So, You Think Your Lunch is Bad?

Check out these pictures of school lunches from around the U.S. (to be fair, it looks like the one from Brooklyn comes from a cafeteria, which means that the student chose it her/himself).

 

Pepperoni pizza, tater tots and pineapple in syrup from a high school in Chicago.

Something from a middle school in Oakland, Ca

Chicken breast and bread from an elementary school in Brooklyn, NY.

And then there's this (makes me hungry to look at it):

Chicken taco, organic brown rice, fresh cooked pinto beans, sour cream, salad and a plum, from Berkeley High School in CA.

For more pictures of school lunches or to submit your own photo, go to americanlunchroom.com

Basic Team Offense

I think we all understand that the teams which work together most effectively are usually the teams that win.  Most of you understand that encouraging each other, working hard and not giving up are qualities of good teammates.  While these are important first steps towards becoming a good team, these qualities alone won't result in a successful team.  A successful team is one which uses a plan or strategy in which every team member has a job.  It is when a team trusts each of its members to play an important part instead of depending on one of two players to do everything that you have true teamwork.

So what kinds of jobs are there?  The easiest thing to do is assign players to offense and defense, but I'd like to take this one step further.  This is about basic team offensive principles and how teammates can work together.

These are simple tactics what apply to any team sport, such as soccer, hockey and basketball, in which the object is to score goals.  Master them and your team will become very effective in multiple sports.

1.  Spacing - In order to be an effective offensive team, the first thing it must understand is spacing.  Spacing refers to the distance between offensive teammates.  Basically, the more distance between teammates, the harder it is to guard them, because it forces the defense to spread out and cover more ground.

Conversely, if the offense is too close together, the defense's job is much easier because they don't have to move very far and, because they are so close together, can help each other out by clogging up the area in front of the goal.

Let's say for example that in a soccer game, the offense has one player in the middle of the field, another 20' away on the right and a third 20' away on the left.  This spacing makes the goalie's job difficult because s/he can only see one player at a time.

From team offense

On the other hand, if all three offensive players were only 5-6' apart, which is common, the goalie can see all three at once.

From team offense

2.  The Give and Go - this is the most basic of all two player offensive tactics.  A give and go is when player 1 passes to player 2 then cuts towards the goal and receives a pass back from player 2. 

From team offense

In order for this to work, the offense must be properly spread out.  That's because the defense will tend to watch the ball.  So, if one player 1 passes to player 2, who is 20' away, all of the defenders heads will turn towards the player 2 and won't see player 1 cutting to the goal.  If players 1 and 2 are too close together, the give and go won't work because the defenders won't have to turn away from player 1 to see player 2 and because player 1 won't have any room to cut.

3.  The Triangle - this is a basic three player tactic which is especially effective in games with goalkeepers.  The idea here is to force the goalkeeper to guard one side of the goal, then pass the ball to the opposite side of the goal.  Let's start with three properly spaced players 20' (or more) apart.  Player 1, in the middle of the field starts with the ball.  S/he then passes to player 2, 20' away on the right.  When player 2 gets the ball, the goalkeeper will protect the goal by moving to the right post.  Player 3 then moves to an area near the left post, behind the goalkeeper, but in an area where player 2 can reach her/him with a pass.  Player 2 passes to player 3, who has a wide open shot, because the goalkeeper is caught on the opposite side of the goal.

From team offense

Again, if the offensive players are too close together, the goalkeeper will be able to see all three of them without moving and won't be pulled out of position by the first pass.

There is at least one hockey team in this year's tournament that understands these basic offensive principles.  An interesting by product of this is that everybody on this team gets a chance to make plays.  As a result, everybody on the team is excited to play, and always feels like they have a chance to win even when players are missing.

Try these things with your team and see how much more effective it will become.

Speechifying - How (and how not) to Get Yourself Elected

For this year's hockey tournament, I conducted an experiment.  On team captain election day, I gave all eligible candidates a chance to speak to the class.  This was an exercise in persuasion - an effort by the speaker to cause classmates to believe that s/he was the best person for the team captain position. 

