Dancing in the Kitchen

Mahla and Kai often dance.
This was one of their dances in the kitchen in February, 2012.
Mahla was almost six and Kai was four.
Family Times!

Mahla Hill

This is Mahla, our second child.
This post is just for a family record.
Thank you!

An Official Announcement of a Humanist

This is an official announcement of a Humanist.

My name is Oo Thein Maung and I am neither a president nor a prime minister nor an officer nor an educated person nor an illiterate nor a wealthy man nor a poor man, but I am a Humanist who loves on all alive, especially human beings.

As a Humanist, as I told you before many times that I am not specifically standing for any of you or I am standing for all of you.

I truly begin to get tired now, especially for colors of my clothes. I have been asking all of you often to leave me alone but none of you left me alone. Since then, I have to consider for my freedom of clothing. Alright, today, I make this official announcement for the colors of my shirts as the following:

Sun & Mon: Blue (any kind of blue)
Tue & Wed: Red (any kind of red)
Thurs: company shirt or black or anything I prefer to put on
Fri & Sat: White (any kind of white)

This is all I can do or I want to do or I will be doing till December 31st of this year, unless I have to wear something specifically for some events, sometimes.
At night? Whatever! Whatever I find inside dryer, or , on my clothing shelf or in living room or again, whatever I have.

Hence, let me remind you this -
Play your game carefully!
Carefully watch how the others strategically and timely play!

Thank you!

Gulls in an Icy Lake

 These photos were taken two years ago.
It was in an icy-lake, which situated next to my little daughter's preschool at the campus of College of DuPage.
With simple interest, I took these photos of gulls those were quietly taking a rest.
Thank you and enjoy with the natural views!

Current Weather in Chicago

Ms. Piggy or LGBT (Lawless Goddess Between Twister) Bless America!!!

Ms. Piggy or LGBT (Lawless Goddess Between Twister) Bless America!!!

Ms. Piggy or LGBT (Lawless Goddess Between Twister) Bless America!!!

This is current condition of weather in Chicago west suburb where we live.
This is an amazing picture that has created by technology.
Current temperature? Minus Eight! (-8)!
Today, kids' school closed and I have heard that schools will also be closed tomorrow, according to weather condition.
Have a good day!

Simply Interesting News: Purple Tomatoes

Purple Tomatoes!

This news simply makes me interesting. It is one of today's news stories in BBC news. I did not read the news in bbc website for weeks already, I think. Today, I just find this interesting news.

About 2000 liters (440 gallons) of purple tomato juice is ready to be sent from Canada to UK.

According to news, scientists say that these purple tomatoes could improve the nutritional value of everything from ketchup to pizza topping. And it also could help fighting cancer!

Those new purple tomatoes should be consumed not only in Canada and UK, but also in the United States, Europe (such as in Paris, Berlin and Moscow), Asia, Australia and around the world, in order to fight cancer.

One of another interesting quotes in the news comes from a university professor, "
"To change that quite negative view that people had 10-15 years ago will take quite a long time - it'll take a demonstration of safety, a demonstration of good regulation and of the ability to manage the technology in a safe way. And that doesn't happen overnight."

Public, most people who never consider enough about "change" often impatiently act toward - and it makes such benefits for the opposites. They tend to change in a few seconds on the matters those have been systematically, strategically and powerfully rooted for decades or centuries before they even did not know how the system has been working. They even did not realize how they were / are being systematically used for decades or centuries by those individual strategists. And yet, you are pointing your fingers on the others while you only know what you want, and seeing only from your side / view.

(The current and latest strategy is this, - show on cover look like they like purple tomatoes, but inside or inner approach, try as much as they can to block, smash and threw tomato away until it is totally disappeared by any mean and any way; whether dead or alive. That's the latest formula, which strategically, powerfully and beautifully used by those individuals in order to divide among people and threw tomato away while useless brains who are neither scientists nor artists but only know to get anger and seek upon only what they want with smallest thinking styles are happily going for picnic (look like). Let me remind you that there are many individuals among all sides who are strategically playing with artful masks.)

Special thanks all developers of purple tomatoes!


Picture: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25885756

Photo Story (One)

This short photo story video was created in 2010.

The purpose was totally for FUN!

Thank You and Enjoy!

Definitions of Educational Terms

In the fall of 2009, I took an Education Class at College of DuPage. The followings are definitions of some educational terms, which I had chance to learn in that class. In order to restudy by myself and sharing with my readers:

1. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): Under the No Child Left Behind Act, each state establishes annual criteria to determine school district and school achievement. Schools that fail to meet the AYP criteria (often determined by standardized tests) are held accountable and may be closed.

