A Short History of DeWalt Power Tools

Various companies in the construction and woodworking industries have been using DeWalt power tools since the company's inception in 1924. But the groundwork of what was to become DeWalt was laid in 1922, when company founder Raymond e. DeWalt perfected the world's first radial arm machines in response to the demands of his job at the time. This machine, known as the "Wonder-Worker," greatly increased the versatility of woodworkers, and was the company's first product offering when it opened its doors two years later. DeWalt increased its capacity to serve the needs of clients by moving to an advanced facility in Lancaster, Pennsylvania five years afterwards.

The company began to grow rapidly in 1941 to meet the rapid demand for its tools, stimulated by World War II. In theyears after the war, the company continued to grow, expanding into Canada, and introducing new products such as metal-cutting machines and bench grinders, as well as increasing the capacity of its plant.

In 1992, the company kicked its product line into high gear, introducing a new line of portable electric power tools and related accessories aimed specifically at professionals. DeWalt's line of tools was expanded greatly when over 30 other cordless drills, and saws.

A Short History of DeWalt Power Tools

Frustrated With Everyday Mathematics/UCSMP? Why Is It So Different?

Recently while researching UCSMP, University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, for a completely different article, I came across articles about the elementary school version of this program, Everyday Mathematics. I found many, many articles written mostly by mothers. These articles quite literally radiated with anger and total frustration at their inability to help their children. One mother had reached the end of her ability to cope with the frustration and had shouted "I hate math" in front of her child. My first reaction was to try to call this mother to offer support and help if possible. With that approach not being possible, I decided an article would reach more people. A little understanding goes a long way. I think it will help a little to know how this series came tobe and why.

In my 1988 school district started using the UCSMP series. The Chicago Series, as we called it, was brand new. So new that it wasn't complete. At that time, the series started with Transition Math, which was actually pre-algebra; and that was the only book actually written and published. We added the next course the next year and continued this pattern until the high school program was complete. The year we were to add Geometry, the books weren't ready at the beginning of the school year, so we were sent photocopied sections that we had to copy for our students. The elementary version wasn't started until after the six-year program for grades 7-12 was complete.

Because the Chicago Series was so new and so very different from traditional math series, our districtmath teachers received a great deal of training directly from the University of Chicago and from the editors of the books. We were immersed in the research that lead to the development of the series and the philosophy behind the series. We were trained in how to alter our teaching methods to best take advantage of the strengths of the series, we were trained in how to teach reading in a math class because no other math texts expected students to read, we were trained in graphing calculator usage, and we were trained in how to educate and work with our parents because this component alone can make or break a new approach.

The research that the University of Chicago had conducted had to do with the percentage of review vs. new material that existed in math textbooks. The researchshowed that with the assumption that 1st grade math texts contained 100% new material, the texts for grades 2 through 8 contained 75% review material and only 25% new material. But starting with 9th grade Algebra, those percentages totally reversed. Students were not able to deal with the enormous amount to new information and skills being thrown at them. Students failed Algebra is large numbers. So the 1st change needed to be stretching out the normal four years of high school math to six years over grades 7-12. This decreased the amount of new material covered each year.

The other issue to be addressed was retention of material. The old "skill and drill" approach that most of us remember involved learning a new skill each day followed by 40-60 homework problems of practicing thatskill. Once the test was over, chapter that skill might not be seen again until the final exam. The retention rate was very poor. Chicago instituted the "spiraling" approach to learning and retaining skills. Each section usually introduced a new skill, but fewer problems were given at first and mastery was not expected. But review was built into every homework section so that by the end of the year the student had as much or more skill practice as the old style approach, but because that practice was spread out over the entire school year, retention of all the skills greatly increased.

