This Blog's History: What is Neptunium?

For This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to a post I wrote about neptunium. What is neptunium, other than a cool sounding rock band name? Well, for that you'll have to read the original post, linked below. :-)

What is Neptunium?

Emergency Skin - Book Review

The other night I started and finished Emergency Skin, a short story by N.K. Jemisin. The story is about 50 pages in length, so a quick read, but one filled with many thought-provoking ideas. Without giving the story away, let me attempt to provide a brief overview.

The story starts with a being going to Earth, called Tellus, to collect materials for the being's home planet. The being is guided by some type of artificial intelligence. When arriving on Tellus, the being discovers it is inhabited and later learns that it came from Earth at some point in the past.

What follows is a story of how we treat each other and the values we place on individuals in society. It's a story of the rich and pretentious versus those who care about individuality. An excellent short story I encourage you to add to your must-read list.

Emergency Skin is part of Forward, a collection of 6 short stories, but you can purchase Emergency Skin by itself and you don't need to read the other stories, although I plan to.

What is #46: Plutonium?

It's time for another element in this series, this time taking a look at plutonium. The last two elements discussed on this blog were uranium and neptunium, the two elements just before plutonium on the periodic table. Plutonium is the 94th element on the periodic table, meaning it has 94 protons. That's a lot of protons! Similar to neptunium, plutonium is not produced naturally in the Universe. It is produced in a lab on Earth, beginning in 1940.

What is plutonium used for? Well, it's not an element you just keep in your house, that's for sure. Plutonium is used in nuclear weapons (yikes!) as well as a fuel for many spacecraft that have been launched from Earth.

Since there are no more planets in the Solar System (Pluto isn't a planet either) the 95th element on the periodic table does not follow the naming trend of uranium (Uranus), neptunium (Neptune), and Pluto (plutonium). The 95th element is americium, named after the Americas. If dwarf planets were known at the time americium was named, it might have been called erocium (after Eros), or cerecium (after Ceres). Oh well.

Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities #2) - Book Review

My daughter and I are reading the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Sharon Messenger, although she just finished book #5 and I just finished Exile (Book #2). This is a pretty good young adult series that models the style of Harry Potter. The second book picked up where the first book left off and didn't miss a beat. Just as exciting and filled with different story lines that all tie together. The book doesn't end with a cliffhanger, but you know the story is not finished. Right now there are eight books published and a ninth book is set to be released in November 2021.

If you have upper elementary or middle school aged kids, this is a great series to read along with them, particularly if you enjoy the fantasy genre.

Possibly Getting a Dog

After holding off for many years, we are thinking about adding a member to the family. No, not another human. We already have two little humans (okay, not so little anymore) in the house. We are seriously considering adding a dog to our family. We already have a cat, so we are looking for a dog that is both friendly and energetic with kids, as well as a dog that gets along reasonably well with our cat, Newton.

We've been debating what to name our dog when we get it. Many years ago, before our kids were born, my wife promised me I could name our first dog Treebeard. LOL! I still remember that, but am having a hard time convincing our 10 year old that Treebeard is a good name. LOL! My second thought is naming the dog Isaac. Why Isaac? Because our cat's name is Newton. Then when we need to call the pets, we can yell out "Isaac, Newton, Isaac, Newton!" LOL!

Yes, I'm having way too much fun with coming up with dog names. :-) I'll let you all know when we have the dog and have named it. Something tells me I'm not going to win on Treebeard. :-)

This Blog's History: Ouabache State Park

In case you missed it last time, For This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you to a post I wrote following our family visit to Ouabache State Park in northeast Indiana. We had a great time hiking and saw buffalo. Buffalo!

Ouabache State Park

Tree Frogs Visitors

This summer we've seen several tree frogs visiting and hanging out in our landscaping around the house.

Each time we go out we look for these tree frogs (at least I think they are tree frogs) to make sure we aren't stepping on them! It's been a bit of a game to see who can find them first!

Moral of this story? Take a close look around your house in the summer. You'd be surprised at the nature you might find right at your doorstep!

NPR's 1A Podcast

Need another podcast for your list or need something new to change things up? If you enjoy politics, current events, and issues in the country, I encourage you to give NPR's 1A podcast a try.

NPR's 1 A Podcast

This podcast is a mix of current events and political discussions that will keep you informed of what is going on in the U.S. Episodes are usually 30-40 minutes and produced daily on weekdays.

How to Be an Antiracist

This summer I picked up a handful of books by black authors to add to my summer reading list. One of these was How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. This is an absolute must-read by everyone! The book details the importance of being an antiracist vs. simply saying you are "not racist". To be an antiracist is to fight against racism in society instead of sitting by and letting it exist.

The author spends much time discussing his own racism in his life and his battle to be an antiracist. The author does not hold back on his own failings in life and that is an important point for all of us to carefully consider. We all hold racist ideas, whether we know it or not. We all need to carefully think about our choices and the policies we agree with. Are those policies racist? The author shares how important it is to constantly reflect on ourselves and identify our racism and do something about it.

This is not a book to be read once and tossed to the back of the book shelf. This is a book to be read, reflected upon, and then re-read a year later to analyze. How will I have change by the summer of 2021? Will I be closer to being an antiracist? Or will I still have tendencies of "not racist"?

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

On Father's Day, after a day filled with playing board games, reading, and going for a walk, we ended the evening as a family by watching The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind on Netflix. The movie is based on a true story and takes place in Malawi, Africa. The people living in smaller villages are struggling with crops as drought and flooding take place. When trees are sold for logging, additional flooding ruins crops before the dry season begins, causing vast hunger. To survive, crops must be planted during the dry season, but need water. One of the teenagers in the village builds a windmill to pump water from a well to water the crops.

