One of the unique feautres of Hamilton Grammar is the fun Elf Day which happens annually.
Elfs are S6 pupils dressed up as Santa's Little Helper's who are basically slaves for the day! Mind you each Department has to bid for these elfs at a charity auction. Our Faculty spend a few quid this year to secure EIGHT elves!
They did a grand job...
building a bookcase
cleaning the shelves
laminating filing cabinets
labelling trays
comb-binding SG Admin booklets
cleaning out the cupboard/studio
going for lunches
collecting the calendar for Miss Dunlop
and general errands
Some other slave drivers had them washing cars or having to hop around all day!
I certainly enjoyed Friday, and I think the elves did. Mind you there were a few elves who were posted 'missing'... hiding in the S6 area in the afternoon because they were tired!
Over £600 was raised for the S6 charity 2009-10.
Every school should have an Elf Day!
Saturday 19 December 2009
Xmas Discos
Thanks to all the Young Enterprise team - Triumph - who battled the elements to serve the S1/S2 disco on Monday and the senior disco on Thursday.
A great time was had by all - and a special thanks to Mr Ferguson for his DJ antics. The man is frenetic and enthusiastic... and he even dressed as Santa... with a redbeard!
However where is his Jedi outfit? His audience all wanted to know where it is?
So we have it all to do again when the S3/S4 disco goes ahead on Monday. It will be a poignant one for many of the S3/S4 as Mr Kee the Year Head is taking up a new post as Headteacher of Larkhall Academy. He will be greatly missed. I also think he may be the youngest Headteacher of a Secondary in Scotland, which is no mean feat.
So I hope if the S3/S4 are going to be blubbing all night, perhaps we should invest some Young Enterprise money in hankies?
A great time was had by all - and a special thanks to Mr Ferguson for his DJ antics. The man is frenetic and enthusiastic... and he even dressed as Santa... with a redbeard!
However where is his Jedi outfit? His audience all wanted to know where it is?
So we have it all to do again when the S3/S4 disco goes ahead on Monday. It will be a poignant one for many of the S3/S4 as Mr Kee the Year Head is taking up a new post as Headteacher of Larkhall Academy. He will be greatly missed. I also think he may be the youngest Headteacher of a Secondary in Scotland, which is no mean feat.
So I hope if the S3/S4 are going to be blubbing all night, perhaps we should invest some Young Enterprise money in hankies?
Avatar
I went to the Glasgow Science Centre on Wednesday Night to see a special advance preview of James Cameron's Avatar.
Not only was it at the IMAX, but also in 3-D!
The movie was just under 3 hours long, but it was pretty exciting and the time flew in. There was a little bit of motion sickness which cropped up in the flying scenes.
Overall the film itself was superb, but the experience of a 3-D movie at the IMAX was surreal. This is surely the future of cinema, and another step for the movies to differentiate themselves from TV.
This happened in the 1950s when people began to stay at home to watch TV and not go to the flicks. Hollywood responded by inventing Cinemascope and later Surroundsound to have a unique experience you could only have in the movies.
Films became more outlandish and had bigger budgets and indeed became spectacles.
In the 1980s and 90s cinema again fought back against the rise of the VHS Videotape by creating the modern multiplex cinema, offering more choice of 10-16 screens rather than the tradtional 1-3 screens.
However I do miss the old Odeon in Glasgow with the giant screen 1. I remember seeing Superman the Movie way back in around 1978/79, and indeed the epic Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979/80 when I was a nipper. These incredible experiences of seeing such spectacular films on the big screen are great memories. And I am sure the children of today who got to see Avatar in 3-D will never forget the experience.
I just wish I had a share of James Cameron's profits!
Not only was it at the IMAX, but also in 3-D!
The movie was just under 3 hours long, but it was pretty exciting and the time flew in. There was a little bit of motion sickness which cropped up in the flying scenes.
Overall the film itself was superb, but the experience of a 3-D movie at the IMAX was surreal. This is surely the future of cinema, and another step for the movies to differentiate themselves from TV.
This happened in the 1950s when people began to stay at home to watch TV and not go to the flicks. Hollywood responded by inventing Cinemascope and later Surroundsound to have a unique experience you could only have in the movies.
Films became more outlandish and had bigger budgets and indeed became spectacles.
In the 1980s and 90s cinema again fought back against the rise of the VHS Videotape by creating the modern multiplex cinema, offering more choice of 10-16 screens rather than the tradtional 1-3 screens.
However I do miss the old Odeon in Glasgow with the giant screen 1. I remember seeing Superman the Movie way back in around 1978/79, and indeed the epic Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979/80 when I was a nipper. These incredible experiences of seeing such spectacular films on the big screen are great memories. And I am sure the children of today who got to see Avatar in 3-D will never forget the experience.
I just wish I had a share of James Cameron's profits!
Saturday 12 December 2009
In the News...
UK GO SLOW ON BROADBAND
The UK is trailing when it comes to next-generation access, new figures show.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UK is placed 21st out of 30 in terms of speed.
That puts it below countries such as Greece, Portugal and Spain. The report suggests that countries that invest in fibre networks are likely to see the best economic returns in other areas.
When it comes to broadband penetration, the UK is doing ok - placed 13th out of the 30 OECD members. But most of these subscribers still access broadband via so-called DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) rather than via fibre.
NOKIA v APPLE COLD WAR TURNS HOT
The legal battle between Finland's Nokia and its US rival Apple has taken a new turn, with Apple countersuing Nokia over alleged patent violations.
The move follows a Nokia lawsuit filed in October accusing iPhone maker Apple of 10 Nokia patent infringements. Now Apple, in turn, is claiming that the Finnish phone firm is infringing 13 of its technology patents.
"Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours," Apple said.
Apple has not yet revealed which patents are at issue. Nokia was unavailable for comment.
In October, Nokia said it had not been compensated for its technology, and accused Apple of "trying to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation".
The 10 alleged patent infringements by Apple involve wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption.
SHELL AND PETRONAS TEAM UP
A joint venture between the UK's Shell and Malaysia's Petronas oil companies has won the right to develop Iraq's giant Majnoon oil field.
A total of 44 companies took part in a bid for 10 fields in the second such auction since the invasion in 2003. Shell and Petronas beat a rival bid from France's Total and China's CNPC.
Although Majnoon is a huge oil field, with reserves of 13 billion barrels of oil, it currently produces just 46,000 barrels per day.
Shell and Petronas have pledged to increase that output to 1.8 million barrels per day.
UK FACTORY PRICES RISE
The cost of materials and fuels bought by UK factories rose at their fastest annual pace in a year in November.
Input prices gained by 4% last month from November 2008, and by 0.4% from October.
Output prices - the prices of goods leaving UK factories - rose 2.9% on the year, the fastest pace since February.
The numbers suggest that inflation is set to rise in the short term, however, most economists do not expect any increase to persist for long.
"The time lags involved mean that this is unlikely to have much of a bearing on High Street inflation for some time yet," said Vicky Redwood, an economist at Capital Economics.
The annual inflation figures "are likely to increase further over the coming months, as last year's big energy-driven drops in costs fall out of the annual comparison. But the rise should be short-lived."
SOURCE: BBC Business News
The UK is trailing when it comes to next-generation access, new figures show.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UK is placed 21st out of 30 in terms of speed.
That puts it below countries such as Greece, Portugal and Spain. The report suggests that countries that invest in fibre networks are likely to see the best economic returns in other areas.
When it comes to broadband penetration, the UK is doing ok - placed 13th out of the 30 OECD members. But most of these subscribers still access broadband via so-called DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) rather than via fibre.
NOKIA v APPLE COLD WAR TURNS HOT
The legal battle between Finland's Nokia and its US rival Apple has taken a new turn, with Apple countersuing Nokia over alleged patent violations.
The move follows a Nokia lawsuit filed in October accusing iPhone maker Apple of 10 Nokia patent infringements. Now Apple, in turn, is claiming that the Finnish phone firm is infringing 13 of its technology patents.
"Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours," Apple said.
Apple has not yet revealed which patents are at issue. Nokia was unavailable for comment.
In October, Nokia said it had not been compensated for its technology, and accused Apple of "trying to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation".
The 10 alleged patent infringements by Apple involve wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption.
SHELL AND PETRONAS TEAM UP
A joint venture between the UK's Shell and Malaysia's Petronas oil companies has won the right to develop Iraq's giant Majnoon oil field.
A total of 44 companies took part in a bid for 10 fields in the second such auction since the invasion in 2003. Shell and Petronas beat a rival bid from France's Total and China's CNPC.
Although Majnoon is a huge oil field, with reserves of 13 billion barrels of oil, it currently produces just 46,000 barrels per day.
Shell and Petronas have pledged to increase that output to 1.8 million barrels per day.
UK FACTORY PRICES RISE
The cost of materials and fuels bought by UK factories rose at their fastest annual pace in a year in November.
Input prices gained by 4% last month from November 2008, and by 0.4% from October.
Output prices - the prices of goods leaving UK factories - rose 2.9% on the year, the fastest pace since February.
The numbers suggest that inflation is set to rise in the short term, however, most economists do not expect any increase to persist for long.
"The time lags involved mean that this is unlikely to have much of a bearing on High Street inflation for some time yet," said Vicky Redwood, an economist at Capital Economics.
The annual inflation figures "are likely to increase further over the coming months, as last year's big energy-driven drops in costs fall out of the annual comparison. But the rise should be short-lived."
SOURCE: BBC Business News
Sisters ARE doing it for themselves!
Fortune have published the 50 most powerful women in Business for 2009:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostpowerfulwomen/2009/index.html
It throws up some incredible facts and figures... such as the salary of the highest paid woman, Safra Catz, the CEO of Oracle (the Database firm) who receives a staggering $42.4 million!
Mind you the highest paid man was Aubrey K. McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy (CHK) who received $112.5 million!
The female supremo who was voted the head honcho was the CEO of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi. This is the fourth year in a row she has been ranked first. Pepsi sales are in the region of $42 billion (yes you read that right) and she has turned a great deal of that into profit!
Another interesting businesswoman to highlight comes in at number 5. She's Andrea Jung who is the CEO of Avon Products! Mind you, number 6 is Oprah Winfrey!
As one of my Higher class pointed out, it is really sad that it is hard to name many businesswomen and indeed many female entrpreneurs. We keep trailing out the same old names such as Michelle Mone, the late Anita Roddick, and to a lesser extent Deborah Meaden (after all who knew who she was before Dragons' Den?).
So at least with Indra Nooyi girls can have a new role model. The boss of the world's second largest soft drink company, and someone who is obviously superb in her job.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostpowerfulwomen/2009/index.html
It throws up some incredible facts and figures... such as the salary of the highest paid woman, Safra Catz, the CEO of Oracle (the Database firm) who receives a staggering $42.4 million!
Mind you the highest paid man was Aubrey K. McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy (CHK) who received $112.5 million!
The female supremo who was voted the head honcho was the CEO of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi. This is the fourth year in a row she has been ranked first. Pepsi sales are in the region of $42 billion (yes you read that right) and she has turned a great deal of that into profit!
Another interesting businesswoman to highlight comes in at number 5. She's Andrea Jung who is the CEO of Avon Products! Mind you, number 6 is Oprah Winfrey!
As one of my Higher class pointed out, it is really sad that it is hard to name many businesswomen and indeed many female entrpreneurs. We keep trailing out the same old names such as Michelle Mone, the late Anita Roddick, and to a lesser extent Deborah Meaden (after all who knew who she was before Dragons' Den?).
So at least with Indra Nooyi girls can have a new role model. The boss of the world's second largest soft drink company, and someone who is obviously superb in her job.
Higher Business Management Videos
I did quite a few screencasts for Higher Admin which helped with the practical nature of that subject, so this Xmas I am planning to flood the internet with more ramblings but this time aimed to Higher and Int 2 Business Management.
It is really simple! I'm using images to help burn key ideas and facts into your heads! Call it learning, brainwashing or whatever you like, but I think it will help.
So I have created a Methods of Production vid for you to refer back to time and time again.
I aim to do at least 1 per day during Xmas so that will be around 13 or 14 ready for January and I'll keep going. Plus I will take requests.
So get watching!
It is really simple! I'm using images to help burn key ideas and facts into your heads! Call it learning, brainwashing or whatever you like, but I think it will help.
So I have created a Methods of Production vid for you to refer back to time and time again.
I aim to do at least 1 per day during Xmas so that will be around 13 or 14 ready for January and I'll keep going. Plus I will take requests.
So get watching!
Well done Higher and Int 2 BM
Congrats all round to the Higher and Int 2 pupils at a 100% success rate in passing the Marketing and Operations NAB.
A massive improvement as a whole in terms of quality of answers from the first NAB.
Top of the leaderboard is Stuart Annets with 104 pts. Can Stuart keep it going with 2 Prelims and 1 NAB to go (and perhaps a further 2 AB tests?).
Ross Cunningham, Calum Innes, Gemma Lindsay and Jennifer Barr are breathing down his neck. Can Stuart take on the mantle of Edison McKenna who was last year's prize winner for Business Management?
On the Int 2 front, totally delighted that all 3 passed easily this time. A special mention has to go to Greg Steele, our Franchise man in the know, who scored a fantastic 35 out of 40, and in fact he will kick himself when he sees the marks he let go or else he'd be getting the 100% award!
A great job well done by everyone. But to be honest the hard work is just starting... to quote Karen Carpenter... "It's only just begun..."
So now on to Finance and HRM and the first Prelim in Jan/Feb.
But oh, there is the small matter of Christmas. So enjoy your holidays but remember it is tough at the top!
A massive improvement as a whole in terms of quality of answers from the first NAB.
Top of the leaderboard is Stuart Annets with 104 pts. Can Stuart keep it going with 2 Prelims and 1 NAB to go (and perhaps a further 2 AB tests?).
Ross Cunningham, Calum Innes, Gemma Lindsay and Jennifer Barr are breathing down his neck. Can Stuart take on the mantle of Edison McKenna who was last year's prize winner for Business Management?
On the Int 2 front, totally delighted that all 3 passed easily this time. A special mention has to go to Greg Steele, our Franchise man in the know, who scored a fantastic 35 out of 40, and in fact he will kick himself when he sees the marks he let go or else he'd be getting the 100% award!
A great job well done by everyone. But to be honest the hard work is just starting... to quote Karen Carpenter... "It's only just begun..."
So now on to Finance and HRM and the first Prelim in Jan/Feb.
But oh, there is the small matter of Christmas. So enjoy your holidays but remember it is tough at the top!
Sunday 29 November 2009
Dubai Asset Sale
Donald Trump, Roman Abramovitch and Bill Gates may well be licking their lips in anticipation.
We all know Dubai is in deep financial trouble - somewhere in the region of £85 billion, and sadly RBS is also involved.
But what I was not aware of was just some of the fabulous assets owned by Dubai:
QE2 - even in retirement, still the world's most famous liner.
Turnberry - one of the meccas of golf, and an Open championship course.
Barneys - a New York department store.
Cirque du Soleil - the world famous show.
Kerzner's Hotels - the South African enterpreneur Sol Kerzner's hotel empire.
Standard Chartered Bank
MGM Mirage - a stake in the Las Vegas hotel.
Properties include:
Adelphi on the Strand
Grand Buildings in Trafalgar Square.
Rothschild Bank have been called in to oversee the divestment plan.
But apart from the billionaire buyers who else would or could cough up the dough for such glittering prizes?
Well the emirate of Abu Dhabi are very interested! Together along with other emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai make up the UAE (United Arab Emirates) but it seems that the £10 billion they invested earlier to their friends means nothing.
Abu Dhabi have their eyes on Emaar, a property company who own the Burj Dubai skyscraper, Dubai Mall shopping centre, and Dubal, Dubai's aluminium company.
It could well be the most incredible firesale in history.
We all know Dubai is in deep financial trouble - somewhere in the region of £85 billion, and sadly RBS is also involved.
