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A Summer of Learning and Leadership
Read this story on the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Blog
Daniel Noorily is a rising junior at Health Careers High School in San Antonio, Texas. Daniel recently returned from BBYO's International Leadership Training Conference designed for the organization's teen leaders. Together, these young leaders spent several weeks strengthening their leadership skills, expanding their network to include peers abroad and learned techniques to affect change and build community. Daniel shares his reflections here.
What do you get when you put over 200 passionate Jewish teens in an immersive summer experience in the middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania? The expected aversion to "camp food" and fear of bugs aside, what you get is a life changing experience.
I had the pleasure of being a part of just that this summer at BBYO's International Leadership Training Conference, or ILTC, located at B'nai B'rith Perlman Camp in Lake Como, Pennsylvania.
ILTC is far from your usual summer camp. For example, my fellow campers and I spent our mornings in our "blueprint groups"– groups of almost thirty teens that met together every morning to learn invaluable leadership and life skills, such as effective methods of facilitation, brainstorming and networking.
We were not passive learners. More than just listening to lectures by staff members, we participated in discussion-based lessons and teens and staff were encouraged to share their thoughts on the subject at hand. This "open-forum" style of teaching made it possible for me to learn so much from so many different people from so many different places. This summer at ILTC, there were teens from across the United States, Canada, England, Bulgaria, Argentina and Israel.
I wasn't just learning about leadership from the classroom. Everywhere I looked, there were lessons to be learned, even in places I didn't expect, including in interactions with my peers.
You might assume that when you put thirty intelligent, teen leaders in a room – whether they're talking about why Kosher law prohibits the eating of bacon, effective marketing strategies or anything (and I mean anything) in between – they would all try to take charge of and steer the conversation themselves. In the beginning of the program, your assumption would be correct, but we quickly learned a valuable lesson: a good leader knows when to lead and when to listen. Even though nothing feels better than hearing your peers snap (the standard sign of agreement and support) after sharing your ideas, once in a while you have to take a backseat and just listen to what others have to say.
I applied what I was learning about leadership ten days into the program when I was chosen to be one of the captains of the Blue Team for the Fourth of July Color War. Although I didn't know it then, the event would be an eye-opening experience. As if by chance, I was placed with the thirty or so campers that I hardly knew and the very thought of leading them scared me. What reason did these strangers have to respect my leadership? Thoughts like this raced through my head as I paced across the Blue Team classroom for the first time. Still, I did my best to be a friendly and engaging team captain – one who showed plenty of team spirit – and soon the team really opened up. Indeed, after a couple of cheer sessions, we found our rhythm and came together as a unified Blue Team.
Looking back, I realize that community was core to my ILTC experience. Whether it was in the dorms, the blueprint groups, the separate boys and girls k'farim (villages) or even in the impromptu elective activities, there was a remarkable sense of unity in everything that we did. My fellow teens and I formed unique ties with and developed strong pride in each other, all in a matter of days.
This sense of community is central to the BBYO experience and to our shared Jewish values. The concept of community building, brotherhood, unity, and the fact that such a great deal of it went on at ILTC continues to inspire me. I learned on the job that a leader's role is not to order his team members around, but rather to inspire them to work towards a greater goal. That's what leadership is to me; bringing people together to work for a common cause. I know that in my future, whether it is in the medical field, the Jewish community or another area I haven't even considered yet, I will always strive to be a leader by creating a sense of unity among the people I lead and inspiring them to do the best work they can do.
The Schusterman Philanthropic Network is proud to empower emerging leaders to explore their values, identity and new ways to strengthen their communities. We believe that as we work together to repair the world, it is important to share our diverse experiences and perspectives along the way. We encourage the expression of personal thoughts and reflections here on the Schusterman blog. Each post reflects solely the opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Foundation, its partner organizations or all program participants.


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The new Chinese government is beginning to announce changes to the rules allowing foreigners to invest in China. The most important of these are the changes made to the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFII) and Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (RQFII) programs.
On Dec. 13, Chinese government officials announced that they would be expanding both programs in an attempt to attract more capital to China.
There is nothing new in this though and no logical reason for the announcement to cause investors to believe that an inflow of foreign capital to Chinese equities is imminent and that it will cause the markets to reverse the three-year, nearly 40% slide in the value of the Shanghai Composite Index following the Lehman Brothers' crisis bounce in 2009.
Following the announcement, which was made at the same time a positive Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index was announced, the Shanghai Composite Index soared over 4% and set the stage for discussions of a bottom in China's economy and markets as well as discussions of the beginning of a new long-term resurgence in both.
This sentiment has also been helped by Technical Analyst Tom DeMark's call for a 48% increase in the Shanghai Composite Index within the next nine months; which he offered about 10 days before the Dec. 14 surge.
I would be cautious about all of this though. The changes to the QFII program and introduction of the RQFII program have been under way for about a year and a half. The amount of QFII and RQFII capital allowed has tripled, the eligibility has been made less restrictive, and the allowance for taking profits out of the country has been increased.
Of the 192 investors awarded QFII licenses in China since the program began in 2002, 57 were added this year alone. The initial changes to the QFII and introduction of the RQFII began a year ago in December 2011. The Shanghai Composite Index increased about 4% into March of this year before steadily declining to its lowest level since Lehman debacle.
It has since rebounded from 1960 on Dec. 3 to about 2160 today, or about 10%. This is probably due to investors exhibiting relief as a result of the new government not postponing the anticipated changes and instead maintaining cohesion with the previous administration's actions.
There has been, and still is, a lot of concern about the economic and financial market policies that will be pursued by the new government. It is important to note as well that, in the past, the Chinese has attempted to attract long-term investment capital while trying to prevent speculative capital. The most recent changes to the QFII program will cause speculative inflows to increase. The introduction of the RQFII program was an attempt to halt the flight of Chinese investor capital from the country.
The performance of these programs will provide insight into future changes by the Chinese regulators. If they are successful, the rules will be loosened further with the currency eventually being opened as required by the World Trade Organization.

subset: commoncrawl


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An interview with Bhikkhu Bodhi
Is it true that you have decided to re-settle in this country?
I originally intended to stay in the U.S. only as long as necessary to treat the headache and then return to Sri Lanka. Over the past few months, however, two thoughts grew increasingly compelling in my mind: first, that I should be closer to my father in his old age; and second, that I might be able to contribute more to the Dhamma here in America than in Sri Lanka. At the beginning of this year I formally retired as editor for the Buddhist Publication Society, and thus I no longer felt obliged to reside in Sri Lanka.
During my first six weeks in the U.S. I had been staying in the crowded and bustling New York Buddhist Vihara. In July I met by chance an old Chinese Dharma master and his translator, a young Chinese-Canadian monk, who invited me to visit their monastery in New Jersey. I expected it to be a busy devotional temple in a run-down urban ghetto, but to my pleasant surprise it turned out to be a serious study monastery located on quiet and spacious grounds in rural New Jersey, with wooded hills all around and herds of deer grazing on the lawns. Master Jen Chun and I took an immediate liking to each other, and he invited me to stay as long as I wish.
So you will live as a Theravada monk in a Chinese Mahayana monastery?
In ancient India it was not rare for monks of different Buddhist schools to dwell peacefully in the same monastery. I have found Master Jen Chun to be one of the most admirable monks I have ever known: vastly learned, with profound understanding of Buddhism, yet utterly simple, humble, and selfless; strict in discipline yet always bubbling with laughter and loving kindness. He is, moreover, an authority on the Agamas, a body of literature in the Chinese Tripitaka that corresponds to the Pali Nikayas. Thus I find his approach quite congruent with my own. He has asked me to give teachings at the monastery on the Pali suttas and the Pali language, and the resident monks and many lay followers are keen to attend both courses. We hope to make the monastery a place where well-disciplined monks of any authentic Vinaya tradition can reside and live together harmoniously. The place, incidentally, is named Bodhi Monastery, but it is sheer coincidence that I wound up at a monastery that bears my name.
Bhikkhu Bodhi was also at Chuang Yen Monastery.
This may answer some of your questions :
http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/2002b ... _bodhi.htm
Peter wrote:From the website...
"The origins of Bodhi Monastery lie in the comprehensive, non–sectarian vision of Master Yin–Shun, the foremost Chinese scholar–monk of modern times, whose work has inspired a Buddhist intellectual renaissance in Taiwan. In line with the vision of Master Yin–Shun, Bodhi Monastery aims to promote the study and practice of Buddhism as an integral whole rather than to focus on the teachings of a particular Buddhist sect or branch.
"Bodhi Monastery aims to promote the study and practice of Buddhism as an integral whole, with special focus on the clear and direct teachings of ancient Pali Buddhism and their philosophical and ethical elaboration in the early Mahayana. The monastery thus represents a unique, spiritually enriching synthesis of these two major Buddhist traditions.
"Bodhi Monastery was founded in January 2000 by Master Jen–Chun, a senior disciple of Master Yin–Shun..."
His comments on Buddhism and psychology and pure vipassana meditation and on the weaknesses of western Buddhism and his comments on the possibilities and hopes found in western Buddhism made me thoughtful.
Chris wrote:Hello sher,His comments on Buddhism and psychology and pure vipassana meditation and on the weaknesses of western Buddhism and his comments on the possibilities and hopes found in western Buddhism made me thoughtful.
What sort of thoughts?
And why ought it to be of concern that one sees the commonalities across all schools of Buddhism - there is, after all, one Buddhadhamma.
Sher wrote:Peter: Do you have any thoughts regarding this approach toward synthesis of tradition? Sher
Peter wrote:To elaborate on that... I find it takes all my time and energy just to try to understand one tradition. Trying to understand many traditions and then trying to merge them together is just more work than I am interested in.
Chris wrote:On a side note, a friend of mine who is assisting with the finalisation of BB's Anguttara translation, was in the U.S. for a few weeks and spent some time with BB. Apparently the headaches are continuing unabated and are quite severe, so the printing of the full english Anguttara translation by BB may now be back to as late as 2010.
Chris wrote:Hello Ngawang Drolma, all,
Bhikkhu Bodhi has had these headaches for many many years. He has attended doctors and specialist clinics as well as consulting alternative health practitioners. He has undergone probably every test in existence in different parts of the world - even an acupuncturist in HK.
AFAIK, he is not ill - it is just the same old headaches which impede correcting the final draft of the text, as well as meditation.
This is a page maintained by a student with his permission on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/friends/?ref=tn ... 108&ref=mf
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Weber Staying at Illinois After Oklahoma Talk
Illinois says basketball coach Bruce Weber will remain coach of the Illini after reports he was a strong candidate to fill the vacant job at Oklahoma.
Weber said Thursday in a statement that he'd received calls from other unspecified schools but doesn't intend to leave.
The Transcript in Norman, Okla., linked Weber to the vacant Sooners job on Wednesday. Oklahoma fired Jeff Capel earlier this month.
Some Illinois fans have called for Weber to be fired after Illinois' 20-14 finish. The Illini opened the season in the Top 25 with talk about a potential Big Ten title but finished unranked and in fourth place.
Adding to the uncertainty in Champaign is 65-year-old athletics director Ron Guenther's situation. His contract ends this summer and he hasn't ruled out retiring.
(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)