One of the secrets to this is to talk about how the speaker can benefit the voter.  Voters choose based on who is best for the voter, not the speaker.   Voters aren't really interested in hearing what the speaker wants.   They're interested in hearing which speaker will give the voter what the voter wants.  Speakers who to do the best job of telling voters how they would be good for the voter will usually win.  This year's hockey team election was a good example of this.

Most of the speeches went something like this:  "I'm running for captain because I've always wanted to be team captain, and, yeah...."

Others, seeking to be more convincing, said something like this:  "I'm running for captain, because I really want to be one.  I really, really want to be a captain.  I hope you vote for me."

Are these persuasive speeches?  How were these candidates different from one another?  What are these candidates offering the voters?  How do the voters benefit?

There were two speeches which had a significantly different message.  One speaker told the class, "I'll be a fair and honest captain, I'll listen to what you tell me and I'll work hard to make sure the team is strong."

The other said: "I've watched other captains, so I think I know what a good captain should be like.  I won't yell at you and I'll try to make sure that everybody has fun."

These speeches contained specific messages directed at the voters.  In essence they said, if you vote for me, I'll do this for you.

The voters liked what they heard.  The kids who delivered the latter speeches were the top vote getters in their classes by significant margins.  The other speakers didn't get elected, receiving fewer votes than people who didn't speak at all.

My Rainy Day Video List

Apparently, we are in for a true El Nino winter, which means really wet. The latest weather forecasts are calling for rainy weather all the way through spring. This means kids stuck inside their rooms at lunch, watching a video to keep them quiet.

I say, why stop there? If I could, I’d turn rainy days into spur of the moment film appreciation classes. Doesn’t have anything to do with P.E., but it would be fun.

Film is an art form. I studied Film in college. Back then, I wanted to make movies for a living. I made some short films in college, and still dabble in video now. Every time it rains and I see students stuck inside watching videos they’ve already seen, I think about films I’d like to show students. What follows is my rainy day video list.

Most of the films on the list are older ones that you probably haven’t heard of, let alone watched. Together they demonstrate the full power of the film medium and the many ways film can combine the use of images, words, sound and music to tell a story. All of them would generate lively discussion.

Some of the films on the list were chosen because their stories are unusual looks at certain periods of American history.

Others were chosen because they are based on unusual true stories.

One is a documentary which demonstrates film’s unique ability, through words and images, to tell an important but technical story in a way that is easy to understand and that hits with an emotional impact that books cannot.

Lastly, some were chosen because they are fine examples of film art, memorable not so much for the simple stories they tell, but for the way they tell them. These films are beautiful in their concept and execution, yet entertaining as well.

There were many films I wanted to put on this list, but I tried to keep it to 10. I didn’t quite make it, but the 11th film comes with an *.

Here’s the list:

10. Fly Away Home

The fact based story of a Canadian artist who uses his own ultralight aircraft to teach geese how to migrate. While the birds in this film are Canada Geese, the artist later used the ultralight to teach ancestral migration routes to human raised Whooping Cranes which had lost the migration instinct. Parts of the movie are kind of hokey, but the main actors are really good and the cinematography, especially the flying scenes, is beautiful

9. Jeremiah Johnson

The story of a mountain man in the American West during the 1840’s, this film is a good depiction of what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness and how, sometimes, a spur of the moment decision can have life long consequences.

8.  The World’s Fastest Indian 

The fact based story of Burt Munro, an eccentric old man (he made his own engine parts from gas pipes that he’d buried in order to “age”) who, at the age of 60, tried set a land speed record on a 45 year old motorcycle.

7.  Rabbit Proof Fence

Using untrained actors and shot on location along sections of the actual rabbit proof fence, this is a fact based story of two young Australian aborigines who are taken from their families to be trained as domestic servants. They escape from their school and try to walk back home – 1500 miles away.

