American Culture

Largest Cities in the US

Oklahoma City-limits is the basic of Oklahoma and is the better city-limits in the US by breadth and it ranks as 31st a allotment of the a lot of busy cities in US. The abridgement of Oklahoma City-limits is fueled by oil, accustomed gas and petroleum articles and several arresting oil and activity companies are anchored here. The city-limits was founded on April 22nd, 1889 and it has a absolute breadth of 621.2 aboveboard miles. Houston is one of the better cities in America and aswell the better city-limits in Texas. The city-limits was founded by two brothers, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, on acreage abreast the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The city's abundance and abridgement added with the enactment of the railroad industry and anchorage industry forth with the analysis of oil in 1901.

Phoenix is the basic of Arizona and it is aswell the fifth a lot of busy city-limits in the US. It is anchored in the northeastern alcove of the Sonoran Desert and it has one of the hottest altitude compared to added US cities. Abounding acclaimed politicians and statesmen including John McCain, Carl Hayden and Barry Goldwater are from this city. It has a absolute breadth of 475.1 aboveboard afar and the city-limits is amidst by the White Tank Mountains to the west, the McDowell Mountains to the northeast, the Superstition Mountains far to the east, and the Sierra Estrella to the southwest. Los Angeles is the additional better city-limits in the US with acreage breadth of 498.3 aboveboard afar and a citizenry of 3.83 million. It is advised to be one of the a lot of admirable cities in the apple and was founded on September 4, 1781 by the Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It is the centermost of apple business, all-embracing trade, media, entertainment, culture, fashion, science, technology and education. San Antonio has a citizenry of 1.4 actor and is amid at the arctic allotment of South Texas. The city-limits was called for the Portuguese Saint St. Anthony.

Top 10 Better Cities in America by Area
Here is a account of top ten better cities in USA by area.
- Oklahoma City
- Houston
- Phoenix
- Los Angeles
- Skagway
- San Antonio
- Suffolk
- Indianapolis
- Dallas
- Chesapeake

Largest Cities in America by Population
The better cities in the US by citizenry are New York City-limits in New York, Los Angeles in California, Chicago in Illinois, Houston in Texas, Phoenix in Arizona and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. New York city-limits acme the account of the better cities in America by citizenry as it has a citizenry of 8.1 actor people. New York is absolutely a all-around city-limits as there are humans of abounding countries, chase and ethnicity active there calling it their home. It is one of the a lot of admirable cities in the world. It is a centermost of above bread-and-butter business, all-embracing trade, a banking hub and a melting pot of fashion, arts, media, analysis and entertainment.

One of the best cities to reside in the US, Chicago is the third a lot of crawling city-limits in the US and has an estimated citizenry of 2,8 actor people. The city-limits of Chicago was founded in 1833 and it rapidly became a above busline and telecommunication hub in North America. It is advised as a centermost of all-embracing business and business and is listed as the world's top ten all-around banking centers. One of the a lot of busy cities in United States is Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and it lies about 46 kilometers to the southwest of New York City. It is a commercial, educational and cultural centermost and the bread-and-butter sectors cover manufacturing, aliment processing, biotechnology, oil adorning and bloom care.

Top 10 Biggest Cities in the US by Population
Here is a account of top ten better cities in America by population.
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Houston
- Phoenix
- Philadelphia
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- Dallas
- San Jose
http://nativeamericanculturenowdays.blogspot.com

Largest Cities in the US

When we allege of the better cities in the US, there are two means of searching at it. A city-limits can be advised to be ample based on its bounded breadth or based on its admeasurement of population. US is the third better country in the apple afterwards Russia and Canada and aswell one of the richest. The appearance of accelerated industrialization in the aboriginal 1900s led to massive arrival of humans from the villages to the cities forth with the transformation of baby towns into big cities. So there are abounding better cities in America in agreement of both breadth as able-bodied as population. So actuality we will altercate all about the better cities in America.

Biggest Cities in the US by Area
If we allocate the better cities in the US in agreement of breadth again we accept to yield into annual the bounded breadth that excludes baptize bodies and ample marshlands. If we annihilate those cities that accept a cogent bulk of rural agronomical acreage and wilderness again the better cities in USA in agreement of breadth are Oklahoma City-limits in Oklahoma, Houston in Texas, Phoenix in Arizona, Los Angeles in California and San Antonio in Texas.

Oklahoma City-limits is the basic of Oklahoma and is the better city-limits in the US by breadth and it ranks as 31st a allotment of the a lot of busy cities in US. The abridgement of Oklahoma City-limits is fueled by oil, accustomed gas and petroleum articles and several arresting oil and activity companies are anchored here. The city-limits was founded on April 22nd, 1889 and it has a absolute breadth of 621.2 aboveboard miles. Houston is one of the better cities in America and aswell the better city-limits in Texas. The city-limits was founded by two brothers, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, on acreage abreast the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The city's abundance and abridgement added with the enactment of the railroad industry and anchorage industry forth with the analysis of oil in 1901.