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Thanks for visiting my blog.
My name is Charles Lau, and I am concerned that you have reached my blog where the page is not found.
Do you mind telling me more information about where you have found the link from?
In the meanwhile, please feel free to read my blog since you are already here.
Start here: https://www.charleslau.com/blog


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Who Cares? Me, and now everybody.
It's impossible to attend every conservation-related conference or symposium. This summer, I missed what was perhaps one of the best conferences about the conservation of contemporary art in the past 10 years: Contemporary Art: Who Cares? Research and Practices in Contemporary Art Conservation. It was organized by the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage (ICN), Foundation for the Conservation of Contemporary Art in the Netherlands (SBMK), and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The symposium was an activity of the International Network for the Conservation of Contemporary Art (INCCA). It was held in Amsterdam June 9-11, 2010.
Shortly after the conference concluded, I interviewed Karen te Brake-Baldock on Art:21's blog about the initial outcomes. When I was working on that interview and considering what I had missed, it occurred to me that, though there were many great talks, I really would have liked to hear those by Charles Esche, the Director of van Abbemuseum and Peter van Mensch, professor of cultural history at the Reinwardt Academie (Amsterdam). Well, now we can all hear these talks, and the rest of that were presented.
Charles Esche:
Charles Esche – Van Abbemuseum from incca on Vimeo.
Peter van Mensche:
Peter van Mensch – Reinwardt Academie from incca on Vimeo.
Both talks challenge us to re-think some of the purposes of museums and the display of artwork within them. I'll not go into a summary or any kind of critique of any of the talks, but instead simply encourage you to go check the complete list out. Here's a complete list of the talks. Thanks, INCCA, for making the conference available online and letting me "attend" from my own home.
Filed under: Conservation


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Hey Everybody ,
I am hoping to practice Vipassana Meditation as given in the book [Practical Vipassana Exercises by Mahasi Sayadaw]http://www.google.lk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=practical%20vipassana%20exercises%20&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.buddhanet.net%2Fpdf_file%2Fmahasit1.pdf&ei=vWn-T7beKMzirAfgyczTBg&usg=AFQjCNH-dYF5BbaVt1LowuMNc10o3bZj9w&cad=rja
I can't have a teacher because my family doesn't like the idea of me meditating .
So , My questions are :
Is this the best book to follow ?(If not , what do you recommend)
How should i do my sessions ? (For example : 2 x 30min sessions or 1 full hour session per day)
Thank You in Advance,
May all being be happy


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WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) – The Anheuser-Busch brewery in Williamsburg is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a visit from the famous Budweiser Clydesdales.
Officials say an eight-horse traveling hitch will visit the brewery on Thursday afternoon and make "old fashion beer deliveries."
The brewery opened in 1972 and produces more than 40 brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob and Shock Top.
The 144-acre facility ships about 250 trucks each day, serving Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Washington, D.C., and some overseas markets.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Hey Barb !
Go 2 "dashboard" on the top of ur page . Then look 2 ur "left" and click on 'Profile". Okay now go 2 www.photobucket.com.com 2 go and look at some photos and pics.. Now go 2 the top of the page on photobucket and click on the 'search box'. Now type "Nicki Minaj" then click "ENTER" on ur computer on laptop then wait and some photos will pop up. Now click on the pic u want. Then when the pic u pick get big ..Look 2 ur right and u will see "IMAGE LINKS" . okay . Now see "IMg Code" or html code . Then click on the link on the right of the word "IMG code or HTML code . Then when it says "copied" .. Go back 2 www.mypinkfriday.com "Log back in if u had Logged out. Then click back on "Dashboard then look 2 ur left again then click on "Profile" again then look at "Personal InFO . Look down and look for "ABOUT" .. Click on the right of ur mouse .. Then click "PASTE" . Then after that if u want 2 get more pics . Just repeat what I told u. After all of that .. LOL :D After u done click update . "Then u done" . Then if u want 2 see ur "Profile" click on "View my Profile" 2 see how it look "Barb" and thats it Barb :) Much Love !


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Diamond V®, the global leader in fermentation technology, has hired three additional technical experts for its North American Dairy Team.
Dr. Ken Sanderson has joined the team as Manager of Canadian Business and Dairy Field Technical Specialist for the Northeast United States. Dr. Sanderson will be responsible for supporting and developing business in Canada, as well as providing technical support for the Northeast United States. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario, and has an advanced Certificate in Dairy Health Management from the University of Guelph. Most recently, he served as Director of Global Technical Service with Balchem Animal Nutrition and Health.
Greg Henderson has joined the team as a Regional Sales Manager in the Eastern and Western territories. He brings with him more than 30 years of dairy industry experience. Prior to joining Diamond V, he was the Sales and Marketing Lead for Cargill Animal Nutrition US Dairy Business. Mr. Henderson has a BS in Agriculture from the University of Wisconsin River Falls. He and his wife will reside in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Jim Sullivan has joined the team as the Regional Sales Manager for Colorado and Kansas. Prior to joining Diamond V, he served as Territory Manager for Animal Health International (formally Walco). Mr. Sullivan and his family reside in Johnstown, Colorado.
About Diamond V.
Diamond V, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, is the world's leading supplier of microbial fermentation products used to optimize digestive function and nutrition key to animal and aqua health, productivity, efficiency and profitability. A commitment to innovation, technology and quality has earned Diamond V a global reputation of trust and reliability within the animal feed industry. For more information contact Diamond V at 800-373-7234 or on the Web at www.diamondv.com.


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The Santa Clara County Violent Gang Task Force arrested two men Nov. 8 for their role in a 2004 Mountain View cold-case homicide.
According to Stephanie Douglas, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Francisco Field Office, police arrested Anthony Figueroa, 23, for murder, and Arthur Figueroa, 49, for perjury. The father and son are residents of Mountain View.
Both were arrested without incident.
The night of Sept. 24, 2004, 17-year-old Alejandro "Alex" Fernandez was walking with friends on the 500 block of South Rengstorff Avenue when five people pulled up in a car.
As Fernandez approached the car, which was driven by Anthony Figueroa, passenger Giovanni Duarte, who is currently in custody, allegedly shot Fernandez in the chest. Fernandez was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The shooting was allegedly gang related.
The arrests were made based on state charges, and Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Frank Carrubba is prosecuting the case.
Duarte, 24, of Mountain View, was arrested March 23 for the murder.
The county's Violent Gang Task Force, part of the FBI's Safe Streets program, began investigating the case in January 2010. The task force comprises law enforcement personnel from the FBI in San Francisco, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety and the Mountain View and San Jose police departments.
Safe Streets is an FBI-sponsored task force that combats violent street crime and gang and drug-trafficking offenses.


