Wanted: Elf

Have you ever created a toy or a game?

What if your career was in toy-making---without living at the North Pole?

Check out this video from Hasbro-it talks about the process of making toys:    

http://gizmodo.com/5995083/where-the-toys-come-from-inside-hasbros-model-workshop

Through mergers with other toy manufacturers,  Hasbro makes the following: Tonka Trucks, Playskool, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, Tinkertoys, Mr. Potato Head, GI Joe, Sesame Street, Lite Brite, Lincoln Logs, Pound Puppies, and games like Battleship, Candyland, Cranium, Jenga, Scrabble, Dungeons and Dragons, Ouija Board, and Pictionary.

The Lego Factory, which makes one of the most popular toys of all time: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+tour+of+toy+factory&&view=detail&mid=6953CE4B4E62E85B6E5D6953CE4B4E62E85B6E5D&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dvideo%2Btour%2Bof%2Btoy%2Bfactory%26qpvt%3Dvideo%2Btour%2Bof%2Btoy%2Bfactory%26FORM%3DVDRE%23view%3Ddetail%26mid%3DEB8FB78FDB511AAF8633EB8FB78FDB511AAF8633

What steps are involved in the process, and what types of careers might it involve?

• Design: does the toy do anything? Does it connect with a computer or phone or controller? Is it part of a series of related toys? Does it have accessories? Does it come in different sizes?
• Is it a building toy with many parts that fit together?
• Does it move?
• Manufacture--process and product-people need to design the machines that produce the toy
• Use of motors or mechanics within the toy-what kind of batteries will it need?
• Choice of materials used to make the toy (plastic, metal, fabric, etc.)
• Safety/Quality Control
• Materials to make it have to be nontoxic (not poisonous)
• Parts of the toy need to be too large for a child to choke on
• Small parts need to stay on the toy securely
• Fabric toys must be fire-resistant
• The toy shouldn't have anything sharp that might injure someone
• Toys shouldn't have anything like strings that can choke someone
• Toys with electronics shouldn't pose a fire hazard
• Toys that 'shoot' anything can be dangerous (an exception might be a 'Nerf' toy
• Design of outside paint and decals
• Design of packaging--involves artwork, information about the toy, making it attractive
• Planned changes for future models
• Testing: do the mechanics work, if any? Is it durable?
• Sales-how will you sell the toys? Online? In other stores, or in your own store? How do  you price them?
• Packaging
• Website design and maintenance for the toy specifically and/or the manufacturer of the toy(s)
• Accounting
• Law as it applies to patents, copyrights, and liability
• Marketing, including naming the toy, and tie-in products such as books or clothes featuring that toy
• Or, for example, Pixar makes a movie and want toys to sell that are related to it-how do you create them? Who gets how much of the profit?
• Management

Any number of degrees could tie in to this business: Business Administration, Art, Engineering, Computer Aided Design, Marketing, Law, or Accounting, are some examples.

Some toy manufacturers employ child life experts to see what toys are appropriate for which ages, so you may be able to use a degree in Child Development, Education, or Psychology to work for one of these companies.
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A video of how crayons are made: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+tour+of+toy+factory&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3dvideo%2btour%2bof%2btoy%2bfactory%26qpvt%3dvideo%2btour%2bof%2btoy%2bfactory%26FORM%3dVDRE%23view%3ddetail%26mid%3dEB8FB78FDB511AAF8633EB8FB78FDB511AAF8633&qpvt=video+tour+of+toy+factory&view=detail&mid=A317D7ED2477610592E0A317D7ED2477610592E0&&FORM=VDRVRV

                                                Doesn't everybody have a container of old broken crayons?

Manufacturing toy trains: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=discovery+channel+how+it%27s+made+toy+trains&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=discovery+channel+how+it%27s+made+toy+trains&sc=0-36&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&mid=4E324EB47081FDD464F14E324EB47081FDD464F1

Here is a great interview with a self-employed toy manufacturer:

http://www.vinylpulse.com/2008/04/interview-with.html

Some info about product research at Fisher-Price: http://www.fisher-price.com/uk/welcome/

Let's not forget Tickle-Me Elmo (Playskool): What made that toy so successful?

