Affirmative Quotes and Evidence for O...

Affirmative Quotes and Evidence for Outsourcing

 

Bloomburg Businessweek (January 2008)

Microsoft (MSFT) is known for the high quality of its hires. Senior Vice-President and Chief Technical Officer David Vaskevitch says it is all about hiring the best and brightest—age and nationality are not important. 
 

Business Week (January 2005)

However, like most other corporations, tech outfits -- both large and small -- are operating on a global basis. In order to tap the best talent and the most promising markets, they're moving many activities overseas. This is why growth rates for tech services companies based in places like India are so much greater than for their U.S counterparts. 

 

GIFTED KIDS

Effects of Dumbed Down Curriculum on Gifted Kids

Wednesday November 12, 2008

Over the years, concerns over the the "dumbing down" of school curricula has grown stronger and stronger. One of the concerns parents of gifted children have about the lowering of academic standards is that it puts their children at even greater risk for underachievement. Gifted kids are usually ready for more advanced work than are their age mates, so if the curriculum is watered down, then the gifted kids will be even less challenged than they would have been before the the watering down of the curriculum.

Unfortunately, the problem runs even deeper than that. When the curriculum is watered down, the gifted kids may indeed become less motivated, but at the same time children who would have been doing good, but not exceptional work are able to excel. This result can have an effect on gifted programming. Because more children can excel in a watered down environment, more children could be eligible for a school's gifted program, which is often based in large part on student achievement.

Those children, although not gifted, certainly require more than the watered down curriculum has to offer. However, they would not benefit from a gifted program designed for gifted kids. That is, they would have a hard time with with the fast-paced instruction gifted kids need. What we see happening now is a watering down of the gifted curriculum. I suspect that the watering down is done to accommodate those kids who are exceling in the regular classroom and need something more, but who are not gifted. Consequently, gifted kids can once again be in a program that does not meet their academic needs.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the needs of all children could be met -- without gifted kids being pushed aside?  

The gondolas are indeed everywhere. And clearly being a gondolier is one of the last places women have not yet penetrated. Apparently the men guard this privilege quite intensely, the few licenses here are inherited (I think through the widows, but it's not really clear).

One day women, one day.

For now, it's nice to watch the burly men in black and white pushing people through the canals of Venice . . . .

Venice, yeah that's right, Venice

Who knew??? This place of 20,000 tourists a day, gondolas, impossible streets (how we found our hotel I'll never know, but it involved roaming and just sort of sensing the turns to a little courtyard with a little, almost impossible to read sign), the Grand Canal, and the most amazing Palace. 47 styles and colors and religions and types of marble and art just sort of slopped together and somehow it all works.

All of you, if you are reading this, must drop everything and come to Venice right now. What else is there to do????

Quan and Sarah in Firenze

Having a great time on the Ponte Vecchio!! (This is V's son Quan and Quan's girlfriend Sarah, who popped down to Florence from London for a few days to hit the museums with us).

Toilets, again

I do like checking out different bathrooms around the world. My first bathroom in Torino (Turin) was a squatter. Took me a minute to figure it out, not that it's so complicated but my mind was refusing to register.

Also, I love the two options for water usage. Little buttons for just pee, bigger buttons (sometimes with very graphic icons) for, you know . . .

The Uffizi with Quan and Sarah

We've spent hundreds of dollars on museums and amazing meals with Sarah and Quan (Aviathar's son and his girlfriend who flew in from London).

Today, I saw The Birth of Venus by Botticelli (in the Uffizi) and Night and Day statues by Michelangelo (in the Medici chapel) and a few da Vinci's. The Michelangelo statue here is of "Day" and shows a man with an unfinished face (pictured here). Unfinished because the day is unfinished . . . Fiorentini (I think that's how you spell it) has so many beautiful paintings as well. Yesterday we walked through the Boboli gardens outside the Palazio and saw an amazing recreation of a Pompeii house. They collected rain and used the power from the collected rain to create beautiful fountains. Amazing and so long ago. Here we are now just learning how to do this again.

And each home had its own garden with food, herbs and medicines. Once again, a sign that we should move in this direction in our homes. Not just a few in the countryside but right in towns across America.

There is much hope here in Italy that Obama will be elected. They are following the American election very closely here. It is the talk in many places and makes front page news everyday. Here in Italy they are convinced that he will win. What is the feeling there?? The world is watching us!!!!

Cinque Terra

No words to describe Cinque Terra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many of the delegates from the Slow Food nation are here bathing in the beauty. We are traveling with winemakers from Napa (the Wilson's) and a marine biologist working with shellfish in Martha's Vineyard.

