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Showing posts from October, 2012

At the speed of sound

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TJ and Rose Ann on the walk across campus, Rose Ann bringing the donuts. Stravinsky pounds the boards together while Jeff times ten seconds. TJ is holding the GPS. He has just returned from measuring the distance. Ryan tries his hand, or hands, at clapping the boards to produce the echoes. Clapping in synch with the echo allows the rest of the class to count the number of claps in ten seconds (hence the work Jeff is doing), and from that derive the speed of sound. Trishia tries clapping the boards. Left to right is Joana, Emily, Gunwick, Judy, Trishia, and Jo.

Drawing clouds

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Rose Ann draws her cloud Tulpe works on her sketch Ryan. X-ler The goal: an accurate depiction of a cloud Alexander Precipitation forms The marking crew at work.

Plant based foods of Micronesia

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RoseAnn, Masumy, Emylou, and Julane presented uht idihd made from boiled, grated bananas. Emylou at the back left, Julane up front, Masumy standing, Rose Ann presenting. A second group presented lopwon mwahng - taro balls. The color differences seen between the dishes above and below are due to different varieties of taro being used. The balls are cooked, grated taro formed into a ball. Coconut and sugar are added. Rotama, a favorite of mine, made from yam or taro. Jaynice, Shalein, and Ivenglynn of the second group present their dishes. Ivenglynn presents. Lopwon in mwahng, two varieties next to each other showing their color differences. Shari Crystal presents her rotama Uht pwal piaia, uht pwal piaia made from uhtin ruhk. Melanie presents while Relianne looks on. Chuukese kon. Pounded taro (pula) was used for this kon. A must for any Chuukese gathering with food. In the lagoon men do the pounding, in the Mortlocks the women pound. The kon g

Island Food Community and local food day

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This term a JICA volunteer handled the presentation to the SC/SS 115 Ethnobotany class at Island Food Community of Pohnpei. Berry, at the table takes notes. The JICA volunteer noted that the FSM faces a health crisis in a number of nutritionally linked areas. Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, vitamin A deficiency in children. She covered the benefits of going local, eating yellow flesh bananas and pandanus. She also covered the CHEEF benefits: cultural benefits of local food, health benefits, environmental benefits, economic benefits, and food security associated with local foods. Local taro. Future citizen looks longingly at a favorite food. Breadfruit salad. Egg plant, kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica), and cabbage. Kangkong, cabbage, and fried fish Artistic vegetable and fruit arrangement A Kosraean favorite: fafa. Pounded soft taro covered with coconut juice cooked down until it carmelizes. Fafa children are happy children.

My annual numbers

Every term in MS 150 Statistics I use a Tanita scale to measure the students weight and to estimate their body fat. The data is primarily used, with names stripped out, as number sets to play with during the term. Secondarily this provides information to a sample at high risk of obesity and associated metabolic syndromes, number two on the planet by one measure. The students become inured to my exhortations to exercise, eat right, and to track their numbers. Because I get to see the students numbers, and because I exhort those around me to get annual physicals and exercise, I always feel that sharing my numbers is incumbent on me. Although I do try to take a daily pill for my health, my health habits are not yet well aligned with modern heart attack prevention guidelines. My blood pressure is up slightly from 100/70 last year to 117/80 this year, possibly simply a return-to-the-mean effect as my blood pressure had dropped for the past two years. My EKG was normal and the EKG rec

Pwunso field trip

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Once again the Pwunso botanic garden field trip featured rain and no cloves on the clove trees. Rose Ann crushes a leaf from the clove tree while Risenta looks on. Shalein has a happy moment in the clove grove. Cinnamomum verum inflorescences Dephina in front of an allspice tree Berry with a nutmeg Marlin and Shanalin cleaning around an unknown banana The author cleaning up around the lemon grass - Cymbopogon citratus.