Blazing radical trails in education

In Pangasinan, a private institution is fast transforming its students into active stewards of society with its unconventional learning innovations.

The Ednas School of San Carlos (ESSC) in Dagupan, San Carlos and Alaminos, adopted in 2006 three teaching techniques to further develop the skills and talents of its students as well as raise the level of standards of the institution. These three concepts are Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (MI), Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats and Waldorf-Steiner’s Eurythmy.

Maria Edna Soledad Gonzales-Blancaflor, academic director and daughter of school founder Dr. Edna Torio Gonzales, thought that the best way to level up is to go radical!

“We envision to educate and to develop the holistic and comprehensive being of each child for him to be excellent in whatever endeavor he chooses, wherever and whenever. We envision products that would be able to use all their talents, intelligences, and abilities and apply them in the process of making positive change and difference in the world. These innovations, when integrated and implemented effectively in classroom lessons and school activities allow them to progress more steadily,” explains Blancaflor who took her master’s studies in curriculum supervision and educational administration in Duquesne University, Pennsylvania.


MI DAYS

ESSC thus started to apply radical approaches in teaching and learning.

First, the old way of measuring grades through oral and written tests was changed. Instead, assessment tests which qualitatively measure each intelligence were used to track the development of the students.

Students were grouped together according to their MI, which include from verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Teachers, on the other hand, would use these measures to design lessons and activities that cater to their pupils’ different proficiencies. Such lessons are carried out once a week per class during the “MI Days.”

An activity in Geometry, for instance, would engage the students to create a trigonometric artwork or sing the SOHCAHTOA (sine-cosine-tangent) song. Classes during MI Days would also be bustling with a variety of activities that range from recitation or problem-solving exercises for verbal and math skills, to drawing and coloring, dancing competitions, choral singing or even playing a game of dice which highlights the principles of counting.

“All in all, the approach motivates students to be more engaged and interested in class. The program also forms in them a consciousness and a sense of confidence in the intelligences – especially their dominant ones – talents, and skills that they possess,” Blancaflor reveals.


TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO THINK

Analyzing an issue for elementary and high school students at Ednas School has also become deeper and more incisive with the Six Thinking Hats method.

When discussing a topic or problem among themselves,the students wear colorful hats and look at an issue following the mode of thinking prescribed by the color of each hat. They are white for facts and information; yellow for strengths; black for weaknesses; green for creativity; red for instinctive emotions; and blue for the process of thinking.

A Grade 6 Science class, for example, has students talking about the impact of pollution on the environment from various sides. High school students, meanwhile, are asked to read a story about a young Filipina girl born and raised in the U.S. who is having a dilemma about where her real home is and whether she should go back to the Philippines. Putting on their hats, students consider factors such as family, friends, livelihood, nationalism, and cultural identity. They also create their own endings to the story.

“The Six Thinking Hats aim to encourage organized and orderly group discussions. Instead of everyone talking differently at the same time, the act of putting on and taking off hats allow students to metaphorically switch from one perspective to another. As such, groups are able to look at different aspects of a single issue together and undergo a critical yet open-minded decision making process, resulting in well thought-out conclusions,” explains Blancaflor.

Before all these are done, however, students are first primed up for the lesson through another teaching technique called the Eurythmy.

Blancaflor says students are made to do movement exercises at the beginning of each lesson. The exercise attunes the students to their own spiritual and physical development, making them receptive to any lesson. A lesson on “Flight’’ naturally has the students gliding around the classroom, pretending to fly. Apart from making boring lessons fun and exciting, Eurythmy also keeps students awake and focused on the lesson.


AWARD-WINNING

As a result, enrolment has not only increased on the school`s three campuses, but student performances are also very positive, with failures minimized in the pre-school and high school, she adds.

ESSC is also the first school in northern Luzon to integrate robotic engineering in its curriculum from Grades 3 to fourth year high school. Teachers in Math, Science and computer have been trained by experts from the Genetic Computer Institute in Singapore. Soon, the school will also offer financial literacy and entrepreneurship programs in Grade 3 to fourth year high school.

These pioneering initiatives have earned for ESSC various awards including the National Exemplary Award from the Center for Educational Measurement in English, Math and Science, and the Excellence in Educational Transformation Award (EETA) from ABS-CBN Bayan Academy, Knowledge Channel Foundation and Rex Book Store. Last April, the ESSC-Dagupan campus also bagged the championship in Radio Broadcasting and Desktop Publishing at the National Press Conference in Palawan. ESSC students are also consistent regional and national finalists in the Math Metrobank-DepEd Competition.

Blancaflor believes that for a school to be a leader and pioneer in education, it must be creative and think outside of the box.

“To achieve our goal to be a global school, we must be ahead of the trend. We must set the trail for others to learn from. All these are happening because all of us are working together as one big, collaborative family,” she ends.


Original source here

Heart of America Internship Inspires Jose Vazquez ’15 to Seek Education Reform

A Levitt Public Service internship this summer has solidified Jose Vazquez’s ’15 desire to pursue a career in education policy and reform. Vazquez is in Washington D.C. as an intern for The Heart of America Foundation, a non-profit organization that builds libraries for under-resourced schools across the nation. The organization partners with Target and embarks on their 15th year anniversary building 150+ libraries nationwide.

The Levitt Public Service Internship Fund was started with the generous support of the Norman and Rosita Winston Foundation, with the goal of supporting students interested in careers in public service. It is jointly administered by the Career Center and the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center.

Vazquez assists the READesign team that does the project management and selection of schools. “I’m researching schools and getting as much background information as possible, including the percentage of students that receive free/reduced lunch and if the school is Title I,” explains Vazquez. “I am the youngest intern to ever be part of the organization itself and I love the office community so far.”

The admiration is apparently mutual as the team took Vazquez along to Baltimore to help in an opening ceremony for a library that they designed and planned. “In the elementary school in Baltimore, I led a group of volunteers in painting a school mural and it was really fulfilling,” Vazquez recalls. “I’m so glad that I can work with an organization that promotes literacy and can make a difference in every community.”

