This Bear Is Up a Tree

This Bear Is Up a Tree
photo by Scott Granneman

Friday, October 23, 2009

How Should Teachers Teach?

NY Times today reported on the status of teacher training programs. That got me thinking. If you could teach a class in your major subject, how would you teach it? Tell us the class you are considering and give examples of how it could be changed or improved and made better. Look to the right and vote on your experiences with Baylor faculty.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The New Untouchables

Check out Thomas Friedman's op-ed today in the NY Times. He writes about the people who are hanging on to their jobs while others are losing theirs. What is the secret Friedman identifies?

Monday, October 19, 2009

Windows 7

I cannot believe we are already trashing Vista, just when I got used to it. Here's the thing I didn't know until I read last week's WSJ. My Windows Photo Gallery and Movie Maker are not Windows 7 programs. I will need to re-import them through something called Windows Live Essentials.Life is hard, guys! Imagine how I would feel if I hadn't read up on this before the changeover.

Emperor Jones - What does it say about mankind?

Today's NY Times reviews a revival of a Eugene O'Neil play. The Emperor Jones is about a Pullman Porter who leaves the United States and takes control of a West Indies island; it premiered in 1920. Jones was played by Charles Gilpin, the first African American to appear in a leading role in a white theater. How weird is that sentence? Gilpin received rave reviews, but he found it very difficult to play to role as written because of the offensive language (which he changed, much to the consternation of the author). In fact, if you Google the play, Baylor's filter won't let you see all the Wikipedia entries. It's a painful play to read or watch. O'Neil was a provocative playwright. Looking back, we can see that he made bold attempts to bring the discussion of race in the U.S. out into the open. Baylor Libraries have a video of the filmed version starring Paul Robeson. The play was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, but it is often viewed as embarrassing or too shocking for polite company today. If you should have the opportunity to write a paper on this play, whatever you do - don't use the papers you find online. They are dreadful and perpetuate all kinds of outdated and stereotypical thinking.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

More on the Exercise Front

Exercise and your immunities to flu - two recent studies in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity make assumptions on the effectiveness of exercise in boosting one's immunity to the flu. However, not all exercise has the same effect. Read this NY times article and see if it reinforces your ideas about the benefits of exercise.

A Young Perspective on the Biology of the Brain and Emotions

You must read Tuesday's NY Times editorial by David Brooks. He talks about hot new research in the field of neuroscience by "leading figures ... in their 30s, and most of the work done by people in their 20s." This is not old fogy stuff -- see what your near peers say about why we hold the social and cultural beliefs we hold, particularly with regard to how we interact with others.

Minimum Wage May be Lowered in Colorado

Oh, my goodness! The NY Times reports today that the state's minimum wage "is set to drop 4 cents, to $7.24. Most workers will still get at least $7.25, the federal minimum." Read the story and explain how this happens - and what considerations go into assessing the ethical and legal issues. If you are an economics major, business or pre-law, this is a topic that you might find interesting.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Tip a Bear - Study Tip #5

Listen to what Dr. Blake Burleson has to say about his undergraduate career at Baylor, and find out his A#1 Study Tip for Baylor Bears.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Yikes - Saturn Deal Dead!!

I read it in last Fridays WSJ. Some of you business people tell me what this means for my daugher who is still paying for her Saturn?

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Active Reading

Alex gives you active reading tips in this latest installment of Tip a Bear. Be sure you view both sections.