Posts filed under 'General'
UNICEF, One Laptop per Child (OLPC) and Google today announced the launch of “Our Stories” (www.ourstories.org), a joint initiative to preserve and share the histories and identities of cultures around the world by making personal stories available online in many languages.
Using laptops, mobile phones and other recording devices, children will record, in their native languages, the stories of elders, family members and friends. These stories will be shared globally through the Our Stories website, where they can be found on a Google Map.
By making these stories accessible around the world, the Our Stories project hopes to contribute to a better understanding of our shared humanity across countries and cultures, across religious traditions, across languages, and across generations.
“Information technologies can help young people around the world learn more about each other,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “Our Stories will promote dialogue across borders and cultures and give young people a voice on a wide range of issues.”
Low-cost XO laptops by One Laptop per Child will serve as a foundation to help build this digital archive of personal stories by providing children in developing countries with easy-to-use technology to record their stories and interviews.
“One Laptop per Child is very excited about partnering with Google and UNICEF to capture the thoughts and feelings of children and their communities around the world,” said Walter Bender, President of Software and Content/COO, One Laptop per Child. “The XO laptop is a tool for sharing and collaboration and this project is a great way to build a global community.”
The Our Stories website will initially include stories collected by Brazil’s Museum of the Person and stories recorded for UNICEF by young people in Ghana, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Our Stories has taken inspiration from the StoryCorps® project in the United States founded by MacArthur Fellow Dave Isay. “StoryCorps is proud to lend its experience in recording the conversations of nearly 30,000 Americans to this global undertaking,” said Isay. “These efforts teach us that the lives of everyone“ whether they are in New York or Nairobi“ matter, and that they will not be forgotten.”
More stories from more countries will be added to the site every month in an effort to preserve an oral history of humanity in the 21st Century.
“Google as both a company and as a culture loves a good story,” said Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs for Google. “We’re proud to support the Our Stories global initiative and we hope that this collaboration will not just encourage better storytelling but better listening to stories.”
Leading figures have already lent their voices to the project: Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of Jordan and UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children, and Ishmael Beah, UNICEF Advocate for Children Affected by War and best-selling author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, have all recorded messages welcoming users to the site and encouraging them to share their stories.
Listen to a story today at www.ourstories.org.
December 8th, 2007
Graphic organizers serve to visually organize data. There are several approaches and techniques described at graphic.org.
For example, the project approach is a superb way to cultivate a number of skills like organization, complex information handling and creativity through expression.
As students are taught to first write or sketch the central subject and then protract connected nodes or cells of information outward, it’s important to make sure that they go from broad to specific information as they advance into the map. As with all of the visual representation methods, images should be encouraged along with different-colored cells for different levels of information (as seen in the illustration).
Critical questions with the project approach include:
- Which areas or features of the concept are you looking to immediately explore?
- How many different associations can you think of relating to each feature that you have descried?
Another example: A research cycle concept map is very useful in researching a specific topic by visually representing associated critical questions and uncertainties. This makes it easier for students to probe the subject in depth.
When primary criteria or queries relating to the principal subject are drawn out (as in the illustration), students can then explore each of these thoroughly and answer them separately. When making their own maps, students need to be reminded that the question nodes, branching out of the criteria, are to be kept short, concise and targeted.
Critical questions to ask when making these maps include:
- What are the most important criteria or divisions you want to explore?
- What are the different problems or questions that arise from these divisions?
- Do any of these questions further branch off into other, more specific queries?
November 14th, 2007
You can watch HDTV by either paying to your cable or satellite provider or by receiving local HDTV broadcasts with an off-air HDTV antenna. HDTV antenna is a very attractive choice of getting high definition TV, since HDTV broadcasts are absolutely FREE and the picture quality is usually far better than the one you can get with cables.
HD antennas enable consumers to get better high definition signal and watch HDTV without paying to the cable guy or buying a set top box, although some people prefer to opt for both. There are various brands of HD antennas available on the market, and you can find numerous online reviews and user comments to know about pros and cons of each antenna model.
Probably, terk product line has the most popular indoor antennas. Terk indoor antennas can be easily installed without professional help. There are many great outdoor antennas, Winegard and Channelmaster being the best ones. Outdoor antennas are capable of providing better reception, but rooftop installation can be quiet tricky. After all, depending on the area you live in, an antenna may have to withstand strong winds and snow. In this case, professional installation is highly recommended.
October 27th, 2007
Yahoo! today announced that Hastings, Nebraska, has won its “Be a Better Planet” Greenest City in America challenge. The birthplace of Kool-Aid, Hastings will receive a grand prize of $250,000 to be dedicated toward city greening projects, developed in conjunction with Global Green USA. More than 350 cities participated in the “Be a Better Planet” program, which challenged Americans to take action against climate change and use tools such as Yahoo! Green, Yahoo! Answers and Yahoo! oneSearch to become better planetarians. Yahoo! also announced the challenge’s top ten cities, which ranged from Mill Valley, Calif., to Fairfax, Va.