But what I was not aware of was just some of the fabulous assets owned by Dubai:
QE2 - even in retirement, still the world's most famous liner.
Turnberry - one of the meccas of golf, and an Open championship course.
Barneys - a New York department store.
Cirque du Soleil - the world famous show.
Kerzner's Hotels - the South African enterpreneur Sol Kerzner's hotel empire.
Standard Chartered Bank
MGM Mirage - a stake in the Las Vegas hotel.
Properties include:
Adelphi on the Strand
Grand Buildings in Trafalgar Square.
Rothschild Bank have been called in to oversee the divestment plan.
But apart from the billionaire buyers who else would or could cough up the dough for such glittering prizes?
Well the emirate of Abu Dhabi are very interested! Together along with other emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai make up the UAE (United Arab Emirates) but it seems that the £10 billion they invested earlier to their friends means nothing.
Abu Dhabi have their eyes on Emaar, a property company who own the Burj Dubai skyscraper, Dubai Mall shopping centre, and Dubal, Dubai's aluminium company.
It could well be the most incredible firesale in history.
Jeopardy!
In my Higher Business Class I was talking to Greg who works in McDonald's in Hamilton. Greg answered 17 and a half minutes.
What was the question?
What was the question?
Recruitment Day
On Friday Higher Administration pupils underwent our annual recruitment programme but with an added twist!
Pupils had been given a job advert with the job description and person specification for a position as an Administration Assistant for an ICT company. Pupils then had to fill in an application form and then were divided into 2 separate pools.
They were given a list of possible questions they could be asked by the 2 seperate interview panels (who were made up or Mr MacLeod and 2 seniors, and Miss Boag and 2 seniors).
During the interview process the pupils were filmed using FLIP cameras. Once it was over, the panel typed up their notes and we will edit together the footage so the pupils can watch everyone's performance along with the feedback.
Hopefully this will give them some insight into the recruitment and selection process and also develop skills as interviewees and even interviewers.
Next week it will be our Int 2 class's turn, which will give some of the Higher pupils who were interviewed an opportunity to be the interrogator!
Congratulations to Emma and Hannah who were the two selected by the interview panels to get the job!
Pupils had been given a job advert with the job description and person specification for a position as an Administration Assistant for an ICT company. Pupils then had to fill in an application form and then were divided into 2 separate pools.
They were given a list of possible questions they could be asked by the 2 seperate interview panels (who were made up or Mr MacLeod and 2 seniors, and Miss Boag and 2 seniors).
During the interview process the pupils were filmed using FLIP cameras. Once it was over, the panel typed up their notes and we will edit together the footage so the pupils can watch everyone's performance along with the feedback.
Hopefully this will give them some insight into the recruitment and selection process and also develop skills as interviewees and even interviewers.
Next week it will be our Int 2 class's turn, which will give some of the Higher pupils who were interviewed an opportunity to be the interrogator!
Congratulations to Emma and Hannah who were the two selected by the interview panels to get the job!
SBEA Conference 2009
Miss Dunlop and myself attended the SBEA conference in Perth on Saturday. This was my 3rd consecutive time at the event and again it was very worthwhile.
Following in Peter Hughes and Colin Semple's footsteps was Ian Ritchie CBE, who has a list of highly impressive achievements in Software and Web Technology companies. One of his companies OWL were involved with the forerunner to the World Wide Web and sold one of his firms for somewhere in the region of $100 million! Serious money!
On a lighter note we learned that Ian was not a fan of Dragons' Den. Ian invests in many business start-ups and as he gave great insight into the mind of an investor. Investors are looking for on average 5 times their money back, and they accept out of every 10 investments 2 will fail, 6 will perform okay, 1 will do well and 1 will be a runaway success. It is this jackpot investment that keeps the system going. It reminded me of the Hollywood Studio system whereby they have several flops but only need 1 or 2 blockbusters a year to make a healthy profit!
The main focus for us was Curriculum for Excellence and we attended Norma Mathieson's presentation on the new materials being offered by Leckie and Leckie for S1/S2, CfE Outcomes delivered by representatives from LTS, and finally the best was saved for last by Monica Greer and Eileen Erikson who exemplified the CfE work being implemented currently in Inveralmond Community School.
All in all an excellent and inspiring day. In fact we were treated to a brilliant quote from William Arthur Ward (though I am certain it said Word on the presenter's powerpoint!!!)
"The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires."
Simple, yet powerful. And it encapsulates everything Teaching and Learning should be about, in my opinion.
In fact I will cite as an example the most incredible lecturer I have ever witnessed at University, a Strategic Management lecturer called Phillip Holden. Mr Holden is an author of several financial tomes and self-help books, but for me he was the most enthusiastic and incredible presenter I have ever witnessed. Phillip Holden looked like a respectable bank manager. Quiet, unassuming, wearing spectacles. You'd walk by him in a crowd. But once he got into that lecture hall he transformed into a different entity altogether. He was lively, funny, unpredictable but all in all he was exceptional. Charismatic and inspiring.
I reckon he is my inspiration and hopefully I can pass some of that on to my own students.
Following in Peter Hughes and Colin Semple's footsteps was Ian Ritchie CBE, who has a list of highly impressive achievements in Software and Web Technology companies. One of his companies OWL were involved with the forerunner to the World Wide Web and sold one of his firms for somewhere in the region of $100 million! Serious money!
On a lighter note we learned that Ian was not a fan of Dragons' Den. Ian invests in many business start-ups and as he gave great insight into the mind of an investor. Investors are looking for on average 5 times their money back, and they accept out of every 10 investments 2 will fail, 6 will perform okay, 1 will do well and 1 will be a runaway success. It is this jackpot investment that keeps the system going. It reminded me of the Hollywood Studio system whereby they have several flops but only need 1 or 2 blockbusters a year to make a healthy profit!
The main focus for us was Curriculum for Excellence and we attended Norma Mathieson's presentation on the new materials being offered by Leckie and Leckie for S1/S2, CfE Outcomes delivered by representatives from LTS, and finally the best was saved for last by Monica Greer and Eileen Erikson who exemplified the CfE work being implemented currently in Inveralmond Community School.
All in all an excellent and inspiring day. In fact we were treated to a brilliant quote from William Arthur Ward (though I am certain it said Word on the presenter's powerpoint!!!)
"The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires."
Simple, yet powerful. And it encapsulates everything Teaching and Learning should be about, in my opinion.
In fact I will cite as an example the most incredible lecturer I have ever witnessed at University, a Strategic Management lecturer called Phillip Holden. Mr Holden is an author of several financial tomes and self-help books, but for me he was the most enthusiastic and incredible presenter I have ever witnessed. Phillip Holden looked like a respectable bank manager. Quiet, unassuming, wearing spectacles. You'd walk by him in a crowd. But once he got into that lecture hall he transformed into a different entity altogether. He was lively, funny, unpredictable but all in all he was exceptional. Charismatic and inspiring.
I reckon he is my inspiration and hopefully I can pass some of that on to my own students.
Friday 27 November 2009
In the News...
BORDERS GOES BUST
The Borders bookshop chain in the UK has gone into administration.
Administrators MCR said all 45 Borders and Books Etc stores would remain open while it sought a buyer for all or some of the outlets.
Borders has suffered from increased competition from online retailers and supermarkets, and its website recently stopped taking new book orders.
DUBAI DEBT CAUSES WOBBLE
European shares have been hit by concerns over Dubai's financial health, after a government-owned company asked for an extension on repaying its debts.
The UK's FTSE 100 index lost 3.2%, its biggest one-day fall since March, after Dubai World asked creditors to postpone upcoming repayments until May 2010.
Banks were hit particularly hard on concerns over Dubai's ability to pay back its debts.
Share indexes, however, are trading at their highest levels for over a year.
JAPAN COMING OUT OF RECESSION?
Japan's exports fell at their slowest annual rate in a year in October, providing further evidence of the country's emergence from recession.
Exports from the world's second largest economy totalled 5.3tn yen ($60bn; $36bn), a fall of 23.2% from the same month a year earlier.
The main reason for the improvement was higher demand in Asia, analysts said.
Last week, Japan posted figures showing it had grown between July and September for the second straight quarter.
TESCO AND i-PHONE TEAM UP
Supermarket giant Tesco has joined a growing number of UK firms offering Apple's popular iPhone.
A spokesperson for the firm said that it hoped to offer the phone "in time for Christmas".
Although Tesco has not revealed tariffs, the spokesperson said that its prices were "competitive".
In September, it was revealed that O2 had lost its exclusive deal to sell the phone, which had been in place since its launch in 2007.
Both Vodafone and Orange have signed deals to sell the phone.
CHINA TO GO GREEN?
China has unveiled its first firm target for limiting greenhouse gas emissions, two weeks before a global summit on climate change in Copenhagen.
Beijing said it would aim to reduce its "carbon intensity" by 40-45% by the year 2020, compared with 2005 levels.
Carbon intensity, China's preferred measurement, is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted for each unit of GDP.
AND FINALLY...
The US Secret Service is investigating reports that a couple gatecrashed Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House, US media say.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi were reportedly not invited but later posted photos of themselves on Facebook.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the pair were screened and the president was never in any danger, but former FBI agent Brad Garrett described the incident as a "real concern."
The Washington Post described the Salahis as "polo-playing socialites" with Ms Salahi said to be on the cast of the Real Housewives of Washington television programme.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
The Borders bookshop chain in the UK has gone into administration.
Administrators MCR said all 45 Borders and Books Etc stores would remain open while it sought a buyer for all or some of the outlets.
Borders has suffered from increased competition from online retailers and supermarkets, and its website recently stopped taking new book orders.
DUBAI DEBT CAUSES WOBBLE
European shares have been hit by concerns over Dubai's financial health, after a government-owned company asked for an extension on repaying its debts.
The UK's FTSE 100 index lost 3.2%, its biggest one-day fall since March, after Dubai World asked creditors to postpone upcoming repayments until May 2010.
Banks were hit particularly hard on concerns over Dubai's ability to pay back its debts.
Share indexes, however, are trading at their highest levels for over a year.
JAPAN COMING OUT OF RECESSION?
Japan's exports fell at their slowest annual rate in a year in October, providing further evidence of the country's emergence from recession.
Exports from the world's second largest economy totalled 5.3tn yen ($60bn; $36bn), a fall of 23.2% from the same month a year earlier.
The main reason for the improvement was higher demand in Asia, analysts said.
Last week, Japan posted figures showing it had grown between July and September for the second straight quarter.
TESCO AND i-PHONE TEAM UP
Supermarket giant Tesco has joined a growing number of UK firms offering Apple's popular iPhone.
A spokesperson for the firm said that it hoped to offer the phone "in time for Christmas".
Although Tesco has not revealed tariffs, the spokesperson said that its prices were "competitive".
In September, it was revealed that O2 had lost its exclusive deal to sell the phone, which had been in place since its launch in 2007.
Both Vodafone and Orange have signed deals to sell the phone.
CHINA TO GO GREEN?
China has unveiled its first firm target for limiting greenhouse gas emissions, two weeks before a global summit on climate change in Copenhagen.
Beijing said it would aim to reduce its "carbon intensity" by 40-45% by the year 2020, compared with 2005 levels.
Carbon intensity, China's preferred measurement, is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted for each unit of GDP.
AND FINALLY...
The US Secret Service is investigating reports that a couple gatecrashed Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House, US media say.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi were reportedly not invited but later posted photos of themselves on Facebook.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the pair were screened and the president was never in any danger, but former FBI agent Brad Garrett described the incident as a "real concern."
The Washington Post described the Salahis as "polo-playing socialites" with Ms Salahi said to be on the cast of the Real Housewives of Washington television programme.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
Wellworths... 8months later
The Woolworth's store in Dorchester that closed and then reopened as Wellworths is getting ready for the busy Xmas period.
Claire Robertson, the manageress who bought over the failing branch remains upbeat and confident about the future.
She is the epitome of the little person who refuses to let a dream die. Whether or not she can keep her unique Wellworth's store alive in such hard fiscal times is another matter.
Indeed many Woolworth's employees are struggling to find work. Woolworth's was not only the most sentimental casualty of the recession, but it left the most people unemployed.
Fingers crossed that Claire and her team (including 20 former Woolies veterans) can survive and prosper.
Claire Robertson, the manageress who bought over the failing branch remains upbeat and confident about the future.
She is the epitome of the little person who refuses to let a dream die. Whether or not she can keep her unique Wellworth's store alive in such hard fiscal times is another matter.
Indeed many Woolworth's employees are struggling to find work. Woolworth's was not only the most sentimental casualty of the recession, but it left the most people unemployed.
Fingers crossed that Claire and her team (including 20 former Woolies veterans) can survive and prosper.
Tuesday 24 November 2009
Are school leavers employable?
Two of Britain's top bosses, Sir Stuart Rose (Mark's and Spencers) and Terry Leahy (Tesco) have slated school leaver's basic education and skills when they come into their organisations.
Sir Stuart said: 'They cannot do reading. They cannot do arithmetic. They cannot do writing.'
A major poll by the charity of around 2,000 business leaders over 18 months found the education black hole was their second biggest headache after the recession.
Many young people simply do not have the ' employability', lacking skills from reading and writing to punctuality, presentation and communication, it found.
Yesterday business lobby groups also weighed in. Stephen Alambritis, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said many bosses spend 'two to four weeks' helping to educate young people when they join the firm.
Tesco boss, Sir Terry recently said: 'As the largest private employer in the country, we depend on high standards in our schools. Sadly, despite all the money that has been spent, standards are still woefully low in too many schools.
'Employers like us are often left to pick up the pieces. This is before they can start teaching them about the job they have been hired."
A recent CBI study found that 52 per cent of employers are dissatisfied with the basic literacy of school leavers and 50 per cent with their basic numeracy.
A similar amount said some teenagers are 'unable to function in the workplace', claiming they cannot make simple calculations.
The upshot of all this is the skills and knowledge gap that exists in society today.
Therefore it should be everyone's goal not only to gain the knowledge to pass exams, but to develop both the hard skills and soft skills needed to work in the 21st Century.
Basics like reading, writing and counting are essential as are timekeeping, attendance, and dressing smart.
Remember there will be hundreds of people going for the jobs, careers and professions that our pupils want. So you guys have to be at least equal if not superior in attitude and determination to compete.
It all starts in school, and remember the old adage: "There is no substitute for hard work!"
Sir Stuart said: 'They cannot do reading. They cannot do arithmetic. They cannot do writing.'
A major poll by the charity of around 2,000 business leaders over 18 months found the education black hole was their second biggest headache after the recession.
Many young people simply do not have the ' employability', lacking skills from reading and writing to punctuality, presentation and communication, it found.
Yesterday business lobby groups also weighed in. Stephen Alambritis, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said many bosses spend 'two to four weeks' helping to educate young people when they join the firm.
Tesco boss, Sir Terry recently said: 'As the largest private employer in the country, we depend on high standards in our schools. Sadly, despite all the money that has been spent, standards are still woefully low in too many schools.
'Employers like us are often left to pick up the pieces. This is before they can start teaching them about the job they have been hired."
A recent CBI study found that 52 per cent of employers are dissatisfied with the basic literacy of school leavers and 50 per cent with their basic numeracy.
A similar amount said some teenagers are 'unable to function in the workplace', claiming they cannot make simple calculations.
The upshot of all this is the skills and knowledge gap that exists in society today.
Therefore it should be everyone's goal not only to gain the knowledge to pass exams, but to develop both the hard skills and soft skills needed to work in the 21st Century.
Basics like reading, writing and counting are essential as are timekeeping, attendance, and dressing smart.
Remember there will be hundreds of people going for the jobs, careers and professions that our pupils want. So you guys have to be at least equal if not superior in attitude and determination to compete.
It all starts in school, and remember the old adage: "There is no substitute for hard work!"
Branding: Burning £1 million worth of stock!