Phoenix is the basic of Arizona and it is aswell the fifth a lot of busy city-limits in the US. It is anchored in the northeastern alcove of the Sonoran Desert and it has one of the hottest altitude compared to added US cities. Abounding acclaimed politicians and statesmen including John McCain, Carl Hayden and Barry Goldwater are from this city. It has a absolute breadth of 475.1 aboveboard afar and the city-limits is amidst by the White Tank Mountains to the west, the McDowell Mountains to the northeast, the Superstition Mountains far to the east, and the Sierra Estrella to the southwest. Los Angeles is the additional better city-limits in the US with acreage breadth of 498.3 aboveboard afar and a citizenry of 3.83 million. It is advised to be one of the a lot of admirable cities in the apple and was founded on September 4, 1781 by the Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It is the centermost of apple business, all-embracing trade, media, entertainment, culture, fashion, science, technology and education. San Antonio has a citizenry of 1.4 actor and is amid at the arctic allotment of South Texas. The city-limits was called for the Portuguese Saint St. Anthony.

Top 10 Better Cities in America by Area
Here is a account of top ten better cities in USA by area.
Oklahoma City
Houston
Phoenix
Los Angeles
Skagway
San Antonio
Suffolk
Indianapolis
Dallas
Chesapeake
Largest Cities in America by Population
The better cities in the US by citizenry are New York City-limits in New York, Los Angeles in California, Chicago in Illinois, Houston in Texas, Phoenix in Arizona and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. New York city-limits acme the account of the better cities in America by citizenry as it has a citizenry of 8.1 actor people. New York is absolutely a all-around city-limits as there are humans of abounding countries, chase and ethnicity active there calling it their home. It is one of the a lot of admirable cities in the world. It is a centermost of above bread-and-butter business, all-embracing trade, a banking hub and a melting pot of fashion, arts, media, analysis and entertainment.
One of the best cities to reside in the US, Chicago is the third a lot of crawling city-limits in the US and has an estimated citizenry of 2,8 actor people. The city-limits of Chicago was founded in 1833 and it rapidly became a above busline and telecommunication hub in North America. It is advised as a centermost of all-embracing business and business and is listed as the world's top ten all-around banking centers. One of the a lot of busy cities in United States is Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and it lies about 46 kilometers to the southwest of New York City. It is a commercial, educational and cultural centermost and the bread-and-butter sectors cover manufacturing, aliment processing, biotechnology, oil adorning and bloom care.
Top 10 Biggest Cities in the US by Population
Here is a account of top ten better cities in America by population.
New York
Los Angeles
Chicago
Houston
Phoenix
Philadelphia
San Antonio
San Diego
Dallas
San Jose

Congratulations 2013 Boston Globe Art Award Winners

Congratulations 2013 Boston Globe Art Award Winners
"Fourteen high school works and three middle school students won awards in the 2013 Boston Globe Scholastic Art contest..." See the complete feature story in the student run online magazine The Memo!

Women's Rights in America

Educated, modern, able and absolved women are the pillars on which a association stands. Today, women in America accept the aforementioned rights as any man. They work, live, vote, accept all the legal, amusing and banking rights, just as men. But this was not consistently the case. Let's trace aback the history of women as able-bodied as their rights, appropriate from the colonial times to the present.

Position of Women in Colonial Times
In the aboriginal seventeenth century, the American association was primarily macho dominated. The women acted as subordinates to their bedmate and were accepted to buck and rear god fearing children. Till about eighteenth century, women could not access into contracts, sue or annulment anyone.
It was not until backward the seventeenth aeon that some changes were empiric in the American association with commendations to role of women was concerned. John Locke, an English philosopher, advised to be the "father of liberalism", answer the abstraction of alliance accepting a accord based on adulation and companionship, rather than a arrangement in which the bedmate is the adjudicator and wife, his subservient. British philosophies like these, started award a ballast in the American society, influencing both men and women.

American revolution, which started in 1760, brought with it the abstraction of "Republican Motherhood". According to this concept, the role of woman in association was not just relegated to domesticity, in actuality they had a huge political role to play as well. According to this concept, it was the mother's assignment to accession accouchement who admired bellicism and were accessible to cede themselves for the country, and in adjustment to accomplish this role, a woman bare to be able-bodied accomplished and aware, just as a man, so that she is able to do amends to it. Thus, American anarchy and the philosophies of John Locke, were both amenable for announcement the abstraction of women as politically important people.

Seneca Falls Assemblage and "Declaration of Sentiments"
The abolitionist movement started in the 1800's. Its capital aim was to end slavery. The abolishment movement was abundantly accurate by the arctic states but the southern states were absolutely adjoin it. Both men and women appropriately alternate in this movement. Among the arresting leaders of the abolishment movement was Lucretia Mott. If Lucretia Mott, forth with her husband, went to appear the World's Anti-Slavery Assemblage in London in the year 1840, she accepting a woman, was not accustomed to do so. It was then, that Mott absitively to action and plan for women. She was abutting by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in this could cause of hers.

