Most of us are used to the basic classroom: blackboard and chalk, and #2 pencils, but the way we get an education is rapidly changing. There are some great aspects of the traditional education, but the more research I did the more I find online courses give people lots of options. The majority of us all went to a traditional school thru High School, but now there are options younger kids online. This to me seems ideal for kids being bullied at school. If it is easier for some kids to not be in the classroom, for whatever reason, then I say let them. Personally I would have been more inclined to say that online school is not as good as the classroom, but I may have changed my own mind on this because there really seems to be a lot of benefits. On www.xroads.virginia.edu I found a quote by Richard L. Hopkins that stayed with me. He said “Education in its institutional forms is about authority, power, manipulation, and agency; it is about who decides what.” Now I didn’t personally feel this way about the classroom, but I guess I can understand those who do. The old way of doing things has worked for years, so some may be skeptical of the new technological changes. But our whole world is changing and becoming more high tech so it is only natural that our schools would change as well. However, I cannot help but to think that we need some of the old fashioned way to give us balance. Balance between what has worked all these years, and the new ways. Some of the benefits traditional education offers are that children get to interact with each other. This can teach them important communication and people skills. It promotes interaction and provides a balance between educational and social development. Students taking online classes have not shown any signs of retaining less information than students in the classroom. On www.sloan-c.org I found a study by the Sloan Consortium in which they discovered around 62% of chief education advisors thought online education helped students learn just as good if not better than traditional learning. When I first thought about going to school online I imagined I wouldn’t do very well. But after taking a few classes and having most of the work to do online, I find it is very convenient. I did get to go to the classroom one day a week, which helped me a lot. With online classes I can move at my own pace and do the work on my own time, which helps if you have family to tend to! On www.schoolsworldwide.org they talked about new programs they have at high schools. You can go actually go to virtual school, and probably never have to set foot in a classroom to graduate now. I think this is great for the issue with bulling we have now a days. On www.keystoneschoolonline.com I found they even offer a middle school program. Kids that are getting picked on can opt to go to school from home and get just as good of an education. High school to me is so much about the “cliques”, or the clothes you wear, or the money you have or where you come from. These kids getting picked on are not getting a fair chance to learn. For some busy adults the ability to go to school online is the only way they would ever be able to do it. On www.edzayas.com I found a man’s story of how he went back after all those years, and found the online classroom more beneficial for him than traditional school. He was able to attend school from all over the world. However he points out that to do it all online one must be self driven and highly motivated. And regardless of what you might think there is still just as much work to be done. On www.correspondence-courses.us it says that all you need is pen and paper and a willingness to learn. What a bonus that you don’t have to spend money on school supplies and books, or the gas money and wear and tear on your vehicle. This for some can be the determining factor. Online schools are becoming the norm. Open Education - as defined by www.wikipedia.com is “a collective term that refers to forms of education in which knowledge, ideas or important aspects of teaching methodology or infrastructure are shared freely over the internet. “ So is one method better than the other or is it just a matter of personal preference? Face it though, our schools are moving into the future, whether we are ready or not.

I can't beleive it, I just finished 2 college classes! My first in 15 years! I am not amazed that I finished them, I am more amazed that I finally did this! I finally got in school and that I am trying! After all these years I am back in school. I'm so excited and cannot wait until I can get a good job that I can be proud of! One that will make me better money! So into the unknown.....here I go!

So I really tried to surf this weekend! It was great, I didn't want to get out of the water! After 9 years of Matt asking me to surf, I finally gave in. I was always ok with just sitting on the beach taking pictures of him surfing. Now I want to be in the water, with him. It was a great feat for me, and I am kinda proud of myself! I think I may be growing up a little! Trying new stuff!

I am so glad to hear that BP has finally put a cap on this oil spill. It couldn't have taken any longer! But better late than never. So now I wonder what they are going to focus on. Will they still give people money that they are losing because of this oil spill? Will they still try to clean it up, and test to make sure no long term damage has been done. Or will they go back to drilling, that commotion has stopped so we can forget about it, right? Wrong! There is still so much destruction! BP better stick around for the aftermath!

Surfing to some is considered a sport, because it can give you the opportunity to make a good living. Surfing to most however is a lifestyle, they surf because they have passion for it. As a new hobby for me, learning to surf is quite difficult. Surfing can take a lot of effort and persistence. It allows me to enjoy the sun, sand, and salt water. Surfing also brings me and my husband closer together, and can be very peaceful, so I keep on trying.

Plastic grocery bags have been on the radar for many years as a completely avoidable form of consumer waste. But the first layer of packaging that goes around products do not get quite as much attention, despite it being just as wasteful in many cases. A London grocery store is setting a new precedent by eliminating
packaging from all of the products in their store, saving the environment and saving customers money at the same time.

