AI for marking

Where was this when I was teaching? I can understand the problems with it but I can also see great potential benefits for everyone. From: The Desert Sun "A growing number of California kids are having their writing graded by software instead of a teacher. School districts are signing more contracts for artificial intelligence tools, from automated grading in San Diego to chatbots in central California, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. English teachers say AI tools can help them grade papers faster, get students more feedback, and improve their learning experience. But guidelines are vague and adoption by teachers and districts is spotty. The California Department of Education can’t tell you which schools use AI or how much they pay for it. The state doesn’t track AI use by school districts, said Katherine Goyette, computer science coordinator for the California Department of Education."

Scratch and sniff stamp

What a cool idea! France’s postal service is expected to raise quite a bit of dough after releasing a brand new scratch-and-sniff stamp that smells like a baguette with just over two months to go until the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris. La Poste, the French postal service announced the crumby idea on Friday, honoring the iconic French food by calling the baguette “bread of our daily life, symbol of our gastronomy, jewel of our culture.”

The Outsiders

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: Vivienne Jolie, Angelina Jolie, Sky Lakota-Lynch, Adam Rapp, Matthew Rego, Danya Taymor, Hank Unger, and cast and crew accept the Best Musical award for "The Outsiders" onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions) THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES FOR TONY AWARDS PRODUCTIONS When I was teaching many many years ago, "The Outsiders" was a novel kids loved. Kids who bragged they had never read a book read it.

History of some last names

A Brief History of Last Names In medieval times, town populations were small. One estimate suggests that England had between 11-30 people per square mile. With so few people living around one another, it was easy to know your neighbor by their birth name (first name). As small towns grew larger (around the Norman Conquest in 1066), residents needed a way to group and identify people. In some cases, they used lineage by drawing references to previous generations. For example, in the south of England and Wales, a man who was the son of John would have the last name “Jones.” This spelling worked like a possessive apostrophe. Looking at other common British last names, the pattern reveals itself: “Johnson” indicates the son of John; “Davidson” does the same. Last names also came from an individual’s attributes. If a person had a lot of muscle, they might be given the last name “Armstrong.” Someone known for their speed might earn the surname “Swift,” and a more diminutive family might have been called the “Shorts.” The common last name of “Smith” indicates a yet another trend — naming people according to their profession. With many types of smithing, including silversmithing and blacksmithing, the ranks of Smiths were large. Here are a few more occupational last names: Wainwright: This last name comes from the Middle English word “waynwright,” which referred to someone who makes carts for a living. Carter: If a wainwright made the cart, a carter hauled goods with the cart. Coward: This doesn’t refer to someone’s character. Instead, it hinted at the occupation of cow herding. Taylor: While the spelling has changed, this last name referred to a tailor, or someone who mends clothing for a living. Baxter: While many last names are drawn from male professions, this one was for women. “Baker” indicated a man who made bread, but a female baker was referred to as a “baxter.” Brewster: This person, usually in northern England, made beer. Marshall: In addition to denoting someone’s role in court, "marshall" also described someone who took care of horses. Sexton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms Origins Available: England England Ireland Ireland The name Sexton has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in Saxton, a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 This place-name was originally derived from the Old English Seaxe + tun, collectively meaning Saxon village. 2 The parish was recorded as Saxtun in the Doomsday Book of 1086. 3 Another source postulates the name could have originated in Cambridgeshire at Saxton Hall and/or Saxon Street.

Good food on an airline

Just might encourage me to take to the skies.

"Picture it: a full, warm breakfast on morning flights, palette-stimulating wraps and hearty sandwiches to fuel you through the day, and chef-curated mains that will take your tastebuds on a culinary adventure around the world. A delectable new culinary program from Air Canada is thoughtfully crafted to proudly champion Canadian brands, entrepreneurs, chefs and local ingredients. It spotlights Air Canada’s long-standing culinary partners Chef David Hawksworth, Chef Vikram Vij and Chef Jérôme Ferrer, showcasing flavours, textures and fresh, quality ingredients that sing at cruising altitude, complemented by wine selections from Air Canada sommelier Véronique Rivest. The result? More than 100 new seasonal, rotating recipes with bigger, bolder flavours, a new range of craveable snacks and new irresistible beverages for everyone."

