News for today's 2018

IRAN AND ARGENTINA

2:19 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxkpekZ5pM0oIDTFDs9mMpf9aAQGeB3tgXXfdzDenc5x8MKsX2pmReGTsPxp3ia-pgngUlSmCAG8a3OeaZXZuVAi5rXsaNCVjH3pHpKbyxwpab3C0b9JTRA9y-H4hDuo-QFz5BAoWhdTC/s1600/62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxkpekZ5pM0oIDTFDs9mMpf9aAQGeB3tgXXfdzDenc5x8MKsX2pmReGTsPxp3ia-pgngUlSmCAG8a3OeaZXZuVAi5rXsaNCVjH3pHpKbyxwpab3C0b9JTRA9y-H4hDuo-QFz5BAoWhdTC/s400/62.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">WHY ARGENTINA IS REACHING OUT TO IRAN </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By Emily Schmall</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TRADE CONSIDERATIONS UNDERLIE THE DEAL</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">ARGENTINA announced it would work with IRAN to resolve a deadly 1994 anti-Semitic attack in Buenos Aires. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">After years of impasse, ARGENTINA and IRAN this week announced an agreement to work together on solving one of the deadliest anti-Semitic attacks anywhere since World War II. The deal emerged in the midst of deepening trade ties and has generated skepticism from the US and ISRAEL. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6896989063397229776" name="nextParagraph"></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 1994, a suicide bomber drove a van full of explosives into the ARGENTINA Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) building, killing 85, wounding about 300, and tearing at the heart of Buenos Aries’ Jewish population, the 3<sup>rd</sup>largest in the world. An ARGENTINE special prosecutor in 2006 accused Hezbollah, the LEBANESE group with strong ties to IRAN and SYRIA, of executing the attacks with financing from IRANIAN government officials.</span></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Food for thought by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring</span></u></b><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: It should be noted that former ARGENTINE president Carlos Menem is of SYRIAN origin who converted from Islam to Catholicism in order to become president of ARGENTINA. His family comes from Yabrud, a small town located about 80 km north of Damascus, close to the border of LEBANON. Aside from ARGENTINE S  3<sup>rd</sup>largest worldwide Jewish community there is also an estimate of 1million Muslims,  </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">mainly of  SYRIAN LEBANESE descent, </span></i></b>residing in Argentina and although being a Roman Catholic dominated country, the capital of Buenos Aires has no landmark cathedral as is the case in other catholic countries but instead the largest mosque in Latin AMERICA, the king Fahd mosque and Islamic center, (inaugurated by Menem) located in the heart of Buenos Aires. </span></i></b></span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFgF4MlI7X0iSSX1OYK3wmKv7JphzIxXrL_nX4OrwhWqtM_cSv9faS2EVo_BBglBfNw2sxxwSXKT0nxue0sczzdr4IU66kWwzCS2QCFYn6PjqktqkVg-PgNguNNNREKpfL_S_61UUsbaq/s1600/Argentina-1994-bombing-AP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFgF4MlI7X0iSSX1OYK3wmKv7JphzIxXrL_nX4OrwhWqtM_cSv9faS2EVo_BBglBfNw2sxxwSXKT0nxue0sczzdr4IU66kWwzCS2QCFYn6PjqktqkVg-PgNguNNNREKpfL_S_61UUsbaq/s320/Argentina-1994-bombing-AP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> 1994-AMIA bombing Buenos Aires</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">ARGENTINA and IRAN announced an agreement to create a joint commission of international legal experts to investigate the 1994 attack. As part of the agreement, prosecutors will be allowed for the first time to interrogate suspects – in Tehran.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">FLAGGING ECONOMIES THE REASON FOR REACH OUT? </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">The announcement, signed by Foreign Minister Minister Héctor Timerman and his IRANIAN counterpart, Ali Albar Salehi, on the sidelines of an AFRICAN Union meeting in ETHIOPIA, symbolizes ARGENTINA’S warming ties with IRAN as both countries seek non-traditional trading partners to shore up their flagging economies.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Banned from international credit markets because of outstanding debts with the Paris Club and World Bank, ARGENTINA has brokered bilateral agreements with autocratic regimes like IRAN. Pinioned by international sanctions, IRAN has also had to look for new partners, finding in South America a sympathetic group of populist governments, according to Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, an economist and professor at Virginia Tech  university.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">“It has to establish friendly relations with countries so that it can trust that its assets won’t be seized,” says Professor Salehi-Isfahani.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Additionally, IRAN is attempting to keep its food prices down amid currency devaluation aggravated by sanctions on its oil, says Salehi-Isfahani.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">“ARGENTINA has quickly become one of IRAN’S principle food importers so this is becoming a relationship IRAN needs to nurture,” he says.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ARGENTINA EXPORTS LARGE VOLUMES OF AGRICULTURAL GOODS, HELPING IRAN AVOID FOOD SHORTAGES THAT WOULD LIKELY TRIGGER SOCIAL UNREST</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">ARGENTINA has cut IRANIAN crude imports to comply with existing sanctions, but continues to export large volumes of agricultural goods, helping IRAN avoid food shortages that would likely trigger social unrest, Salehi-Isfahani says. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Trade between IRAN and ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, ECUADOR, BOLIVIAN, and VENEZUELA rose to $3.6 billion in 2011, according to the Inter – American Development Bank. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">See also related article:</span> <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/11/irans-untouchable-energy-exports.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/11/irans-untouchable-energy-exports.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;"> “We see ARGENTINA’S rapprochement with IRAN as dangerous for the entire region because IRAN is a sponsor of international terrorism with a regime that doesn’t respect human rights. ARGENTINA has nothing in common with IRAN and should have nothing to do with it,” says Sergio Widder, the representative of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization, in Buenos Aires.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">The US State Department says it is monitoring IRAN’S engagement with the Western Hemisphere closely.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">IRAN is among several oil-rich countries with a consumer class, including ANGOLA and AZERBAIJAN, that ARGENTINA has sought as trading partners to help plug its widening energy deficit and to buy its agricultural and domestic products.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">See: <span style="color: blue;"><b>ARGENTINA AND ANGOLA</b></span> <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/argentina-and-africa.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/05/argentina-and-africa.html</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Though still accounting for a small portion of ARGENTINA’S overall trade, the partnerships could become more valuable thanks to recent joint chambers of commerce that opened last year in Buenos Aires.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6896989063397229776" name="eztoc14907371_1"></a><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">LEGITIMATE FEAR THAT IRAN COULD GAIN ACCESS TO ARGENTINA’S ATOMIC ENERGY PROGRAM?</span></b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDMU1w5b3l5Rb8Ku856SAsLwvJ6_oUwNN1_sxszkvwhDS5rR1LFqzET_wrLtesCX_diW17AXVf1zDOhP2-GjTlrWhfU_YANVWOIc-ogaomEBLNYoocjMQ9nq77fpH5X8KSODeRP1aU1Vg/s1600/110748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDMU1w5b3l5Rb8Ku856SAsLwvJ6_oUwNN1_sxszkvwhDS5rR1LFqzET_wrLtesCX_diW17AXVf1zDOhP2-GjTlrWhfU_YANVWOIc-ogaomEBLNYoocjMQ9nq77fpH5X8KSODeRP1aU1Vg/s320/110748.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">ISRAEL and the US have expressed wariness about ARGENTINA’S increasingly normalized relations with IRAN.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">ISRAEL, which for years has attempted to isolate IRAN through international sanctions in a bid for the country to drop its nuclear program, condemned the joint “truth commission” announced earlier this week to investigate the AMIA case. ISRAEL'S foreign ministry said in a press release that it received news of the agreement "with astonishment...and deep disappointment."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">ISRAEL’S deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, told the ISRAELI newspaper Haaretz that holding a joint investigation with Iran was “like inviting the murderer to participate in the murder investigation.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">The US Embassy in Buenos Aires also expressed doubt about the ARGENTINE-IRANIAN accord. “We are skeptical that a just solution can be found in the arrangement announced,” says a press officer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Fears are periodically raised in the ARGENTINE press about the possibility of IRAN gaining access to ARGENTINA’S atomic energy program, though the US State Department dismissed the possibility in a press conference late last year, calling ARGENTINA a firm ally in the international campaign to keep IRAN from developing nuclear technology.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6896989063397229776" name="eztoc14907371_2"></a><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE WITH STRONGMEN </span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">ARGENTINA is leading LATIN AMERICA in forging new trade partnerships with fast-growing, oil-rich, autocratic regimes in AFRICA and the MIDDLE EAST. In 2012, huge delegations of diplomats and business people traveled to ANGOLA, ruled by the strongman Jose Eduardo dos Santos and AZERBAIJAN, whose president, has been criticized for a rise in religious persecution of non-Muslims.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Comment by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring</span></u></b><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When it comes to securing energy resources no country seems to have scruples from whom and where to get its oil. SAUDI ARABIA can hardly be considered a democratic country and yet the USA imports vast amount oil from SAUDI ARABIA as well as VENEZUELA. ISRAEL has strong ties with AZERBAIJAN etc</span></i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">See also: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/usa-china-and-africa.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/usa-china-and-africa.html</a>and </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/israel-azerbaijan-and-kazakhstan_6.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/israel-azerbaijan-and-kazakhstan_6.html</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">The agreement with IRAN represents a turnabout for ARGENTINA. President Kirchner had previously appealed to the UNITED NATIONS to pressure the Iranians to comply with its earlier investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing. However, at last year’s General Assembly meeting, Kirchner announced ARGENTINA would be seeking to resolve the case jointly with IRAN, initiating several rounds of secret negotiations that riled ARGENTINA’S Jewish community.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">To date IRAN has ignored international arrest warrants for nine people ARGENTINA suspects in the attacks, including a former IRANIAN president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani  , and IRAN’S current defense minister, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Whether ARGENTINA can win IRAN’S cooperation through trade where international sanctions have failed remains to be seen. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