When building a brand, one doesn't think about burning £1 million worth of stock. But that is the reality facing Scottish golf clothing manufacturer, Lyle & Scott.
Lyle and Scott have been trading for over 100 years. Some of their sweaters sell for £140 a time! The Managing Director Derrick Campbell told colleagues in London that to keep the image of the company he'd rather torch some 20,000 items of stock worth a cool £1 million than let a discount outfit such as TK Maxx sell them to customers.
Such brand protection is also a key feature of Dior and Channel's Brand Strategy. They do not wish to follow Gucci's disasterous licensing agreement of the late 80s and early 1990s where Gucci allowed other companies to make products with their name on it, and this soon flooded the market with too many Gucci products. Supply outstripped demand and prices fell. Gucci as a brand was devalued and the image of the firm suffered due to the quality of the products not always being guaranteed by the licensees.
Of course many premium brands sell their product to supermarkets who them re-brand them as their supermarket own brands. This increases profits, but do so under the label of Tesco or Marks and Spencer for example.
Of course Lyle and Scott's announcement to the Press and Media that they are willing to burn £1 million of stock makes for good copy and indeed is some free publicity, something that every brand needs.
So perhaps Lyle and Scott are being very, VERY clever about the whole incident! Lyle and Scott have been doing well of late since they targeted a younger segment of the market. Sales are up 50% from last year and seem to be going from strength to strength. So a firm to watch out for!
Lyle and Scott have been trading for over 100 years. Some of their sweaters sell for £140 a time! The Managing Director Derrick Campbell told colleagues in London that to keep the image of the company he'd rather torch some 20,000 items of stock worth a cool £1 million than let a discount outfit such as TK Maxx sell them to customers.
Such brand protection is also a key feature of Dior and Channel's Brand Strategy. They do not wish to follow Gucci's disasterous licensing agreement of the late 80s and early 1990s where Gucci allowed other companies to make products with their name on it, and this soon flooded the market with too many Gucci products. Supply outstripped demand and prices fell. Gucci as a brand was devalued and the image of the firm suffered due to the quality of the products not always being guaranteed by the licensees.
Of course many premium brands sell their product to supermarkets who them re-brand them as their supermarket own brands. This increases profits, but do so under the label of Tesco or Marks and Spencer for example.
Of course Lyle and Scott's announcement to the Press and Media that they are willing to burn £1 million of stock makes for good copy and indeed is some free publicity, something that every brand needs.
So perhaps Lyle and Scott are being very, VERY clever about the whole incident! Lyle and Scott have been doing well of late since they targeted a younger segment of the market. Sales are up 50% from last year and seem to be going from strength to strength. So a firm to watch out for!
Monday 23 November 2009
The Last Cheque Book?
350 years after it was invented, the dear old cheque book may have seen its last dawn. Senior bankers are planning on withdrawing the service, which costs banks far more than using credit cards, direct debits or other forms of payment.
However, the move was criticised by consumer groups, business lobbyists and charities representing the elderly. They cost around £1 each to process, which is four times as much as electronic payments. Cheques could be phased out by 2018.
This also comes on top of the revelation that banks may start charging us £2.50 for withdrawing cash from their ATMs unless we have our mortgages with that bank! Apparently Santander have offered no charges for several banking services, but only if you are a mortgage customer!
Banks are sure to be in the firing line again soon, especially as some of the big bonuses are starting to appear again.
FUN FACTS
The ancient Romans are believed to have used an early form of cheque known as praescriptiones in the first century BC
The English word cheque comes from the Arabic ṣakk, which refers to a written note of credit used by Muslim merchants
The first cheque in the UK was written in 1659
Cheques are likely to be abolished in Britain in 2018
Cheque volumes in the UK peaked in 1990 when 4 billion were written
The predicted number of cheques written per day in the UK in 2018 is 1.6m
The number of cheques received each year by the average adult is five
The average value of a personal cheque payment is £227
The amount of retail spending still paid for by cheque is 3.9 per cent
Oversized cheques are often used during charity events and, regardless of size, can still be redeemed for their cash value as long as they have the same parts as a normal cheque
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest ever oversized cheque was 12m by 25m (39 ft × 82 ft)
However, the move was criticised by consumer groups, business lobbyists and charities representing the elderly. They cost around £1 each to process, which is four times as much as electronic payments. Cheques could be phased out by 2018.
This also comes on top of the revelation that banks may start charging us £2.50 for withdrawing cash from their ATMs unless we have our mortgages with that bank! Apparently Santander have offered no charges for several banking services, but only if you are a mortgage customer!
Banks are sure to be in the firing line again soon, especially as some of the big bonuses are starting to appear again.
FUN FACTS
The ancient Romans are believed to have used an early form of cheque known as praescriptiones in the first century BC
The English word cheque comes from the Arabic ṣakk, which refers to a written note of credit used by Muslim merchants
The first cheque in the UK was written in 1659
Cheques are likely to be abolished in Britain in 2018
Cheque volumes in the UK peaked in 1990 when 4 billion were written
The predicted number of cheques written per day in the UK in 2018 is 1.6m
The number of cheques received each year by the average adult is five
The average value of a personal cheque payment is £227
The amount of retail spending still paid for by cheque is 3.9 per cent
Oversized cheques are often used during charity events and, regardless of size, can still be redeemed for their cash value as long as they have the same parts as a normal cheque
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest ever oversized cheque was 12m by 25m (39 ft × 82 ft)
Higher Business Management - Graphology
Today in Higher Administration, as we were looking at different recruitment and selection methods, one that is always thrown up as being a bit off the wall is GRAPHOLOGY - the analysis of handwriting.
This technique is still popular in France and Poland. Indeed many cover letters sent with CVs are handwritten in order to analyse the personality of the person behind the scrawl.
I talked about a signature I remembered from a Pyschology class when I was at University, and I have found it!
This is the evolving signature of disgraced US President, Richard Milhous Nixon, who when faced with a US election in 1972, had spies bug the Democratic convention in the Watergate building.
Nixon, who was infamous for spreading the Vietnam war to Cambodia, was found guilty of wrong-doing. He was and still is the only US President to be impeached (although Bill Clinton was dangerously close!). Nixon left office with the immortal words on TV: "There can be no whitewash at the White House."
Nixon's tempermental life has been shown in movies such as Nixon (by director Oliver Stone, and portrayed by Anthony Hopkins) and Frost/Nixon, where he was played by Frank Langella.
In our examples of his signature, we can see that in 1968 and 69 his handwriting was distinct and even quite nice! But by 1973 when details of the scandal broke it got worse, and by 1974 it was just like a flatline.
Nixon and the Watergate scandal has one lasting impact on modern society... any public scandal now has the suffix GATE, as in Irangate, Dianagate, and Boozegate.
This technique is still popular in France and Poland. Indeed many cover letters sent with CVs are handwritten in order to analyse the personality of the person behind the scrawl.
I talked about a signature I remembered from a Pyschology class when I was at University, and I have found it!
This is the evolving signature of disgraced US President, Richard Milhous Nixon, who when faced with a US election in 1972, had spies bug the Democratic convention in the Watergate building.Nixon, who was infamous for spreading the Vietnam war to Cambodia, was found guilty of wrong-doing. He was and still is the only US President to be impeached (although Bill Clinton was dangerously close!). Nixon left office with the immortal words on TV: "There can be no whitewash at the White House."
Nixon's tempermental life has been shown in movies such as Nixon (by director Oliver Stone, and portrayed by Anthony Hopkins) and Frost/Nixon, where he was played by Frank Langella.
In our examples of his signature, we can see that in 1968 and 69 his handwriting was distinct and even quite nice! But by 1973 when details of the scandal broke it got worse, and by 1974 it was just like a flatline.
Nixon and the Watergate scandal has one lasting impact on modern society... any public scandal now has the suffix GATE, as in Irangate, Dianagate, and Boozegate.
Sunday 22 November 2009
Future of Sportsmanship in Football
The furore following France's World Cup playoff victory over Republic of Ireland has opened up the whole technology debate again. Thierry Henry controlled the ball with his hand, not once, but twice before crossing the ball for Gallas to score.
The referee came in for some criticism, but I believe there is another culprit.
After this shameful incident pundits and fans alike have been crying out for TV evidence to be introduced, much in the same way as American Football, Cricket, Rugby and even Tennis.
However I think everyone is missing the point. For too long Footballers have ducked responsibility. Footballers are always cheating during a game, whether diving for a penalty, making an injury look worse to get an opponent sent off, or handling the ball. Now this is not gamesmanship, it is pure 100% cheating.
The argument that because football is a billion dollar industry and is results orientated does not hold water. Tennis, Golf and Snooker all have million dollar prizes, but the competitors in such sports call fouls on themselves.
Football is a sport that has many young people viewing. Footballers have to be role models and conduct themselves appropriately on and off the park. They are well paid so they can surely see good behaviour during the game, and good behaviour when they are out in the town as occupational hazards.
The integrity of Football is at stake. Money and TV have seen Football sell its soul with sporting miracles, David and Goliath stories becoming fewer. In fact most football matches are rather dull. Over exposure is in danger of killing it off.
Football has to win over the next generation of fans who are used to playing XBox and PS3 rather than go out on a wet, muddy pitch.
But I firmly believe Football has to clean up it's act if it is to remain relevant for the 21st Century. The very least that should happen is that Thierry Henry and players who do what he did are given life bans. That would change the game overnight. It wouldn't be worth their while to cheat.
The referee came in for some criticism, but I believe there is another culprit.
After this shameful incident pundits and fans alike have been crying out for TV evidence to be introduced, much in the same way as American Football, Cricket, Rugby and even Tennis.
However I think everyone is missing the point. For too long Footballers have ducked responsibility. Footballers are always cheating during a game, whether diving for a penalty, making an injury look worse to get an opponent sent off, or handling the ball. Now this is not gamesmanship, it is pure 100% cheating.
The argument that because football is a billion dollar industry and is results orientated does not hold water. Tennis, Golf and Snooker all have million dollar prizes, but the competitors in such sports call fouls on themselves.
Football is a sport that has many young people viewing. Footballers have to be role models and conduct themselves appropriately on and off the park. They are well paid so they can surely see good behaviour during the game, and good behaviour when they are out in the town as occupational hazards.
The integrity of Football is at stake. Money and TV have seen Football sell its soul with sporting miracles, David and Goliath stories becoming fewer. In fact most football matches are rather dull. Over exposure is in danger of killing it off.
Football has to win over the next generation of fans who are used to playing XBox and PS3 rather than go out on a wet, muddy pitch.
But I firmly believe Football has to clean up it's act if it is to remain relevant for the 21st Century. The very least that should happen is that Thierry Henry and players who do what he did are given life bans. That would change the game overnight. It wouldn't be worth their while to cheat.
Friday 20 November 2009
Digital Economy Bill
The Government plan to pass a new bill which will deal with many problems of our Digital Age.
It includes:
Taking action against illegal file-sharing forcing ISPs to take action against infringers. This includes the controversial measure which could see repeat offenders cut off
Amending the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act if in future new communications technologies allow content to be copied in new ways
A new duty on Ofcom to encourage investment the spread of next-generation broadband. Part of this involves that £6 telephone tax - but that will be introduced via the pre-Budget report
Digital "safety measures" to stop firms registering domain names for illicit use
Compulsory age ratings on video games aimed at players aged 12 and over
It includes:
Taking action against illegal file-sharing forcing ISPs to take action against infringers. This includes the controversial measure which could see repeat offenders cut off
Amending the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act if in future new communications technologies allow content to be copied in new ways
A new duty on Ofcom to encourage investment the spread of next-generation broadband. Part of this involves that £6 telephone tax - but that will be introduced via the pre-Budget report
Digital "safety measures" to stop firms registering domain names for illicit use
Compulsory age ratings on video games aimed at players aged 12 and over
How can we feed the planet?
With an uncertain future and a rapidly expanding human population, how are we going to avoid famine on a massive scale?
1 Hold on to water
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says irrigated areas must expand by 11 per cent by 2025, yet the ancient aquifers that feed much of the world's food production are running dry.
2 Stop ploughing
For 1000 years, farmers have turned over the top layer of soil to bury and kill weed seeds. This is expensive, damages soils and releases greenhouse gases.
3 Go back to basics
Creating high-yielding seeds is only worthwhile if farmers have access to them, and can sell their produce for a profit. "There are varieties of maize that resist climate stress or disease, but how do you get them to farmers?" asks Prabhu Pingali, deputy head of agriculture at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
4 Boost yields
Mark Rosegrant of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) calculates that crops that will yield 25 per cent more food would boost African food production more than doubling irrigation would. It might also be easier. "We have tremendous options to enhance yields," says Hans Braun, head of wheat at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
Source: New Scientist.
Read more here: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427353.500-four-ways-to-feed-the-world.html
1 Hold on to water
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says irrigated areas must expand by 11 per cent by 2025, yet the ancient aquifers that feed much of the world's food production are running dry.
2 Stop ploughing
For 1000 years, farmers have turned over the top layer of soil to bury and kill weed seeds. This is expensive, damages soils and releases greenhouse gases.
3 Go back to basics
Creating high-yielding seeds is only worthwhile if farmers have access to them, and can sell their produce for a profit. "There are varieties of maize that resist climate stress or disease, but how do you get them to farmers?" asks Prabhu Pingali, deputy head of agriculture at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
4 Boost yields
Mark Rosegrant of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) calculates that crops that will yield 25 per cent more food would boost African food production more than doubling irrigation would. It might also be easier. "We have tremendous options to enhance yields," says Hans Braun, head of wheat at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
Source: New Scientist.
Read more here: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427353.500-four-ways-to-feed-the-world.html
The 1000 mph Car
The race is on to build a supersonic car capable of travelling 1,000 mph (1609 km/h)
3 teams are invovled: the Bloodhound SSC Team from the UK, and Canadian-American (Northearn Eagle) and Australian competitors.
The existing land speed record is 800 mph, which is held by the UK team.
The Northern Eagle team are not actually building a car at all. They are converting a rocket for land!
This reminds me of the X-Prize which was the attempt to put a private rocket into space and return it safely.
The need for speed is something that has fascinated mankind throughout human history, and the advances in technology in the 21st Century make us wonder what is possible and what will just always be out of the reach of human engineering and ingenuity.
Cars that go faster than aeroplanes are certainly something new!
3 teams are invovled: the Bloodhound SSC Team from the UK, and Canadian-American (Northearn Eagle) and Australian competitors.
The existing land speed record is 800 mph, which is held by the UK team.
The Northern Eagle team are not actually building a car at all. They are converting a rocket for land!
This reminds me of the X-Prize which was the attempt to put a private rocket into space and return it safely.
The need for speed is something that has fascinated mankind throughout human history, and the advances in technology in the 21st Century make us wonder what is possible and what will just always be out of the reach of human engineering and ingenuity.
Cars that go faster than aeroplanes are certainly something new!
Monday 9 November 2009
How will we solve our energy needs in the future?
How will the UK supply the increasing demand for power in the future?
Fossil fuels? Nuclear power? Renewable energy?
We have to consider financial cost, impact on the enviroment, public safety, and the quantity/volume that can be delivered.
Have a look at the BBC's energy calculator to see if you can decide what you think is the best way for the future:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/06/electricity_calc/html/1.stm
Fossil fuels? Nuclear power? Renewable energy?
We have to consider financial cost, impact on the enviroment, public safety, and the quantity/volume that can be delivered.
Have a look at the BBC's energy calculator to see if you can decide what you think is the best way for the future:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/06/electricity_calc/html/1.stm
Brazil to be a major player by 2026!
From BBC News:
Brazil has often been derided as the eternal country of the future. But now, it seems, that future has a date: 2026.
Brazil is stronger than before it went into recession, says Guido Mantega
At present, Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world and has the fifth-largest population as well.
But in 17 years' time, it will also be the fifth-largest economy in the world, says its finance minister, Guido Mantega.