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Reddick rests again, could be used off bench
ANAHEIM -- Josh Reddick asked his manager if his name was in the lineup on Thursday.
"Unless you can't read," Bob Melvin told him, playfully, "it says no Reddick."
Alas, the A's right fielder was out of the starting lineup in Anaheim for a third straight game after spraining his right wrist on Sunday, but he was expected to be a pinch-hit option for Melvin if all went well in batting practice.
Chris Young made his third consecutive start in right field against the Angels on Thursday in Reddick's stead.
"I know he feels good," Melvin said. "If all things went well, then he could potentially come off the bench. I do tend to err on the side of caution, but you never know how the game's going to play out."
Given Reddick's encouraging progression, there's a good chance he finds his name in the starting lineup for Friday's opener against Detroit at home.
"I was pretty worried," Melvin said. "Just the look of it was ugly, but it doesn't surprise me that he's responding this quick."
Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Major Lee-ague, and follow her on Twitter @JaneMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The mechanic has become a driver once again, returning to the dragstrip Thursday at the Winternationals to try and take care of some unfinished business in the NHRA.
For close to 20 years, Del Worsham drove a Funny Car, winning 25 national events in 38 final-round appearances before walking away from the most dangerous class in the sport in 2010.
But after all of those victories, including one at the prestigious U.S. Nationals in 2005, Worsham never has been able to finish higher than second place in the driver standings. He did that in 2004.
"So I have got to at least race for it again and give it another shot," said the 42-year-old Villa Park resident, who Thursday at Fairplex in Pomona will make his first Funny Car qualifying pass in two years. "That is why I came back."
Worsham has won a points race in the NHRA, however, just not in the class that has defined his career. He won eight of his 22 starts and claimed the 2011 Top Fuel championship for Al Anabi Racing in what was supposed to be his final season driving in the NHRA.
Retirement, Worsham said, wasn't really something he was thinking about at the time, but when he was offered the chance to be a crew chief at Kalitta Motorsports and tune a Toyota for Funny Car rookie Alexis DeJoria in 2012, he decided to give it a shot.
"Events happen and things take place, and I was starting to look at what I was going to do in the future," Worsham said. "And it was a great opportunity."
Not once, he said, did he go to the starting line last year longing for another chance to drive.
Worsham was too busy working with the engineers from the Costa Mesa-based Toyota Racing Development, trying to perfect the Camry Funny Car body. He said he was completely satisfied with his new life and was "doing well with what I was doing."
But then Connie Kalitta made him an offer, and while Worsham said he had no plans to start driving again at the time, he decided it just might be time to find his old helmet.
"It is a good-looking car and a great team. They have assembled some great people," Worsham said. "I feel pretty good about it. It is a fast car."
During a recent test session in West Palm Beach, Fla., Worsham clocked in at 4.06 second and 313 mph in his Toyota Camry. That put him .04 seconds off the best Funny Car time, which he said was turned in by Yorba Linda's Robert Hight.
To put Worsham's run in perspective, Hight qualified No. 1 for the Winternationals in 2012 with his 4.060-second run, so judging by what happened in Florida, Worsham has a good chance to reach the first goal he set for himself in his comeback.
"I just want to qualify in Pomona," he said. "I could have been OK with not driving again, but I am really looking forward to this challenge. I am expecting big things (this season)."
Contact the writer: email@example.com