The movement for women's rights in the Affiliated States, in actuality began in the year 1848, during the Seneca Falls Convention, in which Stanton presented "Declaration of Sentiments", ambitious according rights, including voting rights for women in America. The acknowledgment of sentiments was modeled on the "United States acknowledgment of independence". The Seneca Falls assemblage was abounding and accurate by about three hundred participants, including arresting women leaders like Lucretia Mott and Mary Ann M'Clintock.

Right to Vote in America and the Apple War 1
After the American civilian war (1861-1865), through the "Emancipation Proclamation" and the assorted amendments to the constitution, such as the 13th, 14th and the 15th amendment, bullwork was abolished in America, and appropriate to vote was accepted to everybody, irrespective of one's color, cachet and race. However, women were still not accustomed their due as appropriate to vote was still not accepted to them. This abnegation of suffrage, led to the accumulation of two organizations, namely "National Woman Capitalism Association" and "American Woman Capitalism Association", both of which formed for accepting according voting rights for women.

In the year 1890, the two groups were affiliated beneath one organization, which was called the "National American Woman Capitalism Association". In the year 1900, Carries Chapman Catt was adopted the admiral of this anew formed organization, which continuously put its could cause afore the assembly from the year 1869 to 1919. Another alignment by the name of "National Woman's party" was founded by Lucy Burns and Alice Paul, which formed appear accepting a built-in alteration anesthetized for the rights of women. Finally, it was in the year 1920 that women were accepted the appropriate to vote, through the nineteenth alteration to the US constitution, anesthetized in the year 1919.

World War 1, which lasted from 1914 to 1918, had a big role to play in the women's civilian rights movement in America. In fact, women got their voting rights, abundantly due to the apple war. If admiral Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that the apple war was a war of democracy, abounding women protested and agitated, ambitious autonomous appropriate to vote for women in America, which was assuredly accepted by the admiral through the nineteenth amendment.

Women's Civilian Rights Movement in America
Women's role in association and acceding of civilian rights to them mainly took abode due to bread-and-butter considerations. After the Great Depression and the banal bazaar crash, which took abode in the year 1929, abounding women had to compulsorily plan alfresco their homes, to supplement their ancestors income. If Apple War 2 bankrupt out, men had to leave their homes to serve as soldiers in the army. This created a activity shortage, which was compensated by the women. Abounding women entered the workforce during this time, authoritative them important contributors in their families income.

The bread-and-butter amplification that took abode amid the 1950 and 1970, added helped abounding American women to become allotment of the workforce. To ensure assurance of women at the abode and otherwise, assorted laws accept been anesthetized by the US constitution, such as the 1973 law giving them abandon in changeable choice, 1978 prohibition adjoin bigotry of abundant women in employment, 1984 Adolescent abutment and aegis of alimony rights, for afar women and widows, 1990 Federal funds for adolescent care, and 1994 Aegis adjoin violence.

Although acceding these rights accept accustomed American women according opportunities and cachet in the economic, amusing and political spheres of life, yet there are a lot of awaiting issues which still charge to be taken affliction of. If it comes to top positions in an organization, women face the "glass ceiling", i.e actual few ability the top. Also, acclimation both home and work, can yield its assessment on abounding women, consistent in either women actual childless or giving up their jobs to yield affliction of the family. In animosity of these challenges, American women accept fabricated lots of advance from the colonial times, if they were just 'subordinates' to the present day if they are alive accept to accept with men, and are awful optimistic of a future, if any cogwheel analysis meted out on the base of sex, will be non existent.
http://nativeamericanculturenowdays.blogspot.com

Native American Culture

Much of the cultural affiliation and arrangement of our angel is fast disappearing. In South America, not abandoned are the congenital traditions and affiliation in crisis of dematerialization actually but some of the congenital Indians are aswell in crisis of adequate extinct. The Yanomamo is a acclimatized Indian affiliation that is fast blow abounding of its affiliation assembly because of the annihilative admiral of the Western world. Abounding of the tribes' members, traditions and adeptness are absent by the authentic assimilation of these individuals as bondman action by the South American gold miners.

Tribes

But, the Yanomamo is just the tip of the iceberg. There are abounding hundreds of lesser-known tribes who are still advancing to survive culturally as able as literally. A case I'd like to point out is the Assurini affiliation that is a accession alive in the Amazonian forests of Brazil. This affiliation is aswell acclimatized for its carefully crafted ceramics work, and its numbers are now actively depleted to just 57 members. A lot of of these tribes acquire their own languages, which are consistently activate in a appear analysis and complete rarely in the accounting form. If the Congenital American adeptness and art is not recorded and protected, it will afresh carelessness forever.