IRAN AND ARGENTINA

WHY ARGENTINA IS REACHING OUT TO IRAN By Emily Schmall TRADE CONSIDERATIONS UNDERLIE THE DEAL ARGENTINA announced it would work with IRAN ...

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 02/01/2013

11:30 AM Tukiyooo 0

<ul class="diigo-linkroll">      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://educationismylife.com/global-education-by-design/">Education Is My Life | Global Education By Design</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">Over on Education is my life, they've just posted my guest post about how to design global education, big picture. If you're interesting in designing global projects, head over there and take a look.</p>              <p class="diigo-tags">          <span>tags:</span>                      <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/flatclass">flatclass</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/evernote">evernote</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/globaled">globaled</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/flatclassroom">flatclassroom</a></p>                                        </li>  </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 02/01/2013

Education Is My Life | Global Education By Design Over on Education is my life, they've just pos...

X Games safety in spotlight after snowmobiler Caleb Moore's death

8:14 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px;">Friends mourn 25-year-old star athlete and 'fierce competitor', whose accidental death is first in daring contest's 18-year history</span><br /><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span itemprop="name" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a class="contributor" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/tommccarthy" itemprop="url" rel="author" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Tom McCarthy</a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"> in New York From: </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">http://www.guardian.co.uk</a><br /><img alt="x games caleb moore" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/1/31/1359661259702/x-games-caleb-moore-008.jpg" /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Emergency personnel tend to Moore after he crashed during the snowmobile freestyle event last week. Photograph: Christian Murdock/AP</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><br /><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">Caleb Moore was a top athlete in one of the most daring competitions ever devised for television: freestyle snowmobiling. But his death on Thursday from injuries sustained in last week's Winter X Games threw his sport – and the attending spectacle – into a harsh new light.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">The 25-year-old died in a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/colorado" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Colorado">Colorado</a> hospital from medical complications affecting his brain, a family spokesperson said.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">"He will be truly missed and never forgotten," the family said in a statement. "The family wishes to express their deep gratitude for all the prayers and support they have received from all the fans, friends and family around the world that Caleb has inspired."</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">Moore crashed a minute into a routine in which he treated his 450-pound snowmobile like a broomstick, spinning around it in midair as he flew from ramp from ramp. He had been attempting a backflip with his machine, a trick he had performed many times. The X Games, which are produced by ESPN, are built on such excitement – and risk.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">Moore's death was directly preceded by warnings that X Games athletes were taking life-threatening risks in the pursuit of victory – and the fame and potentially lucrative sponsorship deals that could follow.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">Under the headline "It's only a matter of time before someone dies at the X-Games", Brent Rose, a writer for the sports site Deadspin, described his dismay at the multiple accidents – including Moore's – he witnessed at this year's games, held in Aspen. Rose's report was published Thursday morning, before news spread of Moore's death.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">"As I watched these athletes fly over my head, it really hit home just how miraculous the zero-casualty rate was," <a href="http://deadspin.com/5980175/its-only-a-matter-of-time-before-someone-dies-at-the-x-games" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Rose wrote</a>. "'Maybe it's safer than it looks,' I thought for a brief moment. And then they started dropping like planes over Midway."</div><span class="inline" style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; display: block; float: left; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><img alt="x games caleb moore" height="132" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/1/31/1359661363711/x-games-caleb-moore-004.jpg" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;" width="220" /><span class="caption" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; display: block; font-size: 0.858em; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 220px;">Caleb Moore</span></span><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">The X Games have been a huge success for sponsors and broadcasters – and a huge treat for fans – since their inception 18 years ago. With a focus on sports such as skateboarding and BMX that once lived on the commercial margins, the games gave athletes new professional avenues and fans new access to the excitement. The advent of the Winter X Games in 1997 shed a lucrative spotlight on snowboarding and snowmobiling.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">For ESPN, the games have been a big success. This year's winter competition broke all records for viewership, drawing 35.4 million US viewers, including all live and repeat telecasts, according to <a href="http://business.transworld.net/86566/news/x-games-2012-ratings-soar/" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">official figures</a>. Viewership among the key demographic, men aged 18-34, was up 16%.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">With the global television audience for the games growing, <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/espn-content-chief-john-skipper-if-the-fans-want-to-watch-it-we-are-going-to-try-and-get-it_b87703" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">ESPN plans</a>to produce competitions at sites outside the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/usa" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #005689; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="More from guardian.co.uk on United States">United States</a> for the first time next year. As with the Olympics, potential host cities will participate in a formal bidding process to host the games. Unlike the Olympics, the process will be arbitrated not by an international committee but by the games' for-profit broadcaster: ESPN.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">In a statement Thursday, X Games officials expressed condolences and said Moore would be remembered "for his natural passion for life and his deep love for his family and friends".</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">Moore's agent, BC Vaught, told the Associated Press that Moore didn't believe his sport was too extreme, but rather "it was a lifestyle". He was good at it – along with ATV racing – and had accumulated a garage full of trophies.</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">Fellow snowmobile rider Levi LaVallee recently described Moore as a "fierce competitor".</div><div style="background-color: white; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 13px; padding: 0px;">"A very creative mind," LaVallee said. "I've watched him try some crazy, crazy tricks, and some of them were successful, some of them not so much. But he was first guy to get back on a sled and go try it again. It shows a lot of heart."</div></div>

