’m Gay.” The cover also has the quote: “I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things.”

 

The magazine has an interview with Aiken and confirmed that he was on the cover but refused to release the article to The Associated Press until Wednesday.

The baby’s mother is Aiken’s friend and record producer Jaymes Foster.

Aiken, who gained fame as the runner-up on “American Idol” in 2003, rarely addressed the frequent rumors about his sexuality. In an interview with The Associated Press two years ago, he said: “I don’t really feel like I have anybody to answer to but myself and God and the people I love.”

The multiplatinum singer recently released the CD “On My Way Here” and made his Broadway debut this spring in “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”

———

On the Net:

www.clayaiken.com

I knew it from the first time I saw him audition for American Idol, that he was gay. More or less it was because of the way he carried himself. I have no problem with anyone being gay, bi, lesbian, transvestite, strait, etc. Everyone is entitled to be whom they want to be. I believe if you find somebody to love and that person loves you back and you make each other happy, go for it, no matter the gender. There are so many people here at college who are all of these things. I myself am bisexual, and I will admit it has been hard even mentioning that, especially in high school. Only my closest friends new that about me. People here at Northern are more open to sexual orientations and I see so many people that think it is great. It makes me happy to be out of the high school environment because in high school, your peers are a lot more judgmental and it can be hard to relate to a lot of people that way.

 

Add a comment September 24, 2008

 ” I hate to say it, but there are people out there who have never heard of Northern Michigan University. This gives us an exellent opportunity to expose people to Northern.”                                                                 ~Ken Godfrey MNU athletic director

This quote on the front page of the North Wind, reminded me of our first writing assignment, where we had the choice to write about solving the diversity problem at NMU or using technology in the classroom as a learning tool. I had written about trying to solve NMU’s diversity problem. My main point was to get Northern’s programs and offers out to anyone and everyone from the richest to the poorest communities. This would bring more success to NMU because its students would be able to get more than just an education, they would be able to work with other people of different ethnic backgrounds. Diversity should be promoted more often throughout all colleges and universities.

Add a comment September 23, 2008

Imagine yourself……

Imagine yourself being the lowest person on the social class ladder. You have nothing: no friends, no family, no food, no shelter, no money, no object materials to cherish, except maybe the clothes on you back, and no dignity. You often wonder “Why am I here? This is not right. What did I do to deserve this?” Just look, you have become a part of the people you sneered at once because evidently they did not have the same meaning in life as you did. There must have been some reason you are there.

It is amazing how low some people can be. Treating others by their titles and social roles and their social class level is unacceptable. Nobody deserves to be kicked down even more then they have already fallen. My aunt used to take a homeless man out to lunch at McDonald’s, in the streets of Chicago mind you,  to make sure he had something to eat and something to make him see that there are people out there that are willing to help. And that no all people are as cold as some may seem. Next time you see somebody with a less fortunate situation then you, stop and remind yourself that your life is not as bad as it may seem because somebody out there will have it worse off then you.

Add a comment September 18, 2008

Good Morning Honey Dew

I love to look at the morning dew. It always gets your feet, your shoes, or you pants all wet. Then you have to let them dry and it can be a pain. If you look at the dew closely though, it rests on the plant-life so peacefully while waiting for the sun to come up.

Little drops of water are one of my favorite things to add to any flower picture I create. They always add that certain touch I was looking for to make my picture look complete. I have always liked the look of it on the grass and plants and the way it feels is kind of cool too. If you run your hand through the grass all of the little water droplets fly everywhere and then underneath, the grass looks so deep because it is wet. The morning dew always reminds me of that scene in Bambie when the little field mouse pulls the water drop off of the grass and splashes it in his face to wash it. It is cute.

I have just always found nature’s little wonders special to look at and when it comes to morning dew, it always comes back, at least when there is not snow on the ground.

Add a comment September 18, 2008

Judgment call

“The major block to compassion is the judgment in our minds. Judgment is the mind’s primary tool of separation.”
~Diane Berke

This is very true. Everyone creates some sort of judgment about anyone whether they know the person or not. How many times have you said I don’t judge or I don’t like to judge people before I get to know them? We all have, even me, but for some reason we all judge. Each one of us in this class has looked at everyone else at least once and formed some sort of a feeling, image, or opinion about that person. This was before we even knew each other’s names. This would be your judgment of what we have perceived of others: be it what we look like, act like, dress like, sound like; and eventually an opinion forms. That opinion is your judgment.

Add a comment September 18, 2008

First homework assignment: Get writing!

Posted by jeyer September 10, 2008 14:20PM
Categories: Education

Belle got her first homework assignment last week. It was an “All About Me” sheet, where she had to fill in the blanks on things like “My name is…, My favorite toy is…, My favorite book is…”

In the instructions, her teacher mentioned that she wanted the kids to do it by themselves as much as possible, and that it’s OK for them to use invented spelling. As I have mentioned before, Belle has been reluctant to write on her own; she’s so concerned about whether she spells things correctly that it pretty much paralyzes her.

This time, I read her the directions, and she still balked a little bit. Then I told her that after she wrote everything down, we would go back and correct the spelling. That was good enough for her, and off she went.

Since then she has gotten more comfortable with writing and less concerned about doing it “right.” They do writing workshop in class every day, and she’s been writing her own stories. I had a feeling that everything would get sorted out when she started.

The title of this article first caught my eye because of its title, hence one of the things we read about. I agree that a parent or teacher should help their child or student become more comfortable with their writing style early in life. If this is addressed early, then as the child grows and develops more writing skills his/her writing becomes stronger. I know that in the younger grades, I was considered on the better half of the class with writing skill. Unfortunately some of those skills got lost while I was home schooled. So currently, I know that I am not as strong of a writer as I could be. In fact all of us could use a few pointers, I’m sure. I know I could. In the article, the teacher had mentioned that it was ok for the students to make up their own words as they filled in the answers. This would help with allowing the child to develop thinking and creativity skills. I still make up words because I have a hard time with spelling. Early developmental skills in writing should be a mandatory requirement in all grade schools.

school.http://blog.mlive.com/neurotic_mom/2008/09/first_homework_assignment.html

Add a comment September 11, 2008