Apr 20 2012

Question of the day…(Intrebarea zilei…)

1. Why did the animals eat the pineapple?

2. Who was the wisest?

Talking pineapple question on state exam stumps … everyone!

Students, teachers, principals – no one has any idea what the deal is…

BY BEN CHAPMAN AND RACHEL MONAHAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Pineapple, front view

Students across the state are still scratching their heads over an absurd state test question about a talking pineapple.

The puzzler on the eighth-grade reading exam stumped even educators and has critics saying the tests, which are becoming more high stakes, are flawed.

“I think it’s weird that they put such a silly question on a state test. What were they thinking?” said Bruce Turley, 14, an eighth-grader at Lower Manhattan Community Middle School.

“I thought it was a little strange, but I just answered it as best as I could,” said his classmate Tyree Furman, 14. “You just have to give it your best answer. These are important tests.”

‘JEOPARDY’ CHAMP ON PINEAPPLE QUESTION: IS THIS A JOKE?

In the story, a take-off on Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare, a talking pineapple challenges a hare to a race. The other animals wager on the immobile pineapple winning — and ponder whether it’s tricking them.

When the pineapple fails to move and the rabbit wins, the animals dine on the pineapple.

Students were asked two perplexing questions: why did the animals eat the talking fruit, and which animal was wisest?

Teachers, principals and parents contacted by The News said they weren’t sure what the answers were.

“My reaction is horror that a question that’s so obviously confusing should be used on a test that is going to be used to determine our kid’s future and the future of our children’s schools,” said parent Leonie Haimson, of Class Size Matters, who first posted the question on her blog.

In response to revelations that the state exams had become predictable and easier to pass, the state last year awarded a new $32 million contract to testing company Pearson to overhaul the tests.

The new exams have higher stakes for principals and teachers statewide, whose evaluations will be based in part on student scores beginning as soon as this year.
Scarsdale Middle School Principal Michael McDermott said the question has been used before and “confused students in six or seven different states.”

And he had a quick answer to the question of who is the wisest: “Pearson for getting paid $32 million for recycling this crap.”

The city confirmed the questions were on the exam, but declined to discuss any specifics, and Chancellor Dennis Walcott directed questions to the state.

State officials wouldn’t divulge the answer and said they couldn’t speculate on whether the questions will be scored or scratched because of the controversy. They also noted that under new state rules, the questions and answers won’t be released.

But the question prompted Ken Jennings — all-time leading money winner on “Jeopardy!” — to ask the question, “Is this a joke?”

“The story makes no sense whatsoever. The narrative has no internal logic, the ‘moral’ in unclear, and the plot details seem so oddly chosen that the story seems to have been written during a peyote trip,” said Jennings, whose 74 consecutive wins on “Jeopardy!” earned him more than $3.1 million.

E.D. Hirsch, chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation and professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia, said the question is “post-modern unanswerable.”

“The joke is on the pineapple, because the New York Daily News is going to eat it up,” Hirsh said.

Pearson spokesman Jason Smith said the state Education Department prohibited the company from speaking to the press on “matters like this.”

rmonahan@nydailynews.com

… The Pineapple and the Hare …

In the olden times, animals could speak English, just like you and me. There was a lovely enchanted forest that flourished with a bunch of these magical animals. One day, a hare was relaxing by a tree. All of a sudden, he noticed a pineapple sitting near him.
The hare, being magical and all, told the pineapple, “Um, hi.” The pineapple could speak English too.
“I challenge you to a race! Whoever makes it across the forest and back first wins a ninja! And a lifetime’s supply of toothpaste!” The hare looked at the pineapple strangely, but agreed to the race.
The next day, the competition was coming into play. All the animals in the forest (but not the pineapples, for pineapples are immobile) arranged a finish/start line in between two trees. The coyote placed the pineapple in front of the starting line, and the hare was on his way.
Everyone on the sidelines was bustling about and chatting about the obvious prediction that the hare was going to claim the victory (and the ninja and the toothpaste). Suddenly, the crow had a revolutionary realization.
“AAAAIEEH! Friends! I have an idea to share! The pineapple has not challenged our good companion, the hare, to just a simple race! Surely the pineapple must know that he CANNOT MOVE! He obviously has a trick up his sleeve!” exclaimed the crow.
The moose spoke up.
“Pineapples don’t have sleeves.”
“You fool! You know what I mean! I think that the pineapple knows we’re cheering for the hare, so he is planning to pull a trick on us, so we look foolish when he wins! Let’s sink the pineapple’s intentions, and let’s cheer for the stupid fruit!” the crow passionately proclaimed. The other animals cheered, and started chanting, “FOIL THE PLAN! FOIL THE PLAN! FOIL THE PLAN!”
A few minutes later, the hare arrived. He got into place next to the pineapple, who sat there contently. The monkey blew the tree-bark whistle, and the race began! The hare took off, sprinting through the forest, and the pineapple …
It sat there.
The animals glanced at each other blankly, and then started to realize how dumb they were. The pineapple did not have a trick up its sleeve. It wanted an honest race — but it knew it couldn’t walk (let alone run)!
About a few hours later, the hare came into sight again. It flew right across the finish line, still as fast as it was when it first took off. The hare had won, but the pineapple still sat at his starting point, and had not even budged.
The animals ate the pineapple.