Back home again

Everything worked out well and we were very lucky with the weather. I realise how much I don't miss being on the ferry.

In Victoria

We had a lovely dinner with Derek and Mary at Pagliachi's. So nice to see them again and catch up.

Sneaker Festival

I guess I'm not really surprised by anything these days. Festivals for everything it seems. Europe's "largest sneaker festival" is coming to Glasgow this month. "Crepe City will return to Scotland for the third time on June 30, for what is predicted to be its biggest event in the country to date. Taking place in the city's Boxhub Warehouse, the festival will see sneaker sellers from across the UK and Europe come together."

Best recycling nations in the world

I found this interesting.

LEGOLAND Castle Hotel

What a great place for kids who love LEGO and what kid doesn't? From: Daily Passport "The family fun doesn’t stop when you leave the famous LEGOLAND California theme park in Carlsbad, — as long as your visit includes a stay at LEGOLAND Castle Hotel. The neighboring accommodation was tailor-made for kids with its medieval LEGO castle theme. The turrets and towers were built in mismatching LEGO colors, and even the shape and structure of the hotel resembles the popular toy building blocks. The hotel also boasts an outdoor cinema with LEGO-themed movies, activities like a hotel-wide scavenger hunt, a castle-themed outdoor playscape, and themed rooms such as the Knights & Dragons, Wizards, and Princess rooms. With LEGOLAND California just steps away and constant entertainment found within the hotel, a stay at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel is a child’s dream come true."

Billiard balls

I'm awfully glad they realized elephants were endangered and stopped killing them to make billard balls. From: Nice News And did you know... Early billiard balls were made of various materials, including wood and clay. Although affordable ox-bone balls were in common use in Europe, elephant ivory was favored from at least 1627 until the early 20th century. By the mid-19th century, elephants were being slaughtered for their ivory at an alarming rate, just to keep up with the demand for high-end billiard balls. The billiard industry realized that the supply of elephants was endangered, as well as dangerous to obtain. Inventors were challenged to come up with an alternative material that could be manufactured. John Wesley Hyatt patented an "ivory imitation" composite made of nitrocellulose, camphor, and ground cattle bone on May 4, 1869. The material was a success and was sold as Bonzoline, Crystalate, and Ivorylene until the 1960s. The ivory substitute was one of the most significant early reinforced plastics and induced the global growth of billiards, pools, and snooker. Source: Wikipedia

Sea Turtles on stamps

Love that buying a stamp can help save turtles.

The U.S. Postal Service wants to save the turtles. Announced this week, the USPS unveiled a new Forever Stamp design, dedicated to the awareness of endangered sea turtles — and the work to protect them. “Sea turtles are majestic creatures who play an important role in marine ecosystems,” David Camp, the USPS Texas 2 District manager, said in a statement. “As you send letters to your friends and family using these stamps, we hope they will serve as a reminder that we can all do our part to help save these incredible ancient mariners.”

Cape Breton

Donna, Linda, and Cec were here recently on their trip to Cape Breton. This little village looks lovely. I can't seem to upload a photo. "Baddeck is a picturesque, vibrant little village right in the heart of Cape Breton Island set on the shores of the great inland sea known as the Bras d’Or Lakes. Baddeck is widely known as ‘the beginning and end’ of the famous Cabot Trail, a magnificent scenic drive along some of the most stunningly beautiful coastline in the world!"

Calvin and Hobbs

From: Inspiring Quotes Some Calvin and Hobbs Even if you've heard these before I guarantee you will laugh again. https://www.inspiringquotes.com/20-calvin-and-hobbes-quotes-to-make-you-smile/ZCrSX5wSlQAHG_8H?liu=26da72d4899d29579ae9719e3d9b2e04&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2182682930