Caleb Moore X Games X Games safety in spotlight after snowmobiler Caleb Moore's death

Friends mourn 25-year-old star athlete and 'fierce competitor', whose accidental death is first in daring contest's 18-year hist...

sharing the love

7:34 AM Anonymous 0

<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In an effort to <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-goals.html" target="_blank">work on my sharing</a></span><span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueUI','serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"> , </span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I've got some exciting news to pass along. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I've been asked to be a contributor to the blog for my favorite local design magazine, <a href="http://www.stlmag.com/St-Louis-AT-HOME/" target="_blank">St Louis At Home</a></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">! And what's even better is that today is <a href="http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Secretary-of-the-Interior/" target="_blank">my first post</a>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBqkKpRFAJ7b5A3A5KDMExiMfRYIov7ltY8Wm8Pzf1Jlp0EaGnymHXU8BBXMChkoB4yNTxvD1_RkJyYOW1ACkdSObFY7mmCQehEBsYt1Z5yolBH2okq8Ahf_fjAioiYqmDGuWDcsclr8C/s1600/Secretary-of-the-Interior.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBqkKpRFAJ7b5A3A5KDMExiMfRYIov7ltY8Wm8Pzf1Jlp0EaGnymHXU8BBXMChkoB4yNTxvD1_RkJyYOW1ACkdSObFY7mmCQehEBsYt1Z5yolBH2okq8Ahf_fjAioiYqmDGuWDcsclr8C/s200/Secretary-of-the-Interior.gif" width="200" /></a></div><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br />I'm sharing a bit of DIY art you may remember, so<a href="http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Secretary-of-the-Interior/February-2013/DIY-Polka-Dot-Art-Inspired-by-Damien-Hirst/" target="_blank"> check it out</a>. And make sure to check in next week when I share more exciting news! (You see, I crack the door open just a bit and now I'm sharing all over the place)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Happy Weekend!<o:p></o:p></span></div>

sharing the love

In an effort to work on my sharing , I've got some exciting news to pass along. I've been asked to be a contributor to the blog f...

28 in 28 #1: Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present

6:00 AM Tukiyooo 0

<i>February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The "<a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/search/label/28%20in%2028">28 in 28</a>" series features a different book every day of the month.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.laurenceking.com/en/key-buildings-from-prehistory-to-the-present/"><b><i>Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present: Plans, Sections and Elevations</i></b></a> by Andrew Ballantyne<br />Laurence King Publishing, 2012<br />Hardcover, 320 pages<br /><br /><img alt="28-28_key.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/28-28_key.jpg" title="Book cover" /><br /><br />The first "key building" in Andrew Ballantyne's survey from prehistory to present—in a chapter on "culture-defining moments"—is not a building at all. It is Uluru, familiarly known as Ayers Rock, a landform in Australia's Northern Territory. What follows this first entry is a fairly typical list of buildings—if more international than most architectural histories—most of them from before the Industrial Revolution. So Uluru, and to a lesser degree the rest of the first chapter,  seems primed to provoke. What makes a natural feature a building? Is architecture more than the shelters humans create for themselves? Is there value in a plan, section, and elevation of a large rock?<br /><br />Ballantyne reasons that architectural history should notice cultures that don't produce monuments. In contrasting European colonists and Aboriginals, Ayers Rock was seen as a geological formation, but Uluru was formed by singing or other means during Dreamtime, the age of the Aboriginal's ancestors. By today's (Western) definition of architecture, the orange rock is beautiful and substantial but hardly something to be considered with the Great Pyramid at Khufu, the Parthenon, or the Eiffel Tower. Its inclusion reminds readers that different cultures and epochs have different ways of living, none of which is unimportant. Such is why the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Judge+Harry+Pregerson+Interchange&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=WPn&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ci0LUeLQKMm40gGA_4CoBg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=1272&bih=658">Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange</a> in Los Angeles is found at the end of the first chapter. <br /><br />Other distinctions between eras are visible in the drawings that make this volume and <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2009/01/12/key-urban-housing-of-the-twentieth-century/">other "key</a> <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2008/07/book-review-key-contemporary-buildings.html">buildings" titles</a> valuable. Orthographic drawings—plans, sections, elevations—are helpful in understanding space and structure, but they are also technological; they are conventions that architects have used since the Renaissance. Buildings before the Renaissance—Machu Picchu, Medina at Fes, Houses in Burkina Faso, for exampe—are more readily understood in the photographs provided rather than the drawings, which can't capture the complexity of the architecture. But these are the minority, for most of the drawings do a great job in aiding the understanding of some of the most significant buildings in history, all over the world. With drawings on the included CD-ROM, this is a title especially valuable for students of architecture.<br /><br /><b>US: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1856698378/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=aweeklydoseof-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1856698378" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan.gif" /></a> CA: <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1856698378/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=aweeklydoseof-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1856698378" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.ca" border="0" height="28" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan-ca.gif" width="90" /></a> UK: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1856698378/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=aweeklydoseof-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1856698378" target="_blank"><img alt="Buy from Amazon.co.uk" border="0" height="28" src="http://www.archidose.org/books/buy-from-tan-uk.gif" width="90" /></a></b>

28 in 28 #1: Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present

February is Book Month on A Daily Dose of Architecture. The " 28 in 28 " series features a different book every day of the month. ...

