So many interesting things have happened on February 1st that I couldn't decide which was the best to choose as this week's "this day in history," so I decided to theme this week as "miscellaneous." Enjoy the grab bag of content, and enjoy the February cold!
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
1884 - The Oxford English Dictionary debuts, and our basic command of the English language has been going downhill ever since. Consider the slide from Shakespeare to Trump, hell consider the slide from Churchill to Trump. Then weep.
1979 - Ayatollah Khomenei returns to Iran from exile, becoming head of the new Iranian theocracy. His followers took hostages at the US Embassy in Tehran, and things have been icy since then.
2003 - The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates upon reentry into the earth's atmosphere, a tragedy that killed all seven crew onboard. Pieces of the shuttle were found in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Words are good. Know words.
Schools of the Future
Welcome to Alt School, where technology education is happening in real time, as software engineers work with teachers to adapt learning tools for students (from Business Insider). So much for textbooks.
As an educator I am simultaneously excited by and wary of technology. If used correctly, it enhances and enriches learning, but that's a big if, and we are still a long way from technology replacing a truly strong teacher.
We see in the broader culture the positive and negative effects of technology. As technology becomes more abundant and effective in schools, it raises the question: how will the first generation of kids taught by and through robots behave? What will the effects of that be on society?
The Next Iran?
America's faustian agreement with Turkish President Recep Erdogan was supposed to help stabilize Syria, but it seems to have done the opposite (from NYTimes). President Erdogan rules a country that is part of NATO, but he himself is a strongman modeled on Putin. It is telling that Russia and Turkey are speaking - let alone cooperating - on Syria despite the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey and the downing of a Russian plane by Turkish fighters after they claimed it had violated Turkish airspace.
If the United States had a chance to work with Turkey and keep the country as an important ally it has passed. Turkey may be drawn to Europe, but Erdogan is drawn to Russia, and Erdogan has become Turkey. It will not help that Trump's administration seemingly has no plan or clue that this problem exists, or how to address it.
What if Turkey becomes the next Iran, but not because of revolution but rather from within, over more than a decade, under the tedious, corrupting grip of a dictator? Erdogan is a religious conservative who - despite fierce opposition - has been in power, democratically, since 2003. Might we be looking at an increasingly hostile Middle East and into a scary mirror of our own potential future?
Mission to Mars
Humanity's next step into space is Mars, a planet that has captivated our imaginations for millennia. The red planet, namesake of the God of War, a planet not terribly different than our own in many ways. What would it be like to live there (from Aeon)? If you enjoyed "The Martian," you'll enjoy this article. It made me ponder our future in space, a future that is all the more worth pondering as and if we continue to destroy our home planet.
It is easy and understandable to de-emphasize space exploration when we have so many problems to address on planet Earth, but the innovation that drives this field benefits us all, and the future, later or perhaps sooner....is in the stars.
Wizard Money, a Course for Muggles
What better way to round out a miscellaneous digest than an exploration of wizard money (from Tickld). The Harry Potter fans will enjoy this one. It will give you a much better understanding of how much, or how little, Wizards are spending. How poor are the Weasleys? How rich are the Malfoys? Find out, Muggles.
Rolling with Roux
Kang-a-Roux! Well not quite, but he's as playful as the other type of roo. Roux has an endless amount of energy, and loves spending time outside chasing birds, squirrels, insects, and his tail. Fortunately Roux lives in Pennsylvania with his human Alize, and so he has plenty of room to run. If he gets snowed in, Roux will wrestle with his stuffed lion or beg for his favorite food, strawberries. He's not a big fan of the snow because he hates wearing his warm puppie coat. Big thanks to Alize for sharing Roux!
Will's Weekly Trivia - Spread the Word!
My goal in 2017 is to increase readers by 100. If you know someone who you believe might enjoy the digest, the dogs, or the trivia, please be sure to share Willful Intent's new opt-in form! And don't forget to submit any thoughts and dog pics via the feedback form!
IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
Last Week:
1. Who were the two co-founders of the Black Panthers? ONE POINT APIECE
2. In which city was MLK born?I ONE POINT
3. What does the acronym SNCC stand for? ONE POINT
Answers:
1. Bobby Seale and Huey Newton are the co-founders of the Black Panthers.
2. MLK was born in Atlanta.
3. SNCC is the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, responsible for many of the peaceful sit-in protests across the South during the Civil Rights Era.
This Week:
1. The word hippopotamus is derived from the Greek words "hippos" and "potamos." What does this translate to literally? (i.e. arachnophobia = fear of spiders or biology = study of life) ONE POINT APIECE
2. Iran was formerly known as what? ONE POINT
3. Which Apollo Mission was the first to land on the moon? (i.e. Apollo 13, etc) ONE POINT
4) In Harry Potter, Professor McGonagall was able to transform into which animal? ONE POINT LEADER BOARD Check out the Leader Board! Is your name on it!?