Vazquez describes Heart of America as “one of those organizations that tackles the issue directly to completely transform the heart of a school, which is its library. Not only is the library given a state-of-the-art makeover,” he said, “but each child goes home with seven books for their own personal reading.” Heart of America has also partnered with food banks to send each child and parent home with 25-pounds of food.

In describing the visit to Baltimore, Vazquez said, “It was inspiring to watch the kids as they entered their new library and to hear one child say that he wishes he could ‘live in the library.’ That made me realize the importance of public service and what it means for a community to show that they care about children and their education. The Heart of America Foundation correlates with my belief that the heart and mind of our country comes from the public school.”

Not one to sit still, Vazquez keeps busy after his internship work as well. “Two days a week after my internship, I volunteer for FLOC (For Love of Children) and tutor basic mathematics to a child,” he said. “It’s been an amazing experience. The organization attempts to reduce the learning gap in students who are behind in school and commits to a scholar program that pays/prepares them for college.

In August when his internship ends Vazquez will head to Mountain View, Calif., where he will participate in the Google BOLD (Building Opportunities for Leadership & Development) diversity internship program. The program selects 50 students from across the nation and gives participants a rare glimpse into the technology industry, career opportunities at Google, and valuable professional and peer networks.

Vazquez concludes, “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to be influential in the education realm and give every child the resources to make the most out of his or her education and life decisions. I might even start my own non-profit organization someday.”

Vazquez is a graduate of Ronald Reagan High School/Doral Senior High School (Fla.)

$6 Million Gift to Launch New Durden Center at Dickinson

Thanks to a $6 million gift from Samuel G. Rose ’58 and Julie Walters, a new two-story, 25,000-square-foot athletics-training center will replace the current 1960s-era locker rooms at Dickinson’s recently renovated Biddle Field. The new facility, which will be named the Durden Center to honor the tenure of President William G. Durden ’71 and his wife, Dr. Elke Durden, adds a sixth project to the extensive campus-enhancement effort the college announced in April. The project will start as soon as possible with construction likely to begin in the fall.

The new Durden Center will feature separate locker rooms for men’s and women’s lacrosse, football, field hockey, coaches, officials and visiting teams; a strength-training and free-weight room; sports-medicine facilities; a laundry equipment room; and a team-meeting/event room with a viewing platform overlooking Biddle Field. The entrance will include an exhibition area to honor Dickinson athletics including the 1958 lacrosse team that won a national championship. Rose played for the team from 1954 through 1958.

Biology major Suleiman Sudah, class of 2015, of Franklin Park, N.J., is excited about the Durden Center and the opportunities it will provide Dickinson athletes for year-round training and workouts. The all-conference lacrosse player is eager to use the facility during his time on campus, “The new athletic training center offers the size, equipment and accessibility that is capable of transforming our athletes from really good to great and our programs from successful to legendary,” said Sudah.

Philanthropists and long-time supporters of Dickinson, Rose and Walters recently gifted The Sam Rose ’58 and Julie Walters Prize at Dickinson College for Global Environmental Activism and prior to that The Samuel G. Rose ’58 Scholarship for economically disadvantaged students from urban areas.

“Sam and Julie are true and enduring friends of the college,” said Durden. “They believe liberal-arts education is more important than ever. A new training facility permits the college to replace an obsolete structure that is totally inadequate. It also will save the college considerable money as various activities are centralized.”

The gift joins the largest investment in campus enhancements in Dickinson’s history, which the Board of Trustees approved in April, unveiling plans for five other construction projects aimed at expanding and improving facilities for academics, athletics and student life. Work on the new Durden Center will progress alongside those projects: a new soccer complex (scheduled completion: fall 2012), a new interdisciplinary greenhouse (scheduled completion: fall 2012), an addition to the Rector Science Complex (scheduled completion: fall 2013), an expansion to the Kline Fitness Center to include a new fitness center and squash courts (scheduled completion: summer 2014), and a new residence hall (scheduled completion: summer 2014).

Original source here

Ban on university recruiting foreign students

A major university has been suspended from recruiting overseas students amid concerns about its compliance with new rules aimed at tackling bogus colleges.

Immigration officers have temporarily stripped London Metropolitan University of its "highly trusted sponsor" status, meaning it cannot finalise applications from foreigners, who last year made up nearly half its student numbers.

The move could have a significant impact on the university's finances because the suspension has come at the peak period of student recruitment.

Concerns are thought to centre on how data about non-EU students is collected and stored by the institution, which has more than 22,000 students including 10,000 from abroad.

There were also worries about how the university recorded overseas students' ability to speak English and their attendance at courses - both of which require minimum levels to qualify for a student visa.

Problems were identified in two recent audits by the UK Border Agency, which suspended London Met from its list of "Tier 4 Highly Trusted Sponsors".

Malcolm Gillies, vice-chancellor of the university, said: "London Met has worked hard over the last year to rectify previous inadequacies, conducting three of its own audits.

"It will instantly rectify any residual deficits in its current practice.

"The university remains a highly trusted sponsor, but its licence is suspended while we resolve remaining issues."

He added that the university will continue to accept applications from international students over the summer.

However, unless its sponsorship status is restored foreign students will be unable to obtain visas and travel to Britain.

London Metropolitan University was created in 2002 by the merger of Guildhall University - formerly City of London Polytechnic - and the University of North London, also a former polytechnic.

Its alumni include Vic Reeves, the comedian, and Zandra Rhodes, the fashion designer.

According to latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, London Met had an income of £157.7 million in 2010-11, with 16,550 undergraduates and 6,285 postgraduates.

It has 1,855 staff, of whom 885 are academics.

London Met is only the second university known to have lost its highly trusted sponsor status since rules were tightened by the Coalition last year.

Teesside University was suspended from the list in February but it was reinstated in May.

