How We Lie

I was thinking about this the other day: how often we shall bad information. It's not always lying. Mostly, it's because we can't be bothered learning the truth.

Like turning a theory or assumption into a truth: We really don't know what's at the Earth's core. We've made an educated guess that is probably correct (well, at least more likely that a secret island of dinosaurs), but we aren't 100% positive. Yet, we still teach it as a fact.

Or perpetuating fiction as truth: The stories about George Washington cutting down the cherry were invented after he became President, to help elevate him into a legend.

Or simplification: It does make it easier to learn if everything is just solid, liquid or gas, or if sounding out words really worked. But there are excepts to almost everything. That's why we pronounce 'ough' 18 different ways in English.

Laziness: Come on, who wants to stand for all four verses of Oh, Canada. One is enough. :)

Real confusion: We know how to use electricity, but we really don't understand it. Sometimes with disaserous results (as with those firemen helping with an ALS challenge)

Image and control: History goes to the victorious. Generally, the loser isn't written about kindly. We keep learning so much about the world that we didn't know because too many powerful people had giant erasers.

Misdirection: Sometimes when we want to change a behavior we twist facts. I can't that 'margarine is only molecule away from plastic, so don't eat it' junk science. Following that logic, don't breathe oxygen. It's only one molecule away from carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone.

Common knowledge: This is probably the worst of the lot. The funniest thing is that we even believe the stupidest things. Think ostrich. It sticks its head in the ground? Really? Even in sand, that's pretty hard to do on demand. Of course it runs away. It runs at 60 mph. But here's the extra stupid part: one scientist actually studied 20,000 birds to make sure. There's money well spent.

O-gnome-atopoeia

I haven't update for a while.

I just entered a blog contest on Guide to Literary Agents (http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/). Chuck is the new editor of the annual Children's Writer's & Illustrators.

It's a great blog. Though I do skip over the Cover Band Soap Opera entries, he has lots of interesting news, insights and tidbits about getting published.

His latest book, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack, looks great. Since my current MG has a couple gnomes as the bad guys I'll need to give it a read to see if I've missed anything :)

Onions

I didn't like onions as a child-not in anything. Now that I'm older, I like sweet onions and carmelized onions. Tastes change.

This week I was reading about how we lose taste buds as we age, and those we keep become less sensitive. We also lose our sense of smell (which also affects our sense of taste).

So when I was nine and my mom served meatloaf and said, "Yes, there are onions, but you can hardly taste them."

I should have said, "Maybe if you're old!"

Or maybe not.

Book Contest

My elementary school science teacher taught me that the world can be stranger than our understanding of it. We never understand how bees flew until the 1980's. It seems bees flap their wings about 20 times for each 'thought' because their 'muscles' are like elastics bunjee cording. Why would they have ever developed that function?

Anyway, I mentioned a contest...

Move over, Ramona Quimby…
Samantha Hansen is ready to ROCK!
Look for Nancy Viau’s middle-grade novel, Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head, this September. Get your signed ARC at BEA or ALA this summer! http://www.nancyviau.com
http://www.classof2k8.com

We're Made To Be Good

It's great how we're made. The natural aggressiveness our species needs to survive has always been measured against the compassion we feel.

I think it's fantastic that we're made in such a way that doing something for someone else makes us both healthy and happier (see http://ca.geocities.com/earthpages5@rogers.com/gp1.htm?rss)

It shouldn't be a surprise that we're more altruistic when we laugh. When we feel good, we want others to feel good.

Advanced Over-editing

I am qualified to teach. I have my B.Ed.. I've taught students from 2 to 82, from pre-school to university. Yet, when it comes to trying to think up a topic to teach at night school, the only thing I can think of is Over-editing 101.

I know a little about a million different things, but the only thing I do exceptionally well is take a well written story and turn it into mush. My editing style really is a two steps forward, one step back approach. Because, inevitably, I erase a whole bunch of changes because I wrecked the story.

I do get to a finished product that I'm proud of, because at some point, inspiration kicks the brain cells into action. All those small changes, back and forth, suddenly explode into something different, something I didn't expect, something I'm ready to send in the mail - after I edit it just a little bit more.

The North Magnetic Pole is Emigrating

I didn't know the North Magnetic Pole had left Canada, or that it is headed for Siberia, until last week. In fact, it moved over 40km last year. Weird. I wonder what forced its move. Taxes? Government policy?

Perhaps, it just wanted to mess with compasses. After all, every day it shifts around a little. I don't think it ever stays still.

I'm hoping it's just proof of a planet-wide sense of humour. I mean the North Magnetic Pole is actually the magnetic south pole of Earth (we just call it the North Magnetic Pole because it's 'north' geographically), and scientists believe the poles could reverse some day - probably on April 1st.