My Grandmother - A Most Inspiring Teacher

Here is a link to the winning story for 'The Most Inspiring Teacher' from Our State Magazine.

http://www.ourstate.com/most-inspiring-teacher-contest-winner/#comment-8282 

 This is a great story. Ms Boykin was a colleague of my sister-in-law Mary Vann Wilkins Eslinger. They both worked in the Social Studies part of the North Carolina State Department of Education.  

Also; Laviece Mae Gwin Chambliss Oliver was my Grandmother. 

In addition to teaching in Havelock NC she also taught Mathematics for many years at North Duplin High School in Duplin County NC. She also served as the assistant principal there. Her principal was Mr L.S. Guy. As a teenager I heard many, many stories from Grandmother Oliver about L.S. She had a great admiration for him as a teacher and as an administrator. 

When I finished up my degree in Mathematics and my practice teaching, I applied to teach high school in Duplin County back in 1975. I recall interviewing with Mr. L.S. Guy who was, by then, the superintendant of Duplin County Schools. I introduced myself and he immediately said, "You are Ms Laviece's grandson!" Right then I knew if they had a math teacher position the prospects were looking good for me. 

I did teach Mathematics and Physics for two years with the Duplin County Public Schools before going on the graduate school in Mathematics at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. 

When in undergraduate school and graduate school I recall many conversations about mathematics with my grandmother when I would visit Mount Olive where she lived with my parents in her retirement. 

Grandmother Oliver was just as bright and sharp as I ever knew her even when retired.

A Four Minute Look Into The Face Of Infinity

Post MS150 Bike Rides

I finally did the brand new House Creek Greenway Ride and it was super...  From my house to Rex Wellness Center was exactly 11.5km ... Riding back to the house from Rex was only 8.0km if I take Blue Ridge Road (3.0km shorter)  Here are the stats of that ride:
01:11 - HH:MM
19.50 - KM
16.60 - KPH AVG (Some 'major-climbs' on this route)
50.20 - KPH MAX (Blue Ridge Rd a 'serious-downhill')

This picture is just after you turn onto the bike path at the McDonalds restaurant at Crabtree Valley Mall

From Random Graphic Images

This picture is of the tunnel under Lake Boon Trail.

From Random Graphic Images

A weekend or so AFTER the MS150 my sister Laviece and her husband Paul came down to Morehead City and we did the Two-Peninsular-Ride here are the stats: 
01:28 - HH:MM
26.69 - KM
18.20 - KPH AVG
31.60 - KPH MAX

New Water Year

The "Water Year" runs from October To October.  

I participate in CoCoRaHS "Community Cooperative Rain Hail and Snow Project" and here is the report for the '2011-2-12 Water Year".  All the reports are from the rain gage in our side yard.

Leap Frog Technology

Evelyn forwarded this link "http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/20/tech/thermo-acoustic-stove/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7" to me.  

When I read the story I realize that this this is wonderful concept. If it can be produced for less than 30USD per instance it will help revolutionize the global society.

This represents something called 'leap-frog-technology'.  This occurs when a country can adopt a technology without going through all the steps that lead up to that technology.

A good example is cell-phones.  Many countries that did NOT have a telephony infrastructure and went straight to cell-phone technology bypassing telephone poles and wires altogether.

The technology described in the article promises to leap-frog the power-grid infrastructure. 

Leap-frogging the power-grid combined with the telephony leap-frog (to wireless-telephony) promises to bring 'The-NET' to every corner of the globe. 

The resulting increase in literacy and education level will indeed help humanity to boot-strap itself into the 21st century.

A good thing.