C Twiggs Run http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/ Keeping up with Christopher Twiggs, Professor of English at Florida State College en Copyright 2010 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:40:33 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Cat Nap We have a rule in our house that if a cat is sitting on your lap, you are excused from any household duty. The exception is when the cat clawing at you to get down but you're holding on for dear life because you want to avoid a chore.

If THIS cat, sits on your lap, though, you may never get up again.

Doctor casts new light on cat that can predict death Read More Here

@Mama_Crazy submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/cat_nap.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/cat_nap.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:40:33 -0500 Dunking now an Option I just may have to start using ketchup again!

(No, this isn't the most serious new story of the day, but not everything needs to be serious, I hope.)

New ketchup packet allows for dunking or squeezing Read More Here

@Mama_Crazy submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/dunking_now_an_option.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/dunking_now_an_option.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:29:28 -0500 Middle School Shooting Anyone who has followed me on Twitter for very long has gotten a glimpse now and then of my life as the father of a middle school boy. Unlike some professors, I don't separate my online life into different identities. For better or for worse, my students, family, running buddies, and anyone else who happens to keep track of me for one reason or another gets all of me - at least until they decide they would rather have none of me, which is okay. Today my little guy walks into school for the first time having a girlfriend. (She asked him at a Superbowl party last night.) He also has a good chance to make the track team at try-outs this afternoon. Since he hasn't had the easiest time in school socially (bullies, etc.) this is a real step forward for all of us.

How tragic, then, to read a story such as the one linked here. May none of us ever have to experience what this poor family and school are going through.

Teen Dies in Ala. Middle School Shooting Read More Here

@Allyd90 submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/middle_school_shooting.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/middle_school_shooting.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:16:24 -0500 Flying into the Future So I was sitting on the runway about to take off for a trip to Atlanta last weekend when this story was brought to my attention. Is this good news, or is Skynet now one step closer?

Air today, what tomorrow? Read More Here

@ziatia submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/flying_into_the_future.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/flying_into_the_future.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:09:51 -0500 Mona Vinci Years ago when I was teaching Utopia to a class of freshmen at Furman University, I had a clever student use the Mona Lisa as the starting point for her essay. To this day, I use that paper as an example of creating an engaging hook to draw a reader into an essay he or she would otherwise skip. What's so interesting about the Mona Lisa? Click through for one part of the story.

Did Leonardo paint himself as "Mona Lisa"? Read More Here

@mistymorningk submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/mona_vinci.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/mona_vinci.html Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:03:13 -0500 Halftime

A short message intended for my current online students - Welcome to Week 5! No, I don't have your papers yet, so I can't give you your grades :-)

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/halftime.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/02/halftime.html Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:11:00 -0500 I'm Going to Earn that Degree if it Kills Me! Well, it just might!

Teacher, 100, gets degree a day before dying Read More Here

@Docmoe86 submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/im_going_to_earn_that_degree_i.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/im_going_to_earn_that_degree_i.html Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:36:52 -0500 What Depths The tragedy of the earthquake that devastated Haiti is beyond comprehension, yet an order of magnitude beyond lies the sickness and depravity that is any human being who would seek to profit by compounding the sorrow.

Traffickers targeting Haiti's children, human organs, PM says Read More Here

@TGwynRN submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/what_depths.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/what_depths.html Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:25:43 -0500 Your Kid is Fat Body Mass Index (BMI) is a pretty good indication of how healthy a person is with regard to their weight. There are exceptions, of course, for particularly muscular individuals, but the truth is found there more often than not.

I'm not sure how significant it is that this particular doctor is recommending schools record BMI aside from the fact that she happens to be married to the governor. Perhaps the next headline will read "Wife if N.H. Governor Against Smoking." Still, if she can use her spot in the public eye to get people to stop over-feeding their kids, good for her!

Wife of N.H. governor backs obesity screening Read More Here

@jotrekas submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/your_kid_is_fat.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/your_kid_is_fat.html Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:18:24 -0500 Headline: Obama Doesn't Quit President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address this evening, but Obama's own state of mind was more along the lines of what pundits were discussing. The President has not had the success he expected and hasn't delivered on the campaign promises that got him elected. Well, did we really expect anything different from a politician?

Embattled Obama declares in speech Read More Here

@Mama_Crazy submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/headline_obama_doesnt_quit.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/headline_obama_doesnt_quit.html Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:58:02 -0500 Social Media Meets Middle School, in a Bad Way Facebook, Twitter, and other Social Media tools offer excellent opportunities to enhance education. With the good, sometimes, come the bad and the ugly. At least one school, however, isn't willing to allow a teacher to become a casualty.

Facebook page bashes teacher Read More Here

@Mama_Crazy submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/social_media_meets_middle_scho.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/social_media_meets_middle_scho.html Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:49:30 -0500 Pandemic Overstated? What would the World Health Organization stand to gain from a global panic over a new strain of flu? Well, quite a bit, actually.

Did WHO Exaggerate ? Read More Here

@Mama_Crazy submitted this link.

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/pandemic_overstated.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/pandemic_overstated.html Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:45:35 -0500 Stress and the Modern Girl Self-esteem is a difficult thing to maintain if you're . . . well, if you're human . . . but it's particularly difficult for girls. On her blog, Rachel Simmons takes a look at a young figure skater and the struggles she has with maintaining a positive self-image.

What Price Success?Read More Here

@Mama_Crazy submitted this link via Twitter

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/stress_and_the_modern_girl.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/stress_and_the_modern_girl.html Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:30:36 -0500 The Camel's Nose There's a saying about what happens when you let the camel stick his nose in your tent: soon you have the whole camel in there messing around. Now the French government wants to stick its nose into the cultural traditions of its approximately 5 million Muslim residents.

Actually, this is not the first time the French have sought to regulate religiously relevant wardrobe. A 2004 French "secularity law" banned any religious apparel in public schools, including headscarves, large crosses, and yarmulkes.

French call for veil ban in public buildings Read More Here

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/the_camels_nose.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/the_camels_nose.html Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:19:09 -0500 Pope2You The Pope wants to make the Catholic church more accessible to people and more real in their lives. Who knows how much priests' presence on the web might affect their parishoners' lives - not to mention their web browsing habits!

Pope to priests: Go forth and blog
Read More Here

]]> http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/pope2you.html http://blog.fscj.edu/christopher_twiggs/2010/01/pope2you.html Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:05:39 -0500