Lilian Nattel's Blog, page 93

*Kids' Brain Food

According to a new study published in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, owning books is more important than parents' level of education or job in predicting their kids' academic achievement.

If parents have a college education, their children have a 16% greater chance of finishing college. But just having lots of books boosts their chances by 20%. Even a small number of books at home makes a huge difference. Just 25 books predicts a child will have 2 extra years of schooling.

Ac...

*For Smarter Kids, Buy Books

According to a new study published in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, owning books is more important than parents' level of education or job in predicting their kids' academic achievement.

If parents have a college education, their children have a 16% greater chance of finishing college. But just having lots of books boosts their chances by 20%. Even a small number of books at home makes a huge difference. Just 25 books predicts a child will have 2 extra years of schooling.

Ac...

*Milestone: She's Leaving Home

My older d is off on a class trip. She'll be away for several nights. This morning I stood on the porch and waved while she walked with her friend, knapsack on her back, dufflebag in one hand, small suitcase on wheels in the other. She looked back several times, a big smile on her face. I confess: there were tears in my eyes; there are tears in my eyes as I write this. It was all I could do not to break down and blubber.

When I got to the top of the stairs, A was waiting to put his arms...

*Victoria Day

Here in Canada this is a long weekend. It's Victoria Day, which is a stat holiday, and about which I've always been vague. People light fireworks and plant gardens and that's about all I knew about it. Some years it was cold, some years mild, but by Victoria Day you could be pretty sure that frost was over, though due to climate change that point is pretty much moot.

My kids are even vaguer about Victoria Day. My 8 year old, who is working on a one room schoolhouse for the pioneer days unit...

*Monday May 24/10

black tailed godwit and redshank, originally uploaded by Musicaltone.

I am amazed: at the beauty of the birds, at their close flight, at the photographer's patience and acumen.

Filed under: A Monday Moment, Art & Photography

*The Wicked Tongue

Two rabbis stopped at an inn for a meal. It was a windy night and the shutters rattled, but inside the inn the fire was warm, and the rabbis were tired from their travel and the rain. They didn't speak much, eating quickly because they'd only had bread and cheese since morning. Finally they were done, and sighed with satisfaction.

The innkeeper himself came out to ask them how they'd liked the meal. He was a bit full of himself, it's true, but he knew these weren't just any rabbis but the...

*The Amazon Wars

So it seems that historians are not only duking it out in the usual way, making their acid jibes and sneers in academic journals, but furtively, secretly, using alternate identities in Amazon.

Orlando Figes, a leading figure among British historians, attacked a fellow historian on Amazon by making vicious comments under an assumed name. At first, Figes totally denied that he had any connection with the comments. Then he said, "the wife did it." And finally he admitted to being the real...

*Pics Are Up

Thank you to everyone who commented on Flickr vs Picasa. The pictures and text are now up, and feedback is welcome and appreciated. The link is here.

Filed under: Art & Photography, Literature, My Life

*Monday May 17/10

Venus & Moon, originally uploaded by Yaz photo.


Filed under: A Monday Moment, Nature & Science

*Photo Experiment: Feedback Pls

For my current novel, I've taken a number of photographs that I intend to post online when the book comes out. In the meantime, I'm experimenting with the best and most reliable format. I spent the last couple of days looking around at image sharing hosting sites, but I keep coming back to flickr because I know it's around to stay. To make use of the photographs that I collected when researching The Singing Fire, I'm taking the historical photographs, adding text from the novel, and...