Celebrate Writing: Why I Write

The U.S. Senate has proclaimed today the third annual National Day on Writing, an event originally created by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to promote the importance of writing — not just to those of us who make our living by writing, but to all of us in our everyday lives.

This year, the National Writing Project has joined in the celebration, along with numerous other educational blogs and news outlets, asking people to share the reasons why they write. You can follow along the #whyiwrite hashtag on Twitter, and you’re encouraged to contribute your own essays, tweets, and blog posts.

Here’s Audrey’s contribution:

As someone who writes daily — and writes a lot — I’m often asked about the “how” not the “why” of my work. Namely, “How do you write so much?” The question makes me chuckle because I distinctly remember being a PhD student working on a dissertation and having these overwhelming, fearful feelings: How will I ever write enough? Are my ideas any good? What if I fail? What if I have nothing important to say?

I think there’s something about staring at the blank word processing screen that elicits these feelings in almost all writers. Unlike standing in front of a class full of students or a room full of co-workers — who nod (and true, nod off) and smile (or sleep) and ask questions (or stare silently) — the blank page can be strangely more intimidating. There isn’t the immediacy or the feedback when you write like there is when you speak.

NEWS BY:http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/10/celebrate-writing-why-i-write/

New director has a history with Cayman’s National Museum

Cayman Islands residents may not immediately recognise the name Margaret E. Leshikar-Denton, but just about everybody has heard of the Wreck of the Ten Sail. Ms Leshikar-Denton, better known as Peggy, is the woman who spent three years researching the true facts of that historic event, and helped Cayman’s National Museum build an exhibit featuring it. She also served as guest editor for a book about it. 

That work alone is more than sufficient reason for people to welcome her as the museum’s new director. 

Her first day in the post was 3 October, but her connection with the museum goes back 
25 years. 

She first came to the Cayman Islands in 1980, when a team from the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (based at Texas A&M University) was invited by government to survey the Islands’ waters for shipwrecks. In 1986, she accepted a full-time position at the museum and moved permanently to the Cayman Islands.

One of the best-known events in Cayman’s history is the Wreck of the Ten Sails, and perhaps no other episode in Cayman’s past has been the focus of so much legend, the late Philip Pedley said 
in 1994. 

As the first director of the National Archive, he wrote the preface to a book jointly published by the National Archive and Cayman Free Press.

The book was “Our Islands’ Past, Volume II” and it was based on the dissertation Ms Leshikar-Denton submitted for her doctorate in anthropology (nautical archaeology). 

Her title was “The 1794 Wreck of the Ten Sail, Cayman Islands, British West Indies: A Historical Study and Archaeological Survey”.


NEWS BY:http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2011/10/14/New-director-has-a-history-with-Cayman-s-National-Museum/

Campbellsville University named to 'America's Best Christian Colleges'

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (10/28/2011)(readMedia)-- The 15th annual report of America's Best Christian Colleges® by the Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc. has included Campbellsville University for 2011.

This is the fifth consecutive year for the honor.

John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president at Campbellsville University, said Campbellsville University's growing national reputation has been further verified by being named as one of America's Best Christian Colleges®.

Chowning said, "To achieve the honor of being named among America's Best Christian Colleges® there are four main qualities an institution must have. First, an institution must be an accredited, four-year institution offering bachelor degrees.

Secondly, an institution must offer full residential facilities including residence halls and dining services.

NEWS BY:http://readme.readmedia.com/Campbellsville-University-named-to-Americas-Best-Christian-Colleges/3082364

LIM hosts webinar on Internet-based ministry

In the spirit of the old adage, “If you can’t beat them, join them,” Loyola University New Orleans Institute for Ministry is offering an online discussion titled, “Proclaiming the Good News in a Digital Age:

Exploring Internet-Mediated Communication for Ministry.” The free webinar will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. Viewers can access the presentation by clicking here at 8 p.m., at which time the link will come active.

The webinar, presented by Loyola assistant professor of liturgy, catechesis and evangelization Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, Ph.D., explores the essential question of communicating faith in our increasingly digital culture.

Zsupan-Jerome believes that practical resources for media or digital ministry are very accessible, but in exploring Internet-mediated communication for ministry, we face a more fundamental question.

What is the theological foundation for engaging in ministry in the digital realm? How might we articulate a solid theological foundation for ministry that serves us for proclaiming the good news in a digital age?

Zsupan-Jerome has done extensive research on the broad use of media in Christian tradition for communicating faith.

Her doctoral dissertation is titled, “Digital Media at the Service of the Word: What Does Internet-Mediated Communication Offer the Theology of Revelation and the Practice of Catechesis?”