2. Allocated time: The amount of time a school or an individual teacher schedules for a subject.

3. Authentic Assessment: A type of evaluation that represents actual performance, encourages students to reflect on their own work, and is integrated into the student’s whole learning process. Such tests usually require that students synthesize knowledge from different areas and use that knowledge actively.

4. Bilingual education: Educational programs in which students of limited or no English-speaking ability attend classes taught in English, as well as in their native language. There is great variability in these programs in terms of goals, instructional opportunity, and balance between English and a student’s native language.

5. Block scheduling: Using longer “blocks” of time to schedule classes results in fewer but longer periods given to each subject. It is designed to promote greater in-depth study.

6. Bloom’s Taxonomy: A classification system in which each lower level is subsumed in the next higher level. The bloom’s taxonomy describes simple to more complex mental processes, and usually is used to classify educational objectives or classroom questions.

7. Charter school: A group of teachers, parents, and even businesses may petition a local school board, or state government, to form a charter school which is exempt from many state and local regulations. Designed to promote creative new schools, the charter represents legal permission to try new approaches to educate students. The first charter legislation was passed in Minnesota in 1991.

8. Collective bargaining: A negotiating procedure between employer and employees for resolving disagreements on salaries, work schedules, and other conditions of employment. In collective bargaining, all teachers in a school system bargain as one group through chosen representatives.

9. Content standards: The knowledge, skills, and dispositions that students should master in each subject. These standards are often linked to broader themes and sometimes to testing programs.

10. Cultural literacy: Knowledge of the people, places, events, and concepts central to the standard literate culture.

11. Culturally responsive teaching: Recognizes that students learn in different ways, and that effective teachers recognize and respond to these differences. This approach focuses on the learning strengths of students, as well as mediates the frequent mismatch between home and school cultures.

12. Culture: A set of learned beliefs, values, and behaviors; a way of life shared by members of a society.

13. Educational vouchers: Flat grants or payments representing the cost of educating a student at a school. Awarded to the parent or child to enable free choice of a school-public or private – the voucher payment is made to the school that accepts the child.

14. Engaged time: The part of time that a teacher schedules for a subject in which the students are actively involved with academic subject matter. Listening to a lecture, participating in a class discussion, and working on math problems all constitute engaged time.

15. English language learners (ELL): (Also referred to as limited English proficiency or LEP.) Students whose native language is not English and are learning to speak and write English.

16. Ethnicity: Refers to shared common cultural traits such as language, religion, and dress. A Latino or Hispanic, for example, belongs to an ethnic group, but might belong to the Black, Caucasia, or Asian race.

17. Expectation theory: First made popular by Rosenthal and Jacobson, this theory holds that a student’s academic performance can be improved if a teacher’s attitudes and beliefs about that student’s academic potential are modified.

18. Exceptional learners: Students who require special education and related services in order to realize their full potential. Categories of exceptionality include retarded, gifted, learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, and physically disabled.

19. Generalizations: Broad statements about a group that offer information, clues, and insights that can help a teacher plan more effectively. Generalizations are a good starting point, but as the teacher learns more about the students, individual differences become more educationally significant.

20. Home schooling: A growing trend (but a longtime practice of parents educating their children at home, for religious or philosophical reasons.

21. Immersion: This bilingual education model teaches students with limited English by using a “sheltered” or simplified English vocabulary, but teaching in English and not in the other language.

Spring Flowers and Snowy Flowers of the Same Tree

Spring Flowers

Snowy Flowers

 
These two pictures were taken in the two different seasons but it was the same tree, which exists in front yard of our next door neighbor.

The above one was taken in the last spring and the blow one was during the winter.

One of the tricky matters of the nature is that they change seasonally, appropriately, beautifully and - of course, essentially. They, trees and many other natural beauties stand and survive in that way through out the whole their life times.

You may get some elements to THINK as the next step, as a human being. Thank you!

A Theme to write in the future: From the Viewpoint of Business' Side

As I said in my happy new year resolution, I will be working on publishing a book before the end of this year.

I am considering to finish the processes of collecting, writing, rewriting and selecting my articles within the first six months.
In the other six months, editing and publishing process should be done. It is my plan if I do not die before the end of this year yet.

Any way, according to one of my experiences, an article, which will express about a sense from the side of business. Because of many reasons, sometimes, from the point of business' view, Human Beings are no more or less than Useful Tools. That will be the Theme of certain article. I will be trying to write and rewrite on it.

Thank you!


Picture: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=useful+tools&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=EB87E021D8CEB7F599B501C6A6D4322F06B0ABBF&selectedIndex=17