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Josh Ludwig, CEO of Ludwig Painting and cousin of president and principal designer, M. Kendall Ludwig, was very happy with the website we created for him a few years ago. But WE had one major problem with it: it wasn't mobile-friendly.
As you've most likely heard by now, Google began rolling out a search engine update on April 21st, dubbed "Mobilegeddon."
So basically: if your site isn't optimized for mobile, your site is most likely already losing MAJOR traffic on mobile searches. This is especially important given that, as of this year, mobile devices are now the main source of Google search traffic.
Due to this news, we at CurlyRed have decided that mobile-friendly sites will now become the standard for all of our customers moving forward.
As you can see, Ludwig Painting's site looks as fantastic in mobile form as it does on a desktop—and Josh no longer needs to worry about losing out on potential mobile traffic and customers.
So if you're in need of a website that looks great on every device, contact us today!


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Big Brother would like to watch you. But he can't, because his computer has crashed.More here.
That was the problem occupying European Union (EU) interior ministers in Prague as they debated the 27-member bloc's continuing inability to share the fingerprints and photos of foreigners entering the border-free Schengen zone because of computer bugs.
"From our point of view, the test phase (of the Schengen Information System II, SIS II) has failed. The technical experts couldn't manage it," Austrian Interior Minister Maria Fekter told journalists during an informal meeting with EU counterparts.
It is a classic EU problem. On the one hand, one of the bloc's founding principles is the free movement of people - a principle which led to the abolition of border controls between almost all EU member states with the creation of the so-called Schengen zone.
But on the other hand, governments across the EU are under ever-increasing pressure to defend their citizens against unwanted foreigners ranging from terrorists to unregistered grape-pickers.

subset: commoncrawl


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Monday, May 11, 2009
"The tears became a rainbow."
Thank you for your prayers; they made a difference.
I'm not going to say anything about what happened on the blog - at least, if I do, it'll be when it's all well in the past - but I will retell this old joke, with gallows humour: What's the difference between a terrorist and a liturgist? You can negotiate with terrorists...
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Here are all of the logos we have created since our last logo review (in no particular order.)
Anderson Design Group:
Creating a logo for yourself is the hardest thing anyone can do. This logo has been in use for several years, and we never thought to include it in our logo reviews. Note the A in the center with the D radiating out, and the G at the perimeter holding it all together. While we love our ADG mark, we have never been quite satisfied with how the Anderson Design Group text is integrated with the mark. Here are a few ways we have combined the text and the icon. We are still looking for a perfect solution, by the way! Designer: Joel Anderson
Music City Eats:
We created a brand mark for a wine and food festival that will be in Nashville this fall. Our task was to create an identity for the festival that would present Nashville to the whole culinary and wine world and welcome them to our awesome city. Note the guitar/fork icon. We cannot say more about the festival until the web site is officially launched later in May, but it's going to be great! Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
Fat Bottom Brewing:
East Nashville is one of the coolest things about Music City. This hip and trend-setting part of our town is full of artisans, chefs, brewers, and visionaries who are making national news with their high-quality and original products. Fat Bottom Brewing is a fine example—owner Ben Bredesen asked us to create a brand identity inspired by World War II era pin up girls—each flavor named for a woman with a similar personality and profile. Designers: Joel Anderson, Andy Gregg & Ligia Teodosiu
Dane Fitness:
This company has been selling and servicing new and used fitness equipment for 10 years. They admitted that their old logo looked more like a plucked chicken than a Viking. So our job was to create an updated brand mark that would set the tone for the next decade to come. Designers: Edward Patton & Aaron Johnson
High Brow Brew:
The owners of a new hip and trendy coffee and tea shop in Franklin Tennessee hired us to create their brand identity. The logo was made to look like a black chalkboard cafe menu with white writing on it. It was refreshing to create a logo in black and white, and to leave it at that. (Sometimes, deciding on a color palette can be the hardest part!) Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
A British entertainment finance company hired us to help them create an iconic logo that would be creative (they work with major touring performers) and established (they responsively and discreetly handle large sums of money.) So we created a strong Art Deco brand mark that does not feel too stuffy and corporate. Designer: Aaron Johnson
Hair Mama Jones:
A local hair stylist wanted to open a new salon. So we set to work creating a logo that matched her look and style. It started with a great name, and evolved into a hip, edgy tattoo-inspired logo. Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
Legato Gelato:
We love gelato. So when we were hired to create a logo for a new gelato shop, we told the client that we needed to eat a lot of gelato to get our minds around the brand concept. Our client obliged, and we created a brand identity that looks like the gelato tastes—Italian, smooth, sophisticated, and yummy! The colors were inspired by our favorite flavors and ingredients. Designer: Edward Patton
Music City Pizza:
A new Pizza Restaurant is opening in Nashville next to a favorite music venue. The club and the pizza joint will be all about music and fabulous pizza. We created a logo that hints at the experience of live indie music (the guitar pick shape) with great pizza served in a hip, energetic club atmosphere. Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
Willa's Shortbread:
This Southern shortbread cookie maker has been in business for a long time. But they needed to retool their brand to get back to their roots of artisan-crafted, small batch, locally-made all-natural goodness—like Mama used to make. So we threw out their slick & polished-looking graphics and created new art in the style from the era when the company was founded. Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
Miracle Hockey:
A local sporting goods store owner hired us to create a logo for his store. His claim to fame is his little son, who has had over a million hits on YouTube re-enacting the sports caster commentary of the historic Miracle on Ice Olympic hockey game between the USA and the Soviet Union. Our task was to create a logo that looked like a sporting goods store inspired by that historic event. We watched the YouTube video, the movie, and lots of hockey to get our minds right. Designer: Edward Patton
Sugar & Snow Gelato:
Once we created the logo for Legato gelato, the word was out that we knew how to create great brand identities for small, gourmet gelato shops. The owner of this establishment from Asheville, NC could not send us samples to eat, (but once you've had great gelato, you never forget it.) Those flavor memories made their way into this logo, for sure. Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
Organic, family-owned farms are beautiful operations—the branding needs to reflect the operation, values and mission of the enterprise. We set out to create a logo and brand identity that would be personally connected to the owner, the animals, and the land. The resulting logo and brand identity was a true reflection of owner Michael Rahal and his vision for sustainable farming. Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
True South Puzzle Co.
An artisan puzzle company based in Nashville hired us to create a logo and the packaging for a line of puzzles that feature designs by lesser-known regional artists. Our logo and packaging design will help the company launch their new line of puzzles this summer. Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
ADG print series logos:
We are always creating new collections of poster art that we sell on our site and license to companies from all over the world. Each of our collections has a distinct brand look, and each line needs to have a logo that sets it apart from our other poster art collections. Here are a few of our print collection logos—some of which will be up on our site next month! Designer: Joel Anderson
Al Dente Catering:
A Nashville-based chef who owns a catering and packaged food biz asked us to help him create a new brand identity to emphasize his creative Mediterranean culinary approach. All of his food is made with fresh, all natural and organic ingredients.We kicked off the process by eating a lunch that he catered for our office. That made it a LOT easier to create a logo that would tell his story on menus, biz cards, and on the sides of delivery trucks. Designer: Ligia Teodosiu
Dan's Gourmet:
Our client had an amazing concept—grown up mac and cheese. (This stuff is seriously gourmet-licious!) We retooled an old logo that Dan had created to sell his food at local farmer's markets. Soon, the secret was out, and Dan had orders from some major accounts to start selling his frozen packages in grocery stores. Designer: Joel Anderson
The Pharmacy Restaurant:
An East Nashville restauranteur renovated an old pharmacy building to create a fabulous burger and beer garden. We had fun researching turn-of-the-century hand lettering and design to create this logo. No fonts were used to create this logo—all the letters were hand rendered from scratch! Designers: Andy Gregg & Joel Anderson
Saint Joseph of Arimathea:
A local Episcopal church asked us to help them update their branding. They needed one simple brand mark for signs, web sites and stationery, and another decorative seal that was more elaborate and detailed. We learn something new every time we engage with a client. Here is an interesting theological side note: the Greek word Logos means Word—it is used to identify Jesus in the gospel of John1:1, 4... "In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.") Designer: Ligia Teodosiu


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Adrienne at My Memory Art ~ Six Words Friday
More on the Alpaca's tomorrow!
Debbie, what a cute alpaca scene.. They are adorable critters.. Great shot, HAPPY Friday!!ReplyDelete
Hi Debbie They are so cute.ReplyDelete
Hi Debbie They are so cute.ReplyDelete
Goodness, they are so precious and make me all gooey inside. What sweetness!ReplyDelete
Great photo!ReplyDelete
Great picture!!!ReplyDelete
...and then
...just the one picture!
I'm heart broken
But they're so cute.
I met a man one early Sunday morning strolling down our historic Ybor City main street walking his alpaca. I fell in love with the critter. I want one. I'll bet they're hard on the garden.
Debbie, they are so adorable :))
There's an alpaca farm near us here, so cute and friendly!ReplyDelete
I see a baby alpaca every year at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. They are usually little Love Bugs!ReplyDelete
just a little spritz to freshen up!ReplyDelete
I was wondering what the white streak was, and then I read your post... Do they play in the water, or just get a drink?ReplyDelete
Gosh they're cute!ReplyDelete
Such pretty animals.ReplyDelete
Precious!! I bet they were trying to drink - even if it was a little hard to catch the water on the fly!!ReplyDelete
Just plain awesome picture of these beautiful creatures.
Sweet picture of some fuzzy, wuzzy babies. I have never seen the likes before, so what a treat!ReplyDelete
Goodness, they are so adorable, Debbie.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
They are so cute!!Gorgeous picture Debbie!!Have a lovely weekend!
What a great photo! There are llamas on farms around here, but I've not seen any alpacas. I think they have finer, nicer hair than llamas.ReplyDelete
They make me laugh!ReplyDelete
Nice picture !!! Be careful with them, spit much;))
Oh, just TOO cute! Love the rusty orange color of these alpaca.ReplyDelete
Great timing there. They are such pretty animals.ReplyDelete


