A challenge to all Orblers: who can send the most free rice?
January 28th 2008 20:50
I’m not always proud to be a human being. Our species’ track record in peace-keeping, environment protection and general love for one another amidst our diversity mostly depresses me and makes me a self-hating homosapien. There is too much to be ashamed of.
We’re an ignominious bunch.
Now don’t you just hate it when someone throws a word in that you sort of kind of possibly know the meaning of, but … not really? I mean, what the hell does ‘ignominious’ actually mean? Most of us think we're pretty well-read person with decent vocabularies and then you’ll be reading a book, by someone like Ian McEwan, and there it is. A word like ‘lissome,’ or ‘stygian.’ Or ‘concrescence.’ And you go: 'what??' But it's too much work to get out the old dictionary, so you read on, never to find out, and hoping the context will make it clear or at least that it is not crucial to the plot. Or a kid asks you, ‘mum, what does ‘ineffable’ mean? Ever tried explaining what ‘irony’ is to an eight year old?
We may all be immersed in language, but most of us have stopped consciously growing our vocabularies, and end up using the same words over and over. Hence my love of the right click for synonyms which illuminate not only our language but our thoughts.
But here’s an irony: while the first world may be suffering from a vocabulary drought, the third world is quietly starving. As in dying from hunger. It is the incongruity of this reality that sometimes shocks me while I’m sipping on my cappuccino and I open the paper and read about what is happening in Rwanda or Zimbabwe. And I return to the wellspring of my satiated roof-over-the-head, food-on-the-table life, and think about what a wank it is to be writing when mothers are weeping and burying their children.
So I’m a big fan of clever ideas that link the first and third worlds with the aim of actually Doing Something About This Irony. Here’s one of the cleverest I’ve seen which I think the likes of the Orble community might just go for.
It’s called Free Rice. And it is a completely not-for-profit idea which both helps us improve our vocabulary and end world hunger.
You click onto freerice.com and every time you get the meaning of a word right (you get four to choose from), they donate 20 grains of rice to somewhere in the world where people need it. It is linked to the United Nations World Food programme which is definitely not a big wank, but is actually trying to prevent people from starving to death. The UN estimates that about 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children.
As you play, you get to see your totals add up, and to be honest, it’s quite addictive. So I challenge each of you to go into freerice.com and improve your vocab and send me your results. Let’s see who can send the most rice in one sitting. My highest score is 2840 on level 41-44.
While you’re finessing your understanding that pecaddillo does not refer to a small muscle on your chest, but is an indiscretion, some person, somewhere will be going to sleep with a full belly.
Bravo, Free Rice.
www.freerice.com
www.poverty.com
www.joannefedler.com
We’re an ignominious bunch.
Now don’t you just hate it when someone throws a word in that you sort of kind of possibly know the meaning of, but … not really? I mean, what the hell does ‘ignominious’ actually mean? Most of us think we're pretty well-read person with decent vocabularies and then you’ll be reading a book, by someone like Ian McEwan, and there it is. A word like ‘lissome,’ or ‘stygian.’ Or ‘concrescence.’ And you go: 'what??' But it's too much work to get out the old dictionary, so you read on, never to find out, and hoping the context will make it clear or at least that it is not crucial to the plot. Or a kid asks you, ‘mum, what does ‘ineffable’ mean? Ever tried explaining what ‘irony’ is to an eight year old?
We may all be immersed in language, but most of us have stopped consciously growing our vocabularies, and end up using the same words over and over. Hence my love of the right click for synonyms which illuminate not only our language but our thoughts.
But here’s an irony: while the first world may be suffering from a vocabulary drought, the third world is quietly starving. As in dying from hunger. It is the incongruity of this reality that sometimes shocks me while I’m sipping on my cappuccino and I open the paper and read about what is happening in Rwanda or Zimbabwe. And I return to the wellspring of my satiated roof-over-the-head, food-on-the-table life, and think about what a wank it is to be writing when mothers are weeping and burying their children.
So I’m a big fan of clever ideas that link the first and third worlds with the aim of actually Doing Something About This Irony. Here’s one of the cleverest I’ve seen which I think the likes of the Orble community might just go for.
It’s called Free Rice. And it is a completely not-for-profit idea which both helps us improve our vocabulary and end world hunger.
You click onto freerice.com and every time you get the meaning of a word right (you get four to choose from), they donate 20 grains of rice to somewhere in the world where people need it. It is linked to the United Nations World Food programme which is definitely not a big wank, but is actually trying to prevent people from starving to death. The UN estimates that about 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children.
As you play, you get to see your totals add up, and to be honest, it’s quite addictive. So I challenge each of you to go into freerice.com and improve your vocab and send me your results. Let’s see who can send the most rice in one sitting. My highest score is 2840 on level 41-44.
While you’re finessing your understanding that pecaddillo does not refer to a small muscle on your chest, but is an indiscretion, some person, somewhere will be going to sleep with a full belly.
Bravo, Free Rice.
www.freerice.com
www.poverty.com
www.joannefedler.com
| 107 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Excellently crafted post about an excellently conceived method for helping the hungry! I love the Free Rice website!
Though I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to visit, my top score was 2,000 grains in a single sitting--not enough to beat your score of 2,840, but still quite a feat, since that involved correctly defining 200 words! (As I recall, my vocabulary levels were roughly the same as yours, though I'd have to go back and check my "Improve Your Vocabulary, Feed the Hungry" post to be sure.)
Keep up the good work of telling people about this great way to help feed the hungry and coming up with innovative ways of encouraging them to participate!
Another great site is The Hunger Site, a click-to-give site which is absolutely free and provides sponsor donations to help feed the hungry every time a visitor clicks the "give" button. (Each visitor can click once a day.) It's part of a bank of six different click-to-give sites that provide free donations to various charitable causes. (You may have seen the post on my blog back in December.)
Love this post!
Jeanne
Comment by AmyHuang
Sydney Table
Project Job Search
Travel Debate
Travel String
Love Adventures
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
But I got so caught up in it I didn't realise how long I'd been going!
4320 grains on level 46.
I'll be visiting that site again no doubt. Glad you found a way to save the world!
Michaelie
Comment by Pat
Books Are For Losers
Comment by Joanne Fedler
Secret Writers Business
I've cut and pasted this from FreeRice's FAQ page:
Who pays for the donated rice?
The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen. This is regular advertising for these companies, but it is also something more. Through their advertising at FreeRice, these companies support both learning (free vocabulary for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry). We commend these companies for their participation at FreeRice.
If FreeRice has the rice to give, why not give it all away right now?
FreeRice is not sitting on a pile of rice―you are earning it 20 grains at a time. Here is how it works. When you play the game, advertisements appear on the bottom of your screen. The money generated by these advertisements is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for the rice donated to hungry people.
Does FreeRice make any money from this?
No, it does not. FreeRice runs the site at no profit.
Go Michaeilie, obviously your vocab is much more delicious than mine - I couldn't get above level 44.... nice work. Thanks Jeanne for your lovely comments. How did you go Amy? So far looks like Michaelie's definitely our winner...
Jo
Comment by tlcorbin
Coffee Quip
A Global Citizen
Paranormal Paranormal
Is Why
Alaska Chronicle
Comment by Laura lonky loo u know who