"These figures are from the Economist Intelligence Unit," he told an audience of businessmen and journalists in London.
As he spoke, a slide showing a series of league tables outlined exactly how Brazil is expected to achieve this.
According to these projections, it will leapfrog the UK, France and Italy as early as 2011, before reaching the number five slot in 2026 with a gross domestic product of $5.721tn in purchasing power parity terms.
"If we took the World Bank figures, we would already be in fifth place in 2014," he said.
"We were more modest and took statistics that put us there in 2026, when China will already be the number one world economy."
This is interesting in that Rio has been awarded the Olympics for 2016 and the World Cup is going to Brazil in 2014. This means that Brazil's international profile will be huge for basically most of the upcoming decade. Investment in Brazil's infrastructure and economy will surely have a knock-on effect on the living conditions of some of the deprived people living in favellas.
The positive aspect of a nation having a vision is crucial. I remember how Malaysia ran the 2020 project which aims for that South East Asian nation to become a member of the developed world and helped Kuala Lumpur win the 1998 Commonwealth Games and built the Petronas Twin Towers and the Menara KL Tower. KL is a bustling, booming city. One of the jewels of the Far East.
Brazil and Rio are perhaps aiming to be the first true South American global player. A continent rich in natural deposits has for too long been exploited by the West and Multinational corporations at the expense of the local people.
Hopefully if Brazil does see its economy grow they will also feel the weight of world responsibility to protect the Amazonian rainforest and all the important species of plants, animals and birdlife that live in that ecosphere. Conservation of the Amazon is hugely important to the future of the planet. So we all have an interest in the future of Brazil.
Study Points:
- What are the future implications of large nations such as Brazil, China and India becoming heavily industrialised by the early 21st century?
- What are the benefits to Brazil of hosting the 2016 Olympics and 2014 World Cup?
- How can the International Community help Brazil save the rainforest?
Top 10 Inventions of All Time
A public vote to find the best inventions uncovered the following results:
1st place - X-ray machines
2nd place - Penicillin
3rd place - DNA double helix
4th place - Apollo 10 capsule
5th place - V2 Rocket Engine
6th place - Stephenson's Rocket
7th place - Pilot ACE Computer
8th place - Steam Engine
9th place - Model T Ford
10th place - Electric Telegraph
Source: BBC News
1st place - X-ray machines
2nd place - Penicillin
3rd place - DNA double helix
4th place - Apollo 10 capsule
5th place - V2 Rocket Engine
6th place - Stephenson's Rocket
7th place - Pilot ACE Computer
8th place - Steam Engine
9th place - Model T Ford
10th place - Electric Telegraph
Source: BBC News
Friday 6 November 2009
2009 Higher Business Research Project Champions!
This year's winners with the very interersting Wal-Mart presentation were:
Stuart Annetts
Ryan Barnstaple
Calum Innes
The class was judged by Miss Dunlop's S3 Administration class and Head Judge PC Jim Foy.
Well done to the winners and to everyone who took part. The slides will be available on www.slideshare.net
Stuart Annetts
Ryan Barnstaple
Calum Innes
The class was judged by Miss Dunlop's S3 Administration class and Head Judge PC Jim Foy.
Well done to the winners and to everyone who took part. The slides will be available on www.slideshare.net
Wednesday 4 November 2009
AB Tests - November
Just a bit of prior warning to senior pupils!
This year's AB test will take place on the following dates:
Higher Business Management
19th November 2009
Higher Administration
20th November 2009
Remember these tests are designed to judge how you are performing. They are as important as prelims, make no mistake about it!
Higher Business Management AB Test will be a 50 mark paper, made up of past paper questions. This is half a prelim since we will have only covered about half the course by then.
Make note of the command words!
Higher Administration AB Test consists of 2 papers. Paper 1 is a 30 mark written exam; Paper 2 is a 30 mark practical (ICT) exam. I believe that this AB Test in particular helped Higher Administration pupils a great deal as they had to deal with time pressure early on in the course.
You will not be asked something that hasn't been taught yet, so make sure you have already started studying - i.e. revising and ordering your notes. This is also why making a good attempt at homework is vital. Homework gives you an opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them without the pressure of an examiner! Homework is there to aid learning, not as a stick to beat you over the head with!
So I want to see you guys become Booksmarts!
This year's AB test will take place on the following dates:
Higher Business Management
19th November 2009
Higher Administration
20th November 2009
Remember these tests are designed to judge how you are performing. They are as important as prelims, make no mistake about it!
Higher Business Management AB Test will be a 50 mark paper, made up of past paper questions. This is half a prelim since we will have only covered about half the course by then.
Make note of the command words!
Higher Administration AB Test consists of 2 papers. Paper 1 is a 30 mark written exam; Paper 2 is a 30 mark practical (ICT) exam. I believe that this AB Test in particular helped Higher Administration pupils a great deal as they had to deal with time pressure early on in the course.
You will not be asked something that hasn't been taught yet, so make sure you have already started studying - i.e. revising and ordering your notes. This is also why making a good attempt at homework is vital. Homework gives you an opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them without the pressure of an examiner! Homework is there to aid learning, not as a stick to beat you over the head with!
So I want to see you guys become Booksmarts!
Monday 26 October 2009
The Apprentice is back!
Tonight on BBC 1 at Midnight (great time for pupils to watch... NOT!) the best TV show in the world is back. Forget grumpy Alan Sugar and his UK version.
The Apprentice with Donald Trump is the original and best show! We're finally getting to see Season Four after a lengthy gap of two years.
So what makes Trump's version so good?
Well it is actually pretty educational and of course it is entertaining. The characters on the show make some of the craziest decisions known to man!
I normally don't get excited about TV but this is my favourite show of recent years. Some of the reasons for people getting fired are incredible! Remember Brian who was going to sort everyone out in the Board Room?
TRUMP: "Who should I fire, Brian?"
BRIAN: "You should fire me me."
TRUMP:"I should fire you?"
BRIAN: "Yes, Mr Trump."
TRUMP:"Okay Brian, you're fired. That was the quickest Board Room ever!"
TV gold!
The Apprentice with Donald Trump is the original and best show! We're finally getting to see Season Four after a lengthy gap of two years.
So what makes Trump's version so good?
Well it is actually pretty educational and of course it is entertaining. The characters on the show make some of the craziest decisions known to man!
I normally don't get excited about TV but this is my favourite show of recent years. Some of the reasons for people getting fired are incredible! Remember Brian who was going to sort everyone out in the Board Room?
TRUMP: "Who should I fire, Brian?"
BRIAN: "You should fire me me."
TRUMP:"I should fire you?"
BRIAN: "Yes, Mr Trump."
TRUMP:"Okay Brian, you're fired. That was the quickest Board Room ever!"
TV gold!
Friday 23 October 2009
Nokia take on Apple
TWhen you have been No. 1 in any industry, the only was is down. This happened to Nokia, the Finnish mobile phone giant.
Nokia makes beautiful phones, but they needed to offer extra funtcions to keep up with Apple. To create a smartphone!
The iPhone has become the gold standard by which all other mobiles are measured.
Nokia has lost substantial ground in the North American cell phone market.
Apple, according to Nokia, has gotten a free ride since the iPhone launched—a very fast ride. Apple commands 22% of the smartphone market in the US, and globally, it holds 12% of the market, more than doubling its share from last year.
Meanwhile, despite its best efforts, Nokia has steadily lost ground. It holds 40% of the market, down from 43% last year, according to IDC. And in the competitive North American market, Nokia is barely holding its own with just 3%.
Nokia is now ringing the changes to create a range of smartphones able to match Apple's iPhone. But will it have it's rival's 'cool' factor?
Source: Fortune
Nokia makes beautiful phones, but they needed to offer extra funtcions to keep up with Apple. To create a smartphone!
The iPhone has become the gold standard by which all other mobiles are measured.
Nokia has lost substantial ground in the North American cell phone market.
Apple, according to Nokia, has gotten a free ride since the iPhone launched—a very fast ride. Apple commands 22% of the smartphone market in the US, and globally, it holds 12% of the market, more than doubling its share from last year.
Meanwhile, despite its best efforts, Nokia has steadily lost ground. It holds 40% of the market, down from 43% last year, according to IDC. And in the competitive North American market, Nokia is barely holding its own with just 3%.
Nokia is now ringing the changes to create a range of smartphones able to match Apple's iPhone. But will it have it's rival's 'cool' factor?
Source: Fortune
Question Time and Free Speech
I normally do not wade into politics, but tonight on Question Time the leader of a rather nasty party appeared. I do not wish to even name the person, who is an MEP(!) but it is important that in our modern and democratic society that everyone has a right to be heard.
What I would point out is that any sensible person would distance themselves from the ideals of such a party based on hate and division. The MEP's party stands for subject matter that is distasteful in the extreme.
I have often wondered when we as a people, as a species (ONE species I hasten to add!) are going to mature and grow up? We often say this to students and we are so proud when we see the maturing and self-realisation of what life is about among the young! When they realise they can have fun and excitement learning and celebrating diversity. Life is such a short experience that we should make the best of it and try and help people, not hinder them.
Imagine if the world all worked together in peace? How incredible would that be? Would it be like the world of Star Trek? Where we could explore the universe? Or would it be a world were we didn't have to spend money on weapons and armies and instead devote ourselves to feeding the hungry, helping the poor and curing disease?
Well we can live in hope. And hopefully the great job that educators around the world do to sharpen young inquiring minds will make a difference to the future.
What I would point out is that any sensible person would distance themselves from the ideals of such a party based on hate and division. The MEP's party stands for subject matter that is distasteful in the extreme.
I have often wondered when we as a people, as a species (ONE species I hasten to add!) are going to mature and grow up? We often say this to students and we are so proud when we see the maturing and self-realisation of what life is about among the young! When they realise they can have fun and excitement learning and celebrating diversity. Life is such a short experience that we should make the best of it and try and help people, not hinder them.
Imagine if the world all worked together in peace? How incredible would that be? Would it be like the world of Star Trek? Where we could explore the universe? Or would it be a world were we didn't have to spend money on weapons and armies and instead devote ourselves to feeding the hungry, helping the poor and curing disease?
Well we can live in hope. And hopefully the great job that educators around the world do to sharpen young inquiring minds will make a difference to the future.
Curriculum for Excellence - Scratch Programming
This week I attended a CPD course on Scratch Programming which is a fun way to introduce pupils to programming - a topic many students dread!
The excellent course was run by Frank Frame, the Advisor for Computing, and it was very hands on. We got to create some programs from scratch (no pun intended) as well as following the excellent resources.
Scratch is obviously going to fit in well with the aims of Curriculum for Excellence. An interesting piece of news was that apparently the uptake for Computing courses in Higher and Further Education is not as high as it once was, and there are many concerns about this. Scratch is one such reaction to this, by trying to remove the 'nerdy' or 'geeky' image of Computing and trying to make it more interesting to pupils.
I have found this pretty interesting since Business subject degrees (in all their many forms such as Economics, Marketing, Accounting, Management, Human Resources, Operations, Logistics etc) are among the highest uptake in Higher and Further Education Institutions. Yet the experiences of pupils in schools differ from school to school. If Business is so popular at University and College then surely with our new Curriculum for Excellence there should be MORE Business courses available for pupils from 3-18 rather than less? I am sure this was at the forefront of the inclusion of Business outcomes and experiences in the Social Subjects document.
Business subjects offer students the chance to learn hard and soft skills which are vital in the workplace. Indeed, Business subjects are uniquely positioned to help pupils gain insight into industry which is after all where we hope our young people will eventually end up and contributing to society as a whole!
The excellent course was run by Frank Frame, the Advisor for Computing, and it was very hands on. We got to create some programs from scratch (no pun intended) as well as following the excellent resources.
Scratch is obviously going to fit in well with the aims of Curriculum for Excellence. An interesting piece of news was that apparently the uptake for Computing courses in Higher and Further Education is not as high as it once was, and there are many concerns about this. Scratch is one such reaction to this, by trying to remove the 'nerdy' or 'geeky' image of Computing and trying to make it more interesting to pupils.
I have found this pretty interesting since Business subject degrees (in all their many forms such as Economics, Marketing, Accounting, Management, Human Resources, Operations, Logistics etc) are among the highest uptake in Higher and Further Education Institutions. Yet the experiences of pupils in schools differ from school to school. If Business is so popular at University and College then surely with our new Curriculum for Excellence there should be MORE Business courses available for pupils from 3-18 rather than less? I am sure this was at the forefront of the inclusion of Business outcomes and experiences in the Social Subjects document.
Business subjects offer students the chance to learn hard and soft skills which are vital in the workplace. Indeed, Business subjects are uniquely positioned to help pupils gain insight into industry which is after all where we hope our young people will eventually end up and contributing to society as a whole!
Wednesday 21 October 2009
In the News...
CHINESE ELECTRIC CAR
Chinese firm BYD says that its new E6 electric car due out before the end of the year will do 250 miles (400km) on a single charge.
This is a very big number. The Tesla electric sports car does almost as much, but has little room for anything else in the car but the battery.
The E6 is roomy with space for five passengers and a good-sized boot. The battery tucks under the back seat.
It needs 7-8 hours with a domestic plug to charge the car but BYD - it stands for Build Your Dreams - says a specially developed fast charging point with a lead the diameter of a fire hose will fill up the car in just one hour. You can get half a charge in only 10 minutes.
If these claims are accurate and if BYD can persuade either the Chinese government or a Chinese city to install a network of the fast chargers, then this large hatchback could be the vehicle that makes the breakthrough for electric cars.
VW TO BUY 50% OF PORSCHE
Europe's largest carmaker, Volkswagen, has said it is to buy 49.9% of sports car maker Porsche by the end of 2009 for about 3.9bn euros (£3.54bn;$5.8bn).
In August VW and Porsche agreed the details by which VW will merge with its German compatriot by 2011.
VW had initially been set to buy a 42% stake in Porsche by the end of this year for 3.3bn euros.
The deal will end months of acrimony between the two firms, and would end Porsche's failed efforts to buy VW.
APPLE PROFITS UP
Apple has shrugged off the recession with profits surging on demand for its iPhones, laptops and desktop computers.
The technology giant made a net profit of $1.67bn (£1bn) in the three months to 26 September, up 47% on a year earlier. Sales rose 25% to $9.87bn.
Computer sales grew 17%, and iPhone sales climbed 7%, though there was an 8% drop in the number of iPods sold.
The results come ahead of rival Microsoft launching its new Windows 7 operating system later this week.
Shares in California-based Apple closed at $189.86 on the Nasdaq index, but rose to above $200 in extended trading on the results, which were well ahead of what analysts had forecast.
Source: BBC News
Chinese firm BYD says that its new E6 electric car due out before the end of the year will do 250 miles (400km) on a single charge.
This is a very big number. The Tesla electric sports car does almost as much, but has little room for anything else in the car but the battery.
The E6 is roomy with space for five passengers and a good-sized boot. The battery tucks under the back seat.
It needs 7-8 hours with a domestic plug to charge the car but BYD - it stands for Build Your Dreams - says a specially developed fast charging point with a lead the diameter of a fire hose will fill up the car in just one hour. You can get half a charge in only 10 minutes.
If these claims are accurate and if BYD can persuade either the Chinese government or a Chinese city to install a network of the fast chargers, then this large hatchback could be the vehicle that makes the breakthrough for electric cars.
VW TO BUY 50% OF PORSCHE
Europe's largest carmaker, Volkswagen, has said it is to buy 49.9% of sports car maker Porsche by the end of 2009 for about 3.9bn euros (£3.54bn;$5.8bn).
In August VW and Porsche agreed the details by which VW will merge with its German compatriot by 2011.
VW had initially been set to buy a 42% stake in Porsche by the end of this year for 3.3bn euros.
The deal will end months of acrimony between the two firms, and would end Porsche's failed efforts to buy VW.