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Primo PR326
PR326 Ceramic Heat Reflector Plate for Large Oval Grill
If you're worried about your Primo ceramic grill not being able to handle your slow-roasting needs, forget it. You simply set the pair of ceramic plates on the drip pan, diffusing the heat of the coals beneath. This allows you to slow-cook foods with indirect heat. Available at AppliancesConnection
Based in Norcross, Georgia, Primo is one of the top producers of ceramic grills and grilling accessories in the world, and the only ceramic grill manufacturer in the USA. Their Primo Oval XL offers more capacity than any other ceramic cooker in the world. The oval design itself is Primo's very own patented design. All of their grills and smokers are made of a premium-grade ceramic blend and coated with a protective lead-free porcelain glaze. These superior cookers also feature a stainless steel bottom vent door and cast-iron chimney top vent. They're so confident in their craftsmanship that all Primo grills are backed by a 20 year warranty. Primo, indeed.
- Set of 2 Ceramic Heat deflector Plate
- Turns your Primo grill into an indirect cooker when used in conjunction with the Drip Pan Racks
- Set both plates side-by-side on the Drip Pan Rack and easily transform your grill into an oven or low temperature cooker
- Drip Pan Racks are not included
- Includes 2 Deflector Plates
- For use with Oval Large Ceramic Grill
- Brand: Primo
- Stock Id: 348074
- Product Number: PR326
- Warranty Info:
- Size: For Oval 300
- Weight: 15.70 lbs


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08 October, 2015
#Drawlloween #Inktober 7 - Haunted House
When most groups become stranded in the Darkhive, they struggle to come to terms with the new environment where they will most likely spend the rest of their days. Some spend the rest of their lives looking for ways to get back home, others try to make a few hive cells look as much like their homes as possible. Gardens are landscaped in the manner of their homelands (though any plants they might possess have a low chance of survival in the dank dark conditions of the hive), and homes approximating their traditional housing styles are built with scavenged parts. When survivors come into contact with other settlements in the hive, they may live out their lives in these clusters of terraformed cells, but their descendants often leave to join the other settlements.
Sometimes in the deepest and most remote parts of the Darkhive, exotic survivors might build houses reminiscent of their homelands, and might never encounter other survivors. Dying alone and cursing the hive until the end of their days, these survivors leave scattered legacies of forgotten houses in exotic architectural styles, surrounded by gardens of dead plants. These houses and cells feel out of place in the Darkhive, surreal and alien, filled with things that don't make sense to the other denizens of the world. In the superstitious they inspire fear, but in explorers and those looking for potential power they inspire desire.
As places combining fear and power, these cells often draw psychics, who in turn draw ghosts...and thus the places of ghostly rumour end up being inhabited by true ghosts when their presence is uncovered.
Some of the most notorious haunted houses across the Darkhive have developed reputations as repositories of vast power and artefacts from cultures considered far more technologically or magically advanced than anything seen in the hive now. Such locations are considered dangerous, as traps and defenses may still defend against potential intruders... but if such traps and defenses are still effective, this also means that anything they might have defended would remain intact somewhere within the house.
Three well known examples of these haunted houses are:
1. The Ebony Teahouse
Built of dark wood that has never been seen elsewhere in the Darkhive, the house known as the Ebony Teahouse is one of the few "haunted houses" that seems to live up to it's name. Whether an ancient holographic technology or an illusionary magic, the Teahouse swarms with insubstantial figures who follow a regular pattern of drinking tea, talking in hushed whispers and engaging in rituals of etiquette unlike any other cultures known in the Hive (but vaguely like the formal rituals of the Khar-Tui). Some of those who have visited the Teahouse claim that the cycle of these holographic/illusionary figures repeats every 3 hours, but may be altered through asking questions of the figures.
2. The Hut of Ferns
The Hut of Ferns exists in a cluster of densely jungled cells known locally as "The Emerald Expanse". Local legends speak of a shaman who became mystically trapped on the hive, this shaman built an elaborate garden of the herbal ferns and plants from his homeland, convinced that these plants would prevent the fungal infections that had started weakening his body. At the centre of these cells he wove together plants into a living dwelling, and there he lived out the remainder of his days (only partially successful in his quest to eliminate the fungal infection). In the generations since his death, a fanatical group of male bandits and revolutionaries have made their home in the expanse, gradually increasing it's size by propagating new plants in neighbouring cells, and stripping away any and all fungus they find (regardless of the type). These bandits live their lives according to the journals kept by the shaman in his last days, the most fanatical of these revolutionaries are said to believe in the ghostly presence of the shaman still living in the Hut, but none outside the group have ever laid eyes on this mythical shaman for generations.
3. Sanctuary Shack
Folklore says that the haunted house known as the Sanctuary Shack appears in different parts of the hive at different times. Early studies suggested that there might be a number of similar houses that might have been mistaken as the same one, but later investigation now suggests that there might be some portal doorways in cells around the Sanctuary Shack, these portals seem to simply connect adjacent cells but actually connect vastly different parts of the hive. It is by accidentally stumbling through these portal doorways that explorers end up at the same Sanctuary Shack. Many explorers have stated that Shellbrood are unable to traverse these portals, hence the name.
Posted by Michael Wenman at 7:43 AM
Labels: Darkhive, Design, Ideas, Images, Worldbuilding
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Some tiny updates: I had my first dinner in the tiny house! It was simple but awesome, (or simply awesome?) Dark leafy greens and brown rice and an egg from the chickens that are literally 20 ft from the house.
Also: My friend and housemate Tamar (she lives in the big house on our property) printed this amazing sign on piece of VG fir. Thanks Tamar! My new address is 3400 1/8


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The Natives Are Getting Restless In Auburn
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The reaction of the Auburn faithful to the hiring of Gene Chizik as head coach has been nothing short of an overwhelming tide of bile directed at athletic director Jay Jacobs. Track 'Em Tigers has been in shock and the commenters at the Birmingham News sports section are livid.
Jacobs even got heckled at the airport as he walked over to take some questions from a reporter.
See you tomorrow for the day in the NFL and more.
Labels: Auburn Tigers, Coaches, Coaching Moves, YouTube Video
11 Comments:
As an Auburn student, I have to say that I am embarrassed to have such a moron running our athletic department. First jetgate with Petrino, now this. Thanks, Jay.
That picture on Track 'em Tigers is great.
Be glad you're not a MD fan. Idiot AD who wont fire two underperforming coaches (football and mens bball) who are coasting on early success. Some of us Terps fans would have helped Ralph Friedgen pack for Auburn, he couldnt even win ACC this year.
That was hilarious! I'm sure Coach Tubs got a good laugh knowing he got fired to hire a guy who was 2-10 at that football powerhouse Iowa State.
This has Bill Calahan @ Nebraska written all over it.
That drilling you hear in the background is Shug Jordan doing cartwheels.
Auburn fans, calm down. Kirk Herbstreit thinks Chizik is a great hire.
reminds me of GOOOOO RAAAAIIDERS from the Tech/OU game a few years back.
no request is too extreme http://www.real-wishes.com
Hitler chimes in with the Chizik hire:
"We want a leader not a loser"
Couldn't have said it better myself.


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Sometimes I get jealous. You see my mom is around a lot. A LOT. However, I am rarely the one who takes note of it. But I have a few friends who are very aware of her presence (Cam, Zacula, Lolly) . I also have a few friends I know she likes a lot. A LOT! I even have one friend who in his darkest hour had a very cool interaction with her. I won't record it here but if you want to ask, I'll tell you the story.
Well what the heck? I don't mind sharing but, I need her too. Seriously.
Tonight though I took my bed apart. I took it down the stairs and outside by myself. It's really big, taller than me big. I took it outside to stain it and do some repairs. I turned my iPod to Alabama and cranked it (the neighbors like it.) About halfway through, as content as can be, I realized mom was there.
Then other thoughts came to my mind, times when I know she is with me.
She would never let her girls go fishing without her. Never. She would never let her girls go to a Keith Urban concert and dance in the front row without her. She would never let me come home from a date without a full report. She would never miss all five of her kids sitting at a restaurant just chatting while the staff shuts the place down. She would never let me cry my little heart out without cuddling up with me and stroking my hair. She would never let Cam, Megan, and her girls stalk "The Hamster" without her. She would never miss the opportunity to pamper me when I'm sick.
Dave says I shouldn't be jealous. He says she's around me all the time, I just don't notice it because I'm so used to her. Tonight while I was working on my bed, I realized that I was in another moment she wouldn't have missed. I realized Dave is right, there are more moments than I realize that she wouldn't miss for anything.
Sometimes, like when I almost died a few months ago her presence was so strong in the room she was as close to a physical presence as a spiritual being can be. Others, like tonight it is just a whisper in my heart, a closeness I can't explain. It's knowing she needs me as much as I need her.


