The Leonard Lopate Show: Kashmir - WNYC
Two Women with different ties to Kashmir make a film about identity and conflict in the region.
Their film aired on May 18th.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Ex King Speaks
Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Nepal's most recent king, finally spoke out about his being ousted two years ago. The articles focus on the king living as an ordinary tax-paying citizen. Gyanendra drops hints that he was betrayed by the political parties jockeying for power. This betrayal ended his reign, also ending the 239-year Hindu monarchy rule of Nepal.
Here's a Reuters article
Here's Sudeshna Sarkar's take from the blogosphere.
Looks like Facebook is a way the ex-king passes his time, in addition to walking his dog.
Image from rednepal.com
Here's a Reuters article
Here's Sudeshna Sarkar's take from the blogosphere.
Looks like Facebook is a way the ex-king passes his time, in addition to walking his dog.
Image from rednepal.com
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Record Year for Everest Summits
It's the time of year for Everest summits - this month (and April, sometimes) is the best time for teams to try for a summit. If teams go earlier, the weather is too cold and unpredictable. The snow is too thick to cross the crevasses in the winter. If they go later, the monsoon is an issue creating mudslides and more unpredictable weather.
Times of India article talks about this seasons's summiters in this article. This year, a 13-year-old from the US broke the youngest person record.
"However, while climbers continued to try to overcome human limitations on Mt Everest and make the impossible happen, in Nepal, the gateway to the magic mountain, its wizardry failed to make any impact on the greedy politicians who continued to push the country on the brink of disaster."- TOI
The article concludes with this and another paragraph addressing the political situation in Nepal these days. It's not a pretty picture.
Times of India article talks about this seasons's summiters in this article. This year, a 13-year-old from the US broke the youngest person record.
"However, while climbers continued to try to overcome human limitations on Mt Everest and make the impossible happen, in Nepal, the gateway to the magic mountain, its wizardry failed to make any impact on the greedy politicians who continued to push the country on the brink of disaster."- TOI
The article concludes with this and another paragraph addressing the political situation in Nepal these days. It's not a pretty picture.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Buddhist-Muslim Relations in Ladakh
(click the title for the articles)
Something I have always been intrigued by, yet is so difficult to talk with anyone about. Many deny there is any conflict. .
What EXACTLY did the Buddha say?
The world may never know. But many scholars thinks he or she know.
Here's an article from an organization that I am not yet familiar with briefly explaining how teachings became text - three months after the Buddha passed away, a First Council happened deciding what should be preserved from his teaching. The same source talks about how, even though Sanskrit was the language of the educated and priestly caste, Pali is the language of the region at the time when the Buddha lived, his native tongue is said to be closer to a village language called Magadha.
The Pali Cannon is the first collection of the Buddha's teachings, the result of the First Council.
Here's an article from an organization that I am not yet familiar with briefly explaining how teachings became text - three months after the Buddha passed away, a First Council happened deciding what should be preserved from his teaching. The same source talks about how, even though Sanskrit was the language of the educated and priestly caste, Pali is the language of the region at the time when the Buddha lived, his native tongue is said to be closer to a village language called Magadha.
The Pali Cannon is the first collection of the Buddha's teachings, the result of the First Council.
Grade Inflation Trends in US American Colleges and Universities
I find this fascinating as we just submitted grades for this semester and are bracing ourselves for grade appeals even though the grades were more than fair this semester.
This guy from this site has been tracking trends since the 1920s in private and public institutions. Gives an example of what a grade actually means these days.
I have seen this in many places my last 5 years of teaching - teachers and administrators nervous about angry parents, grade appeals, and getting fired based on the option to grade honestly. Many senior teachers I have worked with put together rubrics at the beginning of the year/semester and try their best to communicate those expectations to their students. Only one teacher in 5 years that I have worked with has truly stuck to their rubric and skillfully helped the students take responsibility for their work, whether it was A work or C work.
The inherent subjectivity in grading is undeniable. But, if a good teacher is able to create rubrics and hold students accountable, then it does add some piece of objectivity to the mess. And anyway, if they are hiring you to give the grades, then someone trusts that you will know what is good and what is awful, right? Isn't that why we've all spent so much time in school?
This guy from this site has been tracking trends since the 1920s in private and public institutions. Gives an example of what a grade actually means these days.
I have seen this in many places my last 5 years of teaching - teachers and administrators nervous about angry parents, grade appeals, and getting fired based on the option to grade honestly. Many senior teachers I have worked with put together rubrics at the beginning of the year/semester and try their best to communicate those expectations to their students. Only one teacher in 5 years that I have worked with has truly stuck to their rubric and skillfully helped the students take responsibility for their work, whether it was A work or C work.
The inherent subjectivity in grading is undeniable. But, if a good teacher is able to create rubrics and hold students accountable, then it does add some piece of objectivity to the mess. And anyway, if they are hiring you to give the grades, then someone trusts that you will know what is good and what is awful, right? Isn't that why we've all spent so much time in school?
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