Sacra di San Michele

Hello anyone who's reading!  Yesterday we had a break from the workshops and different groups took off throughout the region of Piemonte.  I traveled with a student from Sonomo State, Jewel, to the Sacra di San Michele, pictured above.  This monastery was built in 966 (but nobody knows for sure).  When we got off the train and looked up, our hearts stopped.  The top picture is the view from the train.  The guidebook said it was an hour and a half walk!  Yeah right.  It's a 2 hour walk from the train to the other side of that mountain before you even start the straight up the hill you've got to be kidding hike.  'Cause I'm in that great of shape.

But I huffed and I puffed.  And I hiked up to that monastery.

In the Italian alps thank you very much.

I have many more things to say, but I am being kicked off the computer.  So, for now, ciao.

Lots of love.

Teresa

Carlo Petrini, President of the Slow Food Nation

So, so many things he said. I was so inspired I kept forgetting to write it down!

We have learned that multilateralism doesn not work. There are 1 billion malnourished people on the earth. 1 out of 6 humans. This is an epoch-making defeat. Why? The rich, wealthy countries did not keep up with their promises.

It would have required another 30 billions dollars.

Of course, the international bank bailout has totaled over 2,000 billion dollars, which we quickly put together.

WE MUST BE OUTRAGED BY THIS. AND PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE OUTRAGED BY THIS.

When the price of rice and wheat doubled, it was hard for many. In Italy, 15% of people's income goes to food. It meant cutting back on other things, luxury items, vacations, new houses. In most of the world though, 50 to 80% of income goes to food. When the price doubles, it means PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD TO EAT.

The time of this shameful, fictional financial system is over. He believes that the market economy can be rejuvenated through giving value on a rural economy and the focus on small-scale production.

Quality, organic food is not a luxury, it is a right for all humans. When you hear somebody say that we should tap the markets of the rich with organic foods, KICK HIM OUT. We produce organic food for all.

He talked about the old farmers started to die off and the need to film them. He urged Slow Food to get out the cameras and go around filming and recording the wisdom of the elders. Especially the indigenous populations who know how to farm with diversity, who knew how to cook and eat with seasonal menus, reduce emissions and provide healthy, nutritious foods.

He talked about pushing towards not refrigerating everything and bringing back full pantries. And eliminating waste.

The third industrial revolution is coming. The first was the steam engine. The second was electricity and fossil fuels. The third is with clean, sustainable energy.

He reminded us that human activity is based on photosynthesis.

The greatest wealth on Earth is our diversity. It is the guarantee that we will evolve. If everyone were the same, there would be no identity.

And he expressed hope that Americans will give the world NEW HOPE ON NOVEMBER 4. That the dream for the world could come true. The world is watching as we cast our ballots.

And he ended with the words of Red Cloud:

We are poor because we are honest. Raise our children to be honest. There is not money in the afterlife. We want only peace and love.

Keynote Speakers

Some highlights:

Paolo De Croce, Secretary General of the Terra Madre Foundation

Terra Madre is an opportunity for the exchange of our global knowledge of food. Started with Carlo Petrinni, the President of Slow Food and his question: What would happen if the peasants of the world came together?

Came together to support what farmers have always known, that we must support balance, biodiversity and sustainable practices. We must work for small-scale, local enonomies, social welfare and social justice. We must vocally oppose intensive, monoculture in agriculture, the abandonment of traditional cultural knowledge and the standardizing of tastes. We are the ambassadors, and we must speak up.

What about farmers and fishing communities from one country inviting farmers from other countries to come to our farms and exchange knowledge?

And we must support school gardens! To date, there are 185 in the world (Go Lincoln!!)

And he reminded us that we are not alone in the struggle against the standardization of our food and our desire to create a biologically diverse world!!

Sergio Chiamparino, Mayor of Torino
We are rediscovering our ancetral bond with the earth. We are all farmers. We all come from the Earth.

He reminded us that people must have freedom and economies based on real goods, not fictional numbers.

He made a commitment to bring local foods to the school children of Torino. (So, is it time already for Mount Vernon????)

Mercedes Bresso, President of the Piedmont Regional Authority
Proud that Piedmont (a region in Italy) is GMO free.

Discussed the Europeans nations voting to be GMO free. Encouraged the rest of the world to catch up.

Talked about the fact that farmers know how to use the energy of the sun, have been doing it since the first farmer planted a seed.