You might want to make a specific kind of toy, such as educational toys.

                                 

There is a market for 'green' manufacturing (making things with as little environmental damage as possible); simpler toys, wooden toys,

 dolls, stuffed toys,

building toys

or toys for a specific age group.

There are toys meant to be played with outside...Sleds, inflatables, shovels, sand castle or snow castle forms, climbing apparatus and swing sets, games......

As well as games and puzzles for inside; and toys for children to imitate grownups:

And don't forget science experiment toys:

What was your favorite toy when you were little?

It's good to have some fun every day---what if you could work with toys all the time?

Grammar Police

Do your eyes glaze over when you're trying to read something and the grammar, spelling, and punctuation are....

Wrong. Just Wrong... ?

Or does it not bother you in the least--you either think it's right, or you think it's probably wrong but also you do not care?

The written language has taken quite a beating in the last few years, especially with 'autocorrect,' which so often is completely wrong, but we are in a hurry and the right spelling and grammar just falls by the wayside. People have to read a text and almost translate what it means. While we've gotten used to it, and while sometimes it may not be a big deal, it's a big deal when writing letters (like a thank-you letter for an interview) or essays (like the one that counts for 50% of your grade) or replying to an email in a professional manner. With that in mind, here are some pet peeves of grammar police:

There, They're, Their...
You put something over there. There is a place. They're means they are. As in, They're going to Hal's house to play Go Fish. Their means they own whatever it is... Their car, their shoes, their grades, their bad grammar.

Your, You're
Your refers to something you own or have. It's possessive. You're is a contraction of You Are. And so, You're reading this with your eyes.

To, Too, Two
You send something to someone. You go to a play. You go to school. Think of it as kind of a direction, where is that going or where are you going? To somewhere. Too means an excess of something: Too much work, too much sugar (?), I was too busy.  Two, hopefully you know, is the number two. Two feet, two hands, two dollars. Oddly, that one is rarely misused.

Its or It's 
It's means It Is. or It Has. As in, it's going to snow. or it's got to stop.No other time do you need an apostrophe. 'Its' is the possessive form, just like his or hers or theirs, none of those needs an apostrophe, either.

Plurals and apostrophes
You never, never, never, never, never, never, use an apostrophe for two or more of things. It's bears, dogs, cats, clothes, papers, houses. No apostrophe. Period.

But what about names?  Same deal, no apostrophe: The Thompsons. The Andersons. If it's a name like Jones then it's the Joneses. It can be proper to put an apostrophe at the end of a name that ends in S. For example, Dennis in the possessive is Dennis'. As in, Dennis' tennis shoes.

"Alot" is not a word. It is two words. Separate them.

"I could care less," makes no sense whatsoever. That would mean I could be less concerned (but I'm not). The correct expression is "I couldn't care less."

It's never "Me and.." just like you'd never say "I and.."

"If you want someone to read that book, tell them about it." People use this all the time, but it's still just one person you're talking about, so it would be 'tell him or her' .

You borrow something from someone, and you lend or loan people something. You don't 'borrow them' a comb or money or your car, or say 'borrow me a pencil.'. You loan the person your comb or money or car or pencil.

Here's one that sounds the same, but it's not: Should have, not should of. Should have studied better, not should of. Should have taken the clothes out of the dryer, not should of.

Starting or ending a sentence with 'So.' That word is a connector such as, I didn't study so I got a D on that test. I wanted some popcorn, so I made some. The use of 'So I was talking to Jim and he said..' is one of those peeves of mine.. It makes me wonder where the first half of the sentence went. Similarly, if you're putting 'so' at the end of a sentence, then complete it: I saw they were on sale so.., is not a completed sentence. I saw they were on sale, so I bought them.

