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And let 2013 begin!!
In hindsight, 2012 was quite a… different year for many different reasons. For one thing, I got married in 2012, which was the big highlight of the year for me, but there were other a whole bunch of things which weren't, well, that good. But let bygones be bygones and let's start a new, fresh 2013. Today is actually my very first day at work after a well-deserved 2-week break – and I really mean it when I say I needed that break.
One of the things that got me thinking was how often I visited the blogosphere in 2012, and mainly in the second semester of the year. It all started when I read a blog challenge and I thought to myself that I give it a try, but then, as usual, time and work got in the way. In addition to that, it made me realise how much time I'd spent blogging and around blogs in 2012… very little!
No, I honestly don't think that was a serious issue or anything like that. However, the few times I blogged last year I could certainly feel how good it was to put into words what I was reflecting upon, and how things simply piled up when I stopped doing that. Well, I guess I could say blogging does the same for my mind that going to the gym does for the body and the mind – and I haven't done much of either last year.
So, it's now time to resume the activities, and the very first thing to do is coming up with a regular schedule for posts. Even though I've never really thought this to be mandatory, I guess it would be good to get my weekly dose of medication for the mind (or monthly, or daily… I honestly still haven't decided on that yet). But what I've decided is that I want to resume blogging even though there are some rumours on Facebook that ELT blogging is something of the past. Is it really? Well, fortunately, I don't really care much about trends, fashions or fads. If it's good and it feels right for you, do it, I say. Isn't that right?
This also means fixing a couple of things on the blog, checking the blogroll, updating Google Reader, posting more comments and… that's pretty much all I need to do really. Oh, and, obviously, reconnect with a whole bunch of people I had to leave aside for a while. And if there's nothing to write about, I can always use Leo's tips for new bloggers, which, well, was a response to the blog challenge I couldn't take up! When do you stop being new at blogging, by the way?!
And if after all this time being inactive you're still following this blog, HAPPY 2013!! I hope you enjoy what I have to say, and I certainly do hope to be able to write much more this year! Perhaps I'll have enough posts to join Adam's 13 of 13 blog challenge! See you around!!!
Where's the change?
We've moved yet one more year into the 21st century. Yet one more year towards the future. 'Tis not a future with flying cars or the Jetson's robot maid Rose cleaning your house; no, we haven't gone that far. However, there's seems to be no denial we're in the middle of a very important revolution. Or are we? The fact that there's a lot of change taking place due to the role that technology has been playing in our lives is undeniable. It's been ages – especially when years account for a lot more than they did in the past – that educators have been advertising the benefits of technology in education, the end of an era, and that technology has the power to transform everything we do.
Needless to say, a tad after that, other educators decided to shed some light into the matter. It's not tech that will revolutionise education nor will it change the world as we see it. The "digital natives" should be seen as individuals, not as a label, and this has certainly helped us move yet one step forward. A while after the buzz that new tech caused and all that it's stirred in the lives of tech aficionados, it was clear that anything new that we could bring to the equation had to be seen for what it truly was – a tool. Just like any tool, it requires a skillful educator to use it effectively to actually help, and not hinder, learning.
Apps and sites bombarded us with myriad choices – we could pick and choose from thousands of different tools that always offered to be THE one solution to make teaching effective. Some teachers were able to take things as they were supposed to be taken instantly (cautiously and carefully), others needed more time to realise that it's not about using lots of different things – 'tis all about making the right choice for each one of your learners, and helping them realise you've been very careful with your choice and aren't simply tossing things at them bringing a new gadget every day.
Nonetheless, I wonder whether we're even close to tackle the problem of changing the face of education as we see it. I wonder whether we're prepared for that, or even if we actually have any kind of control of how things will evolve. We talk about teacher-centred and learner-centred education, but all that we do is simply repeating what we've been doing time and again. In 2006, Sir Ken Robinson went on stage to talk about schools killing creativity and the urge for change. Sugata Mitra showed the results of his "a hole in the wall" experiment on a later talk, the Khan academy initiated some sort of revolution that seems to be a possible way forward for some subjects.
Despite all that, the vast majority of teachers I know is still oblivious to all that's been written above, which is a lot worse than being against it. Many teachers and administrators simply don't care about new things and are absolutely OK with doing the same thing that their teachers had done to them 50 years ago, and each one of them – teachers and admins – has his or her reasons for doing so. Some might even read about success stories from different schools and educational systems around the world, but it all sounds too far-fetched for them and it is understood as something that "would never work in [add your city/country here]". It's a lot easier to keep doing things the same old way and going with the flow, isn't it?!
How much of a change has there really been? Our kids still are educated in a classroom where there's one person who tells them what they need to learn. One person standing in front of them and leading the way and, even when there's a certain amount of flexibility given to students, such flexibility can only go as far – we do have a syllabus to follow, after all. It's imposed on us, teachers, and we're expected to teach it as students will be tested on such syllabus in the years to come. Where's all the empowerment we hear so much of, yet do so little about? Have we really been able to teach children how to think critically about matters when they haven't even been taught to criticise whatever it is that the one person standing in front of them says? Are most teachers even prepared to be questioned like that?
If we simply talk about a learning model for teaching instead of a teach-learn model, but we don't walk the walk, it'll be years before we can attest its efficacy or lack of efficacy. Few have really taken the plunge, and out of these few, we hear even fewer stories, and most of these are from the ones who happened to have succeeded. It is hard for us to publicly acknowledge defeat, though we praise those who are sufficiently self-assured to do so. We all make mistakes, we should all learn from our mistakes, but apparently we're afraid of what others will think of us if we show our weaknesses, particularly when we're so vulnerable for judgement in this new world of social media where many truly believe to be the upholder of the truth. How silly is that, huh?!
Where's the real change? To be honest with you all, whenever I wonder if we can drive such change, I'm 100% positive that we can. I also know this won't happen overnight. There's no such thing as the right answer for the problems we're facing in the world of education and the challenges that lie ahead. This I'm pretty sure of. And, finally, when I ponder what big change I'd like to see in most of our schools, I guess my answer doesn't seem to be any different from the answer of many who have been involved in education for quite a while. What shocks me is that we've been struggling hard to implement simple things and we are rushing to the-next-big-thing without pausing and reflecting, analysing and criticising whether or not this or that should be the way forward. Isn't this kind of reflection we'd like our kids to do?
Real change will take place when students no longer see their teachers as the one on stage and the one whose words they should copy and abide by. This may sound simple, but if you bear with me and look at things more carefully, you'll see it's not exactly happening. The more resources learners have available to check their facts, the lazier they're getting. I'd like to see students able to analyse their own opinions and thoughts critically. I'd like to see teachers feeling confident enough about what they're doing so that they won't be afraid of being questioned, hence the importance of being knowledgeable.
I think we're amidst a revolution. I think things are indeed changing. I don't think we've been able to make sure most of us realise the importance of keeping abreast with this change and the necessity of taking risks to actively control what's to come instead of passively waiting for it. Things will change whether we want it or not. We should have been prepared to lead such change consciously, but apparently we're still a couple of people short. But I do see that, little by little, things are a-changing. I just wish that, for the year to come, we were able to move the spin of change faster, that we could get more people onboard – not virtually, but mainly those who work right next door, within the same school borders. This seems to be the way forward to me. We can't expect change to happen if we're scattered all over the globe. Getting teachers to think critically about their actions and learning how to work collaboratively so that we may, in the near future, feel comfortable with leading our students towards the same path. How can we teach, inspire or simply engage people when we ourselves seem to lack what it takes to get things going?
Then again, this might all change in my head tomorrow. It's been a hell of a busy year, but I think it's important to remind myself that it's OK to have your thoughts, to write about them, to have others agree, disagree or simply not mind them. It's all OK as long as we're trying to move forward.
