1 hour ago
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Teach Students Ethics
A brief perspective on academic cheating from a recent philosophy graduate, on the NY Times site.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Petruzellas Doing Good Work
My cousin Frank (a doctor of the medical, actually-helping-people variety :-) is doing a stint of volunteer medical work in Haiti through the International Medical Corps (www.imcworldwide.org).
Kudos!
Kudos!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Discrimination in public HS?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Arrivederci, Italia!
In case you were wondering, there was no internet available at our hotel in Palermo - hence my e-silence for the last couple of days of the trip. We're now back at home, with our Italian sojourn relegated to the status of blissful memory. A few final pictures to share...
The Temple of Concordia, in the Valley of Temples at Agrigento.
One of five wind turbine installations we saw along the highway traversing Sicily.
The chaperones having a rare moment to ourselves!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Italia, giorno 6
Giorno sesto (mercoledi 17 febbraio)
Just to let you know upfront: It's after 11pm here and I'm pretty tired, so no pictures for you (said in the voice of the Soup Nazi): I'll just do a quick written update, then bedtime for me. Which is kind of sad, actually, because the pics from today's tour of Taormina, with its eclectic mix of architectural styles and amazing views from within the ruins of their Greek theater; from the bays on the nearby coastline; and from the top of Mount Aetna were all quite amazing. The fact that I'm not sure of the correctness of my semicolon use is a pretty good indicator that I'm overtired...
ANYway...
The morning was devoted to the city tour, with a short time at the end for a bit of downtown shopping. The afternoon brought an optional excursion up Mount Aetna, which I took. We drove for about an hour up the side of the volcano (the switchbacks through the tiny villages truly highlighted Rosario's skills!) until we arrived at an altitude where the snowdrifts along the road were higher than our bus. Yes, it's true: in case you thought you back home were the only ones experiencing snow, let me disabuse you of that notion. Here in sunny Sicily, we too saw massive snow today...albeit at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet. When we stopped, we had lunch at a little restaurant which has been completely rebuilt since being destroyed in the most recent eruption in 2001. (In case I didn't mention it, Aetna is an active volcano, with minor eruptions every year, and a major one every decade or so.) The kids enjoyed sliding down into one of the many craters around (a dormant one, of course) and leaning into the hurricane-force winds blowing along the ridge.
When we returned down to the balmy (18 degrees Celsius) lower climes, we enjoyed free time downtown, dinner, then relaxing in the hotel lobby 'til bed. Tomorrow we drive to Agrigento, with its Greek ruins, then on to Palermo for the last leg of our journey.
Good night all,
--
Dr. P.
Just to let you know upfront: It's after 11pm here and I'm pretty tired, so no pictures for you (said in the voice of the Soup Nazi): I'll just do a quick written update, then bedtime for me. Which is kind of sad, actually, because the pics from today's tour of Taormina, with its eclectic mix of architectural styles and amazing views from within the ruins of their Greek theater; from the bays on the nearby coastline; and from the top of Mount Aetna were all quite amazing. The fact that I'm not sure of the correctness of my semicolon use is a pretty good indicator that I'm overtired...
ANYway...
The morning was devoted to the city tour, with a short time at the end for a bit of downtown shopping. The afternoon brought an optional excursion up Mount Aetna, which I took. We drove for about an hour up the side of the volcano (the switchbacks through the tiny villages truly highlighted Rosario's skills!) until we arrived at an altitude where the snowdrifts along the road were higher than our bus. Yes, it's true: in case you thought you back home were the only ones experiencing snow, let me disabuse you of that notion. Here in sunny Sicily, we too saw massive snow today...albeit at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet. When we stopped, we had lunch at a little restaurant which has been completely rebuilt since being destroyed in the most recent eruption in 2001. (In case I didn't mention it, Aetna is an active volcano, with minor eruptions every year, and a major one every decade or so.) The kids enjoyed sliding down into one of the many craters around (a dormant one, of course) and leaning into the hurricane-force winds blowing along the ridge.
When we returned down to the balmy (18 degrees Celsius) lower climes, we enjoyed free time downtown, dinner, then relaxing in the hotel lobby 'til bed. Tomorrow we drive to Agrigento, with its Greek ruins, then on to Palermo for the last leg of our journey.