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Her first testing at 13 months was the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. She scored an 80 for cognitive at that time, though there was a lot of question as to how much of that was due to her communication difficulties as opposed to true cognitive. When she was retested at 24 months with this same test, she scored a 90, which is within the normal range.
More recently, she was tested at 33 months with the DAYC - Developmental Assessment of Young Children. Sweets scored an 84 on the cognitive subtest of this assessment.
Today, Sweets had an in-depth cognitive assessment done, the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales. Based on her scores in the past, I expected her to score in the 80's on this test. Her actual IQ on this test was 73, which was 4th percentile, so quite a bit lower.
The subtests on this assessment each have a verbal and a nonverbal component. The subtest scores are on a scale where 10 is average and the standard deviation is 3. The composite scores are on a scale where 100 is average and the standard deviation is 15.
|FR (Fluid Reasoning)
|88 (21%)
|KN (Knowledge)
|80 (9%)
|QR (Quantitative Reasoning)
|72 (3%)
|VS (Visual Spatial Processing)
|79 (8%)
|WM (Working Memory)
|94 (34%)
|73 (4%)
|76 (5%)
|73 (4%)
Certain subtests were really good, like working memory. The examiner said that this subtest would score low in children with ADHD, and for Sweets it scored in the normal range. Sweets also scored well in reasoning, which measures problem solving, so that's great! She scored most poorly on math skills. She was not able to count to 3, and she did not demonstrate knowledge of the concepts of bigger/smaller, more/fewer.
Overall, she doesn't seem to be held down by her communication skills in this test, because her verbal scores were not significantly lower than her nonverbal skills. If they were, then this might indicate that she should take a test specifically for nonverbal assessment. The examiner considered giving her one anyway, but didn't think Sweets would be engaged with that test.
So, where do we go from here? I don't really know what this means. I think that it makes it more likely that she will qualify for services with an IEP though. I still don't have a great understanding of what the criteria are for qualification, but from what I've read it is something like 2 standard deviations below in one area or 1.5 standard deviations below in two or more areas. One standard deviation is 15, making 1.5 standard deviations below a score of 77.5 and 2 standard deviations below a score of 70.
Sweets now has 73 for cognitive, 74 for PT, and 79 for speech. I find it very odd that she scored the highest from speech out of these, considering I feel like speech is her biggest issue. But she does have two scores below 77.5 now, so at least that means I think she will qualify for services. I really hope that is going to include speech services, since that's what I think she needs most. I wonder if this will qualify her for developmental day as well now, which would mean mostly free daycare. There's got to be a silver lining, right?


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At Queen Anne's, we have girls that excel with ambitions as varied as their talents. Both in and out of the classroom, we encourage the aspirations of each girl through an innovative and rigorous curriculum that meets the needs of the individual learner. We encourage the girls to explore values and reward intellectual risk taking in order to gain an excellent, all-round education.
We teach in small classes where each individuals can explore the learning culture in a supportive environment while being challenged and stimulated by group discussion and debate. Prep (homework) is designed to consolidate and revisit work outside the classroom, driving independent study and thinking skills.
In these important initial years of life at Queen Anne's, we aim to provide a supportive, friendly and well-disciplined environment in which girls can flourish socially and achieve their academic potential. To enable this, we aim to provide an education of the highest quality, and to encourage application and excellence in all areas.
As our Queen Anne's girls' academic career progresses towards GCSE years, the quality of education continues in the same happy, supportive, stimulating and well-disciplined environment to enable the girls to achieve their full potential.
Our Sixth Form at Queen Anne's is one that is full of community and a place where we have an excellent record of A Level successes, with many going on to some of the top universities in the country including Oxford and Cambridge.
Life in the Sixth Form is busy and action packed, however the team fully understand the distinctive needs of students at this stage of learning and the importance of preparations for examinations, university entrance and employment.
We aim to stretch all our pupils to the best of their ability. The Queen Anne's curriculum, in spirit, follows but will not be limited by, the National Curriculum. To supplement learning in the classroom, many students are involved in accelerated learning schemes which include a wide range of stimulating activities to enrich their academic study. These include CREST Awards (Creativity in Science and Technology), LAMDA Awards (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), Mathematical Challenges, Salter's Institute of Chemistry Camps and the Engineering Education Scheme.
Throughout their life here at school, the girls have many opportunities to travel and gain first-hand knowledge and experience to enhance the academic study programmes.


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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
We must soport each other
Dear Marc, how do you feel about clowns? This is a big issue for me. I've noticed it's the same kind of crowd splitter as say, the abortion issue. You're either with the pro-clowners or the down-with-clowners.
When you see a grown man laugh when he should be crying, do you enjoy it? If you see him cry when he should be laughing is it better? No. It's just confusing. Clowns scare me.
I don't think it's funny when clowns throw pies in each other faces. I think it's a waste of food. However I did think it was funny when George Bush Sr. puked in the lap of the Japanese Prime minister years ago. Although that too, was in many ways a waste of food. But that was ok. Cause I bet he hadn't rehearsed it.
I don't think professional clowns are funny, but I think professionals acting like clowns are hilarious. Sometimes presidents even make me laugh when I should be crying. I can't help it. To punish myself, I wear these shoes around the house as a reminder of how serious the clown issue is.
Don't miss out on the rest of the stock.
Sale ends December 31st. Everything must go.
Just a friendly tip as I say good night, Mr Jacobs.
ps. As much as I dislike clowns, I still have the utmost respect for well written copy like the following, pushing Clown-So-Port shoes:
After a few hours in ordinary clown shoes, your feet ache and your legs get tired. But Clown-So-Port shoes will keep you feeling great all day. Unlike most clown shoes, there is actually a perfect fitting shoe within the outer "clown" shoe. Correct fitting shoes prevent aching feet, tired legs and sore backs. And there's more. The real secret to Clown-So-Port shoes is their quality design and construction.
Who knew?
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I've been thinking a lot and we all know how that goes. Seth and I have been married for 8 years and we went on our first trip together alone and unfortunately it was to drive to a funeral. It wasn't a vacation, contrary to what some people may believe. I understand it was our Military lifestyle and the girls that kept us from doing those things and I wouldn't change either one for anything. We have not been on a Vacation since before McKenzie was born but it's kind of hard to pull off when Seth is in and out of the hospital and Kyrie has school. We had plans for a big vacation this month but they had to be changed and our trip got put off till next summer. But people still think we have it easy and our life is a piece of cake. It's funny we have fought every day for everything we have, and I fought like HELL and so did Seth for him to still be here today, but because he is hurt and doesn't have to work we have it so easy. I want someone to explain to me how having TBI, PTSD, and the other things that fill his huge list of things that he has wrong with him as easy. Through this whole ordeal I have had people tell me the stupidest things like "At least he is coming home from Iraq early, I wish I was that lucky" seriously you wish your husband got blown up so he could cut out from Iraq a few months early. Or "At least you don't have to work anymore" am I the only person who sees how much that hurts him to have to admit that he can no longer do the job he LOVED! Seriously I should get pamphlets to hand out to people of "The Stupidest Crap to Say to Him". I am thankful to still have him as part of our lives, and I thank God every day he didn't take him from us. And some people just need to grasp the concept that you don't compare your cake life to people who have it harder then you. I have two friends that I would never complain to how hard it is they both lost everything when they lost there husbands and I know that no matter what we go through we don't have it that hard. I even have days were I struggle with all the things Seth is not capable of doing anymore, it's hard to see that as a completely healthy person that there our people out there who just because you can't see what is wrong with them it is still there. I've learned to pick up the signs of when the pain is too much, when he has had enough of being around people, and little things like that. So our "easy" life as some want to see it has come with a huge price tag and if you covet it for a second just stop and think of all he had to give up to be where he is, and I'm sure he would gladly trade with you in a second so he could have his life back the way he wants it.
I know it's hard to get that at 30, Seth retired. It's still hard for us to get but I found this quote that makes it a little easier to see how it's possible.
Retirement is when the living is easy and the payment to get here is hard.
In his twelve years in the Army, Seth worked harder and put in more work then most people working normal jobs. He got less then minimum wage for the hours he put in, and we were lucky if we even got to see him some days. But that is the life of the Military and the Military Spouse. They are people who are tougher then others and made out of a stronger mold. He paid for his early retirement with a huge toll to his mental well being, his body and almost his life. So before you stop to say how easy we have it, take a moment to Remember how much we sacrificed to be here and is all that sacrifice worth the easy life (as you say we have). This easy life as you think means you can never run next to your children when they learn to ride bikes, that five pounds is your limit for lifting things and that does mean your children as well, a life of worrying every time he walks out the door that he will remember all he has to do and get home safe. Our so called "Easy Life" has a heavy price tag and I don't think you would give up everything he has to have it.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Emotionally Spent
The past weeks have been emotionally draining on my body, soul and mind. Seth and I left before 4 am on the Monday after Father's Day for my Granny's funeral. We drove crazy days to get there so felt it was better to leave the girls behind. I don't think I have had to do anything harder as a Mom then to leave the two of them behind. I have never been away from them longer then a few hours 12 at most and we were gone for over two weeks. So added to my heartache for my Granny I had my heartache for leaving them behind. I knew they were safe but I still worried like crazy and felt guilty for every second I missed. It's so hard as a parent to have to be away from your kids and I have even more respect for Seth for having done it all those times he had no choice. It ate at my heart to be away from them and I hope I never have to again! After that it seemed like one thing after another went wrong for the past few weeks. We came home to have to fix the toilet completely because it was flushing all the time and the water was constantly going, the sink strainer on the side we didn't replace needs replacing. The list goes on and on. They say God only gives you as much as you can handle, I've come to think either he has me confused with someone else like the freaking HULK or he has great faith in my wine.
We have started a list of all the things that need to be done upstairs I don't even want to broach the list for downstairs yet. I can sum it all up in one word SCARY!!! We did get all the boxes upstairs off to goodwill and the two that needed to get to storage there. Now we have to work on painting Kyrie's room (it's on the agenda for tomorrow), building her bookshelf and getting all the stuff that needs to go to the dump out of here. Then maybe the list wont looks so bad for both upstairs and downstairs.
We have started a list of all the things that need to be done upstairs I don't even want to broach the list for downstairs yet. I can sum it all up in one word SCARY!!! We did get all the boxes upstairs off to goodwill and the two that needed to get to storage there. Now we have to work on painting Kyrie's room (it's on the agenda for tomorrow), building her bookshelf and getting all the stuff that needs to go to the dump out of here. Then maybe the list wont looks so bad for both upstairs and downstairs.
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Monday, November 30, 2009
Soldier's Daughter
Seven-year-old Riley Ehret of Belgrade, Montana wears her father's Army Commendation Medal and watches as his flag is unfolded during a morning ceremony in her honor held August 5, 2009 in Helena, Montana. Ehret's father, Specialist Travis T. Ehret, a three-tour Iraq War veteran, was killed in a bar fight the day before Father's Day. His daughter was honored with both his flag and medal during the service.
I was surprised to find out last week that I won the AP Montana Photo for the month of August--but more honored when I came across this picture on a number of veterans' blogs. I was honored to be a part of her family's history that day.
Thanks to Kevin for figuring out why I couldn't get text in my blog for all these months.
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Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
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Two-year-old twin sisters drowned just three days after they were flower girls at their parents' wedding.
The inseparable pair were found together holding hands after they drowned in rain water which had gathered in a neighbour's pool cover.
Jocelyn and Shaylyn Spurlock - known by relatives as the 'Tornado Twins' - had wandered off from their grandparent's home in Aurora, Indiana, US, where they were staying.
Their lifeless bodies were found just an hour later - still holding hands.
The twins had been staying with their grandmother, who fell asleep, as their mum went to the shops to buy a cabinet for a dining service she had been bought as a wedding present.
While the children were watching their favourite TV show their gran left the room and fell asleep.
When mum Bryeanna Spurlock returned a short time later they were missing.
The family searched for the twins, shouting, and found toys they had dropped in nearby woods. But a neighbour then found the bodies in the cover of the above ground pool after he spotted a pink jumper.
Their devastated grandfather Jim Conley, 65, said: "They were holding hands and lying side by side."
Mr Conley, who is separated from his wife, said the girls - who would have been three next month - spent every moment together and slept in the same bed together.
Three days earlier, dressed in matching white sparkly gowns with their short blonde hair in pig tails, the twins walked down the aisle at Hope Baptist Church in Dillsboro scattering rose petals behind them for the wedding of their mum Bryeanna, 28, and dad Brad, 29.
On Saturday at their funeral a pink pillow stitched with the words 'Tornado Twins' was pinned inside the coffin.
The girls were buried in their flower girl dresses in a coffin decorated with angels.
The service was held at the same church where their parents married.
Their grandfather added: "To see them two lying in the coffin side by side holding hands... it was so hard to see it because they were just so full of life.
"They were never, ever apart - if one walked off, the other one would catch up. We brought two beds to the house and they would only sleep in one."
Their parents had just bought a bigger home so the girls would have room to play in the back garden.
Mr Conley added: "They loved their children dearly. They were my precious little babies, and they're gone now."
He said the tragedy could not have been prevented because the neighbours who owned the pool had been away on holiday.