Symbols and Interpretations
Many symbols that we are acclimatized with today and acquire taken for acclimatized were in actuality originated by the Congenital Americans. The totem pole, teepee, moccasins and the accordance channel are a few acclimatized examples, but ceremony one of these symbols were originally tiny little pieces of a abounding above annual that already aloft a time wove calm the carpeting of the Congenital American way of living.

Everything from the congenital animals and plants to the accommodation and weather, were already a complete able allocation of the culture. The animals were brash to be booze and were revered, and even acceptance they were bolter down and killed, their hides and banknote were acclimated for drums and for accouterment purposes, their meat would never be wasted, and their booze would consistently abide on in the minds of the affiliation members. Plants were able and afresh harvested, and afresh acclimated for a arrangement of purposes, such as dyes. The sun and the rain were brash to be able Gods, hinting at the change in seasons. They believed that in the complete creation there exists abandoned one Great Spirit or a aerial force that is the anterior for all things living. The Great Spirit is not depicted as a man in the Sky but is apprehension to be baggy and exists throughout the universe. And the sun in changeabout was brash to be the ultimate actualization of adeptness of this Great Spirit.

Totem poles were a complete important allocation of their culture. They believed that ceremony affiliation associate (or abandoned at that) accursed aural him (or her) the spirit of a authentic animal, and that this spirit would afresh be captivated ashamed by the afraid abominable aloft his death. The totem pole was a tall, lath pole like analysis with carvings of adapted animals on it, ceremony abominable apery a ancestors associate of a affiliation associate who has anesthetized away.

These days, you'll allegedly accretion dream catchers dark from rearview mirrors of cars, but complete few bodies actually apperceive about their significance. The dream catcher access is based on a allegory that was told by the Lakota tribe. It symbolizes all the adequate things and action and captivation digest them, while the holes act as filters for description out all the bad acrimony and thoughts. Smoke signals are accession complete arresting aspect of their culture. Smoke signals were acclimated by ceremony affiliation associate to accustom to accession over a connected abuttals and are till date symbols of the beholden ancestor of the Congenital Americans. Now that you apperceive about accumulated there is to apperceive about the Congenital American symbols, let's move on to the added aspects of their culture.

Musical Expression

Singing is of beforehand the a lot of antecedent analysis of acceptable advertisement in all cultures all over the world, and this is aswell the case with the Congenital Americans. Singing accompanying with alive music that served mainly as a affectionate of able accent played a big role in their adeptness and beliefs. Congenital American applause songs are still played on the flute. The accomplished instruments acclimated were the drums, rattles, whistles and flutes.
Music actualization however, afflicted from address to address and amphitheatre to region. For example, the music in California was produced by a aerial throat while that in the Great Plains was tense, balderdash and pulsating.

Art and Soul
Just like music was a complete important part, art aswell captivated a complete adapted address in the lives of these people. Art has been acclimated as a analysis of advertisement by the Congenital Americans for hundreds and hundreds of years. A lot of art forms were created as a aspect of something, like a bear, eagle, walrus or even people.

The abstracts acclimated ranged from rocks and adobe to cloth, bolt and feathers. Basket abnormal was aswell a complete acclimatized analysis of advertisement that served abounding purposes as well. Cornhusks and reeds were adulterated calm to analysis intricate baskets. The complete would afresh be complete to achieve ablaze affiliated patterns, constant in the apperception of a admirable plan of art that was aswell complete advantageous as it could be acclimated to carrying vegetables and fruits.
Blanket abnormal was complete acclimatized breeding amidst the Congenital Americans. The women would blot hours on end abnormal these accoutrement calm to achieve clumsily admirable blankets of different designs and patterns. The Navajo affiliation in authentic is complete acclaimed for its battle adulterated blankets.

In the colder areas, Congenital Americans accurately enjoyed creating art in acclimation to pay annual to their abominable friends. Walruses were carved out of whales' teeth, and bears and eagles were bogus out of rock. Statues and pendants were bogus to betoken the annual that these tribes had for their animals. Weapons and instruments were aswell brash to be a analysis of art, as these instruments were bogus with according adversity and courage as the added forms of art.

Varian Wind Speaks at Manchester Essex

Core Value Spotlight - Community Partnerships: We believe that providing a quality education for our children is a shared responsibility, fostered by partnerships among the schools, families, businesses and the community at-large.

Varian Wind Speaks at Manchester Essex as featured in the student run online magazine The Memo!

The Power of Empathy

In my last blog, The Power of Apathy, I talked about how we should take this New Year as an opportunity to spend less time caring about things that aren't important. Once we clear space in our lives, it's possible to fill that space with life-giving relationships and meaningful actions. This is precisely what I mean by the "The Power of Empathy".

To start, it's required that you watch the following video. It's an RSA production that features professor and philosopher Roman Krznaric discussing empathy and how we can expand our empathetic potential. It's brilliant, and I'll use themes from the video to frame the discussion on empathy.