Alice Waters, Vice-President of Slow Food
Talked about how Gavin Newsom, the Mayor of San Francisco, planted one acre in front of City Hall in fruit and vegetables and how the food goes into local food banks.

Prince Charles, His Royal Highness, Prince of Wales
He talked of his support for Terra Madre and the need for organizations such as ours to address the issues of global climate change and the creation of sustainable food.

Luca Zaia, Minister of Agriculutre, Food and Forestry

He discussed the impact of transporting food and energy consumption.

He pushed Farmer's Markets and any systems we can support where people can meet the farmers.

Carlos Lopez, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

We must find long-term solutions to the worldàs food crises.

We need small-scale farming, access to markets.

We must find ways of attracting young people to farming.

Vandana Shiva, Vice-President
(Wow, don't know how else to comment of this brilliant woman. But wow.)

There are three crises in the world today.

1. The financial crisis. The fiction of today's finances based not on real, actual goods. The truth of Ghandi's statement: We have enough for everyoneàs needs, but not for some people's greed. We must get out of the economy of debt into the economy of rejuvenation.
2. The food crisis. We can do better than allowing Mansanto and Cargill to destroy and control the world's food supply. We can give fair prices to all. We must switch from the idea of everything as a commodity. No, every seed, every human is NOT a commodity, but has intrinsic value, separate from corporate greed.
3. The climate change crisis. We must oppose Cargill and their pushing of chemical fertilizers. 35% of climate change due to the use of chemical fertilizers creating dead soil, dead zones in our oceans and dead air. We can do better than this. GMO's are a big lie. She discussed how she was raised a scientist and is addicted to the truth. That Mansanto's lies are a big piracy, a vile piracy. And she praised Europe for its stand of being GMO free.

Tewolde Berhan Gebe Egziabhu, Environmental Protection Agency, Ethiopa

He welcomed us as "The children of mothers". He said "I come from Africa. All of you also come from Africa. I bring you a message from your original mother, Africa."

He talked about while there is great hunger in Africa there is also great change. He talked about the devastation of years and years of colonization and the destruction of Africa leaving it the least populated continent on the Earth.

He believes that with a few seasons, Africa can recover.

He discussed the issue of biofuel, which is taking over agriculture throughout Africa. Why do we need biofuel? To power our system of agriculture. Why do we need agriculture? To create biofuel. Even an idiot can see this vicious circle is not sustainable.

He ended with: I wish you all a good afternoon and I wish the biospere perpetual health.

(anybody, still reading??? I hope so . . . )

Humberto Oliveira, Secretary of one of the Territories in Brazil

Long Live Terra Madre! Long Live the People of the Earth!

He talked about the fact that in 2007 the urban population of the earth exceeded that of the rural for the first time in human history. He talked about the consequences of the urbanization of the earth and the concentration of political power and the impact on the rural world.

We want another life or the future. We want to opposite of industrialization, dumping chemicals onto the land and the continuation of poverty. No. We want future generations to have sustainable energy, healthy food.

Sam Levin, High School Freshman, a public school in Massachusetts

He started "Project Sprout", a student-run organic school garden that brings food into the schools. He said that before kids grew their own salads the kitchen received 4 to 6 orders each day for salad. On the first day of Project Sprout's food entering the cafeteria, they ordered 70 salads. And the numbers continue to grow.

"I am here to let you know this: We got it. My generation is going to be the generation that reunites humans with the earth."

And here the nations of Slow Food, 7, 142 farmers, University professors, chefs, students and one teacher from Lincoln Elementary, stood up and applauded.

Terra Madre Opening Ceremonies

6000 farmers, educators, chefs, youth and musicians from 153 countries sitting in Torino. Palpable hope fills the room as drums from each of the four directions begins. Dancers from Mamojado, a place I've never heard of, come out in masks, feathers and maybe 50 cowbell-like bells attached to their back enter.

Then the flag procession. The ultimate equalizer of nations. One nation, one flag. Alphabetically. Iraq marching in right next to Iran. The delegation of Mali sitting near me. They stand as their flag passes by. Huge applause for Mexico. Separate flags for the United Peoples of America and the United States of America. And finally, Zimbabwe.

The Nations of Terra Madre.

The third gathering of food communities begins.