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Huzzah! It's finally arrived. It's never fun to sit and drool while other cats in other countries get to play with all the best tech and, at last, we in the UK can get our clutches on the Amazon Kindle 2. So, it's here but so are one hell of a lot of eBook readers. The question is, do we still want it? See if this helps to make up your mind one way or the other.
Get it now
1. It's Cheap
As premium eBook readers go, the Kindle 2 is a bit of a bargain. There's a slew of budget models out there at the same £200 mark but none of those have the connectivity and over the air book store access. You can argue that the hardware on the Sony readers and the recently released iRex is better, but the tops of their lines are only available in the US at the moment and they're $100 dearer anyway.
2. Epic Kindle Store
Probably the biggest advantage in opting for the Kindle is access to the epically large Amazon Kindle book store which currently houses 350,000 plus titles. Google is looking to redress the balance somewhat by scanning a million books for free into the public domain, but it still doesn't change the fact that currently it's only Amazon in the UK that allows users to access and download from a store over 3G direct to their reader. Very useful.
3. Good Storage
It may seem strange to big up the internal storage on the Kindle 2 when there's the elephant in the room, namely the fact that it doesn't have an SD card slot or any other kind of removable media unlike most other readers. But, what Amazon does do is offer 2GB of internal space which is double what most manufacturers have come up with. That gives you room for around 1500 books which should be enough to get from London Paddington to Calcutta several times over and without both the added expense and faff of SD cards.
4. Text to Speech
The use of the text to speech function for most people is debatable, but there's a huge population of partially sited users in the world who'll be able to plug their headphones into the Kindle and have the device read their books to them. Whether you use it or not, it's good to know that the company you've signed up for is trying to cater for as many people as it can.
5. The Apple Effect
Arguably one of Apple's greatest factors for success is that they make the devices and they make the software that goes with them. Amazon has a similar thing going on in with eBook readers in that they make the device and the sell the books too. Many readers rely on sideloading through online stores like Waterstones and, as good as they are, these stores simply can't be tailor made to fit one device and its software. Of course, the other side of it is that you're not tied into any one ecosystem but then there's no need for financial negotiations or deals of any sort in the background with the Amazon solution which tends to make for a smoother and often slightly cheaper end service.
Give it a miss
1. Screen Issues
Firstly, none of the Kindles has a touchscreen which is beginning to make gadgets look like they were built in the last century. One of its main rivals over here, the Sony Reader Touch edition, as its name suggests, does. The Kindle 2 does have a QWERTY if you don't mind getting old school - and indeed, some people prefer it - but there have also been some complaints with the quality of the contrast, and the 16 shade grey-scale has made some people feel so ill that they've switched back to the original Kindle.
2. Size Issues
Manufacturers like Sony and iRex are starting to offer readers in different sizes. Of course, Amazon offers the 10-inch DX but that has a fairly specific market and isn't the size that most people are after. A six-inch eBook reader may be the standard at the moment but it rules a section of the public out who'd rather choose from something more pocket size to the new wave of 8.1-inchers.
3. Limited File Support
Amazon has chosen a closed DRM file system for the Kindle, meaning that it only supports a very small number of strange sounding file types - .AZW, .MOBI, .AAX and .TXT plus MP3s as well. If the Google scan project does go ahead, which looks likely, the files offered by the internet giant will be PDFs and EPUBs, neither of which currently work on the Kindle 2. Amazon is looking to introduce PDFs and they do provide a file conversion service, but it can cost money and adds a certain pain-in-the-arse factor.
4. Too Specific
As Steve Jobs pointed out, in this age of convergence, something as specific as an eBook reader might not be worth your money even in the relatively short term. According to the Apple supremo, it's usually more general devices that are successful, with a possible hint towards the much rumoured and probably similar sized iTablet. One obvious reaction to his words are that it's the e-paper that makes readers what they are, but then perhaps that's a clue to just one of the features in the forthcoming Apple gadgets? Nobody's perfect but Jobs has made an immense career out of some well-judged calls. He may have a point.
5. Who needs a reader?
eBooks aren't just the preserve of readers. You can download them onto your phone or your handheld games console. They may not be so easy on the eye to read but it's an option. Another choice, of course, is to buy a paperback. There's still plenty to be said for hard copy books. They're cheaper than a reader, not such a problem if you loose them, harder to damage and they look pretty good on a shelf once you're done with them.


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Once upon a time... this event actually did occur, but so long ago now that the story can legitimately begin with once upon a time...
Anyway, I was a patient in the Royal Victoria Hospital in 1958. I'm no longer certain of the time of year but I seem to recall the season was spring, after all the snow melted but before leaves came out.
Anyway, I was a patient in the Royal Victoria Hospital in 1958. I'm no longer certain of the time of year but I seem to recall the season was spring, after all the snow melted but before leaves came out.
|This was the image of the Royal Vic that I recalled seeing when I looked out windows - thinking those were stairs leading to the top of a mysterious castle - and of course wishing I could climb up there to explore.
At the time of my hospital stay I was just short of my fourth birthday and I required what was always referred to as a hernia operation. Of course most details about that visit have completely faded from memory but a few odd tidbits still hang around in the cobwebs.
I do not recall being afraid or upset about being alone and away from home; I was just there because I had no choice.
My hospital bed was in the middle of some type of large ward because I remember seeing all the other kids - mostly "big kids" to me. Some were not able to get out of bed and others had tubes and bottles hooked up to them. A few others had bandages and one older boy in particular had bandages on his neck and throat; he was unable able to speak. Another girl in a corner seemed to be very ill in bed but one day she seemed a little better and someone had tied her long dark hair into braids with ribbons.
|An astonishing last-minute prior to posting internet find! This 1950's scene was actually recorded in Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital and is very much the way I recall that children's ward.
Back in 1958 parents were not able to visit and stay in the hospitals with their children the way they are able to do so today. I recall that all of us there were alone by ourselves most of the time except of course for nurses and helpers. This said, I do remember my paternal grandmother and mother visiting but not for very long.
A few days later when I was able to get out of bed, I found a small tricycle and remember riding it around in the ward, then in the hallways to the elevators. That elevator had an operator and that elderly gentlemen kindly but firmly refused to let me ride the trike on to the elevator.
But after all these years, one particular mystery has stuck in my mind.
I encountered a man who was alone in one of the hallways; he was silently staring out of a window. I had no real idea why he was there or what was attracting his attention, so I asked him.
He told me he was waiting for that building across the street to fall down.
I remember being absolutely astonished by what he had said and of course fully believed it too. Yes, I then spent some time watching and waiting for that building to fall, which of course it never did. I clearly recall repeatedly asking him when the building was going to fall because nothing was happening. He just kept telling to wait and watch so I would not miss it.
Impatient I suppose, minutes later I was running around a-la Chicken Little and telling everyone I saw, nurses, patients, strangers, everyone what was going to happen. Of course no one believed me.
Yeah... Chicken Little does exist.
Anyway I never saw that man again and I quickly forgot all about him and that incident until these many decades later. Again, I wonder why he was there.
As a parent I've decided that he was likely a father with a child who was ill in the hospital; probably shouldering that heavy, awful and unwanted burden of waiting. Perhaps he was in anguish and despair at being unable to do anything about whatever circumstances he may have been wishing were different.
Of course I have no knowledge whatsoever what may have happened to him and his waiting or whether or not all turned out okay for him. I shall never know.
When I started looking for pictures of the Royal Victoria Hospital for this post, I had no idea the hospital had closed.
My vignette was not prompted by and has nothing to do with the closing. Simply coincidence and a short story to tell... the type that are the ramblings of an old man getting older.
The Oddblock Station Agent