So my re-newed hope in our world is found on webecoist.com. There I read an article about this London store who's making you bring your own bags and containers. That way there is no waste from the plastic used to package things too. I wish we could start something like that in our own towns. If just one store out of every town in America would start this trend imagine the plastic we would save from ending up in a landfill. I have recently started taking my own re-usable bags with me. Sometimes I forget and when I see all the bags they waste it makes me wanna kick myself. Or bag my own groceries!!!

Then in Concord Mass., they have banned the sale of plastic bottles. They are the first town in the US to do such a thing. It just takes one person making a change, to do great good. If we could all just get on the same page with this, it could make a huge impact. Now I just have to think of my thing. I need to find a way to make a difference all by myself. One person can help!

Shall I just keep going with the Oil Spill topic?
It seems to be the most important at this time......

So also in the PBS show I watched they talked about the health concerns from cleaning up the oil. How is it effecting the workers? The workers from the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989 have had lots of medical conditions arise. But no one has bothered to research them or the effects of having to clean up the oil. It amazes me the more and more I learn about this spill and all the things that have gone so wrong. Why has a better system not been put in place. Why hasn't someone already thought about how to stop a pipe if it busts? Why are there not more rules and regulations for the oil drilling in the first place? I have so many unanswered questions! Like "will I have to explain to my grand-children that at one time you could actually swim in the ocean!" Will we make it until I see my grand-children? I wish there was something I could do. Something to make people in power see what they are setting themselves up for. Disaster, we are all headed blindly into it. Is it too late? Or can we still make a change? Will we make a change?

So in continuation with my total disgust with the oil spill situation, I have to comment on a show I watched over the weekend. Need to know, which is a news program on PBS, did a very moving story on a little town in Louisiana. They are a beach community like Fernandina, where I live, and they have literally shut down. They make there money off tourism which is plentiful when you live near the ocean. Unless you have oil in your water! Peoples' lively hoods are at stake! BP is not going to pay out enough to keep any of these people from losing their homes and business'. So it seems to me the odds of our beach community feeling the effects of the oil spill will be just as severe. The story just really hit home with me and made me very emotional. I just really felt for these people whose lives are being destroyed by things that are out of their control. Not only are they having to pick up the pieces STILL after hurricane Katrina, but now for the "love of oil" they will have to do it again. I think this may be more catastrophic than Katrina, because I think we will feel the after effects for a long time to come. Enjoy local seafood while you can, you may not have that option soon. I hate to be a pessimist but I feel we won't recover from this any time soon. I heard it is 1.2 million gallons of oil a day that are pouring into our oceans! Didn't anyone plan ahead for something like this? Didn't anyone care enough to? Do we think this won't have long time effects? We can't even imagine yet the destruction of ocean life and the messed up generations of ocean life to come. The effects are bound to devastate us unimaginably! So now the fishing industry is shut down, the beach communities business is shut down, and they are all losing money by the day! By the gallon! Will BP rise to the occasion and help the people that will be in need? My hopes are not that high unfortunately! But file the claim and they will pay all legitimate claims! What they need to do is quit spending all that money on new commercials and new programs! Shouldn't you be paying the light bills and mortgage payments of those that because of you are out of work now!

Latest news:

BP to Donate Net Revenue from MC252 Well Leak to Protect and Rehabilitate Wildlife in Gulf States. As part of its commitment to restore the environment and habitats in the Gulf Coast region, BP today announced that it will donate the net revenue from oil recovered from the MC252 spill to create a new wildlife fund to create, restore, improve and protect wildlife habitat along the coastline of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The creation of this fund is over and above BP's obligations under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.

So this is a headline on BP's website. It really just saddens me that it is still about the money. They say the will donate over and beyond what they are obligated to do! What? There is no way any amount of money will replace all that has been lost. The human lives, as well as sea life and after effects on our waters. This is not about money! But when is money NOT an issue? It should have been about taking care of our oceans before anything else. There should have been a better plan for something like this, and I think there are ways of fixing WEEKS ago, but no one wants to mess up their precious oil supply! The things BP keeps saying is astonishing, who the hell do they think they are? I hope these dear BP executives get their lives back soon! So they can go back to making more money than needed and screwing up anything in their path to getting the cash!!!! I want to take them all out there and let them swim around in it for a while! Make them TRY to clean it up, after all it's their mess!

So I have been gardening for about 3 years now. My husband is an avid grower and has been since he was about 3. (That's when he started his own strawberry patch) He loves it way more than most! I have learned it is way harder than I might have first anticipated. I think I let him do most of the work in the beginning, but I have come around to putting my share of elbow grease into it. I have found the beauty in it, and it has become very rewarding.

