Wednesday, January 5, 2011

THEY DID IT LIFE IN THE BIG CITY

TALLEST BUILDING TOPPED OFF: As a lofty crowd of 200 engineers, architects and politicians looked on, the final girder was hoisted into place atop the city's tallest building, downtown's 73-story Library Tower. The $350-million skyscraper on 5th Street is part of a billion-dollar project which is to include a 54-story sister tower and the renovation and expansion of the city's Central Library. LONGEST CRIMINAL TRIAL IN RECORDED HISTORY: Entering its seventh calendar year and having cost taxpayers more than $15 million, the McMartin preschool molestation case may finally reach a conclusion in 1990. The 12-member jury left for vacation in late December after delivering 26 sealed verdicts. The jurors are due to return in January to rule on 39 additional counts, at which time the verdicts will be announced. LARGEST DRUG BUST IN HISTORY: Breaking open a $6 padlock, authorities entered a San Fernando Valley warehouse and discovered 20 tons of cocaine worth up to $6 billion on the streets. The cocaine cache, which federal officials estimated as 5% of the world's annual production, was stacked eight feet tall amid bric-a-brac that included plastic owls, plaster figurines,pinatas and a painting of Christ walking on water. MOST AREA CODES FOR ONE CITY: A mere five years after the introduction of the 818 area code in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, phone company officials announced that the 213 area code will be subdivided again in 1992, making Los Angeles the only city to be served by three area codes. The new 310 area code will cover a U-shaped district stretching from the Westside to Long Beach to Whittier.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

No Time, Just the Present

"Out with the old year, in with with the new!" "Out with the old decade, in with the new!" And now begins the countdown to "Out with the old century, in with the new!" And even "Out with the old millennium, in with the new!" But who is this star of so many entrances andf exits? What is time? Book Review's New Year's greeting is a set of answers to those questions as offered in a chapter from "Zen to Go" (A Plume Book/New American Library: $14.95) by Jon Winokur, a Los Angeles writer whose most recent book is "A Curmudgeon's Garden of Love." Was the Buddha a curmudgeon? Or just strapped for time? Time is not a line, but a series of no-points. -TAISEN DESHIMARU In order to be utterly happy the only thing necessary is to refrain from comparing this moment with other moments in the past, which I often did not fully enjoy because I was comparing them with other moments of the future. -ANDRE GIDE The present moment is a powerful goddess. -GOETHE There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past. -GEORGE CARLIN The most important thing I learned on Tralfamadore was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist. The Tralfamadorians can look at all the different moments just the way we can look at a stretch of the Rocky Mountains, for instance. They can see how permanent all the moments are, and they can look at any moment that interests them. It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever. -KURT VONNEGUT There is no present or future, only the past, happening over and over again, now. -EUGENE O'NEILL We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness: It is always urgent, "here and now" without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank. -JOSE ORTEGA Y GASSET No mind is much employed upon the present; recollection and anticipation fill up almost all our moments. -SAMUEL JOHNSON The word now is like a bomb through the window, and it ticks. -ARTHUR MILLER TOM SEAVER: Hey, Yogi, what time is it? YOGI BERRA: You mean now? The passing moment is all that we can be sure of; it is only common sense to extract its utmost value from it; the future will one day be the present and will seem as unimportant as the present does now. -W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM Time and space are fragments of the infinite for the use of finite creatures. -HENRI FREDERIC AMIEL Time is the longest distance between two places. -TENNESSEE WILLIAMS Time is the only true purgatory. -SAMUEL BUTLER I am in the present. I cannot know what tomorrow will bring forth. I can know only what the truth is for me today. That is what I am called upon to serve, and I serve it in all lucidity. -IGOR STRAVINSKY Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. -MATTHEW, 6:34 Tomorrow's life is too late. Live today. -MARTIAL Life is all memory except for the one present moment that goes by so quick you can hardly catch it going. -TENNESSEE WILLIAMS What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know. -SAINT AUGUSTINE Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. -THOREAU Only our concept of Time makes it possible for us to speak of the Day of Judgment by that name; in reality it is a summary court in perpetual session. -FRANZ KAFKA I have realized that the past and the future are real illusions, that they exist only in the present, which is what there is and all there is. -ALAN WATTS To realize the unimportance of time is the gate of wisdom. -BERTRAND RUSSELL We can never finally know. I simply believe that some part of the human Self or Soul is not subject to the laws of space and time. -CARL JUNG