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An NAEYC Online Event
Ann Epstein responded to your questions and comments during an online event from February 21–25, 2011. Read the questions and Epstein's responses below!
The debate about how to teach young children pits supporters of child-initiated learning (where children choose their own activities and carry them out in their own way) against supporters of adult-directed instruction (where activities are planned and controlled by the teacher). While the controversy has raged for decades, government initiatives and the push for accountability have heightened divisions among policymakers, educators, parents, corporate interests, and the press.
Intentional teaching involves planning—having a goal and a means to accomplish it. Intentional teaching can also be serendipitous—taking advantage of unexpected opportunities. That means teachers must not only be child development experts in general, they must also understand the specific knowledge and skills appropriate for children to master in content areas such as literacy and mathematics, social and emotional development, physical development, and the creative arts.
How do you know if you have too much content in what you are teaching to a young child or a small group of children?
Determining the "right" amount of content
Take your cues from the children. Observe what they say and do before, during, and after your interactions with them. Also, remember that learning is gradual and stepwise, so always begin by supporting children where they are and then "gently" extending their knowledge or skills. For example, if you are planning a small- or large-group time, think about the children's interests as well as the content area. Suppose the content focus of the group activity is "shapes" (mathematics, geometry). Begin with the shapes you've see them spontaneously work with and create (e.g., when they pretend play "kitties," they may give them round bowls for food and build rectangular houses). Gradually introduce a new shape (e.g., a triangle) and see if and how the children incorporate that word into their play (e.g., they may comment that the kitten's ears are triangular in shape). Likewise, if you are scaffolding children's learning during free play, build on their interests. Suppose they are "cooking" in the house area, you might introduce a new vocabulary word to label a utensil they are using (e.g., "I see you're mixing the cookie batter with a spatula"). See if the children try to use the new word (they may need to hear it several times). If not, don't force it. Wait a while, until another opportunity presents itself. In sum, observe the children and let them inform you when they need more time and practice where they are and when they are ready and open to learn something new. Like most things in life, a little at a time makes for more lasting change than a whole lot all at once!
Knowing when to follow the child's lead
Are there any guidelines in making the decision when to intervene?
When to use adult-guided learning
The guidelines for child-guided versus adult-guided learning are listed in "The Intentional Teacher" (p. 129). Basically, teachers can intervene more actively (use adult-guided learning strategies) when children: have not encountered the material or experience at home or in other settings; cannot create established systems of knowledge (such as letter names) on their own; do not see, hear, or otherwise attend to something likely to interest them; do not engage with something teachers know they will need for further learning; explicitly ask for information or help; are bored or distracted and need help focusing; appear stalled, discouraged, or frustrated; appear ready for the next level of mastery but are not likely to attain it on their own; are not aware of the potentially unsafe or hurtful consequences of their actions; appear to use materials or actions very repetitively over time; and are conscious of and upset about something they cannot yet do but wish to.
Using Intentional Meaningful Curriculum For Diverse Populations
In designing, implementing, and evaluting a meaningful curriculum for diverse populations (Caucasians, African-Americans, Latinos, etc.), what are the main components that a new teacher should be sure to focus upon? How can they focus on using a balanced intentional approach when many of their children could be from homes that do not encourage much self-directed learning?
Diversity and self-directed learning
Whether or not we recognize or actively encourage it, young children are always directing their own learning! They choose what to look at and what to listen to, when to hold on and when to let go. The most important skill a new or experienced teacher can employ is observing children to discover what their interests are, how much they understand, and when they are ready to take the next small step forward. Even if children are discouraged from freely exploring materials at home (e.g., parents may be worried about breakage or making a mess), or are used to waiting for permission, they will gradually adapt to the more open environment of the classroom. They quickly learn that different behaviors are acceptable in different settings. For example, in the classroom, teachers let them handle materials in whatever (safe) way they choose, and are interested in hearing them describe their actions and discoveries. Children also observe their peers trying out ideas with adult encouragement and support. As children begin to share these experiences with family members, teachers also have an opportunity to intentionally expand parents' ideas of how important child-guided as well as adult-guided learning is at home. During informal interactions and scheduled conferences, teachers can share anecdotes that highlight what and how children chose to interact with materials and peers, and what they learned in various content areas by doing so. Regardless of their cultural or linguistic background, parents want their children to succeed. By explaining the important learning that is occurring, and how these skills will help their children do well in school, teachers may be able to expand the behaviors considered acceptable at home. Likewise, by listening to parents about their goals for their children and the activities they share at home, teachers will expand the range of materials and experiences they provide in the classroom.
Hi i was woundering if the
Hi i was woundering if the goals the teachers had in mind could ever change due to how well the class is going that day?
Flexibility and spontaneity
Goals and plans can – and should – change depending on what the teacher observes happening with the children each day. Remember that a great deal of intentional teaching happens during free play, so intentional teachers are always attuning the content and level of their interactions to whatever the child has chosen to do. For example, a teacher may fill the sensory table with snow with hot and cold (science) in mind, but the children may be more interested in packing the snow into containers of various shapes (mathematics). Even with planned group activities, an intentional teacher is alert to how the children use the materials the adult provides. For example, during a small-group activity, the teacher may have in mind learning goals related to number and provide children with small objects such as counting bears. However, the children may be more interested in creating alternating color patterns with the bears (early algebra) or telling and acting out stories with them (language and literacy). An intentional teacher would scaffold children's learning based on their interests and engagement.
special populations
How or does intentional teaching change when working with special populations? Some low income children and special needs children do not display the interest or the creativity to use the materials that are provided, even in an excellent classroom. Maybe they aren't developmentally ready, don't have the background skills or approach to learning to move forward. In a perfect word, we would create the interest and wait for them to catch up. In our real word, these children sometimes fall more behind. How can we best help them bridge the gap?
Intentional teaching with different populations
Intentional teaching can work with any population of children. If the children are not displaying interest in or creativity with the materials, the problem is not with the children but with the adults' choice of materials. An intentional teacher would offer different materials – one or two at a time – observe what the children engaged with, and gradually expand on those. For example, if the teacher observes that children enjoy squishing materials, the teacher might offer sponges of different shapes and sizes, fingerpaint, or wet sand. If the children show interest in the sponges, the teacher might then provide different types of containers for them to fill and empty with liquids (exploring spatial relations, an area of mathematics). Likewise, if children do not appear interested in being read to or singing songs and chants, an intentional teacher would look for different books that capture their interest or simpler songs and chants they can join in on. I agree that our role as adults to open up a world that children might not encounter in other settings. However, I also believe that all children are "eager to learn." If we use our senses to observe their natural interest in exploring the world, we will discover the materials and experiences that engage them in this process.
Implementing the strategies in a toddler classroom
Ann do you think that the intentional teaching strategies can be used in infant/toddler classrooms & if so how can it be done? I also want to encourage the parents to get more involved & become intentional teachers as well. Do you have any suggestions on how to implement this idea?
Thank you for writing a book that inspires new & old teachers to strive to be intentional teachers.
Intentional teaching with infants & toddlers & grown-ups too!
The idea of intentional teaching applies to any age or ability group, from infants and toddlers up to adults. A great deal of sensory-motor learning in these earliest years is child-guided. Very young children seem to push themselves to learn and practice new skills until they quite literally drop from exhaustion! But there are also many opportunities for adult-guided learning, primarily because infants and toddlers depend on us to bring much of the world to them before they can access it on their own. We know from research, for example, that it is especially important for parents and teachers to talk with infants and toddlers. The more words – and the greater variety of words – they hear in those early years, the better their subsequent language and literacy development. Other experiences that adults intentionally provide also build up content knowledge and skills include shape puzzles (mathematics), finger paints (creative arts), and unrestricted space to exercise large muscles (physical development). Parent education should also be intentional. Think about the critical lessons you want parents to understand about early child development and their role in supporting it. For parents, I think it is most important to help parents understand how much their children learn through the informal family interactions that occur during daily routines. Diaper-changing is a time to talk and sing, mealtimes or lying on a blanket on a sunny, breezy day offer a variety of sensory experiences. Once parents are aware of the opportunities for learning, they can intentionally provide materials and communicate with their children.
Professional Development
Hello Ann - I have not read your book yet but your brief description seems to be right in line with my own philosophy. My question is, where do you fall in terms of the idea that this approach could be crystallized in any one particular curriculum? In other words, it seems to me that what you decsribe are behaviors and practices that can and should be displayed by teachers at all times, and regardless of what specific curriculum is being used. What are your ideas for how to help teachers uptake this type of philosophy as actual behaviors? Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Intentional teaching and curriculum
I agree wholeheartedly that intentional teaching can and should occur in any developmentally based early childhood curriculum. Balancing child-guided and adult-guided learning is the essence of best practices because it is doing what is most appropriate for each child at any given time and for any given content area. To encourage the use of this approach, professional development should focus on three things. The first is observation. Adults need to "objectively" watch and listen to children to pick up the cues they send: What are children interested in doing and learning? How much do they already know? Do they need more time and support at their current level to solidify their knowledge and skills and feel successful? Are they ready to take the next small step? The second focus of professional development should be child development. Teaching and parenting are greatly enriched by an understanding of how young children grow and learn. Not only does having this knowledge benefit children, it makes nurturing them more rewarding for adults. Finally, adults need to be knowledgeable about the different content areas in which early learning takes place. [Note: That is why "The Intentional Teacher" is organized by content areas.] To scaffold children – to support and gently extend their learning – we need to be aware of the knowledge and skills that make up each content area. For example: How do children develop ideas about distance (mathematics)? When and how do children become aware of their own and others' feelings (social and emotional development)? When do children switch from trial-and-error to more systematic attempts to answer their own questions about how the world works (science)? We don't have to be "experts" in each content area, but we do need to understand how early learning progresses in order to be intentional in our teaching. Perhaps the "best practice" of all is learning about each area together with the children.
In your professional opinion do you think that one of the two types of learning is more effective or are they about equal?
Equality and balance
Child-guided and adult-guided learning are equally effective and equally necessary. Our job as educators is to determine when and how each type of learning best serves an individual child and the class as a whole. It's interesting that we don't ask, "Which is more important: fruits or vegetables? grains or proteins?" A balanced diet requires a variety of nutrients. Likewise, a balanced education requires a variety of "foods" for thought. It's natural to want different foods at any given time (e.g., oatmeal for breakfast one day, cold pizza the next). We can satisfy a child's appetite for learning by providing different types of experiences. And just as we tune into ourselves to know what and how much we want at each meal, we need to tune into children to determine what and how much they are ready to learn at any given time.
our core beliefs
I whole heartedly agree that intentional teaching must be included in the education of early childhood teachers. Being grounded in developmentally appropriate practice and child directed is what helps us become intentional. Dr. Epstein, you said, "In adult-guided learning, teachers plan activities, occasionally demonstrate skills, and make comments and ask questions to introduce new concepts and challenge children's thinking." Shouldn't this be done as a result of child directed learning? Trying to find a middle ground and balance has always been one of the issues in our profession. Would staying focused on our core beliefs help us become more intentional? Even hinting at teacher directed learning may be interpreted by students of early childhood as teaching the "way I was taught" and teacher control issues.
Guidance versus direction
Guidance is not the same as direction. A guide helps others get where they (not the guide) want or need to go. A director takes over and imposes his or her vision or destination. I chose the terms "child-guided" and "adult-guided" for "The Intentional Teacher" because I shared your concern that the latter not be misinterpreted as an endorsement of highly directive instruction by adults. On the other hand, suggesting that children direct all of their own learning is neither realistic nor fair to children. I think our core belief is not child-directed or child-initiated learning, but rather helping children experience and enjoy all the wonders the world has to offer, and preparing them to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. Of course, this means sharing and supporting children's interests. But it also means offering them opportunities they might not "direct" themselves to or know to ask us for. There is nothing wrong in the early childhood field acknowledging that there are times when children cannot get to where they want or need to be on their own. We do not hesitate to intervene when children face physical danger; in fact we take the lead to prevent injury and illness. Why shouldn't adults also play an intentional role when children face the "danger" of not being able to form friendships, learning to read for pleasure and information, or discovering a world of creative arts that spans genres, times, and cultures? Sometimes our fears make us overreact and lose our sense of balance. If we allow ourselves to be intimidated by the words "teacher-directed instruction," we may lose the courage to affirm that adults can also serve children by occasionally initiating and guiding their learning.
access to Q & A session
I am currently teaching preservice teachers and would like to have them join the Q & A session. Do they need to be NAEYC members. The information above does not indicate when the session will occur--only the dates. Will the session be recorded for later access?
re: access to Q & A session
Hi Gayla,
The Q and A session will take place during the week of February 21–25. Ann Epstein will respond to a selection of questions during this week at times that are convenient for her. At this point anyone can participate in these sessions -- they are open to the public. The sessions are available as an archive after the event as well. Here is the archive of past events:
Susan Friedman
Executive Editor, Digital Content