Original source here

South Korea Engineering Degrees Outpace The U.S. -- How?

DAEJON, South Korea -- Any eighth-grader who wonders if anyone actually uses algebra should ask Hyungtae Lee, an electrical engineer who writes algorithms to build computers with the power of human sight.

It's a skill he learned first here in South Korea, where undergraduate students are five times more likely to major in engineering than their counterparts in the United States.

U.S. universities and companies often look abroad for students and workers to fill positions because not enough Americans have the necessary skills or training. To help meet the demand, President Obama has announced a goal to train 1 million more graduates over the next decade in engineering and related fields.

At a White House science fair in February, he told the young contestants, "You're not just trying to win a prize today, you are getting America in shape to win the future. You are making sure we have the best, smartest, most skilled workers in the world, so that the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root right here."

South Korea far outpaces the United States in the percentage of young adults with college degrees -- 63 versus 41 percent -- and its K-12 students routinely outperform U.S. children on international assessments. While South Korean leaders have begun to fret that their young people--raised among skyscrapers and affluence--are pursuing higher-paying jobs outside technical fields, the workforce remains highly tech-savvy: One in four South Korean college students majors in engineering, compared to one in 20 in the U.S.

The reason for the glut of engineers can be summed up easily: South Korea's education system was designed to produce them.

As Lee explained, "My path has been set since elementary school."

South Korea's school system--unlike the American system--is centralized and regulated according to economic demands. The national ministry of education and the ministry of science and technology are one and the same, and the president's vision for economic development can have immediate reverberations in schools.

For decades, South Korea's strategy for success has been to outsmart its more powerful neighbors. In a country with few natural resources, the next technological breakthrough is sometimes referred to in Korean as the next "meal."

To transform a poor country of mostly illiterate farmers into a high-tech powerhouse, they had to start at the beginning--with compulsory elementary education and a standardized curriculum.

Lee, who grew up in Seoul, learned the same math and history lessons year to year as students his age in smaller cities or villages throughout South Korea.

A consistent and strong foundation for every child paved the way for South Korea's college enrollment to explode a few decades later. Between 1980 and 2008, the number of college students increased from 647,500 to 3.6 million. More than 80 percent of high-school graduates go on to higher education, one of the highest rates in the world.

The United States is moving toward a more consistent curriculum, with widely adopted academic standards that aim to make American students more internationally competitive. But a tradition of tracking students by ability and localized decision-making about learning standards has led to uneven results. Not everyone who graduates from high school is ready for college-level work, let alone the advanced math and science course work required for engineering. The proportion of students in Maryland's public university system who have to take at least one remedial course ranges from 20 to 50 percent, depending on the campus.

The South Korean government also closely regulates higher education, and historically set enrollment quotas for different programs and types of schools to reflect the economy's needs. Such regulation would be unwelcome in the United States, said Joseph Helble, dean of the engineering school at Dartmouth College. American universities pride themselves on their freedom and on nurturing independent thinking in their students.

"But if you need to rapidly develop technology and train many people, a tightly controlled system works," he said.

To entice the best students into science and tech fields, the South Korean government also created a flagship university -- Kaist, or the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

The nationally sponsored school -- similar to military academies in the United States, but dedicated to furthering South Korea's economy -- showcased engineering as a prestigious profession fundamental to the nation's success starting in 1971.

South Koreans who had gone abroad to study were lured back with handsome salaries to teach. And the best students in the country were recruited with the promise of free tuition and an exemption from mandatory military service, in return for a promise to work in a government lab for three years after graduation. Over the years, Kaist graduates have filled government research institutes and top jobs at companies like Samsung and Hyundai.

Admission became so prized that parents in the countryside would wave banners and host a banquet for the village if their son or daughter was accepted.

Lee, now 33, remembers watching a popular television drama called "Kaist" about life and love in the laboratory when he was a teenager, and imagining himself there. "I never missed an episode," he said.

He earned a master's degree there after finishing first in his undergraduate class at Sogong University in Seoul.

On a warm spring afternoon, the grassy fields at the 300-acre campus south of Seoul were deserted but the labs were full. Students were designing exercise equipment for people with Alzheimer's disease, studying the olfactory systems of fruit flies, and fine-tuning an electric bus that recharges wirelessly as it drives over electric strips embedded in the road.

Kaist president Suh Nampyo, a former mechanical engineering professor and department head at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he wants to make the school not just the best in South Korea, but one of the top 10 science universities in the world. (Kaist was 94th on the 2011-12 Times Higher Education world ranking, up from 132 in 2007).

He has launched a series of reforms to stir competitiveness, offering all-English instruction and overhauling the admissions system. International applications are up, particularly from Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.

The increasing quality of universities such as Kaist in other countries means the United States has to compete increasingly for international students, making it all the more important to build a better pipeline of talent domestically.

"It's not at all obvious anymore that we can just turn on the spigot and all the talented people will come here," said Debra W. Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington D.C.

Nor can it be assumed they'll stay here, industry leaders say, thanks to politically volatile immigration policies and new opportunities in emerging economies abroad.

When Lee completes his Ph.D. in 2013, he would like to work for Google. But he's also interested in going back home to work for a Korean company or university.

"It all depends on the offers I get," he said.

Original source here

Microsoft Marks The Beginning Of New Era With Touch-Based Office 2013

I still can recall one of my tutors saying something not very cool about Microsoft but whether he likes the company or not it is one of the top software vendors across the globe.

Recently, Bill Gates’ darling (Microsoft) has moved one step ahead in the software market by launching its new touch based Office suit.

MS Office 2013 is a refreshed version of already available word processing, email programs and spreadsheet. It would come up with some updated features include Inkling which lets its user convert handwritten notes into text, a video chat service having Skype (which Microsoft acquired a few months ago), and a reading mode on Word that enables its users to read word processing documents on a tablet or an iPad.