NEWS BY:http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2011/10/24/2641

Clarkstown School Board Hires Special Education Evaluato

More than 100 people crowded into the school board’s meeting room and into an overflow room to watch on screen and hear a presentation by a special education evaluator on Tuesday night.  After the almost two-hour-long explanation and question-and-answer- session, the board voted unanimously to hire Dr. Ann Monroe-Baillargeon to study and evaluate Clarkstown’s special education programs for $15,000.

The details of her contract will be worked out between the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA), the district and Dr. Monroe-Baillargeon, who is an education professor at SUNY Alfred University.  After being recommended to the district by NYSSBA, the professor originally presented to the board last November 1.

During her presentation via Skype, Dr. Monroe-Baillargeon outlined what the scope of her project could be. 

    * Look at and study the history and current status of special education in the district, kindergarten through 12th grade.
    * Meet with an administrative team.
    * Conduct a sampling of special education teachers through individual or small group interviews to gain their perspectives of the program.
    * Create and distribute an anonymous survey/s to stakeholders: parents, teachers, and administrators.
    * Conduct a sampling of IEPs across all categories.
    * Look at the progression of special education services provided to students
    * Prepare a report for stakeholders with best practices recommendations.

“My purpose is to provide you an overview of what I see happening in the district,” said Dr. Monroe-Baillargeon, adding she would suggest ways to improve the program for students with special needs.

Board member Donna Ehrenberg asked if the study would go beyond students with special needs because of concerns about poor reading skills in the district.  Dr. Monroe-Baillargeon replied she would look at special needs students and what led to their IEP.

“We can certainly look beyond those currently identified as special needs,” she said, adding the parameters of her work would be specified in the contract.

In response to a question about best practices, Dr. Monroe-Baillargeon said research shows one best practice is differentiating instruction in the classroom according to the needs and abilities of the students.  Another example is presenting information to students in various ways: visual, audio and other formats.

Board President Doug Katz questioned how long the evaluation would take.

“The contract that is being proposed is nine billable days,” said Dr. Monroe-Baillargeon.  “We have not worked out a contract.”

The nine billable workdays would probably be spread across three months because Dr. Monroe-Baillargeon is a faculty member at the university.  She explained the workdays would be a combination of actual visits to Clarkstown to meet with stakeholders directly, and preparation, collection and analysis of data, which would be done off site. 

She re-stated her first phase would include data collection and analysis, interpretation of the data and data presentation in person and written form.  A potential separate second phase could be assistance with implementation of the recommendations.

About 10 people asked questions ranging from how to ensure all parents of special education students would have access to the survey to where else she has worked as an expert.  Dr. Monroe-Baillargeon said Clarkstown would tell her the best way to distribute the survey to parents whether by email, mail or access through the district website.  She said other districts, including a BOCES consortium with 20 districts, have hired her for Phase One work only.  

Another parent inquired if she would look at students placed out of the district.

“I’m not studying BOCES,” she said.  “I’m studying Clarkstown.  I would look at why students were unable to be served in the district.”

Prior to casting his vote, Board Member Philip DeGaetano said, “I’m going to be one of the parents filling out that survey.  I’m satisfied (with) what happened here tonight.”

Parent Robert Kurkela wanted to know how soon the evaluation could begin and when it would be completed.

“A reasonable timeline would be February 2012 to get a final report,” she said. “It isn’t an overnight turnaround.”

She explained it takes time to study the district’s programs, takes time for people to understand and time to implement recommendations for change.  She said her job is to help the district improve.

“It’s not my job to fix it,” she said. “A district needs to understand itself which I am going to help you do.”

After the meeting, Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan said "I'm delighted that we're finally going to get the critical analysis of students with special needs." 

NEWS BY:http://newcity.patch.com/articles/clarkstown-school-board-hires-special-education-evaluator

Vom Spielzeug zum 3-D-Scanner

Eine neue Software macht aus Microsofts Bewegungssteuerung Kinect ein Gerät, das Objekte dreidimensional erfassen kann. Die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten sind groß.

Microsofts Kinect-Sensor, mit dem Spieler Xbox-360-Games mit ihren Körperbewegungen steuern können, wird von Bastlern wie Forschern seit Verkaufsstart im November 2010 für zahlreiche weitere Anwendungen verwendet. Das kostengünstige Modul dient zur Bilderkennung für Roboter, automatisiert Beleuchtungssysteme oder hilft gar Rollstuhlfahrern im Supermarkt.

Doch all das wirkt wie Kinderspielzeug, wenn man es mit dem Forschungsprojekt KinectFusion vergleicht, das derzeit bei Microsoft Research in Großbritannien entwickelt wird. Mit der auf Kinect aufsetzenden Software soll es Nutzern möglich werden, qualitativ hochwertige 3-D-Modelle in Echtzeit zu generieren. Und das ist noch nicht alles:

Eine integrierte Physik-Engine erlaubt es anschließend, eingescannte Objekte realistisch zu manipulieren.