Most recognizable songs in American history

A long with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Happy Birthday,” “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is one of the most recognizable songs in American history. Written in 1908 by songwriter Jack Norworth and composer Albert Von Tilzer, the tune was one of many popular baseball songs that made waves at the time. But unlike those other onetime chart-toppers, the catchy song went on to become an intergenerational cultural fixture, traditionally played during the game’s seventh-inning stretch at stadiums across North America. You would think this legendary anthem for America’s pastime came from a diehard baseball fan, but the truth is that neither Norworth nor Von Tilzer had ever even been to a baseball game when they penned the tune. The idea for the song came to Norworth not while he was sitting in the stands, but instead, of all places, on the New York City subway. According to legend, he was taking a trip across town in spring 1908 when he saw a subway advertisement for a New York Giants home game at Polo Grounds stadium in upper Manhattan. Inspiration struck the songwriter, and he quickly jotted some words on a scrap of paper. Von Tilzer completed the music shortly after, and on May 2, 1908, the pair registered the song with the U.S. Copyright Office. On the same day, an ad for the sheet music appeared in the entertainment trade paper the New York Clipper, and before the year was out, it was the No. 1 song on the pop charts. In 1940, Norworth finally attended a Brooklyn Dodgers game at Ebbets Field, where he was honored for his contributions to baseball. He claimed it was his first baseball game. Despite its early success on the charts, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” doesn’t appear to have been played or performed at a Major League Game until the 1934 World Series. It was much more recently still, in 1971, when Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck caught legendary announcer Harry Caray singing the song to the entire stadium (possibly not realizing the public microphone was on nearby) that it became the essential singalong tradition that it remains today.

Mozart and billiards

It's always fun to learn surprising stuff like this. From: Trivia Scoop "Mozart liked billiards and was apparently very good at it. He played often with his friend, the Irish tenor Michael Kelly, and almost always won. (Kelly sang Don Basilio and Don Curzio in the first performance of Figaro in 1786). When he couldn’t find a partner he would play by himself as he indicates in this 1791 letter to his wife. The opera he refers to is The Magic Flute: "As soon as you were gone I played two games of billiards with Herr von Mozart who wrote the opera for Schikaneder’s theatre…then I had [my servant] bring a black coffee, to which I smoked a glorious pipe of tobacco…” A billiard table with five balls and 12 cues was on Mozart's estate when he died in 1791." Source: WQXR

Elephant twins

LONDON -- An Asian elephant in Thailand has given birth to a rare set of elephant twins, non-profit conservation group Elephantstay announced. A 36-year-old elephant, Jamjuree, on Friday evening gave birth to a male calf at Thailand's' Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal in the north of Thailand's capital, Bangkok. About 18 minutes later, keepers were caught by surprise when a female calf emerged.

An Olympic gold medal for a sculpture

An American Trotter. Walter Winans (USA). Sculpture Gold Medal, Stockholm, 1912

The perfect brushstroke winning a medal...love it.

From: History Facts "At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, the perfect brushstroke was just as likely to win a medal as the quickest sprint. That year, Pierre de Coubertin — co-founder of the International Olympic Committee — introduced a series of Olympic events in the fields of painting, literature, music, architecture, and sculpture, with the rule that all creations must be sports-themed. Though many of the newly eligible competitors lacked the physical prowess of traditional Olympians, some excelled at both the athletic and the artistic. American marksman Walter Winans not only won a silver medal for sharpshooting at the 1912 Games, but he also took home gold for his 20-inch-tall sculpture of a horse-drawn chariot, titled “An American Trotter.”

Giraffes

I've always loved giraffes and purple is one of my favourite colours. From: Nice News Giraffes have purple tongues. In addition to their spots and long necks, giraffes have another distinguishing feature: Their tongues are often dark purple. Whereas most animals have fully pink tongues, a giraffe’s is infused with melanin that makes it darker; sometimes it’s even blue or black rather than purple, although the base and back are indeed pink. While it hasn’t been proven definitively, there’s a widely accepted theory that the melanin provides ultraviolet protection, preventing giraffe tongues from getting sunburned while the animals feed on tall trees. Giraffe tongues are also long (up to 21 inches) and covered in thick bumps known as papillae, which help protect them from the spiky defensive thorns of the animal’s favorite snack: acacia trees.

Max, the cat

Max, the cat, gets doctorial degree.