Some service members sleep too little | Body & Brain | Science News

4:05 AM Tukiyooo 0

Some members of the armed forces are strikingly short on sleep, according to a review of medical records of U.S. military personnel.<br /><br><br /><br>The study, which appears online January 31 in Sleep, uses data from active-duty military people who sought out, or were referred to, a clinic because they had a sleep complaint. Even though the study is not a random sample, some scientists believe the low levels of sleep found in the records raise serious questions about the health of the armed forces. Sleep problems in the study sample were often associated with conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety, brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.<br /><br><br /><br>Scientists know that sleep deprivation can affect mood, concentration, reaction time and cognitive function. But little information is available specifically about sleep loss in the military.<br /><br><br /><br>"It's really the first study to take a good epidemiological look at sleep in military personnel," says Alan Peterson, a psychologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio who wasn't involved in the study.<br /><br><br /><br>Researchers reviewed the charts of every person who was admitted to Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., in 2010 for sleep-related complaints and underwent polysomnography, a diagnostic test that measures physiological changes during sleep. The 725 people whose records were analyzed served in the Army, Navy or Air Force and had an average age of 36. The vast majority of the medical charts belonged to people who had been in combat, and many had been deployed to war zones multiple times.<br /><br><br /><br>Of the people, 85 percent had sleep problems meriting treatment, with sleep apnea and insomnia the most common. Both can cause daytime sleepiness and fatigue. People who didn't have a sleep disorder mainly snored or had other mild symptoms.<br /><br><br /><br>Nearly 42 percent of the people in the study said they got five hours of sleep or less per night on average, and another 26.5 percent reported only six hours, the reviewers found. "That was the most surprising finding," says study coauthor Vincent Mysliwiec, a pulmonary and sleep physician at Madigan.<br /><br><br /><br>The risks of sleep deprivation in combat might seem obvious but actually aren't well understood, he says. "When you're getting shot at, you just don't fall asleep," soldiers have told him.<br /><br><br /><br>The findings suggest that the military needs to think about sleep as a resource that has value, much like fuel or water, he says. Vehicles need fuel and soldiers need water, and neither is sent into combat without enough, he says. "Sleep should be viewed with the same perspective."<br /><br><br /><br>Instead, soldiers are taught to find downtime to catch up on sleep. "All soldiers need to rest and recover," Mysliwiec says. "How much is possible in a wartime environment depends on the unit you're deployed with."<br /><br><br /><br>Caffeinated beverages such as coffee or so-called energy drinks may contribute to sleep problems as well, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in November. A survey of service members deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 found that those who consumed three or more such beverages per day were more likely than those who drank two or fewer to experience sleep disruption or to fall asleep in briefings or on guard duty – but not while riding in convoys.<br /><br>Researchers have long known about the military's culture of insufficient sleep, say Nita Lewis Shattuck and Stephanie Brown of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., writing in the same issue of Sleep. "For many individuals in the military, sleep is considered a luxury or even a weakness." The new findings highlight the need for policy changes, they conclude.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347980/description/Some_service_members_sleep_too_little">http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347980/description/Some_service_members_sleep_too_little</a>

Some service members sleep too little | Body & Brain | Science News

Some members of the armed forces are strikingly short on sleep, according to a review of medical records of U.S. military personnel. The stu...

When you're angry

3:40 AM Tukiyooo 0

<p> There are times we all get angry with students. Not just red but boiling, lava infused, steam producing fury.</p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9js2M5PJHifUaRITFSAFHiNS-pCYGt6xhs0IQv_yY-qrBdfAi2WOIIOkaD_LE51iL9Skg-eWDE3tak3ZsRfx1UJiHXZLNqyhVE8YWgdYaDCBFs6cyNJ8GLT1UpUSl7EN-NuQ5ogrEvxc0/s1024/Photo%252520Jan%25252023%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A20%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: right; float: right;  "><img alt="" class="alignright" height="373" id="blogsy-1359719150559.4272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9js2M5PJHifUaRITFSAFHiNS-pCYGt6xhs0IQv_yY-qrBdfAi2WOIIOkaD_LE51iL9Skg-eWDE3tak3ZsRfx1UJiHXZLNqyhVE8YWgdYaDCBFs6cyNJ8GLT1UpUSl7EN-NuQ5ogrEvxc0/s500/Photo%252520Jan%25252023%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525207%25253A20%252520AM.jpg" width="500"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was put in our teacher's lounge when our PTO gave us a surprise breakfast recently. We do give kids a great start, but what happens when something they do starts our blood boiling? How do we react and stay professional?</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>I think it is important to be self-aware and determine what you will do when you are that angry. I've developed a method that has helped me from making mistakes. </p> <p>When you're angry, and I'm talking anger at a student here, usually the student has done something very very wrong. You know they are wrong but you don't know their side of the story. <strong>You are furious but you aren't listening</strong>. Now, if you go and say something awful or get so mad that you can't control yourself then you will do something wrong and it will be YOU in trouble.</p> <p>Losing control in your anger is kind of like this. If you've ever had one string loose on a pair of pants, and those pants were, perhaps, a little snug. When that string broke and boom - you realize that you now feel air where no air should be hitting and run to go see what happened (to the bathroom or some other private place.) That is what this kind of anger is like. You're about to expose a part of you that must remain hidden.</p> <p>When I am experiencing britches splitting anger - and it usually only happens about once a year -- but it happened to me recently... I do the same thing I would do if my britches busted wide open -- I run. I get away to a private place so I can calm down and think clearly.</p> <p>I used to stay and confront. </p> <p>That was until I had to reap the consequences of the stupidity and lack of clear headedness I have when I really lose it. </p> <p>Now, I go take a moment.</p> <p>Now, if I have a class and lose it, I stick my head next door to the teacher I know very very well - she's seen me lose it the other 10 times in the last 11 years and knows when I'm unglued -- I will tell her - I'm at my limit, I'll be right back, can she keep an eye on them. Meanwhile, I'll send the student to the office immediately and I'll go to the ladies room in the back and catch my breath and calm down.  I call on other teachers to stand in the gap until I can sew myself back in and gain composure.<br></p> <p>Recently, I lost it with someone but wasn't in class. I said, "I'm sorry, I can't talk about this right now, I'm about to make a scene because I'm so upset. I WILL talk to you first thing in the morning after I can think through this clearly."  I did immediately speak with the principal.</p> <p>The tough thing about this method is that the child will usually realize that he is in trouble and will run home to Mom with a fabrication (if he's smart.) But if I tell the principal while I'm upset - he can understand that this IS a big deal and he can think clearly for me but he can also know and see in my face, a face that is usually smiling and kind, just how mad I am. He needs to know what a big deal it is to me. </p> <p>Again, this DOESN'T happen often and shouldn't. You shouldn't be one of those teachers who comes uncorked ALL of the time. If you are, see someone, talk to someone, try to get at why you're having these problems. Learn to change how you deal with behavior issues so you're able to only rarely be in those flame up moments infrequently.</p> <p>But there are times you will get upset. Very upset. And when you do, <strong>go ahead and think about what you can do to prevent your own words from becoming nails to crucify yourself and your career</strong>. </p> <p>When great educators say dumb things, it is usually in the heat of anger when they are not thinking. But it is still you and you are responsible for yourself. We are adults and there is no excuse for us not having control over ourselves.</p> <p>Plan your escape route and take it. <strong>Plan ahead for when you lose your head or you may just lose your job. </strong>Good teachers do lose their temper, but good teachers know how to keep a bad situation from getting worse. Kenny Rogers sang "you gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em" -- a teacher version of this song  is "you gotta know when to scold 'em and know when to withhold 'em" -- you don't HAVE to say everything.</p> <p>I wonder. What are your tips for when you get really really angry so that you can be a professional, an adult, and do the right thing. It usually only takes me 5 minutes to calm down, but before I did this, I regretted it later. Now, I recover, and can move on and move ahead.</p> <p>Thoughts?</p> <p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div>