We're all capable of learning, unlearning and relearning. We're all capable of adapting to changes. We're all capable of evolving and improving, just as we're capable of acting stubbornly and simply refusing to do things differently. As people who are – supposedly – rational, we should be able to reason, assess, and make the necessary decisions to keep moving forward. Some of us do, others simply don't seem to be getting anywhere. Where does differentiation lie? What happens that makes us so equal and yet, so different in so many different levels. Most importantly, are we in charge of anything? Can we, as teachers, really make the difference?
When I think about some of the differences that are visible among students who attend the same school, who sit through the same classes and who listen to the same lectures, I wonder why is it that each one of them is able to grasp more or less than others. As a disclaimer note, I need to reinforce, especially for those who are new to this blog, that I don't believe in the one size fits all model of education, and that, yes, each and every one of us learns differently. We all have our pace and a teacher's style might cater more to student A than to student B. However, is this all there is to it?
I feel we've been looking at the space of the school as the only place where such differentiation is made. What if most of what defines how we think and our capability of learning, relearning and unlearning were looked into from a more holistic perspective indeed? At the risk of sounding trite, how often do we look at the learner from a holistic perspective when we, ahem, say this is what we have to do as educators? The point is, if intelligence is diverse, are we ever going to be able, as teachers to ensure that learners will be equipped with the tools they are likely to need to thrive?
What if we looked at learning beyond cognitive abilities? This is, actually, what we've been hearing more and more of these days. Yet, we end up seeing parents and teachers shoving their kids into courses at an ever younger age. "We want to make sure they have the best chances to succeed when they grow up," says a worried parent. The teacher replies, "The younger, the better! It's never to soon to learn," and, boom… here we go into the same old trap again.
We don't learn from school exclusively, and this should have already become crystal clear with the revolution that technology is likely to bring about in learning. We learn best from one another. We learn when we're challenged and when we are stimulate to think differently, to find viewpoints to support our opinions. This will rarely come from a group of people who have grown up exposed to the same old ideas. If we confine a group of people into one single space, with access to the same sources of information, these people are likely to end up having a lot more things in common in their way of looking at the world than we may think.
What is it, then, that makes each one of the learners in our classrooms unique? Should we be looking inwards for the answer and racking our brains for different ways to teach them, or should we come to terms with the fact that, in the long run, its not only cognitive skills and abilities that will be responsible for a person's so-called intelligence. I'm not referring here to people who are book smart in opposition to those who are street wise. I'm also trying to look at intelligence from a more diverse perspective. And also at our ability to be creative and to come up with creative solutions for problems.
What we need is to help the brain create and strengthen connections, and these connections are to be formed in different parts of the brain. This happens when we learn how to walk and we need to make sure the right message is sent to the right limb at the right time. When we challenge ourselves to learn how to play a musical instrument that might require a very complicated twist of the hand, or when we simply want to dazzle our friends by climbing a tall tree. These connections are created when we bond with other people and suddenly find ourselves lost amidst an intricate coterie where we all think alike, and then we're suddenly cast into an environment where we've got to learn how to hear different opinions.
Connections, connections, connections… if we understand little about the importance of neural connections, how can we ever expect to understand reasons for two people who have been raised in the very same educational setting end up being so different. No, it's obviously not only a matter of stimulus and response, but it's also not only some work of mysterious forces, or our genes alone. We have to believe that we're all capable of learning, relearning and unlearning if we believe that teachers do make a difference. How far does the extension of our powers to change it all go, that's the point we should bear in mind.
A child ends up spending a lot more time with friends as they grow old, and not surprisingly, they end up liking the same kind of music, enjoying doing the same things whenever they have free time, and, yes, thinking very much alike. We enjoy this kind of self-assurance as human beings, and we do tend to seek those who think alike. It is reassuring. We end up looking a lot more for validation than for real answers. It's easier to be in our comfort zone than leaving it.
But then again, what if we accept that we seek the company of like-minded people, and that people who read the same books and do the same things end up thinking alike? What is it that makes each one of us stand out? What makes us stand out in the crowd, what makes us unique, can only partially be found within the realms of the classroom. This is why our role os to make ourselves less and less needed as teachers. But that would probably require a whole lot of learning, unlearning and relearning from… teachers. Perhaps a price lot higher than most of those who end up in the trade are willing to pay. Teachers will always make the difference, but the way to make the difference is not by assuming we ought to do it all and that we are solely responsible for our students' success or failure. Things should be clearer now than they've ever been to past generations… either that, or we're just inebriated by all that's been made available to us at this day and time, and in the end it will all be the same.
How do you make a difference? Most importantly, how do you make room for others to make a difference?
Against the prejudice – How far can adverts go?
UPDATE: Below my post, you can read Vinícius Nobre's letter (he's the president of Braz-TESOL) and, now, the reply that Open English has written. We did it! 🙂
I must say I'm not particularly offended when I'm called a NNEST (Non-Native English Speaking Teacher). Perhaps I'm just being naïve, but I don't believe there's harm in the terminology when it's used by someone just to make things clear. It's just as if you say I'm tall, or blond, or even white. It's not that I don't acknowledge we have to pay attention to the rules of political correctness and avoid misinterpretation as much as we can, but I just choose to believe that people, when they do that, they're not simply trying to offend me. The same is true for the NNEST thing. I was born in Brazil and I've never studied nor lived abroad, and the English I know is the English I learnt in Brazil. Therefore, if you call me a NNEST, I simply understand that you are stating a fact.
However, it's also very easy to notice when someone is being rude, offensive, or just tongue-in-cheek. For instance, if you're among friends and one of them just happens to say something that could be interpreted as rude by others who haven't got a clue of how well you know one another, you don't take it that seriously. You're probably well aware of the fact that this friend of yours is just pulling your leg, yanking your chain, or making fun of you. You know this is not exactly what he feels or thinks. I remember when I was 12 or 13 and played basketball. If I remember correctly, that was the very first time I heard someone complaining about the kind of language I used with a very good friend of mine. You see, we were very good friends, and there was absolutely no harm meant, but as this friend was black, I used to call him according to his skin colour. I can honestly relate to that and assure there was no cruelty or racism of any kind involved, just as I'm sure he didn't mean any when he called me "German" or "Whitey" or "Honky". I'm now aware of the fact that these are offensive words, but I have never felt offended when these words were used by my friends.
Just the same, it's also very easy to notice people are being rude or judging you as inferior – and they can use exactly the same words. You see, it's not only a matter of being politically correct, it's a matter of how you say what you're saying. The body language, the context, and all that goes with verbal communication are the things that make the difference between a simple joke among friends and offensive and unacceptable language. The reason why I'm writing this is not because we should be teaching this to our students, or teaching them which words in English are not supposed to be said, which are the politically correct ones and which should never be uttered. What's caused me to write this post was the complete and absolute lack of common sense of people who happened to have put together a TV advert of an online language school that, as far as I know, is quite new in Brazil. The school is OpenEnglish.com, and the advert (I'll translate it to my fellow NESTs below) is this:
This is what the advert says (my comments are in brackets).
"These two want to speak English. One of them goes to a traditional school, the other one studies at OpenEnglish. One of them studies with the same textbook his mother studied with (as if textbooks hadn't changed at all), the other one studies online with multimedia lessons (one size fits all, anyone?). One has classes with Joana (a Brazilian name for the teacher who keeps dancing and making a fool of herself dancing to herself singing "the book is on the table"), the other one has classes with Jenny. "How about you? What is your choice?" (Jenny's sentence in Portuguese)."
On one of the other ads, they've even added that Joana, the Brazilian teacher, had learnt English in Buenos Aires… well, I'm so sorry, but this is the kind of NNEST that IS, indeed, derogatory. This is why there's a cause running on Facebook through the causes site, which you can find by clicking here. You see, there are a whole bunch of things that could be said to highlight the benefits of studying online – I'd be OK with that. However, I can't possibly stand someone going as far as taking advantage of the little knowledge of people when it comes to learning a foreign language and their desire to learn it fast (because everything has to be done fast these days) to sell a product. In addition to this, Brazil is currently on a campaign to teach their population English no matter what on account of the world cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. How many people will be lured by an advert that is on national TV and waste their time and money on something that is unlikely to work?
