youths overturning the elder structure in refugee camps

The NY Times ran a piece on how the younger generation of surviving males in the Darfur refugee and IDP camps are displacing the elders. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/world/africa/21darfur.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&ref=africa

Alan Burt, Cape Cod's greatest friend to the homeless, has this xmas wish for all

My 2008 A Christmas Wish for you

It is my wish this Christmas that each of you find the peace, joy and fulfillment you want, need and deserve. I cannot give or make this happen for you. Instead, it is my prayer to God that you find this for yourselves. Though it may seem too abstract, this gift I speak of: peace, joy and fulfillment is under the tree right now with your name on it. You need only open it and begin to enjoy it.

The world we live in seems to go against these Gifts from God. Rather than peace, the world places demands upon us making us tense and worried that we will lose our jobs, our homes, our sense of safety. Rather than joy, the pressures of the world make us feel afraid and alone. Rather than fulfillment, we are left feeling it’s a bitter struggle each day to make ends meet, to keep safe from harm. This pressure and threat of the world is overwhelming and seems to prevent us from enjoying God’s Gifts.

And yet, we know deep down inside that God’s Gifts are ours and cannot be denied us unless we fail to realize them, open them and utilize them. We know that the world and its ways are addictive and how each of us has succumbed to its hold upon us. And this hold of the world hinders our Spiritual Journey in so many ways.

Yet, God waits for us with Great Patience and Great Love. And God does leave us signs along the way that beacon us back to God. And the way to God is the way to peace, joy and fulfillment. The gift of Peace removes our anxieties and fears as we know with Spiritual Certainty that we are safe from harm, that we are where we are supposed to be and doing what we are supposed to be doing.

The gift of Joy comes from the peace we have with our lives once it is under the protection and purpose of God. Here, we are filled with joy and gratitude each day as we see everything that happens as an opportunity to show our faith, our gratitude to God. This joy is with us during the best of times and during the most challenging of times. Although we will have disappointments and regrets and will cry at times, the tears will be dried and our joy will return as we feel blessed and grateful for our lives, our existence as we know our time on Earth is but a passing moment in time, an opportunity for us to strengthen our faith in God through all of our experiences on Earth, the easy and the hard.

The Gift of Fulfillment comes from the peace and the joy we gather each day. In time, we realize that our purpose on earth is to find the peace, the serenity of being with God which brings us great joy and great gratitude for our lives. This peace and joy then leads us towards the purpose of loving and serving others which reaps us great fulfillment. These Gifts lead us to God, to ourselves and to others in Love. These gifts are our tools to fix our lives and to fix our world. When we apply them to our lives, we become more loving of ourselves and each other. When we apply them to the world, we help others to realize and actualize these gifts upon the Earth.

Love, Alan 2008

Milgram studies

Evil as a matter of obedience was amply demonstrated in Stanley Milgram's seminal studies of subjects who were willing to apply what they thought was electric shock to other people just because they were asked.
CNN did a story on the 20th anniversary of Milgram's death.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/19/milgram.experiment.obedience/index.html

Solving the rubic's cube

Inspired by my student K. Cook, I've gone and found the solution to the final level of the rubic's cube on the internet. It's pretty cool with diagrams that shift move by move when you click on them.
Here's the link: http://beust.com/rubik/

de Waal on Genocide's End in Darfur

http://www.ssrc.org/blogs/darfur/2008/11/03/how-genocides-end-4-darfur/

is an interesting analysis of the Darfur genocide, which, praise be, claims that the era of mass killings is well behind us.

Definitely worth a look.

ORQ prompts

I composed this in Word in a table and it didn't quite come out that way here in blog land

Category
Title
Prompt

Fiction
Toy Story
Describe the challenges faced by the independent inventor seeking to produce a successful toy. Use specific details from the text.
Reading comp

Non-Fiction
Black Boy
In paragraph 7, the author writes that he “had fled one insecurity and had embraced another.” Explain what the author discovers about Chicago that causes him to feel this way.
Close reading
Reading Comp

Fiction
Frankenstein
Describe the difference between the monster’s true character and the way he is perceived by others.
Characterization
Compare
Contrast

Non-Fiction
The Farewell
Explain why Washington’s decision to retire had such as impact on the United States.
Cause/effect
Analysis

Non-Fiction
Moving Big Stuff
The author uses non-technical language and explanations to describe the complex, technical process of moving a lighthouse. Identify at least three examples and explain how each one helps the reader understand the moving process.
Figurative Language

Poetry
Night Journey
Explain how the poem builds to its concluding line.
Analysis
Name and explain

Fiction
Pride and Prejudice
How do Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy differ from one another, both in the way they view others and in the way others view them?
Characterization
Compare
Contrast

Poetry
Barter
The word barter means to trade something in exchange for something else. Explain why “Barter” is an appropriate title for this poem.
Analysis
Name and Explain

Non-Fiction
The Hunger of Memory
How has the author’s attitude about reading changed since his youth? What do you think he would do differently now?
Tone
Compare
Contrast
Non-Fiction

Skunk Man
Describe how Professor Drago shows his affection for skunks.
Reading comp
Non-Fiction

Easy Job, Good Wages
How does the meaning of expression, “Easy Job, Good wages,” change for the author from the beginning of the story to the end?
Analysis
Name and Explain

Fiction
The Three Calabashes and Pandora
Explain the differences and similarities between “The Three Calabashes” and “Pandora.” Use evidence from both myths.
Myths
Compare
Contrast

Non-Fiction
Jack London/ The story of an Eyewitness
The author uses vivid language throughout his account to impress his readers with the horror of the aftermath of the earthquake. Choose two examples of vivid language and explain how each furthered the author’s response.
Figurative Language

Poetry/Interview
I Applied for the Board
Using information from both pieces, explain Baca’s attitude toward writing poems.
Tone
Reading comp

SAT critical reading help

http://satninja.com/sat-critical-reading/how-i-improved-my-critical-reading-score-by-150-points

This is an interesting post detailing specifics to look for on SAT questions in the critical reading passages.

It also can apply to the MCAS.

StandFast

This Friday our school will participate in StandFast.
The idea behind this fundraiser is to give up some luxury for one day, and share that saved money with the STAND as it works to protect civilians in the refugee camps of Darfur and Chad.

This year, STAND is also helping out people under seige in Eastern Burma and the Democratic Republic of Congo. My friend Sunish Oturkar explains this all very well at the following post:
http://seeyousunish.blogspot.com/

I encourage anyone to read what he has to say.