APPLE PROFITS UP
Apple has shrugged off the recession with profits surging on demand for its iPhones, laptops and desktop computers.
The technology giant made a net profit of $1.67bn (£1bn) in the three months to 26 September, up 47% on a year earlier. Sales rose 25% to $9.87bn.
Computer sales grew 17%, and iPhone sales climbed 7%, though there was an 8% drop in the number of iPods sold.
The results come ahead of rival Microsoft launching its new Windows 7 operating system later this week.
Shares in California-based Apple closed at $189.86 on the Nasdaq index, but rose to above $200 in extended trading on the results, which were well ahead of what analysts had forecast.
Source: BBC News
V for Victory! 80s TV Nostalgia!
Childhood in the 1980s was so different to that of the modern schoolkids of the new millennium. Not only did we not have mobile phones, but all we had was the very basic Atari video game console and having to live with the very real threat of thermonuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.
However, there were some iconic TV moments that affected kids all over the world. I have already mentioned in a previous post the brilliance of Carl Sagan's Cosmos, but another TV event that was just simply earth shattering was a 1983 sci-fi mini series called V.
V was the story of the arrival of 50 alien motherships over the major cities of Earth. The Visitors, as the aliens became known, looked like us and promised to cure disease in return for some much needed gases to help their own world.
But as everyone knows what made this sci-fi programme that little bit different was the real intentions of the aliens and the obvious parallels with the Nazis in the 1930s. The Visitors were not benign. They rounded up scientists and people who did not cooperate to either put them to work or make them disappear just like Hitler and Stalin did.
There was one true ace card that V had that would be hard to replicate now. The shock factor of their true appearance! The Visitors did not look like us at all. Instead they were reptiles and they fed on mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats... you name it. Indeed the two scenes ("Mousey, Mousey... and Steven and Diana's feast) with food were replicated on many playgrounds. Also the Visitors were not here for gases, but for our water and to stockpile humans for food!
The heroic resistance fought against the Visitors and while Mike Donovan - a TV cameraman come action hero was a poor man's Han Solo - the real star of the show was the alien's chief science officer, the afore mentioned Diana. Diana became the breakout character of the show and its sequel and subsequent series. She was cool, efficient and rather nasty! But she was easily the most popular character in the show.
Which leads me to the new reimagining by US TV. The new V is being premiered on November the 3rd but rather than the 1930s parallels it will be more relevant to the post-9/11 world. But in this new series the leader of the Visitors is called Anna. It seems Diana has been left alone, which is good in one sense (because who else could play Diana other than Jane Badler?) and bad because she was such a fun character.
There is a very poignant scene in V at the end of the very first episode. Kids are spray painting a poster of the Visitors but it is just like graffiti. An old Holocaust survivor, Abraham, shouts at them and tells them to "do it right!" Abraham sprays the titular 'V' on the poster and in a truly uplifting moment tells them: "V. For victory!"
However, there were some iconic TV moments that affected kids all over the world. I have already mentioned in a previous post the brilliance of Carl Sagan's Cosmos, but another TV event that was just simply earth shattering was a 1983 sci-fi mini series called V.
V was the story of the arrival of 50 alien motherships over the major cities of Earth. The Visitors, as the aliens became known, looked like us and promised to cure disease in return for some much needed gases to help their own world.
But as everyone knows what made this sci-fi programme that little bit different was the real intentions of the aliens and the obvious parallels with the Nazis in the 1930s. The Visitors were not benign. They rounded up scientists and people who did not cooperate to either put them to work or make them disappear just like Hitler and Stalin did.
There was one true ace card that V had that would be hard to replicate now. The shock factor of their true appearance! The Visitors did not look like us at all. Instead they were reptiles and they fed on mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats... you name it. Indeed the two scenes ("Mousey, Mousey... and Steven and Diana's feast) with food were replicated on many playgrounds. Also the Visitors were not here for gases, but for our water and to stockpile humans for food!
The heroic resistance fought against the Visitors and while Mike Donovan - a TV cameraman come action hero was a poor man's Han Solo - the real star of the show was the alien's chief science officer, the afore mentioned Diana. Diana became the breakout character of the show and its sequel and subsequent series. She was cool, efficient and rather nasty! But she was easily the most popular character in the show.
Which leads me to the new reimagining by US TV. The new V is being premiered on November the 3rd but rather than the 1930s parallels it will be more relevant to the post-9/11 world. But in this new series the leader of the Visitors is called Anna. It seems Diana has been left alone, which is good in one sense (because who else could play Diana other than Jane Badler?) and bad because she was such a fun character.
There is a very poignant scene in V at the end of the very first episode. Kids are spray painting a poster of the Visitors but it is just like graffiti. An old Holocaust survivor, Abraham, shouts at them and tells them to "do it right!" Abraham sprays the titular 'V' on the poster and in a truly uplifting moment tells them: "V. For victory!"
Saturday 10 October 2009
Higher Administration Study Guide
Pupils in Higher Administration this year have been set the task of creating an e-book on the Theory elements of the course.
We were inspired by the Higher Still Revision Notes created by pupils some years ago. I have been wanting to do it for quite some time, but this year we have 6 periods and I think we can donate 1 a week to this revision task.
I also think changing the order of the course is working. Moving Spreadsheet and Database skills up to the start of the course and moving Word Processing back is a good move. Plus doing ITFM first and leaving Administrative Services until now is also a good idea.
So the Higher Administration eBook Team are already underway creating the ITFM element of their ebook. Everything must be original and this will include images, diagrams and photographs. A big challenge, but worthwhile all the same.
We were inspired by the Higher Still Revision Notes created by pupils some years ago. I have been wanting to do it for quite some time, but this year we have 6 periods and I think we can donate 1 a week to this revision task.
I also think changing the order of the course is working. Moving Spreadsheet and Database skills up to the start of the course and moving Word Processing back is a good move. Plus doing ITFM first and leaving Administrative Services until now is also a good idea.
So the Higher Administration eBook Team are already underway creating the ITFM element of their ebook. Everything must be original and this will include images, diagrams and photographs. A big challenge, but worthwhile all the same.
Thursday 8 October 2009
James Cameron's Avatar
With Hamilton Grammar School working on our greenscreen it is quite appropriate that the next step in motion picture evolution is being pioneered at the same time by legendary Oscar winning director James Cameron. His movie Avatar is shot in 3-D and almost everything is computer generated.
The heroes of the movie, the Na'vi are ten foot tall blue aliens who are not cartoons but an ever better generation of CGI from Gollum.
The film is about the human colonisation and exploitation of a small planet called Pandora. And the planet is so hostile that humans use clones of the Na'vi to roam the planet... the avatars of the title. The avatars are created but have a human mind implanted into it. For the hero of the movie, Jake Sully - a crippled war veteran - it offers him a new life.
Using CGI and greenscren technology really fires the imagination, so hopefully we can come up with some great projects of our own!
For more information about this movie go to:
http://www2.avatarmovie.com/
The heroes of the movie, the Na'vi are ten foot tall blue aliens who are not cartoons but an ever better generation of CGI from Gollum.
The film is about the human colonisation and exploitation of a small planet called Pandora. And the planet is so hostile that humans use clones of the Na'vi to roam the planet... the avatars of the title. The avatars are created but have a human mind implanted into it. For the hero of the movie, Jake Sully - a crippled war veteran - it offers him a new life.
Using CGI and greenscren technology really fires the imagination, so hopefully we can come up with some great projects of our own!
For more information about this movie go to:
http://www2.avatarmovie.com/
Monday 5 October 2009
Divided States of America?
It seems that not everyone is being nice to each other during this time of recession. In the United States the 50 States are all competing hard against each other for new businesses to locate in their state and also the good old tourist dollar.
One state in particular, Indiana, seems to be poaching more than its fair share of custom! Indiana is relying on negative advertising, slagging off some other States and an aggressive sales visit task force to nearby states such as Ohio and Michigan.
Read more here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8273664.stm
Tourism is in the Service Sector, the Tertiary Sector. As Developed nations become less industrialised services such as Tourism, Retail and Banking are becoming more and more important. We have also witnessed this in Dubai with their attempts to move away from their oil rich past and present. They are preparing for an oil-lite future!
One state in particular, Indiana, seems to be poaching more than its fair share of custom! Indiana is relying on negative advertising, slagging off some other States and an aggressive sales visit task force to nearby states such as Ohio and Michigan.
Read more here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8273664.stm
Tourism is in the Service Sector, the Tertiary Sector. As Developed nations become less industrialised services such as Tourism, Retail and Banking are becoming more and more important. We have also witnessed this in Dubai with their attempts to move away from their oil rich past and present. They are preparing for an oil-lite future!
Saturday 3 October 2009
Michael Palin - A Salute!
Who is my favourite Travel writer/presenter? Some go for the comedians such as Billy Connolly, Paul Merton or Griff Rhys Jones; others for the flamboyant Italian Francesco Da Mosta, while QI egghead Stephen Fry is gaining more fans by the minute with his very interesting series America and his Last Chance to See programmes.
But... "I didn't want to be a Business Teacher. Oh no. I wanted to be ... a LUMBERJACK!"
No I haven't lost it. Michael Palin is not only one sixth of Monty Python, but he is the most genial and interesting travel guide anyone could have. Palin roughs it whether in the burning Sahara or the high peaks of the Himalayas. He converses with the locals with skill few can match. He genuinely likes people and can laugh with people of different ethnicities and religions, as well as learn from them and also teach them bits of our own culture. I think part of Michael Palin's wanderlust has rubbed off on me as I have a lot of places that I want to visit. Many are not very touristy and some are downright dangerous!
There was a scene on the Volta Ferry in Ghana when an incredible amount of people spilled off a tiny boat (resembling the Western Ferry) and cars and trucks went past in a puff of black smoke. Mr Bowen commented: "It's like a Michael Palin travelogue!" Too true!
From his original Jules Verne Around the World in 80 Days, to his Pole to Pole adventure and then to my personal favourite Full Circle, where he circumnavigated the Pacific Rim, Michael Palin gets you excited about travel.
Travel broadens the mind and perhaps that's why I am so interested in what happens in other cities, countries and cultures. I love looking at what is similar and different among peoples and nations. Diversity is what makes life worthwhile. How boring it would be if we were all the same!
My experience in Ghana means that South America is the only continent I have not yet travelled to, but I aim to go sometime within the next 2 years. Brazil and Peru are high up my list. Brazil even more so with Rio de Janeiro being announced as the host city for the Olympics in 2016!
To any students past or present reading this I would encourage you to travel the world either before or after university as it is something I do regret. But hey, I have plenty of interesting places to visit before I retire!
But... "I didn't want to be a Business Teacher. Oh no. I wanted to be ... a LUMBERJACK!"
No I haven't lost it. Michael Palin is not only one sixth of Monty Python, but he is the most genial and interesting travel guide anyone could have. Palin roughs it whether in the burning Sahara or the high peaks of the Himalayas. He converses with the locals with skill few can match. He genuinely likes people and can laugh with people of different ethnicities and religions, as well as learn from them and also teach them bits of our own culture. I think part of Michael Palin's wanderlust has rubbed off on me as I have a lot of places that I want to visit. Many are not very touristy and some are downright dangerous!
There was a scene on the Volta Ferry in Ghana when an incredible amount of people spilled off a tiny boat (resembling the Western Ferry) and cars and trucks went past in a puff of black smoke. Mr Bowen commented: "It's like a Michael Palin travelogue!" Too true!
From his original Jules Verne Around the World in 80 Days, to his Pole to Pole adventure and then to my personal favourite Full Circle, where he circumnavigated the Pacific Rim, Michael Palin gets you excited about travel.
Travel broadens the mind and perhaps that's why I am so interested in what happens in other cities, countries and cultures. I love looking at what is similar and different among peoples and nations. Diversity is what makes life worthwhile. How boring it would be if we were all the same!
My experience in Ghana means that South America is the only continent I have not yet travelled to, but I aim to go sometime within the next 2 years. Brazil and Peru are high up my list. Brazil even more so with Rio de Janeiro being announced as the host city for the Olympics in 2016!
To any students past or present reading this I would encourage you to travel the world either before or after university as it is something I do regret. But hey, I have plenty of interesting places to visit before I retire!
Rio is the winner!
Yesterday it was announced that the 2016 Olympics will be going to South America for the very first time.
I read that Rio had bid before in 1936, 2004 and 2012, and failed on all three previous occassions. I did predict Rio to win for many reasons, but I do feel that for the Olympics to be truly international every part of the world deserves a turn. So South America this time and perhaps somewhere in Africa in 2020?
What will the Olympics bring to Rio and to Brazil?
Not only will there be an upsurge in Tourism, it will lead to better infrastructure within the city and the region. Also the sports stadia that will be built for the games will be a lasting legacy for the young people of Brazil to aspire to perform in.
The economic cost is great but a good games actually makes money... or does it? That is something I want my students to investigate as you do read contrary reports.
The one good thing for Brazil is that Rio is now a focal point again for the world... starting now and for the next seven or so years. Mind you they do have the small matter of the FIFA World Cup to worry about in 2014! So interesting times ahead for Brazil.
I read that Rio had bid before in 1936, 2004 and 2012, and failed on all three previous occassions. I did predict Rio to win for many reasons, but I do feel that for the Olympics to be truly international every part of the world deserves a turn. So South America this time and perhaps somewhere in Africa in 2020?
What will the Olympics bring to Rio and to Brazil?
Not only will there be an upsurge in Tourism, it will lead to better infrastructure within the city and the region. Also the sports stadia that will be built for the games will be a lasting legacy for the young people of Brazil to aspire to perform in.
The economic cost is great but a good games actually makes money... or does it? That is something I want my students to investigate as you do read contrary reports.
The one good thing for Brazil is that Rio is now a focal point again for the world... starting now and for the next seven or so years. Mind you they do have the small matter of the FIFA World Cup to worry about in 2014! So interesting times ahead for Brazil.
Friday 2 October 2009
G20
The leaders of the Group of 20, or G20, of the world's most powerful countries met in the US city of Pittsburgh, to discuss how to tackle the economic crisis which threatens the world!
On the BBC website there are details of each of the countries problems and responses to the crisis.
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Indonesia
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Russia
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
South Korea
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
European Union
Linked to the business and economic problems faced by these nations, it is also important to recognise that many of the current Governments in these countries will face elections, which may end up with the existing leaders ousted and replaced with new Presidents or Premiers... assuming they are democracies!
Angela Merkel recently held onto power in Germany. But will Gordon Brown be able to win over the voters when the General Election occurs in the UK in 2009-2010?
Higher Administration: Workflow and ICT
One question that seems to be giving candidates a problem is the one about the impact ICT has on workflow in an organisation.
Workflow is the way information is recived, processed and delivered by an organisation.
Input, Process and Output
INPUT
email can be used to recieve information from customers instantly. This can also come from internal or external sources.
Data capture forms can also be used to collect information from external sources.
Online registration/order forms can collect information from customers, such as orders, quantity, products bought and the customer's contact/delivery details
PROCESS
Spreadsheets, Word Processing and Databses packages are used to process information.
Spreadsheets can be used to calculate and create charts;
Word Processing can be used to create letters, memos and reports;
Databases can be used to create customer and/or employee records.
OUTPUT
For effective and efficient communication, transmission and presentation of information, PowerPoint, the Internet, e-Diaries can be used.
Workflow is the way information is recived, processed and delivered by an organisation.
Input, Process and Output
INPUT
email can be used to recieve information from customers instantly. This can also come from internal or external sources.
Data capture forms can also be used to collect information from external sources.
Online registration/order forms can collect information from customers, such as orders, quantity, products bought and the customer's contact/delivery details
PROCESS
Spreadsheets, Word Processing and Databses packages are used to process information.
Spreadsheets can be used to calculate and create charts;
Word Processing can be used to create letters, memos and reports;
Databases can be used to create customer and/or employee records.