As I said in the beginning, I'm a NNEST and that's it. I don't have to be proud or feel inferior because of that. The most important letter in the abbreviation is the last one – T. I'm a teacher first and foremost, and as such I'm constantly looking for ways to better teach my students. It honestly doesn't matter where you're from. If you also find the campaign offensive, I kindly ask you to join the cause. If you think this is not important, that's also OK. If you think I'm wrong, just leave your comment and we can definitely talk about it.
UPDATES: Isabela Villas Boas has also written a fantastic piece on the add, expanding on what I have written here: Click here to read her post.
Vinícius Nobre is the current president of Braz-TESOL, and this is what he wrote on the matter:
"As the president of the largest association of English teachers in Brazil, I feel I have to take a stand and express my outrage and disappointment with regards to the TV commercial that has been broadcast on national television promoting an online English course.
I am NOT a native speaker of the English language, I do not have long blonde hair, I do not live in California and I do not wear a tight T-shirt to teach my students. In fact, I NEVER had a native speaker of English as a teacher. I never even lived in a foreign country. I simply studied the English language in my own developing country, and then four years of linguistics, literature, second language acquisition, morphology, pronunciation, syntax, education, pedagogy, methods and approaches. I have only dedicated 16 years of my life to the personal and professional growth of thousands of students. I have not bragged about my passport or my birthplace because I was too busy trying to understand my students' linguistic and affective needs. I am NOT a native speaker of the language; hence – according to this TV commercial – I do not qualify to teach. I probably qualify as an irresponsible and grotesque mockery of a teacher.
Like me, thousands of hard-working, gifted, committed, passionate and under-valued educators (from Brazil or ANY other non-English speaking country) are depicted in 30 seconds of a despicable and desperate attempt to seduce students. I have met outstanding teachers regardless of their nationality and many of which who were native English speakers. The best English speaking educators I have met, however, were always dignified enough to acknowledge the qualities of a non-native speaker colleague.
Foreign language education has developed tremendously so as to guarantee the fairness and respect that all serious language professionals deserve (native speakers or not). At least among ourselves. If students still insist that a native speaker is better, we should at least rest assured that in our own profession we can find the respect and the recognition that a committed and qualified professional needs to have. It is sad, however, to be ridiculed by another (so-called) educational centre.
As the president of BRAZ-TESOL, as a non-native speaker of the English language, as an admirer of teachers regardless of their nationality, I resent such an irresponsible joke. But then again, who am I to even think about saying anything about the learning and the teaching of English? I am not Jenny from California – the utmost example of a foreign language educator."
Open English's CEO reply to the letter above – in English and in Portuguese:
My name is Andres Moreno and I'm the founder and CEO of Open English.
A recent advertisement we've been running on TV has upset some groups of people, including an important Brazilian teacher's association, for what they perceive to be an offensive portrayal. Let me start by saying that anyone whose mission in life is teaching English has earned our admiration and respect. If we have offended this group, or any other, we sincerely apologize. As a company Founded by a Latin American entrepreneur and currently employing people from multiple countries across the region (including Brazil), we value diversity of opinions and welcome feedback as part of our desire to connect with students and advertise responsibly.
We happen to believe that online teaching from native English speakers is the right model for certain lifestyles, so it's the one we've chosen for OUR business. However, this in no way diminishes the efforts and achievements of other teaching professionals.
Again, our intent was never to offend. Due to the feedback we have received and because of our great respect for our colleagues in the English teaching community, we are immediately pulling the ad from our website, social media platforms and television airwaves as soon as possible.
Meu nome é Andres Moreno, fundador e CEO da Open English.
Uma campanha publicitária veiculada por nós na TV foi considerada ofensiva por algumas pessoas, incluindo uma importante associação brasileira de professores. Quero começar dizendo que qualquer pessoa que tenha como missão na vida o ensino do inglês merece nossa admiração e nosso respeito. Se nós, involuntariamente, ofendemos essas pessoas, ou quaisquer outras, sinceramente pedimos desculpas. Como uma empresa fundada por um empreendedor latino-americano que emprega profissionais de diversos países (incluindo o Brasil), valorizamos a diversidade de opiniões e recebemos eventuais críticas como uma forma de nos ajudar a aprimorar nossa conexão com os estudantes e a anunciar de forma responsável.
Acreditamos que o ensino online com professores nativos de inglês é o melhor modelo para determinadas pessoas com determinados estilos de vida e é esse o modelo que escolhemos para o nosso negócio. Isso, de forma nenhuma, desvaloriza os esforços ou diminui a importância de outros profissionais de ensino.
Nossa intenção nunca foi ofender ninguém. Em razão das críticas que recebemos e do profundo respeito que temos por nossos colegas da comunidade de ensino do inglês, determinamos a interrupção imediata da exibição dos filmes publicitários da campanha em nosso website, em nossos canais nas mídias sociais e na televisão.
Andres Moreno
Fundador e CEO da Open English
Consumers, reproducers and producers
If there's one thing that has changed in education with the advent of new technologies and, chiefly, the web 2.0, this has got to be how easy it is now for us to shift from consumers of information to producers of data. There's absolutely nothing new in this statement, and any report or information sheet from the early days of the web 2.0 will tell you this. One of the main benefits of the web 2.0 was the fact that it made it easier for people to actually produce content rather than simply receiving it. Simply put, it's only logical to assume that schools and teachers everywhere would quickly leap at the opportunity for their learners to stop being so passive in their learning roles. Right?!
Unfortunately, I don't think the answer to this question is affirmative. As a matter of fact, if there's one thing that has been going on is that the easy access to information has only allowed for teachers themselves to embrace a kind of teaching that prevents them from, well, teaching. I don't mean to say that all teachers have been doing that – a quick look at the blogosphere will certainly give you an idea of the numerous movers and shakers who are trying hard to change the rules of the game. I just wonder if this will be enough. Why?
Well, it seems to me that whenever people who are online share the benefits for being online and sharing with their PLN, they tend to say that this was way out from the kind of sluggish attitude towards change that they see in their co-workers. I've constantly wondered what it'd be like to have all like-minded educators who actively share and disseminate knowledge online working together in the same school. Would it work? I honestly believe such a school would either be a fantastic place for learning to take place, or it'd be absolutely chaotic. However, there would certainly be enough of the mere reproducing of data we demand of most learners everywhere.
We may call it learner-centered, or learning-centered education, but simply saying that learners are free to choose what and how to learn doesn't make you an educator. More often than not we are at a loss for what exactly it is that we'd like to do, and we only find out what we're truly passionate about after having had the chance to experiment with different things – this means, in my opinion, that even living vicariously counts. The point is understanding that a learner-centered approach doesn't mean total and complete freedom, at least not until a certain point when we've already learned how to learn, unlearn, and critically think about our beliefs and ideas.
Despite the large number of schools and teachers doing an amazing job, and the fact that those who do it do it so passionately that they simply couldn't care less about what others think, there's strength in numbers. If one teacher alone is trying to make a change, there's something in our own nature that will prevent students from giving it a go. They usually change their mind once they've been able to start it, but getting there may be the problem. Living in a test-centric educational world, learners have absorbed the concept that what matters is how much information you can amass in your brain for that upcoming physics test. It is also deeply ingrained in them the idea that certain subjects count more than others. And this is widespread even by teachers, when they say that students shouldn't worry so much about studying English, and that mathematics is far more important than biology, for instance. This is a lesson our students quickly learn, and they learn it from the ones they've also learned not to question.
We do have a chance to change the game by giving them more responsibility when it comes to their learning, but this implies that we ourselves, teachers, ought to come to terms with our new role. We should do this at the risk of jeopardising yet another generation of learners. In order to do this, we ourselves need to become producers of data instead of reproducers, and we should encourage our learners to become producers themselves instead of mere consumers of whatever is thrown at them. Most importantly, we should be teaching them to be critical of anything they hear, even if that is told by, well, their teachers. We're all fallible, and this is the very first lesson that we should learn in order to pass it on to our learners.
