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International Journal of Photoenergy
Volume 2012, Article ID 907290, 5 pages
Synthesis of Hollow CdS-TiO2 Microspheres with Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity
The Education Ministry Key Lab of Resource Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Functional Materials, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
Received 20 January 2012; Accepted 20 February 2012
Academic Editor: Weifeng Yao
Copyright © 2012 Yuning Huo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
CdS-TiO2 composite photocatalyst in the shape of hollow microsphere was successfully synthesized via the hard-template preparation with polystyrene microspheres followed by ion-exchange approach. The hollow CdS-TiO2 microspheres significantly extended the light adsorption into visible light region, comparing to TiO2 microspheres. It led to much higher photocatalytic activities of hollow CdS-TiO2 microspheres than that of TiO2 during the photodegradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiations. Furthermore, the well-remained hollow structure could achieve light multireflection within the interior cavities and the separation of photo-induced electrons and holes is efficient in CdS-TiO2, which were facilitated to improving the photoactivity.
1. Introduction
Photocatalysis has attracted considerable scientific interest owing to its potential applications in environmental purification and H2 energy production [1]. TiO2 is the most promising photocatalyst owing to its various advantages including nontoxicity, low cost, high activity, and strong stability. However, its practical application has been restricted by the wide band gap (3.2 eV) and low quantum efficiency [2]. Up to now, various methods have been developed to extend the light absorbance of TiO2 into visible light region and thus improve the photocatalytic efficiency, such as doping with other impurities [3], depositing noble metals on TiO2 [4], and combining TiO2 with other semiconductors [5]. Cadmium sulfide (CdS) with band gap of 2.4 eV has been widely used to sensitize TiO2 to realize visible-light absorbance and improve the charge separation efficiency [6]. Meanwhile, it is well known that the design of well-defined structure is a promising way to achieve high photocatalytic activity via increasing specific surface area and promoting light harvesting [2]. Considerable efforts have been devoted to obtain the unique morphology, such as wires, tubes, core-shell microspheres, and hollow microspheres [7–10]. Hollow microspheres have attracted an immense interest for their high surface area, low density, and large light-harvesting efficiency [10]. Various methods have been developed for preparing hollow microspheres, including spray-drying method, photochemical preparation, and hard-template method [11–13]. Among these techniques, hard-template process is a general and effective approach for preparing hollow microspheres via using polymer, carbon, and silica microspheres as templates. As we know, the polymeric polystyrene (PS) microspheres are easy to be removed by calcination. Additionally, it is more convenient to achieve the uniform diameter of polystyrene microspheres than other microspheres.
Herein, we report the preparation of hollow CdS-TiO2 microspheres via the hard-template process with PS microspheres followed by the ion-exchange approach. The ion-exchange is a convenient and flexible method to convert CdO into CdS [14, 15]. The introduction of CdS can effectively extend the photoresponse of TiO2 to visible-light region and improve the photocatalytic activity of decomposition of rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution.
2. Experimental Details
2.1. Catalyst Preparation
All the chemicals were of analytic purity and used without further purification. The synthetic approach included two steps. (1) hollow CdO-TiO2 microspheres prepared using polystyrene microspheres as hard template. Monodisperse PS microspheres were synthesized by emulsifier-free batch emulsion polymerization according to the previous report [16]. 0.27 g Cd(Ac)2 · 2H2O was dissolved in the mixture of 80.0 mL 2-propanol and 5.0 mL ethanol. Then a 5.0 mL prepared PS microspheres latex was dropped into the solution followed by stirring at 55°C for 30 min. After the solution was cooled down to room temperature, 4.0 mL 0.2 M aqueous NaOH solution was added. Then, the mixture was cooled down to room temperature after reacting at 55°C for 20 min followed by the centrifugation and wash in ethanol for three times. 0.10 g obtained powder was dispersed into the solution of 1.3 mL water and 5.0 mL ethanol. Another solution was mixed with 76.0 μL Ti(OBu)4 and 20.0 mL ethanol via being refluxed at 75°C for 2 h. Subsequently, two solutions were mixed together and reacted for 20 h. The obtained composites were washed in ethanol for three times and dried at 40°C. In order to remove the polymer template, the obtained powder was heated at 550°C for 4 h. (2) Converting CdO to CdS at room temperature. 0.3 g above-prepared powder was dispersed in 50.0 mL 0.2 M Na2S aqueous solution with stirring for 2 h at room temperature followed by filtration and wash. The collected products were designated as CdS-TiO2. For comparison, TiO2 sample was prepared according to the same process without Cd(Ac)2 · 2H2O.
2.2. Characterization
The sample composition was determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP, Varian VISTA-MPX). The surface morphologies were observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, HITA-CHI S4800). X-ray diffraction patterns were recorded to confirm the composition of crystallite using a Rigaku Dmax-3C with Cu Kα radiation ( = 1.5418 Å). The UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) of the samples over a range of 200–800 nm were collected on a UV-2450 instrument. Photoluminescence measurements were carried out on Varian Cary-Eclipse 500.
2.3. Photocatalytic Test
Liquid-phase photocatalytic degradation of RhB was carried out at 30°C in an 80 mL self-designed quartz photochemical reactor containing 50.0 mg catalyst and 50.0 mL 10.0 mg/L RhB aqueous solution. The suspension was magnetically stirred continually. After adsorption-desorption equilibrium for 1 h, the photocatalytic degradation of RhB was initiated by irradiating the reaction mixture with a one 500 W xenon lamp (CHF-XM500, light intensity = 600 mW/cm2), a 420 nm glass filter (JB-420) was used to remove the radiation in the UV region. The light source was located at 18 cm away from the reaction solution. Each experiment was lasted for 3 h and the concentration was measured at a time intervals of 30 min. the RhB concentration was determined by measuring absorbance using a UV-vis spectrophotometer (UV-7502PC) at its characteristic wavelength of 553 nm. Preliminary tests demonstrated a good linear relationship between the light absorbance and RhB concentration. The degradation yield can be calculated using the following equation: Here, was the initial concentration of RhB and was the concentration of RhB remained in the solution. Meanwhile, experimental results also confirmed that only less than 6.0% RhB was removed in the absence of catalyst or light irradiation and thus could be neglected in comparison with the photocatalysis process.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Characterization of CdS/TiO2 Composites
The ICP result demonstrated that the molar ratio of CdS to TiO2 was 12.3% in CdS-TiO2 composites. The crystal phase of calcined CdS-TiO2 and TiO2 samples were characterized by wide-angle powder XRD method as shown in Figure 1. The principal peaks of anatase TiO2 were found (JCPDS 21–1272), indicative of the well crystallization. The diffraction peak of CdS could be corresponded to the hexagonal CdS crystal (JCPDF 41–1049). The peak of CdS was weak possibly due to the package of exterior TiO2. No other crystalline impurities including CdO crystal could be detected, indicative of the complete ion exchange converting from CdO to CdS. Meanwhile, no significant shift of principal peaks of either the CdS or the TiO2 was observed, confirming that the CdS was present in a separated phase rather than in the TiO2 lattice.
FESEM images in Figure 2 displayed the formation process of CdS-TiO2 composites in the shape of hollow microsphere via the hard template of PS microspheres. All the microspheres covered with precursor revealed uniform size and smooth surface, indicating that both Cd and Ti precursors were successfully coated on PS microspheres. Furthermore, the size of microspheres after coating with Ti precursor was larger than that of microspheres only coated with Cd precursor with the increased diameter from about 300 nm to 340 nm. After calcination and ion exchange from CdO to CdS, CdS-TiO2 sample showed the slightly decreased size with the diameter of about 300 nm. The hollow structure was formed with the shell thickness of about 30 nm. It is clear that the hollow structure was maintained well after calcination without any destroying and collapse. The decreased diameter of hollow CdS-TiO2 microspheres was attributed to the shrinkage during the removal of PS microsphere templates. It was suggested that hollow CdS-TiO2 microspheres could be successfully fabricated by the polymer hard-template method combined with ion-exchange approach.
From Figure 3, UV-vis DRS spectra of CdS-TiO2 and TiO2 samples indicated that TiO2 could only absorb UV light with wavelength less than 400 nm for its large energy gap of anatase (3.2 eV). The introduction of CdS in CdS-TiO2 sample can effectively shift the absorption range of TiO2 into visible light region of 400–550 nm due to the narrow band gap of CdS (2.4 eV). Therefore, the light-harvesting efficiency of CdS-TiO2 hollow microspheres was larger than that of TiO2 in visible light region, beneficial to the photocatalytic activity.
The efficiency of charge trapping and recombination of photo-induced electrons and holes in the semiconductor could be verified by PL spectra. According to PL spectra of both CdS-TiO2 and TiO2 samples in Figure 4 with the excitation wavelength of 360 nm, CdS-TiO2 exhibited much weaker intensity of peak at 720 nm than TiO2. It could be ascribed to the lower recombination probability of photo-induced electrons and holes [17, 18]. As we know, the efficient charge transfer from CdS to TiO2 conduction band could effectively separate photo-induced electrons from holes in the CdS semiconductor and thus inhibit their recombination, resulting in the enhanced charge density in the TiO2 conduction (Scheme 1).
3.2. Photocatalytic Performance
The photodegradation of RhB under visible-light irradiations ( > 420 nm) was used as a probe to evaluate the performance of photocatalysts. According to the dependence of photodegradation rate on reaction time (Figure 5), the removal of RhB in the absence of photocatalyst could be neglected. After reaction for 3 h, CdS-TiO2 presented much higher degradation yield than TiO2 sample, which was up to 90%. The degradation result well demonstrated that the introduction of CdS could significantly extend light absorbance into visible-light region with high intensity and thus promote the photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiations. The well-remained structure of hollow microsphere via polymer hard-template approach followed by ion-exchange could achieve light multireflection within the interior cavities, leading to more efficient light harvesting [19]. Furthermore, the lower recombination of photo-induced electrons and holes in CdS-TiO2 than that in TiO2 could lead to the improved quantum efficiency and facilitate the formation of active radicals which decomposed organic compounds.
4. Conclusions
Hollow CdS-TiO2 microspheres with uniform size were synthesized via hard-template process with PS microspheres followed by ion-exchange. During the photodegradation of RhB under visible light irradiations, CdS-TiO2 exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than TiO2. It was attributed to the introduction of CdS which extended the photoresponse to the visible-light region and improved the separation of photo-induced charges.
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (20937003), Shanghai Government (11JC1409000, S30406, 12YZ091, and 10230711600) and Shanghai Normal University (DZL807).
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G-Eazy – The Beautiful & Damned Ft Zoe Nash
G-Eazy is getting ready to release a new album next month called The Beautiful & Damned, which we recently found out would be a double album. "The concept of it is kinda split in half. It's two CD's but for all intents and purposes it's 20 songs, it's just a long album.
But before it arrives on December 15th, G-Eazy has some more promoting to do first. After rolling out songs like "No Limit" & "The Plan" recently, the latter of which just saw a music video surface last week, the Bay Area rapper decides to come through today and offer up another leak with singer Zoe Nash called "The Beautiful And Damned.
DOWNLOAD G-Eazy – The Beautiful & Damned Ft Zoe Nash