Now you can rest assured the grammar police will leave you alone. Hopefully, they will...

More misused phrases: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/commonly-misused-words_n_4652969

Careers in Pharmacy

Have you thought about becoming a pharmacist? Here are some facts you may or may not know:

There are different kinds of pharmacists, including....

Academic Pharmacists - These are instructors in the field of Pharmacy Science.

Armed Services - These are people serving in the military as pharmacists, who may work with injured or ill servicemen and women, or may work on research of biological terrorism.

Industry - These are pharmacists who are sales reps for drug manufacturers. They usually travel to clinics and hospitals to let them know of new products available to treat their patients. If your doctor has ever given you a sample of a drug to try, it most likely came from a pharmacy sales rep.

Science/Research Pharmacists - these are the people who develop new drugs, including finding drugs to target a specific condition and testing them to be sure they are safe, and what side effects they produce.

The most common kind of pharmacist, however, is called a Community Pharmacist, because he or she works right in your community at local drug stores and the pharmacy department of stores like Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Cub, etc. and may also work within a hospital.

Coursework to become a pharmacist will include biology, chemistry, anatomy & physiology, biochemistry, ethics, physics, natural science, math, and business administration, as well as social sciences and humanities.

All pharmacists (they are called 'chemists' in the United Kingdom) must complete a Pharm.D., or Doctor of Pharmacy, degree. This includes two years or more of undergraduate work plus another 4 years of professional pharmacy study. Before you can start work as a pharmacist, frequently you will complete an internship for 1 or 2 years, although it is not always required. You must pass the NAPLEX test, which certifies that you are capable to be a pharmacist and tests your scientific knowledge, and the MPJE, which certifies that you know the legal aspects of being a pharmacist.  You must pass these two exams before you become certified.

What kind of pharmacist do you want to be? Do you want to do research? Sales? Work in the Armed Forces? Do you want to work with pure science or with people?

You may want to find a career with the United States Food and Drug Administration, the FDA. The FDA regulates food safety and also medicine-related things like over the counter (sometimes called OTC) drugs for humans and animals; medical devices including pacemakers and insulin pumps; machines that use radiation; cosmetics; tobacco products, and dental treatments. As a pharmacist, the items you sell or dispense will have to meet FDA standards. Read more about the FDA here: https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-basics/what-does-fda-regulate


A successful pharmacist working in local drug stores has been entrusted with a highly responsible role. He or she will enjoy working with people, from doctors and nurses to patients who have come in to consult or have a prescription filled. A pharmacist must 'catch' a situation where a drug has been prescribed that won't work with, or may be harmful, when taken with a patient's other prescriptions, or when a patient is allergic to a particular medication.


Since new medications are being developed all the time, you need to stay updated constantly on these new drugs and how they work. You will likely have continuing education throughout your career.

You need to be comfortable with technology and business practices, and be aware that you may work any shift in a pharmacy that is open 24 hours a day. You will also be interacting with Pharmacy Technicians who assist you in running the pharmacy, as well as security (keeping all medications under lock and key-safeguarding against theft), awareness of drug abuse and fraud, planning your supplies so as to not run out of stocked medications as well as making sure they are being stored properly, and emergency situations.


Have you heard about drug companies (all of them together sometimes are called "Big Pharma") overpricing drugs we use? Read more about that here: https://www.investors.com/news/technology/drug-prices-what-we-know-about-rising-prescription-prices/

Since you will be more available than many doctors, patients will often ask you about a drug or a treatment; you have to retain a vast amount of information on many different drugs and how they work. On a given day, you may be asked questions about diabetes, wound care, depression medications, cold relief, acid reflux, vitamins, or high blood pressure.

Meds for pets are often filled at "people'" pharmacies 

If you are highly interested in chemistry and biology, how the body reacts to drug treatments, and the well-being of people as a whole, and if you take an interest in people who come to you for information about their prescriptions, you might make a great pharmacist.