How about teaching learners how to assess the validity and reliability of a source before regurgitating what this single source has made public? How about asking them to go being memorising, and starting that by teaching them how to summarise information found by three different sources, and then commenting and reflecting on each other's work? Ah, but nothing of this is news to anyone who's been concerned about change and who may actually be reading this post. We, and I dare include myself in this crowd, are not the ones who are doing wrong. The problem is how do we get to the ones who simply refuse to recycle their knowledge of and about teaching? What can we do to instill this need of change in those who work with us, who are right next doors teaching the same kids we're teaching?
I say that after I had the chance to talk to a group of students who are between 12 and 14 years old. When I asked them whether they feel that they learn more by doing rather than listening, their answer was an obvious yes. However, what surprised me was that when they were offered the chance to actually do something different in class, when they were told they would have to work harder to learn, their quickly said they felt it'd be too much work. After a very quick chat it easy to spot something that has been discussed for a while, but very little is actually done to prevent it from happening – we were the ones who educated them out of their creative selves. Having grown up in a school system where the sage is always on the stage, and where the teacher is always right, they've simply been playing by the rules for as long as they can remember. They got used to being spoon-fed, and it certainly is a lot easier to simply sit still and wait for someone to tell you everything you will need to learn. At this age, it is hard for learners to realise that it is exactly because they've only been through lectures in their whole school life that many of them can't succeed. It'll take them a while to understand that things would have been much easier for them if their teachers had made them actively take learning to their hands. It'd be a lot easier if teachers actually taught.
But here's the catch: if we try to change, we're opening ourselves to questions, and we haven't been trained for that. We were educated as reproducers ourselves, and this has somehow always made sense in the eyes of the vast majority. We've learned that we aren't capable of producing high-quality material and being subjected to criticism on what we're saying or on what we think. We fail to see growth in differences and this is simply reproduced in our classes. Thus, the cycle continues and we're raising yet another generation of consumers and reproducers, and these will be constantly wondering why it is that there are a couple of few who actually become very successful by producing what they could have produced. By and large, we're not raising people who are comfortable with exposing their ideas, these people are raising themselves in spite of what we've been doing to them.
Question: how do we change this? How do we stop preaching to the choir and start getting those who are unwilling to change to actually do something that will matter?
Dear teacher
" Dear teacher,
You once meant the world to me. Among all the people who were there to teach me something, I believe you were the one who had it all figured out. You enticed me with your love for the new, you lured me into a world of learning, but yet, I now feel I've failed to learn what you were trying to teach me. And I believe that I should apologize for not being able to learn things so well… or should I? I've been thinking it over, and my reasons for doubting my need to apologize go far beyond your need to constantly say that if I didn't learn it, it's because you haven't done a good job.
Dear teacher, do you truly mean what you say when you publicly claim that your students failure are your own? Are you such an almighty being that no one can fail on their own accord and that your ability to teach or not is what makes it or breaks it in my education? Perhaps, if you really meant what you say, this would be true. I must confess I'm slightly disappointed in you, though. And I'll now explain why.
You once believed you could teach me by being friends with me. You've probably read somewhere that affection makes a difference in learning. You've also probably read, somewhere else, that laughter lubricates learning, and you tried to make your lessons funny. And then you may have heard from a friend that learning should be student-centred. How perfect was that, huh, dear teacher? All you had to do was come to class and chat with your students, let them discover new things on their own. This is probably something else you claim to have read – students ought to become autonomous learners.
To make things even better, you found arguments to support the use of things you so much enjoy using in your daily life in our lessons. You've read somewhere that I'm a digital native, and that technology would make learning a lot easier to me. You've enticed me to follow you through a path of discovery of things you were supposed to be teaching me, but that I'd eventually find out on my own by using the gadgets that are so common to those of my generation. To be fair with you, you could even mention the names of the people you've supposedly read, and even name theories.
How much longer do you think you could have gone? You've read somewhere that there are teachers using technology and whose students are succeeding, and you've also read somewhere else that there are teachers who simply talk to their students and they miraculously learn. Oh, dear teacher, you have as one of your favorite quotes the one that says that you're not preparing students – you're helping them become life-long learners. Isn't it a tad contradictory that you haven't been doing what you've been preaching?
You expect me to accept that mistakes are part of the learning process. However, you cannot conceive of having done me wrong in your attempts to educate me. Wouldn't it be much easier to help me if you took your own advice and said, just for a change, that you may not know exactly what you're doing? How much longer will you cling to book titles, halves of first chapters, headlines and superficial talks to base your principles? How much longer, dear teacher, till you start taking responsibility for the choices you've made for my education to your hands instead of blaming it on what others have been doing?
Isn't it time you started reading beyond the headline? Isn't it time you started accepting that there are people who know more than you and that you can learn from them? Is it that heard to keep an open mind to different thoughts and ideas? Why is it, then, that you keep asking me to keep mine open?
Dear teacher, how often have you said that grades don't represent learning, and yet it was the final yardstick against which you measured my success or failure? When will you stop paying lip service to what others say regarding education and start walking with your own feet? When will you be able to accept responsibility for what you have done in your classes because you believed that was best for me, not because a PhD somewhere said this is what had to be done? What if you yourself bought into the idea of being a life-long learner and were willing to truly lead me to discovering what I should discover? Instead, your option has been to say to me things you don't actually mean. You say one thing, but you do something else.
Dear teacher, it's time you stopped mentioning the names of John Dewey or Paulo Freire if all you know about what they've done is what someone else has told you. It's time you stopped using flashy gadgets and technology in class simply because you've been told I love that and this is how I learn best. I want to remember you for what I've learnt from you, not for the jokes you told me when you were supposed to have taught me something.
Dear teacher, you have no idea how much I'll idolize you for having taught me something. Please, understand that my education is not a popularity contest among all those who walk into my classroom to talk to me. This is serious stuff, and I may be just a bit too young to realize how serious a business it is. I depend on you to show me what I can do. You've often said you'd like to be responsible for my learning – I put myself in your hands. As much of a cliché this may be, I'm placing all my dreams and hopes for the future in your hands. Will you truly help me live up to my potential? Have you been constantly trying to improve for that to happen?
Dear teacher, all I ask of you is that you mean what you say. Don't take the soft way out by placing all the responsibility of my learning in my hands. Learn what learner centered education truly is before you say your lessons are learner centered. Learn how to effectively integrate technology into your teaching before you say that all those videos and Internet use are actually teaching. Criticise me! We only set high standards for those we believe to be able to get there. Don't settle for anything less than what I can do. You see, I believe all you say about my learning, so if you say I'm ready to move on to the next step, I will be happy to do so – I'll only be mature enough to realize I wasn't ready when it's too late. It's your call, my dearest teacher.
It's your call… are you going to face the challenge of educating me, or are you going to really leave me to my own fortune? Are you prepared to challenge me, to tell me I'm wrong, to tell me my work is not good enough, and to put up with my tantrum, or will you take the easy way out? If you choose the easy way out, if you're not prepared to mean your words and to act accordingly, please, step out of the way. The world is tough enough as it is. I most certainly don't need you holding me back.
You say my failure is your failure, dear teacher. As long as you believe that success is the same thing as moving on to the next grade or level, you've failed me for sure. If you're going to treat me as a human being, you'd better understand sooner than later that education is a complex issue, and there's no way you're going to be able to help me without hard work from me and you. I'm in your hands, dear teacher, make sure you know what you're doing.
Yours faithfully,
A student"
Doing Some Thinking turns 2 years old!!
On November 3rd 2009, I posted my very first blog post. When I first started blogging, I honestly didn't know where it'd take me. I'd tried creating blogs on topics completely unrelated to education, but now, when I look back, I believe the reasons and the drive were not right. Or at least they were not right for me. You see, when I thought of creating blogs on many different topics I was a lot more interested in being able to write a blog that'd have thousands of visitors after the first post. That'd never work for me, or at least it wouldn't work currently. The thing is I suck at advertising, especially when it comes to self-advertising, which is something I've learned about the hard way after (no puns intended) doing some thinking about a lot of things I've been through.