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Los Angeles loves lots of things; GMO free food, winning sports teams, the band Muse, and of course themselves. One thing Los Angeles doesn't exactly love is jam bands. Unless you are four guys from Vermont with a very successful ice cream flavor, or three senior citizens with the ex-boyfriend of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift filling in for your beloved yet very deceased spiritual leader; chances are you are going to have a tough time in tinsel town. The current exception to the rule is the six piece genre defying Umphrey's McGee who for the third consecutive spring managed to pack the historic art deco Wiltern Theater. For the last time before Donald Trump becomes leader of the free world, the tour closing Saturday night main event featured special guests, exciting covers, and some of the heaviest songs in their vast catalog.
After an opening set by Tauk that most of the crowd talked over, Umphrey's McGee bassist Ryan Stasik kicked off the first of two sets channeling local legend Flea with the thunderous Le Blitz. With the rest of the band slowly joining him for the short instrumental opener, the band quickly segued effortlessly into Educated Guess. One thing that Umphrey's does remarkably well is combining numerous styles into one cohesive sound. With Educated Guess, the group manages to channel the spirit of both The Police and Meshuggah while keeping noodle dancing flat brim hat wearing Bernie Bros completely hypnotized.
Another first set highlight was the new number Attachments. Being performed for only the 10th time, the opening guitar licks of Jake Cinninger would feel at home a few miles north on the Sunset Strip during the good old days when Ronald Reagan was in charge of America. Yet what sticks out most on Attachments is the way the recent Los Angeles transplants keyboardist Joel Cummins and drummer Kris Myers backing vocals trickle down with lead vocalist/guitarist Brendan Bayliss. Where most jam bands are not known for strong vocal performances, this song moves your soul based off the rich melodies and harmonies found within the blending of the three voices, and it is destined to be yet another weapon in the band's highly stocked arsenal.
Taking full advantage of being in Los Angeles, the highlight of set one was a guest appearance from legendary Frank Zappa bassist Arthur Barrow. With Stasik leaving the stage for a few minutes, the band ripped through their original Soul Food 1 before performing the Zappa classic Treacherous Cretins for the first time. Both Bayliss and Cinninger looked as happy as kids on Christmas as they gave their fret boards a solid Zappa workout before closing out the non-stop action with the Umphrey's original Glory. As if that wasn't enough to delight the crowd, with Stasik back on stage, the band closed the first set with the full on heavy metal assault Wizard Burial Ground. Los Angeles is a chatty bunch but by the time the mighty palm muted riffs gave way to Cummins keyboard solo that makes you miss the days when arena rockers wore capes, most fans were unable to talk with their jaws dropped down to the carpeted theater floor.
After a short set break, the band kicked off the second set with the very silly 40's Theme. One thing that sets Umphrey's McGee apart from the likes of Phish and moe. is their ability to write far superior song lyrics. There are of course exceptions to the rule and with mentions of chicken, beans, and of course beer consumed 40 ounces at a time, 40's Theme is one of them. However, with the floor of the Wiltern smelling like fried chicken throughout set break, many of the fans who predicted 40's Theme to open the second set danced a bit harder in celebration of calling the opener as the smell of marijuana replaced fried chicken in the air.
After a nice 40's Theme jam, the band brought back the heavy playing featured at the end of the first set with Puppet String. Showcasing the insane talents of Cinninger, the lanky guitarist laid down flawless harmonics as the band built up the song behind him. Once locked in, Cinninger launched into a frenzy of finger tapping that would make Los Angeles native Eddie Van Halen proud. If that didn't get your head banging, the beefy riffs after the first chorus featured in the song could have raised Jesus from the dead a day early. Just when you felt things couldn't get any crazier, the band abandoned Puppet String and shocked the crowd with their newly unleashed cover of the Mark Ronson/Kevin Parker track Daffodils. Featuring Kris Myers on vocals, the band managed to take a crowd that was ready to start a mosh pit minutes earlier and got them dancing like all those pretty hipsters out at Coachella.
With Daffodils in the rearview, the band spent the next forty minutes exploring fan favorites Wappy Sprayberry>The Bottom Half>Hurt Bird Bath. In a city filled with perfect people, Umphrey's McGee locked in and flawlessly took the west coast on a sonic adventure that went all over the place. Spaced out interludes, chunky metal riffs with enough of a pause to give the audience a chance to woo, and even a hint of lo-fi jazz dazed the loyal audience as the clock stretched past midnight and into Easter Sunday.
After closing the second set with what could be described as a Rage Against The Machine influenced hard rocked called Hindsight, the band quickly returned and kept the party going with a three song encore. Kicking things off with a fantastic cover of Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly, it felt as if an earthquake had hit Southern California as everyone bounced along to the music. All good things must come to an end and with their final few minutes of their successful West Coast run coming to a close the band closed the night with the uplifting and appropriately titled Upward before causing many to lose their mind one last time by finishing Puppet String.
Los Angeles is a tough town, and after performing here for well over a decade, Umphrey's McGee has managed to find the success that so many other jam bands have failed to capture. There is a joke that Los Angeles has a bit of everything yet the best of nothing. Perhaps the reason Umphrey's works so much better here compared to other jam bands who can draw big crowds in other parts of the world is the fact they manage to have a bit of everything and be the best at it. From R. Kelly covers to riffs Slayer wishes they had written; Umphrey's McGee has created a truly unique and unmistakable sound. With the audience slowly growing with each performance, it's just a matter of time before they can pack the former home of the Lakers like the granddaddies of jam bands do.
Photos courtesy of Steve Rose.


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"Balga" is an Aboriginal word for the grass tree Xanthorrhoea commonly known as "black boy" trees. The name was chosen in 1954 for a portion of what was then known as the "Mirrabooka Project Area". This was a State Housing Commission subdivision between Yokine and Wanneroo which also contained the suburbs of Nollamara and Yirrigan. Work commenced on the laying out of streets in Balga in 1959.
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This is a place for anyone else like me that like beauty, health, fitness, and cocktails...equally.
Over the last few months I finally have started working on something that I've been thinking about wanting to do for YEARS.
I've always known that my passion is within health and wellness but it wasn't until I started giving little tips and sending out meal plans (I used to send out full on meal plans just via word document from my yahoo email...lol!) that I realized that regardless of the way something looks, people have been INTERESTED.
More people than I ever would have imagined are looking for a change and the part that makes me excited is when my friends or girls on the other side of the COUNTRY who I've never actually met tell me that they've seen a positive change in their life, and how they FEEL based off of a piece of advice I gave!
That's insane to me and it's also the ultimate reward. SO. With that said,
Between work and relationships and responsibilities and just the everyday demands of LIFE, us woman are thinking about wanting to transform our bodies almost daily but are stuck in a rut when it comes to making it work.
What I've come to realize though is that it's not that women are unaware of what they NEED to do for themselves. That part seems to be pretty clear amongst most. Woman know what to eat, what not to eat, when to stop eating, and so on but the part that's hard is BREAKING THE CURRENT HABITS.
95% of our behavior occurs out of habit whether it's a good habit or a bad one and THAT'S why we struggle to make changes even when the need for change is obvious and our intentions are strong.
And all the diet industry can seem to offer us is "eat fewer calories and exercise more". Well, if that was supposed to work, I think it would have by now. I think at this point we all know that straight up dieting doesn't work, which is why 98% of DIETERS, always gain their weight back. The part that they're missing is SUPPORT & ACCOUNTABILITY.
Doctors and dietitians can help people find what they're looking for, but they may not have the time or the skills to help people stay motivated and follow through to get a long lasting result. SO people end up going back to their old ways even when they know that those habits make them feel sick, unconfident and overall disappointed.
Without any help it's really easy for these destructive cycles to continue for years.
This is where I come in :) I'm here to provide you with the right system for YOU, plus the right support and accountability so that you can finally make A FULL BODY TRANSFORMATION.
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It's your time girl!