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A writer celebrating books, comics, music, movies and art of all kinds.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Strangehaven: Arcadia
I wasn't surprised at all, after reading the first collected edition of Strangehaven, "Arcadia," that it has been compared to Twin Peaks. I would be quite surprised if Gary Spencer Millidge wasn't inspired by the show to some degree, as the atmosphere of his book, the way the story unfolds, drew comparisons for me to nothing else. The story follows Alex as he is taken in by a small secluded town, Strangehaven, following a car accident. The supernatural circumstances that caused his accident carry on through the story, although the eccentric residents of the town are thrust to the foreground of the tale. Among the strange characters of Strangehaven are a man who claims he's an alien stranded on earth with x-ray vision, a shaman from an Amazonian Indian tribe and an elderly lady whose house is filled with animals that she has conversations with. While the story meanders to all of the different corners of the town, the main events center around Alex and his budding relationship with young Janey, and the strange society of the Knights of the Golden Light who make all of the goings-on in Strangehaven their business. Strangehaven is beautifully illustrated realistically with an odd panel thrown in here and there to unnerve the reader, and with just enough sinister inuendos to keep us on edge through the tame soap opera happenings.
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|Bit of green stained glass courtesy of sxc.hu and Anonymous
I have walked and prayed for this young child an hour
And heard the sea-wind scream upon the tower,
And under the arches of the bridge, and scream
In the elms above the flooded stream;
Imagining in excited reverie
That the future years had come,
Dancing to a frenzied drum,
Out of the murderous innocence of the sea.
-Yeats, from "Prayer for My Daughter"
It's past two in the morning... Good night, moon and trees and sleepers in sickrooms and bedrooms and tents and the open air. Good night, world!


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About the Author
Bethany Turner was born and raised in Kentucky, but now lives in Colorado with her husband and two sons. She studied theatre at the University of Kentucky before going on to a career in bank management, which eventually gave way to writing. She finally knows what she wants to be when she grows up.
About the Book
Put aside all you think you know and jump into the greatest love story the world has never known.
My Review
Entertaining and Emotional
What a fun and emotional read! I thoroughly enjoyed "I've Loved These Days." The author took a huge risk using such famous name for her characters that made up the delusions of Abigail Phelps. However, I think that using the rich and famous made it extra special to me as I grew up with
these people and knew of them. I also wondered if Abigail's last name was based on no other than the famous Olympic gold metal swimmer.
Besides that, the story flowed well from beginning to end. The further into the story I read, the harder it was to put down and more the emotional the story became. Plainly, I loved the writing, the style, the characters, the plot, and everything in-between. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Get your copy today at Amazon.com. For more information, please visit www.seebethanywrite.com, https://www.facebook.com/abigailphelpsseries, https://www.facebook.com/seebethanywrite, http://www.abbyphelps.com/, and https://twitter.com/BTLiteraryStuff.
Next Five books and short stories on my reading list are:
Laurel's Quest - Book 1 - The Cornwall Adventures series by Nancy M. Bell
A Port in the Storm FREE (Only at Amber Quill Press) Short Story by Elizabeth Delisi
Murder at Cold Creek College by Christa Nardi
The Ruins on Stone Hill (Heroes of Ravenford Book 1) by F. P. Spirit
What's In A Name? Tales from the Lost Horizon by Michael Eging