I won't say that there weren't problems. Every new series receives resistance from parents (and some teachers). But I taught this series for many years. Except for Geometry, I taught every math coursefrom Algebra to PDM (Pre-Calculus and Discreet Math), and both of my children went through the entire high school part of the series. Over the years I saw a definite improvement in student understanding of mathematics. (I will also admit that I learned more about the importance and application of mathematics from this series than I did in college!) Before the Chicago Series I had taught out of "New Math" texts (in the ' 70 's) and more traditional math texts in the 80 's. The "New Math" of the ' 70 's actually caused more harm than good to mathematical understanding, and traditional texts produced students who where temporarily strong in basic math skills (the HOW of mathematics) but totally lacking in any actual understanding of the WHY of mathematics. Without the Why part, students seldomretained the basic skills longer than a few months. True mathematics success requires both the HOW and the WHY. The Chicago Series was the first series to actually begin to accomplish both. (And I am thankful that my children were taught from this series.)

You know that this country is in serious trouble with respect to mathematics education. It was recently announced that we (the US) rank 31st of 56 countries in mathematics and only 6% of our high school students take higher level math. And the latter applies to both public and private schools. The failure rate for 1st year Algebra is a terrible 50%. This was true when I started teaching in 1972 and is still true today. During the past 40 years, mathematics instruction has cycled through about six major (country-wide) philosophicalchanges, and none has had a major positive impact on mathematical understanding or results.

Many of the articles I read made a plea to return to "skill and drill" math; but, keep in mind that we have "been there and done that." It didn't work then and it won't work now. What we need is a totally new approach. UCSMP did have the right idea and was beginning to make the change we need. Unfortunately, there are two major requirements of UCSMP which are not being met and parents are feeling the results. Whether it is the elementary level or the high school level, UCSMP requires YEARLY teacher training for the new math teachers, and even more important is the need for constant training and parent involvement. When these needs aren't met, the result is the anger and frustration theseparents are feeling.

So what do we do? Until that "new" perfect approach "comes along, we need to make the best of what we have. Because this article got longer than intended, I decided to split it into two parts. The next article will include a short review of the problems and offer these parents 5 suggestions for getting help. The title of that article will be "Frustrated with Everyday Mathematics/UCSMP? 5 Reasons This Happens and 5 Suggestions For Help. " Please keep in mind that it is our children we need to consider. Returning to unsuccessful methods will do them no favors; and adult discomfort with what is different is not the reason to delete an approach with promise.

Frustrated With Everyday Mathematics/UCSMP? Why Is It So Different?

Oil Is Being Produced At the Earth's Core

A few months ago I wrote an article on oil that I would now like to advance the story on with this bit of perception and research that came from the book by Jerome Corsi called "Black Gold Stranglehold."

Nikolia Kudryavisev

Back in the days of Stalin a Russian Professor one 1951 Nikolai Kudryavisev perceived to belief that was later to become know as the Russian-Ukrainian theory of deep petroleum origins. The professor basically shoots down the theory that oil was formed from the remnants of ancient plant and animal life. The theory put forth by the professor and dozens of Russian scientists that followed his work states that the origin of oil came from deep within at the earth's core. Russian scientists at the time believed, as well as most of the academic community ofthat was, the ILO should be perceived as a primordial material that the earth forms at its core and squeezes out by the earth's rotation on a continuous basis.

Oil Produced By the Earth's Core

They believed the ILO was a natural resource of the earth that was produced by the earth's core and because of the earth's rotation & force was slowly oozed out centrifugal exp upward through cracks in the earth's substructure to form large pools sometimes close to the earth's surface. Thus their belief that oil could be found if only we obtained the knowledge of where these pools of oil existed close enough to the earth's surface to be able to drill and find it.

Stalin

This belief was not advanced for the world's consumption because Stalin had no particular reason at the time to passthis belief on to his enemies at the time which the U.S. and Britain. In addition all of the information was written in Russian by Russian scientists and published only in the Soviet Union at the time. Few American or British scholars at that time thus negating their read Russian gate to this theory.

The Theory of 1859

Some of the best Western scholars had the theory from 1859 dead set in their minds that the ILO was a fossil fuel thus eventually we would run out. They believed the Russian theory was to ill informed idea simply because it was beyond anything Western scholars could perceive as the truth at the time and beyond conventional wisdom.