Monday, January 3, 2011

Drawings From the European Heartland Opens Jan. 10

An exhibition exploring the artistic achievements of a geographical area including what is now East and West Germany, Switzerland and Austria, as well as parts of Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, comes to UC Santa Barbara's University Art Museum on Jan. 10.
The show, "Central European Drawings, 1680-1800: A Selection From American Collections," highlights a time when the region was united by a common past as the central area of the Holy Roman Empire, although divided into a number of states under a variety of rulers.
University Art Museum Director J. David Farmer said that the exhibition showcases "a little-known but splendid period of artistic achievement."
"Literary, musical and philosophical giants, such as Kleist, Goethe, Winckelmann, Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart are familiar to most, but the (visual) artists have undeservedly remained in the shadow of their contemporaries in Italy and France," Farmer said.
Included in the show, which runs through Feb. 25, are late Baroque and Rococo visions of such artists asthe Asam brothers, Matthaus Gunther and Franz Anton Maulbersch, as well as examples of the Romantic and Neo-Classical work of Johann Heinrich Fussli, Angelika Kauffman and Anton Rahael Mengs.
The show was organized by Princeton University professor Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, who will speak at the University Art Museum on Jan. 12. THE QUEST: The Huntington Library during the month of January will host a series of free programs titled "Quest for the Renaissance: The Revival of Classical Antiquity, 1400-1600." The programs will highlight some of the advances made in Europe during the great artistic and intellectual rebirth of the 15th and 16th centuries, with particular emphasis on the Renaissance arts of printing, bookmaking, music, poetry and painting. Scheduled programs include the following:
* "Alberti, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo," a slide lecture on the art and architecture of the Italian Renaissance, will be held Jan. 9 at 3 p.m.
* "The Book and the Library," a slide lecture on the transition from manuscripts to printed books, and the role played by the printed word in the intellectual Renaissance in Europe, will be given Jan. 16 at 3 p.m.
* "Rebirth in Music," a discussion on the impact of the revival of classical antiquity on the music of the Renaissance, will be held Jan. 23 at 3 p.m.
* "Gardens of the Renaissance," a slide lecture on Renaissance gardens highlighting some of the plants that were favored in the 15th and 16th centuries and are still popular today, will be held Jan. 27 at 2:30 p.m.
"Poets, Letters and Musicians," a presentation by the San Francisco Consort (in period costumes and with replica instruments), of music, literature and poetry of the Renaissance, will take place Jan. 30 at 3 p.m.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

New in paperback

WALDHEIM and Austria, by Richard Bassett. An examination of the Nazi past of the Austrian chancellor that also considers whether Austrians have come to terms with their own past (Penguin Books, $8.95).
From the President: Richard Nixon's Secret Files, edited by Bruce Oudes. Files the former president had hoped to hide from publication - ``a CAT scan of Nixon's psyche,'' wrote the New York Times (Perennial Library, $12.95).
A Season on the Brink, by John Feinstein. A compelling account of a season with coach Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team - a best seller in hardback (Simon & Schuster, $8.95).
The Roaring '80s, by Adam Smith. The man who makes money and its flow ceaselessly interesting here considers ``the greed decade'' and pinpoints the trends that may affect the future (Penguin Books, $8.95).
Mother London, by Michael Moorcock. Through the back alleys of the city from 1940 to 1985 with a writer who is best known for fantasy (Perennial Library, $8.95).
The People Rising, The Campaign Against the Bork Nomination, by Michael Pertschuk and Wendy Schaetzel. How a coalition of people came together to resist the Supreme Court nomination of Robert Bork (Thunder's Mouth Press, $13.95).
Lost Friendships, A Memoir of Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams, by Donald Windham. A memoir by a close friend paints indelible portraits of the two writers (Paragon House, $10.95).
America's Secret Aristrocracy, by Stephen Birmingham. An inside look at the foibles of the richest families in the country (Berkley Books, $4.95).
Scorpius, by John Gardner. Ian Fleming's adventurous secret agent, here continued by Gardner, confronts a beautiful corpse and a human bomb - the doings of an archfiend known as Scorpius (Charter Books, $4.50).
If I'm So Wonderful, Why Am I Still Single?, by Susan Page. Helpful advice for people interested in pairing (Bantam Books, $5.95)

