Elinor Ostrom

The first woman to win the Nobel Prize - CNN Article

Elinor Ostrom's research on how humans interact with ecosystems, unpacking the concept of the "commons," seems to prove that local communities managing resources from the inside seems to work more efficiently than when an outside authority tries to manage resources for the community. 

I can think of so many examples of the truth to this statement - anyone who is living, working, interacting, engaging with one's own community will not only have knowledge, but experience, of how things will work to serve one's own community.  Someone outside of that dynamic will NOT.  Thus, (logical conclusion) the people who are living, working, struggling, rejoicing, in that community are the most well-informed decisionmakers about that particular community. 

Particular relevance: Her work in western Nepal looking at conflict and resource management. 

Resources:
Governing the Commons (book)
Rules, Games, and common-pool resources (book)
Polycentric Games and Institutions: Chapter 16

There's much more, but I need some online research training.  (I just don't get these online databases, yet.  Back in my day.....        we went to the card catologue.  I don't feel that old :/)

Grammar

Did I miss something, or do students not learn anymore that there needs to be a comma after a preposition that introduces a statement.

I.E.

During the day I walked up and down the hillside looking for four-leaf clovers.

The correction should be:

During the day, I walked up and down the hillside looking for four-leaf clovers.

Right? or Wrong? 

and according to what rules?

It's ISP Draft Reading Time!

One of my students writes in their introduction,

"Education is a vehicle for development. It is very important to understand the value of education because educating the future generation can help solve the problems the public faces today."

agreed in one sense - this sentence made me think that understanding complex human and environmental dynamics in this day and age, and then "teaching" what we think about that is important for creating a context for future generations to take the reigns.

I see my role, or any teachers' role, in a new light - or the same light as always.  Now just able to articulate.  Contextualize contextualize contextualize.  Learning cycle, right?  what, so what, now what.  a teacher's job is present lots of whats from lots of perspectives.  next piece is to faciltate activity, conversation, process around figuring out the so whats.  and finally, once the students have some new ideas about the so whats the unit ends with the now what discussion.  okay. good.

this student's following sentence is:

"The way the people are educated and reasons they attend certain schools must be understood in order to understand how to develop Nepal." 

The Yam between Two Boulders

Good article from Republica about how Nepal needs to be careful moving forward politically.

Unskillfully playing both sides with two giants, Nepal is.  Internal turmoil, and grandiose ideas about trust and relations with the giants will do Nepal, and her Maoists, no good.

Thoughts about Travel

50 Quotes about travel.

Sometimes these are good - sometimes they make me think of who gets to travel, and how much of a luxury travel is, and how the people who are quoted saying these things are thinking about expanding their homogeneous surroundings because they live in a culture that has been homogenized so they have to go out and seek Exotic things in order to make themselves feel special, just like everyone else.

Of course, me included.  I like saying, in response to where do you life, "I live in Nepal." It makes me feel special.  and then I get to pay attention to that.

Wondering how to use this for teaching...

How to Win an Argument

When comparing yourself with others, do you usually find that you compare favorably or unfavorably? If you compare favorably, do you feel proud? If you compare unfavorably, do you feel devastated? Either of these reactions will keep you from seeing things as they are. If you are feeling competitive, the real question is, Who is it who compares? Don’t repress this feeling or tell yourself how bad it is, but study it as a foolish trait for which you have some affection.

Master Dogen, the thirteenth-century founder of Soto Zen in Japan, was asked by a student, “What should you do if you find yourself in an argument? Should you try to win the argument or should you concede, even though you feel you’re right?” Dogen advised neither path. Become disinterested, he told the student, and the argument will lose its energy. The same advice can be applied to feelings of competitiveness in practice: Let go of your attachment to appearances of one who wins or has “got it right.”

-Dairyu Michael Wenger, "Competing with the Incomparable," Tricycle, Winter 2004

Jesus's lost years

jesus in kashmir - bbc documentary






And I'm still curious - There's another series that seems interesting... less about Kashmir, more about the story pieces that aren't told by the bible (youtube: The Hidden Story of Jesus - in 11 parts). 

I spoke with a friend of mine today who knows a lot about Kashmir.  She correctly pointed out that Hemis Monastery, which is cited in these videos, was not even built yet during the time period of Jesus's life.  "Saint Issa" could not have visited Hemis, even if there was a Saint Issa.  Buddhism was in its hayday in North India at this time, awaiting the

The Silk Road certainly had an impact on the spread of Buddhism.  How and when exactly remains illusive.