As Microsoft has is also on a verge to launch the touch based newer version of Windows operating system the new Office will be fully compatible on the OS and will save all your completed or pending files onSkyDrive, which means you do not have to worry about saving them here and there.

The software giant is already known for its world popular MS Office softwares (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook). The company claims to have over one billion worldwide users of this suit.

CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, looks so much excited about touch enabled MS Office as it shall help increase the company’s profit as well as give it a prominent repute, with no other competent in the market. Thank God Apple is not chasing Ballmer’s hopes.

I feel myself as excited about the launch as may have been Ballmer since I have been using the MS Word since early 2000 and I sure want to try how touching and tapping will help create my content.

3D Printed Keys, A Horror For Cops, Christmas Come Early For Criminals

Since I am into this kind of business I have heard about various 3D printing innovations such as 3D printed blood vessel, 3D Burrito printer and so on. But I am greatly surprised and shocked, altogether, to know about a 3D printer which helped a German security consultant pick locks in high-end security handcuffs.

Ray, in a NY based meeting of Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE) conference, has demonstrated an unmatched 3D security key by opening handcuffs. It is built by the English and German manufacturer, Chubb and Bonowi, respectively. Both are popular to distribute their keys only to authorized buyers, but not this time.

But Ray, being a hacker, picked up the Chubb key via an unknown source. The man has made aware the police and other security officers about his plan to upload the CAD models online on a 3D printing Web based platform called Thingiverse. His intentions are clear thanks to heaven, as he just wants the loopholes in the handcuffs removed before any criminal gets away by manipulating those vulnerabilities.

Beware guys, at least those who have their abodes near to prison cells.

Source:http://www.etechmag.com/2012/07/18/3d-printed-keys-horror-cops-christmas-early-criminals.html

NBC and Facebook to Announce Olympics Partnership

Users of Facebook, later this summer, will be reminded about NBC’s coverage of the Olympic Games in London. And viewers of NBC’s coverage, at the same time, will be nudged to talk about the Games on Facebook.

The virtuous circle is part of a collaboration, to be announced Wednesday, between NBCUniversal’s NBC Olympics division and Facebook, the social networking Web site.

Data from Facebook will inform television coverage on NBC and on the other channels that will carry portions of the Summer Games starting on July 27. The specific uses will vary, but there will be a “Facebook Talk Meter” occasionally shown on TV to reflect what is being said online.

“We know that a social conversation will surround the Olympics,” said Gary Zenkel, the president of NBC Olympics. The work with Facebook, he added, is part of the division’s plan to listen and to talk back.

The connections between television and social media have come a long way since 2008, when the world last gathered for a Summer Olympics. Then, Facebook had 100 million users; now, it is said to have 900 million. In the intervening years, the notion of a “second screen” — the TV being the first, the computer or phone being the second — has been commercialized; it’s normal now for TV shows to encourage viewers to chat online about the show while watching it.

Even without encouragement, some viewers are sure to be doing it anyway as the two mediums, TV and the Web, continue to inch closer and closer.

Bluetooth Keyboards For iPad, Good Buys Under £20

I got myself new iPad unit just a few weeks after I decided to hand in my iPad 2 to my wife. Since I have to do lots of writing and I bought it with an intention that during my travelling I will not stay away from you guys, something I was not doing with second gen of iPad.

I find the virtual QWERTY keyboard of this tablet very nice and easy to type with but this time I thought of buying a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard that I can attach with my new iPad and type more conveniently. I looked for cheaper as well as expensive keyboards but found that one way or another they are all the same, of course with some exceptions.

Here I am going to give you three options to select a Bluetooth keyboard from for your slate, all under £20.

With its black keys and Aluminum body it looks catchy at the first look but its features furthers draw you attention further to itself.

It has got Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity with 160mA lithium battery under its casing that lasts 55hrs approximately on a single charge, and standby time is promised two months. To save you the maximum battery it also comes with Sleep Mode.

IVSO has working range of up to 10 meters depending upon the environment you are using it in. Weighs only less than half a kilo and is fully compatible with iPad 2 and the new iPad. It has four small round rubbers at the bottom so that it can hold on to the surface it is placed on for a slide-free writing experience. To add further, IVSO is dust and water proof. But I will still not recommend it using underwater.

Price, yes, it costs only £13.89.

Source: http://www.etechmag.com/2012/07/17/bluetooth-keyboards-ipad-good-buys-20.html

Mexico student movement plans more protests against Peña Nieto

MEXICO CITY -- The student-led movement that emerged in Mexico against president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto is planning another round of protests Sunday. The protests are part of a wave of demonstrations that began almost spontaneously during the presidential campaign and appear to still be drawing big crowds since the July 1 election.

The #YoSoy132 movement, or "I Am 132," said it will call demonstrations in "all public plazas" and at the presidential residence Los Pinos in Mexico City, in rejection of Peña Nieto's victory by more than 3 million votes over his nearest rival, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Each weekend since the July 1 vote, tens of thousands of people have demonstrated in dozens of cities in Mexico over the apparent victory of Peña Nieto, whose Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ruled for seven decades until its ouster in 2000. The protests have been largely peaceful and almost entirely generated on social media; in fact, Sunday's planned demonstrations are only the second since election day that the #YoSoy132 movement has formally organized.

Protests have been buoyed by a string of reports that suggest the PRI campaign "bought" votes by handing out debit cards and allegations from rivals that it topped campaign spending limits -- including possibly laundered money -- in its effort to return the party to power.

The PRI denounced the allegations but acknowledged before federal investigators that it handed out debit cards to supporters, a practice the party claims is legal (link in Spanish).  (latimes)

O2 restores full network service

O2 said it believed it has restored full service to all customers as thoughts turned to compensation among the hundreds of thousands affected by the disruption.

O2 tweeted: "Our tests show that 2G and 3G services are now back for all affected customers. Let us know?", more than 24 hours after the network received the first reports of problems.