I must say that creating a blog on ELT had never been a goal – I usually feel like I'm preaching to the choir when writing or when presenting a workshop or lecture to teachers on ELT. I mean, what usually springs to mind is that if I know it, pretty much everyone else must know it as well. But I do have a passion for teaching and learning, this is something I can't deny. I can easily spend hours of my free time discussing education – ELT has always been the starting point, but education in general is a point of interest. It was only after I started following a couple of blogs on ELT that I found out how good it was to have, in blogs, a space to share my views. It all started with the comments. A blog was still not in mind.
To be honest, having found myself amidst conversations with loads of teachers who also shared a passion for education was enough. That's when I saw it even more clearly that writing helps me organise my thoughts. And then some comments felt like they were just way too big to clutter somebody's post. I never had a problem with how big the comments are, but I read somewhere it's good practice not to do so. In case you're wondering, I do love thoughtful comments, regardless of how many words they may have. Fortunately, the reason why I started blogging was to have a place to share my thoughts. I write what I believe in, and I don't really have a problem with changing my mind later on.
It was through the blog (and twitter, I must say) that I was able to "meet" lots of other interesting teachers who have helped me do some MORE thinking. I never thought I'd be able to keep writing for 2 years, and sometimes I did feel like not writing here any longer. I still hope I'll one day be able to meet you all in person. This is what I've gained from blogging. If nothing else, it's been nice to hear praises, compliments, criticism and exchange ideas with all readers who paid Doing Some Thinking a visit. If you look on the side, this blog hasn't received any kind badges for awards, nominations or anything like that, but I can guarantee that what I have gained from keeping it going for these two years is worth a lot more than any kind of award. It's already been mentioned by people I respect and admire, and what's better than having the recognition of those you look up to?
I guess finding your true passion does make a difference, and to me, the passion is being able to interact with all of you who read the blog. There are just way too many fantastic blogs on ELT in the blogosphere, and the fact that some of you do take a little of your time to read what I've got to say means a lot. I only wish I could have already met most of you. If only I'd been to one of the many conferences in Europe, I'm sure I'd have even more reasons to be thankful for all that Doing Some Thinking has done to me.
Now, two years on, I'd like to ask you two things:
- How many posts do you think there have been in these 2 years?
- If you may, is there any old post you particularly enjoyed reading? One of the challenges I participated was about finding the gems in the blogosphere. I'd love to hear which blog posts I've written were somehow interesting to you.
And one last time, I'd just like to thank you for your time to read the posts, for sharing your thoughts, and for helping me grow professionally. I'm sure I wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for all the feedback I've received. You've certainly helped me keep it up!
Here's to some more time doing some thinking together. 🙂


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It's a perverse fact of modern life: There are more starving people in the world than ever before, while there are also more people who are overweight.
To find out how we got to this point and what we can do about it, Raj Patel launched a comprehensive investigation into the global food network. It took him from the colossal supermarkets of California to India's wrecked paddy-fields and Africa's bankrupt coffee farms, while along the way he ate genetically engineered soy beans and dodged flying objects in the protestor-packed streets of South Korea.
What he found was shocking, from the false choices given us by supermarkets to a global epidemic of farmer suicides, and real reasons for famine in Asia and Africa.
Yet he also found great cause for hope—in international resistance movements working to create a more democratic, sustainable and joyful food system. Going beyond ethical consumerism, Patel explains, from seed to store to plate, the steps to regain control of the global food economy, stop the exploitation of both farmers and consumers, and rebalance global sustenance.
Eating Right in America is a powerful critique of dietary reform in the United States from the late nineteenth-century emergence of nutritional science through the contemporary alternative food movement and campaign against obesity. Charlotte Biltekoff analyzes the discourses of dietary reform, including the writings of reformers, as well as the materials they created to bring their messages to the public. She shows that while the primary aim may be to improve health, the process of teaching people to "eat right" in the U.S. inevitably involves shaping certain kinds of subjects and citizens, and shoring up the identity and social boundaries of the ever-threatened American middle class. Without discounting the pleasures of food or the value of wellness, Biltekoff advocates a critical reappraisal of our obsession with diet as a proxy for health. Based on her understanding of the history of dietary reform, she argues that talk about "eating right" in America too often obscures structural and environmental stresses and constraints, while naturalizing the dubious redefinition of health as an individual responsibility and imperative.
Bed bugs. Few words strike such fear in the minds of travelers. In cities around the world, lurking beneath the plush blankets of otherwise pristine-looking hotel beds are tiny bloodthirsty beasts just waiting for weary wanderers to surrender to a vulnerable slumber. Though bed bugs today have infested the globe, the common bed bug is not a new pest at all. Indeed, as Brooke Borel reveals in this unusual history, this most-reviled species may date back over 250,000 years, wreaking havoc on our collective psyche while even inspiring art, literature, and music—in addition to vexatious red welts.
In Infested, Borel introduces readers to the biological and cultural histories of these amazingly adaptive insects, and the myriad ways in which humans have responded to them. She travels to meet with scientists who are rearing bed bug colonies—even by feeding them with their own blood (ouch!)—and to the stages of musicals performed in honor of the pests. She explores the history of bed bugs and their apparent disappearance in the 1950s after the introduction of DDT, charting how current infestations have flourished in direct response to human chemical use as well as the ease of global travel. She also introduces us to the economics of bed bug infestations, from hotels to homes to office buildings, and the expansive industry that has arisen to combat them.
Hiding during the day in the nooks and seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, wallpaper, or any clutter around a bed, bed bugs are thriving and eager for their next victim. By providing fascinating details on bed bug science and behavior as well as a captivating look into the lives of those devoted to researching or eradicating them, Infested is sure to inspire at least a nibble of respect for these tenacious creatures—while also ensuring that you will peek beneath the sheets with prickly apprehension.
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music / News
Chris Brown Compares Himself To Jesus
January 28, 2013 | Posted by
After his brawl with Frank Ocean, Chris Brown now thinks he's Jesus Christ.
Brown drew a photo of Jesus and posted it to Instagram.
He wrote: ""Painting the way I feel today. Focus on what matters!"


text:
Here's step-by-step instructions on how to sign up for all VO2GoGo classes and events. We use a shopping cart system, so think of reserving your seat and role as "buying your ticket" when you register for a class.
Step 1: Visit the Classes page.
The VO2GoGo live classes are listed on the Classes page. Only one month's intensives are open at a time for registration, and are listed in date order, with descriptions of each month's classes and a rundown of the day's schedule.
You have your choice of classes, held at five different locations in LA, Miami and online. Classes exclusively open for Pro/Pro Emeritus/ProPlus members to register for free as soon as the prior month's classes finish, and four days later for everyone else.
Step 2: Confirm the class and city are what you want.
Each month, you can choose the intensive you want, held in the city you want.
Each class location has a different page, so make sure you pick the right class in the right city to sign up for. If you land on the wrong page, go back to the Classes page to get the city you want.
Step 3. Choose your seat: Participant or Auditor.
The difference is simple: Participants and Auditors all get the same classes, but only Participants get up and work on mic. And those seats are limited to just 15 per class (and Pros get first choice). Ticketing options will appear at the bottom of each city's page when the intensive opens for registration:
Auditor seats are $150, and Participant seats are $250. Details on the differences between each type of seat are shown to the right of the ticket type.
Once you decide which seat you want, click on the [ + ] next to that seat to change the quantity to 1. If you're reserving seats for more than one person, adjust the quantity accordingly.
Then click on the Add to Cart button, and you'll be taken to the Cart page.
As Participant seats are limited to 15 per class, they tend to go faster than Auditor seats. If there are no more Participant seats available, only Auditor tickets will be available to reserve.