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Time and Again
For European watchmakers IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne, success has been all in good
(continued from page 4)
Yet, when American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones visited this picturesque town in 1868, he viewed the Rhine's powerful waters as a solution to a perplexing problem.
Dreaming of challenging the domination of Geneva watchmakers--a goal that still occupies the attention of Jones's successors--the 27-year-old Yankee had traveled the world looking for a cheap energy source to fuel a state-of-the-art watch factory. He finally met the owner of a Schaffhausen hydroelectric power plant who provided the necessary energy for his machine tools that helped Jones launch the International Watch Co. in the north-central Swiss burg.
IWC was quickly praised for producing elegant pocket watches. Though highly sought by collectors, these watches still couldn'tcompete with American-made timepieces in the 1870s. Close to bankruptcy, Jones sold his interest in the company in 1876 to Schaffhausen Commercial Bank, and another American, Frederic Frank Seeland, took over as director and general manager. Four years later, Johannes Rauschenbach-Vogel, a member of the board of directors and a Schaffhausen industrialist, acquired the factory, but it wasn't until his son, Johannes Rauschenbach-Schenk, succeeded him upon his death in 1881 that the company became prosperous again. For the next 100 years the firm's name, ownership and financial prospects changed frequently.
Despite its volatile existence, IWC pioneered increasingly complex movements and became synonymous with the factory stamp "Probus Scafusia," or quality workmanship, from Schaffhausen. Many European heads of state swore by IWC timepieces. Winston Churchill was presented with a gold IWC hunter, a pocket watch, by eight Swiss doctors for his role as the "liberator of Europe" in 1944, and when Sir Edmund Hillary made his successful assault on Everest in 1953, he wore the Ingenieur, the first IWC watch to feature patented automatic winding.
Today, IWC is part of a powerful triad. Controlled by financial heavyweight LMH, a German holding company that also owns renowned watchmakers Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne, IWC is breaking out of its small, elitist niche among watch connoisseurs and becoming the stylish choice for the likes of everyone from Michael Jordan to Giorgio Armani.
In the highly competitive watch business, in which Geneva-based companies are able to fund the development of new products each year, the often struggling IWC was unable to compete with the Geneva titans before the LMH ties were secured in 1991. Now financially strong and mounting a massive challenge to Geneva's supremacy, IWC has styled numerous complex masterpieces that it feels will finally fulfill Jones's dream of reaching watchmaking's pinnacle.
"Since we're outsiders from the German part of Switzerland, we're working feverishly to prove our products are equal to Geneva's," says IWC president and cigar-smoking chief executive officer Michael Sarp. "We must convince retailers our products have spirit, a technological edge.
"The similarity between cigars, wine and watches is the passion of the people who make them, and that gusto, or culture of flawless craftsmanship, is guiding our new production [30,000 timepieces are made annually]. So, instead of short-term designs, fashion-type items, we're only going to do high-quality, hand-crafted pieces worthy of collecting."
Priced at a whopping $350,000 and touted as the most complex mechanical wristwatch ever made, the Il Destriero Scafusia is already legendary. Named after valiant steeds used by jousting knights in the Middle Ages, this museum-worthy limited edition celebrates IWC's 125th anniversary (only 125 pieces were slated to be made when production began in 1993). Each watch squeezes 750 mechanical parts into a 35.4-millimeter-long movement, runs on 77 jewels to reduce wear to a minimum, and features 21 displays and functions.
Though the 49-year-old Sarp laughingly confesses that he does not understand all the technical workings of the Destriero, the ingenuity of its micro-mechanics is dramatically clear. The perpetual calendar will show the correct year until 2499. A split-seconds chronograph adds separate times together and has a repeater with two finely tuned gongs that strike the time in hours, quarters and minutes. The phase-of-the-moon display is one of the most accurate ever found in a wristwatch, while the "flying" tourbillon is the first one ever to complete eight vibrations per second, guaranteeing maximum precision.
"Il Destriero is a grand watch of impeccable quality," says Arnaud Tellier, the deputy chairman of Antiquorum, the Geneva-based auctioneers. "Its mechanics are very impressive, and an extremely pretty watch with hand engravings and a sapphire back crystal. Il Destriero is a true collector's item."
In the same mechanically spirited mode as the Destriero, IWC's Grand Complication with moonface and minute repeater is another technical treasure (50 are made annually, and with a platinum bracelet, cost $195,000). The brainchild of designer-engineer Kurt Klaus, the timepiece has 659 parts--71 of them jewels--performing 17 functions, and boasts a perpetual calendar that is programmed to remain accurate for 500 years.
While the passion to rule time, rather than to be ruled by it, ennobles IWC's magnificent line of Portugieser watches (successors to the 1930s watches that first catapulted IWC to fame), Sarp is also trying to give the firm a younger, sportier image. To contend with such stalwarts as Breitling and Rolex, he's recently introduced an array of pilot's watches and GST sports pieces, including Aquatimers (watches that are water-resistant to 2,000 meters) and the titanium Deep One.
Sarp is particularly enthusiastic about the Deep One's innovative features, which include a mechanical depth gauge with an analog display, and a mechanism for measuring dive time. He insists, "This is a vanguard piece which will ultimately become a classic like our Mark X [a pilot's watch supplied to the British armed forces in the 1940s] and the Mark XI [a 1948 pilot's watch highly prized by collectors]. It will help us put a new face on an old company without destroying its storied essence. "We have lots of ideas, yet we must streamline our assortment the way A. Lange and Patek Philippe have done. That's been a key to their fame."
IWC's sister company Jaeger-LeCoultre has also used a minimalist strategy to great success. Founded in 1833 in Le Sentier, Switzerland, this pioneer of movements with a crown winding and setting system (1847) and the first fully automatic watch (the Futurematic in 1953) has lately won acclaim for its Master Collection, which includes the Grand Taille and Perpetual Calendar.
Equally renowned for supplying ébauches, or movement blanks, to the industry's elite watchmakers, Jaeger is hailed as "a terrific company" by Stewart Unger, the owner of New York's Time Will Tell gallery. "What they're doing with minute repeaters and chronographs is wild, just exquisite work."
That accolade-winning craftsmanship is best exemplified by Jaeger's Art Deco-inspired Reverso pieces, which feature a swivel, or reversible, case. Though originally designed to protect the glass from impact, the advent of sapphire crystals enabled the watchmaker to use the backside of the Reverso for more aesthetic purposes, such as decorative engraving and enameling or using translucent sapphire crystal backs through which the watch movement can be viewed.
Created in 1931 at the request of British polo players who wanted a watch that could withstand the jarring shocks of their rough sport, the rectangular Reverso is the world's longest-running unchanged watch model. It usually features a silver dial with black numerals and blued steel hands, and has a spring-loaded button hatch that when released allows the case to pivot, or reverse, with silky smoothness.
Though the Classic-size Reverso retains the exact proportions of the 1931 watch, Jaeger has recently introduced mechanical, manually wound Reverso models that will also attract attention. One of them, the Reverso Duo, has been described as "two watches in one" because its 21-jewel caliber 854 movement displays the time in two time zones on "back-to-back" dials. Although Reversos are dressy and not as sporty as their historical origins would indicate, these watches still evoke a measure of magic. For instead of being one more face in the bigger-is-better parade, Jaeger has overcome the technological challenge of engineering several functions into a smaller case.
IWC, meanwhile, is heading in the opposite direction of creating larger and weightier watches with manly sizzle, and Sarp is convinced he already has a piece that will rival the Reverso for longevity. "While the Destriero, Grand Complication and GST are wonderful, our flagship is the Da Vinci," says Sarp. "When everyone was rushing to use quartz in the 1970s and '80s, we developed this ultimate mechanical."
Three years in the making, the Da Vinci is an automatically winding mechanical chronograph, with a stopwatch accurate to one-eighth of a second, that shows the phases of the moon and displays the date, day, month, year, decade and millennium. This intricate piece of technological wizardry was introduced in 1985, and since then, IWC has added other pieces to the Da Vinci collection.
The Da Vinci Tourbillon boasts a pearl-sized mechanism (consisting of 100 components) to compensate for the earth's gravitational pull, and to make the watch run even more precisely. There's also the exquisite Four Seasons Tourbillon, a limited edition of 20 watches with a finely engraved dial featuring four allegorical figures that represent the passage of time. The family's newest offspring, the Da Vinci SL Automatic with a quartz-controlled movement, is, comparatively speaking, affordably priced between $2,700 and $17,000 and comes in 12 models. It's doubtful any watch will ever attain the near mythical status of Leonardo Da Vinci. Yet, the Da Vincis are aptly named, for they epitomize the Renaissance master's gift for aesthetics.
IWC isn't the only member of the LMH triumvirate that's winning new praise. Its other sister company, A. Lange & Söhne, is also delighting the watch world with its pieces. Even more impressive than its craftsmanship, however, is Lange's very existence. Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes, Lange survived a death-spewing firestorm during the Second World War and subsequent political upheavals before miraculously resuscitating the time-honored brand a decade ago.
During the waning hours of May 7, 1945, Russian fighter-bombers swooped down from the clouds, raining havoc on a retreating German Panzer division and on the small town of Glashütte, south of Dresden, Germany, devastating the town. The rockets demolished the main production facility of A. Lange & Söhne, which, since 1845, had created pocket watches that were considered by many to be the Rolls-Royce of German watchmaking.
The brand had captured the fancy of the aristocracy throughout pre-war Europe. Company founder Adolph Lange, the son-in-law of the watchmaker to the royal court of Dresden in the mid-nineteenth century, used precise mathematical calculations in the manufacturing of watch movements, pioneering efforts that won his company numerous awards.
Three generations later, Lange's great-grandson Walter Lange was eager to spin his own artistic legacy. Schooled as a master watchmaker before serving in the Second World War, Lange saw his dreams dashed by two turbulent events after returning to civilian life. In 1946, his family had to fend off an expropriation attempt by the Soviet occupying force. Just two years later, Lange's hopes for reconstructing the company were dashed when the East German dictatorial regime seized what was left of the Lange factory, eventually forcing the highly skilled employees to make mass-produced military watches in the "People's Own Factory," a government-owned plant formed by the forced merger of several expropriated companies.
Lange, ordered to work in a uranium mine, fled to West Germany in 1948 and established a wholesale watch business. During this period, he made his first contacts with IWC, which evolved into a long-standing friendship with the company. But his dream of resurrecting the A. Lange & Söhne brand was thwarted by the harsh reality of the Cold War. He would have to wait almost 50 years before his dream became a reality.
On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, and the East German regime, fell. The buoyed but considerably older Lange made plans to "take up the challenge of producing exceptional wristwatches, bearing the imprint, character and mechanical precision of their predecessors" in newly equipped Glashütte workshops.
"When we started again I only had my great-grandfather's journey book, a charter for future projects, and the promise of a transfer of know-how from Schaffhausen [plus a $12 million investment, from IWC and various grants]," says Lange, 75, sitting next to a tray of manually wound Lange 1 watches that have won numerous "Watch of the Year" awards in Europe and the Far East.
"It was a miracle that we got started again, so of course the skeptics wondered, 'Could we really come back? Could we overcome a load of such practical problems as finding watchmakers and training technical designers?' Yet, this new beginning was also a chance to use the latest technologies and to use only supreme quality materials: the most precious metals--gold and platinum for the cases, stable nickel silver for plates and bridges, gold chatons--the jewel settings--for the ruby wheel bearings, or diamond cap jewels on the Tourbillon."
Lange began to style his first wristwatches in 1990, emphasizing Old World craftsmanship and the tradition of A. Lange & Söhne, and small editions of watches with unique, in-house-made three-quarter-plate movements. He issued only 123 pieces, including the Lange 1, in 1994 (a mere 700 watches were produced in 1995). His aim was to create "the smallest and most exclusive watchmaking company in the world" and to put A. Lange on the same lofty level as Patek Philippe and other cachet Swiss brands.
He has more than succeeded. Now producing about 4,000 watches annually, A. Lange sells virtually all of the pieces a year in advance and garners adoring reviews from watch industry observers. HR: Magazine, a leading watchmaking journal, recently wrote, "The Lange automatic movement essentially marks an aesthetic pinnacle that no Swiss house has reached." The Lange 1 is particularly prized. The company's flagship piece features a patented outsized date in twin gold-framed apertures, a striking solid silver dial with off-center hour and minute hands, and two subsidiary dials for seconds and a power reserve indicator.
The date display is three times larger than that on a conventional watch of similar size. "People are astonished by the outsize date, since no one did it before. It's incredibly useful, as watch wearers can easily read the date," says LMH president Gunter Blumlein.
Lange's cutting-edge status in mechanical horology is best dramatized by its 30-millimeter, three-quarter plate movement (made from a copper, zinc and nickel alloy), which boasts twin mainspring barrels. A very rare feature in a wristwatch, the barrels give the Lange 1 a power reserve of more than three days. The state of wind of the two springs is shown on the dial by a gold hand, and 53 jewels, nine of which are set in gold chatons, ensure the virtually friction-free operation of the movement.
"This Lange is the finest watch in the world," declares Leon Adams, the president of Cellini, the New York watch emporium. "Being in the trade I own a lot of timepieces. But my yellow-gold Lange 1 is the watch I wear for extended periods. I love the weight of it, and the design is absolutely gorgeous."
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So this over on RealGM - http://realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=450635 - and thought it could be interesting to post here.
Basically they're holding a contest between all of their members about where Artest will end up. And to make it a little more detailed and with more variety on the guesses, instead of just posting which team you think Ron will end up on, you post the entire trade you think will go down.
Anyone up for doing this here at PD?