A spokesman said all users should restart their phones while those with smartphones who had turned off their 3G service could now reconnect. The company offered no further word on compensation after earlier saying that it was "focusing on getting full service resumed for all of our customers".

Engineers worked through the night to fix the fault with one of the network's systems which meant some mobile phone numbers were not registering correctly. They restored 2G access earlier and told customers with smartphones to turn off their 3G data to allow them to make calls and send text messages through the repaired network.

Many disgruntled customers took to Twitter to vent their frustration at still being unable to use their phones. Sean Foster (@SeanFoster) tweeted: "Arrrrrrrghhhhh! My phone was fine all day yesterday and now after their failed overnight work o2 have screwed it!!"

Another Twitter user Leanna May (@LeannaMai) said: "I can't bare this any longer!! THREE @o2 contracts, NONE WORK. And I'm at home pregnant in agony! Great, who should I call? No one!!" David de la Mere (@dmeeno) also took to the micro blogging site, tweeting: "I probably shouldn't have been so smug about having an @O2 signal yesterday. I don't have one now."

Tesco, which uses O2's masts for its Tesco Mobile network, confirmed that some of its customers were also affected. Consumer group Which? urged anyone who lost service to log any costs they incurred to claim compensation.

The watchdog's executive director Richard Lloyd said: "We want to see O2 offer compensation to all customers who have been hugely inconvenienced by this service blackout and have been paying for a service they cannot use. People should also keep a log of any costs they incur to help with any claims for compensation."

High profile users tweeting their frustration included BBC presenter Huw Edwards who wrote: "19 hours and counting #O2", while former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith tweeted that she had been unable to speak by phone on London radio station LBC.

List of rude web address gaffes revealed

A list of unintentionally funny website addresses has been revealed, including PotsofArt.com, which looks as if it says potsofart.com and ExpertsExchange.com, which is often mistakenly read as ExpertSexChange.com.

Other amusing websites that made the list compiled by Siteopia, a domain registration service, include ChooseSpain.com, which when misread looks like ChoosesPain.com and Actionpaintballsac.com – which is a website for an action paint ball games site.

"The value of a name has never been more important in a world where everyone is seeking to be seen or heard,” said a spokesman for Siteopia.

"Taking time to think through all aspects and interpretations is crucial to the success of any brand. Of course a name needs to be memorable, but it's always worth considering the connotations it throws up.

"In many cases a misreading or funny interpretation actually gets more attention than the organisation intended which isn't always a bad thing.

"Online visibility is more crucial than ever today and it all starts with the right name. It's worth considering how a name changes when read as a domain as you may be giving out messages you hadn't intended to."

Outside the UK, a budget car rentals service in the Cook Islands have the slightly unfortunate Budget.co.ck web address, while in Switzerland a computer chip company have registered Swissbit.ch.

The researchers also discovered a couple of the longest domain addresses ever registered: 

Google opens year-long Web Lab exhibition at the Science Museum

A series of ‘interactive Chrome Experiments’ have taken up residence in a basement gallery at the Science Museum.

Google hopes that the exhibition will “bring the extraordinary workings of the internet to life and inspire the next generation of computer scientists and enthusiasts. “

Visitors to the Science Museum will be able to play with five demonstrations, while online participants will be able to visitchromeweblab.com and interact with the same installations.

The Science Museum claims the exhibition will be its first that is truly 24-hour, as online users will continue to be able to operate the exhibits overnight when the museum is closed.

The five experiments are Universal Orchestra, an internet-powered eight-piece robotic orchestra; Sketchbots, where custom-built robots take photographs of users and then sketch them in sand; Data Tracer, which maps where the world’s online information is physically stored; Teleporter, which uses web-enabled periscopes to view pre-determined locations around the world; and Lab Tag Explorer, which shows where exhibition visotrs, both online and in the gallery, are from and what they have in common.

Each Web Lab experiment uses a modern web technology to explore a particular idea in computer science, but Google is not explaining the different techniques involved. Instead, it hopes that their effects will inspire children to find out more.

Google’s Steve Vranakis, Creative Director of Web Lab said that, “The internet powers our lives everyday, allows us to explore the globe and lets us communicate with friends the world over. Until now, all this magic has remained locked behind our screens. Web Lab changes all that. We’ve worked with the Science Museum to create experiments that will demonstrate the power of the Internet to everyone who visits.”

Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum, added that the exhibition “reinforces the museum’s role in helping to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers”.

Web Lab is free and open, both in London and online, until Summer 2013.

Japan’s spirited third city

very trip does not have to be about ticking off a sightseeing list. Some of the best destinations are seen by getting under its skin to experience it like a local -- and a visit to Osaka, Japanese’s third largest city after Tokyo and Yokohama, is a prime example.

While it does have a national art museum, acastle and an aquarium, really discovering this city is a lesson in experiential travel. Chowing down on local dishes and enjoying a beer with boisterous, good-humoured Osakans at the baseball will teach you more about Japanese culture than any museum or temple.

The locals
People who live in Osaka tend to shed the conservatism that is found elsewhere in Japan -- perhaps owing to its prosperity as an arts, theatre and cultural hub at one time -- and the first place you will notice this is on the subway. Elderly ladies laugh together sweetly, teenagers stand in groups and poke fun at each other while businessman bark angrily on cell phones in animated discussion. Bucking the Japanese train etiquette seen elsewhere in the country, passengers do not speak in hushed tones while staring at the ground and the no-cell phone sign is rarely adhered to. Osakans are full of life and down-to-earth, so whether you are dining out, grabbing a beer or just asking for directions, you will find that it is easy to strike up a conversation with the city’s friendly and forward locals.

Eat and be merry
Osaka is known as the food capital of Japan with fresh seafood from Osaka Bay and produce from the surrounding mountains, and was referred to as “Japan's kitchen” during the Edo Period (1601-1867) as essential goods were sent here from all over the country to be shipped worldwide from its busy port.