Step 4. Pros only: enter your coupon code.
(If you're not a VO2GoGo Pro member, you can go on to Step 6 below.)
Once you move to the Cart page, you'll simply pay for the class. But, if you're a VO2GoGo Pro member, you can enter your coupon code in the box provided.
Then, be sure to click Apply Coupon, and your cost for the class will recalculate to zero.
At that point, complete the checkout process by clicking on the Proceed to Checkout button.
(Not yet a Pro? By becoming one, you could be attending that class, and all future classes, for free if you join the VO2GoGo Pro Membership, right now, or any time, before reserving your seat)
Step 5. Pay for class.
When you're sure you have everything the way you want it, just click on the Proceed to Check Out button, and you'll be asked for your contact information, then once you click on the Place Order button, you'll see a PayPal screen that will allow you to pay for your class (or, if you're a Pro, you'll simply be registered).
Once you pay, you'll be shown a receipt, and one will be emailed to you as well. And that's it – we'll see you in class!
If you have any questions about this, just drop David an email at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Letters: Christians face no dilemma at Christmas
The Forum piece "Column: Let's put 'Christ'-mas in its place" creates an unnecessary dichotomy, which fails to garner sympathy for the commentary writer's questionable dilemma. Amy Sullivan wants to celebrate "Jesus Day" and a secular holiday to be officially labeled Xmas.
Christians always will put Christ first in Christmas, although the piece attempts to divide and conquer our most cherished holiday. Christians enjoy both the holiday and "holy day" aspects of Christmas. They will often be found attending church and parties, visiting family and exchanging gifts while praising Jesus throughout the day.
Sullivan's Christmas commentary might be wrapped with a pretty new ribbon, but this is just re-gifting another version of the war on Christmas.
Maureen Totterer; O'Fallon, Mo.
Xmas tied to Christ
Amy Sullivan and other commentators seem to believe that there is a substantive difference between the terms "Xmas" and "Christmas."
They should be reminded of the Oxford English Dictionary definition of Xmas: "informal term for Christmas. Origin: X representing the initial chi of Greek Khristos 'Christ.' " Christ is indeed very much in "Xmas."
Letters to the editor
USA TODAY receives about 300 letters each day. Most arrive via e-mail, but we also receive submissions by postal mail and fax. We publish about 35 letters each week.
We often select comments that respond directly to USA TODAY articles or opinion pieces. Letters that are concise and make one or two good points have the best chance of being selected, as do letters that reflect the vibrant debate around the nation on a particular subject.
We aim to make the letters platform a place where readers, not just writers representing institutions or interest groups, have their say.
Reinhard O. Johnson; Brimley, Mich.
New holiday would be co-opted
So commentary writer Amy Sullivan wants to have "Jesus Day" in addition to a secular celebration of Christmas so she can feel good about herself.
How nice, but I'm pretty sure it would be just a matter of time before Hallmark starts churning out "Happy Jesus Day" cards and Best Buy announces a special "Jesus Day door buster" sale. What to do, what to do?
We could just have Xmas for Sullivan and Christmas for the rest of us. Methinks Sullivan comes from the shallow end of the pool.
Curtis Campbell; Egg Harbor, Wis.
Celebrate as each sees fit
I have a better idea. Why doesn't everyone simply celebrate the season just the way he or she wants to, and stop trying to persuade others to celebrate it the same way.
There's plenty of room for all in this country, and in this season.
Steve Pifer; Galeton, Pa.
Posted | Updated


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LIMA, Peru?Leaders of Pacific Rim nations meeting here on Sunday are pushing back against growing skepticism toward free-trade deals in the U.S. and elsewhere, promising to continue strengthening economic ties.
In doing so, leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which accounts for almost 60% of global gross domestic product, sent a message to President-elect Donald Trump that they would move forward with trade pacts with or without the U.S.
"We have to give an unequivocal message to the world that trade continues being beneficial," said Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a 78-year-old former World Bank economist who called for "protectionism to be defeated."
Mr. Trump's election has loomedover the summit of 21 nations, which includes the U.S., China, Japan and Mexico. The meeting rounds off President Barack Obama's last overseas trip before he leaves office in January.
In addition to APEC meetings, Mr. Obama conferred on Sunday with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Mr. Obama said he told Mr. Turnbull that the U.S. and Australian alliance will remain robust and that he will work on a "strong handoff" to Mr. Trump's administration. They also discussed Islamic State and promoting open markets.
"We are aligned on our views," said Mr. Obama.
Mr. Obama said the U.S. and Canadian governments agreed to continue promoting trade before the end of his term.
Mr. Trump, who has blamed bad trade deals for sending American jobs overseas, has promised to pull out of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, one of Mr. Obama's top foreign-policy initiatives that has yet tobe ratified. He has pledged to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement if Canada and Mexico don't agree to renegotiate terms. He has vowed to put a 45% tariff on Chinese imports if the Asian country doesn't change practices he says are unfair, risking a trade war between the world's two biggest economies.
Those policies would represent a sharp turn for the U.S., which has long promoted removing trade barriers to boost economic growth. Now, many APEC leaders in Peru said they hoped to persuade the next U.S. president of trade's benefits, while China indicated at the summit it was ready to take the lead in promoting trade.
"I very much see this as a strategic shift that is in progress," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society who was in Lima for the meeting. "There is real concern that the U.S. is withdrawing from its traditional role."
Mr. Obama has looked to reassure allies here,saying that he didn't expect significant changes to U.S. policy even though Mr. Trump may modify some accords.
On Sunday, Mr. Obama said Asia-Pacific leaders told him during the summit that they intend to move forward with a new trade deal even without the U.S. The TPP pact was the critical piece of his Asia policy, which was to counter China's influence by strengthening ties with smaller nations in the region.
Mr. Obama said TPP "is a plus for America's economy" and that not moving forward would "undermine" U.S. influence.
While U.S. allies wait to see if Mr. Trump changes course once in office, they are considering alternatives.
Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand, a TPP member, said the pact may be able to go forward with "cosmetic changes" to please Mr. Trump. Another option, he said, was for the 11 other countries to implement TPP without the U.S.
"If the United States doesn't want to participate in free trade, [President-elect] Trump needs to know that other countries will," he said. "We hope he is part of the program. But if not, we are going to continue doing things."
Peru and Chile, two other TPP members, said they were interested in joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a Chinese-led pact of 16 countries known as RCEP. Peru also is expected to start trade negotiations with Indonesia and hopes to increase ties with Russia, government officials said.
China, which is excluded from TPP, will further embrace a globalized economy by promoting RCEP and a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, President Xi Jinping said in a speech.
"The U.S. being seen as pulling back does create a void that China is willing to fill," said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. "You are beginning to see that."
Mexican President Enrique Peñ a Nieto said his country's economic future would remain closely tied to the U.S., which has helped spur manufacturing. Last year, 89% of Mexican exports were from manufacturing, compared with 38% in 1985, he said. On Saturday, Mr. Peñ a Nieto met Canada's Mr. Trudeau, saying in a statement they remained committed to North American trade.
"Let's not be confused," he said. "We don't want isolation."
Write to Ryan Dube at email@example.com and Carol E. Lee at firstname.lastname@example.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 20, 2016 20:45 ET (01:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


text: From ramen to rotting bananas, Copenhagen to Kansas City, pork buns to golf clubs, The Mind of a Chef combines travel, cooking, history, science, and humor into an unforgettable journey. Join executive producer and narrator Anthony Bourdain as he takes viewers over the course of 16 half-hour episodes inside the mind of noted Korean-American chef and restaurateur David Chang, a New York Times best-selling author and chef/owner of the Momofuku restaurant group. Chang brings a voracious appetite for food knowledge and a youthful exuberance to cooking and travel, whether cooking in his kitchens in New York and Australia or traveling for inspiration to Japan, Denmark, Spain or Montreal.


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New World-Record for Low-Cost Thin-Film Solar Cell Efficiency
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Sweet! Thanks, for the data.