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Architectural Trees is a specialty tree nursery primarily serving homeowners, plant collectors, and landscape designers. Our mission is to find, grow, and promote highly ornamental cultivars of trees that grow well in the Piedmont of North Carolina.
The name of the nursery reflects our focus on appreciating the structural beauty of some of these unusual trees. We offer a very wide selection of trees with unusual growth habit, including:
The retail area of the nursery is sited at the historic Amed Tilley Farmstead. The adaptive re-use of the old farm structures create a peaceful, creative, and reflective spot to appreciate the beauty of the trees.
Our knowledgeable staff LOVE trees and are eager to help you find a tree or plant for that special spot in your landscape.
© 2004 Architectural Trees - All Rights Reserved
Website design by
Website design by


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Direct Hit
As Planet X increasingly points its N Pole toward Earth, it moves from giving us a magnetic glancing blow to a more direct hit. This inevitably tends to push the Northern Hemisphere away from the Sun for cooler weather. This clearly happened by March 25, 2012. Cold weather returned to the US and Europe due to the globe tilting away. Note that a weather map produced on March 16, 2012 showed Canada unseasonably hot and Russia inland from the Sea of Okhotsk extremely cold, due to the wobble, this has now changed by March 28, 2012 for a more even band at that latitude. The globe is consistently tipping away from the Sun and the approaching Planet X.
If the weather dramatically changed by the last week of March, the ISS also had an emergency evacuation on March 25, 2012 due to debris. The debris filled charged tail of Planet X blows out from the magnetic N Pole of Planet X, increasing the debris slinging toward the ISS.
Debris Prompts Space Station Crew to Seek Shelter
March 25, 2012
The debris, a fragment from an old Russian satellite named Cosmos 2251 that smashed into an Iridium Communications spacecraft in 2009, passed harmlessly by the $100 billion orbital outpost. With enough advance notice, NASA will maneuver the space station, which orbits about 240 miles above the planet, to put more space between it and passing debris. The other option is for the station's six crew members to shelter inside the two Soyuz capsules berthed at the station in case the outpost is struck and depressurizes.
ZetaTalk Comment 3/31/2012: Of course the ISS is being threatened by debris, but it is not the space junk the establishment would have you believe. They continually refer to a 2009 collision between a US and Russian satellite, as NASA feels the public would accept this scenarios, a type of cold war remnant where these great powers still do not talk to one another well. Evacuating the ISS takes place when debris becomes too thick so that evasion by the station cannot be certain. Then the crew returns. They are of course tossing the dice, and the matter could go either way – a final evacuation and return of the astronauts to Earth, or a situation where both the ISS and escape capsule are devastated, which is the more likely outcome.
And the fact that Planet X is now turning its N Pole more directly at the Earth can be visually seen in photos of the complex. Rather than being seen blown to the side, from right to left, we see them blown toward the camera, or at a sharp angle so the tube of a Moon Swirl can be seen distinctly. This is the appearance of the Check Mark Moon Swirl, which is a dominant moon with twin swirls. Per the Zetas, this indicates the tail is being hosed toward the Earth more directly. This changed appearance, which showed up also on March 25, 2012, correlated exactly with the date of the ISS evacuation emergency. This changed appearance also showed up not only in Alberto's photos, but in photos taken by others. They correlate and confirm one another. The Red Filter Revolution in action, as posted on this Pole Shift ning blog. Note that just two days earlier, on March 23, 2012, a photo from Spain showed the tail wafting right to left, as had been the predominant view. This shows that the change in angle and direction, the tail hosed more directly at Earth, was sudden and recent.
而且 X星现在将其北极更加直接地指向地球 这个事实可以在X星复合体的照片中形象地看出来。一改之前的从右侧吹向左侧,我们现在看到的是吹向镜头,或者是呈锐角这样一来卫星漩涡的管子可以很明显地看到。这就是对号形卫星漩涡,那是一个主宰卫星带着双生管子。根据齐塔人的说法,这表明了尾部更加直接地指向了地球。这个同样出现在2012.3.25的外观的改变,正好与ISS紧急疏散的日期相关。而且这种外观的改变不仅在Alberto的照片上有体现,其他人拍摄的照片也可以看出来。它们相互关联相互印证。红色滤片格命在行动,正如在这篇poleshiftning博文中贴出的。注意到就在这两天以前,2012.3.23,一张来自西班牙的照片显示了尾巴从右面飘荡到左面,这一直是主要的景象。这显示了角度和方向的变化,尾巴更加直接地指向地球,是最近突然发生的。
Web cam with 1 floppy disk as a filter. Time 6.50.45 CT march 25 2012 [and from another] Taken today in Hot Springs AR around noon time March 25, 2012 [and from another] Pictures took in Spain, I took them inside my car last Friday March 23, 2012
ZetaTalk Comment 3/25/2012: What does the changed appearance in Alberto's most recent photo imply? The angle in the Moon Swirls he has been capturing has changed, and the change is due to a changed posture in Planet X vs a vs the Earth. Prior to today, Planet X has been pointing its magnetic N Pole directly away from the Sun's S Pole, and since Planet X is slightly to the right of the Earth, coming at the Earth in a retrograde orbit, this gave the Earth a glancing magnetic blow during the daily wobble. Planet X was not pointing its N Pole directly at the Earth, but to the side somewhat. Now that has changed, to point more directly at the Earth.
齐塔人之声2012.3.25评论: Alberto最近的照片中样子的改变意味着什么?卫星漩涡的角度被捕捉到发生了变化,而且这种变化是由于X星与地球的相对位置发生了改变。在今天以前,X星将其磁北极直接指离太阳的南极,而且由于X星在地球的稍右,在逆行轨道上接近地球,这在每日的地球抖动期间都会给地球一个短暂的磁吹。X星并未将其北极直接指向地球,而是稍微偏向一边。现在情况发生了变化,更加直接地指向地球了。
What this means for the view of Planet X in the skies is that the Moon Swirls blowing out from the magnetic N Pole of Planet X will be displayed in front of Planet X, not to the side. They will also be closer to the Earth. There will be more visibility, more detail on individual moons, while at the same time more red dust in the mix. The Moon Swirls may be seen from the front, or standing in juxtaposition as a long tube, seen from the side. The Checkmark Moon Swirl takes its unique posture to avoid a magnetic clash between its twin swirls, and this posture is common within the vast tail of Planet X.
The temporary evacuation of the ISS due to debris, the leaning away of the N Pole or Earth giving the Northern Hemisphere cooler weather, and the tail of Planet X blown more directly at Earth – all have the same base cause – Planet X pointing its N Pole more directly at Earth for a more direct hit.
Red Filter Video
Inspired by the Red Filter Revolution, a member of the Pole Shift ning took a video behind a red filter, and in a stunning capture caught Planet X at its expected 5 o'clock position (when seen from the Northern Hemisphere). Note the photographer moves the camera, is walking to put different objects in the view, and has managed to place both Planet X and the Sun variously behind a leaf and behind a post. This shows that the object is not a lens flare or ghost in the camera, as these stand before objects in the view, not behind them.
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8jBNR9-6eA
The first couple of seconds of this video I took in Orlando on 3/18/12 a leaf flutters in front of the orb below the sun. It was taken in EPCOT looking out across the World Showcase Lagoon. I used a piece of a 3.5" floppy disk as a filter. In the first second or two of the video a leaf on the tree briefly flutters in front of the bright but smaller orb below the sun. Note the video needs to be rotated 90 degrees clockwise to be in the proper position (i.e. down is currently at 3 o'clock). The sun appears to be moving in the picture because I am walking around with the camera trying to block the sun with various objects in the landscape (i.e. a tree, a lamp post, and a sound tower) hoping to be able to block only one of the objects (sun or orb), which the leaf accomplished for me. Conclusion, the orb is not a lens flare, reflection, or artifact inside the camera. The thing is real and we are in for some challenging times. There is no way NASA does not know this thing exists.
A second video capture not days later in France by yet another Pole Shift ning member shows a dramatic Moon Swirl in the upper left quadrant, twirling! The video also captures bright Moon Swirl orbs clustered around the Sun. When Moon Swirl tubes point directly at Earth, sunlight funnels down them like a flashlight, and can be quite bright. These bright orbs are also showing up in photos from Oklahoma, taken on the same day, and in the same location! And the wafting Moon Swirls are in the same locations as Alberto's most recent photo.
VIDEO: http://video.kincast.com/
This little video was taken on 24th of March from my office. I turned my VADO HD Camera about 180° while filming to see if the object stayed at the same place.
These photos were taken from 2 different cameras shortly after sunrise in Oklahoma City, OK, within an hour of Alberto's photo. Naked eye visibility of the orb prompted the photos to be taken. It was not a flare. Note the similarity in position of the orbs.
SOHO Confirmation
Where the Red Filter Revolution photos and videos confirm each other, there is yet another confirmation of note. SOHO likewise confirms the validity of the Red Filter images! Here on this Pole Shift ning blog Max compares one of his photos taken March 26, 2012 to a SOHO image, both showing an object (most likely Planet X itself) below the Sun with a drifting tail. SOHO, for those who don't know, is NASA's imagery of the Sun and surrounding area. A disc is placed in front of the Sun itself on these images to protect the camera.
The second correlation is between one of Alberto's photos taken March 29, 2012 to a SOHO image dated March 30, 2012, as noted on this Pole Shift ning blog.
Explaining Planet X
What is the establishment going to do when Planet X and its components are quite visible in the sky, for all to see even without a red filter? This has happened on occasion with dramatic Second Sun sightings, when two suns rise or set to the astonishment of those seeing this event. And on occasion the Moon Swirls, which form long tubes as the moons within the tubes swirl around each other, are seen as bright orbs, the funneled sunlight coming out the ends like the light from a flashlight. But just as the Red Filter Revolution has allowed the common man to see the Planet X complex with their own eyes, easily, the day will arrive when this complex does not need a red filter to be visible. Then what? It's clear the establishment plans to claim that Planet X just suddenly appeared one day, zoomed up and took everyone by surprise! Here's the lead-in to this story – NASA has discovered that planets can zoom almost at the speed of light! And isn't that what the Zetas said all along?
Runaway Planets Zoom at a Fraction of Light Speed
March 22, 2012
Seven years ago, astronomers boggled when they found the first runaway star flying out of our galaxy at a speed of 1.5 million miles per hour. The discovery intrigued theorists, who wondered: If a star can get tossed outward at such an extreme velocity, could the same thing happen to planets? New research shows that the answer is yes. Not only do runaway planets exist, but some of them zoom through space at a few percent of the speed of light - up to 30 million miles per hour.
ZetaTalk Statement 2001: Speed, in space, is a relative thing. There is no limit in space. Why is it assumed that light is the fastest thing in the universe, re travel? Our space travel, in 4th Density and even 3rd Density, is faster than light, and we do not melt. Man does not understand, so we cannot give him satisfaction in our explanations.
Oh yes, and this must be Nibiru, the legendary traveling home of the Annunaki. After all, NASA has recently learned that habitable water planets, several times the size of Earth, are common in the Milky Way. And isn't that also what the Zetas have said all along? We doubt that NASA intends to give credit to the Zetas, however. They will be too busy congratulating themselves.