Here is a website that answers lots of questions you might have: http://www.aacp.org/resources/studentaffairspersonnel/admissionsguidelines/Documents/studentbrochure2.pdf

Happy Thanksgiving! Pass the Venison Please!

• The first Thanksgiving in America was actually in 1541 in Texas, celebrated by Francisco Coronado, the explorer.
• The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving took place in 1621, then not again until 1623, then not until 1676.
• 535 Million pounds of turkey will be eaten in the U.S. every year.

• The Pilgrims ate, celebrated, and feasted for 3 days on berries, shellfish, boiled pumpkin, fish, and deer.
• Cranberries were used as a way to dye cloth and hides red.
• Since it was autumn, the Native Americans who took part in the feast likely were wearing warm animal skins, not dressed in minimal clothing.
• The first Thanksgiving football game was played in 1876, Yale vs. Princeton.

• The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloon handlers are employees of Macy's and their families and friends.
• 

  
  
• People on the west coast of the U.S. often eat crab for Thanksgiving.
• The biggest turkey recorded, in 1989, was 86 pounds.
• Columbus named turkeys "tuka," using the Spanish word for peacock. He had heard there were numerous peacocks in the East Indies (where he thought he was) and that turkeys were some type of peacock.
• In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated the 2nd Monday in October.
• The average distance traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday is 214 miles
• Turkeys have heart attacks

How do Native Americans feel about Thanksgiving now? Some consider it a day of mourning because of the way white people have treated them, and for the fact that they brought diseases to the Native Americans that hadn't existed here before. For an interesting perspective...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-w-zotigh/do-american-indians-celebrate-thanksgiving_b_2160786.html

 

Who Is That?

You know who this is...

And this....



But do you know these people??? What changes have they made in the world?

1.   

2.

 3.    

4.

5.

   6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.  

   12.

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1.  Sonia Sotomayor, the first person of Hispanic descent to serve as an Associate Justice (judge) on the United States Supreme Court and the third female Associate Justice. She is originally from New York. The other 2 women are Elena Kagan and Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

2.  Malala Yousefzi. At the age of 14, she was the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Prize. She is outspoken about women's rights, particularly focusing on education. She was shot in the head for being so outspoken, survived, and continues to speak out for womens' rights.

Read about her: Triogenius, 1-6-2014: The Rebel.

3. Greta Thunberg. She is a climate-change activist from Sweden and is not quite 16 years old. She began her call for climate awareness by protesting outside the Swedish Parliament building. She travels the world to spread support for protecting the world's climate. She also is autistic, and calls that her 'superpower'. 

Are you interested in learning about young people that have influenced our lives? Check this out: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/photos/8-amazing-kids-who-have-changed-the-world/get-ready

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4. Nelson Mandela. He is a South African man who spoke out against apartheid, and spent 27 years of his life in prison. Read about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

5. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft,, which provides many basic computer programs we all use or have used . Read about him at Triogenius, 9-1-2014. 

6. Rosa Parks, considered a pioneer in the Civil Rights Movement, refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man in 1955, and was arrested. This is a picture of her being fingerprinted, and yes, she was actually arrested over a dispute about a seat on a bus. Her case was heard in court and eventually, the court found in her favor.  Read more about Rosa here:  http://www.rosaparks.org/biography/

7.  Mother Theresa, a highly regarded nun who was born in Albania and served in Calcutta, India, the founder of the Missions of Charity, serving the poorest people of the country and those suffering from AIDs, leprosy, and other diseases. She also was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

8.  Stephen Hawking. Hawking was a physicist who studied things like how the universe began, black holes, and time: He wrote a book, "A Brief History of Time." He suffered from motor neuron disease, which eventually robbed him of the ability to speak as you and I do, but communicated using a computer*..  He died in 2018 at the age of 76.