Teaching When you're angry

There are times we all get angry with students. Not just red but boiling, lava infused, steam producing fury. This was put in our teacher&...

Like Guinness?

2:39 AM Tukiyooo 0

<p>Wanna be a Guinness ambassador? ;-)</p><p>Guests coming to Ireland  in 2013?</p><p>Register for one of 50,000 Guinness Storehouse Gathering Ambassador cards and you'll get free entry and a discount for your overseas visitors.To boot, there's also a chance to win prizes including your very own Gathering party in the Gravity Bar!</p><p>More <b><a href="http://www.thegatheringireland.com/I-Love-Ireland/I-Love-Ireland-Blog/January-2013/Get-the-VIP-treatment-at-Guinness-Storehouse.aspx">here</a></b> </p><p>Pictured is model Jasmine Guinness at the launch of this promotion.</p><div class='separator' style='clear: both; text-align: center;'> <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyv26MXZ23VuNsKePSDtEHmo5qg05spavycUj21lU3qMRafPSW-4WYPvYL-vq3dZSNSo87QAV3cpDT8fhdnvhzutQtijmAXRGtV57D1QuV5T3ErIp0n7sDsoL6-NPQNChaVWGA-rQ8oOp/s1600/385190_534694223228722_1190896949_n.jpeg' imageanchor='1' style='margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;'> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxyv26MXZ23VuNsKePSDtEHmo5qg05spavycUj21lU3qMRafPSW-4WYPvYL-vq3dZSNSo87QAV3cpDT8fhdnvhzutQtijmAXRGtV57D1QuV5T3ErIp0n7sDsoL6-NPQNChaVWGA-rQ8oOp/s400/385190_534694223228722_1190896949_n.jpeg" /> </a> </div>

Like Guinness?

Wanna be a Guinness ambassador? ;-) Guests coming to Ireland in 2013? Register for one of 50,000 Guinness Storehouse Gathering Ambassador c...

Teachers, ever wondered what takes place at Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Global Forum?