"They cannot see what's-up if They are looking down." (TastyThoughts)
"Something is smelly! Something is smelly, like an old barnacle encrusted shoe washing ashore in the middle of summer." (TastyThoughts)
"Yes happy Earth day. Now go tell the wicked to stop damaging the Human Species therefore/and the Earth; For, they are discombobulating the entire Universe and upsetting the Most High God." (TastyThoughts)


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On September 17, 1787, the final draft of the U.S. Constitution was signed.
Happy Law Day
May 1st is Law Day which was first recognized by President Eisenhower to observe that we are a nation that has a government of laws. While there are plenty of problems with the legal system in the United States, we often forget how essential rule of law is and how much we rely upon it.


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We Like It: Enomatic Wine Dispensers
Fellow drinkers of wine by the glass, our ship is about to come in.
A couple of weeks ago I met some friends at Drago Centro in downtown L.A. for drinks after a long day of work in the Valley; while I went for the excellent Sazerac, one of my friends ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The bartender brought a stem glass over to a machine with couple of dozen bottles of wine on stainless steel pedestals, and pushed a button. Wine flowed through a spigot into the glass; when a generous measure had landed in the glass, she stopped the machine.
"What," I asked, "is this wondrous machine?"
It was, as you've guessed by the title of the post, an Enomatic wine dispenser. The machine removes air from a partially-consumed bottle of wine and replaces it with an inert gas (argon or nitrogen) which doesn't cause oxidation, wine's Kryptonite. When a pour is needed, the machine creates a partial vacuum, which sucks the wine up through the spigot. Various varieties of the machine also keep the wine at the proper temperature.
This is a relatively new item in the U.S., but it's a boon for people like me who are often the only one drinking wine at a table. Since the wine can be kept for up to 30 days with no ill effect, restaurants with the system can offer a much wider variety of wines by the glass.
Enomatic Wine Dispenser, we applaud you!
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The OpenCms 5.0.0 full binary distribution with lots of new features.
|Module Version:
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|Alkacon Software and the OpenCms group
|GNU Lesser General Public License
|Click here to download (3770 kb)
Try OpenCms 10.5 Beta! This beta release provides a complete look at the features of the next OpenCms generation.
Update your existing OpenCms installation to the current stable version 10.5.1 with the easy to use upgrade wizard.
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Napoli starlet to leave for Torino
Napoli striker Eduardo Vargas could be on his way to Torino on loan, according to Tuttosport.
The Granata will make a move to secure his signing on loan for the remainder of the season in January and, with Rolando Bianchi being frozen out due to his failure to agree a new contract, he would add vital cover.
The 22-year-old Chilean has yet to feature for the Partenopei in Serie A this season and has never scored a league goal in Italian football.
However, he did hit a hat-trick in the Europa League against AIK earlier this campaign.
He joined the club in January from Universidad de Chile in a deal worth in the region of €11m, and anyone with a sports betting account, wouldn't put money on him staying in Napoli.


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text:
Another Hilton Has A Problem With Kim Kardashian's Fame
Kathy Hilton ran her mouth at the Monkey Bar in New York Saturday to anyone who would listen-namely Patti Stanger, Kara DioGuardi, Jill Zarin and Brooke Mueller-that Kim Kardashian is a copycat. This seems to be the Hilton's topic of choice lately, as Paris herself alluded to Kardashian's current fame last week. Kathy, her husband Rick, and Paris's boyfriend Cy Waits attended Oxygen's Upfront presentations with Paris last night.
Kardashian used to work as a stylist, counting friend Paris as one of her client. But mama bear Kathy was telling people at the bar, "Oh, she used to work for Paris." A source told the the New York Post, "Kathy said Kim copied every thing Paris has done." Luckily the family doesn't view new The World According to Paris co-star Mueller as a threat. Kathy was overheard yapping, "Brooke is nothing like Kim so we aren't worried about her stealing Paris' spotlight."
Naturally, Kathy was on her best behavior last night when she told the Post, "I love Kim, by the way. Someone said, 'Didn't she work with Paris?' I said, 'Yes, she did before she was on her TV show.' Another person said, 'Paris made a lot happen for us in the reality business.' I said 'It's true, she was one of the pioneers.' "
PHOTOS: Paris Hilton Celebrates Her 30th Birthday
Kim may have followed in Paris Hilton's footsteps, but she's maintained her fame because she and her family appeal to the masses. Paris isn't a relatable public figure. She's snotty, elitist and a bit mean. The Kardashians work well in the limelight because they're funny and gracious.
Which reality star do you like more: Paris or Kim?


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Police look for leads in Greenville Handy Market break-in
GREENVILLE — Police are searching for leads in a Tuesday evening break-in at the Handy Market in Greenville.
A customer found the glass front door smashed the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 11. Interim Greenville Public Safety Director Gary Valentine said a rock was thrown through the door of the store.
The only items the owners found missing were energy pills and synthetic marijuana, Valentine said. Synthetic marijuana is an incense-like item.
"It is legal," Valentine said. "The suspect threw a rock thru the window, made entry and took packages of Yellow Brick Road and Kryptonite, which are synthetic marijuana, and packages of Rapid Action, which are energy pills."
No other items were taken or disturbed, Valentine said.
This investigation, along with the Jan. 5 armed robbery at the Family Dollar, is ongoing, Valentine said. If anyone has any information, they are encouraged to call Greenville Department of Public Safety at (616) 754-9161 or the Silent Observer at 1-866-774-2345.


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|Thread Tools
Who else is August 1-7?
We are all getting closer. I'm 35 weeks tomorrow. I cannot believe my home visit is Friday and I can go at home next Sunday! WOW crazy...
So...you're very right. It's getting SO close!
Peacefully married for ten years with one child (2009), one mutt and one entitled cat.
My second son died shortly after his birth last August and I don't think emotionally I can wait or go past my due date. I do know that I do not want a pitocin induction. My doc has agreed to try cervadil. I've read a lot on it and many say it can start labor and others say it doesn't. If doesn't work we'll just come home (again no pitocin and no AROM). I may not have much choice to wait until this little one is ready if the cervadil doesn't work but I'm going to give it a shot.
I also figure closer to 39 weeks I'll try some natural methods. I'm not interested in castor oil but I'm going to try acupuncture for sure.
So, I float between the July and August DDC. Can't wait for all of us to meet our little ones! :
Actually I'll be surprised if I go past 8/23.
Cheshire--totally understandable. Here's hoping you go before 39 weeks, but if not, you've certainly put good thought into how you want things to go. Can't wait to hear your good news!!
I rearranged and reorganized his room last night, and it made me feel good. Putting the final touches on everything, and really trying to prepare myself.
This is such an exciting, uncomfortable (BOY is it uncomfortable), and happy time!!!! hahahaha
Amanda, Wife to James and Mom to Bub (11/00), Gracie (5/02), Brystol (7/09), Elleigh (3/11) and Piper (10/11). Missing our angels: Bean ([email protected]) Ainsley ([email protected]) Zachary ([email protected]) Sweet Pea ([email protected]) Twin B ([email protected]) and Lil Bit ([email protected]).
Surrogate baby born: 9/17/12
Surrogate baby due: 12/14/14
It will be interesting to see when this babe is born.I have had July 13th in my head since I peed on a stick!!!maybe that is just wishful thinking seeing as I am suffering from preggo witch syndrome this time.I swear as soon as the clock stricks 2pm I turn into a witch,never happened before!!my other were between 2 -3 weeks early but I wont count on that!! I am 2 -3 cm and at least 50% effaced though which makes me nervous as everytime I have reached 4cm the babe has been born within the hour::
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ~ Sir Winston Churchill
DS was born on his due date. We'll see what this LO does.
Christine, mom to C(7.5) - E(5) - J(3) - B(10 mos)
Doula, childbirth educator, Co-leader of
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it." ~Anonymous
I am due August 3rd or 12th depending on who you talk to.
