Slime Monsters: A Safe Halloween Craft Your Kids Will Love
Last weekend, my 8YO son and I volunteered at the VirginiaMuseumOfTransportation, one of many venues (including the ScienceMuseumOfWesternVirginia and local retailers) that participated in the Generic Magic Festival in Roanoke, Virginia. Of all the activities on offer, making slime 'Troll boogies' was, by far, the favorite. The museum was giving out eye balls as prizes for the scavenger hunt, so it was easy to convert our troll boogies to baby slime monsters, which double as super-cool Halloween decorations (just don't put on wood or walls).
Algae, Red Tide, and the Future of our Water (includes links to lesson plans)
Last Night's PBS News Hour story on the Red Tide that's killing millions of marine life off the southern Florida Coast is yet another harbinger of the dangerous stormwater neglect occurring in North Carolina and across America. Anyone who walks around my inner-city Durham neighborhood during a big rain event will quickly see how much our little municipality, alone, is contributing to the communal problem…
Looking for a GREAT documentary? Check out Wild Wild Country on Netflix
You HAVE to watch Wild Wild Country on Netflix. It's a multipart documentary regarding an Indian Buddhist leader named Baghwan Rajneesh, whose (largely American) followers planned and (literally) built an Ashram city (for upwards of 10,000 people) on 60,000 acres of ranch land they purchased in a tiny town in the middle of Oregon.
Machu Picchu and the Incas: Re-Learning What We Already Know
As a self-proclaimed water spirit and sustainable storm-water management advocate, I actually teared up when I saw the construction diagram of the vegetated terraces the Incas clearly used to manage more flash floods per annum than my stormwater-ridden city of Durham, NC, can imagine. At least in "progressive" areas, we now have 'rain gardens' and 'cisterns', though we employ these primarily to reduce pollutants…
City of Durham Avoids Municipal Stormwater Responsibilities while Inhibiting Affordable and Sustainable Private Solutions
I have written this article to demonstrate the City of Durham's irrational and uncooperative approach to drainage issues like the one I am dealing with at 613 Canal Street - note that this is a separate drainage issue from the flooding occurring at neighboring 611 Canal Street (the subject of my last Stormwater blog post).
A Letter to my Teacher, a Children's Book Review
Deborah Hopkinson and Nancy Carpenter’s picture book, A Letter to my Teacher, puts the mission of teaching squarely where it’s meant to be by appreciating the special teachers that have graced all of our lives, whether or not we’ve had children of our own. This is a must-give for that special teacher in your life. I bought a copy while on book tour with the illustrator (Stacy Fabbre) of my own children’s book this summer…
Inspiration at a Discount
Last Sunday, my teenage daughter and her younger brother walked to the Dollar General at Broad and West Markham near my home in Durham, NC, to buy some candy. When they went to check out, she thought she had left her wallet at home. They returned and we scoured the house; then she walked back to the DG, but they could find no wallet and none had been turned in…
Teaching the World to Love Again
It's a lot harder to make a person happy than it is to make someone miserable…
Breakfast at Tiffany's and Audrey Hepburn Closet Quotes
“If you don't incorporate quotes into your family's daily life, you should. You'll be surprised with the effects these subtle reminders have on your kids, your spouse, and you.”
Have Patience
You are a rational human being. Do not let another person's defensiveness make you defensive…
Why the White House Sinkhole Isn't Funny
The sinkhole in the White House lawn is no joke. It is glaring evidence of a serious threat to American infrastructure and drinking water. As temperatures rise and the population continues to grow, urban, suburban and, heck, even rural stormwater runoff is becoming a serious problem throughout the entire country…
WWIII: Whose Side Are We On?
Russian interference in favor of Donald Trump in the 2016 elections has been confirmed, apparently motivated by Russia’s desire to invalidate American sanctions and human-rights protections. Despite denials of collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia, a few weeks ago the Trump White House made clear that it would not impose Congress-mandated sanctions against Russia…
Teaching Physics to First and Second Graders: Sound waves
This post is particularly applicable to teachers, parents, and caretakers of second-grade children, as the links below address science standards required for 2nd-grade (https://www.ixl.com/standards/north-carolina/science)…
Water Problem solved on historically low-income Canal Street (Durham, NC) - For Now
Knowing this neighbor could not afford to rent a commercial sump-pump (anything less burned out quickly) and fearing the damage the flooding would cause her home otherwise, I went straight to the Planning Department to identify the location of any drainage pipes on my property that may be clogged. When Planning Department staff could not identify the location of such pipes, I was directed …
Society Supports Sexual Harassment: Admission is First Step to Recovery
Of course I am appalled by any grown man hitting on a 14-year-old; but, hey, it happened to me repeatedly from the time I was twelve. I relinquished (I refuse to say 'lost') my virginity at 14. My best friend in middle school was sexually promiscuous, which everyone (including me) swept under the carpet or gossiped about. At least three of my high-school friends were severely hit on or actually had affairs with married men. Just 200 years ago…
Health Insurance Hostage
#HealthInsuranceHostage: Cut and paste or share if your or your spouse’s primary reason for staying in your current job is because of the health insurance coverage your company provides. Healthcare should not depend on where you work…
Children, Music, and Vegetables...
I hated practicing piano when I was a kid, but I am now convinced that learning music is as important to development as eating vegetables. If you have the resources, including getting awkward and asking about scholarships from local musicians/teachers, determine the instrument your child most enjoys and start lessons (group or individual) when they can sit still for 5 minutes. I promise neither of you will regret it…
Hindsight Premonition: The Death of Kenny Batts
It’s eerie, the hindsight premonition that often follows a death, even a very sudden one. When I heard our friend’s ex-father-in-law Warren’s voice message around 9:30 last Friday night, I immediately thought something was wrong with Kenny. Then I checked my cell phone and saw that Kenny had called just a little while earlier…
Why You Should Have a Pond
Pond installation can be back- and time-consuming work, and a long-lasting one like mine can cost over $1000.00 (liner, pump, filter, rocks). But it doesn't have to be this way. You can purchase inexpensive, small-pond kits, or you can build a pond out of a plastic toddler swimming pool simply by…