OUTPUT
For effective and efficient communication, transmission and presentation of information, PowerPoint, the Internet, e-Diaries can be used.
Olympics 2016 City to be announced
Today the host city for the 2016 Olympics is due to be announced.
The candidate cities are:
Chicago, USA
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Madrid, Spain
Tokyo, Japan
Each city has its own unique benefits and disadvantages.
CHICAGO - the hometown of President Obama and a great location on the shores of Lake Michigan. However the USA have held the Olympics a few times before and it may be that someone else deserves a turn. The favourite with the bookies and a city I have visited and was very impressed with. But I have a feeling it won't be The Windy City's turn.
RIO DE JANEIRO - the most 'friendly' South American City which could lead to a massive party if successful. Already has tourism doing well, but there are issues over construction, national debt, and crime rates in this most famous Latin American metropolis. South America has never hosted the Olympics, yet they have hosted several FIFA World Cups, so perhaps they are overdue one. My personal tip for the Olympics 2016.
MADRID - the Spanish capital, and Europe's highest capital city. Madrid is a fine city but could it outdo their bitter rivals Barcelona - the 1992 host city? Possibly not. Europe has held the Olympics the most of any continent and with London hosting in 2012 I doubt the Spaniards will get the nod.
TOKYO - hosts of the 1964 Olympics, and the dark horse in this race. The infrastructure of Tokyo and the whole cultural experience would be incredible. But Beijing hosted in 2008 and perhaps going back to Asia too soon counts against such a fabulous and modern city.
Which one do you think you would like to see becoming the host city for 2016?
Please vote in the poll and leave comments here why you voted!
In the News...
INTERNET ADS BEAT TV!
Online advertising spending in the UK has overtaken television expenditure for the first time, a report has said.
Online spending grew 4.6% to £1.752bn in the first half of 2009, while TV spending shrank 16.1% to £1.639bn.
Overall advertising fell 16% compared with the same period in 2008, said the study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
E-mail campaigns, classified adverts, display ads and search marketing are all classed as online advertising.
JAPAN UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN
Japan's jobless rate unexpectedly fell to 5.5% in August from July's record high of 5.7%, official figures showed.
But the number of people unemployed hit a six-year high of 3.61 million in August, a figure which was up 32.7% on the same month of 2008.
Official figures also showed that household spending rose 2.6% in August from a year earlier.
The markets will also be focusing on unemployment figures from the US, which are due out later on Friday.
Analysts had been expecting the Japanese jobless rate to rise again in August.
UK HOUSE PRICES BACK TO 2008?
UK house prices have now recovered to the same level as a year ago, according to the latest Nationwide figures.
The average price of a home last month rose by 0.9% to £161,816, almost identical to September 2008.
The building society said house prices had now risen for the fifth month in a row.
However, the nation's homeowners continued to pay off more of their mortgages between April and June, according to the Bank of England.
A further £7bn was added to people's equity in the country's housing stock, as homeowners accelerated the repayment of their home loans, or put down bigger deposits when taking out a new mortgage.
EU INVESTIGATES AIRLINE MONOPOLIES
The European Commission's competition authorities have raised concerns about the transatlantic plans of British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia.
The Oneworld alliance members want to operate as a joint business on flights between the EU and North America.
If they are to go ahead they will also need approval from US regulators.
The Commission has sent its Statement of Objections to the airlines, and they now have the chance to respond before a competition decision is reached.
The Commission confirmed that it was still looking into similar plans for co-operation by Star Alliance members Lufthansa, Continental, United and Air Canada and between Skyteam members Air France/KLM and Delta/Northwest.
Source: BBC News
Online advertising spending in the UK has overtaken television expenditure for the first time, a report has said.
Online spending grew 4.6% to £1.752bn in the first half of 2009, while TV spending shrank 16.1% to £1.639bn.
Overall advertising fell 16% compared with the same period in 2008, said the study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
E-mail campaigns, classified adverts, display ads and search marketing are all classed as online advertising.
JAPAN UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN
Japan's jobless rate unexpectedly fell to 5.5% in August from July's record high of 5.7%, official figures showed.
But the number of people unemployed hit a six-year high of 3.61 million in August, a figure which was up 32.7% on the same month of 2008.
Official figures also showed that household spending rose 2.6% in August from a year earlier.
The markets will also be focusing on unemployment figures from the US, which are due out later on Friday.
Analysts had been expecting the Japanese jobless rate to rise again in August.
UK HOUSE PRICES BACK TO 2008?
UK house prices have now recovered to the same level as a year ago, according to the latest Nationwide figures.
The average price of a home last month rose by 0.9% to £161,816, almost identical to September 2008.
The building society said house prices had now risen for the fifth month in a row.
However, the nation's homeowners continued to pay off more of their mortgages between April and June, according to the Bank of England.
A further £7bn was added to people's equity in the country's housing stock, as homeowners accelerated the repayment of their home loans, or put down bigger deposits when taking out a new mortgage.
EU INVESTIGATES AIRLINE MONOPOLIES
The European Commission's competition authorities have raised concerns about the transatlantic plans of British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia.
The Oneworld alliance members want to operate as a joint business on flights between the EU and North America.
If they are to go ahead they will also need approval from US regulators.
The Commission has sent its Statement of Objections to the airlines, and they now have the chance to respond before a competition decision is reached.
The Commission confirmed that it was still looking into similar plans for co-operation by Star Alliance members Lufthansa, Continental, United and Air Canada and between Skyteam members Air France/KLM and Delta/Northwest.
Source: BBC News
Friday 25 September 2009
Asian Tiger Economies
The boom in Asian markets over the last 15 years or so is hopefully an inspiration for the economies of Africa and Latin America.
India is also beginning to take off in quite dramatic fashion, following to some extent the rapid boom in China.
However, historically the 'Tiger' Economies refers to Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Hong Kong was the model that has been duplicated by the rest. It is interesting to note that in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, Britain governed them before independence. The trade links and contacts utilised by the UK is probably the main reason for this and not some old Imperialist propaganda! It is also important to recognise the large Chinese populations in these nations or the influence China has had on their indigenous culture.
The reasons for the growth of these nations have been many. It is often reckoned that:
They have specialised in either Financial Investment or Information Technology.
South Korea is the world's largest shipbuilder and from the ashes of the Korean War they have created global multinationals such as Samsung, Hyundai and Daewoo, all permanent rivals of their more illustrious Japanese counterparts.
What are the future implications for the EU? Or for the USA? Or even Japan, who for so long has been the Asian economic superpower, but after the 90s and deflation, Japan may find it hard to regain its omnipotence.
These traditional Asian Tigers along with the likes of Thailand, rely heavily on exports. With the world currently in recession, fewer goods are being shipped abroad to the Western consumers who buy these goods due to their technical brilliance, and more often than not, their low price.
Many of the Tigers relied on Tourism also, but again more and more people are staying at home (incidentally, this factor is reported as having boosted our own Halfords company in the UK as more people bought camping equipment and bikes rather than jetsetting off across the globe), but where does it leave the Tiger economies?
It will be fascinating to watch African and Latin American nations who do not have vast natural resources trying to emulate the Asian Tigers. Whereas the other developing nations who do have vast natural resources may opt for the route that the likes of Dubai are going down by using their current wealth to prepare for the days when the oil runs out.
If we are to summarise the emergence of the Tigers it really is down to their committment to low cost and good quality.
India is also beginning to take off in quite dramatic fashion, following to some extent the rapid boom in China.
However, historically the 'Tiger' Economies refers to Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Hong Kong was the model that has been duplicated by the rest. It is interesting to note that in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, Britain governed them before independence. The trade links and contacts utilised by the UK is probably the main reason for this and not some old Imperialist propaganda! It is also important to recognise the large Chinese populations in these nations or the influence China has had on their indigenous culture.
The reasons for the growth of these nations have been many. It is often reckoned that:
- low Government spending has also encouraged high investment from overseas
- an emphasis on creating skilled workers in place of a reliance on natural resources
- excellent labour relations between employees and owners
- having a 'can-do' philosophy
- focusing on emerging markets and technologies
- adopting Japanese Production Methods
They have specialised in either Financial Investment or Information Technology.
South Korea is the world's largest shipbuilder and from the ashes of the Korean War they have created global multinationals such as Samsung, Hyundai and Daewoo, all permanent rivals of their more illustrious Japanese counterparts.
What are the future implications for the EU? Or for the USA? Or even Japan, who for so long has been the Asian economic superpower, but after the 90s and deflation, Japan may find it hard to regain its omnipotence.
These traditional Asian Tigers along with the likes of Thailand, rely heavily on exports. With the world currently in recession, fewer goods are being shipped abroad to the Western consumers who buy these goods due to their technical brilliance, and more often than not, their low price.
Many of the Tigers relied on Tourism also, but again more and more people are staying at home (incidentally, this factor is reported as having boosted our own Halfords company in the UK as more people bought camping equipment and bikes rather than jetsetting off across the globe), but where does it leave the Tiger economies?
It will be fascinating to watch African and Latin American nations who do not have vast natural resources trying to emulate the Asian Tigers. Whereas the other developing nations who do have vast natural resources may opt for the route that the likes of Dubai are going down by using their current wealth to prepare for the days when the oil runs out.
If we are to summarise the emergence of the Tigers it really is down to their committment to low cost and good quality.
Johnnie Walker in Kilmarnock - Diageo and Stakeholders
Read this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8248348.stm
Identify
Interest
Influence
Conflict of Stakeholders
DEFINE STAKEHOLDERS
Stakeholders are a group of individuals with a key interest in a business or organisation.
INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Owners/Shareholders
Johnnie Walker Managers in Kilmarnock
Johnnie Walker Employees in Kilmarnock
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Kilmarnock Residents
East Ayrshire Council
SNP - The Scottish Government
The UK Government
Banks
Johnnie Walker Customers
POTENTIAL EXAM QUESTIONS
Describe how 5 different stakeholders of Diageo could influence the
organisation.
Stakeholders are groups of people with a key interest in an organisation.
At Diageo's Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock internal stakeholders would be:
Managers
Employees
Shareholders/Owners
Managers can influence the organisation by making important decisions on the running of the firm for example what products to manufacture.
Employees can affect the quality of a product or service by how hard they work to produce the finished article.
Shareholder/Owners can change many things in the firm, for example they can buy more shares or vote at the AGM to replace the Board of Directors if results are not to their liking.
External Stakeholders would be:
Customers
Local Community
Government
Banks
Suppliers
Customers can influence Diageo by deciding whether or not to purchase the product or service.
Local Community - in this case the Kilmarnock residents may decide to petition the organisation to make a change to their policies (eg their environmental policies), or in this specific case to keep jobs in Kilmarnock.
Government (in this example it could be Scottish Government, the UK Government or even East Ayrshire Council) can change or alter legislation which can affect production of a product or the working conditions of the employees (health & safety laws for example).
Banks can influence a firm by approving a much needed loan to keep a firm afloat in times of recession
Suppliers to Diageo can affect the firm quite drastically. They can alter the price of raw materials which in turn will affect Diageo's profit margin.
Identify
Interest
Influence
Conflict of Stakeholders
DEFINE STAKEHOLDERS
Stakeholders are a group of individuals with a key interest in a business or organisation.
INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Owners/Shareholders
Johnnie Walker Managers in Kilmarnock
Johnnie Walker Employees in Kilmarnock
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Kilmarnock Residents
East Ayrshire Council
SNP - The Scottish Government
The UK Government
Banks
Johnnie Walker Customers
POTENTIAL EXAM QUESTIONS
Describe how 5 different stakeholders of Diageo could influence the
organisation.
Stakeholders are groups of people with a key interest in an organisation.
At Diageo's Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock internal stakeholders would be:
Managers
Employees
Shareholders/Owners
Managers can influence the organisation by making important decisions on the running of the firm for example what products to manufacture.
Employees can affect the quality of a product or service by how hard they work to produce the finished article.
Shareholder/Owners can change many things in the firm, for example they can buy more shares or vote at the AGM to replace the Board of Directors if results are not to their liking.
External Stakeholders would be:
Customers
Local Community
Government
Banks
Suppliers
Customers can influence Diageo by deciding whether or not to purchase the product or service.
Local Community - in this case the Kilmarnock residents may decide to petition the organisation to make a change to their policies (eg their environmental policies), or in this specific case to keep jobs in Kilmarnock.
Government (in this example it could be Scottish Government, the UK Government or even East Ayrshire Council) can change or alter legislation which can affect production of a product or the working conditions of the employees (health & safety laws for example).
Banks can influence a firm by approving a much needed loan to keep a firm afloat in times of recession
Suppliers to Diageo can affect the firm quite drastically. They can alter the price of raw materials which in turn will affect Diageo's profit margin.
Wednesday 23 September 2009
Cooperative Learning and Curriculum for Excellence
Some years ago I benefited greatly from a 3 day inservice delivered by Canadians Norm and Cath Green to the staff of Jordanhill School.
The 3 day inservice was all about cooperative learning, which was seen as another learning and teaching aid along with AiFL. It is now clear to me that Jordanhill were ahead of the game in that they knew such concepts (along with Critical Skills) were the foundations for Curriculum for Excellence.
Cooperative learning is not just collaborative learning or groupwork - this was a salient point from the outset.
There are 5 key elements to cooperative learning:
Face to Face Interaction - group memebers promote each other's success, social skills improved and needed
Positive Interdependence - the group's performance depends on everyone. Groups will sink or swim together!
Group Processing - group reflects on how they are and have worked as a team
Interpersonal Skills - social skills taught and developed such as: leadership, trust, decision-making, communication, managing conflict
Individual and Group Accountability - to avoid social loafers group sizes are kept small and everyone has a clearly defined role in the task (ie researcher, reader, designer, project leader etc)
Group Forming
When it comes to presenting their findings, using a little bit of randomness like drawing names ensures they all have to be aware they can be asked to perform!
When forming groups mixed ability is normally the best.
Cooperative Learning Tools that I use:
Appointments - pupils have an appointments card which they have to fill with other pupils names. In doing so they are creating a whole list of teams they can be asked to form. i.e. 10am partners work together one week, then 2pm the next. Helps breakout of friendship groups.
Jigsaw - pupils are divided into home groups where they are then sub-divided into expert groups. The expert groups go and meet up to learn part of a topic and then later return to their home groups to teach the rest of the home group the topic. eg Home group is told topic is HRM. The expert groups are: Recruitment, Training, and Legislation. So the Home group splits and sends members to each of the 3 subtopics. So member A learns about Training along with the other experts from other home groups, and then returns later to teach his/her own home group Training.
T-Chart - a piece of paper that is divided into a T. It is useful to organise information such as advantages and disadvantages etc.
Benefits of cooperative learning
less academic pupils learn skills from the more academic pupils
increases self-esteem among pupils
develops social skills
increases knowledge retention
develops oral communication
Further Reading
Here is an excellent video on You Tube with some tips for cooperative learning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LWE2HF1v1Y
More You Tube information on Cooperative Learning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxHJEmiDCKY&feature=related
Please share you ideas and opinions with me here on the blog.
The 3 day inservice was all about cooperative learning, which was seen as another learning and teaching aid along with AiFL. It is now clear to me that Jordanhill were ahead of the game in that they knew such concepts (along with Critical Skills) were the foundations for Curriculum for Excellence.
Cooperative learning is not just collaborative learning or groupwork - this was a salient point from the outset.
There are 5 key elements to cooperative learning:
Face to Face Interaction - group memebers promote each other's success, social skills improved and needed
Positive Interdependence - the group's performance depends on everyone. Groups will sink or swim together!
Group Processing - group reflects on how they are and have worked as a team
Interpersonal Skills - social skills taught and developed such as: leadership, trust, decision-making, communication, managing conflict
Individual and Group Accountability - to avoid social loafers group sizes are kept small and everyone has a clearly defined role in the task (ie researcher, reader, designer, project leader etc)
Group Forming
When it comes to presenting their findings, using a little bit of randomness like drawing names ensures they all have to be aware they can be asked to perform!