2:32 AM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gp5xS3sXd4EgDAGXI9BP8nXh5Ynoz3zGZMrsZBnlyx8h3fpTfxin7q0psZ6OmjZblq7APyW8ZvHG33zQii_mhnooqYdLOtKBaU2iNse6IMywQj7jmewU7D_5OYUXlMqyoYCdY_vgGv4/s1600-h/image%25255B64%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfucUmnQWsrAstd9AwvaDJxTX-VXx2CDYVnvt2kxi9T0XY1In4j21Kam7E48blH3Sh_XWjnoXHpOHXfguvLz8iTYyK-hlxJX_IMHSL2vt2XTF7LiXGOU3GvoeRH9t1VIIA_cUGHgI0Yxc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></div><br /><em><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Submitted by Fiona Beal with excerpts from the amazing <em>blog </em><a href="http://bellbulldogreaders.edublogs.org/"><em>Bulldog Readers</em></a> belonging to Julie Hembree of Seattle, a Global Forum finalist from the US. </span></em><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Teachers, it is time to start preparing to enter Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Forum for 2013, best known as the Microsoft Innovative Educator competition. This competition takes place in 119 countries around the globe and culminates in the Global Forum where the world winners are revealed… being a winner in this forum will change your life forever!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To spur you on let me tell you something about last year’s Global Forum where the winners from the various regional events around the world gathered in Prague, Czech Republic from November 28 - December 1, 2012. The theme of the Global Forum was “Your ideas matter”. 500 of the most innovative teachers, school leaders, education leaders, and government officials from 75 countries gathered together for this event and up for grabs were 18 Global Innovative Educator Awards. It must have been a very exciting place to be right then! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Did South Africa have a representative?</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes! We were PROUDLY represented by Charli Wiggil from Durban with his fantastic project<em> Pay It Forward for the Blind. This</em> was a project that had students make Braille Memory cards and educational games, plus record MP3 storybooks and original stories for the blind. They are now used all over South Africa for blind children in their classes. Charlie encouraged as many people as he could to use their 67 Mandela minutes to record these stories for the blind in South Africa, but he also inspired teachers in at least 10 other countries to collect stories on his behalf. You can find out more about this on Charlie’s wiki <a href="http://pay-it-forward-for-the-blind.wikispaces.com/" title="http://pay-it-forward-for-the-blind.wikispaces.com/">http://pay-it-forward-for-the-blind.wikispaces.com/</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />In the photo on the right below Charlie can be seen with Lucille Mahlatsi from Lesotho when they were both regional winners at the Morocco Forum earlier in the year. Lucille represented Lesotho – a country that has always done very well in the Microsoft Forums.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 400px;"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top" width="200"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQjO6IaXRT87ViEhfd2MQVHO6H4HX3gMVkdlU1OdqI3AQK7a85cyPia2CT-rncqld8YlHR-Isv8TPNlB2Ll0IdxAJFPzp9K0JdzcXoB0JaLa7drtqhiwpFQ15nW_SooJaeRJEvFtBBq4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="249" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charli Wiggil in Prague</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdWIorzRkdNOLS1vnXrSRYPkYXc4ty3cGsAIoP4nbd37zsyVwu3HbuubuAuSIyIBEpC3dx7MYjGjAynRbvlz8G1k4f94m7M3hRc1Si1oI3IjfvJPVtbtif-sF5Asabwm_ZhpgeGk0ckw/s1600-h/image%25255B60%25255D.png"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></td> <td valign="top" width="10"></td> <td valign="top" width="189"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJXa2JSV5rhNq_LDtFUKB7FUtKogkP3AcGKQ6CnKhFuhtbDaMzbMf-knbph0D4FOT4Jumca2lldeZEgces5AyAFxxl6TihgAgv2dQ-AzFQbtpYrez523ifJoqqVYFFN-s2iIr619EOX0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="220" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charli and Lucille - winners in Morocco</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sc1Yqt-a-i12zuGDmLXdDt8iyBCeCCmipO8gfMOgmdYZF0bp2ByRObFJZ692hQCnAIW6zTkrtMRfQ0aLAsAXuUAub1_4VtAfbSznHkAQy9kJuXWxxXu0bI-CAFBkSrNZwAzUsAGWRto/s1600-h/image%25255B61%25255D.png"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should add the link to Charli’s class’s </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaXw0QcoroI&feature=share&list=ULDaXw0QcoroI" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">YouTube video</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> about their project at this point. Unfortunately embedding has been disabled or I would have added the whole video here. To see what a project looks like when it features on Microsoft’s amazing PIL network for teachers (which I will talk about at the end of this post), take a look at Charli’s project </span><a href="http://www.pil-network.com/Resources/LearningActivities/Details/e3f3b4c6-5d17-4c6d-a939-02f5ef60bdae" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here.</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What actually happens at a Global Forum?</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“In the afternoon it was time to set up the teacher booths. Each project had a booth to use for showcasing their work. We hung posters and decorated our spaces so people who walked by could get a quick idea of each project. Our booths were arranged in alphabetical order by country. When you look at the top, you can see the name of the project and then the country of origin.” </span><a href="http://bellbulldogreaders.edublogs.org/2012/12/12/best-memories-of-the-global-forum/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Julie Hembree</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. (<i>I am fortunate to find a wonderful reflection from my blogging teacher friend Julie Hembree from Seattle who was a US finalist at the forum so I’ll be drawing extensively on that.</i>) Here is a picture of Julie next to her project </span><a href="http://www.pil-network.com/Resources/LearningActivities/Details/46a88fab-1323-4e92-9d39-f1d7aff0de05" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Kid Lit movies – Book trailers for young readers.</a> <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOT-GoWzf1Lvz05KBoCis3wWvdey0llD1u2X5zyZUwd9RMcAfjUghwNrz3jxijr0vwj_T0cEQay5ohkuFV7HHh7FStrnG5-J7mJOae5qZjM7c5Kd2itJaHzVy9Dfto1njCkQDeSpwwqQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="309" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julie Hembree with her Kid Lit Movies project</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDv_GyTc6JyicWn4rOXk8jHcgijpusesPeJBioyxbjU0SLqDSdiYzbozsjyELMXG8fX0N0tiuOoZWAwh1D8Fsk_MDQIazrGMBdR_U3wkEoX-OQqf1Evt086Wdaj45YbWIvwBNaEg4AOps/s1600-h/image%25255B19%25255D.png"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is some more about Julie’s Kid Lit Movies project on YouTube</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lhYnYV2qZcg" width="420"></iframe></span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We had a welcome reception that evening. Each country wore something to indicate their team. It was a lot like going to the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Some people had team jackets, others had hats, or scarves. We all had our special name tags that we had to wear everywhere we went.(Julie)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Thursday was our first day of competition. Each project was given three judging times over the course of two days. A judge would come to your booth for 15 minutes and ask you in depth questions about your project. I had two judging times on Thursday and then another on Friday. It was a very busy time. When we weren’t being judged, most of us tried to go visit other booths to connect with other teachers and hear about different ideas.” (Julie)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few Literacy projects to note </span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“In <a href="http://www.pil-network.com/Resources/LearningActivities/Details/3cf02fea-e69e-4af9-bd19-ca1554f41238">Let’s Go to the Movies</a><em></em> students in Colombia used Moviemaker to record movies they had written, acted in  and created about life in Colombia.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDRLYQlgwHuWS9d-mGA5_XCQcNCVN6tAeUHvfSfARvHY3n_rAiSkOKAYXc0PUjo6ev9cF69isZieaX8_zD6G09Ns3DlbEnWTg3o7D-igCdhZ0-KrRmo4iRm4-SuZWSixy426ZOz-IhyphenhyphenM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's Go To The Movies</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><br /><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What’s Up Egypt?</em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Mr. LaVogue in Florida had his students combine a news television show with rap music. They created a video show in moviemaker showcasing what they had learned about life in ancient Egypt in the lyrics of the music.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxAazZgVYCqYbox0L86IjfAF97bV7pnTnMdJEnA7QyzYStiZIMrOLGIZCyZUh9umDgB008v3J-NvoAbwydL54j9vWLRTESdy-OU1TD6wsQnebv2q70DPc3EKNThi0mDXqjVq-6qQo9wg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="275" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's Up Egypt?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><br /><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Fun, Education, Stop Motion Animation</em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was a project from Macedonia. They made stop motion animated movies for primary aged children about all kinds of subjects, using MovieMaker.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJLyVLFvpggUzxC_jtsJXltYGmKonpdeGSjh87OU2Ef_CiclKmRPZ57fdlVSvRP8t-u2lpoIYVoCT-W0d9lBtSpsDAc9oAsGZ5_63NigmAfGCtn1RWh7605Lt4p2tkRvqNB_9wXfcd4c/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="310" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun, Education, Stop Motion</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><br /><em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Creating Fairytale Radioplays</em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was a project where teams of students drew scenes from a fairy tale, imported them into Movie maker, added narration and subtitles, plus background music and sound effects. The students wrote their own music and recorded it for the movie. Dr. Froehlich had headsets available so you could watch and listen to the radioplay.” (Julie)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQuSMhAC-PC1E2aDVxtPBVkKpPLN0JH_HXtMah0xhXzqcpxlEIVKMZTsLz_RvvSjZVUOwzA8M8hG13I5AbgU2OCDrarXGFDPO8Qa6iMAsFjXhuWZvBBOEiaLSflY9eY4mKZCBz9Kia5xQ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="312" /></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In <a href="http://www.pil-network.com/Resources/LearningActivities/Details/23e85f7d-5397-45e1-b09a-83a4e81bc465">Flip the Flipped classroom</a> Bram Faens from Belgium’s students solved maths and language problems by creating stop animation videos.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeBR4CXyN7iurY7qaBBnaKL-R5A6Qk3UMFFueyJX4p5RiQpgj7zQpjq13UqmFwqf-PE1WMwvadLeXY4LJqw_9WbkMqx7zsTQ0ri5R648Ha5SUbQAq597-D0xuDduXvz5ssb-UH1Zg_jc/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="316" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flip the Flipped Classroom</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><br /><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Winners at the Global Forum</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The highlight of the last day of the Global Forum was a reception in Rothmayer Hall, followed by a gala dinner and awards ceremony in the Spanish Hall at the Prague Castle…Each country sat together at huge rounds tables underneath the most magnificent chandeliers and stucco decorations I have ever scene. All of us were in awe of the surroundings.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFonvYq9ypDHI7tgZqf81VPfg9ELXlrQ5FR_yxEooCo4x_VTWGa8BC1PNEC9aEbH1bFKaNsOruCf1K7XiQfamqLdYpi5jnHw9js1v2Th8AQXwkb8hz-T9kuEf4qTzYJ_bDkOA9UAnMoo/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Before long, it was time for the awards ceremony. I have never been to the Olympics, but I think this event closely matched what it must be like at the awards ceremony. As teachers from different nations proudly wore their flags and came to the front for their awards, the rest of the room clapped and screamed in support.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZyywNZC1Phuw3J_S5M2iomQXOFSdS2sghQ3fCtnhAxLQgg0Vzl2jnhI5FbGVS4_Sf439K-zG6zU38nXrrTiQe5NCiX_FaKzUYzU9AhF0OLpa-1lyGE1quDprxHIoURnBF3drwWln3S0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="260" /></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It didn’t matter where we were from -where were all part of the “teacher family”. Twenty-one teachers went home with an award recognizing their innovative use of technology in the classroom.” (Julie Hembree)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>    <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwuoXgXRwNlsmgZXoSr3tiMBN244VpeBdJlYZZtXYwBzewJ9bqVaUUldb_MUG0NpR-RwVeBUSVMCgT9gg7jEEKKk1lR_kphdrm5ioHIPuvHV_9qujJomoI9CnbDUqwexXiaHCXgGWGLg/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 winners in total</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love Julie’s conclusion – it truly sums up what happens to a teacher who participates in this Partners in Learning competition and attends the Global Forum, “<i>How I teach and why I teach will be forever changed by what I learned from the other teachers at the forum</i>.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take a quick look at the final Ceremony in Prague (1’48”)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QkIYxKPrN5E?list=UU6B1qXaCAUcoR_ooSuAs5Rg" width="420"></iframe></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Make a start by joining the Partners in Learning Network</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where should you start? Definitely the first place is to start is by joining the PIL network (as we refer to it)! Microsoft's Partners-in-Learning wing has an incredible network that is free to teachers and schools to join - the </span><a href="http://www.pil-network.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Partners in Learning Network</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Among a multitude of other very useful resources for teachers there are thousands of projects, including all of the projects from the Global, US and other country/regional forums there for you to see should you want to see what teachers are up to in different parts of the world. You’ll notice that I have hyperlinked the projects mentioned in this post to their PIL network descriptions.  </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Take a risk this year…and enter the competition!</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want to get involved from South Africa this year and are looking for support and information please contact Megan (at) schoolnet.org.za. Want to change your life forever? To make change involves taking risks – why not take that risk this year and enter a project!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Further reading on the global event at Prague</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheryl Arnott </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cheryl-arnett/the-time-is-now_1_b_2241030.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=1283482,b=facebook" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The time is now</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in The Huffington Post</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alice Leung: </span><a href="http://aliceleung.net/2012/12/05/the-ipony-an-analogy-in-leading-others-to-adopting-innovative-practices/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The iPony, an analogy in leading others to adopting innovative practices</a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pauline Roberts </span><a href="http://notjustateacher-pr05bps.blogspot.de/2012/12/unpacking-prague.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unpcking Prague</a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bram Faens: </span><a href="http://www.leesvoer.be/en/geen-categorie/partners-in-learning-global-forum-you-moved-me-2/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Partners in Learning Forum you moved me</a><br /><br /></div>