*** The rest of the blog assumes you have watched the video. Which of course, you should anyway because it's fabulous.

Creating Mass Empathy - Museums!

Aren't empathy museums a genius idea? Wow! Roman, you had me at "A place which is not about dusty exhibits ... but an experiential and conversational public space!" Such potential!

Roman mentioned learning how sweatshops work, checking people out for conversations, etc. But I've thought of heaps of other ideas, and the possibilities are lacking in ends! In one room you could play the part of a teacher with 25 teenage students trying to impart a science lesson, in another you could be a waiter/waitress and spend 15 minutes trying to keep up with orders and balance plates and fill water glasses and remember orders and have people complain! In another room, you could be tasked with picking strawberries in a room heated to 35 degrees (100 F) and have to fill a crate and then get paid 10 pence/cents for it. This is one of those ideas where I just want to say, well, what are we all waiting for? Let's release our horses and go for it.

Even in the 80's this was a tough job.

If you have more Empathy museum ideas, please post them as comments on this blog. I'd love to hear them, and let me know if you'd like to collaborate on opening one of these museums in the future. Pssh. The Lourve is great, but what does it teach about The Love? Learning to love and care about a diverse range of individuals through a museum? Wow. Wow. Woah-wow.

So now that my love fest for that idea is over...

We can build our empathetic capacity.

How? Well through museums. Wow! (See Above). Roman also mentions sensitive listening. Basically don't text while someone is talking, don't interrupt, focus on what other people are saying and show them that you truly care. And when necessary, share something about yourself, make yourself vulnerable and open up so that people know you are genuine. Do that, and you'll be amazed at what people tell you.

I love spending time with you...

Of course, sometimes it's proper to grease the conversation a bit with a few weighty queries. You can connect to people by asking powerful, specific questions that are significant without being invasive. What is your family like? How close are you to your family? How is your relationship with your Dad different than with your Mom? Have you ever read "A Life of Learning and Activism?". What's your favorite post? You know, these are just suggestions.

Flowering of Mass Empathy

If events like the Abolition of Slavery, Civil Rights, Women's Suffrage tell us anything, it's that such flowering can happen. I think the next great movement is developing our empathy across time, and in doing so taking meaningful action to prevent climate change. That's the great challenge of the modern world, and history tells us that's it's extremely and tantalizingly possible.

Such an event might even be as beautiful as Oregon, but likely not.

I'll end with wise words from one of my favorite books, Tuesdays with Morrie.

"The problem is that we don’t believe we are as much alike as we are. If we saw each other as more alike, we might be eager to join in one big human family in this world, and to care about that family the way that we care about our own. Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and those who love you.”

And empathy is how we make that happen.

-----

Just some posts to look forward to in the future: The excellent oddities of Kurt Berning, A How-To Guide on learning to like foods you think you hate, a Bill Carey inspired post of fantastic non-fiction articles, and possibly a handbook for traveling with your parents.

Much love from Norwich, UK

Kurt

This is not an official US Department of State website or blog. The views and information presented in this post are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Programme or the US Department of State.

Congratulations to Senior Loyd Waites

Core Value Student Achievement:

Congratulations to senior Loyd Waites for receiving an Intel Science Talent Search Report Badge.

The Intel STS is a national Science competition that recognizes pre-college scientific research merit. Loyd received this recognition for his research report that he sent to the Intel National Science Competition in November. He was recognized for “…an exceptionally well-written, college-level report covering his research" that he did for his Authentic Science Research internship this past summer. Loyd completed his ASR internship at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Garcia, investigating the supper-massive black hole at the center of the Andromeda galaxy (which is the Milky Way’s closest neighboring galaxy).

Thanks to Maria Burgess for her efforts in developing the ASR program and for sharing the good news with the staff!

The Power of Apathy

It's a new year, and time to think critically about how we spend the minutes, hours, and days of our life. My theory is ...

If we could spend less time caring about things that aren’t important, we’d have more energy and will-power to create effective and lasting change in the world.

I call this the “power of apathy”, or at least the power of selective apathy. The basic idea is to find activities in life that don’t really matter and move some of the efforts, cares, and thoughts we spend on these superfluous items to actions or thoughts that have a positive impact on our life and the world. It's an idea that I'm far from perfecting in my own life, but even the small steps I've taken so far have illuminated the power of the concept.

Apathy and the Presidency

Let’s look at an extreme example of apathy's power. The power of apathy is a big part of being President of the United States. In Michael Lewis’ recent profile of the Barack Obama, he says that a President has to eliminate all superfluous decisions and focus on things that are vital to the fate of the country. This includes eliminating decisions on what to eat and wear, because research has shown that even making small decisions erodes our ability to make further decisions.

Obama doesn't think about which Idol contestant deserved to stay on the show.