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When I arrived at my aqua gym, the gardener was just vacuuming the leaves from the grass ! The trees had very much strip teased. It was a nice morning as usual and in the afternoon, I stayed home in the warmth while outside it rained and the wind was blowing around the house !
2. Nicole's kitchen is now ready to be "filled in" but she hadn't done it yet. I went to Nicole whose living room was in a mess, a cat wouldn't have found her kitten in this room, but we were sitting there chatting drinking coffee and eating a waffel and it was really cosy. We both noticed how nice it was that nobody makes remarks about your being messy ! I personally prefer to sit in a room which doesn't look like a furniture catalogue. That doesn't mean that my cats wouldn't find their kittens ! Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture, because we both had to laugh as Charlie (the dog)tried to find his way through all the books and items laying on the floor.
3. I was not really out of my bed when Mr. G. arrived and asked me "You know who won the elections", I yawned and said, "Hillary of course" and he : noooo it's Trump ! Fortunately I sat how was that possible ?? I had family in the States, I had been there so very often I had assisted to this unbelievable election circus but never had thought that Trump would win !!
I immediately looked what the press said. I have the advantage that I can make my own opinion by reading the French, German and English newspapers. Sometimes there are differences but this time they all agreed ! The English Newspaper wrote :
"Donald Trump wins: Republican candidate and reality TV star becomes 45th US president"
The most unlikely candidate to contest the US election has won the battle for the White House. Donald Trump, the 70-year-old New York tycoon previously best known around the world as the host of a celebrity TV show, is to become the 45th President"
and then I found other things, which maybe should have been known before !
He already had his plans in 1998 ! And has not a very nice opinion about the Republicans.
I liked this saying very much.
I heard that the Canadian Immigration website had crashed, because too many Americans wanted to immigrate to Canada ! It was like after the Brexit vote when British people wanted to stay in an European country.
3. The whole day on TV and in the Radio (when I was in the car) they talked about Trump ! and how is it possible that Hillary Clinton had more voices than Trump has lost ? Specialists, analysers etc tried to explain.
4. In my painting course we just discussed a bit about this event, not too much, and then we returned to other more funny discussions.
The coffee break and working "hard"
5. One of our aldermen had seen in Berlin a refrigerator for the poor and homeless, which is filled in by everybody who wants to help them.
After some discussions with the responsible people, Waterloo Tennis allowed him to install a fridge under the stairs in a discreet place. Volunteers take care of clean it and take out if something is not good anymore. I wanted to see that too, and bought some soup in cans, noodles and apples and put it aside of the fridge. We need a little table or shelve for can food. I also saw that people had brought soap and shampoo, baby things and even cat and dog food.
I returned home feeling good, I thought at least not all people are bad !


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Become part of the Grow Hope Team and help us empower communities through education and skills training. Every single dollar makes a difference!
Kim Taylor lives in Seattle, WA. She is a photographer who is passionate about empowering people by helping them learn the skills they need to succeed on their own. She always cries when leaving Africa.
Dr. Isaac Lufafa lives in Jinja, Uganda and together he and Kim began The Grow Hope Foundation in 2013. Dr. Isaac has a heart for his community and knows that with the right tools they can rise out of poverty and create healthy productive sustainable lives. Dr. Isaac and Kim are actually the same person in two different bodies.
Sharon Natugga is a social worker in Jinja, Uganda. Sharon joined Grow Hope in 2014 and started our women's co-op which has been our most successful program yet. She is passionate about empowering women to provide for their families and facilitates all of Grow Hope's community programs.
Godfrey Lufafa joined Grow Hope in 2014 and is the glue in the Grow Hope team. Godfrey does all of our research, is our photographer on the ground, hosts guests, gives tours, sources supplies, manages teams- you name it, Godfrey does it.
The Grow Hope Foundation is dedicated to the belief that the only way to create sustainable change is to empower people to make the change themselves. By providing education through skills training we are working beside communities to help them achieve their goals.


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- Simon Harris
- guitar/vocals
- Ducato Pietrowski
- guitar
- Nick Pini
- double bass
One of the UK's leading Gypsy Swing acts, performing the works of Django Reinhardt and their own original swing compositions and songs.
Since forming in 2005 Trio Manouche have become regulars at the best-known venues and festivals across the UK, popping up at Ronnie Scott's, King's Place and Barbican Hall; Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Shambala, Boomtown & The Mostly Jazz Festival. They enjoy residencies at famous jazz and private clubs including The 606 Club, Le Quecumbar, Vortex, Mayfair Arts Club, Annabel's, Green Note and Brasserie Zedel (see full Gigography below).
Part of Cadogan Hall's FREE lunchtime jazz series Out to Lunch 2015.


text: EDC-MoveStar is an end-to-end move management system that has been developed with active input from our users. It has a modern, innovative design, and it includes state-of-the art tools and mobile applications for you, your staff and your customers. From EDC-MoveStar you can connect seamlessly to your business partners whether you are in the office or on the road.


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About a week ago, I took my 2 year old in for a cough. It wasn't just any cough–the poor kid could hardly catch his breath before another coughing fit would come on!
And just like that, we were told that the most likely cause is asthma.
Asthma? Really?!?
I was incredulous. But as the doctor explained how he reached his conclusions and I asked more questions, it all sank in.
A lot of kids have it. In fact, it runs in my family. It's a pretty common diagnosis and very manageable for most children. Many even outgrow it. I know this. It shouldn't have been a big deal to me and it shouldn't have taken me completely by surprise. But it did.
I switched into autopilot mommy mode. We filled prescriptions, did breathing treatments, fed kids, put them down for naps, and baked a cake for my husband's birthday.
At some point, I finally had a moment to breathe. And I just burst into tears. The next minutes were spent in tears and prayers for my little guy.
I'm still not sure why it hit me so hard, but I've got a few ideas.
I didn't expect it that day. I debated with myself a lot on whether or not to even bring him to the doctor. I expected a viral diagnosis, maybe breathing treatments in the meantime, but definitely not a long-term chronic problem.
I never expected it in my healthy kid. I expected it in my child who has food allergies. He's the same one who had half a lung removed as a newborn because of a crazy rare lung defect, so a respiratory issue would not surprise me. But my youngest? My healthy son? Not him.
I like to think I'm in control. And anything that I can't control bothers me. A lot. That's why we spent an entire month talking about letting go of perfect. I guess I still have some perfect that I need to let go of.
I like things to be easy. Now hear me out–I can do the diligent nurse mom thing–I'm such a task-oriented person that it comes naturally. But honestly? I don't like having to monitor my child's respirations to make sure he's OK. I just don't like that level of concern and I like it when my kids are healthy and things run smoothly.
I don't like being tired because I've had to do breathing treatments every four hours during the night (you moms with infants can laugh now, but I'm out of practice!). And I don't like having to stop what I'm doing to give another breathing treatment–we've had to do treatments in the minivan!
And I don't like leaving a restaurant because my child is responding to the air with a coughing fit. Yes, this happened–it was the first time in 6 years of parenting that we had to pack up our food to-go. But you know what? I may not like these things, but I'll do them if it means taking proper care of my children. Honestly? I just prefer it when my kids require less maintenance.
I worry. It's actually a spiritual battle for me. I was never a big worrier until my son's rare lung defect and emergency lung surgery, but I became one in the aftermath. But recently I've been doing really well with not worrying and being fearful and in many ways I felt I had overcome it. That could've been my first mistake–I have to be aware that the sin of giving into my fears is always going to be crouching there.
How am I going to respond as soon as worry enters my head? How do you respond when worry and fear begin to envelop you? I'd love to hear how you handle it.
For me, it starts with prayer and scripture. I practice taking my thoughts captive so that my fearful thoughts don't overrun my mind and my heart. This time, I also texted a few friends to ask for prayer, not just for my toddler but for me too. He answered those prayers. He gave me so much freedom from fear and worry that day and in the days since. I don't have to be a worried mom.
We don't have to be fear-filled moms. We can trust God with the What Ifs. I can trust Him with my children–the very children He made. He formed them. He was not surprised about my son's lung defect or this child's asthma. In fact, He made them this way.
We can trust our loving, sovereign creator with the tiniest of asthma diagnoses or the big scary lung defects in life. He loves our children even more than we do. They are his.
Do you struggle with worry and fear? I would love to hear from you about how you approach it. I'm working on printable scripture cards that I'm going to share with you that are perfect for those fearful mama moments. Be sure to subscribe to MamaGab by Email so that you don't miss those!