Many Billions of Rocky Planets in the Habitable Zones around Red Dwarfs in the Milky Way
28 March 2012
About 40% of all red dwarf stars have a super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone where liquid water can exist on the surface of the planet. Because red dwarfs are so common — there are about 160 billion of them in the Milky Way — this leads us to the astonishing result that there are tens of billions of these planets in our galaxy alone. The habitable zone around a red dwarf, where the temperature is suitable for liquid water to exist on the surface, is much closer to the star than the Earth is to the Sun. Planets with a mass between one and ten times that of the Earth are called super-Earths.
ZetaTalk Explanation 12/15/1995: On a world by world basis there are about 1,000 dead worlds for every one that holds life. Humans are familiar enough with their surroundings to understand conditions on other planets, and if anything, would be surprised at the percentage capable of life. Not every life bearing planet sustains life that can develop to the level required for conscious and intelligent thought. There are about 2,500 primordial worlds for every one that can support an intelligent species. Of these worlds that hold 3rd Density intelligent species, the vast majority, perhaps 75%, are water babies, as the vast majority of habitable planets are essentially water planets. These species may be crablike, fishlike, squidlike, or formed like almost any of your ocean inhabitants - an almost infinite variety. Of the worlds that sustain land dwelling intelligent species, the greater share are reptilian. Reptilian life forms appear first, and thus better their percentages.
Trench Curiosity
Producer James Cameron has made his much touted dive to the depths of the Mariana Trench, and Virgin's Richard Branson is scheduled to make a similar dive in the trench off the island of Puerto Rico. Suddenly there is trench curiosity! Why the curiosity? The Zetas have predicted that as the Pacific compresses, the Mariana Trench will collapse and this is certainly at least in process. The predicted 7 of 10 sinking on the Sunda Plate holding Indonesia has already occurred, as noted in Issue 283 of this newsletter on March 4, 2012, and the S America roll is proceeding as predicted with Central America being crushed over the Cocos Plate along with mountain building all up and down the Andes. What did Cameron discover? Though he reportedly tweeted from the deepest part of the trench, he cut his dive short by several hours and returned to the surface faster than expected. How deep was he, really? Only Cameron can say, and he is not expected to tell the truth.
James Cameron Back on Surface after Deepest Ocean Dive
March 26, 2012
Hollywood director James Cameron has plunged nearly 11km (seven miles) down to the deepest place in the ocean, the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific.
James Cameron has to Race Back to Surface after Hydraulic Failure Seven Miles Down
March 25, 2012
The Avatar director revealed he cut the mission three hours short after hydraulic fluid started leaking into his sub. Returned to the surface in faster-than-expected 70 minutes
Per the Zetas, a clear warning was given by those conducting the cover-up over the validity of the ZetaTalk message just weeks earlier, when two of Cameron's business associates were killed in a helicopter crash.
根据齐塔人的说法,那些领导 对齐塔人之声的正确性的掩盖活动 的人就在几周之前给出了清晰的警告,两名卡梅隆的商业伙伴在一场直升机坠毁中丧生。
Celebrated Filmmakers Killed in Australian Helicopter Crash
February 5, 2012
Two world-renowned filmmakers were killed in a helicopter crash in Australia. Mike deGruy, a biologist and conservationist, and Andrew Wight, a pilot and underwater cave diver, were working with James Cameron and National Geographic on a documentary film. A helicopter carrying Andrew Wight and Mike deGruy crashed shortly after takeoff. Wight was the owner and pilot of the Robinson R-44 helicopter.
Filmmakers Die in Helicopter Crash
February 6, 2012
The aircraft, a seven-year-old Robinson R44 four-seater, is believed to have crashed on take-off, killing both men. The cause of the accident is unknown, but the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has four investigators on site.
ZetaTalk Comment 3/31/2012: The collapse of the trench has many aspects. It is deep, but not wide, and the angle of the subducting side could change without a clue being given to those on the surface. Islands on the edge of the Mariana Plate may notice a change in the tide on the eastern and western sides of the island as the Marian Plate tilts, but the subducting side of the Marian Plate, which is under the ocean, would increase in depth with few clues on the surface. Likewise, the trench could collapse, the sides coming together in places, with few clues. This is clearly being investigated in a covert way, and Cameron is openly snooping, but the public will not hear the results. A collapsed trench would have less depth, and the sides would be closer together. In all of this, the public is blind, while the establishment goes to take a peek.
Why would an experienced helicopter pilot, flying his own chopper, crash shortly after takeoff? High winds? A mechanical function that was missed on periodic maintenance, or a malfunction that was missed by this experienced pilot? This is as obvious as having a brake line cut on a car, though more certain to kill the occupants. The cover-up was not worried about Cameron keeping his mouth shut about what he discovered, but the extensive crew working on the National Geographic documentary were another matter. As with the death of Harrington early in the observatory viewing of Planet X in the early 1980's, such a death of a prominent man sends a message through the community. The crash of course was not an accident, nor are there likely to be rumor emerging from the crew working on the documentary. Fear requires a hero to overcome, and both heroes are now conveniently dead.
Indeed, the scrutiny of the trenches is by more than deep sea divers, as perhaps not coincidentally, a seismic survey of the Mariana Trench is in process. These seismic probes, however, will only go four miles deep, and the public will likely not hear the results of this probe either.
Seismic Survey at the Mariana Trench
March 22, 2012
The trench is a subduction zone, where the ancient, cold and dense Pacific plate slides beneath the younger, lighter high-riding Mariana Plate. The hydrophones can be tethered four miles deep in the water column where the bottom was so far down seismometers would implode as they sank. The Mariana trench includes the bathtub-shaped depression called the Challenger Deep, to which Avatar director James Cameron plans to plunge in a purpose-built one-man submersible called the Deep Challenger. The trench is created by the subduction of some of the world's oldest oceanic crust, which plunges underneath the Mariana Plate so steeply at places that it is going almost straight down.
Sir Richard Branson, who is likewise wealthy enough to be considered a member of the establishment and certainly an elite, is heading for the Puerto Rico Trench in a few months. What is he likely to find here at the edge of the Caribbean Plate, which per the Zetas is tilting as it is pushed down on the southern edge by the roll of the S American Plate. There is pressure from many directions. The Atlantic of course is spreading, the N American Plate in a bow as Mexico is pulled west, the S American Plate pulling west also with an arm of this plate coming up around the Caribbean Plate(没看懂), and the Caribbean Plate tilted down on the southern side as S America rolls over it. The Puerto Rico Trench will be subject to tilting, compression, and likely a slip-slide crumble. If Branson is looking for personal proof of the plate movements, he is likely to find it. Per the Zetas, he is also unlikely, as was Cameron, to tell us the truth. But these men are seeking personal proof, and perhaps sharing this with others in the establishment.
Sir Richard Branson to Dive to Atlantic's Deepest Point
March 26, 2012
Sir Richard Branson is determined to press ahead with his own undersea venture following the success of James Cameron's journey to the deepest ocean point. Sir Richard will pilot the submersible - slightly different in design to the Cameron craft - in the Puerto Rico Trench venture which will see the Virgin boss descend about five miles.
ZetaTalk Comment 3/10/2012: On the face of this announcement, this is nothing unexpected from Cameron, who has taken 70+ such deep-sea dives in the past. This is a hobby, a pass time for him, and it might appear nothing more than that, especially since he is moving to New Zealand and the Challenger Deep is nearby off New Guinea. But is there a deeper agenda? There is indeed, in that Cameron is acutely aware of the ZetaTalk predictions, which were his primary motive for moving to New Zealand in the first place. What will he find there, and what will he announce? He has no intention of running amuck of the cover-up by announcing that the trench is or has collapsed. It would, after all, be his word against others, and the heat he would take would be unwelcome. He has cooperated with the establishment in the past in the type of movies he has produced. But on a personal level, finding evidence that the trench has narrowed, is closing, will be gut wrenching. Personal proof of the accuracy of our words.
Safe Locations on iPad
The Safe Locations information is now available for iPad as a download on iTunes, as well as on iPhone as a download on iTunes as announced on March 11 of this year.
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Get an overview of this hotel4-star condos with kitchens and patios
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Situated in Seven Mile Beach, this golf condominium resort is within 1 mi (2 km) of Galleria Plaza, Cayman Crazy Golfing Mini Golf, and Camana Bay Shopping Center. Camana Bay and The Strand Shopping Center are also within 1 mi (2 km).
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Along with an outdoor tennis court, this smoke-free condominium resort has laundry facilities and free self parking.
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All 160 condos feature kitchens with refrigerators, stovetops, microwaves, and dishwashers. Other amenities available to guests include washers/dryers, 2 bathrooms, and patios.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new window
Britannia Villas
Property Amenities
Property Amenities
Britannia Villas features laundry facilities and complimentary use of a nearby fitness facility. The property has a front desk available during limited hours. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
Britannia Villas is a smoke-free property.
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Free use of nearby fitness center
- Total number of rooms - 160
- Number of floors - 3
- Laundry facilities
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- Outdoor tennis court
- Free self parking
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
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Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Free cribs/infant beds
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- Microwave
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Nearby Things to Do
Recreational amenities at the condominium resort include an outdoor tennis court.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
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Check-in time starts at 3 PM
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Check-out time is 11 AM
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Children and extra beds
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Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
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- Britannia Villas Grand Cayman Hotel Seven Mile Beach


