Mania and the Decline of the Newspaper Industry

Hi Maria,

I will keep it short because of the short attention span of most readers.

This morning Good Morning America made it public that the newspaper industry is in rapid decline. A major cause of the decline is the result of attempting to pander to manic side of the bipolar personality; something that can not be sustained in the long run. The computer has made it possible to keep them interested in the short run, but racing a head of them is something we can do; but in the end, they always crash into their depression stage. Some return to their manic phase, others enter the realm schizophrenia from which there is no way out.

There is already enough at Lessonplans.com to satisfy a mentally healthy mind. That does not seem to be enough. I want to know what percentage of Americans that are now mentally sick. I am sure the percentage is over 5%. It could be as high as 50%.

Stephen

The difficulty identifying what is missing.

Hi Maria,

Identifying what is missing from Lessonplans.com is almost impossible to know when one does not know what should be there. One why of knowing is compare what you see from your home computer with what you see at the library. They should be the same. The difference is the effect of censoring.

Stephen

A Revolting Experience

Hi Maria,

I went to the Tarpon Springs Library yesterday to have a first time visit to USteam.TV. That was interesting and disappointing. I also visited Lessonplans.com. I was shocked to see that they had blocked all of the advertiser's ads. You should be aware that I pay my taxes with advertising revenue and all the other expenses. The money you receive is also from that source.

The Tarpon Springs Library takes all of my intellectual property, gives it away, pays me nothing and blocks any hope of someone else paying. Those people are like thieves.

I am very unhappy with those people and anyone else that does the same thing.

Stephen

http://www.lessonplans.com/stats/

Hi Maria,

Remember the lessonplans.com header? It refreshes every 60 seconds. A counter is incremented every time that happens. It is in fact a clock. You can get the refresh count from this URL. http://www.lessonplans.com/stats/

You can also get the visitor count from the same address. Knowing this data, you can calculate the average number of seconds a visitor stays at Lessonplans.com.

This is how I know the average length of a visitor's attention span.

Stephen

St. Petersburg Time's Fast Facts

Hi Maria,

This morning I asked a Wachovia teller if she read the St. Petersburg Times. She said that she did not have time. I told her about Fast Facts. She said that she would only have enough spare time to read Fast Facts. That would be about 30 seconds. The elapse time that we have at a red light. That is also enough time to read a short message on your Iphone.

Our shrinking attention span has negative consequences. One of these is the demise of the newspaper. There are others.

Stephen

Fast Facts

Hi Maria,

The St. Petersburg Times has added Fast Facts. It is a summary of what is in the article stated as bullet points. It is for readers that want to get the main points without taking the time to read the article before darting off to something else. I would add that this began happening in the Scientific American and Scientific Mind a few months ago, but I may have already stressed the attention span of my readers. So, I will stop here.

What value is writing without readers?

Stephen

Make it relevant.

Hi Maria,

Make it relevant! Relevant to who or what? This can be a dangerous logic trap, especially when attempting to satisfy bored students.

They would be interested if only I could make it relevant to them. It will never happen, so do not even try.

Make what you do relevant to what the student will need to know at the next level. That is enough.

It is their responsibility to learn what is being taught. Telling their friends that you are a boring teacher is their non-violent way of discrediting you; remember that.

Stephen

You can now visit Lessonplans.com with your iPhone.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

Maria,

Last night I visited Lessonplans.com from the Lime-N-Coconut with an iPhone. It was a first time experience for me. Prior to that, I did not think that with such a small device I could see much. That is not the case. You can quickly zoom, scroll and navigate so see what you would with your PC.

The iPhone has made the Internet available from almost everywhere. It is a giant step forward.

Stephen

Words of Wisdom

'We understand you can't save your way out of a recession; you spend your way out. "

Source: CEO/president Chuck Mulloy of Intel

Could This Person Be Perceiving Reality Clearly?

Hi Maria,

I copied the following post from Macy's Yahoo bulletin board. It appears to be the thoughts of a rapper. My first reaction was negative. At first, this person has zero creditability. Upon thinking about it for a few days. I am not so sure. I think he should be taken seriously.