A-biotic Oil Origins

The past fifty years Russian scientists have published thousands of academic articles that advance andsubstantiate the theory of deep, a-biotic petroleum origins. Many thousand of other articles have also been generated by chemists, geologists, physicists, all expounding and validating the theory that oil is produced at the earth's core on a continuous daily basis.

Today the origin of oil theory is widely accepted by Russian scientists even though the rest of the world believes the old fossil theory that originated from theorist in 1859. Few of the Russian scientists theories have never been translated in to English so that the rest of the world can know what the acceptable theory among the academics in Russia is.

Running Out of Oil?

Generations of Americans and Westerners over the years have had the mistaken belief that we are indeed running out of oil. Thus the beliefthat our capitalistic oil companies are intent on making hideous profits at our expense making our lives miserable and driving the price of everything we buy to unrealistic levels. Any idea that competes with the fossil theory is mocked, ridiculed, and marginalized to the extent that is not examined for the truth that might be found. This is the only way that radical environmentalists can continue their adolescent attacks on the world's oil companies. This keeps the oil companies from drilling for new oil and keeps a stranglehold on production so that radicals can call the American oil companies at its worst corrupt capitalists.

Radical Environmentalists

The very thought that oil might be produced daily at the earth's core and that oil could be a renewable resource is indeedvery threatening to radical environmentalists who have their own agenda that is not the world 's. The idea that we are running out of oil, that oil has finally had its hay day and now we need to find alternative sources is the mindset today. This serves companies that are in competition with big oil to come up with alternative ideas for energy like the burning of corn fuel. Turning corn into fuel has already driven the price of red meat to astronomical levels because there is just so much corn produced every year and corn fuel takes away from the feed of cattle making it more expensive to use as feed.

OPEC

Oil Is Being Produced At the Earth's Core

Choosing the Right Tomato Pots

I wanted to have a tomato garden in my apartment but there is just no space for an outdoor garden. So I went to a local nursery and asked for some advice on how to start a tomato garden indoors. The first advice was to choose the right tomato pots. This involves the size and the type of pots or containers to use that would go along with the indoor set up.

I learned that the right size of tomato pots must have the capability to support a productive, full grown plant. A single tomato plant can grow for a season in an 18 inch pot. Keep in mind that the weight of the pot and the drainage system should also be considered when choosing pots for your tomato plants.

To be more specific, a pot or container at least 12 to 16 inches deep is ideal for your tomato plants. Mosttomato plants, including cherry tomatoes, grow large and need a lot of space for maximum production. The larger your pot, the larger the amount of tomato fruits your plant will produce. Some pots come with holes in the bottom, but if you think that it's not sufficient enough to drain excess water drill at least four small holes. If your pot has large holes that allow too much drainage, place coffee filters at the bottom before adding your soil.

Another thing I was advised to consider when choosing a container for tomato plants is the material of the pot. Water-proof plastic and fibreglass pots have the tendency to retain moisture. I know they are ideal containers for tomato plants than clay or terracotta plants. Besides, plastic pots are less expensive and do not break easily. Ceramicclays are sealed with glazed. Another option is wooden planters. However, they are not sealed, so you have to seal them first before you can use them. In the long run they discolor and get splintered.

Another option to consider when saving money is recycling old containers. You can look around the house and you are sure to find something that can be used as pots. I'm sure you have an old five-gallon bucket somewhere in the shed that can be used as a pot. How about half wine barrels or wooden packing cases that are stashed somewhere in the basement? Bear in mind, though, that the recycled things should be made of non-toxic material and are able to provide drainage at the bottom. If there is no hole at the bottom, drill some holes big enough to drain excess water and yet small enoughto keep the soil intact.

In the end, your good judgment should be used in picking the right tomato pots. With plenty of options to choose, let's begin planting our tomato plants.

Choosing the Right Tomato Pots