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This blog seeks to spotlight noteworthy UNESCO education and culture programs; it emphasizes links between the United States and UNESCO.
Monday, December 31, 2007
World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development
UNESCO's Director-General and Assistant Director-General for Education have announced that the "World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development – Moving into the Second Half of the UN Decade" will be held in Bonn, Germany, from 31 March to 2 April 2009.
Some 700 stakeholders from all over the world will attend the conference, which is being organized by UNESCO and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, in cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO.
Registration will begin in November 2008
U.S. Based organization Curriki receives UNESCO's 2007 King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize
Curriki is an online environment created to support the development and free distribution of world-class educational materials to anyone who needs them. Curriki is different from other e-learning sites in that it focuses on complete curricula and not just a textbook or lesson plans, and provides easy-to-use tools for creating curriculum packets out of content available on the site. The 10,000 learning resources available on Curriki are used regularly by 35,000 people. Current offerings range from lesson plans, assessments and media clips to complete textbooks, all available at no cost.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
US NGO Wins UNESCO Award
Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president and Royal Charity Foundation board of trustees' chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa will today present the $50,000 (BD18,745) award on behalf of His Majesty King Hamad.
UNESCO and HP Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement
UNESCO and Hewlett-Packard (HP) signed a strategic partnership agreement on 19 December to strengthen their collaboration around existing education projects. The signing ceremony, held at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, was attended by Koïchiro Matsuura, UNESCO Director-General and Gabriele Zedlmayer, vice president, Global Citizenship HP Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Through the partnership, UNESCO and HP will work together on several projects in the area of education, especially to support UNESCO's priority of "Education for All". This includes an evaluation on the extension of the existing brain drain project to additional regions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. UNESCO and HP started to collaborate five years ago in South East Europe to help key universities connect to global research networks. In 2006 the project was extended to Africa. The project fights brain drain by providing universities with an advanced technology called grid computing, which allows top quality researchers to play a key role in international research and contribute to economic development in their home countries.
Another project is the World Heritage Map, which enables the general public to visualize the spread of World Heritage sites around the globe, and raises the awareness of the World Heritage Convention. The map is above all an educational tool, allowing UNESCO to communicate its work in this field on a large scale.
In addition HP has provided a financial contribution to UNESCO for the "Printing and distribution of the Man and the Biosphere Map". The Man and the Biosphere Map will be fully prepared and edited by the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences of UNESCO, which will provide the full lay-out to HP for printing and distribution.
The Computer recycling training guide is also the fruit of UNESCO and HP cooperation: it aims to support local stakeholders, in developing countries in particular, to manage electronic waste. The goal is to support local actors, especially those with a background in managing used computer equipment, and to create environmentally clean and healthy business opportunities. HP is the only technology partner in the project, which also includes the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Energie - ADEME), EMMAUS, the international movement of solidarity, and TIC ETHIC, Information and Communication Technologies in the service of ethics and sustainable development.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Athelstan Spilhaus: First U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO
The first person to be profiled is Athelstan Spilhaus, a distinguished scientist, inventor, educator, and popularizer of science who was the first U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO and who served on its Executive Board. Late in his life, when he accurately described himself as a "retired genius", he established a world class collection of more than 3,000 mechanical toys.
UNESCO BPI Memos
A commitment to peace implies a way of resolving conflicts, not according to the force of might, but by respecting internationally accepted norms, the rule of law and negotiation, with the aim of achieving a fullness of life for each and every one. By its Constitution, UNESCO is called upon to "build the defenses of peace in the minds of men."Distance learning
Open and distance learning is one of the most rapidly growing fields of education. It is fast becoming an accepted and indispensable part of the mainstream of educational systems in both developed and developing countries, with particular emphasis for the latter.Open content: Towards equal learning opportunities?
The number of open collaborative technologies has exploded over the last years. What impact have they had on access to and quality of education worldwide? Can developing countries afford these expensive technologies and thus avoid remaining on the sidelines of the digital revolution? What about copyright issues? What role for UNESCO?UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs programme: Towards New Strategic Orientations and New Tools.
UNITWIN which is the abbreviation for university twinning and networking, was launched in 1991, as an international plan of action aimed at strengthening training and research through inter-university co-operation, with particular emphasis on support to higher education in developing countries, more importantly, in the least developed ones.
Friday, December 14, 2007
IITB designated as "Knowledge Heritage Centre"
IITB was originally established with the cooperation and participation of UNESCO, and over the past 50 years it has grown to be an institution not only of national but of international importance. It is a leader in higher education, research and training in India, Asia, and indeed worldwide.
The historical role of UNESCO in helping to create IITB is an indication of the role that it has played in the past, and that it can play in the future.
Editorial Comment: I was very impressed by Media Lab Asia, a collaboration between MIT and IITB, and was sad when it failed to find funding to continue. I also had the opportunity to visit IITB with a team from the World Bank and the Development Gateway. IITB was a member of the Development Gateway's Research and Training network. I saw demonstrations of many fine projects that were implemented by IITB in its role as an Indian member of that network.
Of course, many graduates of IITB are important contributors to India's software industry, and indeed many have immigrated to Silicon Valley and other U.S. centers helping to create the Information Revolution in this country. Indeed, it is suggested (only partially in jest) that the best high school graduates in India, concerned by the extraordinary competitiveness of entry into IITB, apply to MIT and Cal Tech as "back up schools".
Perhaps the United States Permanent Delegation to UNESCO should recommend that the organization create a global network of "Knowledge Heritage Centers" in the great institutions of higher education in the world. JAD
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Review of UNESCO's Capacity-Building Function
- What have UNESCO and others learned about the most effective approaches to capacity building?
- What should UNESCO's role in capacity building be (given UN reforms that emphasize country-led, comprehensive development strategies and collaboration among donor agencies)?
- What needs to change within UNESCO in order to do a better job of capacity building?
A key finding of the review was:
Most UNESCO staff members interviewed recognize that capacity building needs to get beyond conventional inputs, such as training and technical assistance, in order to bring about sustainable change within institutions. However, much of the Organization's programming begins and ends there.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A Human Rights-Based Approach to Education for All
A Human Rights-Based Approach to Education for All is a joint UNESCO and UNICEF publication. It provides a framework for the realization of children's right to education and rights within education.
The report brings together the current thinking and practice on human rights-based approach in the education sector, presenting key issues and challenges in rights-based approaches and providing a framework for policy and program development from the level of the school up to the national and international levels.
UNESCO at GK3 in Kuala Lumpur: Towards building knowledge societies
The Global Knowledge Partnership's GK3 is a unique gathering of 2,000 global visionaries, innovators, practitioners and policy makers, all geared to sharing knowledge and building partnerships on a platform created by and for stakeholders from every sector - private companies, governments, international institutions and civil society groups.
UNESCO is participating actively in the Third Global Knowledge Conference (GK3) from 11 to 13 December 2007 and in its parallel events and exhibits. UNESCO has set up an onsite Community Multimedia Centre (CMC) and an exhibition promoting the concept of CMC in building knowledge societies at the Kuala Lumpur Conventional Center.
Here are a couple of videos from GK3:
Robotics program from the Omar Dengo Foundation in Costa Rica
i4d film festival: Viirtual village
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Office of Director General of UNESCO
The Director General is the chief executive officer of UNESCO. The DG's term of office is four years (previously six years), and the Director General is elected by the General Conference. The current Director General, Koïchiro Matsuura, has been in office since 1999. He was reelected to that post by the 33rd General Conference of UNESCO in 2005. Thus there is some speculation as the election of his successor in 2009.
There have been nine Directors General since UNESCO was founded in 1946:
- Koïchiro Matsuura from Asia
- Four from Europe: Federico Mayor (1987 - 1999), René Maheu (1962 - 1974; acting 1959, 1961-1962), Vittorino Veronese (1958 - 1961), and Julian Huxley (1946 - 1948)
- Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow from Africa
- Three from North America: Luther Evans (1953 - 1958). John W. Taylor (Acting DG 1952 - 1953), and Jaime Torres Bodet (1948 - 1952)
There is an informal understanding that the post should rotate among the (193) member nations of UNESCO, and indeed among continents and groups of nations. Moreover, there are informal understandings about the need to distribute leadership of UN family organizations among nations. (The situation is somewhat different in international financial institutions, programs of the United Nations such as the UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA, and organizations with their own general assemblies such as UNESCO, WHO, and FAO.)
The Islamic nations, which form a large cultural block with significant voting power in United Nations bodies, may see their opportunity in the next General Conference to elect one of their citizens to the post of Director General. You can be sure that State Department diplomats are already debating possible candidates and consulting with their counterparts in other delegations to UNESCO.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Two Foreign Policy Experts Recommend Smart Power
Richard L. Armitage was deputy secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. Joseph S. Nye Jr., a former assistant secretary of defense, teaches political science at Harvard. They co-chaired the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Commission on Smart Power.
They write:
The world is dissatisfied with American leadership. Shocked and frightened after 9/11, we put forward an angry face to the globe, not one that reflected the more traditional American values of hope and optimism, tolerance and opportunity. This fearful approach has hurt the United States' ability to bring allies to its cause, but it is not too late to change. The nation should embrace a smarter strategy that blends our "hard" and "soft" power -- our ability to attract and persuade, as well as our ability to use economic and military might......the United States needs a broader, more balanced approach (than it has been employing).....Editorial Comment. This is a very important recommendation. If the next administration decides to adopt a "smart power" policy, UNESCO should be a key instrument of that policy. No organization is better placed on which to build a consortium of like minded nations, and to practice public diplomacy that listens as well as lectures! JAD
when our words do not match our actions, we demean our character and moral standing. We cannot lecture others about democracy while we back dictators. We cannot denounce torture and waterboarding in other countries and condone it at home. We cannot allow Cuba's Guantanamo Bay or Iraq's Abu Ghraib to become the symbols of American power.......
In a changing world, the United States should become a smarter power by once again investing in the global good -- by providing things that people and governments want but cannot attain without U.S. leadership. By complementing U.S. military and economic strength with greater investments in soft power, Washington can build the framework to tackle tough global challenges. We call this smart power.
Smart power is not about getting the world to like us. It is about developing a strategy that balances our hard (coercive) power with our soft (attractive) power. During the Cold War, the United States deterred Soviet aggression through investments in hard power. But as Gates noted late last month, U.S. leaders also realized that "the nature of the conflict required us to develop key capabilities and institutions -- many of them non-military." So the United States used its soft power to rebuild Europe and Japan and to establish the norms and institutions that became the core of the international order for the past half-century. The Cold War ended under a barrage of hammers on the Berlin Wall rather than a barrage of artillery across the Fulda Gap precisely because of this integrated approach.
Specifically, the United States should renew its focus on five critical areas:
- We should reinvigorate the alliances, partnerships and institutions that allow us to address numerous hazards at once without having to build a consensus from scratch to respond to every new challenge.
- We should create a Cabinet-level voice for global development to help Washington develop a more unified and integrated aid program that aligns U.S. interests with the aspirations of people worldwide, starting with global health.
