Archive for May, 2010

Maurice’s C8PhD

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Kirsten Bolinger
Public relations assistant
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

A metropolitan daily newspaper has awarded an Avondale College information technology lecturer a doctorate for identifying an obscure quote in one of its columns.

The Sydney Morning Herald challenged readers to find the origin of a quote that introduced its Column 8 column on April 12. The quote read, “Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie; And yet you will weep and know why.”

After reading the column at two thirty that morning, Dr Maurice Ashton from the Faculty of Business and Information Technology, searched the Internet using the skills he teaches his students. “I doubt that I am the first, but if I am it will be a tribute to Google and insomnia rather than any great literary knowledge,” wrote Maurice in his email to Column 8. The Herald published Maurice’s response the following day and conferred the title, C8PhD.

However, Herald readers were not as obliging of those who, as Column 8 put it, “Google their way to academic glory.” One suggested conferring an honorary degree because “an honorary degree is awarded to people who haven’t done any work for it.”

Maurice describes the experience as “a bit of fun.” “The question now is, How will I include the C8PhD on my scholarly activities?”

By the way, the quote came from the poem, Spring and Fall—To a Young Child, by Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Teen expectations

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church

More than 600 teenagers were asked what they felt life would be like for them in 10 years or when they turned 25. The results were compiled by the United States-based Barna Group and covered a range of issues.

Most (90 per cent) said they’d have a degree, 81 per cent expected to have great paying jobs and 80 per cent said it would be a job where they could make a difference.

The “fame” result showed 26 per cent expected to be “famous or well known” by the time they were 25. That should probably be expected when reality television creates instant fame and celebrity can be achieved without talent.

Both males and females expected fame on an equal basis, but girls were twice as likely to expect a difference-making job, to be married, to have children and to regularly serve the poor by 25.

What proved interesting was the younger teens (13-15-year-olds) were much more idealistic than older teens. Older teens were less likely to believe they would have a great-paying job, be married, have children, be serving the poor or experiencing fame by the time they were 25.

Is that merely a sense of reality kicking in?

The biggest gap involved their predicted connection to the church, with 41 per cent of the younger teenagers expecting to be actively involved in church, but that dropped to 26 per cent among those who were older.

We know these figures as a tragic reality. We, the church, fail to hold most people once they reach the late teens and early 20s.

What can we do about this? Two things: make sure Jesus is the focus of church; and that we who are followers of Jesus, whatever our age, need to continually reflect Him and His ways.

The church is rarely a drawcard, but Jesus is. Always.

Rose-lee a master with honours

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Critiques pain management programs as part of study

Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

A car accident has led to an Avondale College staff member completing a Master of Education (Honours) from the University of New England.

Rose-lee Power found adult pain management programs offered in hospitals in Australia are not education accredited and do not follow adult learning principles and methods. Credit: Melissa Preston.

Associate librarian Rose-lee Power completed a pain management program following a six-month stay in hospital, but she says the program made the injury worse.

The experience inspired the writing of her thesis, “Chronic pain management and adult learning: toward a different understanding.”

The main finding from Rose-lee’s qualitative study shows adult pain management programs offered in many hospitals in Australia are not education accredited and do not follow adult learning principles and methods

“They claim to be educational but come under the guise of medical treatment,” says Rose-lee. “Learning is not sustained.”

The amazing Jessica

Monday, May 17, 2010

Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church

The return of Jessica Watson after 210 days sailing around the world was a bit of a circus, with every move monitored by several million around the nation. There was certainly no privacy for the welcome from parents and family, or from long-range lenses at a private welcome-home party later in the evening.

Yet it was also inspirational.

She was called the most important person in Australia by the New South Wales premier, Kristina Keneally, “because you made the prime minister and New South Wales premier and all these people wait for hours for your return.” Strong winds had made her three hours late.

The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said she was a hero “for young Australians . . . and young Australian women.”

Her response was simple: “I don’t consider myself a hero.” Then she added something that demonstrated maturity beyond her 16 years. Listen:

“I’m an ordinary girl who believed in a dream. You don’t have to be someone special . . . to achieve something amazing. You just have to have a dream, believe in it and work hard.”

She may believe herself ordinary, but she’s achieved something quite remarkable. The Courier Mail tells us she left as a “knockabout teenager” to return as an “A-list celebrity.” Let’s hope her celebrity status will not take away the down-to-earth approach to life she has.

Her challenge now is to not allow the demands and attention that celebrity status brings to devour her. This could be a bigger challenge than sailing the world.

If what we saw on television is a guide, she’s a well-balanced young woman who dreams big. Her dream now is to move away from the spotlight and finish school. That’s a good call.

Jessica Watson may not consider herself a hero, but she is an inspiration.

Bigfoot and other environmental issues

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church

How big is your carbon footprint? Your carbon footprint is the measure of greenhouse gases you produce through lifestyle and consumption given as an equivalent of carbon dioxide.

It’s like when you walk along the beach you can turn around and see the footprints you leave there. In the same way, you can tell what carbon impact you have on our planet.

You can calculate your footprint. On www.carbonfootprint.com you’ll find the “typical” person’s carbon footprint in the developed world is formed in various ways. About 27 per cent of the footprint comes from home utilities use (electricity etc); 14 per cent from recreation and leisure activities; and 10 per cent from private transport.

The problem with these kinds of figures is you could come to the conclusion you can best help the environment by being dead. Not only would you then be producing no greenhouse gases, you’d be adding compost value of the soil.

There are suggestions about lowering your carbon footprint: use low-energy light bulbs; recycle; and, of course, when you get married, instead of getting 10 toasters from random people, ask all guests to pay to plant trees.

I like the footprint idea and can see how it could be developed into other areas. It’s about the impact you have on our planet. What if we asked questions like, “What kind of service am I performing in our community?” or, “How do I rate at treating others fairly?” or, “How willing am I to lend a hand when needed?”

It comes back to this: How big is my caring footprint?

The difference between a caring footprint and the carbon footprint is that we’d want a big caring footprint.

Perhaps its time to set up a website. Let’s call it www.carefootprint.com. What would you list on it to help increase this footprint?

PS: It’s too late! I finished writing this and checked the web. The site is already running. It directs you to dental services.