Microsoft Teachers, ever wondered what takes place at Microsoft’s Partners in Learning Global Forum?

Submitted by Fiona Beal with excerpts from the amazing blog Bulldog Readers belonging to Julie Hembree of Seattle, a Global Forum finalist ...

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 02/01/2013

1:30 AM Tukiyooo 0

<ul class="diigo-linkroll">      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3004112/most-popular-podcasts-2012">The Most Popular Podcasts Of 2012 | Fast Company</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">As you recap 2012, here's a listen to 2012 in audio. Sticher put together the most popular podcasts of 2012 and what defined us as a world. Take a listen and travel down memory lane - or play if for your current events class and talk about why these events made the cut.</p>              <p class="diigo-tags">          <span>tags:</span>                      <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/education">education</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/2012">2012</a></p>                                        </li>      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2013/01/connected_learning_versus_blended_learning_new_terms_old_debate.html">Connected Learning versus Blended Learning: New Terms, Old Debate - EdTech Researcher - Education Week</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">If you are a researcher or college professor and you're not reading Justin Reich, Edtechresearcher, you should be. I like Justin because he helps me see clearly the different "sides" in debates and connects it to research. This is totally not my area but he explains the conversation in a way that anyone can understand. In this week's article, he shares the differences and debates between Connected Learning and Blended learning, and no, they are not the same thing. So, educate yourself before using these terms.     "By contrast, advocates of Connected Learning hold more radical beliefs about the inadequacy of fundamental structures of schooling and learning. Connected Learning advocates argue that universal curriculum is a dated concept for an era of infinite subspecialties and a deeper understanding of learner variation. They argue that understanding learning through the activities of schools is far too limited a canvas for the age of lifelong and lifewide learning. They argue that technologies are not best suited to optimizing student pathways through a prescribed curriculum, but for connecting learners with mentors, peers, and resources for learning experiences that tap into students interests and passions and span from school to home to library to cultural institutions to informal learning spaces."</p>              <p class="diigo-tags">          <span>tags:</span>                      <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/research">research</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/connectedlearning">connectedlearning</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/blended">blended</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/learning">learning</a></p>                                        </li>      <li>      <p class="diigo-link">                <a href="http://azharreflections.blogspot.com/2013/01/etmooc-twitter-in-new-dress.html">Azhar's Reflections: Twitter in a new dress!</a>      </p>      <p class="diigo-description">I love this reflection from Azhar Youssef, an EFL teacher in Egypt who is so passionate and excited. This is what MOOCs are all about - connecting the world and finding the best wherever they are. Hat tip to my friend Lee Graham of #diffimooc who let me know about Azhar's work. This is her introduction video that she used for the Mooc work. I think that all teachers in the near future, are going to need to have an introduction video. Like a resume, you'll need it to use to introduce yourself when you participate in elearning projects. Do you have an intro flyer or video? Isn't it time?  I love her smore flyer.  (via Azhar's Reflections: Twitter in a new dress!)</p>              <p class="diigo-tags">          <span>tags:</span>                      <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/teaching">teaching</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/flatclass">flatclass</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/news">news</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/mooc">mooc</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/edreform">edreform</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/highered">highered</a>            <a href="http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/all_teachers">all_teachers</a></p>                                        </li>  </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='http://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='http://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Daily Education and Technology News for Schools 02/01/2013

The Most Popular Podcasts Of 2012 | Fast Company As you recap 2012, here's a listen to 2012 in a...

