This is fun. :) We need more positive visions for our future! The theme of the contest: "A Peaceful Future". Click on this link to see all of the winners in various age groups and regions.
Last year, we asked young artists across the US to create a doodle about what they see for the future. Congratulations to Sarah Harrison from Connecticut in the 10th-12th grade group on being named the National Finalist of the 2016-17 Doodle 4 Google Contest for her doodle "A Peaceful Future". Google is honored to award Sarah with a $30K college scholarship and a $50K technology award for her school, as well as sharing her doodle on the Google homepage for the world to see. A Bright FutureThe winning artists from this year’s contest shared powerful visions for the world of tomorrow with artwork that advocated for a cleaner environment, worldwide equality, advancing technology, and more. The next generation showed us a bright and hopeful future. It's true that presidential inaugurations happen every four years. What is less often true is that actions following that event rarely take the form demonstrated globally on January 21, 2017. Therefore, historically speaking, these are worth noting. Also of interest is the work of "crowd science" and the people who calculate and estimate how many people show up at any given place and time. If I was Greek, I might think this was a foreboding omen...
"Giant Sequoia 'Tunnel Tree' in California is Toppled by Storm" As we wrap up 2016, I have reflected on the items posted to this blog so far this year. Since starting this blog feature in February of 2014, almost three years ago, I have tried to note items of interest related to our curriculum and our culture. I am hoping that in the coming months we can add more items to this list, and that you, the students, will find ways to contribute as well. Send me links to news and stories that interest you, and I will do my best to post them here.
Today's post is one connected to the television shows that we like by geographical location. Since I love maps, I am always interested in looking at data in this way. I think there are interesting implications to be explored here.Comment here with your own observations and thoughts on this topic. ‘Duck Dynasty’ vs. ‘Modern Family’: 50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide John Glenn was an icon of my childhood, and of a nation eager to launch itself into the Space Age. His passing today, not very long after President Obama promised that we will send Americans to Mars in the relatively near future, is a poignant reminder of how much we owe to these early space pioneers. Who are your favorite heroes, and why? photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, copyright free images
The past several weeks have supplied no shortage of material that I might consider posting here. As several of my students pointed out last week, as they composed their collaborative letters to Petaluma's residents of 2066, we have much to think and worry about. Bryan Woolley, our inspiration for the task, who wrote his letter in 1979 to the future residents of 2029, felt much the same it seems. The writer of another letter, outgoing President George H. W. Bush (father to the second one), left this for incoming President Bill Clinton in January of 1993. It shows that civil discourse and behavior, and even kindness and decency, can exist between rivals.
http://twistedsifter.com/2016/06/george-hw-bush-letter-to-bill-clinton/
In yesterday's freshmen classes, we listened to Dr. Maya read "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Clinton's inauguration ceremony. Always a favorite moment of mine to share with students. Here she delivers an important message from which we can all benefit. Be the rainbow in someone's cloud today.
Jay Shetty, self-proclaimed motivational philosopher, made this video, in which he says, (see the text)...
He leaves us with some ideas to contemplate and consider. How to View Five Planets Aligning in a Celestial Spectacle
This is from the New York Times, dated January 19, but I just discovered it. I am always fascinated with the night, and in this case, the early morning sky. If you are up this early over the next few weeks, see a sight that hasn't been possible for over a decade! Of course, you will have to wait for a clear morning! |
O'Connor.BlogA place to browse, read, think, and, I hope, respond. Thoughtful comments that bring something to the conversation may earn up to 5 extra credit points. A solid paragraph, with no spelling nor grammar errors will earn the most points. Points may be earned every two weeks. For credit, you may also send me links to news and stories that interest you, and I will review them for possible posting here. Archives
August 2019
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