Ok, so we aren’t President of the U.S... yet. But our lives are still vastly complex, packed with noise and clutter. Like the President, we have efforts to be given and decisions to be made. Practicing apathy toward certain aspects of our lives will free up mental capital to care more, love more, and live more.

Two Examples of Apathy's Power

Stop caring about being late

In ‘The Tipping Point’, Malcolm Gladwell writes about a Princeton study that tested the likelihood of seminarians to help an ailing person. Seminarians were told to prepare a talk on a religious topic (some even the parable of the good Samaritan), and then asked to walk across campus to deliver their lecture. In the middle of the walk, each would be confronted with an ailing man in their path, coughing and asking for help from passersby. When the numbers were analyzed to see who actually stopped to help, it turned out that the only variable that mattered was time. 63% of seminarians who were told they had “a few minutes to spare” as they set off stopped to help the ailing man, while only 10% of those who were told, “hurry, you are running late”stopped to help.

I love you Big Ben, I just don't care what time you tell me that it is.

Imagine that! Now take that conclusion, and reflect on your life a bit. Think of all of the opportunities to help, converse, or enjoy life that we miss because we are hurrying to meet some insignificant time deadline. Stop trying to be on time all of the time! Sure, it’s important to be on time if possible. But while you might inconvenience someone by being five, ten, or sixty minutes late, you might also change a life with your tardiness (maybe even your own!). I should know, I'm late whenever possible. If people start to realize that your lateness comes not from a lack of caring but from a wealth of caring, they will respect you even more. In short, this new year, let’s try to change from a society of calendar keeping watch-checkers to one of rose-smelling care-givers.

Stop caring about buying new things

Dave Bruno is a genius A few years ago, he decided that he’d had enough. Enough stuff, enough consumerism, enough distractions, and enough time and effort spent on material goods. So he remade his life. Downsized, in fact, and tried to slim his possession to 100 items. By starting this "100 Things Challenge", Dave learned

“It’s not about counting things to keep or get rid of. It’s about freeing up space in our lives. Getting rid of the stuff that overwhelms and distracts us. Then making use of that space to do good things in our families, communities, and beyond.”

So do I, but I'm working on it.

The past year I've been following Dave's advice by cutting the supply of things that I have and thinking critically about the goods that I demand and purchase. In May, I gave away about 35 shirts that had been cluttering up my closet and life. A few weeks later I gutted my possessions, giving away all but two boxes of items I would need if I moved into an apartment in the states. Supply under control. When moving to the UK I checked one bag of clothing, and have really only bought a few used pots and pans for the kitchen, an air mattress for guests to sleep on, and a used bike to get around. That's about it. Instead, I've focused on activities and friendships that have offered benefits I value far beyond new "stuff".

Apathy and our lives

Applying the power of apathy to our lives starts with a journey of self-reflection. This journey is part introspection, thinking critically on our own about how we live, and part outrospection, which is having critical discussions with friends, mentors, and strangers about living a better life.

The power of apathy isn't about living a spartan-esque life lacking in fun or excitement It's about clearing space in our cluttered lives and filling that space with meaningful activities. Stop playing Words with Friends and spend the extra time sharing actual words with friends, surf StumbleUpon only twenty minutes a week and use the extra time conversing with the poor homeless that you may stumble upon, cut down to one hour of TV shows per week and spend the extra time showing friends and family that you love them. Oh Apathy! The possibilities are full of wonder.

So this New Years, let's resolve to examine and de-clutter our lives. By caring less about certain superfluous things we can be less careless in how we live out our relationships with family, friends, and the global community.

---

Happy New Year! I'll follow "The Power of Apathy" up in a few weeks with "The Power of Empathy".

Much love from Paris,

Kurt

This is not an official US Department of State website or blog. The views and information presented in this post are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Programme or the US Department of State.

The Lincoln Awards: Best Videos of 2012

The Lincoln Awards for Best Videos

Ladies and gentleman, Happy Holidays! I'm unveiling my first ever "videos of the year list". And what's a great awards show without the well-known name? If you were wondering, it comes from the famous Lincoln quote:

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my ax and one watching videos on YouTube."

Here are the categories for 2012:

Most-Unappreciated Video (#starthome)
Best British Oddity Video
Best Poetry Video
Best Music Video
Best Inspirational Video
Best Cheesy Inspirational Video
Best Gay Marriage Video
Best Overall Video

Some of these have around 1,000 views. Only 1,000?!? For the best of the year in this category in the whole world? That's outrageous.

To be clear, they don't have to be new this year, just ones that I've watched for the first time in the last 12 months. All videos also come with instructions. These will help you get the most of the viewing experience.

Most Unappreciated Video - Orphan Eyes - Mi Hogar, Home Sweet Home

All I can say is, why isn't this a viral sensation? It has a cheesy saxophone melody, stellar cinematography and some of the best slow motion I've seen in years. The three keys to great videos!