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Ford Focus ST 2017 Review, Specification, Price8:33 AM
Ford Focus ST 2017 Review, Specification, Price - The ST is no more extended the most sizzling Focus around, what with the new AWD RS. That gives it a restored, marginally gentler part on the planet, motioned by a sparky diesel rendition joining the range. What's more, no, it's not called the STD. Ford Focus ST 2017 Review, Specification, Price.
Ford Focus ST 2017 Review, Specification, Price
Driving - Small transforms from a semi-late facelift incorporate retuned electric power controlling and stiffer suspension. You may see the last mentioned; this is positively no limo on Britain's broken landing area. Be that as it may, in the event that you can endure an intentionally engaged ride, here's an auto with a grippy front end – on account of some cunning torque vectoring – which urges you into going quicker and speedier at every corner, similarly as a decent hot incubate ought to.
The petrol is similarly as before: to a great degree adaptable in its energy conveyance yet thankful for a decent revving, as well, permitting you to mix the snickety manual gearchange to such an extent or as meager as you prefer. There'll be no oar moving here. Truly develop the motor out and this is a sprouting quick auto, swifter maybe than even its clean its 6.5sec 0-62mph time proposes. The 182bhp diesel, in the interim, is prominently the less empowering of the two autos, its 0-62mph time pegged at 8.1sec. Ford Focus ST 2017 Review, Specification, Price. What's more, as the powerband melts away only north of 4,000rpm, so may your fervor. Yet, its 27kg premium over the petrol model isn't instantly self-evident, turn-in staying sharp and exact. It just does not have the bubbling that makes the petrol such an impact.
Ford Focus ST 2017 Review, Specification, Price
Within - It's an inconceivable change on before in here, with the chaotic cluster of catches in the pre-facelift Focus cleaned up pleasantly by another touchscreen media framework. Cheerfully, Ford's kept the additional dials on top of the dash. STs get some attractive and rather embracing Recaro seats which are pro. What's more, in the event that you locate the customary five-entryway Focus isn't exactly sufficiently pragmatic for your necessities, the ST is one of only a handful couple of hot trapdoors with a home variation in the pamphlet. Joyfully, it gives nothing recognizable progressively to the bring forth. Ford Focus ST 2017 Review, Specification, Price.
Owning - Value keeps on being a ST strong point. Scarcely any purchasers go for the feature £22,750 auto, rather picking the more quick witted ST2 and ST3 variations. The last gets Ford's wash new Sync 2 touchscreen media framework and, at £26,550, it's scarcely more than a base Leon Cupra, while less expensive than an essential (and 30bhp lighter) Golf GTI. Keeping in mind there's no distinction in cost between the petrol and diesel, unless your auto decision is directed by economy figures and CO2-connected organization auto impose, we'd stay petrol. Price Between £16,260 – £31,340.


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A couple days ago, as I was rolling my eyes at the snow falling on the green grass here in Arroyo Seco, someone said to me "If you don't like the weather here, just wait five minutes… it will change." Sure enough, a few minutes later the sun came out and the birds started to sing.
The first dye day for this month's Churro Club, it blew, rained, hailed, snowed and then the sun filled the sky. Luckily Joe has learned how to layer. 🙂
These teaser photos are from that day. Enjoy!
We would love for you to join us this weekend for the NM Fiber Crawl. Joe will be "Dyeing in the Road" and we are having a special sale on select textiles (all of Joe Bacon's work!). Click the image below for details about The Crawl!


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Brain Food Fridays: Sport in Education Initiative
NZCER have recently published a report on the Sport in Education Initiative. This programme started in 2013 and focuses on how to use sport as a context for teaching and learning with the aim of improving academic, social and sporting outcomes. Eight schools across New Zealand were chosen to be part of the project. Teachers … More Brain Food Fridays: Sport in Education Initiative


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While Bruno might be best forgotten about, there's no denying the Oscar-nominated brilliance of Borat.
Although many parts of the world were rather offended, the rest was genuinely amused.
Sacha Baron Cohen is hoping for a similar success with The Dictator, which sees him playing a tyrant "who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed."
It's apparently based on a book which was written by Saddam Hussein. Consider us intrigued.
You can see the first trailer below and the film will hit cinemas May 18th.


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TUTUApp iOS 10.1
If you are and iOS user, you are spending more then you need to on apps, games and music that you download from apple app store and you need a good alter native. TutuApp iOS 10.1 is the perfect alternative which can solve all your needs and for absolutely free of charge. It is a third party app store which provides apps for iOS users. The great thing about this app store is that you do not have to pay for the apps that you download. Yes, you heard it right; you do not have to pay for any app. Even the expensive, paid apps are available for free or charge on this third party app store and they work great with all iOS devices.
You not only get all the apps for free, you can also download free games. More than that, TutuApp iOS hosts one of the largest collections of hacked apps and games. Hacked apps are the same popular apps but with some added features by unofficial developers and are stable versions that will not crash. Hacked games are even more fun to play, you have more features unlocked and unlimited in app treats. You can download entertainment apps and download free media content without having to pay for songs.
The interface is simple, you can download apps that can also be shared with other deices. The app store works with all recent versions of iOS and you can get app for almost all iOS devices easily. The search feature is very accurate and delivers the desired result. TutuApp iOS can be used without reading any instructions but you will need a translating tool as it is in Chinese.
Download TutuApp iOS 10.1
- Open this exact URL on safari browser of your iOS device.
- Download Tutuappvip_ios10-1.mobileconfig
- You may be asked to fill in your password, tap "Install" twice and tap on "Done" to finish the installation process
- Open TutuApp app store on your device, use translator to navigate through and download your desired apps and games.
Other Versions:


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AD707JR DataSheet Pdf
500 companies of the regular army stormed the Internet secret army against cottage
In Electronic Infomation Category: 5 | on 2011/3/6 14:36:12
Statement by Liu Xiaodong, this year there will be more than 500 enterprises to enter the field, then the rest of next year may be 50, 10 or even the year after that for the rest 5, a large number of enterprises will become victims. If you want to inventory to the 2008 annual event, then the "cottage" will indisputably be one. From mobile phones to notebooks, "cottage"s rise is causing concern of all parties. 3 8, "Chinas first Internet Forum cum-cottage industry," opening in Shenzhen, is a large interest is, it was not a "cottage Army", while the IT industry, mostly "regular": such as chip Intel field, AMD, NVIDIA; production areas of Asus, MSI; sales in the field Hongtusanbao, Hengchang IT; whole field of Lenovo, DELL; stores Bainaohui field, Cyber Digital, etc.. They have only one pu...
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Christopher Jon Bjerknes
The jews have carefully cultivated the White Nationalist and anti-zionist movements to become anti-political anti-Western propaganda outlets for Putin and communist China. The supposed "movements" are nothing more than bitch fests leading nowhere, and a news service for the communists who effectively issue memos to the many White Nationalist and anti-zionist news websites that all put a pro-communist, pro-Putin, pro-communist and anti-American, anti-Western Europe, anti-Japanese, anti-Taiwanese, anti-South Korean spin on the news.
The socialists/communists masquerading as if authentic White Nationalists call themselves "fascists" and "anti-zionists" instead of what they really are, an organized news service and propaganda outlet for the communist jews, which attempts to subvert Western civilization and implant anti-Western sentiment and communist ideology in America and Western Europe. In the name of Nazism, they want you waving communist Chinese flags, and worshiping anti-White, anti-American, anti-European, pro-jew, pro-Asian, pro-internationalist, pro-immigration, KGB Putin.
This subversion is not new. The jews married libertarianism to White Nationalism and anti-zionism long ago, and had Whites worshiping gold and jew puppet Ron Paul for the benefit of the jew. They turned Whites against America.
But this totally anti-Western message is something new to White Nationalism and anti-zionism. The mask has come completely off as the jews are waging total war on the White race. The jews want Americans to become enemies of freedom and friends of communism beyond even the stalking horse of National Socialism. The jews want Americans and Western Europeans to hate themselves and cheer on their enemies Putin and Red China. It is chutzpah gone wild.
Thankfully, there are many voices who aren't buying the jew commie bs being fed them. Make note of who is peddling the anti-Western poison. They are chameleons and will change the colors of their front flags to suit the many villainies of jewry, but their true flag is commie red.
It is long past time we organize politically and not content ourselves with jew spun news websites which only serve to subvert our morale and profit our communist enemies. Entertainment is no substitute for action. The fact that White Nationalism and anti-zionism have resolved themselves into entertainment and anti-political action, proves that they are jewish subversions meant to buy time for the communists to do their dirty work genociding Whites.