I go by Aug 3rd since that's my conception due date and it's more accurate IMO, since this time I know when it happened.
I went two weeks early with the first and a week early with the second, so my prediction is anytime between July 23rd and end of July.
But....I am bigger this time and having an awful lot of contractions, pressure and pain that has stoped me in my tracks - so who knows!
Ironically my midwife is also going to be going away at the end of the month! How perturbing!
Good luck mommies! I'll bet some of us will share some dates.
Mom to Rylee, 9/4/05 , Bryce 7/15/07:
Sami; Dedicated to Joey, 6yrs as Wife... already 10 as Sweetheart
"attached" SAHM for our spunky Leo boys Loki & Joseph (2 & 5)
We've got a new addition - our first babygirl - arriving mid to late February! Life is good.
I guess that makes 5 of us.. At least two of us have to have the baby on the same day. That would be neat.
Edit** I'm just realizing how terrified of labor I am becoming. I'm a first time mom and the thought of labor makes my stomach turn... I kind of wish I was due at the end of august instead of the beginning now...
Mama to two girls 12/05 and 8/09
Boy13, Boy12, Boy10, Girl7, Girl5, Twin Boys 6/14/09
I went almost 4 weeks late with DD. I better not go till the end of Aug.
I'm due 08/17 but I have a scheduled c-section on 08/10/09. I can't believe it's coming so close...
My MW home visit is on Tuesday. I am so excited!!!
I'm feeling pretty good....tired and swollen feet but doing good. I feel like I have a good handle on everything that still needs to get done. And I feel like I am doing all I can to make this birth a successful one (yoga, swimming, kegels, squats, pelvic rocks, reading many books...etc)
I'm the first one due in our Bradley class too.
It is so crazy that we are so close to the finish line. We can do it ladies! :
Mama to my little dude
Just PM me and I'll give you details
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The hamburger is a classic customizable meal—you can choose your toppings, your condiments, and the human name you assign it before eating it. Bite into Barry J. Burgerton with this Groupon.
Choose Between Two Options
$14 for a burger meal for two (a $28.85 total value)
- One stack of onion strings (a $3.95 value)
- Two burgers or cheeseburgers (a $16.90 value)
- One pitcher of domestic beer (an $8 value)

$28 for a burger meal for four (a $57.70 total value)
- Two stacks of onion strings (a $7.90 value)
- Four burgers or cheeseburgers (a $33.80 value)
- Two pitchers of domestic beer (a $16 value)

O'Brien's Irish Pub
Beers unfurl from taps into sparkling pints at O'Brien's Irish Pub, ready for hearty sips or splashes from ping-pong balls during bar-sanctioned games of beer pong. In between rounds of darts and cheers for pro teams playing on the bar's TVs, patrons dig into a menu of house-roasted prime rib sandwiches, taco pizza, and Guinness french onion soup. O'Brien's also welcomes tailgaters before every home Brewers game, and provides two complimentary shuttle busses to and from the stadium.
Customer Reviews
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Jackie S. Smith
Jackie S. Smith
Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m., Monday, March 11, 2013, at LaGrone Funeral Chapel, for Jackie S. Smith, 84, who passed away on Saturday, March 2, 2013, after several lengthy illnesses. Retired Gen. Jack Fox will conduct the services.
Visitation will be in the LaGrone Funeral Chapel, Sunday, March 10, 2013, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Jackie was born on May 11, 1928, in Rochester, Texas, to John Leslie and Vera Shindler.
She is survived by two children, Lowell Smith Jr. and [auth] his wife Becky, of Roswell, and Sherry Clarke, of Albuquerque. Jackie has remaining twin brothers, Bryan Speck, of Las Cruces, and Boyd Speck, of Kennard, Texas.
She is also survived by five grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, in Roswell, Albuquerque, Dallas metro and Minnesota; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Jackie was preceded in death by her twin sister Juanita Hall, whom she dearly loved and missed so much these last few years of her life.
Many years ago Jackie received her nursing degree and worked as a nurse at St. Mary's hospital, prior to moving to Dallas. She worked at Blue Cross-Blue Shield there and later worked at the Army-Air Force Exchange for several years before returning to Roswell.
Jackie's hobbies and interests were quilting, embroidery, gardening, reading and jigsaw puzzles. She loved her frequent trips to Dallas for visits, quilt shows and sightseeing, and her occasional jaunts to Las Vegas, Laughlin and Albuquerque to the casinos. She also looked forward to and loved feeding and watching the hummingbirds at her kitchen window.
She dearly loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was thrilled in November to get to see her newest great-great-grandbaby.
Jackie left us all too soon with many warm and funny memories and will be deeply missed by all who knew her, including her family who loved her so very much and took care of her.
Condolences may be offered online at lagronefuneralchapels.com.
Arrangements are under the personal directions of the professionals at LaGrone Funeral Chapel.
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Grass Valley Imaginate 2.0 Software for Windows
Imaginate 2.0 is a stand-alone application that enables users to create still image animations and montages. Start in either Scene Wizard or Storyboard modes to lay out and time your compositions in an intuitive interface that features realtime preview and detailed keyframing options. Import and add music to your timeline; perform panning, zooming, scaling and 3D camera positioning; and export your animations to broadcast, CD and DVD video formats. Imaginate offers plug-in support for Canopus ED
Item #: 706239
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Canopus Co. & Grass Valley are regarded as an industry leader in nonlinear video editing products because of its innovative hardware and software designs. With a rich history serving the broadcast and professional video industries, the Grass Valley name is synonymous with innovation, leadership, and performance.
With a full range of products and services supporting many of the world's most high-profile television events, Grass Valley offers the most comprehensive portfolio of flexible and cost-effective digital technologies and systems available.
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A strong grasp of narrative structure is as essential to a novelist as a sense of empathy and a reasonable vocabulary. The secret to a great novel isn't just what you say or how you say it, but where it's said, and when. The way a story is structured enables a writer to build and release tension, reveal and resolve conflict, and to lead the reader from a gripping introduction to a satisfying conclusion.
Led by Orange Prize-longlisted author Kathryn Heyman (Floodline), this intensive two-day course mixes exercises, discussions and carefully selected examples to show you how to find the right shape for any story. You'll learn how to create the illusion of the passage of time, whether you're working on a contemplative emotional drama or a rollicking action-thriller. You'll also discover how to arrange your writing to give a sense of your protagonist driving the story, how to build pace and momentum, and when (and how) to pull back off the throttle and give your readers time to reflect on major developments – and ensure important details don't get lost in a narrative blur.
This course is for you if...
- You're currently writing a novel and are concerned that it's getting out of shape, or losing pace at essential points
- You're a less experienced author and want to build up a more comprehensive command of structural strategies
- You're a keen writer who has no formal training in structuring fiction
Course description
This highly practical weekend course will teach you how to understand classical narrative structure, and to examine your own writing in order to apply it in the right way for your story. Topics covered on the course include:
- The dramatic centre and essential structure questions
- Narrative shape – quest, journey and retreat
- Pacing and momentum
- Creating an active protagonist
- External narrative and internal change
- Mimesis and catharsis – creating identification
- Dostoyevsky's 'searing moments' – how to escalate tension
- Movement of time
- The structure of scenes
- Set up, pay off and writing the perfect resolution
Tutor profiles
Kathryn Heyman is the author of five novels, the latest of which is Floodline (Allen & Unwin). She has been longlisted for the Orange Prize, shortlisted for the Scottish Writer of the Year Award, Kibble Prize and West Australian Premier's Awards. A former Wingate Scholar, she won an Arts Council of England Writers Award and has written several radio plays for the BBC, including adaptations of her own work.
Book now
If you're using a mobile device, click here to book
Date: Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September 2014
Times: 10am-5pm. Check-in begins 30 minutes before the start time.
Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
Price: £399 (includes VAT, booking fee, lunch and refreshments)
Event capacity: 16
Dress code: There is no dress code for Masterclasses. Please dress however you feel comfortable.
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 7 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.