Images of Torino (from Google)

Terra Madre in Torino, Italy

We're preparing for Terra Madre. And just what is Terra Madre, you ask??
Terra Madre is an international network of over 7,000 food producers, cooks, and university educators from 150 countries, including over 800 delegates from the U.S. united by a common goal of global sustainability in food. Across cultures and climates, the "food communities" of Terra Madre come together to share innovative solutions and time-honored traditions for keeping small-scale agriculture and sustainable food production alive and well. The next edition of Terra Madre will be October 23-27, 2008.
'Terra Madre is...a moment in which everyone is on equal terms, a moment of coalition among diverse realms. Not just in the realm of knowledge, but also the realm of communities, which have to learn to govern themselves to be sovereign. ' - Carlo Petrini




Tonight was the Slow Food Skagit Convivium's (I know, I know, but I do so like the Latin) fundraiser at Adrift in Anacortes. Attended by over 50 people, it was a rousing success. Excellent food, excellent wine and wonderful conversations. Lots more to come!

Amsterdam and Coming Home

Have so little time in this town of over 1200 bridges and oddly shaped buildings and bicycles and tolerance and coffee and pancakes and . . . You know the scene in Disney's 101 Dalmations? The opening scene with the impossibly skinny crooked little buildings and a light showing a piano playing in an open window on a top floor? Exactly.

Sat in front of Rembrandt's Marriage of a Jewish Bride (though the Jewish Museum here has a display that seems to seriously doubt the claims that Rembrandt was so tight with the Jewish community and to doubt whether this is actually a Jewish Bride, but that's another museum) . . . anyway, sat in front of this piece for 45 minutes. It is alive.

And then, hello, this piece. My favorite Van Gogh painting. And two other floors of Van Gogh. I mean . . . really.
Then went to Ann Frank's house. On a beautiful street in a beautiful town. So hard to believe that human beings were such a good idea in evolution . . .

This is the bookcase that hid one of the secret passages up to the two floors the 8 lived in for those two years . . . Saw one of the actual diaries . . . A quote there that I can't remember fully but that basically talked about the fact that millions of people know and have felt the pain of the Frank family, the pain of one little girl that died in Bergen-Belsen just weeks before the end of the war while so many go unremembered. He comments that perhaps that is because it is simply not possible for a human body to contain the pain suffered by so many . . .

So many more things to see in Amsterdam . . . Will definitely be back.

See you all tomorrow. Especially you Sergei, right?? At about 3??? Our plane is scheduled to arrive 2 ish . . . We'll call with more details . . .

Alhambra (out of order)

Below, these are glass skylights built into the roof. Advanced for the year 800. And above, this is the Alhambra at night, visible above our apartment (which is where we´re standing).




Some shots of the Alhambra. A few notes: The Islamic Moors built their palaces on the ruins of the Romans old town. They ruled for Granada for over 700 years. Then Charles the V (or Carlos the I as the Spanish call him) kicked them out and built a palace on top of theirs, only he thought their work was so beautiful that he left much of it there. So it is one of the few places in Europe to see a standing palace or mosque from the time of the Moorish rule (700 to 1492). That´s right, 1492. Anyway, you´ll notice no human images in Islam (not allowing it religiously) and amazing water structures. Ooohhh, la.

La.

Madrid

Well, can´t find a place that will read our camera so here are some shots from our trip to Madrid. The first is a picture of the Plaza Cibeles on Buena Noche in Madrid. Over 50,000 people showed up and watched this hour long amazing light and choir and fireworks and video and who knows . . . There were people rapelling down this old cathedral while fires lit the entire thing from inside with choirs singing and fireworks going off and Aviathar and I sitting there open-ñmouthed . . . V says it wasn´t a cathedral. True, since each city only has one cathedral and we were there last night . . . Maybe a palace. Anyway, Madrid is full of reminders of Franco´s rule. Signs showing where he murdered this many political prisoners and shot thousands of liberal teachers and . . . Cannot believe he is only dead 30 years. What a world.

Madrileños love the fiesta and people everywhere were wearing mardi gras like wigs and blowing horns and buying dulces and celebrating loudly. The second picture is in Plaza Mayor and shows some of the wigs people were wearing around town. V and I bought a set.

Final two shots are my favorite paintings from the Prado. Rubens ¨The Three Graces¨and Poussin´s ¨Parnassus¨which doesn´t look like much here but in person is so unbelievable . . . The Prado deserves it´s reputation, the Roman statues, the Titian, the many rooms dedicated to Velasquez (including his massive and most famous painting ¨Las Meninas¨ (pictured here, but the painting is massive). It´s Velasquez painting himself painting the King and Queen (seen in the reflection in the mirror) . . . Well, trust me . . .

We are back in Barcelona for a few days then off to Amsterdam.