6.  Searching for Bobby Fischer

A story about remaining true to oneself, this too, is a fact based film. This one’s about Josh Waitzkin, a young boy who discovers that he is a gifted chess player. His dad sends him to a famous chess tutor who believes that in order to be a champion one has to be ruthless and cruel.

5.  Little Big Man

A skewed and often funny story of the opening of the American West told through the eyes of Jack Crabb, the “sole white survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn.” During the course of his long life, Crabb, 106 years old at the beginning of the film, was an eyewitness to several significant events that took place during the western expansion, including Custer’s Last Stand. This was one of the first films to portray Native Americans as socialized, intelligent humans instead of bloodthirsty savages. Stars Dustin Hoffman and features an unforgettable Chief Dan George.

4.  Any Film by Hayao Miyazaki

In an age where almost every animated film is made on a computer, Miyazaki films are still painted, frame by frame, by hand. The attention to detail in these films is amazing (check out the way smoke moves). The artwork is wonderful and all the stories have environmental themes. His most famous films are “My Neighbor Tortoro” and “Spirited Away”, but all of his films, including little known titles like “Nausicaa, Valley of the Wind” and “Castle in the Sky” are worth watching.

3.  Food, Inc.

This is a documentary that I think everyone should see. It’s about the American agricultural system and how much of the food we eat is produced, not with our health and nutrition in mind, but to earn the companies that produce it the most money. Companies strive to produce food as quickly and efficiently as possible with little regard to possible dangers. The consequences of these practices are sad, and very scary. Sounds boring, but the film is really powerful and very moving. If I had to show one film, it would be this one, for it contains a lot of talking points about nutrition, which is related to P.E..

2.  The Black Stallion

The film Wall – E was widely praised for its beautiful opening sequence which told us all about Wall – E’s world without a single word of dialogue. But, long before Wall – E, there was this film, the story of a boy and his horse. It is a true artistic masterpiece. This movie tells its story with images, sound and music and very little dialogue. Beautifully shot, with fantastic sound editing, it contains a 45 minute section in which there is no talking at all. Fantastic.

1.  The Duellists

This was the first film directed by Ridley Scott, who is one of my favorite filmmakers. After this film he went on to direct, among other films, Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and American Gangster. Scott’s films are always visually interesting and the cinematography in this film, particularly in its choice of settings and use of light, is exceptional. It’s the story of an ongoing feud between two officers in Napoleon’s army and a study in the ideas of honor, duty and obligation.

* Klunkerz

The second film I’d show you would be this one because it’s a documentary that is centered right here in Marin County. It’s about the invention of the mountain bike. It is a great story that not only takes place in Marin, but features a main character, Joe Breeze, who graduated from Park School. The film contains lots of actual footage from the 70’s and 80’s. It’s pretty amazing stuff. Unfortunately, also contains several scenes which may be inappropriate for kids. If I can figure out a way to skip those scenes, I’ll show it.

British 7-year-old Raises Over 100,000 Pounds for Haiti

LONDON — A young British schoolboy has raised more than 100,000 pounds ($160,000) Monday for Haiti's relief effort by cycling round his local park.

Seven-year-old Charlie Simpson was so upset by the images of Haiti's deadly earthquake that he asked his mother if she could help him set up a sponsored bicycle ride around a west London park.
Charlie originally hoped to raise 500 pounds (for UNICEF's Haiti appeal with Sunday's 5-mile (8-kilometer) bike ride, but his Internet page was flooded with donations.
He raised nearly 50,000 pounds in a single day. Charlie's story was splashed on the front page of Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper on Monday, and money is still flooding in.
"I want to make some money to buy food, water and tents for everyone in Haiti," he said on his fundraising Web site.
The effort drew the attention of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, with his office Downing Street posting on Twitter: "Amazed by response to the great fundraising efforts of 7 yr old."
The boy's mother Leonora Simpson said she was amazed by the response. "We put it on the Web and that was it, it suddenly took off and we can't believe it," she said.