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Episode 126 23 min 06 sec Lingua mundi and the perils of monolingualism
Professor Lo Bianco is best known as the author of the 1987 National Policy on Languages, adopted as a bipartisan national plan for English, Indigenous languages, Asian and European languages, and Interpreting and Translating services and now used worldwide as a model of rational language planning.
He has consulted on language policy and planning and general education in many settings: post-Apartheid South Africa; language education in the US State of Hawaii; integration of Muslim immigrants in European Schools for the Council of Europe; indigenous and foreign languages in Alberta (Canada); Chinese teaching in the state of Alberta (Canada); official English and heritage languages in the United States for the several national organisations and agencies; Tamil and Malay in Singaporean language education; bilingual literacy in Western Samoa and eight other Pacific Island countries; culture and intercultural education for the Japan Foundation; Cantonese and English medium in Hong Kong schools; the Goethe Institut and the French Ministry of Education of shared language policy; the integration of Asian immigrant children into schooling in Tuscany, Lombardy and the Veneto regions of Italy, language policy in Thailand, Ireland, Sri Lanka and the UK.
In 1999 he wrote the National Language Education plan for the Government of Sri Lanka under World Bank financing as part of the peace negotiations in that country. During 2000-2002 he was commissioned to provide language policy advice in Scotland; in 2001 he was invited to work with the Northern Ireland Department of Education on language and multiculturalism as part of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. He has been invited to contribute to policy development on languages for the European Year of Languages 2001 and the Council of Europe (2003) and to the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games from 1997-2000. This work was used for both the Athens 2004 Olympics but more substantially for London 2012 and was the subject of an invited presentation in London in March 2006.
Professor Lo Bianco was a member of the Australian National Commission for UNESCO for ten years. He set up the Melanesian Literacy Project as part of the International Literacy Year in 1990, the Manual for Indigenous Literacy in SE Asian countries in 1997 and the Manual on the role of English in Sri Lankan intercultural policy for the British Council in 2002.
Professor Lo Bianco is best known as the author of the 1987 National Policy on Languages, adopted as a bipartisan national plan for English, Indigenous languages, Asian and European languages, and Interpreting and Translating services and now used worldwide as a model of rational language planning.
He has consulted on language policy and planning and general education in many settings: post-Apartheid South Africa; language education in the US State of Hawaii; integration of Muslim immigrants in European Schools for the Council of Europe; indigenous and foreign languages in Alberta (Canada); Chinese teaching in the state of Alberta (Canada); official English and heritage languages in the United States for the several national organisations and agencies; Tamil and Malay in Singaporean language education; bilingual literacy in Western Samoa and eight other Pacific Island countries; culture and intercultural education for the Japan Foundation; Cantonese and English medium in Hong Kong schools; the Goethe Institut and the French Ministry of Education of shared language policy; the integration of Asian immigrant children into schooling in Tuscany, Lombardy and the Veneto regions of Italy, language policy in Thailand, Ireland, Sri Lanka and the UK.
In 1999 he wrote the National Language Education plan for the Government of Sri Lanka under World Bank financing as part of the peace negotiations in that country. During 2000-2002 he was commissioned to provide language policy advice in Scotland; in 2001 he was invited to work with the Northern Ireland Department of Education on language and multiculturalism as part of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. He has been invited to contribute to policy development on languages for the European Year of Languages 2001 and the Council of Europe (2003) and to the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games from 1997-2000. This work was used for both the Athens 2004 Olympics but more substantially for London 2012 and was the subject of an invited presentation in London in March 2006.
Professor Lo Bianco was a member of the Australian National Commission for UNESCO for ten years. He set up the Melanesian Literacy Project as part of the International Literacy Year in 1990, the Manual for Indigenous Literacy in SE Asian countries in 1997 and the Manual on the role of English in Sri Lankan intercultural policy for the British Council in 2002.
More information
Professor Joe Lo Bianco
China and English: Globalisation and the Dilemmas of Identity (Critical Language and Literacy Studies), Multilingual Matters; Bilingual edition, 2009
Buy from Amazon
Maintaining Minority Languages in Transnational Contexts: Australian and European Perspectives (Palgrave Studies in Minority Languages and Communities), Palgrave Macmillan, 2007
Buy from Amazon
Host: Jennifer Cook
Producers: Kelvin Param, Eric van Bemmel
Series Creators: Eric van Bemmel and Kelvin Param
Audio Engineer: Gavin Nebauer
Voiceover: Nerissa Hannink
Read Transcript show transcript | print transcript | download pdf
Lingua mundi and the perils of monolingualism
Welcome to Up Close, the research, opinion and analysis podcast from the University of Melbourne, Australia.
I'm Jennifer Cook. Thanks for joining us. The Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel is a vivid reminder of how crucial communication and language is to human kind. When God saw the magnificent structure built by so many he declared they are one people and have one language and nothing will be withholden from them which they purpose to do.
God's response to this was to confound their speech and scatter them upon the face of the earth. What better way to control the people than to take away their means to communicate, to connect and to understand. How we speak are shared symbols, they define who we are and in many ways who we are not.
Today's guest is a man who has worked all over the world helping individuals, communities and organisations find ways of understanding each other, of communicating through shared language. Joe Lo Bianco is Professor of Language and Literacy Education at Melbourne Graduate School of Education in the University of Melbourne and President of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
In 1987 he wrote Australia's first national policy on languages. This was the first multilingual national language policy in any English speaking country. He has worked worldwide in different societies and institutions on including multilingualism in language policy and practice.
In this episode we are looking beyond the technical challenges of teaching English en masse to examining the historic context and perhaps most fascinating the cultural ramifications of learning to speak in another tongue.
Professor Lo Bianco, thank you so much for joining us.
Thank you very much. It is a pleasure to be here.
Now you say that before you can even begin to implement a multilingual policy you have to overcome something you describe as a culture of impossibility. That's the belief that it is impossible for people and organisation and community or institutions to communicate in any way except monolingualism. In other words it's too hard. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience of impossibilisation?
Well that is precisely the first step that you have to take in any process of developing a policy to make the most of multilingualism and it is to challenge the idea that people have which is expressed beautifully in the quote that you gave at the beginning, that it is simply undesirable in that it is a curse, multilingualism is a curse, God's curse on humanity was to spread them and to produce multiple languages so that they could not communicate.
So there you have the fundamental dilemma that we always deal with, the belief that having multiple languages produces chaos, produces disorganisation or economic efficiency and in fact there is a long history of thinking, even in sociology and economics, that multilingualism produces poverty.
Of course when you look at the rapid economic development of India today you couldn't possibly believe such a thing because it is very clear that India is one of the most intensely multilingual societies on earth and even at its official level, they recognise 22 I think scheduled languages in the constitution plus English plus Hindi across the country, but communication is possible.
Not only do they have that many languages, but they also have a large number of scripts that are given local and regional and state and official national status.
So I think communication across differences is really important in our time in history more than ever, but we shouldn't assume that that means monolingualism or that it should mean monolingualism, it just means shared means of communication.
The other thing that people often imagine makes multilingual policies impossible is a belief that if people don't have just one language or one culture or one ethnic social or religious background that there will be all sorts of conflict and that multilingualism or pluralism produces conflict, but in fact if you look at conflict and states around the world, it is very hard to sustain that. You find that very multilingual societies have low to average levels of conflict and not all the conflict in those societies is due to or attributable to communication problems.
Then you can look at quite monolingual and mono ethnic and mono religious societies and you can find examples of extraordinary conflict and division. Like the most uncivil conflict in the world is what we call a civil war perversely and civil wars often don't happen in multilingual societies. They often happen in monolingual societies in which there are ideological differences.
A bigger predictor of conflict is really when you have rival groups competing for the centres of power, regardless of what their differences or similarities are. It's really often not to do with difference.
So people have this impossibilising assumption that it is impossible to have multilingualism, it is impossible to have multiculturalism, multiethnic and faith diversity in a society and have harmony, communication and social progress. I think that the reason that they do that is because we have quite a narrow view of what a nation should be and I think a very historical one as well.
You talk about this western view, this modern, western view where we seem to stand as if we are on a precipice looking out, going look at this modern world. Globalisation is the way, one language is the way and you are saying that does ignore a lot of history doesn't it?
Well yes, even in the west of course it ignores a lot of history because prior to the emergence of the national state which we understand is being a relatively homogeneous place. Europe for example in a period of time that could best be called Christendom was deeply multilingual but it had a shared language like language of communication across what now are national boundaries and regional boundaries and elites spoke that and also dynastic families married into each other. They were all deeply multilingual.
You know the Russian Royal Family, the Romanovs were French speaking. There has always been the case where you have had rulers who cultural and linguistic patterns were very different from the people that they ruled. And then at the local level you had incredible localisation which meant a very, very large number of local cultural affiliations and linguistic differences.
So Europe was much, much more multilingual before the rise of the nation state and the nation state required the people who were ruled and the rulers to be of the same cultural and linguistic patterns. This meant that the state went about mainly through education systems in homogenising people linguistically and to a large extent it has succeeded in that.
It is not to say it is just a western pattern. I mean actually Japan and Korea for example have relatively homogeneous monolingual, mono ethnic histories and self images and many societies have that, but it is true to say that the ideal, especially through the French Revolution in Europe became elevated to such an extent that to participate fully as a citizen you had to know the language of the society, the language of the law and that's true, but it doesn't mean that you have to only know that.
So what was confounded then was the idea of participation and communication with the idea that you should get rid of difference to make that happen.
I want to talk to you now about your idea of English monolingualism. You talk it about being a double handicap. It actually limits you.
Well today we are actually reproducing some of the conditions of the pre nation state. The mobility of people is very, very high. Communication across national boundaries is extremely easy and so multilingualism has become an asset for lots of people for whom it wasn't perhaps in the more recent past.
And soo we are reproducing the conditions of the ancient past here and a lot of people recognise that English is very powerful in the world, it clearly is. It is the lingua mundi as some people have called it, not just the lingua franca but the lingua franca of the world and it is associated with globalisation to a large extent.
I mean the Chinese investment in English is staggering. I mean there are 300 million people engaged in the learning of English. It is compulsory at every level of education and to enter college you need to pass college English tests and so on.
So the level of investment in English in large parts of the world is huge and in it's in Asia in particular the transnational language par excellence.
It's done at an early age isn't it? It's very important.
It starts from the very beginning of schooling in many, many societies and many societies like Japan and Korea have actually debated making English an official language even though they were never colonised by an English speaking country, either of those two states.
So English is unique in that it is the only language that has remained the dominant language despite a shift of power. All transfer of power from one imperial regime in the world to another has been accompanied by a shift in language. The decline of Latin meant the rise of French or Spanish and English and Russian and so on in the European context and these were then exported globally through imperial expansion.
The fall of one always resulted in the rise of another language of imperial reach, but when Britain's empire declines and America's global commercial sway takes its place, you have a shift in imperial power or reach or global influence, but a retention of the language through which that's done. That's never happened in history before.
So English has benefited by this unique circumstance that happened in the middle of the 20th century and of course we could be going through another one now, a massive transfer of power, economic and cultural and civilisational and military power to North Asia and particularly to China.
So it is quite possible that English will lose some ground, but unquestionably it's the language facilitating global communication today, but if other people learn English like the Chinese and the Indians and the Japanese and the Germans and retain their languages as they are all doing, it means that people who are English speakers are not actually made more powerful by the fact that other people learn English. They are actually made less powerful. That's the irony in this in that it's a disadvantage not to have English in the world, but it is also a disadvantage to have only English.
It's a disadvantage isn't it to assume that as an English speaker you have a ticket to travel and communicate and that's going to be enough?
Well that's an enormous self disadvantage because it closes you off from so much of the way a society sees itself. I mean if you communicate with people only in English, that might facilitate the communication and that's wonderful, but it doesn't give you access to any part of their world that isn't available in English.
This is Up Close and we are coming to you from the University of Melbourne Australia. I'm Jennifer Cook and our guest today is Professor Joe Lo Bianco and we are discussing the fascinating cultural ramifications of learning to speak in another tongue.
Now if we take this lens of monolingualism and apply it, you have a wonderful story about I think it was a little boy in Sri Lanka who was deemed not smart enough for the school level, but tell us about him?
Yes, this story basically captures the point I was trying to make before about communication and language. This is a very poor child and I mean it's true of thousands of children all around the world. It's just dramatically true in this particular case.
In this school are very poor Tamil speaking children in a tea plantation area in Sri Lanka where there was the teaching of English and also Sinhala, the other national language of the country and a lot of the children in this particular school were judged not to be able to cope. Their parents were too poor. Their motivation to learn and stay at school was not very high, even though Sri Lanka has actually a very high attendance rate in school generally.
So these children in a particular class that I worked with for a while and a particular individual child that stood out because he was commented on by the teacher as being an example of the kind of child that just would not learn these languages and for whom it was a wasted effort, about two days after visiting this school, I went to a local tourist site with some visitors from Europe who were visiting me and we noticed a group of children who were running basically a very, very sophisticated sales operation.
They had a little system for deciding where they were Japanese speakers or, there were a lot of Italian tourists in this area as well. Italian tourists or English speakers, they had a range of languages and they would in relays basically get the little carved elephant or carved Budda and attack basically these tourists with this object and say, buy, buy, buy, you have got to buy, buy, buy in English or if they had decided and they had a really sophisticated surveillance system for working out, not always correctly, what language it was that the visitors probably did speak, either Spanish or certainly Japanese and Italian.
This particular boy, I heard him try in amazingly persuasive machine gun language on buying a carved elephant, trying to get this man to buy it for his female partner or the woman to buy it or whatever, negotiating on price, negotiating on how beautiful this object was and how nice it would look on their mantelpiece and whatever, this amazing, and then he did it in Italian, I just couldn't believe it.
Well what this demonstrates is, and I think people have seen this in poor countries in tourist areas in many parts of the world that young kids, when there is a deep motivation for doing this, this was presumably earning a little bit of money to help the family out they are capable of extraordinary language learning. This is real language learning for real purposes in the real world where they knew what the kind of communication that was required would be and they were able to use a range of tense forms. It was quite extraordinary.
I actually took notes on it and I have got quite a good record of what he actually said, so far as I could pick it up, but if you had a little microphone strapped to him you would have had a perfect example of how we should teach languages or one of the ways in which we should teach languages deeply around purpose.
The richness of that story and the fluidity of this child's thinking processes and then contrast it with the sterility of the classroom saying, oh no this child is under par, he is not up to standard.
Also the misjudgement that we make and how we sometimes imagine that ability is associated with the social or economic position of a student when clearly there is no connection whatsoever between those two.
Leading on from that I would like to take you to another anecdote of yours, tell me what happened post 9/11 when the American GI's were taught Arabic and were sent to Baghdad? Because there were examples of communication with the local people, but also that had some other effects didn't it within the GI's? What I am getting at here, how learning a language can change you and the way you think.
We can never think of language, it's just a technical exercise that doesn't produce some kind of change in you. I think this happens for individuals and I think it happens for societies. Languages are not just neutral instruments for getting messages across.
I mean there are some functions of language that are like that of course. If you ask someone for their telephone number and they tell you their telephone number, there's probably no cultural or ideological content, or very, very little in that. Although thinking around numbers clearly is a cultural thing.
After the 9/11 events in the United States the US Government invested very heavily in second language learning around strategic languages and after the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, of course because if you are engaged in nation building after conflict you have got to be able to communicate to local people in their own language.
There are a lot of studied examples of the ways in which the interpreters in Afghanistan and in Iraq were in very difficult situations. Because quite often to interpret the meanings of someone that you are suspicious about or according to the soldiers they might be harbouring terrorists or they might be on the side of people that are against you, whatever, in a situation of conflict and tension even just to try and communicate or get an interpreter to communicate, requires going a long way towards understanding someone else's view of the world.
Because it is not just words that are passing by, you have to explain how someone sees the world. Why they won't tell you that. Why they might not tell you that. Quite a lot of the interpreters were put in a very difficult position of being seen by both sides as being partisan rather than neutral.
In fact there is an old aphorism in Italian which is traduttore, traditore, which means that the translator is a traitor, is how it stands and you can't really imagine ultimately that a language is just a neutral vehicle for getting messages across.
There is always the intention of the person thrown in there, how they see the world, their perspective on what you are talking about and many of the soldiers were not trained in how to work with interpreters or to understand that to get the meanings that some local person is expressing back to you, they would have to really engage with them a lot and find out a lot about their experiences. And that made them sometimes seem to be on the side of that person and taking too much time to express their views.
So these kinds of things just show how in the really nitty gritty ordinary world we just misunderstand language as being just a simple message conveying instrument, but it's not, it's more complex than that.
It's so interesting isn't it? Because to communicate with someone, to speak their language, you are sharing symbols, you are actually understanding them, and in that understanding then you have to convey it. It's a very complicated process which you have demonstrated with that story.
People who work in a kind of language teaching approach called inter cultural language teaching have a good way to express this. Because if you are learning a language you are not just learning a set of tools that then you use as an unchanged person. What you are basically doing is adopting the assumptions that a language has built into it and those assumptions are historical.
Each language has assumptions. Like in all the romance languages the assumption is that everything is gendered. Like you know a room is not just a room but it is a male or female thing.
If you learn some Indian languages, the entities in the world that can act and therefore have to have different verbs that give them the ability to have agency as we call it are very different from the ones that we would from an English speaking or Judeo Christian environment bring in to it.
Chinese has very different ways to represent how much description you have to give to something. In Japanese you have to position yourself in relation to the person you are speaking with in terms of the pronouns you use about yourself.
In Australian Aboriginal languages you have to rename large parts of the world depending on how old you are and who you are speaking to.
So these are at a big level, cultural assumptions, but at a small level there are cultural assumptions built in all communication because the words are not where the meaning resides to a large extent. It's around what we call pragmatics, how you actually get things done in language because this view of language is one that sees language as action in itself, not just as a vehicle for conveying information that's neutral.
But if you have this view of language, then learning another language must change you to some extent because you have to take on the assumptions that the language has built in it. But even when you communicate in your own language, assuming you are a mother tongue speaker of English, there are many styles and varieties within your language which you move through.
If you are in the pub talking to some friends, you take on the assumptions of that kind of communication environment, but if you were having tea with the Queen you wouldn't speak like that at all and that stylistic change reflects the fact that language is not organised in some undifferentiated way, it is highly differentiated according to social function and context.
You've been listening to Up Close and I've been speaking with Professor Joe Lo Bianco about how learning and speaking another language changes us and our culture in ways we may never even have imagined.
Professor Lo Bianco, thank you so much for your time today.
It's been a pleasure Jennifer.
Relevant links, a full transcript and more info on this episode can be found at our website at upclose.unimelb.edu.au. Up Close is brought to you by Marketing and Communications of the University of Melbourne, Australia.
This episode was recorded on 28 October 2010 and our producers were Eric van Bemmel and Kelvin Param. Audio engineering by Gavin Nebauer. Up Close is created by Kelvin Param and
Eric van Bemmel. I'm Jennifer Cook, until next time, goodbye.
You've been listening to Up Close. For more information visit upclose.unimelb.edu.au. Copyright 2011. The University of Melbourne.
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Uncomfortable Truths
January 29, 2007 by Editor · Leave a Comment
The shadow of slave trading on contemporary art & design
An exhibition addressing the ways in which contemporary art and design is informed by the legacy of slavery takes place at the V&A Museum from 20 February – 17 June 2007. Admission is Free to Uncomfortable Truths, where a series of works by African, American and European artists will be displayed throughout the museum's public spaces.
Featured artists from Britain (Anissa-Jane, Lubaina Himid, Keith Piper and Yinka Shonibare), Africa (El Anatsui, Tapfuma Gutsa, Romuald Hazoumé and Julien Sinzogan), the United States (Michael Paul Britto and Fred Wilson) and Europe (Christine Meisner).
A two-day interdisciplinary conference 'From Cane Field to Tea Cup: The Impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Art and Design' will be taking place on 24 and 25 February 2007.
London Councils £28 Million in grants for Voluntary Sector
January 28, 2007 by Editor · Leave a Comment
London Councils will stage five special meetings over the coming weeks across London, to explain the new commissioning process for its £28 million grants programme for voluntary sector projects. Projects can learn how to submit bids, what commissioning means, funding priorities and the timetable for introducing commissioning across London Councils priority area. Read more
ULU to host debate on 2007 Abolition commemorations
January 13, 2007 by Editor · Leave a Comment
University of London Union is to how a debate on the 2007 Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, on Mondon 22nd January in London. The debate is to be chaired by founder of Every Generation Media and the 100 great Black Britons campaign, Cllr Patrick Vernon. Read more
James Brown Tributes on Vibe.com
January 13, 2007 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Music, video and, photographic tributes to the late James Brown are being featured at Vibe.com. The tributes include playlists featuring some of Brown's top hits including "Livin' In America," "It's a Man's, Man's World," "Get Up Offa That Thing," "Hot Pants," "Super Bad," "Cold Sweat," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "The Boss," "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud), and, "The Payback.".
Artist in Residence Commission Mile End Hospital London
The Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award 2007
Artist in Residence Project and Commission at Mile End Hospital, London, in the Gerry Bennett Ward which cares for older people with physical and mental health problems. Read more
Drama & ESOL Tutors required Southwark
January 10, 2007 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Rewrite are looking for Drama Facilitators with ESOL teaching skills or an interest in using drama to teach English and ESOL teachers with Drama Facilitator Skills or an interest in delivering ESOL teaching through drama and creative writing, to join a freelance workshop tutors pool. Read more
Bap Showcase 2007 – Artists Wanted
January 10, 2007 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Auditions 26, 27, February 2007 10am-6pm
Bap is looking for Actors, Singer's and Dancers 18yrs upwards to perform in their new Production, Titled BAP Showcase. If you have a Serious or Comedy Sketch, Monologue, Song or Dance Piece, with a running time of approx 5 minutes and could entertain a live a audience, or wish for your hidden talent to be seen, please get intouch with BAP to have your name included on the Showcast List.
Contact BAP – Richard Reid, Artistic Director on 020 8809 6878 or send CV by email to: firstname.lastname@example.com or post to BAP Theatre. Unit 9 Tottenham Green Enterprise Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham, London N15 4RX.
Where do African Brit's go online
January 9, 2007 by Editor · Leave a Comment
The themes for February include a look at the spots in cyberspace where people of African and Caribbean heritage hang out, along with a run-down of some of the more popular online spaces.
Why not nominate your favourite or send us in a review of a site that you find particularly useful.
Send your contributions to email@example.com
Rasmus – Ethopian Christmas
January 7, 2007 by Editor · 4 Comments
The 7th January is popularly known as Rasmus. It is the Ethopian Christmas and is celebrated within the Rastafarian religion.
The day is celebrated with the coming together for reasoning (discussions on spiritual matters), drumming, singing and dancing.
Creative & Cultural Skills on the road
January 5, 2007 by Editor · Leave a Comment
Creative & Cultural Skills is the UK's Sector Skills Council for advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, performing, visual and literary arts. We are an employer-led body, dedicated to improving the supply of education and skills to our industries.