Here are two of the questions:
1. Why did the animals eat the pineapple?
a. they were annoyed
b. they were amused
c. they were hungry
d. they wanted to
2. Who was the wisest?
a. the hare
b. moose
c. crow
d. owl
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/talking-pineapple-question-state-exam-stumps-article-1.1064657#ixzz1sc56IlHx

Apr 20 2012

Pantoful ravnit si ranile de dupa…

http://crestintotal.ro/2012/04/20/pantoful-ravnit-si-ranile-de-dupa/

Ni s-a întâmplat tuturor să ne fixăm privirea într-o vitrină sau pe un raft şi să nu o mai putem dezlipi, de parcă acolo ar zace, frumos ambalată, însăşi fericirea. Ceea ce îţi obligă ochii să nu clipească şi îţi intensifică bătăile inimii, are o culoare splendidă, forme unduioase, curbate atât de perfect, şi piesa de bază: tocul. Ah, tocul care are un rol atât de esenţial în viaţa ta socială. Reuşeşte să îţi anunţe sosirea cu câteva minute chiar înainte să apari, e o carte de vizită, ,,înrudită’’ cu aceea pe care domniţele nobile o trimiteau odinioară printr-un valet ca să fie introduse în cercul societăţii la petreceri.

Descendentele acelor reputate domniţe se confruntă însă cu o minusculă problemă; cartea de vizită folosită de stră-străbunicuţe nu producea răni în contact cu pielea, ca şi pantoful mirific, mult râvnit, probat şi cumpărat. E de ,,puţină’’ importanţă problema, ce femeie stă să facă analiza rănilor lăsate de pantofi, pe baza ideii că cel care lasă urme nu doar pe asfalt ci şi pe piele, poate fi înlocuit uşor. La un moment dat însă vine o vreme când ţi se face lehamite de ,,jocul’’ acesta şi te cuminţeşti alături de o pereche de balerini coloraţi sau converşi…

E despre pantofi, răni, şi mai mulţi pantofi, dar de fapt e vorba despre alegeri. Cum se face că ceea ce alegem noi, deşi uneori e bine gândit şi sortat pe toate feţele; lasă în urmă printre consecinţe, nişte răni care nu se mai închid?! O să îmi spuneţi că nu mereu se lasă cu julituri, folosind termenul copilărei, dar asta înseamnă că nu v-aţi căutat bine în suflet; că timpul le vindecă pe toate, deşi nu pricep filtrând prin logică, când şi-a luat stimabilul diploma de medic şi ce metode ar putea folosi, exceptând curgerea lui pasivă, indiferentă faţă de muritori şi neoprită deocamdată. ,,Metoda’’ asta a curgerii are ca rod însă doar o simulare a uitării, cu alte cuvinte pe măsură ce te îndepărtezi temporal de ziua faptei sau alegerii cu pricina, ai senzaţia că ai uitat; când ceea ce se întâmplă e că ţi-ai luat prvirea de la rană şi ai întreprins şi alte activităţi. Apoi vin zile când un fapt sau gest, aparent banale, te pun în oglindă cu rana ta şi atunci toate cârjele, inclusiv timpul, te părăsesc ca să găsească pe altcineva.

Tu realizezi atunci că vocea aceea micuţă a conştiinţei care îţi spunea că nu ai nevoie de uitare şi călătorie prin timp ci de vindecare, nu mai poate fi redusă la tăcere pentru că îi dai dreptate.

Cum rămâne cu alegerile pe care le fac sau încearcă să le ia alţii pentru noi? Consecinţele lor sunt uneori răni şi mai purulente, adânci şi supărătoare. Deoarece modul complet şi uimitor în care am fost creaţi să fiinţăm, nu permite unui suflet să încerce să trăiască şi să stăpânească peste două trupuri; aceasta ar putea fi definiţia alegerilor luate pentru altcineva.

Doi oameni liberi prin natura lor, trăiesc luând fiecare decizii şi încercând să se împace unul pe celălalt cu ele. Iar dacă fiecare dă aripi deciziei celuilalt, se mai numeşte şi dragoste.

Singurul care are dreptul să fie întrebat şi consultat cu privire la luarea unei decizii, căci El îi cunoaşte consecinţele şi rănile de după, e Creatorul şi inventatorul alegerilor, iar pentru El cea mai bună alegere ai fost chiar tu.

E Cel care poate şi uneori trebuie să îţi ia în mână decizia, să îţi aprindă lumina ca să îi vezi toate colţurile şi firele de praf şi să o sfărâme ca să nu rămână nici măcar un ciob, producător de răni; dar întotdeauna are pregătită o alta, nu neapărat mai bună din perspectiva ta, atunci.

Când o preiei din mâna Lui însă ca să o faci şi alegerea ta, ,,pantoful’’ dorit ajunge să fie ceea ce este, doar un ,,pantof’’… În schimb, ai parte de un lucru extrordinar de frumos; poţi păşi, chiar alerga fără să mai existe răni după care să întorci capul. Împreună cu El , aţi brodat minunea: alegeri curate. S-ar putea să mai fii distras de ,,pantofi’’, e posibil să mai apară binecunoscutul şchiopătat cauzat de o rană, dar tu ai înţeles că drumul până la vindecare e scurt şi sigur; apelul către Tatăl tău iubitor şi preocupat infinit mai mult decât eşti tu de rănile tale. Ai conştientizat mai ales că în vocabularul Lui ceea ce se întâmplă se cheamă proces al învăţării alegerilor. Învaţă să-ţi alegi alegerile!

Scris de Ella Roman pentru CrestinTotal.ro