NYT - How Can We Teach Self-Control To Children?

From The New York Times:

THE SCHOOL ISSUE: PRESCHOOL: Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-
Control?

Can imaginary play teach children to control their impulses — and be
better students?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/magazine/27tools-t.html

2009 Artaban Hockey Pool

Frank has put together a Camp Artaban hockey pool for the 2009-2010 NHL Regular Season, and asked me to promote it.

Here is the point breakdown and rules:

It's really easy to enter:

- There are 16 categories. Choose 1 player (or 2 defense) from each category.

- Email your choices to Frank by Oct 1st.

- 5 dollars entry can be sent to Frank by Nov 1st.

Frank's email address is: fclarkjones@gmail.com

I've attached the file as an Excel document, but you can also download it from:

http://fantasyhockeypoolstats.ca/Artaban/2009-10 Artaban Hockey Pool.xls


Here's how you get points:
1 point goal
1 point assist
2 points win (Goalies)
2 points shutout (Goalies)

The Grand prize is a real live dragon. Or maybe a new car. Actually, it's a new trophy that will be passed from winner to winner every year. The winner will also receive a custom Artaban t-shirt, that they will be able to keep permanently. Any proceeds (after paying for the prize and the Officepools site) will be going to Camp Artaban.

To follow the pool along through the season, go to http://officepools.com
login: artaban
password: artaban

Feel free to forward this to any people that have been to Artaban.
All the best,
Chris

Barack Obama: Jedi Knight (w/ pic)

President Obama: Jedi Night (edit)
With picture, otherwise it never happened :)
Huffington Post
Kottke

Predicting Hockey Attendance

Dataset of the Day: Hockey, Getting Fans in the Seats

 

Is there a formula to predict which hockey markets will have the best attendance?  What are the variables? 

The Off The Map blog gives it a try, using team performance, weather temperature, population and hockey IQ as variables, and compares his results against the NHL’s attendance statistics.

 

NYTimes: The Right Way to Pray?

From The New York Times:

The Right Way to Pray?

Americans aren't sure they know how to talk to God. Fortunately,
there is plenty of instruction available.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/magazine/20Prayer-t.html

How to win at Scrabble

From YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1aq6sJEuVU&fmt=22

via iPhone

Bento Boxes Getting Popular is US

From The New York Times:

Bento Boxes Win Lunch Fans

They might seem like kids' stuff, but a sense of fun — and built-in
portion control — have helped make the Japanese lunches called bento
boxes increasingly popular with adults in the United States

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/dining/09bento.html

NYTimes: In Ever-Shrinking N.H.L. Coverage, Even Islanders Are Cutting Back

NYTimes: In Ever-Shrinking N.H.L. Coverage, Even Islanders Are Cutting
Back

The Islanders financed a blog last season that focused on the team but
had editorial independence. But the future of Islanders Point Blank is
now uncertain.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/sports/hockey/06islanders.html

Keeping That New Mac or PC Clean and Pure

From the NY Times: Keeping That New PC Clean and Pure

A new PC comes innocent of viruses, worms, spyware and other
troublesome programs. Here are some tips for keeping it that way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/technology/personaltech/03basics.html

Sent from my iPhone

Matt Whitman: Networking King of Halifax

Some people wonder about the point of the social networking sites, like Flickr and Twitter.  This guy, Matt Whitman from Nova Scotia gets it, and does his best to explain it to journalist Silver Donald Cameron.    

This is not a link, but an article from a mailing list I belong to that publishes SDC's excellent weekly columns on community, Canadian political science and history, sailing and life in the Maritimes.  In keeping with the spirit of the article, I'm sharing this connection with you.  

To: silverdonaldcameron@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: silverdonaldcameron-owner@yahoogroups.com

 

SUNDAY HERALD COLUMN September , 2009 [HH0932]

THE NETWORKING KING OF HALIFAX

by Silver Donald Cameron

Matt Whitman leans forward over a table at a suburban Starbuck's
coffee shop, talking intensely.