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12:53pm PT by Graeme McMillan
Soon Enough, You'll Be Able to Publish Your Own Vonnegut Fan-Fic
Billy Pilgrim is about to come unstuck in more than just time. Amazon Publishing has announced the surprising, and arguably heretical, news that the books of fiction giant Kurt Vonnegut have been licensed for its fan-fiction digital program, Kindle Worlds. Yes, that's right: Soon, nothing will stop you from being able to publish that Slaughterhouse Six novel you've been dreaming about for decades.
Kindle Worlds is Amazon's attempt to co-opt the fan-fiction movement by offering fans the chance to digitally publish, through Amazon and for profit, work based on existing properties -- amongst them, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and the Valiant Comics catalog -- that have been licensed by Amazon.
Vonnegut isn't the first prose author whose works have been licensed to Kindle Worlds -- Barry Eisler, Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear have already signed on -- but he may be the most high-profile, something that hasn't escaped Philip Patrick, the director of business development and publisher of Kindle Worlds, who said that "includ[ing] the work of an American literary icon in Kindle Worlds is a thrill for us and a golden opportunity for Vonnegut fans everywhere."
RELATED: Hunger Games' Writer Suzanne Collins Becomes Amazon Kindle's Best-selling Author
Donald C. Farber, trustee of the Kurt Vonnegut Trust, described the deal as an outgrowth of Vonnegut's success on the Kindle platform to date. "This is a natural extension of his legacy and a testament to the enduring popularity of his characters and stories," he said, adding "Billy Pilgrim, unstuck in time, is going to quickly become a Kindle Worlds favorite."
The Vonnegut license is expected to officially launch on Kindle Worlds later this month, according to Amazon. The countdown to Lunch of Champions and Timequake 2: Sharkquake has already started.
Graeme firstname.lastname@example.com graemem