Max the cat has hitched rides on top of students’ backpacks, participated in campus tours and more than once has sauntered into a psychology lecture at Vermont State University’s Castleton campus. The 5-year-old tabby is even listed on the staff roster at the university, where he has his own email address. So it seemed like an obvious next step when the university bestowed an honorary doctor of ‘litter-ature’ degree upon him, making him officially part of the graduating class of 2024, in addition to being a staff member. Max wears many hats, said Rob Franklin, a photographer and social media manager for Vermont State University. Last spring, Franklin had just started working at the university when he noticed the cat was everywhere, and he was treated like a celebrity. “I was talking to a colleague outside Woodruff Hall — the main building on campus — when I noticed this cat wandering around and everyone greeting him,” Franklin said. “I said, ‘What’s the deal with the cat?’ and I was told he came to the campus every day to socialize, then students would take him home when it got dark,” he said.

Henry Moore

I've always loved the work of Henry Moore but I won't be getting to London to see this exhibition. If you had asked me what artist was fascinated with walls I don't think Henry Moore's work would come to mind so this exhibition would be something I would enjoy seeing. EXHIBITION Henry Moore: Shadows on the Wall From 8 June Discover how Henry Moore’s fascination with walls emerges through his drawings. The Courtauld Gallery, London

Makes me yearn for a great example of fish and chips

From: Nice News Fish and chip shops had a lasting social impact on the port town, said Gaynor Western The role played by fish and chips in enabling women to run their own businesses is being explored in an exhibition. Organisers have delved into an archive held by True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum, King's Lynn, and highlighted the role the shops played in society during their early years at the end of the 19th Century. Gaynor Western, deputy manager of the museum in Norfolk, said many were set up as a supplementary income. "Some shops even provided opening hours to suit their most popular and female customers’ domestic timetables," she said.

Comedy pet photos

You'll get a laugh from these.

To see more go to this link: https://nicenews.com/culture/comedy-pet-photo-awards-2024/?ck_subscriber_id=2504247583&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20country’s%20largest%20VA%20housing%20project%20-%2014097197

Thomas Edison's most famous invention

Beach Reads

Having these on my blog will be a good reference.

https://www.rd.com/list/beach-reads/?utm_campaign=mb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew

Otter 841

Well, you just gotta love otters even so.

Santa Cruz, California — New mug shots have emerged of otter 841, America's most wanted marine mammal. Last summer, she terrorized surfers in Santa Cruz, California, biting surfboards and even hijacking them. Now, she has returned, and surfers are on the lookout. "I think they're (surfers) excited to see it at first, and then they get scared," one surfer told CBS News. CBS News went on a deep dive to try and spot otter 841, which is the number on her tag.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in lego

Just when I thought I had seen everything...well, why not?

Notre-Dame de Paris Architecture Price$229.99 Available now

A lovely visit with Donna

It was so nice to see her yesterday evening. We will look forward to hearing all about her trip to Newfoundland. Who knows...we just might get there ourselves. And she brought over peanut butter cookies. These are my favourites and it was my recipe she used. I felt very spoiled.

Again....amazed by the price someone paid for a painting

A painting by a Lancashire-born artist has sold for over £22 million. Sotheby's said the sale of Leonora Carrington's Les Distractions de Dagobert in New York meant she had become the most valuable British-born female artist at auction. The surrealist painting was bought for $28.5m (£22.48m), which exceeded Carrington's previous record of $3.3m (£2.6m) set at the auction house in 2022. Carrington was born in Chorley on 6 April 1917 and later lived in Mexico, alongside female surrealists including Frida Kahlo and Remedios Varo. The painting was bought by an Argentine businessman

National flower of the Republic of China

An excuse to post a another pretty picture and learn some stuff I didn't know.

"The national flower of the Republic of China was officially designated as the plum blossom by the Executive Yuan of Taiwan on 21 July 1964. The plum blossom, known as the meihua, is a symbol of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity because plum blossoms often bloom most vibrantly even amidst the harsh winter snow. As the plum tree can usually grow for a long time, ancient trees are found throughout China. Huangmei county (Yellow Mei) in Hubei features a 1,600-year-old plum tree from the Jin Dynasty which is still flowering." Source: Wikipedia