"I do everything else around this," he says. "My whole role is to
connect with people not to convince anyone of anything or sell them
anything, but to connect with them."

What Matt Whitman does full time, more or less is networking,
either in person or on such social media sites as Facebook. He spends
his days in coffee shops and informal meetings, and at charitable
events. He has 4800 friends on Facebook, and I am one of them. He is
the networking king of Halifax.

I want to know how he makes a living at this. Various gurus contend
that the new social networking media Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn,
Twitter and others are fantastic new business tools. Well, I want to
know how these fantastic tools work. In my experience, sites like
Facebook are mostly a fantastic nuisance. Who cares whether someone I
barely know has just won at Texas Hold'Em Poker or Treasure Mania? If
you're going to bed now, go in peace. Why tell me about it?

Matt admits that Facebook can be a huge time-waster but such
programs keep you visible when you're otherwise engaged. While you're
in a meeting, your note on Facebook about a charitable event promotes
the charity and also brings you to the attention of 4800 friends. And
Facebook tells you who you know in common with someone else. But it's
the in-person stuff that delights Matt.

"My thing is reverse networking, which is promoting others rather
than promoting myself," he says. "If I say I'm the best, you're going
to discount it but if I tell you about my friends the lawyer, the
accountant, the barber, the mortgage broker, you might take my
advice. By not selling anything or promoting myself, I can get to
lots of people. And sooner or later, somewhere, somebody's going to
be talking about me, so I don't have to."

Two employers support all this connecting. Matt is a regional sales
manager for Sun Life, where his responsibilities include the
recruitment of new life insurance salesmen. For someone with his vast
network, that kind of recruiting is a snap. He's also "the community
outreach guy" for his church, one of 13 employees of the Stone Ridge
Fellowship in Bedford, a fast-growing Baptist congregation which is
about to open a brand-new mega-church in Lower Sackville.

"I'm an example of what a Christian business person is," he says. He
is out there all the time "spreading the Good News and getting people
into the game, getting them active." His influence shows up as
increased church attendance, and also as intensified Christian
activity in the lives of church members.

And that's another use of Facebook to "promote all the things I'm
doing on the weekends." For example -- ?

"I'm eating ribs next Saturday for testicular cancer," he says. "I
organized a five-kilometer run last Saturday for our StoneRidge
satellite site in Hubbards, and tomorrow I'm giving out Gideon Bibles
at the Busker Festival. Through Sun Life I hosted a Participaction
event to get people active again. I'm involved in the Junior Chamber,
juvenile diabetes, Junior Achievement. And the updates go to
everyone, all the time."

This reminds him of his advice to a recently-unemployed friend.

"The key is not to be self-centred. The key is to help others," he
says. "What are you doing with the 40 hours you used to work? Why
don't you go and do 40 hours of good will? Volunteer this weekend at
the Buskers, or the Pride Festival, or the Jazz Festival. If you
volunteer 40 hours a week, you'll have more job offers than you know
what to do with."

He stops, struck by an idea.

"Something good happens at every meeting. Someone will benefit maybe
not you or me, but maybe someone we know. Hmm. I've never said this
out loud before, but there are actually four dimensions. How can I
help you, and how can you help me? And how can I help your friends,
and how can you help my friends?"

He stands up. He has another meeting. And the networking king of
Halifax is never, ever late.

-- 30 --

Silver Donald Cameron
24 Armshore Drive, Halifax, NS B3N 1M5
(902)446-5577 fax (902)446-6099
www.silverdonaldcameron.ca

"Traveller, there is no path. Paths are made by walking." -- Antonio
Machado (a leader of the Cape Verde 1970s liberation
movement against the Portuguese) 

__,_._,___

NYTimes: Missing Richard Nixon

From The New York Times:

OP-ED COLUMNIST: Missing Richard Nixon

In the Nixon era, leaders in both political parties were capable of
speaking rationally, and decisions weren't as warped by corporate
cash as they are now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/opinion/31krugman.html

Sent from my iPhone