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Rendon leaves Majors smarter, eager to return
Nationals prospect sent back to Double-A after 2-for-4 night
ATLANTA -- Washington will feel really good about activating third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Friday in Pittsburgh.
They're feeling even better about the future at third base, having seen it while Zimmerman was out in rookie third baseman Anthony Rendon.
Rendon will be going back to Double-A Harrisburg, where the 22-year-old began the season prior to his April 21 callup after Zimmerman went on the disabled list, but he showed he has a long-term future in the Majors.
"He really did a great job," said manager Davey Johnson. "He fielded outstanding and got some good base hits. It's nice to think he got his average up to .240. I'm sure he can live with that."
Rendon will be flying to D.C. tomorrow then drive to Harrisburg to join the Senators, who host a weekend series with Binghamton.
While he sleeps in Atlanta, he'll have pleasant dreams of his stay with the Nationals, especially his final game, his first career multi-hit game, going 2-for-4.
"Not too bad. It's good to go on a high note," he said, with a laugh.
"It was awesome," he added. "It's the highest level you can play. I don't think it can get much better than this."
He, of course, expects to, especially now that he's seen how the game is played at the big league level. He expects to not only be better but smarter.
"The game is just played a lot smarter up here," said the Richmond, Texas, native, the Nats' first pick (sixth overall) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. "Everyone is pretty much on the same level talent-wise but the way the game is played, they'll pitch this pitch instead of that pitch or they'll take something off or they'll play this position over on this hitter. They just play a lot smarter up here.
"It's going to make a great difference if I do happen to come back," he added. "The comfort level is going to be a lot higher now. Obviously, the more things that you do, the more ABs you get, the more times you play, you get more comfortable at it. It helped a lot."
Johnson prefers to say "when" Rendon comes back up, not "if."
"I think he's handled himself well," said Johnson. "It's not easy coming up here. They locate better here but I think he's made adjustments in the short time that he's been here and done well.
"The last couple of springs he's had good Spring Trainings," Johnson added. "He's done very well in the field and he's had some awfully good at-bats. It's not going to be long before he's back here. He's a good player."
Rendon, who made his eighth start Thursday night and batted .240 (6-for-25), with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, admitted that his first taste of the Majors was pretty good and that he'll be working even harder on every facet of his game, even hungrier to make it back.
"Oh yeah. That's what anybody's goal is, to play at the highest level and play to your potential," he said. "That's what I try to do every time I come out here and play."
Jon Cooper is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.