The best part is I get fresh veggies, and I know where they came from! Not shipped across seas! Flown in planes! Handled by who knows who! Just pure deliciousness. With prices the way they are for fruit and vegetables it is beneficial to have at least a little something growing that you can eat! We have broccoli, squash, corn, onions, okra, and lots of different tomatoes. I think that's all! :) We also have just started a blueberry patch, but are having some issues with that. We had issues with the tomatoes too but we keep on trying! I have to say I gotta give it up for the farmers! I don't think people truly appreciate where their food comes from.

I think maybe our kids will learn a thing or two from it as well. At least that's what we are hoping. Our 3 year old helps pull weeds and knows what the veggies are and that he's having them for dinner! It's nice to see him excited about it. It's fun for him, and hopefully it will stay that way!

The garden can be pretty amazing first thing in the morning. I had to pollinate squash, because we have a shortage of bees, and it's neat to see the flowers throughout the day as they open up and stuff. Gardening is a wonderful thing that I think everyone should experience. I really puts things in perspective, as far as our earth is concerned. I feel that much more compelled to take care of it and appreciate it. So if you've thought about gardening, you should try it. It's hard work, but anything worth having is hard work!

I read an article in hippiemagazine.com about research that is being done on gecko's feet. Obviously the gecko has been running up & down vertical surfaces, and holding onto things with one toe for a while. And I learned we have been doing some research on it for a while now too! It's coming more to light now at Berkeley where they are using the concept called biomimicry. This is where we look at nature's solutions and apply them to more complex design issues. Like our adhesives we use. Why can't we use the same tools that the gecko's use?

So now after putting the foot under the microscope, literally, we realize that they have hairs that independently adhere to surfaces. They work on hard or soft, dry or wet, underwater, even in a vacuum! How amazing is that!

It just really keeps my hopes up for a better world for our kids. Everyday we are making new discoveries that can make our world a better place to live in, and trying not to waste our resources. There are some people out there that the all-mighty dollar isn't in charge of how they think and it really is about the over-all good! It makes me optimistic of what we can do and what we can change if we put our minds to it. I mean, to get a SUPER STICKY, all natural glue from learning about mother nature! Right On!

Reduce, Recycle, and Replant -

Data Highlights on Restoring the World's Forests.

by Earth Policy Institute on April 29, 2010

in Science

The world's forests, which cover a third of Earth's land area, provide us with many essential services. They absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and give us oxygen, limit soil erosion, aid in flood control and aquifer recharge, and host a wealth of biodiversity. But as human populations have grown, so, too, have the demands placed on these natural systems. As vast swaths of forests have been cleared for agriculture and development, the use of forest products has also climbed, further increasing pressures on the world's trees.

In 2008, some 3.4 billion cubic meters of wood were removed from the world's forests, enough to cover Manhattan nearly 60 meters (200 feet) deep in lumber.....

Across Asia, 76 percent of wood cut down is used as fuel. In Africa fuelwood accounts for 90 percent....while the rest is used for industrial purposes (construction or paper prod.)...

....South Korea recycles 85% of its paper....US (the #1 paper consumer) recycles 1/2 of its paper....China recycles only 35%....if every country recycled as much of its paper as South Korea....the amount we use would decrease by a third.

.....widespread tree planting efforts are also needed to restore forests.....The United Nations Environment Programme's Billion Tree Campaign....since 2006...governments and individuals have planted over 10 billion trees.

So in an effort to find something to blog about I found this picture on sustainablog.org

I just hurt to see such a neat tree cut down. This is in Guatemala. It was an article about Deforestation. So I figured I would write about the problems we are having with our precious planet now-a-days and how I came to think more about it.

Now I have never been a big tree hugger. Granted I come from hippies, but tend to use a razor and ENJOY indoor plumbing, running water, electricity...way too much!!! I love nature and all the beauty in Mother Earth, but never thought I would be one to recycle or grow my own veggies (which I do now), or worry about the crap in the food I eat. Until I had my son.

I pay more attention to news reports about the food we eat. The pesticides & preservatives they are putting on out food scare the hell out of me. I don't want to feed those things to ANYONE! I have a garden now, and it keeps getting bigger. I recycle all I can. And am trying to go organic as much as possible. Staying away from crap that we KNOW is not good for us! And trying to instill that in my family.

I think a lot differently about the way I take care of my family. I want them to eat good foods. And know how to grow their own. I try to teach them to conserve and recycle and take care of this beautiful earth. It's so important! And I wish I would have started sooner, but better late than never.