May 1 2013: It took me slightly longer to read portions of the poorly spelled middle section. I think that rather than why do we bother with spelling maybe the question should be asked on when we should intentionally use this phenom to add tonal information. We can speed up or slow down the speed at which I read a document, and I am guessing others have similar reaction.
People are also trying to guess the intelligence of the person writing. Misspelled words tend to denote unfamiliarity which often leads people to shrink the importance of what is being said. Conformity to gain acceptance is my best guess on why spelling is so important, but I approve of challenging this idea often.
Oct 15 2012: Just because a person brain operates differently does not mean they have a disorder. Labeling these different in the negative undermines the power of whatever brought us to this point, and while it's human nature to look for ways we are better than our fellow man time and time again when we look in history the one we are trying to get rid of has incredible value. I wish we had better ways to diagnose and support healthy minds rather than looking for cures for phantoms aliments.
I think the people in the mental health community should have to show that harm is happening before suggesting it is a disorder. Their reward though tends to favor them finding something wrong to treat. Often like most humans when they see that they focus on that and not the whole individual that it came from. This is like trying to draw a map of the world by only focusing on one tiny room inside it. That too me sounds unhealthy.
I do believe there are mental disorders that need treatment and study, my friend that tried to cut a microchip from his nose needed help, but i think that we need to define healthy differences between brains and brain patterns as well. Just because there a different pattern doesn't make it inferior. Lots of our art, music, and literature was written or created by people who had different patterns in their brain than we do, and I don't want to find a Soma pill for that.
Jun 11 2012: Oh on doodling their was a Ted talk that was called doodler's unite(or something of that sort), that talked about how some people retained more information if they where doodling i believe. Somebody fact check me on this.
Jun 10 2012: All sorts of teaching styles can be effective, but having one mesh with the society that they are growing up in is very important. The lessons I learned best in schools often where slightly outrageous where we got to see the teacher for whom they were, and not a mark of the school.(Joshua Foer talk on memory I think is very accurate on this point.) I had a Physics teacher that would fail to shut is car door when driving out of the parking lot letting the forces he taught do the work. Rigid structures are often ripe for creative ways to get around the rules and tapping the students creativity for that often can make them learn faster and better. Randy Pausch Last Lecture(viral video) also has some really good ideas if you can be free to impose some of your own metrics teaching the class.
The desirable attitude can vary quite a lot. My second grade math teacher was the first teacher I ever heard cuss a parent out, tough as nails and you didn't want to disappoint her. My fifth grade teacher always expressed a blind faith that i had found the correct answer(leading me to some very creative math problem solving techniques.) Being honest with your style is the more important. Also do not allow the students to control the classroom unless you can get their goals properly aligned with yours.
Often students would rather have fun than study, so finding ways to co-mingle the two can be good, but is always dangerous. Finding places to practice English also can be good that are away from the classroom or boring exercises. Make sure both you and your students know they value of what they are learning in the classroom.
The final and most important point is set your expectations high. With the internet and modern tools they can get a lot of exposure to English in various forms use these as teaching aids. Just because something written or spoken beyond their general understanding level doesn't mean they cant help you break it down into understandable parts.
Jun 1 2012: I would really like to forget a police officer lying under oath about a speeding ticket. I would like to go back to trusting the police and not feeling rage inside often. It honestly makes me very uncomfortable around cops in any situation, and less safe for both myself and the officers. I do believe it has benefited me in some understanding of what a lot of minorities feel when they are dealing with officers, but it makes it much harder for me to work a job knowing that a portion of the funds are being used to support abuse. Even if most officers are good people (I believe they are.), it's really hard to know our history, and past abuses and see how to forgive institutions that claim the inability to make a mistake. I got called a liar and a conspiracy theorist when I attempted to report his crime by the officer I reported it to. I have a good life and thankfully this is the most hurtful thing anybody has ever done to me, so I would like to design a police force that is capable of admitting it's mistakes at a quicker rate than the Vatican.
All our institution have flaws that can tear them down and I would like to learn how to both spot and correct with intelligent discussion the institutions that we need to exist. I think everybody should feel that they have people they can call on when they are in trouble without fear. I would like to learn also how to better feed those most in need of food, and regrow support for building positive structures that will help humanity survive. This is hard in a world with a lot of fear and mistrust. So I would like to work on ideas that bring both those down.
May 19 2012: Purity in products is often not desired the same way it is in manufacturing, or other fields as your last part clearly states. Often the ratio of harmful is to small in the products we have cultivated for many years, but still is there. Taking apples to cyanide, or your prescription drug that is supposed to be diluted with food and or water. All naturally growing things have a balance that protects their life and often makes it so something else can digest it without too much ill effects.