When forming groups mixed ability is normally the best.
Cooperative Learning Tools that I use:
Appointments - pupils have an appointments card which they have to fill with other pupils names. In doing so they are creating a whole list of teams they can be asked to form. i.e. 10am partners work together one week, then 2pm the next. Helps breakout of friendship groups.
Jigsaw - pupils are divided into home groups where they are then sub-divided into expert groups. The expert groups go and meet up to learn part of a topic and then later return to their home groups to teach the rest of the home group the topic. eg Home group is told topic is HRM. The expert groups are: Recruitment, Training, and Legislation. So the Home group splits and sends members to each of the 3 subtopics. So member A learns about Training along with the other experts from other home groups, and then returns later to teach his/her own home group Training.
T-Chart - a piece of paper that is divided into a T. It is useful to organise information such as advantages and disadvantages etc.
Benefits of cooperative learning
less academic pupils learn skills from the more academic pupils
increases self-esteem among pupils
develops social skills
increases knowledge retention
develops oral communication
Further Reading
Here is an excellent video on You Tube with some tips for cooperative learning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LWE2HF1v1Y
More You Tube information on Cooperative Learning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxHJEmiDCKY&feature=related
Please share you ideas and opinions with me here on the blog.
Friday 18 September 2009
Famous Products - 3M Post-it Note
The Post-it note came about by a bit of chance and being aimed at the wrong target market!
In 1968, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) developed a sticky, re-usable adhesive. A scientist called Spencer Silver was the inventor and he tried to gain recognition and support for the product within 3M.
Six years later, with success eluding Silver, a co-worker called Art Fry ised the sticky adhesive as a hymnbook bookmark! Fry - who was not the inventor but was certainly an innovator - developed the product and helped lead the commercialization process. After an unsuccessful launch in 1977 due to poor customer trials, a better trial resulted in a full product launch within 12 months to North America and Europe.
The Post-it then became a must have for every office stationery supply!
Think of such a simple idea and product and how it has totally transformed the way we operate in our daily lives.
Students no longer highlight their textbooks; they use post-its to mark important sections, meaning they get more money back when they sell on their pricey textbooks.
Office staff can disseminate work to colleagues via a handy post-it on top of a circular or memo.
The list is endless and another example of a great product that found it's market by serendipity.
Sears Tower (1973-2009)
It is now called the Willis Tower, but I reckon it will revert back to its original and more famous name of the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
At 1450 feet it is the tallest building in the USA and in July 2007 I even visited this amazing feat of engineering myself! This was a picture I took on what was a glorious summer day that then turned into a thunder and lightening storm!
The tower was the brainchild of Sears and Roebuck who in the 1960s were the world's largest retailers. The idea to house many of their employees under such an impressive roof was implemented and from 1973 until 1998 the Sears Tower was the world's tallest building, eclipsed by the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The CN Tower in Toronto is taller but different categories place the CN Tower as the largest freestanding structure in the Americas.
I am fascinated by such skyscrapers as not only are they an amazing feat of construction and engineering but they represent man's ambition to be faster, longer, taller in all such weird manner of feats!
I am lucky enough to have stood on the skydeck of the Sears Tower (as it was called then) and also the Petronas Towers. I'll have some work to do to visit both the Tapei 101 and the Burj Dubai before new buildings in Shanghai and Chicago outstrip the current number 1 and 2 tallest buildings!
International Business News
DUBAI METRO OPENS!
In Dubai, the long awaited Dubai Metro opened some seven days ago and so far over 323,000 people have used the new transport system.
However there are still another 10 of 20 stations to be finalised and opened for commuters. How will it impact on Dubai? That remains to be seen as Dubai attempts to become the Las Vegas for the 21st Century or indeed the Entertainment Capital of the World (outside the United States at least!)
GLASGOW RAIL LINK AXED
Scottish ministers have been accused of being "anti-Glasgow" over the decision to axe the Glasgow Airport Rail Link amid concerns about spending cuts.
The city council said the move was "a dagger in the heart" of the west of Scotland economy.
Ministers highlighted significant investment in the city's transport, health and housing.
Up to £182m had been earmarked for improving the line between Glasgow and Paisley, with £47m already spent.
RECORD SALES FOR IKEA
Swedish furniture giant Ikea enjoyed record sales of 21.5bn euros ($30bn; £19.1bn), despite slowing growth.
Ikea said sales for the year to 31 August rose by 1.4%, down from 7% growth in the previous year.
"It has been a challenging year in which we have had to adapt to changed market conditions," said Ikea's new chief executive Mikael Ohlsson.
His predecessor slashed 5,000 jobs to cope with the drop in demand due to the financial crisis.
The company said it had opened 15 new stores worldwide since last September.
AIRLINE RAISES BILLIONS!
AMR, the parent of American Airlines, has raised $2.9bn (£1.8bn) of new financing to help it through the global downturn in air travel.
The group said $1bn of the total came from advanced sales of frequent flyer miles to Citigroup bank.
A further $1.6bn came from a sale and leaseback arrangement with General Electric's aviation division for planes it had already ordered.
The airline also said it would add capacity at key US airports.
Shares in AMR jumped 18% on the back of the news.
AFRICA ONLINE
A new high-speed undersea cable connecting East Africa with the rest of the world is poised to go live. The launch of the government-backed East African Marine System (Teams) comes as providers face a backlash over slow connection speeds and high prices.
Internet providers have increased speeds and lowered costs since the Seacom cable went live in August.
But users say services still remain too expensive for most ordinary Kenyans.
Senior government official Bitange Ndemo said there was evidence that some internet service providers (ISPs) were "fleecing the public".
Almost two months after the first high-speed cable made landfall, the highest residential internet speed offered by Kenya's largest ISP remains capped at one megabit per second (Mbps).
That speed is available only at night and at weekends, for an annual cost of $1,440 (£860). The average Kenyan annual wage is about $800, the UN estimates.
In Dubai, the long awaited Dubai Metro opened some seven days ago and so far over 323,000 people have used the new transport system.
However there are still another 10 of 20 stations to be finalised and opened for commuters. How will it impact on Dubai? That remains to be seen as Dubai attempts to become the Las Vegas for the 21st Century or indeed the Entertainment Capital of the World (outside the United States at least!)
GLASGOW RAIL LINK AXED
Scottish ministers have been accused of being "anti-Glasgow" over the decision to axe the Glasgow Airport Rail Link amid concerns about spending cuts.
The city council said the move was "a dagger in the heart" of the west of Scotland economy.
Ministers highlighted significant investment in the city's transport, health and housing.
Up to £182m had been earmarked for improving the line between Glasgow and Paisley, with £47m already spent.
RECORD SALES FOR IKEA
Swedish furniture giant Ikea enjoyed record sales of 21.5bn euros ($30bn; £19.1bn), despite slowing growth.
Ikea said sales for the year to 31 August rose by 1.4%, down from 7% growth in the previous year.
"It has been a challenging year in which we have had to adapt to changed market conditions," said Ikea's new chief executive Mikael Ohlsson.
His predecessor slashed 5,000 jobs to cope with the drop in demand due to the financial crisis.
The company said it had opened 15 new stores worldwide since last September.
AIRLINE RAISES BILLIONS!
AMR, the parent of American Airlines, has raised $2.9bn (£1.8bn) of new financing to help it through the global downturn in air travel.
The group said $1bn of the total came from advanced sales of frequent flyer miles to Citigroup bank.
A further $1.6bn came from a sale and leaseback arrangement with General Electric's aviation division for planes it had already ordered.
The airline also said it would add capacity at key US airports.
Shares in AMR jumped 18% on the back of the news.
AFRICA ONLINE
A new high-speed undersea cable connecting East Africa with the rest of the world is poised to go live. The launch of the government-backed East African Marine System (Teams) comes as providers face a backlash over slow connection speeds and high prices.
Internet providers have increased speeds and lowered costs since the Seacom cable went live in August.
But users say services still remain too expensive for most ordinary Kenyans.
Senior government official Bitange Ndemo said there was evidence that some internet service providers (ISPs) were "fleecing the public".
Almost two months after the first high-speed cable made landfall, the highest residential internet speed offered by Kenya's largest ISP remains capped at one megabit per second (Mbps).
That speed is available only at night and at weekends, for an annual cost of $1,440 (£860). The average Kenyan annual wage is about $800, the UN estimates.
End of the i-Pod?
The new Sony A-Series Walkman is being launched and is quite clearly the thinnest personal music player yet. How will this affect the market leader, Apple's i-Pod?
The Japanese corporation famous for the original personal music player seems to be finally hitting back at the mp3 players and i-pods that have killed firstly their tape deck walkman and then the CD diskman.
For more information read these articles:
Keith Floyd
As a keen traveller myself, I was saddened to hear of the passing of the flamboyant Bon Vivant, Keith Floyd.
Keith Floyd was famous for his excellent cookery programmes - long before Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver I might add - but also for his wit and love of travel.
Along with Michael Palin and Francesco Da Mosto, Floyd was my favourite Travel Show host. He would cook in some of the oddest or most familiar places! For example one moment he'd be cooking near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, or then cooking meat in the middle of a Spanish desert for Iberian cowboys.
A remarkable man, who will be much missed for his knowledge and enthusiasm.
Sunday 13 September 2009
Carl Sagan and Cosmos
I am often asked by the pupils and students in class about events or people that inspired me. Sometimes I struggle to think on my feet as I do not wish to give a glib answer! For example, in the world of sport, I have always been fascinated by the effect football managers have. Brian Clough, Jock Stein and Alex Ferguson and the 3 men I would say stand out from the crowd. In Business, Donald Trump has always been someone I thought is incredible because he knows the importance of good PR. In many ways he is like a politician. And being an avid movie fan, I have always been inspired by the likes of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron (I can't wait to see Avatar!).
However, one remarkable person from my childhood is not from the world of sport, movies, or business. That man is Carl Sagan.
Carl Sagan was a scientist who, when I was very young, made an epic TV show called Cosmos. Now that may not seem to amazing, but back in the early 1980s special effects and the power of imagination was limited to programmes like Star Trek, Doctor Who, Twilight Zone, and the underrated The Outer Limits.
Cosmos was a serious attempt at mainstream science. Now we have David Attenborough and his fantastic natural world programmes, but apart from The Sky at Night (which I still watch!!!), and Open University programmes science was absent from TV.
Carl Sagan took us on a voyage of discovery. He showed us the insides of great stars, speculated about life on other planets, enlightened us about the plight of scientists from history, educated me and others on what a Googol was and it's big, BIG brother, the Googolplex!
We saw comets, asteroids, planetary rings, supernovas, Red Giants and White Dwarfs, pulsars, quasars, black holes, galaxies, and even speculation on multi-universies... basically the meaning of life, the universe and everything, as Douglas Adams would say. (42, by the way.)
The one episode I recall stronger than the rest was the Italian kid on his scooter who sets off for a journey around town and the countryside while his brother waits on a park bench. But the scooter kid travels at the speed of light. He wizzes around the beautiful scenery, while his brother waits. When his trip was over he goes to the bench to meet his brother... who is an old man! Time stood still for the speed of light traveller, but not for the brother waiting.
Mind blowing stuff when you are 7 or 8 years old. In fact it is still mind blowing.
I bought the book some years ago but only this summer, when I returned from Ghana, did I find that Cosmos was available on DVD at long, long last. I made the purchase and spent a lot of my free time in the holidays recapturing my youth and expanding my mind once again.
Truly inspiring stuff. So Carl Sagan is one of the real heroes of my life. He was also an early pioneer of conservationism, and an ardent critic of the wastefulness of the Cold War. Billions of dollars and roubles were spent on creating death and destruction instead of building tools for peace.
I would like to think that in the next Great Library at Alexandria there will be a copy of Cosmos (book or DVD?) safely stored forever for future generations to travel in the 'starship of the imagination' and be blown across space and time in that dandelion.
African Friends
Our visitors from Ghana, Robert Forsson and Emmnuel Boateng have enjoyed themselves so far in Scotland. The weather hasn't been too bad to them! Our VIPs have spent a lot of time in Hamilton Grammar and have seen many lessons in different subjects. Not yet, however in my own class! That is something we aim to rectify very soon.
The partnership, the friendship that has grown between the two communities is special. I hope that it has a lasting legacy and again as I have mentioned previously, the opportunity of young Ghanian and young Scottish minds to have their experiences broadened by a trip to another world... well that is Curriculum for Excellence!
I look forward to going back to Donkorkrom and visiting the Orphanage, as well as actually teaching at DASHS. It would be a privilege and another fantastic experience.
The partnership, the friendship that has grown between the two communities is special. I hope that it has a lasting legacy and again as I have mentioned previously, the opportunity of young Ghanian and young Scottish minds to have their experiences broadened by a trip to another world... well that is Curriculum for Excellence!
I look forward to going back to Donkorkrom and visiting the Orphanage, as well as actually teaching at DASHS. It would be a privilege and another fantastic experience.
Thursday 3 September 2009
CEIS Conference at Radisson SAS Hotel
Hamilton Grammar School were invited by Kirsty Blair (Determined to Succeed) and Claire Fraser (the Social Enterprise Academy) to showcase our good practice in terms of Social Enterprise initiatives. Our school is particulary fortunate to have Frozoz - the Smoothie Maker, and the Eco Group/Ghana Project.
My role was a small one, the marketing of Carbon Offset certificates to local companies who sponsored acres of Ghanian Mango farm.
Our pupils were Jamie Hendry, Rebecca Irvine (of Frozoz) and two former pupils, Stuart Bence (Eco Group), and Fraser Porteous (Young Enterprise). They manned the stand well and were excited to hear the Key Speaker, Kevin Lynch of Rebuild Resources Inc, who as well as co-authoring Mission Inc, he helps chronic addicts and alcoholics become clean through a programme of work and recovery.
We were priviledged and honoured to be invited. It was a worthwhile day for our pupils and we gained some interesting contacts which we aim to develop further.
My role was a small one, the marketing of Carbon Offset certificates to local companies who sponsored acres of Ghanian Mango farm.
Our pupils were Jamie Hendry, Rebecca Irvine (of Frozoz) and two former pupils, Stuart Bence (Eco Group), and Fraser Porteous (Young Enterprise). They manned the stand well and were excited to hear the Key Speaker, Kevin Lynch of Rebuild Resources Inc, who as well as co-authoring Mission Inc, he helps chronic addicts and alcoholics become clean through a programme of work and recovery.
We were priviledged and honoured to be invited. It was a worthwhile day for our pupils and we gained some interesting contacts which we aim to develop further.
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Ghana July 2009 - My Real Life African Adventure
What started out as a small action point in a rather large working document created and edited by pupils of Mr Dyer's Eco Group ended up with myself, Mr Dyer and Mr Bowen flying over the incredible red-brown of the Sahara desert to arrive in Accra, the capital city of Ghana.
We were met by one of Kwahu Province Ministers, Alex, who on the first night took us to a rather swanky hotel in Accra. So upmarket was this hotel that we decided against using our mosquito nets and indeed using DEET.
The next day we travelled on some concrete roads (built as part of the 50th anniversary of Ghanian independence) and some red road (though the word road is a misnomer). Red road is like the waltzers. Up and down you go with a few rockings from side to side.
Our destination was the mountain village of Abetifi. The climate was cool and rather appealing to the milky white Scots in our party. There we met Emmanuel, who was acting Moderator of the Church of Ghana, no mean feat!
During our stay in Abetifi we visited the large Mango Farm, the one that is the template for the smaller farm in Donkorkrom. We even got to see the £15,000 tractor, bought by donations raised by Mr Dyer's church and our school, Hamilton Grammar. The tractor cuts down the manual work and increases production!
The mangos were planted for two reasons. To help offset in a small way the carbon pollution created by organisations in Scotland, and secondly to offer a regular income to the local people.