Hot Links: Ron Jeremy to stay in hospital for at least two weeks, report says

9:17 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="Ron Jeremy Reuters 660.JPG" src="http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/Entertainment/0/371/Ron%20Jeremy%20Reuters%20660.JPG" /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Actor Ron Jeremy attends the premiere of the movie "Finding Bliss" at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, January 18, 2009.</span><span class="source" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> (Reuters)</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Ron Jeremy won’t be getting back to work soon, according to TMZ. Sources told the website the adult film actor will need to stay in the hospital for at least two weeks. Jeremy is currently still in the ICU, a source added</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">.</span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span><br /><div class="published updated dtstamp" style="background-image: none; color: #999999; display: inline; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 7px 0px 0px; zoom: 1;">Published January 31, 2013<span class="value-title" style="height: 0px; left: -9999px; position: absolute; width: 0px;" title="2013-01-31T16:09:17.000-0500"></span></div><div class="source-org vcard" style="background-image: url(http://global.fncstatic.com/static/v/all/img/bg-marker-4.gif); background-position: 0px 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #999999; display: inline; float: left; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 7px 0px 12px; zoom: 1;"><span class="org fn">FoxNews.com</span></div></div>

Ron Jeremy Hot Links: Ron Jeremy to stay in hospital for at least two weeks, report says

Actor Ron Jeremy attends the premiere of the movie "Finding Bliss" at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, January...

Jackie Robinson will be the focus of this spring's new biopic '42'

9:13 PM Tukiyooo 0

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;">Jackie Robinson will be played by 'The Express' actor Chadwick Boseman. Robinson is famous as the first African-American player to break the color barrier in major league baseball.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">By </span><a class="ui-author" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/About/Staff/Molly-Driscoll" rel="author" style="background-color: white; color: #205d87; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Molly Driscoll</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">, </span><span class="ui-staffline" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Staff Writer</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> / January 31, 2013 From: </span>http://www.csmonitor.com<br /><img height="426" src="http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/content/2013/01-31robinson2/14904979-1-eng-US/01-31robinson_full_380.jpg" width="640" /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">As portrayed by the </span><a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Google+Inc." style="background-color: white; color: #205d87; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Google</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> Doodle, baseball player </span><a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Jackie+Robinson" style="background-color: white; color: #205d87; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Jackie Robinson</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> would have turned 94 today, but the biopic coming out in April about his life and his struggle to survive as he played in the baseball major leagues will take its title from a different number – “42,” Robinson’s famous jersey numeral.</span><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">“42” stars “The Express” actor <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Chadwick+Boseman" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Chadwick Boseman</a> as Robinson and <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Harrison+Ford" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Harrison Ford</a> as <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Branch+Rickey" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Branch Rickey</a>, an executive in major league baseball who was responsible for bringing Robinson onto the <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Los+Angeles+Dodgers" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Brooklyn Dodgers</a>. <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/John+C.+McGinley" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">John C. McGinley</a> of the TV show “<a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Scrubs+(TV+Show)" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Scrubs</a>” will play broadcaster Walter “Red” Barber, “<a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Law+%26+Order%3a+Special+Victims+Unit" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Law and Order: SVU</a>” actor <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Christopher+Meloni" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Christopher Meloni</a> will portray Dodgers manager <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Leo+Durocher" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Leo Durocher</a> and actress <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Nicole+Beharie" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Nicole Beharie</a>(also of “The Express”) will play Robinson’s wife Rachel Isum.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">The best-known adaptation of Robinson’s life before now was the 1950 film “The Jackie Robinson Story,” in which Robinson played himself in the story of how he broke the color barrier in baseball. The second baseman (though he started his time on the Dodgers on first base) starred as himself eight years after the film about <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Lou+Gehrig" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Lou Gehrig</a>’s life, “The Pride of the Yankees,” featured <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/New+York+Yankees" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">New York Yankees</a> <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Babe+Ruth" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Babe Ruth</a>, <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Bill+Dickey" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Bill Dickey</a>, <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Mark+Koenig" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Mark Koenig</a>, and Bob Meusel playing themselves. </div><div class="promotion-tag" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="promotion-tag-p" style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">RECOMMENDED: <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2012/0130/Film-critics-pick-the-50-best-movies-of-all-time/Bonnie-and-Clyde?nav=621741-csm_blog_post-promoLink" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">The 50 best movies of all time</a></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">“The Express,” the 2008 film in which Boseman and Beharie both acted, was also a sports film, telling the story of African-American <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Ernie+Davis" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Ernie Davis</a>, who played for<a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Syracuse+University" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Syracuse University</a> and was the first black player to win the <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Heisman+Trophy" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Heisman trophy</a>. Boseman portrayed <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Floyd+Little" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Floyd Little</a>, a running back for <a class="inform_link" href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Syracuse" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_self">Syracuse</a>, while Beharie played Sarah Ward, a fictionalized version of Davis’s girlfriend.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">“42” will open on April 12, three days before the date Robinson first played for the Dodgers. (April 12 is a Friday this year, a traditional movie-opening day, which may explain the slight difference.)</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Boseman said that he met Rachel Isum Robinson early on once he had been cast as the famous baseball player.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">“The first thing she said was basically, 'Who are you, and why do you get to play my husband?’” Boseman told the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-sneaks-boseman-20130113,0,2347774.story" style="color: #205d87; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times</a>. “We were sitting in her office down on [New York's] Varick Street, and she was talking to me and showing me photo albums, and she </div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z9TJz-vMJq8?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">told me she was a little nervous about me playing him.” </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Robinson later told him that her fears were allayed, he said, but Boseman himself still feels the pressure of portraying a legend.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">“It's intimidating because everybody has their interest in who he is," he said. "He's a lot of different things to a lot of different people."</div></div>

Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson will be the focus of this spring's new biopic '42'

Jackie Robinson will be played by 'The Express' actor Chadwick Boseman. Robinson is famous as the first African-American player to b...