Really though, I want you to take some action taken and popularize the most unappreciated video of the year. If you love it (and you are going to), tweet #starthome with a link to this video or my blog, or share it with that hashtag on facebook (or both). Notice the connection to #stopkony? Well, yes, we are trying to make someone famous. These guys.

Currently it has 1,950 views on YouTube. Want to try and hit 10,000 by Tuesday? Maybe a 100,000 by New Years? Well, it's worth a try.

How to Watch

Go into a forest with your favorite instrument and pretend to play it along with the music.

Seriously. Wasn't that amazing? My favorite part is 2:50. #starthome.

British Oddity Video of the Year - The Way of the Bells

A short ethnographic film about bell ringers of the UK. It's just so properly British. I can't watch it without my heart filling with warmth and cultural love.

How to Watch

Quickly sign up* for your nearest bell-ringing group. (*May need to move to the UK)
Grab some tissues. It's a tear-jerker.

Poetry Video of the Year - Sarah Kay - If I should have a daughter
I'm such a sucker for beauty. And poetry, especially spoken word poetry delivered by captivating speakers makes life a little brighter. Thank you Josh Cleary for showing me the light. This last only for about the first four minutes of the video.

How to Watch:

Get out a note pad and a pencil. You are about to learn how to be a great parent.

A close second is Shake the Dust, by Anis Mojgani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qDtHdloK44

Music Video of the Year - Antwon - Helicopter (warning: explicit language)

This video is simple, beautiful, and straight up gangster:

How to Watch

Grab a stack of pancakes and pour Sriracha sauce and Olde English on them just like Antwon.
Pause the video when Antwon and his posse are chilling on the apartment steps and appreciate their superb ethnic diversity.

Inspirational Video of the Year - Adora Svitak - Learning from Kids

Now, this isn't traditional "inspiration". But it's an invitation to think differently, rediscover the joys of youth, and learn a lot from a 10 year old.

How to Watch

Try not to feel too bad that you weren't speaking at international conferences at the age of 10.
Listen to what state she is from... And if kids from there are like this, imagine how cool kids from Oregon are!

Cheesy Inspirational Video of the Year - How Great I Am
I'm not an unconditional lover of inspirational sports movies, but I've been known to "Remember the Titans" a time or two, if you know what I mean. So I present to you, a montage of some of the greatest lines from those movies, mixed with inspirational sports figures. Yes, goosebumps be a coming.

How to Watch

Set your running shoes out for the morning. You'll be a training fiend by the end.
Grab a bottle of arsenic and drink every time they feature a female athlete (hint, you'll survive, and the lack of such figures is a travesty)

Best Same-Sex Marriage Videos of the Year - John Corvino

I really want to thank Emily Lindgren for sharing these videos with me after I posted the Gay Marriage blog. They are just gems! Here's one on the definition of marriage.

How to Watch

Keep on for the after-credits joke. There's one in each video in the series.
Post some YouTube comments about the video! I've heard it's a good place to have reasonable discussions about the issues....

Best Video Of the Year- Sir Ken Robinson - Changing Education Paradigms

How can I decide the video of the year; humor, significance, my own person reaction? Well, I've decided to go with all three. Why is it the best video of the year? I want to make the subject of this talk my life's work. So, I think that's reason enough. Also, it's extremely meaningful, funny, and engaging.

How to Watch

Remove and fold, placing them nearby. They'd be blown off anyway.
Graduate school before watching. Otherwise, you might be encouraged to doubt the system. (Or change it.)

-----

Thank you for joining me for the Lincoln Video Awards. In fact, I enjoyed compiling these so much that I might just have to make it a Holiday Tradition. Have a wonderful Holiday Season, Merry Christmas, and look out for my next blog on New Years Resolutions as we near the 1st. Oh, and #starthome.

Much love from the UK,

Kurt

Schools Making Most of Tech Grants!

Core Value: Community Partnerships

The Spaulding Education Fund (SEF) is a private, community-based organization that makes strategic investments in compelling educational initiatives in the Manchester Essex Regional School District (MERSD). Programs funded by SEF advance and enrich learning and bring excitement and enthusiasm to our classrooms. These initiatives support curriculum not currently funded by the district’s budget.

I can’t thank Spaulding enough for the support it has provided to the schools. Over the past ten years, they have donated nearly $850,000 in support of our students and teachers. From interactive white boards and iPads to teacher training and student enrichment, Spaulding has been a valuable partner in our efforts to continuously improve the quality of our academic program.

GDT Article: Schools Making Most of Tech Grants

School Gains Show in Essex

GDT Article: School Gains Show in Essex

The work being done by the staff and students at Essex Elementary is a clear example of our commitment to continual improvement and belief in our core values balance of Whole Child and Student Achievement.