One of the primary arguments against modern pot has been humans have greatly increased the THC production of the plant. (THC is what makes one "high"). People against the legalization this brings it closer to the poison apple.
People for the use often use the argument that this balance in which grows naturally includes good natural combinations, that are often not found in your purer pharmaceutical grade drugs. Smoking pot with chemotherapy has fewer negative reactions than any appetite enhancing drug as well as numbing the pain. If you purified it getting the right doses also becomes more difficult. Pot like many plants can also be baked into food like a grain,
May 19 2012: The US has prosecuted across sovereign Native American Treaty lines against Native Americans that were growing hemp, or very low THC marijuana who asked permission prior to growing and got a positive response. PBS did a story covering the Native Americans that feel victim to this attack. All hemp in the United States is imported just like all or almost all our morphine. We do not want the risk of drugs here so we export the problem.
May 19 2012: Oxycontin is far worse from my second had experience than marijuana. It seems to completely numb your ability to think and form logical statements. Marijuana does sometimes get that bad but it requires much more visible signs and often other drugs are thrown into the mix, most comedians seem to have some relationship with illegal drugs during their careers often without huge adverse affects. I feel their is more time for treatment of the marijuana smoker than the Oxycontin patient. If you look at recent celebrities deaths reports, I think most the suicides have Oxycontin in their system(Would like to see better figures if anybody has them than my feelings. I know both Whitney Houston and Micheal Jackson had problems with this drug as well as Rush Limbaugh) I would much rather every patient be told to smoke or eat marijuana than take Oxycontin.
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A comment on Conversation: Why do we bother with spelling?
People are also trying to guess the intelligence of the person writing. Misspelled words tend to denote unfamiliarity which often leads people to shrink the importance of what is being said. Conformity to gain acceptance is my best guess on why spelling is so important, but I approve of challenging this idea often.
A comment on Conversation: What experiences have made you more comfortable with mental health disorders?
I think the people in the mental health community should have to show that harm is happening before suggesting it is a disorder. Their reward though tends to favor them finding something wrong to treat. Often like most humans when they see that they focus on that and not the whole individual that it came from. This is like trying to draw a map of the world by only focusing on one tiny room inside it. That too me sounds unhealthy.
I do believe there are mental disorders that need treatment and study, my friend that tried to cut a microchip from his nose needed help, but i think that we need to define healthy differences between brains and brain patterns as well. Just because there a different pattern doesn't make it inferior. Lots of our art, music, and literature was written or created by people who had different patterns in their brain than we do, and I don't want to find a Soma pill for that.
A comment on Conversation: What is Your BIG IDEA in just 6 WORDS?
A comment on Conversation: As a teacher, what kind of attitude would be desirable?
A comment on Conversation: As a teacher, what kind of attitude would be desirable?
The desirable attitude can vary quite a lot. My second grade math teacher was the first teacher I ever heard cuss a parent out, tough as nails and you didn't want to disappoint her. My fifth grade teacher always expressed a blind faith that i had found the correct answer(leading me to some very creative math problem solving techniques.) Being honest with your style is the more important. Also do not allow the students to control the classroom unless you can get their goals properly aligned with yours.
Often students would rather have fun than study, so finding ways to co-mingle the two can be good, but is always dangerous. Finding places to practice English also can be good that are away from the classroom or boring exercises. Make sure both you and your students know they value of what they are learning in the classroom.
The final and most important point is set your expectations high. With the internet and modern tools they can get a lot of exposure to English in various forms use these as teaching aids. Just because something written or spoken beyond their general understanding level doesn't mean they cant help you break it down into understandable parts.
A comment on Conversation: If you could learn or unlearn one thing, what would it be?
All our institution have flaws that can tear them down and I would like to learn how to both spot and correct with intelligent discussion the institutions that we need to exist. I think everybody should feel that they have people they can call on when they are in trouble without fear. I would like to learn also how to better feed those most in need of food, and regrow support for building positive structures that will help humanity survive. This is hard in a world with a lot of fear and mistrust. So I would like to work on ideas that bring both those down.
A reply on Conversation: Should Cannabis be legalized as a medicine?
One of the primary arguments against modern pot has been humans have greatly increased the THC production of the plant. (THC is what makes one "high"). People against the legalization this brings it closer to the poison apple.
People for the use often use the argument that this balance in which grows naturally includes good natural combinations, that are often not found in your purer pharmaceutical grade drugs. Smoking pot with chemotherapy has fewer negative reactions than any appetite enhancing drug as well as numbing the pain. If you purified it getting the right doses also becomes more difficult. Pot like many plants can also be baked into food like a grain,
A reply on Conversation: Should Cannabis be legalized as a medicine?
A reply on Conversation: Should Cannabis be legalized as a medicine?
A comment on Conversation: Should Cannabis be legalized as a medicine?