Osakans are passionate about feasting and even have their own expression to describe it, kuidaore: “to eat oneself bankrupt”.  There are plenty of places to gorge yourself in the city, and while Osaka does have an abundance of high-end international and Japanese dining options, most will not have you filing for bankruptcy just yet. The city is known for its traditional cheap eats and any trip to Osaka would not be complete without sampling what’s on offer.

Takoyaki (dumplings filled with octopus) is a delicacy that originated in Osaka, and you will find little takeaway shopfronts throughout the city, with the best in the Dotombori district in minami (the south of the city). Order yourself half-a-dozen takoyaki topped with mayonnaise and a thick sauce similar to Worcestershire, stab one with your toothpick and shovel it into your mouth. Chomping into one of these piping hot dumplings will inevitably have you scalding the roof of your mouth, but it is all part of the experience.
Okonomiyaki, a savoury-style pancake that translates roughly to “as you like it”, is another Osakan favourite. It can be made with a variety of ingredients which, when done Osaka-style, are all scrambled together with batter and cabbage before hitting the grill. Choose your own ingredients from tender squid, plump prawns or juicy pork, topped off withbonito (fish) flakes, a thick brown okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise. The best spots to try okonomiyaki are the tiny “mom and pop” operations that are full of history and authentic atmosphere, where you will feel as though you are dining in someone’s home. Try popular Tengu (Toyosaki 3-15-19; 06-6372-7676) near Nakatsu station. Or jump off at Dobutsuen Mae station on the Midosuji and Sakaisuji lines, head into the covered arcade and ask around for one of the best okonomiyaki spots in the city -- Chitose (06-6631-6002).

Dotombori
Tokyo may be known for its neon and nightlife but Osaka has its own slice of madness -- and it is called Dotombori. All the action in this southern district concentrates around the Dotombori canal, Dotombori street and on the Ebisubashi bridge. It is best explored on a weekend once the sun goes down, when it takes on a B-grade horror movie atmosphere with giant mechanical moving crabs, oversized hot dogs, puffer fish and cows hanging overhead from buildings among flashing neon and coloured billboards. On ground level, crowds wander the strip taking snaps of convincing plastic food models in front of restaurants, hawkers squeal about meal deals and spiky bleached-blonde Japanese men in suits attempt to woo young women to the “host” bars nearby (male versions of the hostess bar). Come here to take it all in, grab a cheap ramen (noodle dish in broth) from the open-air 24-hour Kinryu Ramen street stall (Dotombori 1-7-26; 06-6211-3999; you can’t miss the giant dragons on the roof) and people-watch for hours.

Beer and baseball
Two things close to many Osakans’ hearts, and essential pursuits for any stopover in this town, are beer and baseball. The summer season from June to September sees beer gardens popping up all over the city, typically located on rooftops of hotel buildings like the Ramada and department stores like Hanshin.  Usually the offer is all you can drink (nomihodai) (beer and spirits, but most opt for large frothy lagers) and eat (tabehodai) for about 3,500 yen – guaranteeing a rowdy night out.

Another good spot for experiencing the city’s spirit is at a baseball game during the March to October season where locals are at the height of their boisterousness. The majority of Osakans are Hanshin Tiger fans and are known as the country’s most dedicated and fanatical fans. Catch baseball fever at a game at Koshien stadium, a 20-minute train ride from Osaka on the Kobe line, and hang out with fans amid of barrage of chants, trumpets, Tigers flags waving in the air and thousands of balloons being released at the seventh inning.

Batman director laments 'savage' theater massacre

LOS ANGELES: "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan lamented Friday the "senseless tragedy" of the massacre at a Colorado movie theater showing his latest Batman film, calling it "unbearably savage."
The Oscar-nominated filmmaker, who cancelled the French premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" and a media junket in Paris hours after the shootings, said the killings violated the "innocent" place he calls his "home," the cinema.
"Speaking on behalf of the cast and crew... I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community," he said, referring to the town where the massacre occurred.
"I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie."
British-American Nolan is director of the Batman trilogy that started with "The Dark Knight" in 2008 and of which "The Dark Knight Rises" is the final installment.
He also wrote and directed 2010 thriller "Inception," which won four Oscars and was nominated for four others.
He was also nominated for best screenplay Oscar in 2002, for "Memento."
"I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime," Noland said.
"The movie theater is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me," he added.
"Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families." (AFP)

AFP

Students protest education cuts

       Protesters gather outside Auckland's SkyCity Convention Centre.

                                                 Photo / Tim Raethel

At least 200 students drowning in debt rallied together to protest against drastic budget cuts to the education industry.

The protest labelled 'Show and Tell' began at 1pm with speeches from PPTA and NZEI members and  chanted "we don't like cuts" before marching up Auckland's Queen St to the SkyCity where Prime Minister John Key opened the National Party conference

NZEI spokesman Frances Guy said that the changes were "about privatisation, charter schools, league tables and performance pay," and that "every child is entitled to the best teachers.

Auckland University law student Tessa Baker, 22, said she would be $65,000 in debt after graduating from a five-and-a-half year degree with honours at the end of the year.

"I am only able to study because my parents financially support me but I think education is so important it needs to be available to all, but it just isn't," Baker said.

"The cuts which are happening at the moment are only making it harder to gain an education."


Nurse Nico Woodward, 28, said education was a right, not a privilege, that too many people were missing out on.

He marched in the protest holding a red blanket which symbolised students who were "squarely in the red".

Students peacefully left the protest around 3pm. Many of them will return to the same spot tomorrow morning to support the Auckland Action Against Poverty's "Stop the War on the Poor" event.  (nzherald.co.nz)

Headline July 22nd, 2012 / The Armies of the Night

"The Armies Of The Night!"

So Mailer and Schiller attacked the hidden Russian years with a powerful new lens, a set of spectacles as magically pickled as Lenin. Now who will fault these great researchers and authors for a lack of enterprise. They drew up a practical plan and went after Marina's relatives, schoolmates, and boyfriends; Oswald's early minders from Intourist; his girlfriends; and his coworkers at the Minsk Radio Factory where the Soviets decided to put, and watch, him. 