From Abetifi off we went to catch the Ferry to Donkorkrom, over the world's biggest man made lake, Lake Volta! The scene we witnessed was one of the most memorable I have ever been a part of. Indeed Mr Bowen commented that it looked like something just out of a Michael Palin travelogue. Perhaps, but at least Michael Palin had a professional film crew with him!
The ferry was packed full of people, some in African garb and others wearing discarded Western clothes. People carrying goods on their head were commonplace, and quite a few merchants were selling some rather odd looking fish!
The ferry looked like the Western Ferry one takes to cross over from Gourock to Dunoon, a journey I have taken a few times, and one Mrs Munro (another member of our group) had taken a zillion times! Indeed she wondered whether our ferry was Clydebuilt.
After the ferry we had more red road to avoid being travel sick on, before we reached the beautiful rural area of Donkorkrom.
Our mission in Donkorkrom was a big one.
My role was to help in the school (Donkorkrom Agric Senior High School - DASHS for short), Mr Bowen and Mr Dyer were writing a partnership agreement between DASHS and Hamilton Grammar, while trainee doctor Kim Dyer (Mr Dyer's daughter) was leading the charge to the Spartanburg Orphanage, the beneficiaries of the majority of our fundraising.
The orphans usually had one parent alive, but they had been abandoned. There were House Mothers who looked after them, and an incredible man called Papa Anaba who ferried the kids to and from school and just about did everything for them. Oh and he could also seem to sort any vehicle problems with a little bit of TLC!
The orphans represented the side of Africa which is common on our TV screens. They were the emotional heart of our visit. The long term dream of Mr Dyer is to see the kids in the orphanage go to Nursery (which they do) then on to Primary, Middle School and then DASHS.
At DASHS we met Mr Robert Forsson, the Headmaster of the school. Some of us were also lucky enough to stay at the Headmaster's residence, where we were looked after very well, as we had in Abetifi.
We also met Victor 'Obama', the Head Boy. He was quite a character and indeed was DASHS's version of our own Stuart Bence!
We also were introduced to Chris and Tammi Martin, American Peace Corps Volunteers who were just a year into their own adventure. Chris is a Professor of Woodwork at Iowa State University, and Tammi is teaching ICT in DASHS. You can read their African Odyssey here: http://www.chrismartinfurniture.blogspot.com/
We also met the Chief of Donkorkrom and indeed the Afram Plains. It was an unusual ceremony because the Chief did not speak, but one of his sub-chiefs did. We were made very welcome and they were very happy with our mission.
At DASHS, we installed laptops donated by a college and thanks to Elorm aka Sunshine, we got the internet connection up and running. Pupils did a little PowerPoint (all kids love PowerPoint!) and also we did some Podcasting!
I also created a blog for Hamilton Grammar and DASHS to hopefully continue the partnership.
Papa Anaba took us to the Donkorkrom Mango Farm and we took some Thank You photographs for our kind sponsors.
There was also a football match between DASHS and the village. Mr Bowen and myself went on for a small part of the game, but the boys were fitter, stronger, faster. Mr Bowen played for about 30 minutes, but I am afraid to report I only went on for the last 5. I do have dodgy knees, but even so if Mr Bowen could pass the ball square in the 6 yard box I would have been celebrating my first goal outwith the British Isles!
The orphanage is not a sad place. Indeed the kids are well looked after and they have a ball. It is great to see a place were kids who are in need of love and attention receiving just that. It also hit home to me that perhaps many of our own pupils in Hamilton and in Scotland do not always received the emotional support that young people need. In that regards, I was very fortunate to have such a loving and compassionate Mum and Dad.
As a Teacher, I think being compassionate is a major part of the job. Yes we do have to be firm and fair, but we also must have empathy. Children are vulnerable and need on occassion someone to stick up for them, be kind to them, and make them laugh. That is the part of the job many people do not realise I feel. Teachers are people, we are not robots programmed to "EDUCATE!" like some Pedagological (is that a word?!) Dalek!
Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana and we were treated to an incredible day and night there. Kumasi is more typically African (even though I know that there is no real Africa at all... Africa is so huge and so wildly different and diverse!) than the more Westernised Accra.
Kumasi was home to some beautiful wood carvings, where we had to haggle with the sculptors like something out of the Apprentice! I can safely say that I purchased two Lions, a giraffe, and an elephant for a few quid! Even though we would like to pay more, we risked creating jealousy and perhaps a bit of trouble for the vendors who were lucky to receive our Cedis (the Ghanian currency).
In Kumasi we visited the Palace of the Big, BIG Chief. Our guide reminded me of Frankie Howerd and his jokes and routine were quite superb. I have been to Verseille, the Louvre, Grand Canyon and a few other places in between with cracking Tour Guides, but our dear friend in Kumasi is the hands down champ.
The weather in Ghana was rather wet, which suited me because the heat could really have ruined a good sleep every night. Another plus is that Ghana is the same time zone as the UK!
The food consisted mainly of rice and free range chicken, though we did eat some meat. There were some little sausage things that I have to admit I really liked. The heat killed our appetites though, and I am not always one for a breakfast, lunch and dinner back home. In fact I rarely ever eat lunch, dating back to my uni days in the 1990s. Though since I have returned from Ghana I have been attending our school canteen for some health grub!
Ghanians do like their customs and meetings! It is required when visiting somewhere new to declare your intentions individually! And you give presents when you arrive and receive gifts when you leave! Poor old Santa must sweat when heading for West Africa!
Another interesting highlight was the historic visit of President Barack Obama to Ghana, his first visit to Sub-Saharan Africa. It was a controversial visit in that he rebuked the land of his ancestors (Kenya) to visit Ghana. Our Peace Corps friends Chris and Tammi were invited along with the other US Volunteers to wave Obama off at Accra airport. President John F. Kennedy formed the Peace Corps in 1961, and Ghana was the first destination of the Volunteers. Perhaps there was symbolism in Obama selecting Ghana?
Obama-mania was widespread. His speech was probably like Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. Every man, woman and child were glued to the TV set. Obama was rather straight forward in his speech and it was by no means a whitewash. He spoke freely of the corruption and civil fighting that had and was occurring in several African Nations. It was a brave, if well needed speech.
Obama also visited Cape Coast, which was a port and final call for many West Africans before they were shipped off as slaves to the New World. I would love to return to visit the museum and have time to reflect on the enormity of what happened to innocent people. In a way it must be similar in some aspects for Black people of West African descent to go to places like Cape Coast as it would be for Jewish Europeans to visit Auschwitz or Dachau.
An interesting fact was learned just after our visit. In Athletics, most of the world's top sprinters can trace their ancestory to West Africa due to their physical strength and bulky physiques. However, East Africa, with more slender frames and more mountainous regions are built for distance running! So no wonder Sir Chris Hoy took up cycling.
This incredible story is not yet over. In less than a week we will welcome Emmanuel and Robert Forsson to sunny Scotland and show them what life is like for us here.
And there is a development that Hamilton and Donkorkrom may end up as Twin Towns. If this did happen, then what an incredible legacy for Sinclair Dyer and Kim Dyer.
Kim is a medical student and she needed some extra experience. Sinclair wasn't sure what to do, but a Ghanian who had received some help from a relative for Mr Dyer told him to take Kim to Ghana. Against perhaps his better judgement he did. It seemed at first a strange and perhaps trouble-laden trip... but all the fears any father would have taking his little girl out to a strange new world was proven to be unfounded. The Ghanians treated Sinclair and Kim like their own.
And do you know what? They treated everyone of us like their own. They are a hard act to follow, that is for sure!
We were met by one of Kwahu Province Ministers, Alex, who on the first night took us to a rather swanky hotel in Accra. So upmarket was this hotel that we decided against using our mosquito nets and indeed using DEET.
The next day we travelled on some concrete roads (built as part of the 50th anniversary of Ghanian independence) and some red road (though the word road is a misnomer). Red road is like the waltzers. Up and down you go with a few rockings from side to side.
Our destination was the mountain village of Abetifi. The climate was cool and rather appealing to the milky white Scots in our party. There we met Emmanuel, who was acting Moderator of the Church of Ghana, no mean feat!
During our stay in Abetifi we visited the large Mango Farm, the one that is the template for the smaller farm in Donkorkrom. We even got to see the £15,000 tractor, bought by donations raised by Mr Dyer's church and our school, Hamilton Grammar. The tractor cuts down the manual work and increases production!
The mangos were planted for two reasons. To help offset in a small way the carbon pollution created by organisations in Scotland, and secondly to offer a regular income to the local people.
From Abetifi off we went to catch the Ferry to Donkorkrom, over the world's biggest man made lake, Lake Volta! The scene we witnessed was one of the most memorable I have ever been a part of. Indeed Mr Bowen commented that it looked like something just out of a Michael Palin travelogue. Perhaps, but at least Michael Palin had a professional film crew with him!
The ferry was packed full of people, some in African garb and others wearing discarded Western clothes. People carrying goods on their head were commonplace, and quite a few merchants were selling some rather odd looking fish!
The ferry looked like the Western Ferry one takes to cross over from Gourock to Dunoon, a journey I have taken a few times, and one Mrs Munro (another member of our group) had taken a zillion times! Indeed she wondered whether our ferry was Clydebuilt.
After the ferry we had more red road to avoid being travel sick on, before we reached the beautiful rural area of Donkorkrom.
Our mission in Donkorkrom was a big one.
My role was to help in the school (Donkorkrom Agric Senior High School - DASHS for short), Mr Bowen and Mr Dyer were writing a partnership agreement between DASHS and Hamilton Grammar, while trainee doctor Kim Dyer (Mr Dyer's daughter) was leading the charge to the Spartanburg Orphanage, the beneficiaries of the majority of our fundraising.
The orphans usually had one parent alive, but they had been abandoned. There were House Mothers who looked after them, and an incredible man called Papa Anaba who ferried the kids to and from school and just about did everything for them. Oh and he could also seem to sort any vehicle problems with a little bit of TLC!
The orphans represented the side of Africa which is common on our TV screens. They were the emotional heart of our visit. The long term dream of Mr Dyer is to see the kids in the orphanage go to Nursery (which they do) then on to Primary, Middle School and then DASHS.
At DASHS we met Mr Robert Forsson, the Headmaster of the school. Some of us were also lucky enough to stay at the Headmaster's residence, where we were looked after very well, as we had in Abetifi.
We also met Victor 'Obama', the Head Boy. He was quite a character and indeed was DASHS's version of our own Stuart Bence!
We also were introduced to Chris and Tammi Martin, American Peace Corps Volunteers who were just a year into their own adventure. Chris is a Professor of Woodwork at Iowa State University, and Tammi is teaching ICT in DASHS. You can read their African Odyssey here: http://www.chrismartinfurniture.blogspot.com/
We also met the Chief of Donkorkrom and indeed the Afram Plains. It was an unusual ceremony because the Chief did not speak, but one of his sub-chiefs did. We were made very welcome and they were very happy with our mission.
At DASHS, we installed laptops donated by a college and thanks to Elorm aka Sunshine, we got the internet connection up and running. Pupils did a little PowerPoint (all kids love PowerPoint!) and also we did some Podcasting!
I also created a blog for Hamilton Grammar and DASHS to hopefully continue the partnership.
Papa Anaba took us to the Donkorkrom Mango Farm and we took some Thank You photographs for our kind sponsors.
There was also a football match between DASHS and the village. Mr Bowen and myself went on for a small part of the game, but the boys were fitter, stronger, faster. Mr Bowen played for about 30 minutes, but I am afraid to report I only went on for the last 5. I do have dodgy knees, but even so if Mr Bowen could pass the ball square in the 6 yard box I would have been celebrating my first goal outwith the British Isles!
The orphanage is not a sad place. Indeed the kids are well looked after and they have a ball. It is great to see a place were kids who are in need of love and attention receiving just that. It also hit home to me that perhaps many of our own pupils in Hamilton and in Scotland do not always received the emotional support that young people need. In that regards, I was very fortunate to have such a loving and compassionate Mum and Dad.
As a Teacher, I think being compassionate is a major part of the job. Yes we do have to be firm and fair, but we also must have empathy. Children are vulnerable and need on occassion someone to stick up for them, be kind to them, and make them laugh. That is the part of the job many people do not realise I feel. Teachers are people, we are not robots programmed to "EDUCATE!" like some Pedagological (is that a word?!) Dalek!
Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana and we were treated to an incredible day and night there. Kumasi is more typically African (even though I know that there is no real Africa at all... Africa is so huge and so wildly different and diverse!) than the more Westernised Accra.
Kumasi was home to some beautiful wood carvings, where we had to haggle with the sculptors like something out of the Apprentice! I can safely say that I purchased two Lions, a giraffe, and an elephant for a few quid! Even though we would like to pay more, we risked creating jealousy and perhaps a bit of trouble for the vendors who were lucky to receive our Cedis (the Ghanian currency).
In Kumasi we visited the Palace of the Big, BIG Chief. Our guide reminded me of Frankie Howerd and his jokes and routine were quite superb. I have been to Verseille, the Louvre, Grand Canyon and a few other places in between with cracking Tour Guides, but our dear friend in Kumasi is the hands down champ.
The weather in Ghana was rather wet, which suited me because the heat could really have ruined a good sleep every night. Another plus is that Ghana is the same time zone as the UK!
The food consisted mainly of rice and free range chicken, though we did eat some meat. There were some little sausage things that I have to admit I really liked. The heat killed our appetites though, and I am not always one for a breakfast, lunch and dinner back home. In fact I rarely ever eat lunch, dating back to my uni days in the 1990s. Though since I have returned from Ghana I have been attending our school canteen for some health grub!
Ghanians do like their customs and meetings! It is required when visiting somewhere new to declare your intentions individually! And you give presents when you arrive and receive gifts when you leave! Poor old Santa must sweat when heading for West Africa!
Another interesting highlight was the historic visit of President Barack Obama to Ghana, his first visit to Sub-Saharan Africa. It was a controversial visit in that he rebuked the land of his ancestors (Kenya) to visit Ghana. Our Peace Corps friends Chris and Tammi were invited along with the other US Volunteers to wave Obama off at Accra airport. President John F. Kennedy formed the Peace Corps in 1961, and Ghana was the first destination of the Volunteers. Perhaps there was symbolism in Obama selecting Ghana?
Obama-mania was widespread. His speech was probably like Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. Every man, woman and child were glued to the TV set. Obama was rather straight forward in his speech and it was by no means a whitewash. He spoke freely of the corruption and civil fighting that had and was occurring in several African Nations. It was a brave, if well needed speech.
Obama also visited Cape Coast, which was a port and final call for many West Africans before they were shipped off as slaves to the New World. I would love to return to visit the museum and have time to reflect on the enormity of what happened to innocent people. In a way it must be similar in some aspects for Black people of West African descent to go to places like Cape Coast as it would be for Jewish Europeans to visit Auschwitz or Dachau.
An interesting fact was learned just after our visit. In Athletics, most of the world's top sprinters can trace their ancestory to West Africa due to their physical strength and bulky physiques. However, East Africa, with more slender frames and more mountainous regions are built for distance running! So no wonder Sir Chris Hoy took up cycling.
This incredible story is not yet over. In less than a week we will welcome Emmanuel and Robert Forsson to sunny Scotland and show them what life is like for us here.
And there is a development that Hamilton and Donkorkrom may end up as Twin Towns. If this did happen, then what an incredible legacy for Sinclair Dyer and Kim Dyer.
Kim is a medical student and she needed some extra experience. Sinclair wasn't sure what to do, but a Ghanian who had received some help from a relative for Mr Dyer told him to take Kim to Ghana. Against perhaps his better judgement he did. It seemed at first a strange and perhaps trouble-laden trip... but all the fears any father would have taking his little girl out to a strange new world was proven to be unfounded. The Ghanians treated Sinclair and Kim like their own.
And do you know what? They treated everyone of us like their own. They are a hard act to follow, that is for sure!
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