*learn about the person who developed this sort of computer..beginning when she was 12 years old--Rachel Zimmerman:  http://women-inventors.com/Rachel-Zimmerman.asp

9.  Sally Ride, the first female astronaut in the U.S. Ms. Ride was born in 1951. She was the first American woman in space, flying twice on the space shuttle Challenger and spending over 14 days in space. . She was the youngest person at age 32 to orbit the Earth. After she retired from NASA, she was a physics professor. Ms. Ride died in 2012.

10. Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin. He did research on the staphylococcus germ, watching how it grew and behaved when invading healthy cells. He planned to go on a holiday and stacked his samples in a pile, and when he returned he noticed there was some other kind of mold in some of the staph samples that was consuming and destroying it. His remark was, "That's funny.." Penicillin in many forms is still used as the first antibiotic to fight infections. Fleming lived from 1881 to 1955. He was born in Scotland and lived in England.

11.  Jane Goodall, born 1934. She is an Englishwoman who has devoted her life to the study of chimpanzees, living among them and discovering that they use tools, for one thing. Ms. Goodall still advocates for protection of chimpanzees as well as  promoting the saving of the environment,especially that of endangered species. Did you know that her notes and records were first digitized by the University of Minnesota? Here is more on her life:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall

12. Martin Cooper, the inventor of the cell phone (an early prototype is pictured). He worked for Motorola. The first cell phone conversation was Cooper calling a friend while standing on the streets of New York City.

Now you know some important people...

Think of more that you can explore:

• Who invented something you use every day, and when did that happen?
• Who has achieved great success, and how did he or she do it?
• Who would be a role model for you?
• Who rose from humble beginnings to accomplish great things?

Essay Phobia

Do you have Essay Phobia?

Do you see the words “write an essay” and feel like a deflated balloon?

Did you ever write an essay you thought was brilliant, and got an “F” on it?

Do you feel like the way you write an essay is never going to have a big impact on your life?

Consider this: you will have to write essays for school in almost every subject. Essay writing is part of the ACT test. You will often have to write them as part of college applications, and also for scholarships. If you go on to graduate school, you will still be writing essays that will be a big part of your grades. The quality of an essay could make all the difference in a grade, an acceptance to a school, or being awarded a scholarship or not.

Some common mistakes in essays:

• Run-on sentences (like when you write something that goes on for several lines and there isn't any punctuation and when people get to the end of it they feel like they need to take a breath like this one).
• incomplete sentences (examples: 'Because I could.' or, 'Yesterday.')
• Incorrect spelling
• Incorrect use of apostrophes or dashes (it isn't 'Do your test's or 'pick-up your garbage.')
• Descriptions that are too 'wordy' or too dramatic
• Wandering off the subject
• Did you ever notice that in Word, the number of words you have typed (as well as how many pages) is at the bottom left corner? You might be assigned a 1000 word essay, and that's how you can keep track of the number of words you have so far.

If you're stuck as to where to start, try starting with an outline--a plan on what the essay will include.

So, how do you know if your essay is written well enough to submit? Here are some suggestions:

• First, use spell check. Fix spelling errors. It will also alert you when words should be capitalized and possible grammar mistakes. Be sure to fix and then save.
• If you're stumped for a word, try the thesaurus that's part of your Word program.
• Check with a tutor. Colleges and high schools often have a tutoring center.
• There may be another instructor who'd be willing to look at your work and make suggestions.
• You can try an online tutoring app.

Here are some online sites you might try for help with writing:   https://www.grammarly.com/?q=essay&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search&utm_term=%2Bfree%20%2Bessay%20%2Bwriter&matchtype=b&msclkid=39400f7ea2791557810152e2056d91e9  
You can also try:  

https://www.tutor.com/subjects/essay-writing
        This site offers online tutoring in other subjects as well. 

 https://www.slickwrite.com/#!home
Don't be scared: It's only an essay!