text: Hi guys Here's the first WIP release. A GTASA conversion with permission from the original creator. Permission granted many moons ago, but have only just got around to converting and uploading. In very basic form at this stage. INI isn't right, views aren't correct, just a basic starter version. Sounds are roughly recorded from my Land Rover using a laptop in-built microphone. The engine in my LR is a 300TDI. http://www.speedyshare.com/files/21048951/lr110release1.zip Apologies in advance if I'm slow to respond to queries and comments on this thread. Have a busy life For those who remember me from RSC (April 2003 to 2009?) I'm planning on re-doing the Toyota FJ40, and perhaps continuing with the KAMAZ flat-bed six wheeled truck. Lost everything last year when lightning struck the power-pole connected to my house. Thank goodness for insurance!


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Lake Como is one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations. The region offers breathtaking landscapes, fascinating wildlife, and endless adventure options. This is the reason why tens of thousands of tourists from all across the globe visit Lake Como every year.
To help vacationers plan an unforgettable stay in the region, Property At Lake Como brings the ultimate Lake Como guide. Read on to find answer to your every Lake Como travel query... Original post link


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Six Pillars
Awaken the mind, quicken the spirit and stir the heart
The goal of The Giles School education program is to awaken the mind, quicken the spirit and stir the heart. The program rests on the community's six founding pillars of education.
Love is reflected through the caring, responsive, creative, intuitive relationship woven between teacher and child. This exceptional quality found in our staff is grounded in a profound understanding of the uniqueness of each child and the various stages of growth and development that they experience. We're committed to building our programs for our students' individual progress and are inspired to improve our curriculum and methodologies.
Highest National Standards
We offer the highest curriculum standards in both the French and English speaking worlds. Our unique curriculum is derived out of programs originating around the globe that is then crafted into The Giles School's exclusive framework. It is this process that propels Giles students to the top one per cent of Canadian students as measured by the Canadian Test of Basic Skills in which our students consistently rank two or three grade levels ahead of peers from other schools and school boards.
Small Class Sizes
The Giles School offers enriched interaction in small classes with an emphasis on personalized, tutorial-style instruction. We offer a holistic focus on the unique learning needs of each child. Our curriculum lives within an inclusive learning environment where it is safe to explore, take risks and achieve the highest academic outcomes.
Early Enriched Learning
The Giles School provides early exposure to our comprehensive, multi-sensory early learning program focused on world languages, mathematics, science, and the arts for Pre-Kindergarten (age two) to Grade 1.
The Giles School is the only education program to provide exposure to and acquisition of two languages. French and Mandarin are chosen purposefully to maximize the operating intelligence, cognitive efficiency and sophisticated social intelligence of each child to balance both phonetic and symbolic understandings of language.
Our French immersion program reflects our commitment to Canada's official languages and is based on the national curriculum of France, establishing the school as universally unique in the field of local education. Intensive French immersion at The Giles School begins at any point from Pre-Kindergarten (age two) to Grade 1, capitalizing on children's optimal language learning capacity in the early years.
Emphasis on early, multiple language acquisition makes The Giles School one of the most advanced language schools in Canada. Daily Mandarin instruction begins in Grade 1 to improve creative and abstract thinking relevant for overall academic performance and global communication.