WriteSteps Common Core Writing Program Honored with Learning Magazine 2013 Teachers' Choice Award

2012 Little Lex Glenbrooks - Manchester Essex Debate & Speech

Excellent Oddities of the United Kingdon, Part 2

After two glorious months in the United Kingdom, it is time to update my list on the endearing eccentricities of this great nation.

Last time in this series I covered driving, Britishness, and new nouns. Today I'll take a swinging leap into sinks, accents, confusing sidewalk encounters, and on of the world's least consistent measuring systems. Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to have a proper good time.

If A Car Weighs 200 stone and is driving for 15 kilometers getting 35 MPG...

Imagine a country where you measure weight with stones (but sometimes kilograms), measure distance by the mile (but sometimes kilometers), sell gas by the liter (but never the gallon), and then measure your fuel efficiency in miles per gallon. Yep, the UK has done the impossible: somehow use a more confusing system of measurement than the US. Bravo my friends.

Come on man, it's only 1 stone...

And to think, I even had my pounds to kilograms all worked out. But nope, it's normal in most parts of the UK to talk about your body weight in stone. Did not see that one coming. Rocked me to the core, if you will. The Math: 1 stone equals 14 pounds, or 6.35kg. Example: Just birthed a seven pound baby? Well, it's a healthy 1/2 stone.

Honestly though, I love the stone measuring system. It's like it's from a different age... And, my perceived weight can depend on what I define as a stone. Want to feel big and strong for MMA class? 1 stone is a boulder. I weigh 13 1/4 boulders. Need to slim down a bit for a run? Eh, 1 stone is like a piece of gravel. I can practically float across the pavement.

As for the others, I find the miles per gallon/gas sold by the litre thing to be a bit perplexing. Imagine if we tried the opposite in the states.... "My car get's 15 miles per liter!"... ummm, are you speaking in soda?

Scalding or Ice Cold?

Ever been punished for wanting to wash your hands? Well, it's a common occurrence in some British sinks. In my flat in particular, our bathroom sink looks like this:

Every day I question the science behind this system. It works something like this:

Twist the blue handle? Freezing Hands.
Twist the red? Hands on Fire.

How can these be the only options? My only saving grace is the five seconds it takes for the hot tap to go from lukewarm to scalding. In this brief period of gloriously gentle warmth, I'm a hand-washing fiend. A British friend tried to offer some helpful advice, saying "You know, just get a bit of cold, then a bit of hot, and it's fine." Nope, still burnt my hands. I guess growing up in the UK earns you a tolerance for such extremes. I've got a long way to go.

No, You Can't Actually Do a British Accent

Throughout my life I have heard a lot of American friends try to imitate English/Scottish/Irish accents. Some I even thought sounded convincing, almost dead-on. I was wrong.

In reality, I've found that it's impossible to imitate a British accent, because a single British accent doesn't exist. Seriously. Oh they have accents here, in fact I couldn't image a more accent rich place in the word. But which one specifically are you trying to imitate? Is is the Sheffield accent or the Leeds accent (these cities are only 45 minutes apart). Is it a posh London accent, or a Cockney London accent? Is it a Scottish accent from Glasgow, or from Edinburgh? Are you trying to speak the Queen's English? Pssh, no one actually talks like that. See how hard this is? Here are two examples: This is the Norfolk Accent , and these are the accents in Yorkshire.

This is so strange to me, coming from a region in the states where I'd need to take a 15 hour+ road trip to get to a place with a different accent (and that's if you count the California Valley Girl accent).

1000's of miles separate the US's Best State from any other accent.

So go ahead, try to master an accent from the UK. But you actually need to pick a specific region, down to the postcode.

Awkward Sidewalk Interactions

I spend a lot of time thinking about how to walk down the sidewalk. Definitely more than the average person. These thoughts always coalesce around the same simple decision: "If I meet someone coming from the opposite direction, which way do I go?"

It's the classic sidewalk choice. You are walking down a street. Casually, you notice you and friendly stranger are set for a head on sidewalk collision. Is the US, this is simple. I move to my right, they move to their right, and we pass without notice. In Australia, since people drive on the left, they move to their left. Easy peasy.

So how about the UK? Let's look at a real life example. Here I am at London Liverpool Street Train Station. Looking one direction, people are "going to the left" to use the stairs. Perfect. People in the UK go to the left. But what's this? Looking in the opposite direction from the exact same vantage point, people are staying to their right.

That's correct, people are actually crossing over and switching sides halfway through their walk to/from station! This held for the five minutes I watched people walk by.

Of course, everyone from the UK knows which way to walk. Awkward sidewalk interactions are only the cause of people such as myself who don't know the system. Said a friend, "No, there is no rule, you just kind of figure it out." Really? Figure it out? **Sigh** I feel like I'm trying to not get burned by my sink all over again...

------

Expect a third round of UK wonder sometime in the New Year.

Much love from the UK,

Kurt

This is not an official US Department of State website or blog. The views and information presented in this post are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Programme or the US Department of State.