Die Technik kann Objekte, Personen oder ganze Räume dreidimensional erfassen – und das zu einem unschlagbaren Preis.

Die Möglichkeiten scheinen dabei grenzenlos: Vom lebensechten Avatar über Objekte, die sich in virtuelle Umgebungen und Spiele importieren lassen, ist alles denkbar.

"KinectFusion ist eine Plattform, die es uns erlauben wird, die Art, wie Computer die Welt sehen, neu zu denken", meint Projektleiter Shahram Izadi. "Wir haben bereits erste Anwendungsmöglichkeiten vorgeschlagen, erwarten aber, dass die Nutzer ganz neue Ideen entwickeln werden." 3-D-Scanner existierten zwar seit längerem auf dem Markt, doch keiner sei so einfach zu nutzen wie KinectFusion.

Zudem kosteten selbst Heimversionen mindestens 3000 Dollar. Izadis Kollege Steve Hodges rechnet damit, dass es zu einer Demokratisierung der Technik kommen könnte. "Jeder kann künftig 3-D-Inhalte schaffen, man nimmt sich nur seinen Kinect-Sensor und scannt."

Noch sind die genauen Details, wie KinectFusion konkret funktioniert, allerdings nicht offengelegt. Erste Demonstrationen sorgten in der Szene jedoch für Begeisterung. Genaueres will Microsoft Research im Oktober auf dem UIST Symposium in Santa Barbara sowie auf der ISMAR 2011 in Basel erläutern – zu beiden Fachtagungen sind Paper angekündigt.

Der Kinect-Sensor projiziert für den Menschen unsichtbare Laser-Punktmuster in einen Raum und nutzt dann eine eingebaute Infrarotkamera, um Verzerrungen in diesem Feld zu ermitteln. Die so entstehende Punktwolke mit Entfernungswerten zur Kamera setzt der Kinect-Algorithmus dann ein, um Objekte und Gesten in Echtzeit zu erkennen und zu identifizieren. "Structured light depth sensing" nennt sich diese Technik.




NEWS BY:http://www.heise.de/tr/artikel/Vom-Spielzeug-zum-3-D-Scanner-1353197.html

Merged University of Wales chief hails 'new beginning'

The University of Wales (UoW) says its merger with two colleges is the "start of a new beginning" for the scandal-hit institution.

The 120-year old university is in effect being abolished after BBC Wales' investigations raised questions about its scrutiny of partner colleges.

Vice-chancellor Medwin Hughes said the new organisation was a "strong brand" that ensured UoW's name would continue.

UoW council chairman Hugh Thomas resigned after the merger decision.

Visa scandal

The institution's future had come into question following Welsh government proposals to rationalise higher education.

A merger with Trinity St David in Carmarthen and Lampeter, and Swansea Metropolitan University, was proposed as the way forward.

But a scandal uncovered by BBC Wales involving an alleged visa scam centred on a partner college in London offering UoW validated degrees confounded the plan.

Prof Medwin Hughes, said the three institutions would now be "recreated" under a new brand.

The new vice-chancellor told BBC Radio Wales: "We have secured yesterday that the Wales name will continue within the context of higher education.

'Decent burial'

"Wales needs strong brands. You don't throw away a name - Wales. You don't throw away the name of the university of Wales. Clearly it has to change. Every university has to change."

Prof Hughes said students in the UK and beyond would still be able to finish a University of Wales degree.

Once the merger has taken place, new degrees would bear the name of the three universities, he said.

Following the scandal revelations, education minister Leighton Andrews said UoW had "let Wales down" and "probably requires a decent burial", and called for Mr Thomas to quit.

Last year BBC Wales revealed that a pop star with bogus degrees was running a University of Wales partner college in Malaysia.

It led to a damning report from the higher education watchdog, the QAA, which found serious shortcomings in the way UoW approved other colleges to teach and design courses for its degrees.

Announcing his resignation on Friday, Mr Thomas said the "historic decision" taken by the governing body for merger had led him "to assess what in leadership terms was in the best interests of the transformed university".

A Welsh government spokesperson welcomed the resignation as the "right decision in light of recent events".

"The University of Wales has played an important part in the history of Wales. It's important that any successor institution builds upon that history," they added.

Conservative education spokeswoman Angela Burns AM said: "It is now crucial that lessons are learned and that Welsh higher education regains its credibility".
'Controversy after controversy'

Dr Peter Noyes, vice chancellor of University of Wales, Newport, said the merger "should not detract from a distinguished history lasting 12 decades".

"Wales should be sad that this day has come but those who have played a part in the institution's history, whether graduates, academics or others should look back with fondness on this national institution," he said.

"We are heading towards a future with a transformed higher education sector in Wales and it had become clear that the University of Wales was unable to play a part in that future."