- We should reinvest in public diplomacy within the government and establish a nonprofit institution outside of it to build people-to-people ties, including doubling the annual appropriation to the Fulbright program.
- We should sustain our engagement with the global economy by negotiating a "free trade core" of countries in the World Trade Organization willing to move directly to free trade on a global basis, and expand the benefits of free trade to include those left behind at home and abroad.
- We should take the lead in addressing climate change and energy insecurity by investing more in technology and innovation.
Education Report -- Progress has been made, but much more needs to be done!
The number of children starting primary school has increased sharply since 2000, there are more girls in school than ever before and spending on education and aid has risen. That's the good news. But on the down side, poor quality, the high cost of schooling and persisting high levels of adult illiteracy are undermining the chances of achieving education for all* by 2015.Especially hopeful are the findings that primary school enrollment increased by 36% in sub-Saharan Africa and 22% in South and West Asia between 1999 and 2005. Governments in 14 countries abolished primary school tuition fees, a measure that has favoured access for the most disadvantaged. Worldwide, the number of out-of-school children dropped sharply from 96 million in 1999 to 72 million in 2005.
High Level Meeting on Education for All
Dakar, Senegal
11-13 December 2007
In the year 2000, the International Community gave itself 15 years to achieve the EFA and UN development goals. This year, the High-Level Group on EFA (HLG) will meet at the midpoint along that time-line.
Three Heads of State, Ministers of Education from 15 countries, representatives of the main donor countries, multilateral organizations, representatives of civil society and the private sector are to meet from 11 to 13 December in Dakar (Senegal) to examine the different means of accelerating progress towards the Education for All (EFA) goals, which were set by 164 countries in Dakar in 2000.
The opening ceremony will be chaired by the Senegalese head of state Abdoulaye Wade, and Mali's President Amadou Toumani Touré will address the conference at the opening.
The HLG is to place special focus on three areas – equity, quality and financing of education – as top policy priorities for the coming year. In addition, it will address the special concerns of countries facing conditions of fragility as well as relatively neglected EFA goals with a view to ensuring a holistic and balanced approach to the full EFA agenda.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
UNESCO's Internal Oversight Service
UNESCO's Internal Oversight Service (IOS), established in 2001, provides consolidated oversight covering internal audit, evaluation, investigation and other management support to strengthen the functioning of the Organization. The IOS website provides links to recent evaluations, as well as guidance for evaluations, and links to evaluation resources.
Some examples are:
UNESCO's 21st Century Talks
The 21st-Century Talks are forums for prospective reflection and future oriented debate that gather together leading figures from different regions of the world. Together with the UNESCO's World Reports they form UNESCO's Foresight and Anticipation Program.
The Talks are used as the basis for books, articles in leading newspapers and academic journals of different regions of the world, and production of radio and television programs.
Over the period 1999-2005, 27 "21st Century Talks and Dialogs" were organised. There were 118 speeches by 95 different speakers in the series. The three "Dialogues" gathered more speakers (particularly in Seoul with 23 speakers) than the "Talks" with only three or four. "Talks" were organised at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, Barcelona, Durban and Seoul.
As a result of the program, three books – and a total of 21 translated versions - were published.
- Keys to the 21st Century (2001)
- The Future of Values (2004)
- Making Peace with the Earth (2007)
An evaluation of UNESCO's Foresight program was published in 2006.
The evaluation report notes:
The activities of the Foresight and Anticipation Program had major support from UNESCO Member States. The "21st Century Talks and Dialogs" are viewed as having dealt with crucial issues for the future which were debated by a highly competent and diverse set of specialists who contributed highly relevant analyses. Member State representatives appreciated the foresight effort made by UNESCO. There is general agreement that Foresight and Anticipation are major missions of UNESCO.
"Midway to the 2015 target date: meeting of the High Level Group on Education for All in Dakar"
'Three Heads of State, Ministers of Education from 15 countries, representatives of the main donor countries, multilateral organizations, representatives of civil society and the private sector will meet from 11 to 13 December in Dakar (Senegal) to examine the different means of accelerating progress towards the six goals of Education for All (EFA) set by 164 countries in Dakar in 2000.
"The president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, and the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, will open the meeting chaired by Senegal's Minister of Education, Moustafa Sourang. During the opening ceremony, the president of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, will also give a keynote speech.
"The seventh annual meeting of the High Level Group on Education for All is taking place at the halfway point to 2015, which is the target date 164 countries have set to achieve the six EFA goals. According to the 2008 edition of the Global Monitoring Report on Education for All, which has just been released, the number of children, especially girls, starting primary school has increased sharply, but the poor quality of education, the high cost of schooling and the high level of adult illiteracy are
undermining chances of achieving education for all by 2015."
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Eleanor Roosevelt on UNESCO
In 1961, in her newspaper column "My Day" wrote:
Comment: Today, through technological advances, you can read The UNESCO Courier online or subscribe via email for free. JAD
We should work very closely with the United Nations body called UNESCO in our efforts to gain not only the maximum understanding of our own educational needs but also the understanding of what the world needs. UNESCO has the duty to promote education about the U.N. and a mutual international understanding between peoples. Our own educational objectives must be formed with the idea of making us better able to understand other areas of the world and more able to help in their struggles for development.
For 10 years now UNESCO has published a magazine called "The UNESCO Courier." This magazine is devoted entirely to portraying the customs, the arts, the cultures and the peoples of the earth. It has some 300,000 subscribers throughout the world, but in the U.S. the magazine is hardly known. Circulation here is only 10,000, whereas even in Russia it has 25,000 subscribers.No college or school in their country can really afford to be without "The UNESCO Courier," and I feel sure that once we have succeeded in having it in our libraries, schools and colleges that families all over the nation will feel the need to have it in their homes.
to Val-Kill in Hyde Park, NY, 1948
FDR Library 09-2447
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood
Other recent publications on Early Childhood Care and Education include the Policy Review Report: Early Childhood Care and Education in Brazil" (2007) and the Summary Report of the UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Project for Brazil, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Kenya (2007).
Related links
- Issue No. 41 of the UNESCO Policy Brief on Early Childhood
- Previous publications of the Policy Brief series
- "Policy Review Report: Early Childhood Care and Education in Brazil" (2007)
- "Summary Report of the UNESCO/OECD Early Childhood Policy Review Project for Brazil, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Kenya" (2007)
60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be launched at UNESCO on 10 December, Human Rights Day. Events commemorating the anniversary will take place over the next year, until 10 December 2008.
The 60th anniversary provides an opportunity to mobilize the whole of the United Nations and to evaluate progress in respecting and promoting human rights. UNESCO will take this opportunity to assess the situation of rights in its fields of competence. UNESCO is planning two international conferences on the subject in 2008: one on human rights education, the other on human rights in the Organization's other fields of competence. In addition, the 61st International Conference of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which will be organized at UNESCO in September 2008, in partnership with the United Nations Department of Public Information, will focus on the celebration of the Universal Declaration's 60th anniversary.
The Magic Planet
Here is a short video of Magic Planet.
First Lady Further Supports UNESCO's Literacy Drive
A delegation of representatives from the U.S. Department of State, USAID, and the U.S. Department of Education traveled to New Delhi, India for the UNESCO Regional Literacy Conference held from November 29 to 30, 2007. The delegation joined representatives from throughout the Indian Sub Continent, South and South West Asia as well as senior representatives of UNESCO and other international and regional organizations at the conference, entitled "Addressing Literacy Challenges in South, South-West and Central Asia: Building Partnerships and Promoting Innovative Approaches". The conference was hosted by the Government of India in conjunction with UNESCO and opened by Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi.
10 December 2005 - Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December to mark the anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
UNESCO at 60: Celebrating Human Rights and Education
60 Cartoons for Human Rights – Exhibition by Plantu
Message from UNESCO Director General Koïchiro Matsuura
International Human Rights Day
Symposium and Working Meeting
Rights and Responsibilities: Scientific Associations and International Human Rights Norms
Hosted by
AAAS Science and Human Rights Program
Monday, 10 December 2007
2:00 pm - 5:15 pm
AAAS Headquarters,
1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
"U.S. Teens Trail Peers Around World on Math-Science Test"
Glod writes:
The disappointing performance of U.S. teenagers in math and science on an international exam, in scores released yesterday, has sparked calls for improvement in public schools to help the country keep pace in the global economy.
The scores from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment showed that U.S. 15-year-olds trailed their peers from many industrialized countries. The average science score of U.S. students lagged behind those in 16 of 30 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based group that represents the world's richest countries. The U.S. students were further behind in math, trailing counterparts in 23 countries.
Design of an Emblem for Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention
Design of an Emblem for Intangible Cultural Heritage ConventionUNESCO is now announcing a competition for the design of an emblem that best reflects the purposes and spirit of the Convention to give greater visibility to intangible heritage and its safeguarding.
UNESCO invites entries from professional and amateur graphic designers, artists, and practitioners of intangible cultural heritage from all its Member States. Each participant may submit a single design, including a black and white and a colour version.
The deadline for submissions to reach UNESCO is 15 February 2008.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Index Translationum
Among the most translated authors are found, in no particular order, Walt Disney Productions, Agatha Christie, Jules Verne, Lenin and Shakespeare. Consulting the available data, it can be noted that the most translated languages in the world are English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish and Swedish. In the other direction, Japanese is among the languages most translated into; it is listed in fifth position after German, Spanish, French and English, before Dutch and Portuguese. Finally, Germany, Spain, France and Japan are the countries that translate the most.
Annotated bibliography on education and conflict
Source: Firas Durri: Enthusiast (blog)
Annotated bibliography on education and conflict
Background paper prepared for the
Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2008
Rüdiger Blumör, Nora v. Buttlar
UNESCO, 2007. (PDF, 97 pages)
Publ: 2007; 2008/ED/EFA/MRT/PI/77.
This bibliography contains a selection of publications that deal with the topic of education and conflict, in the form of political and/or violent/ armed conflict. Publications looking at conflict/conflict management in education (e.g. in schools) have not been included.
New Issue of the UNESCO Courier
UNESCO campaign «Send my friend to school» (2005). Work by Tara Badcock (Australia)
1990 : The Education for All (EFA) campaign is launched in Jomtien (Thailand). The international community pledges to provide quality basic education to all children, youths and adults.
2000 :In Dakar, Senegal, more than 160 governments set six goals to be reached no later than 2015. The goals concern early childhood education, primary school, life skills, adult literacy, gender parity and quality education.
2007:"We are halfway there and we have good reason to be optimistic," says, in this issue of the UNESCO Courier, Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education and director of the just-launched 2008 EFA Global Monitoring Report. Troublesome areas remain nonetheless, notably early childhood education, gender parity and adult literacy.
EFA Report has now been issued
Just released!
The Report in 10 questionsThere is a very helpful three minute video with the key results from the report. It features Nicholas Burnett, director of the staff that prepared the 2008 report and now the new assistant director-general for education of UNESCO.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
UNESCO photo contest on The Changing Face of the Earth
UNESCO photo contest on
The Changing Face of the EarthUNESCO's International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) is running a photo contest on the theme of The Changing Face of the Earth, to raise awareness among youth of the state of the planet. There are several cameras and 40 book prizes to be won. Entries close on 30 June 2008.
Contestants may enter in either of the categories:
- 15-20 year olds and
- contestants aged 21 years and over.
Photos can be entered in any of ten categories:
- Soil – Earth's living skin, Planet Earth in our hands
- Groundwater – towards sustainable use
- Hazards – minimizing risk, maximizing awards
- Earth and health – building a safer environment
- Climate change – the 'stone tape'
- Resource issues – towards sustainable use