Stephen
____________________________________________________________

Layoffs are coming in the investment industry because too many people are clearly pulling their $$$ out (Baby Boomers actually WANT a retirement) and there's NO NEW money coming in. There are NO CATALYSTS to move this market up. Get out NOW before you lose it all. The "Investment Professionals (LOL)" CAN'T tell you the TRUTH because they're LEECHING off of your hard earned $$$ in management FEES to feed THEIR FAMILIES (they certainly DON'T CARE about yours)!! I can tell you the truth, the financial advisers WON'T, because they need to make FEE $$$. Don't go down with them!!! Get your $$$ out of stocks and yes, BONDS also, and into CASH (Bank CD's are a lot better than losing bigtime $$$ and RUINING your life). HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU'VE WORKED FOR AND KEEP IT! These guys will say ANYTHING to keep you at the CRAPS TABLE!Capitalism is based ultimately upon two polarities: how much can I charge for my good or service? and secondly: how little can I pay my employees to sell it for me? Obviously, the aristocracy at the top would want to charge the most while paying the least. However, charge too much, no consumer will consume, pay too little, no worker will work.WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING TODAY IS A COMPLEX PRODUCT OF CHEAP GOODS AND UNDERPAID EMPLOYEES!! Most reported employment growth is actually a complete "ILLUSION" as these are LOW PAYING CRAPPY JOBS!!!! MOST PEOPLE TODAY BARELY HAVE ENOUGH FOR BASIC NEEDS!!!My life and world are run and controlled by corporations, not good government, nor the fable of democracy.The rich have been accumulating MASSIVE WEALTH on the backs of the poor for years. Wealth should not be a product of how much I can F'UCK over the next guy, but rather a distribution of resources "more equally" amongst all the people. The days of the $50 million/year CEO's are indeed numbered.These "PUDGY" DRUNK Wall Street PRICKS (hanging out in Miami and London on your dollar!) just want FEE INCOME from YOUR hard earned $$! They are nothing but lazy DEGENERATE GAMBLERS! Keep your $$$ and take care of your family (they sure as hell DON'T care). This economy is collapsing as we speak. Don't buy any more stock - the smart $$$ is getting out now - I hope you're not too blind or stupid to see it. Recession? You ain't seen nothin yet we're facing a DEPRESSION that WILL last longer than any of you would have ever believed. Greed does NOT work in the long run.As Abe Lincoln said: "A House Divided CANNOT Stand" - and this DOES actually hold true on Wall Street! If everyone is at each others THROATS competing, backstabbing, and trading stocks between one another trying to profit off each others' backs WITHOUT hard work - the house WILL (and actually is) coming down. People today are Lonelier and Lazier than ever before - Please DON'T buy into this PONZI SCAM happening on Wall Street.Its time for these CLOWNS in $2,000 suits on CNBC to roll up their sleeves and do an honest day's work instead of GAMBLING YOUR $$$!! They deserve to go to WORK like the rest of us and stop gambling and flapping their big mouths - they don't know SQUAT and THEY KNOW IT!I'm LAUGHING MY ASS OFF right now listening to their conflicting OPINIONS - what a JOKE!! HOLD on to your $$...none of them are LEECHING off my family anymore. The CRAPS game is OVER!!!"

Intimidation of teachers worries board member

Hi Maria,

Intimidation of teachers worries Pinellas County, FL board member. Students that intimidate teachers is something we do not like to talk about. We do not even want to admit that it is happening. Elementary and middle school student never intimidated me. However, some high school student did. I just thought it was a part of my character flaw until I met Paul Beverly. At the time he admitted to me that he intentionally intimidated a teacher was when he was in his 70's.

Paul was a large men who after graduating from high school became a Marine. He told me he hover around a certain high school teacher to make him feel uncomfortable. He was a small male teacher and Paul was a contemptuous student. I am sure that the teacher was afraid of Paul.

It is still happening. "We have had black students tell white teachers, 'We don't want youo here because this is a black school,'" Brown said. Source: St. Petersburg Times.

I feel fortunate that I do not need to deal with this problem.

Stephen

Cyberbullying on the Rise

Hi Maria,

This was in the St. Petersburg Times.

• 18 percent of students in Grades 6-8 said they've been cyberbullied at least once in the past two months.
• 11 percent of students in Grade 6-8 said they had cyberbullied another person at least once in the last two months.
• Almost one in five regular Internet users between 10 to 17 reported being involved in online aggression; 15 percent had been aggressors, 7 percent had been targets, and 3 percent were both aggressors and targets.
• 17 percent of the 6 to 11-year-olds and 36 percent of the 12 to 17-year-olds reported that someone said threatening or embarrassing things about them through e-mail, instant messages, Web sites, chat rooms or text messages.
• Girls were about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying

Source: Health Resources and Service Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Bipolar [manic-depressive] Personality

Maria,

Rush Limbaugh, Manny Pardy, Jim Walker, Mary White and Robin Williams, actor, have one thing in common. They are bipolar. One thing they routinely do is talk over others. They listen only long enough to get direction. They then talk intensely, loudly and rapidly until the listener is beaten into submission. At that point the listener exits or does something to rid themselve of the annoyance.

Two of the people on this list have been teachers. Listen to Rush on the AM band. Do it from the next room. While at your computer, have Rush in the background. You should not be able to understand what he is saying. That is important because what he is saying masks his mania. It is the cadence of his speech that reveals his bipolar personality.

Ned listened to Rush religiously for years and became a Rushite before his death. I find it interesting that someone with a mental health problem can rise to prominence. Rush is the respected spokesperson for the Republican Party. He has both wealth and fame. Perhaps I should include health. From his perspective, I am sure he thinks he is healthy. From my perspective, I think he is mentally sick.