Luke Young, president of National Union of Students (NUS) Wales said: "This was the right decision for the University of Wales to take.

"After the last few weeks where we have seen controversy after controversy, it did become quite clear that the status quo just really wasn't acceptable."

He said merging with Trinity St David and Swansea Metropolitan University was a "better evolutionary process than simply scrapping the brand altogether".


NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15411496

Bahrain poised for human rights report

After eight months of clashes that have claimed close to 40 lives, the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain is bracing itself for the findings of a major investigation into alleged human rights abuses, including torture.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Enquiry (BICI) has heard more than 8,800 complaints and conducted more than 5,700 interviews. Composed of five members from outside Bahrain, it will be announcing its findings on 30 October and the government has promised a swift response.

But will the commission probe deep enough, will its recommendations be acted on, and will it help cure the worsening sectarian divisions on this once peaceful island state?

Ask almost any question about Bahrain's failed uprising this year and you are likely to get two widely differing responses, according to who you speak to.

Go into any one of the low-rise Shia villages west of the capital, Manama, and people will tell you this was a people's protest brutally suppressed by a regime they loathe.

You will hear stories of balaclava-clad security men smashing their way into private homes earlier this year, dragging suspected political activists from their beds, beating them in front of their families then dragging them off for interrogation in an undisclosed police station.

But talk to some of the hundreds of thousands of Sunnis and expatriate workers here and you hear a very different story.

Bahrain's uprising, they say, was a failed coup encouraged by Iran, a bid to end two centuries of Sunni monarchy and replace it with a theocratic Shia Islamic republic leaning towards Tehran.
Peace at a price

It is a fact often overlooked by the international media that while almost everyone welcomes reforms, a very sizable proportion of Bahrain's population do not want to replace their rulers.

But the peace and calm that now prevails on most of Bahrain's streets has come at a price. Hundreds of people were arrested and often held without their families knowing where they were. Five people have died in police custody, some believed tortured to death.

The international outcry over alleged human rights abuses has severely damaged Bahrain's name, prompting King Hamad Bin Issa al-Khalifa to order the investigation that is now poised to publish its findings.

Such is the depth of mistrust between the Sunni and Shia communities that many Shia fear the commission will be soft on the government, excusing it of any systematic abuse, or else equating any abuses committed by the security forces with actions committed by protesters.

The Bahraini government does not deny there have been abuses but its Minister for Human Rights, Fatima Al-Balouchi, said fault lay on both sides.

"There were abuses of human rights, those are mistakes, the government addressed them. Those mistakes were not just done by the government," she said.

"The abuses happened from everyone but were they systematic? Were they gross? No, they were not." 

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15358707

Taipei councilors pan Universiade bid

The DPP councilors said hosting the events would stretch the city’s finances and could leave a financial mess for Mayor Hau Lung-bin’s successor

The Taipei City Government’s efforts to host the Universiade in 2017 and the 2019 Asian Games are blatant attempts to boost Mayor Hau Lung-bin’s (郝龍斌) image and could lead to huge deficits,

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors said yesterday.

After hosting the Deaflympics and the Taipei International Flora Exposition, Taipei City Government is prepared to invest another NT$37.5 billion (US$1.2 billion) to host the 2017 Universiade and NT$59 billion for the Asian Games, the councilors said, adding that the city government should hold a referendum on whether to host the events.

Hau said that like the Flora Expo, the two events would “let the world see Taipei” and were part of efforts to promote the city worldwide.

The athletes’ village for the Universiade could even be converted into city-run residential buildings, Hau said.

DPP City Councilor Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) said the government’s financial capabilities should be taken into account when deciding whether to host the events.

The Deaflympics cost NT$5 billion and the International Flora Expo another NT$14 billion, Wu said, adding that both events caused some budget problems.

Seventy-two percent of Taipei’s secondary reserve funds were injected into the flora expo and the public had no say on how the money was spent,

Wu said, adding that the investment in the Universiade and the Asian Games would account for more than half of Taipei’s NT$180 billion annual budget.

“It’s an astronomical figure,” Wu said, adding that such amount would be sufficient to build another Wenhu MRT line.

DPP City Councilor Lee Ching-feng (李慶鋒) said the Hau administration was using international events as a panacea.

Such decisions could leave a financial mess for Hau’s successor and risk sacrificing the general development of the city, Lee said, adding that the city council was not notified of the decisions and residents had no idea of how the funds were being spent.

“It’s like advancing a check with the people’s hard-earned money,” Lee said.

Taipei would have to spend close to NT$31.4 billion on facilities, such as an athletes’ village, Lee said, adding that the Hau administration’s listing of the controversial Taipei Dome as the location for the Universiade’s opening ceremony was a blatant use of the event to hand out favors to corporations “against the will of the people.”

NEWZ BY:http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/10/18/2003516060