Merry Christmas to our families, we miss you all!!!

Teresa and Aviathar

Sacromonte (Caves in Granada)

These are photos of Sacromonte (the Sacred Mountain) in Granada. Many people, throughout the centuries, including up to today, live in caves here. The first were possibly the Moors that were kicked out after Ferdinand and Isabel christianized Granada. Many Gypsies over the years. These are some of the homes (people still living in caves throughout Sacramonte). Legend has it that when the Moors returned to Morocco they left their slaves here. The slaves knew the Moors had buried their treasures somewhere and were digging for the gold when they decided the holes looked good enough to live in, so they did. Anyway, the top three pictures are inside some of the homes and the last one is a more modern, upscale cave with a nice entrance. But still leads to a cave home. Sacramonte is also the home of Flamenco, created by the Gypsies living here in the caves. We are on our way to see some Flamenco right now. It is only a 10 minute walk. (We´ll be taking a cab though, since the walk is straight up).

Teresa and Aviathar

Hamsters (for my class)

Just to answer the new questions:

Any new pickpockets, yet? Yes, my friend from school (she´s Dutch) told me how she lost her purse. She and some friends were around a very small table and she had her purse on the ground in front of her, between her feet. Anyway, what they do is hook purses with a cord and pull them out slowly without people noticing. That way you think everything is fine because no one comes close to your table. She lost everything!!! Any cheese factories over there? What is the cheese like? Jessica (she's been praying for you) Lots of good cheese here. They have cow, goat and sheep cheese, with factories everywhere. Taylor is wondering how the Spanish lessons are going. Ah yes, school. Well, the first week in Barcelona was wonderful. I learned so much and loved the style of teaching. This week, though, in Granada, is more like a bad high school language class. I was placed in a much higher level. My teacher introduced 6, count ém, six new ¨tiempos¨ with very complicated rules. If the subordinate clause is anterior to the first very and the first verb is in the compuesto, not simple, conditional tense then the second verb must be the pluscuaperfect (hubiera hecho) . . . Nightmare!!! Roland is wondering if the toilet flushes clockwise or counter clockwise? Good question about the toilets Roland. You have to go below the equator for water to flush in the other direction. But, the toilets are different here. They don´t have levers for flushing but buttons to push on the top in the middle and of course there are bidets. Nice . . . I need one . . . Do people eat French toast? Do they call it French toast? What about Swedish pancakes? This is Christmastime so there are sweets everywhere. Almonds are in everything. These special sweets made by some local nuns in San Gregorios plaza are especially delicious. And in Granada lots of kebabs and not as much jamon. Hurry home, Roland and Peter are annoying Jeffery. Are there gigantic spiders and flies? Are you turning into a giant cockroach? metamorphasis?Rebecca wonders how hot it is and if you are sunburnt. Jeffery, Roland and Peter are your karma you know. Actually, we haven´t seen many bugs at all here. It´s too cold. I am not yet a giant cockroach, but you never know.
Rebecca, it is very cold here ¨hace muchisimo frio¨so no sun burns.

Ta.

The Alhambra and the Cathedral

This is the second of two blogs we´re posting today. The pictures. The first is the Cathedral in Granada, sideways (sorry about that). The second is the street leading to our apartment and part of my morning walk on the way to school. The third is our favorite restaurant in Granada, the Casbah in the Albaicin. And the final is part of the Sultan´s garden next to the Alhambra (his get away from it all spot near the main palace) in the Generalife. The Moors built many such palaces in Europe during their rule (12th to 15th centuries around here), but most were torn down when the Catholics took over in 1492. The Alhambra still stands because Chuck the Fifth (Charles V) built his palace in and round the old Islamic palaces and chose not to tear most of it down. The Koran forbids images of any humans so the palace is decorated geometric tiles and many poems and other words from the Koran. It is phenomenally beautiful and detailed and linear (which I love). And their focus on beauty and science and art! Love it . . . At last, a respite from tortured saints and decapitated bodies . . .

Hey Lincoln! Have a great winter holiday. Check in with the blog from home if you want and I´ll see you all in January. Jeffery, Francesca, Molly and Cameron- I hope you four are ready to move. I am soooo excited about this play especially after my visit to Granada. Lucas, I was thinking about using the images and ideas from the Alhambra for our set. What do you think??? I bought a book with photos to show you when I get back. I think you´ll love it.

Cynthia and Mark, got an email from your friend in Barcelona! We emailed back and will hopefully hook up next week.

Lots of love to everyone!!!!

Teresa and Aviathar