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Certification of Coaches

Coaching certification is an important topic to all professionals involved in sport. The ERIC database is a good source of information on certification standards, actual and proposed; on the consequences of employing non-certified volunteers; and on possible solutions to current certification problems.
The journals cited in this bibliography are available at most research libraries. The documents can be read at 750 ERIC microfiche collections located in libraries, educational organizations, and school districts. Documents can also be ordered through the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), 3900 Wheeler Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304-5110. Call (800) 227-3742 for price and order information. For a list of ERIC collections in your area, or for information on submitting documents to ERIC, contact the ERIC Clearinghouse on Teacher Education, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 610, Washington, DC 20036, at (202) 293-2450.
ERIC JOURNALS
Certifying Quality Coaches: An Interview with Fred Engh. (1988). Parks and Recreation, 23 (3), 42-44.
The president and chief executive officer of the National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA), Fred Engh, discusses the status of NYSCA today and highlights the training and certification program for volunteer coaches.
Sisley, B.L. and Wiese, D.M. (1987). Current Status: Requirements for Interscholastic Coaches. Results of NAGWS/NASPE Coaching Certification Survey. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 58, (7), 73-85.
A survey was made during 1986-1987 of three agencies in each state to gain information on required coach certification programs, voluntary programs, and minimum requirements for coaches. Results are discussed, and state requirements are presented.
Sabock, R.J. and Chandler-Garvin, P.B. (1986). Coaching Certification: United States Requirements. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, 57, (6), 57-59.
A questionnaire was sent to the executive directors of the 50 state and District of Columbia athletic associations to investigate the use and competency of part-time coaches and to determine whether certification is required of full-time and part-time coaches. Findings are discussed, and three suggestions to improve the situation are offered.
Johnson, J.L. et al. (1986). The Minnesota Experience: Coaching Certification. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, (57) 6, 53-56.
The Minnesota Department of Education's rules regarding licensure of coaches are described.
Odenkirk, J.E. (1985). High School Athletics and the Shortage of Qualified Coaches: An Enigma for the Public Schools. Physical Educator, 43 (2), 82-85.
The problems of finding coaches for expanded high school athletic programs and efforts to require certification of coaches are described. Five recommendations to increase the supply of coaches and to move toward their certification are offered.
Fredricks, D. (1985). The United States Gymnastics Safety Association: A Leader in Safety Consciousness. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 56 (3), 45-46.
The United States Gymnastics Safety Association was formed as a self-regulating body to ensure the status of gymnastics and to make the sport safer. The association developed a certification program to educate coaches, ensure safer programs, and to aid in legal matters.
Sisley, B. (1984). Coaching Specialization: The Oregon Program. Physical Educator, 41 (3), 149-152.
The University of Oregon has developed a coaching specialization program that allows students to train for prospective coaching assignments without obtaining a teaching certification. Background information on the status of coaching certification is provided.
Kelley, E.J. and Brightwell, S. (1984). Should Interscholastic Coaches Be Certified? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, & Dance, 55 (3), 49-50.
In order to meet the demand for coaches, the Pennsylvania State Department of Education was forced to repeal its regulation requiring certified coaches. Studies involving coaching competence are cited which raise questions about knowledge obsolescence of coaches regarding the health care of athletes, conditioning techniques, and teaching methods. The consequences of using non-certified coaches is discussed.
Clear, D.K. and Bagley, M. (1982). Coaching Athletics: A Tort Just Waiting for a Judgement? NOLPE School Law Journal, 10 (2), 184-192.
The authors discuss school boards' potential tort liability for sports injuries arising from coaches' lack of knowledge of how to prevent or treat injuries. They argue for board policies requiring that coaches be trained in handling injuries, that their skills be upgraded, and that proper practices be followed
ERIC Documents
Sisley, B.L. and Capel, S.A. (1985). Oregon Coaches Background Survey. Background of coaches in Oregon high schools 1984-1985. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 280 832.)
A survey questionnaire sought information on the background of paid coaches in Oregon high schools during 1984-1985. Questions addressed coaches' teacher certification status, preparation for coaching, training for athletic injury management, and gender. A secondary purpose of the study was to find out the number of volunteer coaches used in sports programs. Findings are discussed, and statistical data are presented in 18 tables.
Buckellew, W. et al. (1983). Proposal for Voluntary Coaching Certification and Formulation of the Illinois Athletic Coaching Certification Board. Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Illinois, Nov. 18-20, 1982. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 228 200.)
A proposal developed by the Illinois Association for Professional Preparation in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation for a program involving voluntary coaching certification in Illinois is described. The area of minimum standards is treated in detail.