Little emphasised to the outside world is the solid happening, that Oswald was so determined to stay in Russia, that he slashed his wrists when permission wasn't forthcoming; and yet, during his first weeks in Moscow, he never ventured more than a few blocks beyond his hotel, to buy an ice cream cone at a children's department store. 

The highest authorities, --including Anastas Mikoyan, who four years later would represent the U.S.S.R at Kennedy's funeral, --were in on the decision to let Oswald remain and thereby provide the police ''Organs'' with a chance to explore some possibilities: ''Had some American Intelligence Service, especially the CIA, sent Lee Harvey Oswald here to check out their Soviet legal channels??

Was Oswald a test case to determine how future 'moles' might be implanted for special tasks!'' KGB is one of the most professional Intelligence Agency in the World. As feared as you can imagine. The KGB followed Oswald with mad thoroughness. July 3, 1960: ''Outside he looked around, went to movie theatre Centralny, bought a newspaper, browsed at through and turned back. 

At corner of Prospekt Stalina and Komsomolskaya street he stopped, looked through newspaper again, crushed it and threw it away in trash bin.'' In July, 1961, Lee and Marina's apartment was bugged, and now, decades and decades later, a world later, Mailer could reproduce, careful transcripts of their bureaucratized rows; 

Wife(cries):  Why did I get married !?
LHO: Well, what am I supposed to do? Is it my fault that you have a lot of work to do? I mean you don't ever cook, but other woman cook.

It seems clear that Marina married Oswald not because her uncle ILya Prusakov, an Intelligence officer, saw Cold War opportunity in the match but because, with his soft drawl and starched shirts, Lee was more intriguing than most of the Vodka Belching ''Vanyas'' on the assembly line.

But as time went on Oswald beat Marina with all the petty viciousness she could have found in a homegrown spouse, but before that, an awareness of the wiretapping was one of a handful of attachments giving the two of them an edge solidarity. 

The Oswalds, with their small circle of friends, were a fairly cheap surveillance operation, and when, in 1962, Lee sought permission to return to the US, the Organs were inclined to let him go, since all their tedious tracking had produced no evidence, that he was a spy! It was American organs, the State Dept and INS, who couldn't agree on whether to let this ''unstable'' character come back with his Soviet wife.

In the end, the U.S. government loaned him money to sail home!

Good night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - The Voice of the Voiceless

Lanvin latest label to favor ‘real people' over models

After its hugely popular Fall 2011 campaign starred top models Raquel Zimmermann and Karen Elson, Lanvin has taken a different direction for Fall 2012 -- with ads starring ‘real women and men' including an octogenarian.

Captured by photographer Steven Meisel, cast members of the campaign include 81-year-old dancer Jacquie "Tajah" Murdock, who found fame when she featured on Ari Seth Cohen's Advanced Style blog -- which showcases older fashionistas seen around the streets of New York.

"This campaign is a dream come true. I grew up in Harlem always wanting to be a model, but in my day there were very little opportunities for women of color to work in fashion.

"At 18 I went from agent to agent looking for jobs, even as a hand model. I have finally made it and I will never give up. Hopefully someday I will get to Paris!" Cohen quoted Murdock as saying on his blog.

Meanwhile, Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz told WWD July 18 that there was something "very democratic" about the project.

Lanvin is the latest fashion house to snub models in favor of mere mortals, with Dolce & Gabbana sending ‘real men' including students and waiters down the catwalk at their Milan Menswear Fashion Week presentation last month.

Meanwhile, high street store American Apparel recently cast 60-year-old Jacky O'Shaughnessy in its Advanced Basics campaign. The gray-haired beauty was approached by the brand while dining at a New York restaurant.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film and epic directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the third installment in Nolan's Batman film series, and is a sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). The Dark Knight Rises is intended to be the conclusion of the series. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman reprise their roles from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The film takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight and introduces the characters of Selina Kyle and Bane—portrayed by Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy, respectively.
Nolan was initially hesitant about returning to the series for a second time, but agreed to come back after developing a story with his brother Jonathan and David S. Goyer that he felt would conclude the series on a satisfactory note. Filming took place in various locations, including locations in Jodhpur, London, Nottingham, Glasgow, Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh. Nolan utilized IMAX cameras for much of the filming to optimize the quality of the picture. As with The Dark Knight, viral marketing campaigns began early during production to help promote the upcoming film. When filming concluded, Warner Bros. refocused its campaign; developing promotional websites, releasing the first six minutes of the film and theatrical trailers, and sending random pieces of information regarding the film's plot to various companies.
The Dark Knight Rises premiered on July 16, 2012, in New York City. The film was released in Australia and New Zealand on July 19, 2012, and in North America and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2012. The opening was marked by tragedy when a gunman shot dozens of people in the premiere screening of the film at a theater in Aurora, Colorado. The shooting caused Warner Bros. to cancel some premieres and adjust its marketing.

The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles, #3) by Rick Riordan

When youn magicians Carter and Sadie Kane learned how to follow the path of the Ancient Egyptian gods, they knew they would have to play an important role in restoring Ma'at - order - to the world. What they didn't know is how chaotic the world would become. The Chaos snake Apophis is loose and threatining to destroy the earth in three days' time. The magicians are divided. The gods are disappearing, and those who remain are weak. Walt, on of Carter and Sadie's most gifted initiates, is doomed and can already feel his life force ebbing. Zia is too busy babysitting the senile sun god, Ra, to be of much help. What are a couple of teenagers and a handful of young trainees to do?

There is possibly one way to stop Apophis, but it is so difficult that it might cost Carter and Saide their lives, if it even works at all. It involves trusting the ghost of a psychopathic magician not to betray them, or worse, kill them. They'd have to be crazy to try it. Well, call them crazy.