Stephen

Should Science Be Fun?

Hi Maria,

In a recent interview with Professor Neil deGrosse Tyson, Charlie Rose asked him if science is fun. The implication was that it should be. Dr. Typson instantly went on the defensive. I cringed at the prospect of what would follow.

Far to often the science teacher plays the role of the fool that delight student with explosions and amazing events. These wild-eyed science teachers are even sometimes rewarded by being recognized as the teacher of the year and showered with undeserved accolades.

Science is not fun in the sense that Joy Land is fun. Science rewards the students with the satisfaction that comes from understand and knowing that is derived from discovery. It is freedom from ignorance. It is the satisfaction that comes from knowing that having mastered the scientific method, they can discovery the solutions to yet new problems.

Science is not fun. It is much more than that.

Stephen

What are your students doing tonight?

Young partygoers arrested for trashing a foreclosed Florida home

FEBRUARY 24--A group of young Floridians invaded a foreclosed home over the weekend and threw a raucous bash that caused about $75,000 in damage and resulted in the arrest of 17 partygoers. According to police, the trashed Fort Myers home, now owned by Wells Fargo Bank, was overrun Friday night by partygoers who broke windows, punched holes in the home's walls, and spray painted graffiti inside the residence. Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office arrested 10 juveniles and 7 adults (aged 18 to 25) on loitering and prowling charges. The adult defendants are pictured in the below mug shots. The underage arrestees were also charged with possession of alcohol by a minor, while the adults were hit with contributing to the delinquency of a minor counts. According to a probable cause statement, sheriff's deputies found cans of Bud Light beer in the 4000-square-foot home, and party attendees acknowledged that they congregated together "for a party in which alcohol was being served." (3 pages)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0224091house1.html

China is becoming the largest English speaking country.

Maria,

Sheriff Bob White told the middle school students that within 10 years that China will become the largest English speaking country. I can not confirm that. It seems incomprehensible that could happen.

Stephen

Pasco Sheriff Bob White said ....

Pasco Sheriff Bob White said, "He chose to go up against my SWAT team and lost." He said that when he was addressing middle school students at the annual Law Enforcement Parade in Holiday, FL.

You can read about this even in the St. Petersburg Times, Pasco section

re: http://www.tampabay.com
Times Staff Writers: Drew Harwell, Kmeel Stanley and Erin Sullivan

Law enforcement parade began at the middle school.

Maria,

Today Pasco County law enforcement made a show of force again with a parade. It began at the middle school with patriotic songs. Sheriff Bob White was the first speaker. He began by saying that we are here celebrating freedom. He said nothing in support of academics. He stressed karate [a marshal art], sports, military and law enforcement. He told us that last night that someone had chosen to challenge the SWAT team last night and suffered the consequences. This morning I read in the paper that the SWAT team killed 'FAT BOY' while serving a warrant. There was also in the same area a 40+ acre fire that destroyed multiple houses. The timing and proximity was near enough to wonder if these events should be connected.

I was intimidate by all the large men and their guns. If their intention was to intimidate me and everyone other then themselves, then they succeeded.

A parade has an effect. It is a psychological tool for causing a commitment to be made. One that provokes a choice. 'You are either with us or against us.'

The students and the parents may think the law enforcement parade is a fun event. It is something other than that. Think about it.

Stephen

The Preoperational Stage (Years 2-7)

(Pre)Operatory Thought in Piagetian theory is any procedure for mentally acting on objects. The hallmark of the preoperational stage is sparse and logically inadequate mental operations. During this stage the child learns to use and to represent objects by images and words, in other words they learn to use symbolic thinking. Thinking is still egocentric: The child has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others.

Is hyperinflation in our future?

Maria,

"In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is "out of control", a condition in which prices increase rapidly as a currency loses its value. Definitions used by the media vary from a cumulative inflation rate over three years approaching 100% to "inflation exceeding 50% a month." In informal usage the term is often applied to much lower rates. As a rule of thumb, normal inflation is reported per year, but hyperinflation is often reported for much shorter intervals, often per month. " source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation

I have experience as you have a large percentage increase in the price of fuel. Recently, I went to the Home Depot to buy fertilizer. A 40# bag of Scott's citrus fertilizer last year was $12, about 6 months later the price is $19.98. That is a 66% increase in about 6 months.

A near trillion dollar economic stimulus is about to effect us. We might be in the early stage of hyperinflation. I never had the unfortunate experience of living through hyperinflation. We might be about to know what it feels like. I wish I could tell you what you need to know to survive.

I am going to the Home Depot now to see if I can find more inflation symptoms. [I did. Yes! There are others.]

Stephen

p.s.

"We are confronted with a broader and deeper slowdown than has been experienced in decades," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

"We will work closely with our colleagues in the G7 and the G20 to build consensus on reforms that match the scope of the problem revealed by this crisis."