Joy will last!

It is goofy, but I have named my heart Joy. I work out so that Joy can get her exercise in the hope that Joy will last. Even if I don't want to workout, I know Joy wants (and needs) to get moving. Yet another study has indicated that regular cardiovascular exercise is good for heart health, even for people older than me!!! So, today I am encouraged to continue running mile after mile on my elliptical machine ... not so much that I can fit into a pair of skinny jeans but so that Joy will last!

Worth More Than a Thousand Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a graphical display of data is often worth more than a thousand words ... and the numerical descriptors of the data it represents ( I know, I can't believe I said it, either.) Starting with Minard's graphic depicting deaths among Napoleon's army to Florence Nightingale's series of graphics depicting the effect of improved hygiene on reducing deaths among the British troops in the Crimean War, graphical displays of data have been used to describe the effects of various factors on the health of a variety of populations. Today the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology have brought the graphical display of disease-related data to the 21st Century with their health maps that can be found here. They provide a graphical display of various public health issues throughout the world. Mousing over your area of interest will provide you with a brief explanation of the health concern and one click provides you with greater detail.

How cool is that! I admit, I love Statistics, and I am a big fan of public health ... so I may find this tool a little more exciting than most. But, if you are doing research on any public health in any place in the world or if you are planning to travel anywhere, you might find this tool helpful.

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about
Florence Nightingale's use of graphical displays of data,
check out this site.



Thank you for indulging my inner nerd!

What on Earth is a Millennial?

Well, if you are one of my students, then you are! I looked up the definition and there is some disagreement on the exact years, but, basically, a Millennial is a person born between between the mid-seventies to the mid-nineties. There are all kinds of generalizations made about the Millennial generation ... some true and some not so true.

Today I was looking for some SAT/PSAT review materials on the College Board website and I came across a report of the results of a study done on the Millennial generation. I found it to be very interesting and I thought you might find it interesting to ... so, here's the URL:

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/trends/studentpoll/millennial

You will need to copy the address into your address bar ... but it is worth it if you want to learn more about your generation!

Sad News

My son's new puppy, Kayla, started having seizures yesterday. My husband and I took her to a vet independent of the Humane Society for a check up and hopefully, a suggestion for treatment. She said that things looked very bad for Kayla ... she showed the signs of Distemper, a viral infection that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological systems of dogs. We took Kayla to the Humane Society vet for treatment. He wanted to keep her for a couple of days. Apparently, she got worse and they had to put her to sleep today.

I am very sad. She was such a sweet little puppy. I am so sad that she won't be part of my family and that my son has lost her. I am happy, however, that we did not know that she was sick so that she could have a family who loved her before she died. I would go through the heartache again so that she could be part of a family.

So, now we are watching Hootie to see if he gets sick. His vaccinations are up to date so he should be fine ... but he is old and a cancer survivor so there are risks. Hopefully, his instincts to keep his distance and establish his authority served him well.

New dog!

My son adopted a new dog today. She is a cutie. Her name is Kayla. All the people in the family adore her ... our thirteen-year-old dog, Hootie, however, is still asserting himself as the dog of higher rank. I guess it makes sense that Hootie would be the only one who would be slow to warm up to Kayla ... he is the only one whose role in the family is threatened. I guess we will all have to make sure that Hootie knows that there is plenty of puppy love for them both and that his spot in our family is secure. I guess that is what every member of every family wants to know ... there is enough love love for each member and each member's place is secure.

Well, I better go make sure there is peace among the pooches!

Hello and Welcome!

Hi! I am so excited to be starting a new phase in my life as a Houstonian and as a teacher at Houston Christian High School. God has blessed me with a fourteen year career at Brazoswood High School, my alma mater. Now, He has led me to a new ministry at Houston Christian High School.

Why am I blogging? Well, I want a place to share studies, articles, ideas, etc. with my students (and any other interested parties) and a blog seemed like a reasonable way to do this.

So, welcome to my world! I pray that you are blessed by what you find here!