HOME is a beautiful documentary by Yanns Arthus-Bertrand. Narrated by Glen Close, the story of how life began and how humans changed the environment as civilisation progress is beautifully told.
Grabbed this from BBC Knowledge Evolution Special
The fossil has only a shell on the underside, supporting the theory that the shell is formed from the backbones and ribs.
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This is easily the best album of the year. After the Rhythms del Mundo Cuba featuring Buena Vista Social Club.
Now Rhythms del Mundo Classics is out featuring many great songs.
First song in the album: Hotel California. Alright.
The father of the Green Revolution, Norman Borlaug, died today at the age of 95.
He is instrumental in starting the Green Revolution with his high yield disease resistant dwarf wheat and possibly averted a worldwide famine in the late 20th Century. He won the Nobel Peace prize for agricultural innovation and the development of high-yield crops in 1970.
May he rest in peace.
News report on his death by BBC News.
Got it off Lekowala’s tweet and thought that some passages are worth thinking about. Especially for students.
Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
…at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
Raffles Girls’ School Wallace Environmental Learning Laboratory finally opens yesterday, 5 Sept together with the opening of the Wallace Education Center in the 63 hectare Diary Farm Nature Park.
This lab serves to provide field studies education for schools and is has the capability to house a class of 40 or more at each time. Courses in basic or advanced environmental studies such as soil studies, aquatic invertebrate studies, quadrat sampling, forest studies can be conducted there.
The environmental laboratory has a nice library with a good selection of natural history and environmental titles and also a good series of documentaries.
This laboratory was conceptualised last year August (could still vividly the stress and nervousness when we presented the concept to the sponsors) and took a year of painstaking preparation. Till Friday evening we were all still setting up for the official opening on 5 Sept.
Looking forward to having my classes there very soon. Still more work to be done but happy work.
Report on Opening of Dairy Farm Nature Park by National Parks Board, Singapore.
Landed right back into work after 2 weeks away and it felt as if all the days in Tekong did not happen. Right back where I left things and you need all your focus there.
Now on a 3 day course learning about Treffinger’s Levels of Service and Creative Problem Solving, conducted none other than Dr Treffinger himself. He is a very dynamic person and inspiring speaker full of energy and wisdom. Hope to be like him toward the end of my career.
Did not get the PTA, well seeing the 4 recipients, I got some ways to go before I am at their level.
On a lighter note – Snow Leopard finally cometh.
5th Year in teaching service. Still remember the first year in 2004, went Phuket in December and fortunately returned to begin my teaching career.
If I can sum up 5 years, it would have to be the continual learning, learning about myself, learning about the craft, learning about how to live in this little community that is sometimes so insular you might lose track of reality and practicality. I suppose schools are a good place to start building ivory towers for some. Which is why I love or insist on working with/ talking to people from other professions. And there again, you learn.
Of course I met alot of remarkable people thus far, they are my friends and mentors who guided me, either through sound advice or simply by showing how things can be done better. Of course there the students, those whom I had the priviledge of meeting, of sharing what I know, of discussing certain issues, or engaging in service learning together.
All I can say is it has been challenging and enriching. As my reply to an impromptu radio interview this afternoon. The DJ asked, “Why do you teach?” I replied,”This is the probably the job I know I can do well in.” At least for the next few years.
Next year will have very different challenges. Will have to start preparing for it soon.
After a 2 week stint amongst pioneer plants and shrub land it really feels strange to be back to work again. In fact I was getting this sense of detachment as I was taking the daily lorry ride to the training site during the last few days of training. This sense of you doing work in the background so that the rest of the civilised world can lead their daily lives. Not that I am doing something terribly important there, but the act of putting on the uniform and going for training does change one’s mind a little.
Glad that the weather was kind for the past few days but still got a nice tan for all the time out in the sun. Met alot of interesting people as well, a DJ, bankers, someone from Borneo Motors and a guy in the fertiliser business.
Some things of interest – Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is out! And otterman already has his hands on a copy.
I am going to order my copy soon. Will wait for next week when I am back in school.
Something noteworthy as well. The Department of Biological Sciences are celebrating their 60th Anniversary with a series of public lectures. Will be going for a few. Details below:
All lectures @ LT 31: 6.30pm – 8.00pm
Register at: http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/60anniversary/public_lectures.html
Tues, 18 August 2009
Prof. Paul Matsudaira – ‘Movement is Life’
Prof. Leo Tan – ‘Confessions of a Nature Addict’
Tues, 1 September 2009
Assoc. Prof. Hugh Tan – ‘Cultivating the Native Plants of Singapore’
Dr. Chew Fook Tim – ‘Your Sweat: Wound Healer, Virus Inhibitor and Bacteria Killer’
Tues, 15 September 2009
Prof. Richard Corlett – ‘Plants on the Move: Seed Dispersal and Climate Change’
Assoc. Prof. Lim Tit Meng – ‘Programmed Cell Death: What Happens When the Programme Fails?’
Tues, 29 September 2009
Adj Assoc. Prof. Stella Tan – ‘CSI: NUS – Forensic Science and the Law.’
Prof. Peter Ng – ‘Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity – Lessons from a Small Red Dot’