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As Wilson Golf prepared to change the playing field with their innovative C200 golf club, they needed video content demonstrating what made this new club so unique. Working alongside Wilson, Maday Productions, and 50,000feet, Clutch Studios developed an animation to bring this club to life. Starting with resin prototypes and engineering data provided by Wilson, Clutch built high-resolution 3D models of both the C200 iron and DUO-U golf ball. The Clutch team then blended CGI, motion design, and VFX to craft a rich demonstration of this new technology and the science behind it. The video broke on the Golf Channel and continues to be used on social and the web.
As Wilson continues to improve golf with advanced technology, Clutch Studios looks forward to helping their innovations come to life.


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BDP welcomes three new colleagues to the team
At the beginning of April, we welcomed three new colleagues to the BDP-family: Lisa, Luci...14 May, 2019
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We are happy to welcome Brit Brander to BDP's Cruise Department. Brit has many years' exp...26 October, 2018
We are happy to share the news that the European Conference for Science Journalists (Dans...13 June, 2018
Hygge is everywhere these days! In podcasts, books, and the television, and while the Dan...25 May, 2018
In 2021 the World Pride and EuroGames will be hosted in Copenhagen. BDP is thrilled to be...20 April, 2018
GVIDI – Guides and Hosts for hire is launching in Copenhagen. They are specialized ...20 February, 2018
Earlier this year BDP Business Events got the most exciting task – to arrange a show for ...19 September, 2017
We are happy to announce that BDP has landed title as the official PCO of the University ...09 June, 2017
THE DANISH CAPITAL IS BECOMING HOME TO MORE AND MORE EVENTS AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES. T...15 May, 2017
BDP is always creating new products to enchant visitors into discovering Scandinavia in n...15 May, 2017
Congratulations to the 22nd International Seaweed Symposium for being nominated in the wi...06 April, 2017
BDP Congress har indgået aftale med Danske Videnskabsjournalister om planlægning og afvik...23 November, 2016
When visiting Copenhagen you must try the famous Danish smørrebrød. Even better – w...20 October, 2016
Do you want to try something completely out of the ordinary for the day? Blocs & Wall...20 October, 2016
A unique venue where it is possible to dine fancy, play volleyball, or jump straight in t...20 October, 2016
In the building called "The Workshop Store" elderly and disabled were sent to do less hea...20 October, 2016
At Urban Ranger Camp you use the same elevator, stair- and walkway during the activities,...20 October, 2016
The famous restaurant Noma, announced « Best Restaurant in the World » four times in the ...17 March, 2016
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Ever wondered where the first ever registration of a homosexual couple took place? Did yo...17 March, 2016
The yearly summer party started off with "BDP Curling Championship 2015" this year. After...07 October, 2015
Christmas should be seen as the alternative high season for visitors, with so many tradit...07 October, 2015
In between the Christmas treats, lunches and dinners, there are a range of traditional ac...07 October, 2015
Walking around the many old streets and squares in Denmark at Christmas time, you might s...07 October, 2015
The Danish Christmas cuisine is something that everyone should experience! During the lon...07 October, 2015
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What better way to experience Sweden's capital than standing on top of Stockholm...22 June, 2015
Experience the ultimate Swedish luxury at Hotel Nobis*****, located in the heart of the c...22 June, 2015


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After our morning with Mama Margaret, we packed up our bags and headed out of Nairobi on a long journey to the Masai Mara. The drive would take about six hours in total, and we had two planned stops along the way to shop for souvenirs and enjoy the scenery. The first stop we made was about two hours in to our drive. We pulled over at a lookout spot above the Rift Valley and got out of our vans to check out the hut with homemade Kenyan goods. The men and women who made the products were happy to have us there and excitedly led us around their store hoping for us to make purchases. Lucky for us, our guide David warned us to barter with them and not pay too much for what we were getting. Almost an hour later, we left with plenty of native Kenyan goods to take home... Including a drum for Sally, hand-carved wood statue for Catt, a variety of colored bracelets, magnets, necklaces, and many other beautifully crafted pieces.
Next up, we drove down through the Rift Valley for another two hours and stopped for lunch at another shop area. This time, knowing more what to expect for bartering and shopping, we made some smarter choices and left with fewer purchases than the first time. After another two hours, one rain storm, and a bumpy road, we finally pulled up to the gates of the Mara where our guide David jumped out to check us in. Almost immediately the van we were in was swarmed by Masai women who were desperately trying to get us to buy their goods so they could support their families and children. We were all a little taken aback by the persistence of these women and how forward they were being. Ten minutes later, David jumped back in to the van and exclaimed "I told you they would mob the van if you engaged with them!" Of course he was right, but we had to find out on our own!
Later that night we were scheduled for an evening game chase of all the animals, but with the rain we decided to call it a night and rest up for the next morning. Dinner and a traditional dance from the Masai warriors closed our our night, and we were headed to bed to be refreshed for our morning safari ride.
6:30am came quick the next morning and we were up, eating, and headed back on to the van for a morning of finding the Masai Mara's most famed animals. First up was a cheetah: David had been driving us around on a mission to see the gorgeous feline and when we caught sight of it about eight other vans pulled in too, studying it's every move as it looked out on some gazelle deciding whether to pounce after them or not. After the cheetah, we got an amazing view of a giraffe, warthogs, wildebeest, zebra, and were in pursuit of hippos and elephants. We pulled up to a river a ways away from where we initially started our journey and looked over the bank to see about fifteen hippos. On top of that, there was a baby hippo feeding from its mom, and more zebras waiting to cross the river.
At this point we started to head back to the reserve where we were staying, and still hadn't seen any elephants. Tired from the long day, we pulled around the corner and suddenly saw five elephants giving themselves a mud bath. No one was expecting to see them and it made for the perfect way to end our first day on the reserve. Tomorrow we would be heading to omalaika to meet some teenage girls and give out the donations we had brought for them.
As the Kenyans say, "asante sana" for following us on this journey and letting us recap our days for you! Many more details to come. Tweet us at @womenlikeusfou if you have any questions you'd like answered! You might just see them here!


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Primera Liga round-up
Villarreal suffered relegation as Rayo Vallecano and Real Zaragoza clinched wins and Malaga held on to the final Champions League spot.
Last Updated: 13/05/12 9:32pm
Villarreal suffered a shock relegation from La Liga as Rayo Vallecano and Real Zaragoza clinched final day wins and Malaga held on to the final UEFA Champions League spot.
Champions Real Madrid reached a century of points for the season as Levante leapfrogged Real Mallorca to join Atletico Madrid in the Europa League next term.
From playing in the Champions League group phase earlier this season, Villarreal will spend next term in the second tier after a 1-0 home defeat by Atletico.
Radamel Falcao scored the only goal of the game with two minutes left at El Madrigal as Atletico followed up their midweek Europa League final success by claiming fifth spot in the table.
Real Zaragoza had started the day in the last relegation spot, but clambered to safety courtesy of a 2-0 success at eight-man Getafe.
Pablo Sarabia was sent off for Getafe on 26 minutes for a second bookable offence and Zaragoza took the lead on 58 minutes through Apono's penalty after Miguel Torres had been dismissed.
Zaragoza substitute Tomislav Dujmovic was then shown a red card and Getafe's Miku was sent off with three minutes to go before former Tottenham striker Helder Postiga scored the visitors' second in stoppage-time.
Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, were indebted to an injury-time goal from Raul Tamudo to nick a 1-0 home win over Granada which salvaged survival.
At the top end of the table, title winners Real Madrid rounded off a memorable campaign by hitting 100 points after a 4-1 home thrashing of Real Mallorca.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema scored first-half goals before Germany international Mesut Ozil added a third four minutes after half-time.
Gonzalo Castro pulled a goal back three minutes later, but Ozil's second of the night just before the hour mark put the seal on a 32nd win from 38 games.
Ambitious Malaga held on to fourth position after Salomon Rondon's second-half goal earned a 1-0 home triumph over relegated Sporting Gijon.
Rondon had struck the post in the first half before finding the target on 49 minutes, while Malaga had Isco sent off late on.
Sevilla were forced to settle for a mid-table finish after letting the lead slip in a 1-1 draw away to Espanyol.
Alvaro Negredo had given Sevilla the lead deep into first-half stoppage-time, but Philippe Coutinho scored a 77th minute equaliser for the hosts.
Bottom club Racing Santander bowed out of the top flight by losing 4-2 at home to Osasuna in an eventful encounter.
Christian Stuani had given Santander a second minute lead, which they held until nine minutes after half-time when Ibrahima Balde equalised.
Alvaro Cejudo, who had struck the post in the first half, put Osasuna in front on 67 minutes and Raul Garcia increased the lead four minutes later after his penalty had been saved.
Jairo Samperio reduced the deficit with nine minutes to go, but Osasuna had the final say when Roversio scored in the last minute.
Levante leapfrogged Mallorca into sixth spot after Abdelkhader Ghezzal scored twice in a 3-0 home win over Europa League runners-up Athletic Bilbao.
Ghezzal scored at the end of the first half and midway through the second period before substitute Javier Farinos converted an 88th minute penalty.