I'm Worthless Until I've Had My Coffee

Are you one of those people who have quite a coffee habit?  Do you drink coffee several times a day? Do you stop at a local coffee shop drive-through for a fix on a regular basis?

You  might be interested to know:

• Light-colored coffee beans have more caffeine than dark-colored ones.
• Coffee was originally eaten, not brewed into a beverage.
• Coffee was first introduced to the Americas around 1723.
• Coffee beans start their lives as a cherry. These are said to taste like peach or watermelon. The berries are dried and stripped until only a green seedpod remains, then they are roasted; that's how they turn brown and dry.

• Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that grows coffee.
• Brazil grows the most coffee. 
• Coffee is grown in 65 countries; those countries are close to the equator--coffee plants only grow in tropical environments. Sometimes, fruit trees are grown amongst coffee plants.
• Coffee has been used for over 700 years as a drink.
• Over 500 billion cups of coffee, it is estimated, are consumed every year. The U.S. drinks the most coffee, about 150 billion cups a year.

• As to caffeine: Espresso is the coffee with the highest level of caffeine. 
• Coffee was the first food to be freeze-dried. The method was invented by someone named George Washington, a Belgian man (not the American president).
• There are over 50 species of coffee bean, but only two kinds are harvested and sold on a large scale: Arabica and Robusta. About 75% of coffee we drink is the Arabica variety.
• Coffee produces $60 to $90 billion every year in profits.
• Seattle, Washington, has the most coffee shops.
• Coffee, or the caffeine in it, will not make a drunk person sober.
• If you spend $4 a day on coffee at a coffee shop and you buy it five days a week, you are spending $1040.00 each year on your morning fix.
• Black coffee has only 8 calories in a cup.
• Cream and sugar are often added to black coffee to combat its bitter taste.
• Cappucino has about 130 calories
• Latte has about 180 calories
• Mocha has about 330 calories
• Peppermint chocolate coffee has about 560 calories-total daily calorie intake should be about 2500 for a man and 2000 for a woman

*It has a lot to do with what you add to the coffee, like sugar, whipped cream, and flavorings.

*People who are in the habit of drinking coffee regularly will sometimes have withdrawal symptoms when they stop:

• Headache ( caffeine narrows the blood vessels in your head. When you stop, the blood vessels enlarge. This can cause a headache)
• Fatigue (caffeine is a stimulant. When you're used to having it, then stop, it can cause fatigue.
• Anxiety, lack of ability to concentrate, being depressed, and/or being irritable or angry. These are all a result of having a stimulant on a regular basis (caffeine) and then taking it away or withdrawing it. If you have caffeine daily, it only stays in your system for a few hours and then you'll want more.

• If you are getting caffeine from soft drinks (most dark colored drinks, but a few light color ones have a lot of caffeine in them, such as Mountain Dew), then the sugar rush you experience along with the caffeine is a combination that's hard to stop. Pepsi One, for instance, has a super-high content of caffeine even though it's supposedly only one calorie and not sweetened with sugar. Here is a list of various colas and their caffeine content: https://www.caffeineinformer.com/caffeine-amounts-in-soda-every-kind-of-cola-you-can-think-of
• Caffeine can also be found in some teas, certain chocolate, and anything with coffee as a flavor such as coffee ice cream, energy drinks like Red Bull, as well as some medications and over the counter drugs such as Excedrin and Anacin. Some people feel that (ironically) caffeine helps migraines. You can purchase caffeine in a supplement, as well. Read labels to see how much you're taking in.
• If you start feeling unwell, try cutting back or cutting out your coffee/caffeine consumption. Your coffee habit may make you less able to absorb the iron and calcium you need, and it may be affecting your ability to sleep well. You may feel much better without caffeine. It can increase cysts in breasts, high blood pressure, and various other conditions. Some other findings about caffeine: https://www.caffeineinformer.com/harmful-effects-of-caffeine

As with all things you take into your body, moderation is key.

Now that you know more about coffee and caffeine, you might think about cutting back.