- Megacities – going deeper, building safer
- Deep Earth – from crust to core
- Ocean – abyss of time
- Earth and life – the origins of diversity
The Global Education Digest 2007
The education budget of a single country like France, Germany, Italy or the United Kingdom outweighs education spending across the entire sub-Saharan African region, according to this report from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS). Governments in sub-Saharan Africa spend only 2.4% of the world's public education resources. Yet about 15% of the school-age population lives in these countries, according to the Digest. In contrast, the United States, which is home to just 4% of the world's children and young people, spends 28% of the global education budget. This is mainly due to the large numbers of university students and the relatively high costs associated with this level of education.
21st Century Dialogues: "Making Peace with the Earth"
The session was organized around the launch of the book "Making Peace with the Earth", third anthology of the 21st Century Dialogues, just published in French, English, Spanish and Catalan by UNESCO. In the book, seventeen experts, politicians, scientists and thinkers formulate their answers to the questions:
- What is the future of the planet?
- What is in store for humanity?
World AIDS Day
1 December 2007
"We must continue to intensify our efforts, adapt our actions to the epidemiological and social situations on the ground, and mobilize sufficient financial resources for the AIDS response in the time to come. I pledge UNESCO's firm commitment to fulfilling its role [of leadership] in the global response to HIV and AIDS."
Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Launch of the 2008 edition
Will we make it?
This report assesses progress towards the six education for all goals midway to the target date for achieving them -- 2015;
There have been some real gains since 2000:
- the number of children starting primary school has increased sharply,
- there are more girls in school than ever before and
- spending on education and aid has risen.
The full report is to be released on Thursday. The full report, regional overviews, statistical search tool, background papers, video interviews and UNESCO Courier feature stories are to be on line on 29 November.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Major environmental education conference in India
UNESCO co-sponsored the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Education on 24-28 November in Ahmedabad, India. Some 1500 participants are expected.
Mark Richmond of UNESCO's Education Sector will deliver a keynote address on behalf of the Director-General on 26 November.
Read the interview with Peter Woods, an expert on education for sustainability, who represents the Australian Government at Ahmedabad and other international environmental forums.
Educational governance at local levels
UNESCO, November 2007.
How can educational governance at local levels enable the empowerment of excluded groups? Two new publications from UNESCO address this and other related questions.
"Educational governance at local levels: policy paper and evaluation guidelines" includes a policy paper on implementing educational decentralization as well as evaluation guidelines.
A second, complementary publication, "Educational governance at local levels: modules for capacity building", provides capacity-building activities in four modules. Both publications can be downloaded from the links below. Printed copies and a CD/ROM are also available on demand.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
How volunteering at Unesco changes lives
In UNESCO and other international organizations, interns are often welcome to work alongside staff on development programs and special projects. And, fortunately for the agencies, many young people are willing to do just that, offering their time in exchange for experience. So, what drives this motivation, and what challenges and lessons are learned along the way?
Read the full explanation by Melinda Sung, an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development, who was a volunteer in the Culture Unit, Unesco Bangkok. It is published in The Nation (Bangkok).
Interns have been of great service to Americans for UNESCO, and we are always looking for new volunteers to help with these blogs.
UNESCO to offer video encyclopaedia on India
Read about the initiative:
As an example of the content, check out the video on Odissi:
Odissi is the classical dance form which originated in Orissa, an Eastern state in India. Like Bharatanatyam, this classical dance is also centuries old. This enchanting classical dance form of Orissa traces its origin to the temple dances of the Devadasis (temple dancers).
Sujata Mohapatra is one of the famous Odissi dancers of India. She is the disciple and daughter -in- law of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra.
The U.S.A. at UNESCO's 34th General Conference
UNESCO held its 34th General Conference at its Paris Headquarters from October 16 to November 2, 2007. The General Conference is held every other year, and is the governing body of the organization, The United States fielded a large delegation for the conference, and participated fully in the event.
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings led the U.S. delegation supported by White House Science Advisor, Dr. John H. Marburger, III and National Science Foundation Director Arden Bement..
The Conference notably adopted, by consensus, a resolution on "Holocaust Remembrance" introduced by the United States, Russia, Australia, Canada, and Israel and co-sponsored by 65 other UNESCO member states. The resolution "requests the Director-General to consult with the United Nations Secretary-General regarding outreach programs that could play in promoting awareness of Holocaust remembrance through education and in combating all forms of Holocaust denial."
Also adopted was a Resolution introduced by the U.S. and co-sponsored by many African states that urged UNESCO to expedite implementation of the Teacher Training Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA).
The United States Library of Congress chose the General Conference as a platform to launch the World Digital Library project. The project was launched with an exhibit that illustrated how the World Digital Library will operate. Librarian of Congress Dr. James H. Billington hosted a reception for a large number of people at the Conference and the Library of Congress and UNESCO signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate future collaboration on the project.
Finally, NASA and NOAA provided a special exhibit, a digital video globe displaying various data, called the "Magic Planet," which was the focal point for a presentation entitled "Observing and Understanding our Globalized World through History, Sciences, Culture, and Communications." This exhibit helped make the overall theme of the General Conference, "Planet Earth: from Space to Place," a great success.
International Conference on Women's Leadership for Sustainable Development
The conference, a biennial event held by the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center, was cosponsored by UNESCO and Mashav (the Foreign Ministry-operated official body for international cooperation).
UNESCO Deputy Director-General Prof. Marcio Barbosa expressed gratitude to the government of Israel for hosting such a major event and to the eminent women leaders who had participated with such great enthusiasm.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
A Tribute to Rumi
No english title - The most popular videos are here
Source: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/571137/
MUSEUM Intenational N°235
Editorial Isabelle Tillerot
Chapter I: Alterity and Philosophy of the Collection
- San Francisco, Mexico, and the Teotihuacan Murals Kathleen Berrin
- Collection and Context in a Cameroonian Village Steven Nelson
- A Place to Work Michael Baldwin, Charles Harrison Mel Ramsden
- Para-Performative Practices and Late Modernism: on contemporary art and the museum Matthew Jesse Jackson
Chapter II: Rethinking Universality
- Introductory Remarks on the Notion of Universality Roland Recht
- The Phenomenology of Art: the site of the work of art, the space of the collection Éric Marion
- The Museum, a Universal Device Jean-Louis Déotte
- The Ethics of Collecting: universality questioned Cécile Marceau
Americans Favor International Cooperation
The United Nations Foundation released the results of a major survey of Americans' foreign policy attitudes today. Americans, the poll finds, are virtually unanimous (86% of all voters) in the belief that working with allies and through international organizations is a wiser strategy for achieving America's foreign policy priorities.The poll also finds that 73% of all voters are more likely to vote for a candidate for President who understands that "solutions to world problems require international cooperation, whether they are economic problems, environmental problems, or problems of peace and war and that international cooperation is a better way of solving some of the world's key problems."
Friday, November 23, 2007
World Heritage Site Videos
where you can see them all.
School Science and Technology education
Just published
UNESCO Resources on School Science and Technology education on CD-RomUNESCO has just released a new CD-ROM with a collection of UNESCO documents on science and technology education at the secondary school level. These ocuments include:
- "Guidelines for Policy-making in Secondary School Science and Technology Education"
- "Girls and Science : A training module on motivating girls to embark on science and technology careers"
- "Technology-based training of marginalized girls"
- "Partnerships for relevant science and technology education" and
- "Technology education guide".
Literacy, Knowledge and Development
This just published report (in Spanish as well as English) is subtitled "South-South Policy Dialogue on Quality Education for Adults and Young People". It contains the presentations made at the conference of that name held in Mexico City in 2005. The articles concern literacy policies as well as basic education and competence recognition.
While Brazil, India, South Africa and Mexico are singled out as "locomotives of development in the field", information is also provided on programmes in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Arab States as a whole.
The Bush administration has emphasized literacy in its dealings with UNESCO, and held a major conference on literacy in conjunction with the UN Summit in 2006.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Partnership for Jordan's World Heritage Sites
USAID/Siyaha and will implement a program to assist in strengthening the management of Jordan's World Heritage sites, most notably Petra, and launch a public awareness campaign about these sites. In Petra, support will also include a combination of grants to community-based organization and local businesses, training, and development of local tourism projects and activities consistent with World Heritage and sustainable tourism principles. Efforts will also integrate USAID/Siyaha's work with the Petra National Trust to create a Petra zoning plan.
Click here to see a two minute long video about Petra.
The UN Foundation will also support the mission of USAID/Siyaha in various ways, including using its outreach tools to educate travellers and the private sector about the cultural and natural values of Jordanian World Heritage sites.
(Thank to Annie Belt for passing on this information.)
Eighth Meeting of the Working Group on Education for All (14 - 16 November 2007)
The Eighth Meeting of the Working Group on EFA came at the crucial midway point along the time-line to 2015. Despite significant advances over the past seven years, it is clear that progress must be accelerated if the six EFA Goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to be reached by 2015. It is in this perspective that the sequence of key annual EFA events has been reorganized, and adjustments made to the linkages between them as well as to working methods and expected outcomes.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
An appeal to stop illicit trafficking of Iraqi cultural property
The International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding of Iraqi Cultural Heritage, which met at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 13 and 14 November, ended with an appeal to the international community to help stop illicit excavations, pillaging and trafficking of Iraqi cultural property.The Committee brings together some 20 international experts on Iraqi cultural heritage and is chaired by Iraq's Senior Deputy Minister of Culture, Jaber Mohammad Abbas Al-Jaberi. It recommended, among other measures: to facilitate an international prohibition on trade in or transfer of ancient Iraqi cultural property in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483 of 22 May 2003; and to encourage all countries to keep the recovered items in established safe havens, under the auspices of UNESCO and/or Iraqi diplomatic missions, in view of their restitution to Iraq when the adequate conditions are met.
April 10-12, 2007 was the fourth anniversary of the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. SAFE/Saving Antiquities for Everyone organized a candlelight vigil to end the looting and destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq, and around the world. The following (five minute long) video was produced as part of that effort, with a talk by the Director of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, and images of the vigil at the State University of New York's Stony Brook campus:


text:
Here are some representative journal entries from students. These two students chose to comment on being a bystander and a rescuer and then considered these concepts in their own lives.
Gabey wrote:
Evil things grow and get bigger because of bystanders. Because people sit there being silent while others hardly different, if different at all, from themselves are being persecuted and destroyed. Bystanders aren't bad people. They're good people; it's just that they might as well persecute people themselves because they do nothing or are silent.
When I notice something wrong and don't agree with it, I rarely act on it. I have stood up for my views and opinions if someone offends me or others, but I will admit to being a bystander. I want to defend people as a whole. For example, if someone makes a racist joke, I want to be able to voice or act on my opinion and defend that minority. When it comes down to it, I should also try to stop caring about what people think or how they see me.
Lauren wrote:
I realize how truly considerate the people of Le Chambon, France (most of this village of religious Christians helped rescue Jews throughout the war) really were. They might be modest about their actions, but they saved many lives. If everyone would have thought the same as these citizens, then many more Jews from the Holocaust would still be alive. Even though they never outwardly stood up to the Nazis, they realized how terrible the Holocaust was and did what they could to save lives. I always beat myself up when I don't do something I should have. Although some people have a conscience that tells them to do something, only the truly decent people take action against something that terrible and inhumane.