Yahoo! will declare Hastings the “Greenest City in America” at a Yahoo!-hosted Nebraska-style BBQ and celebration this evening at 6:00pm at Hastings’ Chautauqua Park. Residents of Hastings are invited to join Mayor Matt Rossen as he accepts the award on behalf of the city. Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy will also be in attendance, as well as other state government officials and surrounding city mayors.
Following the month-long campaign, the top ten Greenest Cities in America were determined as:
1. Hastings, Nebraska
2. Pelzer, South Carolina
3. San Carlos, California
4. Mill Valley, California
5. Topeka, Kansas
6. Dover, Delaware
7. Spring, Texas
8. Lawrence, Kansas
9. Walnut Creek, California
10. Fairfax, Virginia
In addition to the top prize awarded to Hastings, the top five cities are being rewarded today with deliveries of thousands of energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), compliments of Yahoo!.
Green-minded citizens participated in the “Be a Better Planet” Greenest City in America challenge by earning participation credits in the following ways:
Yahoo! Answers: Helping save the planet by earnings the best answer for an environmental question and contributing to the growing body of knowledge and advice on Yahoo! Answers;
Yahoo! oneSearch: Learning more about living a greener life by conducting “eco-friendly” mobile searches (“organic food,” “public transport,” “recycle center,” “bike,” “ride share”) on Yahoo! oneSearch, a new search service with results optimized for the mobile phone;
Yahoo! Green Pledge: Visiting Yahoo! Green and committing to lowering their carbon diet by pledging such actions as changing light bulbs, taking public transportation, using reusable shopping bags, properly inflating tires, and recycling more.
The winning city was offered the choice of either a fleet of hybrid taxi cabs, similar to those donated to New York City during the campaign’s kickoff on May 14th, or the equivalent cash donation. Hastings, which has signed the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement, selected the latter in order to further its city environmental programs. Current initiatives include conversion of methane to energy at its pollution control center, local production of Ethanol E85, extensive networks of parks and hiking and biking trails, and installation of energy-efficient street lighting. Global Green USA will help Hastings identify potential city greening projects, such as expansion of renewable energy programs and energy-efficient renovations for city buildings.
June 26th, 2007
This post is brought to you by: Christmas Recipes
Finally, it is vacation time 
– so, no new posts from me until 01/10/2007.
I wish you a happy holiday season and a new year filled with peace and prosperity. See you in 2007!
December 20th, 2006
Enjoy the time with your family and friends. And here are some useful 
Thanksgiving facts form the U.S. Census Bureau:
256 million
The preliminary estimate of the number of turkeys raised in the United States in 2005. That’s down 3% from 2004. The turkeys produced in 2004 weighed 7.3 billion pounds altogether and were valued at $3.1 billion.
44.5 million
The preliminary estimate of the number of turkeys Minnesota expects to raise in 2005. The Gopher State is tops in turkey production. It is followed by North Carolina (36.0 million), Arkansas (29.0 million), Virginia (21.0 million), Missouri (20.5 million), and California (15.1 million). These six states together will probably account for about 65% of U. S. turkeys produced in 2005.
649 million pounds
The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2005, up 5% from 2004. Wisconsin is expected to lead all states in the production of cranberries, with 367 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts (170 million). Oregon, New Jersey, and Washington are also expected to have substantial production, ranging from 18 million to 52 million pounds.
1.6 billion pounds
The total weight of sweet potatoes—another popular Thanksgiving side dish—produced in the United States in 2004. North Carolina (688 million pounds) produced more sweet potatoes than any other state. It was followed by California (339 million pounds). Mississippi and Louisiana also produced large amounts: at least 200 million pounds each.
998 million pounds
Total pumpkin production of major pumpkin-producing states in 2004. Illinois, with a production of 457 million pounds, led the country. Pumpkin patches in California, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York also produced a lot of pumpkins: each state produced at least 70 million pounds worth. The value of all the pumpkins produced by these states was about $100 million.
2.1 billion bushels
The total volume of wheat—the essential ingredient of bread, rolls and pies—produced in the United States in 2005. Kansas and North Dakota combined accounted for about 33% of the nation’s wheat production.
November 23rd, 2006
…and here is a last minute tip, if you are still looking for a funny halloween costume!
October 31st, 2006
Welcome to my new blog. As you can see, this is my first post – but I will start writing about SEO, Marketing and a lot of other topics soon…
… so stay tuned!
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October 28th, 2006