Here in the U.S., particularly in the Midwest where we live, drinking water is not a problem. Yes, there are droughts, but for the most part, acquiring clean drinking water is never a problem. There are a few areas in the U.S. where acquiring clean drinking water is more of a problem, but the percentage of the U.S. population that never has to worry about clean water is very high. That is not true elsewhere in the world. This movie was a good look at the importance of water and many areas do not have easy access. Water for crops needed for food can be scarce. Drought can be more intense. And areas where drought is intense can have more intense flooding at different times of the year, complicating the growing of crops for food. Add in climate change, and you have a worsening situation across the world.

In the end, this is a feel good success story, but that is not the case everywhere.

This Blog's History: My At-Home Co-Worker

Because you can never get enough of my cat, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to a post I shared with a picture of him working at home with me. He was "working" hard. LOL!

My At-Home Co-Worker

Fort Harrison State Park

A couple of weeks ago, we made a family visit to Fort Harrison State Park near Indianapolis, IN. This is a state park very close to a heavily populated area, but one, that once you are inside, does not feel urban or suburban at all. This was our first visit to this park and I'm regretting not visiting sooner! Due to its proximity to a large population center, this park can be heavily populated. During busy times it can take a while to get into the park as there is a long line of cars going through the gatehouse checkpoint. But once inside, it is a large park with plenty of parking, and plenty of really cool hiking trails to separate yourself from the crowds.

The Duck Pond at Fort Harrison State Park. Duck-free when we visited.

Despite a very busy day when we were there, the non-paved hiking trails felt like a non-busy day at a state park. So if you are trying to social distance, you can still do so at this park, despite what may look like a huge crowd!

The park offers several miles of wooded hiking trails and plenty of areas for a picnic, with several picnic stations setup along the river that runs through the park.

If you need to get out of the house and need to social distance, Fort Harrison state park is a good place for you!

Additional Antiracism Resources

The last several posts on this blog have shared antiracism educational materials, shared with me by a colleague. Here are a few more resources, shared by this same colleague. Please, check them out.

USC Libraries antiracist Pedagogy Guide, including the sections: Resources to use in the classroom, Methods and challenges, Pedagogy and whiteness, Antiracism and allyship in the academy, Further resources.  https://libguides.usc.edu/c.php?g=744325&p=5908931

 

The Google doc crowdsourced list of antiracist pedagogy resources below seeks not to duplicate works on the CTI or USC lists. List originally compiled by Corine Tachtiris (UMass Amherst). Doc is open for collaboration.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kbLH1jp2OjqBiBt4j7j50GNCDW0OfJhvkMlBgXjUlr4/edit

With an understanding of the theoretical contours of anti-racism and the inter-disciplinary nature of antiracism (antiracism as visual art, theater, poetry, and music), teachers will be guided as they launch their own investigation into and subsequent unit development about anti-racism. To connect our study of anti-racism to pedagogical contexts, there will be a menu of readings that teachers can self-select depending on their teaching contexts, grade levels and individual interests.   https://charlotteteachers.org/seminars/2020-seminars/anti-racism-and-pedagogy-what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-anti-racist-teacher/

 

University of Denver:

Inclusive teaching practices require us to engage the wealth of intersecting social identities and positionalities that faculty and students bring to the classroom. Whether face-to-face or online, inclusion must not be an afterthought. Rather, it should permeate every aspect of curriculum and course design, classroom management, and assessment of teaching and learning.

Through this site, we invite you to advance your praxis, create dynamic courses, remove barriers to learning, and dismantle oppressive practices by implementing inclusive pedagogies. Explore critical diversity considerations that shape higher education in real-time, read academic articles, visit suggested websites, and watch recommended TED talks and videos.

https://operations.du.edu/inclusive-teaching

75 Things White People can do for Racial Justice

Contains good links for learning more about racism and actions that individuals can take to call out racism when they see it or hear about it.

https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

 

Baldwin’s “A Talk to Teachers”  https://www.spps.org/cms/lib010/MN01910242/Centricity/Domain/125/baldwin_atalktoteachers_1_2.pdf

A useful speech to guide educators and how they teach during this time. I’ve also seen this New Yorker piece make the rounds: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/james-baldwins-lesson-for-teachers-in-a-time-of-turmoil

Antiracism Videos

Yes, you guessed it. Today I have more antiracism educational materials to share, that were shared to me by a work colleague. Do not give me credit, give my colleague credit. Below is a list of videos on antiracism. Please, please, check out a few of these and educate yourself.

The Urgency of Intersectionality, Kimberle Crenshaw

Danger of Silence, Clint Smith III

Ibram X Kendi on the Solution for America’s “Metastatic” Racism, Ibram X. Kendi

Black Bruins, Sy Stokes

Should White People Rap the N-Word?, Ta-Nehisi Coates

Why White People Shouldn’t Say The N-Word Using An Analogy of Wounds, Summer Charles

How To Deconstruct Racism, One Headline At A Time, Baratunde Thurston

“Cuz He’s Black” Spoken Word, Javon Johnson

Three Myths About Racism, Candis Watts Smith

Let’s Get To The Root of Racial Injustice, Megan Ming Francis

What Beyonce Taught Me About Racism, Brittany Baron

“How the Hood Loves You Back” Steven Willis

Being Black by Jane Elliot

How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion, Peggy McIntosh

The Power of Privilege, Tiffany Jana