Good night all,
--
Dr. P.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Italia, giorno 5
Giorno quinto (martedi 16 febbraio)
After eating breakfast and checking out of our rooms in the Hotel Michelangelo, we boarded our bus yet again, this time taking the A3 highway south for the long drive to Reggio Calabria, from where we were to take the ferry from il Continente to Sicilia, Italy's 21st state. On a typical lengthy bus ride, things can get pretty boring pretty fast; but when you're traveling through southern Italy along the Amalfi coast, it's just not possible! We stopped at a highway rest area just above Salerno for photos, but even just when we were driving, the views from our windows were magnificent. The A3 cuts through the southern Apennines, and we were treated to one breathtaking vista after another (in between tunnels, that is...) as we went. Just before reaching Calabria is the village of Scilla, named for the mythical Scylla with its counterpart Charybdis, the twin menaces thought to reside in the Strait of Messina.
Our bus boarded the large ferry, and we then disembarked to walk along the outer decks and enjoy the sea air during the 20-minute ride across the straits to Messina as we waved farewell to mainland Italy. Messina gave us our first glimpse of Sicily's third-largest city, complete with all the typical urban accoutrements - traffic, more traffic, and carabinieri trying to keep it all from devolving into complete chaos! The weather began to turn quickly, and as we drove toward Taormina, the rain began in earnest, veiling our view of the passing countryside. We all got more than a little wet walking from the parking garage to the hotel lobby, but quickly warmed up as we settled into our rooms and enjoyed a little downtime before dinner at the hotel dining room. After dinner the rain had diminished to an occasional drizzle, so some groups ventured out to explore the tiny downtown of Taormina, while others decided to stay in the hotel lobby or their rooms and play cards or connect to the hotel's free (!) wi-fi.
Tomorrow's activity is a tour of the town and its environs, including artifacts from the multiple distinct eras of Sicily's multi-ethnic history - ancient Greeks, Romans, Normans, and others all contributed to the mix of my homeland's varied history, culture, and cuisine. Afterward, there will be an optional tour of Mount Aetna, which I am most definitely attending - it's not every day you get the chance to climb an active volcano!
Salerno, on the Amalfi coast.
Who is this jaunty fellow?
After eating breakfast and checking out of our rooms in the Hotel Michelangelo, we boarded our bus yet again, this time taking the A3 highway south for the long drive to Reggio Calabria, from where we were to take the ferry from il Continente to Sicilia, Italy's 21st state. On a typical lengthy bus ride, things can get pretty boring pretty fast; but when you're traveling through southern Italy along the Amalfi coast, it's just not possible! We stopped at a highway rest area just above Salerno for photos, but even just when we were driving, the views from our windows were magnificent. The A3 cuts through the southern Apennines, and we were treated to one breathtaking vista after another (in between tunnels, that is...) as we went. Just before reaching Calabria is the village of Scilla, named for the mythical Scylla with its counterpart Charybdis, the twin menaces thought to reside in the Strait of Messina.
Our bus boarded the large ferry, and we then disembarked to walk along the outer decks and enjoy the sea air during the 20-minute ride across the straits to Messina as we waved farewell to mainland Italy. Messina gave us our first glimpse of Sicily's third-largest city, complete with all the typical urban accoutrements - traffic, more traffic, and carabinieri trying to keep it all from devolving into complete chaos! The weather began to turn quickly, and as we drove toward Taormina, the rain began in earnest, veiling our view of the passing countryside. We all got more than a little wet walking from the parking garage to the hotel lobby, but quickly warmed up as we settled into our rooms and enjoyed a little downtime before dinner at the hotel dining room. After dinner the rain had diminished to an occasional drizzle, so some groups ventured out to explore the tiny downtown of Taormina, while others decided to stay in the hotel lobby or their rooms and play cards or connect to the hotel's free (!) wi-fi.
Tomorrow's activity is a tour of the town and its environs, including artifacts from the multiple distinct eras of Sicily's multi-ethnic history - ancient Greeks, Romans, Normans, and others all contributed to the mix of my homeland's varied history, culture, and cuisine. Afterward, there will be an optional tour of Mount Aetna, which I am most definitely attending - it's not every day you get the chance to climb an active volcano!
Salerno, on the Amalfi coast.
Who is this jaunty fellow?
Some of those magnificent views I was talking about.
UPDATE: mudslide in Sicily
In case you've caught the news about the mudslide in southern Italy, let me reassure you that we have all arrived safely in our hotel in Taormina, Sicily. We don't anticipate the weather having any impact on us, with the possible exception that we might or might not be able to hike Mount Aetna tomorrow - we'll have to wait and see.
I'll be posting my regularly-scheduled update later this evening, after dinner.
--
Dr. P.
I'll be posting my regularly-scheduled update later this evening, after dinner.
--
Dr. P.
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