With hilarious asides, memorable monsters, and an ever-changing crew of friends and foes, the excitement never lets up in The Serpent's Shadow, a thoroughly entertaining and satisfying conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.

Japan sends cargo to space station

A JAPANESE H-IIB rocket has blasted off to deliver an unmanned supplies vessel to the International Space Station.

The rocket lifted off into an overcast sky from the southern island of Tanegashima on schedule at 11.06am on Saturday (1206 AEST), according to live images relayed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

About 15 minutes later, the rocket successfully released a cargo vessel called "konotori" (stork in Japanese), containing supplies such as food, clothing and tools necessary for experiments to be done in space.

The cargo should reach the International Space Station, where Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide is staying, on July 27.

Japan's leading aerospace firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which helped develop the rocket, is expected to take over future operations of the H-IIB and send four more cargo vehicles to the International Space Station by 2016.


After the launch, JAXA president Keiji Tachikawa said the rocket should also be used to explore the potentially lucrative satellite launch market.

"By expanding the scope of its use, (the H-IIB) I hope, will be used to respond to various demands of clients," he told reporters.

Brit women 'wear highest heels in Europe'

By Saeeda Zaib
Trends Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

British women wear the highest talons in Europe, closely followed by Spain and Denmark, a new survey has revealed.

Foot care brand Compeed released the findings, which show the average heel height in the UK is 3.3 inches (about 8.4cm), compared to 3.2 inches (8.1cm) in Spain and 3 (7.6cm) in Denmark.
Rounding out the top 5 are Germany and France. In the former 2.7 inches (6.9cm) is the average heel height, while this is 2.4 inches (6.1cm) in France.

Averages within the UK are at their highest in the North-east region, reaching 3.46 inches (8.8cm), while the average in the capital London is 3.37 inches (8.6cm).

These averages aren't actually that high considering some of the most popular designer heels from the likes of Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik come in at 5 inches (12.7cm) or more and British celebrities such as Victoria Beckham can often be seen in towering talons of 9 inches (22.9cm).

Last year technology corporation IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) predicted that 2012 would see a rise in flat shoes after its analysis of online buzz related to heels over the past four years.

According to its report released in November, enthusiastic discussions about high heels peaked at the end of 2009, while last year social media was dominated by comments praising practical footwear.

Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School

New research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever-younger ages, may backfire.


Ours is an age of pedagogy. Anxious parents instruct their children more and more, at younger and younger ages, until they're reading books to babies in the womb. They pressure teachers to make kindergartens and nurseries more like schools. So does the law—the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act explicitly urged more direct instruction in federally funded preschools.

There are skeptics, of course, including some parents, many preschool teachers, and even a few policy-makers. Shouldn't very young children be allowed to explore, inquire, play, and discover, they ask? Perhaps direct instruction can help children learn specific facts and skills, but what about curiosity and creativity—abilities that are even more important for learning in the long run? Two forthcoming studies in the journal Cognition—one from a lab at MIT and one from my lab at UC-Berkeley—suggest that the doubters are on to something. While learning from a teacher may help children get to a specific answer more quickly, it also makes them less likely to discover new information about a problem and to create a new and unexpected solution.

What do we already know about how teaching affects learning? Not as much as we would like, unfortunately, because it is a very difficult thing to study. You might try to compare different kinds of schools. But the children and the teachers at a Marin County preschool that encourages exploration will be very different from the children and teachers in a direct instruction program in South Side Chicago. And almost any new program with enthusiastic teachers will have good effects, at least to begin with, regardless of content. So comparisons are difficult. Besides, how do you measure learning, anyway? Almost by definition, directed teaching will make children do better on standardized tests, which the government uses to evaluate school performance. Curiosity and creativity are harder to measure.

Read Completer news Here

London 2012: Brazil Outclasses Team GB

Neymar celebrates after scoring Brazil's second goal

Team GB were outclassed and outplayed by Brazil in their first and only serious outing before they start their Olympic campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Stuart Pearce's team were given an indication of the huge task facing them if they are to win a medal at the Games as Brazil, one of the pre-tournament favourites, cruised to victory at the Riverside Stadium, reports the BBC.

It was always going to be a difficult task for Pearce's side against a hugely talented team not only determined to win their first Olympic football gold but also looking to build towards the World Cup they host in 2014.

Tottenham midfielder, Sandro headed his team in front with just 12 minutes gone after a free-kick was allowed to reach him at the far post and Neymar doubled the advantage from the penalty spot before the break.
Brazil experience

All of Brazil's Olympic 18-man squad have played for the senior side whereas only seven of the Team GB squad have played for either the England or Wales senior side

Mano Menezes's side were certainly worthy of their lead at half-time and looked like a team keeping plenty in reserve, although their opponents certainly improved as the match wore on.   (BBC)

Juventus plan Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez bid

Juventus have told Robin van Persie they want to pair him with Liverpool's Luis Suarez, as they bid to lure him to Italy in the face of strong interest from Manchester United and City.

The Serie A champions have had an initial enquiry rebuffed by Arsenal, who also dismissed an opening formal bid from United out of hand on Friday.
Manchester City, meanwhile, have asked to be kept informed of the situation.

United's bid is believed to be around £10m, £15m below Arsenal's valuation.

Arsenal had been hoping the Dutchman would sign a new deal this summer but he shocked them last month by announcing he would not extend his contract, saying he disagreed with the way the club should move forward. He still has a year left on his contract.


The Gunners' 28-year-old captain scored 41 goals in 53 games for club and country last season and was named Professional Footballers' Association and Football Writers' player of the year.

Juventus are offering Persie a package worth £190,000 a week and if a deal is secured they will turn their attentions to Suarez and intend to raise the necessary funds by selling striker Alessandro Matri to AC Milan.


Liverpool will take a dim view of Juventus's interest in Suarez and have no intention of allowing their prized Uruguayan forward to leave the club.

Suarez is under contract at Anfield until 2016 - but the Reds are keen to tie him down to an even longer deal.