The Evolution of Revolution Foods

To me, Revolution Foods is a company which has a noble goal: to bring fresh healthy meals to “as many students as possible”. Their first customers were schools in low income neighborhoods where, before Revolution Foods arrived, school lunches consisted of cheap meal made from simple carbohydrates, salt, fat and processed sugar. In other words, they weren’t very healthy.

The meals served by Revolution Foods are made almost entirely from organic ingredients. They include fresh vegetables, whole grains and meat raised in natural settings. They also use ingredients from local, sustainable sources.

Organic food is pesticide free. It is also free of hormones, antibiotics and isn’t genetically engineered.

Locally grown means the food hasn’t been transported 1000’s of miles to get here, which saves fuel and helps slow global warming.

I’ve always been impressed with what Revolution Foods is trying to do, which is nothing less than change the way all of us eat. By starting with school kids, they are hoping that good eating habits will filter up through each kid’s family at home.

There was only one problem. The food they made wasn’t very good. When Revolution Foods first started providing Park School with hot lunches, the food was more likely to end up in the trash than in a kid’s stomach.

Revolution Foods then did another remarkable thing. They listened to you. They sent representatives to all of the schools they served and took surveys. They offered taste tests. As a result, their meals got a lot better.

Today, I’m happy to say, the food is much improved. I personally enjoy the Chicken Teriyaki, Baked Ziti and Cheese Lasagna (the pizza still tastes like cardboard).

The kids seem to agree. The Green Team is no longer swamped with uneaten Revolution Foods meals.

When they first started, Revolution Foods provided lunches to schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today they provide lunches to schools all over Northern and Southern California, Colorado and Washington D.C.. They’ve truly begun a school lunch revolution.

In order to gain a better understanding of why organic food from local sustainable sources is better for you, to understand why the least healthy food which is also the least expensive and why this is the real cause of the nation’s obesity epidemic, try reading “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser,

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan

or see “Food, Inc.”

You'll never take your food for granted again.

Lost and Found? The Curious Case of the Missing Pinnipeds

pin⋅ni⋅ped [pin-uh-ped] Noun:  a suborder of carnivores with limbs adapted to an aquatic life, including the seals and walruses.

Ever been to Pier 39 in San Francisco? If you have, you’ve probably seen the sea lions.

Those sea lions first appeared in 1989. Nobody knows why.

At first, people tried to shoo them away, but they kept coming back. Soon there were so many, that the docks couldn’t be used for their original purpose, which was to park boats.

At first, the boat owners and the merchants who owned businesses at Pier 39 were upset. The sea lions were loud and smelly. But, all of the locals soon changed their minds. That’s because tourists began to flock to Pier 39 just to see the sea lions.

The sea lions became big business. Many of the sea lions have names. Signs point sightseers in the right direction.

There is a Sea Lion Café. There is even as sea lion web cam (http://master.livetrac.com/cgi-bin/pier39marina/live?pset=pier39marina&template=restaurant).

On October 23rd, 2009, there were 1701 sea lions at Pier 39. On November 29th, there were 20. Nobody knew where they went, or why they left.

Until now, that is. It appears that the sea lions have gone to a place called Sea Lion Caves.

Sea Lion Caves is in Oregon, about 500 north of San Francisco. Recently, about 2000 sea lions just kind of showed up there.

"We've seen these huge pods out on the ocean - 200, 300 yards across - altogether a couple thousand sea lions," said Steve Saubert, co-owner of Sea Lion Caves, a private preserve near the town of Florence. "They were just here all of a sudden."

So why the sudden move from San Francisco to Oregon?

One of the sea lion’s favorite foods is herring.

Normally, large numbers of herring show up in San Francisco Bay during January and February. This year, very few herring appeared. It is believed that this lack of herring is the result of a warm ocean current in the central Pacific Ocean called El Nino.

Last summer’s El Nino’s was warmer than normal (the large orange band above is El Nino). As a result, many creatures who like colder water, such as anchovies, smelt, squid and herring, moved north, away from El Nino. The sea lions, apparently, are simply following their food supply.